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

You Are Not the Center of Anything, Except...

Father Bob Bazzoli, OSFS, and I were ordained together on June 4th some 34 years ago. His parents and my mom (my dad died too early) would often go out to dinner on Saturday nights when Bob was at St. Joachim Parish and I at Salesianum School. One Saturday, his sisters were interlopers and joined us for dinner on June 4th.

Naturally, I thought we were celebrating the anniversary. When I realized we were celebrating his mom’s birthday, I explained my surprise (I never remembered her birthday) to which one of his sisters exclaimed (jokingly, I hope), “It’s not always about you, John.” Honest mistake.

There are times when we want things to be about us, our way, our idea, and our plan. We feign openness to another’s idea, but we really want them to affirm us, perhaps “pat us on the back.” We may not own up to this, as we perceive others constantly seeking attention, wanting to be the queen of the universe, the king of the world. At times, we may think we are the center of everything.

While driving a few Sundays ago, I was listening to a lecture (I’m a geek) on Richard Rohr’s idea of our first half of life (building a name, career, credentials) and the second half of life (soul-centered not ego-centered). I cannot remember the exact context, but it probably had to do with stop reaching for this award or that accolade. He simply proclaimed, “You’re not the center of anything, except the heart of God.”

We, you, I are at the CENTER of God’s heart. In that pulsating, life-giving heart of God, we can be found. We marvel at God’s creative action in all the wonders God created, none greater than the human person who possesses God’s very likeness and image. Of all the beauty in this world, the only thing God wants back is us! We come from God and spend our lives returning to God.

We are the CENTER of God’s heart. From this cherished position, God invites us daily into relationship. We are always in the presence of God. We may leave God’s presence for this want or some fleeting, selfish desire, but God remains waiting, smiling, and loving us. Saint Augustine spoke of this tiny “God-shaped hole,” a place inside our hearts that only God can fill. In another place he wrote, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.” To realize that “the one who nothing greater can be imagined,” as Saint Anselm proclaimed, has us as the CENTER of his heart is absolutely incredible. Stay with this for some time. If we resonate with this, humbly accept this gift, live our life from this acknowledgment, I would think our desire to be the center of anything else is meaningless or at least pales in comparison. It leads us to a “letting go” of what we thought mattered to a “falling into” the LOVER known as God who keeps us at the CENTER of His heart. It allows us to see that everyone else enjoys this gift. Then, we can appreciate the dignity of others, all others, no one excluded. But God loving us and we loving God is not enough. Saint Francis de Sales explains that the true nature of love is to be ecstatic, to go outside the two lovers, to a third thing which is each other.

We are the CENTER of God’s heart. Own this and let it empower you to embrace the other as God’s center, too. Let go of the differences that too often alienate, judge, demonize, assure us of being right and just loved. God’s love is infinite and always available. Saint Catherine of Siena had it correct, God is pazzo d’amore, crazy in love with us. To borrow from Prince, “Let’s go crazy, too.” For when we love, we are God-like for GOD IS LOVE.

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor, Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Advent Love

When thinking about joy, I distinguish it from happiness.  Here, too, I want to distinguish love from like.   Because of my own human frailty and temperament, there are some people who I struggle to like.  The situation usually has more to do with me than the other person.  A dear friend once told me that if I like someone, that person can do anything, and it would be fine with me.  But, if I dislike someone, the smallest thing she/he did that I find unacceptable would be catastrophic.  I want to believe that I have improved upon this significantly.  It has often been said that we don’t have to like everyone, but we are called to love everyone.  I think this has something to do with the fact that “love is of God.”

In his remarkable 10-DVD series Catholicism, Robert Barron defines love as “willing the good of the other as other.”  That is wanting what is best for another simple because they are other and not for what it could do for me.  The “good” that I will for him would be to know God more fully, so that his heart would change and the violence cease.  Whether we can see the image and likeness of God in others does not take away this presence within another.  Perhaps our love for another can make this clearer, more recognizable.

