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March 2005___________________________
May the Lord give you His peace! Again, thank you for your patience in trying to reach me. The amount of interest in the CFR's has been very encouraging to say the least.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • On March 25, Good Friday, we will have our traditional 12 noon "walk with the cross" from Harlem to the Bronx and our 3 pm service in the Bronx. Also, Fr. Benedict Groeschel will be offering a showing of the movie, The Passion of the Christ, followed by a talk at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, 320 East Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543. (914) 698-5944. We are praying for you and your discernment everyday, especially on Wednesdays. May the Lord give you the grace to know His plan for your life and the courage to follow Jesus wherever He is calling you! As you may know, we are not running any special "Come and See" weekends. Rather, give me a call (keep trying!) and we will set up a visit. I think that this method is more helpful in your seeing our way of life as it is with no candy coating, etc. Don't forget all of the people that the Lord wants to get to heaven through YOUR ministry. The harvest is ripe! In struggling to be faithful to our vocation we know that this is the Lord's plan to get us to heaven and take as many people with us as possible. Let us set our hands to the plow in the Lord's vineyard and not look back! |
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In the first Vocations eLetter I quoted Pope John Paul II on three reasons why it is hard for young men to embrace a religious vocation: "Fear of commitment, lack of a clear understanding of this calling, and a deficient relationship with Jesus Christ." Last month I wrote about the benefits of regular Confession. This month I would like to offer some thoughts (I hope helpful) on the benefits of a spiritual director. 
One of the pieces of advice I always offer to those seriously discerning the possibility of a religious vocation concerns the benefits of a spiritual director. I once heard a priest say that it is always a good idea to have at least one person who knows everything about you. Discernment can be difficult at times. The spiritual director can offer objective feedback and advice. He can also offer wise counsel and suggestions. This saves us from spinning our wheels in the 
Ideally, a spiritual director should be orthodox (100% with the teachings of the Church), personally committed to seeking holiness, learned in the spiritual life, experienced in offering direction and detached from where you end up. Let me explain this last quality. I once had a hurtful experience with a spiritual director. He was always trying to get me to join his own community. He was not detached from my vocation. I never try to "recruit" in my vocational work. If your contact with me helps you in any way to find your vocation - even if it is not with the CFRs - then I consider my ministry a real success. 
The saints all had a healthy distrust of their own ability to discern God's voice without the balance of a spiritual director. Saint Francis and Saint Padre Pio were classic examples of this. The following links are just a few solid leads on the topic of spiritual direction:
Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR