Saturated with the Holy Spirit

I recently heard a Friar use the phrase “saturated with the Holy Spirit.” 
Is that not a beautiful image and thought? 
To be completely consumed and filled by the Holy Spirit; 
wrapped up in the Trinitarian Love of our God. 

To be saturated with the Holy Spirit means we must be vessels open to the will of God and seeking the freedom of being God’s children (Romans 8.15-16). To be saturated with the Holy Spirit awakens us to God at work in our lives and the lives of those around us. To be saturated with the Holy Spirit means that we are open to new works, new beginnings and being made into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17). To be saturated with the Holy Spirit means we seek ways of peace, healing and hope to shape our lives. To be saturated with the Holy Spirit means we utilize the gifts of wisdom, understanding, right judgement, knowledge, reverence, courage and wonder and awe. To be saturated with the Holy Spirit means we live out our baptismal call of being priest, prophet and king; building the kingdom here and now for we are “led by the Spirit” as “children of God” (Romans 8.14).

As Pentecost draws near, I believe for a few reasons, I have been letting this saturation idea sit within and around me. The first reason is that Pentecost awakens us to the gift of the Spirit at work in each one of us – yes, each one of us – not just a select few. The idea of us embracing this saturation leads me to hopefulness for it means we are in tune with the love of our God and the reality it calls us to, not the false reality our world tries to have us claim. When we allow this saturation to happen, we dream new dreams and truly embrace who we are: the beloved of God. May we be open to being saturated with the Holy Spirit. (I believe it may be a simple start to pray: Come Holy Spirit and fill my life.)

The second reason is that Pentecost is the Feast Day for the Province of Franciscan Friars I belong to. In fact, this Pentecost is our first in celebrating it as our Feast Day; being the newly founded Holy Spirit Province as of this past October. It is a time for us to celebrate the union of the two Canadian Franciscan Provinces into one. It is time for us to be renewed in our ministry, our spiritual life and our presence in Canada. It is a time for us to embrace the challenge of being Friars who live the way of Gospel going where the Holy Spirit is calling us and leading us. It is a time for us to listen to how the Holy Spirit is awakening us to new ways. This is the work of being saturated with the Holy Spirit.

The third reason is that this Pentecost I will be on pilgrimage and retreat for my Solemn Vows. I will be with 11 other Friars from North America and our guides for three and half weeks on pilgrimage in Italy. Walking where St. Francis walk, seeing where the Franciscan Order came to birth, encountering holy sites which shaped St. Francis and his brothers, encountering the sacred peace of Assisi and the bond which St. Francis had with St. Clare and the many who profess to follow Gospel living will fill our days. This pilgrimage is indeed the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and like St. Francis would say, who is our true guide (minister). This Pentecost we will indeed be saturated with the Holy Spirit.

The fourth reason is that Pentecost is about birth and new beginnings and that is truly where I am at. One part of my journey is coming to a close as new paths are made known as my Solemn Vows are drawing near. The day that profess these vows I am professing to live my life within the Franciscan order and will indeed be a day of birth and new beginnings. It will also mark the beginning of being missioned to Retreat Ministry. I will be ministering with my brothers and our retreat team to share the good news of the Gospel for all who seek a place of peace, prayer, healing and an encounter with God. It is time for packing up and beginning again; it is a time for new horizons and encounters; it is indeed a time of being saturated with the Holy Spirit so I may continue to be a living and holy icon and tabernacle for Christ walking with St. Francis.

So as Pentecost draws near, and final items are placed in my backpacks I pray:

Come Holy Spirit,

Come and dwell within me,

Open me up to the depth of your love,

Saturate me with all that you are

For you my God are my all

And in you I live and move and have my being.

This will be my last post until well into summer time. I am taking the pilgrimage time for prayer, encounter and rest. Thank you for journeying with me through this blog. I humbly ask your prayers for the Franciscans in Canada and for the 12 of us and our guides who are on pilgrimage and for those who are preparing to make Solemn Vows. 

Peace and all Good.

Blessings for a Holy Spirit saturated summer!

May God bless and keep you.

Peace of Christ

The last few weeks have been very full and full of much goodness. Within this fullness there has been demands, pressures and my own expectations not to mention the responsibilities and gift of fraternity. In all of this fullness I have been pondering the unfolding journey and I have been reminded about the gift of peace our Risen Lord offers. The following two prayers come from reflecting on the gift of this peace. May we remember that it always offered to us.

Peace:

always from You

sitting with You

penetrating my core.

Peace:

a gift for me

an awareness of Your spirit

strengthening me.

Peace:

released into freedom

greater than this world

aligning my living in You.

