Claire Smith

Scripture:

1 Kings 3:4-13
Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

What is it about Jesus that is so attractive?  We hear today in the gospel reading that Jesus is trying to get his disciples to come to a quiet reflective place, yet more and more people are coming in great numbers and they had no opportunity even to eat.  Earlier in this sixth chapter, Jesus had previously sent his disciples out with the instructions to expel many demons, anoint the sick with oil, and work many cures. 

So in today’s gospel, they return to Jesus and report back their activities and their teachings.  It must’ve been a highly successful campaign.  Mark’s gospel depicts this teaching and healing ministry as getting exceptionally ramped up.  His disciples had now been initiated into this ministry and had first-hand experience as to the working of God’s spirit. As they return back to Jesus it leads even more people into the circle.  Jesus and the disciples try to find some breathing space by getting into a boat, pulling out, and heading to a new destination.  But the people on foot seem to have gotten there first.   As the boat pulls up, the mass of humanity is gathered, awaiting the master’s arrival.   This can only lead to something great.  Mark says Jesus pitied them for they were like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus’ compassion has now mixed with human need.  You can feel the excitement and energy escalate. Something phenomenal is about to happen.  And it will, but that is not part of today’s Gospel.  Take some time to pray today with the sixth chapter of Mark.   

Those gathered in pursuit of the master on that day certainly recognized something different about this person Jesus.  Sometimes I wonder and question the historical numbers. How big were the crowds who gathered there, pressing in upon Jesus and his disciples on that day? Yet over the years, as we look at the last 2000 years, haven’t the crowds escalated exponentially over what was there at the Sea of Galilee on that memorable day?  We are talking about people who see something in Jesus and continue to flock around him to hear his words and to be touched by the power of his healing spirit.    Many of these are changed eternally. And most of the stories have never been written down.  Sadly most of them have been forgotten over time.   

Yet,  occasionally there are those whose stories are remembered for centuries into the future.  And future children will be named for these remarkable people.  Agatha of Sicily is precisely one of the forever remembered. We aren’t sure if she was born in Catania or Palermo. The trivial details have long been forgotten. What is remembered is her single-heartedness. She was certainly one who looked into the eyes of Jesus and feasted on his words.  What has been passed down and written about is how highly she was venerated in Christian antiquity. She was put to death during the persecution of Decius for her unwavering belief in God.

From her very early years, Agatha dedicated her life to God as a consecrated virgin. She desired to give herself totally to Jesus and the Church in a life of prayer and service. A high diplomat named Quintianus thought he could get her to turn away from her vow to God and force her to marry him. Polite proposals escalated to harassment, arrests, imprisonment, and hideous torture. Through all of it, Agatha continued her simple prayer of single-heartedness to Christ. Even the prayer attributed to her death was a single-heart devotion. “Lord, my Creator, you have ever protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world, and given me patience to suffer: receive now my soul.”

And that gift returns to us.  Gazing, pondering, praying and resting in the goodness of the teacher and master.   What is it about Jesus that you find so attractive?  Going back to today’s gospel,  let yourself be waiting on the shore as the boat comes in.  Why are you there?  What is the hope in your heart?

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the local superior of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Sirach 47:2-11
Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

All For Jesus!  21^st Century Discipleship

Today’s Gospel selection from St. Mark recounts the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist at the hands of a weak-willed King Herod…a saga of religious dedication and heroism meeting basic human nature. 

John the Baptist was a man completely absorbed in the person of Jesus Christ.  He had one mission:  to point out Jesus to others.  The persons, John the Baptist and Jesus, go “hand in hand” …totally giving of themselves in sacrificial love.

Sad to say, the dedicated, heroic life of John the Baptist ended with the almost ludicrous actions of King Herod.  Herod was a petty ruler, the pawn of his unscrupulous wife; he allowed himself to become enraptured by the party-dancing of his own young daughter.  So taken up by the party, the people present, and the dancing of his daughter, Herod publicly promised her anything – even swearing regarding his intentions!  The ultimate outcome:  John the Baptist was murdered per the request of Herodias relayed through her daughter, beheaded as the party ended.  John’s heroic life tragically ended as a victim of humanness, weakness, and sinfulness.

We hear this gripping story as 21^st Century disciples of Jesus Christ, in our global scene of pandemics and politics, of injustice and insecurity.  Like John the Baptist, we are called to point out Jesus in our world, to unselfishly love and serve the Lord, day by day, even in the hum-drum times of everyday life.  Our love for Jesus is to be expressed in simple, practical ways like hospitality, concern for the needy, faithfulness to our vocations, detachment from things, and reliance on God.  Our lives may not appear “heroic” as portrayed of King David in today’s first reading from the Book of Sirach, yet we are to give ourselves completely to God in ways both great and small.

As “Ordinary Time” continues to unfold and we embrace these wintery days in the northern hemisphere, questions come to mind:  what challenges do we face as we point out Jesus in our world?  Do we at times “get carried away” by people or situations?  What helps us maintain our strength and perspective? 

May the words of today’s Psalm 18 encourage us daily: “…blessed be my Rock!  Extolled be God my savior.  Therefore, I will proclaim you, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praise to your name.”

Fr. John Schork, CP, serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior
of Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel is a powerful starting point for our reflections and prayer and particularly when we focus our attention on our call to discipleship. The words of Jesus today can help us appreciate the importance of our role and help us to gain both the confidence and knowledge that Jesus has overcome evil and that he is with us each step of the way.

