Gospel – John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Reflection on Sunday Gospel

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God…

My dear Lasallians, I have great hope for the future of our God given Lasallian mission.

These past days and weeks, following the happenings of the 45th General Chapter in Rome, needless to say, have been interesting. Reading Brothers’ reflections, following social media posts, flipping through Facebook photo albums, and catching YouTube video clips have allowed us Lasallians, especially lay Partners, an inside look into a process that will set the tone of the future of our collective educational mission. But we are only seeing part of the story. Using this Sunday’s Gospel from John, I believe, provides another lens to appreciate the proceedings of the Chapter, made even clearer, I think, with this week’s elections.

For most, if not all religious orders, members are to uphold vows as part of their consecrated lives. As part of the Christian Brothers, a vow unique to the Institute, is the vow of association. Today in this reality of shared mission Brothers and Partners alike share in this vow to be associated for the mission of education, especially for the young and poor. We have been witness, albeit, from afar, to over 85 Christian Brothers who have come together to discuss and discern the future of the Institute. Together and by association these men are making some big decisions, but I believe there is another in that great room, those halls, and the Motherhouse grounds.

“…he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth…”

To think that only Brothers (and the work by men and women ahead of the General Chapter) are leading this God given mission alone, is a little short sighted and without belief. The Holy Spirit, Advocate of the Father, has been present in those halls these past weeks. It may be hard to describe, but Brothers have eluded to it in their reflections, in their times of discernment, and in their discussions together, that there had been more than what can be seen or heard at work. This mission is good hands, not only because of our deep faith, and the deep faith of our Brothers, but because where two or more gathered in His name, He is there.

It is that same faith and guiding hand of the Advocate that also led to the big leadership changes that will also guide our Institute these next seven years. As a Lasallian Partner, I’m appreciative of the work and leadership of Brothers Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria and Thomas Johnson, now former Superior General and Vicar General, respectively, and look forward to the direction and guidance of Brother Timothy Coldwell as our Region’s General Councilor, Brother Jorge Gallardo de Alba as Vicar General, and our Brother Robert Schieler, the new Superior General. Through the wonders of technology and social media I believe, we Lasallians, have seen another vow, the vow of obedience, very much played out. Through the lens of John’s Gospel we have seen an act of great love on the part of our new Superior General.

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.'” … “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father…”

This Sunday’s Gospel begins and ends with this concept that obedience is an action, correlated with love. In essence, to be one with and love Christ, one must humble him or herself to His will. What better example of that great love than what we’ve witnessed in this most recent election?!

One can only imagine what has been going through Br. Robert’s thoughts and prayers these days leading up to and being elected Superior General. An entire group of your contemporaries has elected you to lead a worldwide educational mission that spans 80 countries, and serves hundreds of thousands (maybe even a million or more) of children, bringing them life changing education they might not have access to otherwise without the Institute. What does one say to that?

“I do,” actually were the words. By accepting the position given to him by his Brothers, doing all that is asked of him by the will of the body Institute, led by the Holy Spirit, Robert lives out his vow of obedience, an act of great love for the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and for God and His plan.

May we all recognize the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, working in our lives, whether in our friends, family, colleagues, strangers, or in the quiet discernment and prayer to our God. In recognizing the Holy Spirit guiding us, may we be obedient to God’s will for us, therefore showing Him our great love, and procuring His glory.

My dear Lasallians, I have great hope for the future of our God given Lasallian mission.

St. John Baptist de La Salle … Pray for Us!
Live Jesus in our Hearts … Forever!

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