Beginning Anew

Things are well underway as the journey continues. One's life is a combination of many journies. Hopefully, they are journies that support us on our path to greater good, to living fully, and to Christ.

Sounds a little romanticized. But, if we could keep our eye on the prize, maybe it's all worth it. No on said the path will be smooth. No one said the journies would be serene.

And so it is with the path I am on. The path for me right now is really focused due to the circumstances: novitiate year. In a sense, this year is unlike any other (aren't they all?). A year to stop before fully venturing on into life. It is an opportunity to look at my life, simply put, at myself and either embrace the vocation I feel called to or realize that maybe something else is calling. I am convinced it is the vocation I see now: a Brother. Embracing it does not mean the journey stops. It simply means accepting all that will come with it: the highs and lows, the joys and struggles, and the pulls of life against it.

Yet, embracing it does mean focus, learning, faith, strength and the list goes on. So much of this year is not only the choice to accept the calling, but the "hows" of accepting the calling, the belief that God will provide all necessary, and the journey will allow one to continue on the path.

So besides the philosophical, what practically is going on?

Since our return from Christmas break on January 4th, we've gone full-press. We resumed classes right away. Br. Columban Derby passed away and we celebrated his life. We are on top of our cooking duties. Friday house chores are keeping the place clean. There is plenty of time for formal and informal prayer, reading, studying, and even having some fun. Besides the rain storms the weather has been beautiful (see picture above--taken Jan. 15, 2008).

Today is our spiritual direction day and I'm on in 10 minutes!

From Advent to Christmas to the end of 2007

Last Sunday's readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent had to do with PATIENCE. At least for me, that is how I felt God speaking to me. I consider myself a very impatient person, so it was a neat challenge.

Advent is all about waiting and waiting joyfully. How can we wait joyfully if we are not doing it patiently? Patience, it seems, brings true belief, a stronger conviction. As Christmas nears, I feel called to see what role "patience" is playing in my life. With an upcoming trip home, have I been patient enough to be to truly present to each Advent day?

Our Novitiate Community had a Desert Day this past Monday. I found it initially difficult to enter the desert day experience, after all it was only 3 days before heading home. Should I use some of my desert day to pack? Does anything need to get done before I leave? I put questions like these aside and asked God for the grace to embrace the desert day. God granted the grace in a beautiful way. My day was filled with reflection, prayer, walking around the beautiful property here at Mont La Salle, and even a nice conversation with Br. Alexius, who, approaching 90, is a man of deep faith, always seems to be in contemplation. It was a grace-filled day that also challenged me personally and allowed me to really prepare myself for spiritual direction, which was to take place on Tuesday (yesterday).

Yesterday, the novices headed to Berkeley for Spiritual Direction with Sr. Kathleen, our spiritual director. It was a powerful session for me that focused on the gift of love, especially the gift to give love whole-heartedly!

Today is Wednesday and it began as usual, prayer and mass. I found myself in deep prayer about love and my relationship with God. Another wonderful grace. After mass, it became "getting ready to go home day." This afternoon we'll have prayer, dinner, and our community Christmas celebration.

As Christmas nears and the Advent season fades, it gives me great joy. A joy to begin anew. The year will end. 1/3 of the novitiate year is completed.

Christmas will be a time for me to recommit myself to God in the joyous birth we await. In a sense, the waiting will end, and it will be time to act.

Act with hope. Act with faith. Act with love.

A Christmas resolution and a New Year resolution.

Strong Foundation

Today's readings and much of my reflections throughout the day focused on building a strong foundation. What will sustain us? A strong heart.

Are our hearts strong enough to carry us through the thick and thin? We need to be able to rely on a faith and heart that is grounded. We need to rely on a heart that puts our faith into action and a faith that puts our heart into action. In the Gospel, Jesus says, "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock." Jesus is calling us to action--we must walk the talk--grounded not in our desires, but instead follow Jesus when he says do "the will of my Father in heaven." Only this way will we enter the kingdom of God.

This is hard. This means letting go of our ways and looking for God's way. Do we open ourselves to find God's way? It is an Advent message. Mary did not choose to be the mother of our Savior, instead it was God who chose her. Mary only followed God's will. The Advent season is calling us to prepare our hearts to accept Jesus--his humanity and divinity; to accept Jesus so that he may become the path for us and lead us to the will of his Father. This must be our foundation or else"will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

If we choose to build the strong foundation, that is a faith and heart based on Jesus, we will be able to proclaim, like Isaiah:

"A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you."

Advent challenges me to strengthen the foundation of my heart and faith so that Jesus may make a home there without the house within me collapsing. Do I walk the talk?

Feasting

Today's readings for Wednesday of the 1st Week of Advent speak of "feasting."