We must love because it has been mandated by Jesus.  Further, he takes this love to the highest level, “Love one another as I have loved you.”  This is a love that is total, complete, infinite, without merit, always on display, non-judgmental and a free gift.   We get a clear glimpse of this in spousal love, in parental love, and in the love shared between the best of friends.  Perhaps the best manifestation of this love is in prayer where we sit in total acceptance of the One who smiles on us, seeing us as so deserving of God’s infinite love even when this utterly amazes us.   Richard Rohr wrote, “Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change.  In fact, God loves you so that you can change.  What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love.  It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change.”  We must love because love is of God.  To love as God loves is indeed a very tall order.  We need great patience in this task for we are of God but not God.  So, our love is a process and somewhat imperfect.  Thus, Saint Francis de Sales often reminded people that perfection consists not in being perfect but in trying to be perfect.  It’s all in the trying.  What makes this doable speaks to Rohr’s point by letting God love us first.   For de Sales, this was a no-brainer, especially recognizing his favorite scripture was the Song of Songs, one great love song where the lover woos the beloved.  God takes the initiative because God wants to be with us, embracing us, holding and kissing us, the beloved.  We read in scripture, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.  Yet so we are.  The reason the world does not recognize us is that it did not know Him.  Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3: 1-2).

Advent love reminds us of this promise yearly that we may fortify our efforts to love others as Christ has loved us.  It enables us to be loved fully and completely, warts and all.  It grounds us in a place of humility before God, so that in Salesian thought, we may be gentle toward others.  We are loved infinitely, so that we may, in turn, wish this for all others.  To love another is to will the good of the other as other.  “To love another person is to see the face of God,” as proclaimed in the epilogue of Les Misérables.

Advent love is a beautiful baby, born homeless in a manger, who shepherds and kings traveled to worship in awe but selected a different way home.  So too, our lives must change direction once we have met the Savior, the Prince of Peace, the author and sustainer of love.  It’s now a life of love.

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Advent Joy

I do not know a person who does not want to be happy.  After all, who wants to be sad or miserable? At the same time, we recognize that we cannot always be happy.  Happiness is a feeling that can easily be fleeting.  It can also be taken away by another person or situation.

Joy is entirely different.  Joy is that deep-seated conviction that you are in a profound relationship with the Other and all others.  It is that assurance that you are not alone, that you are deeply cared for, accepted and loved.  It is liberating in that there is no proving to do, just a dwelling in being valued and cherished.  Joy centers, guides and grounds another regardless of the situation.  

Joy is always reachable and equally enjoyable alone or in the company of those who are the source of this joy.  Philly fans were greatly surprised and pleased that the Phillies surpassed all expectations in making it to the World Series.  Whether you were one of the 43,000 watching them win the National League pennant at Citizens Bank Park, gathered with others at Xfinity Live or another venue, or watched the game alone from home, the same joy was shared by those watching the Fightins.  From the diehard fan to the recent bandwagon enthusiast, joy connected us, brought us together and resonated within that everything else can be exciting and enjoyable when shared with others.  Joy connected us, gave us a sense of belonging, and another reason to believe that life is good, and we must work together to get along, heal the ills of society and help to build that Kingdom of God such as God envisions it.  

Many things awaken the joy within us whether it be the beautiful smile of a little baby, the innocence of kids playing and enjoying each other running from here to there, your child hitting the buzzer beater in double overtime or the enjoyment realized when lovers silently gaze in the eyes of the other sensing complete acceptance and oneness.  The most difficult aria sung so perfectly, the enjoyment of the most spectacular performance on stage, the full moon lighting up the ocean for miles silently bringing home peace and beauty, the evening sunset complete with hues of many colors that spark thanksgiving for another day in the presence of God, loved ones and friends all bring joy to the fore.  

My heart is alive and full when in the company of nephews and nieces celebrating the holidays, a family wedding and the annual vacation down the shore.  Joy is on display in an unbreakable intimacy that is gifted by God who is the source of all this goodness.  That same joy is profoundly present when alone reflecting on God’s presence especially as it is wonderfully manifested in family, friends and any other relationship we have membership.

