Reflections of the Readings at Daily Mass

By Derek Reeve

Sunday, November 6^th, Thirty Second Sunday in Year C

Readings: 2nd Book of Maccabees 7/1-2, 9-14:  2nd Thessalonians  2/16-3/5  :  Luke 20/27-38

The four books of the Maccabees are not accepted by all Christians as part of the inspired Scriptures but both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches accept the first and second books but not the third and fourth. These books trace the later history of the Jewish people from 175 to 135 BCE with the second repeating a lot of the first. The second book would appear to have been written in Greek some time before the year 75 CE. It is not, strictly speaking, historical, and it embroiders the story with numbers that are exaggerated, the invention of dialogues and the introduction of miracles. It was, however, with the First Book of Maccabees, accepted from an early age to be part of the inspired Scriptures.

The reading today takes place during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes (+163 B.C.E.) at the time when he was attempting to impose Greek culture and beliefs on the Jewish people. It is in this context that the torture and martyrdom of the seven brothers are situated. They were asked to break the Jewish dietary laws by eating pork, which would have been a sign of their submission to the pagan tyrant. Their refusal in the face of torture and death may seem exaggerated but this simple act of eating forbidden food would have been the sign that they had abandoned their faith in the One God of Israel. In the dialogue with their persecutors, which the writer puts into the mouths of the brothers, they express their belief that, although they might be put to death, they expected to be ‘raised up’ by God after their death.

Life after death was not always part of the Jewish faith but here it is seen to be developing and becoming so strong, that the brothers were willing to face death in the belief that this would not be the end of them.

One of the reasons why the Books of Maccabees were accepted by the early Christian Church was that they taught that there was life after death and that suffering was a means of atoning for one’s sins and, especially, that it was a good and pious thing to pray for the dead (2 Maccabees 12/38-45) It was also partly for this reason that the Protestant reformers rejected these same books as part of the inspired Scriptures.

As we come to the end of the Sundays before the Church’s year begins again with Advent, the readings today provide the chance to reflect on our own death and death generally and the end of all things. It is this that links this reading with the Gospel reading for today.

In today’s Gospel reading Luke introduces the Sadducees for the first and only time in his Gospel. They were a Jewish sect and a philosophical school who took their name from Zadok, David’s priest, and who tended to belong to the wealthy aristocracy. They adhered strictly to the written Scriptures and rejected the oral traditions to which the Pharisees subscribed. As a consequence, they were conservative in their beliefs and rejected the existence of angels as well as the idea of the resurrection of the dead. It was for this reason that they were more concerned for this present life and why, to some extent, they tended to find their reward in earthly recognition and public acclaim and prestige. Not content with that, they tended to oppress others, and many of them also paraded their piety in public by their dress and their practices.

It is against this background that the Sadducees, in today’s reading, tell their somewhat foolish story in order to demonstrate the absurdity of belief in life after death. In Jewish tradition monogamy had become the norm and so the wife would become the ‘possession’ of each of the brothers after death, since each had ‘possessed’ her during their life.

Jesus responds to this absurd tale by reminding the Sadducees first of all that, in the life to come, there would be no need of marriage because there would be no need to have offspring as there is in this life. Jesus then takes a second swipe at the Sadducees by saying that the dead would be like angels, not to confirm belief in angels but to illustrate the point that there would be no need for reproduction in the life to come. Finally, Jesus uses the story of the manifestation of God to Moses in the burning bush as a proof that God is ‘the God not of the dead but of the living’ since, if God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they must be still living.

The Sadducees and others thought of the kingdom of God as a political thing when there would be a Jewish king once again who would bring peace and stability and overthrow all those who had persecuted and subjected the Jewish people in the past. Jesus shows a very different sort of Kingdom of God which is already being established wherever love rules. The Kingdom that Jesus is proclaiming will not be just a perpetuation of a national dream of sovereignty. This Kingdom will only be finally and fully established when all is gathered together to the Father and all will then share the divine life.

