A weekend in New York

I spent this weekend in New York and had the privilege of witnessing the wedding of John Rich and Stephanie Keenan now Mr. and Mrs. John Rich. The wedding was at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church on Park Ave just east of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park. Church was beautiful and the priests of the Parish were very welcoming and accommodating. I have to admit I was a little uncomfortable with the "cathedral sound" of the big church but I did my best to make the ceremony warm and intimate.

When I arrived in Penn Station I was a little intimidated. I'm not usually afraid of big cities but New York is just soooo big. When the cab arrived at the church everyone one welcomed me . In my free time I just walked and walked and walked. I also had New York Pizza nothing like it and New York Bagels and whatever else I could find that was tipically New York. You know the excuse I'll only be here a couple of days...... Once I took a subway to Union Square 14th street and walked back up Park to 84th people watching as I went.

So many people, just so many people in constant motion.
On Sunday Morning before I left to come back to Washington my mind was distracted by one thought which I just couldn't seem to shake. How do you bring the gospel to all these people ? As I prayed morning prayer in Central Park I kept getting lost in that thought. How do you preach the gospel to people who have seen it and heard it all... How can one do it. Where is the key to a New Yorkers heart.. I can't imagine that it would be any different from any other human being. After a while I just did my best to surrender that thought to God to give it over to hHm. Right now I have 3000 undergraduate souls to take care of. Just like Pope John XXIII used to say it's "Your Church I'm going to bed" My variation on the theme... was "It's your Church I'm going back to Catholic"

Let us pray that we and the church can all have a "zeal for souls" May we, all of us strive with out whole being to bring people to Christ. May all of us understand that this evangelical zeal to bring people to Christ is an integral part of our christian vocation. May we remember in a special way those people who brought us to our faith.

May all who see us in some tiny small broken way see you Lord

Amen