May 2, 2022 - General Chapter 46

 This is the day when we began to work. After prayer in the large "Sanctuary of St. John Baptist de La Salle" at 7:00 am, the Brothers went to breakfast and did what they needed to do prior to the first session at 9:00 am in the Aula Magna.

The first part of the morning was presented and overseen by Sr. Leslie, the Salesian Sister from Nicaragua who would be our facilitator. A roomful of 70+ male religious could be a daunting audience, but she had already loosened us up yesterday with her exercises, and today she would introduce "Appreciative Inquiry" - a methodology of organiziation inquiry coming from a professor in Cleveland and successfully used in many settings, although not many in the USA. We started with this video, followed by spontaneous insights and comments by the Brothers. Then she began to explain aspects of this methodology as one that promotes growth and motivation, highlighting strengths that contribute to achieving success together by concentrating on what gives us life instead of what we see as problems. Her presentation was articulate and convincing. Over a period of about an hour, she gradually wove a tapestry of understanding of what this methodology meant, sharing basic principles behind it and highlighting things like the reality of genuine circumstances, the power of collective imagination based on the refusal to say "I can't", and the recognition that many things happen at the same time (simultaneousness). I was struck by the analogy of a child who encounters a tree and immediately begins to imagine the ways that the tree could be made part of his/her experiences and life. 

A question period followed. And this was a critical portion of the session, since the entire General Chapter had been planned on the basis of following Appreciative Inquiry, and it could all fall apart without wide support from the Capitulants. But each question was answered with calm expertise, clear recognition of what lay behind the question, and a depth of background that only someone with a confident trust in that process could project. She was asked about the kinds of difficulties that might be experienced (reconciling different points of view & language group / regional distinctions) and what the practical objective might l want?" A statement from the floor was "How to we transform our paths so that life is allowed to happen?" 

After 90 minutes of input and questions, the groups was ready to vote on whether or not to use this method for the Chapter. There were 69 voting Brothers in attendance (not including me, since the Consultants are not voting members) and the electronic vote was 63-1-2-1 (Yes-No-Abstain-Juxta Modum) That last one, "Juxta Modum", means that you agree but not with all of it and would like to see some changes; I don't know the origins of this interesting voting option. Generally, therefore, the method passed with flying colors.

Next, the five Regions (PARC, RELAL, RELEM, RELAF, RELAN) went to different parts of the property to meet and choose a Coordinator (leader) and Secretary fo their regional group, a proposed "Scrutineer" (someone to count the votes; usually the youngert Brother in the group), a proposed "Moderator" (someone to take his turn in running a session) from the Region, and a proposed permanent "Coordinator" for the Chapter. The latter is the person who would be in overall charge of the sessions and lead the Central Committee, made up of all these people along with others. We quickly chose Br. Dylan Perry as our Scrutineer, and recommended the current temporary Chapter Coordinator, Br. Jorge Sierra, originally appointed by the Superior General, as the permanet one. For our own group, Br. Rober Schaeffer was chosen as our regional group's Coordinator and Br. Chris Patino as our Secretary. Finally, we proposed Br. Nick Gonzalez as RELAN's nomination for Moderator for the general sessions.

All of these folks from the various regional groups were duly proposed, confirmed by a hand vote (which probably made it simpler since the majority would be obvious and prevented the noticing of any small number of negative votes), and applauded upon confirmation. The Coordinator for the Chapter that was proposed by the regional groups were all exactly the same: Br. Jorge Sierra. This was the validation that the preparatory committee had hoped for. From that moment, he became the Chapter Coordinator and became responsible for running this General Chapter. Subsequently, each Moderator and each Scrutineer was voted on and confirmed.

When we met again at 3:00 pm, there was a discussion of the Manual of Rules and Procedures. Br. Jacques D'Huiteau, who was the Moderator of the session along with Br. Pierre Ouattara, went through each of the chapters of the document to ask for any questions or clarifications. Clearly, he had done this sort of thing before, and he was very thorough and careful in making sure any questions were recognized and considered. Finally, after going through each chapter of the Manual, we were ready to vote. The final vote was 65-1-2-0. Therefore, the methodology and the procedures that the Preparatory Committee had been working on for 2-3 years, and one that was radically different from the approaches of any previous General Chatpter, was accepted and approved.

Following this session, we went into language groups - there were two groups for the English-speaking participants - and were assigned to rooms throughout the property where we would begin our work together. Each group was asked to choose a Moderator (Br. Ricky Laguda) and a Secretary who could speak Spanish, in order to facilitate communication with Sr. Maria, the facilitator (Br. Chris Patino was chosen). Since most didn't know one another, we briefly introduced ourselves and subsequently shared some general thoughts / impresssions / concerns about the Chapter and its processes. The method we ended up using was that one person would verbally invite the next person to respond. It was clear that people had thought carefully and deeply about the issues that were on the table, and it was a very good beginning of conversations that will extend throughout the Chapter. As we had been told, most of our work would happen in these language groups. It should be noted that the two lay women who were appointed by the Superior General were both from the U.S. - one is Alisa Macksey and the other is Heather Ruple Gilson. Heather is part of our English language group.

Among the thoughts shared within the group - which really don't need to be part of any blog but may be generally relayed - was the notion that we are at a critical junction in the history of the Institute, and the window of opportunity is rather small. One analogy was shared that it is as if we are in the middle of crossing a river; we can't go back and the only thing we can do to survive is to move forward. (I agreed but also commented that I'd like to see a piece of the shore that we're aiming at.)

These rich conversations went on until it was time for the "afternoon break" which happened at 4:30 pm. As it was, we kept on talking into the break and beyond. Some of the other groups kept on talking together for much longer.

In between these sessions, I would pop down to my office to get some of my other work done and to check on the historical displays that are being prepared in various parts of the house. It's one of the liabilities of having an office and responsibility in the same place where the General Chapter is held.

The Mass was held in the main sanctuary at 6:45 pm. It was done in Italian and French (readings, homily, songs, etc.). The strongest singing occurred at the very end when we sang the Lourdes hymn to Mary in French. It was loud, broad, and sincere, with various harmonic parts emerging spontaneously; one of those goose-bumpy moments that was really enriching.

Following dinner, there was a little reception sponsored by the General Council in the Brothers dining room, where we also have all of our breaks. I ended up speaking with Br. Janusz (yes, that's spelled correctly) from Poland, who didn't know English but knew Spanish well, having gone to Spain for his novitiate. Thankfully, Br. Chris Patino was there to interpret the parts that I couldn't quite understand. It's really fascinating when you speak with a Brother from a place you're not really familiar with. 

When the three of us finished our conversation. 95% of those in the room had left, and Chris and I went down to the Den to see if anyone was there. In fact, there were quite a few people there. In places and times such as this, it is probably in such circumstances that much of the connectivity and conversation takes place, although I left after a while to make sure that I could write up my recollections here.

May 1, 2022 - General Chapter 46

 It was Sunday today, but it certainly was NOT a day of rest. The 46th General Chapter started today, with it 71 voting delegates, 13 Consultants, and a variety of secretaries, translators, and others responsible for making sure that things run smoothly.

Thankfully, the official gathering was scheduled for 9:00 am inthe "Aula Magna" - which is the grand meeting hall that had been fully renovated some years back. It is used by other religious congregations for their international gatherings because it has everyone you need for a meeting space... lots of seats with microphones and voting buttons, a grand dais with room for plenty of "moderators" and important people, four translator booths looming high up in the back like miniature luxury boxes at a football stadium, and a projection and audio system that allows for maximum flexibility. All you have to figure out how to do is operate the portable Snickers Bar sized translation unit that are being charged at the back of the room.

Clearly, I wasn't wise enough to know how they operated. Not only did I report that they weren't working, when I went into the hall to show a Pakistani Brother where his place would be and how to use the equipment (this was 45 minutes before the first session) - that the units weren't lit and that taking them out and pressing the power button produced nothing on the small screen - but later in the day when I was trying to help the French-speaking Brother from Africa who was seated next to me by showing him where and how those translation units worked, the damn things didn't work even, even though the problem to the power units was explained to me (the unit had been turned off... the switch was in an obvious position). It turns out that you need to plug in one of the earphones before the unit even thinks about turning on. One you plug an earphone in, it's as happy as a clam and works very well. Who knew?

By the time we started in the Aula Magna, everyone was there with a quiet sort of excitement. There were the expected instructions - "Here is how you use the translation units!" - and an inspirational short talk by Br. Robert Schieler, the Superior General. Then the General Secretary, Br. Antxon, went through many of the needed details, with slides above his head to match, after which Br. Robert Schieler said: "I now declare this General Chapter officially open" - or words to that effect. One the "rules" that we were told is that photos or recordings of the sessions were not permitted; there were official photographers taking photos. Therefore, the photo below is probably the only photo that you will see from my position among the rows.

It is worth mentioning that the seats are attached in such a way that they swing out and back under the top counter, but the space between you and the person behind you is rather small. If someone seated in the middle wanted (or needed) to leave, they would have to ask the person seated near the end to either move into the aisle or to scrunch up to edge of the top counter so that they could squeeze behind them. Not the most optimal design, in the opinion of some. I was blessed in scoring an aisle seat, as it were. (They are spread out alphabetically from the front row to the back.)

The official preliminaries took a good 60-90 minutes, after which there was a welcome coffee break. When we returned, we tried out the voting system with some imagined resolutions - "Proposition to have a weel-long online session after this three-week in-person session." - and the Preparatory Committee provided an overview of what they proposed for the flow and substance of our time together. The "Capitulants" will vote on this later in the week.

After a decent break for lunch and siesta (Noon to 3 pm) we regathered in the Aula Magna. After lunch, I used the opportunity to to with Br. John Fernando to a nearby grocery store for "supplies" for the Den, which is the English-language lounge in the basement. We are making it available to those Brothers who would like to use it, and I'll let you guess what "supplies" refer to. When the group resumed, they introduced a Salesian Sister from Nicaragua who would be our facilitator, Sr. Leslie Sandigo Ortega. She jumped right into her role and had the Spanish, French, and English groups gather in different parts of the room. First they had to take a selfie, which I could only do with a small part of the group.

After that, we had to come up with a greeting to their Lasallian colleagues back home that would be filmed. Quick creativity was called for. The Spanish and French folks looked like they were organizing themselves well. The English group stood around staring at one another and wondering what to do. Finally, when crunch time came, Br. Armin suggested the word "Animo!" and we ended up shouting that into the camera. It had the virtue of being short, loud, and easy to do.

What followed was a very interesting and rather good process, whereby the participants had to schedule "appointments" for five time periods from 10 to 20 minutes with either one or more Brothers. The purpose was to share the answers to some questions about our hopes, fears, vocation stories, etc. with different English-speakers in the room (in my case). The last task was to decide on a word that represented our commitment to the upcoming session. My small group of four Brothers decided on "Prophetic Encounter" as our best description. 

Then we all met in another location to share out group words and the "whys" behind them. Some three hours later, we had a rather impressive set of words that I unfortunately failed to record but will provide in a later post. Sr. Leslie pointed out that ALL of those words were important, just as all of our contributions were important, and that we should think about and apply those principles as we move ahead with the process.

By now, it was close to 6:00 pm. We were given ten minutes to get into our robes and then to show up at the front steps of the Casa Generalizia where our "first photo" would be taken. The picture taking, along with a swooping drone that we had to wave at several times, took another twenty minutes. Then it was into the main church for our opening Mass. The main celebrant was Cardina Michale Czerny, S.J. , who was just appointed by Pope Francis to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He gave a very nice homily, telling us the the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" was our very own encyclical since it was part of our vocation to encourage and support sibling relationships within society, which was one of the only ways that the planet might yet be saved. Powerful stuff.

After this, we went to the dining room for a festive opening meal. It ended around 9:30 pm when the dolce (cake) was served. A long long day with lots of activities. And it only the first day!

    

Aprile 30, 2022 - General Chapter 46

It's been a great while since I've contributed to this blog, and it's probably has more to do with a lack of discipline than an intentional neglect. Like any interesting practice that becomes a habit, after some time it is simply a habit and the "interesting" part wanes. Whether or not one sticks to the habit is matter of relativity. Are other priorities becoming more important? Are you just becoming a bit more lazy - that's the guilty part of the equation. Whatever the cause, I've decided to see if I can't keep some sort of record of my experience during this General Chapter in Rome, as I did back in 2007 when I participated as the one who organized the liturgies and prayers. 

This time around, I'm here as a "Consultor" to the Chapter. As such, I'm one of ten Consultors, most of which are in charge of "Secretariats" here at the Casa Generalizia. There are also two women Consultors, which is a distinct blessing. In this position, we can participate in all aspects of the General Chapter except vote. Whether I will even say anything on the floor and not just in committee is yet to be determined. But my disposition is to be helpful but not to get too involved in areas where others are in a better position to do so.

Brothers have been arriving for GC46 for the last week of so. The nearer we got to today, the more people arrived. Until this morning, all of our meals were held in the community's dining room - a large room but finally too small for the 70+ guests who will be joining us. It was lunch today that was held in one of the larger public dining rooms, and that will be the case until May 22nd, when the Chapter ends.

For most of today, I worked on my 15-minute public report on my area, the Lasallian Research and Resources Service. The report is schedule for May 4th, after the report of the Superior General (the main event and much longer) and the 15-minute report of the Communications Office that follows it. Trying to squeeze as much information as possible into that 15 minutes is balanced by the realization that most people in the room will already be somewhat exhausted by facts and don't need to head a plethora of them from me. Therefore, we prepared a booklet with the information which will be handed out at the time, and I'll just provide some highlights. But still, there is a verbal script, with cues for Powerpoint changes, and I've worked on the Powerpoint to keep it interesting and engaged.

For lunch, I invited a younger Brother from Lebanon, Br. Louis, to lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. We had a great conversation about his circumstances in Lebanon where, for example, there is no reliable power - therefore you pay others to get plugged into their generators. The U.S. Dolllar was king 20 years ago, but today it is worth a mere fraction of what it used to be, and banks don't let you transfer dollars or withdraw them. Our schools are surving, mostly because the 900 teachers all of the country receive $100 every once in while from the Brothers to tide them over; paid for my generous charities overseas. It's just a very strange and difficult situation that becomes much more real when you're speaking with a 33-year-old Brother who faces that each day.

This evening, we sort of began the Chapter because today is De La Salle's birthday (April 30, 1951), and we had Mass in the small downstairs chapel instead of the large, echo-filled, main church. As a result, almost every seat was taken, and the singing was amazingly loud and vigorous. The Mass was in Spanish, English, French, and Italian, with the language hop-scotching across the prayers and readings. But it all seemed just fine, because 95% of the place was filled with Brothers from around the world. At the very end, with the singing of the Salve Regina, the volume and depth was really impressive and wonderful; filled with a sort of exuberance.

