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July-August, 2014 Vol. 76 No. 4 A P ublicAtion of the lourdes center • t he MArist fAthers & b rothers the director ’s corner Rev . A ndRew AlbeRt , S.M. dear friends, admire in this very beautiful basilica her will. God bless her and may she on the grounds of the lourdes shrine. enjoy the company of the blessed here we are in the middle of sum - thank you very much for your Mother and st. bernadette. May her mer again. i hope you are able to generous easter offering of generous heart inspire others to spread enjoy the bounty of God’s nature dur - $12,895.00. Your generosity enables the good news of Mary’s love for all ing these summer months. us to continue this special work of of us. As you can see the cover page of Mary. My sincere thanks again to all this issue of the lourdes echoes fea - Please continue to send us names those who are able and willing to sup - tures a beautiful painting of the feast of people who would be interested in port our ministry financially. i know of the Assumption of Mary into heav - receiving the lourdes echoes. You are many of you are elderly and on fixed en. We celebrate the Assumption on helping st. bernadette do the work incomes and so we understand that. August 15th. the painting is found in our lady of lourdes asked her to do. but say a rosary for the success of our the beautiful basilica dedicated to our use the coupon in the echoes or your ministry. We need both prayers and lady of the rosary at the lourdes own stationery. You the readers are financial support. We consider all of shrine in france. the basilica was the our best advertisers in the best sense you out there as our partners in the first built at the shrine. later another of the word. We are all called to be great work that our lady of lourdes underground basilica was built and missionaries. We are all called to started in 1858. named after st. Pius X. As you know bring the good news to others. May you always feel her presence the blessed Mother appeared to As i mentioned before, if you want in your life. bernadette with the rosary in her a publicly announced Mass offered in hands. they even said the rosary our lourdes chapel for your loved God bless you all, together. so it is not a surprise that the ones living or deceased please write basilica was named after our lady of to me. the stipend for an announced the rosary. it is a very busy place, Mass in our chapel is ten dollars. Fr. Albert with Masses going on all day long in our 2014 pilgrims had a wonderful different languages. this painting of stay in lourdes at the end of June. the Assumption, done by M. Wencker eighteen left from boston, others in 1907 is one of 15 mosaics in the from new York and others from rosary basilica. each mosaic depicts baltimore, Maryland. they prayed for Our email address is: one of the mysteries for each decade your intentions and i am sure they [email protected] of the rosary. five depicting the joyful will never forget their pilgrimage to [email protected] mysteries, five depicting the sorrowful lourdes. mysteries, an five depicting the glori - A lady from coral Gables, florida Our website is: ous mysteries. there is much to remembered the lourdes center in www.lourdescenter.org 2 MARIST FATHERS & BROTHERS OF THE UNITED STATES ECHOES FROM LOURDES Only saints speak and act this way By Rev. Roland Lacasse, s.m. Mother unfortunately, the saints are not the planet earth and the world of the teresa of first ones that most people turn to spirit. We are here to make the calcutta ent- when they seek a model to live by world a better place in which to live, ered a bak - today. And yet no one is better suit - true, but we are also here to save and ery one day ed to teach us how to live to be sanctify our souls. We live in the to beg for happy. material world and in the world of bread for the in the Middle Ages, christians angels and demons. st. bernadette poor. the were not as “contaminated” by sec - never doubted for a moment that Rev . R olAnd lAcASSe , S.M. baker, not a ularism and materialism. When there was more to life than satisfy - christian, did not treat her kindly. columbus sailed for America, he ing her material needs. the blessed he stared coldly at her for a long and his men would sing the “salve Virgin said to her “i promise to time and finally spit in her face! regina” every night on board ship make you happy in heaven, if not instead of showing her displeasure, as part of their night prayers. it was here on earth.” she thanked him for his “gift” and normal for them to do so, because the saints and those who model said, “now what about the bread?” religion was part and parcel of their themselves on the lives of the saints the baker ended up being one of her daily life. the saints were their make some people nervous. best supporters for her ministry…. heroes and our blessed Mother was Virtuous people make some people Mother teresa and st. bernadette the greatest of all the saints they uneasy. they serve as a reproach to have a lot in common. there is a venerated. Parents taught their chil - those who neglect God and the wor - simplicity about the saints. What dren, from the cradle, why God cre - ship of God. catholics who no you see is what you get. no pre - ated them, as well as how to pray. longer practice their faith sometimes tense. lately, we’ve been hearing a some people call the “Middle Ages” feel uncomfortable in the presence lot about the need for transparency the “dark Ages,” but they weren’t as of relatives who are Priests and in our dealings with one another. dark as they made them out to be. religious. it’s because religion is the way of the world is to be two- At least they had the light of faith, such an important part of life that it faced and double-dealing. the which many people lack nowadays. defines who we are, in great part. saints show us a better way to live. We christians live in two worlds: Continued on page 5 ECHOES FROM LOURDES MARIST FATHERS & BROTHERS OF THE UNITED STATES 3 By Fr. Frank Grispino, S.M. THE FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY The Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection The Resurrection younger out runs Peter and is first that category? After all, John did the shroud of turin comes up in to arrive at the tomb. but out of not see the risen lord. he believed the news from time to time. the respect he allows Peter to enter because of the shape of the cloth shroud is that linen cloth in which first. this is what Peter saw: holding the form of a body without the body of Jesus was enveloped “….the burial clothes there, and the any body. when taken down from the cross. cloth that had covered his head, not What is striking about this burial with the burial cloths but rolled up He Died for Our Sins cloth is that it bears the imprints of a in a separate place” John 20, 6-7 . And the crucifix is a constant crucified man thought to be the cru - then John enters and this is what reminder that Jesus died on the cified Jesus. the Gospel says, “… he saw and cross to take away sin. the idea of turin is the city in italy where its believed” John 20, 8. resurrection is not part of our expe - cathedral has housed and preserved rience as much as suffering and this relic. now the mysterious part: There Is More Than death. We know that the atoning the imprint of the face of Jesus as An Empty Tomb death of Jesus was the cause of our well as the wounds on the head, to see the tomb empty is a good being reconciled with God the hands, feet, pierced side, lacerated start to claim the resurrection of father. but what precisely does the and bruised body are said to be Jesus from the dead. but there is resurrection of Jesus do for us? caused by light powerful enough to more, much more! Absence of the have seared these markings onto the body was not the real reason for He Rose for Our Justification burial cloth. is this compatible with John to say that he saw and this is the part we don’t hear the resurrection of Jesus? the con - believed. Was the basis for his much about. it is what takes place tention is that this mysterious power - belief the fact that the burial cloth within us when original sin is take ful light was emitted by the glorious held the shape of the body of Jesus away by the sacrament of baptism resurrected body of the lord. while remaining undisturbed? the and our actual mortal) sins that we risen Jesus had told thomas, ourselves commit are forgiven by What Do The Scriptures Say? “have you come to believe the sacrament of reconciliation no doubt you have read or heard because you have seen me? (confession).