Claire Smith

Scripture:

2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Matthew 10:37-42

Reflection:

and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.  -Matthew 10:38

The Cross is a universal Christian symbol. When I was young, I saw crucifixes on the walls at home, in school, and at church. I was comforted to hear that the cross told us of God’s love for the world. Later I learned that the “crosses” in our lives meant the sufferings we endure, or those crosses we choose to carry with others.

It was quite different for the disciples when they heard about the Cross of Jesus, as recounted in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew. They were struck with fear and even terror when Jesus told them they had to “take up their cross.” For these disciples had witnessed many criminals and slaves take up their crosses, to which they would be tied, and then lifted up to die an agonizing and public death. It was the worst kind of physical and mental suffering. Jesus is telling the disciples that life with and in Him requires sacrifice and the willingness to endure the worst kind of suffering.

But that is not all there is….

In our second reading for today, St. Paul tells the Romans that life in Jesus is death AND resurrection to new life:

….just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.  -Romans 6:4

The first disciples were the first of many saints who lived the mystery of the death and resurrection in and with Jesus. The founder of the Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross expresses it this way: “Our most adorable savior has told us in the Gospel that whoever does not deny himself and carry his cross cannot be his disciple. Saints are His disciples who have put this into practice.”

We Passionists put this into practice by “standing at the foot of the cross” with those who suffer. At the Holy Cross Provincial Chapter last month in Sierra Madre California, we studied, prayed, and organized, so that we could respond to the suffering in our times:

–Earth community: people, animals and plants burdened with air and water pollution;

–migrants who have left their homes because of droughts, floods, fires, or political instability;

And

–people who carry the psychological, spiritual, and economic burdens that come with discrimination based on their culture or race.

As we take up our crosses and stand with others at the foot of their crosses, “May the passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22
Matthew 8:1-4

Reflection:

The leper’s humility… “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Such a simple prayer, and how often do we say, “Lord, not my will but yours be done?” In this world today, we need miracles. We are weak humans, sometimes, and sometimes we are allowed a miracle to confirm our faith, or just to wake us up to the proof of the possibilities of God’s endless love and compassion for us.

The leper was despised, shunned, ignored, segregated, and feared. He was nothing to those who walked past him. And he was breaking the law by being on the street because of the vile disease he carried. But what does Jesus say? “I do choose. Be made clean!” Place yourself on that street with the leper and Jesus. Can you feel the joy in the leper’s entire being as Jesus affirms that he will heal him? And the leper knowing that Jesus should have been tending the crowds, and not tending to the leper! Jesus went to him, answered him, and healed him. And now the leper can return to being a member of his community. Can you imagine the feeling of love and joy in the loving embraces he received from a community who may have forgotten him, written him off because everyone knew there was no coming back from leprosy?

We all want that experience of divine healing – if not for us, maybe for a family member or friend. We pray for it, we ask God for that special miracle. And we wait. Sometimes patiently, sometimes not. At Jesus’ table, there are no outcasts – all are welcome, all are loved, all are special and valuable. Is this the way you treat people you meet, the homeless on the street?

Lord, if you choose… Not my will but yours be done.  

Patty Masson is the Director of Adult Formation and Evangelization at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, Texas.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Scripture:

Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16:13 -19

Reflection:

Today we celebrate two great men of the Church, Saints Peter and Paul. Two ordinary men, one a fisherman and the other a Pharisee and a tentmaker. Two ordinary men who recognized that God had called them to be something greater than they thought themselves to be. Two ordinary men who had courage to speak the truth that was spoken to them through Christ. They endured suffering through many hardships and trials for their words and actions and yet they kept on believing in the truth that dwelt in their hearts.

How could ordinary men come to do extraordinary things?

“The angel said to Peter, “Put on your belt and your sandals. “He did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” Acts 12:8

Even in prison Saint Peter did not give up hope in Jesus Christ. He listened and followed the angel out of the prison. The angel had to awaken him from his sleep. If Saint Peter was asleep he certainly was not afraid of the trial that was to take place the next day. The passion that he felt in his heart, about who he had spent three years following and all that he had seen Jesus Christ do for others, must have been a source of his hope and courage. He was open to the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah and confirmed it when Jesus asked him “Who do you say that I am?” Mt 16: 15-16. 

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” 2Tim 4:7

Saint Paul was also in prison and did not fear death. He knew that he had completed what Christ had called him to do for the proclamation of the Kingdom. An ordinary man who was passionate about his faith to the point of persecuting the first Christians. Then Jesus caught his attention with a flash of light and a bit of a humbling fall to the ground. A “snap out of it” moment. He would carry the message of Christ to the Gentiles beyond Jerusalem to the end of the world, at that time, the Roman world. Again, his passion came from the truth that dwelt in his heart and he was not afraid to recognize it and act upon it.