Jesus does not actually tell his followers anything about life after death, only that ‘being children of the resurrection’ we shall be ‘children (not ‘sons’!) of God’. In effect, Jesus seems to be telling his followers and us not to ask questions about the life after death but to get on with living life here and now and establishing the Kingdom of God by love, trusting in the God who is love and who will bring all love to fulfilment.

In today’s reading from the Second Letter to the Thessalonian Christians Paul prays that they may be strengthened in everything good that they do or say. He expresses his faith and trust in God that they will continue to persevere. Though he recognises that some do not receive the gift of faith, which is a mystery hard to fathom, they must be grateful that they have received that gift, and he asks them to pray that the Lord’s message may spread quickly.

It is important that we too believe that those who cannot bring themselves to believe or, indeed, have not been given the chance to believe, do lead good and generous lives, often far better than ourselves. They serve the God in whom they cannot believe by their generosity and their love of others.

The final words of the reading are addressed to us as much as to the Thessalonian Christians praying ‘May the Lord turn your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ’. We pray for one another, that we may be filled with love and be strong in living it.

Monday, November 7^th, Commemoration of Willibrord, missionary monk bishop (658-739)

Willibrord was born in Yorkshire and was educated by Wilfred at Ripon. He then went to Ireland where he studied at Rathselmige and was made a priest. Under the influence of Egbert, another monk of Lindisfarne who had travelled to Ireland in search of learning and sanctity, Willibrord was encouraged to set out for Frisia in 690 with twelve companions, and his mission there was comparatively successful. On a visit to Rome, Willibrord was made a bishop by Pope Sergius in 695, and he returned to found the See of Utrecht and to organise the Frisian church. He also preached the Gospel in north Germany and Denmark and founded several dioceses and monasteries in the Netherlands and in Luxembourg.

Willibrord was the first of the great Anglo-Saxon missionaries to mainland Europe, and he is remembered not only for his tireless preaching of the Gospel but also for his holiness of life and his joyful character.

Willibrord died at the monastery which he had founded at Echternach, now in Switzerland, and he was immediately venerated as a saint. He is also the patron saint of Holland.

We pray today for the Church in Holland and for the Old Catholic Church which broke away from the Roman Communion at the time of the declaration of Papal Infallibility in 1870 and is centred on Utrecht. We pray for our eventual reunion with these Christians.

Readings: Paul’s Letter to Titus 1/1-9  :  Luke 17/1-6

The readings for the next three days are from the Letter to Titus. Scholars generally agree that this letter was not written by Paul but later by one of his disciples. The purpose of such a device was not to create a forgery but to extend the thoughts of the named author to the time at which the Letter was actually written. The purpose of this letter was to urge church leaders to value and maintain the structures of both Church and society. It would seem that it was written somewhere in the region of Ephesus since it focuses on the churches of the Aegean area and especially Asia Minor. Scholars put the date of the letter’s composition somewhere between 60 and 160, but it seems that it was written later rather than earlier because of the developed structures of the churches that it describes.

This Letter is generally grouped together with the first and second letters to Timothy and, generally speaking, the purpose of all three was much the same.

In today’s reading, after greeting the recipient of the letter, the author goes on to explain why Titus had been left in Crete by Paul. This is, in fact, the only reference there is to Paul having made a missionary visit to the island of Crete. The purpose in Paul leaving Titus was to organise the various Christian communities and to appoint Elders in each of them.

The author then describes what sort of man is suitable for the task of being an Elder. Apart from setting an example by his life, he must have a ‘firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition’ and be able to expound ‘sound doctrine’ to the people.

Given the present shortage of priests, our bishops might well reflect on these qualifications that are listed and recognise that there are in every one of our Christian communities, those who would fulfil these requirements and who could be ordained to preside at the Eucharist and to lead communities with very little more training. We might pray that, as our bishops read these words today, they may take them to heart and realise that the solution to the problem is spelt out in today’s reading. Why not e-mail your bishop and remind him of the words which he will read at Mass today and pose the question! This would solve the problem of closing communities and amalgamating them into ever larger parishes.

