Meditation by Oblates: Third Sunday of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent Gospel Lk 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.

If not you can cut it down.’”

Salesian Quote

“Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself; I mean, don’t be disturbed about your imperfections, and always have the courage to pick yourself up after a fall…Make a fresh start each day. There is no better way of growing in the spiritual life than to be always starting over again and never thinking we have done enough.”

-St. Francis de Sales (Letter CDLV to Madame de Flechere)

Reflection

Did you ever have a time in your life when something just wasn’t working? When you weren’t being your best? When a situation was just out of hand? I have and often, in these times, my attitude is.

In our culture, we don’t like junk. We don’t like things that don’t work, plants that don’t bloom, programs that don’t work, or people who annoy us and get in our way. And when something or someone falls into these categories, our first response is often that of the ruler in today’s Gospel: Throw it out and get rid of it.

But that’s not the gardener’s perception in our parable today (and remember after His resurrection, Mary Magdalene mistook the risen Christ for a gardener). The gardener says: “Let me fertilize it. Let me add stuff to it. Let me take care of it and nurture it and see what happens before we do anything drastic to it.”

In this parable, Jesus is telling us about the true nature of God: a God of compassion. A God of second chances who again encourages us and offers us the opportunity to keep trying, pick ourselves up, and continue walking forward, gently, patiently, and humbly with him. 

May God be praised!

Fr. Michael E. Newman, OSFS

Vocation Director, Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

Pastor, Holy Family Parish Adrian

Irish Catholic

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today everything is green, rivers are dyed green, people wear green, green carnations are worn, leprechauns are everywhere, parades, parties, dinners, and more are scheduled. As is often heard, “It’s a great day for the Irish!”

What does it mean to be Irish? Sigmund Freud stated: “This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever.” I’m not convinced Freud is correct, but being Irish, I find myself not offended by his words but kind of proud. 

Growing up in an Irish family as one of eight kids, I remember my father often saying, “Remember you’re a Loughran, you’re Irish, and your Catholic.” My family’s life was centered on those three maxims. Our life was immersed in the life of our parish. Our friends were all Catholic. All six boys were altar servers, and the sacraments of initiation, Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation were our rights of passage. Every one of us attended our parish school and the local Catholic high school, which for us meant a trip of 12 miles each way. It was unthinkable that we would consider not doing so. The public schools were nice, but not for Catholics. The Irish are a Catholic people; it’s ingrained into the culture.

St. Francis encourages us to find holiness wherever God has planted us. I indeed came to faith in the life my Irish family provided me as a child and a young adult. Today, no matter what nationality, race, or ethnic roots we have, it is a good time for us to be grateful for those who opened up our hearts and nourished our souls with the grace of God’s love and mercy. Remember them today and raise your heart in a prayer of gratitude for them. 

God be Blessed! I think even God is Irish today.

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

Meditation by Oblates in Formation: Second Sunday of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent Lk 9:28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen

Salesian Quote

“When you come before the Lord, talk to him if you can. If you can’t, just stay there, show yourself, and don’t try too hard to do anything else.”

-St. Francis de Sales (Letter to Mademoiselle du Soulfour, OEA XIII p. 385)

Reflection

In today's Gospel, we see an awestruck Peter attempting to converse with the transfigured Christ, with poor results.  Conversation with God can be a struggle.  Like Peter, we can talk and talk to God, yet feel like God never responds to us.  God’s first language is silence.  If all we do is talk at God, we will lack the space and silence needed to truly hear God.  We can put too much pressure on our own activity in prayer, thinking we have to say or do a particular thing in order to get a reply from God.  In reality, often the best thing we can do is calm ourselves and quietly sit in the presence of the Lord.  It is in that silence, where listening to God becomes possible.  

Mr. Joseph Katarsky, OSFS

Angels and You

“Before every person there marches an angel proclaiming, ‘Behold, the image of God’.”

When I was very young and in Catholic grade school, the sisters taught us about angels, especially our guardian angels.  We were even encouraged to name our guardian angels.  I did: “Timothy Michael.”  All these years later, I am not quite sure why I chose that particular name, but it’s still the name of my guardian angel.

When I became an Oblate, I learned that St. Francis de Sales had a great devotion to the angels, even suggesting that every country, city, and village had its own protective angel.  On his many travels as Bishop to the towns and villages of his diocese, he would invoke the help of its angel before entering.

In my many years of spiritual direction, I often silently invoked the guardian angel of the person I was guiding, especially when they were trying to express something difficult but important in their spiritual lives.

In the Salesian tradition, angels are viewed within the larger scope of a caring, kind, and protective Providence.  We are never on our own.  God and his heavenly host are with us and for us.  Hence, the Salesian emphasis on confidence, optimism, and hope: “Put all anxious thoughts aside!”

I come to the Jewish saying above.  It captures so beautifully the role of our guardian angels.  I will personalize this.  From my baptism, “Timothy Michael” has marched before me every step of the way as I encountered life, people, and events, crying out the most important truth about me (and you!): “Behold, the image of God.”

