Homily for 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (1)

Homily for the
28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 13, 2024
Mark 10: 17-30
Villa Maria, Bronx

“As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up … and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Mark 10: 17).

Christ and the Rich Man (Heinrich Hofmann)

We may begin by noting that Jesus’ journey is toward Jerusalem, toward his complete surrender to God’s will.  Then we may note that when this man asks about “eternal life,” that’s equivalent to “the kingdom of God,” which Jesus was speaking of when he blessed the children, indicating also that one must accept or receive the kingdom like a child (Mark 10:13-16).  And immediately before that passage, he’d explained God’s intention—or God’s will—regarding marriage (10:6-12).

This passage about the man’s desire, then, is related to receiving God’s kingdom and following God’s will.

The commentators uniformly point out that the man makes 2 errors in his question to Jesus.  1st, he addresses Jesus as “good.”  Jesus corrects him at once.  Not that Jesus isn’t good, but God alone is good; God is the supreme good.  That’s where our focus belongs.  Back to God’s intentions, God’s will.

2d, the man asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Wrong question!  No one can do anything to inherit life or to come into the kingdom.  God is the actor.  God does something for us.  We can only accept or receive his gift—like children, as Jesus has just said.

The man rattles off all his good deeds, his observance of the commandments.  As St. Paul warns repeatedly, there’s no salvation in just following the Law.  So Jesus tells the man there’s more; and he tells him with love (10:21).  He must surrender himself to God by dispossessing himself, giving to the poor, and following Jesus.

Jesus is on his way to the cross.  Jesus is surrendering to God’s will.  He’s dispossessed himself completely.  That’s the road into the kingdom of God.

The man isn’t ready for that.  “He went away sad” (10:22), more concerned for his possessions than for responding to God’s call.

After Jesus comments further on the dangers of wealth, the apostles are “exceedingly astonished” (10:26).  Do they think God saves only the rich?  Well, that’s still a common misperception.  You’ve heard of the “prosperity Gospel.”  Be faithful to God, and you’ll prosper.

No, Jesus replies.  Only God can save us (10:27).

Peter sees an opening:  “We’ve given up everything and followed you” (10:28).  Good old Peter!  Can’t keep his mouth shut.  But he’s right, up to a point.  Next week, James and John will ask Jesus for the places of power at his side when he assumes his kingship, and the other 10 will be furious with them—because all of them are more concerned about their own prestige than about God’s kingdom.  So much they have to learn!

Well, sisters, you and I have set aside everything and committed ourselves to Jesus.  So we’re home free?

Not exactly.  There’s still a lot of the rich man or of Peter or of James and John in us.  On the memorial of Mother Seton, we read in the breviary a selection from a conference she gave to her sisters about doing God’s will.  Realistically, she notes that sometimes we do our duties only half-heartedly or grudgingly, or we complain about conditions in the house.  She says that one sister “cuts herself a cross of pride; another, one of causeless discontent; another, one of restless impatience or peevish fretfulness.”  She then calls upon her sisters to let God’s grace “carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.”[1]  Without saying it in so many words, she urges them to surrender to God by selling their possessions—their self-centeredness—and give all to their sisters, and to follow Jesus into God’s kingdom.

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[1] LOH 1:1690.

Anointing the Sick

Mass with Anointing of the Sick

October 10, 2024
2 Cor 4:10-18
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“We always carry about in the body the dying of Jesus” (2 Cor 4: 10).

No matter how healthy we may be, we all have pain and suffer inconvenience, injury, and illness.  Most of us don’t leap joyfully out of bed in the morning; our prayer might be, “O God, another day!”  Little things like paper cuts can be really annoying.  And then there are colds, flu, stubbed toes, broken bones, surgeries, etc.  Our bodies remind us every day of our frailty.

Someone may feel like he’s already got one foot in the grave.  No matter how healthy we may be, we’re all dying.  Our bodies remind us every day of our mortality.  “Our outer self is wasting away,” Paul remarks (4:16).  In a community like this one, we may be more aware of that than in most communities.  And you’ve just celebrated Bob Moran’s funeral.[1]  Our community over on Echo Bay is aware, as well; our province has lost 18 confreres in the last 5 years, including 2 from our house.

