Archives for May 2022

Scripture:

Acts 16:11-15
John 15:26-16:4a

Reflection:

In our Scripture readings for today, we have a stark contrast to how the early Christians were received. In our first reading from Acts, Paul and his companions arrive in Philippi. There they meet a woman named Lydia, “a dealer in purple cloth.” She and her household are baptized and she invites them to stay at her home.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus warns His disciples about the persecution they would be facing: “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.” Jesus tells His disciples to expect hostility and violence.

So, we read these readings in terms of what happened to those early disciples. But I think the challenge these readings present is not so much about how we are received, but how we are to receive others. Do we show hospitality or hostility to strangers, or those we consider “other?” In these times when people can get caught up in division and suspicion of those who are different, the question is not taken lightly. We as a church have such an opportunity to witness to something different than what is prevalent in our society.

May we follow the example of Lydia, and open our hearts to those who are searching, those who are hurting, and those who are desperate to find meaning in their lives.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
John 14:23-29

Reflection:

My Lord and Savior;

How often at mass have I reached out to someone in the next pew and said, “Peace be with you”? Or at least I did before the Pandemic.  Now we bow slightly to our left and right neighbors and smile, then wave across the aisle, then behind us and in front of us, and wish the whole church the Peace of God.  Lord, I think it’s an improvement!  I’m reaching out to a whole lot more people than I used to.  

John’s words today remind me that there was no peace for you.  You were forced to tell one of Your closest followers, sitting with You at your Passover table, to “go and do what you must”, then watch as Judas blended into the twilight to betray you.  Surrounded by your apostles, who each profess their love, you stand alone.   Even Peter, the  rock on whom you will build your church, refuses to hear the truth from Your lips as You tell him that he will, that very night, deny even knowing you, not once, but three times before the dawn.  

All the lessons you had tried to impart to your disciples.  The years you spent among them, and still they did not understand.  You promised them that Your Father would send the Holy Spirit to help them remember your teachings and give them strength and skill to take those words of life to all the world.  The terror you must have felt knowing the pain and degredation that was about to crash down upon you.  Still you offered your loved ones Peace. Not peace as the world gives it, but as You unreservedly offer to each of us, just for the asking.  

The suffering of loneliness, the pain of loss, the humiliation of a body that fails us in old age ~  forcing us to ashamedly rely on help from others. Concerning these sufferings, You told us to not be afraid or troubled. How do we know? Because You said, “… now I have told you before it takes place, so when it does take place, you may believe”.   Lord, I believe.  Help my disbelief.

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

Acts 16: 1-10
John 15: 18-21

Reflection:

“They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.”

If you are like me, I set daily goals and create my “to do” lists. On most days I am single-minded about getting those goals and tasks accomplished. I find myself being frustrated when things go wrong or when stuff happens to prevent or limit my accomplishments. Does this sound familiar to you?

In today’s first reading, from the book of Acts, the early Church was most focused on preaching and teaching the gospel message resulting in the people growing in faith and increasing in numbers (verse 5). I find it most interesting that when things went wrong or didn’t go the way they thought it should, the early Christians saw this as a sign of the Spirit leading or preventing them from proceeding. Usually, when things don’t go my way, I sometimes get frustrated or angry rather than discern that God’s Spirit is speaking to me and providing guidance. (Living Faith, April, May, June 2022, Saturday, May 21, 2022, Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda)

I remember in Catholic elementary school beginning each day with the morning offering: “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart… (Written in 1844 by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet  found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, pg. 48) 

What if you and I begin each day offering our day and our “to  do” lists to God and ask for attunement to the Spirit speaking to us. Lord, help me to slow down, to listen and discern your guiding and leading me this day.

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:

 “…love one another as I love you…”

As we continue to experience the risen Jesus this Easter Season we are today encouraged in our discipleship and our stewardship of the Good News of God’s love in Jesus.  Love is to be our driving force!

The Gospel selection is a very familiar selection from John 15:  “This is my commandment:  love one another as I love you…no one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…”  These powerful words reveal the Sacred Heart of Jesus that enabled him to minister, to suffer, and even die…for all of creation!  The passage goes on to remind the disciples (and us!) that we are divinely chosen to be God’s friends, so alive with the message of God’s love that we radiate God’s love in our words and deeds.  What a blessing!  And a challenge…

Paul and Barnabas and the early Christians were invited to let that love come alive as they travelled on mission to spread the News of Jesus and help grow the early Church.  Their love for God enabled them to creatively meet the challenges they had to face in addressing the complexities of life and culture and education; the gift of divine love transforms everything and everyone!

Divine Love is not to be a stranger in our lives as 21^st Century Christians.  Jesus’ words hold true for us:  Love…as He loves!  What about God’s love in us?  Are we patient with others, and ourselves?  Do we really listen to one another?  Do small things get in the way of healthy relationships?  Are we people of peace, of justice?  Does selfishness hold us back from truly loving, in and through Jesus?

We may not receive a simple, bold exhortation as was delivered by Paul and Barnabas to the Church in Antioch; Jesus’ encouragement to love may not always seem so bold and convincing – and yet our renewed Easter Faith strengthens our hearts and gives direction to our lives.  Our 21^st Century world desperately needs the love of Jesus and our love as His disciples.  As family and friends, let’s take Jesus’ message to heart…and to life!  To God be the glory…Amen!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8

Reflection:

What is John saying to us in this Gospel? This is an amazing and profound read, like much of John’s Gospel. Today, I would like to concentrate on two sentences.

Remain in me, as I remain in you.   

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.

Remain in me, as I remain in you. The declaration is clear. God is within you and within us, whether we recognize it or not. The presence of God is steady and available continuously.

This permanence shows the importance of a God which is resident in the vine, and we are attached to the vine. However, we also have the gift given to us of free will. We can decide how much we want to be open to God and His love and will.

Therefore, it is the first part where God entreats us, welcomes us, to participate in our residence of the vine. “Remain in me”.

This verse is a call for us to recognize the presence of God and participate in the work together. Of course, as soon as we do, the vine bears fruits. It’s a simple call but sometimes seems hidden because we don’t understand our role. What do you believe is the part you are asked to play?  

The second sentence which jumps off the page in this Gospel is:

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.

In particular, the without me you can do nothing. It could sound like an aggressive statement if read literally. However, this is not the case. Rather, we are being asked to recognize that all love, gifts, and talents come from God. Yes, it may be up to us how we use them. We have this gift of free will mentioned earlier, however, we cannot achieve anything without the gifts.

It is interesting to note that this would apply even to an atheist or agnostic. Everyone has gifts, skills, and the ability to love one another. A question might then be for the non-believer, who gave them to us? So perhaps, for them, it is more an issue of recognizing the source of those gifts.

Do you believe you are in control? That you can do things on your own without God’s help?

I certainly had times when I suffered from a stupid amount of self-confidence. When I believed outcomes directly resulted from my skills and capabilities. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in God; I just thought it was more me than Him. I grew out of the notion over the years.

Co-residing in the vine is where we are in our lives, but we have to recognize that we are “co-resident” in the vine. In the word. In the work. In the World.

God Bless.

Michael Cunningham, OFS, is the Director and CEO of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 14:21-27
Revelation 21:1-5a
John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Reflection:

In the 13^th chapter of John’s Gospel we read the following profound words:

“My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”

Jesus spoke these words to his beloved followers in the upper room on the night before he died.  We call these special chapters of John’s Gospel, chapters 13 through 17, the “farewell discourse” of Jesus.  In these special chapters Jesus is opening his heart to those he loves and to whom he will entrust the task of proclaiming the Gospel and forming the early community of the faithful itself.  As one preacher put it years ago: “When a person is about to die, he or she doesn’t talk about sports or the weather; rather, he talks about what is most precious in his heart.”  And what did Jesus share with his disciples when he poured out his heart to them…and to us?  “As I have loved you, so you should love one another.”

This is Jesus final farewell and the roadmap he bequeaths to us and his apostles.  The foundation of the Church, about to be born on Pentecost, must be a foundation of love.  We will be known by all around us that we are disciples of Jesus if we have love for one another.  Of course, there are other messages being proclaimed these days; other roadmaps that some think will “make America great,” for example.  And of course, with one heart and one voice we all say, “Yes, we must make America great once again, as in days past.”  And how is this to happen?  Surely not because we have more weapons of destruction than anyone else.  And surely not because the stock market is soaring upwards!  And not even because gas is as cheap as it was three decades ago!  No!    That is not our roadmap; that is not the pathway that Jesus shared with us on the night before he died.  Rather, he simply said to his most beloved, as he says to us this very day: “I give you a new commandment: love one another.”  That’s it, there is the path we must follow no matter what else happens around us.  It’s that simple, and that terrifying, as well.  We must love one another.  And if we do, then all will know that we are his disciples.  But only, dear friends, if we have love for one another.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Feast of St. Matthias

Scripture:

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
John 15:9-17

Reflection:

Two special events are celebrated in our readings today.  One is a glimpse of community at its best when it is guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  The other moment, that profound sharing Jesus had with his closest friends as he revealed to them what is meant by heroic love.

