Anchored

For Holy Week, the Brothers offer reflections from a famous series of reflections called "The Seven Last Words of Christ." They are the seven last statements that Jesus made from the cross.

Br. Ken reflects on the first statement, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." He comments on three groups of people who are around the cross and in this time of the passion for the Lord.

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Recorded: 1/12/2020 (The Baptism of the Lord, Year A)

Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17 (21)

Location: St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota

Description: The baptism of Jesus does not make sense without knowing the deep love He has for us, His desire to be one with us as a human race. Jesus had no need to be cleansed; He had no sins to repent for. Instead, His baptism shows His humble wish to identify Himself entirely with our condition. The Lord's baptism is the start of His public life, just as our own baptism is the start of our life in Christ.

Reflection: What areas of your life, of your heart, have you been resisting letting the Lord heal and make clean? Picture yourself with Jesus, standing side-by-side in the muddy Jordan River, and allow the Lord to "dunk" you in His mercy and love.

Throughout the Brotherhood's forty years, one of the constant characteristics of our life has been the Lord renewing for us the virtue of hope. The symbol of the Brotherhood is an anchor with the word "hope" emblazoned on it's cross piece, and this image is drawn from the biblical passage of Hebrews 6:19 "Hope is the anchor of the soul," meaning that amid all of life's difficulties and storms, Christians are supported from being blown off course because we're anchored by our hope in the Lord and His faithfulness.

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As we celebrate this Christmas, let us reflect on a powerful phrase that God spoke many times around Jesus' birth. The angels say to the shepherds "do not be afraid." The angel Gabriel says to Mary at the Annunciation "do not be afraid." Similar with St. Joseph, the angel says to him in a dream, "Do not be afraid Joseph to take Mary as your wife." Why would the first words God has proclaimed to the human race on the birth of His Son be "do not be afraid"?

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For the Christian, the word "hope" means to desire God and the things of God. This can be hard to understand in our hearts because we easily default to hoping for the things of this world. For some reason, it's just easier for us to hope for things that are tangible.

We can move beyond this and tap into true Christian hope by reflecting back on our experience of those earthly desires that we have achieved or obtained. Although our achievements are usually accompanied by some temporary satisfaction, ultimately we find ourselves again unsatisfied and craving for more.

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As God's people journeyed through the desert, God revealed Himself and His people came to see that "God alone is reliable", "God alone is trustworthy". In the Brotherhood of Hope, we tap into this idea through our specific charism, which we say is to experience and proclaim Jesus' "All Sufficiency." By this we state that Jesus Christ—fully human, fully divine— is "the only one able to meet the deepest needs of the human heart."

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Since the very early days of the Brotherhood of Hope, the theme of "going into the desert" has been important to us. This is because when God led His people out of Egypt into the desert, His purpose was to fashion them into a holy people, fit for a Holy Land. The same is true for us; God wishes to fashion and purify us so that we can receive fully His gift, mainly is this Advent season, the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

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Recorded: 11/10/2019 (32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

Gospel Reading: Luke 20:27-38

Location: St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota

Description: This world tells us that our worth is dependent on all that we are in this life, all that we have in this life, and all that we do in this life. But the Gospel tells us a much different message, a message of Truth. Once we receive God's gift of life, we live because God's life is in each of us. Because He lives within us, we have a future, a future that will not pass away when our time in this world comes to an end.

Reflection: What can you do to keep the reality that you are worth more than this present life at the forefront of your mind and heart?

Recorded: 10/6/2019 (27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

Gospel Reading: Luke 17:5-10

Location: St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota

Description: The experience of love changes us. When we know that we are fully known, fully understood, and fully loved, our hearts are deeply converted. We are open and obedient to a way of life that we would not have otherwise been. The only person who can fully know, understand, and love us is the Lord Jesus. In response to this great love, we find ourselves willingly obedient to go wherever the Lord leads us to go and to do whatever the Lord commands us to do.

Reflection: Reflect on the truth that God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows you perfectly, inside and out, through and through. What can you do to get to know Him more deeply?

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Recorded: 8/11/2019 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:32-48

Location: St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota

Description: There is the "thief" that breaks in to come and steal your heart, and there is the One that knocks to come and fill your heart, bringing you a life of joy, freedom, confidence, and power. When our hearts are fastened to people, possessions, experiences, and attitudes, we isolate ourselves from being available to the life that the Lord wants to give us. Fr. Philip reminds us that the One who knocks—Jesus—will never force His entry, but rather asks us to freely open our hearts to Him. It is up to us to pray, "Come, Lord Jesus. I hear you knocking, and I want to open the door freely."

Reflection: What distractions in your life can you remove in order to hear Jesus knocking?

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