– Br. Michael, ofm

You know those movies which have that perfect line at the perfect time and it either launches the movie forward, breaks open the message or sends us into a montage of the moments that make up this moment?

In the gospel of Mark, the story of the man with leprosy (Mark 1.40-45) would be one of those perfect moments. It would build to the moment when the man says to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Then when Jesus responds with “I do choose. Be made clean” cue the music, the intense gaze and montage. It really is a beautiful and powerful moment which is not a Hollywood moment rather an invitation for us.

“If you choose…”   “I do choose…”

These two short sentences are powerful ones and although only part of a larger scripture story they are also words of our story.

“If you choose”

I say to Christ time and again,

as if it’s a wish and as if my way is the right way.

“If you choose”

I say to Christ

not focusing on what I’m choosing and not focusing what is out of alignment.

“If you choose”

I say to Christ

almost in the sense of “prove it – show me” like a defiant stance.

Christ always responds, even if I don’t see how or where.

“I do choose”

Christ says time and again

with deep love, compassion and with endless mercy.

“I do choose”

Christ says focusing us as a beloved child of God

and being created in the image of God.

“I do choose”

Christ says with assurance of his lasting presence

and peace beyond the surface (and yet we often latch onto the fading surface).

When the man with leprosy came to Jesus and said, “If you choose, you can make me clean,” he came not with a wish rather with faith. I would like to think a faith that regardless of how Christ responded his life would be changed. He had to come surrendering his all, looking at what was trapping him and trusting in transformation. We struggle with this. I know I do. “How will Christ respond? What if I don’t want to surrender it all? What if my trappings are keeping me comfortable – and I like comfortable? What if transformation feels too big or freeing or beyond my limits?” These are the questions I ask. Then I start to change my question.

“If you choose, can you change me just a little bit, but not too much there? Make me clean as in like a quick shower so I can come back again and ask for another cleaning? Or how about just choosing for today?” It’s funny how we play tricks with our self when it comes to surrender, freedom and transformation. I know how I rework these gifts in my mind and settle for less rather than allow the fullness of Christ to penetrate my all. Regardless, Christ says, “I do choose” because he is for us. He Is not an obstacle or a hoop and loop to jump through and he is not a prize to be earned. He is for us, he is constantly saying, “I do choose. I do choose. I do choose.” His choosing also may be translated as:

“I am with you always until the end of the ages.”

Matthew 28.20

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.”

John 15.9

“Your faith has made you well.”

Mark 5.34

Christ chooses us time and again, it is his mission, his heart’s desire to continually have humanity and creation before him, to gaze on us with love. In choosing us he chooses to free us from all which binds us, to set captives free, to proclaim justice, to bring good news, to recovery our sight and affirm God’s favour with us (Luke 4.16-17).

Christ does choose and yet so often we choose not to hear or see. May our eyes be opened to the transforming power of the love of Christ. He chooses us time and again. May our hearts be softened and our fears surrendered. We are transformed and life is abounding when we see our new self made clean and set free.

I say to Christ “If you choose” and before I can finish the sentence Christ responds, “I do choose.”  Let us remember this generosity in how we respond to our sisters and brothers and creation this week.

Photo Credit: Claudio Schwarz Purzlbaum

– Br. Michael, ofm

“Do not, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10.35-36

These two verses from scripture caught my attention. I see them as speaking to each of us in our call to live out our vocation. Regardless if we are married, single, a religious sister or brother or a priest we need a confidence to endure the journey of a life and stay in tune with God’s will. All of us are consecrated at our baptism. This gift is embedded with confidence and endurance to “run and not grow weary” (Isaiah 40.31), to “shine our light” (Matthew 5.16) and “bear much fruit” (John 15.5). Each of us are called forth in baptism to be heralds of the good news and the way we live our lives is the greatest witness of this. I am mindful of my baptism as I reflect on my life as a religious brother. It is in this being incorporated into Christ at baptism that then calls me to live my vows and vocation in this specific way.

February 2 is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and also celebrates World Day for Consecrated Life. This year being the 25^th Anniversary of this designation. A day marked in the Catholic Church to pray for and be mindful of women and men religious – sisters, brothers, priests and hermits along with those who belong to secular institutes and those who make private vows. It is in professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience that we live out the promise of our baptismal call in these specific ways.

In living as a religious brother, I am constantly called back to not abandoning the confidence which is mine. This is not about being prideful and boasting, it is rather an anchoring in Christ. My confidence is found in Him whom I pattern my life after by living the gospel. It is this same confidence in which St. Francis trusted when he heard his call to go and rebuild the church. He didn’t set out to become a founder of a religious order rather he was expressing this confidence and living with an endurance the will of God the best he could. St. Francis is quoted as saying near the end of his life, “I have done what is mine to do, may you now do what is yours.” This conviction is established in a confidence that Christ was at work in him, that he was a vessel of the Holy Spirit for his time and place and that the promise of life eternal was at the heart of how he strived to live his consecrated life.

As I continue on in this consecrated religious life, I like St. Francis, continue to adjust my focus to see and profess more clearly “My God and My All” in my daily living. If I make my vows and not live them out well, they become empty promises. If I squander the confidence I have in self-sustaining ways, then I am forgetting that my vows call me into relationship with others. If I trust in my will forgetting that God is at work in me, I am out of step with my heart. These are the challenges I face as a religious in making my living authentic, honest and true. The reward is not earthly treasures – although tempting. The reward is not even in trying to live like St. Francis. The reward is in listening and being present to God who dwells in me. It is in doing this that I can live my vows well, walk forward in confidence with endurance knowing that God’s will is at work in me and the promises God makes to me are always kept.

How do you see yourself as consecrated?

Who calls forth this gift in your life?

“The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.” – St. Anthony of Padua

Photo Credit: Marina Raspopova

– Br. Michael, ofm

Nine months ago, I became part of an ecumenical prayer group. Our group of four meets online several times a week to pray together. Each gathering is a unique experience and expression of faith. The four of us come from four different Christian denominations and vary in age. This has enhanced our gatherings and the diversity of what it means to be Christian and Church. I think the four of us would each identify as seekers building on ancient traditions, practices and relying upon mystics both near and far, current and of history. We each bring a healthy curiosity to our prayer and dialogue. We also bring favorite authors and theologians who inspire the situations from which we come to prayer. One member is inquisitive, another reminds us of gratitude, and another helps us to linger in the sacred moments of silence. It is indeed rich and bearing fruit.

Nine months in we may not be birthing an ecumenical document or a guide to prayer, but we are birthing a common home for Christians from four walks of life. Together we tune into the Divine Love of our Creator God, the anchoring of our savior Jesus Christ and the continual promptings and nudges of the Holy Spirit.

I have been thinking about this gift of prayer in this group as we begin Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year the theme is “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit” (John 15.5-9).

This theme for Christian Unity is manifested in our prayer group. We abide in the love of Jesus Christ by trusting each other with our stories and inviting him as our common anchor. We abide in love as we voice prayers and concerns not just for each other but for our families, our communities, and our countries. We abide in love as the words of the prayers become balm for our weary hearts and inspiration for the work which is ours to do. When we abide in love, we then indeed bear fruit in the communities in which we live. We bear the fruit of open hearts for those we encounter. We bear the fruit of welcome and hospitality because we have offered it to each other. We bear the fruit of mystical hearts being transformed because the Spirit is binding us together as we bear witness to the divine love of our God at work and present in our lives.

These simple weekly gatherings of prayer are indeed a witness of God’s abiding love, bearing fruit for the kingdom. It also brings to mind the words of Jesus, “that all may be one” (John 17.21). Here we are four people from four different Christian heritages and we our bound together as one. Our common anchor of Jesus Christ makes us one. We don’t see the division of denominations as a hinderance. In fact, our differences have been one of the riches and is where the seed is being planted for more fruit bearing. I can’t help but wonder if this would not be the way to move forward with Christian Unity.

These prayer gatherings have also reminded me of my small rural town where I grew up. Ninety-eight percent of the community was Christian while I was growing up. In my hometown there are three Christian Churches and yes, we all went (and still do) into our own buildings to pray in certain ways on Sundays but yet were able to come together as a community to support each other. During feasts and festivals, burying the dead, supporting the needy, encouraging the youth and value the contributions of each towards the community and coming together at times to pray, mourn and celebrate. Is this not abiding in love? Is this not bearing fruit? If this not being one?

Too often we use Jesus as the dividing factor instead of the common anchor. Jesus isn’t just for me or just for you or just for them. When we do this, we divide Christ instead of building up his body. When we fail to acknowledge this and push our own agenda we fail to abide in love and bear fruit. It is time for us as Christians to appreciate our diverse heritages, to accept what we offer to the encompassing title of Christianity and to build the kingdom together as one with Christ Jesus as our cornerstone (Ephesians 2.20-21). This is the work of abiding in love and the benefits are fruit which will last, will be shared, and will be sustained. It is time… let us be united in the abiding love of Christ Jesus as our world continues to struggle, so together we all “shall bear much fruit.”

Photo credits:

Jose Alfonso Sierra

Maja Petric

Ben White

Mateus Campos Felipe

– Br. Michael, ofm

Epiphany is traditionally celebrated on January 6, however various Christian sects celebrate it anywhere between January 3 and 19. This feast sometimes known as “Little Christmas” is a beautiful reminder of Christ – our Emmanuel – being made known to the world, through the visit of the magi. It also ushers in the dignity of our baptism and our call to be messengers of peace, hope and light. Both great reasons to continue to celebrate Christmas time!

Isaiah 60:1-6 is one of the scriptures ascribed to Epiphany. It is a rich text and reminds us of the light given to us in Christ and the light which we have been entrusted to carry. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” is how this text begins! What a great reminder as we begin this New Year. What a great reminder as we claim again who we are as God’s beloved children. What a great reminder that our God is indeed with us in the chapters of this year just unfolding.

365 opportunities, I was reminded on December 31, to share in God’s love and build the kingdom. Epiphany calls us to see that each one of us hold a treasure. The start of a New Year, even the start of every month is an opportunity for us to evaluate how much we have encountered God’s love and how we have shared the treasure of our light. May we, this year focus on our treasure-light bearing moments as our first reflections each day and each night instead of what was not or the burdens which we face. “Our light has come.” Let us walk in this light today (just as the magi did) and each day of 2021.

In closing for this first reflection of 2021, I share with you the heart-felt prayer of my dear friend and prayer companion Melita. Melita is an amazing child-care provider and continually allows herself to be in wonder and awe of God present. She crafted this prayer in the early part of New Year’s Day, it spoke to me and were the words I was looking for, I know they will be a blessing for you as well.

A Prayer of Reflection and Gratitude

Heavenly Creator,

I offer this heart song to you.

Hello New Day! Hello New Year! We’ve been expecting you … waiting for you. We wonder what you might have in store for us. Will you bring more of the same? Suffering, unrest, division, anger, fear? Yes, surely that is to be expected. The world we fell asleep in last night, is the same world that we woke up in this morning.

This morning we are still in a global pandemic. There is suffering due to natural disasters, racial and social injustice, and political corruption abounds … there is evil, violence, prejudice, and hatred throughout the world. Yes, same world … same burdens.

But what you offer, 2021, is a new hope. An opportunity to look at things with a fresh set of eyes, an open heart and helping hands … a new perspective. You offer a promise that as long as there is a new day, we have a chance to begin again.

So, on this New Year morning (in these early days of this New Year) that welcomed me with a spectacular sunrise, urging me to step out and forward into the day, on this glorious morning, I say Thank You!

Thank you, Divine Love, for the year that was …

– For the drive and motivation

– For the Divine Light that led me

– For the upset, pain, stress, that continues to strengthen bonds and carries us forward into new, loving ways of being

– For the incomprehensible, amazing, life changing, enriching spiritual movements that propelled me throughout this year

– For the technology that has kept us all connected during lockdowns

– For front line workers who have sacrificed and endured, and continue to do so, caring for the sick during the pandemic.

– For God’s Divine Love and Presence, ever strengthening, always enduring, and guiding

Thank you 2020, for the Holy Darkness that came and magnified the Light. It brought Love and the hope of a new day. Thank you, for the enduring, everlasting light that continues to bring promise and hope of a new day, into this New Year.

Let us not forget 2020. May we hold in reverence the pain and darkness that was encountered this past year and offer gratitude for the gifts of blessings and goodness that came into light.

Thank you, Glorious God – Loving Creator, Nurturing Mother.

In the name of Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, I pray.

Amen

Happy New Year!

May we be brave enough to let the light fill all our days in 2021!

Happy Epiphany!

May the star also lead us to the crib of Christ and beyond, enlightening our steps forward.

– Br. Michael, ofm

A few years ago, a young friend of mine gave me a card during Advent. He had drawn it himself. On it were three mountains and bannering across the top in bold childhood writing was the word LOVE. That simple card triggered for me a reality check about how I was using the word love and how I was not. It also promoted me to make the word Love a more evident part of my prayers and reflections for the coming year. I had found that our culture uses love for everything from cars to pizza to sweaters to family and I was caught up in that. With our limitations on the word love we often fail to express ourselves well and this simple card awoke that in me.

That card crosses my mind again as we move into this final week of Advent and the coming feast of Christmas. The image of the mountains on that card remind me again that God’s love is present on our mountain peaks and also in our valley depths because no matter what we face or endure our hearts can “forever… sing of your steadfast love, O Lord” (Psalm 89). Love on our mountain peaks is easy to describe it is the family at table, the good news we are told and the celebrations of life. However, to sing and live out the steadfast love is not always easy yet our God is with us. When we endure a health crisis, live in a pandemic or stand at the edge of a grave it is hard to think of love bannering over us. When we flee a war-torn country, face the ugly reality of racism or defend the dignity of another it may be hard to think of love bannering over us. Yet it is in these dark valley moments that the banner drops and wraps itself around us with hope, courage and strength. Our hearts are softened as this love settles in and we again align with God’s love, which no matter the mountain top or valley depth is declaring goodness, offering comfort and encouraging us to live well.

Mary had to trust that love was in the message of the angel, she had to trust that love would win over Joseph’s worries, she had to trust that love would guide her as she freely declared “Here am I, the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1.38) This was trusting in the goodness, comfort, encouragement and strength of love. As we journey into these final days of Advent, amongst the chaos, uncertainties and this pandemic can we allow love to banner over us and be the road we walk to Bethlehem? Can we trust that love is the road of our heart leading to the crib of Christ? Can we with Mary trust that love is real and not some simple illusion or fix that commercials try and sell us? Can we with Mary say “here I am, I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord?”

Week Four of Advent is known as the Week of Love. May this final week of Advent awaken us to the truth of love. Where do you need to incorporate love into your daily living in these days ahead? Let that love be your guide to break through the demands of the week. The days are few, the weariness may seem overpowering but hope remains, peace breathes in us and joy lights the flame of our heart. May we walk boldly in love during these final days of Advent, in the coming season of Christmas and into 2021.

BE BORN IN ME

With an earnest heart

and childlike hope

be born in me I pray.

Be born in me I pray

your love made known

in my words and ways.

Seeking true light

kindled in me

be born in me I pray

Be born in me I pray

your very heart

made known each day.

Humility and openness

are the vessels I offer

be born in me I pray

Be born in me I pray

Christ Child you are welcome

each and every day.

Artwork: Claire Ziprick

Photo: Josiah Weiss