Such joy wants to be shared and realized with sisters and brothers we don’t know: those lost on the streets or through addiction, those fleeing family and home for a better life, those displaced by war, our brothers and sisters not recognized for who they are, those denied freedom or what justice demands they should possess.

Advent Joy visits us yearly to remind us that we must work to achieve the peaceable kingdom, beat swords and spears into instruments of productivity, fill in the valleys of poverty and need, make straight the paths for those struggling, look for the desert and parched land exulting, and welcome the God who removes our guilt, comes with recompense, to give sight to the blind, hearing to those deaf, tremendous mobility to the lame who journey to the mountain singing for joy and then to a stable to adore and give homage to the Prince of Peace.

Joy readily sustains us in prayer where we are alone with the Lone to the point we desire more readily the time when this will be forever in heaven.  Likewise, joy empowers us during sadness and sorrow to persevere for we go to that Center who can only love, guide and protect us, who assures us of His presence, that He will never abandon us, and that His will for the world will come to fruition.  

Sitting in that realization, letting it take over, we contemplate the Divine within us and resolve to see that in others, all others and the world.  From that Center, we reinvigorate ourselves that the world has a purpose and our humanity has such tremendous dignity in being co-creators to bring forth the Reign of God until that final consummation, where symphonies are all finished, and when hearts are no longer restless for they are all resting in eternity where our awe will be beyond imagination or comprehension for we see the face of God that always looked upon us with approval, understanding, satisfaction and incomparable JOY.

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Advent Hope

Hope is the sense that what we desire or long for is possible.  It’s an ardent feeling that things will turn out for the best.  With this in mind, hope is the great motivator that keeps us going in difficult and stressful times.  I consume as little news as possible these days as I cannot tolerate the fighting and the hostility that is prevalent in our world.  It gets sadder to realize that this has overflowed into our church in some respects.  My hope is that if we keep doing what we believe to be God’s will for the world each day, this can become contagious and others may do likewise. 

This is not to assume a position of self-righteousness, for humility grounds us always to know that whatever we do comes from God and that we rely on God’s grace, mercy and presence at all times. Instead, it is a mindset that comes from a relationship with the Creator to whom we belong, who wills us to make a difference in some way.  So, in the midst of so much negativity, we aim to do our part to make the world a bit kinder and gentler.  Hope seems to demand an idea of what we lost, of what we would like to see restored or of what God has in mind.  It is the desire to persevere to where we see ourselves putting God as the center of our very being and all that we do.  It’s knowing that we cannot think of living, loving and doing apart from God.  

Hope is that day when all people will have what justice demands, be accepted and loved for who they are, and be free to worship, love and live without fear, rejection or ostracization.  It is living until we see that there is no one outside our circle of intimacy but all enjoying being embraced by God. 

Personally, hope is fidelity to the present moment.  It is a recognition that God has given me another day, another chance, another opportunity to allow him to take hold of me where I will not let go.  Tenui nec dimittam was Saint Francis de Sales’ motto, “I have taken hold and will not let go.”  Each day’s hope is that we will let go a bit more, trust in God a whole lot more and better imagine Him today than we did yesterday.  But as I write that, I am reminded that it’s not about our accomplishment, our proving to God, but rather our emptying ourselves and allowing God to do for us, to love us where and how we are.  

It’s a confidence that God will not give up (has taken hold and won’t let go) and we grow daily in embracing, living and sharing this incredible and infinite love God has for us.  Knowing this in a humble way, leads us to wish this and to work for this for others. Gradually, the world becomes more loving as we continue to go out to those in need, recognizing they belong to us as brother and sister, and we belong to them.  Most importantly, we all belong to God. Hope brings us to a bond of belonging and kinship.  Hope is recognizing God in others rather than what separates us from one another.

Hope is not wishful thinking.  It has some evidence that propels us to want more completion, consummation and fulfillment.  It may not be realized fully until our God calls us home to be with Him for eternity.  But that invitation finds acceptance in the here and now.  