Today’s Gospel reading follows Jesus’ condemning the Pharisees for their false legalistic piety. Jesus now turns to the instruction of his disciples and tells them what the demands of discipleship are. Having condemned the wealthy Pharisees for their unwillingness to share their wealth and possessions, Jesus reminds his followers that, even in the community of his followers, there could be scandal.

Scandal is something which causes someone else to stumble or puts an obstacle in the way of their doing what is right. In Luke’s version of this saying of Jesus, this seems to be something which is bound to happen, so that it should cause no surprise. The punishment described indicates how serious this offence is in Jesus’ eyes because it might mislead one of the ‘little ones’, the ordinary members of the community.

This saying is a warning that Jesus’ followers must take great care not to mislead other members of the community by their wrong doing. This is why the whole child abuse scandal has been so terrible. Those who ought to have been guiding and guarding the little ones not only misled them but abused and wounded them in a way which most of us would have thought impossible.

Lest we take the high moral ground however, we must look at our own life and ask ourselves honestly whether there are areas of my life which might scandalise others who know me to be a Christian and expect something better of me.

The next requirement of a disciple of Jesus is that they should be forgiving and there must be no bounds to their forgiveness. However many times the disciple is wronged, they must be ready to forgive. It is especially painful to hear someone say that they could never forgive. Jesus makes no exceptions and reminds us elsewhere how often we are forgiven and tells us always to forgive others. To withhold forgiveness is to hold on to the hurt and pain and to let the wound fester away and do endless damage to oneself.

It is up to us, disciples of Jesus, to spread the message of forgiveness by reminding those who are ready to condemn that it is only forgiveness that breaks down the barriers between us and makes for reconciliation and peace. No-one is outside of this even those who we might feel are the greatest of sinners. Only God can see the heart and only God can judge.

The last injunction of Jesus in response to the apostles asking him to increase their faith seems to be that they don’t have faith at all.  Even if their faith were as small as the minute mustard seed, they could do the absurd thing of moving a mulberry tree into the sea. Jesus uses this absurd example to hammer home his message.

We must ask ourselves if we truly have faith. Do we truly believe in God’s power to act in our world? The faith Jesus seems to be talking about here, however, is not the simplistic faith that God will give us whatever we ask if we ask in faith. The faith that Jesus is talking about is the faith which enables us to entrust ourselves totally to God, to throw ourselves into God’s arms, as it were, trusting that God will always be there for us even when everything seems to go wrong and all seems hopeless. This is very much the faith that we need today because, in truth, things do seem hopeless both in the world and even in the Church. Today we can renew our faith and trust in God, throwing ourselves into his loving embrace and just trusting that his love will triumph eventually. This is the prayer of complete abandon to the God who is love, something we need to do every day.

Tuesday, November 8^th, Tuesday in Week Thirty-Two in Year Two

Readings: Paul’s letter to Titus 2/1-8, 11-14  :  Luke 17/7-10

The writer of the Letter to Titus, after exhorting Titus to preach the behaviour which is in conformity with the Gospel, the ‘healthy doctrine’ as he calls it, outlines the duties of each member of the household.

The older men are to serve as examples to those who are younger, and the older women are to teach the younger women how to be good wives and mothers. It has to be remembered that the writer accepts the customs of his day that women should be ‘submissive’ to their husbands. However, the writer also specifies that women should ‘love’ their husbands and their children, a new dimension in the relationship with both.

The verses that are omitted from today’s reading deal with the behaviour of slaves, which may come as a surprise. It must be remembered that many of those who were converted to the Christian way would have been wealthy and would have had slaves. It would have been in their houses that the church, the small Christian community, would meet. The acceptance of the Christian faith by the householder would, almost certainly, have meant that the whole household became Christians, even the slaves. The great difference would have been that, through their Baptism, all would have become brothers and sisters!

The final words in today’s reading affirm that Christians are only able to live according to these high standards and to have hope for the future through the saving power of God in Jesus Christ. The writer further affirms that salvation has been made possible for the whole human race, not just for those who are Christians but for all who live by the standards that Jesus has proclaimed, The Spirit is at work in the hearts and minds of all those who are of goodwill.

The final words could well be a slogan for Christians that we should have ‘no ambition except to do good’. How true is that for me?

The Gospel reading today follows on from that of yesterday, and it is one which was read several Sundays ago. If we follow Jesus’ teachings and live as he teaches us to live, are we to expect gratitude or to be congratulated? Not at all, Jesus says, because to live as he asks us to live is to recognise that, at best, we are ‘unworthy servants’. We are trying to serve and to love him in others, which is the only way to fullness of life, not something for which we ought to expect thanks or congratulation either from God or from anyone else.

Wednesday, November 9^th, Feast of the Dedication of the church of St. John Lateran in Rome

It may seem strange to be celebrating the dedication of a church in Rome, but the reason is simple. The church of Saint John Lateran is the cathedral church of Rome whose bishop is, of course, both Pope and Patriarch of the Western Church.

Though the first Christians met in their homes in Rome, when this became too dangerous because of the frequent persecutions, they met secretly in underground burial places, called catacombs. It was only in the fourth century, after the Emperor Constantine had adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, that it began to be possible to meet in buildings designated for the purpose. Constantine made generous gifts of property and buildings to the church in Rome. Among them was the palace and property that had once belonged to the Laterani family. Constantine added to this site a large rectangular building that could be used for public gatherings and worship. This building was what was known as a ‘basilica’, literally a building ‘fit for a king’, and it was typical of the sort of large buildings used at that time for law courts and so on. This became the model for all the great Roman churches and all have been known, since that time, as basilicas. That has also become an honorific title given occasionally to other important churches all over the West, such as Westminster Cathedral.

The Lateran Basilica was dedicated, originally, to Christ the Saviour and this is said to have happened on November 9^th, 324. The Baptistery of the church was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and so the whole Cathedral became known as the church of Saint John of the Lateran.

Among other things, this church is said to house the wooden table that Saint Peter used when he presided at the Eucharist and the altar is built over this. This is also the most important of what are called the ‘station churches’ where the Bishop of Rome would preside at the Mass at different times. It was here at Saint John Lateran that the ‘station’ or stop would be made on Maundy Thursday and it is also the church where the Pope celebrates the great Vigil of the Resurrection in the night of Holy Saturday. This is because this church would have been the one in which Baptisms took place, especially during the great Easter Vigil.

For all these reasons the dedication of this church is celebrated, and it has also appropriated to itself the title of ‘mother and head of all the churches’, which is obviously a misnomer since it is the cathedral of the Pope who is the Patriarch of the Western church.

Today we remember not only this particular church but Pope Francis whose cathedral it is, and we pray too for the diocese and city of Rome and the Church throughout the West. We must never forget that we are only half of the Church and the other half is composed of the great churches of the East. Though many are in communion with Rome, many are still not so and look to other ancient centres of Christianity as the origin of their own church, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and, latterly, Moscow. As the bishop of Rome is the Patriarch of the West so each of these churches have their own Patriarch, often sadly, one in communion with Rome and the other not. Pope John Paul II often reminded us that the Church has two lungs, the one in the West, the other in the East and to breathe properly both are needed.

Today then we pray for the unity of all the churches and the healing of those quarrels and differences which have divided us too long.

Readings: Ezekiel 47/1-2, 8-8, 12  :  1st Letter to Corinthians  3/9-11,16-17  :  John 2/13-22

The special readings for today’s feast remind us both of the church building but, more importantly, of the Church itself, built of Jesus’ followers. In the reading from the prophet Ezekiel, the prophet has been speaking in the preceding chapters about the great Jerusalem Temple and its worship. His vision comes to a climax in this last section where he sees life-giving power flowing out from the Temple. The whole vision is symbolic and describes how the lifeless salty water is turned into water in which life abounds. This is testimony to the God who dwells in the sanctuary and who pours out his own life-giving power on those who have been exiles.