What sustains us all, as it did Paul in his tribulations, “constantly being given up to death” 4:11) thru daily hardships and persecution, is that we surrender our bodies as well as our hearts to Jesus.  We unite our sufferings, trivial or severe, to his cross.  We are confident “that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus” (4:14).

Our celebration of the Anointing of the Sick betokens the life of Jesus, God’s Anointed One, present to us.  “Therefore, we aren’t discouraged; rather, altho our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (4:16)—and not only by this sacrament but, more vitally, by the sacramental memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, his living body and blood.

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[1] A member of the Iona Prep community whose funeral was earlier this day at Holy Family Church.

Camping near Green Pond

Camping near Green Pond

Fr. Dominic asked me to drive Fr. Hugo Orozco to the Marian Shrine on Thursday, Oct. 10.  Instantly, I saw a chance to go camping that wouldn’t have come up otherwise.  After all, Harriman State Park is less than 10 minutes from the Shrine.

There wasn’t any point in asking Fr. Jim Mulloy to come along; he teaches at DBP.

I decided to go to a site I used in May, about an hour’s hike from a parking lot along Kanawaukee Road (Rte 106), near the woods road that leads to Island Pond.  Fr. Jim and I have camped at Green Pond (actually, on a height above the pond) perhaps half a dozen times.  It’s in the village of Tuxedo Park, and you hear the traffic on the NY State Thruway all the time.

But the site is roomy, has a good fire pit, and is almost always quiet (except for the traffic) even tho it’s adjacent to 2 trails (Dunning and Nurian).  While exploring and hunting for water on some of those trips, I found a little plateau about a quarter mile beyond that Green Pond campsite.  Someone had set up a marvelous campsite there with a large and a small fire ring and stacked up a big pile of cord wood.  A little creek flowing out of Green Pond had water.  It’s quite secluded.

When I was there in May, I didn’t make a fire; it was plenty warm.

There were 3 cars in the parking lot on Thursday afternoon:  1 each from New York, Illinois, and Virginia.  The drivers of the Illinois car (a South Asian couple) showed up shortly after I arrived and drove off.  A couple more cars were on the side of the road where Island Pond Road starts into the woods.  As I headed north, I met 2 hikers coming back toward their cars.

Both the Nurian and the Dunning trails cross Island Pond Road (so does the Arden-Surebridge farther north), and both lead to Green Pond by slightly different paths.  I stopped to shoot some pictures on my way, and some pictures of a pair of deer on the Green Pond heights.  There wasn’t a lot of color in the foliage yet.

On reaching my campsite, I noticed that most of the cord wood had already been used.  But there are a lot of fallen trees and branches around; so firewood is no problem at all.

I pitched my tent—and used my phone to take a photo that I could share at once; in the photos I’ll link you to, it’s a little out of chronological sequence between pictures of Green Pond and the deer.  That done, I went down to the creek for water.  Oh, oh!  It was completely dry except for one stagnant pool, which didn’t appeal to me even thru a filter.

Green Pond has plenty of water, but it’s inaccessible because of thickets of reeds all around it.

So I hastened back up the hill to camp, almost emptied my backpack and put water filter, coffee pot, and 2-liter plastic bag into it.  (I filter water into the coffee pot, which has a much wider mouth than the plastic bag, then pour thru a funnel into the bag.)  I headed down the Nurian Trail (it descends steeply) into what the map labels the Valley of Boulders, where a brook flows down from Island Pond.  It takes about 20 minutes from Green Pond.  Alas, that also was completely dry!

It had never occurred to me that the creeks would be dry.  We had rain only a few days ago.  I was glad I’d added the half-liter of water to my load and sorry I hadn’t carried 2 liters instead.  (But my pack weighs about 35 pounds without that.)

And by now it was only about a half-hour before sunset.  So I hurried back to camp to do with the water I’d brought with me—a quart canteen and about half a liter in a bag.  That proved to be enuf for both supper and breakfast—but I skipped the freeze-dried dessert at the former and a 2d cup of coffee at the latter.  Supper was Ramen noodles with beef stirred in (left over from tacos), crystal lite, some trail mix, and dried pineapple.  Breakfast was granola, coffee, more trail mix, more pineapple.

