Thought for the Day – 16 May
“What seems to shine forth especially in the life of Andrew Bobola is his Catholic faith, whose vigour, nourished by divine grace, grew so much stronger with the passing of the years that it conferred on him a special mark of distinction, and spurred him on to undergo his martyrdom with courage.
But the Catholic Church, particularly in the countries to the East, was facing an extremely grave crisis owing to the efforts of the schismatics, who were striving by every device to draw the faithful away from the unity of the Church into their own errors. Andrew went, therefore, into those regions on the instruction and command of his Superiors and by public sermons and private instruction through their cities, towns and villages and most of all by the fervour of his exceptional holiness and the burning zeal of his apostolate, he freed the wavering faith of a multitude of Christians from beguiling falsehood, brought them back to sound principles, and joyfully invited all he could to return to the one fold of Jesus Christ.
He did not merely restore and strengthen the faith of the Christians, languishing and on the verge of collapse but roused them also to weep for their own sins, to settle their disputes, to heal their divisions, to restore true morality. It seemed that, like his Divine Master, wherever he passed by doing good, a new spring blossomed forth, bright with heavenly flowers and fruits of salvation. Consequently, as tradition has it, he received from all, even from the schismatics, the significant title of “Hunter of Souls.”
This tireless apostle of Jesus Christ had lived by faith, had spread the faith and had defended the faith; so too, he did not hesitate to die for the faith of his fathers.”
INVICTI ATHLETAE (On St. Andrew Bobola)
(Venerable) Pope Pius XII
Encyclical Promulgated on 16 May 1957
Do you find yourself persecuted, in trouble, disliked and maligned because you live by and defend the Faith? But this is our mission – we do not live according to the instructions of our Divine Master, unless we ‘go forth and spread the good news’. If we miss a single opportunity to live and speak the truth, we may well be responsible for the eternal damnation of a soul – what a frightening thought!
St Andrew Bobola, inspire us with your zeal for souls and please Pray for us!
AnaStpaul 