❤️St. John Eudes, a prominent priest of the Congregation of the Oratory, was distinguished by his profound devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, being one of the great apostles of this devotion. His zeal for the sanctification of the clergy led him to found the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists) for the formation of priests and seminarians. Furthermore, he established the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge to help women at risk, demonstrating a multifaceted and impactful ministry. Canonized by Pius XI in 1925, his legacy endures in spiritual formation and pastoral care.
📖 Introit (Ps 36:30-31, 1)The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment. The law of his God is in his heart. Ps. Be not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity.
✉️ Epistle (Sirach 31:8-11)
Blessed is the man that is found without blemish, and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? For he hath done wonderful things in his life. He that hath been tried thereby, and found perfect, shall have eternal glory: he that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil, and hath not done it. Therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms.
🕊️ Gospel (Lk 12:35-40)
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the a third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Be you then also ready: for at an hour that you think not, the Son of man will come.
🤔 Reflections
🕯️To gird the loins is to restrain the lusts of the flesh; to have lamps burning is to shine with the splendor of good works. The Lord Himself will gird Himself to serve us, for on Calvary He girded Himself with a towel to wash the feet of His disciples, and in the resurrection He girds Himself with immortality to prepare a place for us (St. Augustine, Sermon 103). Vigilance is not merely a passive waiting, but the active readiness of the shepherd who, knowing he will be called to account, goes before to serve, not to be served (St. Gregory the Great, Homily 13 on the Gospels). Blessed is he who has not been corrupted by the gold of vainglory nor the silver of deceptive eloquence, but has kept his soul pure, for his reward is not on earth but is established in the Lord (St. Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, Book VII).
📚The Gospel of St. Matthew expands on this exhortation with the parable of the faithful and the wicked servant, specifying the actions of the wicked servant—beating his fellow servants and indulging in drink—and the severe punishment that awaits him (Mt 24:48-51). Additionally, Matthew presents the parable of the ten virgins, which reinforces the need not just to wait, but to be prepared with the oil of charity and good works (Mt 25:1-13). St. Mark, in turn, uses the image of a man traveling abroad who assigns specific tasks to each servant, emphasizing that vigilance is manifested in the fulfillment of the individual duty assigned by the Lord (Mk 13:34).
💌St. Paul deepens the imagery of vigilance, comparing the Lord's coming to that of a thief in the night, and urges the faithful not to be of the night or of darkness, but 'children of the light,' remaining sober and clothed with the breastplate of faith and love (1 Thess 5:2-8). He transforms the image of girded loins into the metaphor of 'girding your loins with truth' as part of the 'armor of God' necessary for spiritual battle (Eph 6:14). In Romans, the imminence of Christ's return is a call to 'cast off the works of darkness' and 'put on the Lord Jesus Christ,' abandoning the works of the flesh (Rom 13:11-14).
⛪The Roman Catechism, when discussing the sacrament of Holy Orders, insists that the priest must be an example of vigilance and holiness, with his mind always fixed on heavenly things and detached from earthly goods, so that he may safely guide the flock. The encyclical Ad Catholici Sacerdotii of Pius XI reinforces that the priest is a 'steward of the mysteries of God,' and as such, he must live in constant readiness, with the loins of purity girded and the lamp of charity lit, mirroring the image of the faithful servant awaiting his Lord. Pontifical documents on priestly formation frequently stress that preparation for the ministry requires a life of sacrifice and continuous vigilance against the seductions of the world, such as the gold and riches mentioned in the Epistle, so that the cleric may be found blameless.