Martyr for Church Unity| Novena: November 3 - 11
"That all may be one."
For us who long for unity in Church and families, who suffer division, who must be martyrs for unity.
✝ Day 1 - November 3 - For Unity - That All May Be One
"That they may all be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee." - John 17:21
Reflection - St. Josaphat, Eastern bishop who brought Orthodox back to Catholic unity, martyred for unity. Jesus' last prayer before death - that all may be one. For us whose families divided - brothers not talking, husband wife divided, Church divided - Josaphat is martyr for unity. For us who cause division by gossip, pride - unity begins when we pray that all may be one as Father and Son are one.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, martyr for unity, thou who didst die that all may be one, obtain for us who suffer division in families, in Church, in communities, grace to pray and work for unity, that all may be one as Jesus prayed.
(State your intentions here... for unity for us)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O Jesus who didst pray that all may be one, through St. Josaphat martyr for unity, grant us unity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 2 - November 4 - For Bridge Between East and West
"He was bridge - Eastern by birth, Catholic by unity."
Reflection - Josaphat was Ruthenian, Byzantine rite, yet Catholic - bridge between East and West. For us who build walls between traditions, who say Latin better than Syro-Malabar, who despise other rites - Josaphat shows both lungs of Church - East and West - must breathe together. For us families where two traditions - we must be bridge like Josaphat, not wall. Bridge costs life, wall is easy.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, bridge between East and West, thou who didst love both lungs of Church, obtain for us grace to be bridges not walls, to love all traditions, rites, and to work for unity of East and West in our homes and Church.
(State your intentions here... for being bridge)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O God of East and West, through St. Josaphat bridge, make us bridges. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 3 - November 5 - For Truth with Love
"He preached truth but never hated those in error."
Reflection - Josaphat preached Catholic truth boldly but loved Orthodox brothers, never hated. For us who preach truth with hate, who condemn those in error - Josaphat says truth with love. For us who compromise truth for false love - Josaphat did not compromise truth but preached it with love that died for it. Our families need truth spoken with love, not with anger.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, who didst preach truth with love, never hating those in error, obtain for us grace to speak truth with love, to not compromise truth for false peace, nor hate those who err, but love them into truth.
(State your intentions here... for truth with love)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O Truth with Love, Jesus, through St. Josaphat grant us truth with love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 4 - November 6 - For Pastors Who Suffer for Unity
"The pastor must suffer for his sheep to be one."
Reflection - Josaphat as bishop suffered much - monks rebelled, people hated him for unity work, yet he stayed. For us pastors, parents, leaders who suffer when we try to unite family - children rebel, spouse opposes - Josaphat shows pastor suffers for sheep unity. For us who flee suffering, who abandon unity work when hard - stay like Josaphat, suffer for unity, it will bear fruit even if martyrdom needed.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, pastor who didst suffer for unity of flock, obtain for us pastors, parents, leaders who work for unity grace to suffer patiently, not flee, and to offer suffering for unity of those entrusted to us.
(State your intentions here... for pastors and suffering for unity)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O Shepherd who suffered for one flock, through St. Josaphat grant us to suffer for unity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 5 - November 7 - For Monastic Reform
"He reformed monks by example of his own life."
Reflection - Josaphat reformed Basilian monks who were lax - by his own austerity, prayer, poverty. For us who want to reform others - family, community - reform begins with our example. For us monks, religious, families called to be domestic monasteries - our home must be monastery of prayer. Josaphat reformed by living reform, not by words alone.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, reformer of monks, thou who didst reform by example of holy life, obtain for us grace to reform our families and communities by example of our own prayer, austerity, and love, not by words alone.
(State your intentions here... for reform by example)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O God who reformest by example, through St. Josaphat grant us to reform by life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 6 - November 8 - For Courage to Confront Error
"He did not fear to confront those in schism."
Reflection - Josaphat confronted schism boldly, even when threatened death. For us who fear to confront error in family - child in sin, spouse in wrong - we stay silent for false peace. For us who confront with fear - Josaphat gives courage. True love confronts error because error harms beloved. Our silence when family errs is not love but fear. Love confronts with courage.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, courageous confronter of error, thou who didst not fear threats for truth, obtain for us courage to confront error in our families and communities with love, not fearing rejection, for love of those who err.
(State your intentions here... for courage to confront)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O Courageous Truth, through St. Josaphat grant us courage to confront error with love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 7 - November 9 - For Dedication of Church - Unity of Stones and Hearts
"Church is one - one building, one heart."
Reflection - On Dedication of Lateran Basilica - mother church of unity - we remember Church is one building of living stones. For us who are living stones - our unity makes Church. For us whose hearts are divided - cannot be one building. Josaphat died for one Church, one building. Our families must be one building, one heart, not divided houses. Dedication of church calls us to be dedicated to unity.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, martyr for one Church, obtain for us on Dedication of Church grace to be one building, one heart, dedicated to unity of Church, and to make our families one building of love.
(State your intentions here... for one Church and one family)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O God who dwellest in one Church, through St. Josaphat make us one. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 8 - November 10 - For Forgiveness of Murderers
"He prayed for his murderers as they killed him."
Reflection - When mob murdered Josaphat - beat, shot, drowned body in river - he prayed for them. For us who cannot forgive those who hurt us slightly - Josaphat forgave murderers. For us families with division, murder of relationships - forgiveness is martyrdom. Our forgiveness of those who kill our unity is participation in Josaphat martyrdom. Forgive murderers of unity in your family.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, who didst forgive murderers as they killed thee, obtain for us grace to forgive those who murder our unity, who hurt us, who divide our families, as thou didst forgive, that we may be one.
(State your intentions here... for forgiveness)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O Forgiving Martyr, through St. Josaphat who forgave murderers, grant us to forgive. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✝ Day 9 - November 11 - For Martyrdom for Unity - Final Day
"His blood became seed of unity - today East and West closer."
Reflection - Final day - Armistice Day - end of war, day of peace. Josaphat's martyrdom - his blood became seed of unity. Today Orthodox and Catholics dialogue because of his blood. For us who end novena - our small martyrdoms for unity in families - dying to pride, forgiving, being bridge - if done with love, will become seed of unity for generations. As we place intentions, we ask to be martyrs for unity, to die to self that all may be one, and to obtain all favors through his martyrdom if it be God's will.
Prayer: O St. Josaphat, martyr whose blood became seed of unity, on this last day, day of peace, obtain for us all favors we asked, especially unity of our families and of Church, and grace to be martyrs for unity - dying to self, to pride, to division - that all may be one as Jesus prayed.
(State your intentions here... our most important intentions for unity)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Let Us Pray: O God who didst give St. Josaphat grace to shed blood for unity, grant through his martyrdom our intentions and unity of all Christians, that all may be one. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Josaphat, Martyr for Unity - Pray for us!
This novena is a private devotion, prayed in communion with the Catholic Church, asking for intercession through the saints, always subject to God's will and the teachings of the Magisterium. Nihil obstat.
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