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Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing Dads out there! I gratefully remember my own Dad today who is still watching over me from above.  He gave me an abundance of lasting gifts in my life that still resonate and live on in my daily life. His quiet example of living a faith-filled life and helping many along his journey didn’t go unnoticed or not remembered. 

There are very few more important roles one can have in life than the opportunity to be Dad. I am incredibly blessed to have watched so many of my cousins and close friends grow into the role of being amazing Dads. They tirelessly and selflessly make sacrifices everyday for their families with unconditional love. This year, our Church celebrates the Year of St. Joseph, the patron Saint of all Fathers. Saint Joseph was the foster father of Jesus, husband of Mary and head of the Holy Family. He experienced many of the same difficulties in life that most fathers do, yet he lived an exemplary life and established an ideal that is well-worth emulating. Saint Joseph was a man of compassion and caring. He was a man possessed with an unwavering faith in God. He was a man who loved and protected his family. He was an incredibly “righteous man” and did all he could to allow his son to become all that God was calling him to do. May all Dads continue to embrace the Ideal of Fatherhood and know how sacred and important their role is in the lives of their family.

May today be a joyful day for all families who are graced to have a true St. Joseph in their lives!

Today is the Feast Day of St. Marcellin Champagnat. One hundred and eighty-one years ago on this day, he died at the age of fifty-nine. As a young priest, serving in the small rural French hamlet of Lavalla, he quickly came to realize that the poor country children of his surrounding area had no hope of a future as there were no schools. More alarming to him was his concern that many of those young people lacked a basic understanding of our faith. With no money and two young recruits, he began the Marist Brothers on January 2, 1817. His dream of educating young people to become “good Christians and good Citizens” quickly grew. Today that dream continues to inspire many young people in eight-two countries around our world. 

As we celebrate his Feast Day today in our USA Province, we are blessed to be able to welcome forty-one Lay Marists who will formally commit to being a Marist of Champagnat. Each of these Lay Marists recently completed a six-month Formation Program within our Province. We are further blessed to be soon welcoming our two current postulants into our USA Novitiate in September as they continue their formation to becoming Marist Brothers.

From the earliest days of our founding, St Marcellin entrusted the needs of all our Brothers, Lay Marists, young people and our many schools and programs to Mary, our Good Mother. He knew that under her protection, all our unspoken prayers and needs would be met. On this his Feast Day, let us continue to entrust all the needs of our Marist world to the sacred heart of Mary. May she continue to watch over our Marist world and all of us that are graced to be part of it.

Easter Blessings from the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus

I enjoyed an early walk to the river this morning to watch the night become day and welcome into my life the hope that Jesus has risen and that we must live in hope. As I reflected on the journey of Jesus during these Holy days, many thoughts came to my mind. As we celebrated the liturgy of Holy Thursday, the annual ritual of the washing of the feet could not take place because of Covid restrictions. That ritual has always been my favorite part of the Tridiuum as it reminds us of how Jesus calls each of us to be true servant leaders. It was the only time that Jesus ever symbolically put on any vestment and the vestment that he chose to put on during that Last Supper was an apron. We too are called to be similar servants and must likewise embrace a church of the apron. 

As I walked the stations of the cross on Friday around our Brothers’ cemetery with my fellow Brothers and Lay Marists, I prayed in particular for three groups of people. First, as we reflected on the first station of Jesus being condemned, I thought about the countless children on our borders who have been condemned and separated from their families and placed in temporary prisons and other detention centers. Why should such innocent young children have to suffer this cruelty?

At the fifth station, when Simon helps Jesus carry his cross, I reflected on the many health care workers and first responders who have like Simon helped carry the terrible cross of Covid and walk with so many who have suffered and died from it. So many of these heroes will never known for the courageous and loving acts they performed over this past year, but they have witnessed for all of us how the gospel can be lived in one’s daily life.

