Do You Believe?

So as many of you heard we had a little scare today...actually a big scare.  Sunday, my dad was having spells where he would be dizzy, light headed and short of breath.  Though he knew something wasn't right, things would get back to normal soon enough so he didn't think much of it.  He went to bed Sunday, only to wake up around midnight not feeling well.  He woke my mom and told her something wasn't right.  She asked him if he wanted to call my sister-in-law who is a nurse and he said, "I think you better call 911."  She did and they were off to the hospital.  When they arrived, they hooked him up to a heart monitor and realized that his heart rate was dropping drastically, then jumping much higher than normal.  It dropped 3 times and then he flat-lined.  My sister says it was like a movie, they all came in and started working on him to get his heart going again.

This all happened before I returned from school.  When I got back to the house from class, I checked my email and saw that my sister had called.  Not realizing that it was still pretty early there, I called her thinking that maybe I would have another niece or nephew in 9 months (no pressure I promise!).  The news was shocking to say the least.

They were able to bring him back, thank God.  Hearing this news and being 16+ hours away from home makes one feel rather helpless.  However, as soon as I began to feel that way, it was as if God looked over at me with wondering eyes, as if to let me know I had forgotten something.  "Really, you can't do anything?"  I am in Rome, 16+ hours away from home because I am studying to be a Catholic priest, yet I think I can't do anything.  Alright I said, I get the point.

You see the past few days in the daily Mass readings there has been all of this talk about faith and how important it is for us to believe.  In his audience last Wednesday, Pope Benedict spoke about how the early Church combated persecution and other problems with prayer.  I realized that I could do just as much here as I could have done back home.  Sure it would have been nice to be there for my mom, but I could do a great deal from here.  I could PRAY!  And I did.  I prayed a rosary, asking our Blessed Mother to watch over him and the doctors who were operating on him.  I prayed for my mom and my family back home.  I put a prayer intention on the board here where 250 + seminarians, priests, and bishops would walk by and upon seeing it would offer prayers for my dad.  It was as if I was being confronted with the Scriptures and my faith was being put to the test.  It is great to pray and have faith when things are good, but do we turn to it when we are in trials?  This is where "the rubber meets the road."  Do I truly trust that God will protect me and my loved ones.  Do I believe in the power of prayer?  Does God hear me, does he care?  As I thought of these questions, I am glad to say that they were all answered with a resounding YES!  I DO believe; God DOES care; He DOES listen when I cry out to Him!

Thankfully, at the end of the day, my dad had a pacemaker put in and is in his room doing well and recovering.  He should go home tomorrow as there was no blockage, just "electrical problems," which the pacemaker should solve.

Thank you God for giving my dad the sense to go to the hospital.  Had he not been in the ER when he flat-lined, this blog might be very different.  Thank you for using even this horrible situation to teach me something about myself, but more importantly to teach me something about You.  Thank You for showing me how much You love me, how much You love all of us.  Thank you for giving me the grace to believe!

I was already anxious to see my family, but now, I think those hugs will last just a bit longer as I realize even more how precious each of them is to me.  45 days and counting!

In Our Risen Lord,
Patrick

Holy Saturday with Our Lady

I was not able to squeeze in watching "The Passion of the Christ" on Good Friday, which was unfortunate as I had wanted to watch it.  However, I was able to get a copy of it and watch it in the wee hours of this morning (Holy Saturday).  What a great blessing it was and offered me some really great points for reflection.  Particularly moving for me where the scenes with our Blessed Mother and I would like to share some of them with you.

First of all, I was moved to celebrate Holy Saturday with Our Lady as she has been a wonderful guide for me during seminary, and especially since coming to Rome.  One particularly moving thing which was pointed out to me in my Mariology course is the idea that Mary went through the first Holy Saturday without the knowledge of the Resurrection to come on Easter Sunday.  Mary, seeing her son and her Savior die a humiliating and painful death on the Cross ("anyone who is hanged is a curse of God" - Deuteronomy 21:23) had no human reason to continue hoping in the promises of God.  Her hope is the model for how we should trust in God, even when we have no reason (humanly speaking) to do so.  Imagine the loneliness she must have felt not knowing what would happen.

With this in mind, I watched "The Passion".  Seeing how Mary was portrayed as the strong one through it all made me even more excited/comforted/passionate about turning to her for prayers and example in all aspects of my life.  One of the scenes which really caught my attention was when Jesus was carrying the Cross.  Mary wanted to get close to him and looking at St. John she said "take me to him".  How fitting that our Blessed Mother should say this.  She was always close to Jesus, both physically, as any mother is close to her child (flesh of her flesh) and spiritually.  At the moment when all but one of the Apostles abandoned him, it was his mother who stood by him till the end.  During his suffering she said "take me to him" and because of this we in turn say the same thing to her when we are suffering.  Mother Mary, take us to him!

Related to this, is the scene when Jesus is carrying his Cross (I believe) with Mary on one side of the crowd walking with him and the Devil is portrayed mirroring her on the other side of the crowd.  This scene reminded me of some of what I read in St. Louis de Montfort's book "True Devotion to Mary," especially how powerful Our Lady is against Satan.  The lowly servant of the Lord is feared by Satan.  She wants to protect us from his evil snares both in intense manifestations of evil and in the smaller temptations which we encounter daily.  All temptations to sin and turn away from God are the works of the evil one.  In all times of temptation, we should turn to Our Blessed Mother asking for her prayers and following her example of purity and holiness.

The finals scene I would like to recall serves as a sort of "how to".  How do we follow our Blessed Mother's example?  The scene is when Jesus has been arrested and is awaiting his death.  He is in a cell underneath a courtyard which is now empty.  Mary, walking into the courtyard senses that he is near.  She walks around and eventually ends up right above where he is in chains.  When she stops there, she puts her cheek to the ground and in both her face and in Jesus' there is an expression that both know the other is near.  Mary was so united to Jesus, so united to God that she was able to know that he was near when she could not see him.  We too, must be so familiar with God that we know that he is always near, especially in those times when we do not "see" him or "feel" his presence.  We are bound to go through stages of spiritual dryness, but following our Blessed Mother, we will not lose hope in these times and we will come to see them as chances for growth and times where we must have true faith.  It is only possible for us to make it through these times of darkness if we spend time getting to know and coming to love our Lord ever more through prayer.  This is the crux of Pope Benedict's constant call for all people to have a personal experience of and relationship with Jesus Christ.

In these last hours of Holy Saturday, may our Blessed Mother guide you and protect you.

In Christ,
Patrick

And the Walking Man Walks!

Moving in silent desperation 

Keeping an eye on the holy land 

A hypothetical destination 

Say, who is this walking man?

 ~ James Taylor

Two reasons for the above quote from James Taylor.  1.  I went to a James Taylor concert here in Rome this past Friday night...AWESOME!  2.  I spent the day today walking around Rome...reason for this blog...also AWESOME!

Today marks the 27th anniversary of my making my appearance on the scene of the world.  How did I celebrate?  I walked ALL OVER the city of Rome.  I took part in what is called the "7 Church Pilgrimage."  This ancient tradition involves visiting 7 of the major churches in Rome on a walking tour and was very popular among many of the saints.  This pious practice was popularized by St. Philip Neri who is buried here in Rome (about a 10-15 minute walk from the College).

Originally I wasn't sure that I was going to take part.  After all, it was going to be my birthday, I did have some school work I wanted to get done, and the kicker...it involved walking all over the city!  However, with not much coaxing from a fellow seminarian I signed up for the lunch, thus committing myself to attend!  The closer the day came, the less I wanted to go on the tour, but something amazing happened (actually a lot of somethings).  As I was walking to St. Mary Maggiore for the final Station Church of Lent 2012 (during Lent the Station Churches involves going to Mass at a different church in the city each day), I had a profound sense of peace and just had a feeling that it was going to be a good day.  I was wrong, it was a GREAT day.

My walk from the College to St. Mary Maggiore began with meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary (as all of my walks to the Station Churches did).  Next I was able to attend Mass at the beautiful basilica dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.  In this Church are pieces of the crib in which Christ was laid...a good first object for meditation!

Next we went to St. Lawrence Outside the Walls.  This is a beautiful basilica to which I had only been once before this past December 26th.  The reason for visiting on that date is because it is the Feast Day of St. Stephen, the First Christian Martyr and he is buried there.  Also buried there, as you might guess from the name of the church, is St. Lawrence, the Deacon Martyr who was roasted alive for his unwavering faith in Jesus as the Christ.  The third person buried here, Blessed Pope Pius IX is of particular interest to us here at the NAC because he is the one who founded the College in the 1800s.  It was great to be back at this beautiful church, in particular to be able to pray at the tomb of St. Stephen.  My middle name is Steven (just like my daddy's name!), and even though the saint spelled his wrong, I still have come to develop a great devotion to him.  He inspires me by his faith, especially being able to pray for those who were stoning him as he was dying.  Seeing statues or paintings of him also brings me back to the Abbey Church at St. Ben's as they have a great painting of the Proto-martyr in one of the side chapels there.

Our next stop took us to the only church of the 7 we visited which I had not been to before.  Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is known for its great relics dealing with the Passion of our Lord.  Among the relics are several pieces of the True Cross, the sign ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") which hung above Christ stating why he was being crucified, nails from the Crucifixion, Thorns from Christ's Crown of Thorns, and the finger of St. Thomas which he stuck in the side of the Resurrected Christ just before he proclaimed "My Lord and my God."  Needless to say, being so close to these relics, especially during Holy Week when we are called to prayerfully consider and enter into in a more intense way, the suffering and death of our Lord was truly amazing.

Relics of Christ's Passion.

St. John Lateran, the pope's Cathedral.  Not only that, but there are also relics of Sts. Peter and Paul above the main altar.  As I walked I was drawn into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel where they were having Adoration.  I popped in to pray Midmorning Prayer and felt so thankful for the quite time with our Eucharistic Lord.  After walking around a bit and learning how the reliefs down the main isle mirror each other (one side from the OT, for example the Flood, and the other side from the NT with the Baptism of Jesus across from the Flood) it was time to move on once again.

A brief intermission on the way to the next official church on the tour was a quick stop in the "Quo Vadis" church.  Legend has it that St. Peter was fleeing Rome because of the persecutions of the Emperor Nero, in which he would eventually be martyred.  As he was walking out of the city on the Appian Way, St. Peter saw Jesus and he asked him, "Domine, quo vadis" or "Lord, where are you going?"  Jesus responded by saying that he was going into Rome to be crucified again.  Hearing this, Peter knew that he could not flee the persecutions.  He returned to Rome, and as we know he was crucified upside-down as per his request as he did not feel worthy to die in the same way as his Savior.

St. Sebastian was our final stop before lunch.  The Basilica of St. Sebastian is located at the catacombs which take the same name.  This Church has the remains of St. Sebastian who was a 3rd century Roman soldier who was a Christian.  The emperor, Diocletian, tried to get rid of all Christians in public life, including those in the army.  Sebastian was killed as a result of these persecutions and devotion to him spread quickly after his death.  

After lunch we continued our walk to St. Paul Outside the Walls.  Truly one of the most beautiful churches in Rome, this basilica was constructed over the tomb of the great Apostle of the Gentiles.  We probably had the most time at this church, and after an unsuccessful attempt to go to confession (nap time!!!!), I had this urge to read Paul's writings.  I went down right in front of his tomb, took out my Bible and opened to the beginning of his Letter to the Romans (I was doing a walking tour of Rome after all!).  I ready the first chapter and something struck me.  The line "To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" jumped off the page at me.  I was struck with the realization that the many great saints that had taken part of this pilgrimage before me and even many of those at whose tombs I had prayed earlier in the day had read these words from St. Paul.  St. Paul was writing to them!  The Church in Rome existed, at least in part, thanks to the work and writings of St. Paul.  We are now the faithful of Rome (if not the city literally, God is still speaking to us personally through his Living Word...also, it is not called the ROMAN Catholic Church for nothing!).  What an amazing opportunity and a great blessing that God would open my eyes to the Scriptures in this way.

6 down, 1 to go.  Only 3.5 miles separating me from St. Peter's and returning home to the College!  After making it to the square the group split up and we all went in to St. Peter's on our own.  Earlier in the day, I had decided that I would go to Confession at St. Peter's so that I could use the day of prayer to do a good examination of conscience.  When I entered the basilica, I made my way over to the area for Confession and got in line.  While waiting, I had a great conversation with a man from Ohio who had great questions about the faith.  His daughter and he were receiving the sacrament and I had the great desire to pray for them as it had been a while since they went.  I prayed the Hail Mary repeatedly as they went to Confession knowing that Our Blessed Mother would calm any nerves they may have had.  Finally I got to go and it was a great Confession (not because of what I did!).  The priest sounded Irish and gave me some great things to think about, especially the helpful reminder not to be too hard on myself!

