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Scripture:

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9
Luke 18:1-8

Reflection:

The persistent widow…the lowliest of the lowly…certainly one with no voice, no visibility, and no status.  And yet, with persistence, with determination, with self-belief she can get justice from an unjust judge!

When we pray, do we have that same trust, faith and perseverance?  When our prayers aren’t immediately answered in the way we want or expect, do we give up, throw in the towel or get tired and give in to the moments of fatigue and frustration – or – are we able to preserve our faith in our just God and trust him even when we are not sure of his presence?

Kathleen Norris describes prayer as “not so much asking for what we think we need, but trusting that God can change us in ways that are unimaginable”.  Pope Frances challenged Christians to do whatever it takes to build God’s kingdom.  It occurs to me that in order to live into either, we need to ‘pray unceasingly.’  To share with God what we think we need, and then to listen – listen for his wisdom and grace to do whatever it takes. Can we allow him to change our mind or heart so that we will be equipped to do what we can do to build his kingdom?  Can we be like the widow?

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17
Matthew 14:1-12

Reflection:

Most of us remember a few years ago how Pope Francis declared the liturgical year, “The Year of Mercy.” He heightened the importance of it by making it a Jubilee Year.  Since Jubilee Years only occur once every fifty years he tagged on the term, “extraordinary”.   Thus the official category for the Year of Mercy was an Extraordinary Jubilee Year.  So what is a Jubilee Year?  From where did it originate?  These questions are answered in the first reading today.

Dating as far back as the book of Leviticus, one of the earliest books of the bible, the instruction was to joyfully celebrate the goodness and abundance of God and place your 100% dependence on the Lord.  The stipulation is pretty clear.  The land is to rest for a whole year.  Slaves who have been acquired are to be returned.  The land which has been acquired goes back to the original owner.  Debts are forgiven.   If this was proposed today in our country there would be absolute mayhem.   For the Hebrew people, the issue is about trusting God.  Do you trust God to provide for you when you are allowing the land to rest?  Do you trust God when you have to release slave workers or return land which you have worked so hard to acquire?  And remember, do it with joy because it is a jubilee year!  This is the first reading the church gives us to reflect on today.

The Gospel is the narrative of John the Baptist’s arrest and execution by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great.  While Matthew includes this account in his gospel, it’s challenging to see any of this as good news.   Matthew says that the King was distressed by the request, yet he doesn’t challenge the woman’s request on a moral basis of being able to choose something good over something evil.  Moreover, he endorses her request thus participating in the evil of the act.  This entire narrative leaves me thinking about John the Baptist, Jesus, and Herod.

I ponder what that would have been like for John the Baptist.  I meet numerous young men generally around collage age that have zeal and fire and are so willing to stand against the world to imprint their ideology on those who will listen to them.  I can see John the Baptist as this kind of young man.  Righteously, he is fearless.  He probably never considered how far his prophetic utterances would travel or the repercussions of taking on the king and the king’s family in criticizing Philip’s marriage to Herodias.  John the Baptist must have had an awakening while in prison as he questioned everything and realized how serious all this had now become.

Matthew intrigues our biblical imaginations as Jesus has to ponder these things.  The next line after they inform Jesus is, “When Jesus heard this, and he withdrew by boat from there to a deserted place by himself.”  Suddenly this isn’t just pouring water over people and baptizing them.  This mission has escalated and is now life and death.   How could Jesus not be asking the question, if they killed my cousin John, what will they do to me?

I’m left wondering if Herod ever had any type of conversion.  He recognizes the miraculous powers at work in Jesus and associates with them.  He even believes in resurrection suggesting that Jesus is the resurrected John.  But does he ever notice that the powers of Jesus are used for good not evil?   Does he come to an understanding that the power he has as Tetrarch can be used for good as well?     I suspect not.  Historically, not too many coins were made in his name or honor, which means he wasn’t well remembered.

Trusting God and learning to use our power for the good of the Kingdom of God are two themes for us to reflect on today.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:4-11
Matthew 5:17-19

Reflection:

When St. Paul was writing to the Corinthians in his second letter, chapter 3, he makes an astounding claim with the words, “the letter brings death but the Spirit gives life.”  What is Paul referring to?  In a very bold way Paul is telling us that, while the ten commandments received by Moses and inscribed in stone are an important means of leading us to Christ, it is ultimately the Holy Spirit, the heart and soul of the new covenant, who brings us all to the new life that Christ intended through his suffering, death, and resurrection.  In these exciting days of the early Church, days filled with a mighty presence of the Holy Spirit, Paul is overwhelmed with the excitement that following Christ can mean for one and all.  Remember how Paul was once a servant of the law, the old law and the old covenant?  So dedicated to it that he would hunt down all those following the new way of Jesus and put them to death!  But now, having himself encountered Christ and experienced an amazing conversion, Paul is filled with the thrill of being a disciple and eager to share this with the community in Corinth.  Speaking from personal experience he knew what a difference the new law and the Spirit sent by the risen Lord could make even during the difficult times the Church would be asked to endure.

And Paul’s excitement was not a short lived thing like some conversions.  I remember hearing stories about people who “found the Lord”, then slipped into their old ways (maybe with a little good moonshine or something close to it!) and then had to find him all over again!  When they were not drinking they knew the Lord.  But when the drink – or other vices — got ahold of them, well, somehow they had to be saved all over again!  Instead, Paul, whose own identity was transformed by Christ in the Spirit, was a new man forever.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus is also having to address the question of the old law and the prophets and its relationship with the new law that his teaching unmistakably proclaimed.  Very clearly Jesus reminds his listeners that he is not denying the prophets or the laws of their ancestors; rather, he has come to fulfill it.  As one writer puts it:  “The great concern in Matthew’s Gospel is to show that the Old Testament, Jesus of Nazareth and the life in the Spirit cannot be separated. The three of them form part of the same and unique project of God and communicate to us the certainty of faith: The God of Abraham and of Sarah is present in the midst of the community by faith in Jesus of Nazareth who sends us his Spirit.”  So, the question for you and me today is, Am I alive in the Spirit, eager to live fully the faith that I have been given in Christ?  Will the way I live out this gift of faith reveal what a joy it is to follow Christ and live in his Spirit?  If we can say yes to this, imagine how contagious we will our faith and discipleship be!

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