Matthew 15:1-2,10-14 | Feast of Saint John Vianney (le Curé d'Ars)

Matthew 15:1-2,10-14   Feast of Saint John Vianney (le Curé d'Ars)

Le monument de la Rencontre, Monument at Ars-sur-Formans, Erected by the d'Antoine Givre family, Bronze sculpture, © Christian Art Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said, ‘Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat food.’ He called the people to him and said, ‘Listen, and understand. What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean.’ Then the disciples came to him and said, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked when they heard what you said?’ He replied, ‘Any plant my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them alone. They are blind men leading blind men; and if one blind man leads another, both will fall into a pit.’   READ MORE     Reflection on the Sculpture In 1818, Saint John Vianney (le Curé d’Ars) was appointed by his Bishop to be the parish priest at Ars in France. Apparently before his arrival, the town was very sceptical towards the Catholic faith and hence it was a challenging appointment. On his way to Ars, St John got lost. He encountered a young shepherd boy by the name of Antoine Givre.  After they exchanged a few words, Vianney admitted to the boy that he was lost. The little shepherd (shown in our sculpture holding a shepherd's staff) pointed him in the right direction and walked alongside his new priest friend to the small town of two hundred people. It is said that Saint John Vianney at the end of their walk said to Antoine: ‘Thank you for showing me the way to Ars. Now I will show you the way to heaven’. Our sculpture shows this very moment; we see Saint John Vianney pointing towards heaven. The work of Saint John reached far beyond the boundaries of the little town of Ars. He would often be in the confessional for over 16 hours a day. People came from all over France and beyond, to confess their sins and to hear him preach. He must have been an extraordinary man. At 2 am on the 4th August 1859 (hence his feast day today), the Lord called his faithful servant home. For nearly ten days and nights, people lined the streets in Ars waiting patiently to pay their respects to him. His funeral was attended by 300 hundred priests and more than six thousand people. All the neighbouring villages rang their church bells in a radius of over 10 kilometres… The Devil writes down our sins – our Guardian Angel all our merits. Labour that the Guardian Angel’s book may be full, and the Devil’s empty. Saint John Vianney by Patrick van der Vorst

Courage, Charity & Truth

August 4, 2020 Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Year A) Readings for Today (Using new website from the USCCB) Saint Jean Vianney (the Curé of Ars), Priest—Memorial Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?”  He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.  If a  blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”  Matthew 15:12-14 Why were the Pharisees offended?  In part because Jesus just spoke critically of them.  But it was more than that.  They were also offended because Jesus doesn’t even answer their question. These Pharisees and scribes came to ask Jesus what was, in their minds, a very important question.  They wanted to know why His disciples failed to follow the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before they ate.  But Jesus does something interesting.  Instead of answering their question, He gathers a crowd and says, “Hear and understand.  It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one” (Mt. 15:10b-11).  So they were offended by Jesus both because of what He said and because He didn’t even say it to them but spoke it to the crowds. What’s interesting to note is that sometimes the most charitable thing one can do will result in another being offended.  We ought not recklessly offend.  But it seems that one of the cultural tendencies of our day and age is to avoid offending people at all costs.  As a result, we dumb down morality, ignore clear teachings of faith, and make “getting along” one of the most important “virtues” we strive for. In the passage above, it’s clear that Jesus’ disciples are concerned about the fact that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus.  They worry and appear to want Jesus to fix this tense situation.  But Jesus makes His position clear.  “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.  If a  blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Mt. 15:14). Charity requires the truth.  And sometimes the truth will sting a person to the heart.  Clearly this is exactly what the Pharisees need even though they fail to change, which is evident by the fact that they ultimately killed Jesus.  But, nonetheless, these truths spoken by our Lord were acts of charity and were the truth that these scribes and Pharisees needed to hear. Reflect, today, upon how willing you are to speak the hard truth in love when a situation requires it.  Do you have the courage you need to charitably speak an “offensive” truth that needs to be spoken?  Or do you tend to cower and prefer to allow people to remain in their error so that you do not agitate them?  Courage, charity and truth must become deeply intertwined in our lives.  Make this your prayer and mission so that you will better imitate our divine Lord. Lord, please do give me courage, truth, wisdom and charity so that I may be a better instrument of Your love and mercy to the world.  May I never allow fear to control me.  Please remove any blindness from my heart so that I can see clearly the many ways You desire to use me to lead others to You.  Jesus, I trust in You.

When Faith Falters

August 3, 2020 Monday of the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Year A) Readings for Today

Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.”  Matthew 14:28-29a What a wonderful expression of faith!  St. Peter, caught in stormy conditions on the sea, expressed his complete confidence that if Jesus were to call him out of the boat to walk on water, it would happen.  Jesus does call him to Himself, and St. Peter begins to walk on water.  Of course we know what happened next.  Peter was filled with fear and began to sink.  Fortunately, Jesus caught him and all was well. Interestingly, this story reveals much to us about our own lives of faith and much more about the goodness of Jesus.  So often we begin with a faith in our head and have every intention of living that faith.  Like Peter, we often make firm resolutions to trust in Jesus and to “walk on water” at His command.  However, all too often we experience the same thing Peter did.  We start to live the trust we express in Jesus, only to suddenly waver and give in to fear in the midst of our hardship.  We begin to sink and have to cry out for help. In some ways, the ideal would have been if Peter expressed his faith in Jesus and then walked to Him without faltering.  But, in other ways, this is the ideal story in that it reveals the depth of Jesus’ mercy and compassion.  It reveals that Jesus will catch us and draw us out of our doubts and fears when our faith gives way.  This story is much more about Jesus’ compassion and the extent of His help than it is about Peter’s lack of faith. Reflect, today, upon any way that you have had great intentions of trusting Jesus, started down that path and then have fallen.  Know that Jesus is full of compassion and will reach out to you in your weakness just as He did to Peter.  Let Him grab your hand and strengthen your lack of faith out of His abundance of love and mercy. Lord, I do believe.  Help me when I falter.  Help me to always turn to You when the storms and challenges of life seem to be too much.  May I trust that, in those moments more than any other, You are there reaching out Your hand of grace.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Matthew 14:13-21 | Frederick Elwell | Jesus withdrew by boat to a lonely place

Matthew 14:13-21   Jesus withdrew by boat to a lonely place

The Wedding Dress, Painted by Frederick Elwell (1870-1958), Painted in 1911, Oil on canvas, © Hull Museum Collections When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick. When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting Our Gospel reading today follows on from yesterday’s events of the beheading of St John the Baptist. Our reading starts with the words ‘When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves’. Jesus was upset and was grieving. Like any of us at the loss of a dear friend, we need time and space to process the news. So Jesus went off to a lonely place. Just like for the rest of us, it was impossible for Jesus to live and to love and not experience grief. It is therefore an important Gospel passage today, as we share in Christ’s personal pain and grief. After the loss of a close friend or family member, we want to be alone on one hand, but at the same time have helpful companionship in our aloneness. Same with Christ. He went off alone, but was accompanied by the disciples. They joined Him in His solitary grief and probably just sat there with Him, being there for Him. I think especially nowadays, when we seem to have a quick problem-solving attitude towards everything, that when grief comes along, where time and space are needed, it is not always given. Nothing new I guess, as we read in our Gospel passage: the crowds came flooding to Christ and went after Him on foot. His opportunity to grieve was cut short by the crowds. Our painting, titled ‘The Wedding Dress’, by Frederick Elwell, shows a young woman dressed all in black kneeling on the floor of a dark bedroom next to an open chest. On the floor lies her white satin wedding dress and the white shoes she wore (or perhaps planned to wear?) on her wedding day. The woman is obviously grieving deeply, but the context isn’t entirely clear. We can assume that her husband or husband-to-be has died? Perhaps she is putting her wedding dress away, closing a chapter of her life? Her bed she shared with her husband is now empty. Regardless of the context, the painting makes clear that black and white colours coexist on the canvas, the way life and death, joy and pain, and love and loss coexist in life… Jesus would have experienced this too. by Patrick van der Vorst

Transformation

August 2, 2020 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Readings for Today

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.  They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full.  Matthew 14:19b-20 Do you ever feel as though you have little to offer?  Or that you cannot make an impact in this world?  At times, we may all dream of being someone “important” with great influence so as to do “great things.”  But the fact of the matter is that you can do great things with the “little” you have to offer. Today’s Gospel passage reveals that God was able to take something very small, five loaves of bread and two fish, and transform them into enough food to feed tens of thousands of people (“Five thousand men, not counting women and children.” Matthew 14:21) This story is not only a miracle for the purpose of providing the necessary food for the crowd who came to listen to Jesus in a deserted place, it’s also a sign to us of the power of God to transform our daily offerings into exponential blessings for the world. Our goal must not be to determine what we want God to do with our offering; rather, our goal must be to make the offering of all we are and all we have and leave the transformation to God.  Sometimes our offering may seem small.  It may seem like what we offer will have no benefit.  For example, making an offering to God of our mundane daily chores or the like may seem unfruitful.  What can God do with this?  The same question could have been asked by those with the loaves and fishes.  But look what Jesus did with them! We must daily trust that everything we offer to God, whether it appears to be great or small, will be used by God in an exponential way.  Though we may not see the good fruits like those in this story did, we can be certain that the good fruit will be abundant. Reflect, today, upon every small offering you can make.  Small sacrifices, small acts of love, acts of forgiveness, small acts of service, etc., have immeasurable value.  Make the offering today and leave the rest to God. Lord, I give to You my day and every small action of this day.  I give You my love, my service, my work, my thoughts, my frustrations and everything else I encounter.  Please take these small offerings and transform them into grace for Your glory.  Jesus, I trust in You.