A final grace of the day were the many wonderful conversations I was able to have with people on the pilgrimage with us.  Overall, there were about 50 + seminarians and 50 + laypeople (one couple was in their 70s) on the 13 mile walk.  The sight of so many people giving up their day to prayerfully journey through the city which has given the Church so many Saints and Martyrs was humbling and hopeful to say the least.

What better birthday could a guy ask for?  God is so good to me.  He will have every right to demand a great deal from me in this life as he has given me so much.  That is fine with me, as long as he continues to give me the grace to remain faithful and to follow the instructions of our Blessed Mother: "do whatever he tells you."  I offered up my 13 + miles of walking today for all of you back home.  I pray that you all have a very prayerful Holy Week and that it leads to a grace-filled and Happy Easter.

In Christ,

Patrick

P.S. - This was written @ 9:00 the day of the 12 + hour walk...sorry in advance for any type-o's.

New Cardinals and Renewal in the Church

Yesterday was an great day for the entire Church as Pope Benedict elevated 22 new men to the College of Cardinals.  It was also a wonderful day for our College as among those given this title, which carries great honor and heavy burdens (the red of their cassocks symbolizing the blood they are called to be willing to shed for the faith), were two former rectors of the North American College.  Edwin Cardinal O'Brien and Timothy Cardinal Dolan led the College from 1990-1994 and from 1994-2001 respectively.  Following the Consistory, there was a reception here at the College for Cardinals O'Brien and Dolan.  I helped to work the event where we hosted somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500-2000 people who traveled to Rome to share in this special event.

One of the great things about the consistory last year and yesterday was having the opportunity to speak to some of the great people who traveled to Rome from the US.  They are always happy to speak to seminarians and are particularly impressed at seeing or hearing that we have 230 men here studying to become priests.  I was able to speak at length with one couple who asked me how the numbers were looking.  After informing them that our numbers were the highest they have been in years and that many seminaries around the country are seeing similar trends, they proceeded to ask what I thought the reason was for such an increase.  I told them that much of the renewal in the Church and especially in vocations has come from the leadership of great leaders in the Church, including the two men who brought us together for the consistory.  Their faithfulness to the Church and their love for God has spread to the men who were formed at the College during their time as rector.  Those priests who were formed during their time at the College have now been in ministry for up to 20 years and have brought what they learned here back home.  Some of the keys to their success has been the joy with which they live out their priesthood.  They are sure of their call, they know WHO it is that they are serving and the are joyful in the way they live their lives.  (See Point #5 in Cardinal Dolan's address to the College of Cardinals http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/cardinal-designate-dolans-address-to-pope-benedict-and-the-college-of-cardinals/)  I also added that Blessed Pope John Paul II had a lot to do with the renewal of vocations in the Church.  He worked tirelessly for the promotion of vocations and also guided the Church in developing a new schema for priestly formation.  In a homily this morning here at the College the priest mentioned that we are "in a golden age of vocations in the Church".  What a great time too, because the world needs us more than ever.

Although we cannot discount the efforts of Blessed Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals and others who have put much into priestly vocations, we also cannot fail to realize that none of this growth would be possible without the guidance and power of Jesus Christ ("Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth." - 1 Corinthians 3:7).  At this point I would like to make reference to a thought I had a while back, but that did not make it to a blog.

Whenever a person is extremely cold, say due to falling into frigid waters, the body performs in a fascinating way.  The first areas of the body to get frostbite are the fingers and toes, then the hands and feet and it continues to make its way up the arms and legs.  Why is this?  The body, sensing danger, brings blood from the extremities, which a person can live without, into the core to protect the vital organs.  Aside from trying to impress you with my knowledge of something medical, I tell this story to point out that it is natural for something in danger to sacrifice less important things.  The sacrifice of these less important things happens in order to put all effort towards protecting what is vital, the very heart of the matter. 

