“For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him...
Reflections on the readings for the Memorial of St. John Neumann (January 5, 2022): 1 JN 4:11-18; PS 72:1-2,10,12-13; MK 6:45-52
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.” (Psalm 72:12-13).
St. John Neumann was born in 1811 in what is now the Czech Republic. He was studious and decided in his youth that he wanted to be not only a priest, but also a missionary. After completing his seminary training and facing a number of obstacles, he left for New York where he was ordained in 1836. He served the Irish and German immigrant communities around the Buffalo area. He walked or rode horseback over an extensive area to share the sacraments and see to the needs of his parishioners. Within a few years he found himself longing for the company of other priests and joined the Redemptorist order. He went to Maryland and Ohio, eventually becoming the provincial superior. In 1846 John Neumann became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Four years later he was named bishop of Philadelphia where he made a remarkable difference to his own diocese as well as to the Church throughout the country. He was dedicated to the concerns of the poor, especially immigrants. He transformed the parochial school system into a diocesan based one. He founded many new churches and invited a number of religious orders to serve in Philadelphia. Bishop Neumann also stood up to the Know-Nothing political party that was vehemently anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant.
He was known and respected for his personal poverty and intense devotion to the spiritual and material welfare his people. As we hear in the reading for today, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us.” (1 John 4:11-12,). Bishop Neumann already knew several languages including Czech, German, English, French, Italian, and learned Gaelic to speak to the Irish who were coming to America. In 1860, while walking on the streets of his beloved city, he died at age 48. St. John Neumann was canonized in 1977 and is a patron of educators: the first man who was an American citizen to be so revered.
