We come to know Jesus in liturgical worship, prayer, intellectual study, community life, and the works of charity. And in knowing more about Him we know and love Him more. As Catholics, we who know Jesus seek to know more about Him. Some people make a rhetorical point out of the distinction between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus. And the Lord strengthens our faith as we grow in our understanding of divine truth. Our churches are where we do precisely this. Only by living for Jesus themselves and sharing in His life could they do anything to rescue others. They needed to pledge themselves to Christ, to profess their faith in Him, and to share in the divine life He promised. What they needed at that moment was to draw near to Christ themselves. They were not yet ready to rescue those who walked away. ![]() That would come later, in their apostolic missions. In response to the chaos of their abandonment of Jesus, what did the Twelve do? It is significant that they did not immediately follow after those who left, frantic to restore order. They had been on the very threshold of divine life and order, and yet they walked away from Him Who is the way, the truth, and the life. many found the teaching so challenging that they abandoned Christ. At the end of Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse in John 6. Out of the chaos of unbelief, new life begins for those who put their faith in the Lord.Īnother prominent theme during the Easter Season and on Corpus Christi is the Eucharist as the Bread of Life. The raising of Tabitha “became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord” (9:42). But what is even more important is that the miracle Peter performed inspired faith in those who witnessed it. Saint Peter raised her up, restoring her to the order of discipleship. It is noteworthy that she is described as someone who lived for Christ, whose life was ordered around good deeds and almsgiving. In the Acts of the Apostles, the preaching and ministry of the apostles, often involving great signs and wonders, bring order out of the chaos of unbelief, sickness, and the threat of death.įor example, in Acts 9, Saint Peter raises Tabitha from the dead. Throughout the readings of the Easter Season, we saw the promise and fulfillment of this Paschal re-creation of divine life and order. And He is also the One Who says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). “Through him all things were made,” in the words of the Profession of Faith. And this chaos held sway until the coming of the Savior. ![]() We know that in the Fall, humanity submitted to the chaos of sin and death. In His creative and redemptive acts, God establishes order out of chaos. The indwelling Holy Spirit brings order to the chaos of our hearts. The Body of Christ that perfectly satisfies us, binds us to Him, and fills our hearts with His love. Our hunger is for the Bread of Life, celebrated especially on the recent Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Satan suffers the eternal death of separation from God and insatiable hunger, prowling and grasping for what will ever leave him unsatisfied.ĭisciples of Jesus Christ live for Him Who is our Lord and Master, our Friend and Brother. They know that the devil, fueled by his own utterly corrupt urgency, which is only a rapacious hunger for victims, “is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). That flame grows hotter and brighter as Catholics see their loved ones threatened on every side. The urgency in the hearts of Christ’s disciples is the love that burns in His Heart for sinners. ![]() He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. Saint Paul aptly describes the true urgency driving Catholic disciples:įor the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all therefore, all have died. But it seems clear that in the past one hundred years, the Church’s mission of rescuing the world from chaos has never been more urgent than it is right now.Īnd yet our urgency is not mere emotional enthusiasm, even soteriologically motivated enthusiasm. It is easy to overemphasize the significance of one’s own time. Sacred Heart’s cornerstone bears an inscription from Jeremiah 3:15: “I will give you pastors according to my own heart.”īishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland, who was invited to speak on that august occasion, said that “the seminary, in training priests, would aid in rescuing the world from chaos.” On June 17, the day after this year’s celebration of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, it will have been one hundred years since the laying of the cornerstone of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, where I serve.
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