Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Today is the memorial of St. Josaphat. I must admit, I know very little of St. Josaphat aside from what I could piece together off the internet. He was Lithuanian. He was martyred in Russia. He did not attempt to flee from his persecutors, even though he had the opportunity to do so. He was and is a saint.
While reflecting on St. Josaphat, however, a passage from Leo Tolstoy’s book My Religion came to mind. Of his return to the faith of his childhood, Tolstoy writes: “I heard the words of Christ, and understood them; life and death ceased to seem evil, and instead of despair I tasted the joy and happiness that death could not take away.”
These words from the great Russian novelist crystallize for me the hope of the martyrs. It is Josaphat remaining instead of fleeing. It is Bonhoeffer praying on his way to the gallows. It is the taste of joy and happiness that endures regardless of the sufferings that afflict us.
The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, speaks to the hope of the martyrs. Even the greatest of trials, full of suffering, destruction, “punishment” and persecution, pale in comparison to faith. I find the passage, “For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality,” particularly striking. It is their hope that is full of immortality. It is the hope that sustains them through their trials. Whereupon, “chastised a little,” they “abide with him in love.”
The second reading, from the gospel of Luke, speaks to the patience that hope requires. Jesus teaches that it is inappropriate for the servant to take her place at the feast before the appropriate time. First, the servant must serve. Only after the obligations are fulfilled can the servant “eat and drink.” We live in hope of joining in the eternal feast. However, we cannot simply skip to the realization of that hope. Before we feast, we must serve.
Hope itself is full of immortality. We hope with faithful patience. We serve the feast that our hope requires. We hope to participate in the full banquet of which we have had an immortal taste. We have tasted the feast.
Today let us ponder in our hearts the joy and happiness that death cannot take away.
- Adam Sheridan