With my water used up, I had to adjust my plan, which had been to stay until afternoon.  I didn’t even celebrate Mass, tho I’d brought my kit.  (I celebrated after I got home and cleaned up.)

The nite was starry (which usually betokens a chilly nite) with more than a half moon.  The northern lights showed briefly, but not where I could take a photo (largely obscured by trees).  I made a fine fire and sat by it, praying Evening Prayer and then reading a book till it got a little too chilly.  I retired around 9:15.

Indeed, the nite was cold.  I shut off my phone before I could check the temperature, but it was 42º when I was ready to get up at 6:45 a.m. on Friday.  Inside my tent.  I erred in not bringing my winter sleeping bag, and wasn’t very comfortable during the nite, tho I did sleep some.  I brought layers of clothes, but most of those became my pillow, stuffed inside the sleeping bag’s stuff sack.  More clothes on, less pillow.  But I coulda done better than I did.  Still learning better camping skills.

Well, I put on 6 top layers (and long johns under my pants) when I got up.  After breakfast and Divine Office, I broke camp methodically and was heading out around 9:15.  I got to the car about 10:20, having met just one hiker coming in toward Island Pond.  His was the only car up on Kanawauke Road, and my car was the only one in the lot.  All in all, a good trip that could’ve been better with more water and the winter bag.  The weather was perfect for hiking.

14 photos: https://link.shutterfly.com/Gb5uQSOyCNb

 

Salesian Family Day in Eastern Canada

Salesian Family Day in Eastern Canada

(ANS - Montreal, Que. – October 9, 2024) - On Saturday, October 5, Montreal was the scene of Salesian Family Day, organized by the Salesian Family Council of Montreal, Sherbrooke, and Cornwall. The activity took place at the Don Bosco Youth Leadership Centre in Montreal, focusing on the explanation of the Jubilee 2025 logo, entitled “Pilgrim of Hope,” on Strenna 2025, and also exploring the care of creation, as well as the life of Carlo Acutis, soon to be canonized. Over the years, the face of the Salesian Family in eastern Canada has evolved considerably. Along with French-speakers, English-speakers, and Italians, now Haitian, Mexican, Peruvian, Filipino, Cameroonian, and Vietnamese communities have been integrated. In addition, there was the presence of two aspiring Salesian Cooperators from Lebanon, belonging to one of the Eastern Catholic rites.

Homily for Wednesday, Week 27 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Wednesday
27th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 9, 2024
Luke 11: 1-4
Salesian HS, New Rochelle, N.Y.

The Lord's Prayer (James Tissot)

Jesus’ disciples have observed him at prayer and ask him to help them pray.  He teaches them the prayer we know as the Our Father, from its 1st words in St. Matthew’s version of the prayer, which we find in the Sermon on the Mount (6:9-13).  St. Luke’s version is a little shorter but strikes the same essentials:  attention to the priority of God, attention to our own needs, and attention to others.

We pray that God be honored—by us and by everyone.  When we say, “Your name,” we mean God himself, not just his name.  We can start by being careful how we speak of him, e.g., by not blurting out “Oh my God!” when we’re surprised or upset; that’s disrespectful of God.  We pray then that God’s kingdom come, i.e., that we all strive to do God’s will in our lives, that God’s desires rule.

We pray for what we need in life—not just food (“our daily bread”) but also shelter, clothing, education, employment, safety.  We desire these not only for ourselves but for everyone:  “our daily bread,” not “my daily bread.”

We’re concerned for more than this life.  So we pray that God forgive our sins.  Without forgiveness, we can’t be part of God’s kingdom; we can’t come to eternal life.  We want our whole lives to be aligned with God.  That’s why we also pray not to be “subjected to the final test,” i.e., to serious temptation.

For others, we offer forgiveness.  Lots of people offend us in many ways—physical harm, psychological harm, speaking badly about us, hassling us.  Just as Jesus forgave the people who executed him, just as we pray that God forgive us, so we must learn to forgive, to wish that God bless everyone and bring everyone—not just ourselves—into his kingdom and eternal life.  That’s not easy for us to do; we can begin by praying for whoever offends us, and by asking God to help us be polite, patient, and kind with everyone, even people we don’t like.

May God’s will be done in us and in everyone.

