Talents Used

Note:  because I will not have access to the internet tomorrow, there will be no slice of Daily Bread.
Will return on Monday, Labor Day.

The point of today's Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30) is that the talents or gifts God has given us, not matter how great or apparently insignificant, are not be to kept for our own exclusive use, but are meant to be shared with others. We need not fear of "having nothing left for ourselves" if we use them, given them to others, but on the contrary, we will find that the more we give them, invest them, the more they grow and spread far beyond the original recipients.  It seems to be the way "the divine economy works." May we grow in trust and in generosity, and find the joy that only the Master can give.
Bro. Rene

Keeping Our Lamps Full

  The well-known parable of the Ten Wise and Ten Foolish Virgins appears in today's liturgy. (Mt 25:1-13)  It is a sobering warning to "be prepared" for "we know not the day nor the hour" when the bridegroom will appear. The oil for our lamps comes to us through participation in the sacraments and in the performance of good works:  service to others in line with the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  A daily dose of all or part of these will keep us on track and our lamps burning.  Why would we delay, why would we put off something as simple as giving clothing those who need it...food to the hungry...a prayer or a word of compassion for someone who is hurting?  Daily Eucharist might be impossible with most, but spiritual communion is possible, even when commuting to work...Remaining as much as we can in the presence of God will keep our lamps full and ready to meet the Bridegroom as he comes to us in our neighbor or face to face.
Bro. Rene
Note:  Perhaps yesterday's slice did not appear...it should appear with this one.

Vengeance

The beheading of John the Baptist recounted in the Gospel chosen for  Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist raises the ugly head of vengeance. Herodias was angered by John's denouncement of her illegal marriage to her brother-in-law, King Herod, and found a way to eliminate him without incriminating herself.  She helped her daughter, Salome, fulfill the oath Herod had made in front of all his guests, the give her anything she wanted, "even half of his kingdom." (Mk 6:17-29).  (The dance must have been exceptional, or Herod, very drunk!)   Evil lurks in this world and in the hearts of all of us...in some it is more pronounced and visible tha n in others. This good man was a victim of it.  So many throughout history have suffered a similar fate because of it.  We need to be vigilant, lest we too fall into some form of vengeance, even the most subtle and ostensibly "harmless" form. That's why we pray,  "And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL." (The Lord's Prayer).
Bro, Rene

Our Restless Hearts

St. Augustine spoke for all of us when he wrote: "Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee."   Having been an intellectual drifter and searcher until he was 32, he can speak with authority on restlessness of heart, and his journey still illumines the path for us today. Giving ourselves to a "life without borders" does not bring happiness; it's only when the TRUTH sets parameters do we find the peace for which we have been searching.  As Augustine learned, the TRUTH is God, someone he had been evading and avoiding, but who waited patiently for him to wake up, find, and embrace him.  That he did with all the passion that heretofore had been misdirected, being made Bishop of Hippo and becoming one of the strongest defenders of the TRUTH that the Church has known and  recognized as a Doctor of the Church.   What wonders God can work in us when we open our hearts to him.  Through St. Augustine's intercession, may we come closer to the TRUTH today!
Bro .Rene

A Faith-Filled Mother

We remember St. Monica today, a woman of great faith and patience, and model for today's mothers as well as for all of us.  Married to a gruff, faithless husband, Patricius, Monica, nevertheless bore three sons, the most famous of them being St. Augustine. After Patricius'   death she devoted her life to the conversion of her bright, head-strong and wayward son, Augustine...a 20 year task involving prayer, tears and travels beyond her native Tagaste, a city in northern Africa,  Her faith and persistence were rewarded with Augustine's conversion; with her life's goal accomplished, she died peacefully in the presence of her sons in Ostia in 387 A.D.
How she must understand the longings of so many mothers who desire the best for their children in today's materialistic, secular, pleasure-seeking world of drugs, "free-love" and disconnection from God.  Her path of prayer is the roadmap for all of us who long to see the younger generation find meaning in a world where so many of the traditional " pillars of strength" have crumbled  and left behind a disappointed and disillusioned trail of searchers.  St. Monica, pray for us!
Bro. Rene

Blind Guides

No one likes to be duped.  One of the worst feelings in the world is realizing that you have been a victim of a scam...misled by the smooth talk of liars.  When Jesus upbraided the Pharisees for being blind guides, (Mt 23:13-22),  he probably wasn't thinking of scammers, but as bad, those who were supposed to be trusted but did not practice what they preached:  hypocrites.  An easy trap in which to fall.  As much as we hate being misguided, it's so easy to be blind about our own hypocritical actions.  The warnings of others, and our own prayer for help to avoid this pitfall can rescue us from the blind guides around us and from our own blindness. Dear God, rescue me who am so easily duped or who can be such a duper myself!
Bro. Rene

Squeezing Through The Narrow Gate

Today's rich readings provide much food for Sunday munching.  When asked if only a few people would be saved, Jesus responded with some clear parameters, the classic "narrow gate", being one of them and "the locked door", being another. (Lk 13:22-30).  Who can pass through that narrow gate and how does one squeeze through?  It's not the person who thinks he can push his way through on his own, but the one who turns his heart and life over to Jesus to be disciplined into "shape" by loving his commands, desiring his promises, and "amid the uncertainties of this world, fixes his heart on that place where true gladness is found."  (cf. the Collect for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time). It is the one who follows the sound advice in this "boot camp training passage" from the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 12: 5-7. 11-13).  In accepting our trials and difficulties as necessary "discipline", we shed the fat of too much reliance on self, in order to slim down in order to embrace the relationship Jesus wants to have with us.  In these ways, HE will pull us through the narrow gate and open the locked door to us.
Bro Rene

The Power of Meeting Jesus

Note:  Due to technical issues, including a virus threat, I have not had access to the internet for several days...agony, believe me.  Now am on retreat at St. Anselm's Abbey, and able to take time to send a daily slice as part of my retreat.. God bless you all.

Never underestimate the power of meeting Jesus face to face...Look at what happened to Nathaniel.  (AKA Bartholomew) He is a good model for us...noted for his lack of duplicity, or in Marist terms for his straightforward simplicity.."what you see is what you get."  When approached by his enthusiastic friend, Philip, who told him he had met the ONE Moses and the prophets has written about, he was directly skeptical on hearing that he came from Nazareth, only a few miles from his own  Cana.  Nazareth, evidently was poor and lacked anything that would give it credibility.  "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (Jn 1:47). Philip lacked words to describe Jesus, so  he invited Nathaniel to come and see for himself. Seeing Jesus, hearing him describe him to a "T" and predicting a happy future for him, turned the skeptic into a believer, one strong enough to preach the Gospel after the Resurrection and suffer martyrdom.  That "something" about Jesus, which has a power greater than any we have to change hearts, can turn our hearts too.  May we in all simplicity, like Nathaniel, let that power into our hearts to make us into the person God intends us to be.
Bro .Rene

Zeal

Note...a virus is being removed from my laptop, disrupting my usual writing schedule.  This will be a very THIN slice of Bread...

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a man of great passion and zeal, recruiting 30 of his friends when he entered the monastery and founding several others, not to mention the great number of books and poems he wrote along with being a sometimes advisor to the Pope.  May we do even a tiny bit to carry on his legacy.
Bro. Rene

What Am I Lacking?

When the Rich Young Man approached Jesus about what he must do to gain eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments, which the man already did. Something was missing:  "What do I still lack?" (Mt 19: 20).  What further must he do?  The answer was not easy:  Sell all, give to the poor and follow Jesus.  He couldn't do it...so attached was he to his goods, to his lifestyle. (cf. Mt 19: 21-22).
So often we look at ourselves and ask the same question about doing more, feeling that lack of completion, satisfaction, total contentment.  But when we hear this answer...sell, give and follow...we come to a complete stop. We can't do it either.  What to do?  Pray for the strength to take the next steps, and take them one at a time.  Inch by inch, we'll get to our goal...We must keep moving toward it, and as we do, we'll find what we are lacking.
Bro Rene

To Cast Fire

"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" (Lk 12: 49).  Frightening words from "the Prince of Peace."! Yet,  Jesus speaks with passion about what it needed to make his message of love and forgiveness spread.  The old ways of selfishness, pleasure, power and wealth-seeking must go, must be burned out of existence, as a farmer clears a field of brambles and saplings before plowing it and sowing seed. Love is the fire that the world needs, that we as individuals need.  Jesus is LOVE and his heart burns with love for us and with the passion he has for us, to love us, he wants to purify us as gold and silver are purified in the furnace.Such purification will be painful, but in the end, there is is no greater joy than to have our names engraved on the burning heart of Jesus. Let us welcome the fire, let us spread the fire, let us do it today!
Bro. Rene

Rooted In God

Our brief Gospel passage today underscores the reality  that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the childlike. (Mt 19-13-15). It's not childishness, but child likeness that is the key, being sure of who we are and where we are going...toward Jesus. Rooted in God, focused on God, we might also put it, no swerving left or right, but straight forward, despite the allure of the world's glitter and lies.  In Marist language, it's SIMPLCITY...one of our major characteristics.  "What you see is what you get"...no pretensions, no masks.  We love little children for their trusting forthrightness, their wonder, their ability to see what we miss because their vision is not blurred.  This  quality is not exclusively theirs, we all were born with it and can keep it even through adulthood to the twilight of our lives if we keep our roots in God.
Bro. Rene 

Mary's Assumption and US

Today's Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul into heaven at the conclusion of her earthly life, has much to say to us today.  The Dogma of the Assumption proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1950 formalized a belief that had been held for centuries that, like Jesus, Mary's body is also in heaven, as an assurance that ours someday will be as well.  Pope Pius's proclamation came to a world still reeling from the massive loss of lives in two world wars, and affirmed the human dignity of both soul and body.  It reassures us that our faith is embodied in everything we do and in who we are, not something abstract and separate from everyday life, a fundamental Christian belief, and certainly a basic premise of Marist Spirituality and Mission.  We seek to help others know and love Jesus through our simple interactions  with one another and through our lives as "servant leaders" as we serve in various ways from teaching to attending to the smallest details to show our love, the love of Jesus for us.
 For many Marists,  this is the anniversary of the taking of our Marist Habit and our Vows a year later, days when we pledged to follow Mary to Jesus in our earthly lives and eventually to heaven.  With her we and all Marists can all sing our Magnificat, because the Lord has done marvels for us, and ever holy remains the greatness of his name.
Bro. Rene

No Greater Love

Note:  I just looked at the time and realized I missed the deadline for posting today...This will appear on the Solemnity of the Assumption with a separate slice for this great day.

Today's memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe brings the now familiar story of his self-less act at Auschwitz of  offering his life in exchange for that of a young father who had been condemned to death by starvation. Father Kolbe watched his fellow prisoners die but himself was killed by lethal injection...A long time devotee of Mary and founder of the Militia Immaculata, a wold-wide organization promoting devotion to Mary, he followed in her footsteps of laying down his life so that others might live, as she did in accepting to be the Mother of God.
Year after year Fr. Kolbe's simple yet heroic powerful act astounds and inspires us.  We, at this point in time, are not being called upon to stick out our lives physically for others, but there are so many ways we can relieve the anxiety and stress faced by others. When people express their worries, founded or unfounded,  we can help guide them to peace by reminding them of how God resolved former "crises".  It takes a little time and a lot of patience, but it is right in line with the GREATS who have shown their love by laying down their lives for others. We can surely lay down a bit of our time for them, can't we?
Bro .Rene  

In Search Of The Stray

In the Gospel passage we read today, (Mt 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14) Jesus talks about a man leaving the ninety-nine sheep in search of the one stray; in today's world, it's more like leaving the one to search out the ninety-nine who've strayed! It can be disconcerting to read the statistics of "Catholic Drop Outs", but rather than be discouraged, we ought to find ways to help them in their search, with their anger, with their disenchantment. A sure fire wager would be to bet that they have not found a substitute that satisfies their longing or expectations, and are really in an emptier space than they thought they were before their exodus.. We don't have to go far to search for them but it takes prayer, research into sources that will expose the treasure we hold, but above all, our loving, compassionate presence ...representing Jesus...presenting Jesus to them through our behavior and love that will bring them out of the brambles back to the sheepfold.  Let's work on this today!
Bro .Rene

Overwhelmed With Grief

When Jesus predicted his death and resurrection to his disciples on day in Galilee (Mt 17:22),"they were overwhelmed with grief." They seemed to have heard only "killing", and not  "being raised on the third day", which naturally would have gone right over their heads.  Even when it did happen, it took awhile for them to comprehend and accept it. Evidently, Jesus let it slide, knowing he would have to repeat it again, and turned his attention to the paying of the temple tax with the coin found in the mouth of a fish.
No doubt we'd all like to find such a fish  to take care of our financial needs, but is there also a fish which will help us with our own overwhelming grief?
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, whose memorial occurs today, lost her beloved husband in a hunting accident, was fell into deep grief and depression, understandably, for he was killed by a friend in the hunting party. She turned to prayer, education of her children and the counsel of St. Francis de Sales, whose practical advice helped her out of her grief and led her to start the Order of the Visitation, a congregation of Sisters for women who might not be accepted in traditional Orders.  Widows, the infirm, and even the uneducated were accepted and found joy in living out the generosity and spirit of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. From her grief, she brought forth life and hope.  When "bad news" comes, may we stem the slide into depression by offering a prayer to St. Jane Frances for her guidance.
Bro. Rene

Unfailing Treasure

Our Gospel today (Lk 12: 32-48) reminds us to set our hearts on the treasure that will not fail., "an inexhaustible treasure in heaven."   It's not the piling up of material wealth that will give us lasting happiness,  but the amassing of good works, kinds words and  seeking to use as best we can the gifts God has given us. And these mainly to serve him and others, not to build up a reputation for ourselves. 
St. Clare, whose memorial us usually observed on Agust 11, sets a good example for us.  She followed the model of poverty set by St. Francis, left her noble family and lived a long life in a community bent on prayer, and service to one another and to the Church by providing an alternative life style opposite the extravgances of the time and helping people realize that their real treasure is in heaven.  Her charity toward her sisters is remarkable; despite her own sufferings and illness, she cared lovingly for them, even to making sure they were covered while they slept.  Little details, little actions are doable mount up as part of the heavenly treasure.  What can we do today to build up our treasure in heaven?
Bro Rene

A Grain of Wheat

A  fitting Gospel for the Feast of St. Lawrence, and the First Vows of young Marist Brother, Luis Ramos, today. "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (Jn  12: 24),  A grain of wheat is very small, almost to be overlooked, but when it dies and matures he produces a stock with a head full of such grains that can be ground into flour or planted to produce more wheat, but it must first enter the soil, be watered and lose its identity as a seed as roots emerge and a green sprout reaches toward the sun. In a word, it dies.  So too with a life of service, the life to which all of us are called.  We die to our selfishness, self-centeredness, and become a better self, the self that was meant to be. There will be pain, challenge, hardship, disappointment, but all with the purpose of making the seed grow.  St. Lawrence kept his sense of humor and abiding joy through all of his sufferings and so many others succeeded in doing this as well; we pray that Brother Luis might follow their example and live a life of joyful fruitfulness.
Bro. Rene

The Call To Sainthood

Note:  Time got away from me yesterday as I was preparing to leave Wheeling, WV where I was visiting the Marist Community and catching up with alumni from over 50 years ago...Amazing to hear former students say they are 71!...
so it was too late for cutting a slice of Daily Bread.  Sincere apologies
 
Yesterday we celebrated the memorial of St. Dominic and today, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, both of whom had a profound impact during and after their lifetimes and provide motivation for us to settle for nothing less than being a saint.
Dominic de Guzman responded to the heresies of his day and as a near contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi, set out to preach vehemently against them. He founded the Order of Preachers, whose spirituality can be summed up in the words of one of their most famous members, St. Thomas Aquinas, "To contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation."  Dominic was also instrumental in promoting the Rosary, which is very much a powerful prayer used today, encouraged by Mary, the Mother of God, herself.
Edith Stein was an atheistic Jew in her adolescent years and young twenties, but reading the works of St. Teresa of Avila, was moved to convert to Catholicism and later join the same Order as St. Teresa, the Carmelites.  She died at the concentration camp at Auschwitz, offering her life for her people.
Bishop Robert Barron has recently published a Letter to A Suffering Church, us, with a compelling plea to all to hold steadfastly to Christian ideals and beliefs and not to leave the Church, despite the scandals and corruption becoming more and more evident in high places, but to reform our own convictions and lives, to realize the TREASURE we have been given, and not to forsake it because of the dalliance and weakness of some of its leaders. He challenges us all to strive toward living out the message of Jesus with all our might, yes, indeed, to become saints.  That's what will drive the devil back to hell and renew the face of the earth. It is a short book very much worth reading
Bro. Rene

The Power of Prayer

Today's Gospel (Mt 15: 21-28) gives us the story of the Canaanite woman who would not take "NO" for an answer and pressed Jesus until he agreed to give her what she wanted, the cure of her daughter.  Do we pray with such passion and persistence?  If we don't we ought to. How often Jesus chided the Apostles, those close to him, for their lack of faith.  May we learn this difficult lesson from these short verses, confident that Jesus will acknowledge the power of our prayers  He's the one who grants them, but we are the ones who pray them. The power lies in both corners.
Bro. Rene

Living Our Baptism

Note:  We are victims of a lost password.  I was not able to access the internet Tuesday Morning...no one knows the "hourse" password.  Have an APB out for it.  Hoping to have it tomorrow...In the meanwhile, two slices of bread today to make up for yesterday.

The Transfiguration astounds us with bright light, brilliant white garments, Moses and Elijah and the voice of the Father. Like the three apostles, we don't know if we should cower or bounce around like cheerleaders. This was a gift-moment, a prep for these three before they saw the opposite happen to Jesus in Gethsemane  on Golgotha. The true light, the Transfigured Jesus in as much glory as the eyes of the Apostles could behold, came to them to assure them, especially after the Resurrection, when they reflected on what Jesus said and on these events, that he was indeed the Son of God.
At baptism, we became the sons and daughters of God, with the same mission to attest to the reality of Jesus and to carry out his mission despite obstacles and our own hesitancy.  We need to spend more time on the ground with these three,  gazing upon the Transfigured Jesus, and then descend fortified for our mission in the market placet.
Bro Rene

God Feeds Us

Our first reading today  from  the Book of Numbers 11: 4b-15, recounts a capsulized version of the complaints voiced to Moses by the people:  their dissatisfaction with their "boring" diet of manna day after day, their desire for meat, fish, melons, onions and garlic, the heat, in short, a list of complaints that brought Moses to the point of asking God to take his life to escape the complaining people.
So much of this rings true in our day as we tire of a daily diet of mass shootings, political bickering, reports of floods, intense heat waves, opioid and Ebola epidemics, and on and on.  We want to jump off the planet.
Yet, we see Jesus, who was trying to find some peace and quiet to mourn after learning of the unjust beheading of John the Baptist, besieged by a huge crowd who came for cures. By evening, it became apparent that they were hungry and, no doubt, complaining.  Rather than jump off the planet to escape, Jesus fed them.  So too with us.  God knows our needs, hears our complaints even before we voice them, and "feeds" us, takes care of us in some satisfying way.  No need to despair  or "jump", but just turn to him and let him handle it. He certainly can do a better job than we.
Bro. Rene

Storing Up Treasures

The selection from Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) Ecc 1:2; 2: 21013 and the Gospel, Lk 12:13-21, speak candidly about the folly of storing up material goods. The stress, anxiety, sleepless nights and hard work associated with these temporary treasures are "vanity", empty bubbles,  that float for a moment and burst, leaving not a trace. Look at our world today, people working long hours to make more money to buy more things, to spend fortunes on health and beauty aids, clothes, cars and nights out, while unknowingly abusing body and soul.  The day will come for all when sickness and death pierce  the bubble they have spent a lifetime working to create and preserve.
Jesus admonishes us to become rich in "what matters to God." (Lk 12:21).  The Cure of Ars, whose memorial is usually celebrated this day, expended his life in helping people return to God.  He lived poorly and simply, exhausting himself, but indeed through self-sacrifice and laying down his life for others stored up those treasures about which Jesus was speaking, and is a saintly model for us of living out what really matters to God.
Bro Rene

John's Boldness/ Herod's Fear

The story of John's beheading greets us today as a reminder that boldly speaking the truth can have dire consequences, especially when directed at an insecure person who holds the power of life and death.  John confronted Herod on his unlawful marriage and Herod wished to eliminate him but feared the crowd who held John in high esteem. When the request came for the head of John the Baptist, Herod again feared "losing face" in the sight of his guests after making the extravagant promise of anything, even "half my kingdom" to Salome for her memorizing dance. ( Mt 14: 1-12). 
Our world is full of such conflicts of truth challenged by fear of public opinion, the fear of losing friends, of peer pressure, or the pressure of increasing secularism. Do we keep silent or do we speak boldly as John did? Pray that the spirit of John may continue in us.
Bro. Rene..

Increase My Faith

Jesus was met with skepticism and rejection in his own home town, despite his mighty deeds.  "Is he not the carpenter's son?" (Mt 13:55).  2000 years later, this same skepticism and hard-heartedness persist...Believers, take heart, however, for there is always hope.  There are families who cling to the faith and serve as a beacon of hope, a fire  that can melt the hardest of hearts.  Let us pray for the spreading of that fire and an increase of faith, especially in our own hearts.
Bro. Rene

Thank God for the Net

Jesus likens the Kingdom of heaven to a net thrown into the sea and bringing up fish of every kind. (Mt 13:47).  Yet, there comes a moment of reckoning when the "good" are sorted from the undesirable, which are thrown away.  When I stray, or when I'm spiritually attacked by an obvious demon who wants "like hell" to discourage or trick me with all kinds of gimmicks, interruptions, or monkey wrenches of every sort, I thank God for the net...his loving care, compassion and mercy as experienced in the sacrament of Reconciliation, which lifts me to safety before the final sorting on the beach. I am thrown into the bucket with the other good fish and given a chance to keep going in the rights direction or to start again. Knowing well, "what is in us" Jesus created this safety net which never seems to break or wear out. We will wear out before it does. Smile, and let the net pull you free.
Bro. Rene