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Scripture:

Joel 4:12-21
Luke 11:27-28

Reflection:

A couple of years ago I traveled to California on business, where there was a severe drought. They lived every day aware of every precious drop of water. I watched as people turned on the faucet to wet their hands, turned it off while they soaped up, and turned it on again just long enough to rinse well. In restaurants no one got a glass of water unless they ask, and if you ask, you’d better drink it. Lawns were more consciously planted with drought-resistant plants or were converted to rock gardens. Instead of letting water run in the shower or sink as it warms up, people would collect it in buckets, using the cold water for other purposes or heating it on the stove for doing dishes.

Even though Lake Michigan currently provides more than enough water in my community, I came home with a new awareness of how much water I use – and waste – every day. I made a resolution to do my part to conserve. Yet the next morning, I stood in my nice hot shower letting the water stream over my body. I knew I needed to turn it off. I knew it was the right thing to do. But it was so comforting. Would just a few more minutes of hydro-therapy hurt? In this and other ways, I am continually reminded that knowing I need/want to do something and actually doing it are two different things.

Jesus says those who hear the word of God and do it are even more blessed his own mother. I understand why. I hear the word of God. I believe. I vow to change my ways to live as a more conscious disciple. But just like my water conservation efforts, it’s so hard to do!

Actually, water conservation and the Gospel are not that far apart. Our water, air, sources of energy, soil – We don’t “deserve” these things. They are gifts, meant to be shared, conserved, and respected. Am I practicing the Gospel when I waste, hoard, or take them for granted? Pope Francis is telling us our current practices are sinful.

Our water systems are all interconnected. Our use, waste, or pollution of the Earth’s precious resources has regional and even global implications. While I can’t directly see my shower taking water out of another’s cup, in some ways it does.

Besides, can I/we afford to assume the levels of water in Lake Michigan will always be replenished, waiting to change until drought hits us as well? Do we close our ears to the needs of people in our country and our world who desperately need this basic of life? Do we pay attention not only to how we use water but the ways in which we contribute to its pollution?

No one can do everything, but I think I will start anew in my efforts at water conservation. Today I posted a water-proof sign in my shower and by every faucet that says “Blessed are they who hear the word of God and do it.” Now every time I turn off the spigot, live with brown spots on the lawn, and yes, end my shower, I will pray for all those who do not have enough of the resources I take for granted. I won’t be perfect. It is, after all, so very hard to do. But I will make a difference, and every drop of water will remind me of my faith and my connection to God’s people everywhere.

In doing so, may I receive and grant blessings, and spread the Gospel by my life.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Malachi 3:13-20b
Luke 11:5-13

Reflection:

The readings today address essential, critical elements of being missionary disciples in our daily actions. Perseverance, persistence and endurance are essential in doing kingdom-building, that is being a “field hospital” in our own neighborhoods towards those who are deprived of the love of God in any manner.

This is the way in which I am referring to the parishioners of a parish on the eastside of Birmingham who struggle gravely with the changes that have been going on for years. Four realities face the parish:

1. The pastor died;
2. Parishioners have been feeling the effects of long term “white flight”;
3. The gradual growth of Central Americans and Mexicans who live “on the edge” because of their status in Alabama;  and
4. Aging.

Jesus tells us about the realities we face in our immediate missions through parables like today’s. Pay attention, for they are lessons in missionary discipleship.

I am encouraging each parishioner to actively serve in some capacity for the sake of building the kingdom of God amidst the 22,000 souls who live around our parish. That is the vineyard, or field in which we have been chosen to serve. The field consists of:

1. People who regularly participate;
2. Those who occasionally come on particular annual feasts;
3. Those who no longer participate in the faith life of the Church;
4. Those who never come and are baptized; and
5. Those who have no affiliation with the Catholic church at all.

In this “field” the Lord places us, and the above mentioned qualities are present for the purpose of addressing the needs of the various persons and situations that we encounter.

Persistence can be “shameless“ in not giving up on a situation. Persistence can imply an annoyance and stubbornness. Perseverance and persistence carry a note of difficulty and trouble.

It is a matter of “waiting beyond what we can endure,” beyond what we think is our limits. In this way we are showing others a goodness that goes beyond ourselves and our expectations! (Is not that the divine, “beyond our limits and imagination?”)

Yes, I am talking about being purified of not using religion as measuring success by external results like being “holy bean counters.”

