GOSPEL FOR ALL PEOPLES

SAINT LOUIS MARIE GRINION DE MONTFORT, PRIEST   

Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87; Jn 10:22-30

The Joy of Redemption

The Jewish converts to faith in Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, initially did not comprehend the depth of the mysteries of the Lord. In fact, none of us fully comprehends these mysteries, which await the beatific vision for their full comprehension. Not understanding that the Good News of the Lord’s resurrection is meant for the whole world, they restricted their preaching to the Jews. Even the apostles were not clear on this aspect. They had some Gentile converts in their preaching ministry in Jerusalem, but probably thought that they were exceptions made by God for what he meant for the Jews. They may have misinterpreted the Lord’s intentional restriction of his preaching to a Jewish audience during his earthly ministry. But that was in fulfilment of the scriptures foretelling the rejection and killing of the Son of Man by the Jews. Their betrayal was meant to liberate and transform the Gospel into that of the Risen Lord, who is now present to all peoples and nations. The Holy Spirit, who prompted the actions of the Lord's disciples, gradually opened their eyes to the will of God for His Gospel. “Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews.” Their reticence in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles also shows us that the Holy Spirit prompts our thoughts and actions more when he has overcome our personal biases and idiosyncrasies. Hence, the initial work of the Holy Spirit is within us. He works in us to bring us to deeper faith in Jesus Christ, a better understanding of the Gospel, and the will of God for us and others.

Based on these initial works to be accomplished in us by the Holy Spirit, we see that some people are more readily available to accomplish the will of God than others. In the case of the early disciples of our Lord, those disciples with a more liberal background and upbringing were readily available to the Holy Spirit for the evangelisation of the Gentiles. “Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch, where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.” Because the Lord’s will is for the Gospel to reach all peoples, he graced the efforts of those who worked in that direction. There are many examples to this effect. We have Philip, who literally floated with the Holy Spirit while preaching the Gospel everywhere. Paul himself, who grew up in Tarsus and was familiar with Gentiles. Another excellent example is Barnabas, who was sent to Antioch to verify the report the apostles received that many Gentiles were converting to the new faith. “The church in Jerusalem heard about this, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith.” His liberal attitude made the Holy Spirit active in him. No wonder he was sent on the missionary journey with Paul.

The Son of Man presented himself convincingly to the Jews in the Gospel, but they refused to accept and believe in him. With closed minds, they demanded signs. “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness, but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Thus, what makes us sheep of the Lord is nothing physical, but our open ears and a willing heart to obey the Gospel message. Anyone who deeply understands the Gospel message and gives himself to the Lord is also transformed into a shepherd of the Lord’s flock. Such was Saint Louis de Montfort. He was born in Montfort-La-Cane in Brittany into a poor family in 1673. He was ordained at the age of 27. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin and wrote books to promote the devotion among the people. The Secret of the Rosary, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Friends of the Cross are some of his well-known works. He began preaching parish missions throughout western France soon after his ordination in 1700. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live simply, which sometimes gets him into trouble with Church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended frequent, even daily, Holy Communion, not the custom then, and the imitation of the Virgin Mary’s ongoing acceptance of God’s will for her life. He strenuously employed himself in preaching the Gospel and promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary across frontiers of parishes and dioceses. founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, for priests and brothers, and the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick.

Let us pray: O God, who willed to direct the steps of the Priest Saint Louis along the way of salvation and of the love of Christ, in the company of the Blessed Virgin, grant us, by his example, that, meditating on the mysteries of your love, we may strive tirelessly for the building up of your Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.