Sunday, May 30, 2010

The Visitation/Memorial Day

Mary goes in haste to be at the side of her cousin Elizabeth as she prepares to give birth to a child her her advanced years. Elizabeth recognizes the Presence of the Holy One in Mary's womb as the child in hers leaps for joy. Mary sings her Magnificat as she recognizes God's favor toward his lowly one and predicts the downfall of the mighty. Much food for thought as we remember those who have gone in haste to protect the oppressed and preserve the freedoms that so many fought so hard to gain. This is a day when the Magnificat can be on our lips and in our hearts as we pray/ sing in gratitude for God's presence among us, and how he has preserved us through those who have laid down their lives. Let us also pray for those who are currently serving us. I quote part of this simple but profound prayer and encourage you to pick up your Bibles and turn to Luke 1: 47-55.
"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon the lowliness of his servant, for behold, all generations will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy and hae has done great things for me. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him."
Bro Rene

The Most Holy Trinity

"We worship on God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity!" (Athanasian Creed). We can easily get lost in trying to wrap our minds around the Three-in-One. "Ineffable"...beyond comprehension, indeed, is the word that best describes "The Great Mystery", as God is called in the Lakota religion by Lakota native Americans across South Dakota. Yet we are urged to approach the Trinity in the simpler, more engaging concept of Love. "God is Love" St. John tells us, "and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect." (1 Jn 4: 16-17). Living in love, living in God means that we model our love for one another on the great love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for each other: perfect acceptance, mutual respect, sharing, giving of total being, emptying of self to bring about total harmony of wills and being. As we strive to "love perfectly" today and the days ahead, we will become more God-like. Let us join with the Saints and Angels who intimately share in the life of God and are our role-models and guides on our journey to Eternal Life in the Trinity, and shout: "Blessed are you , now and through endless ages, O holy Creator and Ruler of all, most blessed and undivided Trinity!" (Traditional Antiphon).
Bro. Rene

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Pray in the Holy Spirit

St. Jude, in his one and only letter, tells us, "But you, dear friends must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit." (Jude 20) In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul explains, "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." (Rm 8:26-27). Again, it's a question of "letting go and letting God", a frequently quoted saying in the Twelve Step Program.
So often our days are planned, our prayers are planned, and something interrupts or intervenes. We can become frustrated, or in peace, follow the movement of the Spirit, remembering that not only is there a reason for everything, but the Spirit, who works in harmony with God's own will...is God...is leading where he wants us to go with our day or with our prayer, where it is best for us. We need to rely more on those inner movements and the interventions of the Spirit if our prayer is really going to have an effect on our behavior. Let us rely more on the inexpressible groanings, rather than on our neat and empty words.
Bro. Rene

Friday, May 28, 2010

The Need for Prayer

Progress in our relationship with Jesus, as with any friend, requires time spent together. Enjoyment, support in time of need, trial or faliure, a sense of worth, these are the fruits of friendship. Just being with each other, sometimes even without words exchanged, uplifts and gives energy. St. Teresa of Avila describes prayer as "nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us." (Magnificat, May, p. 386). We all have friends; we simply need to reflect on human friendship and apply what we discover to our Divine Friendship. St. Marcellin recommended recalling the presence of God as often as possible, and required that a prayer be said on the hour to guarantee time between friends.
Jesus tells us, knowing that most of the time we'll be using prayer for asking, "I tell you that all you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavnly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." (Mk 11:25-26). There flows from prayer, a comfort in feeling the presence and love of Jesus, our Friend, answers to our needs, and the purifying process of forgiveness, which draws us closer to people as well as to God. It stands to reason then, that no matter how tired or busy we are, the need for and benefits from daily prayer are too great to be neglected. Some days are so "bad" that we can't say our usual prayers, but can lift up our hearts in a sigh, or a single word, as we would with our best friend, offer our frustration, fatigue or activity to God as our prayer, and thus at least keep our desire for prayer (which is the begining of prayer) alive. When things settle and we can go back to our regular routine, we appreciate even more what a precious gift we have in prayer.
Bro. Rene