We have all heard for some time now that there is a shortage of priests and religious.  Though the tide is slowly turning, we are still in need of more priests in most places in the world.  The main point to which I wish to call attention is what the Church and the faithful have turned to during the dangerous time of a decrease in the number of priests, seminarians and men and women in religious formation.

A low number of seminarians is by no means a good thing.  However, if we look prayerfully back on the stressful times that saw less and less men answering the call of Jesus to “come and follow me,” we can see some good things that happened.  Just like the body protects itself in times of danger, the Church also protected itself.  What did the faithful turn to in order to rectify the shortage of priests?  The answer to this question will also be the answer to the question of what is most important to the life of the Church.

The one thing that strikes me as being most important in the life of the Church and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life is a renewal in the belief in and adoration of Christ's true presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  I know in the Diocese of Lafayette the Serrans, who do so much for vocations, lead a Holy Hour each month to pray specifically for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  The Eucharist is the most precious gift that God has given us and we are right to renew our focus on Christ in the Eucharist during these difficult times.  One of the major changes in priestly formation in the past couple of decades has been the demand of all seminarians to make a daily Holy Hour a priority.  Following the lead of many holy men who have taken on this practice over the years (most notably in recent history has been Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen) the Church has demanded this of Her priests because She knows how crucial it is to their ministry.  As ministers of the Eucharist, we must spend time each day in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord to gain strength and insight for our mission.  Imagine a husband and wife never spending time together to get to know each other...they would not have a very healthy marriage.  Just the same, a priest takes the Church as His bride.  His most important and honored work is the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  This celebration becomes much more meaningful to the priest and to those whom he serves if the priest has a greater realization of what it is he is doing, of who it is he is making present.

Please continue to spend time in prayer for priests, seminarians, religious and those in consecrated life.  Know of my prayers for all of you.  Through prayer, we remain united and able to take on the challenges of the world today.

In Our Eucharistic Lord,

Patrick

Encountering Holiness in His Holiness

As many of you know, this past Thursday January 26th, I had the great privilege of meeting the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.  This encounter was more than an opportunity for wonderful pictures (though it was that too).  In this blog, I hope to share some of my experience with you.

First, the reason for the visit.  Every five years (ish), every bishop in the world must meet with the Holy Father for what is called their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit.  This literally translates as "to the threshold of the Apostles" (Peter and Paul).  The purpose of this visit is for the bishops to make a pilgrimage to Rome in order to be renewed through prayer at various holy sites, including the Tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul, to gain a renewed sense of their mission as the successors of the Apostles, and to renew their union with the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, the pope.  One of the highlights of this trip is the bishops meeting with the Holy Father.  In this meeting, the bishops are allowed to bring one priest or seminarian.  Though my bishop had a priest who was traveling with him, he arranged for me to go in with another bishop who did not bring anyone with him.

As soon as I learned that the American bishops would be making their visits this year, I was hoping for the chance to meet the Holy Father (actually I was hoping for this before I even came to Rome, but the visits made it more of a possibility).  I remembered seeing a picture from another priest of the diocese who was able to meet Blessed Pope John Paul II during the last Ad Limina visits for the US Bishops.  The bishop arrived to Rome on Sunday January 22nd and after an opening Mass with all of the bishops here at the College that evening I found him to tell him hello.  It was then that he informed me that I would in fact be going to meet the pope...it made for a rather long week of finals waiting for Thursday!

After being brought through a back gate into rarely seen areas of the Vatican, up an elevator, through room after room, waiting in one, moving to another and waiting there and then another, we were finally given instructions and told it wouldn't be long.  One group went in before us and we were brought to the final small waiting room after they finished.  We were arranged in a line with the bishops of New Orleans first, then the rest of us in alphabetical order by diocese.  Since I was with the bishop of Shreveport we were the last in line.  This was great as I was able to be in the room for about 15 minutes and I was able to watch all of the other bishops and priests great the Holy Father.  It was wonderful watching the others interact with the Holy Father, especially my bishop, the priest from our diocese and another priest who was my spiritual director at St. Ben's.  I particularly enjoyed watching the Holy Father perk up and his voice get louder when my former spiritual director was introduced by his bishop as the Vocations Director for his diocese.  Afterwards, I asked him what the Holy Father told him to which he responded, you have a very difficult but very important job (or something close to that!).