“Peace I leave you. My peace I give you.” (John 14.23-29)

Christ Jesus,

You know I have days of

chaos, uncertainty and frustrations

and you are in these moments with me.

The gift of your peace is wrapped up in your love

poured forth from your heart into my own heart.

Your peace is what produces joy

and walks hand in hand with hope which leads me to life.

For the gift of your peace I give you praise.

Amen.

Lord you call me to be a

vessel of life

vessel of joy

vessel of peace.

You are my strength and my all.

Lord you call me to be a

path to life

path to justice

path to fraternity.

You are my strength and my all.

Lord you call me to

open my heart

open my hands

open my soul.

You are my strength and my all.

Lord you call me

to be one with you

to trust in your way

to let your light penetrate my all.

You are my strength and my all.

To Live in Love

The gospel for this Sunday is Jesus giving us the greatest of commandments: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples.” (John 13.34-35) As a Friar about to make his Solemn Vows this speaks to the life I am vowing to live. When St. Francis left his previous life and began his new life of penance it was because he desired to be drawn into Christ. Being drawn into Christ means one must live the gospel and to do this one must love. This is where I am at as I ponder what has been and what is to be.

I have always been in awe of how St. Francis gave up everything and trusted that God was at work in him. His love for the gospel and how it called him to live is the challenge that I (and all Friars and really all Christians) must embrace today. To give up everything and live the gospel means that one is truly living this commandment which Christ gave during that Last Supper. To love another takes a deep trust in God, for we must see that God is present in the other and all of creation. We must let go of our judgments and expectations and simply see them. This is what was awakened in St. Francis and stirred him not to hold on to this life but rather to be consumed with the life of love which is the life of God. As I look ahead and finalize details about vows, pilgrimage, packing and moving I am called back to the commandment of Christ and the witness of St. Francis which calls me to glorify God with my life. Love as challenging as it is, must be present in the simplest of actions as well as the grandest. Love one another so that everyone will know that we are his disciples means I must be aware of my living, my letting go and the way I love.

Over the last ten days I have seen the gift and power of this commandment. I have been part of a Christian-Muslim dialogue, I have led retreats for about one thousand children and have been involved in planning for the year ahead. In all of this there has been this undercurrent which is love. I could not have entered into the Christian-Muslim dialogue if I did not have love. I could not have preached about God’s love to the children if the gospel of love had not touched my heart and found a home there. I could not look ahead to new opportunities and new ministry if I was not being a disciple. I am in awe of God’s love at work always and I am grateful that the commandment of Christ is a daily reminder that my actions and words are to be that of love. I think this is what St. Francis did for he knew the freedom in this and was able to give his all. As a Franciscan I am called to this freedom as I strive to be a brother to all living a universal fraternity, I can only do this if I follow the commandment to love. How about you? How are you called to live the commandment to love?

Hear & Know

This Sunday many people will celebrate their mom and the gift of motherhood. Mother’s Day is a beautiful reminder of goodness, holiness, compassion and life. Mother’s Day calls us to look at the intimacy of love and being known and seen in love. 

This Sunday (4^th Sunday of Easter) is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In the gospel from John (10.27-30) we hear Jesus say, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life.” For Jesus to declare this he had to know love, both that of God and of his mother Mary. Remember at his baptism God declared, “This is my Son, the beloved” and often in his life time he must have heard his name said in love by his mother. Jesus knew what it was like to be known and valued for who he was. It is in the power of relationship that he was able to embrace his life-giving journey and then offer his all for us to receive the maternal gift of God’s embrace known as eternal life.

In pondering the above statement of Jesus I thought, “is this not a most wonderful affirmation from him?” For it is the gift of how intimately close he is to us (like mother holds a child in her womb) always. It is the gift of hearing our name announced and being called love. It is the gift of embracing the resurrection and the life it calls us to. It is the gift of life here and now and also life in the eternal kingdom. Jesus our brother and savior calls us into the kingdom of God and gives us a place of dignity – each one of us.

We are called.

We are chosen.

We are seen.

We are known.

We have a way.

We have life.

We have freedom.

We have paradise.

We know love.

We know the Son.

We know hope.

We know burdens undone.

We are God’s children.

We are held in care.

We are given new life.

We are love to bear.

To all the mothers of the world who call our names in love, show us our dignity and remind us that we are God’s beloved – we say thank you, we love you and ask God to bless you today and always.

