And For All
November 27, 2024
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Finally, brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God and as you are conducting yourselves you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus
(1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2).
As we enter into the season of Advent, we are presented this week with what might appear at first glance a Scripture reading without much punch. Upon careful reflection, however, things change. Dramatically.
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love,” Paul says, not only ”for one another”, that is for other Christians, but ”for all.” How’s that for daunting?
Advent is the time of year not only to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Lord’s nativity at Christmas, but as the readings make clear, to prepare ourselves for the Lord’s return — either at the end of our life or at the end of the world, whichever comes first.
How can we best prepare for that oh so real day? The reading from 1st Thessalonians calls to mind for me the famous words of Saint John of the Cross: “In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human successes, but on how well we have loved.”
As I’ve been praying with the words of Paul and John, I have found myself being drawn again and again to Blessed Solanus Casey, a Capuchin priest who is loved especially here in the Detroit area where I live.
Solanus was born November 25, 1875, and was ordained a priest in 1904. However, because his superiors considered his knowledge of theology “weak,” he was not allowed to either preach or hear confessions. Though he served in a variety of locations, his longest stint was in Detroit at St. Bonaventure’s Monastery on Mt. Elliot. There, Solanus was assigned the responsibility of being the porter, that is, someone who answered the door for the many guests and brothers and sisters in need who visited.
I frequently visit the tomb of Blessed Solanus at St. Bonaventure’s and ask for his intercession. Once, several years ago, I was reflecting on this most unlikely of saints. The somewhat humorous thought occurred to me that here I was praying at the grave of a man widely known, revered and loved by countless people around not just Detroit but the United States and beyond. And yet his contemporaries saw in him nothing special, and in fact something less than special. That’s why they didn’t give him the faculties to preach or hear confession. Many years later, however, nobody knows the names of any of those contemporaries and tens of thousands not only know Solanus’ name but call upon his ongoing intercession.
As I continued to reflect on this, I asked myself the question, “How hard is it to open the door to people and show them the love of Jesus?” Apparently, pretty hard! Solanus’ love truly increased and abounded for all, so much so that close to 200 people daily came to him while he was in Detroit. They came to meet with him, have him pray with them, or pray for a loved one they brought. And all because his love was noteworthy, a love that first showed itself in something as seemingly insignificant as opening the door with a smile and the kindness of the Lord.
Ours is a culture that often mistakenly equates greatness with things like money, fame, titles and other such things. The saints show us the truth. The truly great ones are the ones who love. As we enter into these Advent days, let us call upon the intercession of Blessed Solanus, and those others to whom we are especially close, that our love may increase and abound, in order that we might become ever more conformed to the Heart of Jesus, and so that those who are living the nightmare that is life apart from God might come to know Him.
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
November 2024
In thanksgiving to God for the mission with the women of Walking with Purpose in Dallas, TX. May seeds sown bear great fruit in their lives.
For the clergy and lay leaders from across the country who joined on campus for a Leadership Immersive.
For the lovely women with the Seven Sisters Apostolate.
For the pastors working with the Seminary Formation Council who joined us on campus for retreat.
For the clergy, lay leaders and seminarians in the Diocese of Spokane whom we were on mission with last week.
For a grace-filled Thanksgiving holiday for our Episcopal Advisory Committee, Board members, benefactors, prayer partners and all those running The Rescue Project in their parishes, homes and college campuses.
For God’s protection upon Fr. John Riccardo and the ACTS XXIX family.