Today was bitter sweet for me at Mt. Irenaeus. It is the Feast of Pentecost and I got to read the first reading for the Mass. It’s always an honor to be asked to do that and since the celebrant, Fr. Bob Strusynski, OFM was celebrating his last Mass at the Mountain it was deeply significant. I’ve grown to love Fr. Bob in the past almost dozen years since we first met at Mt. Irenaeus. He’s quiet, thoughtful and scholarly. He’s has a Ph.D. in theology and his homilies always reflect that scholarship. Soon he will be retiring to Butler, New Jersey. I’ll miss him very much. Today’s homily was typically about love. That’s often the topic of Fr. Bob’s talks. In the last couple of days I’ve finally come to understand at least intellectually what Franciscans mean when they speak of poverty. Poverty is ultimately about love and relationship. Forgiveness is in there too as God is always doing everything to bridge that gap that separates us from his love. Fr. Bob ended his homily with one of my favorite quotes from PierreTeillhard de Chardin,
“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Thank you Fr. Bob for helping me to know more about love and specifically God’s love for me. Peace!