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Saturday of the Sixth week of Easter

Commentary of the day
Saint John-Mary Vianney (1786-1859), priest, curé of Ars
Catechism of prayer

"Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you"

Children, your heart is small but prayer expands it and make is capable of loving God. Prayer is a foretaste of heaven, an outflow from paradise. Never does it leave us without sweetness. It is a honey that comes into the soul and sweetens everything. All our troubles melt away before a well-made prayer like snow before the sun. Prayer makes the time pass speedily and with such enjoyment that we don't notice its length...

You can tell well enough who they are who lose themselves in prayer like a fish in water because they belong entirely to God. There is no division in their hearts. How I love generous souls like those! Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Collette saw our Lord and talked to him as we talk to each other. But as for us, how often do we come to church not knowing what we've come for and what we want to ask! And yet, when we visit someone's house we know perfectly well why we're going there. There are some people who appear to be saying to the good God: “I've just come to say a word or two so that I can be done with you.” How often I have thought that we would obtain everything we want if, when we come to worship our Lord, we were to ask him for it with a truly living faith and pure heart.

'For oftentimes by reason of their own sins the tongue of preachers is tied, oftentimes on the other hand it is because of the sins of their people that the gift of eloquence is withheld from pastors. By reason of their own sins the tongue of preachers is tied, according to the words of the Psalmist, "But to the sinner God hath said, Why dost thou declare My justices?" (Ps. xlix. 16.) And again, the voice of preachers is hindered because of the sins of the people, according to the words of the Lord to Ezechiel: "I will make thy tongue stick fast to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb, and not as a man that reproveth, because they are a provoking house" (Ezec. iii. 26). As though He said expressly: The gift of eloquence is withdrawn from thee, because while the people offend Me by their sins they are not worthy to have the truth preached to them. Through whose fault it is that speech is with drawn from the preacher is no easy matter to decide. But that the silence of the pastor is hurtful to himself sometimes, and to his flock at all times, is beyond all doubt.

But if we cannot preach as efficiently as we ought, would that by innocence of life we held the rank that befits our office. For the Gospel adds, "Behold I send you as lambs among wolves."'

Pope St. Gregory the Great