A PUBLICATION OF THE LOURDES CENTER • THE MARIST F ATHERS & BROTHERS January-February, 2016 Vol. 79 No. 1 By Fr. Frank Grispino, S.M. The Crowning with Thorns THE THIRD SORROWFUL MYSTERY “Crowning” brings to mind a king. Emphasis in this mystery is precisely on the kingship of Jesus. The ancient prophecy foretold that the Messiah-King would be from the ancestry of King David. That Jesus fulfilled that prophecy was in the air. Bartimaeus seeking a miracle for his blindness called out, “Jesus, son of David have pity on me.” Mark 10,47. (Even today the wording of the Our Father is a constant reminder that the fullness of Christ’s kingdom is yet to become a reality, “Thy kingdom come.”) The Jeering Soldiers Rumors of Jesus being a king were widespread reaching into the barracks of the Roman soldiers stationed near the palace of the governor, Pontius Pilate. Let us take in the scene given in the scriptures and see what the sol- diers did after the scourging of Jesus: “They stripped off his clothes and threw a scar- let military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking Him on the head” Matthew 27, 28-30. Truth in Jest The soldiers may have made fun of Jesus and found him an easy tar- get to chase away their boredom. A hapless victim becomes the butt of jokes. On the other hand there may be something sinister at play in the biting sarcasm. What if the soldiers are venting pent up resentment against authority in a game of scapegoat? The ancient form of removal of sins by sacri- fice among the Hebrews was to lay hands on the goat chosen for the occasion. By this ceremonial gesture the sins of the people were heaped upon the animal which was then driven out into the wilderness to perish. But this religious practice was unknown to the pagan soldiers. In their case they were simply venting pent up resentment and anger against authority. The powerless often act out this way. When unable to take vengeance on the real king they seek to direct their anger and frustrations upon a substitute. In this case, Jesus. In so doing, these soldiers fulfilled Continued on page 5
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A PuBLICATIOn OF THE LOuRDEs CEnTER • THE MARIsT FATHERs & BROTHERs
January-February, 2016 Vol. 79 No. 1
By Fr. Frank Grispino, S.M.
The Crowningwith Thorns
T H E T H I R D S O R R O W F U L M Y S T E R Y
“Crowning” brings to mind aking. Emphasis in this mystery isprecisely on the kingship of Jesus.The ancient prophecy foretold thatthe Messiah-King would be fromthe ancestry of King David. ThatJesus fulfilled that prophecy wasin the air. Bartimaeus seeking amiracle for his blindness calledout, “Jesus, son of David have pityon me.” Mark 10,47. (Even todaythe wording of the Our Father is aconstant reminder that the fullnessof Christ’s kingdom is yet tobecome a reality, “Thy kingdomcome.”)
The Jeering SoldiersRumors of Jesus being a king
were widespread reaching into thebarracks of the Roman soldiersstationed near the palace of thegovernor, Pontius Pilate. Let ustake in the scene given in thescriptures and see what the sol-
diers did after the scourging ofJesus:
“They stripped off hisclothes and threw a scar-let military cloak abouthim. Weaving a crown outof thorns, they placed it onhis head, and a reed inHis right hand. Andkneeling before him, theymocked him saying, ‘Hail,King of the Jews!’ Theyspat upon him and tookthe reed and kept strikingHim on the head” Matthew27, 28-30.
Truth in JestThe soldiers may have made fun
of Jesus and found him an easy tar-get to chase away their boredom.A hapless victim becomes the buttof jokes. On the other hand theremay be something sinister at play
in the biting sarcasm. What if thesoldiers are venting pent upresentment against authority in agame of scapegoat? The ancientform of removal of sins by sacri-fice among the Hebrews was tolay hands on the goat chosen forthe occasion. By this ceremonialgesture the sins of the peoplewere heaped upon the animalwhich was then driven out intothe wilderness to perish. But thisreligious practice was unknownto the pagan soldiers. In theircase they were simply ventingpent up resentment and angeragainst authority. The powerlessoften act out this way. Whenunable to take vengeance on thereal king they seek to direct theiranger and frustrations upon asubstitute. In this case, Jesus. Inso doing, these soldiers fulfilled
Continued on page 5
2 M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S ECHOES FROM LOURDES
THE DIRECTOR’s CORnER
REV. ANDREW ALBERT, S.M.
Dear Friends of the Lourdes Center, I am happy to tell you that you can
now register and send in your $400deposit for the June 26 – July 5, 2016pilgrimage to Lourdes. All travelarrangements and hotel arrangementshave been finalized by ElizabethGrinder of the Lourdes Pilgrimageoffice of Catholic Travel located inRockville, Maryland. For the past sev-eral years our Lourdes pilgrimage hasbeen part of the Catholic Travel officepilgrimage. Please see the oppositepage for details. There will be a depar-ture from Boston accompanied by oneof our Marist priests. For more infor-mation or registration call us here at theLourdes Center or contact the LourdesPilgrimage office of Catholic Travel.