In the words of St. John the XXIII, “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is the administrator at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

Jonah 4:1-11
Luke 11:1-4

Reflection:

What a strange book, this Book of the Prophet Jonah.  It reads less like a “book” than like an extended parable, like satire.  Jonah appears less like a prophet than an anti-prophet.  And the story has no ending.  It dangles inconclusively.

Consequently, an important question is left unanswered.  What happened to Jonah? Did he finally understand what God was trying to teach him?  Did Jonah finally feel compassion for the Assyrians? Did he stubbornly hang on to his grudge, refusing to believe that God could possibly show grace to the brutal Ninevites?   Did Jonah go home, telling an incredible story to his people about how God can even forgive the worst of people, himself included? Or did he stay camped out on the outskirts of Nineveh, waiting and praying for the wrath of God? We have no idea.

The story remains open-ended.  And perhaps that is the author’s purpose.  Instead of a neat and tidy ending where everyone lived happily ever after, the author may be reminding us that life is messy, and so are our feelings and emotions.

Perhaps the author of the Book of the Prophet Jonah is holding up a mirror and asking us: “Whom do you see?”

We all can think of people in our lives who have angered or hurt us. It isn’t easy to forgive these individuals; there may even be a part of us that wishes them pain for what they have done. In our minds, this is justice.  David Sper, the author of “The Failure of Success: The Story of Jonah,” gets even more real.  “Perhaps the people that inhabit our ‘Nineveh’, Sper writes, “are abortionists, homosexuals, political enemies, cultists, or an ethnic group we are uncomfortable with.”

Ultimately, the thread that connects the strange episodes in the Book of Jonah is the mercy of God. “We see it in His pursuit and restoration of Jonah,” Sper points out, as well as “His sparing of the sailors, and His miraculous salvation of Nineveh. Also in full view is the spiritual failure of Jonah …

• who experienced mercy but gave none;
• who received love but returned none;
• who benefited from the patience of God but resented God for showing that same patience to Nineveh.”

That thread also connects the Book of Jonah to today’s Gospel reading, specifically in the moment when Jesus instructs us on how to live in imitation of his love. This is most clear when he prays, forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.

We are all debtors. The Father forgives our sins.  So too must we forgive those in debt to us.  Through our forgiveness of others, we imitate the mercy and compassion of God.

The story of Jonah this anti-prophet, this sullen, pouting prophet, reminds us that we are called on to emulate God’s compassion and mercy. We shouldn’t wag our finger in condemnation at Jonah.  We should look in the mirror and ask: Do we resemble Jonah at our worst, or can we be better than that?  Can we forgive as Christ has taught us?

Therein lies the ending to the story.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Jonah 3:1-10
Luke 10:38-42

Reflection:

We are given two directives in today’s scripture: Listen, and Act.

The first part is deceptively difficult. My own life is incredibly busy. I travel constantly for my work. I facilitate support for grieving people. I offer trainings and retreats. I write articles and columns. I have three adult children who are precious to me, and four grandchildren that I long to spend time with. And that doesn’t count my nine siblings and my aging mom

I am reminded of the refrain of a Paul McCartney song from the 70’s: “Someone’s knocking at the door. Somebody’s ringing the bell. Do me a favor. Open the door, and let ‘em in.” In the midst of my extensive “to-do” list and all the good I try to accomplish in my life, I too often block out the sounds of God constantly knocking at my door and ringing my bell. Or I acknowledge it by saying, “Yes, God I know you are there and I am so grateful for that. Thank you for never leaving me alone. But hang on a minute. I just need to do these couple of things before I sit down to pray. I’ll be right there.” The next thing I know, I’m lying in bed exhausted with only the energy for a quick “Thank you, God” before I drift off to sleep.

It is not that any of the things I feel such compulsion to accomplish are bad things. They are very good. They are things I do to advance the reign of God on this earth. But if I don’t take time to sit and pray, to stay deeply connected to God, to LISTEN, then I am acting under my own power, trusting in my own wisdom, and I am bound for burn-out. I need to make prayer a priority in my life. In fact, I need to pray before I get started on my to-do list, to ensure that I make time every single day to open the door and let God in.

Then I need to follow through on the second part of the directive – change. All the listening doesn’t do anything if I am not willing to surrender my heart, my will, and my life, and work to become an ever more transparent instrument of Christ. The purpose of prayer, after all, is not to change God’s mind; it is to change me. The closer I get to God, the more God can work within me, stretching me and molding me, helping me discover and use the gifts I’ve been given, and becoming the best and most complete version of myself.

