May, 2008
The Brotherhood of St. Joseph in Rochester hosted a small wilderness
retreat. Like the desert fathers and the Celtic monks we trekked out into
the wilderness to meet with God, be built up, and return refreshed and ready
to serve. Our agenda was simple. . . Prayer, and Reflection. We prayed the
hours faithfully and spent time in silent reflection in the beauty of God's
creation. We pushed our bodies to the limit , hiking for miles over rough
terrain, in order to find the untouched nature that would encourage our
hearts and cause us to worship. On one of our long wilderness hikes, as we
walked in silent reflection, one of the brothers knelt and prayed at every
rest break. It was particularly interesting to witness his desire to lean
into God. When the sun had set we sat around the fire and discussed what
God was speaking in our midst and what we could bring back with us. This
was not your average camping trip. This was more than a bunch of guys
hanging out in the woods. This trip was a band of brothers rallying
together in the mutual cause of brotherhood and faith.
Dominus Fratresque (My God. . . My Brother)
Drew Wyns
Brotherhood of St. Joseph
Winton Bridge, The Brother's House
1280 N. Winton Rd.
Rochester, NY 14609
(585)413-3308
For more pictures, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/SanctuarySDG/TheBrotherSRetreat2008?authkey=naE4OSsQh5c
February, 2008 Intercessor Newsletter
“Know Your…Vows”
A common expression we often hear is “Know Your…(fill in the blank)” “Know Your Rights”, “Know Your Customer”, “Know Your Contract”, and “Know Your Body” are just a few examples we often see. We at the Brotherhood of Saint Joseph (BSJ) would like to suggest a new expression, “Know Your Vows.” At each of our monthly meetings, we reflect on BSJ principles to gain a better understanding of what they mean and why we follow them. Last month we reflected on our Baptism. We didn’t get into a deep theological discussion but tried to focus on practical matters and how we can translate insight into action. We quickly began to realize that we take our Baptism for granted and often fail to think about it at all. Our Baptism is a serious covenant with God. Although we do renew our Baptismal vows at each Sunday Baptism, we need to pay even more attention to this significant commitment we have made. We not only need to focus on our own Baptismal vows but remind our children of theirs as well.
We looked at the threefold renunciation of evil and threefold acceptance of the Christian Life. We first need to renounce or put aside satan, spiritual forces of wickedness, evil worldly powers and sinful desires. We then need to turn to Jesus as our Savior, trust in His grace and love and follow and obey Him as Lord. Our covenant continues to ask us to:
- Believe in the Apostles’ Creed,
- Continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers,
- Persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord,
- Proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ,
- Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as our self and
- Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
The answer to all these questions is “We will, with God’s help.” We are simply wasting our time if we do not ask God and trust God to help us keep these commitments. Those who have joined BSJ or attended its Bible studies have been very blessed due to the brotherly relationships which have been formed. The fellowship, support, accountability, encouragement and prayer have led to several significant victories in Christ. If you are not in a small group Bible study and/or House of Prayer we strongly encourage you to join one. You will undoubtedly grow in your Christian walk with God and when someone tells you to “Know Your Vows” you’ll say you already do.