To My Boys: September 15, 2020
Good morning.
I am sure you guys have heard the expression, “no pain, no gain.” It is absolutely true. There is no way to move forward in life without going through moments of pain. If you want to get better grades, you have to go through the pain of extra hours of studying. If you want to be a better athlete, you have to go through the pain of extra hours of practice. If you want to be a better son, you have to go through the pain of washing dishes, picking up your clothes, and making your bed. Anything that is good and worth doing will bring about a certain level of pain and suffering we have to deal with.
Love is the same way. There is no such thing as love without pain and suffering. If you love someone, I mean truly love someone, there will be moments of heartbreak and sorrow. Take any example you’d like. I love my brothers and sisters very much; that means I had to deal with the pain and suffering of occasionally getting into a fight with them. I love my father very much; that means I had to deal with the pain and suffering that came about when he was diagnosed with cancer. I love the Miami Dolphins very much; that means I have to deal with the pain and suffering that comes every season.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrow. It makes reference to that day she presented her child in the Temple of Jerusalem to the Prophet Simeon. His words to Mary were, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 1:34-35). Simeon was right because Mary’s heart was pierced often. When she lost Jesus on a trip to Jerusalem and found him three days later in the Temple, she was sorrowful. When she followed him along the way to Calvary while hundreds of people shouted and jeered at him, she was sorrowful. When she stood at the foot of the cross looking at her Son crucified and dead, she was sorrowful.
Ultimately, Our Lady of Sorrow is a celebration of Mary’s choice. When she chose to love God above all things, she understood that the choice meant having to say “yes” to everything God asked of her. When asked to be the mother of the Son of God, she said “yes.” That choice, of course, came with some pain and suffering.
The choice to love is also a choice to suffer. There is no way around that but the pain is well worth it because of how much we gain. We celebrate Our Lady of Sorrow today so that the rest of the year we can celebrate Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of Divine Providence, Our Lady Queen of Charity, and, of course, Our Lady of Belen.
Auspice Maria,
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.