Franciscan Mission Associates

Did you know that in the Catholic Church there are different ways to celebrate the Liturgy? They are called Rites, and there are many of them. Most of them are ancient and go back to the first days of the Church. Some of the others came about when those of the Orthodox faith returned to union with the Catholic Church. In the Ukraine, such a union came about in 1596, and was called the Union of Brest. Six bishops from Kiev and other parts of the Ukraine and White Russia r...eunited with the Catholic Church and pledged allegiance to the Pope. St. Josaphat, whom we celebrate today, was a product of that union. He was a teenager when it happened, but eventually became a monk and a bishop. He organized the Catholic branch of the Order of St. Basil, which holds an important place for the Ukrainians in North America. He loved the old Slavonic prayers, and the Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me) was one of his favorites. On November 12, 1623, a mob gathered shouting, "Kill the papist." Josaphat went calmly to them and said, "I am ready to die for the holy union, for the supremacy of St. Peter and of his successor the Supreme Pontiff." May we pray through the intercession of St. Josaphat for the union of Christians throughout the world. See more

November 11 is the feast of St. Martin of Tours. He was born to pagan parents and started to study the faith at age 10. At 15, he was forced into the army. There is a story about Martin that, while at Amiens in France, he gave half his cloak to a beggar. That night, Jesus appeared to him and said, "Martin, yet a catechumen, has covered me with this garment." Martin went off after this to be baptized. At age 20, he tried to leave the army. Julian the emperor jailed him ...briefly, but then let him go. He went to Poitiers to seek St. Hilary, and then dreamed that he should return home to Pannonia (Hungary), where he converted his mother and others. He fought against the Arian heresy, which claimed that Jesus was not divine. He was so successful that they scourged him and drove him out of the country. Saint Hilary had also been exiled for standing up to the Arians, so Martin traveled around until Hilary was released in 360. He founded a community of hermits at Liguge. In 371, the people of Tours demanded that he be made their bishop. Martin himself, as well as other bishops, resisted, but finally they relented and he became a bishop. He continued to live partially as a hermit, founding the Abbey of Marmoutier. He was an effective bishop, caring for parishes and trying to help with disputes of the faith in Gaul and Spain. Martin dies on November 8, 397. Today is the anniversary of his burial. See more

Today is the feast day of Pope Leo the Great. We do not know anything about his early life, except that he was probably born in Rome. He was a deacon, and very important, in the Papal court of Popes Celestine I and Sixtus III. In the year 440, he was sent to Gaul to settle a dispute between two imperial generals. While he was there, Pope Sixtus dies and Leo was elected Pope. Pope Leo was most famous for the Council of Chalcedon, in 451. At this council, he had to deal ...with a heresy named Monophysitism, which claimed that Jesus did not really have a human nature. Leo sent a declaration to the council that said that Jesus had both a divine and a human nature. The bishops at the Council declared that "Peter has spoken in Leo," an indication that the Pope is the successor of St. Peter. Leo had to deal twice with the barbarians in Rome. In 452 he convinced Attila the Hun to accept a yearly tribute instead of sacking the city. In 455 he convinced Gaiserio to settle for pillaging the city and not burning it. Leo had a great trust in God. In his 21 years as Pope, he was loved and venerated by rich and poor, clergy and lay people, emperors and barbarians. He died on November 10, 461, and he is buried in the Vatican basilica. See more

In the Gospel of today's Mass, we hear the story of the wily steward. When he found out that he was going to be fired, he let his master's debtors reduce the amount that they owed. In this way, he thought that they would welcome him when the master let him go. Jesus complements the steward for his craftiness, saying that those who concentrate on the things of this world often deal with their own type better than those who seek heaven. We who focus on heavenly things must learn the same. Jesus says, we must be as crafty as serpents but as gentle as doves. Our minds must be focused on the things of heaven without ignoring the things of earth. Let us pray this day for the gift of wisdom, to see both the things of heaven and the things of earth as God sees them, and live with an eye toward eternal life.

Saint Charles Borromeo, the saint whom we celebrate today, was born into an aristocratic family in 1538. He was always a serious and devout young man. He began his priestly formation when he was 12 years old. His uncle was Pope Pius IV, and Pius made Charles a Cardinal in 1560, at age 22, before he was even a priest. Pius appointed him Archbishop of Milan but kept him in Rome to do many things for the Church. When the Council of Trent reconvened in 1562, Charles was inst...rumental in putting together many of its doctrines and teachings. He became a priest in 1563, and a bishop two years later. Charles was a shining light of the Catholic Counter Reformation. He focused on training the clergy in good seminaries, implementing the council of Trent, and holding Diocesan and Provincial councils. In 1566, he was finally permitted to go to Milan full time, although he was called back to Rome for various reasons. Charles died in the overnight between November 3rd and 4th in 1584, at the age of 46. See more