ST JOHN MARY VIANNEY P. (Memorial) White

John Mary Vianney also known as Cure of Ars was a priest. It took him several years of seminary study before he was ordained as he was not a very good student, and his Latin was terrible. He was a good preacher and had good reputation with penitents. He spent forty years in the parish of Ars which suffered lax attendance and he revitalised it again with his visit to his parishioners and the sick. He was canonised by Pope Pius XII in 1925. He is the patron saint of the clergy throughout the world.

First Reading: Jer 31:31-34; Psalm: 51 R. v. 12a; Gospel: Mt 16:13-23

BEWARE OF THE VOICE OF TEMPTATION

BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP

Peter had just revealed the true identity of Jesus to the disciples. He declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. But neither Peter nor the rest of the disciples understood what this true identity of Christ meant. For they misconstrued Christ to be a warrior Messiah. It was for this reason that Peter rebuked Jesus when Jesus revealed he was going to accept suffering and death. Jesus saw the wilderness temptation repeating itself again, but this time around through Peter. Just like the Devil in the wilderness, Peter was tempting Jesus to use his power for self glory. But Jesus turned and rebuked Peter with similar words “Get behind me, Satan!”

Jesus remained focused on his mission. He came not to do his own will but the will of his Father. He was sent to conquer sin and redeem the world and not to seek earthly glory. The Devil tempted him in the wilderness to change his course but failed. The Devil tried again in disguise through Peter and failed a second time. Even in the garden of Gethsemane, the Devil tried again by sowing doubt and fear in the heart of Jesus but also failed. When a lot of temptation get in our way to stop us from carrying out a good act; that intended good deed may be destined to lead us to greater heights.

The Christian life can be very tough especially when we are focused in doing God’s will. This makes the Devil restless. We may have experienced several hitches and discouragement especially when we set out to carry out a good action. This discouragement can even come from friends and family members who will try to discourage us directly or indirectly. When this happens, God could be telling us to go on with that intended plan. When something good is about to come our way, the Devil can use anyone to try to stop us. If we find ourselves in this confused moment, we should ask God for the discernment to make the right choice.     

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Open our eyes O Lord to discern and see what your will is for us. Amen.