COLLECT: “ALMIGHTY AND MERCIFUL GOD, WHO MADE THE PRIEST SAINT JOHN VIANNEY WONDERFUL IN HIS PASTORAL ZEAL, GRANT, WE PRAY, THAT THROUGH HIS INTERCESSION AND EXAMPLE WE MAY IN CHARITY WIN BROTHERS AND SISTERS FOR CHRIST AND ATTAIN WITH THEM ETERNAL GLORY.
Jer 30:1-2,12-15,18-22; Ps 101:16-21,29,22-23 and Mt 14:22-36 or 15:1-2,10-14.
The saint we are celebrating today, John Mary Vianney, was born in Lyons, France. He grew up as an unlettered farmhand. He secretly made his First Communion in a farm shed while others unloaded hay to avert suspicion. He was a “delayed vocation” because he had great difficulties with his seminary studies, especially his academic education. This was so because he did not have primary/basic education. But for the special timely intervention of his Pastor, as well as John’s sterling character and spiritual depth, he finally procured admission to the ardently desired priesthood. He was sent to Ars, where a few people practised their faith. He transformed the Parish by his holiness, preaching, prayer and penance. People flocked to Ars to confess to this holy pastor, who often spent 16 hours a day in the confessional. Saint John M. Vianney was full of zeal and amiability, as well as full of endless patience and humility. After 42 years in Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney died. He is known as the Cure of Ars. He is the beloved patron of Parish Priests.
In his lifetime, this great Saint said that: “Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit can see things, and that is why so many ignorant people are more knowing than the wise”. Also, “Anything we do without offering it to God is wasted”.
In the portion of the Book of Jeremiah we are reflecting on, the Lord through Jeremiah tells the people of Judah that they are going through suffering and pain because of their numerous sins, but promises them that he will restore them to life. In the portion of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus allows the disciples to precede him to the other side of the sea while he retires to the mountain to pray. The disciples are challenged by the waves of the sea because of strong winds, and they are terrified. Jesus appears walking on the water, and he is taken as a ghost. Peter attempted to walk on the water to meet Jesus but began to sink after a while. He calls on the Lord to save him. When they land at Gennesaret, people carry sick people to Jesus and beg him to allow them to touch only the tassel of his cloak and be healed.
The earthly life is a journey from this earthly world across to the other side of it: heaven. We are, so to speak, passing through this world. This life’s journey is characterised by a lot of challenges, like waves in the sea caused by strong wind. These challenges could toss us here and there, and if care is not taken or if we do not paddle our life’s canoe seriously and firmly, we will be thrown off guard and eventually, either miss our bearing or get drowned and perish in the deep waters of the sea (we will be swallowed by the world).
The Lord can do the impossible things, and he is full of surprises. When we encounter life’s challenges in our heaven-bound journey, we should let our eyes of faith in him be widely open; otherwise, that is the time we will be seeing ‘unseeable’ things like ghosts and spirits, and we will be frightened the more. Such an experience may also easily weaken or even completely take away our faith in the Lord who saves, and then we will begin to sink into deeper waters like Peter.
Some life’s challenges are: sickness/illness, difficult times and moments, poverty, lack of a dire need, disappointment and discouragement, hardships, sufferings, etc. Other challenges could be from family, from the marriage, priestly and religious vocations, from co-workers, etc. In all these life’s challenges, there is no solution from anywhere but the Lord and Saviour, through our willingness to let him provide the solutions and show us the way forward. Indeed, the Lord’s intervention when we encounter challenges in life, which very often make us sad, may turn such situations into brighter ones for us. This is the message today’s scripture readings give us. He has done it for the sinful people of Judah, whom Jeremiah preached a message of trouble and gloom, as well as a message of consolation to (Cf Jer 30:1ff).
Once again, the Lord can only save and supply solutions and a way forward to take care of our challenges in life if we are willing to cooperate with him through prayer, which Jesus himself did on the mountain. We also have not only to pray but also to work on our sinful or wrong deeds, and the Lord will do the rest for us. Let us believe that Jesus, the Saviour, is journeying and walking with us in our challenges and in the darkest of circumstances we encounter in life, and he will always give us strength to carry on. Lord, save me! May Saint John Vianney intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy to all who bear the names of the name John Vianney.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, TUESDAY, ON THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN, THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR, THE CROWNING WITH THORNS, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION’ (WE PRAY FOR SORROW FOR SIN, PURITY, COURAGE, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “MAY PARTAKING AT THE HEAVENLY TABLE, ALMIGHTY GOD, CONFIRM AND INCREASE STRENGTH FROM ON HIGH IN ALL WHO CELEBRATE THE FEAST DAY OF BLESSED JOHN VIANNEY, THAT WE MAY PRESERVE IN INTEGRITY THE GIFT OF FAITH AND WALK IN THE PATH OF SALVATION YOU TRACE FOR US. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!