Direction of Intention

The Direction of Intention. This simple prayer is, for those in the Salesian family, a most powerful prayer for advancing in holiness. In this prayer we essentially do three things.  We OFFER our action to God.   We ASK for His grace and we ACCEPT whatever good or difficulty may come our way in a way that is pleasing to God.  In so doing, we change the secular to sacred and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.  In a sense, each action becomes a sacrament for in it we encounter Christ. 

Our founder, Blessed Father Louis Brisson, OSFS, exhorted us to never forget the practice of this Direction of Intention.  He urged us to make a new one with each new and successive action for we may need a different grace than the one required previously.  I used to tell students that if the previous class did not go well, the next one is a new opportunity, a new beginning, a new Direction of Intention.  At the same time, I mentioned that is was not magical.  They couldn’t pray this prayer before a chemistry test they had not prepared for thinking they would do very well.  Yet, on the other hand, they could accept the difficulty from not studying and resolve to do better.  I begged them to pray this before all activities: a student council session, a play rehearsal, an audition, a sporting activity, at the beginning of the day and at its conclusion. 

One of my favorite memories of this prayer was when 1100 male voices would pray it in a gym before a pep rally against our rival.  Prayer recited, then they would cheer “Beat St. Mark’s” (or maybe it was kill?)!  You get the idea.  A brother of a parishioner asked if we were going to recite it prior to leaving the sacristy for his brother’s wedding.  To this day, when I celebrate a former student’s wedding, we gather all the alumni together just prior to the wedding to recite the Direction of Intention.  They all smile and proudly recite something that became second nature, instinctual.  A graduate told me that at boot camp when his military academy was trying to emasculate him, get him to quit, he would pray the Direction of Intention as if to say “Bring it on; I’m ready.” 

Another alum, years after being graduated, recalled that his first child was born with every malady and dressed with so many tubes on his body it would be very difficult to visit him.  When he approached the gates of the hospital, he prayed the Direction of Intention and things went well.  It put him in the Presence of God in the Present Moment (two more key concepts of Salesian Spirituality).  Many are those who tell me that they continue to pray it as it is so helpful.  To those who have heard about this prayer, they keep a copy of it in their office, on the mirror or wherever needed.

Whether it is doing the dishes, cutting the lawn, meeting with a less-than-pleasant client, sitting down to study, we dedicate the action to God.  We GIVE it to God, ASK for God’s grace (“my grace is sufficient for you”) and ACCEPT everything as coming from God’s providential hands.

Not only did Father Brisson ask us never to forget this, but he begged us to teach this powerful means of sanctification to all those we serve.  Anecdotally, the more I am faithful to this devotion, the better things progress.  When I forget, difficulty has a chance of entering the picture accompanied by such vices as pride or anxiety.   We do so many things over and over again (getting dressed, driving to work, getting vested to preside at Mass) that they can become routine, mindless and perhaps with little meaning.  When beginning with the Direction of Intention, we can make the profane incredibly holy.  

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish, Philadelphia, PA

God’s Presence

I was a surgical intern in 1977 when one of my Oblate first profession classmates from the Battle Creek Novitiate came to visit my wife and me in Philadelphia.  Now a young priest, Father Richard Yost, OSFS, was going to spend the day with me in inner-city Philadelphia.  I had been assigned to an amazing Spanish surgeon whose sons were educated by Oblates, so Jose was excited to have Father Richard along.  The climate in those days was different so the only credential Father Richard needed to scrub into surgery with us was his Roman collar and our assurance he would keep his hands out of harm’s way.

During a break between cases, Father Richard asked how we were able to keep the complicated surgeries orderly and organized.  We asked if he realized we talked over the surgery while we scrubbed our hands but were quiet the last minute or so.  The end of the scrub was for prayer, for the Direction of Intention, and time before surgery to place ourselves in the Presence of the Lord as de Sales calls it.

