Mourning & Hunger…

This past week, a few of the Brothers and I visited the St. Rose of Lima Youth Group in Newtown, CT. The parish will have 8 funerals this next week due to the tragic shooting that happened the Friday before at the local elementary school.

At times like this no words can really do justice to provide the comfort and consolation that so many long to receive. Our goal at the youth gathering was just to be there. We prayed, comforted, and tried to bring hope in such a desperate situation. I experienced the intensity of the situation as we arrived and were greeted by Police Officers in the parking lot as well as the Knights of Columbus providing security at the front door. As soon as the Holy Hour started I remember being moved by how many of the youth were there but also by the spirit of fear that was in the room. This gathering was supposed to be the night before but due to a threat during the Sunday masses the day before, the event was cancelled. Needless to say many hearts were afraid.

Thank God no press was allowed in the gathering. Large signs in the parking lot and on the building made it very apparent that the Press was not welcome. The shooting has certainly been the story for days now, and even though we don’t have TV I am aware of what those in the media world are talking about. Of course every one is looking for answers and asking all the questions of how something like this could happen. And there are legitimate conversations that must happen about guns and violence, but being there with the young people that night I couldn’t help but wish for one moment that a news camera could be recording live so the whole nation could experience for one moment what I did that night.

The Lord came. And everyone in the room reached out to Him. My heart was filled with the realization and wanted to exclaim: “This is the answer!” The young people full of fear and carrying the burdens of so much violence and despair, reached out to Jesus. He is the answer and they hungered for Him in this moment. As the Holy Hour continued I couldn’t’ help but experience the fear being lifted as many experienced the comfort of Jesus who comes to bring consolation and peace to those who mourn. As Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was processing around the room the young people literally had their hands raised and extended in the direction of our Lord. They reached out to Him. And He comforted them. In the room that night, so many young people, including their parents, experienced the true message of Advent and the brilliance of Christianity. Our God comes to us. In the joys of life but even more so in the trials and the times where nothing makes sense. Jesus comes to us and He brings us the peace and consolation that we need and also gives meaning and purpose to our suffering.  Words cannot explain what happened last week but the presence of Jesus gives us hope. We don’t know the reason’s why things happened the way they did but we do know that Jesus is Lord of our lives and he was that Lord of those in that room that night. Experiencing this, I know in my heart that these young people will be OK. Through the fear and the tears and the questions they encountered Jesus who broke into their suffering and proclaimed, “I am here.”

Leaving the gathering that night I experienced so many emotions. But more then anything a hope filled conviction that Jesus is with us. Our Father in Heaven is watching over us and leading us despite the horror filled situations and tragedies of life. The truly moving encounter of the evening for me was to experience the hunger and longing these young people had for Jesus. It is like they were tried of all the things in life that haven’t worked. Tired of the media who couldn’t give them answers to their questions and tired of the endless updates on Facebook and Twitter that just reminded them of the horror. They were afraid and they went in search to find meaning and purpose to what they were feeling, and in their search they found our God who had come in search of them. Kneeling down, with their hands raised and extended to the real and true presence of Jesus, they cried out for Him.  

For the first time in my whole life I feel like I sincerely experienced the true meaning of Advent. Jesus comes to those who seek Him and comes every moment we turn our hearts to Him. He is the hope that our hearts long for and this He is the answer to all our questions. I myself was renewed in my desire to cry out to the Lord to come in a more powerful way into my life. This is the cry of Advent. This is the cry of our hearts when nothing else makes sense or satisfies us.

For weeks to come we will hear many opinions about how to recover and how to prevent something like this from happening again. There is no question that many bright and qualified people will take part in the conversation and propose a way for the future. But what gives me hope are the young people and the choice they made that night. Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from them. In the end, Jesus is the answer. Jesus is our hope, He is our victory, and He is our peace. And truly blessed are those who mourn and reach out to Him and hunger for Him in this time, for they will truly be satisfied.

Come Lord, do not delay.

