Brother Luke

If you’re like Bones the first thought that popped into your head this morning was related to yourself. Maybe it was what you were going to do that day, or how much time you had to get ready to work, or if your spongebob boxers were clean. The point is that it was a selfish thought. That’s not to say it was bad thought just a selfish one.

Bones would approximate that over ninety percent of his thoughts during the course of his day are selfish. What am I going to eat for lunch? That guy not paying attention caused me to miss the light. Wow, I look amazing in these stunner shades. Why does Larry David have to be such a comedic genius and cause me to stay up late? Is Jon Beck or Rex Grossman going to torment my dreams this year?

Human beings are nothing if not inherently selfish. Nearly every decision made is based on what is best for oneself. Without thought we often ask ourselves; How is this going to help me? before even the most trivial of decisions. Think about everyday tasks like driving, waiting in line at a restaurant, or getting in an argument at work. The goal is always to gain an advantage while giving little to no thought about how it affects the other people involved. We spend countless time fantasizing about an insult that should have been hurled at a boss or an achievement that would cause us to be revered. It is actually quite depressing if you think about it.

So why is Bones thinking bout “it.” Is he suddenly appalled by the human race and depressed that he is part of it? Does he despise himself and all his egotistical, yet loyal followers? Has Bones renounced all his possessions, moved to Belize and started to believe he is an ingenious philosopher? The answers to all these questions is no. In fact none of these thoughts would have even entered Bones mind if it was not for a recent trip to visit his little brother, brother Luke.

For those of you who are not avid readers brother Luke is Bones’ 22 year old brother who is currently studying to be a priest. He played college soccer his freshman year at a division II school in West Virginia before deciding at an age where most people’s lives revolve around Milwaukee’s Best and the opposite sex to join the priesthood. He joined an order called the Legionaires of Christ whose mission is to “extend the Kingdom of Christ in society according to the requirements of Christian justice and charity.” The members are known as brothers until they become priests.

Although Bones’ brother and his “brothers” are technically college students and have countless jobs they do not get paid. They study for years to spiritually prepare themselves to go out and serve the people of the world. When they become priests they are not assigned to a parish. They travel the globe spreading kindness and the word of God. They function entirely on their own work and the donation of others.

For the majority of the year brother Luke resides in Cheshire, Conneticut where he lives with roughly 50 other men, the majority who are close to his age. They rise early, pray, attend class, study and work. There is not time for much else. Nor at certain points in the year is there talking. However, In July and August the Legion go on a “vacation” in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Bones arrived in Vermont last Sunday and was greeted by brother Luke at the airport. His driving skills were extremely rusty but we managed to make it back to the “vacation” sight unscathed. From there it was straight to a game of soccer. The soccer match is where Bones first started to realize how special of a place he was in. Throughout the match conversations like this ensued constantly.

Brother 1: What a goal brother. An incredible shot.

Brother 2: You’re to kind brother. That pass was amazing. It takes a lot for my clumsy feet to score a goal.

Brother 1: Nonsense brother. Your speed is a true gift something to marvel at.

Brother 2: Ah, Brother we all marvel at your grace on the field. It is truly enviable.

At one point the two teams argued about a shot by brother Luke that appeared to go directly over the cone that was serving as the post. Luke’s team argued that it shouldn’t be a goal while the other team argued it was clearly good. During the argument Bones started juggling the ball resulting in comments about what a brilliant juggler Bones is even though he is terrible. At the end of the game Bones felt like Pele and the players thanked each other for the competition and continued to complement each other while detracting from their own achievements. Bones was so confused he momentarily lost consciousness which resulted in the brothers stating how graceful a fainter he was.

The rest of the week Brother Luke and your loyal narrator slept in a cabin, in a tiny room, in a bunk bed and bathed in a lake. We woke up at 7 AM every morning and attended mass. The rest of the day was centered around prayer and physical activity. Meals are prepared, cooked and served by the brothers.

The members of the legion are not nerds or introverted. They are athletic (Bones prides himself on being in decent shape and barely survived a 4 mile hike straight up the mountain where the Lake Placid Olympics were held while the brothers calmly proceeded up the mountain without sweating and tried not to laugh.), normal looking (Bones tries not to judge men not named Leo) and have outgoing personalities (Bones has not laughed that hard in years). They hail from all over the world with a large contingency coming from South America. They are among the happiest people Bones has encountered in his young life.

Brother Luke states that this happiness derives from the promises the brothers make to stay chaste, obedient and poor. Paraphrasing my little brother on one of our walks. “Men are drawn to power, money and women by nature. But does that make anyone happy? You always want more money, more power and more women. No true satisfaction ever comes from these things. All the sudden your 60, you have a ton of money, have had all the women you could imagine and you do not even like yourself. If happiness comes from these things why are there so many depressed people in Hollywood? Why do famous people commit suicide? The only way to happiness is to reject these things and focus on serving God and making others happy. All our thoughts throughout the day should be focused on these two things.”

Bones is not hypocritical enough to have written this blog to provide religious guidance to people. Although Brother Luke would adamantly disagree Bones also does not necessarily think religion is the central theme at work. Bones felt compelled to write this entry to let his loyal followers know about the selflessness of this incredible group of young men and what they are doing for the world. Their sacrifices (again these people could in college partying) and selflessness provide happiness, strength and perseverance for the less fortunate people in our world.

If you would like to make a donation or learn more about brother Luke and his “brothers” just copy and paste the link below. Thank you.

http://www.legionariesofchrist.org/eng/articulos/donate.phtml?se=251&ca=703&te=475&id=19198&csearch=905&width=1280&height=1024&width=1280&height=1024