Apr. 30 - "They shall all be taught by God"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ beautiful words to the crowds and to us:

Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:

’They shall all be taught by God.'

Everyone who listens to My Father and learns from Him comes to Me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.” (Jn 6: 44-51)

The Gospel for the optional memorial of Pope St. Pius V gives us a beautiful
corollary in Jesus’ words to St. Peter and through Peter to all his future priests: “Feed My lambs…Feed My sheep”.

In every Mass God intends His shepherds to feed His People with the Bread of His Word and the Bread of His Body in the Eucharist. Hopefully you will take time to ponder both Mass Readings. They are excellent preparation for tomorrow which begins Mary’s Month of May and the day on which The Bishops of the USA and Canada will be reconsecrating their countries to Mary under her title of “Mother of the Church” !

Mary is our Model for following Jesus. Mary listened to all He said and did, and pondered all in her heart. Mary was truly taught by God as the Church by God’s Grace is called to Listen to Him and be taught by Him everyday!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear QuietTrad,

Thanks so much for your faithful and loving “heart” to let us know you read the words of Jesus in today’s Mass Readings, and continue learning from Mary as she learned from God.

Please let us continue to pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of His Mercy and also in need of Mary’s Motherly Love.

 

[po18guy]

Mary and Saint Joseph were the first to be taught the New Covenant directly by God. As a sign of their humility and thus their having been pre-chosen to shepherd the Shepherd, neither was a person of many words. Saint Joseph clearly spoke, but not a peep is recorded. Mary spoke very little, but what she said we are well advised to listen to.

Saint Joseph’s actions speak louder than any words.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear po18guy,

Thanks so much for your reply. We can probably all agree that dear St. Joseph’s “actions speak louder than words.” Both Mary and Joseph were taught by God in a very special way, through every word and action of Jesus.

They had much to hear and see in Jesus and to ponder. It has always been a consolation to me reading in Luke’s Gospel Mary’s question to the young boy Jesus after she and Joseph found Him speaking with the elders in the temple.

After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When his parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart. (Lk 2: 46 - 51)

It seems to me Mary was inspired by the Holy Spirit to tell Luke what she said so he could record her words for us, along with the words and actions of Jesus. Her question was a sincere one. Her words, as you said, “we are well advised to listen to”.

“…why have you done this to us?” How truly human and heartfelt Mary’s question is! It is a question we can also sincerely ask of Jesus – “Why have you done this to us?” His answer may be the same for us as it was to the ears of Mary and Joseph because we cannot always understand what He says to us. However we can learn from Mary as Luke records in his Gospel:

" they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart.

Jesus is meek and humble of Heart. He obeys Mary and Joseph. Mary kept all things in her heart. There is so much for the Family of God to ponder as we learn to Listen to God’s Word.

 

[po18guy]

Like the road to Emmaus, they (we) neither recognize nor understand the Lord until He chooses to reveal the meaning to us. Indeed, not recognizing Him or Hie words - being prevented from knowing - is part of God’s plan. If we knew God’s plan for us (except for the Beatific Vision), our flawed human nature would oppose His plan.

Therefore, we are left to ponder the mystery - as Mary did in her heart. And , what a heart it is!

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, indeed – what a Heart God has given our Mother Mary! St. Louis de Montfort in his beautiful treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” encourages us to ask Mary to give us her heart before receiving Holy Communion; in paragraph 266, he wrote:

…Implore Mary to lend you her heart so that you may receive her Son with her dispositions. Remind her that her Son’s glory requires that he should not come into a heart so sullied and fickle as your own, which could not fail to diminish his glory and might cause him to leave. Tell her that if she will take up her abode in you to receive her Son - which she can do because of the sovereignty she has over all hearts - he will be received by her in a perfect manner without danger of being affronted or being forced to depart. “God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved.”

Tell her with confidence that all you have given her of your possessions is little enough to honour her, but that in Holy Communion you wish to give her the same gifts as the eternal Father gave her. Thus she will feel more honoured than if you gave her all the wealth in the world. Tell her, finally, that Jesus, whose love for her is unique, still wishes to take his delight and his repose in her even in your soul, even though it is poorer and less clean than the stable which he readily entered because she was there. Beg her to lend you her heart, saying, “O Mary, I take you for my all; give me your heart.”

Yes, God reveals Himself to us as He wills and as He sees our hearts ready to receive Him. May we continue to ponder all He says and does – to seek and find Him as the Magi did – with His Mother !

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks so much again for your faith-full and loving heart which helps all of us to renew our love for Jesus through Mary. How Good God is in giving us so much love in speaking to us through His Holy Word – if only we are willing to open the ears of our hearts to ponder all Jesus said and did on this earth. Today as we begin Mary’s Month, let us by His Grace honor our Mother as Jesus did.