In the 1st reading we here from Isaiah:

"On this mountain the LORD of hosts

will provide for all peoples

A feast of rich food and choice wines,

juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines."

In the Gospel we hear of the multiplication of loaves and fishes:

"Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,

gave thanks, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied.

They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full."

The readings speak to the satisfaction we receive in our going to God. The point is go to God. This requires humility. The humility to say that I can't do it on my own. The recognition of the need for others and for God. The Advent season is about the coming of Christ, but also a reminder of our own journey. We must not forget that we are on a journey back to God and Jesus came so that he might be our path back to him. We are a people on the way.

The readings also speak to this point. Isaiah says, "On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken." In the Gospel we have the beautiful image of how "Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others." If Jesus is to become our path, if we are to go to God we must as we are. Sure, we have weaknesses, but Isaiah reminds us that God "will destroy the veils" and "will wipe away the tears." Jesus recognizes our faith as he did with the crowds who went to him, "They placed them at his feet, and he cured them" says the Gospel.

We must look to God. We must embrace Jesus with great faith. The joyful coming that is to come in the birth of Jesus is indeed our looking to God and embracing him in faith. Our hearts must be prepared to be filled with the Lord in deep faith. Let us truly be able to say, "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"

To Be Chosen

For evening prayer last night our Director chose to do a method of Lectio Divina (Reading from Scripture) with Meditatio (Meditation).

The passage he chose was that of Jesus' call to the disciples--his call to follow him. Several words stood out from what he read: "Come," "See," "Hear," "Find," "Follow," "Chosen," and "Love."

These words came together for me in the following way: "Come and see and hear so that you may find and follow because you were chosen to love." Maybe a bit of stretch, but it speaks to me.

Today's readings for Tuesday of the first week of Advent, I think, speak to this: God call us, God chooses us, do we choose to respond to his love? Are we not always being invited to "come and see and hear so that we may find, leading us to follow because of our being chosen to love?"

The 1st Reading for today from Isaiah is the famous reading of the peaceable kingdom:

"Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;The calf and the young lion shall browse together,with a little child to guide them.The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,together their young shall rest;the lion shall eat hay like the ox.The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,as water covers the sea."

Are we not called to love so that we may create this peaceable kingdom? Are we not chosen to love for this purpose? We are given the gifts to make it possible in our being chosen, the first part of this reading, is clear about what the Spirit will provide us:

"The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge,nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips."

Has God not chosen us like Isaiah speaks of Jesse? Has not God allowed a shoot to "sprout from our stump" and from our "roots a bud shall blossom?" Are we not to be the "signal for the nations" Isaiah speaks about? We are chosen to make the peaceable kingdom alive in our lives. We are chosen to love so much so that we become that peaceable kingdom.

Continuing on the topic of being chosen--Jesus speaks of the same in today's gospel. Jesus says: "No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

The question is do we allow Jesus to reveal himself, to reveal the Father to us? Do we recognize that we have been chosen?

A wonderful Advent theme: to be revealed. We are preparing for the revelation of God the Father in his Son, Jesus. Let us prepare our hearts daily to recognize how Jesus is revealed to us at all times.

In this Advent season, let us recommit ourselves and our hearts to the revelation of Christ. Let us open our eyes and see Jesus being revealed to us, see the beauty it is to be chosen!

Salvation for All

The following stands out from today's readings.

From Isaiah 4:2-6

"He who remains in Zion / and he who is left in Jerusalem / Will be called holy: / every one marked down for life in Jerusalem."

"Then will the LORD create, / over the whole site of Mount Zion / and over her place of assembly, / A smoking cloud by day / and a light of flaming fire by night. / For over all, the LORD’s glory will be shelter and protection: / shade from the parching heat of day, / refuge and cover from storm and rain."

From Matthew 8:5-11

"For I too am a man subject to authority..."

"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, / 'Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. / I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, / and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob / at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.' "

I can't help but see a message of salvation being spoken in the passages. They speak of the salvation that will take place at the end time. It is then that "we will be called holy" and that "many will come from the east and the west" to "the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."

For who will savation come? The Prophet Isaiah is clear, "For over all, the Lord's glory will be shelter and protection..." Jesus is just as clear, "many will come..."

This is a beautiful Advent message. As we "wait in joyful expectation" the spirit of the season is one of hope. When Jesus comes he is hope for all, that is, salvation for all. God is calling us to holiness by following the path completed in the birth of his son Jesus. Jesus is the path. It was the coming that made salvation possible for all.