Homily for Christian Brothers' Jubilees

Homily for the
Christian Brothers’ Jubilees

Oct. 8, 2024
Eph 4: 1-6
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Home, N.R.

At their assisted living and nursing home, the Brothers celebrated 5 jubilarians of 60, 70, and 75 years in their congregation.

“I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received” (Eph 4: 1).

Paul has been imprisoned on account of his preaching the Gospel.  That gives him a certain moral authority to urge the believers at Ephesus to be faithful to the Gospel:  “to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.”

They didn’t initiate their faith.  Rather, God the Father called them.  We believe that’s true of our vocation as religious, the manner in which we live out our basic call to follow Christ.  It’s also true that we are “prisoners for the Lord,” for he has captured us and taken us as his own.  We are captivated.

Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians is sound teaching for every Christian, regardless of vocation.  But it’s absolutely necessary within the intentional community that we form—or God forms thru his call—with our brothers.  Paul urges “all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another thru love” (4:2).

Those virtues are essential for living in unity of spirit, in peace, according to the charism of our religious family.  They are the only “manner worthy of the call.”  If we live in unity with our brothers, we’re living in unity with Christ, our one Lord, and we have solid hope that our call will reach its perfection in a final, permanent union with the “one God and Father of all” (4:6), who created us for eternal love, who created us (as the priest celebrant prays during the preparation of the gifts) to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity, who treats us with gentleness, patience, and unfathomable love.

Homily for Monday, Week 27 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Monday
27th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 7, 2024
Gal 1: 6-12
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

Christ, Light of the World
(USCCB, Washington)

  Paul writes to the Galatians in distress.  His converts are turning from grace to law as their supposed path to salvation.  The letter urges us to be faithful to the revelation we’ve received, to continue our conversion to the Word of God, Jesus Christ.

1st SDB Missionaries Arrive in Greece

The First Salesian Missionaries Arrive in Greece

(ANS – Athens – October 7, 2024) – The new Salesian presence in Greece officially began on October 6, with a Mass presided over by Fr. Alfred Maravilla, general councilor for the Missions, in the chapel of the Marist Brothers’ residence in Athens. A few days earlier Fr. Rodil Lladones, from the Philippines, and Fr. Jean-Paul Mutombo Matala, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, had already gone there, while Fr. Oscar Tuscano, from India, will join the group as soon as his visa is issued. They  make up the pioneering community in this country. Fr. Lladones and Fr. Mutombo are already enrolled in the university for a year of modern Greek language course.

In the homily during this simple and intimate celebration, Fr. Maravilla stressed that “being pioneers is a great honor, but it is an even greater responsibility. Although the pioneers do not have the weight of the pastoral practices of past years, they still have the challenge of being creatively faithful to the charism of Don Bosco to make it relevant for the Greek context, where Catholics are a small minority in a predominantly Orthodox country. “ “Today we plant a small seed in new soil,” he added, “and we ask for the intercession of St. Andrew the Apostle, who is so close to the heart of Greek Christians, so that this mustard seed can take root in Greek soil and bear abundant fruit.” At the end of Mass, the 3 Salesians entrusted the new presence in Greece to Mary Help of Christians.

Explaining the reason for this new presence, Fr. Maravilla stressed that it is a response to the invitation of Bp. Petros Stefanou of Syros, Santorini, and Crete. In 2023 the Rector Major and his council accepted the request for pastoral care of the parish of Pagos, in Syros, starting in September 2025, a reality in which there are structures that make it possible to organize youth activities. Then there is also the challenge of pastoral care for young tourists who visit the islands, especially during the summer. And after a period of getting settled, the possibility will also be explored for the Salesian community to take on responsibility for youth and vocational ministry in the 3 dioceses of Syros, Santorini, and Crete, which are united under Bp. Stefanou.

Asked about the importance of this new presence, Fr. Maravilla said that “it is the most recent presence in Europe after so many years. This fact shows that in Europe there is still the possibility of starting something new that can revitalize the Salesian charism. It is an important sign not only for the Salesians in Europe, but also for the entire Congregation.”

Homily for 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 6, 2024
Gen 2: 18-24
Mark 10: 2-12
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.

At my 2 Bronx parishes, this week I continue commenting on the Creed.  The Ursulines and other residents at this assisted living home get a homily just for them.     

