The True Measure of our Love for God

Father Frederic Baraga left a comfortable, aristocratic existence behind when he left Slovenia, arriving in the New World on December 31, 1830. His first mission was built along the shores of upper Lake Michigan. Established from 1833-1835 it was called Arbre Croche and extended from present day Harbor Springs to Cross Village. The good man’s talent for learning languages was put to good use as he become skilled quite quickly on how to speak and eventually write Native languages —thus he is credited for spreading the Gospel among the local Ottawa and Ojibwe tribes.

For the next 37 years Father Baraga travelled throughout the Great Lakes area ministering to both the new settlers and Native American peoples. During the summer months, he traveled on foot and by canoe. During the winter months, he traveled on snowshoes thus giving him the titles of "Apostle of the Lakelands" and, maybe somewhat more famously, "Snowshoe Priest." He wrote long and frequent accounts of his missionary activities including a three-volume diary. He also wrote seven Slovenian prayer books and authored 20 Native American books that includes his monumental Grammar and Dictionary of the Chippewa Language , that still in use today. He was the first bishop to write a pastoral letter in both the English and Chippewa languages.

 

From the Diary of Father Frederic Baraga, the snowshoe priest:

There is no doubt that the love of God consists neither of sweet tears nor inner comfort and sensibility, but rather in that we serve Him with righteousness, fortitude, and true humility.

A truly loving soul finds its greatest peace by expending everything that it is, has and is capable of for the Beloved, and the more dear and admirable something may be, the more readily it is given.

The highest and truest perfection of the spiritual life consists not of inner charm or comfortable sentiment, nor of raptures, appearances and offerings of prophecy, but rather of the uniformity of our will with the will of God.


Whoever adheres to that which is mortal, everything that he does under those circumstances will be for him incomplete. Whoever follows that which is lost, also will be lost.

Whoever owns such mortal things to the extent that his whole will is possessed by them, he has and owns nothing. Rather those things will imprison, own and torment him.