Today: St. Vincent Ferrer

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=723

Helping God to be God: 2nd Saturday of Easter

Actually today’s passage (Jn 6:16ff) has reminiscence of God’s intervention with the people of Israel. God revealed himself as the “I am” and led them “dry shod through the sea” towards liberation. Jesus is not parting the sea because for Him there is no need of that. He can walk right on it.

Jesus’ trademark greeting is “Do not be afraid”. However, they still want to help the One who helps but does not need help. They try to bring Jesus into the boat only to realize that their help is unnecessary since they are already ashore.

I have noticed that sometimes we relate to God as if we are doing him a favour. It is as if He needed our attention or our prayers. Some even attempt to punish God by closing themselves to Him, by stopping prayer and going to church, etc. No matter how understandable their situation might be, it is still of no use. God cannot be helped, nor punished. But it is in trying to help him that they achieved their objective.

In trying to help God to finish His creation on this long seventh day while He is resting, in trying to help Jesus bring his kingdom closer to all, we all get his help to reach our final destination.

St. Isidore of Sevilla

Yes, I know, it is only an optional memory, but I like him. Plus, he has been proposed as one of the patron saints of the internet. Why is he important? What did he do?

He is a doctor of the church, and there are not so many. His two brothers were also bishops and one of them also a canonized saint. He converted the Visigothic King of Spain.

He presided over the Council of Toledo (633), where long before the Council of Trent, already recommended to have seminaries in all cathedrals. Education was St. Isidoro’s priority.

He can be considered the last native speaker of Latin, but encouraged the study of Greek and Hebrew and made provisions for it to be implemented all over the kingdom.

Before the Arabs, followed by the Dominicans who incorporated Aristotle into Christianity, it was St. Isidore who appreciated and encouraged the study of Greek philosophy, specially, Aristotle.

His most celebrated work was the world’s first encyclopedia, The Etymologies, which comprises 20 volumes and 10 editions from 1470 to 1530, well into the Renaissance era. There he taught that the earth is round and in his latter writings he made it clear that he understood that as globular, not circular.

Some say he was undoubtedly the most learned man of his age and the 8th Council of Toledo remember him as “The extraordinary doctor, the latest ornament of the Catholic Church, the most learned man of the latter ages, always to be named with reverence, Isidore”.