Claire Smith

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Once again Jesus is trying to teach his disciples (us) that God cherishes persistent prayer.  “He will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.  Jesus reminds us that we should pray every day, and every day, and every day and every day just as he did.  What a compelling example he set for us.

But many complain that “God never hears nor answers my prayers.” Don’t we hear that frequently?  That is unfortunately a self-indulgent attitude.  The fact is that God’s will is not the same as my will.  God is God and I am who I am.  God knows my needs far better that I do.  Isn’t the true power of persistent and daily prayer the transformation of my own will to make it more compatible with God’s will?  Only in that way can my prayers be answered. 

We should also challenge the idea that God does not answer prayers, even in our own lives.  Faith informs us that God consistently answers prayers; however, perhaps in ways that we do not understand or realize.  Consider for example. the miracles that he performs in our lives every day.  Do we pay attention to those miracles?   Perhaps an encounter with an old friend who we have been thinking about lately; perhaps an unexpected delay in a meeting in Oakland, CA that prevented us from being on our scheduled return to a hotel on the Nimitz freeway which collapsed during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake; perhaps an unexpected call from an estranged child, as happened to my wife and myself yesterday; the list goes on and on. Those who appreciate those daily miracles understand that God is responding to their prayers every day, perhaps by answering a specific request, such as the cure of an illness or the healing of a relationship, or perhaps in ways that we don’t expect but are nonetheless beneficial to us.  Obviously, God isn’t going to ring a bell every time he interacts with us in our daily lives.  We must pay attention.

Should we not also await answers to our “persistent” prayers more patiently?  It takes time for God to conform our wills to his; not because he cannot do so more quickly but perhaps because our own wills are more inflexible than we think they are.  

So let us continue to pray persistently and patiently every day and every day and every day and every day.  We know by faith that he will hear and answer “all” of our prayers: “ask and you will receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’    

Bill Berger has had a life-long relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston,Texas.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

The Other Lord’s Prayer

We are all familiar with the Lord’s Prayer – the “Our Father” – in the Gospel of Matthew.  His is the prayer we pray at Mass, in the Liturgy of the Hours, in the Rosary, and in so many other moments of worship.

There is, however, the other Lord’s Prayer, a less familiar version.  This is the prayer in the Gospel of Luke.  The “Our Father” in his gospel is shorter, and quite frankly, not as memorable as Matthew’s.

The two prayers do share similarities.  As with Matthew’s prayer, Luke’s consists of praise and petition, and for the coming of God’s kingdom, God’s reign.  Both are prayers of community.  Both are eschatological prayers.

Luke’s version, however, contains a significant difference.  Where Matthew’s gospel reads “Forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt 6:12 NAB), Luke employs clearer and more explicit language.  “Forgive us our sins,” the gospel strongly petitions, “for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us” (Lk 11:4 NAB).

Luke’s prayer makes a powerful point.  Just as Christ died in forgiveness of our sins, so too, are we to forgive others.  Therein lies the Good News in the other Lord’s Prayer.  We who have been forgiven know first-hand the need for forgiveness.  Pray like this, Jesus tells us.

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:

I travel for work, facilitate support groups, offer trainings and retreats, and write. I have three adult children and four grandchildren I long to spend time with, and I am responsible for a home, yard, and garden. My life is busy!

Yet the scriptures remind me of an old Paul McCartney song: Someone’s knocking at the door/ Somebody’s ringing the bell/ Do me a favor/ Open the door, and let ‘em in. With my extensive “to-do” list, I can block the sounds of God constantly knocking and ringing. Or I acknowledge it with: “Yes, God I’m so grateful you’re there. Thank you for never leaving me alone. But hold tight for 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.

The things I feel such compulsion to accomplish are very good and necessary, and often help me advance the reign of God. But if I don’t take time to sit and pray first, to stay deeply connected, to LISTEN, then I’m acting under my own power, trusting my own wisdom, perhaps acting out of my own hurts and insecurities, and bound for burn-out. In prayer, God can work within me to heal the wounds, to stretch and mold me, to help me discover gifts I’ve been given (even those hidden within pain), and to become the whole and centered person I was created to be. Therefore, I need to pray early in the morning before I get started on my to-do list, to ensure that I make daily time to open the door and let God in.

When I begin with prayer, I carry it into my day, centered in the love of God and putting into practice what God is accomplishing within me. I can turn again and again to my Divine sources of wisdom, strength, and guidance, and undergird my many actions with the love of Christ for those I serve. It can also keep me from listening to other voices that run counter to God’s message. It gives me strength to speak when I’m afraid and wisdom to know what to do. It helps me recognize and confront words of intolerance, judgment, and dismissal of another, especially when they come out of my own mouth. In short, spending time as Mary did at the feet of Jesus allows me to go into my Martha day in a way that brings the light, love, healing, and peace of God acting within and through me.

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:

Could Today’s Lawyer be a Relative of Jonah the Prophet?

We begin this week with a holiday, Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, and we begin it with two stories from the lectionary. Courage was required to cross the ocean, and no less in coming face to face with an unknown people. What do Jonah, the lawyer and ourselves hear about the courage to go beyond barriers that life sets before us?

