You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the most High!

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the most High!

“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.  In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Luke 1:76-79

Refection:

This song of praise from Zechariah is spoken once his tongue is 
loosed after manifesting faith in the birth of his son John.  And 
in this particular song of praise, Zechariah gives glory to God 
as he manifests not only his faith but also the fruit of his faith: 
deep, clear, articulate and insightful knowledge of the workings
 of the Father in Heaven.

Zechariah speaks truths that could only be known by him through
 the gift of faith.  There is little doubt that his long exile of silence,
 after being struck mute by the Angel Gabriel, resulted in him 
seeking, hearing and understanding the mystery that was before him.
  He came to realize that his little child was the one who would
 prepare the immediate way for the Lord.  He came to
 understand this baby’s singular prophetic role in the salvation
 of the world.  He saw his son as the “dawn” which was to announce
 the rising Sun.

Remembering +Father Bob, OFM

So much happened to Zechariah in these months of suffering. 
 The Lord worked on him and enabled him to offer this prayer
 of praise that is sung daily by priests and religious throughout 
the world.  Zechariah truly fulfilled his mission by getting back 
up on his feet after his fall.

The same must happen with each one of us.  It would have 
been easy for Zechariah to turn to anger and despair.  He could
 have easily lost hope and felt abandoned by God.  But he didn’t. 
 He waited on the fidelity of God and when his time came, he 
spoke this beautiful and faith-filled song of praise.

Reflect, today, upon how God wants you to imitate the faith 
and perseverance of Zechariah.  It would be easy to look down
 on him for doubting.  But God did not do this.  Instead, He gave
 him a chance to honor Him through the ages with this song.  Seek
 the ways that God also wants to work through your failures of the
 past.  Offer them to Him and trust that He will manifest His almighty 
power through you as you seek to imitate the example of this holy man.

Remembering Sister Ann, SSND and Sister Marcy, OSF

Lord, I offer You my past and all the ways that I have failed to trust 
in You.  I give You my weakness, my pride, and my frustration.  I surrender
 all sin to You and give myself to You completely so that You may do
 with me as You will.  May Your grace be at work in me and may I, like
 Zechariah, sing forever the glory of Your holy name.  Jesus, I trust in You.

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT

The Great Bell located in the tower of St. John the Baptist. The name of the Bell is Mary Queen of Heaven. SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT

MATTHEW 18:12-14

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus, asks:  "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave  the ninety-nine in the hills and go in  search of the stray?" Well, of course  not! No self-respecting shepherd would  ever think of doing that. If you were a  shepherd, you’d cut your losses. That  sheep is probably dead anyway if it  wandered far enough away. But we are to understand that God is like  that foolish shepherd. God’s love throws  caution to the wind to seek out the lost  sheep. We might expect God to be good  to those who are good, and kind to those  who follow his commandments. Those who  don’t, who wander away, are simply lost. God might give them a few minutes, but  then they’re on their own. No; God is like this kooky shepherd. God  loves irrationally, exuberantly risking it  all in order to find the one who wandered  away. What good news: God does not love  according to a strict justice on our  terms, but loves in his own extravagant way. Reflect: Meditate on a time when you were the one lost sheep and received the extravagant, irrational love of God.

St. Ambrose Day

MEMORIAL OF SAINT AMBROSE

MATTHEW 9:35 - 10:1, 5A, 6-8

Friends, today Jesus instructs us to pray for laborers for the harvest, for disciples to do the work of evangelization. We need to  organize our lives around evangelization.  Everything we do ought to be related  somehow to it. This doesn’t mean that  we all have to become professional  evangelizers. Remember, you can evangelize  by the moral quality of your life. But it does  mean that nothing in our lives ought  to be more important than announcing  the victory of Jesus. We should think of others not as objects  to be used, or annoying people in the way  of realizing our projects, but rather as those  whom we are called to serve. Instead of  saying, “Why is this annoying person in  my way?” we should ask, “What opportunity  for evangelization has presented itself?”  Has God put this person in your life precisely  for this purpose? Reflect: Think of an annoying person in  your life and reflect on what opportunity  God might be putting in your way for  evangelization, which begins with love.

