Year IV, Number 54

As at other times, on this occasion, too, we turn our gaze to Mary, Mother of the Church and Star of the new evangelization. Let us call upon her with trust, so that in the Church there will be no lack of men and women who are ready to respond generously to the invitation of the Lord, who calls to a more direct service of the Gospel:

"Mary, humble servant of God Most High,

the Son to whom you gave birth has made you the servant of humanity.

Your life was a humble and generous service.

You were servant of the Word when the angel

announced to you the divine plan of salvation.

You were servant of the Son, giving him life

and remaining open to his mystery.

You were servant of Redemption,

standing courageously at the foot of the Cross,

close to the Suffering Servant and Lamb,

who was sacrificing himself for love of us.

You were servant of the Church on the day of Pentecost

and with your intercession you continue to generate her in every believer,

even in these our difficult and troubled times.

Let the young people of the third millennium look

to you, young daughter of Israel,

who have known the agitation of a young heart

when faced with the plan of the Eternal God.

Make them able to accept the invitation of your Son

to give their lives wholly for the glory of God.

Make them understand that to serve God satisfies the heart,

and that only in the service of God and of his kingdom

do we realize ourselves in accordance with the divine plan,

and life becomes a hymn of glory to the Most Holy Trinity.

Amen."

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I am 25 years old, and I'm thinking about becoming a priest. What I would like to know is: how do I tell if God is really calling me to become a priest or if he wants me to enter into the vocation of marriage? I do have a desire to be married, but as my faith grows, so does my desire to become a priest. I pray that God will tell me how he would like me to serve him and his people, but I haven't heard anything pointing me in one direction or another. What can I do to help me hear God's call?

- Gregory

A. Dear Gregory,

I don’t know what more you are looking for, or how you expect God to answer you. You have a desire for marriage. Good, that’s a relief - you’re normal. Then as you develop your life of faith, the desire for the priesthood grows, too. That is the way God usually works.

What should you do now? Continue to develop your life of faith through prayer and the sacraments. Continue to learn more about your faith by reading books that will help you. This will help your faith mature from feelings to convictions, truths that you can live by and to which you can turn to find your way. Then do something new: take a step. Talk about your thoughts to a priest you trust - he will ask you about yourself, your health, your faith journey, your past, and your answers will help him to give you advice. He will be able to tell pretty soon if you should not pursue the priesthood. Then, visit a seminary or check out a religious order you might have heard about and are interested in.

By doing this you will give God a chance to speak to you more clearly. He can't do much more unless you start cooperating with the grace that is already at work in your soul.

I’ll say a special prayer for you. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

Hi. I wrote to you earlier about to know when to stay put and when to move. As I was reading your response, I thought of a better question: when do you know when to move towards a vocation to the religious life and when it is better to stay where you are? I have been going to spiritual direction for a year and a half now. My spiritual director has told me that he doesn't think it is time for me to move on my vocation yet. At first, I was able to accept that, because I sort of knew that he was right. But for the past six months, this whole question of moving on my vocation has been coming up more and more. At first I think I was just being impatient. But now more and more my soul is telling me it is time. I am going to spiritual direction in a week, and I am going to tell him this. What do I do if he says that it’s still not time? Please help me if you can. But most of all, please just pray for me. Thank you.

- Jenn

A. Dear Jenn,

It all depends on why your spiritual director thinks you should wait. As a general rule, if there is something concrete and important that you still need to work on, it is better to wait. If you are not perfect, but everything is “normal”, then it is best to move - you can’t wait until you’re perfect before entering a convent.

What would be some examples of points that it might be advisable to work on before following your vocation? Well, if you are all fired up with thoughts of the vocation, but you are chronically irresponsible in your ordinary duties; if you still have some bad habit to overcome; if you have debts you have to pay off; if you are ill and need convalescence; if you have absolutely no control of your moods; if your prayer, vocation insight, spiritual life are based on emotions only... all of this, of course has to be taken in relation to your age. A college student thinking of religious life should meet different standards than a high-schooler.

So, if you feel uneasy about what your spiritual director is advising you, ask him. Remember, the role of a spiritual director is not “to tell you what to do, no questions allowed” but to help you understand what God is asking of you so that you can understand, accept and do it.

God bless.

- Fr Anthony

You probably all know more than one of those persons that we spontaneously call “good people.” There seems to be no malice about them; they cannot refuse a favor; they see and judge everything through good eyes; they generously share what they have; they are constructive and inspire optimism; they welcome everyone with a smile; and they always have time to listen. Exactly the opposite of those twisted, malicious, irascible, biting, sly individuals who seem born to exasperate everyone around them.

Some possess this good disposition naturally, as a result of their traits of character and temperament. Others acquire it through good upbringing when they were small. But others do not. For many, kindness is a slow and arduous conquest. It is the result of a daily ascetic effort to master oneself, to grow in humanity, and to become like Jesus Christ. This is how you conquer the virtue of charity. And it is the fundamental conquest that you must pursue as disciples of Christ.

