Servant of God Father Isaac Thomas Hecker, C.S.P.
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HECKER REFLECTION: LEAVING UNDONE

4/28/2014

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Here is a reflection from the 1854 notebook of Servant of God Father Isaac Hecker. It contains thoughts, stories and sayings that he collected for retreat material and spiritual direction.
 
It is the will of God that we should leave undone what we cannot do without trouble.   There is a point in the spiritual life when God does most for us when we do the least for ourselves.  There are two shoals against which we may make spiritual shipwreck: self-activity and idleness.  Freedom of spirit will guide us safely between these.  For without interior freedom there can be no fidelity to divine grace… for this liberty is of God.  As Paul writes in Romans (8:15) “For you have not received a spirit that makes you a slave to fear, but you have received the spirit of son-ship whereby we cry Abba Father.”
 
All that the soul can ask, and what ought surely to be granted, is to follow faithfully the invitations of grace and the impulses of God’s Spirit.  If the soul is guided by the Holy Spirit, it would not do the least thing contrary to faith or the church, for we are taught inwardly by the Holy Spirit and outwardly by the holy church in the same grace.
 
RESPONSE: FR. PAUL ROBICHAUD, CSP
 
Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker explains some spiritual basics in today’s reflection. He writes that it may be in what we leave undone and not in what we do, that we grow in grace.   To some reading Hecker this may sound confusing.  After all being a Christian is an active vocation and Hecker was a very active pastor, author and evangelist.  We are called to follow Jesus who and has come to redeem the world.  Doesn’t that suggest that we should be busy doing this through what we do as his disciples?
 
Faith is a relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit within us takes us to the Son who presents us to the Father.  But a relationship is also a partnership.  As the adopted children of the Father and the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus we are called to work in partnership with God.  God loves, forgives, heals and challenges others through in what we say and do.  But like any substantial partnership, there are times when we let God act through us and there are times when we let God act without us.  Learning to let go and let God act is an important lesson as we grow spiritually.
 
Hecker writes that there are two mistakes people make in the spiritual life: attempting to do too much or too little.   The answer lies somewhere in between the two.  How do we do this?  Father Hecker gives us another basic teaching.  Listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  If we become attentive to the Holy Spirit in our souls, then through the Spirit God will instruct us when to act and when we should not.  For Hecker it is acquiring this soulful sensitivity to God’s presence in our lives that assists us in growing in faith.
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EASTER HOPE - WALTER ELLIOT, CSP 

4/20/2014

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The 1913 Easter sermon of Fr. Walter Elliott, C.S.P.
Never did death so completely devour hope as did the death of Jesus devour the hopes of his followers.  The stone rolled before his tomb might have born the inscription, “Here lie the hopes of all humankind.”  So complete was Jesus downfall that it destroyed any remembrance of his miracles among his disciples.  It swept way from their memory his promise of Resurrection.  In fact it was better remembered by his enemies than his friends, for they asked Pilate for a guard to be put around the tomb for they remembered that he had said “After three days I will rise again” (Matt 27:63).

And now the light of everlasting life streams from that place of death.  Jesus rises a conqueror of death and sin.  He rises from the grave of our hopelessness.  Thus he returns to us!   And the effect upon us should be a miracle of hope; confidence in God’s purpose to save us.  For he was born for us, he died for us and he rose into life for us.  He is always concerned for us, preoccupied with us and in love with us.  And so the Church bids us be full of joy and hope, quoting the psalmist’s cry, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.”  (Ps 118:24).  Easter is the beginning for us of a new life of joy.  As Saint Paul says, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).
 
The gifts of heaven are granted in our tears.  But our triumphant Lord rejoices most perfectly in our smiles.  When you receive him this morning in Holy Communion, he becomes in you the seed of eternal joy and this joy is your best hope.  It is a principle of life that nothing can hurt you, “for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
 
Faithfulness is not for the distrustful.  The strength of holy love is holy hope.  Do not claim you love God unless you trust God.    Christ rose from the dead that we might have a love stronger than death.
Our weakness lies in our lack of willingness to hope.  Our Redeemer speaks to us in our despair as he spoke to Mary Magdalene in the garden.  He invites us to trust him.  Easter is that day to make an act of hope.   
 
Therefore my brothers and sisters, as we exchange Easter greetings we say to you, have Easter hope.  May our risen Savior fill you and all who are dear to you with confidence in God.  May you love him deeply,  May he be the refuge of your hearts and the source of your faithfulness and hope.   Amen.
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LENT AND THE CROSS

4/11/2014

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Father Hecker wrote:
 
The disciple is not greater than the master. It would be a miracle to see a Christian without a cross, except in heaven. The one who has no cross is no follower of the crucified. Our destiny here on earth is to conquer the world and ourselves by suffering in imitation of Jesus Christ, in order that we might be eternally happy with him forever. We have all eternity to enjoy, but only a few moments to suffer, to testify to our sincere and ardent love for our crucified Savior and our God.   
 
The only true success in this life comes from following Jesus Christ. If we for a moment seek success elsewhere, it matters not how high or useful it may appear to us, we are deceived and we live and act in vain for Jesus Christ is the only Way, the whole Truth and the true Life. Therefore we walk astray when we act without Jesus.

RESPONSE: FR. PAUL ROBICHAUD, CSP
 
In today’s Lenten reflection, Father Hecker writes that every Christian has a cross. It comes with discipleship. As he says, “the one that has no cross is no follower of the crucified.”  In the last reflection Hecker spoke about the “weight” of the cross; as it weighs more than we can bear so we must depend on God to help us carry it. Here Hecker notes that the cross binds us to Christ crucified.  It is the way in which we follow Jesus. He writes, “our destiny here on earth is to conquer the world and ourselves.” We do that through the cross.
 
Everyone suffers. No matter how successful or secure you are, no one who lives in our world escapes from the reality of suffering.  Because we do not want to suffer, in attempting to escape from it or deny it, we become more broken. Yet instead of running from sin and brokenness, we call on the power of Christ. As Christians we take on suffering and go through it with the sure knowledge that Christ has already overcome it, and that he will carry us through these moments. The more we encounter suffering with faith, fear dissipates, hope replaces fear, and we can respond with love.  In this sense our response as Christians to the suffering we encounter in our lives both reflects, mirrors and channels the paschal mystery of Christ which we celebrate in Easter.
 
Life is hard and uneven but as Father Hecker reminds us that while no one escapes the hardness of life, Christians have a way of transforming their suffering by connecting it to the suffering and death of Christ. As the brothers and sisters of Jesus, our suffering becomes a part of Christ’s suffering. This is how God conquers and this is how we his followers are called to participate in God’s redemption of our world. 
 
May your experience of Lent deepen your faith, strengthen your hope and support your loving response to others.

 
Paulist Father Paul Robichaud CSP is Historian of the Paulist Fathers and Postulator of the Cause of Father Hecker. His office is located at the Hecker Center in Washington D.C.
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