HAPPY FEAST DAY TO ALL SALESIANS AND ALL THOSE WHO SUPPORT US!
Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis de Sales, he whose spirituality Don Bosco found so beautiful and fitting for his boys that he named his congregation after him--Salesians. What a wonderful day to recommit ourselves to that Christian joy that Christ calls us to, that St. Francis de Sales calls us to! Especially today being the day after the Pro-Life March in Washington, there is much to rejoice over--for the Lord has given us life! And He has given us this life that we might follow Him and have life abundantly, life to the fullest with Him for all of eternity!
How much do we desire eternity? Do we long for it? Do we taste of its sweetness in the Eucharist? Do we run to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and fall to our knees in amazement of His eternal and glorious Body?
Let us recommit ourselves this day to be fearless of everything and everyone but the Lord, that we might fully glorify Him with our lives.
How much joy are you spreading this Advent season? Let it be contagious! Let us not be afraid to let the life spread from within us onto those around us, for we are an Incarnational people! How beautiful it is that the joy we desire already lies within us...we need only take hold of it and let it come to full fruition in our lives and the lives of those around us. AMEN!
Today, Saturday, Mary's Day, may we look to Our Mother for Her beautiful example of love through Her own "YES." In our vocations, not only are we nothing if we do not give our own 'yes.' We are nothing without Mary. Let us cling to Her mantle today that She might pick us up and take us into Her arms that we might learn to be Her children.
Take a look at another seminarian video! Keep the joy!
Prayer is an open dialogue in which one engages themself in a conversation or communication with God. The vitality of this practice is of utmost importance of a person. Prayer is important because of the necessity that our soul has to be connected to God, who created us in His Image and Likeness (Gen. 1:27) The vitality of prayer rests with the soul. God calls out to us and our prayer is our response to Him. Prayer can be of many different natures.
There are prayers of adoration. In prayers of adoration or worship, we praise the greatness of God, and we acknowledge our dependence on him in all things. The Mass and the other liturgies of the Church are full of prayers of this sort, such as the Gloria (or Glory to God). Among private prayers, the Act of Faith is a prayer of adoration.
Then there are prayers of expiation. In prayers of expiation we ask God to pardon us. We willfully acknowledge our sinfulness and ask God for His mercy and forgiveness. Common Catholic prayers of this nature include the Confiteor, Agnus Dei and the Act of Contrition.
Another type of prayer is prayers of love. Prayers of love or charity are just expressions of our Love for God. The source and object of our love because He made us and we belong to Him. An expression of a Prayer of Love is an Act of Charity.
One type of prayer that is probably the most prayed type of prayer is prayers of Petition. In prayers of petition we are asking God for the things we need. For the most part we are asking him on the basis of our spiritual needs; we also ask for our physical needs though. We should keep in mind that it is important to keep our hearts and minds open to God’s will and acknowledging His will in our prayers. A good example of this prayer is the Our Father.
Probably the most neglected form of prayer is the prayer of Thanksgiving. We should take the time to make this prayer as often used as the prayer of petition. A good example of this prayer is the Grace Before Meals. This prayer is just as important because we must not neglect to thank God for all that we have been blessed with.
It is important to remember that the examples listed above are not the only prayers that coincide with these types of prayers. I think it is encourageable to not constrain ourselves just with these prayers but to open our minds, hearts and voices to God with what we come up with on our own. A real personable prayer from us to God is truly a great relationship building tool for us to Him.
Today, my most beloved brothers and sisters, our Mother Mary calls us to that authentic joy of Her Son.
I believe this wonderful gift given to us in the Christian life can be well compared to the following scene from Sister Act 2. We can go on with our lives living in mediocrity, singing without meaning or passion. We can try to go on living on our own strength, cowarding under our own fear of inadequacy. But that won't get us far.
In fact, all it will get us are a bunch of sideways faces--persons with funny looks upon their faces, for they know that each of us was made for more. Their mind tells them, "you know, there's just something missing in those guys." And the looks on their faces help remind us to live according to who and what we were made for. So, being guided by our peers and community, we are calmed and relaxed.
Then, at the right time, with great triumph, all of us sing in harmony. Our lives connect in a great exultation of praise to the Father. Heaven meets earth when that high note is hit, when we receive our Lord and Savior in the Holy Eucharist! And, thus, our hearts are filled with great joy! But we continue to lift each other up even after. We do not stop singing. Rather, we carry that voice--the voice of God--with us wherever we go. This is the Christian joy. This is the life we are called to. And what a joyful life it is!
May you be inspired to live a life of authenticity and overwhelming joy!
We would first like to thank all of you for coming out to our first Visitation of the year last night! It was a blast to praise the Lord with all of you. Also, a special thanks to Kevin Heider for his musical talents which God has given him. Beautiful things, beautiful things. Updates of videos and recordings from the night are sure to be put up soon. Keep checking back here to catch a look.
Many of the guys tonight are up in Stony Point, NY, being of service at the gathering of many Salesian cooperators from all over the nation. Because, as Salesians, our formation continues even after receiving the collar, we must always be of service especially to our cooperators. In this way, we can learn their zeal and gentle charity while, at the same time, learning how to better serve them. What a beautiful witness our cooperators are to us!
Others tonight remain here at the house to embrace the community which we have been called to. Enjoying each other's company and/or preparing for tomorrow's apostolates are on the schedule.
Tomorrow is the beautiful celebration of two birthdays in the community: Post-novice Brother Jared Anderson and Pre-novice Craig Spence. Beautiful things are in store, beautiful things.
A couple of us just came back from Self Place after having encountered many awe-inspiring teens from Don Bosco Cristo Rey radically in love with their Lord and Savior, i.e. Jesus Christ. Adoration, fellowship, and a few innocent scares here and there showed us seminarians the beauty of our work. To all you Cristo Rey-ians: thank for inspiring us in our vocations to become holy priests and brothers (God-willing) to bring the spirit of Don Bosco with joy to the young and the poor. God bless you. We will meet again soon!
Beautiful things, beautiful things. This is our life! Praise God always in all things! Good Night!