For lunch we had Philly Cheesesteaks at Pat’s, standing at tables outside with two firemen, dirty and still in their fire gear.  It was just the kind of company Saint Francis would appreciate.  Father Richard talked about how amazed he had been with what we did that morning and the three of us talked about how we were equally amazed at the courage firemen show on a daily basis.  They told us they didn’t feel comfortable entering a burning building without a prayer asking for God’s guidance.  They were not the least bit reticent about telling us their need to be in the Presence of the Lord before fighting a fire.

After lunch Father Richard (in his Roman collar) and I went to make rounds at a couple of hospitals and Jose went to see office patients, the plan being to meet for dinner.  At one of the city hospitals, we saw a patient who had a terrible malignancy on the bottom of her foot.  Although she was Catholic (Agape was her name) she was also a Voodoo priestess, or so we were told by the people who had literally dropped her off when she lost consciousness.  Her tumors had metastasized and surgery prolonged her life but the quality had diminished over the last weeks.  She was in and out of consciousness but was able to communicate to Father Richard that she wanted absolution.  We left the room and went to the nurses’ station to write the progress note.  Not thirty seconds later, Agape’s EKG went flat line and she passed away.  No Code.  Father Richard looked at me and said, “She needed permission to die.”  Once Father Richard gave her absolution and put her comfortably in the Presence of the Lord, her soul was at peace. This was the same comfort the firemen and the surgeons felt that day before doing their jobs.

At dinner, the three of us unashamedly talked about how God really is everywhere, and like de Sales says, all we have to do is put ourselves in His presence by asking for such and how it doesn’t matter what our station in life is. He will help us be who we are and be that well.  Priest, fireman or surgeon, people depend on us to be in God’s Presence and share ourselves with them if we are spiritually fit.  That day there were five people who were happy to share that.

Rod Tomczak, MD, EdD

Retired, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

The Ohio State University

Christmas Moments, Stories & Carols

No other season quite brings as much excitement and anticipation as Christmas does.  No other season seems to be as busy as the Christmas season.  Even though many of us have been shopping, decorating and planning for weeks, once the calendar turns to the last page, the pressure to enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year” is even more intense.  With the arrival of December, the countdown to holiday shopping, decorating, baking and entertaining takes on a new urgency.

Despite the cheerful songs and Hallmark movies, for many people, this season can turn into “the most stressful time of the year.”  The added anxiety and pressure to plan the “perfect holiday” can actually cause us to miss the real meaning and beauty of the season.

Many of us are familiar with the forty-year-old classic film A Christmas Story.  Throughout the movie, Ralphie and his family are so concerned about the trappings and details of Christmas, that the setbacks and struggles they encounter during the days of December almost ruin their celebrations.  It is only on Christmas night, with the children in bed and Mom and Dad finally relaxing in the glow of the tree lights, that they seem to really appreciate the moment. 

Saint Francis de Sales was not thinking of department stores or dogs ruining Christmas dinner when he preached about dealing with the circumstances of life.  However, he certainly understood the challenges of living in the world and dealing with the ups and downs of relationships.  His emphasis on the present moment was something he suggested we follow all year long, in season and out of season, not just during the weeks of December. 

The holiday season is a time when we usually connect with family, friends and neighbors.  This is something many of us cherish and enjoy.  However, it is also a time to be aware of everyone around us – especially the poor, the lonely, the outcast and those that others ignore.  The Scriptures last weekend reminded us to “stay awake.”  If we focus on the here and now, if we are attentive to the needs of our neighbor, we can appreciate and help all of God’s children.  We can recognize the light of Christ in each person and see the amazing opportunities that surround us each day. 

In the novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  Each spirit helps Scrooge to appreciate life and inspires him to be transformed into a generous and caring man, a true man for all seasons, a man for others.  The story ends with Scrooge declaring: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.  I will live in the past, present and future.  The spirts of all three shall live within me.” 

During these weeks of December, if we look around us and live in the present, we will not only honor Christmas, but we will enjoy it.

Reverend Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence