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Scripture:

Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
1 Corinthians 3:16-25
Matthew 5:38-48

Reflection:

“Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18

About 500 years before Jesus echoed this commandment of love in the 22^nd Chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, (Matt. 22:39) teachers of the law of holiness were teaching it in Israel.

This notion that our holiness is intimately connected with our absolute love of God and neighbor is found not only in our Christian tradition but in many other religions as well.

We believe that the reason God created us was so that we could love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We have no other calling that that. That is our most fundamental vocation.

While this may sound beautiful and inspiring, it is one of the most challenging Commandments of God we are obliged to follow. This teaching was being lived and taught long before it was written down. It was written down and handed on from one generation to the next because we needed to be reminded of it often.

Many of us may not realize how much hate we carry within us until we are wronged, we feel slighted, we believe that we have been passed over unjustly, just to name a few triggers for hatred.

It is then that the human heart can weld up with hatred. For some, it begins slow, like a slow leak in a water system, so imperceptible that we tend not to notice it. For others, hatred gushes out like a tidal wave. The wall of water that busts into the scene destroys everything in its path. Once we allow ourselves to believe that we have a right to hate, to reject, to dehumanize, to ignore the other, then we can turn our backs on our brothers and sisters with the belief that the law not only allows us to do so, but demands that we do so.

It takes an act of faith for us to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We have to overcome our initial tendencies to hate. We also need to recognize that hatred has many disguises, many masks and may take many acceptable forms of behavior.

St. Paul writes in the second reading for today’s Mass: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.” I Cor. 13: 18-19 The wise of this world, whether they live here or elsewhere, believe that they can lie without consequence, and believe that most people are just like them. Thus, they have a right to make human laws that dehumanize and are destructive of God’s children.

Today’s Gospel concludes Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which began with the Beatitudes. This Sermon concludes by quoting the wise people of his time, “You have heard it said. . .,” and then goes on to say, “But I say unto you. . .”

Who are we going to believe? Who are we going to follow? Just as there is no room for hatred in God and in Jesus’ Heart, we are called to love unconditionally and wholeheartedly. God created us in God’s own image and likeness. When we love like God loves, we become perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect! (Matt. 5:48)

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Christ the King Community in Citrus Heights, California. 

Scripture:

Hebrews 11:1-7
Mark 9:2-13

Reflection:

A key phrase in the readings assigned for today is: God exists, and rewards those who seek Him.  In times past, in learned theological discourse, this brief remark represented, at least for some theologians, the heart of what faith is all about.

For, what faith entails is very much at the heart of today’s readings, as the author of Hebrews, for instance, proceeds to illustrate faith in terms of people from out of the Old or First Testament in the bible: Abel, Enoch, Noah.  All three of these were rewarded because they acknowledged God.

The reading from Mark’s gospel elevates the process of faith to the level of vision, as Peter, James and John are privileged to witness the Transfiguration of Jesus, in the company of Elijah and Moses.  These three apostles saw a vision, while still operating in the realm of faith.  The Transfiguration of Jesus constituted a higher level of reward, in their case, since two great privileges were granted them: to hear the Father’s voice advising them to listen to Jesus, and to receive from Jesus the admonition to keep to themselves the great revelation that He was to rise from the dead.

The past that is depicted here works a powerful impact on the faith that graces us.  It provides us models of faith from out of the past, each of whom reaped the rewards that faith provided them.  We share in this past, especially through the law mediated to us by Moses and the prophecies pronounced by Elijah and John the Baptist.  We are the beneficiaries of these testimonies from the Jewish testament, which enable us also to make our own faith affirmation that God exists and rewards those who seek Him. (301)

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of Sacred Heart Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Genesis 11:1-9
Mark 8:34-9:1

Reflection:

Sometimes what seems the best and most promising path to take reaps consequences utterly different than what we anticipated. And sometimes the path we initially want nothing to do with is actually the one that opens to fullness of life. That’s one indisputable conclusion from today’s readings.

The passage from Genesis recounts the familiar story of the building of the Tower of Babel. It begins with a scene of absolute harmony and peace. We’re presented with a people in whom there is no animosity, no conflict, and no disheartening divisions. As the writer of Genesis comments: “The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.” But then everything changes. They decide to replace God’s vision for the flourishing of the world with an ambitious plan of their own. They will “build…a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name” for themselves. Instead of praising and glorifying God, they thirst for glory for themselves. They forget that they are not gods, but creatures who are forever dependent upon God. Thus, it is no surprise when their heady project leads not to the security and fame they envisioned, but to chaos and dissolution. The harmony and peace they enjoyed is shattered as they are “scattered…from there all over the earth,” no longer able to understand one another.

By contrast, in the gospel story from Mark, Jesus asks us to find life by following a path that goes against the grain of everything we’ve been taught to believe. Jesus invites us to find life not through self-promotion or self-aggrandizement, but by taking up our cross and following him. It’s a life characterized by self-denial, generosity, sacrifice, and a love that endlessly calls us out of ourselves for the sake of others.

Babel and Calvary. They are symbols of two very different ways of life. Which one we choose to follow makes all the difference not only for ourselves, but also for the world.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist family.

Scripture:

Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
Mark 8:22-26

Reflection:

Jesus, whenever I read of your curing of the blind man I am reminded of a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes, France.   It was at the grotto that Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.  I joined the many pilgrims were present there. Everyone there was praying either for themselves or for others who were ill.   There was a prayerful atmosphere which was very tangible.

I went to the baths, was totally submerged in the pool of water and prayed for by a priest and layman. I don’t think I have ever heard such fervent prayers, begging for healing.  A young crippled boy was brought in by two men.  As the little fellow was placed in the pool of water he let out a little scream of surprise…the water was not that warm!  Watching and listening to the priest and layman again, you knew that this little guy was their sole attention, begging for a miracle.

I wandered around the grounds afterwards.  Approaching the old church I saw a piece of statuary, depicting a woman sitting on a stretcher placed on the ground while two men stood at either end.  They were stretcher bearers.  I looked at the woman and noticed that around her head, covering her eyes was a piece of cloth.  I didn’t quite understand what that meant.  Then I looked down and saw an inscription on the side of the stretcher.  “I came here seeking sight for my eyes, and left with sight for my soul.”  I have never forgotten that line.  It has given me a broader picture of what prayer is all about.

Never would I tell anyone not to pray for a healing, for a miracle. The people in the gospel narrative for today brought the blind man to You.  He wanted to see, and You healed his blindness. .

What comes to mind is that all of us are asked to be open to the answer You give to us.  Any loved one or friend is often challenged by a request that starts, “I want….”   That’s honest.  But not the total picture.  Isn’t the need I have the most important part of any request.  And that need that I see might also have to be filtered through “…but I leave it in Your hands as to what I really need.”  Jesus, You said in Your own words, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but Yours be done.”   I wish that I could say that this was easy for You.  It wasn’t.  But neither were You alone.  The Father was with You.

Can I/you who are reading this put into the Father’s hand my/our need when we pray…”Our Father, who art in heaven…Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is a member of the St. Paul of the Cross Community, Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-24
Mark 8:1-10

Reflection:

The feeding of the 4,000 in Gentile territory in today’s gospel closely parallels Jesus’ earlier feeding of the 5,000 in Galilee (Mk 6:35-44).  Scholars point out that both wonders take place in a deserted area, where Jesus feeds a huge crowd with a few loaves and fishes.  His blessing and gestures clearly foreshadow the Eucharist.  Both highlight the disciples’ lack of faith.  Both conclude with abundant leftover bread, the dismissal of the crowd, and a departure by boat.

Scholars, however, also observe that in other details the two stories are notably different.  And it is these differences that enrich each Eucharistic story, giving them unique theological topography and terrain.  The first feeding in Galilee is with Jews.  The second in the pagan region of Decapolis is with Gentiles.

In between these two multiplication wonders is the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician woman begging him to heal her daughter.  Despite his rebukes that his food is first for the Jews (“Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”)  The Gentile woman will accept the scraps that fall from their table.

With her poignant story and her daughter’s healing, Jesus is now breaking the strict wall that the ceremonial laws had created between Jews and Gentiles.  This story creates a bridge between the feeding of Jews in Galilee and today’s gospel reading where Jesus feeds the Gentiles.

Notably too, Mark, deliberately and carefully, records the numbers in each feeding miracle, emphasizing their symbolic importance to accentuate Jesus’ reaching out beyond Galilee to strange and forbidden pagan lands.

In Decapolis, Jesus has compassion on the people because they have no food – symbolically the Gentiles did not have “The Word.”  In Galilee, Jesus was concerned because the people were as sheep without a shepherd – a typical Old Testament image of Israel.

In Decapolis, there were seven loaves – the symbol of wholeness.  In Galilee, there were five loaves – the symbol of covenant.

In Decapolis, seven baskets are gathered up – possibly suggesting the seven pagan nations that inhabited Canaan before Israel entered the land (Deut 7:1).  In Galilee, there are twelve – the symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Even the baskets described in each story are different.  In Galilee, Mark used a term denoting wicker baskets typically used by Jews.  In Decapolis, he uses an ordinary Greek word for large baskets.

The number four alludes to the four corners of the world.  Thus, Jesus fed four thousand – four times one thousand, the whole world.

Interesting, one might say, but so what?

Well, perhaps, this: today’s gospel reveals that, yes, Jesus, the observant Jew, is the true shepherd and bread of life for Jews.  But he also is Messiah to the whole world.  And beginning with the Syrophoenician woman who begged for crumbs, Jesus has broken old covenant barriers and laws. He now offers to all the true bread of life – and in abundance.

And this: Jesus made room for difference – difference between Galilee and Decapolis, between Jew and Gentile.  Can we do likewise?  In our bitterly polarized world, saturated in suspicion, can we make room for differences?  Can we recognize God’s image in someone who is not in my image, whose language, faith, and ideals are different from ours?

And finally, this: Every time we receive the Eucharist, nourished with the Bread of Life, we too are challenged to break barriers, tear down walls, and build bridges so that we can see the face of Jesus in others and minister to their particular needs.

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

Scripture:

Genesis 3:1-8
Mark 7:31-37

Reflection:

Several years ago, I had a good friendship built on common interests, regular communication, and mutual trust. At the same time, I was in a situation in which I felt I needed to establish credibility and authority in order to advance what I wanted to do in the organization. In the process, I stated something in a group setting that my friend had told me in private. She hadn’t expressly asked me to keep it confidential, but by its nature I should have known. Instead, I used it to raise my own prominence.

When my friend found out, she was deeply hurt. We talked it out amid tears. I realized I was wrong, apologized, and asked for her forgiveness. She forgave me, but from then on our relationship was never the same again. Knowing what I had done, she could not trust me to the same degree again. I grieve for that relationship to this day. I know of many relationships where a serious violation of trust was forgiven and worked through, and they built an even better relationship because of it. But I also realize that sometimes when you discover something about another person, things can never “go back to normal.” In this case, I kicked myself out of a friendship I valued by my desire to gain more authority and status.

In Genesis, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, realized they were naked, and hid themselves from the loving Creator who had blessed them with all they needed and loved them with an everlasting love. They betrayed the central relationship of their lives because of a desire to be like God, to be superior, and to gain an inflated sense of pride and self-importance.

Their primary sin was not disobedience, but grasping for power. They craved something that was not rightfully theirs, without so much as requesting the reason for the rule or whether a change was possible. Adam and Eve simply knew that this fruit was forbidden to them, it held tantalizing possibilities for raising their status to divine levels, and although they had everything they needed, they were not satisfied until they had it for themselves. They wanted more.

The story says that as a result of their choice, they were “kicked out” of Paradise. Perhaps, though, they “kicked themselves out.” Once they made the decision to eat the fruit, things could never be the same and Paradise could no longer exist for them. Perhaps it was not so much a physical removal from a “garden” that now had the gate locked, as it was a situation where their choice meant they could never go back to the way they were. They violated a fundamental principle of the relationship, and although God forgave them, there were other consequences to their action that removed their paradise and sent them out into another kind of life than they had known before.

I worry that this is happening in our country. It seems there is a tremendous desire to grasp for power and status, to be the one-and-only, to be superior at the expense of everyone else. Much of what I hear is the antithesis of community, inclusion, and respect for all people. The individual person or country is the only thing that’s important, rejecting our responsibility to reach out to the margins and lift up those living with disabilities, those locked into poverty, those fleeing for their lives from violence or political oppression, and those striving to make a better life for themselves. There is little to no sense of caring for the created world, and instead a desire to exploit and use it only for our own purposes.

There is even a concerted effort to silence all dissent and protests. There are gag orders on government agencies, a ban on calls to the White House to complain, and a determination to belittle and bypass the free press that can check facts in favor of tweets and “alternative facts” that reflect a particular view, whether it is actually true or not. Freedom, love, understanding another’s viewpoint, honesty, integrity, and justice all take a back seat in such a milieu. Yet our leaders in Congress remain largely silent, afraid of losing their own power if they object to these overt authoritarian tactics.

Grasping for power is a human instinct that has existed since the beginning of time, but it is a dangerous one. I fear that if we continue down this road, we will kick ourselves out of the American garden of democracy that we have enjoyed for so long. I hope and pray that we do not reach the point where things can never be the same again.

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:

Genesis 2:18-25
Mark 7:24-30

 

Reflection:

Love Changes Everything

After explaining something to the fourth graders, one of the little girls who sits up front gives me a certain look and frequently asks, ‘but what if…..’. With Valentine’s Day close who would dare dispute the author of Genesis repeating the story of the creation of woman! Indeed it is worth repeating. ‘What if’ in creation Adam was inclined to a monastic, solitary life given to contemplation of the beauty of creation? What if he didn’t feel lonely at all? Would God the creator accept his free will for such an option? If so in our multiverse there would then be a planet full of happy animals who instinctively remember a unique creature who was among them at their beginning and who gave them all names and after many, many years died?

If we had no Eve then we could not have our Gospel.

Syro-Phoenicians were neighbors with the Jews in the region of Galilee. Jesus ‘wanted no one to recognize him; however he could not escape notice’. He goes into the house of an unmentioned friend. But living in close quarters no much goes unnoticed. We can picture of the woman who pursues Jesus, heavily dressed, head covered, veil. She is slightly and politely apologetic for bothering him. It is obvious he is there for quiet. She is a woman compassionately thought of by the neighbors because of the little girl with the problem. Or as her mother pointedly says, ‘She’s possessed by a demon!’ Being desperate keeps this woman on the edge! She isn’t relaxed enough to sit and laugh in the mornings with the other women. She lives with anxiety for her child’s future. Her behavior is altered by the circumstance of a possessed child in the family, the house is less welcoming, visitors rare, shouting is frequently heard and the property not so well kept up. Her keen mind and pleasing wit go unshared with the neighbors.

This desperate woman invades Jesus quiet. ‘What if’ he can help my daughter? She doesn’t get too far with her request; Jesus doesn’t jump to her aid as she imagined. This daughter of Eve is up to the challenge. Driven by the love of her daughter she doesn’t think, ‘I am breaking a ton of rules, begging is hard even if appropriate in this situation’. Those thoughts are just quiet notes underneath the strong melody of her love.

The previous two stories in the gospel showed Jesus contented with Pharisees and experts in the law. Tough work. He told the apostles that God’s word of love is more important than clinging to traditions. Perhaps it was to recover from these debates that Jesus has sought quiet refuge? And now he is confronted by love that challenges him to step out of the tradition that keeps the foreigners from sharing the banquet he has come to serve. He must think she is a ‘what if’ woman, he laughs at her wit. Jesus knows she is telling him what he teaches the apostles. Then the most beautiful detail from Mark; she was quick, Jesus quicker: ‘The demon has already left your daughter, be off now’.

Remember the gospel when you hear the Valentine’s Day song, Love Changes Everything: ‘Love will turn your world around and that world will last forever…Love bursts in and suddenly all our wisdom disappears. Love makes fools of everyone all the rules we made are broken, Yes love, changes everyone.’  Jesus relaxed.

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

Scripture:

Genesis 1:20-2:4a
Mark 7:1-13

Reflection:

“In the beginning…” (GN 1:1…)

Riding the number 147 Lake Shore Drive express, we travel by the boatless harbors this cold February morning. We pass the dog beach and despite the weather people are out with their furry frolicking friends staging for all onlookers, a scene of energy and joy. We, those of us not on our devices that is, watch the runners and bikers, some headed to work and some just out for their morning exercise. This sunny morning, even the bare trees speak of life and hope.

“God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…” (GN 1:28…)

Reentering the city at Michigan Avenue, man’s part of this creation story takes center stage. The skyscrapers set the scene for the crowds of people running in and out of the doorways making it to work, opening their retail businesses, switching on the lights preparing for another busy day transacting the business and commerce that brings us all together in the first place. Students from ages six to sixty dash to make their first class and start another day of discovery and learning.

“Then God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”  (GN 1:26…)

In contrast, or maybe not—I sometimes wonder—today the church asks us to think about another day, a different time, one with the same opportunity for life and to remember the Japanese Jesuit preacher, Paul Miki (1562 – 1597) and his companions, who chose hanging on crosses, and being pierced by swords, willingly preferring death in pursuit of sharing the good news of Jesus and the life they found in Him.

“God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” (GN 1:31)

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