Memorial of St. Pius X, pope
(Ruth
1:1.3-6.14b-66.22; Matthew 22:34-40)
At the
beginning of the twentieth century revolutionary intellectual discoveries were beckoning
radical changes in Catholic theology. Darwin
had proposed the evolution of species, Freud was reinterpreting psychology, and
Einstein was developing his theories of relativity. Some Catholic theologians began to question
the eternal human destiny. Pope St. Pius
X had to respond. He was stricter than
necessary, but his decrees against “Modernism” spared the Church aberrant
theological thinking. More than that,
however, Pius X showed himself a genuine pastor by promoting reception of the
sacraments by people who unnecessarily thought themselves unworthy. His faithfulness to Catholic tradition can be
seen as a parallel to Ruth’s faithfulness in the first reading today.
When Ruth
married her Israelite husband, she accepted the Lord as her God. Coming to trust in Him, how could she return
to the gods of her own ancestors when her husband dies? Despite her mother-in-law’s releasing her
from filial responsibility, Ruth decides that she will be faithful to her
mother-in-law as well as the Lord.
Faithfulness
or loyalty impels us to fulfill the commitments that we have made. It enables us to focus on the good of what we
have rather allow our hearts to incessantly search for something other. In an individualistic age faithfulness sets
us on a course beyond independence and selfishness.
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