Jesus offers a great gift, a great comfort and a great challenge in today's short Gospel Passage: Luke 11: 27-28). He responds to the woman who shouts her admiration for him and the mother who bore and nursed him with the poignant: "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and Observe it." That's us, we hope. We too can share the blessing Jesus affirms his mother enjoys if we hear to the word of God and observe it. The hearing must be a listening, an applying of what we hear to our lives; an absorption of it, a digesting of it, and, as Jesus says, an observing of it. It can't just be words that bounce off our ear drums without having an effect in our behavior. We, as did the woman, look up to Mary and admire her, but in putting God's Word into practice, we can inspire and win the admiration of others by modeling for them what God is saying to all of us. What a blessed mission; how blessed we are!
Bro. Rene
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Friday, October 9, 2015
Casting Out Demons
Much of the ministry of Jesus involved casting out demons, and for it, he was criticized for it. (See Luke 11: 15-26). He stood firm in his mission to free people from evil and in his footsteps today stand others dedicated to eradicating the demons that plague us.
Once such group is the Pregnancy Care Center with locations in Haverhill, and Lawrence which is celebrating 30 years of assisting parents dealing with "unplanned pregnancies" whose only option in their minds is abortion. Wrong. With gentle, loving counseling and much prayer with these confused mothers and fathers, 4,600 lives have been saved in these 30 years. Last night hundreds of people gathered for the annual fund raising dinner and report of progress. Shawn Carney, the youthful 33 year old founder of 40 Days for Life, a now global organization in 30 nations, 579 cities with 650,000 volunteers, was the speaker who was as impressive with his humility humor, faith and sincerity as these astounding statistics. As a result of the prayerful vigils at abortion clinics, half of them have closed in the last few years. The rosary continues to be a powerful, effective prayer, along with fasting and selfless sacrificing. The demons are fleeing as they did at the command of Jesus. We can all join in this movement at home, if we can't join the groups that gather near the clinics. Let us pray for the mothers and fathers who are in process of making a decision to abort or not to abort; for the helpless unborn; for the doctors who perform the abortions, and for those who stand for "choice." Let us pray that the demons who seek to destroy life might be cast into hell for good.
God bless you.
Bro. Rene
Once such group is the Pregnancy Care Center with locations in Haverhill, and Lawrence which is celebrating 30 years of assisting parents dealing with "unplanned pregnancies" whose only option in their minds is abortion. Wrong. With gentle, loving counseling and much prayer with these confused mothers and fathers, 4,600 lives have been saved in these 30 years. Last night hundreds of people gathered for the annual fund raising dinner and report of progress. Shawn Carney, the youthful 33 year old founder of 40 Days for Life, a now global organization in 30 nations, 579 cities with 650,000 volunteers, was the speaker who was as impressive with his humility humor, faith and sincerity as these astounding statistics. As a result of the prayerful vigils at abortion clinics, half of them have closed in the last few years. The rosary continues to be a powerful, effective prayer, along with fasting and selfless sacrificing. The demons are fleeing as they did at the command of Jesus. We can all join in this movement at home, if we can't join the groups that gather near the clinics. Let us pray for the mothers and fathers who are in process of making a decision to abort or not to abort; for the helpless unborn; for the doctors who perform the abortions, and for those who stand for "choice." Let us pray that the demons who seek to destroy life might be cast into hell for good.
God bless you.
Bro. Rene
Thursday, October 8, 2015
The Rosary and Mercy (The whole sllice)
Note. The Brothers in Wheeling installed Wi-Fi over the weekend, so I'll be able to continue cutting a slice of Daily Bread when I visit there in the future. Praise God!
Today we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary. Her intercession via this favorite prayer saved Europe from the Turks more than once: at the battle of Lepanto in 1571 and in 1716 at the Battle of Belgrade. A rosary campaign in Austria is credited for the sudden withdrawal of the Russians form Austria after their post-WWII occupation.
In our own day, we face the "Turks" in other forms: Isis, Secularism, Indifference, Subtle persecution, etc. Beginning with her appearances at Fatima, Mary has pleaded with us to pray the rosary daily to avert evil and overcome it. The recent push toward mercy, with the up-coming Year of Mercy, ties right into praying the rosary...Can we not find 15 minutes a day for this prayer, even for a decade of it? Let us heed out Mother who has been so patient with us.
God Bless...
Bro. Rene
Today we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary. Her intercession via this favorite prayer saved Europe from the Turks more than once: at the battle of Lepanto in 1571 and in 1716 at the Battle of Belgrade. A rosary campaign in Austria is credited for the sudden withdrawal of the Russians form Austria after their post-WWII occupation.
In our own day, we face the "Turks" in other forms: Isis, Secularism, Indifference, Subtle persecution, etc. Beginning with her appearances at Fatima, Mary has pleaded with us to pray the rosary daily to avert evil and overcome it. The recent push toward mercy, with the up-coming Year of Mercy, ties right into praying the rosary...Can we not find 15 minutes a day for this prayer, even for a decade of it? Let us heed out Mother who has been so patient with us.
