SAINT OF THE DAY -- April 7 - Saint John Baptist de la Salle
April 7
St. John Baptist de la SallePatron Saint of All Who Work in Education(1651 - 1719)
Saint John Baptist de la Salle understood that strong FAITH manifests itself in ZEAL. Rather than remaining dispassionate or halfhearted, this saint wanted his teachers to be filled with zeal for the Gospel.
Let us remember that we are in the presence of God.
In the name of our creator, redeemer, and sanctifier. Amen!
Complete dedication to what he saw as God's will for him dominated the
life of John Baptist de la Salle. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named him
patron of schoolteachers for his efforts in upgrading school
instruction. As a young seventeenth-century Frenchman, John had
everything going for him: scholarly bent, good looks, noble family
background, money, refined upbringing. At the early age of 11, he
received the tonsure and started preparation for the priesthood, to
which he was ordained at 27. He seemed assured then of a life of
dignified ease and a high position in the Church.
But
God had other plans for John, which were gradually revealed to him in
the next several years. During a chance meeting with M. Nyel of Raven,
he became interested in the creation of schools for poor boys in Raven,
where he was stationed. Though the work was extremely distasteful to
him at first, he became more involved in working with the deprived
youths.
Once convinced that this was his divinely appointed
mission, John threw himself wholeheartedly into the work, left home and
family, abandoned his position as canon at Rheims, gave away his
fortune and reduced himself to the level of the poor to whom he devoted
his entire life.
The remainder of his life was closely entwined
with the community of religious men he founded, the Brothers of the
Christian School (Christian Brothers, or De La Salle Brothers). This
community grew rapidly and was successful in educating boys of poor
families using methods designed by John, preparing teachers in the
first training college for teachers and also setting up homes and
schools for young delinquents of wealthy families. The motivating
element in all these endeavors was the desire to become a good
Christian.
Yet even in his success, John did not escape
experiencing many trials: heartrending disappointment and defections
among his disciples, bitter opposition from the secular schoolmasters
who resented his new and fruitful methods and persistent opposition
from the Jansenists of his time, whose heretical doctrines John
resisted vehemently all his life.
Afflicted with asthma and rheumatism in his last years, he died on Good Friday at 68 and was canonized in 1900.
Comment:
Complete
dedication to one's calling by God, whatever it may be, is a rare
quality. Jesus asks us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all
your strength" (Mark 12:30b, emphasis added). Paul gives similar
advice: "Whatever you do, do from the heart..." (Colossians 3:23).
Quote:"What
is nobler than to mold the character of the young? I consider that he
who knows how to form the youthful mind is truly greater than all
painters, sculptors and all others of that sort" (St. John Chrysostom).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
I give you my hands to do your work.
I give you my feet to go your way.
I give you my eyes to see as you do.
I give you my tongue to speak your words.
I give you my mind that you may think in me.
I give you my spirit that you may pray in me.
Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in me
all that you have created.
I give you my whole self that you may grow in me,
so that it is you, Lord Jesus,
who live and work and pray in me. Amen.
God our Father, You chose St. John Baptist
de La Salle as an educator of Christian youth. Give Your Church good
teachers today, who will dedicate themselves to instructing young people
in human and Christian discipline. Amen.
READING DE LA SALLE’S WORDS:
What ought to encourage you to have much zeal in your vocation is the
fact that you are not only the ministers of God, but also of Jesus
Christ and of the church. This is what St. Paul says when he expresses
the wish that all should regard those who announce the gospel as
ministers of Jesus Christ, whose role is to write the letter dictated
by Christ, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh which are the hearts of
children . . . Let your zeal give tangible proof that you love those
whom God has entrusted to you just as Jesus Christ has loved his church
. . . It is for you to give them this education and training, so that
they may become heirs of the kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ our
Lord .
-Meditations for the Time of Retreat
Source: American Catholic Organization
Many great miracles have been associated with the Rosary throughout history. The tremendous power of the Rosary can overcome any problem, be it small or large, personal or worldwide. Miracles continue to the present day.
The Rosary is a powerful prayer!
Each lesson is only 10¢
God bless you!
Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries
Learn to pray the Rosary--The Sorrowful Mysteries
Learn to pray the Rosary--The Glorious Mysteries
Learn to pray the Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries
If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.
If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)
SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?