Finally at the twelfth when remember Jesus’ death on the cross, I recalled the names of so many connected to our Marist Province that have died from the cross that Covid continues to be in our world. Later that day, I prayed at the graves of three of our Brothers buried in our cemetery who each died from Covid. Rest In Peace dear Bob, Gene and Don.

Yesterday during my morning walk, I prayed for so many in our world who face daily despair and wait in hope for signs of New Life. Our Homeless Brothers and Sisters so often are folks that daily live in a somewhat re-occurring tomb and wait for their heavy stones to be pushed back so that they might once again enjoy life.

But this morning as I watched the brilliant sunrise colors reflect and dance upon the Hudson River, I was only filled with hope and peace knowing our Lord truly is alive and walks with each of us. Let us live and be the Easter message of hope to all we know in the days ahead. Let us try to be a small flashlight in an often dark world. Let our song be one of rejoicing and Alleluia as we have so much to be grateful for in our lives.

Last night our national news reported yet another mass gun shooting in our country. This latest tragedy occurred in California and included a 9-year-old victim who died in the arms of his mother. I continue to be deeply saddened that we as a nation still do not value the life of so many innocent people, especially children, enough to demand the needed change in our national gun laws that might finally reduce the far too often mass shootings that continue to cripple our country. When will we learn and say enough is enough? How many more innocent and precious children will die from gun shootings before we finally act? 

As I went to bed last night, I prayed for that poor mother who lived through yesterday’s massacre while embracing her dying boy. I couldn’t help but also reflect on Mary, who on Good Friday many years ago, likewise held here innocent and bloodied dead son in her arms.  I prayed for Mary to give this grieving mother in California the strength to face the difficult days before her as she buries her son.

Many of us today will walk the stations of the cross as a way of remembering Jesus’ passion and suffering for us. His willingness to accept that faithful journey to Calvary allows us to move forward in hope that even in the midst of death, despair and overwhelming tragedies that Resurrection is still possible. We cannot have Easter Sunday morning without embracing the cross we celebrate today on this Good Friday. 

As we prayerfully walk those stations today and reflect on the life of our Lord, let us carry with us the needs of so many in our country and world who are themselves walking their own Calvary journey every day. As we ponder on our own journeys, let us pray that we might choose to be like Mary and follow Jesus even on the road to Calvary. She faithfully watched and endured Jesus’ Good Friday journey. She did not flee or abandon Jesus out of fears like many of the apostles but stood by that cross until He was taken down and placed in her loving and waiting arms. As we walk this Good Friday, let us do so as people who are not afraid to give witness to the power of the cross as we have come to know and believe that without it, we will not be able to enjoy the promise that the tombstone will indeed be opened on Easter morning and Christ will again be able to live in our hearts.

Today the Church begins its annual 40-Day journey through Lent which calls us as Christians to step back from our normal routines and focus a little more closely on the life of Christ. Traditionally three Lenten practices are encouraged to be undertaken throughout this season, namely, Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving.

The practice of fasting is an age-old exercise in voluntarily going without food (or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God). It is markedly counter-cultural in our consumerist society. This ancient practice of self-sacrifice is one that is highlighted many times in scripture and was utilized by Jesus himself when he went into the desert for 40 days to pray. The early Desert Fathers and Mothers of our church likewise made this ritual a regular practice which was passed down through the ages to both monastic life and eventually as common practices for all church goers. It is not necessary about refraining just from food, but more about the offering of the sacrifice and our attitude.

Abba Isidore, one of the early Desert Fathers expressed it this way when he said, “If you fast regularly, do not be inflated with pride; if you think highly of yourself because of it, then you had better eat meat. It is better for a man to eat meat than to be inflated with pride and glorify himself.”

May the small sacrifice the we might make and fast from this Lent allow us to greater appreciate the many gifts we are so richly blessed with in our lives as well as lead us to reflect more on the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us.