Charity can find countless ways to express itself in your daily life at home, at school or at work. At home, for instance, being willing to help out in the little chores; being mutually understanding; avoiding heated discussions and controlling your temper, especially around your children or younger siblings, to ensure fully Christian conduct.

Gospel: Mk 1: 40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: “If you want to,” he said, ”you can cure me.” Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand forward and touched him. “Of course I want to!” he said. “Be cured!” And the leprosy left him at once, and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, “Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priests, evidence of your recovery.” The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around him would come to him.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that you want to cure me. Open my mind and my heart to hear and understand your healing words, and allow me and my weakness to be conquered by your grace.

Petition: Lord, if you want, you can cure me. Bring me to the total surrender of my egoism, and cleanse me of any impediment to your work in my life.

1. “If you want to you can cure me.”

Every conversion toward God, in effect, is an initiative placed in our souls by God Himself. Grace awakens in our souls the desire to see ourselves as God wants us to be. The psalmist best expresses this in the humble prayer we often say during lent, "Convert us O Lord, and we shall covert back to you." Conversion, therefore, is not a vain hope for the unreachable, but rather a steadfast confidence in Christ whom we know to be our guarantor.

2. “Of course I want to! Be cured!”

Perhaps this leper had prior recourse to many physicians, but in vain. It was only after coming to terms with himself that the leper realized his infirmity could only be cured by one person, Christ, whom he begs humbly. Christ knows our needs before we even ask, but Christ also wants us to freely ask for his gifts. How many times we struggle with sin eating away at us, as Christ stands at the door of our souls, knocking. If only we knew how earnestly he waits for us to come back, we would hurry to him and not procrastinate!

3. “Go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed [...].”

Sacramental confession is the door to life anew in grace. Christ's formula is not a difficult one. He doesn't demand extraordinary acts in reparation; but he does ask us to be docile. When Naamon, commander of the army of the King of Syria, protested against the simplicity of the act Elisha prescribed to cure him of his leprosy, his servant intervened: "...if the prophet commanded you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, 'Wash and be clean'?" Conversion is about making our will one with the will of God, and, in a very particular way we show this every time we accuse ourselves of our faults sacramentally before a priest, with a firm intention to sin no more and make due reparation for our shortcomings.

Dialogue: Lord, grant me a resolute will to leave behind any self-centeredness and to keep my eyes fixed upon the guarantor of my salvation. I come before you to ask you for your mercy. Instill in me the courage to see with eyes of faith the extraordinary graces prepared for me in the ordinary means of salvation through the sacraments.

Questionnaire:

Conversion is movement of my will towards God's will; what is there in my life that God is asking me to move away from?

2. Conversion is a decision between two wills. Where do I see myself gravitating: towards God's will or my own?

3. Do I trust in the strength of my own will or do I ask for grace to strengthen it? Am I docile to the grace that God gives me?

The Capuchins were established in Italy in the seventeenth century by Matteo da Bascio and two others who wished to live St. Francis' rule of absolute poverty more fully. Their name came from the capuche, or hood that they wore attached to their robes. In the United States the Capuchins were still relatively new, having been founded in Detroit in 1856. One of the U.S. founders was still serving as the Provincial.

On January 14th, 1897 Barney Casey took the Capuchin habit as a late novice and became Frater Francis Solanus Casey. His new name was taken from St. Francis Solano, a 17th century Capuchin and Spaniard who worked in South America as a missionary and knew so many dialects that people thought he had the gift of tongues. Frater Solanus had an affinity for the violin-playing Spaniard, being a fiddler himself.

Settled in, he lived the life Capuchins had followed for centuries. At 4:45 AM a brother acting as regulator would clap two boards together to signal that it was time to rise. They had fifteen minutes to prepare and head to first prayers. His cell was nine feet by twelve, and contained an iron bed with a corn husk mattress and pillow. The curtainless window shed light on his table and armless chair, and two clothing pegs served as his closet. As a novice he worked at taking care of the house and grounds, studying, and praying.

In July of 1898 it came time for his profession of first vows. His superiors were concerned about his studies and asked him to sign a statement on July 20th accepting that he might never be ordained a priest in the Capuchins and only remain a brother. He signed it without complaint, and on July 21st consecrated his life to God in the Capuchin order. He then headed for Milwaukee to start studying Philosophy and Theology under the watchful eye of Fr. Anthony Rottensteiner.

The lectures were in German. The studies were in Latin. His grades again suffered. Again he had to sign a statement about his possibility of remaining a brother forever before solemnizing his vows on July 5th, 1901. His holiness was evident, but his poor grades made his superiors continue to doubt about his suitability for priesthood. Fr. Anthony, known to be firm and demanding with his students, saw something special in Frater Solanus and fought for his admission to the subdiaconate, comparing him to St. John Vianney.

