Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time/Memorial of Saint Justin, martyr
Today's Mass Readings
Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost, which ends the season of Easter. With the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we know that we have been empowered by the Spirit. Jesus has not left us alone, but rather has given us – in the Holy Spirit – the guidance that we need to live as Church. Today we pick up with “Ordinary Time” in its 9th Week. Just as a reminder, ordinary time is not called “ordinary” because it is boring or unoriginal. The word “ordinary” refers to the “ordinal” numbers. Now is the time when we simply count the weeks of our journey with Christ, led by the Holy Spirit. Today’s beautiful first reading comes from the book of Tobit. In today’s passage, we witness Tobit attempting to celebrate a Jewish feast in the midst of a foreign land. While Tobit states that he has walked paths of truth and righteousness, there is also indication that he has suffered for his faith as a foreigner in the land of Assyria. This explains the reaction of his neighbors at his decision to bury the dead body of a kinsmen. Such an act will only assign more blame to Tobit as he continues to follow the law of the Lord while living in a non-Jewish kingdom that does not honor the law of the Lord.
In some way, this story of Tobit represents the experience of all Christians in the world today. While we may sometimes feel at home in the countries and societies in which we live, in another sense we are foreigners. Our true home is heaven, and our live on earth is but a pilgrimage to that final destination. Like Tobit, we may find ourselves subject to the disapproval of our neighbors, who abide by a code that is different than the one of holiness that we strive to follow.
Our gospel passage from Mark indicates that Jesus also was a foreigner in the land. In the parable he tells here, the prophets of the Lord (the servants) are killed by the people who are supposed to be guarding the faith (the tenants). Jesus continues the parable by saying that the owner then sent his son (here the son indicates Jesus), and the son also was killed. Jesus hence foretells his own death in this parable. He identifies himself as someone rejected by the people he has come to save. Although he should be welcomed among all, instead he is criticized and rejected by many. Like Tobit, he is a foreigner in the land.
The saint we celebrate today is the 2nd-century Justin Martyr. Like Tobit and Jesus, Justin Martyr was a foreigner in the land. “Martyr,” of course, is not his last name; rather it indicates the death that he died. Justin was a martyr for Christianity, a witness to the gospel. Justin’s strength was in philosophy, but with his conversion to Christianity, Justin became a foreigner to the world. Justin is known for writing passionate defenses of the Church and the Christian faith. That he had to defend the Church is an indication of his status as a foreigner. His death of martyrdom is a further proof of that status.
Today’s readings and saint hence provide us with one theme of what it means to be Christian: to be a foreigner. We are never really home during our time on earth. Sometimes we are painfully aware of that, as in the case of Tobit. Sometimes we are rejected because of our gospel message, as in the case of Jesus. Sometimes we are called to sacrifice and witness to our faith, as in the case of Justin Martyr.
But the good news is that the theme doesn’t merely end with this idea of being a persecuted foreigner. Rather, the more powerful message is that we are blessed by God. The psalm response is a crucial bridge with these readings: “Blessed the man that fears the Lord” (Ps. 112:1b). Tobit, Jesus, and Justin Martyr are all blessed because they did what was right. They did what they were called to do, and, though they paid great prices, they also receive great blessings. Let us be inspired by their examples that we might not back down from our faith, but may constantly deepen our commitment to it, despite the cost. Today, allow yourself to be challenged by these readings. How can we all seek the blessings of God as foreigners in this world?
- Maria Morrow