If salvation is possible for all, then what is required of us? Faith. A lived faith. A faith that recognizes, like the centurion in today's gospel, that we are all subject to authority. Not an authority to fear, but one to recognize. Daniel Harrington, S.J., writes: "It [Advent] is an occassion for us to examine ourselves and try to see where the works of darkness may have entered. But moral conversion is not the whole story. Rather, the positive challenge is 'to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.' That means allowing our lives to be shaped even more by and better conformed to the person of Christ."

Let us then be hope for all, Jesus for all. Let us truly be Catholics, let us be universal. Who are the Gentiles of today that we are called to love? Who are the Gentiles that have much to teach us and instead we make Gentiles out of them? Let us love all.

Faith, Hope, and Love--and the greatest of these is Love.

WAIT!

It is a cold, Sunday night here in the novitiate. It's been a nice weekend. A lot of celebrating.

Yesterday, we "celebrated" the life of Br. Antonio Gonzaga. Br. Antonio died last Monday at the age of 84. It was a beautiful funeral. The eulogy, given by Br. James Riordan, focused on Br. Antonio as a man who was ever-present to life, to the present moment. In the evening, the LEO Center (Oakland) celebrated their friends (donors) with a nice presentation and dinner held here at Mont La Salle. Seven students spoke about their experience of LEO and how much of an impact it has had on them--one even brought us all to tears.

Today, we celebrated the beginining of Advent--the beginning of our preparation. Various Brothers have told me how much the novitiate year lends itself to really entering into the liturgical year and its seasons. It's been a gift to already feel that experience. I think one of the practices that helps make that possible is our "shared prayer" based on each Sunday's readings. Once a week, usually on Saturday mornings, we read the upcoming Sunday readings and each of us shares a reflection on them. A very good practice.

With the beginning of Advent, it is a great opporunity to really enter into the season and not rush into the Christmas season. This Sunday's reading came from Isaiah, Psalm 122, Paul's letter to the Romans, and the Gospel according to Matthew.

A couple of phrases struck me in the readings.

From Isaiah: "Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain,/ to the house of the God Jacob,/ that he may instruct us in his way/ and we may walk in his paths./ O house of Jacob, come,/ let us walk in the light of the Lord."

From Psalm 122: "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." (one of my favorite Spanish liturgical songs is based on this verse of Psalm 122)

From Paul's letter to the Romans: "It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep./ Let us then throw off the works of darkness/ and put on the armor of light..."

From the Gospel: "Therefore, stay awake!"

As I reflected on these passages, the Interior Life document from the Brothers' recent General Chapter in Rome came to mind. The Interior Life document speaks of being Brothers with "eyes wide open;" Brothers who live a spirituality of "mystical realism;" and Brothers who are "captured" as a result. I think this is very much an Advent message: "eyes wide open," "mystical realism," and "captured."

The readings call us to the people on the way ("Come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord"), on the way with eyes wide open ("...awake from your sleep") going toward the mystical realism, toward the light rejoicing so that we truly are awakened by the light, that is, captured by Jesus. The Gospel speaks of the end of time, the end of the world and our need to prepared. Yes, an Advent message: We should be captivated by the light this season, captivated by hope, by the coming of Jesus, that we may live with eyes wide open, awakened, so that hope triumphs over fear, light prevails over darkness. All this so that Jesus becomes the path in our life, the path to the Father. We are from God and are a people on the way back to God.

The Advent season is all about preparation. Preparing our hearts to once again renew our commitment, welcome again Jesus and let him once again be that path that leads us "rejoicing to the house of the Lord."

I titled this reflection WAIT because of the need in our world today to really prepare for the coming of our Savior. Let's not skip to "Christmas" without taking the time to wait and prepare our hearts. Let us WAIT to truly have the opportunity to realize what the "happiest time of the year" is all about.

I have made it a goal of mine this Advent to practice waiting in the practical ways of life. I was inspired by a reflection I read by a Jesuit priest who gives some "first advent-week hints:"

"Contrary to popular expectations, Advent decorations are more helpful than Christmas decorations. What might these be? Unlit candles placed in windows are a good Advent symbol. One lit Advent candle gives its little illumination during these first seven days. An empty cup or bowl placed near the Advent Wreath speaks of longing. One small sweet at the end of the evening meal can speak of the fuller joy that is coming. A good joke or word puzzle can be shared, but not the punch line or solution is spoken until the next meal. We need to grow in our sense of reaching for and not demandingly having it."

Toward the end of his reflection he writes about the Apostles in today's gospel who question Jesus about when the end will come. Jesus response to the Apostles (the gospel reading) is all about simply waiting and being prepared. The reflection ends with some practical advice for us in light of this:

"“Now, when is this going to happen, what day, where and just what exactly is going to happen?” Don’t ask! Just keep watching, keep learning, keep waiting. After all it is the season of Advent."