How do I bring the light of Christ to others?

A rich man....

Heavenly Father, I know that with 
You all things are possible.  When 
I am faced with the challenges of
everyday life, I pray for Your guiding
strength.  Should I fall behind, 
help me to stand up and keep trying.  
Give me the strength to never give up.  Amen.

---

Luke 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
'What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.'
He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'
Then to another, he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of wheat.'  
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.'
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light."

Refection question: How do I bring the light of Christ to others?

Our leaders in faith! Sister Ann Roddy, SSND, Sister Marcy Romine, OSF

Father Bob, OFM

During this month of November, lets us keep in our prayers our dearly beloved spiritual friends helping us from Heaven!

Sister Ann, SSND, Sister Marcy, SSND, Father Bob, OFM, 

we miss you always!

---

How can we pray for you?

Did you know that you can submit a prayer request to us Franciscan Friars? We want to support you in your daily prayers and join in praying for you and your loved ones. When you submit your petition to us, your intentions will be remembered at Mass and in the prayers.

Peace and all good,
Brother Ed Arambasich, OFM, 
Fire Chaplain

Lord, as we celebrate Halloween

Daily Prayer for October 31, 2019

Lord, as we celebrate Halloween help us to remember that we should also provide for the poor and needy throughout the world.  Lead us to give freely of our time and money so that the poor might be nourished.  Amen.

 

---

Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day, I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.'

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Refection question: How do I bring the love and hope of Jesus to others in my life?

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Naked Before God
Friday, October 4, 2019
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

 

 

Mirabai Starr is a friend, fellow New Mexican, and a respected author known for her work translating many mystics. Her words provide insight into a pivotal experience of St. Francis’ life.

After Christ spoke to Francis from the [crucifix in the] ruins of San Damiano, directing him to rebuild his church, Francis reached for the most immediate source of funds available: his father’s fabrics. Francis entered Pietro Bernardone’s warehouse when his father was away on business and helped himself to two bolts of expensive cloth.

Francis rode to a nearby village, where he sold both the fabric and his horse. Pocketing his purse of gold, he set off on foot for the crumbled church of San Damiano, where he offered the money to the priest. . . .

But Bernardone’s wrath was infamous, and the priest had no interest in incurring it. He refused the money.

When Francis’s father returned to Assisi and discovered what his errant son had done now, he predictably exploded. He had endured Francis’s outrageous disregard for his hard-earned wealth long enough.

In Francis’s youth, the boy had squandered entire fortunes on entertaining himself and his friends. His father had spent a huge sum to bail him out when Francis was captured as a prisoner of war. He had allowed Francis to do nothing for two years as he recovered from an illness contracted during his incarceration. And now this: stealing from his own father to pursue some crazy new whim.

Bernardone found his estranged son . . . begging in the streets of Assisi for stones to rebuild the church of San Damiano. . . .

When he was summoned before Bishop Guido, Francis went willingly, considering the bishop to be a representative of God. Guido, known for his violent temper, was surprisingly tender with [Francis]. . . . He tried to reason with him, explaining that he had “scandalized” his father and that God wouldn’t want him to use ill-gotten gains to do his work.

“My son,” said the bishop, “have confidence in the Lord and act courageously. . . . [God] will be your help and will abundantly provide you with whatever is necessary.”

These words penetrated Francis’s heart. Moved by a surge of faith, Francis stripped off his clothes in front of the entire assembly and handed them to his father, along with the purse of gold the priest at San Damiano had refused.

“Listen, everyone,” Francis called out to the crowd that had gathered to observe the trial. “From now on, I can say with complete freedom, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven.’ Pietro Bernardone is no longer my father.”

Stunned, the bishop wrapped his own cloak around Francis’s naked shoulders. His father left the cathedral defeated. This is not the way Bernardone hoped things would work out. What he really wanted was to have his son back. But Francis, released into the service of humanity, was lost to him forever.

How will I help St. Francis re-build the Church that has fallen into ruin?

 

Guardian Angels Day

The Holy Guardian Angels

Heavenly Father, You have blessed us with the protection of the guardian angels.  We are grateful that You so vigilantly watch over and protect us.  May we always be comforted by the knowledge that You have sent the guardian angels to protect us and lead us on our journey to salvation.  Amen.

