Gladdening The Heart

A glad heart is the order of the day for most New Englanders this morning as the sun shines brightly over our land and our "golden" Bruins. A victory, a much coveted cup, months of hard play, and extensive, over-the-top effort in the seven game series are the source of joy, pride and celebration. Rightly so.
But there are also more lasting things that gladden the heart: "The precepts of the Lord are right,/they gladden the heart." (Ps 19:8). We hardly think of laws as the something to provoke a joy to match that being displayed by Bruin's fans, but the gladdening here spoken of is a deeper abiding joy that comes as a result of truth and order based on that truth. To know where one stands, what is right and what is wrong, what is being asked, denied, where the the boundaries are, give a security that brings joy to the heart. Witness the chaos that results without truth and order. These laws are indicators of God's affection, God's love for us. I was at first astounded by the strictness of "law enforcement" in the school in Rwanda where I taught, but when it was brought to my attention that to maintain order with 850 borders, the lines had to be clearly drawn. The rules then made sense, and the result was an atmosphere of discipline where learning could take place without major distraction or lack of focus. These tender words from the Book of Sirach put laws and obedience in their proper context: "Come to me, all you that yearn for me/ and be filled with my fruits./ You will remember me as sweeter than honey,/ better than the honeycomb./ He who eats of me will hunger still,/ he who drinks of me will thirst for more;/ He who obeys me will not be put to shame,/ he who serves me will never fail. (Sir 24: 18-21) May our observence of the precepts of the Lord gladden our hearts and free us to serve the Lord joyfully.
Bro. Rene

Working With Youth, A Global Peek

Two interesting articles appeared in our Noticias Maristas, a weekly publication from our Generalate in Rome which gives us a glimpse of the greater Marist World. Our brothers in Cuba, allowed to be a presence, but not to conduct schools, are reaching and teaching basic fundamentals of human interaction, sportsmanship, kindness and consideration through baseball, the national passion for all ages of Cubans. Known simply as "the ball", it has become the training ground for what we would be teaching in a school: family spirit, acceptance of all levels of ability and all personalities, and even fair and friendly treatment of opponents, especially when the Marist team has been victorious. It is an amazing example of what can be done when meeting students "where they are" and in the simplest of ways, capitalizing on the opportunity to go a bit deeper to make Jesus known and loved, through basic good sportsmanship!
In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the boys in Pope John Paul II school recently celebrated the beatification of Blessed John Paul, and what would have been his 91st birthday with a contest including original essays, poems, sketches and songs written and composed by these eager students who love Pope John Paul II as their model and inspiration. The school was founded by the local bishop to encourage boys to pursue education so that they might keep up with girls, who in separate schools far exceed the educational level of boys, so much so, that frustrated in not being able to find an equally educated Catholic young man, they are marrying well educated men of other religions. Who would guess that this ever would be the case? The Marists saw and need and have taken up the challenge.
Bro. Rene

Flag Day

Dull and gray as it may be here in New England, it's still the day we display the Flag of these United States of America to show our solidarity with each other, our allegiance to the vision of our founding fathers as embodied in our constitution, and to remind those serving in the military at home and abroad that their sacrifices are being made to preserve these ideals and to help others find freedom from oppression. These are all ideals, but we know in reality that, as with all things, secular and spiritual, we often fall short of them due to our human condition. At lunch yesterday with a dynamic entrepreneur whose optimism is part of his DNA, we spoke about maintaining that optimism despite the rash of scandals and controversies that exist in high places, in federal and local governments, and despite the povery many experience as the consequence of the greediness of others. It is a gray world indeed, but one created by God the Father, redeemed by his Son, and continually being renewed and made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the root of all optimism. We look for fellow optimists, for those who we'd put on the "good guy" list, and we find many. May our optimism be more "catchy" than the gloom that so easily envelopes the media as the clouds today cover the sky. I always think back to St. Marcellin in post-revolutionary France...a situation as bad, if not worse than the world we live in today. His faith and optimism overcame the darkness and confusion of those times. ours can do the same for ours.
Bro. Rene

Finding Saint Anthony

One of the most beloved and most prodigious miracle workers ever, Saint Anthony of Padua matches the popularity of St. Francis of Assisi among Catholics and Christians of all denominations, because of his amazing gift of helping us find lost items. We all have astounding stories of "praying to St. Anthony", and finding whatever was lost. Recently I lost a very important set of keys, prayed to St. Anthony, and on the fourth day, in desparation, bargained with him that if he found them, I'd give a donation to the poor. That very day, the inspiration came to look in a place I had not thought of, and lo, there were the keys. One of the brothers thought it was so obviously St. Anthony's intercession, that he urged me to double my offering, and I did.
Yesterday, my friend, Anthony, a Marine and a saint, not yet canonized, told me that a major security instrument fell out of a helicopter over the desert in Afghanistan, and was not noticed being lost until the next day. Anthony prayed to his patron saint, and the officer who lost the piece of equipment went back to the desert to search for it, a seemingly impossible and futile task, but on the fourth day, found it. Talk about locating a needle in a haystack!
What is little known about St. Anthony is his desire to remain hidden, and to serve his Franciscan community humbly by simply cooking for the brothers. However, when asked to preach extemporaneously on the occasion of an ordination, when no one was prepared to give the homily, his gift for preaching became evident and prompted St. Francis himself to commission him to this task. In his lifetime, it was his powerful preaching, not his finding lost articles, that made him so popular and beloved that he was canonized less than a year after his death. His many miracles reinforced his preaching and helped bring listeners by the thousands back to the faith. In our day, not so much as finding lost things, we need to find and listen to a Saint Anthony, to help restore fervor to a Church so torn with dissent and scandal. There are St. Anthonys out there; may the Holy Spirit help us find them.
Bro. Rene

