Saint Joseph Catholic Church

At his weekly public audience on October 22, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the Resurrection, “an event that one never finishes contemplating and meditating on, and the more one explores it, the more one is filled with wonder, drawn in as if by an overwhelming yet fascinating light.”

The Resurrection, the Pope said, is an answer to the sadness that permeates our time. Recalling how the reality of the Resurrection brought joy to the grieving apostles who encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus, Pope Leo observed that “this sad journey of defeat and return to ordinary life occurs on the same day as the victory of light, fo the Pasch that has been fully consummated.”

The Pope concluded: “May the unexpected joy of the disciples of Emmaus be a gentle reminder to us when the going gets tough.”

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates:

More than 5 billion people—two-thirds of the world’s population—live in countries that restrict religious freedom, according to an annual report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The ACN report finds serious violations of religious freedom in 62 countries (of 196 studied). Among these countries, ACN classified the restraints on religious freedom in 38 as “discrimination,” while 24 were severe enough to be called “persecution.” The countries where ACN found persecution are heavily clustered in Asia and northern Africa, with only one such country—Nicaragua—in the Western hemisphere.

The report finds that Islamic extremist continues to grow, constituting the main factor in outright persecution in 15 countries and discrimination in 10 more. Sub-Saharan Africa is now the area where jihadist violence is most intense.

However the Western world is not immune from anti-religious violence. ACN detailed almost 1,000 attacks on churches in France, for instance; vandalism of churches also spiked in Greece, Spain, Italy, and the US.

The ACN report noted that authoritarian governments—notably China, Iran, and Nicaragua—have employed high-tech means of restricting religious activities, including surveillance and digital censorship.

ACN found that in only two countries, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka, had restrictions on religious freedom eased during the past year.

The US calendar celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), who devoted himself to the service of the poor and the sick. He is best known for his apostolic zeal and his great penances. He founded the Congregation of the Passionists. (St. Paul's Optional Memorial on the General Roman Calendar is October 19, but USA particular calendar transfers it to the next day.)

Gospel Excerpt, Luke 18:1-8: Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary,' For a long time the judge was unwilling; but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The Church celebrates the Feast of St. Luke, the inspired author of the third Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles, was a native of Antioch in Syria and a physician, and one of the early converts from paganism. He accompanied St. Paul on a considerable part of his missionary journey. He was also his companion while in prison at Rome on two different occasions. His account of these events, contained in the Acts, is firsthand history.

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch (50-107), who was one of the great bishops of the early Church. He was the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Antioch. He was condemned to death by wild beasts during the Emperor Trajan's persecution. On his way to Rome, he wrote seven magnificent letters, which we still have today, concerning the Person of Christ, his love for Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution of the Church and Christian life. His sentiments before his approaching martyrdom are summed in his word in the Communion antiphon, "I am the wheat of Christ, ground by the teeth of beasts to become pure bread."

The Church offers the choice of Optional Memorials today:

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582). Teresa was born in Avila and died in Alba, Spain. When only a child of seven, she ran away from home in the hope of being martyred by the Moors; in this way, she said she could come to see God. At the age of eighteen she joined the Carmelite Order and chose Christ as her heavenly Spouse. With the help of St. John of the Cross she reformed most of the Carmelite convents and founded new ones. She reached the highest degree of prayer and through prayer obtained such knowledge of divine things that in 1970 Pope St. Paul VI named her the first woman Doctor of the Church.

Today is the Optional Memorial of St. Callistus, Pope and Martyr. Callistus was a Christian slave of Rome, and later was ordained deacon by Pope St. Zephyrinus, whom he succeeded as pope in the year 217. As deacon he was guardian of the Christian cemetery on the Appian Way which is still known by his name. While he vigorously opposed heresy, his charitable attitude toward repentant sinners incurred the wrath of contemporary rigorists. He was martyred in the persecutions of Alexander Severus in the year 223.