Born in northern France in the year 1601, John Eudes was ordained a priest with the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri. As a priest, he cared for the sick in his Diocese during plagues in the years 1627 and 1631. He later was assigned to parish missions, preaching more than 100 of them, some lasting as long as several weeks or even several months. He had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He worked to get a feast established for the Sacred Heart, which did not happen until the middle of the 19th century. Pope Pius XI named his as the Father of the devotion to the hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Central themes in his writings are focused on Jesus as the source of holiness and Mary as the model of the Christian life. He founded the congregation of Jesus and Mary, whose charism is devoted to the formation of clergy in diocesan seminaries. The Bishops of France have proposed him as a potential Doctor of the Church. He died in 1680.
In the 23rd psalm, we hear the psalmist express his trust in the Lord’s providence. But most. Importantly, this psalm is tied to the way we see Christ as our Good Shepherd, a precursor to what is proclaimed to us later in the Gospels. It is a frequent reading at Catholic funerals. But most importantly, the psalm invites us into a personal encounter with Christ, of seeing him accompany us every step of the way on our journey of faith.
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