Claire Smith

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6
Matthew 5:20-26

Reflection:

In the context of the commandments, Jesus challenges us today to move beyond the literal interpretation of each commandment and to adapt his loving attitude for each other.  He tells us to forgive those who have offended us or irritated us in any way. 

I am reminded of the times throughout the day, even when at Mass or in prayer, how frequently my mind wanders away to think about the people who have disagreed with me or hurt me in some way.  I include in that list the people that I myself have judged for any aspect of their behavior or lifestyle that I do not agree with.  How do I move beyond my feelings to forgive and reengage with each and every one of them?  Unfortunately, the list is more than just a handful of family, friends and acquaintances.  As I return to refocus on my prayer, I realize that the fundamental problem is not one that they have created, no matter what their transgression, if any, has been.  The problem is with my own attitude and feelings.  In the context of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians it is at these very times that a veil exists between myself and my Lord. 

The “new commandment” that Jesus engages us in today is not an easy one to follow.  It requires a “new attitude” toward everyone in my life.  It requires more prayer, quiet reflection, and ultimately forgiveness and reconciliation.  It requires me to lift the “veil” that separates me from what he has asked me to do.  It also requires patience with myself to be able to diligently but effectively seek such forgiveness from within my heart and then to turn to those who I am estranged from to try to reconcile with each of them as much as possible. 

It is clear from his own life what Jesus expects of us.  He has challenged us to love one another as he has loved us.  This is a lifelong and obviously not an easy challenge.  I am reconciled to the fact that I will never truly be able to love everyone around me in the exact way that Jesus did.  But I am okay with that so long as I do not let go of my determination to try to do so.  My continuing challenge is to be continually mindful of the people in my life who need my forgiveness, even if they aren’t aware of it.     

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.

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

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Matthew 5:13-16

Reflection:

There is palpable excitement about Pope Leo XIV. And palpable shock that he is from the U.S. Although some seem to think it’s a tribute to this country that “one of us” now leads the Church, I believe the Pope himself would reject that. He loves the U.S, yes, but he loves the Gospel more. He loves those he served as a missionary, even becoming a naturalized citizen of their country. He loves the poor he served – those for whom he carried heavy rice sacks on his back and delivered them on foot, whose flooded streets he tromped, and for whom he constantly embodied the compassion of Christ. Self-congratulations or lauding his roots are far from his heart and focus.

Instead, he focuses on challenging us to deepen our discipleship, perhaps suggesting that too many Catholics have lost their salt or hidden their light under a bushel basket. We get too comfortable in our faith, relying on the fact that we follow the rules (and showing disdain for those who don’t), as if that defines a “good Catholic.”

Pope Leo says our calling is far deeper and broader than simply obeying rules. The very way we live our lives must reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He says we, individually and as a Church, must “make ourselves small” and do as Jesus did – lift up the downtrodden, freely give what we have, care for the poor, bring in the outcast, tend the sick, and share the joy of faith in a living God who created each of us. He strongly warns that falling into desires for power, exclusivity, dominance, wealth, and other lures of the world only serve to distort the Gospel and what Christianity truly is.

As I listen to his words, I know there are many things in America and in my personal life that fall short. Are we, and am I, serving the ones that Jesus would have us serve? Are we, and am I, making myself small so God’s mercy and grace can shine more clearly? How have we, and I, turned a blind eye to those in need, stopped being salty, hidden the light from those in darkness, and perpetuated our own agendas to the detriment of others? In what ways are we, and I, held in the spell of control, money, and exclusion? How often do we, and I, conform to things we don’t believe in, succumbing to powerlessness or fear, rather than taking the risk of standing up for those who will be harmed or left even more desperate as a result? 

This week I pray to more fully follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ rather than to hide that light under a bushel basket of my own making. May we all strive to be disciples in the mold of Pope Leo XIV. And may the Spirit ever guide his path as he leads this Church.

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/.

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14
John 19:25-34

Reflection:

No One Goes to Church to Feel Bad

As we honor Mary, Mother of the Church today, we first see Eve in the Garden. Julien of Norwich says that, “when Adam fell, Jesus fell into the womb of Mary.” The Incarnation is joined to the Paschal Mystery.

The word of Jesus spoken in his suffering to his mother and disciple, John, “Behold”,

invites us to quiet consideration, mysticism. What do we ‘behold’ in this mother, and John the disciple? Mary, chosen by God, a woman without sin, opened her being to God’s will with her “Yes”. On Calvary, she shares the Paschal Mystery of her son. Now her broken heart’s gift is openness to the Father’s will as she abandons herself to God, as does her son. Behold John, a man who has not abandoned his friend’s mother. Jesus knows John’s love and can place his mother in his care.

In the days that follow, we see the fragile, early Church awaiting the gift Jesus told them they would receive. The disciples from Galilee who followed Jesus from the beginning Mary knew as Jesus’ friends. They had worked with him and cared for him. Now they are a group of confused and broken, doubtful and afraid men and women, gathered behind locked doors. During these birth pains, Mary must have been a quiet strength, a coach, as she beholds what God is birthing, the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, “You will be my people and I will be your God”.

Pope Francis offered a prayer during Easter week a few years ago. He describes Jesus kneeling before the Father, showing his wounds. At his side stands Mary. The Holy Spirit is present. Jesus says to the Father, “Father, remember how much we love them”. A beautiful prayer for the Church. St. John Chrysostom describes the Church as having a table bowed down with the abundance of God’s love. That table must be the altar. The weight of the Body and Blood on the altar would seem very light; how could it bow down the altar? However, we are what we receive; we are one with Jesus in the sharing of the Eucharist, for we are His body. We can see ourselves symbolically upon the altar, our weight, the weight of the Body of Christ, the Church, that bows down at the table of the Eucharist. In each of the Eucharistic prayers, there is a part called the intercessions. In these intercessions we hear the burdens of one another, the Church, brought through our prayer and laid upon the altar:.…for our beloved dead, the needs of the Church and those who serve, for those we do not love as we should, for healing and conversion, that we may share the joys and sorrows, the hopes and fears of our brother and sisters, for the hope of a world made new…

This is the Church, the Body of Christ, of whom Mary is the Mother. She nourished Jesus, she nourishes us and enables us to nourish our brothers and sisters with the abundance of God’s love that is our food in the Eucharist. None of us go to Church to feel bad…all of us have cried and reached out our arms and run to our mothers for their comfort. Mary as Mother of the Church embraces us and tells us we are chosen. God’s love is ours. Like Jesus’ first friends, we learn to share that gift. May Mary, with her mother’s love for us, help us on our journey and nurture us to share God’s love until our welcome home to the fullness of the banquet table of heaven.

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

Pentecost Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17
John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26

Reflection:

Today, the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday. We mark the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, which begins the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and therefore the beginning of the Church.

In the option for the second reading for Year C (Romans 8:8-17), St. Paul writes, “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through the Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

We did not receive “a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.” The apostles themselves are a prime example of this. In the Gospel reading which can be used every year (John 20:19-23), John tells us that after the crucifixion, the disciples locked the doors where they were, for fear of what might happen to them. But their fear does not keep Jesus away. And He says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit…” In our first reading from Acts (2:1-11), we hear Luke’s account of the Holy Spirit. Again, the disciples, along with Mary, are gathered together. First there is “a noise like a strong driving wind,” and then there are “tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them.” And the ones, who were once so afraid that they locked themselves into a room, come out and begin to tell the good News, speaking in different languages, so that all those who came to the place because of that noise could understand what they were saying! They were no longer slaves to fear!

In the Spirit, we cannot fall back into fear, or greed, or apathy or hate. If we believe the Spirit’s witness that we are indeed children of God, we must also believe that others are also children of God, even those whom we are convinced are outside of God’s love.

What kind of “noise” are we called to make? At the same time, we are encouraged not to give in to fear, we are not called to try to strike fear into the hearts of others. The world does not need to hear the sounds of more rolling tanks, falling bombs, or gun shots fired in anger. The world does not need to hear the sounds of any more wailing children who have been orphaned, or wailing parents who have lost their children. We are not hear to make sounds of derision and ridicule of those who are different.

No, we are called to make a different kind of noise. We are called to speak in ways that anyone can understand; not only by the words we say, but by the things we do. Are we willing to act with the Spirit of knowing we are God’s children, and so are they? Are we willing to suffer for making the noise that brings others to God’s love in Jesus Christ; the “noise” of justice and peace?

Come, Holy Spirit, renew our hearts, and renew the face of the earth.

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

Scripture:

Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
John 21:20-25

Reflection:

There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.  -John 21:25

One of the great gifts in my life has been my involvement in a program of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the 1970s and ’80s. On the recommendation of Fr. Joe, I made my first TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) retreat weekend in 1969, where I met Penny and a whole host of others who, over the years, have become lifelong companions. Many of my Facebook contacts today are people who I met on one TEC or another. I was not a teen. I was twenty-four years old and would attend as an adult representative of the Church in Chicago.

You see, TEC retreats gathered high school seniors and adult members of the larger Chicago Church community for three days of prayer and sharing. The weekend followed the Pascal Mystery with a period of recalling Jesus’ death, life in the tomb and rising on Sunday. The adult team members would meet a couple of times beforehand, forming a community and divvying up personal witness talks of their dying, their time in the tomb and their rising.

At the first preparation meeting I attended, I introduced myself as: “Dan’s the name, paper’s the game, and the score is kept in dollars and cents.” One of those attending that meeting, Penny, thought that was an odd way of introducing myself. What did she know?

Well, it turns out, she knew quite a bit about the Christian Community. She knew first and foremost that being a follower of Jesus is not a game, nor is it about any one of us, but it is the life of all of us living in one spirit of loving, caring and sharing. There is no score keeping, winners, or losers. If we are not all winners, we are all losers.

Today, because of Penny and the many, many people I’ve met on TEC like her, I believe the Spirit is already with us when we listen to each other and come to an agreed-upon course of action, what we are calling today the synodal method. Pope Francis and it looks like now Pope Leo are encouraging us in this synodal way, listening to all, but especially to the marginalized, the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned.

God help me to recognize you as I continue one day at a time, encountering you in your people and their gifts, especially the gifts of the poor, the outcast, the lonely, the marginalized and the downtrodden. Jesus, help me come to the table, sharing all my God-given gifts, even to dying as you did.

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

Scripture:

Acts 25:13-21
John 21:15-19

Reflection:

Recently, I spoke with a man who has lived his brief life in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Louisville. Murders, family and gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, prostitution, and homelessness can be found on every street in this section of our city. Early death by stabbings, gunfire, lack of timely and adequate medical care, or overdose are not uncommon.

“There are only two ways guys survive around here,” he told me. “Stealing and selling what you steal or selling drugs.” By grace, he does neither.

Life is not easy for him. He has had a steady diet of hopelessness, chaos, financial crises, and poor health care. It is a diet that kills creativity, dreams, and energy.

On the other end of town, the affluent seek security in what Pope Leo describes as “… technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.” These folks have generally been fed a steady diet of positive thinking, self-reliance and self-first. Often well educated, most have worked hard to build secure lives for themselves and their families. Yet, pastors, mental health professionals and sociologists tell us that inside many of the large homes with manicured lawns, all is not well. Depression, exhaustion, substance abuse, and a host of other First World symptoms of unhappiness cause much pain.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asking Peter to feed his lambs, tend his sheep. What does that directive mean in our postmodern, technology-driven culture?

Pope Leo has keenly observed that lack of faith can result in a “loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.” These are the strong words in his first homily to all the cardinals on the day after his election.

Pope Leo is already feeding and tending Christ’s lambs and sheep with this challenge of our faith. We are asked, as Peter was by Christ, to literally give our lives to the mission of nourishing one another with food that will satisfy every human’s deepest cravings in a world bombarding us with superficial cures for our maladies. Our task, according to our new pope, is to commit to a “daily journey of conversion” of “fidelity to the Lord and bringing Good News to all.”

Halting activity each day to reflect on who we are, what God is calling us to do, and to bask in God’s presence is essential for this journey of conversion.

We may be drawn to tend more closely to our spouse, children, friends, or coworkers. Prayer may lead to promoting racial, economic, or environmental justice. Some have the gift of listening to a lonely, sick or elderly person, counsel a young pregnant woman, be present to a grieving mother or child.

God wants some to stand up for immigrants, refugees, healthcare for all, housing for all, or to stand against war, preparations for war, the death penalty, trickle-down economics (as condemned by Pope Francis), or environmental destruction.

Let God make the “grocery list” of what you are to feed his lambs and sheep.

God will show the way, if we pay attention.

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

Scripture:

Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
John 17:20-26

Reflection:

Every February, when the season of Lent begins, the word “Repent” rings in our ears. Many of us are signed with ashes on that first day, and the words, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” are said over us.

For most people, “repent” is defined by our English dictionaries as feeling or expressing regret or remorse for our wrongdoings. But that is far from what the Greek word was actually articulating. The word in Greek is metanoia. Meta means “to change,” and nous refers to the mind, the intellect, or how we think. A more accurate translation, then, would be: “change the way you think.”

And perhaps the bigger Lenten invitation is not just to feel bad for the things we’ve done (or failed to do), but to start thinking differently about who God is. What a healthy, liberating way to think about Lent!

Now, I realize today is June 5^th and not Ash Wednesday. Lent is long behind us. But the truth is, we’re now in that sacred space between Ascension and Pentecost.

And I find myself wondering, when Jesus ascended into heaven, wasn’t that the most remarkable metanoia? Symbolically, literally, even figuratively—Jesus’ departure invites us to raise our minds. Look up! Look beyond the pull of everydayness. On a short timescale, Jesus has departed, but the Spirit has not yet been poured out. So, we are in a liminal space. A time for looking back, reviewing, reflecting, and questioning.

