MEMORIAL FOR SAINT JOHN NEUMANN, BISHOP
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| St. John Neumann Photographer and date unknown |
The spirit of the Lord Goo is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
Commentary on Is 61:1-3a
The prophetic vision from Isaiah begins with words used by Jesus himself in Luke 4: 18-19. In the day it was first used it was inspired by the return of faithful from the Babylonian exile. It envisions the coming of the messianic age, foreseeing the saving work of the Messiah (“glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners”).
CCC: Is
61:1-2 714; Is 61:1 436,
695, 716, 1286
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5. Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b, 7-8a, 10
R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Commentary on Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b, 7-8a, 10
“Announce his salvation, day after day.” This song of praise to the Lord invites all humanity to participate in God’s salvation. “This psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Isaiah ch. 40-55, as does Psalm 98. Another version of the psalm is 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.” [1]
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4. For Missionaries
The Eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they
doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you.
And behold, I am with yon always, until the end of
the age."
Commentary on Mt 28:16-20
This passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew presents “The Commissioning” monolog that concludes this Gospel. The doubting disciples are reassured that all the Lord had predicted, and all the prophets had foretold, had come to pass, and the Lord had now assumed his place with the Father. He then sends them out to continue his earthly mission. His command to them is an important one: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In this statement, we receive the proper “form” and institution of the Sacrament of Baptism and the command to bring all nations to follow the Lord. The critically important emphasis here is: "make disciples," which goes beyond the sacramental act of Baptism, the imparting of the Holy Spirit, to converting the hearts of those so washed. Finally, he reassures them that he will be with them always.
CCC: Mt 28:16-20 857,
1444; Mt 28:16-17 645; Mt 28:17 644; Mt 28:18-20 1120; Mt 28:19-20 2,
767, 849, 1223, 1257, 1276
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Reflection:
St. John Neumann (1811-1860) was beatified at the Second Vatican Council in 1963 and Canonized in 1977. In the homily on the occasion of Neumann’s canonization, Pope Paul VI summarized the activity of the new saint: “He was close to the sick, he loved to be with the poor, he was a friend of sinners, and now he is the glory of all emigrants.” In those words we see how, through his time on earth, he conformed himself to Jesus. His heroic virtue, so keenly present in all the saints, was obvious to those he touched and his legacy of evangelization is seen today.
When the Lord was parting from his Apostles for the last time before his ascension, as recounted in St. Matthew’s Gospel, he told them to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, […] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The words in Greek (μαθητεύσατε) use that statement “make disciples” as a single word, a verb, something like discipling. An activity that was to carry on the mission of salvation the Lord was entrusting to them. Our hero saint had a special mission to help immigrants find their way in a new country, providing spiritual direction, discipling them, as well as inspiration to fulfill the ancient mission through his own tireless example.
As his ability to organize and motivate became better known he was elevated to become the bishop of Philadelphia and in that capacity was responsible for greatly expanding the availability of the sacraments. In just seven years, he built 89 churches, as well as several hospitals and orphanages. He is also credited with establishing the parish-based parochial school system, a model that would truly allow the church he so loved to teach all that Christ commanded.
On this, his feast day was ask for prayers from St. John Neumann, that the Lord may support us and give us the strength to follow the great commissioning of St. Matthew, and trough our words and actions, make disciples of all nations.
Pax
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