Claire Smith

Scripture:

Hebrews 2:5-12
Mark 1:21-28

Reflection:

Whenever I teach, I hope it makes a difference for attendees. Yet when they tell me how I touched or helped them, it’s hard to know what to say. We aren’t taught to accept compliments, even if well-deserved. We are taught to deflect or minimize them. Although we crave affirmation for ourselves and our work, we don’t know what to do with it when it’s given.

I wonder if even Jesus, human that he was, struggled with that. When the demon named him as the Holy One of God, Jesus quickly silenced it before he freed the man from possession. At that point in his ministry, was Jesus uncomfortable with the title bestowed on him?

Or perhaps he was uncomfortable with other people’s perception. Perhaps Jesus didn’t need affirmation of his worth or his special relationship with God, plus he knew that having his “fame” spread throughout Galilee was not necessarily a good thing. He didn’t want to be idolized; he wanted to be imitated. He didn’t want to be a celebrity; he wanted to be a model of what we all can be. Living out his mission could be impeded by such recognition.

I suspect there was a bit of both at play in this interaction. So, how do I balance that in my own life? I believe the first step is to unlearn my well-practiced tendency to base my self-worth on what others think. I too often use praise and affirmation to assure myself of my value and lovability. And of course, when I get the opposite, I feel demeaned and unlovable.

Instead, I need to center my worth as Jesus did – in my core identity and status as a precious, beloved child of God whom no one can demean or destroy. Human admiration, loyalty, and love can be so fickle. Only God’s love is unwavering, ever-present, and has nothing but my best interests at heart, even when the demons of past hurts and suffering arise and even with all my scars and imperfections. So, despite how insignificant and unworthy I can feel, I need to sit in prayer and simply let God love me.

Then I need to respond to that undeserved outpouring of love. I must keep God at the center of all I do and live out my own mission, trusting that I will indeed make a difference when my open heart allows the Spirit to touch others through me.

Finally, when I am praised, I can be grateful and accepting. It’s not boastful to sincerely appreciate the confirmation that I am serving as an instrument of God.

That all is much harder in practice than it is in writing. I may even have to start backwards – learning to graciously accept compliments that I can then take into prayer. Regardless, perhaps we can all work to believe in our core identity and value in God, and then help free others from the demons that prevent their recognition of the same in themselves. We’re all in this together with Jesus – lovable, precious, and sent to the world.

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:

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6  
Matthew 2:1-12

Reflection:

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

What do we do when we find the meaning of life or the key to eternal life? Does it lead to worship? It led the Magi to worship King Jesus. Our response to the Father’s offer of salvation must be that of the Magi. We should bring gifts to proclaim his kingship. We should bring gifts to proclaim his Godhead. We should bring gifts to proclaim his mortality. (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh). Even creation responds as well: “When the King of Heaven was born, the heavens knew that he was God because they immediately sent forth a star; the sea knew him because it allowed him to walk upon it; the earth knew him because it trembled when he died; the sun knew him because it hid the rays of its light when he died on the cross; (Saint Gregory the Great). Coming to know the Son of God changes our lives.

Have you ever gone to a party or a gathering with a gift, only to arrive and realize that the gift is wholly inappropriate for the recipient or the occasion? Imagine what the magi felt with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh when they walked into the stable where Jesus was born. Perhaps their first thought was that they should have left those gifts in Herod’s palace. But then “they prostrated themselves and did him homage,” two things they did not do for Herod (Matthew 2:11). Despite the humble surrounding and humble parents, they recognized the King and presented their most appropriate gifts. Our response to the Father’s offer of salvation must be that of the Magi: To proclaim Christ’s Kingship, to adore his Godhead, and to acknowledge his mortality” (Saint Odilo of Cluny). Despite the humble surrounding and humble parents, they recognized the king and presented their most appropriate gifts.

Deacon Peter Smith serves at St. Mary’s/Holy Family Parish in Alabama, a retired Theology teacher from Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham, a retired soldier from the US Air Force, and a member of our Passionist Family.

Scripture:

1 John 5:14-21
John 2:1-11

Reflection:

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.  -Psalm 149:1-3

When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
‘They have no wine.’  -John 2:3

Another good friend called me today to tell of woes with their formerly trusted and relied upon automobile. (“old wine” to me) Anyone, who knows me well, knows they won’t get any sympathy from me in that regard, but only my personal sharing of how I finally let go of my automobile in the early 1990’s. It died in the middle of an intersection after I had just invested another $500.00 on a fix that I figured would solve all “our” problems. It didn’t! I got out of my car, pushed it over to the side of the road, and called a friend who happened to be in the car business and asked him to tow it for me and assured him I wanted nothing more to do with it and it was his if he wanted it. We had already discussed this possibility.

