Facing The Storms of Life

Note:  Our Guest Writer today, St. Francis de Sales, simply and directly reminds us of lessons that need repeating.
Bro. Rene


Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life;
rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are,
will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will carry  you in his arms.


Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same understanding Father who cares for
you today will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
St. Francis de Sales

Steadfast In The Faith

Today we honor two key men, Peter and Paul, without whom the Church would not be what it is today. Jesus chose Peter as the leader of his Twelve, not because of his great education and administrative skills, but because of his deep faith, enthusiasm and total dedication to Jesus, despite his weaknesses and lapses.  He grew through his mistakes, led and inspired until his martyrdom.  Little did the Galilean fisherman dream that he would lead the Church at Antioch and Rome, where he would be crucified upside down, as tradition has it, for his faith in Jesus, ever his master.  Jesus had placed primacy upon Peter, and his successors, right down to Pope Francis continued to confirm all in their love for Jesus and others.
Paul, who once persecuted believers became a tireless missionary and preacher, traveling the Mediterranean Basin to establish communities of faith, writing to exhort and encourage them, pointing out their uniqueness and helping them establish their identity as distinct from the Old Covenant. After countless beatings, rejections, sleepless nights and shipwrecks, he too suffered martyrdom for the sake of Jesus.
These saints are not looking for human praises, but our love for the faith we share for them, and our willingness to live it boldly and attract others to it as they did.  Their example is especially relevant in our world of muddled values and beliefs.  Saints Peter and Paul, make us fearless and steadfast as your disciples and draw us closer to Jesus, without whom we can do nothing.
Bro. Rene

Healing

Who is not in need of healing?  Yesterday's and today's Gospel recount the healing of the Centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, the crowds that gathered outside of her house, the woman with the hemorrhages and the daughter of Jairus.  Jesus can hardly take a step and someone is asking for help...and he gives it!  How many times have we ourselves, as we look back over our lives, cringe at what we remember doing that was "out of line", and beg again for forgiveness and healing?  And it comes...signs, a phone call, an e-mail, assurances that our prayers are heard by the Healer who gladly brings us relief and takes away our questions and anxieties.  Even physical healing, as in the cases above, are not outside of his generous response to our groanings  or requests.  Matthew quotes Isaiah; "He took away our infirmities,/ and bore our diseases." (Mt 8:17).  Indeed, he does!  We need to remind ourselves of this frequently, even daily, give thanks and place our trust more and more in Jesus our Healer.
Bro. Rene

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, this popular icon of Mary made its first public appearance in the Church of San Matteo, in Rome in 1499.  It seems to have come from Crete and features a dominant image of Mary holding Jesus, who clings to her as the ominous instruments of his passion loom above him in the hands of St. Michael and St. Gabriel, the Archangels.  Mary looks out at us, whose sins are the reason for Jesus' sufferings, and who are also the beneficiaries of them.  The original icon is in the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the church of Sant' Alfonso di Ligouri in Rome, but copies and devotion to Mary under this title  have spread globally.  The Cathedral in Boston, MA is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and today, a Saturday normally consecrated to Mary, is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.   What further incentive do we need to turn to Mary for help in all our needs, doubts and fears, and to place our country and world into her hands for succor?
Bro. Rene                                     

There Is Hope

When we think things are so bad they can never improve, just a moment with our  Blue Brothers in Aleppo, Syria gives hope.  A recent letter again describes the bombings, displacements and rumors of invasion and total annihilation, yet day after day, the Blue Marists continue to provide "a drop of milk", clothing, shelter and education to the young people who come to their door.  No human explanation fully satisfies our curiosity as to how they continue, where the supplies come from, and how they maintain their optimism.  Their hope lies in faith and trust in Jesus and Mary, as with all our Marist endeavors since the beginning in 1817.  As they help refugees, so also do they pray together with Muslims, who are fasting and praying during their month of Ramadan, sharing an unlikely solidarity with members of the same religion that is oppressing them.  They are showing the world that there are Muslims who follow their faith to love God and neighbor.  We might want to condemn all Muslims, but our Blue Brothers are showing us that we cannot.  They are reminding us that Jesus came for ALL, and that we are the ones who extend that welcome and love.  In such lived faith we have hope.  This quote sums up their Hope and inspires ours. «Perhaps it will be today; perhaps it will be tomorrow that a new day will tell us yes and will open its two hands… Listen, see, I hear a step.  He will come tonight, perhaps the One whom we did not expect.  We will see Him appear». - See more at: http://www.champagnat.org/400.php?a=6&n=3651#sthash.SVeU5KM2.dpuf
Bro. Rene

Without Jesus?

The ACLU, evidently continues its onslaught against religion under its banner of total separation of church and state.  Navy chaplains cannot use the name Jesus, in their prayers, and now, the move is to eliminate prayer entirely from the military.  No definitive study has correlated the societal deterioration that has occurred since prayer was banned in public schools and other public functions, but heads are beginning to turn and ask, "What have we done?"  When we turn our backs on the God who created us, the Son who saved us, what is left?  Surveys reveal more "Nones"  (no religious affiliation) than adherents to some belief or some church. Violence in the form of mass shootings, drug over-dosages, and suicides dominate our headlines.  Is this the price we are paying for totally separating our society from God?  At least it might make believers firm up their conviction to make Jesus their best friend and to deepen their relationship with him in personal and public prayer.
Bro. Rene

His Name Is John

"What's in a name?"  For many cultures, naming the child is so important that it is ritualized and celebrated with feasting and dancing, for the name signifies the essence of this member of the family, a special blessing to be invoked, or a hope that the family has for the child.  Rwandans give a name at birth, usually with God included in it, such as "gift of God".  or "God is near."  Then a Christian saint's name is given at baptism.  In South Dakota, the Lakota wait until the child is older and has demonstrated some gift or trait that identifies him or her...An elder or grandparent "feathers" the child...pins a feather in his or her hair at a "feathering or naming ceremony"; the child receives gifts, as do the people in attendance, food and dancing follow.  To receive "an Indian name" is one of the highest honors a person can receive, especially a non-tribal person.
All of this comes to mind as the scene at John's circumcision unfolds.  Naming him John,  breaks the tradition of naming the first-born son after his father, but in this case indicates that "Yahweh is gracious".(The meaning of John).  Truly, the mission of John was to prepare the way for the coming of our God, in the person of Jesus among us, and  thus to open the way for grace and salvation.
Do our names reflect something of who we are, or what our mission is?  Perhaps our confirmation names, since we chose them, signify a bit more of who we are or hope to be. Whatever the case, many we be true to our names, to who we are.
Bro. Rene 

The Narrow Gate

When Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate" (Mt 7: 12),  he leaves us wondering what that gate is.  Is it "the road less traveled by", the road of asceticism and self-sacrifice?  Is it the gloomy road of "no fun", a Spartan type of life embraced by some radical religious groups? Or is it the gate of the Golden Rule:  "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you." (Mt 7: 6)?  There aren't many, these days, it seems, who live by it, so indeed it could be "the narrow gate."  Or is it Jesus himself, "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14: 26)?  If we embrace Jesus fully, we will naturally live the Golden Rule, and, if required to do so, give up what stands in the way.  It won't however, be a dull and gloomy street, but one full of happiness and joy that comes from Jesus himself, for we will be living as he did, walking in his footsteps.
Bro. Rene

God First

Today we remember the martyrdom of of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, two great men, one a Cardinal, the other an honest lawyer and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. Both opposed Henry's divorce and re-marriage and self-appointment as head of the Church of England. They were beheaded for being, as St. Thomas said, "the King's good servant, but God's first."
In today's Gospel passage, we read the strong injunction against judging others: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you." (Mt 7: 1-2). In the case of Henry, a judgment had to be made, albeit not a popular one, but one based on Truth. Henry's actions could not be tolerated, yet because he had the Power, the two men who opposed him were put to death. They could have abandoned the truth as others had done, but didn't.
In our own day, we could ask with Pilate: "What is truth" (Jn 19:38), for it seems that subtle pressures are moving us away from honest truth to fabricated truth. We are being asked to say that black is white, white black, or that it really doesn't matter. A society based on such mush is bound to collapse. What would be the judgment of these two great saints on what is happening today?
Can we still put God first?
Bro. Rene

Our Faithful Father

Americans take time today to honor and celebrate the fathers among us. They are the providers and guiders who set the tone, along with their wives, for the values and behaviors they hope to instill in their children. The challenges they face are great, for it seems that as in today's Gospel, a violent squall has arisen and our boat is being attacked on all sides by wind and waves. Jesus seems to be comfortably asleep on a cushion while the boat seems to be on the way down. Yet to every generation, to every father Jesus asks, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" (Mk 4: 40). Faith here is not the faith of doctrine, but faith in the sense of trust. When Jesus calms the storm, the disciples ask, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" (Mk 4:41). They do not yet know who Jesus is; and we, like them, do not know either, but can learn, as Jesus did, that his FATHER is the ONE who really provides the stability and peace we lack. Fathers, parents, then, need a deep faith, one which grows and learns day by day, in order to keep their families on course through the stormy seas of our times. In celebrating and honoring fatherhood today, let us pray that the faith of our fathers be based more and more in our Faithful Father in heaven.
Bro. Rene

Jubilarians

Today's Gospel, the familiar "lilies of the field", Mt 6:24-34. is most appropriate for the fifteen Marist Brothers who will be honored for their combined 900 years of service as consecrated religious following in the footsteps of St. Marcellin Champagnat. A joyful celebration of Holy Mass will appropriately give thanks for their service and on-going witness to the message of Jesus, that their really is nothing to worry about. Two of the brothers, Br. Paul Urban Phillipp, and Br. Norbert Rodrigue took the Marist Habit 75 years ago, and have seen World War II and the many wars that continue to plague the world. They have seen advances in science and technology, as well as the vast changes in society and the Church, these alone being staggering. Yet, they remain happy, serene and hopeful, dedicated as much today to their vocations as they were as young, energetic brothers. Among the group celebrating sixty years, though "officially retired", all but one are able to continue some sort of active ministry. Among the fifties, one is still a full time teacher!
We are humbled to have such great men among us, all of whom continue to live simply and in the ways of Mary and Champagnat. Ad Multos Annos... and may others be moved to follow intheir footsteps.
Bro. Rene

Storing Up Good Treasures

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." (Mt 6: 19-21). So much for the multiplication of storage facilities that keep popping up all over the place. We are a people who "like our things", amass them, and pay to store them. We have so much, we don't even know what we have, nor do we have time even to look at them, let alone use them. These words of Jesus surely apply to us! Can we at least set some priorities as to what we want to "store" permanently, such as our love for others, our good deeds...those little quiet things we do to keep peace, or to allow the family to run smoothly? Can we even add to these kinds of treasures today by stepping out to help someone, or contact someone we haven't spoken to for a long time? Can we add time to our prayer, and deepen our friendship with Jesus? Can we tell Jesus how much we treasure his love and friendship...and his infinite forgiveness? These are the good treasures; let's put them on top!

Reflection on The Lord's Prayer

Note:  In the interest of time, we welcome our guest writer from the University of Notre Dame Bro. Rene Michele Gentine Notre Dame parent The Our Father prayer is a perfect prayer for leading us into a trusting and merciful relationship with God. Jesus teaches us to speak to our Father in prayer, and to do so with humble hearts, always trusting in God’s love and mercy. From the opening phrase—“our Father”—we can see that Jesus wants us to approach God as a united people. God is not mine or yours, but ours. Further, Jesus wants us to refer to God as Father, to join ourselves in a personal and loving relationship with God as a parent. We bring ourselves to God, and through faith God resides within us. Following this personal address are seven petitions: we ask for God’s name to be held holy; for God’s kingdom to come; and that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then we ask for things we need—we ask for bread to sustain us, trusting daily that God will provide what God knows we need. We ask for forgiveness from our sins in the same degree that we have forgiven those who sin and hurt us. We ask to be led away from trials and circumstances that could turn us away from our Father. We ask that God will protect us from Satan. When we prayerfully meditate on these, Jesus’ words, we offer praise, we confess our sinfulness, we thank God for all that is provided for us, and we place our needs in God’s hands. In this prayer, we ask God to guide us away from all things that might lead us down sinful paths, and most of all, to keep us and our Church safe from the evil one. In teaching us this prayer, Jesus gives us everything we need to sustain our lives of faith.

Father Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C. Lord, your Son taught us to call out to you as our Father. Every time we pray as he taught us, may we realize ever more deeply not only our dignity as your children, but also the fellowship we share as brothers and sisters in Christ. United ever more closely with each other and with you, we may become a sacrament of communion in our alienated world. Amen.

St. Gregory of Barbarigo, you left politics to be a hermit, but ended up an influential cardinal--pray for us!

Share the Word: Forward the Daily Gospel to a friend. A component of FaithND, an initiative of the Notre Dame Alumni Association.

Cheerful Giving/Accepting

Note: Traffic got really heavy yesterday morning, after posting the slice on the ice cream truck, and it wasn't till the end of the day that I was able to see it and realize that some good had occurred even after spending hours on the phone with a computer technician who showed me an enormous amount of "infection" and Trojan viruses, signed me up for 7 years for $467.00, and then left me without a connection to the internet! I'm using my i-pad now, which is enabling this post. The laptop is undergoing further study and I hope will be functioning soon. The ice cream is a virus free computer, and another day to continue posting on my little used I-Pad.

St. Paul urges the Church at Corinth to be generous with their resources as he makes a plea for the Church in Jerusalem, which, because of famine, is suffering gross want. His message is true today on the financial level as well as on the attitudinal level as he tells US that to sow sparingly is to reap sparingly, while sowing bountifully will reap a bountiful harvest. (2 Cor 9:6- 7). God does not hold back in lavishing his gifts on us and sets the example of how we should share our time, talent and monetary resources with those who have less. It has always been our Marist Way to serve the "least favored" and to do so cheerfully and lovingly. When doing so, we always seem to have all that we need, as if God keeps filling our rice bowls while we sleep. If we reach out generously, we will be surprised again and again, how our gift multiplies and comes back to us one hundred fold. As we practice cheerful giving, we might also apply being cheerful as we accept the "traffic" that comes unexpectedly to our day...those monkey wrenches which thwart our plans, or use up what little time we have. Dear God, help me to give and accept all with a cheerful heart.
Bro. Rene

Stuck Behind an Ice Cream Truck

With summer traffic causing delays and frustrations that send tempers rising, we might pause to take a look at our inner summer traffic.  So often we feel "stuck" with the same slow pace of our spiritual transformation and the impossibility of "being perfect as our heavenly father is perfect."  Little conflicts keep us crawling along the road to love of neighbor, and demands keep coming our way for help and assistance so much so that we never seem to escape the role of caretaker or provider.  Such a request appeared this morning:  a plea for $1000.00 to save the eyesight of a Rwandan student, who without an expensive operation will be blind. Yes, we are stuck in traffic...seems to be the human condition, but do we ever look up and see that, hey, that's an ice cream truck in front of me"?  " Not so bad...if traffic really stops, I'll buy some ice cream while I'm waiting here."  Life is a mixture of traffic and ice cream trucks. Dear God, open my eyes to see the ice cream truck ahead of me.
Bro. Rene

The Acceptable Time

Procrastination always seems to lead to further pain or frustration, but we keep falling into it anyway.
We want to avoid confrontation; we wonder, "perhaps it's not as big an issue as I'm making it", or "maybe it's just me."  Making progress is never easy, "no pain, no gain," and if we are really serious about living the Word of God, then we will push ourselves a little more, as with a personal trainer",  to go a bit beyond what we thought were our limits.
St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians quotes Isaiah 49:8 "In an acceptable time I heard you,/ and on the day of salvation I helped you."  Without mincing any words, Paul says, "Behold now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Cor 6:2).  Usually this reading appears in Advent or Lent as motivation for making that extra effort in those holy seasons.  But here in Ordinary Time, it challenges our summer attitude of "laying back."  We don't have to go "hog Lenten Wild" but even if we MOVE on ONE thing that we've been putting off, we'll be in a much better place in our relationship with our loving and patient Savior, and our neighbor.  It won't spoil our summer, but make it better.  What will it be TODAY...THIS ACCEPTABLE TIME?
Bro. Rene

Mustard Seed Faith

Today's Gospel includes the parable of the mustard seed which found a current re-telling in the captivating film, Little Boy.  When one wants something desperately, one strains with all one's might to obtain it, even to risking ridicule and skepticism.  In the film it is the faith the size of a mustard seed that can move mountains that motivates young Pepper Bubee to believe with all his might.  In today's reference, it is the small size of the seed that is used to demonstrate how the Church can grow when its members have enough faith, even the size of the smallest seed.  In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that God chooses the foolish of the world to shame the wise and the weak, to shame the strong, so that the credit goes to him, to keep us from boasting of ourselves, and acknowledging how God uses our "littleness" to achieve his ends. (Cf. 1 Cor 1:25-30).  Even our "little deeds"  such as a smile, phone call, card, e-mail, can speak volumes and help bring the mustard seed to full stature. Nothing is too small or insignificant to have an effect on others and the pebble by pebble building of God's Kingdom.
Bro. Rene

The Loving Heart of Mary

Following on the heels of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, today's optional memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary brings to mind our other loving advocate in heaven, the Mother of God herself.  Devotion to the Heart or Mary rose in prominence at the instigation of St. John Eudes in the 1680's but it was only in 1944 that Pope Pius XII extended the feast to the universal Church.  The "open heart" of Mary resembles the open heart of Jesus, and is usually depicted with seven wounds or seven swords, depicting the seven sorrows she endured at Mother of the Savior.  The image reminds us that her role was not all bread and roses; indeed, the thorns pierced her heart throughout her life from the prophecy of Simeon to the placing of the body of Jesus in the tomb.   Her heart also reminds us of the pondering she did of all the events and mysterious words of Jesus as she reflected on them to draw forth their deepest meanings. As such she is the model for us, particularly Marists so devoted to her and her "way".  Her memorial takes precedence over the memorial of St. Anthony, but, himself a ponderer, he most likely raises no objection in deference to the Mother of God and our mother too.
Bro. Rene

The Loving Heart of Jesus

Today's Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus presents an image that once spoke convincingly to a Church gone lukewarm.  The exposed heart of Jesus with flames leaping from the top, and a crown of thorns surrounding it, was a stark symbol of the unlimited love Jesus has for each of us. Reproductions of the Sacred Heart were found in statues, paintings, holy cards, in Churches and homes,  along with the Litany of the Sacred Heart and the 12 promises made to St. Mary Alacoque, the Visitation Sister to whom Jesus revealed this compelling image.  The warmth of his loving heart inspired people to return to active practice of the faith for centuries. However, the trend over the last 50 years has been a turning from that comforting love to a materialism, indifference, and even rampant and active atheism.
Locally, we have one fifth of a class of intelligent graduates from a prestigious academy caught in an underage drinking party, and a local wealthy town witnessing a huge surge in heroin overdosing.  One guidance counselor laments that many young people have lost hope, hence their turning to alcohol, drugs and suicide in alarming rates.   A pastor describes the reality of a "post-Christian Society" in which people cling to a few remnants of their faith, which are not enough to supply substance and meaning to their lives.  Will the Loving Heart of Jesus find another way to touch the cold hearts of this generation?   Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us all.
Bro. Rene

No Easy Challenge

When are challenges ever easy?   They are not, that's why we call them challenges, not suggestions or invitations.  Our passage from St. Matthew this morning, (Mt 5:20-26) is no exception, and, yes, might be more weighted on the heavy side than other challenges Jesus makes in the Sermon on the Mount.  He talks about anger, grudges, labeling and the clean heart necessary before making our offering to God.   We tend to suppress feelings, and hide the resentments or difficulties we all experience with others whose opinions and behaviors are "not ours", to say the least.   Are these things we should clear up before approaching the altar?  The more blatant disagreements clearly need to be settled first, but these more subtle ones cause us to squirm and rationalize our way out of having to confront them.  We don't like making mountains out of mole-hills, so we brush over these "little obstacles" to a pure and peaceful heart.  We tire of hearing about trials, juries, appeals which end up with "no one guilty".   Yet, do we do the same with ourselves, being our own jury and judge?   This passage deserves lots of reflection and action.  Let us pray for the grace to see clearly and act courageously.
Bro. Rene

Obeying and Teaching The Commandments (Cf Mt 5:19)

When St. Marcellin began formulating his plan for a teaching congregation of brothers, he included the unhappy incident of his first and only day of school as a youngster when an unqualified teacher slapped the boy next to Marcellin for speaking out without raising his hand.  The negative act had a positive effect on the young Marcellin:  teachers should not do this, rather, they should love all students equally; when the occasion arose, be firm, but always out of a love, today called "tough love", that would help the student become a good Christian and citizen. Discipline for the sake of good order made learning easier as the students would feel safe, secure, and know their limits.  There was a period when brothers were known to have overreached their limits with physical punishment, but in the context of the times, was highly supported by parents.  We live in a more gentle era now, and effective discipline does not have to rely on physical punishment. 
Above all, the teacher whose example of practicing the commandments is the one who leaves a lasting imprint, showing in actions more powerful than words, how to live a good Christian life, .nurturing, guiding with patience and helping the student to reach his or her potential. This is a norm that applies not only for teachers, but for all of us who in some way, have an influence on others.
Bro. Rene

Let Us Shine

Most of the time we like to "do good quietly"...and rightly so....Seems that lots of great saints did just that, but at the same time by letting our light shine, we inspire others, give good example and glory to God.  Jesus reminds us that we do not put our lamps under a bushel basket, but high on a lampstand so they give off light to guide the way.  Our words and deeds of kindness lose their effect if we do or utter them in silence or in a closet.  No, they must be "out there."  May we make a special effort today to let our light (the light given by the Holy Spirit) to SHINE.
Bro. Rene

Suffering With and For Others

St. Paul reminds us today that as the sufferings of Jesus overflowed for us, so too ours should overflow for others.  The same goes with encouragement.  We are "our brother's keeper" and even in our suffering we can show more understanding and compassion toward those whose sufferings otherwise we would have overlooked.   Our own pain makes us aware of the pain of others for we feel our own pain in a very real way in our bodies, and can better imagine and appreciate what others are going through...So it might make us more conscious of the person with a cane or walker trying to walk into a store or get into their car.  When we express our concern by action we at the same time offer encouragement and thus lighten to an extent the burden of pain others are carrying.   In this way, our pains can be blessings for us and for others.
Bro. Rene

The Living Bread

We pay special attention today to the great gift of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus.  It is the intimate and on-going sign of the tremendous love of Jesus for us, to become one in the flesh with us, to be present in our hearts as in the tabernacle, and to mold our wills and spirits so that they become extensions of his.  Who else be God could come up with such  a means of staying very present with us, as he was with the disciples?  And, along with this is the promise of eternal life:  "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have life everlasting." (Cf Jn 6: 54) Many parishes have restored the "Corpus Christi" procession, to highlight the value of this gift, and the widening practice of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is restoring devotion to the Real Presence.  At Mass today, may we stop and make a special effort to remember what we are doing when we receive the Holy Eucharist and may our day be a continual chorus of thanksgiving.
Bro. Rene

Living the Legacy

Marists around the world are honoring St. Marcellin on the anniversary of his death in 1840.  At that them there were a little over 200 brothers, but now we are 3,500 strong in 79 countries and more and more lay people are becoming committed to living out the vision and charism of this remarkable man.
In his recent video/letter to honor St. Marcellin, our Superior General, Br. Emili Turu set out the challenge to "get out of our comfort zones."   He interviewed three brothers and several lay people from Aleppo in Syria, where danger and insecurity reign.  Their hope, their courage, are an inspiration that makes it possible for us to match theirs.   What can we do to leave our comfort zones and take our Marist Work to a new level?  As we near the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Marist Brothers, the way will become clearer.  Let us pray that we are the ones who will be on board for the rocky, challenging ride ahead.
Bro. Rene

His Example Still Inspires

Baptized Winfrid, a man later known as Boniface and perhaps one of the most influential Englishmen to hit the Continent, first answered the call to become a Benedictine, being ordained a priest at the age of 30, and then  answered a further call to become a missionary.  His first attempt in Friesland was unsuccessful, but commissioned by the Pope, he was sent to what is now Germany as its Bishop with the formidable task of converting the people and establishing the Church.  With zeal, perseverance and daring, he did just that, laboring for over 40 years.  A major gain was made when he axed a tree worshipped by the people;  no gods struck him down, but it is said a wind came up and helped fell the tree which broke into four parts when it hit the ground, convincing the onlookers that the God Boniface preached was the true God. Even after his "retirement "the Apostle of Germany kept evangelizing and met a martyr's death at the age of 72.  His zealous energy continues to inspire us to take up the work of evangelization wherever we are, and,if necessary, to pick up an ax and chop away at the idols that continue to appear.
Bro. Rene

Keeping the Great Commandment

Today's Gospel recounts the question of the Scribe, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"  (Mk 12: 28).  Jesus gives the reply so familiar to us all, that we barely give it a thought:  love of God, love or neighbor as our self. In today's world, who is our neighbor?   The people who think like us or share the same values?  Those who are killing Christians in the mid-East?  The Terrorists who lurk around the globe, maybe even in our own neighborhood?  It can get very complicated.
And loving them as we love ourselves:   how do we love ourselves?   Do we treat ourselves with respect, with timely rest and rejuvenation, or are we always pushing one step further.  A retreat director wrote that often the people coming for retreat are so worn out from their service to others that they need the first part of the retreat just to catch up on sleep before going any further.  Is this loving ourselves?
The answers to these questions are as challenging as they are elusive, but today would be as good a time as any to begin to sort them out. Jesus, help me to see clearly how to love you about all and my neighbor as myself.  Give me honesty, courage, and the strength of your grace and let me learn again that "what is impossible for human beings is possible for you."  (Lk 18:27)
Bro. Rene

Suffering For the Faith

The memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions today challenges us to recommit ourselves to the faith we often take so much for granted.  Even though these young men lived in Uganda in the late 1880's their example shines bright for us today. They were young men, 16-to early 20's, newly converted or still Catechumens, but when challenged by their perverted King Mwanga, the refused his sexual advances and demands that they abandon their faith. The withstood beatings and on the forced march to their death, they prayed and sang hymns...even in their funeral pyre in which they were burned alive, they sang praise to God and affirmed their steadfast adherence to the faith they loved so much.   Such an example they gave that a few years after their deaths, there were numbered 10,000 believers in Jesus, and even today, the faith remains very strong in that part of Uganda.
Closer to our times are the lives of Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J  who was imprisoned for years in the Soviet Union and whose cause for canonization has been introduced, and Richard Wumbrand, whose book, Tortured for Christ tells the amazing tale of his 14 years of suffering. See

http://torturedforchrist.com/  We read of the persecutions and killings of ISIS going on right now.  Persecutions have not stopped; people are still willing to give their lives for Jesus Christ. Do their lives and their sufferings not fire us up to love and live our faith to a higher degree, as if we were facing the sword at this moment?

Bro. Rene

Choices

When Jesus was tested with the question about paying taxes to Caesar, (Mk 12:13-17), he could have ignored it, knowing that it was intended to snare him, but he addressed it head on, and gave a response that is still as valid and astounding today as it was then.  "Repay to Caesar, what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." (Mk 12: 17).  That he confronts those sent to trap him is an example for us to follow.  Our culture presents many such traps and presumes that most of us will ignore them, so that they continue to multiply to the point of outrageousness, where "tolerance" reigns and truth and sanity are buried...And the question remains....how much do we owe "Caesar" these days, and how much to God?   Have we compromised, "caved" and betrayed our loving God, banking on his mercy and forgiveness, but not drawing the line and taking a stand?  Jesus chose to confront, to answer.  Jesus, give us the courage and wisdom to act as you did.  Amen.
Bro. Rene

Be Strong In The Lord

June, devoted to the Sacred Heart, is not "bustin' out all over", as the song goes, but is sliding in with a much needed soaking rain here in New England.  The dry ground appreciates the moisture and the gray clouds help us to focus on that inner part of our souls where neither storm nor drought can disturb us.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a stark symbol of how much Jesus loves us, how his every heartbeat is an affirmation of his love, a love unconditional and enduring forever.  That is what should be "bustin' out" all over as the anti-dote to the discouraging news in the media and on the web.
St. Justin the Martyr, whose memorial today, stands out as an intellectual who embraced Christianity after much searching and study, and became a spokesman who addressed the educated and presented logical arguments to explain and defend his faith.  He wrote and spoke publicly and was finally seen as a threat to the Roman culture which was so much based on the worship of false gods, even the Emperor.  His writings have come down to us and show a man steadfast in his faith: "No right-minded man forsakes truth for falsehood." He was martyred for his staunch beliefs and stands as a model of fidelity to the heart of Jesus to the need we all have to reflect on where we stand in an ever increasingly secular world.  We need more Justins today.  Am I called to be one of them?
 Bro. Rene