We are warmed by the fire, not by the smoke

 

Conference spiritual reflection

We are warmed by fire, not by the smoke of the fire. We are carried over the sea by a ship not by the wake of a ship. So too, what we are is to be sought in the invisible depths of our own being, not in our outward reflection in our own acts. We must find our real selves not in the froth stirred up by the impact of our being upon beings around us, but in our own soul which is the principle of all our acts.

Merton, Thomas, “No Man is an Island” p 117, 1955, Harcourt Inc., New York

Conference Spiritual Reading - December 14, 2020

 

Image credit: Melani Pyke - https://www.melpyke.com/

“O’ Adonai, God of the Covenant, and King of Israel, You appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and you gave the sacred law on Mount Sinai. Come now! With an outstretched arm, redeem us! - O Antiphon from Vespers, 18 December

Christ, the Lord, who is God Most High and Son of God, was at work with the Father during the early days of Israel, in the time of the first Covenant. He comes to us now, establishing a New Covenant in our hearts, with the task of delivering us from the power of Satan and bringing us into His kingdom.  

To Moses, God appeared in a flaming bush in the desert and as thunder and lightning on the mountain. To us, He appears in a humble piece of bread – the Eucharist. Do we realize the fire and flame that comes to us?

We are called to accept this fire and flame into our being, so that we can go forth and, in every step of ours, shed this flame, this fire of love, upon all the earth so that it may be renewed. For that is the desire of Christ the Lord!”

Catherine Doherty, “Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas,” Madonna House Publications, Combermere, Ontario

Conference Reading - Sharing what we have been given

 

"Let the people we encounter know about God through the lives we lead..."

Conference spiritual reading selected by Deacon Steve.

“If we have to tell people about God, let us tell them about what he has done for us, about what we have personally experienced; the transformation of our fears, the freedom from the prisons of false myths, the passion of our hunger and where it has led us. That is, if we have to speak. Otherwise, let the people we encounter know about God through the lives we lead: by our willingness to bear the pain of forgiving, by our joy in the humblest of tasks, by our laughter even in the darkest moments.

“What we have been given is not only given for us. It is given to be shared. Only in that sharing do we experience what it means to be Church, and if we are truly Church, then we can transform the institutions we now have and thereby create open spaces - those temples and sanctuaries - in which God who promises to be ever with us, can dwell and in which others who are now lost and alienated and searching can dwell and fulfill themselves creatively.”

Williams, S.J., Monty. “Stepping into Mystery: Four Approaches to a Spiritual Life” Novalis Publishing Inc., Toronto 2012, P. 52

Feast day of St. Vincent de Paul - September 27

 

A reflection by Deacon Steve

“…our Lord's work is accomplished not so much by the multitude of workers as by the fidelity of the small number whom He calls." - St. Vincent de Paul

As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul (unfortunately it falls on a Sunday so it is not mentioned) let us ponder these words he wrote.

There may be times we are tempted to get discouraged or begin to doubt what we are doing in our service to the Lord. The more we give out the greater we become aware that the need dwarfs the work we have done. Somehow it may feel overwhelming. In this time of Covid-19 indeed we are hearing that the rich grow vastly richer and the poor are becoming even more numerous.

St. Vincent reminds us that we are to stay focused on our love for our Lord and our Lord’s people and allow that love to grow ever deeper. We are not to “count” the results or measure as the world does.
Instead, with God’s grace, we are to allow our Lord to open and fill our hearts with our Lord’s abundant goodness, love and mercy, and then go out and be that love for others. That is all the Lord asks of us and God will do the rest.

Deacon Steve Pitre is Spiritual Advisor to our Conference in Newmarket

The Paradox of the Cross

Spiritual Reading, Monday September 14, 2020

Deacon Steve took our spiritual reading last Monday from “The Passion and the Cross”, a book by Ron Rolheiser.

“A man, a God, hangs naked, exposed vulnerable, defenseless, silent, with his arms stretched wide, open for an embrace, and with his hands also stretched open with nails driven through them. Yet strangely, in all that, we don’t see bitterness, defeat and anger. Paradoxically, we see their opposite. This is what real trust, love, and metanoia (un-paranoia) look like.

And I say “look like” because we don’t understand this- we see it. We don’t understand intellectually how giving oneself over in betrayal teaches trust, nor how vulnerability and powerlessness are the real powers that bring about intimacy. But we see this when we look at the cross of Jesus. It is no wonder that so many people - millions, literally – wear a cross as a symbol of love, trust and hope. Unconsciously, they know, however dimly, what theology can never quite make clear to us: namely, that what divides us from each other can only be bridged by the cross of Christ, and that our hope for intimacy and community is not in ourselves but in an embrace that is beyond us. In a cross this is not understood, it’s seen- mystically, not rationally.”

Rolheiser, Ron, “The Passion and the Cross”, Franciscan Media, Cincinnati, 2015, p. 74

We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish

Image credit: rlcfchurch.org

by Deacon Steve Pitre

“We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish”

As we listen to the apostle’s response to Jesus statement, “…you give them something to eat,” do we hear ourselves saying the same thing from time to time? We may not say it like they did but I know I have said to myself, “I only have so many hours in the day and most of that is spent working, commuting and then with family.”

Resurrection, Not Resuscitation

Following is an extract from a reflection on last Sunday's readings by Stephen Bevans, SVD and
Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD of the Catholic Theological Union. The Gospel was Matthew 14:13-21, the feeding of the multitude.

It is the generous extravagance and abundance of “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” that we need to keep in mind in this trying, difficult, almost unbearable time in our lives. We are in that “deserted place” and it is “already late.” If you are like me, it’s not just the COVID-19 pandemic that is terrifying — and that is terrifying enough. It is the racism and hatred that has revealed itself, the shocking individualism that is prolonging the agony of these months, the painful call (for some of us — liberating for others!) to revise our history and our heroes, the dangerous disregard for science and real wisdom that is harming an entire generation. It is the disregard for human lives, especially Black lives today, that is making us pant with thirst. It is a refusal to see the harm we are causing to our planet, and to future generations of plants and animals and human children, that is making us faint with hunger. We desperately need the love of God in Jesus to feed us with hope, with compassion, with patience, with perseverance.

He Had Compassion

Here is an extract from the Pope's noonday Angelus comments on todays's Gospel about the multiplication of the loaves and fishes:

The compassion and tenderness that Jesus showed towards the crowds is not sentimentality, but rather the concrete manifestation of the love that cares for the people’s needs.

Why does God Let this Happen?

Dorothy Day in 1934

Why does God Let this Happen?

(Covid 19 Reflection #5)

This reflection, written by Denise Bondy, Chair of the ONRC Spirituality Committee, is curated from the SSVP Ontario member site "Spirituality Corner"
 https://members.ssvp.on.ca/en/thoughts.php

God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
(Genesis 1:31)

The poor you will always have with you.
(Matthew 26: 11)

As I write this, some of Ontario is in Stage 3 of the covid 19 re-opening plan while the rest of us remain in Stage 2. It’s becoming a long, long summer.

Working Together and the Need for Friendship

Christian Verheyde, in his book, "15 Days of Prayer with Blessed Frederic Ozanam," has a chapter titled, "The Problem of Collaboration" (p. 84.) In this chapter he summarizes some of the challenges that Blessed Frederic and his companions and followers faced as their "Conference of Charity", as it was called, grew and matured and multiplied. "Charity" was not always in evidence in their meetings, as Blessed Frederic himself testified in his letters to friends. In one letter he wrote…

Jesus commissioned a community

The Gospel reading for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary time usually leaves us feeling uncomfortable. I recommend this take on today's Gospel as one that has real applicability to us as Vincentians. I particularly suggest reflecting on the part where Sr. McGone writes, "...in this Gospel Jesus commissioned a community, not individuals. No one of us will ever be sufficiently worthy or equal to take up Jesus' mission."

Read her full reflection here: Love makes us worthy

(Unsplash/Alex Block)                                                      .

The Holy Spirit and three enemies of self-giving

This post draws on two articles reporting on the Pentecost Sunday homily of Pope Francis, one from the Jesuit publication,  America Magazine, and the other from Vatican News.

The Spirit, the living memory of the church

In his Pentecost Sunday homily, Pope Francis told Christians worldwide, “The Spirit, the living memory of the church, reminds us that we are born from a gift and that we grow by giving, not by holding on, but by giving of ourselves.”

Laudato Si’ Day 2 - #246 A Christian Prayer

Today we continue Laudato Si’ #246
Firstly, simply read what the pope wrote. Then read it again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out the most to you. With a third reading, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell the Lord how you feel about what you read and why: Frustration? Encouragement? Helplessness? Resolve? Whatever. Allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence. Conclude by praying the prayer again, simply and quietly. 
The refrain, “Praise be to you!” echoes the hymn of St. Francis, “Laudato Si’”.

A Christian prayer in union with creation

Father, we praise you with all your creatures.

Laudato Si’ Day 1 - #246 A prayer for our earth

Firstly, simply read what the pope wrote. Then read it again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out the most to you. With a third reading, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell the Lord how you feel about what you read and why: Frustration? Encouragement? Helplessness? Resolve? Whatever. Allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence. Conclude by praying the prayer again, simply and quietly.
Don’t focus only on the prayer itself. Consider also what the Pope is saying in the introduction to the prayer.

#246. At the conclusion of this lengthy reflection which has been both joyful and troubling, I propose that we offer two prayers. The first we can share with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator, while in the other we Christians ask for inspiration to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus.

In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income

The following is reprinted from  the Jesuit review, "America", under the title: In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income by Kevin Clarke. (Italics and emphases have been added by me.)

Image credit: www.americamagazine.org

In a remarkable Easter Sunday letter to members of social movements around the world, Pope Francis, noting that the widespread suffering caused by the global coronavirus pandemic does not fall evenly, suggested that the crisis warranted the establishment of a universal basic income. He described it also as an opportunity for affluent societies to “downshift” and re-evaluate patterns of consumption and exploitation.

“This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out,” Pope Francis wrote. “It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights.” (In the original text, the pope used an expression, “el salario universal,” that is typically used in Spanish to refer to the universal basic income.)

MESSAGE CONCERNING THE PANDEMIC - By Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

MESSAGE CONCERNING THE PANDEMIC

- By Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

  National Spiritual Advisor

Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

Along with all the directives and information that have already been sent out by our Vincentian leadership, and on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Oscar Romero, I would like to add a brief reflection on this present Corona virus Covid-19 crisis.

Apparently, the word “crisis” in Chinese has two possible meanings – “escape” or “opportunity,” and it is up to us to determine which of these two meanings will characterize our response. I know it is the latter, which invites us to explore how best to realize that option.

The spiritual writer Jean-Pierre de Caussade, author of Abandonment to Divine Providence, advises living in the present moment, accepting obstacles with love and humility, and encountering God in our day-to-day activities. He also asserts everything which happens is in some sense God’s will, perhaps best expressed by the certitude that God can and does turn everything to the good for those who love God. 

Three Essential Elements of Vincentian Life

Among the essential elements to our work and life as Vincentians there are, at least, three. The most obvious of these, in the public eye, is our ministry to the poor and vulnerable. This is the one that gets measured and reported on. It is also very easy for us to see the spiritual value attached to this ministry as when we read St. Matthew's gospel, chapter 25, about the judgement between the sheep and the goats when Jesus returns in glory as King. However, there are two other essential elements which we neglect at great risk to our very mission and ministry. I compare them to gasoline and oil in a motor car.

The first of the other two elements, which I compare to gasoline for a car, is our personal spiritual life - our connection with God our Father, with Christ our Lord, and with the Holy Spirit. This is the source of our power to minister to the poor. Without a spiritual life of regular prayer, Scripture and the sacraments our tank gets empty. You can only run on fumes for a very short while before you sputter and stop. Frederic Ozanam's spiritual life included daily reading and meditating on the Bible and regularly going to mass and communion. (His wife gives us this testimony: Despite his grave illness he never put aside his time of prayer. I have never seen him go to bed at night or rise in the morning without making the sign of the cross. In the morning he reads the Bible in Greek and meditates for half an hour. During the last days of his life he attended Mass on a daily basis and found support and consolation in doing this.)

"I have come to set the earth on fire" - Jesus of Nazareth

Here is the Pope's address before the Angelus today...

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In today’s Gospel (Lk 12:49-53), Jesus warns the disciples that the time to make a decision has come. His coming into the world, in fact, coincides with the time to make decisive choices: choosing the Gospel cannot be postponed. And to better understand His call, He uses the image of fire that He Himself came to bring to earth. Thus, He says: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing”. These words are intended to help the disciples abandon any attitude of laziness, apathy, indifference and closure, to welcome the fire of God’s love; that love which, as Saint Paul reminds us, “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). Because it is the Holy Spirit that makes us love God and makes us love our neighbor; it is the Holy Spirit that we all have inside.

Spiritual Reflection, Summer 2019 - Attitude

When a person first learns to fly airplanes, this pilot-to-be is trained to fly under what is called VFR. This is an acronym for Visual Flight Rules where the pilot relies on being able to see the horizon in front and on the sides. Only later do they learn IFR, Instrument Flight Rules, whereby flying is purely with reference to flight deck instruments and navigation under direction from Air Traffic Control.

Visual Flight Rules provides a good analogy for many life circumstances, but a particularly beautiful one for Christians and, in particular, for Vincentians and people in ministry to others. This is because VFR is all about two basic words: attitude and power.

Spiritual reflection for June from National

Referring to the spiritual reflection for June from National Conference, Louisa Steele, our local conference president, writes: This Spiritual Reflection received from National contains important insight into how God is present while we perform our services to the poor as well as help one another to grow in the knowledge and love of God.

Here is the link where you can read the SSVP National Conference SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - JUNE 2019.