To the Band of Brothers: October 14, 2022

I’ve been noticing a greater presence of parents at our FLEX Masses during the week. I love it. Having the new chapel has given us the opportunity to not only celebrate grade-level Masses, but also have room to invite your parents. Remind your parents they are invited to attend any FLEX Mass, but especially the ones you attend during the semester. 

One of the most impactful experiences of my life growing up was how much importance my parents placed on our Sunday Mass obligation. I remember one particular Sunday. My father had bought a small boat, so we could spend time as a family on the weekends. At times we would go fishing, and at other times, we would go out to Elliott Key or Watson Island. While I am not much of a boater, I do admit it was a great time.

I’ve often wondered why boating slipped so significantly in my list of things I like to do. It’s odd, considering I spent a lot of time on a boat as a kid. Something happened that caused boating to fall to the ranks of watching a curling match or listening to a lecture on selling insurance.

I think the slip may have had something to do with what happened after boating and not during. After being out all day in the hot Miami sun, baking away like a hash brown casserole, covered in sea salt from head to toe, we’d pull into the driveway and then have to spend three hours cleaning the boat. And there were no fancy electrical, self-cleaning, parts on this dingy. Scrubbing both inside and out, you then had to attach the garden hose to a rubber belt you struggled to wrap around the boat engine to flush out the excess gas. With toxic fumes everywhere, you would lay on your stomach and wiggle into the drainage compartment to pull out a plug that would allow the excess seawater out of the hold.

I remember one particular Sunday, we went out to Elliott Key. There was a problem with the boat engine that delayed our return home. I still remember my father racing back to the house so we could make it in time for the evening Mass. I kept telling him there was no need to rush, and that missing a Mass every once in a while was no big deal. Man, what a mistake that was. You would have thought I just told him Don Shula wasn’t the greatest coach in NFL history.

Little did I know then how much his steadfast commitment to our Sunday obligation would fuel my own convictions as an adult. It was clear to me that going to Mass on Sundays was important enough to my parents that it was non-negotiable. Every effort needed to be made to get to Sunday Mass. It was that important, that much of a priority.

I recently came across this YouTube video on the Eucharist I want to share with you. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6gPK1OoVjs. Take a moment to watch it. Share it with your parents and siblings. It’s only six minutes long. I love what Fr. Mike Schmitz says. It’s very powerful.