I’m thinking of how much the disciples have grown and changed in their time with Jesus. He has now gone to the place he promised— to his Father. I ponder their journey. I contemplate their formation. And I realize how profound Luke’s Gospel has been. It is truly, a Gospel of metanoia.

• In the very first chapter, an angel appears—not to a high priest, not to a temple official, not to a man of prominence—but to a young, poor peasant woman named Mary. That in itself is profound. And we are asked to change the way we think about God.
• Another astonishment: God becomes a human being. And we are asked to change the way we think about God.
• Even the Archangel Gabriel, comparing the parallels between the stories of Zechariah and Mary, seems to learn something in his encounter. Could it be that even Gabriel is being invited to respond differently to people?
• How can a virgin woman be pregnant with child? Again, we are asked to change our way of thinking.
• Mary’s Canticle of Praise is a litany of who God is and what God has done. Many call it, “upside-down”, because it so boldly proclaims a God who thinks differently. Can we change the way we think?

And that’s just the first chapter of Luke. I could go on for twenty-three more chapters.

Luke the Evangelist does not let up. In his second book, Acts of the Apostles, the theme continues. One of the most significant developments is how God’s Spirit begins to extend beyond the people of Israel to the Gentiles.  Reading Acts, you can’t help but realize how hard it was for an entire group of people to change the way they think.  I’ve never before realized how strong and consistent Luke’s theme is—Change the way you think.  I suspect this was an element of motivation for Luke to write two different books.

Sadly, too much of my early catechism focused on teaching us to think the way God thinks, implying we know how God thinks. Luke flips the script. Luke asks us to be transformed, to think in new ways.

So here we are in this liminal time between Ascension and Pentecost. And I listen closely to the readings.

Today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles, Paul is brilliant! As he stands accused before a divided assembly, he realizes that his accusers are split over the issue of resurrection. With incredible insight, he speaks in a way that turns the groups against each other, and he goes free. This is ingenious thinking.  He thinks differently.

And that reading is paired with the intimate prayer of Jesus in John’s Gospel. You can feel the tenderness and the deep connection. Jesus prays not only for his disciples but for all who will come after them, including you and me. What Jesus asks of the Father, the Father cannot deny.

The Father listens and answers the prayer of his Son. That prayer includes you. And so I invite you, find a quiet place, take a deep breath, and slowly read the prayer Jesus made for you to his Father. Let it change the way you think.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province. He resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Acts 20:28-38
John 17:11-19

Reflection:

More Than Good-bye

As summertime unfolds for those of us in the northern hemisphere, many of us will embark upon summer vacation trips of various lengths, perhaps briefly visiting some relatives or an interesting vacation destination.  Some of us will move to a new residence; others will be on the “receiving end” of such comings and goings.  In each, there is a hello…and a goodbye.  Today’s Scriptures invite us to ponder:  What thoughts and feelings are included as we say “good-bye”?

Our two scripture readings relay some famous “good-byes”:  the Acts of the Apostles has the apostle Paul saying good-bye to the Church at Ephesus, which he had served for years.  He exhorts the leaders to be faithful shepherds, humbly serving the needs of the congregation as they likely faced many trials: “…keep watch…be vigilant…remember…”   In John’s Gospel selection, we peek over Jesus’ “shoulder” as he prays his final prayer for his disciples, asking the Father to protect them from the evils of the world.  He asks the Father to keep them united and joyful, praying that they be consecrated to the truth of God’s Word.  Truly, both readings add touching brushstrokes to the human dimensions of our goodbyes to those close to us.

Our goodbyes can convey all sorts of deep feelings: comfort, reassurance, encouragement, challenge, advice, forgiveness, love.  No doubt Jesus and the apostle Paul had those same feelings flowing from their hearts as they “moved on” in fulfilling God’s will in their lives.  Jesus’ good-bye prayer for His disciples reveals His all-embracing love for us and thus becomes a supporting guide for our close relationships.

As we say our good-byes to the beauty of this recent Easter Season, and with Pope Leo XIV look forward to the gift of the Holy Spirit this Pentecost, may we hear Jesus’ words addressed to us as 21^st century disciples:  “…may they be one as We are one…may they share My joy completely…keep them from the Evil One…consecrate them in truth….”  Jesus’ love for each of us continues to grow and deepen, and we are challenged to accept and witness that love in our daily lives.  In a very real sense, our “goodbyes” are transformed by Jesus into messages of dynamic unity, joy and welcome.

To which we eagerly say: Amen!  Alleluia!

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.