Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A word from Father Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)



National Seelos Shrine, Josephine St. and Constance St., New Orleans, Louisiana

For those restless, frustrated and bedraggled souls of the world, Father Seelos saw a clear path to peace in the actions of Wilhelm Luehrmann, a German immigrant whose homesickness discouraged his aspirations for priesthood:

But now, in addition to the sadness in not being able to attain his goal, came an attack of homesickness that just about crushed his heart; so much so that often he could no longer stand the oppressive feeling and only wanted to find a place where he could really cry himself out. What did he do then? He took a horse, got on it, and rode far, very far into the woods. And when he was deep in the wilderness, and no one could hear him anymore, he got off his horse, and cried and shouted so loud that all the hills echoed with it and so long until he felt relieved. *

Job-seekers and job-escapists alike can use a horseback trip to the woods - in whatever form it takes - to put their lives back to work.

*Source: "Father Seelos in Action: His Kindly Approach." Carl Hoegerl, ed. SPIRITUS PATRIS, vol.XXVI, Number 1 — March 2000. As published on www.seelos.org.