A newsletter from the Little Brothers of the Lamb arrived the other day with so much to ponder. An amazing quote from Pope Francis at the Canonization mass of Junipero Serra on his visit here to the U.S. reaffirmed their call...
Go forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.
The Little Brothers shared this from his speech at the mass in Madison Square Garden - "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." And we ourselves are witnesses of that Light.
"Once again we have suddenly been called to give witness to our neighborhood, in the city, in the soup kitchens, on the streets, to this great light which inhabits our hearts and which darkness cannot grasp." writes the Little Brothers
Little Sister Hallel, our daughter Susan, is in this powerful Community of the Lamb, and they do things as religious that confound people. They beg for their food from the poor, they rely totally on the Lord to provide for them (Divine Providence), they are poor and when they go to a soup kitchen they humbly get in line to eat with the poor and not to serve them or wait on them. Mind boggling? Yes! Do the words of Pope Francis give us some idea of where they feel led to live this life? Yes! They are sharing the LIGHT by giving themselves away in their prayer and sharing The Word/Jesus with all those they encounter. They mendicate/chew/live out Lectio Divina in how they begin the night before repeating and pondering and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal The Truth in the readings for each day! For The Gospel - each line is read and chanted over and over during prayer throughout the day. "The Church lives in our big cities, she wants to be like the yeast in the dough. She wants to enter in relation with the whole world, to stay by the side of each person." Yes, when they go door to door of the poor begging, they represent Christ knocking on the door and ministering to them.
One thing that we experience with our times with The Community is their JOY! They truly are deep inside so happy and it shows! The name of the Little Monastery they built in Kansas City is Lumen Christi - Light of Christ, and they have been told by many that they have brought peace to the poor area that they have settled in the heart of our country filled with increasing darkness of sin and death! So true that those in the midst of this darkness and lies of Satan cannot grasp the True JOY of the Gospel! In the newsletter they shared two stories of touching two different hurting and ostracized people. One person at a time encountering the giving of self to reveal The LIGHT!
I need to end this, but Pat and I shared some memories of 6 years ago when Hallel came for Thanksgiving! I will probably be going back there in the next few days as we had just started whole brain radiation for John's battle against brain cancer and we had the first of Billy's Thanksgiving turkeys. Once again this year he is coming to cook for us with his wife and soon to be 4 children in tow. A lot has happened over the last 6 years when you look at Bill and Nancy and realize they were only dating and not engaged 6 years ago! But that turkey is amazing!
Jesus, our life is so rich in your Word thanks to The Church and the model of The Community of the Lamb in our lives. They show us how we are called to fill our hearts and souls and minds with your Truth/LIGHT/LIFE/LOVE and to carry it forth with us. May we share that with those we encounter one at a time. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
in the rain with the cows spread out on the corn stalks around our house. Soon they will come into the yard for the winter, Pat will start feeding them, and the field will be worked before Thanksgiving! Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Sweet David making a poster to show mom and dad all his love - those are all hearts around the big one in the middle! He is so loving! The Lord will use that love in a special and wonderful way... I am sure!
He speaks The Truth and does not alter it!
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