“The Lord God said, ‘It’s not good for the man to be alone.  I’ll make a suitable partner for him’” (Gen 9: 18).

The Creation of Eve (Raphael)

On the basis of the creation account in Genesis ch. 2, Jesus gives us divine teaching on the unity and permanence of marriage:  “they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:8).  Jesus’ teaching is the foundation for the sacrament of marriage, made holy by the sign he worked at the wedding in Cana, a sign of blessing, by his teaching, and by St. Paul’s expansion on his teaching.

What Genesis teaches also is foundational:  man and woman are “suitable partners,” equals coming from God’s own hand and intention, for mutual help and support of each other.

Christian teaching takes that further by noting that marriage is a sacramental sign—a sign of Christ’s permanent, unitive love for his Church.  St. Paul teaches that the Church is the body of Christ.  Husband and wife imitate Christ’s love for his body in their love for each other; they are the living sacrament of God’s love for humanity.

Most of you answered God’s call to the vocation of marriage.  Thank you for answering that call, for your love and fidelity—for your spouse, for your family, for Jesus himself.

Our Ursuline sisters also have responded to a vocational call—to a mystical marriage to our Lord Jesus.  Sisters are rightly called “brides of Christ,” and many of them, if not all, adorn themselves like brides when they make their final vows.  They, too, are signs of the Church’s enduring love for Christ and his faithful love for all of us.  Thank you, sisters!

The Church has always seen itself as feminine, as the bride of Christ.  A priest is called alter Christus, “another Christ.”  Wedded to the Church, he is a sacramental sign; he is Christ the groom in relation to the bride.  That’s perhaps the main reason why the Church insists the priest be male.

Before Communion, we proclaim, “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”  That’s taken from the Book of Revelation, 19:9, which in full reads, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb,” i.e., to the Lamb’s wedding reception.  Two verses before that, Revelation says, “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (v. 7).  Our holy Communion is a celebration of our bridal union with Jesus.

The Wedding Feast of the Lamb
(St. Mark's Basilica, Venice)

God has joined us together, Christ and his Church, in a faithful, permanent marriage—his plan “from the beginning of creation” (Mark 10:6)—a marriage that will be fully consummated  when “the holy city, the new Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2), and we are united in love with the Lamb of God for eternity.

Salesians Facilitate School Feeding Programs

Salesians Facilitate School Feeding Programs

Photo ©: Salesian Missions

(ANS – Port-au-Prince, Haiti – October 3, 2024) – More than 3,000 youngsters in Haiti received nutritious food through a partnership between Salesian Missions of New Rochelle and Rise Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization growing a global movement to end hunger. The shipments of meals were received by the Salesians and then distributed to 11 Salesian centers and schools in the first half of 2024. Salesians facilitated school feeding programs, family meetings, professional training, primary and secondary education, apprenticeships, catechesis classes, and various other social activities.

Haiti faces ongoing political and social strife. The centers in Cap-Haïtien, including Lakay Cap and the Vincent Foundation, have experienced less political violence but have still felt the effects of the upheaval with rising market prices. Timkatec and Lakay Lakou are located in Port-au-Prince and have had to deal with the gangs and violence on the streets along with closures. Don Bosco Tech in Fort-Liberté has had an influx of people fleeing the capital for the relatively safer north and has seen an increase of children on the streets.

One Salesian noted, “We appreciate Rise Against Hunger and the solidarity from the United States for sending food for our youths. We can see the joy on the face of each child after eating and when they arrive home.”

Rodnel Ball, age 16, is one of the recipients and has been living at Timkatec for five years. He said: “When I arrived at Timkatec, I started to eat Rise Against Hunger meals every day. The meals are important to me because they give me strength and they taste good. Not only did I gain weight by eating the meals, but I also found the motivation to study. I study better. I like to sit with my classmates when I eat.”

Ball explained: “In the future, I want to become a great soccer player. For the moment, I’m in seventh grade and I’m learning about ceramic installation. I simply love this job,, and I would like to participate in a soccer championship after training.”

The first Timkatec school started in 1994 and was founded for children who had been living on the street. Later, it was expanded to include local children who had not had the chance to attend school until ages 8-10. The vocational schools were added so youths could learn a trade for employment.