Finally, it was my turn.  The bishop of Shreveport was up there speaking to the Holy Father, they posed for their pictures, then the Msgr. turns to me to signal for me to come over.  To be honest, the first thought in my mind as I began walking over was "pick up your feet...it would be really bad to trip on the carpet".  After making it over to the pope, I bent down and gave the traditional sign of respect by kissing his "fisherman's ring".  After this I remembered only a few of the words that I had been rehearsing in my mind for days now.  I was able to utter "Holy Father, thank you for your faithfulness and service to the Church".  He thanked me and said four simple words which I will never forget:  "PLEASE PRAY FOR ME"!  These words may not seem too inspiring to some, but they struck deep in my heart.

After the visit, I recalled my meeting Cardinal Burke the night after he had been raised to the College of Cardinals.  I recalled how before I could ask for his blessing, he uttered those same words, "please pray for me".  Why are these words so amazing to me?  It's simple.  These are men who I look up to and greatly respect because of their holiness, faithfulness to the Church and untiring service on behalf of the Church and the People of God.  To hear them utter these words reminds me that we, that I can do nothing without God.  I know this in my head, but these holy men live it every moment of their lives.  I think that this realization was accentuated because of something I recently read.  In doing research for a practice homily, I came across a quote from an article reporting on one of Pope Benedict's first audiences which he had with a group of German pilgrims.  In that audience, he said how he prayed that he would not become pope.  When he saw that it was likely that he would be elected, he had to come to accept this decision.  He told them of the lesson he learned during the conclave.  The lesson was that “The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good.”  The humility I have witnessed in these two leaders of our Church and in many others, is truly inspiring.  They realize that they are in no way worthy of the great task that has been entrusted to them.  It is only by lives of constant prayer and reliance on God that they are able to carry out the duties their offices require.

I am receiving a rosary before
leaving as a way to remember the visit.

Looking through the pictures from my brief meeting with the Holy Father, I am ever more convinced of his holiness, joy and saintliness.  As I look through the pictures, I see a man doing something that he never wanted to do, but doing it with joy and doing it with love.  His love for God is infectious.  I can see this by the look on my face.  While I was in the room with him, I remember being so joyful, so inspired.  This joy and love shows on my face...I could not stop smiling.  I pray that I will continue to allow this experience to spur me on to a greater love for God and His people.


Having encounters with men of such heroic virtue gives me great hope.  I realize that I am not worthy for the great calling which God has for me, but if I allow myself to rely on Him for strength, I too will be able to do what it is He is asking of me.  Each day at every Mass we pray for Pope Benedict.  Every time I pray the rosary I offer prayers for him too.  Since meeting him and hearing him utter these simple humble words, praying for the Holy Father has taken on a whole new dynamic.  Please join me in praying for him that he may continue to do God's will and lead souls to heaven.  I also ask that you pray for me, that I too will grow ever closer to our God and be more able to carry out His will in my life.  Please be assured of my prayers for all of you.


In Christ,
Patrick


P.S. - Not that anyone is counting, but it is only about 4 1/2 months until I return home for the summer!

Christmas Break = Success!

This Christmas was extremely blessed.  What seems like the constant stream of visitors continued with my sister's best friend and her husband (who are also my friends!) and then with four of my very good friends from high school.  The visits were filled with food, laughter, catching up, visits to churches and typically Roman sites, food, papal liturgies, museums and food!  With the second group, I was also able to make it to Assisi for a few days, which is one of my favorite places ever.

Visitors from home are always a true blessing.  Time with them is usually filled with events and sleep gets put on the back burner, which is fine for the duration of their visit since they came here to see me.  Seeing great friends, spending the last days and hours of my "year of exile" (the calendar year in which I did not see the USA)  and welcoming the New Year with them gave me a nice little boost to push through the last 5 months before I come home in early June!