Jonah is like a boxer in the ring with God. He takes a lot of quick jabs right in his stomach. But he is tough. He gives right back to God by his stubborn actions that contradict God’s good plans.                                                                                                            

What a unique prophet. A man of few, well-chosen words; only eight of them. We know the results. The king decrees that every person and animal do penance; all the people are to turn away from their evil ways! Mission accomplished. Sort of well done, Job.

Contradictions abound. Jonah, who is intimate with God, does not do what God asks of him; he tries to do the opposite. Pagan sailors are God fearing. Jonah loses his fight with God, so no victory lap around the ring, but he doesn’t even rejoice at God’s mercy and the conversion of the evil empire! Jonah, exhausted, rests on a hill above the city waiting to see what will happen, probably hoping for fireworks, and falls asleep. A plant sent by God gives him some protection, but it will shrivel as the sun rises, and Jonah he is exposed and unprotected. When God asks him if he is upset that the plant died, he replies, ‘I am angry enough to die’. His protest is a bit dramatic, but includes his feelings about everything God has done, including revealing his own smallness. He doesn’t see the knock down punch coming. Lying on the ground, probably wondering how he will get home, he is stunned by God’s words: Jonah they a less than babies who know neither left nor right. I am God. You are one of the chosen to show the light of my love to the world, to draw the nations to me. Wake up Jonah! Get a life!

We are reading the minor prophets for three weeks, of which Jonah is one. They speak of Israel’s return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. The book of Jonah pleads with the people not to live in fear of God’s surprising ways, not to live behind a wall that separates them from a world and people who appear to be frightening. Israel must not lower their expectations of the surprising love of God. Yes, it can be frightening.

And too in the gospel, a lawyer knows the power of the commandments. The law is communion with God, it is life. In following the commandments, we love God and we experience God’s love as we love our neighbor. Jesus does not box with the lawyer, he sort of whams him all at once. He says, ‘can you imagine the commandments holding you back from reaching out in love, even to an enemy? Or doing the good you deeply feel instead of hesitating because of a restriction that weighs so much less when put on a scale? The law is life, indeed, pulsing, growing, exploring, not to be lived in a vacuum but with neighbors. Jesus gently says what God yells at Jonah, ‘Get a life’. Go and do. Be intimate with the God of surprises. Break a rule when you hear God’s call to love! Love drives out fear. Do not be afraid.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Jesus…Today!

Today we are challenged by another of Jesus’ encounters with the religious leaders of his day.  Matthew shares Jesus’ parable of the owner of a vineyard who seeks a return on his investment from the vineyard-workers.  The parable unfolds with tales of multiple unsuccessful attempts to get the owner’s share of produce at vintage time, resulting in repeated violent acts – climaxing in the murder of the owner’s son who was sent to obtain the produce!  Jesus shared the parable to highlight the building resistance to his challenging message of metanoia, conversion, and unconditional love … His presence, His words and deeds were being ignored.

It’s our wake-up call as well:  do we recognize and respond to Jesus in our day?  Our faith says that Jesus is present to us in the Scriptures, in the Eucharist — and in one another, especially those in need and those on the margins…the “least, the last, the lost”.

The Gospel reminds us that Jesus’ public life was challenging, even controversial.  In his birth in Bethlehem, He was an immigrant, a foreigner.  In His ministry, He had compassion for the poor, the sick, those treated unjustly; He helped and healed them.  He went against the “rules” of His day, even doing good deeds for others on the Sabbath!  Some accepted His words and deeds, others rejected Him and walked away; some even helped spark a frenzy that led to His ultimate rejection and the capital punishment of crucifixion and death. 

The words of Isaiah join the words of Paul to the Philippians to encourage us to seriously look at our daily lives and our response to Jesus today.  Do we see Jesus present in the young and the old, sick and the healthy, the imprisoned and the free, the poor and rich, the criminals and the law-abiders, people of all races, strangers as well as family members…??  And our response to them?  Does our faith in Jesus make a difference?  Do we draw close and reach out in love, or turn away in indifference or fear?

Jesus challenges us to “stretch” and generously respond to His presence and His transforming Message of Good News.  May we follow the example of those who have gone before us– and lead lives of faith-filled humility, gratitude, and service.

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:

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

Reflection:

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’   -Luke 10:23-24

I love a mystery. As a child, I got into reading when I discovered the “Hardy Boys Mysteries”. That, along with my good friend’s mother suggesting that we read to each other when we were looking for something to do one day started me on the journey that continues through today. We picked up a book, and I was hooked. That started me going to the library, getting, and reading one mystery after another and a lifetime of reading and searching.

Reflecting and articulating my life’s journey, as I share today, I realize that there truly is, and has always been, a higher power gifting me and all of us along the way through unfathomable situations, offering me and each of us, the gift of life, one day at a time.

