Homily (Reflection) for the Memorial
of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, P. (7th April, 2016) on the
Gospel and the memorial
(Thursday of the Second Week of
Easter)
Acts 5:27-33;
Ps 33:2.9.17-20. (R. v.7);Jn 3:31-36.
Born at Rheims, France on April 30th in
1651 and was the eldest of ten children in a noble family. He studied in Paris
and was ordained in 1678. He was known for his work with the poor. John was
very involved in education. He founded the Institute of the Brothers of the
Christian Schools (approved in 1725) and established teacher colleges (Rheims
in 1687, Paris in 1699, and Saint-Denis in 1709). He was one of the first to
emphasize classroom teaching over individual instruction. He also began
teaching in the vernacular instead of in Latin. In 1705, he established a reform
school for boys at Dijon. Saint John Baptist de la Salle died at St. Yon,
Rouen, on April 7th in 1719. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in
1900 and was named patron of teachers by Pope Pius XII in 1950[1].
He met with much opposition from his companions[2].
Topic: Heaven or earth.
In today’s gospel, there is a comparison between two personalities,
“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs
to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is
above all.” The gospel also reads, “The Father loves the Son and has placed all
things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever
disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”
Whoever is of the earth cannot obey the Son unless he/she is transformed,
cf. Heb 11:6. Saint Paul warns against
being earthly, “Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these
the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient” (Col 3:5-6).
We often talk about what God prepared for His elects, “What
no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared
for those who love him” (1Cor 2:9; cf. Is
64:3). The God in question is a God of justice, cf. Is 30:18. Just as the good things He has prepared for those who love
Him cannot even be imagined, so terrible are the things He has prepared for those
who hate Him that they cannot also be imagined. Christ warns us that those who are
earthly will be thrown into hell “where their worm never dies, and the fire is never
quenched” (Mk 9:48). Imagine being under
the torment of worm that never dies and fire that never quenches. The book of Revelation chapter 16 also tells us how
terrible it will be. Try and read this passage (Rev 16).
Saint John Baptist de la Salle understood the consequences of one opting
for something other than God. Despite all odds, he focused on heaven and spent himself
completely working for the good of all especially the poor. What do you work for
– heaven or earth? Remember, each of them has a price tag. Consider what is best
for you.
Bible Reading: Col 3:1-17; Eph 5:3-20.
Thought for today: Heaven and Hell are real.
Let us pray: Lord, help us work for heaven all the
days of our lives – Amen.
Saint John Baptist de la Salle – Pray
for us.
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