The Lateran Basilica was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist originally and was, traditionally, the church in which baptisms took place. The Baptismal font has become the source of life-giving water. Filled with the Spirit of God it washes clean all those who are plunged into its waters so that, after dying with Christ in the waters, they may rise with him to the new life of love. This is what the Church is, uniting men and women with the risen Christ through the waters of the Spirit in Baptism.

The reading from the First letter to the Corinthians tells its readers how they are ‘God’s building’ and ‘God’s Temple’. The building celebrated today and, indeed, every church building, is a reminder to those who worship in it that they are the real building. All sorts of people have helped us to be part of that building just as all sorts of people were involved in the building of the Lateran Basilica, and we give thanks for them today. From the beginning the building, which is the Church, has been built upon the Apostles and their teaching, and the foundation is Christ himself. We are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells among us, and it is that same Spirit who guides us and helps us to be the Church.

The Gospel reading might be seen as a reproach to the Temple authorities who have allowed the holiest of all their meeting places to become, as Jesus says, a market or in another Gospel ‘a den of thieves’. The traders were there because those who were going to offer sacrifice in the Temple had to buy their offerings there. The money changers were there because the use of the tainted currency of the Roman overlords could not be used in the Temple and had to be changed into Jewish currency. It is not the traders that Jesus is condemning but the Temple authorities who had allowed this situation to happen and who, quite probably, profited from it!

Jesus uses this occasion to speak of his resurrection, though his hearers fail to understand him. He himself is the Temple of God, the One in whom God dwells and whom God raises up, and his Church will continue to be his presence in the world. We, the Church, have been chosen by God to be that presence in the world. When we say we are the Body of Christ, these are no idle words. By our own personal lives but, above all, by the communities which the Holy Spirit creates of us, we are that presence. In these communities the Holy Spirit dwells among us to make us the living presence of the risen Jesus in the world today. That can only happen in the measure that we, the members of that body, cooperate with the Spirit. We must be open to the Spirit and to one another so that we may be built up into communities of love.

Today’s feast is an opportunity for us to reflect on the extraordinary reality that is the Church. Buildings come and go, but the community of Jesus’ followers goes on from age to age with the same purpose, to be his body in the world. Just as Jesus dwelt among us as a Jewish man of the first century, with all the limitations that that imposed upon him, so the Church exists in every generation, formed of women and men of that time, with all their limitations. This is why the Church is, as the Second Vatican Council says, always in need of reform.

There is much to think about today as we celebrate this great church in Rome and as we reflect upon what it is to be the Church in the world today. How do we envisage the Church as we move forward in a world, which is so different from what it was even a few years ago, and where do we see the Spirit leading us as we search to be a Synodal Church?

Thursday, November 10^th, Commemoration of Leo the Great, bishop of Rome (+461)

Little is known of Leo’s background, but he rapidly became an important figure in the Roman church and, among other tasks committed to him, he was used as a peacemaker. It was while he was involved in such a task in Gaul that he was elected bishop of Rome in 440.

Leo’s time as bishop of Rome was important in many ways. He was a superb teacher, and his teaching on the Incarnation influenced the decisions made at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. When the assembled bishops heard what Leo had written they all agreed that ‘Peter had spoken by Leo’ and this became the official position of the Church for many centuries. Leo’s writings show his concern for all the churches and for their teaching.

Leo did much to consolidate the position of the Church of Rome in the universal Church, and he was convinced that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome was part of God’s plan for the Church. Under Leo, Rome became the final court of appeal for all the churches, and he saw in himself the authority of Peter which had been passed on to his successors.

Apart from his concern for all the churches and especially his own, Leo recognised that his position gave him a great deal of power and this he used in the service of his people. In 452 Attila and his Huns attacked Milan and Leo went out to meet them as they advanced on Rome. He was able to persuade Attila to accept tribute rather than attack Rome. Later, however, he was less successful when the Vandal Genseric also attacked the city though he again tried to save it. In between his political activities Leo was a gifted pastor. Much of his writings are still preserved for us today.