If you ever begin to doubt who you are, whose you are, or your infinite worth, heed to the voice of your angel: “Behold, the image of God!” 

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Everyday Beauty

One morning a little over a week ago, well before the sun rose, I was doing what thousands of other Michiganders were doing - scraping ice and snow off my car. It was windy and cold; I couldn't find my gloves and snow filled my shoes. My language, while not spoken out loud, was something that would have sent my third-grade teacher, Sister Mary Cecelia, through the roof, meriting a public shaming, a note to my parents, and several days kept after school cleaning erasers.

I remember walking into the kitchen, after sufficiently finishing the job, grumbling to the other priest in the rectory, "I hate this weather, why can't I live in Florida?" Fr. Mike didn't respond, taking the wiser course. After my unpleasant greeting, I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and my iPad to catch up on the news. That, too, was unpleasant; among other lousy news, Russia's threat of the invasion of Ukraine was heating up. The day was not starting well. 

Photo taken by Kirsten Huff.

A minute or so later, my iPad dinged with a message. Assuming it was someone ready to burden my day even more so, I reluctantly clicked on the text. The text, from a friend, included the photo seen here and the statement,  "Isn't this beautiful."

Of course, living not far from me, the photo was of her yard and trees covered with snow. Harumph!!! That's the last thing I wanted to see. But after a moment, I noticed that the snow-covered trees were beautiful. With that, I turned and looked out my kitchen window to my own backyard and found a similar view. 

Looking at her photo and my backyard, I reflected on one of St. Francis de Sales' cherished maxims, “We pray best before beauty.”  What had been annoying and disruptive was transformed into something beautiful and a source of gratitude and praise to God. The God who makes all things new, in a split second, had done so for me. The moment changed my day for the better, let me into prayer, and vastly improved my attitude for the day—it is a good lesson to look for beauty in front of us, even in what may not seem beautiful,  and discover the grace of God. 

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

Meditation by Oblates in Formation: Frist Sunday of Lent

First Sunday of Lent Lk 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, one does not live on bread alone.” Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”

Salesian Quote

“True devotion consists in a constant, resolute, prompt, and active will to do whatever we know is pleasing to God.”

- Introduction to the Devout Life IV.13

Reflection

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see Jesus being offered some incredible things of this world. However, he doesn’t have to think about them. He doesn’t need to make a pro/con list or run a cost/benefit analysis. He simply hears what is offered and rejects it. He knows what he is about and to whom he belongs.

Today, as we move about a world filled with temptations for pleasure, power, and wealth, may we always seek to imitate Christ in the way we make our daily decisions, both the great ones and the small ones. Let us pray that we may grow in devotion, always resolute and prompt in doing good. And may we, like our Lord, constantly remember what we are about and to whom we belong.

Craig Irwin, OSFS

Transitional Deacon at Saint John Neumann, Reston, VA

Being Ordained in June 

Lent 2022

Next Wednesday Lent begins as it always does, with the imposition of ashes.  Why ashes? The Old Testament speaks of three important spiritual attitudes associated with ashes: mortality, repentance, and intercessory prayer. 

MORTALITY: Immediately after the Fall, God reminds our first parents that they were created from the earth and “unto dust” they shall return.  We Christians believe in the Resurrection.  Therefore, for us, death is not a morbid thought at all.  Indeed, it prompts us to take life very seriously and to make the very best use of every day and of the present moment of every day.  We know that, at death, we will be judged by how well we practiced the double commandment of love, the spirit of the beatitudes, and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.  Lent is a sober reminder that a concrete love of God and neighbor is life’s highest spiritual priority.  For this reason, let’s frequently remind ourselves during the days of Lent how we can better love God and neighbor –not in the abstract but in the concrete and nitty-gritty of our daily lives with family, friends, colleagues, enemies, and strangers—and especially with the marginalized and less fortunate. 

REPENTANCE: Do any of us need to be reminded that we are sinners?  We confess that fact in the penitential rite at the beginning of every Mass and frequently in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Lent is the liturgical season when we take especially seriously the need to undergo whatever conversion of life or of thought or of action is necessary to become the person and the Christian that God calls us to be.  For many, repentance may not include so much conversion from sin but a conversion to do the good that we have neglected to do or to forgive the hurt that we have thus far been unwilling or unable to forgive, and so on. Therefore, during these forty days let’s frequently take the state of our heart to God in quiet prayer.  Let God heal whatever needs to be healed or forgiven. And let God prompt in us whatever concrete good we still need to do.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER: When her people were threatened with extinction, Queen Esther covered herself in ashes and prayed fervently to God for their deliverance, and her intercessory prayer on their behalf was heard. Let’s pray during this Season for ourselves, for our family and friends, and for our very troubled Church and pandemic-hurting world.  Let’s learn to pray as that great woman prayed –with perseverance, humility, and confidence.

Prayer, fasting, almsgiving: these Lenten practices take on a deeper meaning when they are coupled with an appreciation of our mortality, our need for conversion and repentance, and our duty to pray for ourselves, for others, and for our Church and world!

