Anchored

In this reflection, Br. Rahl encourages us to ponder Jesus' prayer from two perspectives: the soldiers' perspective and the Savior's perspective. Jesus' supplication for forgiveness includes you and me and all humanity, the humanity that's guilty of the offenses that had brought Jesus to this point of crucifixion. Read the refleciton on our website

*Originally recorded in May 2018 (the first year of the obligatory Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church) Fr. Philip shares about the history of the idea and the practice of Mary as the Mother of the Church to help us see where it fits into the piety of our faith. He highlights the placing of the observance of Mary as Mother of the Church in the day after Pentecost was something quite deliberate on the Holy Father's part, and he helps to show us the connection between Mary and mission.  Read the full homily on our website

Fr. Philip reminds us that Easter is not only about the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; it's also a promise made to us that we will share in His Triumph, if we so live in Him now. Sometimes we talk about “eternal life” as something only for the future, but it's meant for the now, not only at some future date. Easter isn’t simply the remembrance of a historical event, however awesome it is, but rather its the beginnings of a new life for us now, that we are to live the life of Jesus now. Read the full reflection on our website

Br. Sam reflects on Jesus' final words on the Cross, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." He draws the connection between our time of pandemic to the final moments on the Cross, reminding us we are not alone. Just as God the Father was with Jesus on the Cross, we too are not alone in times of isolation.  Read the full reflection on our website

Br. Martin reminds us that Jesus' statement "it is finished" was not just a sigh of relief, that the excruciating pain of the day was over. It was more of an exhale of joy, knowing that His mission was completed successfully. Read the full reflection on our website

Br. Pat brings us through one of Jesus’ final words from the Cross “I thirst.” Jesus thirsts for many things at the hour of His death, but what He thirsts for most especially is our hearts to be in communion with His heart.  Read the full reflection on our website

Br. Rahl Bunsa spoke at this year's Tenebrae service at the Co-cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee, FL. Tenebrae (Latin for shadows or darkness) is that part of Liturgy of the Hours that was celebrated in the evenings during the Triduum and dates from the 7th or 8th century. The mood is somber, quiet and reflective. The distinctive feature of the service is the gradual extinction of all the lights in the church as we contemplate the temporary triumph of the prince of darkness over the Light of the world.

Br. Joe reflects on Jesus' cry from the Cross to the Father in heaven, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This powerful outcrying is filled with pain and anguish, but it also filled with trust and faith in the Father who promises to bring freedom, salvation, and deliverance. Read the full reflection on our website

From the cross, Jesus says to the His Mother, “Woman, behold, your son", and to his beloved disciple John, “Behold, your mother.” Br. Austin helps us to reflect on and embrace our call to care for others even as we are isolated, though isolated in a different way than Christ Jesus was on the cross.   

Br. Jason reflects on the second of the seven last words of Jesus, "Amen I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Br. Jason guides us with joy and hope in thinking about heaven and all the people we will get to meet—all the saints who have gone before us, Mary, Joseph, and of course each person of the Holy Trinity. He also reminds us that heaven isn't just some nice place we will go visit after we die, but it's a living relationship with the Lord that breaks into our world today.  Read the full reflection on our website

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.  Read the full reflection on our website

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.  Read the full reflection on our website.

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”?   Read the full reflection on our website.

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.  Read the full reflection on our website.

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.”  Read the full reflection on our website. 

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.  Read the full reflection on our website.

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?  Sign up for FREE access to the full podcast text

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? Sign up for FREE access to the full podcast text

Recorded: 8/4/2019 (18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Gospel Reading: Luke 12:12-21 Location: St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Description: In a world that often measures success by the quality and quantity of one's possessions, we must remember that all material possessions will be of no value when entering the Kingdom. Fr. Philip breaks down the parable of the rich fool from the gospel of Luke, connecting the theme of "possession" to one of St. Paul's writing to the Philippians. Fr. Philip emphasizes the need for "a new orientation of one's life", with Jesus Christ as our sole possession and us as His. Reflection: What aspects of your life need to be reoriented or adjusted to make Jesus your greatest possession?  Sign up for FREE access to the full podcast text