That was the beginning of a whole new life (“new wine”). I started walking again and reading, two formerly loved activities which I just didn’t have time for when I had an automobile. I know friends will accuse me of being un-American. As Americans we just don’t let go of “the necessities!” Our life together (measured of course, by dollars spent) depends upon us, to keep spending and consuming. That experience also led me to move into the city, which I had been contemplating but was afraid to do because I wasn’t sure I could withstand the density. After a day or two there, I realized that I should have moved there years ago.

God, help me today, to do as the psalmist suggests in our responsorial, sing a new song, based not upon yesterday’s glories (“old wine”), but on the gifts and insights of Mother Earth and the world I live in today, often seen by me as tragic, problematic or challenging.

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

Scripture:

1 John 5:5-13
Mark 1: 7-11

Reflection:

I sometimes imagine the day of my baptism in a little frame church in Louisville’s South End, a working-class neighborhood. A grainy black and white brownie camera photo on the front lawn of our small cracker box home a few black from the church shows my grandmother and uncle smiling at the camera while holding me, a tiny 7-day-old. It was a late May day, one of the most beautiful times of the year in Kentucky.

I was born into a line of Catholics dating back centuries. This, I can only assume, was all in God’s plan. As I matured, I would be nurtured in this faith community for years without fully realizing how counter cultural it is.

In today’s Gospel, we get a glimpse of how God broke into human history to upend evil at every turn. In a familiar, brief story, Jesus is baptized by his kinsman, John the Baptist. Okay, so his life is launched like mine was…the initiation ritual gets done, the voice of God confirms Jesus is on the right track and the Gospel moves on.

But if we pause and read between the lines of the first chapter of the shortest Gospel, we discover the depth of Mark’s understanding of Jesus’, and John’s, roles in the history of God’s work in the world.

First, John was an outlier in the tradition of one of the all-time great outliers, Elijah. He lived in the outskirts of the center of power, Jerusalem, dressed and ate like a madman and spoke radical ideas about conversion.

Second, Jesus, too, was an outlier, being from No-where-ville Nazareth in the northern section of the country, Galilee, cut off from Jerusalem and areas where the action was. The place was a backwater, distained by Jews in the south.

These two men of God begin their vocations outside the mainstream of life, away from centers of influence and trendsetting, away from privilege and power.

The baptism of Jesus by John is confirmation of John’s weird actions, but more importantly, it is an authentic act of repentance, conversion. Jesus is liberated from the dominant values, structures and expectations of the Jewish community in Palestine in the First Century.

The scripture scholar Herman Waetjen describes this baptism in social terms, not merely as a personal transformation:

It is a genuine act of repentance. As such it ends his participation in the structures and values of society.  It concludes his involvement in the moral order into which he was born…The entire redemption process of Jewish society as it is maintained by the institutions through which power is ordered…the totality of the Jewish-Roman social construction of reality has been terminated.  All the debts that have been incurred under this elitist ordering of power and its community life have been cancelled.  The death experience of repentance has redeemed Jesus from his comprehensive indebtedness and the prescribed ways and means of discharging his obligations.  He has become wholly unobliged.

As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we, too, are unobliged to conform to the social sins of our post-modern, militaristic, capitalist society that leaves our environment in shambles and billions of our brothers and sisters in poverty. We, too, are now the outliers, pointing to a new creation in which we respect and love one another, protect our planet earth, and as good stewards of our possessions and wealth, share all we have with the most needy and vulnerable.

I am no longer a sweet little infant being held by my loving grandmother at that long-gone frame church. I am, by God’s grace, a mature disciple of Jesus challenging the sin within me and in the difficult world around me.

Let us pray for the insight to know what God wants of each of us at this moment in history using the talents, gifts and abilities to build the reign of God here and now.

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

Scripture:

1 John 3:11-21
John 1:43-51

Reflection:

But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

-John 1:46

In today’s gospel, we hear of the calling of the first disciples. Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathanael. But there’s a curious little twist to the story of Nathanael’s calling. When Philip first shares his good news, saying, “[Come, for] we have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” Nathanael wants nothing to do with it. He rebuffs his friend, saying, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Have you ever gotten really excited about something, so excited that you couldn’t wait to share it with your friends or family? You might even set up a special time to meet with them just to tell them about it. Maybe it’s a book you’ve read, or a TV series that you fell in love with. But, when you do share it with them, they respond in an indifferent manner. Maybe they even dismiss it as being of no value at all, “I don’t read historical books,” or “Science Fiction has never interested me.” The feeling of let down can be disappointing, even devastating.