One of Leo’s biographers described Leo as a man ‘of indomitable energy, magnanimity, consistency and devotion to duty’ and he became known as ‘the Great’ very soon after his death on this day in 461. He was declared a ‘doctor’ or ‘teacher’ of the Church in 1754.

Today we remember Leo’s successor, Francis, and we pray that the true role of the Roman Church as ‘first among equals’ may be better understood and that it may become a shining example to all the other churches.

Readings: Letter to Philemon verses 7 to 20  :  Luke 17/20-25

The reading today is from the shortest of all the Letters in the New Testament and was written by Paul to the head of a Christian House Church, Philemon with Apphia, who may have been his wife, Archippus and the church who meet in Philemon’s house. Paul is writing as a prisoner though it is not certain at what point this letter was written or during which imprisonment. Paul is writing as a prisoner on behalf of a slave. The society of the Provinces of the Roman Empire was highly stratified with the Officials appointed by Rome at the head, followed by the local privileged classes (through heredity or money), the small landowners, shop owners and craftspeople. After them would have come the freedmen and freedwomen, either released from slavery by their owners or having bought their freedom themselves. At the bottom of the pile was the enormous number of slaves on whom the economic welfare of the Empire largely depended. People became slaves in various ways. They may have been captured in warfare, kidnapped by slave hunters, enslaved through debt, or they may have been children born to slaves. Many of them would have enjoyed a similar status to the servants in Downton Abbey!

In this letter Paul is writing on behalf of one of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, who, it would seem, had run away. It would appear that Paul had converted Onesimus when he had met him in prison, though the nature of his offence is not known. Another possibility is that, on arrival in Rome, Onesimus had sought help from the Christian group because he had heard his master speak of Christians in such a way as to make him believe that they might help him.

The whole thrust of the letter is to appeal to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back and to recognise that their relationship has changed since they are both Christians. In this short letter, while accepting the institution of slavery as a reality, Paul is teaching Philemon that in Christ there are no slaves or free since they are all brothers and sisters.

For the reader today, the lesson to be learnt from this letter is that, in the Church we too are all brothers and sisters. It is the task of the Christian community to build up this relationship and to make it a reality and not just words. What can we do about that in our community today?

This letter also gives us the chance to see how Church teaching develops and changes over the centuries. For Paul the institution of slavery was as acceptable as the notion of domestic servants was to Christians until very recently. It took many centuries for the Church to come to terms with the abolition of slavery and, in fact, secular society was ahead of the Church in this matter. Eventually the Church caught up with what was going on the world around it just as, finally, the Church has caught up with the movement for the abolition of capital punishment which it has now condemned.

Are there other areas of morality where the Church needs to catch up with the world around it? It might be worth thinking about that.

In today’s Gospel reading the Pharisees are attempting once again to catch Jesus out in asking him when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus refuses to be drawn and reminds his questioners that the Kingdom has already come and is among them. Jesus’ teaching and his works are the sign that the kingdom is already with them, but they fail to recognise it.

Jesus foretells that he must suffer and die and this will be the great indication that, though the Kingdom is to come finally, it will already be with them in his death and resurrection.

It is Jesus’ sharing of that victory over death and sin with all who come to him, no matter how they find him or his teaching, which is the coming of the Kingdom.

In the final abolition of slavery the Kingdom was established in a very real way but not finally since slavery still exists in our world today, though in different forms from that which Paul knew.

Today we remember all those who are enslaved in so many different ways, and we pray too for those who enslave them.

Friday, November 11^th, Commemoration of Martin of Tours, bishop (c.316-397)

Martin was born in Pannonia, now Hungary, and his father was a pagan officer in the Roman army. Martin also served for some time in the military, probably as a conscript. He had, however, set his heart on becoming a Christian and become enrolled in the Catechumenate for those who were preparing for Baptism. It was at this time that the famous episode of Martin cutting his soldier’s cloak in half to give half to a beggar happened near Amiens. The following night Martin told how Jesus had appeared to him in a dream wearing the half of the cloak.