Thursday, May 27, 2010

No Longer Strangers

As we continue through our daily routines , experiencing much the same pattern of some good moments, others that make us cringe as we sense the contradictions in our own lives and in the world around us, our motivation and determination can wear thin. We can too easily, it seems, become victims of our physical and spiritual fatigue. At this time, it's not unusual for a passage of Scripture to leap out at us and bolster us on our journey, much as a stop at a service plaza along an inter-state gives us new energy to continue our drive. This section from the first Letter of Saint Peter, I hope, will serve as such a boost: "You are a chose race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
"Once you were no people/ but now you are God's people;/ you had not received mercy/ but now you have received mercy.
"Beloved I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly deisres that wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation."(1 Pet 2: 9-12)
We are aliens to the lifestyle of the world, but as St. Paul reminds us, "You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God. (Eph 2: 19). May we take heart and find strength in knowking that we are not alone, but form one body in Christ and animated by the Holy Spirit.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Builders of the Kingdom

Construction is a well respected profession. We might even say it has solid biblical roots: the creation story reveals God as the master architect and engineer with a highly artistic flair. Joseph and Jesus were carpenters. St. Paul often uses the analogy of building. "According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 3: 10-11).
We have been called through our baptism into a community where mutual support, mutual building up of each other is expected of us. "The kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is plesing to God and approved by others. Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another." (Rom 14: 17-19). Talking about our faith, talking about Jesus with our friends, simple but often not major conversation pieces like the weather or sports, or listening to another's tales, or offering advice or constructive criticism, or being peaceful and joyful, are some of the ways in which we can support one another and build up the kingdom. Let us begin today by spending time talking to Jesus, and then talking about him to others or radiating the peace that he gives through our actions. If he were our best friend, we'd not be ashamed but happy to do so.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Enter ThroughThe Narrow Gate

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those how enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." (Matt 7:13-14). This has been a challenging directive for centuries. Does it mean always take the hard road, "the road less traveled"? Does it mean deprive yourself of the pleasures and liberties that everyone else seems to be enjoying? Does it mean be miserable? The Puritans and others who took these verses to the extreme, it seems to me did not find the LIFE that Jesus promised.
The life that can be ours comes from following JESUS, "the Way, the Truth, the Life." (Jn 14:6).
Jesus also said, "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in an got out an find pasture." (cf. Jn 10:9). Our desire to follow Jesus through the narrow gate, to love him with our whole heart and soul, automatically restricts our choices, our actions, but fills us with a love, joy, and peace that are life-giving, and by far outweigh the value of what we have excluded from our lives.
One small example might be acting on the familiar saying, "it is better to give than to receive." When you give away something you treasure, something you thought you could never part with, there comes an inner satisfaction that you have given part of yourself as a sign of the deep love you have for the one who receives the gift. There is a sense of freedom...I am no longer "possessed by my things" and I have made someone else happy with them. Wow! Try it...you'll like it. The narrow gate will not seem like a bad option at all, but the preferred option!
Bro. Rene

Monday, May 24, 2010

All Filled--Fill All

Now we enter Ordinary Time, a long period of reflection on how to live in imitation of Jesus, or otherwise stated, "the Christian Life." We have been filled with the Holy Spirit, and weekly (or even daily) have the opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist and be filled spiritually as were the thousands fed and filled by Jesus. Not only with these heavenly gifts, but our lives are also abound with good, Spirit-filled people. Just think for a minute of the people who are close to us. Are we not blessed, even spoiled, to have such good people as our family and friends? Can we not agree with Matthew's description of the feeding of the five thousand, "They were all filled" (Mt 14: 20)?
As Jesus gives with a large hand and heart, so too are we invited to share in his lavish giving...not in things, but in gentleness, sensitivity, compassion and love. We can fill all that we do, even the simplest everyday tasks...driving, parking, holding a door, answering a call, washing dishes, writing a letter...just go down your own list...with these extra-special qualities, making the ordinary, extraordinary. St. Marcellin knew that he was not particularly gifted as a writer, preacher, academic or cleric, but in putting his heart and soul into all his actions and his dealings with people, he has left a huge mark on the world: our Marist heritage, spirituality, and approach to education, and has become a saint. As he was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Love of God, so has he filled generations. So too can we, all filled, fill all.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Filled With The Holy Spirit

