There is a Flame

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,
It is calling me to dance,
It is calling me to life,
It is calling me to trust. 

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,

It is making the gospel come to life,
It is making the words of Christ real,
It is making the journey unfold.

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,
It is lighting the path,
It is lighting the darkness,
It is lighting the way of truth.

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,

It is the same one that engulfed Francis,
It is the same one that engulfed Clare,
It is the same one that engulfs the Franciscan family.

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,

It is wrapping me in light with courage and strength,
It is opening me up to hope, joy and promise,
It is encouraging me to persevere and love.

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,

It is at the very heart of me,
It is God at work in me,
It is Christ walking with me,
It is the Spirit stirring within me.

There is a flame that is burning within my soul,

It says come and follow me,
And I do so each day,
As I walk deeper with Saint Francis
By embracing the Gospel of Christ.

 My heart is ready God, my heart is ready!

 

 

Over the past week as I continue to wait for visa issues to get handled (they are much closer) I have been on a second retreat. The Journey Towards Center, the Place of Heart was our theme. While my Brother Novices journeyed on retreat at our Novitiate House, I journeyed here at our Retreat Center in Western Canada. It was a good week: a mix of quiet, prayer, reflection, daily chores, and being part of the community here and at the Novitiate (thank goodness for Skype).

Sunrise - last week of August

 

The beauty of journeying towards the center of who we are, is that we encounter Christ there. Francis himself journeyed to his center and profoundly encounter Christ. It was good for me to be able to enter this journey and encounter a small portion of what Francis discovered. Throughout the week the line, ‘My heart is ready God, my heart is ready!’ kept playing through me over and over again. I see it as an anthem of what this Novitiate Year is continually unfolding for us Novices. I see it as the anthem of my prayer life deepening and my relationship with Christ engulfing me. I see it as the anthem that captured the life of Francis and Clare and that stirs within me.

The poem I opened with, is one I wrote this spring, it seems to best describe this past week for me. I wrote it during my hermitage, it seemed unfinished when I wrote it, until I read it at the end of this week. It is amazing to me how the journey continues to intertwine and draw me in more and more. Christ definitely continues to enflame my center.

 

 

In God we move and have our being

for we are spouses, parents, siblings of Christ,

and because of this we are dwelling places of

holiness and hope,

we are temples of prayer

and the gospel brought to life!

 

My heart is ready God, my heart is ready

and Your flame burns more brightly deep within my soul.

Sacred Sunday Evening

As Sunday comes to a close and I reflect back on my day I look back with a grateful heart. Our world is hurting in so many places and I was gifted with a peaceful day to contemplate God’s goodness in my life.

As I look back on my day and my Sunday Morning Coming Down blog I realize that the gift of the Eucharist is what makes my Sundays sacred. Whether I attend Mass on Saturday night or on Sunday Morning it is the gift of the Eucharist that is my nourishment which feeds me and sustains me. Jesus himself, present for me and for all. Jesus himself, my strength for busy week days and Sundays. Jesus himself, my rest for Sabbath Sundays and quiet moments in the week. Jesus himself, my hope when the world seems so shattered and torn. Jesus himself, my peace that conquers all hate and evil.

Yes Sundays are sacred in my world, always have been, always will be. Whether it’s brunch with family or friars or friends after Mass, whether it is sleeping in because of Saturday night Mass, whether it is an early morning walk, whether it is quiet moments with a cup of tea gazing out at the world, whether it's naps or visits in the afternoon, whether it's a movie or a walk in the evening, whether it's leftovers or tablecloth meals, Jesus is present.

What more do I need to make Sundays sacred?

Emmanuel – God with us

Jesus the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation

Our Savior, Brother and Friend
present in the sacredness of Sunday and each day.

 

Have a blessed week.

I hope your Sundays to come are sacred ones!

Sunday Morning Coming Down

One of my favorite Johnny Cash songs is Sunday Morning Coming Down. Although the song is not necessarily about a positive Sunday morning, the lines ‘Cause there’s something in a Sunday… and Sunday morning coming down’ have always called me to appreciate the gift of Sunday mornings!

I have always loved Sunday mornings, whether after a busy Saturday or a quiet one, whether the week ending was busy or spent in retreat, whether I’m at home, or on the road, Sunday morning calls me into an awareness. For whatever reason, God feels closer on a Sunday morning. There is just something sacred about a Sunday Morning.

As I journey more deeply into the Franciscan way of life, I come to appreciate Sunday mornings even more. The sacred silence, that allows me to rest in Christ.  The quiet time of prayer, that centers my day and week. The time to ponder and reflect, that reveals what God is stirring in my heart.

