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Out of the Darkness... a Child Is Born the DIRECTOR’S LETTER FR November-December, 2019 Vol. 11 No. 2 echoesfrom lourdes A publication of the Lourdes Center F Marist Fathers and Brothers Out of the Darkness... A Child is Born THE DIRECTOR’S LETTER FR. GEORGE SZAL, S.M. Out of the darkness: Living a holy life in unholy times “Your only Son, no sin to hide, ness from which I have escaped, I looked like before God entered but You have sent Him from Your can only praise and thank God for into it, conceived in the womb of side to walk upon this guilty sod the love he has shown me. My heart the Blessed Virgin Mary and born and to become the Lamb of God… is filled with pity for all the people at Bethlehem 2019 years ago. I was so lost, I should have died, still trapped in that living death. Through His Body, the Catholic but You have brought me to Your Our civilization has surely reached Church, a civilization of love be- side to be led by your staff and rod the lowest depths of infamy; robbery, gan to be born in the West and and to be called a Lamb of God.” violence, murder on every side, the was spread by missionaries to the (“Lamb of God” by Twila Paris) whole world reeking in blood; cruelty entire world bringing social service, and bloodlust at the games, parricide science, medical care, culture, art, If ever you want to know what and incest on the stage, perversion philosophy, and a more just legal the world would be like without in private life and corruption in the and political system into the world. God, leave home for the weekend administration of the law. Public of- Christianity was largely respon- and leave your teenage children fice is purchased by flattery, wealth sible for helping to abolish human in charge of things. Chaos! Or, gained by dishonesty. Men are in sacrifice, contraception, abortion, watch a James Bond movie and bondage to money and luxury, yet infanticide, slavery, euthanasia, see a very flat, purely horizontal they obstinately cling to the posses- marital infidelity, divorce and in- world, ruled by very clever mon- sions from which neither they nor cest. Certainly, Christians sinned keys engaged in a constant strug- their families derive any profit. The and in many cases failed to live up gle to survive by climbing over more exalted a person’s station, the to the life of virtue it proclaimed. the backs of other chimps until greater is his fear of losing it. A rul- Nevertheless, Christian values be- in their weakness and death they er who denies peace to his subjects came embedded in the culture of fall to the bottom of the heap and can find none for himself. What a Europe and led to progress and the others climb over them. This was price the world exacts for the honors improvement of human life wher- the kind of world that St. Cyprian, and dignities it bestows.” ever it spread. It was a culture of bishop of Carthage and martyr life and virtue that made it a little (From Darkness to Light: What it Meant (+Sept. 14, 251 AD) described in to Become a Christian in the Early Church, easier for souls to get to heaven. his conversion story: Anne Field O.S.B., Servant Books, 1978, However, since the emergence of p.191. Continued on next page “When I look back on the dark- That’s what the world everywhere Page 2 The Lourdes Center Ministry of The Marist Fathers & Brothers of The United States.S. Director’s Letter Continued from previous page hem, and destroyed the power of the “Enlightenment” about 500 years death by His Cross and Resurrection. ago, pure human reason was exalted St. Matthew writes that when Jesus over Divine Revelation and natural saw the crowds that followed Him He law. God was thrown out of the pic- had compassion for them, “because ture and chaos entered into the West. they were harassed and helpless, like Gradually a benevolent view of the sheep without a shepherd,” (9:36). human race and universal brother- The Gates St. Bernadette recounts that in one hood was eroded and replaced with of her apparitions Mary looked out a philosophy of egotism, militarism with sadness over the crowds gath- and struggle between people and of Hell ered at the Grotto and gave Berna- nations. The world continued to ad- dette her mission: “Pray for sinners,” vance in technology, but without the cannot withstand and “Penance, penance, penance!” In grace of God those advances led to this holiday season let’s help to bring greater and more efficient means of the power the light of Christ into the world by destroying life. For instance, it is es- praying for the conversion of hearts timated that more people died from of God’s Love, and the perseverance of the just. As wars in the 20th century (over 100 brothers and sisters of Jesus and million) than in all the previous 19 embodied children of Mary we can do no less. centuries combined.* Today we even May you and yours have a joyous face the prospect of total destruction in His Body, Christmas and a Blessed, Happy and of world through nuclear war. It Healthy New Year! seems that we are back to the culture The Church. of death that St. Cyprian described Fr. George over 1,700 years ago – and worse. But the gates of hell cannot with- P.S. Our mission here exists totally on stand the power of God’s love, em- the charity of our friends and donors. bodied in His Body, the Church. If you can help us out with a dona- Beginning 500 years ago, through tion this Christmas we would appre- nine apparitions of the Blessed Vir- ciate it. We have just repaired some gin Mary, God has been calling us to broken windows in our three-story conversion and prayer (Guadeloupe, tions occurred before or during great building ($1,500.00), put up some Mexico in 1531, Rue de Bac, Paris in crises in Western civilization, e.g. the huge banners of Jesus and Mary on 1830, LaSalette 1846, Lourdes 1858, Protestant Revolution, the rise of com- the outside of our building to make Pontmain, France 1871, Knock, Ire- munism, Nazism, World Wars I and II. it look more Catholic ($3,000.00), land 1879, Fatima, Portugal 1917, Mary is the Mother of our God who and have to decommission one of our Beauraing, Belgium 1932, Banneux, loved us so much that He humbled elevators which is too expensive to Belgium 1933). All of these appari- Himself, took on our flesh at Bethle- maintain any longer ($6,880.00). Echoes From Lourdes The Lourdes Center Ministry of The Marist Fathers & Brothers of The U.S. Page 3 Readers Write Dear Marist Fathers, praying to Our Lady of Lourdes pated. We were in the midst of I feel that I need to let you and using Lourdes Water. MA many other pilgrims, but each of know about a miracle that I have us felt treasured, important, loved received from using the Lourdes Dear Father, Life changing! – as a child is loved by its mother. Water and the intercessions of That was my experience of My tears would not stop flow- Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint making a pilgrimage to Lourdes. ing when I witnessed my young Bernadette. I have been on eye I have renewed my faith like nephew going into the waters injections in my right eye for never before. It was truly a and as his mother and the assis- several years because of different rebirth. When diagnosed with tants guided him to the statue of problems behind behind my eye. Fibromyalgia and arthritis, one the Blessed Mother. For me, on a When I started these injections of my problems was not being deep level it meant so much for my vision was 20/60. The doc- able to fully turn my neck to the me to be dipped in the baths, par- tor told me that it is now 20/30. left and being in a lot of pain. ticipate in the Masses and proces- He told me that something won- At the Grotto Baths, while be- sions and interact with other pil- derful had happened. I say a ing helped out of the Holy Wa- grims. This pilgrimage deepened miracle.I have kept the faith to ter I was instantly dry. But that my Catholic faith that perhaps I reach 20/20 vision still using the was not all. I could turn my never had or lost along the way. Lourdes Water. I than you Fa- neck all the way to the left, and It will always be a reference point thers for getting this Lourdes Wa- was not in pain. I had not been in my daily life, a sort of North ter to those who ask and I pray able to do this for many, many Star. CZ that God’s blessing may always months. I continue to enjoy this be with you. I would like to or- Grace! The daily tours with all Dear Father, The blessings re- der two more bottles for friends the standing and walking were ceived while in Lourdes are too who are having eye problems. SD more enjoyable for me. The ser- numerous to count, but among mons were outstanding. They them are: renewed strength, peace [ed. Except for postage and gave me a lot to think about. So of mind and special friendships.
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