Published by guest blogger Kathy Brents
Last night, I had the privilege of attending a Mass offered by our Bishop, the Most Rev. Oscar Cantu, Bishop of Las Cruces, which was held for the benefactors and volunteers who help with Alamogordo’s tiny little Fr. James B. Hay Catholic School. I found the Mass to be special in a number of ways. First, it was small (perhaps sadly in one way, but I also find small masses to a uniquely wonderful experience). I haven’t been to many masses offered by bishops, but the ones I have been to, you are pretty much packed in there elbow to elbow. This was a much more comfortable and intimate setting. It was also wonderful to see the grandeur and reverence of having all of our local clergy (4 priests, 1 deacon and a seminarian from 3 different churches) participating in the Mass together with Bishop Cantu. Very magnificent and special. But in addition to that, Bishop Cantu also gave an excellent homily about friendship, not only with our fellow fellows, but also our friendship with Jesus. He noted that friendship is an invitation with expectations. Expectations of trust, expectations of time, etc. And it was interesting the way he tied it all in with not only our earthly friendships with each other, but also how critical these expectations are in maintaining our friendship with Jesus. Great stuff.
After Mass, the school held a dinner in the parish hall. Delicious food, many friends, really enjoyable. Afterwards, the principal spoke about some of the challenges they have faced in the past year and then she presented awards and gifts to the teachers. She also showed a sweet little video they had put together showing life at Fr. James B. Hay and how important it is to be able to offer this education and environment to our children.
To close out the evening, Bishop Cantu told a story of how when he was a child his relatives would take hold of a blanket. He told us they would place little Oscar on the blanket and while all holding a part of the blanket, they would each give just a small tug to the blanket, which would send little Oscar flying up high into the sky (and still holding the blanket, they could also catch him safely when he came back down to earth, yes). His point was that nobody holding the blanket had to pull very hard to send little Oscar soaring. And this is the same way with other things in life we are trying to accomplish (such as providing needs to the school, helping others in need, supporting our churches, etc.). If everybody holds a piece of the blanket, nobody has to tug very hard to send little Oscar soaring towards heaven. It was a cute story, but effectively got the point across.
I really think a lot of our Bishop. He is young, engaging, personable, well-spoken, energetic, humble, compassionate and holy. A good man to have in the desert. I have also seen him draw hard lines in the diocese, quickly nipping in the bud gossip, rumors and other divisive issues to help keep his flock on track. That is one of the first things that impressed me about him. The more I get to know about him, I am certainly grateful for Bishop Cantu and pray that God will protect him and keep him strong and good.
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