New Year's Eve

What comes to mind on the last day of 2013?  The media are full of reviews of the year:  top ten this, top 40 that?  We look back ourselves to the promise this new year brought, the achievements, the disappointments, the regrets, the gratitude, the joys, the sorrows, the new births, the deaths.  A lot is packed into 12 months.
It is important to remember that God is in all of it, yes, even the mistakes. He awaits our repentance, our new start with love and forgiveness.  It is important not to forget that. 
We might be looking ahead at the New Year...if all goes well, we'll all be a year older, but other than that, there's no sure way of predicting what will come to pass.  We can express our trust in God who has brought us thus far and will not abandon us; we can renew our efforts to integrate the teachings of Jesus into our behaviors as well as into our thoughts.  We can approach the year with an open heart, a welcoming heart, a grateful heart.  We can try to be especially kind as our way of celebrating the World Day of Peace.  We can renew our love for Mary, the Mother of God on her special day. We can continue to celebrate Christmas, only a week past, by worshiping at the altar with other members of our faith community on New Year's Day.
Let the Eve prepare us to make this New Year, the best ever.
Happy New Year...
Bro. Rene
Note:  I will not have access to the internet on January 1 and 2...the 197th birthday of the Marist Brothers, hence the "leaping ahead" with today's slice.  There is enough her for the next to days as well as today.

Mary and Anna

Today's Gospel recounts the meeting of Anna, the aged prophetess whose whole widowhood was spent in the temple, and Mary, the young mother carrying her newborn Son.  Age and youth encounter each other; Anna's decades of prayer and patient waiting were rewarded, and, like Simeon, she gave thanks and spoke to others about the redemption that this child would bring. Her words, no doubt, brought reassurance to Mary, but also hearing them from this older woman must have been an inspiration to her of the need for and power of patient prayer.  Our answers do not come in an instant, and when they do come, it is almost always at the most unexpected time and in an unanticipated way.  Little did Anna know that morning when she awoke and began her usual routine or prayer and greeting people, that this young woman and child of promise would appear that day, yet her years of prayer prepared her to see what others longed to see, but never did.  As we continue to observe the Octave of Christmas, may we find the perseverance and patience of Anna, and be ready to receive the surprise appearances of Jesus today.
Bro. Rene

The Holy Family Model

We might slip into the image of the Holy Family "living happily ever after".  Why not?  Angels announced the birth of the Savior, shepherds came to see for themselves and adore the Holy Child, and Magi from the East brought precious gifts along with their wonder and amazement at what the Star had guided them to.  But no, at some point Joseph was warned in a dream the Herod sought the child's death, so he packed up the family and headed through the desert to Egypt, where Hebrews once had had a miserable life. Finding a house, establishing his craft, learning a new language and bringing up a newborn could not have been easy.  There was no timeline and thus they lived not knowing how long they would be there.  In a dream, Joseph was told to return to Israel, but again, fearing the cruelty of Herod's successor, Archelaus, a further dream told him to settle in Nazareth.  Today's "mobile families" have nothing on the Holy Family! Somehow through all of this, FAITH, Determination Steadfastness, Trust and unbounded Love guided these three, ingredients that remain staples in a good Catholic home today. Without them, there cannot be healthy peace and security. Not an idyllic fairy-tale family, the Holy Family remains a model based in the harsh realities of human existence for families of every generation.
Bro. Rene

Rachel's Crying

A voice was heard in Ramah,/ sobbing and loud lamentation;/ Rachel weeping for her children,/ and she would not be consoled,/ since they were no more. (Mt 2:18).  The words of Jeremiah were fulfilled when Herod ordered the slaughter of innocent boys in an effort to eliminate the threat to his throne by the "newborn king."  Rachel's cries have echoed over the centuries as countless numbers of innocent children have perished by the sword, by famine, by neglect, by drug addiction, by violence of all shapes and sizes.  Helpless, they are the victims of our wounded nature's propensity toward evil.  We pray for these victims as well as for those guilty of making them suffer or taking their lives.  The recent anniversary of the Newtown Sandy Hook school massacre is a stark reminder of the power of evil.  It is also a reminder of the resiliency of the human spirit, which, fortified with grace, can overcome, intervene, rectify and even prevent such horrors. We pray each day,  "And lead us not into temptation by deliver us from evil."  Let this prayer be on our lips today as we remember the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem and beyond.
Bro. Rene

From His Fullness

If Christmas is the story of God's outpouring of love...and indeed it is, for Love has come to earth in the form of a little child, then the feast of St. John the Apostle, the Beloved Disciple, fits well into the Christmas Octave's reflections on the meaning of Christmas.  John wrote with great insight about Jesus, his best friend; he had a long life of meditating on Jesus and of preaching about him.  Towards the end of his life, he would simply sum up his entire message with the words, "Children, love one another."  It sounds easy enough, but yet we know it is not.  It demands patience, relinquishment of our time, our plans, our ways of doing things, our wants, our wills. Yet, what greater satisfaction can there be than to put aside ourselves, or as many have done, laid down their lives for others?: No one can count the hours, the sacrifices parents make in raising their children, but to see them grow up into solid, loving people, makes all the efforts worthwhile.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God: everyone who loves is begotten by God and kows God.  Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love."  (1 Jn 4:7-8)
Bro. Rene

The Christmas Octave and Season

We might awake today still groggy from the food, the fun, the late hours of celebrating and exchanging gifts, only to be hit with the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr.  Whoa...what happened to "peace on earth, good will to all?"  The next two weeks until the Baptism of the Lord on January 13th,  the Christmas season, will continue to revolve around the mystery of the Incarnation, yet will include  several memorials and feasts not directly related to the birth of Jesus, but today is not one of them. As stark as it might seem, the placement of St. Stephen's death the day after Christmas is done with a purpose.  We pray in the collect of the Mass for today, " Grant, Lord, that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who know how to pray, even for his persecutors." Jesus came to preach a new message of forgiveness and love of enemies, which will enable us to be born in heaven as was Stephen.  The cuddly child in the manger is also a demanding one, who himself saw the shadow of the cross looming above him.  There is a new documentary on wrestling featuring former Central Catholic wrestler, Brandon Lavoie, entitled It Hurts To Win, totally appropriate for the life of a disciple of Christ. The next two weeks could yield spiritual nourishment and foster our growth as Christians if we take the time to reflect on the full meaning of the presence of Jesus in our lives and in  our world.  There's pain along with the joy; it hurts to be a follower of Jesus.
Bro. Rene

Today Is Born A Savior

With the recent news coverage of the needed repairs to the space station, our TV's are filled with images far above the earth, yet  they are just on the fringe of a wider, seemingly endless universe, for what we see is nothing relative to the whole.  The omnipotent Creator of all of this has, this day sent his Son, equally all-powerful into our world as a helpless, dependent baby. In the words of Pope Francis, addressed to Jesus, "You are immense and you made yourself small; you are rich and you made yourself poor; you are all powerful and you made yourself vulnerable." Indeed, the first to receive the news of the Savior's birth and the first to come and see him, were shepherds, considered, in to be at that time according to Pope Francis, "the last and the outcast." He was not born in a clean house, or on a clean bed, but in a stable, on a bed of hay and surrounded by animals.  What better place of insignificance for the God of Surprises?  His message is clear as St. Paul put it, "...He existed in the form of God but did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."  (Phil 2: 6-7). His humility took him to obedience, to death in the lowest form of execution at the time, on a cross.  The contrast between Might and Powerlessness is stark and unmistakable. Yet in so doing, God has raised up the human race, not only by forgiving our sinfulness, but inviting us to share his divinity.  So, this child then becomes the source of the light and joy we celebrate today. Merry Christmas.
Bro. Rene 

Christmas Eve

This can be a day of deadlines, last minute cooking, decorating, even shopping.  It can also be a day of gratitude as we go about these tasks, reflecting on the goodness of God to come and "visit his people", to shine a light upon them and bring them peace, the ultimate peace, a peace the world cannot give.  This morning over 200 men will gather to reflect on the meaning of Christmas, to sing carols and share fellowship around a breakfast table.  What a beautiful way to set the tone for the rest of the day.  Some families will attend Mass this evening, some at Midnight which captures the beauty of a silent night, where choirs, not unlike the angelic choirs, will sing glory to God and urge all to come and adore.  O happy night, O blessed night when Christ was born, O night Divine!  Let us make this day special, and our "running around" or even work, a prayer of thanks for the incredible wonder of God With Us.
Bro. Rene

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the hope of all nations their Savior, come and save us, O Lord our God!