Or perhaps you have been the dismissive one when someone shared something with you. I wonder sometimes if that is how God feels when he sees me turn away from His plan. Not that any of us know God’s plan in any detail, but with a well-formed conscious, you can usually tell when you’re slipping. God offers us a world where we can find love, by loving others. Where we can find compassion by being compassionate. Where we can find peace by sharing His peace. And yet we turn away to build up our own ego.

But let’s get back to Nathanael’s story. Yes, he’s dismissive at first, but Philip gently prods him, “Come and see.” And, to his credit, Nathanael does not let his preconceived notions get in his way of following his friend’s request. He follows Philip and meets Jesus and he himself is amazed at what he finds.

My prayer for myself and you today is that we will always be willing to put aside our preconceived notions of how the world should be, or the way that it is, and listen to God’s invitation us to help Him build His kingdom here on earth.

Talib Huff is a volunteer and presenter at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

1 John 3:7-10
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

Jesus’ Call and Our Response

Today’s Gospel features John the Baptist and two of his disciples meeting Jesus as he walked by – “the Lamb of God”.  This encounter led to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” where he was staying – and ultimately, that first encounter with Jesus led to dedicated lives as his disciples. 

Over the centuries countless women and men have responded to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see”, to follow him in lives of selfless service.  An 18^th Century American woman-disciple is honored today:  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton…the first American-born saint.

Born in 1774, Elizabeth Ann was raised as an Episcopalian.  She married William Seton and helped raise their five children.  She was drawn to the Catholic faith by a Catholic family whom she met while traveling in Italy with her husband.  After her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis at age 30, Elizabeth Ann embraced the Catholic faith – subsequently opening a parish school in Baltimore to support her family as well as witness her Catholic faith … despite protests from her anti-Catholic family and friends.

A group of young women gradually joined Elizabeth Ann in her approach to education and Christian life.  In 1809 they formed the American Sisters of Charity, following the rule of St. Vincent de Paul; later they helped found other schools and orphanages.  By the time of her death on January 4, 1821, the community had expanded their ministries as far west as St. Louis, being involved in some twenty schools and orphanages.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was called by God to help build up the Church in her day.  As noted in today’s Gospel, Jesus drew disciples to himself; Elizabeth Ann joined those early disciples in saying “yes” to Jesus and then worked tirelessly to grow the Church, especially among those on the margins.

The new year 2023 is upon us, and God blesses us with the Passionist charism as promoted by our holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, and the many people who have shared his spirit.  This new year, may we deepen our relationship with Jesus – as we encourage others to “come and see” God’s love present in their lives.  With Elizabeth Ann Seton & Paul of the Cross, we pray Psalm 98:  “Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done wondrous deeds…”.

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:

1 John 2:29-3:6
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

Perhaps John’s repeated musing… “I did not know him” (which resonates like a refrain during this text) might give us a focus for our reflection on today’s gospel.

John’s testimony reminds us that knowing Jesus is not all our own work. ‘Knowing’ Jesus is both a gift and a grace, experienced as revelation and as a relationship, and asks of us the capacity to live with the mystery of his presence and yet make it manifest to others. Knowing Jesus invites us to be lifelong witnesses and yet always willing to learn.

John relates his knowing Jesus to the action of both the Father and the Spirit. He is called by God into a public role as a witness and emissary, and his faithful response to God’s call is confirmed by the action of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus himself.

Somewhere within this wonderful myriad of divine initiatives and actions, and amid our faithful efforts to respond to the gift that God offers – we all find the place wherein we meet and come to know Jesus.  For some it is a knowing that flows almost seamlessly from birth, for others it is a knowing that waxes and wanes throughout the years, for many, it is a knowing that is tested and tried by life’s challenges, and for some, it is a knowing that comes late in the day after a lifetime of labouring without knowing the one who offers meaning to life itself.

Whatever the moment, and regardless of the circumstances that lead us to faith, to know Jesus beyond merely knowing about him, is life itself. He has come not only to take away the sins of the world, as John reminds us, but, to reveal eternal life itself.

In this New Year, let us all seek what John discovered – to know that he is the Son of God and to testify to this in our daily lives.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.