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

The Way to Charity and Peace

As I write this, I’m waiting with the rest of the world to see if Russia will invade Ukraine. Maybe I’m naive, but this potential act of aggression does not reflect what I hope for in the nature of world discourse and politics today. I am disappointed that Russia is not oriented more towards discussion, collaboration, and compromise than an invasion.

However, the potential for an invasion is real, and it reflects the persistent presence of conflict in our world and culture. Consider the many forms of protest over Covid regulations that are disrupting commerce and lives around the world, violent misogynistic behaviors against women around the world, the impregnable disputes between our political parties, the rifts in local governments, institutions, and families. We are surrounded by threatening, paralyzing, and seemingly hopeless experiences of conflict. 

St. Francis de Sales dealt with similar experiences during his lifetime. He lived at the height of the Protestant Revolution and the religious conflict in France between Catholics and Huguenots (Calvinist Protestants). The conflict was experienced throughout France, most intensely in Paris. In August 1572, during the French Wars of Religion, the St. Bartholomew’s massacre demonstrated a new militant Catholicism. This militant approach, spurred on by clergy and nobility excoriating and demonizing Protestants, resulted in hundreds of Protestants losing their lives in Paris and other locations throughout France. Radical Catholics dragged, dismembered, and hung Huguenots in public view after killing them.

Following his ordination in 1597, St. Francis often preached against violence and war. He sees war as the product of sin, and eradicating sin eliminates war. While De Sales opposed Protestantism, he viewed it as a pastoral problem to solve through preaching, education, persuasion, and goodwill, rather than blunt force or war. Francis wrote: “Let us exchange bad will for goodwill, bad courage for good courage. If we have charity among us, we will have peace.”

We all face conflict, which at times leads to destructive, aggressive, and alienating behaviors. Step back for a moment and let yourself recognize where conflict exists in your life. When you identify it, follow De Sales and seek the way of charity and peace. Listen to others with an open mind and heart, discuss differences, as Francis would encourage, “heart to heart.” See goodness in others and seek peace through collaboration and understanding. In doing so, you build the Kingdom which Christ established and invited us to continue in His name. 

May God be blessed.

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

The Hardened Heart

With Ash Wednesday less than two weeks away, Fr. Michael Murray, OSFS, offers us a Salesian reflection on how to prepare our hearts for the coming season of conversion.

If you ask people the question, “What is the worst thing that can happen to the human heart?,” many folks will almost instinctively respond by answering, “When it breaks.”

However painful a broken heart may be, a heart capable of being broken is nonetheless a heart that is alive, capable of feeling any number of emotions. In the event, there is something much, much worse than a broken heart — that is, a hardened heart.

The Book of the Jeremiah cites some characteristics or qualities frequently associated with a heart that has become hardened. These include:

• Not paying attention or heed

• Being disobedient

• Turning one’s back on God and others

• Being stiff-necked (stubborn)

• Incapable of listening

• Incapable of answering

• Being unfaithful

You get the picture.

As if to underscore the bad things that can happen when a heart becomes hardened, the Gospel illustrates a particularly toxic manifestation of hardening of the heart: refusing to acknowledge the power of God at work in the lives of others. This refusal to acknowledge that God can choose to work in the lives of others often confounds– and contradicts – worldly wisdom. Worse yet, a hardened heart may attempt to discredit the good by accusing it of being evil.

As powerful as Jesus was, even he was powerless in the face of others’ hard-heartedness: among some people, we are told that Jesus was incapable of performing any miracles in the face of their stubbornness!

Lent provides us with opportunities to do all kinds of interior work. As we are preparing for the Lenten season, we can begin to incorporate exercises to do that work. One such exercise could be to determine if there are any ways that our hearts may have become hardened over time. If so, what might be the root causes for that hardening? How might we reverse that process and keep our hearts as they were designed to be?

In the meantime, if today you hear God’s voice (in whatever circumstances, events or relationships that may occur), harden not your heart!

Fr. Michael S. Murray, OSFS

Assistant Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Our Lady of Lourdes

Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Have you ever noticed that it is usually children to whom Mary appears?  At Lourdes, for instance, it was to Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old miller’s daughter, that Mary appeared and revealed herself as, “the Immaculate Conception.”

Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France

Why to children?  Mary is first and foremost a mother who loves children.  She must have passed her love for children onto her only son, Jesus, for he once famously said - against the opposition of his disciples: “Let the children come to me, for to these little ones belong the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Further, children, especially young children, haven’t yet blocked the possibility of wonder, surprise, and awe in everyday experience.  They are, therefore, more likely to be receptive to hearing and seeing and believing what adults too often simply preclude as impossible.  Why not the possibility of a lovely lady from heaven bringing to a young teenage girl the message and promise of healing and then go on to reveal a title that, although unintelligible to the girl, is confirmation of a declared doctrine to the Church? 

Finally, God loves his wounded, hurting, and sinful world.  And because he loves such a world, he wants it --and each of us-- to be healed, both physically and especially spiritually.  Through his paschal mystery, Jesus had long ago enabled that healing, but the world has tended all too often to forget it.  Thus, the Mother of God comes, again and again, to remind the world of that good news, usually doing so through the witness of “little ones” in whom there is neither guile nor deceit.

