Daily Collection from the optional memorial of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, Virgin
Collect: Lord, who enkindled in the heart of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher the flame of ardent charity and a great desire to cooperate in the mission of the Church as a teacher, grant us that same active love, so that, in responding to the needs of the world today, we may lead our brothers and sisters to the blessedness of eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“Lord, who enkindled in the heart of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher the flame of ardent charity and a great desire to cooperate in the mission of the Church as a teacher”
— It is a work of mercy to instruct the ignorant – i.e. to teach. One of the Church’s main duties is to teach the faithful and it is an act of love to participate in that mission of the Church. This also means that we are to be careful to teach what is given to us because we are not the source of what we teach and to deviate from the Church is to betray the very mission in which we hope to share.
“grant us that same active love, so that, in responding to the needs of the world today, we may lead our brothers and sisters to the blessedness of eternal life”
— The need for salvation is present in every generation, so we always strive to lead others to their salvation in Christ. Yet, as each person and culture is different, we must, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, read and interpret the signs of the times so as to make the best possible presentation of the faith to the people around us. This is often difficult and full of tension, but if it is founded on a genuine Love of God and neighbor, it will persevere.
Advice: Are you a closet relativist? Do you find yourself justifying the beliefs and behavior of family and friends who have rejected the Church’s teaching? We must respect free will, but we must also avoid tacitly approving what is in fact false. Yes, it is often uncomfortable to live in the tension between kindness to those who reject the Church and a zeal for souls that seeks every genuine opportunity to draw others to the fullness of the Truth. Yet, true Christian Charity willingly bears with such tension and even sees it as an opportunity to share in Christ’s suffering – the Gospels are full of examples of Christ’s frustration at loving the Jewish people but being frustrated at the stubbornness and hardness of heart.
Seek the intercession of Blessed Marie Rose for the synod of Bishops. The bishops are the first teachers of the faith and so we ought to aid them with our prayers that they might stay faithful to the mission they have received.
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| Blessed Marie Rose, pray for us! |