Martin became convinced that he could not commit himself to following Christ and remain a soldier. After making a protest, which might be considered an early example of ‘conscientious objection’, Martin was imprisoned and only discharged at the end of hostilities in 357. Soon after that he was baptised and travelled to Pannonia, Milan and Illyricum.

Bishop Hilary of Poitiers had been banished, but on his return Martin joined him as a solitary monk at Liguge. Others gathered around Martin there and so it became the first monastery in Gaul. Martin remained at Liguge as a pioneer of the monastic life until he was chosen by popular acclaim to be bishop of Tours in 372.  Martin continued to live the monastic life near his cathedral and then, latterly, at the monastery of Marmoutier, which soon numbered eighty monks.

Martin founded other monasteries and believed that the conversion of rural areas could be best achieved in that way. Until that time, Christianity had been an urban phenomenon, but the communities of monks living among the ‘pagani’, which means the people who live in the country, soon brought about many conversions. Martin visited his diocese faithfully, often on foot, or by donkey or boat, and his reputation for goodness and compassion grew, to say nothing of the wonders that were attributed to his prayers.

Martin also spent himself in combatting the heresies that were current at the time though he is also famous for having defended the heretic Priscillian. Priscillian, from whom the sect of the Priscillianists took their name, had been sentenced to death by the Emperor for sorcery and had been executed. Martin maintained that it was for the Church to judge such matters, and he defended Priscillian, even though he disagreed with what he taught.

Martin is said to have had a premonition of his death but prayed ‘Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work, but let your will be done’. He died on November 8^th and was buried on November 11^th. We know so much about Martin because his great friend, Sulpicius Severus, wrote his life after his death. His popularity spread rapidly so that, in France, there are no less than 4000 churches dedicated to him and 500 villages named after him, and he is the patron of the French countryside. Martin’s fame spread all over Europe and one of the first churches in England at Canterbury was dedicated to him and still exists. Some 183 other churches are dedicated to Martin in this country.

Martin was the first person who had not been martyred to be declared a saint by popular acclaim, and his feast has been kept on this date from the earliest times. This is also the time for what used to be called ‘Saint Martin’s summer’ because there was often a spell of good weather around this date.

We pray today for the French countryside, which is, for the most part, totally dechristianised.

We pray too for all who are conscientious objectors, particularly in those countries where they are putting their lives at risk.

Lastly, today is Armistice Day and the custom of keeping the two minutes silence at 11.00 a.m. has been revived more recently. It is a good moment to stop and reflect and to pray for all those who are involved in warfare and conflict and all who are their victims. It is very important to do this in public places because it reminds people of the horrors of war, which can so easily be forgotten.

Readings: John’s Second Letter, verses 4 to 9  :  Luke 17/26-37

Like the First Letter of John, the Second and the Third, which will be read tomorrow, were probably written by a disciple of the Beloved Disciple. These two Letters were probably written about the year 100 to a community of the Johannine tradition who were threatened by the arrival of false missionaries who would lead them away from the truth of the Gospel.

The Letter is written to a ‘dear lady’, which is another way of speaking of the Christian community itself to whom the Letter is addressed, and her children who are the members of that community. It is possible that the writer of this Letter is an Elder of another Church community, possibly the one from whom the community addressed was founded.

The writer expresses his joy at the way in which the community to whom he is addressing the Letter is living out the commandment of love, and he expresses what is at the heart of the message of John’s Gospel that love fulfils all the commandments.

The warning follows that there are those who are going about spreading false teaching about Christ and the writer exhorts this church to remain true to the teaching that they have received. It is only in following that teaching, which is that they should love one another as God loves them, that God dwells within them.

This is a powerful message for the Church today. There are all sorts of strange and fanciful teachings and messages, visions and apparitions that would lead the faithful people of the Church astray. Only one thing is necessary, that we should love one another. This was the Gospel that Martin lived and proclaimed so powerfully, so winning many to follow Christ.

The Gospel reading today follows on from that of yesterday when the Pharisees were asking Jesus about the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom is here and now, and he follows this up with examples of those who were not ready when the visitation of God came upon them.

