All For Love

As Jesus prepares for his passion, death, resurrection and ascension to his Father, he repeats in different ways his command to love one another.  "As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  Remain in my love."  (Jn 15: 9).  Today, the Church honors two men whose lives, mission and message illustrate that selfless, unconditional and universal love:  St. Peter Chanel and St. Louis de Montfort.  St. Louis remains a popular advocate of devotion to our Blessed Mother as his consecration to Mary spreads widely among Marial devotees.  Less popular is St. Peter Chanel, (except where the Marist Family has served.  His early desire to be a missionary, his patient obedience in awaiting the opportunity to fulfill his dream, and his martyrdom on the Island of Fotuna after four years of evangelizing, including learning their difficult language, give us a model for our Marist spirituality.  As we approach our 200th anniversary in 2017, the Marist Brothers are observing "The Year of Fourviere", for it was in the hilltop church of Our Lady of Fourviere, that overlooks the city of Lyon, that 12 young seminarians pledged before the statue of Our Lady, that they would begin a society of priests, brothers, sisters and laypeople dedicated to her (The Society of Mary). with the purpose of making her Son known and loved, particularly among the poor and neglected. So, we as the Marist Family claim St. Peter Chanel as "our saint" along with St. Marcellin Champagnat. His zeal, determination and patience serve as an inspiration to live out the command to love, no matter how far it takes us...even to the point of martyrdom.
Bro. Rene