Go and Set the World on Fire
A Pilgrimage to the Mission and Grave of Fr. Sebastian Rale
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Meditation on the Heart of Jesus
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Luke 12:49-51
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament
When you are ready, go kneel before the Blessed Sacrament, light a candle and address Our Lord:
Jesus, light my heart ablaze with your love. Set afire, may I radiate the warmth of your love and the brightness of your Truth to the farthest corners of the world. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours!
Go Boldly Wherever Christ Calls
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to serve You as You deserve
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his brother
It once happened to me, in crossing the river St. Lawrence, that I suddenly found myself surrounded by masses of ice of an enormous size; the canoe was cracked by them. The two Savages who were piloting me immediately cried out: “We are dead men; all is over; we must perish!” Notwithstanding, they made an effort, and jumped upon one of those floating cakes of ice. I did likewise; and, after having drawn the canoe out of the water, we carried it to the very edge of the ice; and thus by jumping from cake to cake we at last came to the bank of the river, without any other inconvenience than being very wet and benumbed with cold.
Reflection: Saying yes to God means opening yourself up to an adventure with great risks and great rewards. What would you risk to follow His call? Through all the dangers, He is carrying you if you only will trust Him to. Will you say yes?
“Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” – Luke 10:19-20
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
The Shepherd Amidst His Flock
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to toil and not to seek for rest
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his nephew
After Mass, I Catechize the children and the young people; a great number of older persons are present, and answer with docility to the questions which I ask them. The remainder of the morning, until noon, is devoted to all those who have anything to tell me. At that time they come in crowds, to reveal to me their griefs and anxieties, or to tell me the causes of complaint which they have against their tribesmen, or to consult me about their marriages or their other private affairs. I must instruct some, and console others; reestablish peace in disunited families, and calm troubled consciences; and correct a few others with reprimands, mingled with gentleness and charity, — in fine, send them all away content, as far as I can…
In the midst of these continual occupations you can hardly believe with what rapidity the days pass away. There has been a time when I scarcely had leisure to recite my Office, or to take a little rest during the night.
Reflection: As Christians, we are called to give without counting the cost. Fr. Rale gave himself generously to feeding souls who were hungry for Christ. Are we generous in giving? Or do we impose limits to how much we are willing to give of ourselves?
After this the Lord appointed seventy two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way…. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ – Luke 10:1-9
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
Fr. Rale Protects His Flock
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to witness fearlessly to the truth
The English sought permission from the Abenakis to build trading posts. This was agreeable enough to them. Gradually the ‘trading posts’ became more numerous, came closer and closer to the Abenaki village, and began looking increasingly like forts. The English claimed the king of France had ceded the territory to them in the Treaty of Utrecht. But that territory belonged to the Abenakis, not the king of France. Tensions grew and soon hit a breaking point.
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his nephew
At about that time, a score or so of Savages entered one of the English dwellings, either to trade, or to rest themselves. They had been there only a short time when they saw the house suddenly invested by a force of nearly 200 armed men. “We are dead men!” cried one of the Savages, “Let us sell our lives dearly.”
They were already preparing to rush upon this force when the English, perceiving their intention, and knowing also of what a Savage is capable in his first outbursts of fury, endeavored to appease them. They assured them that they had no evil design, and that they only came to invite a few of them to repair to Boston, for the purpose of conferring with the Governor about methods of maintaining the peace, and the good understanding that ought to exist between the two Nations.
The Savages, a little too credulous, appointed four of their tribesmen who went to Boston; but, when they arrived there, the conference with which they had been beguiled ended by their being made prisoners.
Reflection: In the face of this evil, Fr. Rale acted as a representative of the natives and spoke out against the injustices being committed against them. Will you shine the light of truth into the darkness? Or will you let sin fester in silence and hiding while innocent men and women are hurt by it?
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. – John 3:19-21
Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
One Shepherd, One Flock, One Church
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to labor and to ask for no reward
Seeing that the Catholic faith kept the native Americans closely allied with the French, the English did all they could to draw them away. Several times they tried to persuade the Abenakis to send Fr. Rale back to Quebec (or hand them over to their forces) and accept a Protestant minister. On one such occasion, Fr. Rale records this response:
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his brother
“Your words astonish me,” responded the Deputy of the Savages, “and I wonder at the proposition that you are making to me. When you were here you saw me a long time before the French Governors did; neither those who preceded you, nor your Ministers, ever spoke to me of prayer or of the Great Spirit. They saw my furs, my beaver and elk-skins, and of those alone did they think; it was those they sought with eagerness; I was not able to furnish them enough, and when I brought many, then I was their great friend, and that was all.
On the contrary, my canoe having one day been misguided, I lost my way and wandered at random for a long time, until at last I landed near Quebec, at a large village of the Alongquins, where the black Robes were teaching. I had hardly landed when a black Robe came to see me. I was loaded with furs, but the French black Robe did not deign even to look at them; he spoke to me first of the Great Spirit, of Paradise, of Hell, and of Prayer, which is the only way of reaching Heaven. I listened to him with pleasure, and I enjoyed his talks so much that I remained a long time in that Village for the sake of hearing him.
In short, the Prayer pleased me, and I besought him to instruct me; I asked for Baptism, and received it. Afterward I returned to my own Country and I recounted what had happened to me; my people envied my happiness, and wished to participate in it; accordingly they set out to go to the Black Robe, to ask him for Baptism. It was thus that the Frenchman treated me. If, when you first saw me, you had spoken to me of Prayer, I would have had the misfortune to pray as you do; for I was not capable of distinguishing whether or not your prayer were right. Therefore I tell you that I hold to the prayer of the Frenchman; I accept it, and I shall keep it until the world shall burn and come to an end.”…
Reflection: True love is for its own sake, not for any advantage that it may give to us. The hearts of the natives were converted because the missionaries loved them for their own sake (not for their furs) and wanted to show them the way to Heaven. In our relationships, do we love our neighbor for his or her own sake, or because of what they can do for us? Do we love God for His own sake, or because of what He can do for us?
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” – John 10:1-5
Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
And blest would be their children’s fate,
If they, like them should die for thee:
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
Benediction
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Præstet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et iubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.
℣. You have given them bread from heaven.
℟. Having within it all sweetness.
℣. Let us pray. O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
And may the heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even until the end of time. Amen.
St. Ignatius’s Prayer of Generosity
Teach me, Lord, to be generous,
to serve you as you deserve.
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wound,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and to ask for no reward,
Save that of knowing, that I do your holy will.
At this point we will travel to Old Point on Father Rasle Road.
Station 1
The British Burn the Church
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to fight and not to heed the wounds
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his nephew
I had remained alone in the village with a small number of old men and feeble folk, while the rest of the Savages were at the hunt. That time appeared favorable to the enemy for surprising me; and, with this in view, they sent out a detachment of two hundred men. Two young Abenakis, who were hunting on the seashore, heard that the English had entered the river; they immediately turned their steps to that quarter, so as to observe the movements of the English. Having perceived them about ten leagues from the village, these Savages outran them by crossing the country, that they might inform me, and help the old men, women, and children to retire in haste. I had only time to consume the hosts, to enclose in a small box the sacred vessels, and to escape into the woods. Toward evening, the English reached the Village; and, not having found me there, they came the next day to look for me I the very place of our retreat.
They were within only a gunshot when we descried them; all that I could do was to plunge with haste into the forest. But as I had no time to take my snowshoes, and as, besides, I still experienced great weakness caused by a fall, - in which, some years ago, my thigh and my leg were broken, - it was not possible for me to run very far. The only resource that remained to me was to hide behind a tree. They immediately searched the various paths worn by the Savages when they go for wood, and came within eight steps of the tree that was sheltering me, where naturally they must have perceived me, for the trees had shed their leaves; nevertheless, as if they had been driven away by an invisible hand, they suddenly retraced their steps, and again took the way to the Village.
Thus it was by a special protection of God that I escaped from their pursuit. They pillaged my church and my little house, thereby almost reducing me to a death from starvation in the midst of the woods.
Reflection: Trust in God’s providence
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.” … So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. – John 7:25-30
Divine Mercy Chaplet
Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ
In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Station 2
“Death Alone Can Separate Me from Them”
Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to give and not to count the cost
From a letter from Fr. Rale to his nephew
My Neophytes moved by the danger to which I am exposed in their Village, often urge me to retire for a little time to Quebec. But what will become of the flock, if it be deprived of its Shepherd? Death alone can separate me from them. They tell me, but to no purpose, that in case I fall into the power of their enemy, the least that can happen to me will be to linger out the rest of my days in wretched imprisonment; I shut their mouths with the words of the Apostle, which divine goodness has deeply impressed upon my heart. I say to them: “Do not be anxious about that which concerns me. I do not fear the threats of those who hate me when I have not deserved their hatred; and I do not consider my life more precious than myself, so that I may finish my course, and the ministry of the word which has been entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus.” Pray to Him, my dear nephew, that he may strengthen in me this feeling, which comes only from his mercy, in order that I may live and die working unceasingly for the salvation of these neglected souls, who were bought with his blood and whom he has deigned to commit to my care.
Reflection: Love means giving until it hurts. In those moments of self sacrifice, then we know we love truly because in those moments it is totally about the ones we love and not about us. Are we willing to go to the cross? To love until it hurts? Are we willing to love with heart of Christ who loved us to the point of giving His life? Ask that the heart of the Good Shepherd may be your own.
“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.” – John 10:11-18
Divine Mercy Chaplet
Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ
In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Station 3
Fr. Rale Dies at the Foot of the Cross
Lord Jesus Christ, let my only reward be the knowledge that I have done your will
From a letter from Fr. De la Chasse to Members of the Society of Jesus
October 29th, 1724
After many acts of hostility had been committed on both sides by the two Nations, a little army of Englishmen and their Savage allies, numbering eleven hundred men, unexpectedly came to attack the Village of Nanrantsouak. The dense thickets with which that Village is surrounded helped them to conceal their movements; and as, besides, it was not enclosed with palisades, the Savages were taken by surprise, and became aware of the enemy’s approach only by a volley from their muskets, which riddled all the cabins….
Father Rale, warned by the clamor and the tumult of the danger which was menacing his Neophytes, promptly left his house and fearlessly appeared before the enemy. He expected by his presence either to stop their first efforts, or, at least, to draw their attention to himself alone, and at the expense of his life to procure the safety of his flock.
As soon as they perceived the Missionary, a general shout was raised which was followed by a storm of musket-shots that was poured upon him. He dropped dead at the foot of a large cross that he had erected in the midst of the Village, in order to announce the public profession that was made therein of adoring a crucified God. Seven Savages who were around him, and were exposing their lives to guard that of their father, were killed by his side.
Veneration of the Cross – Our Lord says that unless we are willing to take up our cross and follow Him, we are not worthy to be called His disciples. You have seen what the cross can look like for those who follow Christ. You have also seen the abundant fruit it bears. Are you will to take up the cross? I invite you to kiss the cross and in kissing the cross of Christ, to choose to embrace your own crosses also for love of Him.
Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”– John 12:23-26
Divine Mercy Chaplet
Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ
In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Station 4
The Burial of Fr. Rale
From a letter from Fr. De la Chasse to Members of the Society of Jesus
October 29th, 1724
The death of the Shepherd dismayed the flock; the Savages took flight and crossed the river, part of them by fording, and part by swimming. They were exposed to all the fury of their enemies, until the moment when they retreated into the woods which are on the other side of the river. There they were gathered, to the number of a hundred and fifty. From more than two thousand gunshots that had been fired at them only thirty persons were killed, including the women and children; and fourteen were wounded. The English did not attempt to pursue the fugitives; they were content with pillaging and burning the Village: they set fire to the Church, after a base profanation of the sacred vessels and of the adorable Body of Jesus Christ.
The precipitate retreat of the enemy permitted the return of the Nanrantosouakians to the Village. The very next day they visited the wreck of their cabins, while the women, on their part, sought for roots and plants suitable for treating the wounded. Their first care was to weep over the body of their holy Missionary; they found it pierced by hundreds of bullets, the scalp torn off, the skull broken by blows from a hatchet, the mouth and the eyes filled with mud, the bones of the legs broken, and all the members mutilated. This sort of inhumanity, practiced on a body deprived of feeling and of life, can scarcely be attributed to any one but to the Savage allies of the English.
After these devout Christians had washed and kissed many ties the honored remains of their father, they buried him in the very place were, the night before, he had celebrated the holy Sacrifice of the Mass – that is, in the place where the altar had stood before the burning of the Church.
Reflection: The world needs witnesses of Christ. The world needs men and women to bear His love to people who hunger for it and don’t even realize what it is they’re looking for. Will that be you? Will you continue the mission begun 300 years ago on this soil?
When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar[i] the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been. – Revelation 6:9-11
St. Ignatius’s Prayer of Generosity
Teach me, Lord, to be generous,
to serve you as you deserve.
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wound,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and to ask for no reward,
Save that of knowing, that I do your holy will.
Station 5
Eulogy for Fr. Rale
From a letter from Fr. De la Chasse to Members of the Society of Jesus
October 29th, 1724
Three years ago, by order of the Monsieur our Governor, I made a tour of Acadia. In conversing with Father Rasles, I represented to him that in case war should be declared against the Savages, he would run a risk of his life; that, as his Village was only fifteen leagues form the English forts, he would be exposed to their first forays; that his preservation was necessary to his flock; and that he msut take measures for the safety of his life. “My measures are taken,” he replied in a firm voice, “God has confided to me this flock, and I shall follow its fate, only too happy to be sacrificed for it.” He often repeated the same thing to his Neophytes, that he might strengthen their constancy in the Faith. “We have realized but too well,” they said to me, “that the dear Father spoke to us out of the abundance of his heart; we saw him face death with a tranquil and serene countenance, and expose himself unassisted to the fury of the enemy, - hindering their first attempts so that we might have time to escape from the danger and preserve our lives.”…
No one doubts that he was sacrificed through hatred to his ministry and to his zeal in establishing the true Faith in the hearts of the Savages. This is the opinion of Monsiuer de Bellemont, Superior of the Seminary of Saint Sulpice at Montreal. When I asked from him the customary suffrages for the deceased, because of our interchange of prayers, he replied to me, using the well-known words of St. Augustine, that it was doing injustice to a Martyr to pray for him…
May it please the Lord that his blood, shed for such a righteous cause, may fertilize these unbelieving lands which have been so often watered with the blood of the Gospel workers who have preceded us; that it may render them fruitful in devout Christians, and that the zeal of Apostolic men yet to come may be stimulated to gather the abundant harvest that is being presented to them by so many peoples still buried in the shadow of death!
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:16-20
Prayer of Abandonment
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
For the Beatification of Sebastian Rale
Eternal Father, grant that Sebastian Râle, martyr of the faith among the Abenakis of Maine, will be raised to the altar of the blessed. Through his intercession, we pray that your divine favor will be manifest among us so that we may return praise to your eternal glory. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit One God world without end.
Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Make our hearts like yours!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.