Facing The Storms of Life

Note:  Our Guest Writer today, St. Francis de Sales, simply and directly reminds us of lessons that need repeating.
Bro. Rene


Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life;
rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are,
will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will carry  you in his arms.


Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same understanding Father who cares for
you today will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
St. Francis de Sales

Steadfast In The Faith

Today we honor two key men, Peter and Paul, without whom the Church would not be what it is today. Jesus chose Peter as the leader of his Twelve, not because of his great education and administrative skills, but because of his deep faith, enthusiasm and total dedication to Jesus, despite his weaknesses and lapses.  He grew through his mistakes, led and inspired until his martyrdom.  Little did the Galilean fisherman dream that he would lead the Church at Antioch and Rome, where he would be crucified upside down, as tradition has it, for his faith in Jesus, ever his master.  Jesus had placed primacy upon Peter, and his successors, right down to Pope Francis continued to confirm all in their love for Jesus and others.
Paul, who once persecuted believers became a tireless missionary and preacher, traveling the Mediterranean Basin to establish communities of faith, writing to exhort and encourage them, pointing out their uniqueness and helping them establish their identity as distinct from the Old Covenant. After countless beatings, rejections, sleepless nights and shipwrecks, he too suffered martyrdom for the sake of Jesus.
These saints are not looking for human praises, but our love for the faith we share for them, and our willingness to live it boldly and attract others to it as they did.  Their example is especially relevant in our world of muddled values and beliefs.  Saints Peter and Paul, make us fearless and steadfast as your disciples and draw us closer to Jesus, without whom we can do nothing.
Bro. Rene

Healing

Who is not in need of healing?  Yesterday's and today's Gospel recount the healing of the Centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, the crowds that gathered outside of her house, the woman with the hemorrhages and the daughter of Jairus.  Jesus can hardly take a step and someone is asking for help...and he gives it!  How many times have we ourselves, as we look back over our lives, cringe at what we remember doing that was "out of line", and beg again for forgiveness and healing?  And it comes...signs, a phone call, an e-mail, assurances that our prayers are heard by the Healer who gladly brings us relief and takes away our questions and anxieties.  Even physical healing, as in the cases above, are not outside of his generous response to our groanings  or requests.  Matthew quotes Isaiah; "He took away our infirmities,/ and bore our diseases." (Mt 8:17).  Indeed, he does!  We need to remind ourselves of this frequently, even daily, give thanks and place our trust more and more in Jesus our Healer.
Bro. Rene

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, this popular icon of Mary made its first public appearance in the Church of San Matteo, in Rome in 1499.  It seems to have come from Crete and features a dominant image of Mary holding Jesus, who clings to her as the ominous instruments of his passion loom above him in the hands of St. Michael and St. Gabriel, the Archangels.  Mary looks out at us, whose sins are the reason for Jesus' sufferings, and who are also the beneficiaries of them.  The original icon is in the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the church of Sant' Alfonso di Ligouri in Rome, but copies and devotion to Mary under this title  have spread globally.  The Cathedral in Boston, MA is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and today, a Saturday normally consecrated to Mary, is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.   What further incentive do we need to turn to Mary for help in all our needs, doubts and fears, and to place our country and world into her hands for succor?
Bro. Rene                                     

There Is Hope

When we think things are so bad they can never improve, just a moment with our  Blue Brothers in Aleppo, Syria gives hope.  A recent letter again describes the bombings, displacements and rumors of invasion and total annihilation, yet day after day, the Blue Marists continue to provide "a drop of milk", clothing, shelter and education to the young people who come to their door.  No human explanation fully satisfies our curiosity as to how they continue, where the supplies come from, and how they maintain their optimism.  Their hope lies in faith and trust in Jesus and Mary, as with all our Marist endeavors since the beginning in 1817.  As they help refugees, so also do they pray together with Muslims, who are fasting and praying during their month of Ramadan, sharing an unlikely solidarity with members of the same religion that is oppressing them.  They are showing the world that there are Muslims who follow their faith to love God and neighbor.  We might want to condemn all Muslims, but our Blue Brothers are showing us that we cannot.  They are reminding us that Jesus came for ALL, and that we are the ones who extend that welcome and love.  In such lived faith we have hope.  This quote sums up their Hope and inspires ours. «Perhaps it will be today; perhaps it will be tomorrow that a new day will tell us yes and will open its two hands… Listen, see, I hear a step.  He will come tonight, perhaps the One whom we did not expect.  We will see Him appear». - See more at: http://www.champagnat.org/400.php?a=6&n=3651#sthash.SVeU5KM2.dpuf
Bro. Rene

Without Jesus?

The ACLU, evidently continues its onslaught against religion under its banner of total separation of church and state.  Navy chaplains cannot use the name Jesus, in their prayers, and now, the move is to eliminate prayer entirely from the military.  No definitive study has correlated the societal deterioration that has occurred since prayer was banned in public schools and other public functions, but heads are beginning to turn and ask, "What have we done?"  When we turn our backs on the God who created us, the Son who saved us, what is left?  Surveys reveal more "Nones"  (no religious affiliation) than adherents to some belief or some church. Violence in the form of mass shootings, drug over-dosages, and suicides dominate our headlines.  Is this the price we are paying for totally separating our society from God?  At least it might make believers firm up their conviction to make Jesus their best friend and to deepen their relationship with him in personal and public prayer.
Bro. Rene

His Name Is John

"What's in a name?"  For many cultures, naming the child is so important that it is ritualized and celebrated with feasting and dancing, for the name signifies the essence of this member of the family, a special blessing to be invoked, or a hope that the family has for the child.  Rwandans give a name at birth, usually with God included in it, such as "gift of God".  or "God is near."  Then a Christian saint's name is given at baptism.  In South Dakota, the Lakota wait until the child is older and has demonstrated some gift or trait that identifies him or her...An elder or grandparent "feathers" the child...pins a feather in his or her hair at a "feathering or naming ceremony"; the child receives gifts, as do the people in attendance, food and dancing follow.  To receive "an Indian name" is one of the highest honors a person can receive, especially a non-tribal person.
All of this comes to mind as the scene at John's circumcision unfolds.  Naming him John,  breaks the tradition of naming the first-born son after his father, but in this case indicates that "Yahweh is gracious".(The meaning of John).  Truly, the mission of John was to prepare the way for the coming of our God, in the person of Jesus among us, and  thus to open the way for grace and salvation.
Do our names reflect something of who we are, or what our mission is?  Perhaps our confirmation names, since we chose them, signify a bit more of who we are or hope to be. Whatever the case, many we be true to our names, to who we are.
Bro. Rene