28 Apr – Memorial for St. Peter Chanel, priest & martyr; Memorial for St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, priest
St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841) was born to a peasant family and was a shepherd as a boy. He was an excellent student and was ordained at 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline; he turned it around, in part because of his ministry to the sick, and brought a spiritual revival. He joined the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) in 1831, and taught in the Belley seminary for five years.
In 1836, he led a band of missionaries to the New Hebrides, an area where cannibalism had only recently been outlawed. He converted many, often as a result of his work with the sick. He learned the local language and taught in the local school. He was killed by order of Niuliki, a native king who was jealous of Peter’s influence. He was the first martyr in Oceania.
“He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good.”
- one of St. Peter’s catechumens, explaining why he believed Peter’s teachings.
St. Louis-Marie (1673-1716) was born poor. He studied in Paris, France, and was ordained in 1700. While a seminarian, he delighted in researching the writings of Church Fathers, Doctors and Saints as they related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was singularly devoted.
Under Mary’s inspiration, he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, a religious institute of women devoted to the care of the destitute. During this work, he began his apostolate of preaching the Rosary and authentic Marian devotion. He preached so forcefully and effectively against the errors of Jansenism that he was expelled from several dioceses in France.
In Rome, Pope Clement XI conferred on him the title and authority of ‘Missionary Apostolic’, which enabled him to continue his apostolate after returning to France. He preached Mary everywhere and to everyone.
He was a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic, and was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day and, by means of his miraculously inspiring book, The Secret of the Rosary, he is still so today. The most common manner of reciting the Rosary is the method that originated with St. Louis’ preaching. In 1715, he founded a missionary band known as the Company of Mary.
His greatest contribution to the Church and world is Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin. He propagated this in his day by preaching, and after his own death, by his other famous book True Devotion to Mary. Consecration to Mary is for St. Louis the perfect manner of renewing one’s baptismal promises. His spirituality has been espoused by millions, especially Pope John Paul II, who has consecrated not only himself, but every place he has visited as pope.
In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis prophesied that the army of souls consecrated to Mary will be her instrument in defeating the Devil and his Antichrist. As Satan gains power in the world, so much more shall the new Eve triumph over him and crush his head.
The cause for his declaration as a Doctor of the Church is now being pursued.
- Patron Saint Index
Acts 11:19-26
John 10:22-30
“The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice…”
Recently, I learned about the term “polycule”, which refers to a group of people who are in a network of interconnected romantic relationships with one another. Each person in a polycule has more than one romantic partner. It seems to be a rather complex form of polyamory, and a recent New York Times article about a 20-person polycule stirred up considerable intrigue online. To me, the proliferation of these bewildering varieties of sexual/romantic liaisons are a sign that increasingly, people are surfacing their innermost desires that defy what is considered traditional and fulfiling these desires with others who have similar inclinations. As long as all who are involved are willing parties and no one is getting hurt, what’s so wrong with it?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice”. Choosing to listen to Jesus’ voice inevitably entails a denial and rejection of one’s disordered desires, even if it’s the hardest thing to do. Contrast this with one of the prevailing themes in the current worldview that one should simply “be themselves” and do what suits their fancy, no judgement (unless laws are broken and people are harmed). Living in such a climate of growing moral relativism presents great challenges to the Christian faithful.
I find that for a start, it may be helpful to do a compare and contrast between these alternative worldviews and those of the Church, so as to obtain some clarity about the differences. Take for instance this concept known as therapeutic deism, which seems to underlie some of the “be yourselves and be happy” practices. In therapeutic deism, God is a creator who does not get personally involved in our lives, except to help us alleviate our suffering. The central goal in our lives is to be happy and feel good. Unlike Christianity, there is no need to respond to God’s love by doing all we can to imitate Christ, nor is there a need to repent from sin. This obviously deviates from the central message of the bible. Sadly though, it appears that a large number of so-called Christians subscribe to this idea. In light of such disturbing trends, we have to do more in our own spiritual lives to resist the onslaught of these evolving mutations of the faith.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
Prayer: We pray for a conversion of heart of those who have adopted misguided and erroneous notions of Christianity, and call upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and of those in our community.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the presence of individuals in our communities who have inspired us with their unwavering faith, and shown us what it means to truly listen to Jesus’ voice.
OXYGEN 
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