That is the other reason for beginning my day with prayer. It allows me to then carry that prayer into my day, centered in the love of God and putting into practice what God is accomplishing within me. It may also keep me from listening to other voices in my life that run counter to God’s will for me and for the world. It gives me strength to speak when I am afraid, and wisdom to know what to do. It helps me recognize and confront words of intolerance, judgment, and dismissal of another’s humanity, especially when they come out of my own mouth. And I know it’s all too easy to demonize those who disagree, regardless of which side of the line I stand on. It forces me to question my motivations, desires, and goals. It challenges me to see how deeply connected I am to every other person. In short, spending time as Mary did at the feet of Jesus allows me to go into my Martha day in a way that avoids judgment, jealousy, and impatience, and instead brings light, love, compassion, and peace.

That is such a worthy goal, and one that we desperately need in our personal, professional, corporate, and political lives. So today, I recommit to hearing the bell and answering the knock by starting my day, every single day, with opening the door and letting God in. Will you join me?

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Jonah 1:1-2:2, 11
Luke 10:25-37

 

Reflection:

Surprise Our Neighbor as God Surprises Us

The God of Surprises meets us this Monday morning! There is the surprise of hospitality shown by a Samaritan who welcomes and unexpectedly cares for a wounded man. And as we advance through the post-exilic history of Israel we meet Jonah who tells a surprising tale that carries a surprising message for Israel.

Jonah bears the same name as a prophet who spoke words of hope alongside the Prophet Amos, a prophet of woe for Israel. Amos was correct. Shortly after these two prophets spoke the Assyrians destroyed the Kingdom of Israel. Our Jonah appears as one who speaks words of hope for the pagans, and the people of Jonah’s day would judge him as wrong as his namesake. He speaks what Israel is against.

When Israel returned from the exile in Babylon, there was a lot of work, opposition and time that passed before the people were reestablished. The Judaism that Jesus was born into has its foundation laid in these years. As a remnant struggling to survive Israel closed in upon itself, it became conservative, as for instance moving to prohibit inter-marriage to make itself a pure, strong people.

Jonah upholds the values of his people. He disdains Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrians, a place synonymous with brutality and oppression. He tries to escape God’s call which sends him to preach to the pagans. But God uses the story of his adventure as a challenge to Israel.

The people who heard the story of the Good Samaritan were humbled at that man’s goodness; a man against whom much prejudice was felt. From the book of Jonah’s perspective Israel is invited to be humbled because their representative, Jonah, is angry and unyielding, a man uncooperative with God’s good will. Jonah is acting just like Israel. Jonah needs a change of heart; Israel needs a change of heart.

It is not a surprise is that the Book of Jonah was not easily accepted into the canon of Scripture. A challenge to a change of heart touches us deep down where we find meaning and life. Can we today examine our hospitality? Jonah wanders through his adventures with great freedom and the wealth of the God of Israel to draw from. We possess that treasure too. Do we limit God’s freedom by holding back in sharing the wealth that comes from our experience of God’s generous love? We are surprised by God often. Sharing that surprise may translate into ways of being hospitable in the ordinary things of everyday life. Can we hear also in the calling to love our neighbor as our self, an invitation to a surprising hospitality that is reason to open our hearts without limit to all?

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Isaiah 5:1-7
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 21:33-43

Reflection:

Living in Rome one sees many ‘keystones’ –   the central and crucial stone in arches and other weight supporting constructions. All the weight bears upon them and they are held in place by the load they bare, but in turn they hold and keep the surrounding stones in place (and thus each stone strengths the arch). Different from ‘cornerstones’ but not unrelated to ‘cornerstones’ in their function.

And indeed, in today’s text, Jesus refers to himself as “the Cornerstone” (or foundation stone). Here this means not a stone in an arch, but the first stone set in the construction of a foundation, and according to our friends at Wikipedia, the cornerstone is vitally important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

So today’s texts first orientate us to the central image of Jesus as the cornerstone for our lives and faith. We are not meant to take this image as a static one, we are not a mere institution, rather we are his living body in this world and we are established in and upon him. He is our foundation and the one who shows us the ‘way’ to live.

The other image we might note today is contained in the parable of the vineyard and its workers.

In story form, Jesus outlines God’s care for us and the trust that God places in us. It is all gift. Viewing our lives through the lens of this parable enables us to see that God is the landowner, that it is God who does the planting, who protects the boundaries, who provides good water for the crop  and who watches over the vineyard (from the tower built for this purpose).

