Death of a Brother

Our American Marists were saddened to learn yesterday afternoon of the sudden death of Brother Richard LaRose, a native of Lawrence, and a graduate of Central Catholic, class of 1958. He entered St. Joseph Novitiate the September after his graduation and was a novice there when I was a postulant. He went on to a Doctorate in Chemistry, taught in various Marist schools here and in Japan and at Austin Prep. He had a serious heart attack while in Japan, but recovered enough to keep on working. He suffered a major set-back from a fall from a ladder while changing a light bulb when he was visiting a Capuchin friend at his mission in Montana. He worked at Central Catholic until a series of mini-strokes forced him to retire. It was downhill until a heart attack yesterday allowed him to return to the Father.
We as a province are grateful to God for Brother Richard, whose wit, and daring added so much to our Marist life and the schools where he taught. He was only in his early '70's, but his death was a blessing as his memory faded and left him unaware of what was happening around him. Over the 53 years he was a Brother, he influenced countless lives, and, evidently, God saw that it was time to "come home." It makes us all pause and reflect on the brevity of our fragile lives, and of the need to, as was often repeated to us, "live each moment as if it were our last, for we know not the day nor the hour." Everything we do can and does have an effect on others, let us live in the confidence that even the simplest things add up to a life of service in some form, to others.
Bro. Rene

Giving Thanks

Central Catholic's students complete their final exams at noon today and begin summer vacation. The faculty and staff will gather for a prayer of thanksgiving and celebrate the conclusion of another academic year with a barbecue and time to relax. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing his praises day after day, for "strong is God's love for us; he is faithful forever." (cf Psalms 117 and 118). Even as we go through each day, we can whisper a word of thanks as we complete a task, make it safely through an intersection without waiting forever...get that green light that will save us a few minutes, have a cold drink, receive a warm greeting, etc. Our days are full of reasons to give thanks. It might be good at the end of the day to look back and see what stands out as especially worthy of a huge thank you to God. And, let's not forget to say thank you to the people who do so many things for us or for others, that we usually take for granted. A well-placed thank you can turn gloom into joy, or pre-occupation into awareness that there are many beautiful people and events that come our way every day.
Thanks, Lord. All good things come from you. You are the BEST! Amen.

In God's Time

Our fast, full pace of life brings on impatience and frustration if things don't happen "on schedule" or according to "our plan." Even in prayer, if we do not get the response we want right away, we tend to go into a spiritual pout. For Marcellin, simplicity reigned: "either God willed something or he did not. If he did, then in time it would come to be, maybe not in Marcellin's time, but in God's time." (Champagnat Year Booklet). He took to heart the words of Deuteronomy, "Understand, then, that the Lord your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments..." (Dt 7:9) We need to slow down and simplify, to let God work in God's time. How can we eliminate the clutter in our lives that stands in the way of abandoning ourselves to God's way and God's time? Can we take a moment to breathe between tasks...even better, can we work on limiting the number of tasks, meetings, calls, etc. that overstuff our day? It's very hard to do, especially when we have a long history of biting off too much, or feel that so many people depend on us, or worse, of thinking that we can do everthing. We have thus eliminated God, God's time, and put ourselves and our time in its place. The time between the Ascension and Pentecost should find us in the upper room with Mary and the Apostles, awaiting the promise of the Spirit. It was a nine day novena, a time of quiet prayer an waiting...a perfect model for us. May the Holy Spirit lead us to such a place of quiet, physically, or interiorly so that we might acknowledge once again who we are, who God is , and allow him to work in his time.
Bro. Rene

St. Marcellin Champagnat

On this day in 1840, St. Marcellin went to his eternal reward in the presence of the brothers who gathered around his bed to pray the rosary. As they sang the Salve Regina, he breathed his last. We can imagine the emotion at that moment, when so much loved was felt for this beloved man of God. The impact of his life more than outweighs his talents, demonstrating again, that superior intelligence and other gifts, do not replace a deep, determined faith and an absolute trust in God and in other people. Perhaps, however, the most striking characteristic of St. Marcellin is that heart of his, "the knew no bounds." His passion for making Jesus known and loved influenced all did, whether it was his dealings with the brothers or the students in their care. It pushed him forward in times of trial and resistance, in times of ridicule and even ill health. He loved largely, so much so that he saw the whole world too small to contain the love that filled his heart and overflowed to others. He stands as a giant, though his humility, simplicity and modesty kept him with reach of all, and capable of relating to everyone, even his enemies. His love begets love, and we who follow his simple path find ourselves impassioned with the same desire to carry on his vision 171 years after his death. Let us pray for all those touched by his spirit and pray that his followers, lay and consecrated, grow in numbers until, indeed they fill the world.
Bro. Rene
P.S. An apology on my short entry before I left for Wheeling..Pentecost is NEXT Sunday.

Away For The Weekend.

A class reunion in Wheeling West Virginia of the students I taught from 1967-1971, their 40th, will prevent me from slicing Daily Bread with you until the Memorial of St. Marcellin on June 6th. Will keep you in prayer, especially on Sunday, Pentecost!
Bro. Rene

Living in Joyful Expectation

Ascension Thursday. For New Englanders, perhaps it's taking a back seat to the tornado disaster in central Massachusetts or the Bruin's 1-0 loss to the Canucks in the last 18 seconds. These, only a small segment of the massive "imperfection" of the human condition, remind us that "nothing is perfect in this world." We can imagine the dismay of the Disciples as Jesus returned to heaven. Their three-year blissful "schooling" in his presence as they grew from ordinary fishermen or tax collectors to men who would dynamically change the world, seemed to come to an abrupt end. "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?" (Acts. 1: 11) Do we find ourselves in their shoes, eyes looking longingly for answers, help, assurance? Sometimes our faith even wavers. Matthew tells us that just before the ascension, "The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. Whey they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted." (Mt 28: 16-17). We are not alone. Thankfully, the angel who spoke to them (us) gives us hope: "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." (Acts 1:11). Despite all the tragedies, disasters and disappointments inevitably part of our lives, we are encouraged to live in joyful expectation for his return. We have been commissioned to bring the message to the ends of the earth, and are reminded that Jesus remains with us till the end of time. Rather than a period of woeful waiting, it is our task to make it a period of joyful mission.
Bro. Rene

Month of the Sacred Heart

The month of June has been traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, mainly because the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart usually occurs during this month. After focusing on the risen Jesus for 50 days, the Church continues its meditation by using the familiar image of the Sacred Heart to highlight the on-going and unconditional love of God for us, symbolized by the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We all need to strive to be more united to Christ, and this month the Holy Father's intention is that "priests, united to the Heart of Christ, may always be true witgnesses of the caring and merciful love of God." As desirable as that is for priests, it also applies to us, who in the Marist Tradition seek to make Jesus known and loved...in our own souls, and in the hearts of the children we teach and guide, and of the people who cross our paths daily. We, in a sense, become "missionaries", dedicated to the spread of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of love. May this goal be part of our June experience as school ends, vacations bring needed rest and recouperation, and a healthy change of routine redirects our energies.
Bro. Rene