All Hallows Eve

Halloween has become big business in the United States, a billion dollar holiday between costumes, extravagant house and lawn decorations and candy.  Its origin and evolution provide a fascinating study of the blending of Christian and pagan customs. Briefly, it stems for the vigil that was held on the eve of All Saints, All Hallows, an old English word for "Holy" which we retain the in the Lord's Prayer, "hallowed be thy name."  There were so many martyrs, named and unnamed, that the Church decided to lump them all together to be remembered at Mass on November 1st, All Saints and to commemorate all the deceased the next day on All Souls Day. October 31st signals the beginning of "Allhallowstide." Costumes and "trick or treating" derive from the pagan celebration of mischievous spirits and cakes that were baked, collected and begged by those who were not able to bake them.  In the excitement generated by our current customs, especially among children, it would be good to research this day, explain to them its true religious meaning and origins and offer a prayer for the souls of the faithful departed before they hit the neighborhood to loot and spook.
Bro Rene

Mustard Seed and Yeast

Mustard seed, tiny and insignificant; yeast,unimpressive as a solid or a dried grain, yet when planted in soil or warm, wet flour,they release enough force to yield a nine foot bush or at least one large  loaf of bread. Power contained in these humble and modest grains released under the right conditions produces amazing results.  God working in us, broken, fragmented, yet "feeding so many with so little", as poet John Kinsella wrote. Let us not be too proud or arrogant to see ourselves as that small, insignificant seed, grain or fragment that God has chosen to bear fruit, feed or strengthen our neighbor.  "Less is More" the weak and broken of the world he has chosen to confound the proud (cf. 1 Cor 27) and to assure the skeptics that is it HIS doing, not ours.
Bro. Rene

Miracles Still Happen

The cure of the crippled woman in Luke 13:10-17, assures us that miracles are possible, even today. Our prayers are answered with physical miracles as in the story of a young boy who needed a delicate heart operation to close holes in his heart.  His church congregation prayed for him the night before the operation, and when the doctors began the surgery, they found that the holes had already closed up. How a Rwandan boy came to study physical therapy in the United States through impossible  hoops and obstacles and is now a successful physical therapist, with a family, home and ever grateful heart is another example of how God continues to work miracles...May our prayers be offere in earnest faith, with persistence and trust that they will be answered, even when miracles are the only solution.
Bro. Rene

Pleading For Sight

today we hear the story of the blind Bartimaeus, (Mk 10:46-52) who did not hesitate to shout out his request to be cured of his blindness. He caused such a commotion that Jesus asked for him to be brought to him, and in a simple and direct exchange, Jesus granted him his sight.  How many people cry out daily for cures, how many do we pray for?  The need never ends.  Is there a secret as to why some are cured immediately and others not?  The answer lies in the mystery of God's will, but the lesson that Bartimaeus gives us is to put our request blatantly, and simply before God...yes, even to shout it out, acknowledging who Jesus is and in the faith that if it be the will of the Father, the cure will come.
Bro. Rene

Tending the Fig Tree

Luke's Gospel today presents the parable of the fig tree that was barren, so much so that it's owner was about to cut it down. (Lk 13:1-9)  The gardener,however, made a plea for another year so that he might tend it with loving care, cultivating and  fertilizing the soil around it so that it might come to life and bear fruit again.  If the fig tree were a human being, it would be grateful for the extension and most likely do all it could to respond.
How many times do we need that extension; where would be be without the many extensions God gives us, overlooking our failures and interested more in our striving?.  Our spiritual growth is a process requiring time and "rebooting" as mistakes and failures plague us daily. We as persons and we as Church need to place our complete trust in Jesus, the One who tends our progress with tenderness and patience. St. Paul puts it this way.: Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body's growth and build itself up in love. (Eph4:16). 
Bro. Rene

Called To Be Humble, Gentle And Patient

Paul sets the bar high for the Ephesians and us when we writes:  "I a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call your received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace..." (Eph 4: 1-2) Most of us cannot meet the standard in all of these admirable qualities, and when we do meet such a person, our hearts beat in admiration and desire to emulate such an outstanding Christian.  We wonder why this quiet, humble person can cause such a stir with people of all ages.  Perhaps it's because his or her mere presence is an inspiration and stirs a desire to be like that, or gives us confidence that it is possible for a human being to have such qualities.  Whatever disposition we have been given, there is hope that striving to be humble, gentle, patient and an instrument of unity and peace is not a waste of our time but a noble effort that will bear fruit "in due season.".
Bro. Rene

We Need Fire

Jesus said to his disciples and repeats again to us today:  "Ii have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wishit were already blazing." (Lk 12:49).  He must have been fed up with the lack of passion, indifference or lukewarmness he encountered as he preached...Yes, there were countless numbers seeking cures, but how many really took his teaching to heart?  What would he say to our world that shows no interest in his teachings and in many places resists them with violence and hatred?  Would that the passion exerted against him were turned into passion FOR him!  That is the fire he is seeking.   It may begin small, as is the wont with fires, but then turn into a blaze. The fire ignited by Benedict of Nursia began in a cave outside of Rome, but eventually burst into the monastic movement which saved Europe from self-destruction, preserved the learning of the past and spread Christianity to the globe.  One man, who, fed up with the lifestyle of his era, rejected it and built a fire that burns steadily today.  We need that fire, we need to tap into it and get it roaring again. May God help us to be the spark to spread the fire, even in our own quiet and simple ways...
Bro. Rene