Abbey Youth Festival

The Abbey Youth Festival at St. Joseph Seminary, St. Benedict , LA (North Shore of New Orleans) gathered 4,500 youth participants on March 22, 2014.  The theme, “Made For Greatness” echoed St. Paul’s words to the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (4:13).  The day consisted of keynotes, concerts, reconciliation and mass.  During the homily, Bishop Gregory Aymond spoke about how the secrets of the Samaritan woman impinged her relationship with Jesus.  After uncovering her secrets with the help of Jesus, she was able to bring the Good News to other villagers.  The leaving  behind her bucket at the well indicated how she reoriented her life to Christ, thirsting for him alone.  Youth participants were encouraged to bring their secrets to Jesus, to leave their buckets behind, and to live for Jesus. 

Before giving the final blessing, Bishop Aymond asked youth who had considered a vocation to religious life or the priesthood to stand with him at the stage.  Several hundred youth joined him, an inspirational moment for all to behold, the Spirit moving young people toward greatness.      

St. Joseph, Mentor of Life Skills and Humility

I was in college when a couple called at 5 am and announced “it’s a boy”.  For sure, their firstborn marked the happiest moment of their lives.

An angel revealed to Joseph “it’s a boy” but having been conceived in Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Through this revelation Joseph would begin to embrace the special role that God gave him as foster father of the Savior.  In James Martin’s book, Life with the Saints, there is captured the humble character of Joseph as he grows into this role.

Joseph had a major role in Jesus’ formation by mentoring Jesus in carpentry.  In Joseph’s workshop, Jesus would learn vital life skills: how to age wood, how to make a plumb line, and how to drill a hole for a plank.  Moreover, Joseph would have passed on to Jesus a comprehensive set of life skills, especially the virtue of patience, since wood always needed time to age.  Later this may have been helpful for Jesus to patiently deal with a motley group of disciples.

Joseph would have also accompanied Jesus in his religious faith, introducing him to the cast of characters in the scriptures, teaching him Hebrew prayers, preparing him for the bar mitzvah, and taking him to hear from the rabbis.  Jesus’ very understanding of God as Father may have been significantly shaped by Joseph. 

Yet, when Jesus begins his public ministry, tradition would have it that Joseph had already died.  In the Church, Joseph is known as the patron of a “happy death.”  Richard Rohr once said, “how could it not have been happy?”  Joseph listened to the dream that God revealed to him and he humbly carried out the role of foster father.  Joseph was briefly mentioned in the gospel, but his life is marked by real humility.  This kind of life should be attractive to the believer because it moves us beyond selfishness to humility.  Joseph, humble and  righteous servant, pray for us,  so that our hidden acts of service may draw people to follow Jesus.  

Lenten Intentionality: Taking a Long Loving Look at our Relationships

Lent has the character of giving up something so that we can be more in touch with the relational quality of Jesus’ saving action on the cross.   Jesus intentionally gave his very life for us to free us from our sinfulness so that we could live life abundantly. 

Lent is a time to take a long loving look at our relationships by being more intentional about them.  Getting together with friends and acquaintances brings us to take interest and notice of one another.  Yet being intentional in the spiritual journey can bridge us to something more.  While it might be a surprise to ask a friend how their spiritual life is, that element of surprise can take the relationship to a new horizon of faith.

 This defines  Jesus’ way of entering into relationship with people, he took them where they were at in life and then he got them to go deeper.  Lent is a time for us to meet each other where we are at in life, but then intentionally to draw from these encounters so that we can see the deeper meaning behind the everyday of life.  

Salesian International Gathering (General Chapter 27)

Every six years Salesians gather from five continents in a “General Chapter” to draw up a document that becomes a navigation chart for Salesians to follow the world over.  In addition, the assembly elects a head (rector major) who will serve the congregation as successor of Don Bosco.

In the 27th General Chapter, which began on February 22, the logo expresses: 1) young people surrounding Don Bosco, one young person representing each continent; 2) Don Bosco pointing to a book which represents the gospel text and the Salesian constitutions; and 3) colors which represent virtues, red for work and orange for temperance.  Moreover, the theme of “work and temperance” is the means through which Salesians witness the radical message of the gospel to the youth.  Work signifies a creative venture, the initiative taken to be sent out into the world fueled by the gospel message.  On the other hand, temperance signifies a virtue of inner sorts, self control, which is the hinge of tangible virtues such as humility, meekness, and modesty. 

220 Salesians representing the Salesian congregation at the General Chapter began the experience by making a pilgrimage to Turin, Italy, the epicenter of Don Bosco’s charismatic identity.  John Bosco’s life reflects an ongoing pilgrimage.  At two, his father died and John would need to learn how to mediate a father’s presence to the young.  Perhaps he modeled paternity by looking to the God of Abraham.  Just as God made Abraham the” father of faith,” the multifaceted experiences in John’s life would shape him as father, teacher, and friend of youth.  Further, a prophetic dream at nine intensified the way John related with Jesus and Mary, and characterized how John would approach and encounter young people with affirmation.

Being at Home with Receiving and Giving

Somewhere I heard that discipleship is based on being at home with receiving and giving.  The document, “Vocation As A Business Leader,” published by The Pontifical Council (March 2012), expresses the meaning of living out one’s vocation.  In the first place, we must receive what God has done for us since we have been created by God.  This requires that we take the Sabbath for what it is, as something received and can only be appreciated when we detach ourselves from work.  In the second place, we are to give in a way that responds with what we have received.  David Schinder synthesizes this receiving –to-giving dynamic by stressing, “when we see ourselves as being created, as being gifted life, this receiving enables us to see our doing and having… as ways of giving which which they are meant to be.”  Moreover, the essence of our vocation is not about achievement, rather, to draw from what we have received.  

John Henry Newman aptly defines the essence of vocation:

“God created me to do Him some definite service…by committing some work to me which He   has not committed to another.  I have my mission, I never may know it fully in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.  Somehow, I am necessary to His purposes…I am a link, a bond of connection between persons. He had not create me for naught.”