The Kingdom is always coming in a multitude of different ways. We must be on the alert to see and acknowledge this. The reference to Lot’s wife is found only in Luke’s Gospel, reminding the reader of how Lot’s wife looked back, regretting the life that she had left in the city of Sodom and in so doing, lost her life. We must never look back but press forward, persevering in the new life of love to which Jesus calls us, so finding life ever more fully.

The reference to the vultures who gather wherever there is dead meat is Jesus’ way of telling his hearers and us that the Kingdom is wherever people gather to hear the Word of God and to live by that Word.

Saturday, November 12^th, Commemoration of Josaphat, bishop and martyr (c.1580-1623)

Josaphat was born at Volodymyr (currently, Volodymyr-Volynskyi in the west of Ukraine), and when he was only a teenager a Council of bishops representing millions of Belarusians and Ukrainians decided to seek reunion with the Church of Rome. They were Orthodox Christians who had been separated from Rome for many centuries, and they achieved reunion and became what has subsequently become known as the Byzantine Rite Catholic church. People were bitterly divided about this reunion, however. So in these countries (Ukraine and Belarus) alongside those who were reunited with Rome there is still an Orthodox Church, similar in all things except its unity with Rome.

Josaphat, after working as a merchant, became a monk in 1604 and was ordained a priest. He was an excellent preacher and used his talents to do all that he could to extend the union that had taken place with Rome in 1595. In 1617 Josaphat became archbishop of Polotsk. He worked tirelessly to reform his diocese and to educate his people in their faith. In 1620, a rival church was set up to oppose the union with Rome, but Josaphat continued his efforts to promote it.

Sadly, Josaphat fell foul of the Roman authorities who had not grasped the situation and were critical of Josaphat’s insistence on maintaining the traditional customs and way of worship which belonged to his church. This was typical of the Roman stance at this time and for many centuries after, that the Roman way of being Church was the right way and all the others should conform to it. Misunderstood by both sides, Josaphat became the victim of a murder plot to get rid of him, instigated by the rival church. While pleading with his attackers that his servants should not be harmed, Josaphat was struck by a halberd and shot, and his body dumped in the river Dvina. Josaphat was canonised in 1867 being seen as a martyr for the unity of the church.

Remembering Josaphat brings the present situation in Ukraine to mind where the Christian faith has been weaponised by the authorities of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Patriarch of Moscow who have supported the attack by Russia on Ukraine, suggesting that it is a Crusade to reunite the Orthodox people.

We pray for the reunion of the Churches of the East and the West and especially for the people of Ukraine and Belarus.

Readings: Third Letter of John, verses 5 to 8  :  Luke 18/1-8

The third Letter of John is very similar to the second, which was read yesterday. It attempts to deal with a situation that has arisen in a local church. The Letter is addressed to Gaius, a Christian who is a friend of the writer and a respected member of the church. The problem is that Diotrophes has taken over the leadership of another local church and is being unfriendly to the church to whom the letter is addressed.

The verses that are read today are more about the welcome that Gaius and his church have extended to some travelling preachers who have come from the author’s own community.

This is a reminder to us that we ought always to be on the lookout for visitors to our community and make sure that they are properly welcomed.

The Gospel reading today is, again, one that was read several Sundays ago. It is the story of the widow who seeks justice from a judge who ignores her pleading. The woman’s persistence finally wins the judge’s attention, and she receives justice. After the story that was read yesterday making it clear that the Kingdom is here but the End is not yet, this story is perfectly appropriate.

Those who heard the story from Jesus’ lips and, indeed, we ourselves, could identify with the widow because the Kingdom does not seem to be coming. What Jesus is saying to us as to his hearers then, is that we must persevere in prayer in the hope and trust that the Kingdom will come eventually in all its wonder.

The final words are addressed to us, and we must ask ourselves if we have faith and trust in God’s power and love and in the eventual fulfilment of God’s Kingdom of justice, peace and love?

The proof of our faith is both our perseverance in prayer and our seeking to establish the kingdom in our daily lives by acts of generosity, mercy, compassion and love.