-
April 17, 2020In today’s Gospel reading, it was Peter and John in the boat at the Sea of Tiberias who first recognized and reacted to the Presence of Christ. Manifesting the fruit of this child-like love, it is then the two of them who are later described in the Acts of the Apostles as courageously proclaiming Truth in front of the dignitaries of the time and converting thousands.
Do we spend time daily in prayer and study of Scripture so we can recognize our Savior from far off like John? Like Peter do we dive right in to be close to Him? When we are awed by His Glorious Presence in the Eucharist, do we prostrate ourselves? Because we have this chance, this very day, to “let our mouths proclaim His praise,” - do we take the opportunity to sing with joy the Psalms and Canticles? When someone needs us to show them love and compassion, do we hold back to protect ourselves, perhaps from what others may think or from their “toxic” behavior?
We are not called to extinguish our desires but, by the grace of God, to redirect them to the Highest Good, never holding back the proper expression of Love. In her biography of St. Dominic, Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, O.P. described his comrade, Bishop Foulques of Toulouse, as follows, “He was in every way a remarkable man, one in whom the energy of human passion had been, not laid aside, but transformed and sanctified by the influence of grace.” May the Queen of all Hearts show us how to pour forth charity to her Son living in those around us!
