Brother

This coming week we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4).

As I prepare for this feast day and reflect on the founder of the Order in which I profess to live, the word Brother stands out for me. Francis instilled in his followers the gift of brotherhood and it is something I continue to strive to do well in this life journey.

St. Francis pray for us.

Brother

Fraternity beckons me beyond myself

it requires compassion and presence.

Minority beckons me beyond myself

it requires simplicity and trust.

Obedience beckons me beyond myself

it requires listening and openness.

Chastity beckons me beyond myself

it requires love and respect.

Poverty beckons me beyond myself

it requires awareness and honesty.

Community beckons me beyond myself

it requires awareness and collaboration.

Religious Life beckons me beyond myself

it requires enthusiasm and generosity.

Faith beckons me beyond myself

it requires prayer and service.

Hope beckons me beyond myself

it requires freedom and joy.

Love beckons me beyond myself

it requires kinship and sacrifice.

When I am called Brother
it beckons me beyond myself

 it requires me to embrace Christ 

and live the Gospel.

Build God's Kingdom

 

This past weekend I was engaged in Retreat Ministry. I was part of a Team presenting one retreat and led another retreat for a parish group. While I was preparing for the retreats I came across this verse which ran in a parish bulletin years ago and shared it as part of the retreat.

Come and work beside your brothers

Serve God upon God’s throne

Come and labor with your sisters

Build God’s Kingdom stone by stone

See the fields so ripe for harvest

Take your place among the rows

Come and labor with God’s children

That God may reap where we have sown

This verse is a simple reminder that we each have a part to do. Each one of us has gifts and skills, talents and abilities to build the kingdom. Each day we are given an opportunity in both great and small ways. That thought was part of my message for the retreats. We are all called to sainthood; each and every one of us. We continually achieve this by building the kingdom and pointing towards Christ. Where have we done so today? Where have we built the kingdom? Where have we shown Christ to others?

This is what St. Francis strived for each and every day. He desired nothing more than to build the kingdom and point to Christ; to be a true reflection of Him who was brother and savior. It began in the simplest of ways – embracing of a leper, rebuilding little churches and transformed into a way of life, a surrendering his all, a devouring of God’s goodness and mercy which he continually discovered in the world around him.

As we begin our journey towards the Feast Day of St. Francis (October 4) I invite you to ponder your building up of the kingdom, your serving, and how you are a vessel of Christ in our world. I also invite you to prayer. Traditionally a novena (9 days of prayer – asking a saint to intercede for us before Christ) are prayed leading up to a feast day of a Saint. Today (September 25) marks the start of the novena for St. Francis.  I invite you to join me in praying the prayer St. Francis composed before the crucifix at San Damiano and to conclude with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Most High, Glorious God,

Enlighten the darkness of my heart

and give me true faith, certain hope

and perfect charity,

sense and knowledge, Lord,

that I may carry out

Your holy and true command.

Amen.

St. Francis… pray for us.

Guide us on the path of Christ so we too may build Christ’s kingdom with you.

 

 

 

For the Sake of the Gospel

For the sake of gospel

We are called to

Love God

Carry our cross

Be a light to the world.

 

For the sake of the gospel

We are called to

Be salt of the earth

Follow Christ

Strive for God’s kingdom.

 

For the sake of the gospel

We are called to

Love our neighbour

To give our all

To labour generously.

 

For the sake of the gospel

We are called to

Sow seeds of hope

Be welcoming

Work for peace and justice.

 

For the sake of the gospel

We are called to

Embrace the dignity of all

Be nourished by the Bread of Life

Abide in the Holy Spirit.

For the sake of gospel (Mark 8.27-35) was the way St. Francis lived his life after his conversion. It was central to who he was and the decisions he made about his living and the fraternity of brothers that followed him. It was the gospel that propelled him into a deeper communion with God. It was the gospel that showed him the Christ whose very life Francis desired to be his all. The gospel is a powerful gift and tool which speaks to us and challenges us to a life-giving way of living. That being said it is not easy, it is not a life gift that comes fully assembled, it requires us to read the instructions, to assemble, to ask for guidance, to listen well, to start again. I guess what I’m trying to say is that gospel is relevant and demanding. If St. Francis could give his all for the sake of the gospel, because it was here that his life intersected with Christ, then why can’t we? What holds us back? Fear? Pride? The World? Judgement?

Being a follower of Christ like St. Francis is not about halos and ease, it is about reality. It is about the reality that the gospel calls us to each day; living in the world, encountering each other, hardships, joys, and decisions. It is about the reality that our lives are shaped for good because we are created good and the gospel nurtures this goodness. It is about the reality of reading, listening and taking to heart the words of the gospel to shape our living. It is about the reality that each day we are called to live for the sake of the gospel, to amplify the love of God into our world. The gift is ours, the challenge to follow Christ and to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel so as to truly have abundant life. St. Francis accepted the gift and encourages us to do the same reminding us in his Praises of God:  “You are our eternal life; great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior.” Truly this is our source for gospel living.

The Source of Strength

 

“Be strong, do not fear!” the prophet Isaiah (35:4) tells us.

Lately I have been engaged in an ongoing conversation with my mom about strength (and not simply physical strength). We have been tossing ideas back and forth on what it means to be strong, how we act when we feel strong, sources of strength and what inspires and amazes us about strength. It has been an interesting conversation and one that has revealed a bit more about each of us.

The other day I called her and asked, “Mom, when we were kids and teens and you were running a business and catering with dad, making sure we had what we needed, getting us to places we needed to be, volunteering in the community and church and chairing a committee or two, did you lock yourself in the bathroom and cry? How did you do it?”

