A Simple Fact

Since December 26th stores have been pushing Valentine's Day.  And here it is.  The red hearts, the flowers, candy, and even more expensive gifts--that perfect diamond for example--symbolize love.  One wonders what is understood by that word these days.  Is it the love described by St. Paul in chapter 13 of the first letter to the Corinthians:  love is kind love is patient, not boastful or jealous...etc.  See 1Cor 13: 1-13).   Jesus said it best:  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jn 15:13. New Living Translation (©2007)  This really should be what we are celebrating and living.
Bro. Rene
I will be in Bal Harbour, FL till February 26.  Slices may be sparse during this time, but with my new ipad and with the Club's wi-fi...I hope to continue a daily entry.

Fasting

It is here; it has begun:  Ash Wednesday with its clear sign of penitence boldly imprinted on our foreheads.  A day of fasting and abstinence, that is, one full meatless meal (with two smaller "meals" to tide us over).  Is this just a spiritual endurance test, or can it be something deeper?  Heather King, convert and spiritual writer, sheds some light on the meaning of fasting:  Fasting has always been hard.  Fasting is a reflection of the fact that the more desperate we are, the more open we are to change.  Fasting reminds us that the more keenly aware we are of our empty hands and our empty stomach, the more likely we are to realize we need help.  Fasting helps us to remember that we are all poor, and how very much we do not want to be poor. --Magnificat, February 2013, p. 171.
 Taking today's fasting and abstinence seriously will make us hungry, and that pang, we trust, will make us hunger for the things that really matter; it will help us to clear the clutter that blocks us from a fuller relationship with Jesus and our neighbor; it will give us a sense of our own "poverty" and our need for God to fill up what is lacking.  Truly, no one likes to be poor, nor wants to be poor.  Seeing so much material poverty in Rwanda convinced me that being poor is not desirable...the poor certainly do everything possible to lift themselves out of poverty.  Yet, the awareness of our dependence on God is a healthy offshoot of being emptied, of being deprived.  Our Lenten fasting is a door to a healthier understanding of who we are and who God is, and leads to a more humble and compassionate relationship with our neighbor. In this light, as contradictory as it may sound, we can say, Happy Ash Wednesday, happy fasting!
Bro. Rene

Mardi Gras

The day before Ash Wednesday has come to be known as "Fat Tuesday" (Mardi Gras) or Carnival (Farewell to meat..."Carne Vale"..).  It is celebrated with great gusto around the world, and notably in New Orleans where a million people are expected to join in the revelry...a last fling before the austerities of Lent.  If Lent is taken seriously, it doesn't hurt to let festivity have its day, for forty days in the "desert" can be taxing, although, if taken in the right spirit, invigorating and life-giving as well.  As we go about our day, taking time to thank God for its blessings, even those in the form of surprises yet to unfold; thank God for the opportunity to hunker down to a serious effort to draw closer to him via prayer, penance (the "giving up" aspect of Lent) and alms giving; and finally, to decide, even write down our goals for Lent...as if we were "doing Lent" for the first time. We don't want to overload our plates, but take on things we can do, and things that will sharpen our relationship with God and our neighbor.  How to put the Great Commandment of Love of God and Love of Neighbor to work in our lives as never before, might lead us to a series of concrete actions that will help us take up our cross and follow Jesus. There are many resources available to help us, one very good one, for example, at this link:  http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/index.html  
The network of daily readers of these humble pieces of bread is so broad, I cannot measure it, but we might keep each other in mind and prayer as we "mardi gras" today and during the entire season of Lent.
Bro. Rene

Our Lady of Lourdes

February 11th marks the first of 18 apparitions of Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl who was collecting wood for the evening fire at a local dumping ground known as the rock of Massabielle. Later, at the bequest of the local pastor, Mary identified herself as "The Immaculate Conception",  a title which had become a dogma of the Church just four years before.  Cures from the spring uncovered by Bernadette helped the unbelievers come to accept that apparitions as valid, and since then, hundreds of miracles have been officially accepted.
 Because of these many healings, Lourdes has become a mecca for the sick, "les malades," who stream there around the year.  And fittingly, February 11th has been designated as the World Day of the Sick.  Whether at Lourdes or not, the myriads of sick people deserve our prayers today.
And interestingly enough, Pope Benedict has chose this day to announce his retirement.  Startling news that makes us wonder if he is not among these sick who need our prayers.  Age, he claims is the reason,  but perhaps there is more than meets the headlines.  Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for him and for all who suffer from illness.
Bro. Rene