Each of us is called to become something greater than what we think we are. Just as Saints Peter and Paul were called to extraordinary tasks of establishing the Church, we are also called to be Christ for others. We gain strength to do this through faith, prayer, hope and trust in Christ.

In what way is Christ calling you to bring his presence to others?

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus

Scripture:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.”

Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr, whose feast we celebrate today was no stranger to false prophets. As bishop of Lyons, France in the late second century, Irenaeus fought against the Gnostics of the time who could be viewed as “false prophets”.   The Gnostics claimed they had access to secret knowledge from Jesus that he imparted to only a few disciples.  Irenaeus was successful in exposing their claims as untrue, which helped confused Christians to disbelieve the heresy of Gnosticism.

It seems we are surrounded in our times by many ‘false prophets’ who claim to have the only truth or the only way to believe or understand things.  Oftentimes it is hard to know what truth is or who to believe!  Our faith calls us to be aware of those who bear bad fruit.  Sometimes the naysayers and false prophets can make us overwhelmed and despairing, but it is good to remember that by their fruits we will know them.

Recently our parish was privileged to resettle a refugee family of eight coming from the Congo.  We have settled several families over the past few years, and it is always a tremendously rewarding experience for our team.  Our workers became those that bear good fruit.  They worked hard and shared their wealth of love and goodness in preparing for this family’s arrival.  It was an overwhelming experience to see the generosity of our parish family and friends as adults and children, young and old, came together to share faith and love on behalf of others in need.  It was truly the working of the Spirit and the living out of gospel values.

It is a gift to be a part of this tree of faith that continues to produce good fruit! Thanks to our loving God and to the faithfulness of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr.     

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Genesis 13:2, 5-18
Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Reflection:

It took me some time to understand what it meant to throw your pearls before swine… truly, why would anyone even consider doing such a silly thing? Then there was that great cartoon written by Stephan Pastis called Pearls Before Swine. If you haven’t read it, look it up – the cartoons were usually pretty funny.

But as I got older, I finally understood what it meant to “throw your pearls before swine.” Sometimes, people don’t want what you have to offer, so why would you try to give something to someone who will not appreciate or who doesn’t want them? How many times have we attempted to witness to someone about our love for Christ, or our dedication to him in our troubles and woes? And how many times have people turned their backs on us because they can’t begin to receive what we offer because of their lack of faith, or their lack of understanding or knowledge. Maybe they are doubting Thomas, and nothing you say can open their eyes to realize the real truth.

We are meant to treasure the gifts that God gave us, and to prayerfully discern with whom and what we share. We must try our best to recognize when people are ready to receive a spiritual message or spiritual gift. If you are witnessing to someone with no background of faith, realize that sometimes people can’t accept what they don’t understand. But we continue to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us – we are Christ to others, always, in all situations, and to the best of our ability.

Persevere through that narrow gate, fight the distractions that prevent you from focusing on what is important to reach the arms of God. Pray for God’s infinite mercy in your life, that he provides you with the determination to fight the good fight, to focus on his path, and to continue to share your gifts with others with love and compassion. God bless you all!

Patty Masson is the Director of Adult Formation and Evangelization at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, Texas.

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66

Reflection:

John the Baptist

“John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.” ACT 13:24    John the Baptist preached a message of repentance.  Translations from the inspired Greek text into modern English can be very difficult.  The Greek NT word for repentance is metanoia.  It basically means “to change one’s mind^”.

One has to think of God in a much bigger and exciting way.  We must change dramatically our thoughts about the wonder of His love.  What God is going to do for us has not even entered into the mind and heart of man in His wildest dreams!  Biblical “repentance” means not so much that we look to our wayward sins, but to God’s startling love for us!  We are challenged with God’s amazing ways to call us into the wonderful love life of the Trinity.  

Jesus says the most astonishing things about this sharing of intimacy with God!  “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. John 15:9   I think this is one of the most astounding words spoken by Jesus!  So strong is Jesus’ love for us it is like the Father’s love for His “Only Begotten”.  How could Jesus say it more strongly than that?  When John the Baptist said: “Behold the Lamb of God” that was the most wonderful sight in the world! Pope Benedict XVI beautifully said: “EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON THE INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS!”

Some years ago, I visited the marvelous Basilica Sacré Coeur in Paris.  It was in the evening when a teen-age girl with her family came in and knelt behind me.  There is a giant mosaic of Jesus above the altar that is over 5,000 sq feet. It is the largest mosaic in France.  When the family of the girl first came in she cried out: “look at Jesus”!  I think these wordssums up the breathtaking point of John the Baptist when he proclaims:“Behold the Lamb of God.”

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