---

Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

Refection: How do I help young people to know Jesus?

Mary being taken up into heaven by the Archangels!

Lord of Love....

Lord of Love, there are so many times in life when I doubt my decisions.  Help me to remember that, no matter which path I choose, I should put my trust in You.  I can't go wrong with You by my side.  Amen.

---

Luke 7:36-50

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at the table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Refection question: How do you forgive?

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Almighty God, on this special day we remember that the Cross is the universal image of Christian belief.  Of the Cross, Theodore of Studium said, "How splendid the Cross of Christ!  It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss.  It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds.  A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life."  Help us to remember the importance of this simple yet powerful symbol of our redemption.  Amen.

---

John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

Refection question: How do I see God as the center of my life?

Shadowboxing - Father Richard Rohr, OFM

Shadowboxing
Sunday, September 8, 2019

 

 

Our shadow self is any part of ourselves or our institutions that we try to hide or deny because it seems socially unacceptable. The church and popular media primarily focus on sexuality and body issues as our “sinful” shadow, but that is far too narrow a definition. The larger and deeper shadow for Western individuals and culture is actually failure itself. Thus, the genius of the Gospel is that it incorporates failure into a new definition of spiritual success. This is why Jesus says that prostitutes and tax collectors are getting into the kingdom of God before the chief priests and religious elders (see Matthew 21:31).

Our success-driven culture scorns failure, powerlessness, and any form of poverty. Yet Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount by praising “the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3)! Just that should tell us how thoroughly we have missed the point of the Gospel. Nonviolence, weakness, and simplicity are also part of the American shadow self. We avoid the very things that Jesus praises, and we try to project a strong, secure, successful image to ourselves and the world. We reject vulnerability and seek dominance instead, and we elect leaders who falsely promise us the same.

I can see why my spiritual father, St. Francis of Assisi (1181–1226), made a revolutionary and pre-emptive move into the shadow self from which everyone else ran. In effect, Francis said through his lifestyle, “I will delight in powerlessness, humility, poverty, simplicity, and failure.” He lived so close to the bottom of things that there was no place to fall. Even when insulted, he did not take offense. Now that is freedom, or what he called “perfect joy”! [1]

Our shadow is often subconscious, hidden even from our own awareness. It takes effort and life-long practice to look for, find, and embrace what we dismiss, deny, and disdain. After spending so much energy avoiding the very appearance of failure, it will take a major paradigm shift in consciousness to integrate our shadow in Western upwardly mobile cultures. Just know that it is the false self that is sad and humbled by shadow work because its game is over. The True Self, “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3), is incapable of being humiliated. It only grows from such supposedly humiliating insight.

One of the great surprises on the human journey is that we come to full consciousness precisely by shadowboxing, facing our own contradictions, and making friends with our own mistakes and failings. People who have had no inner struggles are invariably superficial and uninteresting. We tend to endure them more than appreciate them because they have little to communicate and show little curiosity. Shadow work is what I call “falling upward.” Lady Julian of Norwich (1342–1416) put it best of all: “First there is the fall, and then we recover from the fall. And both are the mercy of God!” [2] God hid holiness quite well: the proud will never recognize it, and the humble will fall into it every day—not even realizing it is holiness.

Do you help people at any time and place?

The Tau House Community is an on-line Blog Christ-centered faith community in the Roman Catholic tradition, open to all in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi.

Our mission is to support each other in our journey with Christ. We give special attention to all who feel disenfranchised and outside the usual care of the Church.

To this end, we provide a blog for prayer, friendship, and service within the community. Feel free to send us your prayer requests, and topics of interest. The email address to send anything to is eja1951@gmail.com

The Orginal Tau Hosue Friary on Governor Nicholls, New Orleans, LA

Luke 6:1-5

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Refection question: Do you help people when it's not convenient for you?

Daily Prayer:

Heavenly Father, in a world where technology is literally at our fingertips, it can be difficult to step away from the temptation of our - gadgets - to spend time in prayer with You.  Help us all to remember what is truly important in life.  Amen.