Memorial of Saint Paul VI, Pope
Scripture:
Reflection:
“. . . the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Today we remember Saint Paul VI, one of many Italian born popes, he was elected to the papacy after the death of Saint John XXIII. He saw the Second Vatican Council through to its closing in 1965. He was now tasked with leading the Church into the modern world. In his just over fifteen-year papacy he had a historic meeting with the Greek Patriarch. He established World Peace Day and wrote an encyclical, Humanae Vitae, that has had an impact not only on Catholics around the world but how the world needs to view human life.
The first reading from the first letter of Peter speaks to us of the importance of the death and Resurrection of Christ. The image of the “spotless unblemished Lamb” sacrificed on the altar of the Cross bought for us eternal life with God. Not only is the “Blood of Christ imperishable” but his word as well. We know this to be true because the Gospel message has impacted the followers of Christ for over two thousand years. I have a few scripture passages and a psalm or two that I have memorized or have heard so many times in my life that they are etched into me. I sometimes find myself thinking about those words unconsciously. This would not happen if they were not also part of my deepest self. These words give me hope and support me in my faith journey.
What words from the Scriptures are etched into your deepest self?
The Gospel speaks of the challenge of drinking from the “chalice” that Christ drinks from and being baptized with Christ as well. He was speaking to James and John who were seeking places of power or rank in the “kingdom” of Christ. They did not fully understand what they were truly asking for and most likely did not until the day of Pentecost and their own deaths. Just as we grow into our faith and what it means to truly be a Christian, we do not fully understand our own Baptism and Confirmation unless we immerse ourselves into the words and deeds of following Christ. For me, the most challenging thing about life is to live it as a Christian. And I am grateful that the Church gives the Sacraments to assist me in my faith journey because I cannot do it alone. The gifts and graces that come through the Sacraments challenge me to grow into the person that God created me to be. Remembering that God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness is beyond what I could ever imagine gives us hope that whether we are doing God’s will or not, as Thomas Merton prayed, we still please God. And that is faith.
Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.