Br. Angelus Immaculata Montgomery, CFR
Most Blessed Sacrament Friary
Newark, NJ

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EMMANUEL (GOD WITH US)

Sometimes in prayer, we hear God whisper something to us. Recently, I heard God tell me, “swing little brother swing.” At first I wasn’t entirely sure what this meant. As I prayed and thought about it, it became pretty clear: when I was younger, I used to play baseball and sometimes when I went up to bat, I would get nervous, really nervous. I would be afraid to swing the bat for fear of striking out and looking like a loser or feeling like a complete failure. So instead of really trying for a hit, I would secretly hope for a walk.

Looking back at it now, I see that I was plagued, almost paralyzed, at those moments with a deadly combination of pride and fear: afraid to failure, pridefully thinking I needed to be better than I was. Even today, I recognize this misguided sense of self-protection within myself. I want to play it safe; I want people to think highly of me, I don’t want to make any mistakes. (Sound familiar?) While I say, “please let me get a walk,” Jesus says, “swing little brother swing.” Jesus says be free and joyful – don’t be a slave to the expectations of others, don’t be a salve to this nagging fear of inadequacy. Jesus says, don’t be so concerned with the results, be concerned with a confident, joyful attitude.

How can this be when I am surrounded by so many pressures and demands externally and internally? At times it doesn’t seem possible. The only ray of hope I can decipher is the presence of God. If God is truly with me at every moment, in all circumstances, and never abandons me no matter what the results appear to be, then maybe, maybe I be can free and daring. Maybe, if the focus is on Him and what He can do and what He has done (and not on me and what I can’t do and what I haven’t done) then maybe I don’t have to take things so seriously.

C. K. Chesterton says that this was the glory of St. Francis: that he saw the whole world turned upside down and hanging by a hair. We wasn’t afraid or intimidated by anything because he knew it was all passing away and he knew the love of God that never passes away. In other words, all the pomp, all the power, all the ‘coolness’, all the ‘success’, all the situation and things we fear are like a puff of smoke. None of these things are as important as the love of God that endures all things and lasts forever. If God is Emmanuel, then maybe, I can swing the bat and so can you.

God bless you,
Fr. Giuseppe Siniscalchi, CFR
Most Blessed Sacrament Friary
Newark, N]

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Good and Bad; Happy and Sad

A famous Advent scripture passage is Isaiah 40: 3-5:

"A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low;
The rugged land shall be a plain,the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

This famous passage is quoted in the New Testament as referring to Saint John the Baptist.

I am fascinated by the idea of filling up the valleys and pulling down the mountains in order to make a straight road for the Lord - they still do that when they are making highways. Here is a spiritual interpretation of the image:

In this life we all have good days and bad days; days that make us happy and days that make us sad. If we have the faith to see, God is at work in both. Some days bring consolations and joys. These days can be seen as "filling up the valleys" as they lift us up. Some days bring trials and sorrow. These days can be seen as "bringing down the mountains" of our pride and self-centeredness.

Another image is two rosaries - one for joys and one for sorrows. Imagine that we are holding one in each hand. As we go through life and experience various joys and sorrows a bead is added. On second thought, it is only one rosary that we are holding. The joyful and sorrowful mysteries are prayed on the same rosary.

May Our Lady prepare the manger of our heart to receive her Son!

Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR
St. Joseph Friary
Harlem, NY
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Letters of hope and consolation # 18

In your time of physical sickness and suffering you have experienced the absence of friends and family. Those who have told you repeatedly that they love you were simply not there as you needed them to be. There were few phone calls and emails and even fewer visits from those who you could “count” on. And now you are forced to spend these days with an agonizing loneliness hovering over you.

What could I possibly say to you to try and console you? To some extent you are right, prayer is not enough, we need a human touch, a human companion to hold us, to talk with, to cry with and confide in. When we don’t have even that life itself feels like a meaningless endeavor or a cruel trick played on us by some ruthless authority figure. Loneliness is after all, such a terrible feeling, that we are often tempted to do just about anything to remove it from our life.