On this Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, let the child in you hear, believe, and be healed! 

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Encountering Our Lady in Camden and France

A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the hospital that bares her name.

A couple of times I have heard people joke about statues or pictures that portray Mary holding rosary beads.  They take a humorous view of what it must be like for the Blessed Mother to pray the rosary. “Hail me full of grace, the Lord is with me. Blessed am I among women, and blessed is the fruit of my womb….”      

Funny. But moving beyond the levity, it is not hard to imagine the Virgin Mary replaying over and over, for her whole life, the message the angel spoke to her; letting God’s words shape her prayer and energize her life of faith.   As the gospel account puts it, "his mother kept all things in her heart."   

St. Gabriel spoke these words to the Mother of God, but they are for us as well.   We are blessed and full of grace — God’s life and friendship. We carry the living God within us. We are charged to give birth to Christ in our flesh and blood.   

Camden native, Bro. Rick Phillip visits the sacred shrine.

So the rosary is a prayer to and together with the Blessed Mother. We ask her to “pray for us sinners.” We can trust that Holy Mary takes our request seriously.   And the prayer also provides an opportunity for us to bring sacred mysteries to our hearts together with our Mother, our Sister, the first disciple.

Last summer I took a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France with my friend Bro. Rick. Upon my return, I began working as one of the chaplains at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, NJ.

Our Lady adorns the top of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, NJ

Both are special places to encounter God. A pilgrim shrine and a hospital take people from their usual places and activities to a space where it’s hard to avoid deep questions. In these liminal settings the Power, who is the answer to all human questioning and longing, is longing to encounter us. People usually decide to travel to a shrine whereas a hospital stay is not something anyone would usually choose. But as anyone who has ever set foot in a hospital knows there can be a lot of time to think, to worry, to wonder, and to pray. 

A couple of weeks ago I sat with a woman outside the room of her husband of several decades while a crowd of nurses and doctors responded to his second “code blue” of the morning. As she held tight to the rosary beads, she said, “I feel like I’m holding on to Mary’s hand and that’s how I am getting through this.”

Lourdes, France, is a special place to meet God and to learn to see the work of God, to hear his word, to carry his beauty, truth, and goodness. Places like that exist so we can find God in every place, even hospital hallways.  It is awesome that we have people, places, and practices to remind us that—at every moment, in every place and situation— we are blessed and we are full of grace.

Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS

DeSales Service Works

Chaplain at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Camden, NJ

The Direction of Intention

I want to share one bit of advice from St. Francis de Sales that is part of every Oblate's life. We call it the Direction of Intention. De Sales tells us: "They who wish to thrive and advance in the way of our Lord should, at the beginning of their actions, both exterior and interior, ask for his grace and offer to his divine Goodness all the good they will do." This advice from Francis is seen by many as the heart of his spirituality. He insists that its practice will help one "to thrive and advance" in sanctity." What is it exactly? It is simply a practice of prayer whereby we consciously direct to God whatever we are about to do. When done in this spirit, the action we are about to begin becomes sacred.

Most Oblates use the form: My God, I offer you this action. I give you all the good that I may do. I promise for love of you to accept the challenges I may face. Help me conduct myself in a manner pleasing to you.

I have one that's much easier to remember. When I was a little kid, my mother would line up her children as they left for school. She wanted to make sure we were ready to face the public and not embarrass her. In the early months of first grade, I remember standing in front of my mother for inspection. She would fruitlessly try to pastedown the several cowlicks I had on my big head of red hair, straighten the tie on my Catholic school uniform, hand me my lunch, place a kiss on my face and say, "Now say your Direction of Intention."

It took months before I asked my mother, "What is a Direction of Intention." Her response: "Just say, I do everything for you, God," and if you do that, God will be in everything you do. Little did she know that she opened me up to a world invaded by God in that simple instruction. I can remember walking to school in the spring, looking at the wildflowers in the fields, inspecting newborn pollywogs in dirty puddles, seeing the humongous trees green and open to new life, and thinking, "God is here in all of this." Throughout my youth, I prayed that simple phrase, "God, I do everything for you."

Sometimes I forgot, sometimes I said it and didn't think of it again, but there were times that, as a child, I became filled with wonder in the God of creation who walked with me to school.

The grace of this simple prayer is what, I believe, opened me to the deeper recesses of my heart and prepared a fertile ground for my vocation. It continues to be a tremendous grace in my life, fulfilling what St. Francis predicted, with still more to come. Although, I have graduated to the more complicated Oblate form of the prayer.

It's simple - say it in the morning, at the beginning of every act, as you begin a conversation, wash the dishes, cook a meal, or rest in times of quiet. "I do everything for you, God." St. Francis would say to you as you do this, "Look at God, and he will look at you."