After that, most of the Brothers lingered outside, waiting for dinner to start at 7:30 pm (the usual time for dinner here). The English-speaking crowd drifted toward the "Den" - which is the English language group's hangout. By the time I got there, it was filled with people, noisily talking and helping to empty the sparse bar that we keep there. But it was a great atmosphere; very positive, enjoyable, and filled with life. Usually, there are 3-5 of us here during that time period, having had our evening prayer at 6:45 pm. Now it was a nice cauldron of energy and conversation.

At the dinner that followed, we sort of figured out to get some food and then drift around until you heard or saw a table with English-speaking folks, joining them if there was room. This is not a requirement, but it's the usual practice. I'm sure that over the next couple of weeks, we will sit at tables where other languages are generally spoken. But the Brothers are very good about noticing someone who isn't really participating and speaking with them in their native language. Certainly for me, it's a saving grace.

At one point during dinner, a last contingent of Brothers from Spain arrived, having taken a late flight to Italy. At once, the hubub increased, lots of greetings all around, many "What's  that guy's name. I recognize him but don't remember his name?" incidents at table. Tomorrow, when we officially start at 9:00 am, we will all be wearing our name tags, so eventually we should be able to recognize others when we see them. Even an old brain like me might be able get close to that goal.

Tonight's atmosphere is like a group of athletes before their primary event. Lots of happy energy, greetings, conversations, and laughter. But we know that the work starts soon, and that we will be very busy for the next three weeks. I'm looking forward to it with hope and a little trepidation. Real Providence tends to be like that.

Hope for Today

 “Faith is the foundation of the hope that we have.” [1]

– St. John Baptist de La Salle –

Many of us were very much taken by Amanda Gorman’s poem at the recent inauguration ceremony. It’s simplicity, rhythm, authenticity, and hope reverberated in the hearts of those witnessing the scaled-down, isolated ceremony on a cold day in Washington, D.C. Another of her poems is entitled “The Miracle of Morning.” It gives a description of what hope can look like, even today, to those who pay sincere attention. “I see a dad with a stroller taking a jog. Across the street, a bright-eyed girl chases her dog. A grandma on a porch fingers her rosaries. She grins as her young neighbor brings her groceries.” [2]

These are expressions of what may be called a sacramental sensibility, fostered I should think in some small part by her family’s ties to St. Bridget’s in Los Angeles. Amanda looked beyond and through the world around her, with a wider, larger, more inclusive perspective. One might say that she saw with the eyes of faith.

De La Salle writes that “Faith is the foundation of the hope that we have.” And scripture has it that “Faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1) Those are rich statements, but it’s harder to know what they might mean in the daily world of pandemic life. Where and how does one live hope today? Chesterton wisely wrote “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. … As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.” Hoping for the best is certainly different than hoping for truth, justice, peace, and genuine goodness in one’s life and relationships. The first is wishful and the second takes work. The first is easy and the second is hard. The first is impersonal and the second is very personal. Jonathan Sacks writes, “Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue; hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.”[3]

One good illustration of this kind of hope comes from Ronald Rolheiser. In 2011 he underwent 168 chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer, and he kept a journal, vowing “I’ll get through it! I’ll endure it!” His hope was focused on getting to the end of the treatments, ignoring all other matters of importance. About halfway through these many weeks of treatment, he had a revelation. “…I woke up, I woke up to the fact that I was putting my life on hold, that I wasn’t really living but only enduring each day in order check it off and eventually reach that magical 168th day when I could start living again. I realized that I was wasting a season of my life. Moreover, I realized that what I was living through was sometimes rich precisely because of the impact of chemotherapy in my life. That realization remains one of the special graces in my life… The coronavirus has put us all, in effect, on a conscripted sabbatical and it’s subjecting those who have contracted it to their own type of chemotherapy. And the danger is that we will put our lives on hold as we go through this extraordinary time and will just endure rather than let ourselves be graced by what lies within this uninvited season. Yes, there will be frustration and pain in living this through, but that’s not incompatible with happiness.”[4] Lived hope, real hope, embraces the graces that lie within reach. In fact, these are the only ones that God truly places before us at each moment of each day in each circumstance. Our trust / faith lies here.

Hope “is congenital, in the gut, a trust, not deflected by anything, that our lives are not mere accident, that we are more than brute chips fallen off the conveyor-belt of chance, that we have individual significance and destiny, that every small act of conscience and fidelity has meaning within the eternal schema of things, and that the tiny rivulet of our lives is flowing into the great ocean of meaning and eternity where, far from being absorbed or obliterated, we will enjoy perfect, self-conscious mutuality in love in an ecstatic, communal, yet individual, eternal fulfilment. This is hope, as we feel it practically.”[5]

Hope does not need to be dour or resigning. Hope needs to be alive and engaged. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12) For those of us involved in Lasallian educational ministries – in whatever capacity – remember De La Salle’s inspired insight that “[The students] are your hope, your joy, and your crown of glory before our Lord Jesus Christ.” [6] That is certainly enough to keep us grounded and motivated to look for and see the graces hidden within the very real challenges and difficulties associated with the current pandemic.

How do these final lines of Amanda Gorman’s poem echo in your life, ministry, mind & heart?

Let every dawn find us courageous, brought closer;
Heeding the light before the fight is over.
When this ends, we’ll smile sweetly, finally seeing
In testing times, we became the best of beings.[7]

---

A PDF of this reflection is HERE

[1] De La Salle, John Baptist, Meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, trans. Richard Arnandez, and Augustine Loes, eds. Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994), Meditations 40.3

[2] https://www.treatsforthesoul.org/the-miracle-of-morning/

[3] Sacks, Jonathan. Celebrating Life (Continuum Press, 2004) p. 175

[4] https://ronrolheiser.com/love-in-the-time-of-covid-19/#.YByZA-hKguW

[5] https://ronrolheiser.com/practical-hope/#.YBxF3OhKguU

[6] Meditations, op. cit., 207.3

[7] https://www.treatsforthesoul.org/the-miracle-of-morning/

Lasallian Reflection - Advent & Daffodils

 

“Because you have to prepare the hearts of others for the coming of Jesus Christ, you must first of all dispose your own hearts to be entirely filled with zeal, in order to  render your words effective in those whom you instruct.” [1]
–  St. John Baptist de La Salle  –

This has been a good training year for the season of Advent, for waiting and waiting and waiting a little longer. A vaccine? An upcoming election? A change in systemic racism? Reform of Church clericalism, among other things?  A visit to friends, relatives, neighbors, even strangers? A county COVID-19 status to a better color? An in-person, three-dimensional, messily immersive Mass?

But Advent is not about the “let’s get back to some kind of normal” sort of waiting. It is a more appealing and optimistic kind of waiting because it is “a season to get in touch with our deepest yearnings. Like Mary, we wait patiently, preparing a womb within which Christ can be born.”[2] It’s more like waiting for spring, for the re-emergent flowering of deep, rich, wonderful things, bringing their glorious fragrances, complexities, colors, and sheer beauty. It is a springtime for our souls.

For each of us, we remember different life-moments of such springtime experiences, dotting the landscape of our lives like a field of daffodils. The conversation with a professor in college, who took your stumbling attempt at a question about his presentation, articulated the question better than you ever could, and then kindly explained why your assumptions were wrong. The visit to a museum where you turned a corner and a single El Greco painting, isolated in its own space, stunned you with its quiet intensity and drama, elevating the power of art to a whole new level. An encounter with a small group of students on retreat, for whom you were able to be the attentive listener they craved for, an experience that deepened your appreciation of accompaniment — by you, by others, by God — as graced opportunities. The sermon or reading that answered a burning question or shaped a difficult decision. The reluctant response to a request to do, to go, or to be available for something, which led to unexpected shores and brand-new horizons. All these are manifestations of the deeper yearnings, harbingers of what this year’s Advent spring may yet bring.

Advent essentially means staying awake “to the truth that God is with us even when most everything in our lives and in the world seems to belie that.”[3] For those in Lasallian education, staying awake invites us to “dispose our own hearts to be entirely filled with zeal, in order to render our words effective in those whom we instruct.”[4] Recall teachers who were not effective and put us to sleep, not because they lacked knowledge, but because they lacked zeal, which is not found in loud gestures and shouting, but in an intensity of purpose and attention that burns into hearts.

For most of us, it is a zeal awakened and fostered through conversations that we regularly have. David Brooks has tips for deepening conversations, such as open-ended or elevated questions. But genuine attention and approaching others “with awe” make the real difference: “It’s best to act as if attention had an on/off switch with no dimmer. Total focus.” Why? Because “deeper conversation builds trust, the oxygen of society, exactly what we’re missing right now.”[5]

Perhaps it is the recently deceased Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who said it best: “Conversation is a kind of prayer. Because in conversation, by reaching out to the human other, we begin the journey of reaching out to the divine other.”[6] Some twenty years earlier, his description of a conversation that he had when he was much younger, traveling 3,000 miles to visit a quiet, rather non-charismatic international Jewish rabbinic leader makes the same point from the listening side. “As I left the room, it occurred to me that it had been full of my presence and his absence. Perhaps that is what listening is, considered as a religious act. I knew then that greatness is measured by what we efface ourselves towards. There was no grandeur in his manner; neither was there any false modesty. He was serene, dignified, majestic; a man of transcending humility who gathered you into his embrace and taught you to look up.”[7] What a fine way of talking about the graced teaching encounter, animated by what De La Salle calls the Spirit of Faith & Zeal.

During this Advent season, perhaps we can – in our conversations, reading choices, online habits, prayer practices, and perceived deeper yearnings – look up a little more and look down a little less. Because then, the daffodils buried deep within the soil of our lives will have a chance to grow, emerge, and bloom once more, soaking up the sun’s bounty and enhancing the inherent beauty of our local vistas.

That is indeed something worth waiting (and working) for.

