Archives for May 2022

Scripture:

Acts 8:1-18
John 6:35-40

Reflection:

Glory from Suffering, Joy from Sorrow, Life from Death

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles recounts the tragic persecution of the early Church, the death and burial of St. Stephen — along with the imprisonment of many men and women at the bidding of Saul of Tarsus who was trying to destroy the early Church.  A tragic picture of life then…and a mirror image of life in part of our world today.  Tragic – and yet, some believers continued to go about preaching the word; thus in the name of Jesus, healing of spirit and body took place for those in need; and “…there was great joy in that city.” 

At the very heart of it all:  the person of Jesus who in John 6:35-40 proclaims “…I am the Bead of life…I came down from heaven…to do the will of the One who sent me…everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”  Jesus freely and lovingly gives Himself … glory from suffering, joy from sorrow, life from death.  The Result?  Eternal life for Stephen and the early Church, Life for our ancestors in the faith, Life for you and I and our needy 21^st Century global community.

In these troubling times of war and fear, of division and mistrust, of poverty and greed, we need the nourishment that is only provided by the Person of Jesus.  Human life is too often beset with significant challenges and suffering.  As people of faith, we are invited to embrace God’s love for us in the person of Jesus, risen and active on our behalf in the Scriptures and the Sacraments, in the good example of others of times past and present, and in God’s Life shared in the natural world. 

Jesus, risen from the dead, is our Life and our Joy!  We are an Easter People!  “Alleluia!” is our joyful song…even if at times sung a bit off-key.  Let’s share this Good News of God’s glory, joy, and life with our world.

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.  

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14

Reflection:

By the time of the gospel of John is written, Christians had lived in the light of the Resurrection for a number of generations. Their collective faith and experience of living with the risen Christ directing their mission through the Spirit’s abiding presence, had matured and they were able to offer to succeeding generations, and to us today, clear witness and articulation of their experience of Jesus now risen as the Christ. They had truly imitated what Paul writes about in the first reading “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received”

In their wisdom these early Christians share their experience with us and present what they have learned from Jesus. One way they do this is to highlight the many dialogues and monologues that we hear in the gospel of John.

Today is no exception – Jesus is presented in dialogue with Philip, and he makes it quite clear that there is an incontestable bond between he and the Father, “believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” What is more, Jesus is speaking for the Father – he is God’s Word to us “the words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own”. And Jesus in his actions is revealing not just kindness and compassion, but the very nature of God “the Father who dwells in me is doing his works”.

What is more Jesus promises that the fruits of this intimate relationship with the Father will also be shared with us, and that we can turn to him at any time in our lives to seek assistance and help which will be given. What a gift.

We are privileged – we have received the gospel, the ‘good news’. But as Paul also reminds us – we also ‘stand’ in this gospel. Can we take both statements to heart? In this Easter Season let us rejoice that we have been gifted with the knowledge of, and insights into the good news of Jesus Christ, but let us also acknowledge that we live our lives in the midst of such good news. We stand with Jesus, or rather he will always stand with us.

This is the foundation for our living and acting in the world – we base our lives on his values, attitudes and we model our lives on his outreach, his forgiveness and his compassion. This is our pathway to discipleship no less than it was for Philip and James whose Feast we celebrate today.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church

Scripture:

Acts 6:8-15
John 6:22-29

Reflection:

St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr was killed because of his teachings. He angered members of various synagogues, who then accused him of blasphemy at his trial. In today’s first reading from Acts, we hear that the people with whom Stephen was in dialog “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.”

Fast forward three centuries and we find St. Athanasius similarly gifted with wisdom and the Spirit, and also in trouble for his teachings. Although never martyred, he was sent into exile five times; he was also kidnapped. He endured many false accusations and even an assassination attempt.

Athanasius lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He became secretary to the bishop of Alexandria, was ordained, and then named bishop. At this time, many “Christians” came to think that Jesus was just a good man, but certainly not the “Son of God.” One of these people was Arius, and his followers were called Arians. Athanasius was the champion of the struggle against Arianism. By 325, the controversy was dividing the Church and unsettling the Roman Empire. In that year, Athanasius attended the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicea to examine and judge Arius’ doctrine in light of apostolic tradition. It reaffirmed the Church’s perennial teaching on Christ’s full deity and established the Nicene Creed as a statement of faith. The remainder of Athanasius’ life was a constant struggle to uphold the council’s teaching about Christ.

St. Athanasius was not successful in stopping Arianism during his lifetime. He was also not able to function as a bishop during his many years in exile. Even though he experienced much frustration and maybe even a sense of failure, he never gave up on dialog with threatening Roman emperors, opposing bishops and other members of the church and society. Because of his perseverance, he became a pillar of the Church, and was later declared a Doctor of the Church. During one ten-year period of relative peace, he wrote his Life of St. Anthony which led men and women to set up monasteries for prayer, study, and hospitality throughout the Christian world. And the “Cappadocian Fathers,” Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory Nazianzen were all inspired by Athanasius to defend the true faith in Jesus – truly Son of God, and truly One of us.

Today we ask St. Athanasius for his intercession in helping us as individuals and as a Church to stand up and persevere for what we know is foundationally true. When we face varying degrees of non-support, be it disinterest, resistance, or even persecution, St. Athanasius pray for us!

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Sí Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.