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

“I’m Ready!” - Fr. Dave Hudgins

On January 2, our neighbor, Fr. Dave Hudgins, pastor of Saint Joseph Shrine, Brooklyn, MI marked his 53rd birthday. His brother Jim, a priest and pastor in Washington, D.C. had flown into Detroit Metro that evening to spend a quiet week in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Because of the bad weather and icy conditions, Jim opted to stay in an airport motel rather than drive to Brooklynn. The next morning on January 3rd, while on his way to pick up his brother, Dave apparently hit some black ice on US 127. His truck went into the median and rolled twice, an accident that took Dave’s life right at the scene. 

This is a staggering shock and a huge loss for his parish, his family, for close friends, and those moderately close friends like me. It’s a huge loss for the Diocese of Lansing as is the loss of any active priest, but in a special way because Dave was a canon lawyer, the judicial vicar of the diocese, a key part of the marriage tribunal. 

I was able to attend a vigil service for Dave at the Shrine the very evening of his death. I’m deeply moved by the turnout, the participation, the emotion, love, and respect of those gathered who held him in such high esteem. Here are a few of the vignettes folks shared about him….

• A woman whose husband passed away recounted how Dave spent his day off with another parishioner cutting wood for her. Someone made reference to how deeply he was involved in the renovation and updating of the old church. She is still wondering how he managed to raise the money...His work in the marriage tribunal was a full-time job. When he took on the role of pastor of the Shrine, aware that he’d be able to do little more than cover weekend Masses, he confided his concern about it to a parishioner: “I don’t know if I’ll be able to love them enough.” The testimony of that deeply moving vigil service made it clear that whether or not he’d been able to love them enough, they certainly love him deeply.

• A few folks remarked on Dave’s deep spirit of humility. He was a social worker by profession before beginning his studies for the priesthood. One person pointed out the amazing way he saw everyone as so special and how this was manifest in the simple joy he radiated so faithfully. Someone else was marveling at his intelligence and pointed out that Dave could quote Homer, Plato, and Aristotle in the same homily... And then they made the clarification that ”Homer” was Homer Simpson, not the epic poet of Ancient Greece!

• Most impacting of all was the account of a couple speaking to Dave at the back of church after Mass one Sunday. One of them was filled with anxiety, certain that with all the things happening in the world, we must certainly be in the End Times. Dave was a big man, tall and husky. He was still fully vested during this exchange. He stepped back, spread his long arms very wide, and proclaimed for everyone nearby to hear: “I’m ready!”

What a consolation and reassurance… What a statement of faith and confidence... What an invitation to every one of us. 

Are you ready? 

Most of us are inclined to be more than busy, always trying to manage well our responsibilities, commitments, great ideas, and everything else on our plate. Most of us take the gift of each day for granted, ready and eager for more and more and more. Dave’s sudden passing reminds us how fragile our lives are, how special each day is and how sacred each person is. And now what? 

As we pray for Dave and pray for our neighbors at St. Joseph’s Shrine, it’s important that we commit ourselves to take action as well, be ready to step forward, and do what we can to help out that parish… and one another. I can’t think of a better combination than prayer and action to enable to be able to say with Fr. Dave Hudgins, “I’m ready!”

Blessings,

Fr. Thomas Helfrich, OSFS

Pastor

St. Rita’s Church, Clarklake, MI

Fr. Hudgins Homely: Father David Hudgins RIP | In His Own Words

News Articles:

Brooklyn pastor killed in crash remembered as ‘wonderful person’ by friends, flock

Mid-Michigan community mourns loss of religious leader killed in collision on US-127

St. Joseph Shrine priest dies in crash Monday on U.S. 127, previously served in Adrian

Remembering Our Founder

In less than a week (on February 2nd), on the day the Church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we Oblates of St. Francis de Sales throughout the world -priests, brothers, and sisters- will recall the death of our holy Founder, Blessed Louis Brisson.

Even more than a century after his death, the sad and tragic circumstances surrounding his death are painful to recall.  The laws of an anti-clerical France had forced most religious to leave the country, surrendering all their ministries, apostolates, and homes to the State.  Because of his advanced age and frail health, Father Brisson was unable to leave with his fellow Oblates.  Thus, with only one Oblate brother to care for him, he retired to his small childhood home in the village of Plancy, France.  The home was next door to the parish Church in which he, an only child, had been baptized many years before.

One day, upon returning from a short carriage ride, he noticed that the hostile civil government had posted a “For Sale” sign on his home.  From that day on, he never left the house again. 

From time to time a few Oblates and Mother Aviat (now St. Leonie Aviat) would secretly return to France to spend some precious time with the saintly priest, founder, and friend.  As his death neared, an Oblate asked Father Brisson for a final word to share with the members of his two religious foundations, a word that would comfort them when was no longer with them and would serve as his spiritual legacy to them.  His reply was simple but profound: “Tell them I love them with all my heart.”  He did not need to say more, for these few words said it all.

Early on the feast of the Presentation in the year of 1908, while the Church bells were calling people to Mass, Father Louis Brisson went home to God. On the day when Jesus was brought to the Temple, the earthly home of God, Louis Brisson entered the heavenly Temple of that same God.