Salesian missionaries began working in Haiti in 1935 in response to the Haitian government’s request for a professional school. Since then, Salesian missionaries have expanded their work to include 11 main educational centers and more than 200 schools across the country.

The 11 main centers each include primary and secondary schools, vocational training centers, and other programs for street children and youths in need. Salesian programs are located throughout Haiti, including in the cities of Port-au-Prince, Fort-Liberté, Cap-Haïtien, Les Cayes, and Gressier. Today, Salesians in Haiti provide the largest source of education outside of the Haitian government.

Source: Salesian Missions

Homily for Thursday, Week 26 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
26th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 3, 2024
Luke 10: 1-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (Luke 10: 2).

Sending out the 72 (Tissot)

As we know, the Church is the continuation of Jesus’ mission of redemption in time and space, “from the rising of the sun to its setting” (EP III).  So Jesus chooses apostles and, today, “72 other disciples” to preach the Good News “until the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

He instructs us not only to preach but also to pray.  Not everyone can preach (except by the manner of one’s life), but everyone can pray.  When our apostolic activity is limited by age, infirmity, or even particular responsibility, prayer’s always possible.  St. Therese, whose memorial we kept 2 days ago, was a great missionary from within her convent thru her prayer and sacrificial love for her sisters.

So we can be missionaries by praying for men and women who bring Jesus’ Good News to foreign lands—and to our own land, so much in need of the new evangelization that St. John Paul and Pope Benedict spoke of.  “The harvest is abundant” (Luke 10:2), and the harvest master desires that it be reaped and gathered into his barn (Matt 13:30).  As St. Paul says, “God wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).  3 verses later, Paul identifies himself as “teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (2:7).

We pray for everyone’s salvation and knowledge of divine truth thru Jesus Christ.  Perhaps we also have opportunity to encourage and support individual evangelizers and catechists.

Fr. Orozco Opens Extraordinary Visitation of Province

Fr. Hugo Orozco Opens Extraordinary Visitation of the Province

Fr. Hugo Orozco, Salesian general councilor for the Interamerica Region, arrived in New Rochelle in the wee hours of Tuesday, October 1. A few hours later, he began the 2024 extraordinary visitation of the province of St. Philip the Apostle, meeting with the provincial council and then beginning personal interviews with members of the provincial house community, the first house on his itinerary.

Extraordinary visitations are carried out every 6 years in the name of the rector major, usually by a member of the general council.

Fr. Hugo invited all the confreres of the province (who number about 130) to his formal introduction to the visitation, presented from 3:40 to 4:20 p.m. in Salesian High School’s Cassin Commons (the cafeteria). About 30 Salesians and the prenovices came from the 5 local communities: New Rochelle, Port Chester, Haverstraw, Ramsey, and Orange. The 10 distant communities in Canada, New England, the Midwest, and the South and some individual confreres attended by Zoom.

Fr. Hugo began by voicing his happiness to be carrying out this visitation, appointed by the rector major (when Fr. Angel was still in office). He pointed out the time constraints of his visit; normally, it should take 3 months. But because the next general chapter has been moved up by a year (on account of the Holy Father’s having made Fr. Angel a cardinal), less than 2 months is allotted (October 1-November 23). He asked for patience with the limitations of his English; but in fact he has displayed competence in speaking even if he sometimes struggles to find the right word.

Fr. Hugo used a PowerPoint presentation as well as his own words. He introduced the members of the general council before explaining the purposes of the visitation: to foster in the province the spirit of General Chapter 28, the Salesian charism, the Salesian mission, and the spirit of communion with the rest of the Congregation; to update the general council’s knowledge of the province; and to follow up on the last visitation (by Fr. Tim Ploch in 2018).

Continuing, Fr. Hugo commented on our Salesian vocational identity with its focuses on God, the young, and community. He stated that ours is a confident, optimistic lifestyle in service to the young, like Don Bosco’s.

Fr. Hugo identifies 3 priorities for the visitation: meeting with and getting to know the confreres, meeting with the young, and meeting with the educational-pastoral community of each work.

When Fr. Hugo had finished his presentation, Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial, invited questions from the attendees, both those in the room and those on computers. There were none.