God Bless...
Bro. Rene
Opening our Doors
Note: It seems that only a half a slice of yesterday's daily bread was posted. I'll see if we can post the whole thing today along with this one.
Today's Gospel (Lk 11:5-13) relates the story of the person who asks his friend to open his door to lend him a few loaves of bread to feed some visitors who arrived unexpectedly, but the friend refuses, protesting that the doors is locked and he is already in bed.. Jesus says that even if he does not get up out of friendship, he eventually will if the knocking continues. Persistence will prevail. Jesus continues with the familiar verse, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Lk 11: ). Thus we are urged to pray with such persistence, being assured that our request will be granted at some point.
Such is our dealing with our Heavenly Father, but what about those who come to US with needed favors? We don't usually refuse our friends, but what about the others, those we don't know, but who come to us through phone or mail solicitations? They are legion, and we can't open our doors to all, but we can find ways of getting help to them through others, if not through ourselves. It might cost us, but it always seems to come back to us in some way. If we want God to open the door for us, the least we can do is open the door for others.
Bro. Rene
Today's Gospel (Lk 11:5-13) relates the story of the person who asks his friend to open his door to lend him a few loaves of bread to feed some visitors who arrived unexpectedly, but the friend refuses, protesting that the doors is locked and he is already in bed.. Jesus says that even if he does not get up out of friendship, he eventually will if the knocking continues. Persistence will prevail. Jesus continues with the familiar verse, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Lk 11: ). Thus we are urged to pray with such persistence, being assured that our request will be granted at some point.
Such is our dealing with our Heavenly Father, but what about those who come to US with needed favors? We don't usually refuse our friends, but what about the others, those we don't know, but who come to us through phone or mail solicitations? They are legion, and we can't open our doors to all, but we can find ways of getting help to them through others, if not through ourselves. It might cost us, but it always seems to come back to us in some way. If we want God to open the door for us, the least we can do is open the door for others.
Bro. Rene
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Rosary and Mercy
Note. The Brothers in Wheeling installed Wi-Fi over the weekend, so I'll be able to continue cutting a slice of Daily Bread when I visit there in the future. Praise God!
Today we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary. Her intercession via this favorite prayer saved Europe from the Turks more than once: at the battle of Lepanto in 1571 and in 1716 at the Battle of Belgrade. A rosary campaign in Austria is credited for the sudden withdrawal of the Russians form Austria after their post-WWII occupation.
In our own day, we face the "Turks" in other forms: Isis, Secularism, Indifference, Subtle persecution, etc. Beginning with her appearances at Fatima, Mary has pleaded with us to pray the rosary daily to avert evil and overcome it. The recent push toward mercy, with the up-coming Year of Mercy, ties right into praying the rosary...Can we not find 15 minutes a day for this prayer, even for a decade of it? Let us heed out Mother who has been so patient with us.
God Bless...
Bro. Rene
Today we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary. Her intercession via this favorite prayer saved Europe from the Turks more than once: at the battle of Lepanto in 1571 and in 1716 at the Battle of Belgrade. A rosary campaign in Austria is credited for the sudden withdrawal of the Russians form Austria after their post-WWII occupation.
In our own day, we face the "Turks" in other forms: Isis, Secularism, Indifference, Subtle persecution, etc. Beginning with her appearances at Fatima, Mary has pleaded with us to pray the rosary daily to avert evil and overcome it. The recent push toward mercy, with the up-coming Year of Mercy, ties right into praying the rosary...Can we not find 15 minutes a day for this prayer, even for a decade of it? Let us heed out Mother who has been so patient with us.
God Bless...
Bro. Rene
Thursday, October 1, 2015
A Guardian Angel Story
"For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways." (Ps 91: 11). People might not take this literally, but to this writer with a lifetime of such stories, this is exactly what the angels assigned to us, our guardian angels, do. The latest episode:
Two days ago,I had to drive to Boston's South Station to pick up a friend coming in on Amtrak at 3:45 pm, just as "Rush Hour" would be sliding into high gear. I dreaded the thought of entering the fray to a destination I had been two only once before, two years ago,when it was a nightmare not only to find South Station, but also a place to park. I began talking to my Guardian Angel, Leo, as I headed for Boston, and prayed to him at every turn, right or wrong, to lead me to South Station and protect me from causing an accident. And so it unfolded thusly: As it turned out this time, I did not need to park, because I missed the exit in the tunnel and was a couple of blocks away from the station (as it turned out) when I came from underground. I had no idea where to turn or where the station was, and traffic was heavy. I sought more guidance from Leo and I managed to ask pedestrians for directions, but got yelled at twice, "What the h...are you doing?" and almost ran over a lady as I was asking another where to go. My cell phone was useless, since I must have been out of a service area. I had only Leo to help me. I did hear my party say he was on Atlantic Avenue, but I was on another street right around the corner. I could not communicate this to him, so I managed to get to his location in a "right turn only lane," in which there were no cars for the longest time, enough for him to run with his bags to the car and eventually hop in. His train had arrived 20 minutes late, so he wasn't waiting very long. We turned the corner and right away a left hand turn at the next block took us to I-93 North. I was surprised that we found it so easily. Thank you, Leo! Usually at 5 pm, traffic is at a standstill on this main north/south interstate, but that day, we moved at a moderate to fast speed, quite unbelievable. Yet it was happening, and only when close to home did we hit a little congestion, but nothing more. Leo again had guided the way, and made sure I accomplished this mission and can thus vouch for the presence of those who "guard us in all our ways."