"And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak...." (Acts 2:4). Strong wind, tongues of fire, diverse people hearing Peter speaking in their own languages, three thousand new believers "baptized and added to the Church." (Acts 2: 41). What a way to begin! Now, two thousand years later, we ask this same Spirit to "renew the face of the earth." (Ps 104:30). Renewal of the face of the earth means first the renewal of our individual "faces", our beings, our souls, our hearts. We began this current phase of renewal on Ash Wednesday and sought then to dwell on some aspect of our lives that we could "work on", change, improve...whatever...and then boosted by Easter, have for the past 50 days, been reflecting on how the resurrection of Jesus has affected, can affect our behaviors. We have prayed for the Holy Spirit in a special way for the past nine days, and now we culminate this process with a huge celebration of Pentecost.
What does it mean to be "filled with the Holy Spirit"? It would seem to mean allowing God's grace and initiative, God's gifts given in the Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, to take hold and become part of our way of acting. From these flow the "fruits" of the Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity. How our lives would be different, how the world would be different and "renewed" if we all lived this way! Think of how Peter, whose faith had paled and allowed him to sink while walking on the waters, and whose loyalty had grown so thin it became denial, bursts open the doors and preaches boldly to the multitude gathered by the sound of the great wind. The Holy Spirit enabled him to do this. The Holy Spirit is REAL. The Holy Spirit can make US new! Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me, transform me.
Bro. Rene

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Undying Flame

The tongues of fire that descended upon the gathered apostles and Mary remain with the Church even today when her weaknesses and sins make daily headlines. "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt 28:20). When this promise was made, the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out on the apostles who still did not fully understand their mission. Even when that flame was released and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to preach boldly, work miracles and suffer martyrdom, the wrinkles of controversy, power struggle and division plagued this new formed Church. Recent news of the Christian burial of the astronomer Copernicus in Poland as a hero almost 500 years after he was condemned for a teaching then deemed contrary to the Bible, that the earth indeed revolved around the sun, and not vice versa, attests to the human factor that will always make the Church vulnerable to error and even ridicule. As we examen our own lives, we see that the "margin of error" is very high; may it serve as a reminder that the Body of Christ, composed of many such imperfect "cells", is also subject to these imperfections. Yet, the "undying flame" remains, the promise holds true: "upon this rock I will build my Church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." (Mt 16:18). How assuring, how necessary to hear again and reflect on, as we prepare for Pentecost in 2010. Come, Holy Spirit, Undying Flame, burn your strength, power and hope into our hearts. Be our guide, our protector and the Animator of our choices and actions. Amen.
Bro. Rene

Friday, May 21, 2010

A Pure Heart Create for Me, O God

Since Jesus died for our sins on a Friday, the Church traditionally uses this day to remind us to ask pardon and repent for our sins. As we near Pentecost, let us do what St. Peter said to the multitudes on that day: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38). We have been baptized, but the need for repentence remains an on-going process. We need to take time to examine our consciences from time to time; some recommend daily, others, at least weekly, and ask for forgiveness. "A pure heart create for me, O God, / put steadfast spirit within me./Do not cast me away from your presence,/nor deprive me of your holy spirit."(Ps 51:12-13). This entire Psalm is a good one to add to our daily prayers and will help make monthly confession more of a possibility or even a pattern in our lives. It will help us to remember that "You have had yourselves washed, your were sanctified, you were justified in the name of he Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6:11). The big work has been done, thanks be to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The "little work" is up to us. Come, Holy Spirit...fill our hearts with the fire of your love, wash us that we may be whiter than snow, keep us on the "golden road."
Bro. Rene
Bro. Rene

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Leaping Over a Wall

Psalm 18 is one of my favorites, so full is it of visual imagery of God. One image I found particularly apropos during my morning run through the woods and fields in Cold Spring, New York years ago, was, "Through my God I leap over a wall." (Ps 18: 30). I would pray it as I literally leapt over the walls on my running path, for it gave me a sense not only of my own ability and strength to leap over them, but that God was helping me do it. It was a graphic symbol that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome. Another translation of the entire verse, which even more greatly reinforces this truth, reads,
"With you I can break through any barrier,
with my God I can scale any wall."
Reflection on this verse for members of the Central Family is particularly meaningful today, for it is the first annivesary of the tragic and untimely death of last year's senior. Rebecca Solomon. We held a memorial service earlier this morning, where tears flowed and the sadness of May 20th, 2009, filled the chapel. It was a wall that we managed to leap over once, and with the faith and presence of many students. teachers, Becca's family and God's Word, we managed again.
This day also marks the birthday of a great man who also leapt many walls in his life: St. Marcellin Champagnat in 1789. In his footsteps we run, we leap, we find God strengthening us to do the seemingly impossible.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Spirit of Truth

"Quid est veritas, what is truth?" Pilate asked Jesus. (Jn 18:38) The pursuit of truth, the exercise of truth, lost arts and practices in our current day, beg for our attention and a return to their rightful places in our personal lives and in the life of society. Deceit, outright lying have become a way of life; being caught, is the only real sin. Lies seem to find their way even into the "admission" of guilt. "Misspeak" a new word, has been coined to cover the "mistake". God help us. What is next?
Contrary to this current trend is the age-old and honored reality that God is Truth. Jesus himself says, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life." (Jn 14:6). He goes on to say, "When the Holy Spirit comes to you, the Spirit whom I shall send, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me, and you also will be my witnesses." (Jn 15: 26-27). Earlier in his Gospel, John writes, "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (Jn 1:17). Why do we squirm when we are confronted with the choice between telling the truth and lying our way out of something? We are fearful of losing our esteemed image, or of some untoward consequence, but what could be worse than denying Christ, THE TRUTH? Let us pray for the Spirit of Truth as we prepare for Pentecost. Let us not fear the truth, and let us model it for our friends and especially for the younger generation who are growing up in a climate and environment where lying is rampant.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Shortness of Our Life

As much as we treasure a long life, each birthday, which seems to come faster and faster each year, is a reminder of the shortness of our life. As a teen turns 18 and crosses the line to legal adulthood, he or she imagines that there is a long road ahead. Those of us approaching 70 look back to that 18th birthday, and wonder where the years have gone. "Make us know the shortness of our life/that we may gain wisdom of heart." (Ps 90:12). Therein lies the secret: acknowledging life's brevity and gaining wisdom from each moment, each experience, each person with which we are favored. Above all, God has chosen to breathe his Spirit into these short lives, to make them holy, effective, fruitful. Whether they are long or short, they are made sacred by the presence of that Spirit. With each breath we can offer a word of gratitude for the gift of life, and pray that we use our alloted time wisely. It might help to bring home this point if we stop what we are doing right now, become conscious of our breathing for the next minute, see how short our breaths are, and say thank you after each one. Wisdom, another image of he Holy Spirit, will awaken our hearts to the brevity and the goodness of this life.
Bro. Rene

Monday, May 17, 2010

Take Courage

Speaking at the University of Notre Dame's 165th Commencement, NBC Anchorman, Brian Williams listed a number of current global woes and challenged the class of 2010 to find the solution to them, assuring them of his confidence in their intelligence and ability to do so. Valedictorian, Katie Washington, has already begun with her work on mosquitoes and malaria in Haiti. Sitting among the other 1,829 graduates was a man named Sean Marx whose goal is to become a member of Doctors Without Boarders, and also devote his energy, faith and life to bring both physical and spiritual healing to Third World Countries where good health and a sense of hope run thin.
As Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples, he reminded them, "In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." (Jn 16: 33). Yes, his death and resurrection conquered sin, death and the power of evil, but through his Holy Spirit poured into the hearts of the likes of Katie and Sean, and the rest of us, he conquers these and even the physical evils of disease and poverty, and implants hope for a better world. Commencement speakers over the next several weeks will be presenting similar challenges to our best and brightest. For them and for us, the words of Jesus these words of Jesus ring with special clarity and assurance. Together with Jesus, those of us who have labored for years, and these new graduates, we shall "conquer the world."
Bro. Rene

Sunday, May 16, 2010

He Is Our Peace

In the Sequence for Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is referred to as "Solace in the midst of woe." The Spirit unites, animates and comforts the Body of Christ, the Church. It is in and through the Spirit that we live in Jesus whose presence and mission "broke down the dividing wall of enmity, thus establishing peace, and reconciling "fallen humanity" to God. (cf. Eph 2: 14-16). "He is our peace" (Eph 2:14) and "Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (1Cor 6:17).
If we are one spirit with Jesus, then we too are peace. We too can bring comfort and solace to the young who are searching for answers, for the best way to live their lives and to live the teachings of Jesus. How many of our peers are again floundering and searching as they were in their teens? The world is not a world of peace; rather it has more than its share of violence, divergent opinion, and lack of moral clarity. If people are confused and lack peace, it's no wonder. The sun rises and sets, the birds sing their morning song, but little else is as sure and dependable, unless we look to Jesus. The need to pray, pray, pray for the Holy Spirit is as encumbent upon us as it was on the group of Apostles after the Ascension. We have today and a week to go before Pentecost. Let us join together in the ancient prayer, "Come, Holy Spirit...And from thy celestial home/ Shed a ray of light divine! Come thou Father of the poor!/Come, the Source of all our store!/ Come, within our bosoms shine!
Bro. Rene

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Praying for the Holy Spirit

This is the second day of the nine day novena between the Ascension and Pentecost. The Eleven, Mary, several other women and members of Jesus' extended family gathered daily for prayer. Eventually Matthias, whose feast was yesterday, was chosen to become the twelfth apostle. They were not huddled together in fear as they were after the crucifixion, but in a state of uncertainty, aware of their weaknesses, they prayed for the promised Spirit who would empower them to carry out the seemingly impossible command of Jesus to "make disciples of all the nations" (cf. Mt 28: 19). He had told them that the Spirit would come, so they prayed, not knowing how or when their prayer would be answered.
How much like these disciples are we: the same commission, the same promise of the Spirit, the same admonition to pray: "Amen, amen I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you...aske an you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (Jn 16:23-24). We pray not knowing how or when our prayer will be answered, and this "doubt", as it were, can weaken our prayer if we dwell on it, unconsciously demanding or at least hoping that our prayer will be answered our way and as soon as possible. This is not God's way as evidenced by what happened at the end of this first novena. None of those gathered would have imagined how dramatically their prayer would be answered, and what irresistable power would be given to them. In praying for the Spirit to come into our lives, we, in many ways, do not know what we are asking for. Let that not be a hindrance in our prayer, but a stronger motiviation to open our hearts and lives more completely to that Power. Let Mary and the Twelve give us the courage to pray for the Holy Spirit and fear not.
Bro. Rene

Friday, May 14, 2010

It's Not Over

The apostles were asked why they were standing there looking up to the sky and were told, "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.: (Acts 1:11). St. Luke tells us, "They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God." (Lk 24: 53). For them, it was not over. Yes, Jesus would no longer be present physically, but the apostles rejoiced that he had returned to his father, gave praise and thanks for the years with him, and prayed for the promised Advocate who nine days later would come to them in such a powerful surge that their mission to "preach the Gospel to all nations" got off with a huge bang. What had seemed to be the final period to the final chapter, was just a comma in a series which continues to this day.
Looking back in our own short lives, we can see a similar pattern: what we thought was the end, was not. It just depended on how we looked at it and how we ran with it. As we begin today, let us take stock of the periods and commas, the apparent endings and run-on sentences in our lives and at the end of this day, look back and see how the pattern has played out. There should always be cause for us to praise God.
Bro, Rene

Thursday, May 13, 2010

God Mounts His Throne

"God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:
a blare of trumpets for the Lord." (Ps 47:5)
Psalm 47 was originally written as one of the "Psalms of Ascent", sung when the Ark of the Covenant was carried in procession to the Temple with people shouting and trumpets blaring. God is referred to as King, and not only king, but "king of all the earth, the Most High, the Awesome." (Ps 47: 2). How appropriate, then, for these verses to be applied to the Ascension.
This is part two of the resurrection, its completion; the return of Jesus not only to life, but to the right hand of his father, signifying his place or equality with the Father as one of the Trinity. This alone give us every reason to "shout for joy", but there is a further reason for jubilation, for just as Jesus in full body enters heaven, so shall we, who share in his resurrection through our baptism, enter heaven in full body at the consummation of the world as we know it now. Jesus is the first-born, we, his brothers and sisters, will follow the same path, providing we remain faithful to him. What joy, what motivation for filling our lives with goodness, love, and self-giving! The Church calls this a holy day of obligation, urging us to gather around the altar as a community to celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, and eventually our own. What better place can we imagine to do this? Let us make it a point to find time to join our community's shouts of joy.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Holy Spirit and Our Transformation

On the eve of the Ascension, we might ask ourselves how different we are now compared to when we set out on a path of transformation at the beginning of Lent (February 17) and continued during the Easter Season. I suggested "doing something for Lent" that could be continued even beyond, a kind of behavior modification that would bring us more in line with what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. Perhaps we can't put a finger on anything major (it takes a long time for behavior to change) but perhaps the desire to be like Jesus, to spend more time in prayer with him, and to act more like him with other people, listening, helping, soothing, encouraging, avoiding unkind words and gosspip, has become more tangible, more urgent. That is surely a good sign, for change begins with the desire to change.
Looking at the disciples locked in the upper room for the weekend when Jesus was crucified and buried, we see them frightented and unsure. Jesus appears, says, "Receive the Holy Spirit" and later sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they change into dynamic, fearless preachers and witnesses to the power of the Spirit. "It is the Spirit who bears witness in the hearts and on the lips of the saints that Christ is the truth, the true resurrection, and the life." (Blessed Guerric of Igny, a close friend of St. Bernard of Clairvaux). During the nine days between Ascencion and Pentecost, may we pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of transformation, even if only in ONE needed area of our lives.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

If I Do Not Go

Endings, separations, partings are tough. Ascension Thursday is just two days away. Jesus takes time to prepare the Apostles for his departure and the next phase in their lives. We read only of appearances of Jesus after the resurrection, so he was not constantly with them, but at least they could eat and talk with them from time to time. But now even that was coming to an end; Jesus, a good, sensitive, loving friend assures them that his leaving is for their good. "But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you..." (Jn 16: 7). We've all had to make moves in our lives, or have had to accept the departure of friends. There's a sadness, a grieving in having to "let go." I see it already in the seniors who in one sense are eager to move on, but on the other hand, dread losing the daily contact with friends people they love and routines that have brought them joy. But, as we've all found, taking those steps into an unknown future, a different place, has opened us up to possibilities and accomplishments we've never dreamed of. Truly, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit has been there and we have experienced his presence and gifts as never before. Again, it comes to trust and confidence that God is always with us no matter where we are. The Apostles learned this in a dramatic way. May we learn it too.
Bro. Rene

Monday, May 10, 2010

St. Damien of Molokai

The story of Father Damien, the priest who devoted his life to lepers on the island of Molokai and eventually died of leprosy at the early age of 49, has been told for years as an example of a man who lived for others. For those of us who knew only these facts, it was expected that he would be canonized eventually for living such a heroic life. We regarded him as one of those special figures whose deeds are far beyond our reach, one of those plaster saints born to sanctity from birth, worthy of admiration, but impossible to emulate. However, there was another side to his life which does make him and his holy life accessible and possible for us to imitate on our path to holiness. During his remarks at Father Damien's beatification, Pope John Paul II reminded the audience and us that " Holiness is not perfection according to human criteria; it is not reserved for a small number of exceptional persons. It is for everyone; it is the Lord who brings us to holiness, when we are willing to collaborate in the salvation of the world for the glory of God, despite our sin and our sometimes rebelious temperament."
Evidently Father Damien was a man with weaknesses visible to his parishoners and superiors. Indeed, he was accused of imoral behavior. If you are interested in more details, see John Farrow's well-knowns biography, Damien the Leper. Actress Mia Farrow referred to her father as "a devout Catholic and womanizer of legendary proportions"; evidently he found comfort and inspiration in Father Damien's life to help him with his own weaknesses. Both men demonstrate that holiness is something we grow into through many a struggle, mistake and sin. The difference between a saint and sinner is the willingness and determination not to let failings impede the grace and great love of the God who can transform us. We are not called to care for lepers, but we are called to holiness. May St. Damien's loving and endless care, once bestowed on lepers help us find healing for our spiritual leprosy.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day

Rightfully, our nation sets aside a day to honor mothers. Who can count the hours a mother devotes to her family? The least that can be done is to take twenty-four of those hours to show appreciation and gratitude and to acknowlege in word and deed how central a role she plays in the life of the family. A mother loves without measure, and in justice, there can be no measure to the love her family shows her. It's not that the family "owes" a debt of gratitude. No, for a mother gives freely, without counting the cost, without keeping a ledger of debit and credit. Her love flows from a bottomless spring, refreshing, life-giving, and totally self-less. Her love shines as a model of how to love, focusing not on herself, but on the best interests of husband and children. It is a love made to the image of God's love for us: unconditional, unrestricted, eternal.
Yes, this one day is set aside as a formal recognition of the graced role of bringing forth life, nourishing it not only by physical food, but also in the all-important legacy of faith and moral values which provide the solid foundation on which to lead a happy and productive adult life, but it is also a reminder that every day should be a "mini-mother's day", in which love and gratitude are a natural part of action and conversation. And as we remember our earthly mothers today, let us not forget our heavenly mother, truly the mother par excellence. Mary, our Good Mother, thank you for your love and guidance and for the gift of our own mothers. Intercede for them and help them carry out the role you lived so willingly and so effectively. Amen.
Bro. Rene

Friday, May 7, 2010

Fertile Ground

"The seed is the word of God. [...]As for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance." (Lk 8: 11,15). Don't we all like to see ourselves as the fertile soil from which comes abundant fruit? There's no reason why it cannot be. We have so much help from our community, from God's grace, from the desire deep in our hearts. "Where your heart is, there is your treasure" (Mt 6:21). For nearly 50 days we have been reflecting on the resurrection, on the victory over the powers of darkness, not just to fill up space, but to assure us that holiness is not only possible, but it is our call, it is what we should be striving for...or rather allowing God to work within us. God asks us to embrace the Word with a generous and good heart, all the rest flows from this.
Mary, who accepted the Word, embraced it with a generous and good heart, and brought forth the greatest of fruit, the Son of God, is the rich soil par excellence, but also our mother and the one who can help us cultivate the soil with which we were born and which was enhanced at our baptism. The angel Gabriel told her that "nothing was impossible with God". It certainly holds true for us as well. We can be fertile soil.
Bro. Rene

You Are the Potter

Growth in the spiritual life progresses only when we allow God to mold and shape us as a potter does with a lump of clay. Patiently, gently, firmly, the potter molds the wet clay as it spins on his wheel, coaxing from it, as it were, a beautiful and useful piece of pottery, each unique, each the result of the cooperation between the clay and the potter. It's almost as if the clay understands that it will remain an amorphous lump unless it submits to the higher plan of the potter. Submission yields beauty and fulfillment in time. Some of the stages along the way to the final product are not so beautiful, and if the process is interrupted or terminated at any point, disappointment and a sense of failure result. Either the process is begun again, or the clay abandoned.
If we see ourselves as the clay and God as the potter, these words of Jesus make even more sense: "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. this I command you: love one another." (Jn 15: 16-17). The perfectly formed and finished clay pot is the one that accepts being chosen and is full of the love that Jesus commands. You, Lord, are the Potter and I am the clay. Thank you for working with me. Have mercy on me when I fail to live the new life you have given me; raise me up as you raise spinning clay when my sinfulness sinks me into discouragement; grant me courage to renew my desire to live and love according to your will. Amen.
Bro. Rene

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Draw Your Strength From the Lord

Like the weather, which shifts from the perfectly sunny to the cloudy and rainy, so our spirits rise and fall from day to day, it seems. It's the natural patten, and nothing over which to obsess or panic, but to take in stride. Sometimes "surprises" pop out of nowhere, to buoy us up and remind us that God knows us, our needs, and is our true source of strength and stability.
In the words of St. Paul, who knew many ups and downs in his life, we find the sound advice we need to repeat to ourselves daily. It might be helpful to keep a little notebook of "favorite verses" such as this: "Draw your strength from the Lord, and from his mighty power." (Eph 6: 10). Or this: "No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it." (1Cor 10:13). These are familiar verses, and in praying over them often, we need to ask for the wisdom and courage really to trust the God who inspired them. They come from Paul's experiences, all part of God's plan, through which he learned and about which he can speak with authority. As we learn from our trials and experiences, we can help others bear theirs and can say with Paul, "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me." (Phil 4:13). Lord, let me trust in your love, your plan, and find my strength in you, and if it so please you, be a source of strength to others."
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cinco de Mayo

With our growing Latino population having an ever increasing influence on life in America, it might be helpful to look at the Cinco de Mayo celebration for a moment. It stems from the Mexican defeat of an attempted French invasion intending to take over the country in 1862. It was the last attempt of a foreign country to attack North or South America, and hence, has some significance for all of the Americas. It is not a national holiday in Mexico, but, like St. Patrick's Day, is gaining commercial and national significance in the United States. Folks will be going around saying Feliz Cinco de Mayo, or Happy Cinco de Mayo, without knowing why. Just the thing to do. Dancing, costumes and food will highlight the festivities featured in the media, dissipating somewhat the usual doom and gloom headlines.
We might "baptize" the festivities and see them as a continuation of our Easter celebration of the victory over the powers of darkness. Surely that victory gives us reason to pray with the Psalmist, "Fill me with your praise and I will sing your glory; songs of joy will be on my lips, alleluia." (Ps 70: 8). May we see today's events as gifts to celebrate with songs of praise and joy, hummed quietely to ourselves or reflected in our cheerful interactions with others. Let this day be one of light-heartedness, for our liberation from sin is surely something to shout about from the highest mountains.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Our God Is a God of Peace

Two shocking news stories stir this reflection: the explosive-loaded SUV in Times Square, with its potential to kill and wound hundreds, and the 18-year old who deliberately ran over four other teens. What demonstrations of a lack of respect for life and expressions of the power of hate! They are the complete opposite of the message of Easter, when the power of LOVE was unleashed in a dramatic and assuring way. Yes, Jesus conquered sin and death, but the forces of evil playing on our wounded nature keep posing resistance and obstacles to its complete fulfillment. St. Paul tells us, "The concern of the flesh is death, but the conern of the spirit is life and peace. (Rom 8:6). And again, "God is not the God of disorder but of peace." (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33). "Jesus shows us the way to true peace: obedience to the Father's will rather than to the clamor of self-interest. In living as he lived, we not only live in peace ourselves, we also make a place of peace for all those around us." (Magnificat, May. p. 58). Mary has made peace one of the main messages in her appearances at Medjugorje, referring to herself over and over as the Queen of Peace. When we say in the Hail Mary, "pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death," let us be asking her to give us the gift of peace. She gave us the Prince of Peace in her Son. With his grace and through the victory of his cross, let us pray with confidence that he end "all within and around us that is still dedicated to division and death. " (Magnificat, May p. 59).
Bro. Rene

