00:00Today, November 12th, the Church invites us to celebrate a man of immense courage,
00:07a builder of unity among Christians,
00:11Saint Josaphat Kounsevitch, archbishop and martyr of the Union of Churches.
00:18Born around 1580 in Volodymyr, in present-day Ukraine,
00:23Josaphat grew up in a troubled environment.
00:26The Eastern Church had separated from Rome.
00:30And tensions between Catholics and Orthodox Christians divided families, villages, and nations.
00:37From a very young age, Josaphat felt a calling to reconcile these two worlds.
00:43He joined the Basilian monks, an order inspired by Saint Basil,
00:47where he chose poverty, prayer, and study.
00:52His fervor, humility, and gentleness impress all who meet him.
01:00Ordained a priest, then appointed archbishop of Polotsk,
01:03he is deploying extraordinary energy to revive faith
01:07and to bring back to unity those who had strayed from it.
01:11He restores churches, trains priests,
01:16translates the liturgical texts
01:17and tirelessly preaches about brotherly love.
01:20He is not seeking political victory.
01:24but spiritual communion.
01:27His zeal also attracts enemies.
01:31In a fractured country,
01:33His call for unity with Rome is perceived by some as a betrayal.
01:38Tensions are rising.
01:39The rumors are raging.
01:42Josaphat knows he is risking his life.
01:44But he refuses to flee.
01:46“If I must die for the unity of the Church,” he said,
01:50I consider it an honor.
01:54November 12, 1623,
01:57An armed mob invaded his residence in Vitebsk.
02:01The assailants strike him,
02:03They dragged him into the street and brutally killed him.
02:07His body was thrown into the Dvina River.
02:10He was 43 years old.
02:11But death did not have the last word.
02:16Very quickly,
02:17Miracles happen,
02:19Conversions are multiplying,
02:21and even some of his opponents
02:23recognize his sanctity.
02:26His body,
02:27found intact
02:29becomes a sign of peace and hope.
02:33In 1867,
02:34Pope Pius IX canonized him.
02:37making him the first saint
02:38of the Eastern Church,
02:40united in Rome.
02:40Even today,
02:44Saint Josaphat is venerated
02:45like the martyr of unity,
02:47patron of the dialogue between East and West.
02:51His example reminds us
02:52that unity is not built through debates,
02:55but in fidelity,
02:57courage
02:57and charity lived to the point of self-sacrifice.
03:02May we, following his example,
03:04to seek true peace,
03:06the one that is born from a heart
03:07united with Christ.
03:08Prayer
03:10Saint Josaphat,
03:15you who shed your blood
03:16so that Christians may remain united,
03:18intercede for us.
03:21Obtain for the Church the grace of peace,
03:23of truth and courage.
03:27Teach us to love
03:28those who do not think like us,
03:29to engage in dialogue without judgment
03:31and to build bridges
03:32where the world is rich in walls.
03:34Amen.
Commentaires