During the long months of this stubborn and deadly pandemic, I kept hearing of Covid-19 victims dying all alone, with no loved ones permitted to be with them for fear of contagion.  I believe that in Blessed Louis Brisson those victims have a saintly patron, someone who can relate to being quite alone at that most solemn of life’s moments.  I hope he was there to greet every one of them when they made their way to God!

Blessed Louis Brisson, pray for us!

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

An Oblate Perspective on Vocations

The Feast of St. Francis de Sales (January 24) invites Oblates to reflect on our vocation especially since we celebrate World Day of Consecrated Life the following week.  Simply put, we all, Oblate and layperson, have a vocation.  We all discern how and where the Lord is calling us in life. 

For the Christian, it is a two-step process.  First, is the Lord calling me to the single life, married life, or to the priesthood or religious life as a priest, brother, or sister in a particular religious order (consecrated life)?  The second step is what am I called to do in that state in life?  Am I called to be a teacher, laborer, health care provider, minister in the church, teacher, butcher, field worker, service care provider, or a “stay-at-home dad or mom?”

St. Francis de Sales was unequivocal in his belief that we must be faithful to our state in life for it is there that the Lord wants us to achieve our holiness and happiness.  This means being attentive to the daily tasks of our vocation.  Yes, we could spend an entire day praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, but if this means neglecting our spouse, children, or others who depend on us, Francis would not deem this as an inspiration from our Lord but rather an abdication of our duties and responsibilities.  Sometimes, I look at other places that are hurting and in great need such as poor foreign countries, where I could make an impact, but this is not where the Lord is calling me.  At times, the desire to be elsewhere may be more of escape from not wanting to deal with the situation at hand.  This is a time for rededication and renewal to the present state in life.

The call to holiness centers on doing the will of God for the world today.  It is willing the one thing or the same thing all the time:  God’s will.  This demands daily discernment on how that is to be achieved.  Sometimes the Lord may be asking us to repair a relationship, to be more patient with someone, to spend more time in prayer, to take better care of ourselves, or to find more time for relaxation.  There are times when this will come at the request of another.  For those in religious life, we believe that the Lord often speaks to us through our religious superiors who may ask us to move to a different ministry or position.

In Salesian Spirituality, we live “between the two wills of God.”  There is the signified will of God known by our state in life.  This entails being faithful to our vows, our Rule of Life, and the charism and/or spirituality of our founders.  Implicit in this is fidelity to our ministry as teachers, chaplains, pastors, etc.  The second will, “the will of God’s good pleasure,” is something that “interrupts” the normal planned course of the day calling us to be present to the moment. 

Oblates plan their day each morning as it is part of our spirituality.  We have a sense of what activities or appointments are scheduled and what virtues we need to be faithful in them.  The “will of God’s good pleasure” are those unforeseen and unplanned events to which God is calling us to be attentive.  This can run the gamut from a person in need at the door, to a call from the hospital, to an unpleasant phone call, to the realization that pipes have broken, or all the above in one day.  These can be viewed as “visits,” in a sense, from God and/or realizations that we are not in control and need to surrender to God’s “good pleasure.”  It can also be a positive and pleasant experience, like an unexpected visit from a friend.

A good spiritual guide or director with whom we meet monthly can help us see where we are in our vocation, where the hand of God is present in our life.  This takes time and commitment.  Yet, it is so crucial.  Francis de Sales is often quoted as having said “many say a good spiritual director is one in a thousand, but I say it is more like one in ten thousand.”  The spiritual direction dynamic helps one to conduct proper self-maintenance.  We can’t always be happy, but we can always try to be healthy.  Spiritual direction assists with this.

I am finding that aging has a challenging and exciting impact on our vocation.  With the passing of years and experience, we often find ourselves in a much different space.  There is no need to build our resumes, to prove ourselves.  We are comfortable in our relationship with God and others. Thus, we can concentrate more easily on what God is asking of us, how we can let go more freely and totally and stay open to God’s love intervening in new and exciting ways. 

The vocation is a constant and consistent “listening” to God calling to us.  May we always follow Eli’s advice to Samuel and when we hear God calling, may we respond “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

Fr. John J. Fisher, OSFS

Rector

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Camden, NJ

The Covid Challenge!

We are in the liturgical season named Ordinary Time. This time is the part of the liturgical year, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. This week we are in the Second Week of Ordinary Time. 

I’ve got to believe that very few people would think of this week, or this time as ordinary. With Covid ramping up, inflation at new highs, shortages in stores, and a whole host of challenging events and situations before us, it is far from ordinary. 

St. Francis de Sales has a helpful way of facing the challenges of the unordinary. He proposes that there are two expressions of God’s Will. One expression is the revealed will of God. That is, those things that we know are God’s Will as revealed in scripture and tradition. We see these expressed in the ten commandments, the challenges in the Gospels, or the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Francis names the second expression of God’s Will as the Will of God’s Good Pleasure. These are the things that are not expected. Sometimes these events or situations are welcome, a surprise party, an unexpected visit with a friend, and at other times, they are unwelcome, a Covid diagnosis, a job loss, etc. 

