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

REFLECTIONS

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

Midwest District

Lent 2011

Dear Brothers and Lasallians of the Midwest District,

We are pleased to present to you the Lenten Reflection booklet for 2011. We are grateful to Brother Larry Schatz, to the Animators who mobilized the writers, and those who prepared the reflections for our use. We are fortunate that members of our own District – students, teachers, staff members, Lasallian Animators, administrators, board members, Lasallian Volunteers, and Brothers from our ministries or communities - have pondered the spirit of the daily readings and are willing 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 Lasallian way. May it be a faith-filled and hope-filled experience rooted in the Scriptures and our own experiences.

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 reminder 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 followers 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 receiving 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 Provincial

Midwest District

Thursday, March 10

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

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take their cross daily and follow me.” –Luke 9:23

Reflecting 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 behind 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 experienced 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, Freshman

Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN

Friday, March 11

Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15

At first glance these two readings appear to be incompatible, 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 introspection, 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 introspection, prayer, and giving up; but one that also takes all of this and calls us to come out of our selfishness. 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, Principal

San Miguel School, Tulsa, OK

Saturday, March 12

Isaiah 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 answer 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 suffering 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 Jesus 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 renew 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 13

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7/Romans 5:12-19/Matthew 4:1-11

God Is Enough

A 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 spiritual truths opens us up to deceptive half-truths that tempt us to sin. We are warned about this in the Genesis 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 bountiful 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 miraculous 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 serenity, 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 14

Leviticus 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 accomplish our goal. How frequently is what will differentiate 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 become 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 Staff

Dunrovin Retreat Center, Marine on St. Croix, MN

Tuesday, March 15

Isaiah 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 accomplishing 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), humility (your will be done), petition (our daily bread, understood as everything we need), one of the essential messages ofChristianity (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 reflection 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 unfolds?

How will YOU advance the Kingdom?

Bro. Paul Ackerman, President

De La Salle Blackfeet School, Browning, MT

Wednesday, March 16

Jonah 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, Senior

Christian Brothers High School, Memphis, TN

Thursday, March 17

Esther 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 waiting 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 creation 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 Father 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, CSJ

Affiliated Member and District Council Consultant

Friday, March 18

Ezekiel 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 remember 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 enjoyment. 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 ceramic 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.