She laughed, admitted to tears a few times and said she just continued on day by day. It was in that moment that I realized that the source of our strength is so important. The prophet Isaiah doesn’t stop with “be strong, do not fear” no, he continues on saying, “Here is your God.” It was in asking my mom that question and listening to her honesty and reflections on life then and life now that the source of her strength was obvious; it is God.

This our God who walks with us when tears need to fall in the shower, when we need to stand next to someone we struggle with, when we mourn and hurt, when the plate seems too full, when no answer seems to be the right answer, when we are confident, when all things come together, when reconciliation is achieved, when we step forth in freedom and when tasks are accomplished with ease. Our God is here and now, always. Our God is our strength. Our God opens our eyes to see, loosens are tongues to sing, nourishes us with the gift of his Son and enables us to rise and up and dance the dance of life.

Truly our God is our strength and our God loves us so much that he offers examples and images of strength to inspire and encourage us.  Such as people (both great and small – think of wise leaders and then think of a baby in NICU), to situations or movements that stir us, to the voices of justice, to a waterfall or a mountain or a crocus in the spring time, or lone leaf on a tree or mustard seed or a blind man called to “be opened” (Mark 7:31-27) and see; truly see the love and strength of God.

I know this conversation with my Mom will continue. We will discuss life’s stories and adventures that call upon the gift of strength, we will remember people and situations that demanded strength, we ponder what strength we carry and poses and it will lead us again and again to our God who is here, who is our hope and in who we put our trust and who says to us, “Be strong, do not fear! I am here.”

How will you be, receive and share strength this week?

Be sure to pause and thank God for being the source of that strength!

 

 

If you need a bit more to chew on may I suggest reading  Romans 8:31-39.

Amplify

 

Have you ever considered the word ‘amplify’? It means “to make louder or louden or turn up, it also means to intensify, increase, magnify, boost to step up or raise.” This word has been on my mind over the last few weeks. I thought of it as my summer vacation was winding down, I thought of it while I was on the road, I pondered it in preparation for the renewal of my vows, I pondered it as I enter into new routines and I’ve been trying to listen to what it is saying to me and my walk with God.

Last year about this time I wrote about the word ‘strive’ and how it was motivating me in my journey. I believe amplify is doing the same thing. Maybe it is a September thing, maybe it is a mid-life thing or maybe it a word that God is tossing around with me so I can connect deeper with God. Whatever the reason or maybe it is all three reasons the word won’t release its hold on me.

This word is challenging me to look at my living. How am I doing? How am I living as brother? How am I living my vows? How am I claiming the gift to be alive? “Am I” can be found in the word amplify, which leads me to the great and puts my “am I’s” into perspective. If my “am I” remains focused on me, and only on how I am doing and living then I believe amplifying becomes selfish and simply a motivation that may fade like a new year’s resolution. However when my “am I’s” causes me to look to the great then my desire to amplify the journey I am on makes more sense and is in greater perspective.  

There is a line from Deuteronomy (4:7) that says, “For what other great nation has a god so near to it that the Lord our God is whenever we call to God?” Each of us are a great nation, fashioned by our loving God, created for goodness, with a heart that strives to be one with our God and a desire to amplify our lives as witnesses to God’s great love and mercy. Each of us are these vessels of greatness and I think this why the word amplify continues to stir me. Our God is so near to us: a prayer whispered, a silent pleading, a weeping cry, a broken heart, a gratitude inspired moment, an ordinary day, a low moment, gathered in prayer together, nourished at the Eucharistic table, admiring creation, reflecting back on the day and journey so far, this is us calling out to our God. Indeed our God is near to us always.

With our God that near to us, it is no wonder that amplify sits on my heart. I now believe it has been on my heart from the moment of my first heart beat just like it has been for each of us. Our lives are gifts that are to be amplified. Some of us amplify it with good others desire to amplify in ways that are empty. Choosing to amplify means getting out of the way and allowing God to work through each of us. And it is in writing that statement that another light bulb goes on for me and the volume is turned up and the letters are magnified. Amplify continues to stir my heart and blends with the gift to strive because it reminds me that I need to continually rely on God, not get stuck on my “am I’s” but let go into God. I must entrust myself again and again to our God who is so near to us and trust that God indeed amplifies my life in so many ways. God also desires that I amplify it and help others to amplify their lives by the gifts he has instilled in me.

 

Hmmm… amplify – you very interesting word at work in me because our God amplifies love for us always for God is so near. It is not easy to let go into God and allow God to work in me. I want to know the right path right now. I want to be in control. I want to amplify my life in the way I see fit. Then I realize how empty that sounds and how I am limiting myself and so I desire again to let go into God and give God permission (if you will) to amplify my life in the ways that are life-giving, servant-hearted and draw me closer to our great God and reflect God more.

 

God of Life, the great

as the journey continues on I once again entrust myself

to your amazing love which is amplified in my life,

intensifies the journey and magnifies how truly close you are

to not only me but to each of us.

 

Help each of us to see beyond the illusions that cloud our focus.

Help us to push beyond the barriers we create which only limits us.

Help us to let go into you so that the world around us

may truly encounter your goodness which is ever near to us.

Amplify in us your heartbeat

made known to us in your son Jesus

and is continually activated by his Spirit.

Amen.

 

Amplify… today and tomorrow.

Amplify… God at work.

Amplify… we are worthy.

Amplify… life as gift.

Amplify.