Our Holy Family

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Family today since there is no Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day this year.  Many people will thus miss the occasion to reflect on the Holy Family and their own Holy Families.  Yes, there is holiness in our families in the love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, humility and gentleness we experience in our families throughout our lifetimes and especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Families make huge efforts to gather, celebrate and give thanks for one another and for the blessings received from the Father of us all.  these are all marks of holiness. Today, those who feed on this slice of Daily Bread might make it a point to say thank you and I love you to family again.  A call, an e-mail, a word at the New Year's Eve party or during the football watch after Mass in honor of Mary the Mother of God on New Year's Day.  We can never say thanks enough to God for all his blessings, nor to one another for the gifts we are to each other.  Amen!
Bro. Rene
Note: I will not have access to the internet until Monday, so this will be the last slice of bread for 2016.  Happy New Year and God's abundant blessings to ALL.

Clarity

Don't we all wish that we could see clearly, without the blindness of our own biases or self-centeredness? Perhaps we'll never be so blessed, but Simeon, an elderly man who lived "in the Spirit," was gifted with a promise to see the salvation of Israel before his death and did so in today's Gospel passage.  He recognizes the child as the Savior, gives God praise and thanks and further warns Mary of the suffering she will endure as she shares the sufferings of her Son. It was the Spirit speaking through him:  a call to us to live more in the Spirit so that we might see with greater clarity the plan of God and accept whatever suffering we are bearing or will be asked to bear. As we ponder the mystery and miracle of Christmas (the Incarnation), may we learn to be as open to God's plan as were Simeon and Mary.
Bro. Rene

Evil vs. Innocence

The Feast of the Holy Innocents today pits the forces of evil against the powerlessness of the innocent, a situation that continues to this day. Indeed, Rachel can be heard lamenting in Aleppo, Sudan, and in the abortion clinics around the world.  It is not just Herod, who in his fear and jealousy slaughtered the infant boys of Bethlehem; the slaughter persists directly and indirectly.  It is a fact of the human condition, but thankfully, Jesus was spared and remains the basis for hope in the midst of atrocity.  Our prayers, our good actions, our voice lifted in favor of the innocence can, at least raise awareness if not actually stop some of the injustices against the innocent, particularly, children.
May we not remain silent or immobile in the face of evil.
Bro. Rene

Christmas and the Resurrection

Yesterday we celebrated the martyrdom of St. Stephen; today we read a resurrection account in which John, whose feast it is today, is featured; tomorrow will be the Holy Innocents.  All of these expand our understanding of the Nativity: God became human in order for humanity to reach its full potential. John saw and he believed (Jn 20:8)...echoed in our popular proverb:  Seeing is Believing.  We might reverse this notion to put the emphasis on our faith, which allows us to see:  We believe, therefore, we see with greater depth and clarity. John,, traditionally referred to as "the Beloved Disciple" played a special role as the very close friend of Jesus to whom he confided the care of his mother at the foot of the cross.  His Gospel and letters soar with poetic insight into the divinity of Jesus and he speaks powerfully about the need to love one another in order to share more completely in the God-life. Indeed, the birth of Jesus is the foundation of the divine life made available to us through the resurrection.  In baptism we "die with Christ" and so rise with him. We reflect today on this risen life as we contemplate the crib, cross and resurrection and draw more closely to the God who has given us such a gift.
Bro. Rene

Clashing with Christmas?

Each year the martyrdom of St. Stephen, a dynamic deacon who was stoned to death not long after the Resurrection, which is celebrated the day after Christmas, seemingly presents a dramatic contrast to the joy and good cheer we enjoyed a short twenty-four hours ago. Yes, but it is a stark reminder of what is entailed in the lives of those who follow Jesus, who warned his disciples of persecution, suffering and death.(Cf. Mt 10:17-22). Even as a child, Jesus was sought after for execution by King Herod and had to flee with Mary and Joseph to Egypt. For all the good he did and love he spread, his life was at constant odds with the "establishment" and was eventually terminated on the cross...Were it not for the Resurrection, it would have been a total waste of time.
The Resurrection is the redeeming factor in this apparently ill-positioned tale of Stephen's martyrdom and fits rightly into the Christmas story and the plan of salvation.  Joy, life, love and eternal peace triumph over the sufferings and big and little martyrdoms that occur daily. As we wash dishes and clean up the debris from yesterday's celebrations and feel very "un-Christmasy" may we retain the inner joy of Easter that puts all pain in proper perspective.  Thank you, St. Stephen, for reminding us to commend our spirits to the resurrected Jesus, our Source of Life.
Bro. Rene

A Holy, Joyfilled Day

After four weeks of preparation during Advent, we arrive now at the day when we commemorate the birth of the Son of God.  Our readings bring up the familiar stories and images; our homes ring with the joy of carols and conversation and scattered members return to family for the celebration of this event with gifts, traditional foods and the gift of presence.  Joy, laughter and sharing stories of the past year and hopes for the future abound; churches overflow with people who make it a special point to worship and give thanks on this day.
Yesterday over 260 men and their sons gathered for a breakfast where the speaker and the closing prayer challenged us to be holy, not only good, and to take this holiness to our families and to the streets.  Most of those there are already very active in their churches and communities, but there is always MORE we can do.
This is a special day, perhaps the most favorite feast worldwide, and ranks high in American Culture along with Thanksgiving and Easter.  It's hard to say which is highest, but nevertheless, may we all do our best to make it a holy joyful, day by sharing the love God gives us in Jesus with ALL we encounter today.
Bro. Rene

Christmas Eve

As last minute cooking, shopping, traveling and preparing come to a halt and families gather for the Vigil Mass, a meal, and/or Midnight Mass, there is an atmosphere of relief and celebration anticipating that of Christmas Day itself. This indeed is a "big day" and even the Church acknowledges it by providing several Masses to cover this evening, midnight and tomorrow morning.
Now the traditional Christmas Carols replace the Advent hymns and the colors of lavender and purple yield to white, gold, red and green.  The empty manger in the nativity scene receives the baby Jesus and the joy of family uniting roundout the pre-Christmas Day festivities.  Gratitude fills hearts as we sing Glory to God in the Highest, for on this night is born our Savior.
Bro. Rene