Photos: https://link.shutterfly.com/Z8zlsj1bnNb

After a break, the confreres in New Rochelle prayed Evening Prayer together, then enjoyed a buffet supper.

 

Homily for Tuesday, Week 26 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
26th Week of Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Therese

Oct. 1, 2024
Luke 9: 51-56
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus passes thru villages
on his way toward Jerusalem
(Tissot)

“When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (Luke 9: 51).

Jesus has foretold his fate.  He knows that “the days were fulfilled,” i.e., that God’s plan is unfolding and coming to its climax.  He knows what awaits him in Jerusalem, that he’ll “be taken up,” hung upon a cross.  He fears that fate:  “My soul is surfeited with troubles, and my life draws near the nether world” (Ps 88:4).

But he’s resolute, determined to “follow trustingly” (Collect) where his Father directs.  As a consequence of his trust, he’ll “be taken up” in a different manner, raised from the grave and drawn up to heaven, delivered from the fate he fears.

Little Therese trusted humbly in the Father’s love, living simply in her convent, unseen by the world, known only to her Carmelite sisters and her immediate family.  There she suffered her own way of the cross, taken by TB at the age of 24.  She did no extraordinary work except to love and edify her sisters—her “little way” of living for Jesus and like Jesus, doing the ordinary extraordinarily well.  “I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul,” she said.  So Jesus bestowed upon her “eternal glory,” whence she now showers her devotees with blessings:  “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”

Jesus desires the same for us.  If our past included greater works—teaching is a great work, as is guiding one’s brothers toward Jesus—those days are past.  Now we live “the monotony of obscure sacrifice,” resolutely setting ourselves toward Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem where Jesus lives in glory, where he desires to draw us; he said himself, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).  We’ll reach him by walking Therese’s “little way” of love for Jesus and our brothers.

The Vicar's Message for October

THE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR

Fr. Stefano Martoglio, SDB 

OUR ANNUAL GIFT 

Traditionally as a Salesian Family, we receive the strenna every year – a gift at the beginning of the year. I value a look inside this gift with these few lines so as to welcome it as it deserves, without losing anything of the freshness of the gift.

A gift

It is a gift because, before all else, strenna means: I am giving you a gift[1]! I am giving you something important to help you celebrate a new time, a new year. This is how Don Bosco thought of it, and he gave it to all the young people and adults who were with him.

I want to give you this gift, this strenna, for the start of the new year, of a new time.

This is something beautiful and important: a new year, a new time, a box in which all the other contents will be held. The coming year is not the same as those you have experienced up until now. A new year needs a new vision in order that it may be lived to the full because the new year comes only once! Each moment of time is unique because we are different from the prior year, from how we were the year before. The purpose of the strenna is to help us prepare for this new time, by beginning to look inside this new year, bringing to light some things that will be an important part of it.

The “golden thread”

The gift of time, the gift of life

God’s gift and all other gifts are found within life: people, situations, opportunities, human relationships. Within this providential way of viewing the gifts of time and life, the strenna, a gift that Don Bosco – and his successors after him – have given every year to the whole Salesian Family calls us to gaze upon the new year, this new time, with new eyes.

The strenna is an aid to help us look at the time to come by putting into focus a golden thread that will guide the new time ahead. The golden thread that the strenna gives us this year is Hope. This is also important! The new year will surely be filled with many things, but don’t get lost amid them! Start by reflecting on how important it is. Don’t scatter; gather!

The strenna that our Cardinal Angel has laid out for us for 2025, like a new outfit, brings to light the events that we will all experience, uniting them with a single golden thread: Hope!

Strenna 2025 highlights both global and Salesian events that involve us all so as to help us live them well:

·         * The Ordinary Jubilee of 2025: a Jubilee is an event of the Church in the Catholic tradition that the Holy Father gives us. To live the Jubilee is to live the pilgrimage that the Church offers us so we may put the presence of Christ back at the center of our lives and the life of the world. The Jubilee that Pope Francis has proclaimed has a life-giving theme: Spes non confundit! Hope does not disappoint! What a marvelous life-giving theme! If the world needs one thing at this difficult time, it is precisely Hope, but not the hope of what we believe we can do all by ourselves, which risks becoming an illusion. Rather, it is the Hope of the re-discovery of the Presence of God. Pope Francis writes: “May Hope fill your heart!” May it not only warm the heart but fill it – fill it to overflowing!