I would like to bring to your atten-tion one of the best books on sT.BERnADETTE: Her childhood, the 18apparitions that she witnessed, her rela-tionship with the local pastor and civilauthorities; her life after the apparitionsup until her death at the convent ofnevers, France at the young age of 35.The book was written by French priestFr. René Laurentin. It was translatedinto English by two of our Maristpriests. The preliminary translation wasdone by Fr. John Lynch, s.m.
Thousands of you have ordered fromus Fr. Lynch’s 12 page booklet“Lourdes and Our Lady”. Fr. RonaldDesrosiers, another American Marist,prepared the final English translationof Fr. Laurentin’s book on Bernadette.Fr. Laurentin’s book is entitled“Bernadette speaks” and is publishedby Pauline Books and Media ofBoston, MA. I am sure you can alsoget it from Amazon.com. It is an excel-lent book full of photos of Bernadette’sfamily, Bernadette’s years at the con-vent of nevers, and scenes of Lourdesand the shrine area. We DO nOT haveany copies for sale here at the center.Go to your local bookstore orAmazon.com.
February 11th is the feast of OurLady of Lourdes. As you know,Bernadette had her first apparition onFebruary 11, 1858. The CatholicChurch has designated February 11 asan official day for the sick throughoutthe world. On that day all Catholicsshould pray for the sick and all thosewho minister to them. Let us allremember our sick brothers and sistersin prayer on that special day.
This issue of the Echoes is beingprepared in early December. Alreadywe have received many donations inour Christmas envelopes. I want toexpress my sincere thanks to all of you
who so loyally and with such greatlove support this special ministry ofours. We want more and more peopleto know about the great miracle thatLourdes is. About the fact that Maryour loving Mother appeared 18 timesto the 14 year old French peasant girlnamed Bernadette. she could not reador write. But Bernadette was chosen byMary to be her messenger. The shrineof Lourdes is a miracle in itself. Thislittle girl was told by Mary “Go tell thepriests to build a church here for prayerand penance.” The result is the largeHoly Rosary basilica and the hugeunderground church dedicated to st.Pius X.
May you always feel the presence ofMary in your life!
God bless you all!
Fr. Albert
Our email address is:[email protected]@yahoo.com
Our website is:www.lourdescenter.org
3M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E SECHOES FROM LOURDES
For further information or registration formscall the Lourdes Center in Boston at 617-536-2761
4 M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S ECHOES FROM LOURDES
some timeago, I
heard a ser-mon aboutHeaven, andcan anyonebe sure ofgoing there.As Catholics,
we know that the Blessed Motherwent to Heaven, body and soul. Wecall it her “Assumption.” But whatabout anyone else? In the history ofthe human race, there was a man thatJesus, Himself, assured that he wasgoing to Heaven, after the man askedJesus, as He hung on the cross, “Jesus,remember me when you come intoyour Kingdom.” And Jesus replied,“This day you will be with Me inParadise!”
When the Blessed Mother appearedto st. Bernadette she, too, was prom-ised Heaven when she was told, “Icannot promise you to be happy onearth, but only in Heaven.” And st.
By Rev. Roland Lacasse, s.m.
Theresa of Lisieux once said, “I willspend eternity doing good on behalf ofpeople on earth.”
There is a popular song aboutHeaven, some of the lyrics being“Everybody wants to go to Heaven,but nobody wants to die.” But that’snot quite true. In my ministry as apriest, I have visited many people whocomplained that God had forgotten tocome and get them; that they had noreason to linger any longer here onearth. The mother of st. Augustinefelt the same way after she had livedlong enough to witness the conversionof both her son and her husband.
It’s strange, but as a result of inter-views of many people, the vast major-ity believed in Heaven, but not in Hell.It seems that they believed that God istoo merciful to send people to Hell.On the other hand, God is too just toallow everyone to go to Heaven. Ibelieve that when we die, the soul willautomatically go where it deserves to
go, at least until the “GeneralJudgment.”
Heaven has been described inmany ways, but the essence ofHeaven is to be with God, just as theessence of Hell is to be without theGod for whom we were created. st.Augustine had it right when he said,“You have made us for yourself, OLord, and our hearts can find no restuntil they rest in thee.” Pity the athe-ist who denies the existence of Godand of the after-life. What would hewant as an epitaph on his tombstone?Would it be uncharitable to suggest,“Here lies an atheist, with no place togo.”
Most people have heard the sayingabout soldiers in wartime who findthemselves in danger – “There is nosuch thing as an atheist in a foxhole.”And those of us who lived throughWorld War II recall that all the church-es were crowded during the war.someone once said that people turn to
Nine wordsworth remembering
Continued on page 7
Purgatorialsfor
the Deceasedname
Address
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state Zip
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Requested by:
Suggested offering: $10.00 (perpetual)
Our Lady’ sPurgatorial
Society
Each year your enrolleddeceased and loved onesare remembered duringthe 365 daily Masses cele-brated by the MaristFathers. An attractive cer-tificate framed in a bluefolder with a colorful pic-ture of Our Lady is sent tothe donor or recipient.
