Wednesday, May 25, 2022

 

Memorial of Saint Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor of the Church

(Acts 17:15.22-18:1; John 16:12-15)

Today the Church remembers three saints although it does not require the celebration of any.  St. Bede the Venerable, the most well-known, was an eighth century Englishman.  He is famous for having compiled a history of the Church in England.  The work contains critical scholarship of the early Church and of Roman England.  St. Gregory VII reformed the Church reformer as papal assistant and as pope.  He is famous for having excommunicated Henry IV, the Holy Roman Empire, for meddling in Church affairs. St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi lived in sixteenth century Florence.  She was a Carmelite mystic admired for her penitential spirit.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will guide them to all truth.  He comes in various ways like the Scriptures and the sacraments.  He is also evidenced in the lives of people like today’s celebrated saints.  There he reassures us of the Church’s holiness despite waves of corruption.  The Spirit makes clear that lives dedicated to God are not miserable and much less lived in vain. 

We should remember our vocation is to be saints like Bede, Gregory, and Mary Magdalene d’ Pazzi.  We may not be scholars like St. Bede, but we can be thoughtful.  We may not be reformers like Gregory, but we can promote Christian values in daily actions.  We may not be mystics like Mary Magdalene d’ Pazzi, but we can pray fervently every day.

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