One Minute Reflection – 25 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Pentecost IV and the Feast of St William (1085-1142) Abbot – Romans 8:18-23, Luke 5:1-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Fear not, henceforth you shall catch men.” – Luke 5:10
REFLECTION – “At Thy Word I will lower the nets.” It is at the command of divine grace and supernatural inspiration that the nets of preaching are to be spread out. Otherwise, the preacher wastes his time in lowering the lines of his words. People’s faith is won, not by carefully composed speeches but the grace of a divine vocation… O fruitful humility! When those who so far have not caught a thing, put their trust in Christ’s Word, they catch a great number of fish…
“At Thy Word I will lower the nets.” Whenever I lowered them on my own, I wanted to keep what belongs to Thee for myself. It was myself I was preaching and not Thee; my words, not Thine. That is why I caught nothing. Or, if I did catch something, it was not fish but frogs, only good for croaking my own praise…
“At Thy Word I will lower the nets.” Running out the net at the Word of Jesus Christ, means not attributing anything to oneself but all to Him; it means practising what one preaches. Then a great number of fish will be caught!” – St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (Sermons for Sundays and Saints’ days).
PRAYER – O God, Who made Thy Saints an example and a help for our weakness, grant us, as we walk the path of salvation, so to venerate the virtues of the blessed Abbot William that we may obtain his intercession and follow in his footsteps. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us.
COR JESU Eucharisticum, cordis sacerdotalis exemplar, miserere nobis. – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 177 St Pius X, 11 September 1907.
AnaStpaul 