It is in the sacredness of Sunday morning that I begin this week. I am still waiting for my Visa to be worked out but I have hope that it will be this week. So I begin this week at our Retreat Center, at the end of a full week of Retreat with my Brother Friars. It was a good retreat, really a gift for me, since my plans changed. It was such a blessing to be nourished and filled up. It was such a blessing to celebrate with my community and see all the Brothers from our Province. It was such a blessing to spend time with our new Postulants, to reflect back on where I was a year ago, and to encourage them for the journey ahead. It was such a blessing to be welcomed into my Novice Year and begin my life as a Brother here.  It was such a blessing to begin my Novice Year right away by leading prayer, and taking on ‘household chores’ (Yes Mom, that even included cleaning the bathrooms!). It is a blessing to be here with the six Brothers that make up the community here, they have been kind and welcoming and make me feel at home.

 

 

It is in the sacredness of Sunday morning, that I look ahead to this week. I will spend some time in continued retreat. My Novice Brothers are beginning retreat this week. My director at the Novitiate has been very kind to send me the outline and so I will be connected with them through prayer, quiet and similar routine. I have much to reflect on from last week’s retreat and now even more to journey deeper. Another blessing indeed.

It is in the sacredness of Sunday morning, that I reflect back to a year ago today that began my Postulant Year. Wow! What a year indeed! So many blessings, so much growth, such deepening of the journey of faith, so many opportunities, so many people that I am grateful for and such gratitude for God’s graces poured into my life. A whole year has slipped by and now I’m into my second year of this Franciscan journey. This second year in some sense is a first year, as my life within the Order began this past week. I know that this year will also slip by and before you know it I will be a simply professed Friar.

So in the sacredness of this Sunday morning, I give thanks to God again for the gift of life, for this awesome journey and for the joy that fills my heart in being a Brother in the Order of Friars Minor!

Your steadfast love endures forever, O Lord,

It fills my life and guides my journey.

Praise be you my Lord and my God!

An Unexpected Change of Plans but Full of Blessings

My Brother, what do you ask of us?

Moved by divine inspiration, I wish to share your life in the brotherhood of the Order of Friars Minor. I ask to be admitted to your way of life that I may be tested and learn how to take on my shoulders the yoke of the Lord in love and joy. I ask to join following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, the humble servant of the Lord.

Thanks be to God! Your life in the Order of Friars Minor begins today.

 

 

This is the question I was asked, the statement I declared and the response of the community of Friars that officially begins my Novitiate Year.

A few days delayed, still in Canada, but still it’s all good!

I was received into the Order of Friars Minor with the community of brothers around me that form the brotherhood in Western Canada. Something unique from the rest of my Novice brothers. Something that I will treasure and cherish.

We continue on this week in retreat, and hopeful that all Visa issues will be resolved by weeks end.

I now am called to embrace the traditions, the mission, the fraternity and service in a concrete way but with a continued openness and willingness.  I humbly walk in the footsteps of St. Francis in the name of Christ Jesus.

I pray that I may continue to joyful reflect Christ always.

 

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,

Grant us in our day the grace

To do for You alone

What we know You want us to do,

And always to desire what pleases You.

-          From Opening Prayer of the Retreat

 

 

It's All Good - Part 2: Roadblock

The start to my Novitiate have had a slight change of plans…

 

My Visa did not arrive, but I still flew out today in hopes I would be allowed to enter as a visitor. That did not happen which meant I got deported from the USA after arriving in Minneapolis.(The kicker is my Brother Mathieu from Quebec was allowed to enter.) 

I was forced (if you will) to fly back to Regina and will now fly to Calgary and meet up with the Western Canadian Friars (my community).

We begin our annual retreat on Monday. I will be received into the Novitiate by our Provincial then and will remain with my community somewhere in Alberta (Cochrane or Edmonton) until my Visa comes through and I can enter the USA again.

It’s all good, well besides the fact that I now have a record with US Immigration.

The Immigration Officer was actually very good and funny, they even tried to make it happen.

My advice… always have the paperwork done or know all details.

It’s all good, my boxes I shipped arrived today at the Novitiate House and I still get to begin my Novitiate Year and will eventually join my brothers at the Novitiate House!

I’m still smiling and still excited!

Still need prayers!

It’s still all good!

St. Francis… St. Clare… St. Christopher… St. Michael…. pray for me!

 

This may be the final post now for the year.. I guess we will see!

It's All Good!

It’s All Good!

Well my time for summer holidays has come to a close and it’s time to head off to my Novitiate Year!

It’s All Good!

I had a very full time at home with family and friends, visits, gatherings, walks, special moments and celebrations!

It’s All Good!

Our family celebrated Christmas & Easter and enjoyed a family bonfire – what great times, traditions, good food, celebrating our Savior and aware of the gifts of the seasons and families. Loved going for walks with each of my nephews and nieces!

It’s All Good!

I have great friends who have opened their doors, hosted gatherings, ran errands, given hugs and understood when plans changed.

It’s All Good!

I am off to meet up with 14 amazing men, who I will journey with as brothers and we will deepen our walk with St. Francis.

It’s All Good!

God continues to bless my life and my journey! I feel so rich for someone who is walking into a deeper path of poverty.

It’s All Good!

The journey continues and I feel very blessed. I have been filled up and fueled and embraced with big hugs! I think I’m actually ready for this! I’m excited for the year ahead!