I believe many of us would say we are living in the Will of God’s Good Pleasure in many ways right now. What do we do with this expression of God’s Will? How do we respond? Francis gives the advice: “Live one day at a time, leaving the rest in God's care…Go along with confidence in divine Providence, worrying only about the present day and leaving your heart in the Lord's care!” The past and the future are to be surrendered in confidence into the hands of the Lord, who will forgive our past failings and be our sure hope in the future. That leaves the present moment in which we are called to be actively united to God's Will for us. 

De Sales would have us actively direct our intention to whatever God wants of us in the moment at hand. Francis has little time for people who live in “what might have been” or in “what might be.” The present moment provides the only real possibility for encounter with the living God through an active embrace of His Will for us. Seize it! And ask God’s help to live each moment in a manner pleasing to Him.

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

Greatness is Achieved One Small Act after Another!

At some point in our lifetime , we arrive at a liberating juncture.  As believers, we recognize that we are here on earth to serve God’s greater purpose, as God is at the center of our lives.  

This purpose commits us to live life in commonality, rather than self-centeredness, and to move with the idea of togetherness, rather than aggressive individualism.  And to practice unconditional love, rather than embrace the coolness of indifference.

Recognizing that our life is not ours alone at that instant, Jesus Christ is born again in us.  He literally begins using our humanity to further his plan.  This is the moment when God’s kingdom begins flourishing vigorously because we are using our God given gifts for the exact purpose they are given.  

St. Francis de Sales maintains it is the moment we take the small ordinary acts, which we encounter frequently, and realize these are wonderful opportunities to turn them into ways to praise God.  A perfect example is when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. 

As she was drawing water for her household, Jesus engaged her with civility and respect.  His remarks, slowly but steadily, filled her heart with warmth and affection.  She soon began engaging Jesus without fear.  And it was not long before she felt compelled to proclaim his gentle manner throughout her neighborhood.  Thus, by example, Jesus’ initial dialogue showed how love often begins his healing. 

On another occasion, Jesus’ preaching piqued the interest of Zaccheus, a despised tax collector.  He felt a strong need to search out Jesus and see if what he was hearing was true.  Sensing a life-changing moment occurring in Zaccheus’ heart when their eyes locked, Jesus reached out and invited himself to dinner.

Overwhelmed with Jesus’ compassion and love, Zaccheus seized hope and changed his life’s direction.  Jesus’ tenderness softened Zaccheus, causing him to realize that he could be better than his present life showed.  

And again, when Jesus was teaching in a crowded home loving friends lowered their paralytic friend through the roof and before Jesus.  Jesus rewarded this unique gesture with a dramatic cure.  Understanding his friends’ loving kindness, Jesus then merged his deep love and the miracle happened.  Responding tenderly, Jesus said, “Take up your pallet and walk.”  The paralytic did and the group walked home together.  Love overpowers darkness in any form.

There is a saying that when we do good, we really don’t know how much good we are actually doing.  Since this measurement is impossible to grasp, it is better to accomplish all the good we can with each present moment before us.

Dorothy Day wrote: What we do is very little.  But it is like the little boy with a few loaves and fishes. Christ took that little and increased it…Our work is to sow.  Another will be reaping the harvest.

If accomplishing good is our aim each new day, God will join us and become a hidden force within each action.  Just as in the miracles mentioned above, our miracles can also change the world, one good act at a time.  Of course, we won’t realize this unless we seek these small opportunities and by our actions turn them into great acts of praise to God.

No act of goodness – even the smallest – ever fades away, they always matter. Anonymous

Rev. Richard DeLillio, OSFS

Nativity Prep Development Office

Wilmington, Delaware

To read more of Fr. Delillio’s reflections or subscribe to his weekly blog visit: “A Moment From DeSales”

A Spirit of Christmas Throughout the Year

Last weekend, the Church observed the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the liturgical conclusion of the Christmas season. Although many of us put Christmas decorations away long ago, the trees and manger scenes only recently came down in our parishes. 

It’s an unusual feast to wrap up Christmas, in that the baptism of Jesus didn’t take place in his infancy, but rather as an adult. Other than a few details in Luke’s Gospel, we know little about his childhood and young adulthood, other than the general observation that he “grew in grace and wisdom” during these years (Luke 2:52). And yet, when he stepped forward to be baptized in the Jordan River, the scriptures tell us that a voice came down from heaven as Jesus prayed, saying: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Christmas teaches us more than the story of Christ’s birth; it reveals that God looked upon us and saw the goodness in us that he created, that we are worthy of sharing in his divine nature despite all the problems and ugliness and conflict in the world. Jesus was born at a time and place even more challenging and difficult than our own. And yet God became one of us, as if his divine voice were saying to all humanity that we, too, are beloved.

At the Jordan River, when Jesus rose from the waters and heard the voice from above, he had yet to heal lepers or cure the sick or give sight to the blind. He had yet to forgive sins or drive out demons or walk on water. He had yet to raise the dead, or give his own life on the cross. All he did at that moment was pray. 

