| Minute Meditations
St. John Eudes He joined the religious community of the Oratorians and was ordained a priest at 24. During severe plagues in 1627 and 1631, he volunteered to care for the stricken in his own diocese. Lest he infect his fellow religious, he lived in a huge cask in the middle of a field during the plague. At age 32, John became a parish missionary. His gifts as preacher and confessor won him great popularity. He preached over 100 parish missions, some lasting from several weeks to several months. In his concern with the spiritual improvement of the clergy, he realized that the greatest need was for seminaries. He had permission from his general superior, the bishop and even Cardinal Richelieu to begin this work, but the succeeding general superior disapproved. After prayer and counsel, John decided it was best to leave the religious community. The same year he founded a new one, ultimately called the Eudists (Congregation of Jesus and Mary), devoted to the formation of the clergy by conducting diocesan seminaries. The new venture, while approved by individual bishops, met with immediate opposition, especially from Jansenists and some of his former associates. John founded several seminaries in Normandy, but was unable to get approval from Rome (partly, it was said, because he did not use the most tactful approach).
In his parish mission work, John was disturbed by the sad condition of prostitutes who sought to escape their miserable life. Temporary shelters were found but arrangements were not satisfactory. A certain Madeleine Lamy, who had cared for several of the women, one day said to him, "Where are you off to now? To some church, I suppose, where you'll gaze at the images and think yourself pious. And all the time what is really wanted of you is a decent house for these poor creatures." The words, and the laughter of those present, struck deeply within him. The result was another new religious community, called the Sisters of Charity of the Refuge. He is probably best known for the central theme of his writings: Jesus as the source of holiness, Mary as the model of the Christian life. John's devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary led Pius XI to declare him the father of the liturgical cult of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Comment:  Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and Feast By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M. Presence Dear Lord, help me to be open to you Freedom God is not foreign to my freedom.
Help me Lord to be more conscious of your presence. Teach me to recognise your presence in others. Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your love has been shown to me through the care of others. The Word of God Reading 1 ez 28:1-10The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart, you say, "A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!"— And yet you are a man, and not a god, however you may think yourself like a god. Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel, there is no secret that is beyond you. By your wisdom and your intelligence you have made riches for yourself; You have put gold and silver into your treasuries. By your great wisdom applied to your trading you have heaped up your riches; your heart has grown haughty from your riches-- therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have thought yourself to have the mind of a god, Therefore I will bring against you foreigners, the most barbarous of nations. They shall draw their swords against your beauteous wisdom, they shall run them through your splendid apparel. They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea. Will you then say, "I am a god!" when you face your murderers? No, you are man, not a god, handed over to those who will slay you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners, for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. Responsorial Psalm dt 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36abR. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life. "I would have said, 'I will make an end of them and blot out their name from men's memories,' Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies, feared that these foes would mistakenly boast." R. It is I who deal death and give life. "'Our own hand won the victory; the LORD had nothing to do with it.'" For they are a people devoid of reason, having no understanding. R. It is I who deal death and give life. "How could one man rout a thousand, or two men put ten thousand to flight, Unless it was because their Rock sold them and the LORD delivered them up?" R. It is I who deal death and give life. Close at hand is the day of their disaster, and their doom is rushing upon them! Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people; on his servants he shall have pity. R. It is I who deal death and give life. Gospel mt 19:23-30Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Conversation Remembering that I am still in God's presence, I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me, and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Saint John Eudes, Priest A god am I! (Ezekiel 28:2)
Have you ever used the throne diagram? It's a simple drawing of a circle, representing your life, with a chair at the center. Somewhere within the circle is the letter S (for "self"), along with a listing of the things you find most important: family, career, friends, sports, money, education, and so on. Inside or outside the circle is a cross. The point of the exercise is to discover: Who or what is on the throne of my life? If it's Jesus (the cross), your priorities are in order, and your dying to self will be richly rewarded in God's kingdom (Matthew 19:29). Put an S or anything else on that throne, though, and you're playing with fire—a creature usurping the Creator's place. That's what the prince of Tyre did. Here was a man "stamped with the seal of perfection, of complete wisdom and perfect beauty," blessed with wealth and power (Ezekiel 28:12). He ruled over a seemingly impregnable island-city off the coast of modern Lebanon. With two harbors and a strategic location on the shipping route linking Egypt and Greece, Tyre prospered as a commercial hub. But success turned the head of its gifted prince. Believing himself to have "the mind of a god," he pridefully assumed credit for God's gifts and misused them (Ezekiel 28:6, 15-18). The Lord was not amused. As Ezekiel prophesied would happen, the splendid prince and his domain fell to Babylon in 573 b.c. after a thirteen-year siege. Though none of us reading this would dare proclaim that we are "gods," our thoughts and deeds may tell a different story. After all, claiming equality with God is the basic human sin (Genesis 3:5). Each of us has our own ways of falling into it. Even a saint like Bernadette could say, "My pride will die fifteen minutes after I do!" If we recognize our weakness and keep our eyes on Jesus, though, there is nothing to fear. He loves us and can teach us how to become strong in him: by relying on his grace rather than our striving, by following his commands, by seeking his glory instead of our own, and by imitating his example of humble service. All we have to do is keep him on the throne of our lives. "Jesus, may everything about me shout to the heavens that you are Lord!"
(Psalm) Deuteronomy 32:26-28, 30, 35-36; Matthew 19:23-30
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