The chorus of one of the songs on the classic St. Louis Jesuit recording, Gentle Night, repeats the name, Emmanuel in solemn, reverent question:  Emmanuel, Emmanuel, what are we that you have loved us so well? Yes, THE question, who are we to deserve the Son of God to be born as one of us, for God to dwell with us, for angels to announce his birth with songs on high? O Emmanuel, this short antiphon sums up the answer: we are not worthy, but because of his great love for us, God comes to be our King, our leader, our lawgiver, our Savior and to satisfy all hope and longing of the nations of the earth. "For who has known  the mind of God?  To him be glory forever." Humble as the babe in the manger, we bow, kneel, accept that great Bro. Rene

O King of the Nations

O King of the nations and their Desire, the Cornerstone who binds two into one; come and save mankind, whom you fashioned from clay.

The Alleluia Chorus from Handel's Messiah resounds with the phrase King of Kings and Lord of Lords, repeated over and over sending chills up one's spine. The Sunday before Advent is dedicated to Christ the King.  Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"  Jesus responded "You say correctly, I am a king."  (Jn 18: 33,37).
 Our sixth "O" antiphon focuses on the kingship of Jesus, who is also the desire of nations and the cornerstone which holds us creatures of clay together.  He is the foundation for unity in a world divided.  Our freedom of will, our freedom of choice and thought, as good as they are, can separate us from each other.   Even the closest married couples often clash and have to talk things out until an agreement is reached.  Our tendency as humans is to take opposite sides:  you say white, I say black. Irritating, to say the least when it is a pattern. It seems that only in Jesus can differences, small and large, can be settled.  More than just a helpless babe in a manger, the King of Kings is THE ruler, the answer, if we choose to let him.  Come, Lord Jesus, bind us into one.
Bro. Rene

O Rising Dawn

  O Rising Dawn, splendor of eternal Light and Sun of Justice: come and illuminate those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

As it falls this year, our 5th "O" Antiphon, O Rising Dawn,  falls on the "shortest day" (shortest daylight), the Winter Solstice, and speaks to us of Light and illumination..  Winter officially begins today, but the earth will start its trajectory north as it revolves around the sun and the days will be getting longer.  Darkness will slowly dissipate, much to the relief of those of us who hate driving to and from work in the dark.  Humankind longs for the light of day and spiritually we long for the illumination that only the Rising Dawn, the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ and give us.
Christmas is less than a week away and the pressure of getting ready, last minute shopping and baking, card sending, wrapping of presents increases.  Only a few can boast of having all their cards sent and shopping done.  The majority of us need the next few days to finish.  Our tunnel of darkness will continue till all is done.  Perhaps we've been neglecting the time we hoped to devote to our Advent Prayer, as we rush toward the finish line.  What needs to be done must be done and will get done, but let us not sacrifice the most important piece of preparation:  our souls, our relationship with Jesus.  Let us try to match our last minute dash with a last minute push to relish the miracle of the incarnation and the presence of the Son of God among us.  We owe it to ourselves, and above all, to him! Christ, be our Light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness that hides us from you..
Bro. Rene

O Key of David

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel; who open and none can shut; who shut and none can open: come and lead to freedom the prisoner who sits in darkness and the shadow of death.

"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED," (Lk 4:18).  Jesus saw his mission in light of the words of Isaiah: to set free people bruised and wounded by sin;  he is the KEY to salvation.  Come, Lord Jesus, help me to share in your mission.  Let me now hold back because of fear, but speak out, write that letter, make that call, send that e-mail which might unlock someone from the bonds of fear, depression or alienation. Amen.
Bro. Rene

O Root Of Jesse

  

 

O Root of Jesse’s stem, who stands as a sign of God's love among the people, before whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the nations shall make supplications:  come to save us without delay!

Definitely a reference to the offspring of Jesse, the father of David of whose lineage both Mary and Joseph descended. Indeed kings have bowed and nations have implored; The King of Kings and Lord of Lords shall indeed reign forever and ever. We too implore him to come swiftly.

Each age has had its desperate times...we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean Conflict this year,   Next year will be the hundredth anniversary of the start of the Great War, "the war to end all wars".  We look around today and see aggression, violence and oppression not only in foreign countries, but here in our own land, even in our own communities and schools.  We need deliverance, we need The Savior.   We cannot end this by ourselves.   Come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. Rene

O Adonai

 

O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flames of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai, come and redeem us with outstretched arm.:  

The second "O Antiphon" takes us to the desert where Moses saw the burning bush, heard the Name of God, Yahweh, which was not to be popularly pronounced, so the word, Adonai, was substituted instead and translated as "Lord".  Moses also received his commission to approach Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrews.  Later in the desert of Sinai, he received the ten commandments on tablets of stone, setting the guidelines of or relationship with God and our moral code which persists till today.  The seed of our redemption took another step forward in its growth toward full maturity.

In a less dramatic way, God spoke in a dream to Joseph, who was upset with the pregnancy of Mary, his betrothed, and like Moses, reinforced by faith and confidence, moved onward, accepted Mary as his wife and his role as the foster father of the Son of God.  Another step toward the achievement of God's plan of salvation.

In our own lives, how is God's message coming to us?  In a burning bush? In thunder and lightning on a mountain top?   In a dream?  In Scripture?  In the events of each day?  In a word from another person or in a book?    However way it comes, may we be open to hear it and act on it as did Moses and Joseph.

Bro. Rene

The "O" Antiphons

"The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. .They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah."

 O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge.(USCCB website)

Most Catholics don't realize that the verses of  Advent in the hymn, O, Come O Come, Emmanuel, are based on these antiphons (short verses that are prayed as part of Vespers). The Gregorian melody accompanying the Latin text is both haunting and plaintiff. It's as if our souls cry out for the coming of the Savior and the gifts he brings, for example, wisdom which guides all creation "mightily and sweetly ordering all of it from end to end. We beg for knowledge,or in another translation, prudence, which we need so desparately.  Let us spend the day seeking this wisdom and trying to live it.
Bro. Rene

Patience, People

St. James urges us to follow the example of the farmer who plows, sows, cultivates, waters and waits for the seeds to sprout, and bear fruit for the harvest, but the more into technology we go, the less patient we are, for we have been teased into believing that everything should respond instantly at the push of a key pad, the touch of a screen or (even old-fashioned now), the touch of a button. I'm practicing patience in coming to write this morning's slice of bread as my computer was not responding and I spent 20 minutes awaiting what now is a brief moment to complete this.  How about the automated phone system employed by so many: we forever press one, say "yes" a zillion times, and in the end take 5 to ten minutes for a call or order that with a person could have taken two minutes.  Or how about the red light that "never changes", of the hot water that takes forever to come from the basement.  No, we are not patient.  How can we be when all these time saving inventions really add more time to everything? Yet James urges us to be patient and not to grumble.  Let's be patient with ourselves and our slow progress.  Eventually it will come.
Bro. Rene

Pondering God's Goodness

For those of us in the Northeastern part of the United States, the threat of snow Saturday night into Sunday is causing us to rush and prepare for an undetermined period of "hunkering down." When the rush is over and the snow lays siege to our homes, we might use that time to ponder how good God has been, just yesterday, the past week, or over our entire lives.  How often do we arise in the morning, facing "impossible tasks" and then go to bed at night with all or most of them done?  As we look ahead to the last week and a few days before Christmas and all that we "have to do", we could make ourselves sick.  Yet, we know that come Christmas, all that worry and concern will be gone and tasks either done or not done, will no longer matter.  It's in these ever repetitive ways that God shows us that he is here with us and considers even our long "to do" lists something that he can take care of.  Do we need three supernatural visitors as did Ebenezer Scrooge to wake us into the reality that God cares?  If we stop and ponder, we'll see that as the hairs of our heads are counted, so are our tasks and worries.  God, in his goodness, will not let us be crushed by them.
Bro. Rene

St. Lucy

Despite the popularity of the song, Santa Lucia, not much is known about St. Lucy.  Her name is a derivative of the Latin, "lux" and hence in Sweden, because her feast fell on the winter solstice in the Julian calendar, it became a time to celebrate the shortest day and the coming of LIGHT.  The Gregorian Calendar moved the feast to where it is now, but nevertheless the tradition of celebrating the coming of light continues.
We read that Lucy was a martyr because her suitor revealed that she was a Christian when she refused him in marriage.  Legendary stories range from an attempt to be placed in a brothel, but the guards could not move her, to her plucking out her eyes to make herself less attractive. He image often shows her holding a platter with her eyes on it and because of this story, she is the patroness of the blind. 
As we have passed the halfway mark of Advent and draw closer to Christmas, we talk more about the Light that has shone in the darkness:  "The People who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Is 9:2) ).  May Lucy help us to see more clearly what we can do to let our own light shine in our darkened world. What can we do today to bring light to others?
Bro. Rene

He Has Raised Up The Poor and Lowly

When Mary appeared to the poor farmer, Juan Diego, on December 9, 1531, she did not give him any profound theological exhortation, but simply asked that a chapel be built there on Tepeyac mountain in her honor.  When the Bishop asked for "proof", again it was not a theological tract that she gave him, but roses in December and a miraculous image of herself with all the components needed to define who she was. Today as the universal church celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe, literally millions will be walking in pilgrimage, not only in Mexico City, where the miraculous image is enshrined, but also in the Philippines, other Latino countries, and even in our own Los Angeles.  Mary came as a native of the region, brown-skinned and speaking their language, signs that she was a woman of the people, especially the poor and lowly.  It is they who have remained faithful for nearly 500 years;  it is they who will show their unabashed love by way of banners, flowers, real, plastic and paper, songs and prayers as they march in her honor. She showed that she is their for them (us) and they have no shame in showing that they are there for her.  As she regarded her lowly self as favored by God her Savior, she reminds us all that he has lifted up us, the lowly as well.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, we love you.  Thank you for looking at us in our lowliness and inviting us to be raised up into the arms of your Son, Jesus.  Amen.
Bro. Rene

He Lightens Our Burden

The constant bell-ringing at local stores reminds us of the burden we are asked to help carry for those whose Christmas will not be possible without our generosity. The bell does not ask much, but each small contribution piles up to a substantial amount.  Central Catholic has a goal of $10,000 for its Christmas Project, that is, all the Christmas Fixin's including presents for 52 families; which we have met every year. Yesterday's bake sale along with the up-coming raffle and on-going mission collections will help us reach, if not surpass that goal.  When shared among so many, the "burden" that these families and needs pose is light.
When Jesus says, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Mt 8:30) he means that he is there yoked to us to share the burden we carry; he divides it, whatever it may be, in half. So, let us take advantage of his offer to "Come to me" and lighten the burden which alone we cannot carry.
Bro. Rene

Inviting and Welcoming

Today's Gospel presents Luke's version of the parable of the Lost Sheep in which, as in Matthew, the shepherd leaves the other sheep in order to find the one which is lost.  Luke says, "If" he finds it, while Matthew uses "when" he finds it.  There is a chance, then, that the lost sheep might not be found.  What a pity that would be.
Applying this parable to our lives, we are called to follow the example of the shepherd's initiative in seeking the lost sheep. We cannot sit back and simply wait.  We need to say or do something.   So many of our family and friends have drifted away from the Church, that there is an urgency for us to engage them in conversation and at least let them know we care.  Our patient, loving words might just be what they need to edge back to the practice of their faith.  It's usually a slow process because of hurt or anger, or pure disgust over some of the behaviors of church leaders, be they pastors or bishops.

Just before the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed Pope John XXIII made a short pilgrimage to the "House of Loreto", believed to be part of Mary's house, a small portion of which is also found in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.  Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to Loreto as part of the 50th anniversary celebration for the opening of the Council.  Both put the work of evangelization, or presenting the beauty of the Gospel to others, in the hands of Mary under the Title of Our Lady of Loreto, patroness of hospitality, which is really the key to wooing others back to Jesus,  In light of this, our efforts of evanglization should be couched in a welcoming, hospitable way, rather than one that is confrontational. Gentleness, sensitivity, compassion and concern go a long way, and if accompanies by a good meal, almost guarantee a change of heart.
Bro. Rene