“It’s a mystery” as a famous talk show hosts likes to repeat when confronted with the seemingly absurd. It is the same phrase or “cop out” his teachers used in response to questions they didn’t understand or for which they really didn’t know the answer. I begin to realize how true that is (it is a mystery) when I take the time to share my reflections on our culture’s scriptures, and all the gifts I have been given today. That culture was first expressed to me in the “Mysteries of the Rosary” growing up in the 1950’s gathering as a family after supper to “pray” them together. It was a ritual then suggested by our church.

Each October, I get to reflect on this feast of “Our Lady of the Rosary.” These mysteries are about life—life as experienced in the lives of a simple Jewish family two millennia ago. This life begins with the articulation of a deeply felt desire acted upon and realized in the birth and sharing of a baby—the Joyful Mysteries. The journey continues with being wounded, seeing death and destruction of life all around them—The Sorrowful Mysteries. Finally, believing there is a higher power who is loving, caring and in charge despite the seemingly contradictions they experienced, leads to hope—The Glorious Mysteries and belief that there truly is meaning and a higher power (Spirit) guiding them and all of us, one day at a time.

I think today that is what Luke is sharing above in the scripture selection for today. Thank you, God, for all these gifts you’ve given me and help me share them today with all your creation.

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:

Our Western culture, maintained by capitalism and a military establishment meant to protect it, thrives on myth of self-sufficiency.

We preach to our children the importance of winning, career advancement, wealth, conformity, status, power and possessions.

Few dare to critique these mainstream values. Those that do, the outliers, like Dorothy Day or Pope Francis, face serious blow back.

When our American values lead to harm, denial strengthens and resistance to change sharpens. Thus, as climate change triggers storms, fires, floods, and drought, the call to action is all but ignored. We continue to burn fossil fuels in our cars, trucks, planes, generating plants, HVAC systems, factories and offices as if this poison is harmless. The plea for renewable energies receives tepid responses.

The consequence, as predicted by the best scientists, is planet earth heating up, promising the demise of thousands of animal and plant species, our food systems, and communities. The poor among us are the first and chief victims.

In the geo-political world, our consumer society continues to develop sophisticated weapons, to the profit of the arms industry and the satisfaction of political elites and military brass who worship military defense as a way to maintain our “American Way of Life.”

Will our descendants a hundred years from now look back on this time in human history and ask, “What were they thinking?”

Today’s three readings speak to our time. They are harsh readings. In the first one, the secretary to the great prophet Jeremiah, the author of the book of Baruch, bluntly states, “We did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us, but each one of us went off after the devices of our own wicked heart, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.”

Jesus minces no words either by calling out various communities around him for not heeding his message. “Woe to you!” he cries to the people his disciples will meet on their first missionary excursion. These people remained self-focused, complacent, stuck in a rut of routine, unexamined daily living. Jesus, however, wants a total conversion of heart now. Nothing less. To the people of Capernaum he asks, “Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the nether world.”

As the chief follower of this outlier Jesus, Pope Francis, today’s most notable prophet, pleads with all of humanity to live simply, build bridges with our neighbors, share our wealth, welcome the refugees and immigrants, disarm, stop killing planet earth, not judge one another, forgive, provide food, water, healthcare, education and housing for everyone.

Am I indifferent to Baruch’s, Jesus’ and the pope’s calls to conversion? What is God calling me to do this day to reach out to a neighbor, take a stand against bigoty, act to protect the planet, critique our nation’s military dominance, and welcome the frightened, lonely, different and angry?

In deep prayer, alone with God, we seek the answers to these questions, closing with words from today’s psalm, “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God, our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins.”

Our personal conversion begins anew.

Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12
Luke 10:1-12

Reflection:

Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD.  -Nehemiah 8:10

Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.  -Luke 10:11

It seems that for the last few years the only thing more common in the media than stories of bad news, disasters, and destruction have been commentaries of how the media is full of stories of bad news, disasters, and destruction. There are even terms for it such as, “News Fatigue,” and, “Doomscrolling.” The general consensus seems to be that we live in unprecedented times, with terrors on every side. But, for us individually, is it really that unique?

In today’s gospel, Jesus says, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” The world of Israel, in the time of Jesus was not a peaceful place. Jesus lived in a land that was occupied by a conquering army. There are political and religious divisions on every side. And yet, Jesus also says, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” The kingdom of God and its closeness to us was a common theme in the teaching of our Lord. He encouraged his disciples to share this message with everyone they meet. The kingdom of God is at hand. So how do we recognize the kingdom of God when all we see around us points in a different direction? According to Jesus, we do this by blessing others. And if they do not accept the blessing? Do we curse them? Rail against them? No! We simply shake the dust from our feet and go on.

This may sound like a gross oversimplification. Surely, aren’t we called to speak truth to power? To protest against the injustices we find in the world? Yes, we are called as Christians to both of these and more. But all the while we are to keep ourselves focused on the kingdom of God, which is always at hand. It is only through living in the kingdom of God that we are able to guard ourselves against despairing and losing our way.

My prayer for myself today is that I am able to hold within my heart the kingdom of God and share it with all those I meet.

Talib Huff is a retired teacher and a member of the retreat team at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center In Citrus Heights, California. You can contact him at [email protected].