FRIDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OPTIONAL MEMORIAL ST JOHN EUDES AUGUST 19, 2022

MASS READINGS

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel EZ 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. He made me walk among the bones in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were! He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.” Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD. I prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off.” Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

REFLECTION

I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.

St John Eudes founded the Society of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists) to provide priests a seminary education. He told his priests: " Our Wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make his spirit, his devotion, his affections, his desires, and his disposition live and reign there. All our religious exercises should be directed to this end. It is the work which God has given us to do unceasingly".

We were created to love God. Life can be quite frustrating when dryness and lack of love are present. God is asking for all our love, not just some of it.

But all. And He in turn gives us all His love.

And it was this calling for priests as they studied, prayed and discerned that not only were they to love God above all, but to live this love through His Spirit and share His Word and love to their neighbors, their parishioners and all people they meet.

Our PAPA vision and purpose is all about the priests. We pray for them to be on fire and have zeal for Jesus and His Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. We are to recruit all to pray for priests by any necessary means. We pray that the Spirit of God be their whole desire, devotion, affection and disposition. We pray that their vocation comes to life. Please join in the PAPA prayer for priests.

Pray for priestly vocations .

God Bless You