·       *  Hope makes us pilgrims. The Jubilee is a pilgrimage! It sets you in motion inside; otherwise, it is not “Jubilee.” In the midst of this Church event that makes us feel like Church, we, as the Salesian Congregation and as the Salesian Family, will celebrate an important anniversary. 2025 will see

·         * the 150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition to Argentina.

From Valdocco, Don Bosco casts his heart beyond all borders. He sends his sons to the other side of the world! He sends them, beyond all human security. He sends them even when he does not have a sufficient number necessary to carry on what he had already begun.

He just sends them, and that is it, for Hope must be obeyed since Hope guides Faith and sets Charity in motion. He sends them, and these first confreres depart and go forth they know not where! From there we were all born, from the Hope that sets us on a journey and makes us pilgrims.

This anniversary should be celebrated, as should every anniversary, so as to help us recognize the gift (it is not your property, it was given to you as a gift), to remember, and to give strength for the future, from the dynamic power of the mission.

Hope is the foundation of the mission because Hope is a responsibility that you cannot hide or keep to yourself! Do not hide what is given to you; recognize the Donor and hand over with your life to the next generations what has been given to you! This is the life of the Church, the life of each one of us.

St. Peter, who saw far ahead, wrote in his First Letter: “Always be ready to respond to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you!” (1 Peter 3:15). We must think that responding does not mean using only words; rather, it is our life that is the response!

With the Hope that is in you, may you live and prepare for this new year to come, making a journey with the young and with our brothers and sisters to renew Don Bosco’s Dream and God’s Dream.

Our coat of arms

“On my labarum[2] shines a star,” they once sang. On our coat of arms, in addition to the star, a large anchor and a burning heart stand out.

These are simple images which begin to move our hearts toward the time to come: “Anchored in hope, pilgrims with young people.” “Anchored” is a very strong term: the anchor is the salvation of the ship in the midst of a storm; it is firm and strong, rooted in Hope!

Within this life-giving theme is found the entirety of our daily life: the people, situations, and decisions – the “micro” of each of us that is welded with the “macro” of what we will all live together, handing over to God the gift of this time that is given to us. This is so because you must do your part for the strenna that we will all receive; your daily life must be illuminated by what we have written and you will receive; otherwise, it will not be Hope, it will not be what your life is based on, and it does not put you into “motion” by making you a Pilgrim.

We entrust this journey to the Mother of the Lord, Mother of the Church and our Help of Christians, a Pilgrim of Hope traveling with us.

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[1]The term strenna immediately refers to the element of gift, and in the Italian linguistic tradition from which it came, it is properly associated with Christmas gifts. In the Piedmontese context in which Don Bosco grew up, it was more the case of a tradition of the New Year’s gift that the head of the family gave to his children and the proprietor to his employees. January 1 was known precisely as “the day of the strenna.” The complete text

[2]The Labarum (Greek: λάβαρον / láboron) was a Christian imperial standard incorporating the sacred “Chi-Rho” Christogram, which was one of the earliest forms of christogram used by Christians, becoming one of the most familiar and widely used emblems in Chrisitan tradition. It was adapted by emperor Constantine the Great after receiving his celestial vision and dream, on the eve of his victory at the Milvian Bridge in 313 AD.

The Labarum of Constantine was a vexillum[note 1] that displayed the “Chi-Rho” Christogram, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word “Christ” (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ). Fashioned after legionary standards, it substituted the form of a cross for the old pagan symbols, and was surmounted by a jewelled wreath of gold containing the monogram of Christ, intersecting Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ); upon this hung a rich purple banner,[note 2] beset with gold trim and profuse embroidery. The inscription “Εν Τουτω Νικα” (In Hoc Signo Vinces) — “In this sign, conquer” was in all probability inscribed upon the actual standard, although Eusebius mentions that royal portraits of Constantine and his children were integrated.[note 3] St. Ambrose of Milan later wrote that the Labarum was consecrated by the Name of Christ.[1]

As a new focal point for Roman unity, the monogram appeared on coins, shields, and later public buildings and churches.[2] From 324 the Labarum with the “Chi-Rho” Christogram was the official standard of the Roman Empire. More information.