Monday, September 30, 2019

Bickering

Note:  This is our 3,300th slice of bread ... out of the "oven" on 9/30/19!

The "climate change" from polite disagreement to twitter-based bickering is upon us with a vengeance. But such bickering is not new.  Even this morning's gospel passage begins with he disciples arguing among each other about who was the greatest, or complaining about someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus who was not part of their group. (Lk 9:46-50).  Jesus reminded them that humility is key to smooth relations with others, that the least among them is really the greatest. We might put ourselves in this scene to learn that bickering gets us nowhere, but being humble and as receptive as a child are what bring about harmony.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Generous Use of Our Gifts

Both the prophet Amos and Jesus with his pointed parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (cf. Amos 6: 1a, 6-7 and Lk 16:19-31) sharply warn us that what we have received from God, we cannot selfishly clutch while the poor knock at our gate. Eating and drinking while the world is collapsing will lead only to personal exile from God. The Rich Man found himself int he pit of hell, begging for a drop of water to cool his burning tongue.  St. Thomas reminds us that yes, we might enjoy the benefits of our labors but at the same time THE COMMON GOOD demands that we share what we have with those who have less. We might look into our hearts as well as into our accumulations of wealth and goods, and ask not, how much do I have, but how much do I care?
Bro. Rene

Saturday, September 28, 2019

His Impending Death

Today's brief excerpt from St. Luke, (:43b-45) finds Jesus telling his disciples about his being "handed over", but they did not understand.  Yes, who would have expected this good man who brought so much healing, wisdom about living, love and forgiveness would be betrayed?  Yet, that was his mission, the reason why he was born, and he was attempting to prepare his loyal friends for this fatal turn of events. They were afraid to delve deeper, probably harboring some degree of denial
We don't know our future, and if we did, we'd probably react the same way. We do know, that as disciples of Jesus, we have a mission and are called to participate in his suffering, rejection, and death to some extent, even to a martyr's death. May we beware of fear and denial, but, like Jesus embrace our own "emptying" or "handing over"  with and for love as he did.
Bro. Rene

Friday, September 27, 2019

Service To The Poor

Perhaps no name is more associated with service to the poor than that of St. Vincent de Paul.  Born of a peasant family in Gascony, France in 1580, he aspired to move upward in society to escape the poverty into which he was born.  A very intelligent and gifts  young man,, he entered the seminary and was ordained a priest at the age of 19.  His status now being elevated, he preferred serving the rich and living their life-style as much as he could.  However, in mid-life, upon hearing the confession of a poor peasant, his heart was turned toward serving the poor to whom he devoted the rest of his life, dying at the age of 80.  He gathered other priests with him (later known as the Vincentian Fathers)  to help with his work with the poor and founded orphanages , hospitals and homes for the mentally impaired. At one point, through the urging and help of the Gondi family, he even ministered to the galley slaves whose plight was deplorable. With St. Louise de Marillac, he founded the Sisters of Charity with their distinctive headgear that always seems to appear in movies depicting Sisters of the pre-Vatican II era. His life and work attracted the attention of the wealthy who competed to endow his projects.  Today most parishes have a St. Vincent de Paul Society which continue his work with the poor. May he touch our hearts to open them to share what ever we can to help those in need, remembering that as Marists, that is also one of our characteristics and objectives.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Trying To See Jesus

Today's gospel passage focuses on King Herod's curiosity about Jesus, about whom he had heard but never seen. (Lk 9: 7-9).  The popular musical, Jesus Christ Superstar features a ragtime rhythmic recap of Herod's desire to have Jesus perform a miracle, but Jesus remains silent and Herod dismisses him as  fraud.
His curiosity haunts us, however and challenges us.  How much do we want to see Jesus, or to meet him? Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and currently Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has become an effective tool helping Jesus to reach people and draw them to himself.  Our baptism gives us the Divine Life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit within our souls..Thus Jesus can be found in the heart and face of the baptized.  We don't have to go far to see him, nor do we have to sing and dance in ragtime.  It's much simpler than that, if we see with the eyes of faith.
Bro .Rene

Strength For The Mission

When Jesus sent the Twelve on their mission, he "gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick," (Lk 9: 1) he also told them to take nothing for the journey, leaving lodging and meals up to the people who welcomed them. These were just ordinary men, entrusted with an extraordinary task with no tools to accomplish it or to sustain them.  What in the world was Jesus thinking, asking of these men?  To put their entire trust in God who would provide for them through others and in ways they could not anticipate.  Some religious orders send their young candidate on similar "adventures" for weeks, even months at a time...and they learn that God provides for them in ways they never expected.  It's a lesson in faith and trust that can't be learned from books, but must be experienced.  We too have been entrusted with a similar mission and can carry it out even in our families, jobs and parishes,  if we, like the Twelve, put our trust in God and venture forth with the strength he provides and not with the tools we think will help." Trust in God and he will act" (Ps 37:5).  That's how it works.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Acting on God''s Word

When Jesus was told that his mother and family wanted to see him, he replied, "My  mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." (Lk 8:21)  Both hearing and acting require effort.  To listen with attentiveness, taking in the Word, digesting it, siting with it until it rumbles through our entire being, is not done when we are half distracted with other things.  Look back at any Mass, Worship or Bible Service we've attended.  How many side-bar thoughts ran through our minds at any given moment? If someone asked what the readings were, what was said in the homily or sermon, we wouldn't score very high, would we?  And, most likely, we'd score even lower on the scale of how we acted on what we heard.  Thank God for his infinite patience with us!
We're never down and out permanently, so we keep trying and once in awhile some things do  click.  Practicing attentiveness throughout the day will help us pay better attention to the Word, when we hear it; and hearing it this way will help us more readily act on it.
Bro. Rene

Monday, September 23, 2019

"Pray, Hope And Don't Worry"

"Pray, Hope and Don't Worry", the message St. Pius of Pietelcina, better known as St. Padre Pio, whom we honor today,  left us, which is perennially applicable in our world of stress, busyness and over-extension.  Padre Pio, God's humble Franciscan priest, was famous for the gift of the stigmata for most of his life.  It began invisibly in 1910 and lasted  until the time of his death on September 23, 1968.  His reputation as a "miraculous" confessor, who could read souls, and for his humility ( he was forbidden to say Mass publicly for awhile), spread world-wide, but little attention was given to a major charitable work, a hospital, which he founded as the result of a gift from an anonymous benefactor.  St. John Paul II emphasize Padre Pio's charitable work, more than his stigmata at his canonization in 2002.  The lesson for us, most of whom will not be blessed with the stigmata, is that we need to live his pray, hope and don't worry message and that we all can do charitable work, big or small, no matter who or where we are.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, September 22, 2019

God Or Mammon

We hear Jesus state very directly, "No servant can serve two masters." his loyalty will be split between service to one or disconnect from the other.  "You cannot serve both God and mammon." (Lk 16: 13).  Mammon is not only material wealth, but prestige, obsession with self and perfection, or exaggerated ambition. Real success comes with putting God at the center, using our gifts prudently, and being at the service of others. We can sometimes fool ourselves with a false self-righteousness, another aspect of "mammon."  May we, from time to time, sort through our "inventory" to see where the majority of our marbles, are, with God or mammon, and make the necessary adjustments.
Bro. Rene

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Jesus Calls

The tax collector, Matthew, responded instantly to Jesus when he called him to "follow me." (Mt 9:9) Something about Jesus penetrated to Matthew's core, touching a deep longing that must have been there for sometime behind the shekels and complaints that came with his job.  It was a call to action, for those not "in good health", the righteous, but those in need of a physician, sinners. Matthew finally saw relief for his "illness" in the invitation, command, of Jesus.
Jesus calls us too, and Paul tells urges us "to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through live, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord one faith, one baptism, one God, and the Father of all, who is over and all through all and in all." (Eph 4:1-6). Paul is so enthusiastic about the call that he runs on and on about it.  It's a call that each of us and the Church as a whole needs to heed, if we are to be healed and made whole again. Let us pray for the peace and unity of which Paul speaks, that we may be one Body with one Father.
Bro. Rene

Friday, September 20, 2019

Imitate God

God is good.  We say this all the time, especially when things turn out the way we planned or, if not exactly that way, at least in a way that brings a sigh of relief or makes us happy.  In the 6th chapter of First Letter of Paul to Timothy, we read how miserable life can be when we do not live according to the teachings of Jesus, and how happy we can be when we do (1 Tm 6:2c-12).  We can imitate God if we take to heart these admonitions:  Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.  Compete well for the faith.  Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were  called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1Tm 6: 11-12).  The Korean Martyrs, Andrew Kim Tae-gon,  Paul Chon Has-sang and their 98 companions, did exactly this, to the point of dying for Jesus. We may not be asked to go that far, but we are asked, called, to grow the goodness that God has placed within each one of us, remembering that we are made in his image and likeness.
Bro. Rene

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Perceptions

St. Marcellin had a gift to recognize the good in others, even when faced with criticism himself for being "too kind".  Young Brother Sylvester's pranks and boyish antics drew complaints from the brothers. but Father Champagnat was patient with him and, no doubt, laughed to himself when Sylvester's wheelbarrow made it into the Hermitage, or when he jumped on Fr. his back on the dark staircase. He encouraged Sylvester to remain a Marist when he was discouraged, and this affirmation helped Br. Sylvester be an effective channel of God's grace.
In the first reading this morning, Paul encourages Timothy, despite the criticism of his youth and lack of experience, to strive to set an example by his conduct and preaching and thus win over his critics.
In the gospel, Jesus accepts the love of the woman who bathes his feet with her tears in the home of Simon, the Pharisee, who saw her as "that sort of woman."
We too are called to see with loving, accepting eyes those we meet, whose reputations or behaviors do not meet the standard, believing there is more to them than meets the eye.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Missing the Message

We hear a frustrated Jesus calling out his listener for being unresponsive to his message: they were like never satisfied children who played the flute, but no one danced, sang a dirge, and no one wept. (cf. Lk 7: 32)  Would Jesus have that same frustration with us?  How often have we heard the gospel read and explained in homilies?  How often do we hear the same message, and yet see no effect in our behavior and dealings with one another.  Jesus is patient, and although accused of everything from being possessed to a drunkard and friend of tax collectors and sinners, he knew that his vindication would come. May we allow the Holy Spirit to open our ears and hearts, that we might finally take the message of Jesus seriously and become a Christian whose faith permeates his or her life.  Jesus suffers enough from those who miss the message.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Our Resurrection

Death is all around us.  Just  open the daily newspaper and see the number of obituaries.  There were no newspapers nor printed obituaries in the time of Jesus, but death was just as real then as now.  Today's gospel recounts the funeral of the son of the widow on Nain. (Lk 7-11-17) which Jesus and his disciples stumbled upon. Jesus was so moved to compassion for this woman, who grieved the loss of her only son and who would have been left helpless without his financial support, that, in anticipation of the raising of his friend, Lazarus, and of his own resurrection, he brought the man back to life. The crowd was "seized with fear" as well as moved to glorify God.  Surely, they had never seen such a thing. 
In the midst of our own sorrow, the promise of resurrection inspires hope.  Our deceased are not "GONE" forever, but live on with God and will greet us when our time comes.  Our grief displays the depth of our love, but should not bury the reality that life continues after death.
Bro. Rene

Monday, September 16, 2019

Living A Good Life

Don't most of us want to live a good life?  Not simply in the sense of good health, financial security, and the means to enjoy comfort, but also with an active Faith that stretches us to reach beyond our limits for the sake of others?  It's in small things that we do this and experience God's favor and blessing.
The Centurion in today's gospel passage  (Lk  7:1-10) was such a person. He reached out to Jesus for the sake of one of his slaves, already showing him to be a man of deeper than usual human compassion.  He was a humble man, in his words, not even worthy in his own estimation for Jesus to come to his home to see the sick slave.  He was a man who did his duty as a Centurion, who gave the appropriate orders,  being evidently devoted to the service of the Empire.  Nothing extraordinary. Yet, it was his Faith that amazed Jesus, and  made the difference. .  It is such Faith that can transform our daily duties into the means of living a truly good and effective life. "Lord, I do believe.  Help my unbelief and help me to go about my daily tasks with a growing FAITH"
Bro. Rene

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Finding the Lost

Luke's chapter 15 presents three parables about finding the lost:  the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. God's compassion comes clearly to us through the images of the shepherd leaving his 99 sheep, searching out and locating the one lost sheep; the woman turning the house upside down to find her coin; the powerful, lavish love and mercy of the father for his youngest son.  So many of our "Millennials" and people in general today seem lost as they have no roots in Faith and have drifted from the Church and God himself, that we wonder if they will ever find their way back.  However, the picture of the God who searches and finds the lost brings assurance that HE will do his best to bring them home.  Let us offer him our gifts and talents to help him in this quest.
Bro Rene  

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today's celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates two events:  the finding for the true cross by the St. Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 A.D. , and the recovery of the lost reliquary containing the pieces of the cross, celebrated in a solemn procession by the Emperor Heraclius in 629 A. D.
As we reflect on these two events, the paradox of the cross becomes evident: once the sign of an ignominiou and torturous death, the cross is now a sign of victory over evil and death...the springboard for the resurrection, hope and new life. We gaze upon the cross in wordless prayer and find the strength and assurance we need that whatever cross we are bearing will eventually lead to new strength, to new life, to resurrection.  May we embrace and kiss our cross as Jesus did with the assurance that his cross means salvation and life for us.
Bro. Rene

Friday, September 13, 2019

Removing the Beam

Today's Gospel Passage hits us right between the eye.  (Lk 6:39-42). Jesus observes so rightly how easy it is to find fault with someone else, and not realize that we might have even greater faults in our own behavior that we fail to see. "Why do you noticed the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?" (Lk 6: 41).  We don't like criticism and sometimes take it at nit-picking, putting ourselves on the defense and failing to accept that there is room for improvement, yes, even in our "perfect " selves.  Let us be humble enough to accept advice or admonishment from others, who see us more clearly than we see ourselves; let us ask Jesus for the grace to be able to remove the beam that blinds us.
Bro. Rene

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Putting On Love

As we celebrate the Memorial of The Most Holy Name of Mary, we have before us two powerful guideposts for putting on love, one from Colossians 3:12-17, and the other from Lk 6 :27-38. Both provide much food for thought and for action. Mary, as the First Disciple, is the exemplar of the qualities of true love. Paul tells us to "put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another." Forgiveness is key, and love is the bond of perfection through which the peace of Christ controls our hearts.  Gratitude, joyful hearts, songs of praise and doing all in the name of Jesus mark the life of a disciple. 
Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who mistreat us, turn the other cheek, give to everyone who asks of us, and do to others what we would have them do to us. The list goes on, seemingly beyond our human capacity, but looking at Mary's simple but powerful life, we see that it IS possible to live this way.
Bro. Rene

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Challenge of the Beatitudes

St. Luke's rendition of the Beatitudes (Lk 6:20-26), with his accompanying "Woes" brings us back to he theme of detachment and "holy indifference" that Sunday's slice of  Daily Bread proposed.  On this 18th anniversary of 9/11, it's hard to swallow "Blessed are you who are now weeping,/ for you will laugh," or "Blessed are you when people hate you..."  We are called to rise above our purely human reactions and work our way to another level where we will experience the "blessing" of what seems so contrary to it. In the "Divine Economy" black is white, and white is black."  We don't see things the way God does, but with his grace, eventually we can.  May we MAKE the time today to work on this worthwhile quest.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Our Calling

Today's Gospel provides us with an important day in the mission of Jesus:  his calling of the Twelve. (Lk 6: 12-19).  So important it was, that he spent the night in prayer on a mountain before making the formal announcement.  Luke notes that this was done on level ground; no one was even physically above the other, although Peter emerged as the leader, and Judas, as the betrayer.
We might reflect on our call to be in union with Jesus and in the company of these Twelve as well as one another.  We are to spread the good word of love and forgiveness, compassion and care and point the way to Jesus as our loving Savior, our loving Brother in our daily dealings with all who come into our path.  We too are on level ground and can receive from others as well as give. With Jesus, let us spend time in prayer to know our Father's will, so that we might be effective disciples.
Bro. Rene

Monday, September 9, 2019

Being Merciful

Jesus cure a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath,  and again incurred the anger of the Pharisees (who must have followed Jesus everywhere like CIA agents). To Jesus, the cure of the man was more important than keeping the letter of the law, a now familiar theme.  His example of unbounded mercy has inspired his followers for two thousand year.  A noteworthy disciple is St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest who ministered to the slaves who arrived in Columbia in the 1600's.  Ten thousand a month arrived and Fr. Claver  boarded the ships to do what he could to relieve the suffering of those who were still alive after the arduous voyage and inhuman living conditions. He fed them and baptized the dying until the plague ended his life.  His example sets the bar high for us, but even if we can do a little each day to extend the mercy of Jesus, we are in good company.
Bro. Rene

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Give It Back To God

Today's Gospel (Lk 14:25-33), is reminiscent of the great prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola known as the Suscipe, Take. Ignatius found the freedom Jesus talks about when he realized that we were created to "praise, reverence and serve our Lord, and by this means save our souls." (First Principle and Foundation). Created things are  to help us attain this end. We are to regard them with a "holy indifference". To accept joy, sorrow, sickness health as God sends them as a means to grow in love of God. Jesus spoke in hyperbole about hating mother and father in order to be his true disciple, meaning that even parents, kinsfolk, friends, cannot stand in the way of the primary relationship we must have with him. Detaching ourselves from others and things does not mean se shun them, but rather accept them as gifts to help us on our way home to God.  St. Ignatius sums it all up succinctly: Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess.  You have given all to me.  To you, O Lord, I return it.  All is yours, dispose of it wholly according to your will.  Give me your love and your grace, for this is sufficient for me."  The road map of a lifetime, but none so rewarding for union with God is the final goal.
Bro. Rene

Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Lord of the Sabbath

In this short passage from St. Luke (6:1-5), Jesus answers the complaint of the Pharisees that his disciples were breaking the Sabbath by plucking and eating grain on this sacred day with a startling retort which resonates even to us.  In essence, Jesus tells them that loving and caring for one another is more important than maintaining a subservient and strict adherence to the Law, for in so doing, one can easily obliterate God's loving care for us, which goes beyond simple observance of rules.  And on what authority does Jesus make this statement? He tells them that "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." (Lk 6:5).  He is God.  He can do it.  He lays the foundation for his own conviction for claiming to be God, which later brings him to Calvary, but nevertheless, fearlessly stands up for this truth.  The lesson for us is to make God's love and mercy visible in our world by our treatment of one another, and not bury them under the baggage of ritual, theology or the values of society (which corrupt so easily, as we see today).  We cannot use rules to limit the love of God.
Bro .Rene

Thursday, September 5, 2019

New Wineskins...

With all the unseemly things going on in the Church, isn't it time to put new wine into new wine skins?  (cf. Lk 5: 33-39).  And might I take a serious look at how I might put new wine into my own skin?
Bro. Rene

new computer

Note:  Getting new computer set up...no slice of bread today.
Br. Rene

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Jesus the Healer

Luke presents a busy Jesus, who, after preaching in the synagogue, healed Peter's mother-in-law and hundreds of others. (Lk 4:38-44).  People are always asking for prayers for the healing of illnesses, their own, those of family members or friends. Often it is not just physical illness, but an illness of spirit...anxiety, depression, or lack of energy or interest in life, in family, in work. To whom shall we go?  Doctors, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists are the extended hands of Jesus, he Healer.  Turning to him as did the people of Capernaum and the other regions Jesus visited, is really the answer, for often a lack of faith, a lack of connection with, of confidence and hope in a :"power" outside of us, i.e. Jesus, is what's needed.  May we not be ashamed to ask him for healing. He knows our needs already, but is simply waiting for us to acknowledge our need for him. The Greek word for healer is soter, translated in Latin as salvator, or :bearer of health, salus...our salvation is the ultimate healing, and Jesus is the Healer.  It's what he does.
Bro. Rene

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Pressed For Time

Note:  Am pressed for time...awoke much later than usual...The day begins to roll...no stopping it.  Got to plug in and catch up with the others as we begin our academic year. As I look out my window, there are several sunflowers smiling at me...Let's look at the world that way today.

When pressed for time, as we all are, we need to stop, breathe, and remember that Jesus is with us through this all.and will carry us through until we place our heads on our pillows tonight.

Bro .Rene

Monday, September 2, 2019

What We Have To Give

Jesus began his ministry in his hometown by reading a stirring passage from Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,/ because he has anointed me/ to bring glad tidings to the poor./ He has sent me/ to proclaim liberty to captives/ and recovery of sight to the blind,/ to let the oppressed go free,/ and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Is 61: 1-2). At first, all spoke highly of him and were amazed at his gracious words,  Then their thoughts crept to his origins...son of a carpenter...what qualification was that?  Finally the mood turned to fury and they wanted to push him off a cliff.  (Cf. Lk 4:16-30).  How fast opinions change, yet Jesus had a mission as he clearly understood and stated.  That's what he had to give, and did.
What is my mission?  What do I have to give?  Am I as faithful to my call as Jesus was  to his?
Bro Rene