Today, we celebrate the feast day of Pope Pius V. He was elected pope in 1566. He served as pope for six years. He was born to a very poor family in the Piedmont regions of Italy. He worked as a shepherd until the age of 14, at which time he entered the Dominicans. As pope, Pius saw his main objective as the continuation of the massive program of reform for the Church, in particular the full implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent that occurred after the Protestant Reformation. That council took place from 1545 to 1563. While pope, he published the Roman Catholic Catechism, the revised Roman Breviary, and the Roman Missal. He declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church, issued a new edition of the works of Thomas Aquinas, and created a commission to revise the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible. The decrees of the Council of Trent were published throughout all Catholic lands, with Pope Pius V insisting on their strict adherence in response to the Reformation.
We hear of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Passover meal from John’s Gospel today, a reading that was front and center during Holy Thursday in the midst of Jesus’ journey to the cross. We hear this reading again during the Easter season. It is a different context, but the message of being a servant and living out our faith in humility and service still speaks to us on our journey of faith. It is sometimes difficult hearing this message of service in the midst of our busy lives and in the midst of trying to get everything done. I think we all need to ponder how God is calling us to serve him and to serve our neighbor in humility and trust.
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