But the ‘cornerstone’ the ‘key’ to this whole project of God’s goodness and unbounded generosity is us! We are entrusted with the ‘vineyard’; we are placed in the coveted position as the trusted stewards of God. Our ‘space’, our vineyard, is no less than this beautiful world. To this commission we might add that we are also stewards in the sense of being a neighbour to those around us in life and of course we are entrusted with the care of our planet and of our own well-being.

A commentator on life in Palestine in the days of such vineyards noted that the time of harvest was a particularly fine time for families – the weather was pleasant for people, they tended to have less domestic duties and even lived outside their houses staying in the vineyard itself. In both their day of labour and in their times of recreation they could live a more relaxed life. They enjoyed the cooler climate, the communing with nature and the freedom to relax and rest after harvest work was over for the day.

Perhaps we see in this image of ancient life a glimpse of God’s wish for us. To live closer to our earth, to be more relaxed and celebratory in each other’s presence and to see the fruits of one’s labour – these are ‘Eden-like’ images and provide a glimpse of the beauty of life under God’s reign.

How different these images are to those attitudes of the stewards in the parable! As the story unfolds we see that these stewards are seduced by self-interest. In their selfishness they poison relationships and are violent and murderous in their quest to possess the vineyard! Ultimately their greed brings no gain or joy – only a dramatic failure; as the parable ends we see their lives come to an end – destroyed by their own selfishness.

Our life with God stands under God’s grace, but we are always invited to make our contribution – to enter in the relationship with God and serve the world. We are given the vineyard, we are only asked to see that it produces good fruit.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.  He currently serves on the General Council and is stationed in Rome.

Scripture:

Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
Luke 10:17-24

Reflection:

I don’t remember many of the books I read in high school, but one often comes to mind, “I Had to Know” by Gladys Baker. My then spiritual director (isn’t that something? —I had a spiritual director in high school—I’m so grateful) Fr. Randal Joyce, CP, suggested I read it. Gladys, as I recall, was a foreign correspondent who spent years traveling and reporting on world events, and at the same time searching for something more. She finally met up with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen who opened her heart to God, not a God who was aloof and mysterious, but as Bishop Sheen was so good at depicting, a God who was rooted in the everyday experience of life.

I sometimes think I’ve learned enough! I think: “Now, I can just spend the rest of my life sharing and passing on all the great knowledge I’ve acquired after my many years of study and prayer.” Then I wake up and find myself almost like a time traveler in a strange, alien world: a world where the civil dialog of ideas is only a memory; a world where lies are not only accepted but an expected form of discourse; a world of 24 hour-a-day news broadcasts and instant worldwide satellite communications.

Often I long to return to those more simpler days—days where people would practice strange other worldly habits, like going on a pilgrimage to visit a holy person like Gladys did. Often while on that journey they would say the rosary. Today we as a church celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. During the recital of rosary, we are encouraged to think about life’s mysteries, mysteries like, the birth of a God who took human form, or a young virgin who heard a message and dared to follow it with no science to tell her she made the right decision. A mystery like a god-man who chose to not fight back when accused of heresy and blasphemy, but to accept His fate, a cross to die on leading to an even more mysterious resurrection.

Yes, I’ve got more to learn and as Jesus prays in today’s gospel selection shows me an attitude, an attitude like Gladys’ that I think I’ll try to imitate:

“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.”(Luke 10: 23-24)

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago. 

Scripture:

Baruch 1:15-22
Luke 10:13-16

Reflection:

To understand today’s gospel passage takes some work. Not so much intellectual struggling as plain research. If we only read the quoted verses, at first it seems as if Jesus is saying how poorly He was received in Chorizan, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (His home town!) but then, He compliments them! After His condemnation He says, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me…” How does this follow? Going back to the full gospel provides the answer. Jesus is addressing the 72 disciples He is sending forth to perform great deeds. It is to them that He says “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” Jesus is speaking of the repentance of entire towns and lands. He is sending His disciples out to accomplish this.

It is sometimes easy to despair when it seems that everyone in our organization, our city, our country, our world is in need of repentance (a change of thinking). And yet, we see that this is possible. The Civil Rights movement in the 60’s, Ghandi’s march across India, the end of apartheid in South Africa, these all show that God can call entire nations to repentance through the work of individuals.

My prayer for today is that I listen for God’s call to repentance in my own life and that I have the courage and strength to call others by example.

Talib Huff is a volunteer at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.