---

A PDF of this reflection is HERE

Photo by Laila Gebhard on Unsplash

[1] De La Salle, John Baptist, Meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, trans. Richard Arnandez, and Augustine Loes, eds. Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994), 36 (Meditation 2.2 – The Second Sunday of Advent)

[2] Rolheiser, Ronald. Liturgical Press, “Give Us This Day” November 2020, 298-299.

[3] Rolheiser, op. cit.

[4] This is the opening quotation from De La Salle, slightly altered.

[5] Brooks, David. The New York Times, November 19, 2020. “Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversation.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/opinion/nine-nonobvious-ways-to-have-deeper-conversations.html

[6] Sacks, Jonathan. On Being Studios. https://soundcloud.com/onbeing/rabbi-sacks-conversation-is-a Retrieved November 30, 2020

[7] Sacks, Jonathan. The Tablet, 1 April, 2000, 451.

Lasallian Reflection - Lived Details Are Important

“It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves.”
–  St. John Baptist de La Salle [1] –

My parents moved the family to the U.S. when they were 41 and 40 – five kids, one a baby. My father died of cancer when he was 68. My mother had cared for him in his last years. Suddenly alone in a different country, with only my youngest brother at home, she felt adrift. But she knew she needed to do something to get things back in line. When I asked her later how she coped, she said, “I pulled weeds.” Each day, she went into the backyard, and on her hands and knees would pull weeds. That is what worked for her.

The lived details of what we do influence how we see things and how the world fits together, shaping the larger experienced reality of something, personally or collectively.

In the Lasallian world, such details are focused on schools, classrooms, and teaching. Three essential books by De La Salle, one with his teachers, were all “granular” in their level of detail: The Conduct of Christian Schools (How to start and run a Christian School), The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility (How students should be and act like a Christian person), and the Meditations (How to reflect and pray as a Christian teacher).

In The Conduct, the details of teaching methodology served the lesson’s purpose. One historian wrote, “De La Salle required the students to explain what they had read. … The teacher must have carefully read and studied in advance the material the students would be asked to read. … Above all he was to question the students to determine whether they could apply to themselves what they had read, something they could do only if they understood it.”[2] In Christian Decorum, one’s behavior referenced God, neighbor, and oneself through the details of daily life. There is a whole chapter on yawning, spitting, and coughing, and sections on dressing and undressing, how to eat soup, and how to have conversations with others: “You need not refrain entirely from spitting. … It is necessary when you are … in places that are usually kept clean that you turn aside slightly and spit into your handkerchief. … After spitting into your handkerchief, fold it immediately without looking at it, and replace it in your pocket.”[3] And at the end of each of the Meditations, it is directly applied to the teacher’s practical life and daily disposition: “Do not, then, be so foolish, so unreasonable, and so unchristian as to expect to have nothing to suffer from your Brothers, for this would be to ask for a most extraordinary and unheard-of miracle.”1[4] De La Salle was a fan of the practical. His regular question was, “Do the schools run well?”

There are implications of this approach today… especially today. What practical protocols do we share – either directly in our interactions with students or in terms of our modeling – about phone and technology use, for example? Pope Francis recently said that getting young people involved in the practical details of Christian life, to do works of mercy, helps them become grounded in “concreteness” and to “enter into a social relationship.” “It worries me that they communicate and live in the virtual world,” he said, noting that on a recent visit with youth, instead of extending their hands when they saw him, they “greeted” him with their phones held up, taking photos and selfies. “Their reality is that… not human contact. This is serious,” he continued. “We have to make young people ‘land’ in the real world. Touch reality, without destroying the good things the virtual world can have.2[5]

Regularly touching the plain surface of reality applies to all of us because doing so tends to realign the other details of our lives. One Trappistine postulant – now an abbess – speaks of how she had sought distraction from monastic routine and boredom, which masked an escape from confronting the self. She asked a visiting monk for advice. “His advice to me was simple and concrete: and to this day it helps me to come back to the place where my life is called to bear fruit. He said, ‘Just get up and wash your socks.’ He did not say go and do your laundry! He just mentioned one small action to shake boredom, sadness, laziness, inertia, lassitude. One single action can cure all this.”3[6]

What is that single action for you and your unique world? What is one thing that you do, or that you could do, to shake your attention awake in a simple, explicit way? It may change. It should change. But it should not be dismissed. God is present in the promiscuously eclectic encounters of daily life. None of them are worth missing. All of them carry the soft, silent whisper of a genuine, even intimate, encounter with that which transforms the rest.

And if things get difficult, perhaps we should go out and pull weeds, or wash our socks.

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A PDF of this reflection is HERE

[1] De La Salle, John Baptist, The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility, trans. Richard Arnandez, ed. Gregory Wright, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1990), Pg. 3.

[2] Ferdinand Buisson, quoted by Gregory Wright in his introduction of Christian Decorum, Ibid., Pg. XV.

[3] Ibid., Pg. 29.

[4] La Salle, John Baptist, Meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, trans. Richard Arnandez, and Augustine Loes, eds. Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994), Med. 73.2 (Pg. 161)

[5] Adapted from a CNA article: https://bit.ly/2Kot3sI – Retrieved October 15, 2020.

[6] From the Summer 2020 Redwoods Monastery (Whitethorn, CA) Newsletter – Sr. Karen Arce (redwoodsabbey.org)

Lasallian Reflection - What Captures Your Attention?

“You must win them over to practice the maxims of the holy Gospel, and to this end you must give them means that are easy and accommodated to their age. Gradually accustomed to this practice, when older they will have acquired these maxims as a kind of habit and will practice them without great difficulty.”
–  St. John Baptist de La Salle[1] –

Certain things “capture” our attention. It could start out small enough – something read, seen, exposed to, experienced, or undergone. But we are either well and truly hooked immediately, or we are drawn more and more into its embrace. Vocations, life interests, and relationships result, or perhaps vices, addictions, and obsessions. The difference lies in what gets the “face time,” what you return to again and again and again. Recall the story of the grandparent telling a grandchild that there are two wolves fighting inside a person. One is anger, envy, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, pride, and ego, while the other is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, compassion, and faith. When the child asked which wolf would win, the grandparent answered, “The one you feed.”[2]  It is a good example of De La Salle’s advice in the quote above.

In fact, what attracts or captivates us may over time shape much larger interests and behaviors. When I was in college, some Brothers invited me along to a Russian Byzantine Catholic Church in San Francisco in order to help sing in the small choir. That led to a deep appreciation for the music, liturgy, and theology of that tradition to this day. Similarly, years ago I read an historical novel by Patrick O’Brian. Now, his 20-volume Aubrey-Maturin series has become my go-to relaxation read. I just started my 4th journey through them, listening to Patrick Tull’s audio versions for variety.

So let’s agree that some little things can be really important in shaping people’s habits and lives. Now combine that with current realities surrounding politics, social media, mass advertising, online “get eyes” tactics, pervasive exposure to “emotions on acid” shows,[3] and an unavoidable use of virtual environments for educational purposes. There are a lot of hooks in the water here.

Thankfully, young people are generally much more intelligent and discerning than people believe. What is less prevalent is the experience and developed habit of choosing well. The first will come with time; the second is where parents, teachers, and mentors come in. Paradoxically, kids often appreciate it when they are given the structure to do well, when they are invited to reach more deeply, when they are motivated to help others in significant ways. High school student-led retreats are a privileged experience of this reality. In one high school from my past, the student-body president used to show up to student parties with a six-pack of Pepsi. And don’t think that this didn’t make an impression; but he was perfectly sincere in his choices, and the kids knew it.

Look at the opening quotation again. What relevant Gospel maxims can we make available to today’s students in “means that are easy and accommodated to their age”? Young people like a challenge, especially if it involves their growing character and identity. Perhaps there should be a modern equivalent to the daily universal exercise that was historically part of each Lasallian classroom: The Reflection.[4] This was a time when the Brother shared a story, news item, adage from scripture, etc., and “spoke directly to his pupils in a way which showed his concern for them and for their lives.”[5] It was designed as a moment for teaching the heart, for touching the heart. It was when “heart spoke to heart” in an otherwise highly organized classroom. Here, the teacher quietly led a path through the jungle of the students’ daily experiences, shared guideposts that deserved consideration along the way, was the grandparent who told a story about wolves. Others pay attention when you do that. It’s a nearby, shiny, personal hook in the water that is irresistible.

These short times of shared “reflection” can be either spontaneous or well planned. You can try to rely on the spontaneous version, but my vote is for the well planned one. “Being creative involves hard work … If you seek sudden inspiration, then work at it every day for a year or a lifetime. That is how it comes. As every famous golfer is said to have said when asked for the secret of his success: ‘I was just lucky. But the funny thing is that the harder I practice, the luckier I become.’”[6] Martha Graham, famous for her creative, spontaneous dancing style, once said to an interviewer, “It takes at least five years of rigorous training to be spontaneous.” There are no shortcuts.

Teachers compete with social media and tightly scripted, well-designed “emotions on acid” shows; all bright, pervasive, raw, and immediately accessible. Thankfully, genuine human encounters may yet pierce through such artificial mist with piercing clarity and power. This is the genuine touching of hearts that we so frequently talk about. And it still deserves to capture our greatest attention.

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A PDF of this reflection is HERE.

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

[1] De La Salle, John Baptist, Meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, trans. Richard Arnandez, and Augustine Loes, eds. Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994), Med. 197.2

[2] The story was first published in a 1978 book called “The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life,” by Billy Graham. He admitted that he invented the story for a sermon some 40 years earlier.

[3] This was an online comment about “Euphoria” – a show that I have not and do not want to watch but that is very popular among young people. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjvwkn/we-asked-teens-if-euphoria-is-realistic

[4] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2213NaO-cODeGNrRVBlX19MRDg/view

[5] https://lasallian.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Resource-6-Catechetics-and-Heart-Rummery.pdf

[6] https://rabbisacks.org/inspiration-perspiration-tetzaveh-5776/

Lasallian Reflection - Finding Simplicity & Focus

 

“The more uncomplicated your view of faith, the more surely you will be disposed
to simplicity of action and conduct, which is the disposition God wants of you.”     
–  St. John Baptist de La Salle[1]

Artists, mystics, and children have an advantage over most of the rest of folks. They naturally gravitate toward simplicity, and they naturally adopt an irritatingly narrow focus on the most basic and immediate kinds of things. Distraction – according to our general view – is their unwelcome handicap, whereas to them “distraction” is simply the way they encounter the real world, seen as a granular daily friendship with each moment, each encounter, and each person they meet.

A more calculating and less benevolent application of the same principle occurs in politics, where each moment, each encounter, and each person are opportunities to draw others into a certain view of things. And while such talents need not necessarily be used for nefarious purposes, they may serve the “disposition” that lies behind their use. An example of this happened to me many years ago when I briefly met a former popular mayor of San Francisco who attended the funeral of one of the Brothers. He was in his late 80s, and after the funeral he was introduced to me. Firm handshake, direct eye-contact, natural smile, genuine interest, and total focus and conversational engagement for 20-30 seconds. When he walked away, I was ready to vote for him. In this case, it was simply an old politician who now used his talents for immediate engagement from a genuine disposition of companionship, with no political ends in mind.[2] But I could see the power behind it.

St. John Baptist de La Salle falls more on the mystical side of “disposition” when he urges others to pursue simplicity: “Strive earnestly to give up worldly ways: adopt a simple demeanor along with manners and conduct that reflect the Spirit of God.” “Do not torture yourself with frequent acts of penance; they could injure your health. A simple view of God from time to time suffices.”[3] Where does such disposition come from? What did he see as the transformative perspective that would move the soul toward depth, toward starkly revealed daily encounter, toward God? Here it is:

“Look on everything with the eyes of faith. You must never fail to do this, no matter what the reason. Viewing things with the eyes of faith will earn for you in one day more good, more interior application, closer union with God, and greater vigilance over yourself than a month of those penances and austerities to which you are attracted. Believe me, you will see its effect, although perhaps for the present you will not understand it. Let me repeat: the more uncomplicated your view of faith, the more surely you will be disposed to simplicity of action and conduct, which is the disposition God wants of you.” (Letter 117)

Here is another way of saying that: Look at everything from God’s perspective. Never forget to do this for any reason. Seeing things like God does can in one day do you more good, give you more enthusiasm, help you understand yourself and others and God more deeply, than all of those pious works, popular distractions, and personal “sacrifices” that you like so much. You may not see results right away, but I guarantee that this simple change of viewpoint will lead you to a simplicity of action and conduct in everything that you do. Why? Because God is now really a part of it all.

For all those trying to cope with new realities, fresh challenges, unforeseen needs, frustrating daily distractions, and an irritatingly narrow focus on the most basic and immediate kinds of things, De La Salle’s words may be helpful, for they come from 40+ years of dealing with challenges that, on balance, were much greater than ours are today. When many others would have thrown in the towel, he persisted. And that has made all the difference to millions whom he would never know.

As Lasallian educators, we shape a future that is not our own.[4] It is our avowed vocation to persist, and to do so with a genuinely deep faith, and with a simplicity that emerges from that deep faith, focusing on each moment, each encounter, and each person we meet. It is our privileged role to be artists in learning, mystics in relationships, and children in wonder. Not a bad vocation, that.

A more recent voice articulates this same “big picture” of what we do, albeit using different words. “When life is stripped down to its very essentials, it is surprising how simple things become. Fewer and fewer things matter and those that matter, matter a great deal more. … [E]very life serves a single purpose. We are here to grow in wisdom and to learn to love better. Despite the countless and diverse ways we live our lives, every life is a spiritual path, and all life has a spiritual agenda.”[5]

Let’s let De La Salle have the last word, however, in a quote that has Zoom implications: “If you show a simple and serious exterior, people will soon conclude that your inner life too is well-controlled and that there is reason to believe that you are fit to educate your disciples in the Christian spirit.”[6] Pursue simplicity and focus with “eyes of faith.” The rest will take care of itself.

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A PDF of this reflection is HERE.

Artwork by Ad Arma: www.adarma-art.com

[1] De La Salle, John Baptist. De La Salle, John Baptist, The Letters, Translation, introduction, and commentary by Colman Molloy, FSC. Edited with additional commentary by Augustine Loes, FSC, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1988), 236 (Letter 117).

[2] Okay, since you’re curious enough to look at the footnotes. His name was Frank Jordan.

[3] The Letters, Op. Cit. Letters 18 and 119.

[4] Based on something written by Fr. Ken Untener that you should read, if you don’t know it, because of its encouraging tone. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/prophets-of-a-future-not-our-own

[5] Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, MC – Quoted in Richard Rohr’s daily reflection, Dying as Disorder (August 20, 2020).

[6] De La Salle, John Baptist, Meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, trans. Richard Arnandez, and Augustine Loes, eds. Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, (Landover, MD: Christian Brothers Conference, 1994), 152 (Med. 63.3).