Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr
Lectionary: 352
Reading 1
Jude 17, 20b-25
Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Alleluia
See Colossians 3:16a, 17c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?"
Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me."
They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say,
'Then why did you not believe him?'
But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know."
Then Jesus said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Danger of Obstinacy
“I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” Mark 11:29–30
This is Jesus’ response to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders when they approached Jesus in the Temple area and asked Him by what authority He did the things He did. And what was it that Jesus did? The day before, Jesus had been in the Temple and drove the money changers out, telling them, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” This outraged the religious leaders, and they immediately began to discuss how they could put Jesus to death.
Consider, first, the tension in the air. They literally were plotting to put Jesus, the Son of God, to death. They were filled with hatred and jealousy and refused to believe in Him. Jesus saw their hardness of heart and put them on the spot to first answer His question before He would answer theirs. Why would Jesus do this?
The question Jesus asked them was actually an act of great mercy on His part. He gave them an opportunity to repent. If they had only answered His question with humble faith and honesty, they could have saved their lives. Instead, they discussed among themselves His question and gave the politically correct answer. If they had said John’s baptism was of human origin, and not from God, they were afraid that the people would turn on them. So they simply said, “We do not know.” But imagine if they would have given the right answer. What if they had discussed it among themselves and concluded that John’s baptism truly was from God and that they should have believed in him? If they would have only humbled themselves, admitted that they had gravely erred in regard to John, then Jesus would have answered their question, and their life of true faith could have begun. But they didn’t. They remained obstinate. They could not admit they were wrong.
Obstinacy is among the most dangerous of sins. It’s a sin that cannot be forgiven, because, in essence, it’s a refusal to change. And when a person refuses to admit their sin, and refuses to change, then God cannot help them. They remain lost in their sin and suffer the consequences.
Do you struggle with obstinacy in your life? Do you find it difficult to admit when you are wrong? Do you find it difficult to apologize to another and seek to change?
Reflect, today, upon anything you remain obstinate about. Are there matters of faith that you refuse to believe? Are there broken relationships that you refuse to humbly restore? Do you justify your sin and refuse to admit your guilt and need to change? Pray to our Lord for the gift of a humble heart. Humility, in many ways, is nothing other than being completely honest with yourself and others before God. Do not follow the example of these religious leaders. Humbly seek to remove all obstinacy from your heart so that Our Lord can enter in and bring His mercy into your life.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
I DID IT MY WAY?
“But you, beloved, grow strong in your holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit.” —Jude 20
We need to build ourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit to show mercy to three groups of people in the Church. In this way, we will make great strides in renewing the Church.
The first group to whom we should reach out is composed of those who are doubting and confused (Jude 22). Although St. Jude does not clarify the circumstances of their doubts and how we should help these people, the Holy Spirit will guide us, as we “pray in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18).
The second group we are called to serve are those caught in the fire (Jude 22). This is not the fire of purification but of destruction. The Holy Spirit is giving us a part in the ultimate rescue. Live in the Spirit.
The third group on whom we are to have mercy is described as wearing “flesh-stained clothing” (Jude 23). This mission is not explained, but it clearly is extremely dangerous (Jude 23-24). Come, Holy Spirit!
Jude gives us insight into renewing the Church by telling us to emphasise mercy (see Jude 21-23) and target three groups — those in doubt, those in the destroying fire, and those defiled by the works of the flesh. We may have tried to renew God’s Church with our ideas. Let’s follow the directions of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father, help me to un-learn some of what I think I know about renewing the Church.
Promise: “There is One Who can protect you from a fall and make you stand unblemished and exultant in the presence of His glory.” —Jude 24
Praise: St. Justin believed that people would embrace Christianity if Christian teachings were explained properly. He dedicated his life to teaching non-Christians.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
Who Gave You This Authority?
Do you accept the authority of God's word and submit to it with trust and obedience? Many religious leaders took offense at Jesus because they could not accept his authority as coming from God. After Jesus had dramatically cleansed the temple of the traders and money-changers, the Jewish leaders question Jesus to trap him. If he says his authority is divine they will charge him with blasphemy. If he has done this on his own authority they might well arrest him as a mad zealot before he could do more damage.
Jesus' authority to speak and act in his Father's name
Jesus, seeing through their trap, poses a question to them and makes their answer a condition for his answer. Did they accept the work of John the Baptist as divine or human? If they accepted John's work as divine, they would be compelled to accept Jesus as the Messiah. John, a true prophet of God, had in fact attested to Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah who would redeem his people from their sins. The Jewish authorities dodged the question because they were unwilling to face the truth. They did not accept the Baptist and they would not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus told his followers, "if you continue in my word... you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32).
The truth will make you free
The Lord Jesus poses the same question to us today. Do you accept the claim of Jesus - that the Father in heaven sent his only begotten Son into the world to set us free from slavery to sin and to give us eternal life (John 3:16-18). Many want to mold Jesus to their own way of thinking and preferences and to reject or ignore whatever is disagreeable to them. Jesus came to give us the greatest freedom possible - freedom from ignorance, deception, and sin, and the freedom to live as sons and daughters of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you know the joy and freedom of living according to God's word of truth, joy, and eternal life?
Prayers
Lord God, do not let me harden my heart. Replace my heart of stone with a spirit-filled heart. Show me how to grow in my faith today and imitate your merciful love.
My unwavering Jesus, You confront those who are proud, arrogant and obstinate with much strength and love. You do so to help them overcome their stubbornness of heart. Give me the grace of humility, dear Lord, so that I will always be able to admit my sin and turn to You in love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, your word is life and truth. Instruct my heart that I may grow in the knowledge of your truth and live according to your word.
Lord Jesus, I give you thanks for the gift of the Liturgy. By your Word of Life, you teach me the path of life and salvation. By your Bread of Life, you nourish me and unite me to yourself, the True Vine, and deepen my communion with my brothers and sisters in the Church.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 152: The Mystery of the Grace of Suffering
Human suffering is one of the greatest mysteries of life. The Diary of Saint Faustina, as well as the whole spiritual tradition of our faith, reveals much about this profound mystery of suffering. First, from a purely secular point of view, suffering is far from desirable. In fact, it is typically avoided at all costs and seen as the greatest of tragedies. However, from a Christian perspective, suffering itself has been transformed by Christ and made the greatest instrument of grace ever known. It was through His intense suffering on the Cross that the salvation of the world came about. And by freely embracing all suffering, He made it the means and source of all grace. By so doing, Jesus also invites us to see our sufferings as an opportunity for grace. By embracing it, uniting it to His Cross, and offering it to the Father, our suffering is also able to take on infinite value and become a channel of the Mercy of God. Suffering, freely embraced by a Christian, must become a sign of one’s closeness to Christ and a path to holiness (See Diary #774).
Suffering can be very difficult and yet unavoidable most often in life. Rather than run from it, reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use your suffering for good. This is a mysterious calling and requires the greatest of faith and trust. But when entered into, you will discover that the power of God overshadows and transforms even that which is most painful in life.
Lord, help me to entrust to You all suffering. Help me to have hope in You and to fix my gaze upon Your Cross during the most troubled times of life. Use me Lord, and use my suffering as a source of my holiness and for the upbuilding of Your Church in holiness. Jesus, I trust in You.
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