Yet here is what is remarkable. Jesus himself experienced loneliness at a level, thankfully, you and I will probably never experience in this life. He was betrayed by Judas and Peter and by almost all of the disciples at an hour when he needed them most. When Jesus is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane the Gospels state, “Then all the disciples left him and fled” (Mt 26:56). While he was forced to suffer the excruciating agony of the crucifixion, Jesus was for the most part alone, with the exception of a few women and the apostle John (Jn 19-25-26). In his humanity he even felt as if he had been abandoned by his Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mk 15:34)

Is this not your experience as well? Without underestimating your feelings and what your experience has been like these past few days would it be too much of a stretch to say that what was true of Jesus is true of you? You have been abandoned and disappointed by friends and family but, like Jesus, you were still not alone. Even though you felt the Father’s absence and could have cried out the same words that Jesus did, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was still there, as He was for Jesus on the cross, strengthening him, holding him and staying faithfully by his side. How could you have survived these past few days if this were not true for you also?

This reality certainly might not take away the hurt you feel in your heart but it should affirm a truth that you and I both need to be reminded of regularly; God is always faithfully by your side. He has no desire of ever leaving you. Even when you feel as if He to has abandoned you, He is there, He has been there and will continue to be there everyday of your life.

God bless you,

Fr. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR
St. Felix Friary, Yonkers, NY
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I am thankful for ...

The time surrounding Thanksgiving is such a whirlwind of work and happiness in New York City. This year was no different. The Hurricane Sandy relief effort began the movement to reach out and help. Food was handed out, prayers were said and thanks was given to God for it all.

On Thanksgiving day itself we had our usual Saint Joseph's Table meal for the neighborhood. With the help of some dear friends who own a great restaurant (Gino's Trattoria) we offered the best meal in town! Thanks to the friars who were praying in Eucharistic Adoration through out the day, no one got cut except the turkey.

This year was extra-special because Br. Timothy made a ghetto turkey piñata.  With time running out and short on materials, he used newspaper and mortar paste. That was a tough old bird! It survived many a whack before it yielded the goodies.

When Brother announced that we were offering a turkey piñata in the back yard, no one made a move to join us. So, I got on the microphone and yelled, "Hey everybody, that thing is full of CASH MONEY!" Wow - that really got everyone's attention. I kinda stretched the truth knowing that candy is like money in Candy Land!

Anyways, our guests were really interested in getting that money. The Thanksgiving/Christmas season is a great time to look into your heart and discover what you are really interested in. Then if you are like me and my neighbors, pray for the grace of a deeper conversion.

May God bless you,

Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR
St. Joseph Friary
Harlem, New York City

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Letters of hope and consolation #17

You are a beggar before God.  There is nothing you can truly call your own.  Everything is a gift from God and everything comes from him.

However, not all beggars are alike.  Some are childlike, obsessed with their own needs and anxiously try to prolong their existence and fulfill their desires as much as possible.  They demand things from God in a timely fashion and if their prayer is not heard according to their will they do whatever is necessary to make sure their needs are accomplished. Another type of beggar is one who is humble, sincere and has realized their own helplessness and in humility has turned outside of himself for the answers and for the help he needs for his life.  His “nothingness” has not led him to despair but to hope in a loving and merciful God.

Which kind of beggar are you?

If your brokenness, sins, mistakes, regrets and fears do not make you more humble than you will remain like the beggar who is never satisfied and who is always anxious and afraid.  Yet if in your poverty you can turn to God, honest about yourself and your life, you will experience the hand of a loving Father in your life.  He will change the rags that you have acquired as a beggar and will clothe you in the new and beautiful garments of the children of God.


God bless you,

Fr. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR
St. Felix Friary, Yonkers, NY
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Letters of hope and consolation # 16

We often talk about love as if it were only an abstract concept.  The problem with concepts is that they very rarely leave us with a picture to examine or an example to ponder.  So, what does love look like?

