On this day in 1816, the newly ordained, 27-year-old Father Marcellin Champagnat walked into the rectory in the little mountain village of Lavalla to begin his first assignment. What was going on in his mind as he introduced himself to his pastor? What would he say to him, to the parishoners? What tasks did God have in store for him? Just looking at the run-down church, he might have guessed that the parish was not very active. How could he breathe life into it? And certainly, he had no inkling that five months later, he would lay the foundation stone for a congregation of teacing brothers that would be in 80 countries 195 year later.
Over the weekend I spoke of the Marist Missions at a parish suffering from the effects of an unpopular merger, and populated, it seemed, by a stalwart congregation of grandparents. There were some young parents and families, but the majority at the four Masses were senior citizens. Their faith was so strong it was almost tangible, and despite their own parish needs and the weak economy all suffer from, they were extremely generous to the plea for our Marist work throughout the world.
Last night we closed the XXXth Olympiad, where 17 days before hope-filled athletes entered the stadium, not knowing if or how they would accomplish their goals against what turned out to be very tight competition. Yet they plunged ahead, and with pain, and in some cases, tears, faced the odds, undaunted.
So it was with St. Marcellin, and with our pastors today: struggle, determination and great faith every inch of the way. They are, whether or not they know or admit it, spiritual giants in a life-long Olympiad. As the athletes do for us, may these giants inspire us to face the odds in our own lives with faith and courage.
Bro. Rene
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment