Into The Deep

Our Father

2010-03-15T05:00:00.010-04:00

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Please pray for the repose of the soul of Brother Nigel's mother

who entered eternal life on March 11, 2010

Mrs. Barbara Pratt

May she rest in peace

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Our Father....

I have posted below a beautiful reflection from Pope Benedict on yesterday's Gospel:

"An invitation to meditate on the parable of the "prodigal son", in which we are reflected in "the two children and especially, in which we contemplate the heart of the Father. Let us cast ourselves into his arms and be regenerated by his merciful love.

This chapter of St. Luke, represents a spiritual and literary high point of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art, and more generally our civilization be without this revelation of God the Father, full of mercy? It never ceases to move us, and every time I hear it or read it, it always suggests new meanings. Above all, this Gospel text has the power to speak of God, let us know his face, better yet, his heart. After Jesus told us of the Father's merciful love, things have changed forever, now we know God, He is our Father who created us free to love and gifted us a consciousness that suffers if we get lost and that celebrates if we return. For this, the relationship with God is built through a story, similar to what happens to every child with their parents: at the beginning he depends on them, then he claims his own autonomy, and finally - if there is a positive development - he comes to a mature relationship based on genuine gratitude and love.

Fortunately, God never fails in his loyalty, and even if we move away and get lost, he continues to follow us with his love, forgive our mistakes and speak to our inner consciousness, to call us back to him. In the parable, the two children behave in an opposite way: the younger son leaves and increasingly falls lower and lower, while the older son remains at home, but he also has an immature relationship with the Father, because, when his brother returns, the older son is not happy as the Father is, indeed, he grows angry and refuses to return home. The two sons represent two immature ways of relating with God: rebellion and hypocrisy. Both of these methods are overcome through the experience of mercy. Only by experiencing forgiveness, recognizing ourselves as loved with a free love, greater than our misery, but also of our justice, will we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God."

Catholic Youth - Way Cool!

2010-03-14T05:00:00.004-04:00

Yearly one of our students attended Catholic Familyland and shared stories on her return.
Grace Moran is among the many featured on this video. Enjoy!

Perfection

2010-03-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

So many of us have failed. And it is in failing, that we succeed. It is in our failing that we learn.

We always try to improve ourselves, but internal improvement is the source that will make one beautiful.

We have been made in the image and likeness of God - Think about that statement, what do you think it means in respect to God? To us?

What does perfection, at least God's eyes, look like?

Lenten Plan III

2010-03-12T05:00:00.009-05:00

Well, we are racing through Lent and almost half way towards Easter.

So, how's your Lent been so far? Have you been faithful to exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving?

Or did you have a good start and just fizzled out?

The "devil in the desert" would like nothing more than for you to give up on Lent. Well, to hell with the devil!

Life is about second chances. Start Lent right now! No, don't say it is not worth it! Find 10 minutes a day to sit still and remember that God is present... that's called prayer.

Choose some form of comfort (food or Southern?)whose absence for 40 days will create an empty space the Spirit might rush to fill...that's called fasting.

Reach out to the poor on your own or through your a Lenten Program...that's called almsgiving.

Find some way to remind yourself daily that you are living in the season of Lent. Sometimes it is as simple as a post-it on your bathroom mirror with the word LENT on it, It doesn't have to be fancy, just keep it simple. In some way, remember to pray, fast and reach out to the poor everyday.

Lent is a spiritual spring time wherever you live and it is not too late to plant the seeds of Lent in your life.

Pray It Forward

2010-03-11T05:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, Lord!

2010-03-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes Lent can become such a negative experience. We can place so much emphasis on what we are going to give up for lent. And then when temptations arise we "just say no." But when we say "no" to ourselves, are we saying "yes" to God?

Henri Nouwen once wrote:

God not only says: "You are my Beloved." God also asks: "Do you love me?" and offers us countless chances to say "Yes." That is the spiritual life: the chance to say "Yes" to our inner truth... And at every point of the journey there is the choice to say "Yes" and the choice to say "No."

There are countless areas of our lives when we can say "yes" to God. And when we are trying to discern God's will in our lives we say "yes" to God as well. But how many times during our day are we conscious of saying "yes" to God?

In 1962, the same question was asked, but probably in a different beat...

Humiliations

2010-03-09T05:00:00.002-05:00

"You cannot learn humility from books; you learn it by accepting humiliations.

Humiliations are not meant to torture us; they are gifts from God.

These little humiliations -- if we accept them with joy -- will help us to be holy, to have a meek and humble heart like Jesus."

