Readings:
I - Lev. 23: 1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37
II - Mt. 13: 54-58
ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY
Today’s Gospel passage is about the rejection of Jesus by the people of his own hometown. Prejudice prevented the people of Nazareth from accepting the wisdom of Jesus and his deeds of divine power. A deliberate rejection just because Jesus was a carpenter’s son and Mary, his mother was a simple and insignificant woman of Nazareth. They did not have a great or a renowned background. Therefore the people deliberately rejected the truth. Pride became their pitfall of faith and truth. Their unbelief prevented Jesus from performing many deeds of power with them. In their prejudice and pride they became the losers. Faith is acceptance and acceptance with faith works wonders.
Today the Church celebrates the feast St. John Mary Vianney, the humble parish priest of Ars, a remote parish in France that contained only two hundred and thirty people. He took it as a holy will of God and through his life and example brought all people closer to God. Pope Benedict XVI, in his letter proclaiming the year of the priest have said, “In his time the Curé of Ars was able to transform the hearts and the lives of so many people because he enabled them to experience the Lord’s merciful love”. St. John Mary Vianney accomplish all in love, aligning himself to the will of God. The feast of St. John Mary Vianney is also celebrated as the feast of the parish priests. St. John Mary Vianney used to say, “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”. Let us today pray for all priests and for our parish priests in particular.