Litany of a Resurrection Breakfast Encounter - John 21.1-19

The resurrection occurrences in John’s Gospel are so rich. The scenes in John 21.1-19 are an example of this richness.  Here, Peter and the disciples return to fishing – something familiar, always serves as a reminder that Christ comes to us in the ordinary and familiar of our routines to make us new. The invitation of Jesus to “Come and have breakfast” simply is a delight (it is for me). This invitation by our Savior to dine with him on this side of the cross is the gift of his lasting promise and memorial. The Eucharist is the steady invitation to join him again and again and be nourished for the new paths and new realities. Then the thrice questioned Peter about his love awakens us the depth of how intimate Jesus desires to be in our lives. He does not see us by our weakness and sinfulness rather he sees us created in love with the capacity to love and make known his love as we feed his sheep. Peter and disciple’s story intersects with my story; with yours, as our reality is transformed, our invitation to dine with the Bread of Life is real and our call to love is about life here and now not just on a beach by the Sea of Tiberias.

When gathered with those we know and love

When we need our safe familiar ways

When nothing seems to happen

Risen Lord you are our all.

When questions challenge us

When old ways lead to awareness

When nothingness leads to plenty

Risen Lord you are our all.

When we recognize You in what was

When we come before You again

When the fire in our hearts are fanned

Risen Lord you are our all.

When the “catch” is abundant

When our strength is infused within us

When we accept Your invite to “come and eat”

Risen Lord you are our all.

When we recognize You in bread broken

When Your resurrection awakens our reality

When You stir the depths of our hearts

Risen Lord you are our all.

When Your love penetrates our lives

When You call us to more

When reconciliation heals our blindness

Risen Lord you are our all.

When we realize how intimately You know us

When You call us to our true selves

When You entrust us with Your love

Risen Lord you are our all.

When You lead us to the future

When we realize Your strength in us

When You again say “Follow me”

Risen Lord you are our all.

Risen Lord

The gift of Your resurrection

is the abundance of our lives.

Thank You for being present

and for constantly calling us to more

because You love us more than we realize.

Risen Lord you are our all.

Amen.

Being Brother - Celebrating Religious Brothers Day - May 1

May 1 is the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker and since 2017 it is also recognized as Religious Brothers Day. “Through the gift of Brotherhood given, he (the Religious Brother) becomes a bridge between God and his brothers, anointed and sent by the Spirit to bring the Good News of love and mercy of God.” (Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church.)

                As a Friar preparing to profess my Solemn Vows this summer and live my life as a Religious Brother (non-ordained Friar) I have been pondering the gift of this vocation. Instead of just thinking about what it was and what it could be I turned to three sources of Religious Brother wisdom. These three Franciscan Religious Brothers who have lived their years by rooting their life in God and the vows made, provided me with a deeper appreciation for this vocation.

Br. Gerry leads music at Blessing of Pets

                Brother Gerry Clyne, who this October will celebrate twenty-five years as a Religious Brother, when asked what it means to be a Religious Brother said, “Being a Religious Brother means living a life that I came to desire passionately even before I became a Catholic. It is a life of concentrated prayer and ministry in a Christ-centred community.”

                One only needs to spend a few moments with Br. Gerry to appreciate his deep prayer life. He carves purposefully early moments each day to pray, to listen and to go deeper with God. It is out of these moments that he approaches the day and is present to so many whether it is for spiritual direction, presenting a retreat talk or listening during a fifth-step for those in recovery. I am always in awe of Br. Gerry’s peacefulness; it is a gift which reminds me to “be still and know God.”

In reflecting more on his vocation, he thinks back to a pivotal moment in his journey, “During Methodist Bible College I became enamored with the first Christians in Acts. I became intrigued with the notion that Religious Life in the Catholic Church preserved their ideal way of life. Although I would have become a Catholic regardless, to me, becoming a Catholic and a Religious were always closely connected.”

Br. Jean-Louis Brusset, who has been a religious Brother for nearly as many years as I am alive, shared, “being a non-ordained friar as a Franciscan means that I take on in a specific way a vocation living in and for Christ through the lens and lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. Not that I try to mimic these two saints but try to absorb their contemplative approach to Christ in the process of attempting to let myself be transformed by God's good grace.”

Br. Jean-Louis standing - missionary work

One can see a life of prayer is key to the life of a Religious Brother. Prayer is obviously important to all people however within the life of a Religious Brother it is central to how we function and how we become prayer for those who have limited time or struggle to pray. Br. Jean-Louis is mindful of this gift as he often voices prayers of petition during our communal prayers.

At our Friary I share a hallway with Br. Jean-Louis and often as I leave my room, I notice him in his “prayer chair” reflecting on scripture or Franciscan texts or meditating. As I glimpse him in prayer, I think of something he shared, “I have been led in a wonderful variety of ways for which I am most grateful. And living without property, in obedience and in chastity allows the journey possible in following Christ more closely. Nevertheless, they remain formidable and challenging vows.” The context of our vows are life-giving sources for us to truly be brother.  