Bro. Rene
Note: I'll be visiting in Wheeling, West Virginia till Tuesday....limited internet access...I have to use the public library, so only expect an occasional slice of bread till Wednesday.
that they guard you in all your ways." (Ps 91: 11). People might not take this literally, but to this writer with a lifetime of such stories, this is exactly what the angels assigned to us, our guardian angels, do. The latest episode:
Two days ago,I had to drive to Boston's South Station to pick up a friend coming in on Amtrak at 3:45 pm, just as "Rush Hour" would be sliding into high gear. I dreaded the thought of entering the fray to a destination I had been two only once before, two years ago,when it was a nightmare not only to find South Station, but also a place to park. I began talking to my Guardian Angel, Leo, as I headed for Boston, and prayed to him at every turn, right or wrong, to lead me to South Station and protect me from causing an accident. And so it unfolded thusly: As it turned out this time, I did not need to park, because I missed the exit in the tunnel and was a couple of blocks away from the station (as it turned out) when I came from underground. I had no idea where to turn or where the station was, and traffic was heavy. I sought more guidance from Leo and I managed to ask pedestrians for directions, but got yelled at twice, "What the h...are you doing?" and almost ran over a lady as I was asking another where to go. My cell phone was useless, since I must have been out of a service area. I had only Leo to help me. I did hear my party say he was on Atlantic Avenue, but I was on another street right around the corner. I could not communicate this to him, so I managed to get to his location in a "right turn only lane," in which there were no cars for the longest time, enough for him to run with his bags to the car and eventually hop in. His train had arrived 20 minutes late, so he wasn't waiting very long. We turned the corner and right away a left hand turn at the next block took us to I-93 North. I was surprised that we found it so easily. Thank you, Leo! Usually at 5 pm, traffic is at a standstill on this main north/south interstate, but that day, we moved at a moderate to fast speed, quite unbelievable. Yet it was happening, and only when close to home did we hit a little congestion, but nothing more. Leo again had guided the way, and made sure I accomplished this mission and can thus vouch for the presence of those who "guard us in all our ways."
Bro. Rene
Note: I'll be visiting in Wheeling, West Virginia till Tuesday....limited internet access...I have to use the public library, so only expect an occasional slice of bread till Wednesday.
Simple Things
St. Therese of Lisieux, whose memorial we observe today has made a mark on contemporary spirituality through her "little way." She lived nine years as a cloistered Carmelite nun in the Carmel of Lisieux, and yet her Story of a Soul continues to be published and commenters continue to write books applying her message to our lives today. The perennial appeal touches all of us because it is so accessible, so doable. We can all wash dishes with love, we can all offer a prayer before or after a conversation with someone...even as we say a quick hello, we can say, "God, bless so and so." This keeps us conscious of God's presence and intervention in our lives, and is very much part of our Marist Way. Without leaving the convent, St. Therese is the co-patron of the missions because of her prayers for missionaries and the letters she wrote to them. So simple, so "ordinary", yet so extraordinary when done with love.
In her fatal bout with tuberculosis, she offered her suffering, her sleepless nights, her helplessness for those who were in the mission field, or who were suffering more painfully than she. We can bear with the frustrations of heavy traffic, the demands placed on us though social media and the push for instant communication that at times seem so overwhelming and too much for us to handle. A prayer to St. Therese can help us use these ordinary things as a means to grace. Dear God, heighten my awareness to the blessings I receive from you and can give to others by offering up the simple things of my day as prayers and acts of love.
Bro. Rene
In her fatal bout with tuberculosis, she offered her suffering, her sleepless nights, her helplessness for those who were in the mission field, or who were suffering more painfully than she. We can bear with the frustrations of heavy traffic, the demands placed on us though social media and the push for instant communication that at times seem so overwhelming and too much for us to handle. A prayer to St. Therese can help us use these ordinary things as a means to grace. Dear God, heighten my awareness to the blessings I receive from you and can give to others by offering up the simple things of my day as prayers and acts of love.
Bro. Rene
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