Frater Solanus decided to thank God for all his worries, and in late June he was admitted to the subdiaconate. His studies continued to suffer for the next few years, and Fr. Anthony went to his heavenly reward in 1903.

On July 24th, 1904 Frater Solanus became Father Solanus along with another Capuchin brother. He was ordained a sacerdotus simplex or "Mass priest," and didn't have faculties for hearing confessions or preaching doctrinal sermons. His family gathered with him in Appleton, Wisconsin to celebrate his First Mass on July 25th. His brother Maurice was inspired to try studying again for the priesthood.

His first "Obedience" (assignment) sent him to Sacred Heart Parish in Yonkers, NY on August 4th, 1904. It was his first time east of Detroit. Upon arrival he was summoned by Fr. Bonaventure, the Provincial. He soon learned what being a sacerdotus simplex meant; he was put in charge of the sacristy and the altar boys. It was a task normally assigned to a Capuchin brother.

Fr. Solanus accepted without complaint, training the altar boys and accompanying them on field trips and for ice cream. He often was seen crouched down behind the batter as catcher, still in habit and spectacles, and playing as always without a mask. The altar boys adored him except when it came time to acolyte for his Masses. His Latin was poor, and as a result his Masses were long and he struggled through them. His brother Maurice reentered a diocesan seminary, and his brother Edward planned to soon do the same.

In 1906 Fr. Bonaventure stepped down, scaling back his duties because of age, and the new superior made Fr. Solanus the friary porter, in charge of attending to visitors and phone calls. Little did he know that this would launch his unique ministry. Fr. Solanus's holy and unassuming life was bearing spiritual fruits as far back as 1901. In his spiritual journal he started noting "favors" and "blessings" received. His holiness and compassion attracted more and more visitors. He was a good listener. He prayed with the troubled and always encouraged them to show gratitude for all the blessings God had bestowed on them. In this sense he was an apostle of thanksgiving.

He would also enroll visitors in the Seraphic Mass Association (S.M.A.). The faithful would make donations and enroll in the S.M.A. to have Masses celebrated for specific prayer intentions. The donations surged at Sacred Heart Friary. Healings ensued. People reported help with pregnancy complications and chronic headaches among other things. Fr. Solanus also gave ferverino's, brief motivational talks.

In August of 1924 he was sent back to Detroit as an assistant porter. His workday was eighteen hours. And the miracles kept coming. In January 1925 Earl Eagen came to visit him with terminal stomach cancer and worries about leaving his wife and children unprovided for. Fr. Solanus encouraged him to perpetually enroll in the S.M.A. (Seraphic Mass Association) with the promise that they'd make a donation when they could afford it. Eight days later Earl had such a recovery that he didn't think he even needed to return to the doctors to confirm that the cancer was gone.

(To be continued in next week's edition)

Upcoming Events & Retreats

(( Listed here are retreats directed by the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi members. For a listing of diocesan activities and other events, click here to go to the vocation.com website ))

LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST

Folsom, LA, Feb 21-23, 2003, Young Men's Retreat. Ages 18-30. Contact Michele Kot at michelektkc@juno.com or (985) 652-1840

Milan, IN, Feb 28 - Mar 3, 2003, Young Men's Retreat: for high school students. Skiing after retreat (on Monday). Contact Tom Weisbrod at millennm@nalu.net or (812) 623 2224.

Cheshire, CT Mar 7-9, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Br Branigan Sherman at vocation@legionaries.org or (800) 420-5409. Price: none

Cornwall, ONT Mar 7-9, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Fr William Slattery at wslattery@legionaries.org or (613) 931-1920. Price: none

Houston, TX Mar 14-16, 2003, Young Men's Spiritual Exercises. Ages 16-30. Contact Donna Rueby at dmrueby@hotmail.com or (281) 361-3708

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

Chicago, Mar 4-6, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. High School/College Girls. Contact Rae Joyce Baguilet at raejoycebag@aol.com or (630) 759-2322.

Washington DC, Mar 4, 2003, Young Women's Lenten Retreat. Ages 17-30. Contact Lucy Honnor at lhonnor@inteducators.org or (301) 536-6031

Portland, OR, Mar 7-9, 2003, Spiritual Exercises. Ages 17-30. Contact Rebeca Barba at rbarba@inteducators.org or(206) 755-1121

Syracuse, NY, Mar 7-9, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Megan Fallon at mfallon@fallonlaw.com or (315) 727-6336.

Ottawa, Mar 9, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 17-30. Contact Lourdes Cano at lcano@inteducators.org or (401) 225-2314

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

Call Tony McDonnell for more information, (301) 365-3205. amacdonnell@arcol.org.

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