According to St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13-4-7, this is what love looks like.  It is;


1. Patient and kind
2. Not jealous or boastful
3. Not arrogant or rude
4. It does not insist on its own way
5. It is not irritable or resentful
6. It does not rejoice at wrong
7. It rejoices in the right
8. It bears all things
9. Believes all things
10. Hopes all things
11. Endures all things

After some prayer and meditation on St. Paul’s examination of love how are you doing?  In what areas do you need to grow to allow love to become more concrete and less abstract in your life?


God bless you,

Fr. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR
St. Felix Friary, Yonkers, NY

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Letters of hope and consolation # 15

For many people reality is a burden, something they want to escape from.  Unfortunately, there are so many escape routes available to us today.

What is it about reality that so many people find difficult?  It is, I believe, the apparent boredom, the apparent nothingness that appears present to people in the midst of their lives.  Because reality appears empty so many people try to create reality according to their own designs and structures.  The ironic thing is that by escaping reality in order to try and create a better one, we forfeit the chance of ever discovering true happiness.

A question I pose to you is; how do you view reality?  Is it merely a random succession of events and occurrences?  Is reality empty, boring, devoid of anything that can stir the human heart?  If you answer yes to these questions then I can guarantee you that you are destined for a life of misery.

Reality is an encounter with Jesus Christ!  In every moment of our day, whether we are in prayer, reading, with friends, at work, on a busy street corner, fulfilling one’s duties as a parent or enjoying a walk in nature, Jesus Christ is there whispering to your heart that He is the “more” you desire from life.  By ignoring reality or trying to escape reality as soon as possible you are running from Him who is your only hope for happiness.

My prayer for you is that you could become so bold as to stand face to face with reality as it is and leave behind all your escapes, illusions and self-sufficiency.  When that prayer is fully answered there will be no reason to escape anywhere because all that you have been looking for will be directly in front of you.


God bless you,

Fr. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR
St. Felix Friary, Yonkers, NY

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Days of Grace

It has been a wonderful couple of days. Recently, a group of us were able to make a pilgrimage to the shrines of St. Kateri Tekakwitha and the North American Martyrs. The shrine is a mere three hour drive north of New York City. This spot is some of the holiest soil in our country. During the mid 17th Century three of the martyrs toiled and shed their blood for the faith on that spot. The remains of St. Rene Goupil are still buried somewhere in the revered ravine (find their story here).

Ten years after the martyrdom of St. John Lalande and St. Isaac Jogues, St. Kateri was born in this same blessed village. Recently canonized a saint, she was an amazing anomaly.

You may have heard of a famous quote by the 2nd-century Church Father Tertullian who wrote that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church." This implies that the sacrifice of the martyrs will lead to an outpouring of grace and conversions. The truth of this insight is born by history. How did a small persecuted sect (Christianity) conquer the Roman Empire which sought to stamp it out?

St. Kateri is another example of inexplicable grace flowing from the yes of martyrs. May Saint Kateri pray for an outpouring of purity and prayer in our lives today (find the Pope's canonization homily here). Here is her inspiring story from the Vatican Press Release:

God bless you,
Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR
Harlem, NY

Letters of hope and consolation # 14

Despite the fears that often trouble your soul, God dwells in those inmost depths in silence and peace.  The difficulty is hearing him and experiencing his presence because your fears are so loud and intimidating.  They have convinced you to think that the future contains no hope and that nobody, especially God, could love you simply the way you are.  You must appear smarter, look holier, come across as having your life together, and be more physically attractive and so on.  In short, you must be anything but yourself, so they seem to say!

In believing in your fears you run from one “solution” to the next.  Yet a day later they return and you are off again to the races desperately trying to find something to silence them.  The reality is running only makes things worse.  If only you could learn to stand before the Lord as you are, accepting yourself as you are, and patiently allowing God’s love to penetrate your wounded humanity you could begin to experience healing.  If you follow this and learn to be still and trust in God you will discover that the real strength and the real power belong to God and that instead of running from life there is a much greater and more peaceful option:  waiting in silence with confidence upon Him who dwells in the depths of your soul.



God bless you,

Fr. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR

St. Felix Friary, Yonkers, NY

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