Finding more quality time for prayer and reflection on the life of Jesus during this season is essential to anyone who hopes to benefit from the graces offered by these sacred days. The old proverb, “You’ll never repent a Lent well-spent!”, continues to be wise advice for the interior life of any Christian. There are countless worthy and insightful daily Lenten prayer resources easily available to us if we simply commit the needed time to allow our prayer lives to be deepened during these days. 

Finally the ritual of Almsgiving is a valuable treasure not only to the recipients of such good deeds, but most importantly to the person making the sacrifice of helping another through some voluntary good deed or action. One does not need to look too far in today’s world to find a stranger in need of help. In addition to making a possible donation to one of our many needed charities of choice, maybe this year an opportunity might arise to allow us to look into the eyes of a stranger in need and see their gratitude for our treating them with dignity, respect and love. A good friend of mine never gives money to any of the countless homeless folks on our streets. He instead will take that opportunity to buy that person a cup of coffee, a sandwich or something to eat. He will also spend a minute or two with them and come to know their name. I have often heard my friend pray for some of those same names. Almsgiving truly should allow us to come to appreciate the words of St. Francis of Assisi, who said, “For it is in giving that we receive.”

Blessings on your Lenten Journey. May these days that you travel with Jesus allow you to hear His voice speaking to your heart!

Today our Church celebrates the Feast of our Lady of Lourdes.

When I was about seven years of age, my parents took me on my first pilgrimage that really involved major travelling. Our family pilgrimage trip to Lourdes occurred during a February school break. We flew from JFK in NY to Barcelona in Spain and then quickly boarded a train and travelled for what seemed like an eternity from Barcelona across the Pyrenees to the French town of Lourdes. The trip itself was almost a full twenty-four hours of traveling from the time we left our house to our arrival at our hotel in Lourdes.

I remember it being bitterly cold during our days there, especially when my mom insisted that we all take part in the Spiritual Blessing of being submerged into the Holy Waters of Lourdes at their famous “Baths.” It was the single coldest moment of my life. At the time, I did not appreciate or comprehend any of the symbolism of this ritual in which pilgrims ask for a spiritual healing before entering the Baths. I think I only prayed for survival and not to die from the flu, which was as much as my seven-year-old mind or spirituality could muster at that moment.

What I do remember most and still cherish from that pilgrimage was attending one of the nighty processions to the Grotto of Lourdes.  Thousands of Pilgrims sung Ave Maria as we each carried candles and made our way to the famed Grotto. I was amazed by countless crutches left by previous pilgrims who had received a miraculous cure or healing at this sacred Shine. As we sang songs and recited the rosary, I can still recall a deep and profound sense of peace and tranquility that made the long trip there and the freezing water of the Baths seem all worth it. Looking back, it was the first time I really experienced a deep sense of prayer and the presence of God.

Later during my college years, I volunteered on a few occasions to assist a number of folks confined to wheelchairs on their pilgrimages to Lourdes. Each of these occasions were a gift and blessing in my life. I’m proud to say that the St. Marcellin Champagnat Service program from Archbishop Molloy, my Alma Mater, frequently travel to Lourdes to likewise volunteer to assist many disabled pilgrims.

The story of Lourdes occurred in 1858 and was made famous in the 1943 hit movie, the Song of Bernadette. There were 18 actual apparitions at Lourdes. The young girl to who Mary appeared was canonized, St. Bernadette in 1933.

Today in Punxsutawney, PA, the annual Groundhog Day festivities, made famous in the 1993 Bill Murray movie of the same name will take place. Some believe this local annual winter forecasting determined by whether a certain Groundhog sees his shadow or not. I have never been too interested in this weather forecasting system, but at times over the past year have felt that the movie was symbolic of the year we all have endured and continue to experience in many ways. 

The plot of the movie basically traps the Bill Murray character into reliving Groundhog day over and over again until the spell is eventually lifted. He must endure the same mundane characters and events repeated daily.

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, our entire world has experienced some version of this movie. Normal life has stopped, and it seems like every day is just a repeat of the previous day with the number of cases and deaths from this terrible plague continuing to grow.

We like the main character of this movie cannot make this repeat cycle go any faster or end any quicker, but hopefully we like this character might also use this period of “stopped time” to grow and become our true best selves. I pray that when we all wake up to a new day after Covid-19 is finally lifted that we may still embrace and live some of the life lessons, we hopefully have learned during this time. 

Maybe we will cherish our families and loved ones a little deeper and never again take for granted the gift of being able to gather as one. Maybe we will continue to realize that many of the most important heroes in our world are the ordinary people who day after day simply show up to work and provide basic but essential work for all of us. Maybe we will treasure more deeply what we have and stop longing for all that we really don’t need.

Our world’s Groundhog Day movie will hopefully end soon. How will you be changed for the better when this long-suffering spell is finally lifted?

Today our country commemorates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His impact on civil rights in our country and his call for a nonviolent approach to achieve that dream have propelled him to be among our nation’s greatest treasures and one of the most impactful people ever known to the human race. 

While today is a great National Holiday that encourages us to celebrate his life and his powerful and everlasting impact on our country’s history, it is also an annual reminder of just how far we still must journey as a country to truly fulfil his dream and legacy. Sadly, this past year has been one of the worst in our history in-regards-to civil unrest, race tensions and bitter divisions among so many of our fellow Brothers and Sisters. 

As we begin this New Year, I pray that we might embrace Hope, Love and our own renewed commitment to helping allow our country to continue to become that bright beacon of hope and light for an often-dark world. May we too “have a dream” and not be afraid to tirelessly work to allow that “dream” to become a reality. 

On this day in 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest, who had recently been assigned to the rural parish of LaValla in France, founded our congregation of the Marist Brothers.  In the short four months that he first lived in this tiny hamlet, he came to see a great need for education for the young people of his area who had almost no instruction in the faith and even less hope of a real future. With two young recruits, no money and a dream of impacting the lives of many young people, Marcellin began our order of teaching Brothers on January 2, 1817. His dream continues to live today in 82 countries around our world and is carried forth by not only the approximately 3,000 Marist Brothers worldwide, but also the more than 75,000 Lay Marists, who share in making our charism a reality in the lives of almost 1 Million students each year.

As today’s Marists of Champagnat, may we be as daring as Marcellin in having the confidence to place our hopes and needs into the heart of Mary, our Good Mother. Let us trust that she will continue to inspire and guide us in making her Son known and loved in the hearts of all the young people who continue to be entrusted to our care. 

When Marcellin began this dream, he and those early young Brothers had no resources except for great faith, a deep family spirit and the willingness to work hard to make their dream a reality. As we embrace and carry forth that dream and that same Marist family spirit today, may we be as confident that our hard work will continue to impact countless lives in the years ahead.

New Year blessings and best wishes to you all as we happily celebrate the ending of 2020 which was a most difficult year for all in our world. We have much to be hopeful for in the months ahead as vaccines begin to be made available and a return to normality seems possible by late spring or early summer. As the liturgical season of Christmas continues for another week, may we continue to live in hope and joy that Christ has been reborn again this year in our lives. May we have the grace to keep alive the rich lesson that Dickens gave us many years ago when he wrote, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” 

Today is also the Catholic Feast day of the Solemnity of Mary, which celebrates Mary being the Mother of our Lord. As we begin this New Year, may we entrust the many needs of our suffering world to the heart of Mary.

I often reflect on the story of Jean Valjean from the inspiring musical, Les Misérables. He endured many challenges on his life’s journey and at the end of the story passes on to his adopted Cosette the wisdom that “to love another person is to see the face of God”. May 2021 be a year in which we each come to truly see the face of God by loving all those that will grace our lives this coming year.