Mother Teresa

iConfess

2010-03-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Quiet Call

2010-03-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

I am sure that today's blog will in some way pull at your heart. Lent sort of does that to all of us. It is an attempt to put ourselves back together and we cannot do it alone:

"I’ve never gotten anything from confession with a priest that came close to what I’ve gotten from God. I guess I will never understand desiring all these intermediaries, these layers, these mortal substitutes for the real thing. Once you've tasted the real thing, you don't want anything else—you can't want anything else. Nothing less than God will do.

So there’s the question: Why do we need intermediaries?

Because in the end we can’t help ourselves. Think about it. This is even what you say sometimes to the priest (or to yourself) when he asks, “Why do you keep falling into this sin? Why do you keep making this mistake?” Because, Father, I can’t help myself.

Turning our hearts around, the real meaning of repentance, is a big big job. Every year, the Church gives us a whole 46-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter to call us back to repentance. That’s a long time, with many prayers and sacraments, including confession, hopefully. We need all the help we can get, seems to be the message.

Why do we need intermediaries?

Because here it is Lent again, and the same job of repentance is staring me in the face. Bless me, Father, for I too have sinned."

The Power of Confession

2010-03-06T05:00:00.003-05:00

Here is another blog entry from the same student on the topic of Confession:

"Confession is a very powerful and sometimes misunderstood sacrament. Many people find it difficult to confess their sins cause they would have to admit they have done something wrong and tell another person about it. This fear is natural because, well, we are human. We don't like to admit we have messed up once or twice. However to admit we have failed allows us to draw closer to Christ when we acknowledge "yes we are sinners and need to be saved." That was the whole purpose of Christ coming to earth, to free us from sin.

Now back to confession. I know there is a lot of fear when this comes up. Like I said before it is hard to admit we are wrong. Also, can we remember all our sins. Then the really big part, are we truly sorry. Are we truly sorry, and will we do our best not to sin or at least perform that sin again?

Its seems sometimes there is no reason to go to confession. The media and others can make it seem like a big joke. I have seen several times on television a scene where someone enters the confessional and makes a big joke out of it. Reconciliation is a great gift of God's Mercy. Other people say, "I don't believe if a person just says 'o I am sorry' and puff they are forgiven." True confession is not just words, but sorrow for those sins, making a decision to not sin again, and finally doing you penance.

I personally feel confession is a healthy thing to do. Whenever I am going through a rough time or just feel like somethings wrong one of the things I do is go to confession. Now don't worry I am not using confession as a sort of cure all just to talk to someone, sin really can make you feel terrible. I know ever time I have gone to Confession, it is as though my eyes have been opened to see the world differently. Everything seems right, even for just that small moment.

So take the time and go to confession. If it has been a while that's ok. There is always a chance to change and to be forgiven. Experience the Mercy of God, through this wonderful Sacrament.

John 1: 29

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

To Whom Shall We Go?

2010-03-05T05:00:00.003-05:00

A student of mine sent me something Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote entitled, "To Whom Shall We Go?"

“Lent is the forty days of preparation for Holy Week and Easter.

Why do we have it ? To accept in a more intense way the invitation of Jesus to be more closely united with Him on the cross, thereby dying with Him to sin, selfishness, Satan, and eternal death, so to rise with Him on Easter Sunday to a more radiant life of grace, mercy, and spiritual rebirth.

How do we do it ? Through the three ancient Lenten practices: prayer, sacrifice, and charity.

A newsman asked me if I have any practical counsel for Lent.
“Yes,” I replied. “Get back to confession.”

This sacrament of penance is most associated with this season of Lent.
There is no better time to approach this sacrament of reconciliation than before Easter.
Last week I made my annual retreat with thirty-five other priests from the archdiocese in Ars, a tiny village in southwestern France.That village had a legendary pastor, or curé — the Curé of Ars – by the name of John Vianney for forty-one years. While there, he converted the town, and, a case can be made, all of France, simply by hearing confessions. By the time of his death in 1859, they had built a new train station to handle the thousands who came weekly to approach the confessional of the humble, holy pastor now venerated as the patron saint of priests.

We priests knelt before that simple wooden confessional a lot last week, preparing for our own confession on retreat, and praying, at my request, for a renewal of the sacrament of penance in our own parishes and archdiocese.

A good friend of mine is pastor of a bustling, prestigious parish in a large city. He loves it, and they, him. A couple of years ago he shocked them one Sunday when, in his sermon he announced that, as much as he enjoyed being their pastor, he had asked the archbishop for a transfer. When the congregation gasped, he explained:

‘Well, I don’t think you need me. See, you must all be saints. I was sent to serve sinners. But, apparently there are none here in this parish, because I sit in the confessional with no customers!”

We’re called to be saints, but we’re sure not there yet. And a great help to get there is the sacrament of penance.

And Lent is a grand time to return to it!
A blessed Lent !

A forty-day battle

2010-03-04T05:00:00.007-05:00

We all know the desert is a lonely and forsaken place. And the devil chooses the wilderness to come against us, just as he chose to confront Jesus. Things you thought were destroyed come back to attack again. The battle intensifies, often at night when defenses are down and weariness sets in. Yet the wilderness is also the place of spiritual discovery. During Lent we are in the midst of a forty-day battle.

The devil is never to be underestimated, nor given an inch. We need to fight all the more when his attacks come. No matter how tired,immediately counterattack with the Name and power of Jesus Christ, who spent forty days in the wilderness and emerged triumphant. Take no prisoners. The devil plays for keeps. We should, too. Our souls are depending upon it.

Last evenving we hosted over twenty-five high school young men interested in exploring the Marianist way of life. Operation Fiat was held at the Chaminade-Mineola Marianist Community. Evening Prayer began the night followed by dinner and dessert in the Comunity dining room. Brother Kenneth gave a presentation that described the development of his vocation. From the early days of St. Joseph grammar school he mapped out the signs of a religious vocation. "A vocation is all about relationship." And he responded with a "Yes!"

Pray that the grace of a religious vocation may continue to grow in the hearts and minds of those young men last evening.

Lenten thought

2010-03-03T05:00:00.002-05:00

We distribute the little black book (lenten reflection booklet) to our students every lent. As part of our prayer practice we encourage its use during the forty days of lent.The Scripture verse the other day in my little black book was taken from Mark 14:3 and it is about the Bethany woman who anoints the head of Jesus with expensive oil.

So how would you have felt to anoint the head of Jesus?

Probably you would be like me and would have been really nervous, anointing the head of my Savior.

But maybe the woman didn't know exactly who Jesus was... or did she? She came to him, freely giving a gift that was costly.

Are we willing to bring your treasure to the Lord?

Love = Lent

2010-03-02T05:00:00.003-05:00

For me, Lent seems to be the time of the year when I best become “spiritually cleansed.” This is for a lot of reasons, but mostly due to the atmosphere created in the Catholic Church during this time of year. What is most incredible and so dynamic about Lent is what the Church calls us to focus on: the sacrament of confession, fasting/abstaining, and the Crucifixion. But why all of a sudden must we focus on these specific things? Shouldn’t we be focusing on these aspects throughout the year?

The reason is Love.

There is no greater love than that which God has given us, the redemption of mankind through the sacrificing of His only Son. The Church is calling us to take a closer look at this love. I was trying to figure this seemingly theological “love” thing out recently, especially the love that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s tough to feel the love. We are told it’s there, but I can’t always get it, ya know?

I was listening to some tunes on my iPod recently and an old favorite of mine came on by surfer/songwriter Jack Johnson. And this is what he has to say:

“Love is the answer for at least most of the questions in my heart, like why are we here? Where do we go? And how come this is so hard? It’s not always easy but sometimes life can be deceiving, I’ll tell you one thing it’s always better when we’re together.”

Connect these lyrics with the Lenten message of the Love of Christ in His sufferings, and we can sort of understand the meaning of love, and even the idea of suffering as well. Through every cross, little or big, we are united in Christ’s sufferings. Also during Lent, we are reminded that Christ did not carry His cross by himself. What ever is going on in our lives during this Lenten season know one thing- God loves us and is right next to us, helping us out with that cross of ours.

So focus on your loved ones, and remember that God is with us. As Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Romans “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Today's blog is written by one of our Marianist high school students

Find Joy

2010-03-01T05:00:00.006-05:00

Every Monday we host Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at each of our high schools. Adoration continues until 5:30 p.m. Truth be told, one of my students told me that he had never been good at adoration. Either his mind wanders aimlessly... or he falls asleep. Not a bad place to sleep in the presence of the Lord.

This past year he came with twenty other high school students to a conference in the midwest. And this time he begged God to speak to him in that setting. 250 young men worshipping Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament. He told me he asked Jesus to show him true happiness.

"Please," I begged. "Please, please, please... And Christ spoke to me. And His words were few, but powerful.

"Find joy in me."

