HOW TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST - 8/4/22 (Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest)

Matthew 16:18-19

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080422.cfm

Blessed Memorial of St. John Vianney! Do we know Jesus Christ? Like St. Peter, we may say that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, that He is Christ. We may also say, and rightly so, that He is our God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. However, God is reminding us that we should not stop at merely knowing information about Jesus. It's important to personally know Him and to know His will for us. How can we know Him? There are at least three ways which we can do to deepen our knowledge of Christ. 

First, we can know Him even more through our prayers. The wisdom that we will obtain by being really devoted in our prayer life is worth more than the theological books we can find. It's because prayer is a direct communication with our God. St. John Vianney did not excel in his studies in the seminary, most especially because he was not fluent in Latin. Many of his enemies also belittled him for his lack of theological knowledge. And yet, he was ordained precisely because he was a great model of goodness. When he became a parish priest, he was visited by numerous people because they were attracted by his holiness and piety. His sermons did not contain flowery words compared to other preachers, but they touched the hearts, even of the most hardened sinners, because they were the fruit of his prayers and reflections. Our Lord is inviting us to persevere in holiness by seeking to be more devoted in our prayer life.  For those who are interested in starting a daily prayer routine, there is a link of a YouTube vlog about it below this reflection. 

Second, we can know our Lord Jesus by listening to the teachings of the Catholic Church. In our culture, some people say that we don't need a church, and all we need to have is a personal relationship with Christ. But, this is directly contrary to the fact of the institution of the Church as we see in the gospel's reading. The relationship that He invites us into is a covenant like a marriage. A covenant is a relationship where God gives all of Himself to us while we give all of ourselves to Him. And, who is the spouse of Christ? The Church is the Spouse of Christ. This is why Jesus makes a promise that the gates of the netherworld, pertaining to Satan and the evil spirits, will not prevail against the Church. Our Lord makes and keeps this promise because He loves us, and He wants us to know with assurance the truth and the gospel. In the world where society is confused about the definition of marriage, sexuality, and many more, we are in need of the teachings that Jesus reveals to us in the Catholic Church. Below, we can go to a link and read an article that provides a summary for the teachings of the Church with biblical defense of it. 

Lastly, we can know Christ by participating in the sacraments, specifically the Mass and the sacrament of confession. St. John Vianney had one goal, and that was to bring every person in his town, Ars, to the Mass every Sunday. However, he was also aware that it's offensive to God and hurtful to the soul of a person to receive Jesus in the Eucharist while in the state of mortal sin. As such, as a saint who was faithful to the teachings of the Church, he preached against vices. He was preaching against lust,  dancing in parties (similar to going to bars today), blasphemies and other sins. We can know someone when we have the experience of this person. In the same way, we can know Christ by experiencing His love, graces and mercy through the sacraments like confession. The crowd were touched by the sermons of St. John Vianney that they converted and came to him for confession. The saint was patient in listening to the sins of the people that he was in the confessional box for almost 16 hrs a day. Let's be inspired by the zeal and dedication of St. John Vianney, and may we reflect on the ways that God invite us to know Him even more. Only a pure heart can see God, and in heaven, we do not just receive eternal glory, but we get to know and love God for eternity. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

For more information on the life of St. John Vianney, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/august-4---saint-jean-vianney-the-cur-of-ars-priest/

For the summary of the teachings of the Catholic Church, click here:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

For a YouTube vlog of a Catholic daily prayer routine, click here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=R2m_VU2dHn8

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/