Claire Smith

Scripture:

Exodus 14:5-18
Matthew 12:38-42

Reflection:

“The Lord strengthened (Hebrew  hazaq) the heart of Pharaoh^.” EX 15:8   Exodus mentions 15 times that God made Pharaoh’s heart firm hazaq) against letting His people go in today’s first reading!  The Old Testament refers to the heart no fewer than 854 times by the Hebrew terms lēḇ and lēḇāḇ.   If you add the New Testament use of the heart kordia 157 times, it comes to an impressive 1,009 times.  Our Dear Lord is so very interested in our hearts!

 God seems to help Pharaoh’s heart to be dead set against letting the Jewish people go.  It all seems rather mysterious as God’s will and Providence are working against each other!  It always seems so to our little minds and hearts.  It would be a lot easier in our opinion if God made Pharaoh’s heart open to letting the Jews leave that land of darkness without all that trouble.  But God had a plan.

As the account in Exodus continues the Lord gives us a strong clue of this perplexing mystery of His will. “But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.” 

At the crises of being trapped between the Egyptian army on one side and the Sea on the other, God tells them first of all: “No fear”!  The Scriptures tell us this 58 times! “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” EX 14: 13   God is the Great Micromanager of all our life.  “What do we have to fear if we live in the arms of a loving God?” St Paul of Cross  

It is so hard for us to believe that God does nothing but love us.  It is true that our sins punish us terribly.  But the Scriptures tell us: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save us from   our sins!”  Mt 1:21  I think God’s plan was to give the Jews of old and ourselves an opportunity to grow in our trust in the Lord’s wonderful love for us!  Underestimating His love for us is the biggest mistake of our life!

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43

Reflection:

Wheat Out of Weeds

In Our Gospel reading Jesus tells the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. In the parable, the enemy of a landowner sows weeds among the landowner’s wheat. When the servants of the landowner discover this, they ask him if he wants them to pull up the weeds. But the landowner tells them to wait until harvest time, lest they pull up some wheat along with the weeds. Then the weeds can be burned and the wheat harvested.

If we look at the weeds as those who will be condemned, and the wheat as those who will enjoy heaven, there are a couple of things I think which are important to remember. Unlike real wheat and real weeds, people can change. God can make “wheat” out of “weeds,” if we let His love in Jesus Christ transform us. Another thing is to remember the mercy of God. In the parable, the servants ask the landowner if he wants them to pull up the weeds. It seems to me in our divided times, that we are often tempted to tell God to pull up those considered to be “weeds,” right now!

Reflecting on God’s mercy helps us understand the other two parables in our Gospel reading: the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. For me, these two parables are wonderful images of the church we’re called to be. Like the tiny mustard seed, the church can grow to offer comfort to those who are hurting, but without us showing mercy, how can people hear of God’s love? And if the church is to offer God’s love as a leaven in the world, that leaven must include mercy. The world already has too much intolerance and hate.

May God continue to transform us into wheat that bears His love.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Scripture:

Song of Songs 3:1-4b or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Reflection:

While all the gospels tell of finding Christ’s tomb empty on the day after the Sabbath, it is John who fills in the story of Mary Magdalene’s intense love for Our Lord.  In pre-dawn darkness, trotting through the stillness of Jerusalem, she stood at the tomb, at the first permissible moment, to offer her most loving service: preparing His mutilated body for proper burial.  Mary had stood with His mother, Mary, and John himself at the Crucifixion, in the shadow of the Cross. She had watched Him being laid in the tomb.   

Now as she arrived at first light, she was struck by terror and grief again as she realized the tomb had been violated. The stone had been rolled away.  Christ’s body was no longer there.  Yet her misery turned instantly to greatest joy as Christ revealed himself.  What a great immensity of the emotions were shown in His one word greeting, “Mary”!    He chose to reveal Himself to her even before Peter and the rest of the Apostles.   

I humbly search for you in my own darkness, Lord.  I am lost and unable to find my way.   Forgive this sinner and in Your Love seek me out.  “Out of the depths I cry to you. Lord, hear my voice.” Psalm 130: 1-8.    

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

Exodus 11:10-12:14
Matthew 12:1-8

Reflection:

When I was a child, learning the ten commandments, I was taught the third commandment as “Keep Holy the Sabbath Day.  That meant going to mass on Sunday and refraining from unnecessary servile work. The meaning of servile work at that time was unnecessary physical labor. What does the sabbath mean to us today?

