January 5 was the feast day of St. John Neumann. Bishop Neumann served as Bishop of Philadelphia from 1852 to 1860. He was a man of deep spirituality. At this time in our personal lives, in our church, and in our nation, we need to strengthen our faith and our own spirituality.
The following are some thoughts from the spiritual diary of St. John Neumann for your reflection:
St. John Neumann’s Spirituality Ah! Lord Jesus, thou must tear my heart from this world that it may be healed. O Jesus, be to me a Savior. Deprive me of everything, my God, but not of the desire to unite my will to your will in perfect resignation! Although the practical matters of ministering to a far-flung flock occupied his every day, Neumann was not a man who focused on the problems of daily living. Rather, he saw this life as a steppingstone to eternal life, and he urged all those to whom he ministered, whether immigrant farmers or wealthy aristocrats, to detach themselves from their worldly cares and devote themselves to God. Neumann’s spirituality can inspire us to shift our emphasis, for most of us focus on our physical or emotional needs to the exclusion of our spirituality. As he urged his flock, if we first seek God’s reign, the way may be difficult, but we will eventually have all that our hearts could desire.
Meditation
Who is God to me, an embodied presence or a disembodied spirit? What does this say about where I find God and how I relate to God?
How do I think about doing God’s will?
Prayer For Peace Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love; For it is giving that we receive It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen God bless us all! Fr. Citino