"Of course!" I thought. But I kind of knew that. He is the source of all joy. For what seemed like 15 minutes, all I could hear in my head were those four words. Find joy in me. Find joy in me. Find joy in me.

But as I continued to think... and soon became destracted... the phrase (or at least the emphasis) changed. Soon it was: "Find joy in ME." At each distraction, I was "snapped" back to Christ saying, "Find joy in Me." Not in other people. Not in your friends or your family. Over here! Find joy in ME! Not over there. Find joy in ME.

There it was, a true prayer. One that brings focus back to God and not on the distractions of the world. One that holds your gaze, your attention and your spirit.

Finally! I had "found" something in adoration. My attendance at Mass was the most amazing I have EVER attended. I heard speakers who pierced my soul. I talked with people who LOVED God.

I know that our God is an awesome God, and that He has WONDERFUL things in store for those who love Him.

But I know where the source of joy is... was... and always will be.

It is my Lord who strengthens me. "Find joy in me." Thank you, Jesus.

Did you get the fasting email?

2010-02-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm Giving up Chocolate this Lent

2010-02-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

“What are you doing for Lent?” is a common question among Catholics. Since Ash Wednesday is so, like yesterday, maybe we should be praying and growing into a deeper relationship with Christ as we prepare for Easter.

Instead of reverting back to the grade-school “I’m going to give up soda for Lent”? Here are some ideas we have of ways to sacrifice, strengthen your relationship with Christ and foster a better prayer life.

1) Pray more – take your prayer more seriously. Set aside the prayer before school and prayer before class and pray. Go to Midday prayer in the Chapel everyday and pray. Really PRAY.

2) Go to Adoration weekly – on Mondays our chapels are set aside specifically for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Just find the time, even for 10 minutes at a time, to go and spend the time with Jesus in this way.

3) Create a good habit – instead of giving something up, try inserting something good into your life this Lent. Are you a pessimist? Try to be more positive. Do you criticize your teachers, parents, siblings, friends a lot? Make an effort to be more encouraging.

4) Pray the Rosary daily – Praying the Rosary daily is a wonderful way to meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life and to learn more about Mary and how to emulate her piety, humble ways, trust, prayerful life, patience and charity.

5) Go to daily Mass – ok, we know that going to Mass daily is a big sacrifice but it can certainly be done and it is a beautiful way to show God how much you love Him. One of schools has Mass at 7:20 each day. Go first thing in the morning before you start your day.

6) Volunteer – make time to volunteer once a week or at least a few times during Lent. Join Emmaus, CROSS, go to St. Martin's, the INN or just offer somebody help and give of your time.

7) Fast – besides fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, choose one or two days a week to fast and choose a method that works for you (fasting till noon every day or on certain days, fasting from certain things like sweets). You will constantly be reminded in a physical way to pray.

9) Give up something that you like – truly give up something that you really like, for example a certain drink/food, coffee, television, a website that you waste lots of time on (not this one though!), etc.

10) Go to Confession – the sacrament of Confession gives us so much grace to help avoid temptation and sin and live the lives that Christ wants us to live. Make it a priority to go to Confession 3 times during Lent.

11) Forgive – is there a person in your life you have been having trouble forgiving? Don’t hold that resentment any longer. Pray about it and ask God to help you forgive. You’ll be amazed at the burden that will be lifted from you.

Still in need of some ideas for Lent?

Witness Awakens Vocations

2010-02-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

"Witness Awakens Vocations” is the title of the Pope’s message for the 47th World Day of Prayer for Vocations that will be celebrated on 25 April – Good Shepherd Sunday – the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

… “The fruitfulness of our efforts to promote vocations depends primarily on God’s free action, yet, as pastoral experience confirms, it is also helped by the quality and depth of the personal and communal witness of those who have already answered the Lord’s call to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life, for their witness is then able to awaken in others a desire to respond generously to Christ’s call.”

… “Every priest, every consecrated person, faithful to his or her vocation, radiates the joy of serving Christ and draws all Christians to respond to the universal call to holiness. Consequently, in order to foster vocations to the ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life, and to be more effective in promoting the discernment of vocations, we cannot do without the example of those who have already said “yes” to God and to his plan for the life of each individual. Personal witness, in the form of concrete existential choices, will encourage young people for their part to make demanding decisions affecting their future.”