Our first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles shows us how very important it was to the early Christian community to maintain the unique composition of apostles as originally selected by Jesus himself.  Twelve worthy men was to be their number but, in addition, the candidate selected to replace Judas had to be a disciple who had followed Jesus from the very beginning, from the baptism of John until the ascension of Jesus when he was taken away from the community itself.  Key to this witness was also that on would be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  The vote was taken, not from the eleven alone, but from the 120 men and women who had gathered together, and it was Matthias who won the day.  What rejoicing must have followed that vote!  And what a joyful experience of community must have been had by all who were present!

Our Gospel, frequently a passage chosen by young couples for their wedding Mass, reminds us of the great command that we must love one another and that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for another, a heroic love that is possible for those who truly take the Lord’s commandments seriously.  To be a heroic disciple of the Lord simply meant that one would be willing to die for another period!

And not inconsequentially, for many of our Holy Cross Passionists, forming a kind of background to these two amazing events, is the name, the identity, of that twelfth blessed apostle, Matthias.  For every Passionist my age and older will immediately think of a beloved Passionist, quiet and hidden in his own way, who was aptly named since he was truly a great disciple and a man who loved simply but heroically – Fr. Matthias Coen, CP.  Matthias was a very holy man, not complicated at all.  And his love for the Lord was immediately clear to any and all who had met him.  He never held high offices or did great and notable things, but what he did do was to live the spirit of our Passionist rule of life completely and totally.  How many of us will remember Matthias in the evening when he would come into the chapel or “choir” as we called it in those days, dressed in the “holy” habit, maybe with sandals but definitely without the belt that was meant to accompany the habit.  From his first step int the “choir” Fr. Matthias would immediately fix his eyes on the image of Christ on the Cross, ever so steadily, as he approached the first level leading up to the altar.  How he dropped to his knees in this way was, for us all, a great mystery.  One thing is for sure.  Every novice witnessing this nightly event was wondering when dear Fr. Matthias would no longer drop to his knees but would, rather, display a most amazing levitation reserved only for the most worthy and beloved disciples of the Lord!  There we have it.  Fr. Matthias, a holy Passionist, who laid down his life every day for the Lord, chosen not by vote but by the Lord himself to inspire young and impressionable novices in a humble chapel in St. Paul, Kansas.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Acts 13:26-33
John 14:1-6

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel invites us to feel consoled in Jesus Christ. We are led by Thomas’ question of Jesus to guard our hearts against any and all concerns.  Thomas questioned Jesus by a simple statement, “we do not know the way to you; how can we find the way?” Again, his declaration in the presence of Jesus and Jesus answers him; “I am the way and the truth and the life” invites us to ponder deeply our call to follow Jesus Christ. Using a motif found only in the Gospel of John, “I AM” echoes back to Moses’ encounter with the burning bush in Exodus. It is a scene where God interrupts Moses during his work as a shepherd. God has a plan to free his Chosen People from slavery and he has chosen Moses(and equipped him) to liberate Israel. When Moses questions God on what name shall he tell the people who is sending him? God answered, “I AM” these words have been roughly explained by Scripture scholars as, “I am who am” (Exodus chapter 3). These thoughts lead the Apostle Paul to declare, “Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In other words, Jesus is unchangeable. We can put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ and be consoled.

When we hear these declarative sentences proclaimed in our Gospel today, we are to understand that God is always present and unchangeable. While our world is always in a constant flux, we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. This is our invitation today—our statement of faith. Jesus is giving us some strong advice. If we are concerned about our life, we have only to look to Jesus to find consolation.  Jesus desires that we do not have troubled hearts.

Our first reading from the Book of Acts suggests exactly why Jesus is deserving of our trust. The story of salvation, what more can we add? In the Easter Season, we are treated to the reading from Acts of the Apostles. The story of Jesus’ salvation has been told and re-told for the past two millennium and we never get tired of the radical sacrifices offered forward by the early church. Led by the Holy Spirit, we can wonder at the radical nature of love. So,  we turn and offer praise to our God. This praise is offered over and over again by our attitude of surrender in faith to Jesus as we allow ourselves to be consoled. Jesus has this care or concern already in his sight.

May we trust in our Lord, Jesus, to be present and heal us and our troubled world. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.