After the visits I was in need of some R&R and some time to get through some school work.  Luckily, this past summer I ran into a seminarian in Lourdes with whom I studied in pre-theology.  During this encounter I found out that his parents had moved to Holland for work and they offered me to stay with them whenever I wanted. Remembering this and knowing I would want to relax at the end of the break, I set up a trip to visit them for about five days.  This was just what I needed.  I flew into Amsterdam, which is a short train ride from their town, and was greeted by my friends mom at the airport.  She led me to their home on the train making it effortless for me!  I spent the next five days at their home being treated like a king.  It was great to be in a home where I could read and study in front of the fireplace, where I could enjoy three meals a day (including great breakfasts and family dinners!), where we frequently rode bikes to Mass, once to dinner and to the North Sea on my last day, where I was able to help out at the soup kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa's order), where I was able to watch a great movie (The Blind Side) with my hosts after dinner one night and play cards another night, and where I was able to be around people who lived in Louisiana for 22 years!  Rather than making me homesick, this was a great time of rejuvenation for me.  Yes, it did make me even more ready and excited to come home this summer, but in a good way.  I was with a family and that is what I miss most about home.  My family (blood relatives), the family of my friends, the family of my home parish and the diocese (especially the priests and seminarians), and the family of our Cajun culture all of which have been so formative for me.

From my bike ride to the North Sea.

Thank you God for this wonderful break.  Help me never to forget how amazingly blessed I am, especially in these last five months before I return home, which at times will certainly be challenging.  To all of you who will read this, know how much I love and miss you and how much I look forward to seeing you this summer!

In Christ,
Patrick

P.S. - Please keep the 22 new Cardinal-elects in your prayers, especially the two Americans, Cardinal-elect Timothy Dolan (Archbishop of New York) and Cardinal-elect Edwin O'Brien (Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepluchre of Jerusalem).

I Want You to Want Me

            No, this is not a blog about the song by Cheap Trick, although it is an amazing song.  This will be much better (hard to believe I know), not because of my writing, but because of the subject matter, because of our God!

            Over the holidays, I was blessed to have several people visit me in Rome.  Adding to that greatness, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend several Papal Liturgies with those guests.  Going to holy sites in Rome, especially St. Peter’s Basilica, with people for their first time is always a great joy for me.  It is wonderful seeing the excitement in their faces when they get to witness the splendor of these beautiful houses of prayer dedicated to the worship of God.  One particular liturgy however became particularly special when one of my friends shared her experience with me afterwards.

            For those of you who have ever had the chance of going to a Papal Liturgy, you know what the distribution of Holy Communion is like.  For those of you who have not been, imagine rows not big enough for two people to pass blocked by barricades with people basically crawling over each other to make it to a priest or deacon to receive Holy Communion.  The process is not exactly efficient or orderly.  Several times, it has happened that guys from the College were not able to receive Communion because of the amount of people at a Mass and have had to return to the College to receive from a priest there.

He is my Bigfoot...always blurry!

            After the Mass, as we walked away from the basilica, one of my friends told me of her surprise at how crazy the process of Communion had been.  She said that she became worried at one point that she would not make it to the priest in time and that she would not be able to receive our Lord.  She shared with me how this was a good experience for her because for the first time she could remember, she was afraid at the possibility of not being able to receive Holy Communion.  She expressed to me how badly she wanted to receive our Lord and how determined she was to make it to that priest.

Here it is in her own words...

            "That experience was so powerful for me. I honestly felt anxious that I would not be able to receive the Eucharist, and it really hit me. It's a feeling I will always remember, and cherish. In that very moment of outstreching my hands and extending my body over several chairs I physically, emotionally, and spiritually longed to receive Christ. I didn't want to let anyone stand in my way of receiving Him. It's so beautiful because it really is what Christmas is all about. And against the backdrop of the nativity scene, it was even more powerful for me!"

            What a beautiful thing to reflect on during the Christmas Season.  All of Advent leading up to Christmas is a time of preparation for receiving our Lord anew at Christmas.  We spend time in expectation in order to prepare ourselves for His coming.  We spend time purifying ourselves and noticing areas where we have failed and still need God’s help so that we can allow Him to come in and heal our sinfulness.  This waiting, this anticipation of the coming of Christ should lead us to desire God all the more just as the thought of not receiving Communion inspired my friend.  How differently we would approach each celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass if we took a few minutes to recall this longing for Christ that my friend experienced.  In the last days of the Christmas Season, let us pray that God will continue to inspire us to draw near to Him and to desire Him more and more.  I pray that this reflection will help you and me to realize the great gift we have in the Eucharist and help us never to take it for granted.

In Christ,

Patrick