Lenten Plan II

2010-02-25T05:00:00.020-05:00

I came across this practical suggestion for lent:

"The problem is: surface. I can recite the Rosary daily (and do) , I can read Scripture daily (and do) and got to Mass on Holy Days (and do) and go to Adoration weekly (and do), fast and abstain as required during Lent, but if I’m not working on my interior disposition the results of the exercises are limited.Sure, it’s better than nothing, but I’m aware of my shortcomings. The period of preparation for Lent gave me a greater awareness then suddenly waking up today and realizing it’s Ash Wednesday!

My plan is to work on my interior charity; really, the lack thereof. I’m constantly fighting the temptation (well, lets be honest, it’s not a heated battle) to mutter about others, judge people, worry about what other people are, or are not, doing. The minute I find myelf falling into my continual temptation to prove to myself what little charity I really have, I’m going to do one of the following: send up a prayer, seek forgiveness in the Confessional or punish myself by some type of personal deprivation. "

This could be the most challenging Lent ever. So, how is your lenten plan going?
Giving up anything for Lent?
Doing anything positive for lent?

I was made for this

2010-02-24T05:00:00.003-05:00

Here is a great video created by students at Franciscan University of Steubenville during this year’s March for Life:

PRAY for VOCATIONS!

Last evening, under the auspices of the Director of Vocations, Bishop Murphy hosted an Operation Andrew at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston. The evening began with the celebration of Mass at the Cathedral Seminary Residence Chapel. Mass was followed by dinner and dialogue.

Brother Stephen Michael gave the introductory talk and explained his vocational call to the Marianists. "The life of a Marianist Brother is characterized by being and doing together," said Brother Stephen. "We live together, pray together, eat together, work together, our life is one of Community."

He concluded his remarks with "My life as a Marianist is what I was made for!" and the joy he shared with his vocation story said the same.

A Leap of faith

2010-02-23T05:00:00.007-05:00

Yahoo sports has a STORY about Sr. Catherine of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, formerly olympic speedskater Kirstin Holum, and her journey from the life of a world-class athlete to religious life.

She says, “Speedskating was such a huge part of my life,” Holum said in a telephone interview with Yahoo! Sports. “I still loved the sport, but I had this incredibly strong calling that it was time to move on and take a different path in life.”

“It is funny now to think of how different my life is now,” she said. ...and now I am blessed to able to serve God and help those less fortunate.”

Do you think God may be calling you to serve in the Church?

Lenten reflections

2010-02-22T05:00:00.003-05:00

All of our schools return to school today. This is the last great push before the end of the trimester.Today begins the last weeks of classes, and being a procrastinator, we have much, much work to do. We have papers to finish, exams to prepare for, readings and studying to complete. If you are similar to many of us, we often find ourselves complaining and thinking that this must be what hell is like. Now, I know hell is certainly much worse than trimester tests, but that thought reminded me of this little explanation of Hell by Fr. Robert Barron. Enjoy...

Eucharistic Adoration

2010-02-21T05:28:00.004-05:00

In an article entitled, Looking at the World through Eyes That Adore the Blessed Sacrament, by Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, OP, the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, there is a paragraph which I think is quite beautiful and worth sharing. He says:

What an amazing reality! Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, gazes at us when we come before Him in adoration! Who in their right mind would not want to be in the gaze of God?

During Eucharistic adoration, it is not only we who behold Christ, but it is also He who beholds us. When we adore the Blessed Sacrament, we are not just gazing at a beautiful but inert object. The conteplative mode of prayer that we learn during adoration presupposes that Christ returns our gaze.

To find myself in the gaze of the Son of God is very worth it.

So if you live near a parish that has Adoration, go.
On Mondays our high schools all have adoration in their chapels for extended times.
Allow yourself the opportunity to sit in the presence of Jesus and receive the love He desires to pour out into your heart. Try it....you will like it!

SOUL WOW!

2010-02-20T05:25:00.001-05:00

We all know the annoying ShamWow commercial.
This one is fun.

Lenten Plan I

2010-02-19T05:00:00.006-05:00

Conversion, Repentance, Fasting, Abstaining, Prayer, and Alms Giving... There is a lot to do in just 40 days.

But don't get lost in the "Lenten Lingo", in the end it is all about growing closer and becoming more like Christ!

So wondering where to start, why not join us at two events:

Operation Andrew - Tuesday, February 23

Sponsored by the Diocese of Rockville Centre Vocation Office
Cathedral Seminary - Douglaston, NY
Mass starts at 5:15 pm and the evening concludes at 9:00 pm.

Operation Fiat - Wednesday, March 3

Join the Marianist Brothers and Priests for Prayer and Dinner
Chaminade High School

Want a few more ideas begin with these five - Heart, Soul, Strength, Mind, and Neighbor.