Hope is seen in one’s charity to another.  It is a prayer uttered for those whom we do not know personally but realize they are hurting, suffering, alone or forgotten.  It’s seeing a parent not giving up on their child.  It’s a little kid donating his piggy bank to an elderly couple who risk being evicted.  It’s crying when we know things should be different, better and then resolving to do whatever we can to see this happens.  It is “staying” with another, with our Church, with our sinful self, accepting continuously God’s presence, mercy and unmerited, unconditional love. Hope is “seeing the one beholding us and smiling” (Anthony de Mello, SJ).  

A little hope goes a long way.  Some days it is all we need to get by.  Let us hope in God, in God’s plan for us and the world, and in our ability to do our part.  Hope is “thy will be done” implying “our will be gone.”  Hope is “taking hold and not letting go.”

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Advent Faith

For me, faith has always been confidence or trust in another.  I have faith in the mechanic who works on my car, the nurse to give me the correct medicine, the driver approaching who will stop at the red light, the person speaking with me is telling the truth, and that most people are genuinely fair, kind, and good.  In the Old Testament, people put their faith in God, His leaders, and His plan of freeing them from slavery, bringing them back from sin and promising a Messiah. 

The long-awaited Savior would gather the lost tribes (scattered because of sin), cleanse the temple (by making himself the new temple to seek forgiveness, become holy and offer right praise), defeat the enemy (sin, not hostile nations) and reign as Lord of all nations (a reality realized but in need of being accepted daily).   Some leaders had flaws, some people doubted, complained, or strayed, but through it all, God kept His promises by forgiving and renewing His covenant time and time again.  

In the New Testament, disciples left their livelihoods and family to follow this itinerant preacher who spoke not of vengeance, judgment and punishment but forgiveness, love, mercy and turning the other cheek.  They put their nascent faith in Jesus as he embraced children, loved the poor, dined with sinners and kept company with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners.  He sought the last, the least, the lost and the lonely.  Richard Rohr noted that empathy for the victim became the most subversive element in Jesus’ teaching.  And while he cured the sick and forgave sins, he always spoke of the Father’s will, their relationship and invited all into this intimacy. 

More spectacular than restoring sight to the blind, hearing to those deaf and freeing those paralyzed and suffering from various ailments was Christ highlighting for others their faith which may have been unknown or latent.  Awakening this gift of faith invited them into a right relationship with Jesus and set them on the road to eternal life.  “Faith seems to be the attitude that Jesus most praises in people, maybe because it makes hope and love possible” (Jesus’ Alternative Plan, p.19).

The Messiah accomplished all four goals and continues to intercede on our behalf welcoming us back when we turn away with a sense of entitlement, cleansing our inner temple of the Holy Spirit by reminding us of his unconditional love and never giving up on us, defeating the enemy of sin, racism, hatred, bigotry, selfishness and the like with His grace and our cooperation and reigning as Lord of all nations of Heaven and Earth.  This is our faith.

 As I write this, I wake to a story of five people killed in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs with more than twelve injured.  Club Q was the one safe haven in a community known for its anti-gay activism.  A misguided young man takes this away with his hate crime.  That same night, two men were stopped in New York, one wearing a Nazi armband, in connection with threats to attack a New York synagogue.  Faith sustains us in these moments to continue building the reign of God on Earth, that is, the world as God envisions it.  Faith empowers us to proclaim God as Lord of all nations, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Iraq, the United States and every land and people God birthed into being.  Faith tells me that what God desires for our world must be embraced in the now.  Here is where the Gospel must flourish.  Anything contrary is unacceptable. 

Faith empowers us to do what we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” That Reign of God is found in the home, at the workplace, on war-torn lands, in gay night clubs, in synagogues, mosques, temples, cathedrals and in us.  Faith is that gift that we can do better, we must do better.  Better put, faith is that gift that has us empowering God to do through our surrender, our trust, his vision and our willingness to give it a try today, tomorrow and always.  Faith enables us to be continually forgiven, nourished, held and kissed by our God.  It is that gift that convinces us that we are worthy of such infinite, unconditional love. 