Putting Out Into the Deep

St. Luke gives us a story that has fascinated spiritual writers and artists for centuries:  Jesus teaching from Peter's fishing boat, and then commanding the tired fishermen, who had labored in vain all night, to "put out into deep waters and lower their nets," (Lk 5:4) this time loading them to the breaking point.  Blessed Pope John Paul 'II wrote, "The first condition for 'putting out the the deep' is to cultivate a deep spirit of prayer nourished by a daily listening to the Word of God.  The authenticity of the Christian life is measured by the depth of one's prayer.... Whoever opens his heart to Christ will...understand the mystery of his own existence...he will bear the abundant fruit of grace." (Magnificat, February, pp. 131-132). Peter and companions had Jesus right there with them, but protesting with human logic, they initially, as we all would, hesitated, but somehow overcame their doubt and did as he said, reaping a bountiful catch.  We could say that at least once a day, we are asked to "put out into the deep"...step into some unknown, unfamiliar place, take on something we've never done before, go beyond our comfort zone, or confront a threatening situation.  Several times during our lives we might be asked to do something really big, or really demanding.  We cannot do this without Jesus, without the deep relationship that comes with the prayer of being with Jesus and listening to him on a regular basis, as Blessed John Paul suggests.  Today, again limited as we are because of the blizzard and its after-effects, and in the upcoming days of Lent, we might make a major effort to deepen our prayer and be ready to "put out into the deep."
Bro. Rene

Come Away By Yourselves

St. Mark, whose portrait of Jesus is succinct and action-packed...seems that Jesus and his friends didn't even have time to eat! (Mk 6:31) makes it a point to note that from time to time, Jesus and the Twelve would separate from the ubiquitous, demanding, draining crowds, go to a deserted place and rest awhile.  If Jesus and the Twelve needed this time apart, how much more do we!  As we began yesterday with that beautiful Universal Prayer, and the blizzard continues today, we have the perfect opportunity to step aside, even in our own homes, since we are forbidden to drive on the streets and roads, to rest, and to pray more than we do on a usually busy day.  Using that Universal Prayer earlier today, I could not get beyond the first two lines...so full are they...leaving lots of the prayer for the days ahead.  And with Lent coming, we might want to consider how we might "Get Away" from our busyness by recalling God's presence as we walk from place to place at work or at home.  Or, before beginning a task, ask Jesus to be with us and help us do it well, to make it fruitful, and to unite it with his offering of himself to the Father.  If possible, in some corner of our homes or workplaces, we might be able to sit for ten minutes or so...just quiet, even with no thoughts, and be with Jesus and his friends in solitude.
Bro. Rene

Universal Prayer

For those of us in the Northeast who are preparing for a huge blizzard and might have more time for prayer over the next two days, as well as for those in warm climates who never suffer from the threat of snow, this prayer of Pope Clement XI "fits all." Pray slowly, pausing and repeating when something really strikes you.
Lord, I believe in you; increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning, 
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
And call upon you as my loving protector.
Guide me in by your wisdom,
Correct me with your power.
I offer you, Lord, my thoughts:
to be fixed on you;
My words: to have your for their theme;
My actions: to reflect my love for you:
My sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory,.
I want to do what you ask of me:
In the way you ask,
For as long as you ask,
Because you ask it.
Lord, enlighten my understanding,
Strengthen my will,
Purify my heart,
and make me holy.
Help me to repent of my past sins,
And to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses
And to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
And see myself as I really am:
A pilgrim in this world,
A Christian called to respect and love
All whose lives I touch
Those under my authority, 
My friends and my enemies.
 --Magnificat Year of Faith Companion, p. 134
Bro. Rene








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