Foundation Day
August 15, 2014
From this day all generations will call me blessed:The Almighty has done great things for me…
Luke 1, 49
Mary was called blessed from the moment she was conceived to the moment she was lifted body and soul into heaven. As we celebrate the feast of the Assumption and the founding of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, we remember how that sense of being called blessed belongs to all of us.
The difference between Mary and the rest of us is that our “yes” is more often than not belied by our lives of “no.” I am not worthy. I am a sinner. I am too young, too old, too tired, too shy, too weak, too weary, to this or too that to be blessed. And so rather than being pregnant with new possibilities and carry the hope of the world close to our hearts, we carry excuses.
Not so with our founder, St. Gaspar. Certainly St. Gaspar had this sense of being blessed, of being loved by God. As he wrote, “So let us strive to love the one who loves us so very much. May the Heart of Jesus be the center of our lives, our mystical cell, our ark of refuge (#2598).” This sense of being blessed gave Gaspar all the courage he needed to give birth to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and begin a new adventure for the realm of God.
As we embark on this coming year when many special events are being planned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of our founding and the 50th anniversary of the Kansas City Province, may we embrace the truth that we are indeed blessed. God has done great things for us! Trusting in God’s infinite and intimate love for us, we can do great things for God.
On behalf of the Leadership Team, have a blessed and happy foundation day! We pray especially with our Companions making and renewing Covenants in Alameda, California and Warrensburg, Missouri this Sunday!
With peace,
Fr. Joe Nassal, C.PP.S.
Provincial Director
Editor’s note: Information on the Warrensburg celebration can be found here.