5M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E SECHOES FROM LOURDES
Continued from page 1
Fr. Grispino
the religious intent and meaning ofthe scapegoat ceremony:
“But the Lord laid uponhim the guilt of us all.Though he was harshlytreated, he submitted andopened not his mouth.”Isaiah 53,6.
Jesus was truly a King. Butwith what a difference! In theplace of a crown of gold, a crown
of thorns; in place of a scepter, areed; in place of royal purple, ascarlet cloak; and in place ofreigning from a throne, a cross.
My Jesus, what great indigni-ties you have suffered in order totake away my sins. Help mewith your grace to shoulder allthat has happened to me that hasnot been to my liking. And grantme to accept, in faith, to see inthese hardships a share in yoursuffering so that I may one dayshare in your happiness. Amen.
6 M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S ECHOES FROM LOURDES
R.A. I want to write to thankOur Lady for answering myprayers. After eight years of mar-riage my son and his wife havewelcomed God’s gift -- a babyboy. We know it was throughyour intercession that God hasgiven us this lovely and preciousgift, Thank you once again, Mary,Our Mother, for your help. Welove you and will always honoryou. ME
J.F. I am sending my offeirngto Mary of Lourdes for all theblessings and favors I havereceived. I send thanks to all the
angels and saints, st. Michael, st.Gabriel, st. Raphael, st. Anthony,st. Thomas Aquinas and my savior,Lord Jesus Christ. NY
D.G. My sister and I receivedour intentions. she has been curedof her bowel disease and I had veryhigh blood pressure, which is nowin the normal range. Thanks to OurLady of Lourdes. We use Lourdeswater and are better. IN
C.K. Please pray for us. Ourdaughter is abusing drugs and alco-hol and sometimes abuses us.Please pray for our family. AZ
CLAIRE sCAPELLATI, MAJAnET DIETRICH, LAE. DOLOREs CLARK, uTJEROME sCHMITZ, WIA. MORGAn, DEROLAnD DuPuIs, MAROBERT HALACY sR., MACORnELIA sIEBEnBuRGEn, OHJOHn E. DRAKE, CAARTHuR WIELGus, WIARCH MACDOnALDMARK sCHMEIDER, OHALMA BREnnAn, WIDAVID B. RITCHIE, MAFAYE sITZMAnn, MnsR. MARY COnsTAnCE, OHsR. FELICE GORnY, OHJEAnnE WEIGEL, MDELLEn CHICOInE, CTMARY Ann PERRY, MABEVERLY BLAnCHARD, VTAnITE BADEAuX, TXPEDRO MOREnO, CAsR. GRACIA sCHMITT, IABETTY F. LIGHTFOOT, FLJAMEs R. RYAn, IAHARRY MARCHEsE, PAVIRGInIA CuRRAn, COBARBARA COLE, OHLuCILLE sELLERs, InCARMEn GARVIn, FLROnALD MCMAHOn, MAJOsEPH MAYERI, WIP.H. LAHn, MnMARJORIE sHAPLEY, WAROsEMARY ROMIAnI, WI
We have been notified that the fol-lowing friends of the LourdesCenter have passed away. Pleasejoin us in remembering them inyour prayers.
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7M A R I S T FAT H E R S & B R OT H E R S O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E SECHOES FROM LOURDES
...is an expression of my faith...my trust in God’smercy.Offering to cover shipping &handling $______________n.B. A donation of $3.00 perbottle is suggested to coverour expenses. When the offer-ing permits, we use PriorityMail. We will accept orders of1-3-5-6-and 10 bottles. Formultiples thereof and forunusual numbers requested,we reserve the right to sendwhat is both just and feasible.
God only in times of crisis. notall people. There are people whostill go to church, not justbecause they “need God” butbecause it’s the right thing to do.We not only are “social beings”who should worship God associal beings, but we all have asoul that needs to be nourished.And what better place for that totake place than where we meetGod, where He talks to us andwe talk to Him.
The nine words that Jesus saidto the “good thief” when both ofthem were dying on a cross,deserve to be remembered by allof us, for we all hope that someday, He will say them to us.
Continued from page 4
Fr. Lacasse
Mass celebrated at The Grotto, Lourdes
Lourdes CenterMarist FathersLourdes BureauP.O. Box 15575698 Beacon streetBoston, MA 02215-2594617-536-2761www.lourdescenter.orgOurLady@LourdesCenter.org
Lourdes EchoesPublished bi-monthly to promote devotionof Our Lady and interest in her shrine atLourdes.
Director: Rev. Andrew Albert, s.M. Asst. Director: Rev. Roland Lacasse, s.M. Printed with Ecclesiastical Approval
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