It’s All Good!

Thank you for journeying with me on this blog.

My blog will be silent now until August 2015 as I enter into a more contemplative year and step away from demands so I can enter more fully into this Franciscan journey.

I humbly ask for your prayers in this year ahead.

It’s All Good!

 

Home is where we can

laugh and cry,

embrace and dance,

sleep long and dream quietly;

eat, read, play, watch the fire,

listen to music and

be with a friend.

Home is a place where we can

rest and be healed.

- Henri Nouwen

 

Home for me will always be Saskatchewan with family and loved ones!

Home for me has a Franciscan hue and outlook.

 

Home for me this year is my Novitiate Year House and It’s All Good!

Keep Calm Claim Identity

            As my summer holidays come to a close and I look ahead to travel and settling into the Novitiate (in 1 week), a lot has been crossing my mind. How to manage my time left with family and friends, how to pack more efficiently and how to let go of (or crush) the little bit of fear that tries to creep in and take over this amazing journey. As these thoughts swirl through my mind and I try to stay on top of plans, details and being present to enjoy the moments I keep coming back to an essay by Sr. Ilia Delio I read and reflected on this summer while at Summer School.

            Reading this essay helped provide even more words to my own discernment and why I was open to entering religious life. In a world that is obsessed with self-image, “keeping up with the Jones” and fretting about identity theft; this essay reminded me that I am created in the image of God and am called to build relationships. Being created in the image of God and being aware of his relationship with God in the world around him is what St. Francis discovered over and over again in his own journey.  Through the encounters with the lepers and the minorities of society, his quiet prayer time, his interaction with creation, the stigmata and his deep desire to live out the Gospel he embodied the gift of being in relationship with God, with Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is in my own life that relationships, community, encounters with creation and the quiet of prayer that have deepened my awareness of being created in God’s image and how my life is a deepening relationship with the Trinity. As Sr. Ilia says, “in Christ one discovers the truth of one’s identity.”

            It is in discovering and embracing this Christ identity that Francis envisioned and lived out, as Fr. Michael Cusato, O.F.M. would describe, the “universal fraternity of creation.”  This “universal fraternity of creation” became evident in Francis and deepened his Christ-like identity as he lived with his brothers, embraced being a minor, through his being open to the grace of God and in identifying with the “truly suffering human beings”. Sr. Ilia points out that Francis’ “radical renunciation (abandonment) for the love of God…following the poor and humble Christ…and the realization of God’s presence in the world” became his life lived in a truly theological (spiritual/divine) way. I was encouraged with these reminders. They speak to me about my identity in the bigger picture of being part of a community. They speak to me about how my encounters with Christ in others, in creation and in prayer call me to serve, minister and live for those who are viewed as minors in our world.

These points have seemed to strike a chord in my heart and my discernment. The reality of “universal fraternity” speaks to my compassionate and generous side. There is a desire more and more to serve my brothers and sisters that are suffering, hurting or simply seeking respect and dignity. The “renunciation for the love of God” challenges me to deepen my trust in God working in my life and to allow God’s love to transform me. In “following the poor and humble Christ” I am called to preach the Good News with my life. Through my actions, my words, my prayers, and my serving I should reflect Christ who always humbly pointed to God and who always sought out the lost, the hurting and the poor. This also challenges me to look at how I will live out the Franciscan organizing value of minority.  Finally the “realization of God’s presence in the world” calls me to be aware each day of the blessings that fill my day. It also calls me to be aware that blessings and God’s presence may be in places that I least expect. It is in identifying my own life as theological, like Francis’ was, that I can truly live out my Franciscan vocation.

Living out my Franciscan vocation speaks to me about my identity. This true self that has always been at my core and in my heart is brought to the forefront and exposed to the goodness of God in my life. I discover more and more on this journey that I was created for this. That my “original identity” blending with my authentic Christ identity is truly a “coming home”. I see how my self-identity, my family of origin and their influence, the community in which I grew up in and the life I led before entering the Franciscans was indeed preparing me to claim my identity more fully. My personality, my gifts, skills and my uniqueness however limited or frail they are, are called forth in community and in turn they contribute to the community. With my fellow brothers sharing their personality, gifts and skills, together we strengthen our Franciscan community, serve those who are lesser in a greater way and welcome all in the awesome homecoming that we each desire and deserve.

This identity claiming, if you will, this value for relationship is obvious in the life of Francis and the early community. We see men coming to Francis and then together forming a community, discovering how to support and challenge each other, living for the minority and growing more deeply in their radical way of following the humble and crucified Christ. Again I see how my journey points back to Francis which in turn points me to Christ, the Holy Spirit at work and the goodness of God.

Being a follower of Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis can be a challenging way to live but I must remember that my identity in Christ is strength for the journey. I must keep at the forefront the goodness of God revealed in relationships with creation, fellow human beings and our Crucified Savior. To immerse myself in this goodness is to claim my true identity and embrace being a Franciscan.