"The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."  

 

St. Vincent de Paul, priest

 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15a

Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked,

"Where are you going?" He answered, "I'm going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length."

As the angel who spoke to me came forward, another angel met him and said,

"Run and tell this to that young man: 'Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.

For this is the word of the Lord: I, myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.'"

"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you," says the Lord.

"On that day, many nations will join the Lord and be my people, but my dwelling is among you."

 

＊＊＊Gospel＊＊＊

Luke 9:43b-45

And all who saw it were astonished at God's wonderful work.

But while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

"Listen, and remember what I tell you now: The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."

But the disciples didn't understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what he meant,

and they were afraid to ask him about it.

 

＊＊＊Reflection＊＊＊

"The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."

When it comes to God's blessings, our memories are short. In Jesus' ministry, all were amazed at the wonders done by God.

And yet, Jesus foretells that he will be betrayed and condemned to death.

Similarly, Saint Vincent de Paul followed Christ's path as a true shepherd to people by his simplicity,

his selflessness and his honest and eloquent speech. People marvelled at the wonders achieved by this priest in his shabby cassock as he cared for the poor.

And yet, they quickly forgot God's mercies worked through Vincent when he became an obstacle to their plans.

At that time, in reaction to the decadence in the Church, the Jansenist movement was gaining popularity.

It sought to restore virtue, but its beliefs eclipsed the mercy of God. Jansenists took a perfectionist view of Christian life,

denied the universality of God's love, and discouraged people from receiving the sacraments out of a fear of unworthiness.

It was the opposite of what Vincent and his missionaries preached. The Jansenists vigorously condemned Vincent,

calling him an ignorant peasant, but he persisted in preaching God's mercy. Do we remain faithful to Christ, like Vincent,

when we are attacked for speaking the truth?