Perhaps the message many of us need to hear is that we don’t need to work miracles, or be superhuman, or have it all figured out to be loved by God. His love is a gift, freely given, because we are beloved. And there’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more - or any less - than he does already. May that gift of grace carry us through this New Year.

Rev. J. Christian Beretta, OSFS

Principal, Salesianum School

Wilmington, Delaware

It's Still Christmas in the East!

The Christmas season ended this past Sunday on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Or did it?  Every January there seems to be discussion among Christians on social media as to when the Christmas season officially ends.  For Christians who follow the Western tradition, the season has just concluded.   But for most Eastern Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches, Christmas has just begun. 

Christians in the Eastern Church follow the Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on the traditional date of January 7.  Epiphany is celebrated on January 19.  For those following these original dates, the season is in full swing.  Prayers, music, food, and fun are still going strong as we enter the middle of January.

For Eastern Rite Catholics, Christmas has more of a family and home emphasis.  The first meal of the Christmas season is called “Holy Supper” - the evening meal before Christmas Day and before going to the Church.  As the family gathers around the table they pass around a piece of bread (called prosphara).  This had been blessed at the church the week before and is similar to the communion bread used in the Eastern Church.  As bread is broken and passed around, each person says “Christ is Born - Glorify Him!”  

After the Holy Supper people go to Church to celebrate the announcement of Christ’s Birth. This is done at the evening Compline service. The highlight of this service is when the priest, holding a lighted candle, sings: “God is With Us! Understand, O nations and submit yourselves, for God is with us!” and the people respond singing the same thing.  The Gospel of the Nativity is then proclaimed.   The next day (January 7) the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, and the Gospel of the Wise Men is read. The Eastern church does not use this Gospel on the Epiphany.   In the Eastern tradition, Epiphany is really about the manifestation of Christ at his Baptism.  The Epiphany (or Theophany) is a major feast of the Church and Eastern culture.

This dish is called Kutya. It is present at all dinners and shared as good luck for the year!

The difference between the Eastern and Western celebrations of Christmas is that the Roman Rite emphasizes the humanity of the Holy Child. The Eastern Rite sees Christmas as the Incarnation of the Light and its triumph over darkness, death, and sin (see John 1:5). Hence, the classic icon of the Nativity is the Holy Child lying in a dark cave, the symbol of death (darkness) being overcome by Light. 

Between the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany in Ukraine is a special day called “Malanka.”  This holiday is celebrated on January 13.  It used to mark the beginning of the new year before the calendar was changed from Julian to Gregorian.

All of these Christmas traditions are ways for Ukrainians and Eastern-rite Christians around the world to celebrate and connect with their ancestors, their history, and their ancient roots.  No matter what date you celebrate, may the spirit of Jesus, the Light in the darkness, remain with you and your loved ones throughout the new year. 

This reflection was composed with the assistance of Father Bill Gore, OSFS.  Fr. Gore has ministered in Ukraine and among Eastern Europeans in the U.S. (most recently at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Wilmington, DE).  Today, Fr. Gore is a senior priest at St. Edmond’s Parish in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. 

Fr. William Gore, OSFS

Senior Priest

St. Edmond’s Parish, Rehoboth Beach, DE

January: A Month of Salesian Saints

During the month of January, the Church celebrates three Salesian saints: St. Leonie Aviat (January 10), St. Francis de Sales (January 24), and St. John Bosco (January 31).

Of the three, St. Leonie Aviat is the least known. But she deserves to be better known, which is why she is the subject of this brief reflection.

The young Leonie attended the small Visitation school of Troyes, France. There, she came to know and admire its saintly Superior, Venerable Mother Mary de Sales Chappuis, whom we Oblates refer to as “the Good Mother.” The chaplain of the Monastery and School was Father (now Blessed) Louis Brisson who soon became Leonie’s spiritual guide.

Leonie and Louis went on to found a new religious Congregation, the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales. Leonie and the first Oblate Sisters staffed four homes for young working girls of Troyes. The Sisters provided the vulnerable young workers with caring, loving, and safe “homes away from home,” all the while strengthening them in their faith and forming them into what they would later become as devoted wives, Christian mothers, and generous contributors to their local communities. The Oblate Sisters would go out from their beginnings in France to many parts of the world, caring for youth in the gentle, joyful, and loving spirit of St. Francis de Sales.

St. Leonie Aviat before entering the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales

For his creative efforts at bringing Christ to the new working classes of the early Industrial Revolution, Blessed Louis Brisson is recognized as a forerunner of the 19th century Church’s growing social awareness.

Women’s contribution to that movement deserves greater attention. And when it receives that attention, St. Leonie Aviat will be numbered among its first leaders!

The following words are taken from the opening prayer for the Mass of St. Leonie Aviat:

“God of all goodness, you put into the heart of Saint Leonie Aviat an ardent desire to live humbly like Jesus, your Son. You taught her to surrender her will to yours and to have a constant charity toward all. Inspired by her example, may we too forget ourselves entirely so that we may serve you better and work for the happiness of others.”

St. Leonie Aviat, pray for us!

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province