The Hebrew word “shabbat” (=sabbath) means “stop”.   What should we stop?  Stop slavishly working through the list of to-dos, rushing to the grocery store, washing the car, doing the laundry mowing the grass all on a Sunday afternoon. 

Rabbi Nachshon Siritsky (Shabbat: A Time to Stop, 6/30/2023) shares with us “Rest is the power of the biblical observance of Shabbat (the Sabbath). The act of resting is a sacred commandment- one that we do, because we were created in the divine image. It is central to our essence. The book of Genesis describes how G!d  (God) rested on the seventh day, and that this was the final stage of creation. Later rabbinic commentary understood this to mean that our planet’s ultimate liberation will come when we all learn to rest”.

But if you are like me, we have worked so hard and rushed around for so long that we feel guilty when we stop. Most of us feel guilty resting,  thinking we should be doing something productive as chores to get ready for the week. A friend of mine does his chores on Saturday, goes to Church Sunday morning, takes a nap early Sunday afternoon, and on Sunday evening celebrates the Sabbath by inviting his adult children and grandchildren for a leisurely Sunday dinner, every Sunday. They all come early and set up and all bring a dish to pass. There is laughter and joy as they celebrate the week that was and the week to come.  It is a celebration of the family spirit of thanksgiving to God for all that they have and for all that they are a loving family to each other. How might you make the Sabbath Sunday more meaningful and holy next Sunday?

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Exodus 3: 13-20
Matthew 11: 28-30

Reflection:

What would you say to your child or grandchild or inquiring friend if they approached you and asked you what you thought the name of God is?  I suspect many of you have already had this experience.  What did you say?  How did you try to “name” God?  Perhaps you described God as Creator, Supreme Being, Father, Redeemer, Spirit, ultimate Judge, punisher of evil and bringer of Justice?  Or, perhaps you focused on some of the attributes of God, e.g., compassionate, all-powerful, forgiving, loving, kind, patient, self-giving, etc.?  If you’ve ever been asked the question, “What is the name of God?”, you know how challenging it is to respond adequately.

In today’s first reading, Moses asks that question.  He asked God himself as God instructed him to lead the People of Israel out of Egypt where they were being oppressed.  “…if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”  God replied, “I am who am.”   Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:  I AM sent me to you.” 

Two words!  God’s response to the request for his “name” is just two words: “I Am.”  The text goes on and mentions their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and though the people living then had only heard about these important and ancient ancestors, God testified that He was present to them as well.  God wants them to understand that He was not only present to their famous forebears, but God is present to them right now.  “This is my name forever;
this my title for all generations.”

I suspect they found it difficult, if not impossible, even to imagine that God was present to them.  They were living as slaves and had no hope of anything better.  How could God possibly be present to them??

There have been times in most of our lives when we’ve felt the same way.  Where is God in all this??  How could God be present here in this terrible time of suffering?  Why is God absent…or silent?  O God, where are you??  The testimony of our first reading challenges us to realize that God is present here, now, in this situation.  And, God hears, no God listens deeply to our cry.  And, God responds with His great love.  Do we see it??

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12
Matthew 11:25-27

Reflection:

The Bible tells us indispensable truths about God and indispensable truths about ourselves, and this is especially the case with today’s reading from Exodus. It is the remarkable story of Moses encountering God in the burning bush. This passage is so familiar to even the most casual believer (and perhaps to the most seasoned unbeliever as well) that we can overlook why it is the central revelation of God for the Jewish people and, therefore, an important one for Christians as well. We know the context for the story: The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, which means that Pharaoh and the Egyptians saw them as less than fully human, expendable creatures to be used to build Pharaoh’s empire even if it cost them their lives.

In what are undoubtedly among the most crucial words that God utters in the Bible, God tells Moses, “The cry of the children of Israel has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.” God, far from being unmoved or indifferent to human suffering, cares deeply about it. The misery, sorrows, tears, and afflictions of people, particularly the poor and oppressed, matter to God. God is passionately committed to justice and unmistakably angry over injustice because the God who brought all things into being wants life abundant for all creatures. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that God takes sides because God stands not with the wealthy and the privileged, but with all of history’s victims to injustice and cruelty. Thus, the story closes with God vowing to liberate the Israelites from Pharaoh’s crushing tyranny.

But God will do so through Moses. God calls Moses to be God’s instrument of liberation, God’s agent of deliverance. Consequently, if this passage reveals a critical truth about God, it likewise discloses something important about ourselves: Like Moses, God calls us because God depends on us to further God’s creative and redemptive mission in the world. Yes, God has plans and purposes, but God needs our cooperation for those plans and purposes to be fulfilled. And, like Moses, God’s call can come at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places.

This is why we must be attentive and alert, always ready to respond, and continually asking, “How is God calling me today? How does God need me? Where is God summoning me to bring justice and life?”

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

Scripture:

Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection

It is easy to dismiss today’s gospel as “crazy talk” because what Jesus asks of us seems not only excessive and unfair, but downright at odds with the deepest inclinations of our nature. Jesus doesn’t simply say, “Love me,” which would seem eminently reasonable and doable. No, Jesus flat out tells us: “Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.” There’s no wiggle room here, not a smidgen of space in which we might bend Jesus’ words more to our liking. Jesus doesn’t suggest that if we love our father or mother, son or daughter more than him we ought just to try a little harder; rather, he says we’ve made ourselves unworthy of him.

It almost seems selfish of Christ—greedy, really—to ask that of us, but Jesus’ jarring declaration is a reminder that the gospel leaves no dimension of our lives untouched. One set of loves, loves that seem so natural and so sensible, must be dislodged and relocated for the sake of another; indeed, everything in our lives must be reprioritized and rearranged because nothing can supplant our fundamental commitment to be faithful disciples of Christ. Jesus doesn’t say that loving our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings or our friends is wrong. But he does say that those loves can never be sovereign. Those loves, no matter how precious and resilient, can never be the leading loves of our lives. Everything that we love and prize and cherish must serve our love for Christ and strengthen our love for Christ.

If that’s not challenging enough, Jesus goes on to say that following him is inseparable from taking up the cross. There’s no alternate path, no scenic route to beatitude. This is hard to swallow, but it should come as no surprise to any baptized Christian. After all, we’ve known from the start that there is no life without dying, no life without letting go, no life without being remade at the very depths of our being. Or, as Jesus says in today’s gospel, “He who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to nought for me discovers who he is.”  

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

Scripture:

Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Matthew 10:7-15

Reflection:

Our first reading continues to share the story in Genesis of Joseph and his brothers. That story is familiar to most of us if for no other reason than having viewed the musical “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.” Sharing the story of Joseph, his father Jacob, who makes a beautiful coat for him, and his brothers, who plot his demise, the musical was a huge success beginning in the early 70s. It is the ultimate family saga, relevant in our modern day. I remember how my parents loved the most famous song from the production, “Any Dream Will Do,” and often sang it in our home.

Today, the text tells of the epic reunion between Joseph and his brothers, who sold him into slavery years before. They do not recognize him, but Joseph knows who they are and dramatically reveals himself to them. Can you imagine their shock? The text says they were “so dumbfounded” (v.3). Afraid Joseph might retaliate for their crime against him, they were distressed. Yet, Joseph does no such thing. Instead, he sees the hand of God at work even in their crime because he is now in a position to save their lives and many others. He used his gift of “dreams” to foretell the future for God’s purpose. His brothers had nothing but evil intentions when they sold him yet, God takes even this terrible betrayal to bring about good.

In our Gospel from St. Matthew, Jesus instructs his disciples to proclaim, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v.7). This verse is first found in chapter 4:17 as Jesus began his ministry in Galilee following his temptation in the desert. Now he instructs his disciples to make that same proclamation, and from the previous chapters, we know what that signifies as Jesus “cured the sick, raised the dead..” 

Judgment is a motif of Matthew’s writing, and this is represented here by Jesus’ instructions to “shake the dust” from their feet wherever they were not received (vs 14-15). When returning home from Gentile (pagan) territory, Jews would shake off the dust to avoid bringing contaminated soil on their shoes.  Similarly, those who do not receive the word of God are no better than pagans.

I wonder, in daily life, tending to our duties and overcoming challenges or struggles of any kind, do we forget this proclamation? Does “the kingdom of heaven” seem far away in that ancient land where Jesus once walked? Do we fall victim to our circumstances, or fail to dream, thereby missing God’s presence among us? Within this context, we easily dismiss the radical messages in these verses and race along in our hurried-up lives.

Instead, what if the living word of God broke through into our consciousness, inviting us to slow down and take a breath? Then we may savor the miracle of Joseph’s life and his ability to see the work of God as active and dynamic. In choosing to keep his focus on God’s blessing, reconciliation with his brothers was possible. His actions challenge us to contemplate this same presence in our own lives.

As a world community when we realize this sacred presence, might it be possible to cure the sick and cleanse the leper? When we take time to receive the peace of Christ, like the disciples, we will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gentle Jesus, let this reception of your peace begin today with me. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.