To the Band of Brothers: December 7, 2020
Good morning!
I hope you guys had a great weekend. I did. I was blessed to baptize two babies on Saturday, both sons of Belen alumni. I also had the blessed opportunity to celebrate the wedding of an alumnus. As a priest, these moments are always powerful, but especially now during this virus crisis. Being able to baptize babies and marry couples these days is a relief because it demonstrates powerfully, that even though the world seems paralyzed because of the pandemic, people’s faith and the Church keep marching along.
That’s why I encourage your parents and you to go back to church for Mass. Even though the Archdiocese of Miami has wisely restricted the number of people who can attend, you can still go. If you can, you should go to Mass. Of course, take the proper precautions and adhere to the guidelines. I mean, we still go shopping at Publix or CVS. Why not go to church?
Speaking of Mass, today’s gospel is one of my favorites. It is taken from Luke 5:17-26 and tells the story of four men who take their friend who is paralyzed on a stretcher to Jesus. Since there was such a huge crowd, they couldn’t get in the house where Jesus was, so they opened a hole in the roof and lowered him down.
The same story is told by Mark (2:1-12), but with one slight difference. Luke says the men removed the tiles of the roof and lowered the stretcher, while Mark says they opened the roof and lowered the stretcher. Very wisely, Luke adapts the story so his Greek and Roman readers, whose houses had tile roofs, could relate. Mark, who wrote for the Jews of Palestine, says they opened the roof because their houses were made of clay and straw.
The important thing is that in both versions, the great effort of these men demonstrated such faith to Jesus that he was moved to cure the paralytic.
This is what I mean. Going to church for Mass during this pandemic is definitely a challenge. Jesus knows that. This is why He lavishes extra graces on those who face adversity and make the extra effort to go to Mass, demonstrating their desire and faith.
So, make it a point to start going back to Mass if you haven’t already. Especially now, during this great season of Advent, make going to church on Sundays a priority. Trust me, the gifts you and your family will receive will far outweigh anything you will ever get under your Christmas tree.
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.