Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Patron saint of parish priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars" (i.e., Parish Priest of Ars), internationally known for his priestly & pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community & its surroundings. Catholics attribute this to his saintly life, mortification, his persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, & his ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
After overcoming many difficulties (St. John Vianney was not a gifted student), he was ordained a priest in 1815. He was entrusted with a parish in the town of Ars in the diocese of Belley. Since he was renowned for his great skill in helping penitents, people came to him from many regions & devoutly accepted his counsels. Recommending liturgical prayer, John Vianney would say, "Private prayer is like straw scattered here & there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle & light them, & you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that."'Twas also the festival of Saint Sithney, Religious (died circa 529): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Twas also the festival of Saint Lua, Priest & Abbot (circa 554-609, A.K.A. Molua, Lughaidh, etc.; of Limerick, of Killaloe): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Scripture of that Day
Mass Readings—Feria
The Book of Leviticus, chapter twenty-three, verses one, four thru eleven, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-seven, & thirty-four(b) thru thirty-seven;
Psalm Eighty-one, verses three & four, five & six, & ten & eleven(a,b);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verses forty-four thru fifty-eight.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we honor St. John Vianney, the model and patron for diocesan priests. We need priests, for without priests there is no Eucharist, and without the Eucharist, there is no Church. St. John Paul II [22 October], in his final encyclical stated this as clearly and boldly as possible: ecclesia de eucharistia (the Church comes from the Eucharist).Mass Readings—Memorial of St. John Vianney
Priests are the descendants of those first disciples who sat in intimacy with Jesus himself, watching him at close quarters, learning his mind and heart, summoned to work for the coming of the kingdom. Priests participate in Christ, precisely in his capacity as head and shepherd of his people.
Priests are called "father," for that is what they are. They give life in the spiritual order. Look to the example of St. John Vianney, who spent hours in the confessional and in the pulpit; to St. Maximilian Kolbe [14 August], who offered his life with the words, "I am a Catholic priest;" to Fr. Gary Graf, a Chicago priest who gave part of his own liver so that one of his parishioners might live. They do all of these things because they are spiritual fathers, life-givers in the spiritual order.
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter three, verses seventeen thru twenty-one;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verse fifteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nine, verse thirty-five thru chapter ten, verse one.
No comments:
Post a Comment