The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, August 4, 2010

Feast of St. John Mary Vianney

Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

With Age-Old Love I Have Loved You

In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman who wanted help for her afflicted daughter.  Historically, the Canaanites were viewed as wicked and sinful by the Israelites — feelings dating back to the time of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land.  This woman had enough faith to come and ask Jesus for help — and even Jesus’ disciples urged Him to get rid of the woman!  Jesus’ first words to the woman seemed to be a shocking put-down, yet they merely represented the feelings of then-contemporary Jews towards the Canaanites.  Jesus’ own response was one of love, as seen in the fact that He granted her request and cured her daughter.

The story isn’t specifically about Canaanites, for the woman stands for anyone who is disliked, hated, or despised.  Jesus constantly preached that love is not exclusively for those who are dear to us; He proclaimed that we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us…following His example of all-inclusive love.  We are to live lives of love, as does Jesus…a love that forgives, encourages, welcomes and gives life.

Today the example of the 19th century saint, St. John Mary Vianney, is held up for us 21st century disciples.  He was especially known for his gracious and generous ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at his parish in Ars, France — regularly spending hours sharing God’s love through the Sacrament with thousands of penitents who traveled great distances for those few graced moments with him.  His loving ministry flowed from an intense spiritual life based on prayer and mortification.  St. John Mary Vianney truly witnessed the "age-old love of the Lord…the mercy" recalled by the Prophet Jeremiah in today’s 1st reading.  In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him patron of all priests worldwide.

Jesus and St. John Mary Vianney pose us some questions:  How do we welcome the stranger?  Offer forgiveness?  Overcome prejudice?  Deal with our enemies?  Really listen to those who come our way?  Do we zealously and tirelessly give of ourselves in service to our sisters and brothers? 

Our responses – and our lives – hopefully celebrate the "age-old love of the Lord"!

Pray this day especially for priests — active, retired, deceased — and for those discerning a priestly or religious vocation:  for a deepening faith, and a greater love.

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ash Wednesday

On March 2, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. 

Most of us learned early in our Catholic lives that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and that is a time of special sacrifice in preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving…. These words of Pope Francis, taken from his Lenten Message of last year, 2021, and echoing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, can still inspire our answer to the question: “What am I giving up for Lent?” 

We can draw our Lenten sacrifices out of our daily life: 

Share our faith in God’s presence by sharing in prayer with our family or with those in our parish community.
Share our hope in God’s promises by encouraging positive and respectful dialogue in our family circle and among our friends. 
Share the charity God has bestowed on us in the Passion of Jesus, with those whose sufferings are ignored or aggravated.

Let us pray for one another as we enter the season of Lent. Our Passionist “motto” can be our daily prayer during Lent, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”