The third source of Religious Brother wisdom I sought out is Br. Bert Manthey. In 2004 he made his Solemn Vows as a Religious Brother and he, like Br. Gerry and Br. Jean-Louis has lived in various friaries. He ponders his vocation, ““and the Lord gave me brothers” My prospective follows on the heels of this historical statement…given by our founder St. Francis of Assisi. In the humbleness of spirit and operating in God's gift of freedom, a lay brother offers himself to the many faceted works allowed him in the course of his religious life, in and out of his fraternity. Perhaps bridging the gap between the known priestly form of religious life, and that of the lay church community.”

              

Br. Bert serves Birthday Cake at Br. Anthony's 90th Birthday.

  Br. Bert speaks of humbleness and freedom and bridging a gap. This can only come from a life of prayer and an awareness that as Brothers we must be about relationship with God, each other and creation. Br. Bert always has a quick smile and quick remark and he is often in service of his brothers, caring for them and their needs. He reminds me to make my prayer into lived action not just words that cross my lips. “As a religious brother, the opportunity to work without pre-conditioned expectations, as a friend and co-worker in caring for the needs of society, whether it be spiritual, physical or societal. The openness to expression and the allowance to minister in freedom within the framework of Christian morals and ethics. ln short, to be a fellow citizen in the world,” Br. Bert said.

While reflecting on service in the brotherhood, Br. Jean-Louis reminded me of the universal nature of the Friars and how service is a call to be a brother no matter where we are and especially with our poorest brothers and sisters. “I am especially grateful for having received the grace to live among other cultures apart from my own and, oddly enough, have received more than I ever gave; a reverse evangelization so to speak.”

Being able to serve one another in love is part of embracing the greatest of commandments that Jesus entrusted to his followers. Br. Gerry gives perspective to this, “being a Religious Brother calls me, therefore, beyond my tendency to be self-absorbed to serving others after the example and inspiration of Jesus. Being a Religious Brother, I am able to have a prayer life that is deeper than would be possible for me as a secular, given who I am. I am also more able to use my talents and gifts in ministry.”

Prayer and service are central characteristics of a Religious Brother and clearly emerged in the wisdom of these three Brothers. I am once again reassured of my own discernment and desire to profess as a Religious Brother in the world today. The wisdom of these three Religious Brothers is a gift that you would find in Religious Brothers the world over. The vocation of being a Religious Brother is one that I am both humbled and awed that I have been called to profess and in twenty-five years I too hope to be able to say with Br. Gerry, “I love being a Religious Brother!”

We, Like Thomas

The Sunday after Easter Sunday, which brings the Octave of Easter to a close, always has the gospel (John 20.19-31) about Thomas and Jesus appearing to him and the other disciples eight days later. Thomas is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas.”

I have often pondered Thomas and this whole scenario. I have considered why he was not there on that Easter Sunday night. I have reflected on his ultimatum and his declaration when Jesus did appear to him. I think that I get Thomas a bit more and maybe even feel like we have a bit of a connection. A connection because I too know what and where doubt is in my own journey and I too have seen the gift of the Resurrection at work in my life. I am always thankful for Thomas not being there that Easter night for he helped open our eyes to look for and see our Risen Lord in our time and place.

“My Lord and My God”
the only words I could say.
His peace consumed and filled me
I could now finally see.

Not just with my eyes
but more so with my heart,
freedom settled in this I knew
for I was seen beyond what I do.

His hands, his feet and his side
pierced through and through,
marked in truth and with love
leading me and you in ways above.

My brothers did not ask why
nor did they ask where
I was the that first Sunday night.
I was wrestling with darkness and with light.

His words echoed in my ears,
He promised he would return.
Could this be? Was it true?
I had hoped it was what I knew!

I needed air, I needed some space,
to clear my mind, to listen and process.
When I returned their news struck my heart,
for a whole week I wrestled to know my part.

My ears still ring with his words
of peace, of belief, of me, of you.
I was part of his amazing unfolding plan 
so you may see yourself within his clan.

Times will come in this lifetime
when doubts will settle in,
it’s true it happens, but do not fear
Christ the Risen Lord is always right here.

His life was lived in obedience,
His love for all was always his lead,
He trusted in God; giving his all
no price too great, no need too small.

I offer to you my words of praise,
they are from heart, they speak truth,
for I know you too can see and with me laud:
“Jesus you are My Lord and My God.”


Jesus our Risen Lord,
We pray for our eyes 
and our hearts to be open 
in this week ahead
and the whole Easter Season
so we may see you
and know the gift of vision
and new life you continually
share with us.
Amen.

Continued Easter Blessings!

- All credit to the amazing artist who created the painting in this blog.