The Sad Fruit of Hate

August 1, 2020 Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today  Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Memorial

“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”  Matthew 14:8 Ugh, what a bad day to say the least.  St. John the Baptist was beheaded at the request of Salome, the daughter of Herodias.  John was in prison for speaking the truth to Herod regarding his marriage, and Herodias was filled with hate toward John.  So Herodias had her daughter dance in the presence of Herod and his guests.  Herod was so impressed, he promised Salome up to half of his kingdom.  Instead, her request was for the head of John the Baptist. Even on the surface this is a bizarre request.  Salome is promised up to half of the kingdom and, instead, she asks for the death of a good and holy man.  In fact, Jesus said of John that no one born of woman was greater than he was.  So why all the hate by Herodias and her daughter? This sad incident illustrates the power of anger in its most extreme form.  When anger brews and grows it causes deep passion, so much so that it clouds a person’s thinking and reason.  Hate and revenge can consume a person and lead to complete foolishness. Herod is also a witness of extreme irrationality here.  He is pressured to do what he does not want to do because he is afraid of doing the right thing.  He is overwhelmed by the hate in the heart of Herodias and, as a result, gives in to the execution of John whom he actually appeared to like and enjoyed listening to. Normally we seek to be inspired by the good example of others.  But, in this case, we find we can be “inspired” in a different way.  We should use the witness of John’s execution as an opportunity to look at any struggles we have with anger, resentment and especially hate.  Hate is an ugly passion that can sneak in and cause much destruction in our lives and the lives of others.  Even the beginnings of this disordered passion should be confessed and overcome. Reflect, today, upon whether you see any hate in your heart.  Have you held on to some grudge or bitterness that is not going away?  Is that passion growing and causing damage to your life and the lives of others?  If so, resolve to let go of it and forgive.  It’s the right thing to do. Lord, give me the grace I need to look into my heart and see any tendencies of anger, resentment and hatred.  Please purify me of these and set me free.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Matthew 14:1-12 | Gustave Moreau | The beheading of John the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12 The beheading of John the Baptist The Apparition of the Head of St John the Baptist, Painted by Gustave Moreau (1826-1898), Painted in 1876, Oil on canvas, © Fogg Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus, and said to his court, ‘This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him, ‘It is against the Law for you to have her.’ He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. Then, during the celebrations for Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said, ‘Give me John the Baptist’s head, here, on a dish.’ The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus. READ MORE Reflection on the Painting This haunting picture, by Gustave Moreau, is a striking depiction of today’s Gospel reading where we read how Salome danced for her stepfather on his birthday. Seduced by her performance, he offered her anything within his power as a reward. Not knowing what to ask for, she consulted her mother who told her to demand the head of St John the Baptist. In our painting the severed head, with a cascade of blood, stares from mid-air at the bejewelled, richly and scantily clad princess, who points to her trophy. A black panther lies at her feet. Look at the eyes of Salome and then St John’s expression. The eyes express two different worlds. Herod is placed in the shadows at the left, opposite the radiant head of Saint John the Baptist. Oscar Wilde wrote his play Salome after seeing this very painting. The sadness of the Gospel reading of today lies in the contrast between John and those responsible for his death. Saint John the Baptist, a God loving man, is completely different to Salome, who had a complete lack of conscience. She showed no comprehension of right or wrong. Even when the plate holding St John’s head was presented to her, we read that she just took it to her mother without any sign of horror or remorse on seeing the gruesome blood-filled platter. At the end of the day Salome was the product of the environment in which she grew up, which included hatred, revenge, murder… The environment in which we grow up, nurtures who we become. As such we are all called to provide a Christlike environment around us… by Patrick van der Vorst © 2019 Christian Art Today. All rights reserved.

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