1 June 2017
Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr
Today, I shall spend some time prayerfully reflecting on the courageous, intelligent and saintly manner in which St. Paul cooperated with God’s grace to fulfill the vocation to martyrdom the Lord was giving him. St. Justin would be asked to follow the same script, and he did so with wit.
In today’s Gospel I read that Jesus prayed for unity among his own, a unity that is manifested in the Trinity: “that they may be one.” And I will pray for unity in the Church.
I’ll end this part of my daily prayer by recommending to the Lord the bishops and priests of our country, who seem divided on so many important issues, divisions like Sts. Paul and Justin had experienced, but fought against.
We are the sons and daughters of the same Father, and so unity is the law of life: We are all destined for salvation in Jesus, who is the truth. To live in unity with Jesus and with one another we must be willing to live beyond ourselves, to give up prejudices for truth.
At the end of the Gospel Jesus tells us he wants to be with us. Pray that we fulfill his desire; to express and defend the truth as brothers and sisters of the same Heavenly Father. Sts. Paul and Justin pray for us, that we may yearn for, accept and defend the truth.