Day 5 of the Novena
Discovering a Brother or Sister
“You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.”(Matthew 23: 8)
All around us, in our families, in our neighborhood, where we work and play, we see all kinds of different people. These different ages, cultures, ways of living are not at all the same. Even in our faith communities, the old and new ways brush up against each other.
We are tricked by false impressions or by those categories which classify things as inferior or superior. Jesus calls us to step forth from our narrow frames of reference and recognize those who are our brothers and sisters. Like the prophets, he cares about equality and justice.
Brother André wore his name well: he was a Brother to so many of the people with whom he came in contact. He didn’t care about their social status, their place of origin; he didn’t rank them according to their successes in life or their station.
He considered each one as a child of God, gifted and fragile. He offered them healing, and challenges and hope. He didn’t bring people down, rather he raised them up. In his footsteps, Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal has been and continues to be a crossroads for encounter and mutual support, for very different people.
