Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
September 27th, 2010
“Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them.”
Num. 11: 29
God had promised Moses that he would give him help in the government of Israel. To this end God empowered the people chosen by Moses to prophesy—to be prophets, interpreting the word of God to the people, which is an exercise of the mind rather than mere speech. In other words, a prophet through the action of the Spirit, interprets or explains the teaching of the Church.
At baptism, we are anointed as prophets and this comes to the fore when as adults, we live our faith and pass on to others what we know to be God’s desire for a life which fulfils his reason for creating each one. We do this mainly through example—how we live our own life; to be so open to God’s word that words from us are not always necessary. What a different world it would be if adults, particularly parents, would pass on to others the gifts with which God has endowed them. Would that all people were prophets!
Prayer
Prayer : Lord, make me an instrument whereby I am able to pass on to others what your Spirit has given to me.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