Advent faith reminds us of God’s plan to share with us His divinity, which enhances our humanity from selfishness to otherness, from our will to God’s will, from division to communion, from slavery to freedom and from hatred to love.  Advent faith is the Savior of the World born in a stable, perfectly embracing our humanity and showing us how it is possible to “Live + Jesus.”  Faith makes the prophet Habakkuk’s words the motivating force that “the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment and it will not disappoint … and if it delays, wait for it for it will surely come” (Habbukuk 2:3).

May our faith make hope and love possible.  

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

We Cherish the Memories

“Salesian Sands,” the Oblate house in Ft. Myers.

My first assignment after ordination was to teach at our high school in Fort Myers, Florida.  Shortly after arriving, our principal and the Oblate pastor across the street went for a drive to look at a small house on Fort Myers Beach.  In order to attract young Oblates to southwest Florida, they wanted a place for the Oblates and their families.  It was a small three-bedroom rancher very close to the beach.  The Provincial agreed to pay for the place with the proviso that we would send $50 per Oblate each month until the mortgage was paid. 

Another Oblate and dear friend, Hugh, and I were the first “caretakers” of the house.  We gradually furnished the house in a modest, yet comfortable way.  On Fridays, we loaded our laundry baskets in the car during the school day.  We were the first off the property to enjoy a weekend at the beach.  Others joined us when available.  The parish priests used the place during the week.  One of the parishes we assisted on the weekends was just around the corner from our residence.  Three doors exited to the pool with its screened lanais.  One was from the laundry room where minutes before exiting the pool on a nightly swim, we would put towels in the dryer for comfort when exiting.  We were living like kings! 

Growing up, I knew no one who had a pool.  Life was good!  Our students knew we had a place on the beach and were determined to locate it but never did.  Personal money was tight but The Munch Box, around the corner, made great hot dogs.  There was time for sleeping on the beach, a dip in the pool, college and pro football, card games, and great camaraderie.  Classes for the week always were prepared as well.  At about 7:00 PM on Sundays, we cleaned the house thoroughly and had dinner at Perkins on the way home (always ham and cheese omelets).  A guest calendar became quickly booked for visiting family, friends, and fellow Oblates.  What started out as a place of respite, relaxation, and renewal for those in the high school and our parish across the street, grew in the 30+ years to include three other Oblate parishes.  It was a gathering place for Oblates.

The ceramic Oblate shield was part of the living room floor in the Oblate house.

After the hurricane, Hugh sent me three short videos taken from what was our front door.  Everything was gone.  You could make out the pool sans lanais.  To the right were the washer and dryer, now outside.  All was outside, as there was no inside.  All three videos ended on the ceramic Oblate shield that was part of the living room floor.  Central was the cross.  Perhaps it symbolized the loss suffered, as we all need to participate in Christ’s suffering.  Perhaps, it symbolized the victory won for us by Christ that gave us this place to enjoy God’s presence, especially in those with whom we recreated. 

This house was built on sand (figuratively) and could not withstand this hurricane.  Many times, the Oblate caretaker went down to close the shutters for an impending storm.  We did this with Ian but mother nature was too powerful.  We never tired of this gift known as Salesian Sands.  We cherish the memories of the laughter and the good food shared with our Oblate family and, by extension, our own families and friends. Those moments and stories (often exaggerated as the years grew) will sustain us and continue to give us grateful hearts. 

But, many lost their only home.  As is always the case, the poor (e.g., the shrimpers who lived on boats) suffered the greatest.  Our prayers go out to all those who lost their possessions, homes, and livelihood.  Above all else, we pray for those who died and for their loved ones who mourn their loss. 

Hurricane Ian is proof of Saint Francis de Sales’ maxim to “Live Today Well.”  Let us live it well in love, sharing, accepting, and forgiving.  Let us live it praying for an end to violence, discord, enmity, and hatred.  We need to hold on to memories of compassion, understanding, and kinship.  Never has the demand been more expedient to “Live Today Well.”

“For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.” -Dag Hammarskjold

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA