Thursday, August 23, 2012

Keeping Perspective

As we approach Labor Day weekend, it might be a good time to stop and look back over the summer.  Did I let little annoyances distract or upset me, or am I able to keep my focus on the summit of the mountain and not be ovecome by the stones and branches I find on the path....those little things that can sap my energy and pre-occupy me to the point where I make no forward progress at all?  Through the prophet Ezekiel, God tells us that HE wants to put a new heart within us, a natural heart to replace our heart of stone (Ez 36:27) and Jesus tells us we are invited to a wedding feast (Mt 22: 1-2) but so often we ignore the invitation, side-tracked as we are by those little annoyances, like a slow computer, or the red warning light on our dashboard.  What really matters?  Prayer allows us to sort and choose.  Lord, please help me to set aside some time today and in the week ahead to take a careful look at my path and your promises and invitations, and make the necessary adjustments. Amen.
Bro. Rene
I will be on retreat for the next week, (doing the above) and will not have access to a computer.  This slice of daily bread will have to do for the week.  Taken seriously, I think it can.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Mary's Queenship

Pope Pius XII established this day in honor of Mary on October 11, 1954, which was The Marian Year, as a complement to the Feast of the Assumption now celebrated the week before this Memorial.  Since Mary was assumed into heaven, she reigns from there as our heavenly queen. While we may no longer by "turned on" by the idea of "queen", we might find some food for our prayer simply by looking on this beautiful image of Mary and by praying the act of consecration below.
Bro. Rene

  Act of Consecration
O Mary Immaculate Queen, glorious Queen of the Universe, most powerful Virgin, merciful Mother of a merciful God and refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Royal and Immaculate Heart.
It is through thee that Jesus Christ our King has come into the world to save it. It is also through thee that He is to reign over the world.
In order to obtain this great benefit for ourselves and all mankind, we come to thy feet to consecrate to thee our persons, our lives, all that we are, all that we have, all that we love. Keep us, enlighten us, dispose of us, reign over us.
May all hearts and all homes willingly proclaim thee as their Immaculate Queen.









Renewing All Things in Christ

Dear Readers,
I lost this slice of bread yesterday morning while trying to publish it.  It was too late to start over and make the deadline of 9:02 am.  So here is a reconstruction of that slice:

St. Pius X, whose Memorial was observed yesterday, August 21, took as his motto:  "To Renew All Things in Christ."  He found the Church of his day, (early 20th century) not only drifting away from a close relationship with Jesus,but also found false errors infiltrating the thinking of university professors and even priests.  His goal was to help the faithful "To put on Christ and make no provision for the demands of the flesh," as St. Paul admonished the Romans. (cf Rm 13:14).  Pope Pius X made the Eucharist more accessible to children, and made some inroads into liturgical revival, so that the faithful would find greater spiritual nourishment in their weekly Mass attendance.
In his study guide for the Sunday Gospels, Following in the Footsteps of Christ, Jose Pagola elaborates on the theme of renewal in Christ which provide the grain in this slice of bread:  "The Chtistian experience consistst basically in nourishing our lives through our relationship with Jesus, by discovering the power he has to transform us slowly with the passage of time.  Jesus fills us with an immense desire to live and to communicate life, a desire to live more authentically and with greatr love.  There is a quality of life that many do not know about, which only those enjoy who know how to live with the simplicity and dignity of Jesus, attentive to human suffering, with a longing for a life of dignity for all, and great trust in God." (p.114).  There is ample food for reflection in this quote, which covers all the bases in the gradual process of personal renewal, from which flows institutional renewal.
Bro. Rene

Friday, August 17, 2012

Generosity and Fidelity

Last evening our family celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of cousins whose marriage has been blessed with happiness, fidelity and generous love spreading far beyond the immediate family.  It has been a golden marriage and shines as a model of generosity and fidelity so rare today. 
This morning's first reading is from Ezechiel 16: 1-15, 60,63 and describes God's generous and faithful love despite the infidelity of his bride, whom he new since childhood and on whom he showered unconditional love.  And I came across an exerpet on marriage from the noted theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar.  The message was clear:  write about marriage.  In the words of Fr. von Balthasar, "What could be stronger than marriage, or what shapes any particular life-form more profoundly than does marriage?  And marriage is only true to itself if it is a kind of bracket that both transcends and contains all an individual's cravings to 'break out' of its bonds and assert himself.  Marriage is an indissoluble realty which confronts with an iron hand all existence's tendencies to disintegrate, and it compels the faltering person to grow, beyond himself, into real love by modeling his life on the form enjoined."
These three convergences can be summed up by simply saying that it is God's place of honor in a marriage, his living and loving generosity and fidelity that is the basis for a strong, lasting and happy marriage.  Without God's presence, growth in mutual love is stunted and often dissolves. Let us pray over these thoughts for ourselves, and for all married couples.
Bro. Rene
I will be away till Tuesday and will not be able to cut any slices from the loaf without a computer.  The above should be ample nourishment till I return.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

With Our Gifts Comes Responsibility

Ben Parker's wise admonition to his nephew, Peter, is advice for us as well.  He tells the adolescent Peter that with every gift we are given, there is a moral obligation and responsibility to use those gifts; it is not optional, even when personal suffering or sacrifice might be required.  Peter listens politely, but only realizes the depth of meaning when he sees his Uncle Ben shot to death in living out that advice by trying to catch a thief.  Peter grows into the full meaning of his uncle's message and becomes The Amazing Spiderman, whose mission is to stamp out evil and protect the innocent, even when he is reviled and hunted as a criminal. 
St. Stephen of Hungary, beloved and revered king, took his Christian Faith seriously, living it personallty and in his governance of this subjects. He used his gifts of personality and conviction to make peace with neighboring countries,  to eliminate idolatry, and when necessary went to battle to subdue his enemies.  Once he established peace in his land, he used his position of leadership to found dioceses and monasteries, and led a life marked by prayer, fasting and humility. He did not need Marvel Comics to popularize this way of acting: canonization was sufficient.  Yet, Marvel Comics has done it again, using a popular hero to underscore a very essential Christian theme:  that of using our gifts responsibly.  There is a Peter Parker in each of us:  a timidity that can grow into super human strength, when we accept that even the smallest gift we have can be a blessing and a service to others, when we put that gift to use. A Spiderman can be released.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Truly Marist Feast

The Solemnity of the Assumption holds a special place of endearment in the hearts of Marists; for many years. this was the day we "took the habit", that is put on the Marist Habit for the first time, and on August 15th the year after, pronounced our first vows.  In both cases is was a day of youthful anticipation and fulfillment, for as postulants we longed for the day we could don the habit, and as novices, we looked forward to the serious step of pronouncing our vows and ending these first two years of formation.  We moved on to Marist College, a step closer to the mission to which we were called, the Christian Education of Youth.
Mary, naturally plays a special role in that mission, having been the first teacher of her Son, and in the mind of Fr. Champagnat, our First Superior and Ordinary Resource.  He always looked to her for guidance and protection and instilled such a stance in his followers.  The Assumption underscores our vocation, for as Mary is taken up into heaven we are sent out to complete the work begun by Jesus: the setting up and fostering of the reign of God, a society based on love in its fullest meaning.  Compassion for those in need, respect and love for all, forgiveness and reconcilation, the formation of the whole person into another Christ, all of these lived in practice, and there we have the ideal world, the kingdom of God, envisaged by Jesus.
Let us join together in praise and thanksgiving for this calling and that others, as they acknowledge this great privilege and prototype of Mary's and our own future with her in heaven, might answer the call to serve as builders of the kingdom of God
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Laying Down Our Lives

When we think we're overburdened, that there are too many people and events in our lives, when we can't keep to an ordered, planned schedule that might help us deal with everthing, when life seems turned upside down, suddenly a figure like St. Maximilian Kolbe steps into our day.  We remember him today and the great sacrifice he made in stepping in for a young prisoner who was due to be executed at Auschwitz in 1941.  Seeing that the young, man, husband and father, could have a whole life ahead of him, if he survived Auschwitz, Kolbe, so much devoted all his life to Mary, said to the guards, "Take me, and let this man live." 
The man did live and was present at the canonization of St. Maximilian.
Today the Marist Brothers are praying for over 100 brothers who answered a call to leave their comfortable lives to become missionaries in countries where Marist presence had not yet been established.  They laid aside their needs, and desires so that others might hear for the first time that Jesus loves them.
Our lives are made up of such calls, such sacrifices on our time, our plans, our availability.  Let us not refuse the invitation, but respond with the generosity of these heroes we remember today.
Bro. Rene

Monday, August 13, 2012

Giants Facing the Odds

On this day in 1816, the newly ordained, 27-year-old Father Marcellin Champagnat walked into the rectory in the little mountain village of Lavalla to begin his first assignment.  What was going on in his mind as he introduced himself to his pastor?  What would he say to him, to the parishoners?  What tasks did God have in store for him?  Just looking at the run-down church, he might have guessed that the parish was not very active.  How could he breathe life into it? And certainly, he had no inkling that five months later, he would lay the foundation stone for a congregation of teacing brothers that would be in 80 countries 195 year later.
Over the weekend I spoke of the Marist Missions at a parish suffering from the effects of an unpopular merger, and populated, it seemed, by a stalwart congregation of grandparents.  There were some young parents and families, but the majority at the four Masses were senior citizens.  Their faith was so strong it was almost tangible, and despite their own parish needs and the weak economy all suffer from, they were extremely generous to the plea for our Marist work throughout the world.
Last night we closed the XXXth Olympiad, where 17 days before hope-filled athletes entered the stadium, not knowing if or how they would accomplish their goals against what turned out to be very tight competition.  Yet they plunged ahead, and with pain, and in some cases, tears, faced the odds, undaunted.
So it was with St. Marcellin, and with our pastors today:  struggle, determination and great faith every inch of the way. They are, whether or not they know or admit it, spiritual giants in a life-long Olympiad.  As the athletes do for us, may these giants inspire us to face the odds in our own lives with faith and courage.
Bro. Rene

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Marist Missions

Dear Readers,
I am speaking at 5 Masses at Our Lady of the Cross Parish in Holyoke MA over this weekend  about the Marist Missions.  Please pray for the folks at this parish and for our Marist Missions around the world.  Thank you.
Bro. Rene

A Woman of Great Faith

Usually we think of St. Clare, whose Memorial is observed today, as the female counterpart, or in today's language, "clone" of St. Francis, but inspired as she was by him, she has her own distinct place in the Church's treasury of spirituality.  Her family was very devout, her mother made a long, arduous and even dangerous pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the family was already engaged in service to the poor and to lepers even before Clare met Francis, who was a few years older than she, and who had been "living it up" as a young knight while she was a young girl. She thus came to Francis already versed in the school of "Lady Poverty" though her family was one of means.  Her purity of soul and intention as well as her love of the poor and poverty itself, caught Francis's attention and this common ground found his blessing and support, especially when Clare expressed her desire to "follow him."  Yet, she took a different path, living in a cloistered community, and following a regular regimine of liturgical prayer with her companion nuns.  And, above all, she fought to her deathbed for the privilege of living a true poverty which meant absolutely no ownership of property.  Even in Francis' lifetime, concessions to this ideal had to be made as his Friars Minor grew larger and larger.  To this day, the Poor Clares live by the motto:  Deus Providebit (God will provide).  Their lives are living proof that this much needed attitude actually works.  St. Clare, help us to incorporate this challenging principle into our lives.  Amen.
Bro. Rene

Friday, August 10, 2012

Deacon Lawrence

St. Lawrence is remembered for his quip on the gridiron that he was done on one side and needed to be turned over.  His playfullness as he was being roasted to death still captivates us.  It must have been part of his nature, for when he was asked to turn over the treasure of the Church to the Roman authorities, he asked for time to "get the accounts all settled," and used the time to round up the Rome's poor and presented them as the treasure.  Not all of us are blessed with such a good-natured approach to adversity, but certainly could use a dose of the Lawrencian approach, for adversity, challenge are always a part of life.
For example, on this day in 1886, the first school taught by the brothers opened in Lewiston, Maine.  After getting off to a fairly good start, the brothers were criticized by the pastor for offering too rudimentary an education, nd not at a high enough level to allow the students to further their educations after elementary school.  It was potato country, and just getting the students to attend class whas a major victory, but the pastor did not see it this way and in 1893 informed the brothers that their services were no longer needed.  They didn't joke about it, as St. Lawrence would have done, no doubt, but left hurt, as if they had failed.
Some good seed must have been sown, however, for three young men became brothers while the school wa opened, and six after it had closed.  St. Lawrence saw beyond the flames to a greater good, and invites us to do the same.
Bro. Rene

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Abandonimg Self

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, born of a Jewish family in Germany, and known until her entrance into the Carmel of Cologne, Germany, as Edith Stein, through her life leaves a lesson in abandonment to God's will that even her lectures as  professor of phenomenolgy at the University of Freiburg, could not surpass.  A bright girl, she began her studies while quite young and earned her doctorate in her early twenties.  While house-sitting for friends and looking for something to do, she came across the Life of St. Teresa of Avila, began reading it and finished it in one night, saying, "This is the truth."  That began the process of her entrance into the Catholic Church in 1922.  Eleven years later in 1933 (as Hitler was rising to power), she entered the Carmelite Convent. When Hitler's anti-semitic stance became obvious and dangerous, she was assigned to a Carmel in Holland, but Hitler's invasion made her vulnerable to arrest even there,  and she was shipped by cattle car to Auschwitz in 1942 where she died in the gas chamber that same year.
 Her life's path was certainly full of surprises as she abandoned herself to what she perceived as God's call, God's will for her: leaving behind her practice of Judaism, leaving behind her position as professor to enter Carmel, and finally, leaving behind her life as her final act of total abandonment.  She wrote that in placing our souls and lives in the hands of God, we find a freedom there we could never replicate, a strength and a sense of being loved completely by Love itself that is the purpose of our existence. When we find ourselves asked "out of the blue" to do something we hadn't planned, even a small thing, we have an opportunity to practice abandonment, and if done for love, then certainly we find a certain amount of joy as well as practice for the greater acts of abandoment to which God might be calling us.  St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, help me to abandon myself to God's plan. Amen.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Sharing the Faith

Today marks the Memorial of St. Dominic, Founder of the Order of Preachers, commonly referred to as the Dominicans.  Although they lived centuries apart, Dominic, 1170-1221, and Marcellin, 1789-1840, they shared much in common. Both had a driving love of our Faith, which moved them to devote their lives to sharing it, to spreading it in times when heretics or ignorance were inhibiting the establishment of the reign of God.  Both founded relgious orders to carry out their mission on the premise that their preaching or teaching would be the fruit of their prayerful study and contemplation.  Although they are teachers too, the Dominicans are best known for their preaching, while Marists find their renown in teaching.  Both had a great devotion to Mary; St. Dominic promoted the Rosary, St. Marcellin based his congregation on a Marian, nuturing, spirituality, with her as its first superior, and bearing her name, The Little Brothers of Mary.  Both accomplished much in their short lives of 51 years and left a legacy which is still full of vitality today.  Finally, these men challenge us to do what we can to live our faith, be witnesses to the Gospel by our lives, and share our faith with all.  Sts. Dominic and Marcellin, pray for us that we may be as bold courageous as you.  Amen.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

God Will Never Forsake Us

Today's Gospel dramatically that God will never forsake us.  Jesus walks on water, Peter climbs out of the boat to greet him on the waters, gets edgy when the wind and waves make him realize where he's standing, he weakens and begins to sink.  Jesus reaches out to him, grasps him by the hand and says to him, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  (Mt 14: 32)  How many times could Jesus have asked us the same question, when doubt creeps its way into our thoughts no matter how many times we've been so reassured by his care that we say, "I'll never doubt again!"?  Perhaps this morning's reflection on God's promise shown to us in the saving of Peter will convince us once and for all that there is no room for doubt in the life of a disciple...and if not this time, then the next, or the next, or the next...until we really live in the belief that he will never forsake us.
Bro. Rene

Monday, August 6, 2012

Listen To Him

This day, the glory of the Transfiugred Christ comes to us in a major Feast as we join Peter, James and John on "a high mountain" (traditionallty, Mt. Tabor in Galilee).  The face of Jesus shone like the sun and his garments were dazzling white; Peter was confused and terrified, aware only that something magnificent was taking place before him, and conscious of the feeling in his heart, as when two people express their love for each other--a moment they wish to cling to forever--made him blurt out the proposition to build three tents for Jesus and his two guests.  The answer came from a cloud, the sign of God's presence, that "This is my beloved son; listen to him." (Mt 9: 5 )   Writing about the event years later, a more mature and seasoned Peter confirms the reality of the vision  and urges his readers to be attentive to it as "to a lamp shining in a dark place until day dawns the morning star rises in [our] hearts."  (Peter 19).  It is a matter not only of listening to Jesus, which we can do at Mass, with the Bible and in our own private prayer, but also of living like Jesus.  Imitating his ways of dealing with people, learning what is so different about his message and his behavior.  I highly recommend the book, Jesus, by Jose Pagola, where this Jesus comes forth as never before.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Under Mary's Protection

On this day in 1830, St. Marcellin intiated the custom of beginning each day's prayer with the Salve Regina to ask her protection.  The Revolution of 1830 was underway and the Hermitage had been searched from top to bottom for concealed weapons.  St. Marcellin opened every door, even one he had to break open with an ax, as the key was missing, to convince the Gendarmes that the rumors about the munitions were false.  Not knowing what would come next, he decided not to take any chances and again turned to Mary, our Ordinary Resource, for help.  He had already experienced the Memorare in the Snow, so he knew Mary would take good care of her congregation.
Were this not the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church would be celebrating the Feast of the Dedication of St. Mary of the Snows which commemorates the miraculous snowfall in Rome in the year 352 (or thereabouts) where Mary, in a vision to a patrician named John, expressed her desire for a church dedicated to her. John told Pope Liberius about the vision and certainly the unusual snow in August was a confirmation that Mary was serious.  John built and endowed the church which eventually came to be known as St. Mary Major, one of the four basilicas in Rome.  It is the oldest Church in Rome dedicated to Mary, a beautiful building housing, according to tradition, the manger in which Jesus was laid after his birth, and an altar where only the Pope can offer Mass.
These two commemorations remind us as Marists that our Good Mother deserves a special place in our prayer life and spirituality, and at the same time, offers her protection and motherly care to us without reservation.  As we pray our Rosary today, let us pray from the heart in loving gratitude and experience her maternal presence. 
Bro. Rene

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Holy Simplicity

Simplicity is one of the key characteristics of Marist spirituality.  It means that "what you see is what you get".  No duplicity, no false fronts, but a sincerity that shines forth from the inner core of one's being.  St. John Marie Vianney, whose memorial is observed today, was a contemporary of St. Marcellin, having gone to the same seminary, and having been versed in the same spirituality, which put a high emphasis on holy simplicity.  Neither men were extraordinarily learned either in the wisdom of the world, or in the intricacies of sophisticated theology, but were masters in the ways of human behavior and in the ways of God.  Like the more recent exemplars of this virtue, Father Solanus Casey and St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio),  the Cure of Ars, was one of "the foolish of the world chosen to shame the wise, the weak of the world to shame the strong, and the lowly and despised of the world, who count for nothing, to reduce to those those are something, so that no human being might boast before God."  (cf. 1 Cor 1:25-29).
When we honestly look at ourselves, we most likely fit into this category to some degree.  It remains for us to accept our gifts, strengths and weaknesses, and allow God to work his wonders through them.
Bro. Rene

Friday, August 3, 2012

Bringing Peace

Each time we attend Mass, we are invited to "offer each other a sign of peace" and people do, by handshake, wave, nod or even bow.  It is the peace of Christ we are offering...the Christ who is within each one of us, and whom we will be receiving shortly.  What a privilege to carry Christ and his peace, and to be able to offer it to others.  However, the giving of his peace need not be restricted to a liturgical setting.  Each time we greet one another or wish each other a "good day" we can make that a prayer of Christ-peace-giving, by either saying the words, Christ's peace be yours...or by offering such a wish in the secrecy of our hearts.  Our word, "goodbye" is a corruption of "God be with you", so it is already in our language.  Why not be explicit?  Certainly everyone needs peace, so why not, as the song says, "let it begin with me"?
Bro. Rene

Thursday, August 2, 2012

St. Peter Julian Eymard

Father Peter Julian Eymard, who became the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, Sisters and Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, was for a time one of the early members of the Marist Fathers.  In fact, we was a spiritual director at the junior seminary and later, provincial.  During his years as a Marist, his love of the Blessed Sacrament increased so much that he found himself spending most of his time in prayer and adoration before the Holy Eucharist, exposed on the altar, so much so that his devotional life overtook the apostolic nature of the Marist charism.   With mutual agreement between himself and his Marist Superiors, he left the congregation and began his own, which stressed perpetual adoration, as the process for fertilizing the soil where others labored.  His idea found much support and his congregation spread.  Even today in mid-town Manhattan, the Church of St. Jean-Baptiste, staffed by the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, continues the tradtion of perpetual adoration, which is also very popular in a growing number of parishes.
We can't all spend long hours before the Holy Eucharist, perhaps can't even find an open chapel, but in the chapel of our hearts, we can always make time to adore Christ present there.  There is no denying the power of these intimate momens with Jesus, when his peace floods our hearts and our "unsolvable problems" evaporate.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Reaching Out To Youth

Since the 1970's, the Marist Brothers have been using the Esopus Retreat House and facilities for a series of summer camps that range from hosting children with cancer, to the deaf.  Over 4000 children enjoy this beautiful property each summer.  The camps are staffed by alumni of our schools, our Marist Young Adults, and even current high school students.  It has been a tradition for brothers to take care of the cooking during these camps.  A healthy and happy Marist Family Spirit prevails.
Later this month, two Marist Brothers, Bros. Armand Lamagna and Todd Patenaude,  once strongly connected to the Esopus property will venture to the Island of Jamaica to work in an orphanage which serves homeless youth.  This will be our first community in Jamaica and a further step in fulfilling St. Marcellin's dream of brothers in every diocese of the world.
And just recently further outreach to youth began in Monddulkir, Cambodia, as three brothers in the Ad Gentes Program set up a community, in typical fashshion with no electricity or water for the first few days, these later being installed by the brothers themselves.  In these days of so much challenge in our world and church, these needed signs of life and hope provide stimulus to the Marist Mission and assurance that it is alive and well.
Bro. Rene .