Monday, May 3, 2010

Be Patient Until the Coming of the Lord

First, a correction. Yesterday was not the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It was last year on May 3; this year it was April 25th. Last year's date was listed in our Marist Brothers' Calendar, which I used as the basis for my little piece of bread. In any case, it certainly doesn't hurt to pray for vocations, and I hadn't mentioned it on April 25th, so, as they say, "we done our duty."
St. James reminds us of the prevelance of trials; how right he is. Today's news, for example, is filled with the water break story and reactions ranging from patient submission to anger and actual fighting. I think back to my years in Rwanda (and even today it is true) where limited water sources were part of the fabric of daily life. Our students would walk 20 minutes to a marsh to fill up a plastic pail with dirty water for drinking, bathing, and washing of their uniforms and dishes. We don't expect to do that in this country, but when there is a disruption of our ordinary "turning on of the faucet", it throws us into confusion.
When St. James wrote, followers of the Way were already subject to persecution. He sublimates this reality by advising us to turn our trials into moments of joy. "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (Js 1: 2-4). How many disruptions, time spent looking for things, dropping things, finding things not working today, have we had already on this muggy day? How are we dealing with the humidity? We're not being led into the Colosseum for martydom, but our days are filled with "little trials." May we be patient...may we, as St. Francis did, find "perfect joy" in them.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Pray for Vocations

The Church has designated this day as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. We have been aware of the "vocation crisis" for a generation, and predictions of the number of priests retiring in the next five years, despite the request that they keep ministering until they are 80, are frightening. Yes, the number of seminarians is rising, but not to the point of being able to offset the number retiring. The Sisters and Brothers, particularly in this "First World" are taking a beating, as the average age reaches now to the mid to upper seventies and few are entering.
Imitating Jesus, following Jesus totally and for life is not an appealing option for most young people. Perhaps they don't know Jesus well enough; perhaps at home and at school, we are not teaching effectively about him, nor modeling his behavior, which drew crowds of followers. We all need to get humbly to our knees and ask that God call loudly and clearly to those of us who have an influence on young people to become better witnesses of the joy and fulfillment an ordained or consecrated life can bring. Let us pray that young and older adults come to realize that true happiness comes in giving of self, not in the acquiring of things. Generous hearts are out there, they just need a nudge, a word of invitation, a word of affirmation, a word of challenge.
Fr. John McLaughlin, former pastor of St. Monica's has recruited 50 men for the priesthood from the military in just three years by his frank, down-to-earth approach. May we follow his example, and believe that our prayers and our efforts are just what "people on the fence" need.
One of my favorite prayers is, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Worthwhile making it your own and teaching it to others.
Bro. Rene

Saturday, May 1, 2010

St. Joseph The Worker

As husband of Mary, St. Joseph has a special place in the spiritual lives of Marists. His faith, strength as family provider, guide and protector and his humility are qualities we emulate. It is no surprise, then, that he holds a special place in the spiritual life of the Church. In 1955, Pope Pius XII proclaimed May Day as the feast of St. Joseph the Worker to highlight the dignity of work and to support efforts in progress for just and fair work conditions and compensation. The new feast stood as the Christian counterpart to the extensive May Day celebrations of the Communist World. Pope Pius called it "a day of rejoicing for the concrete and progressive triumph of Christian ideal of the great family of labor. Acclaimed in this way by Christian workers and having received, as it were a Christian baptism, the first of May, far from being a stimulus of discord, hate and violence, is and will be a recurring invitation to modern society to accomplish that which is still lacking for social peace."
Looking at unemployment world-wide, and in some countries, deplorable and abusive work conditions, we can appreciate the foresight of Pope Pius and the continual need to pray and work for justice in the workplace. Holding St. Joseph up as our model will also help us approach our own work with a greater amount of respect, appreciation, and determination to be fair and just to our fellow workers, employers and ourselves.
"Lord God, You have created all things and imposed on us the necessity of work. Grant that, following St. Jseoph's example and under his protection, we may accomplish the works You give us and obtain the rewards you promise. Amen."
Bro. Rene