Pentecost

Fifty Days have passed since the glorious celebration of Easter. It has been hard to maintain that high level of Alleluia, and "Christ is risen, truly risen." The lilies have long faded away and except for the lighted Pascal Candle, all seemed to have returned to normal, Then another BLAST, Pentecost. The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (and us), the birth of the Church, the power to thrust the message of Jesus from generation to generation until the end of time. A child once asked, "How do we know there is a Holy Spirit, what does he look like?" Evidently, the "dove" did not do it for him. A good question for us to ponder.
The Sequence of today's Mass has a score of images, each one evoking limitless boundaries upon which to meditate. As a matter of fact, this is a day that demands more time for meditation on the Spirit...it's a definitely "gotta-get-back-to-this" kinda day. Is the Spirit Light? Father of the poor? Source of all our store? The soul's most welcome guest? Comforter? Rest most sweet? Solace? Wind? Water? Fire? Commonly we associate wind with the Spirit, knowing how invigorating it can be, but on the other hand, as recent weather patterns have demonstrated, violent and destructive. Fire, also, bringing needed warmth against the frigid cold, yet at the same time, having the potential for enormous devastation. The Holy Spirit is all of these, for it takes such power and force to "bend the stubborn heart and will". Who can change us, who can change me? In the Veni Creator Spiritus, there is a wonderful line, "Flecte quod est rigidum" bend what is rigid. If, as we so often pray, "fill the hearts of the faithul and enkindle in them the fire of thy love", the first requirement, it seems to me, is to bend, break open the doors of our own rigidity and stubborness, and melt down those iron portals so that they become flexible and allow the Spirit to work freely and effectively in us. In the car, in the bathroom, wherever, let us take time to repeat and mean it, "Come Holy Spirit, Come". Show the earnestness of a determined flexibility to pray over the Sequence, or to create your own prayer to the Holy Spirit. Make this Pentecost a day that stands out from others.
Bro. Rene

Getting Into the Boat

On the eve of Pentecost, our thoughts turn to the need of the Holy Spirit in our lives to fully live the way Jesus taught us. He lived among the disciples, teaching by word and action. So many times he told or asked them to do things which led them down paths they never imagined they would trod. He sent them out two by two to preach and heal and them come back and report to him what had happened. For fishermen and career men of other sorts this must have demanded courage and trust. One time he simply told them to "get into the boat and precede him to the other side" of the Lake. (Mt 14: 22). A strong wind came up putting the boat in peril, but Jesus came to them walking on water, asked Peter to join him, and when Peter faltered, used, this occasion to show them what faith really is.
How many times have we been asked to "get into the boat", not knowing what was ahead of us, and realizing only afterwards that Jesus was with us all the while? We learn slowly that it is not always necessary to know every detail when we are asked to do something by the Lord. It is mainly the faith and trust we develop that are important; he will take care of the rest. A simple "look back" at the events in our life, even just in the previous day, shows us how much a part of our lives God plays. Things take in more meaning in retrospect as we see that indeed the hand of God was present. What if we did know everything ahead of us as we "get into the boat"? Would we still do it? Would we grow deeper in faith and trust?
Today, as we prepare for Pentecost, let us ask the Holy Spirit for the gifts of faith and trust which we need to make a meaningful crossing in the boat. Far greater things await us than we can imagine now as we read this and step into today's boat.
Bro. Rene

"Where You Do Not Want To Go"

After Jesus had prepared and served a lakeside breakfast for some of the Eleven to lift their spirits after a fruitless (fishless) night on the Sea of Galilee, he asked Peter three times if he loved him, and upon hearing his affirmative reply, admonished him to "feed his sheep." When Peter staunchly professed his fidelity, (this time he meant it), Jesus said to him: "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." (Jn 21: 18). Granted this was an indication of what kind of death he was to expect, but we can also read it as a clear message to us, that in loving and thus feeding others, we are always, it seems, called to go where we do not want to, to do something that we do not want to do, or think we are capable of doing. Yet, with the power of love behind us, we find that going where God wants us to go is better than any plan we could have made, and that in handling difficult, what we think are impossible situations, we somehow "have the right words", or "the strength comes from 'nowhere''. It comes from somewhere: from the Holy Spirit. We will celebrate Pentecost on Sunday when the power of the Holy Spirit was unleashed in full force. That same Holy Spirit, that same power is with us. And one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is love. These are the days when we might be asking for the Holy Spirit to unleash the power of love upon us so that we might not fear going "where we do not want to go."
Bro. Rene