REFLECTIONS

Dee Anne Short, Bishop Kelley High School, Tulsa, OK

Midwest District

Lent 2011

Dear Brothers and Lasallians of the Midwest Dis-trict,

We are pleased to present to you the Lenten Re-flection booklet for 2011. We are grateful to Brother Larry Schatz, to the Animators who mobi-lized the writers, and those who prepared the re-flections for our use. We are fortunate that mem-bers of our own District – students, teachers, staff members, Lasallian Animators, administrators, board members, Lasallian Volunteers, and Broth-ers from our ministries or communities - have pon-dered the spirit of the daily readings and are will-ing to share their insights with us as we pray daily during Lent.

These reflections should give you a good start on giving focus to following the 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday in a uniquely Lasal-lian way. May it be a faith-filled and hope-filled ex-perience rooted in the Scriptures and our own ex-periences.

God bless you as you pray your way towards the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter.

Brother Francis Carr, Visitor ASH WEDNESDAY, March 9

Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Once again it’s Ash Wednesday, that sobering re-minder that we should get a little more serious about our faith. Many of us will receive the mark of repentance today, the ashes that mark us as fol-lowers of Christ. The passage from Joel begins: “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart…” There really is no better summons to define what we ought to be about these next six weeks.Most of us start off determined to do something different during Lent, to take something on or to deprive ourselves of something, just as a way of observing the call of this holy season. Six weeks can be a long time and most of us can waver pretty easily. But the summons from Joel reminds us that the call is always in the present, so even if we slip or fail to keep our Lenten observance, it’s never too late: “Even now, return to me with all your heart.”God simply wants our attention and our devotion and especially our wholehearted response. We all know what a half-hearted response looks like and feels like, because we have been on both the re-ceiving and giving end of such a response. So, it’s never too late to start over, to renew our efforts, to try to give God all we’ve got, even if it’s for just

a few minutes a day. If we can succeed in giving God our full attention for a time each day, we are taking some giant steps toward returning to the Lord with all our heart. Hang in there! What can I do each day to draw myself closer to God during this season?When is the last time I really put my heart into something?Bro. Larry Schatz, Assistant ProvincialMidwest District

Thursday, March 10Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9,22-25

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “If any want to be-come my followers, let them deny themselves and take their cross daily and follow me.” –Luke 9:23Reflecting on this passage, I have come to realize that my cross can be found within the transitions I have been encountering throughout the past year. I have left the religion of my family to become a Catholic, I have begun college, I have lost my grandfather, and I have been forced to leave be-hind my friends of many years. Jesus has said in this passage that it will not be easy and those who once befriended us will possibly reject us. I experi-enced this rejection to the fullest by many people as I made my transition into the Catholic faith. It has been hard losing relationships and following God in the way He has called me. It has been hard to do what God commands, to pick up my cross and follow Him, but God did not force me to carry

my cross alone. Many people have assisted me in my transition; Brothers, Priests, Professors, and friends have been there lifting the weight of the cross from my shoulders. This is what the Gospel reading says the most to me—if we simply follow God’s commands and do what is right, we will not be alone and he will bless us with people to help us through our struggles.How about you? What is your cross or burden? How are you letting others help you carry your cross, the cross that Christ carried for all of us?

John Austin Tubbs, FreshmanChristian Brothers University, Memphis, TN

Friday, March 11Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15

At first glance these two readings appear to be in-compatible, but a closer look reveals that Isaiah is giving us the directions of how to fast and Matthew is telling us when to fast. I don’t think I am alone when I describe Lent as a time of intro-spection, silent personal prayer, quietly giving something up and offering these acts to God as a form of penance. Isaiah calls us to a different Lenten experience, one that includes introspec-tion, prayer, and giving up; but one that also takes all of this and calls us to come out of our selfish-ness. Lent should be a time of fasting but fasting from our self-centeredness. Isaiah is calling us to come out of ourselves, to leave our inner selves

and to be open to others and their differing needs. We should not be asking God to forgive us but to seek forgiveness from others that we have treated unjustly. We are called to nourish others, with emotional and physical food. At a second look, Isaiah gives us the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as a set of directions to follow to make our time of Lent pleasing to God.

Matthew enjoyed the company of Jesus, the true physical presence of Jesus. We do not. Jesus is not physically present to us, our bridegroom is not here. Therefore, the time for fasting is now. Reflecting and acting on the readings of Isaiah and Matthew will enable us to have a holistic and deeply meaningful Lenten experience.

Anne Edwards, PrincipalSan Miguel School, Tulsa, OK

Saturday, March 12Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32

Have you ever prayed to God for a favor? Has God ever responded to your prayer? Was there ever a time in your life when you felt that your prayer was abandoned by God? Have you ever cried out to God to help you when you were in need, only to feel He let you down? Silence brings sadness to a hungry soul that needs God to touch it. Isaiah tells us today that when we call out to God, God will answer every time. At times I will ask God for help or for a miracle and I

will feel that God did not answer my prayer, but I will later realize that I just didn’t receive the an-swer that I wanted at the time. This is the same for everyone; God will answer as a father cares for his children. God didn’t place us in this world to work miracles for everyone but to guide everyone through darkness to see light. This is Lent, we may have to walk a path of darkness, sadness, and suf-fering to see the light of the resurrected Jesus, but we say, “Here I am Lord, to walk in your image and suffer in your shoes.” We are called to accept everyone from the hungry to the sinner just as Je-sus accepted the poor and tax collectors. At the end of our pathway we will see the goodness that wipes away the darkness from our path. When we see light we will be filled with the plenty that God gives us. The Lord will guide us always and will re-new our strength. Once we all see the goodness, our world will raise from evil to the goodness that God intended it to be. God will never abandon his children!

Alejandro Estrada, Junior De La Salle Institute, Chicago, IL

First Sunday of Lent, March 13Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7/Romans 5:12-19/Matthew 4:1-11God Is EnoughA hallmark of John Baptist de La Salle’s spirituality is a profound trust in the providence of God. God is enough. God provides enough. Doubting these spiri-tual truths opens us up to deceptive half-truths that tempt us to sin. We are warned about this in the Gen-

esis account of the first human sin. Tempted by the snake, Eve saw that the forbidden tree “was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.” But that was only a half-truth; the full truth was that God had already given Adam and Eve boun-tiful food, breathtaking beauty, and a share in divine wisdom (having made them in his image). From this perspective the original sin was a failure to trust in the providence of God.

Evidently Satan felt there was no reason not to try the same temptation with the Son of God. In the Gospel he essentially says to Jesus, “You have miracu-lous powers; use them to satisfy your hunger with food, with fame, with power!” But Jesus answers that what truly satisfies the hungers of our heart is the word of God. His words and actions teach us that what God provides is enough.

Our consumerist culture presents us with modern versions of these temptations. The other night I made myself watch some prime time TV commercials. I was told that owning the right car would bring me seren-ity, having the right exercise equipment would bring me health, and using the right phone would bring me into communion with the world. Of course, these are only half-truths, just like the half-truths the devil used to tempt Eve and Jesus. Let’s listen to De La Salle and follow Jesus’ example by rejecting these empty promises. Only God can provide what we truly need to satisfy the hungers of our heart.

Brian Singer-Towns, Senior Editor,Saint Mary’s Press, Winona, MN

Monday, March 14Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Matthew 25:31-46

Be Like God “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Lev 19:18 “Truly, I say to you as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me.” Mt 25:40

How does God treat me? When I disobey and act on my will what does he do? He loves me. How does He love me? He reaches out to me through the kindness, sacrifice and obedience of others. Our goal in this life is to show our love for God as frequently as possible. The lists provided in these scriptures give us thousands of ways to accom-plish our goal. How frequently is what will differ-entiate us from all others and it is how our faith will be judged. Just look! We don’t need to travel far - Our Lord surrounds us with poor and needy people for us to serve. Then he says, “as you did for the Least. . you did for me.” (Mt 25:40) Take just a moment to consider the opportunities to love in your life today: Family, friends, those at work, people at places you frequent, other drivers, etc. Through what small act of love could you be-come Christ for them? Remember, “One small act of love done is greater than a thousand great ones imagined.” (MT) All we have is today. Yesterday is gone; tomorrow is not here yet. Go and love another today – just do it!

Bill Muske, Office StaffDunrovin Retreat Center, Marine on St. Croix, MN

Tuesday, March 15Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15

Just a week into Lent and the readings remind us Who’s in charge. Isaiah uses water as a simile for the persistence of the Word of God in accomplish-ing His goals. God rules the world, not us. This is a simple enough concept, but one that our egos do not readily accept. We all are finite and a part of a greater whole. Paradoxically, this does NOT mean we are insignificant. St Paul used the analogy of the human body: all of the parts are important to the proper functioning of the whole. We have a role to play in the coming of the Kingdom.In Matthew Jesus gives us a prayer for all seasons: It contains praise (hallowed be your name), humil-ity (your will be done), petition (our daily bread, understood as everything we need), one of the es-sential messages of Christianity (forgive us as we forgive others), and asks that we are given the grace of fidelity, (rescue us from evil.) This is a considerable amount of food for thought and re-flection compressed into what could just about be “tweeted” today.

Which portion of God’s Word speaks to you today? Which portion can you focus on as your day un-folds? How will YOU advance the Kingdom?

Bro. Paul Ackerman, PresidentDe La Salle Blackfeet School, Browning, MT

Wednesday, March 16Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32

Today we focus on conversion and repentance in both the Old and New Testaments.  Jesus tells the crowd that there will not be a visible sign to make them believe and worship God “except the sign of Jonah,” which was simply a verbal foreshadowing of the destruction of Nineveh if the people did not repent.  In the case of Jonah, the people heard the words of God and believed.  They needed no obvious sign to convince them but simply relied on faith.  Today it is so tempting to go about doing what is pleasing and easy as opposed to doing what is right.  It is good to be reminded that God does not always reveal Himself in very obvious ways but rather in more subtle ways, such as nature, other people, and music, just to name a few things.  In this season of Lent, we must always be mindful of God’s saving power and infinite love, which is most evident in Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. 

We’re thankful for Jesus’ love and try to glorify Him; however, we still fall short of our ideals.  Even though God’s commandments are simple, they are very hard to follow fully.  The best, most holy among us is still nowhere near perfect and sinless, but God is okay with that.  He wants us to glorify Him with all our power yet knows we will get lost at some points along the way. 

Getting back on track can be hard, but the reward is eternal life, so it is most definitely worth the effort.  We have to see and realize the truly awesome love God has for us and be truly repentant when we fall. 

It is impossible to be as perfect as Jesus was on this earth, but it is possible to try always to be the best person each of us can be.  Though we stumble and fall often, today let us focus on one particular stumbling: 

Where do you most often stumble and hurt your relationship with God?

John Griffith, SeniorChristian Brothers High School, Memphis, TN

Thursday, March 17Esther C:12, 14-16,23-25; Matthew 7:7-12

The book of Esther and the scripture reading from Matthew are connected with an underlying theme of trusting in God for all our needs. Esther pleads: “help me who am alone and have no help but you.” Our God never wants us to be alone and invites us into constant relationship. God seeks intimacy with us throughout our lives and makes a promise never to abandon us (no matter what).Life has rhythms and God desires to be a partner with us in our dance. Jesus tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock. Isn’t that what we do most of our life? We seek to unfold the mystery of our lives with everyday reality of living. We are constantly asking questions about life and how we should live. As we mature, we strive to seek new ways of integrating our work with our faith, with our family and our friends. There are times when we are totally confused and frustrated and don’t know where to turn so we knock and knock and knock asking God to enter into our confusion and

bring us peace. God is always waiting, always wait-ing for the ask, always eager to walk with us on our journey, always desirous of being in relationship with us closing the gap between heaven and earth. We know the scripture reading so well… ask… seek… knock… ask… seek… knock. It is like a mantra that can be a focus for our lives. Our God awaits us, longs for us and is desirous of an intimate relationship with us to be a part of the unfolding of the mystery of cre-ation which is both God’s and ours. Taking the first letter from each word Ask, Seek, Knock we form a new word that reveals God’s deepest desire …ask…ask…ask. “If you then know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Fa-ther give good things to those who ask” God awaits your asking to be an intimate part of your life, close to you in good times and bad, never leaving you alone…just ask!Sr. Dolores Montini, CSJAffiliated Member and District Council Consultant

Friday, March 18Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26

It was a bright day, the ground covered in snow and the world was one giant magnificent sight. I remem-ber being ten years old and heading out into the snow with my younger brother. We walked out the front door; my mother spurred us on to an afternoon of en-joyment. However, I had other plans in mind. My younger brother and I played nicely for a while, and then I had a fantastic idea, as many older sisters do. I wanted to bury my younger brother in the snow. We toiled together digging out a sizeable hole, he climbed in and I piled the snow on top. I don’t think

he could foresee our afternoon ending as such. After packing him in tight, I proceeded to leave him behind and head off to the warmth of my mom’s kitchen where my hot chocolate was waiting for me. I sat down, peeled off the wet layers and cradled the ce-ramic warmth. Only then did my mother inquire about my younger brother’s whereabouts. “Well…he is in that snow bank there.” I timidly replied. She sternly explained that I must go unbury him and bring him in before I could enjoy the warmth of her kitchen. I think many times in life, we experience broken rela-tionships and fail to recognize that this brokenness also relates to God. Matthew suggests if we come to the temple to offer our best to God, and have wronged our brother, we should leave our offering and go make things right. Part of living a life that honors God is living in right relationship with those around us.

How many times do we hold a grudge against our brother, and still come to our place of worship and sit before the Father’s throne? How can we better love those around us?

Beka Flanagan, SeniorLewis University, Romeoville, IL

Saturday, March 19: ST. JOSEPH2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16/ /Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22/Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 or Luke 2:41-51Luke’s story of Jesus discoursing with the rabbis in the Temple reveals a young man eager to learn and share his knowledge. As the rabbis realized, Jesus’ knowledge and understanding of the Mosaic Law were remarkable. Je-sus eagerly listened to the rabbis’ answers and proposed

profound questions. Their interaction was not a chore; this was exhilarating; this was challenging; this was sat-isfying. Their encounter is an educator’s dream. As educators, we rarely experience such a stimulating in-teraction. Our students are not all honor students, but average students who sometimes try hard, but more of-ten don’t. Others need even more assistance. But, as teachers, we owe all students opportunities to become as excited and proud of their education as Jesus so obvi-ously was about his.I have the profoundly humbling privilege of being a grandmother. As I watch my grandson patiently solve dilemmas in his young life – how to get around an obsta-cle as he navigates my living room, or how to put the puzzle pieces in the right slots – I often wonder why stu-dents do not seem to enjoy the challenges my young grandson relishes. He is so proud of himself when he ac-complishes these tasks, and the adults around him give him the praise he so richly deserves. Why aren’t older children excited about the learning process? Have teachers failed to keep that flame alive in their minds and hearts? The rabbis knew instinctively that Jesus was not a smart-aleck kid. They were patient and gave him the benefit of the doubt. They praised him, even asked him difficult questions. They were “astounded at his un-derstanding and his answers.”

How do I encourage excitement when it comes to difficult challenges in the classroom?

How can I help students find affirmation in others’ astonishment at their understanding and their answers?

Mrs. Margie Hladik, Teacher Librarian Roncalli Catholic High School, Omaha, NE

The Second Sunday of Lent, March 20Genesis 12:1-4 /2 Timothy 1:8-10/Matthew 17:1-9

Have you ever been called to do anything? Of course you have, no matter the size; we have all been called to do certain things. Some things might have to do with our talents, like helping someone in school with a subject we’re good in. Maybe you were called to do something you have to do, like go to work for eight hours a day. It’s all the same –we are called.In our first reading today, the Lord calls Abram straight out of his town, his house, and his family. The Lord says “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Abram trusts every-thing he has in him and goes out. Can you do that? If God were to call you right now, would you drop everything you have and put your trust in him? Some people may find it hard to find trust in people, but with God, this task should be easy. Like a major real-life trust fall—only this time God is the one behind you that will catch you. The Lord tells us in Timothy today “join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” Suffering is painful! No one likes to suffer, but that’s just it, as humans, we all do. When Jesus was on earth with us, he suffered his final days for us. He had to endure things that you and I will never have to come close to. All and all, the messages portrayed today are that we are called by God to do certain things. Listen to what God has to say, and live it. How would you react if God called upon you right now?

Kevin Sinacore, SeniorSaint Joseph High School, Westchester, IL

Monday, March 21Daniel 9:4-10; Luke 6:36-38

“Judge not and you will not be judged,” were the stinging words of Sister Julianus that reprimanded her 8th Grade class. “We have to make a hundred judgments a day about many things that are either good or bad for us,” she continued. “But when it comes to making judgments about other people, Jesus tells us that we have to have the right frame of mind and heart. He is telling us to look to our own lives and clean house before attempting to correct or criticize someone else’s behavior. Oth-erwise, we are hypocrites. Whenever you point a finger, remembers there are three finger pointing back at you!”Now, many years later, Sister’s words still echo in my mind. Yes, we have to make judgments about almost every action we take everyday. That should be enough to keep us busy trying to stay even on the path of following God’s will in our re-gard. But when it comes to making judgments about other people and their behavior, or lack thereof, caution is recommended. Maybe we should stop and ask ourselves some questions: Is the right and wrong in this situation based on God’s Word or my own standards? Are the subjects of my judgments issues of great importance today or just petty annoyances? Do I pray for the ability to make good judgments?

Do I attempt to be truly fair in my judgments, blind and deaf to outside influences? Do I seek to know all the facts of the situation be-fore rending a judgment? Do I try to examine and judge my own behavior?

Bro. Ignatius Brown, Co-directorLambert Hall Community, Memphis, TN

Tuesday, March 22Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Matthew 23:1-12

In Matthew’s gospel, we hear how we should be different than the “scribes and the Pharisees,” the ones who do everything for show; who love the places of honor; and who love to be acknowledged. They were repeatedly at odds with Jesus. We call them hypocrites. And how eas-ily we dismiss ourselves from identifying with this group. We are not like them: so superficial! But they were ac-tually devoted practitioners of the Law. They knew their religion well and they wanted to be good observant Jews. So what is Jesus warning us about? Always seek to honor God, not ourselves.Respecting and honoring God means giving God the glory and acting in ways that are humble. We look to our motives deep in our hearts—why is it we are doing what we do? What is our attitude? It is human nature to want to be acknowledged and to be praised. Our egos crave ti-tles of importance. We do care about what other people think of us. Our work can become self-centered. We fall into traps of longing for what is desirable in this world…achievement, status, and material things to make us more comfortable. All this can lead to forgetting the real reason for doing what we do….that is, to serve. Jesus showed us the way—he humbled himself as a ser-vant for our sake. He reached out to the lowly, the out-

cast, and the poor. He did not seek honor and praise for his work. He sought to serve, not be served. We are called to be humble like Jesus—knowing ourselves as God sees us, knowing how our gifts can be used for God’s purposes. Humility is putting trust in God and his plan for us…believing that His grace is sufficient. By humbly accepting the gift of grace, we find the zeal to love…to humbly become Christ for those we serve. As we journey through Lent, let us take time to reflect on our gifts and how we are humbly serving the Lord. What is it that keeps us from serving with a pure humble heart?

Gerri Schroeder, Retreat CoordinatorLa Salle Retreat Center-Glencoe, MO

Wednesday, March 23Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28

When I read these passages, I began to wonder when any of us might have been condemned by our adversaries and who those adversaries might be. I wondered who our “chief priests” and “scribes” might be. Then I suddenly had a minor revelation. The ad-versary, the chief priest, and the scribe is me. To think that I am in the role of the prophet or of Je-sus is really presumptuous. I’m more likely the one who judges, condemns, or lords it over others.

I don’t know that I need any more about which to spend some time in reflection. Who do I con-demn? Who do I judge and put down? Who do I stand over against – and why?

If the prophet or if Jesus were standing in my pres-ence would I recognize either of them? Would I be able to put myself aside and listen? Would I, in fact, judge and condemn because the views being presented made me uncomfortable, upset my worldview, or frightened me because they offered a different way to see things?

I don’t know if I can drink of the cup that we must drink from if we are to be with Jesus. Maybe I bet-ter think harder about whether or not I’m the one filling that cup of which he must drink.

Bro. Mike Fehrenbach, Dtr. for Culture and Values Catalyst Schools, Chicago, IL

Thursday, March 24Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31

After reading the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, it is clear that God wants us to help the poor on earth in order to go to heaven and be happy. If we ignore those who come to use for help then in turn we are ignoring God. It is impor-tant to be open to God and not shut him out; be-cause, like Lazarus, we won’t get a second chance to repent. Through the parable God is reminding

us that material wealth on earth becomes mean-ingless in heaven.

After reading this parable, how do you think you could better serve God on earth?

Mary O’Brien, SeniorHoly Family Catholic High School, Victoria, MN

Friday, March 25: ANNUNCIATIONIsaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 /Hebrews 10:4-10/Luke 1:26-38

Every day we are surrounded by signs. Cloudy skies are a sign that there may be rainy weather. A red octagon with white letters tells us to stop when driving. And a knock at the door is a sign that someone is at our home. Each day in my work at John XXIII Educational Center, I am also surrounded by signs. Poor grades on a progress report are a sign that a stu-dent is struggling. Missing homework assignments is a sign that a student doesn’t understand his or

her work. And a student who comes into my class-room asking to talk about something is a sign that this student is looking for guidance. The signs we get each day are for a reason. It is often very easy to overlook simple everyday signs, but they are purposeful, nonetheless. Sometimes, like Mary, we get a sign that is completely unex-pected. This is our chance to trust in God and know that he is giving us a sign as a way to move us in the right direction. As we prepare for Christ’s coming in this season, we should force ourselves to pay extra attention to the signs that surround us each day. Even if they are as simple as a stop sign, or as complex as a student seeking us to go the extra step, they are intended particu-larly for us and placed in our lives because we specifically have the ability to use these signs to be of service to those around us.During this Lenten season, let us remember our purpose in service and how God reminds of us this through the signs he sends us each day. Let us ask ourselves: where do I see signs today, and how can I use these signs to carry out God’s word?Catherine Calogero, Lasallian Volunteer John XXIII Educational Center, Racine, WI

Saturday, March 26Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Luke 15:1-3,11-32

According to Micah our guilt shall be tread under-foot.  How wonderful!  Yet, some of us might say, "what guilt"?  "At my young age, I have not sinned in any great fashion.  During my middle age I have been harried with raising my family and being

"successful", and in my old age I see failings (sin) that I sought forgiveness for and received from my merciful Lord."  "You (Lord) have cast into the depths of the sea all our sins". (Micah 7:19)  How wonderful, how blest we are. Yet, am I living my life in such away that I am able to express gratitude and joy for the forgiveness I have re-ceived through the chapters of my life?  Or am I angry as the older son in today's reading from Luke who has been faithful about many things as he sees his father celebrating his younger son's return?Is it easier for me to ask God for forgiveness than it is for me to forgive others who have sinned against me?  "The servant said to him, 'Your brother has re-turned and your father has slaughtered the fat-tened calf because he has him back safe and sound'.  He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.  He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders, yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.  My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.  But now we must celebrate and re-joice, because you brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." ( Micah 7:27-31)Bro. Kevin Fitzgerald, Director De La Salle Community, Chicago

Third Sunday Of Lent, March 27Exodus 17:3-7/Romans 5:1-2, 5-8/John 4:5-42

As the school’s resident Old Testament instructor, I had a lot of fun when we arrived to Exodus early in the year.  The figure of Moses is exceptional in many ways. By the time he was called by God to lead the Is-raelites out of slavery he was an old man with a fam-ily.  Furthermore he had run away from Egypt con-victed of a murder.  He wasn’t a good public speaker and didn’t really have any inclination to rescue any-body.  But, as God said, “I will be with you, (Exodus 3:12)”

Years later we find Moses in the desert with several thousand thirsty Israelites.  He is doing his best to lead this group, but he often comes under the attack of the very people he saved from slavery.  “Why bring us out of Egypt?  To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst (Exodus 17:3)?”   And then God does something truly wonderful.  He tells Moses to stand before a rock on Mount Sinai and hit it with his staff, water comes out, and God provides the Is-raelites, and Moses a little respite in the desert. 

God tells Moses, “I will be with you”, and God never disappoints.  God always provides Moses and the Is-raelites with relief throughout their wanderings. Catholics are also about to begin the journey of Lent.  Like the Israelites we wander through dark-ness, sadness, pain.  Like the Israelites we will want to complain and give up all hope.  But, like Moses, we must trust and believe that God will be with us and provide us with relief.  Our journeys are similar, but our outcomes different.  The Israelites were on a path

of war and conquest.  We are searching for peace and healing.  This passage reminds us that God pro-vides.    

Patrick Holley, TeacherDe La Salle Middle School, St. Louis, MO

Monday, March 282 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 4:24-30

Our natural reaction to confrontations is often de-nial. We tend to get defensive or even angry at people who point out our faults. In today’s Gospel, the Nazareans revert to these reactions. By the time Jesus arrives in Nazareth, the people have heard of the great things he has done for people in neighboring communities. They expect even greater things from him because Jesus himself is a Nazarean. Instead, Jesus says to them that no prophet is ever welcome in his home town. The Nazareans fail to understand that through this challenge, Jesus is attempting to help them in be-coming better people. Their hurt pride drives them to become defensive to the point of anguish, and with that, they miss the chance to become closer with God.Nobody enjoys talking about their faults, but as we approach Easter, it is important that we allow oth-ers to help us in becoming closer to God. When a friend asks us to stop saying how awful that one teammate its, or a co-worker stops us as we start to talk bad about our boss, remember the Nazare-ans. Instead of getting angry and defensive like

they did, let us try to embrace what they say and let it help us become a better person. We must prevent our pride from getting in the way of our relationship with God. As we continue to prepare ourselves for Easter, we must try to keep ourselves open and allow others to help us on our journey bringing us closer to God.

Katie Hauwiller, JuniorTotino-Grace High School, Fridley, MN

Tuesday, March 29Daniel 3:25, 34-43: Matthew 18:21-35I grew up during a time when there was no dessert for children who didn’t eat their vegeta-bles. One night, I was force-feeding myself green beans for the reward of fudge-striped cookies. I cut them into pill-size pieces and swallowed them with glasses of milk finishing only half the pile. I figured that I had earned half a cookie, but not in my German-Polish house. Rules were rules. I had tried my best to finish my beans but I came up short. Defeated, I walked away from the table when I heard my grandma call me, “Johnny, come here”. She was peering out from the bathroom. I walked toward her and before I could say a word, she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside her “of-fice.” She looked at me with a big grin. “What, grandma,” I asked? “Johnny, close enough, close enough” she laughed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a fudge-striped cookie that she had

smuggled from the kitchen and held it up to me. “You came close enough. Take the cookie.” God’s grace is like that. We are completely undeserving, but God builds a bridge of grace between our failed attempts and His perfect love. My grandma understood God’s kindness and great mercy that Azariah desired. God easily forgives our transgres-sions, and we are called to do the same for others. Jesus tells us the story of a servant who is shown mercy by his King, but does not “pay forward” the same mercy. The King responds furiously, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow ser-vant just as I had on you?” God’s grace and mercy is generously given to those of us who forgive their brother and sister from their heart. There are enough fudge-striped cookies for all of us.John Donahue-Grossman, Retreat DirectorLaSalle Manor Retreat Center, Plano, IL

Wednesday, March 30Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Matthew 5:17-19

God requires adherence to the law, for obedience leads to awareness, growth, and in Deuteronomy, prosperity. Obedience is our responsibility and our privilege. From obedience comes tremendous free-dom: freedom to love, freedom to give, freedom to be more fully the children of God we were created to be-come. The responsibility to obey need not be a daunting one; rather, it is liberating. Our God set up guidelines and rules to follow to help us lead more complete lives. When I was younger, I thought of the Ten Command-ments and other divine laws as, ‘the should nots,’ the things that I was disallowed to do. Somehow I

viewed God’s laws as stifling my freedom. When in reality, God’s rules are helpful tools for leading a good life; for without them, we would be lost, un-happy, and separated from God. However, obedience is not always black and white. Life is murky and com-plex. Therefore, we cannot merely have a list of God’s rules to follow. Clearly, much more is de-manded on our part! Our obedience to God requires discernment: thoughtful, deep, reflective listening. Listening consists of silence, time, patience, and hon-esty. We cannot truly obey God if we do not allow time for silence. After all, how can we obey our God if we do not REALLY listen to our God? In Deuteronomy 4:6 we learn that if we observe God carefully we give, “evidence of our wisdom and intel-ligence.” On the contrary, folly, chaos, and exile will ensue if we disobey God’s commands. We must obey, and also we must teach others God’s commandments, and then we, “will be called greatest in the kingdom of Heaven,” (Matthew 5:19b).In what ways might God be calling you to a deeper level of silence, listening, and obedience in your life right now?

Tricia Lyngen, Theology TeacherDeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis, MN

Thursday, March 31Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23

Let us remember…“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” Luke 11:23. The gospel reading today has Jesus casting out the devil. It reminds me of a poster in our classroom

that summarizes the two powerful principles of Christian spirituality. “God is at work and active in the world transforming and drawing each and all of us into Christ- Sin is serious and evil is real, it is at work in the world inhibiting the transforma-tion.”While I’m not sure whether the devil actually ex-ists, I am sure that there is enough evil in each of us through our narcissism and laziness to render him unnecessary. By being self-absorbed and apa-thetic we submit ourselves to the devil’s wishes and make sin the easy thing to do. In the Gospels Jesus calls us to action; to conquer sin and evil. If we do not join Christ’s call to serve, we make our-selves hypocrites, the devil’s number one ally. Sin is the easy path, much like the easy button we see so much in commercials. By individually joining with Jesus in word and deed we come together as one in Christ.

Help us Lord as students, teachers and laborers in the field, through this Lenten prayer to respond collectively to our special call, the vow to teach “Together and by Association”, to assist God’s ac-tion of transforming and drawing each and all of us into Christ.Live Jesus in our hearts!

Zachary Folk, SeniorChristian Brothers College High School, St. Louis MO

Friday, April 1Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34

In Hosea, even after the people have stumbled be-cause of their iniquity, God calls them back to him and says, he will heal their unfaithfulness and love them freely. I love the way God is “wired.” Instead of teaching us the error or of ways in a harsh, punitive and unyielding fashion, God gently calls us back to him and desires to bless us. God longs to be the dew in all of lives, so that we may blos-som and become who he has called us to be. The Lord invites us to drink deeply from his well, which is the source of our strength.God seeks hearts that crave to commune with him. In Mark, Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your mind and your strength.” God doesn’t want a partial commitment; he wants it all. The Lord yearns for us to the relinquish anything that threatens to sep-arate us from him. Jesus says the second greatest commandment is to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In loving our neighbors, we have an awesome opportunity to bring light and hope to each other in a very per-sonal way. When we love our neighbors, we honor God.

Is something or someone separating me from God?Have I missed any opportunities to be salt and light to others?Do I truly love my neighbors?

Takiyah Olatunbosun, Teacher

San Miguel School, Gary Comer Campus, Chicago, IL Saturday, April 2

Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:19-24

“Come, let us return to the Lord.”  Hosea begins chapter six with this simple beckoning. The first time I read through the passage, that first sen-tence had no significant impact. But the more I an-alyzed it, the more it made me think. Return? Had I left the Lord?

We use the Ten Commandments to guide our ac-tions. The Beatitudes give us a vague idea open to interpretation of how to achieve happiness. The Corporal Works of Mercy show us how to reach out to our fellow humans. Even with all of these paths and directions, nothing tells us how to break down all the walls that separate us from God. Je-sus, however, gives us a suggestion in Luke’s gospel.

Jesus identifies materialism is as a barrier hinder-ing a certain ruler’s entrance into heaven. I think in today’s world, many of us are in that ruler’s place.  We get so caught up in wealth and “things” that even if we are a good person our way to heaven is obscured and seems difficult. “Come, let us return to the Lord.” May we overcome what-ever keeps us from our heavenly Father. 

How have I left the Lord, and what can I do to re-turn?

Katie Gajdostik, Junior Roncalli High School, Manitowoc, WI

Fourth Sunday of Lent, April 31 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 /Ephesians 5:8-14/John 9:1-41On this the fourth Sunday of Lent, we are invited to see as God sees. In the first reading, Samuel is told to anoint a king for God’s people. Samuel sees Jesse’s son, Eliab, and presumes that since he is the oldest and has a fine appearance that this would be the per-son God would choose, but the Lord says to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”Then in the second reading from Ephesians, Paul tells his audience that: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteous-ness and truth.” He suggests that we need a new vi-sion if we are to follow Christ. The Gospel relates the story of Jesus curing a blind man of his physical blind-ness on the Sabbath. This leads to great consterna-tion on the part of the religious leaders because the cure was on the Sabbath, and the man cured was born blind and therefore considered sinful, perhaps even beyond saving. When the cured man is ques-tioned by the authorities, he is confused since he can-

not understand what their problem is. In fact he replies to them saying, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” What does God want us to see about our lives? Where are we blind and in need of Christ’s healing? Let our prayer be that of blind beggar in Luke’s Gospel when Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”Bro. Phil Johnson, DirectorLa Salle Community, Romeoville, IL

Monday, April 4Isaiah 65:17-21; John 4:53-54The prophet Isaiah tells us “I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. In-stead, there shall be rejoicing. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard, or the sound of crying; (I will wipe every tear from their eye and there shall be no more death or mourning… for behold I make all things new) Is. 65:17 and Rev.21:5 It was Mothers Day and from the church lectern, I proclaimed this scripture for Sunday mass. When I looked up, I saw my mother’s face and pulled from deep within me a belief that God would make all things new and that even in the midst of her dy-ing, I could be awash with hope. Then the cantor invited us to sing Death Shall Be No More by J. Hanson: “ No weeping, no mourning, nor pain will

come again, no weeping no mourning for the past has passed away” Overwhelmed with tears, I won-dered about what could possibly be made new when someone I loved so deeply was dying of can-cer. Isaiah’s invitation challenged me to my bones. I struggled to look at her and at the same time be-lieve that death would not have the last word. In those brief moments at mass, it was a choice to believe in resurrection, not simply faith. Ulti-mately to sing and proclaim Isaiah meant a com-mitment to practice resurrection amidst the grief. Today I ask you:How is God calling you to chose hope in the midst of the suffering and despair around you?Our Lenten journey asks us to keep singing in the desert and believe that death will not have the last word, that love and life will always win.

Jackie B. Bohrer. Liturgy Coordinator, Religious Studies Teacher Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, MN

Tuesday, April 5Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; John 15:1-3,5-16The reading from the prophet Ezekiel is all about the abundance of God’s blessings. For those of us who have lived through a drought or lived in a desert, we know that water is the source of life. The prophet describes a source of water so abun-dant that it can turn the sea into a huge body of fresh water teaming with life. The source of the water is so abundant that it can provide unlimited water and food, more than enough for everyone

who ever was or will ever be. It is an impossible, unbelievable abundance in which we have faith.John lets us know that this impossible, unbeliev-able, unlimited source of life is ours without cost. We are the branches attached to the true vine, the source of life, sent by our Father. We are attached to the source of life by God’s abundant grace. We didn’t have to ask or jump through any hoops. God just gave it to us.Now, how will we respond? How will we use this unlimited source of life? Will we doubt the abundance or will we embrace it? Will we let it flow though us to give an abundance of life to others?As Lasallian ministers we were called by Jesus so that “… my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” We are invited “… to love one an-other as I have loved you.” We are good news when we trust God’s abundance and believe in our own. God will not abandon us. God’s love is un-limited and ours can be as well if we go to God in reflection and prayer to grow in trust and ask for all we need to be his abundant love in the lives of those to whom we minister.Bro. Mark Snodgrass, PrincipalDe La Salle Elementary, Memphis, TN

Wednesday, April 6Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what

he sees his father doing, for what he does, his son will do also.” (John 5:19) I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where faith was a very essential thing. Just as in John, I was taught how to act and what I should do but sometimes I never really understood why I did certain things. I knew it was the right thing to do because it is what my parents had taught me to do. In certain ways I wanted to be just like my parents. I would not have been able to do most of the things I can do right now if it were not for my parents. Also, many things that my parents taught me to do I could not have done if God would not have blessed me with the gifts and talents that He has. God did not give everyone the same gifts. Many times I wonder why I do not have certain gifts but I need to remember that God has a plan for the special gifts He has given to me and I should use them to the best of my abilities. God has given me many specials gifts that I can use to help out other people. Sometimes, I am so worried about why I do not have a particular gift that I often forget to use the great gifts the God has given me. Just as God has a plan for each of us, so do our parents have a plan for us. Each parent usually has a plan on how they want to raise their child. Usually every parent wants to give their son or daughter a better life than what they had.Parents give up a lot so their child can do something or have something they need. This is very similar to God. He gave us His only Son so that we might have a better life and redeem us for our sins. We can help to repay our parents for all that they have given for us by living a faithful and productive life. But, we could never ade-quately repay God. All He asks is for our love. A great wait to show our love is by the giving of our time. Lord, I ask for your assistance in showing my love for you by spending more time in prayer and in service to others during this Lenten season.Benjamin Struemph, Senior

Helias Catholic High School, Jefferson City, MO Thursday, April 7: St. John Baptist de La Salle

Exodus 32:7-14; John 5:31-47“He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.” John 5:35Today we celebrate the feast of our Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle. May this single verse from today’s Gospel serve as a reminder that each one of us is commissioned to bring to life the Founder’s legacy in our own time and place. The Lord led St. La Salle on a journey of awareness in 17th century France and our Founder responded by creating a ministry that gave young people some-thing that was sorely lacking in their lives – an ed-ucation that would both enlighten their faith and help lift them out of poverty. In our 21st century world let us not simply be “con-tent to rejoice in his light.” Let us, Lasallians all, seek creative ways to identify that which is sorely lacking in the lives of our students. This is our gift to them, something that only we can provide. The legacy of St. La Salle did not end with his death nearly 300 years ago. His is a dynamic legacy that continues to grow each day with each and every one of us. Even though our students can receive an education courtesy of their tax dollars at the local public school, their families still make the sacrifice to enroll them in our schools. They continue to believe that being part of the Lasallian family is worth that significant investment. How affirming their confidence is for you, for me, and for all Lasallians. What trust they place in us!

What creative, compassionate interaction will I have with someone today, perhaps a student, a parent, or a colleague, that will help build the dy-namic legacy of St. La Salle?Bro. Tom Hetland, Director of DevelopmentMidwest District Office

Friday, April 8Wisdom 2:1, 12-22/John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30In recent months some news reports have focused on several students who completed suicide as a result of being bullied by other students. This has happened to elementary school students and high school students. Many times the cause appears to have been that the student was “different” from others, and in most cases parents have asked why suicide becomes the apparent escape that bullied students choose. Today’s reading from Wisdom shows people who are willing to “beset the just one because he is obnoxious to us…and different are his ways.” It would seem that not much has changed in human nature over thou-sands of years. Some folks are willing to beset or bully others for almost any reason. Have humans not yet learned how to live with one another? Are there any courageous students who will speak up for a bul-lied student? In John’s gospel some Jewish people want to kill Je-sus. They heard him “speaking openly,” and did not like what he was saying. He probably was “obnox-ious” to them, so they “tried to arrest him.” We know the fate of Jesus at the hands of those who hated him because his ways were “different.” In our schools and universities we have an obligation as Lasallians to protect our students from bullying,

name calling and other harassment from other stu-dents. I recall when I was teaching in high school that I often wondered how teenagers could be so cruel to other students by what they said to them. I spoke up for bullied students.As a Lasallian teacher, student or administrator, how do I deal with those I consider to be “obnoxious” at home and at school? How can Lasallians in any situation “team up” to pre-vent bullying?

Bro. Joseph Martin, Director of Senior BrothersMidwest District Office

Saturday, April 9Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7:40-53

Jeremiah uses a prayer of lamentation to turn to God with the difficulties he is facing in his life. There are five elements in the form of the lament:

1) an invocation of God (“How long O Lord?”)2) a description of the psalmist’s predicament3) a plea for help4) an affirmation of trust in God5) a final vow to praise

Do these read familiar to you? They should. These elements comprise most of our own personal prayers to God! It seems like things haven’t changed much, right? Like Jeremiah, we some-times wait until we are facing what we consider tough circumstances in our lives to offer up a con-versation with our God. As we work our way through our prayer (that is, if we are open to God

as Jeremiah was), we will find that God is listening to us and, yes, expecting us to question Him. Even Jesus lamented to God in His most trying mo-ments: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22: 1) Like Jeremiah and Jesus, we, too, can feel perse-cuted at times when we try to live our lives as faithful people. Of course, it’s not as intense as it was for Jeremiah and Jesus, yet, we still can feel lost, confused, and, even, abandoned. What will you do during this Lent to become refo-cused on a more consistent prayer life with God?

Laraine Parker, Director of General EducationMontini Catholic High School, Lombard, IL

FIFTH SUNDAY of LENT, April 10Ezekiel 37:12-14 /Romans 8:8-11/John 11:1-45

Nowadays, people live longer than ever before. Ages that seemed impossible to reach a century ago are now common. But, today’s readings re-mind us that in Jesus, there is life after death.

It’s easy to say that we will do what we want in our lives and repent and do what is right tomor-row, but each day is a gift from God and we should treat them as such.

Like Lazarus, Jesus will raise us up after we die, but first we must live for Him. He gave us life and we should live for Him, not ourselves. We are people of God both in life and death.

Life is very long, but at the same time, it’s very short. We could live our lives with only ourselves in mind, but what is one hundred years for our-selves when compared to eternity with God?

What can I do today to give my earthly life to God since He will give me eternal life?

Beth Vernon, SeniorArchbishop O’Hara High School, Kansas City, MO

Monday, April 11Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17,19-30,33-62; John 8:1-11Each of us has a weakness. Each of us succumbs to lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, envy, wrath, and greed at some point in our life. Whether we like to admit it or not, our innermost desires are often too extreme to fulfill without sinning. For me the hard-est to resist has always been lust. Self control is how I cope with it but even that can lead to mo-ments of unbridled indulgences. Any way I look at these passages, I can’t help but empathize with the judges. That doesn’t change

their guilt, nor mine for that matter. I just see the line that they crossed that so often taunts me. I understand how want can supersede thoughts of right and wrong. Be that as it may, Jesus is still here. Today’s mes-sage is more about forgiveness than sin. As the gospel reading shows, when the Pharisees bring the known adulterer and ask if she should be stoned, Jesus simply replies by saying ‘He, who has not sinned, cast the first stone.’ For Jesus to not condemn her shows us all that even sinners who ought to be stoned are given a second chance. This is Jesus saying “stand up and keep trying, I am with you”. My moments of indulgences have a way of destroy-ing my resolve. If I control myself 95% of the time and then sin the other 5%, is that any better than not trying to control myself at all? I’m going to hell anyway, should I just give in and at least have the pleasures of the moment before I go to hell? Thoughts like this are why this passage was writ-ten. Jesus is here to help us stand up when we fall.

The question for you, for me, is if Jesus does not condemn me for the sins I have committed, who am I to do so?

John York, Lasallian VolunteerHarvey House Community, Oak Park, IL

Tuesday, April 12Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30As I read Numbers 21, chapters 4-9, I reflected on the Israelites and how they became impatient with

God during their trip along the route to the Red Sea. They whined about the obstacles, namely no water, no food, and many snakes. The Scripture reading in-cludes the bronze snake made by Moses. God told Moses to hang it on a pole for the Israelites to see and they would be healed from their snake bites. Last summer I journeyed to Memphis in the heart of the summer to spend time with my District Nurse col-leagues for our annual summer meeting. We took a morning to visit the Civil Rights Museum. It was my first visit to Memphis and more than one person told me not to miss going there to really experience Mem-phis. We went into the small theater to watch a short movie about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. The clips, the narrator’s words, Dr. King’s words, his friends who were interviewed for the movie’s words, have touched my soul to this very day. Today I think of the “snake bites” that Reverend King endured, but kept his eyes on the Kingdom of God despite the poi-sonous words and grimaces that he encountered for the name of peace for people of all colors. Reverend King just kept moving forward no matter heat, harsh words, and many setbacks for Civil Rights. He kept his sights set on using God’s graces in a non-violent manner during his brief time on earth. While watch-ing the movie, I thought about the many dialogues Rev. King must’ve had with God. I wonder if Rev-erend King whined about the obstacles he faced. I also wonder if he listened carefully for God’s answer and didn’t have time for looking up for a metaphori-cal snake hung on a pole.How is God using you to do His work during your brief time on earth? How do you find God in the middle of your “snake bites?”

Sheila Cusack, RN, BSNMidwest District Nurse

Wednesday, April 13Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92,95; John 8:31-42

Having been raised Catholic since birth it seems unimaginable that I would ever believe or worship in “false Gods”! How could I ever replace my faith in God for anything else that could come close to “his” presence in my life? It is my faith in God that is my “constant”. And yet when I think of where I devote my time I can’t help but think that I’ve let other things get in the way of the one God that I say matters more than anything to me. When people ask me to list or rank things that are important to me I always put my faith first and then when I compare it to a list of where I spend the most amount of time or where I devote most of my attention or energy, the two lists never match! I think of the difficulties that I have had in my life where God is my last resort instead of the first that I turn to. Often it is only in desperation that I ask for his help. So I can’t help but think I have falsely put other people, places or things in place of what I say really matters to me.

Today I ask God to help me keep “him” as my true God, my focus, the one I turn to first in ALL mat-ters!

What have you put first in your life that has put a distance between you and God and how can you God regain that number one spot in your life?

Cheryl Sanders, Guidance CounselorBishop Kelley High School, Tulsa, OK

Thursday, April 14Genesis 17:3-9/John 8:51-59

In today’s first reading, we hear of God’s covenant with Abram, a covenant that called upon Abram’s tremendous faith in the God who ensured that a multitude of descendants be born to him, a barren man. Abram trusted, responding to God’s invita-tion with his own promise. The covenant conveys the unique and intimate relationship between God and Abram, a relationship into which we are all in-vited.

In the gospel, as Jesus speaks to descendants of Abraham, he invites the same trust, the great faith to respond to God’s invitation as spoken by Jesus, “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” Instead of a zealous faith and committed promise, the descendants respond with doubt, challenging Jesus’ identity and his invitation.

I am often allowed the opportunity to encounter the challenges of today’s scripture at the Darst Center. Each and every day I am invited to recog-nize the face of God in the unfamiliar face and

each and every day I am invited to respond with faith.

The two questions I often find myself asking at the end of each day are these:Did I respond with faith?Is that faith one of courage or one of comfort?

Mindy Rueden, Executive DirectorBr. David Darst Center for Justice & Peace, Spirituality & Education, Chicago,IL

Friday, April 15Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42“Prophets always stand on the edge of their community.” This quotation from Sandra Schneider has always in-trigued me; have I been a prophet today? Jeremiah has impressed me as being a straight-shooter, a leader who stands with his community to encourage them to a right relationship with God by practicing what he preaches. Jeremiah lived in the power-hungry and corrupt world of Kings of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. He wanted his people of Israel to melt their hearts of mis-trust to allow the Law of God to be written within their hearts. Changing people’s fear to trust is a daunting challenge that engages Jeremiah.Jesus here preaches and shows by his works that he is pointing people’s attention to the constant love that is al-ways present from the Father. Jesus also lives in the world of the corruption in the Temple, the narrow inter-pretations of the Law, and the mistrust of the common person. When accused of blasphemy, Jesus responds by standing on the edge to point the attention to the works that the Father has shown through him. To see the Fa-

ther through Jesus is to see the goodness within that is always present and how that goodness is always being called forth by the Father to share within our communi-ties. Can I trust that conviction?Anthony De Mello speaks of the relationship of the disci-ple. “If I am Jesus’ disciple it is not enough that I have faith in him. It is equally important that he have faith in me. A friend calls forth, creates a quality that he sees in me. It is thus a lover creates his beloved, a Master his disciples.” My personal reflection often brings me to wonder, when, where and how do others see the pres-ence of God within me?What does God from time to time seem to call forth from me?Do I just hear it or do I pay attention and really listen? · Do I have the courage to respond from a faith-filled

heart?· On what issues of injustices, corruption or mistrust

do I take a stand on the edge of my community?

Dennis Gallagher, Dean of Campus MinistrySaint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN

Saturday, April 16Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56

The season of Lent is one of renewal – being re-born – and change. For those of us eager for a change within, Lent is the time to be taken seri-ously. Today’s reading from Ezekiel leads us into holiest of weeks. Oh, how the time has gone these days of Lent. I must admit, I have been captive of a divided heart with the recent passing of a dear friend and taking care of her personal items and grieving at the same time.I take heart in hearing Ezekiel giving voice to God’s desire to dwell intimately with us: “My

dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Ezekiel 37:27) No matter how dry the bones of the peo-ple of Israel … like ourselves, God speaks, “I will put my spirit into you and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:14). I take heart in these words. I do believe that there is the work of God in the midst of all this. Like those in Exile, they knew not what their life would be like … but God laid out a structure for them and promised: “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant.”(Ezekiel 37:26) I thank my God for this gift of His covenant; for I am at peace and trust my God to show me the way.Are you being held captive of a divided heart? Do you hold onto a comfort zone? Are you willing to step out into exile? It’s not too late. Ask the Lord to help you hear His word so as to penetrate your heart so you too can be within God’s covenant.

Sister Yvonne Weidner, OSF Member Relations Associate Christian Brothers Services, Romeoville, IL

PALM SUNDAY, April 17Matthew 21:1-11/Isaiah 50:4-7/Philippians 2:6-11/Matthew 26:14-27:66

In Passion Sunday's Old Testament reading, Isaiah speaks of the prophecy of Christ the servant, and helps us to think about ourselves, and the passion that is about to be read.

"The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.  I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.  The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame."  (Isaiah 50:4-7)

Isaiah's words speak of the suffering and pain of the passion we will hear read from Matthew.  Pain and suffering, endured for us with courage and determination, Christ's face was set like flint, he endured the hurt for our salvation, we were not disgraced.

It was Christ's love and reliance on the Father that made his suffering a gift for all of us.  The passion story is a love story; the love of Father and Son; and, God's love of the world he created.  May Wisdom help us understand this love.

Isaiah asks: Do we hear? Are we grateful? Is our tongue well trained? Can we speak words of encouragement to others? 

Morning after morning may our ears be opened to the word of God and hear the questions of our students and friends.  Let us live with determination in the knowledge that the Lord is my helper and therefore I will not be disgraced.

Rosemary Heille, LibrarianSan Miguel Middle School, Minneapolis, MN

Monday of Holy Week, April 18Isaiah 42:1-7; John 12:1-11It is a wonderful thing to be called into service.  Once in a while you hear of someone with a particular tal-ent being called to serve his city or state or country.  The call might come from some official or it may be undeniably from the expressed will of the people.  But we Christians recognize first and foremost that it is God who calls us.  And it is to God we are to re-spond. We speak of our Baptismal calling; we Christian Brothers and associates, of our Lasallian vocation.  It can sound as though it is something confined to the past, something to be fondly remembered, cherished and basked in particularly if we are walking the walk of the elderly.  But how do we live it in the present? Consider these words of Richard Bach (whoever he is): “Here is a test to find if your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.” Or Isaiah: “I the Lord have called you for the victory of justice.  I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.  Upon whom I have put my spirit”. It is indeed under the influence of that Holy Spirit and in the spirit of Saint John Baptist de La Salle that we live our life of service.God stands at the ready to inspire and accompany us.  But are we ready?  Do we remember God’s won-ders of old?  Are we afraid?  Psalm 27 encourages us: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.  Whom should I fear?  Wait for the Lord with courage.  Be stout-hearted and wait for the Lord”. 

What is the next phase of God’s call to me? 

What am I going to do about it?

Bro. Richard Roller, Prisoner CorrespondentResurrection Retirement Community, Chicago, IL

Tuesday of Holy Week , April 19Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33,36-38

Growing up I was told the story of how I got my name. My parents wanted to name me Rebecca. When they told the family that I had been born and my name was to be Rebecca, my mother’s dad (my grandfather) said absolutely not. He did not approve of the name and therefore the name was changed. I would think of this story whenever I heard the line from Isaiah, “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” So many questions come to my mind like: did God call me from birth, can a name make a difference in a person’s life, how would my life have been different if I had been named Rebecca, did my grandfather have some sign from God as to what my name should be? Eventually I looked up the meaning of my name and focused on the first one I found - it was too intimidating (who is like God). How could I be like God if I wasn’t even sure God called me? Fortunately, as I grow older and real-ized it is not all about me I strive to live up to my name. The Hebrew meaning of my name – close to God – is one that I can work towards. I hope to be close to God. Some days I am better at getting there than others. At the end of the passage from Isaiah

it states that “I will make you a light to the na-tions.” I may not be able to be a light to the na-tions, but I can be a light to my students and my family. By doing that I can get close to God and live up to my name. Can you live up to your name?

Michelle Fristrom, Junior High Math TeacherBenilde-St. Margaret’s School, St. Louis Park, MN

Wednesday of Holy Week, April 20Isaiah 50:4-9; Matthew 26:14-25

As I read the first few lines of Isaiah for today, I im-mediately begin to wonder who he is speaking about because it certainly cannot be me. I find myself doubting the idea that the Lord has given me a “well-trained tongue” and I don’t really remember the last time I roused the weary or even comforted someone in despair. A question for you: would you join me in feeling inadequate in these areas?Every day I meet with the struggle to more accu-rately convey my faith to others in a way that spreads the love of Jesus Christ and still remains faithful to His commands; yet every day I find myself failing to even make the attempt. I think of Moses and all of the excuses he tried to tell God as to why he shouldn’t be the one to deliver His message: “Who am I, what will I say, what if they don’t believe me?” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Yet in spite of all these obstacles, Moses was able to speak God’s word worthily when the time came. It is a well-known idea that we can be like Moses in this case; that we do what God asks of us

with great trust in Him. But it is also quite apparently not that easy. While recognizing that I have a long, long way to go before I might be among the likes of Moses, I am still filled with hope in the possibility that God’s grace is enough for us to become the peo-ple Isaiah is calling us to be. Although I am no good at it, I might consider asking the Lord for His help to-day in speaking the truth about Him, even at my own expense. I will ask myself and you:

With all excuses aside, I am willing to speak to others about truth and love and Jesus Christ today?

Cullen Gibbons, SMULTIP Cohort III

HOLY THURSDAY, April 21Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15

As we end Lent, it is appropriate that today’s first reading takes us back to the Exodus Passover. When we started Lent we bore the cross of ashes and as it ends we are reminded of those ashes through the blood on the doorposts of the Is-raelites. These outward signs of faith marked us as God’s chosen people.

In today’s Gospel from John, the breaking of the bread is the secondary focus. John focuses on Je-sus wrapping himself in a towel, sitting on the ground, and washing the feet of his disciples. In this moment he is Messiah and servant, teacher and student. He is the model of the Lasallian ser-vant leader through His actions. He challenges us then to love one another as he has loved us. He is

not concerned with the blood or the ashes, physi-cal signs of our faith. Rather he institutes a new sign of faith, one that is not physical but an action, to love and serve one another. “By this,” he says, “everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. “

St. John Baptist de La Salle, in his Meditations, calls us to “Unite with his [Jesus’] intention, and take your full and proper part in this holy institu-tion.” The Eucharist, the true presence of Christ, therefore can be found in service to others.St. John Baptist de La Salle…Pray For UsLive Jesus In Our Hearts…ForeverWe Are…Called To Serve

Zach Starkey, Senior LaSalle High School, Cincinnati, OH

GOOD FRIDAY, April 22Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16,5: 7-9; John 18:1-19:42

In today’s first reading proclaimed by Isaiah we hear of the suffering and triumph of the servant. The first sentence states that God’s servant is “a man of suffer-ing, accustomed to infirmity.” Later in the reading we hear that God “will give him his portion among the great and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty.” We see that it isn’t always easy to follow God’s will. However, we find that, if we can overcome these hardships, great rewards await us. Every day we are met with challenges to be good Catholics, even if it is just making the choice to use our God given talents

or to waste them. Try today and in the coming weeks to be better servants of the Lord by overcoming the little challenges, keeping in mind the great reward that God promises for those who follow his will.In the Gospel today as related by John we are told of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. This is a central event in Catholicism and deserves extensive personal reflection. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice is so important because it shows us how to follow God’s will and the great good that it can bring into the world. It seems terrifying and depressing when we see the trials Jesus underwent, but the glorious resurrection of Jesus gave us everlasting life in heaven. Jesus took up our sins in the form of the cross and opened up heaven for us. The least we can do is try to listen to God.Set aside time today to reflect on a few ways that you can follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Ask yourself:

How can I be a servant of God? How can I live out God’s will even when it may seem too difficult?

Charlie Labuz, JuniorSt. Patrick High School, Chicago, IL

HOLY SATURDAY, April 23Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10

Today is a transition day. We don’t hear the Church refer to Holy Saturday as that, but if we can let go of the fear and despair of Lent and let Easter love light up our spirits so we realize that we are embraced by

God if we care for one another, we are in the midst of conversion.Lent has been a time of restoration for each of us; we call up our faith to help us recall that Easter will pull us out of our tombs of despair and alienation to the ultimate promise of hope, of life, of love for humanity.The Epistle and Gospel of the Easter Vigil move us past our efforts to eliminate the excesses of our lives, to overcome selfishness and distrust that so often drag us down and to, instead, remember that we are called to “newness of life,” “to be united with Jesus in the resurrection,” “to be living for God in Jesus Christ.” Unlike the guards at the tomb who “were shaken with fear of [the angel] and became like dead men,” we go with the women to Galilee where we will see Jesus. What a gift our faith is, what a boost to set-ting aside our shame and, because He has saved us, to know that “we shall also live with him.”It should be an easy transition, but sometimes we have a hard time letting go of the negatives in our lives and embracing the richness of new life. Let’s make this our Easter prayer this year:

May the joy of this night give us the grace and hope to abandon the tombs we create for ourselves and to enable love to be reborn again and again in our lives; to renew and re-create our world in the light of the Risen Christ; to proclaim in every moment of our lives the Gospel of Christ Jesus who has died, who has risen, and who comes again!

Bro. Francis Carr, FSC, VisitorMidwest District