We can gain a great deal by simply looking at the dynamics of this gospel scene. Jesus summons those he wants to work with him, he calls them into partnerships, he sends them on their journeys and he gives them authority to stand against and overcome evil. It is a powerful and all-embracing commission.

There is contained within the commission some advice too. The disciple who is to be a missionary in the world, is to take nothing but the bare necessities and to be humble enough to stay where one is welcomed. This advice and strategies, meant for first century missionaries, are not for us to literally imitate today. We go on mission in far different ways and employ very different methods. Rather, the instructions are all about not being distracted by material things, not being weighed down by all that we think we ‘need’ to be successful or not being led astray by the rush of ego that one might feel if people are competing for one’s presence and company.

No, the mission that Jesus gives to those first missionaries, and to us today, is to go out into the world clearly focused on the task of evangelisation (and not be focused on ourselves or peripheral issues). The disciple of Jesus is the one sent to preach repentance, to drive out evil, to anoint the sick and cure them.

Again, while it is a dramatic image, the notion of ‘shaking the dust off one’s feet’ is in fact an encouragement to the missionary. Jesus is saying to them that if the message of salvation is rejected or ignored, then they had no further responsibility and were free to walk away and advance the message in other, more receptive places and hearts.

In a modern sense this might also be consoling to parents, catechists, and leaders – as it is a reassurance that having tried one’s best to share faith, if this is rejected by family the next generation or those we have reached out to, then we need not carry this burden as some kind of personal fault or failure.

The message of Christ has its own integrity, we are only the messengers and if others are not ready to hear it, then this is not our fault and need not hold us back – we can go on in peace and continue to proclaim in those places what welcome us.

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

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

Reflection:

In today’s post-Christmas Gospel reading we find the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph and Jesus visiting the temple to perform the traditional Jewish rituals after a child is born. They meet an old woman and an old man who, because they are full of the Holy Spirit, recognize Jesus for Who He is. The man, Simeon proclaims: ” …for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”  And there is great joy.

But then Simeon says something to Mary that tinges that joy with sorrow: “And you yourself a sword will pierce,” foretelling Mary’s accompaniment of her Son through His ministry, suffering and death on the Cross.

The other two readings for today give us insights into outcomes of suffering. In the first reading from Malachi the writer speaks of purification, using the metaphor of metal being refined and shaped within a hot fire. And in the second reading from Hebrews, we hear that “Because he himself (Jesus) was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”

Suffering is a part of human life. Some suffering is the discomfort, anxiety, and grief we feel as we move through life’s developmental stages, letting go of one thing to embrace another. Sometimes there are huge losses caused by betrayal or death.

St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, encourages us by way of his many letters: “Oh, how I desire that you know how to be constant in suffering the pressures, ordeals, and trials so necessary to purify the spirit that it may be reborn at every moment in Christ Jesus in the most pure faith and holy love! But the point is you must know how to endure such pressures in silence and in hope.”

Like Mary, our Mother of Sorrows, we know that suffering never has the last word, as long as we stay in communion with Jesus and endure in hope.

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:

2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3
Mark 5:21-43

Reflection:

Our readings today point to some of the most painful of human sufferings.   In the Old Testament reading from 2 Samuel, we hear of David’s abject grief when he hears that his son Absalom has been killed in the heat of battle.  Absalom was David’s third son and estranged from his father, even fighting on the side of his enemies.  While on horseback in the heart of battle, Absalom’s long hair was caught in the branches of a tree, allowing soldiers favorable to David to kill him. When the news is brought to David he is consumed with grief, a grief all the more intense because of their alienation.  David’s parental lament reaches us through the ages: “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

Another example of terrifying parental grief is found in the gospel reading for today from Mark. A synagogue official, Jairus, comes to Jesus and falls at his feet, begging him: “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.”  Jesus immediately goes with the man to care for his daughter whom we later learn is only 12 years old.

On the way, there is another example of acute human suffering. A woman afflicted with chronic hemorrhaging for twelve years and having exhausted her savings on doctors, find herself near Jesus in a crowd.  Even though she is frightened to take such a step, she dares to touch the tassel of Jesus’ cloak, hoping this renowned healer might bring her relief.  At the moment of her touch, she feels in her body she is healed!  And Jesus, too, in a remarkable passage, senses that “power had gone out from him”—as if some vital force had transferred from Jesus to the woman in need.  “Who had touched my clothes?” Jesus asks, leading the disciples to respond with some irony, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, Who touched me?”

But Jesus and the woman healed recognize each other, and with fear and trembling she kneels before Jesus. He in turn comforts her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

At this point, the gospel narrative picks up again the story of Jairus and his little daughter.  They are met with words of terrible sorrow—Jairus’ worst fear realized: “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”

But the point of this gospel account now becomes clear. For Jesus, brimming with the power of life, the child is not “dead” but is “sleeping”—a metaphor that often appears in early Christian literature to refer to those who have died.  Once again, the touch of Jesus brings abundant life. “He took the child by the hand and said to her… “Little girl, I say to you arise.” And immediately she awoke and began to walk around.  The story ends on a beautiful grace note—Jesus reminds her astounded parents that “she should be given something to eat.”

The presence of these stories of loss, of grief, and of renewed life and healing take us into the heart of our Christian faith.  God embraces us as we are—flawed, vulnerable, in need of rescue and healing.  The healing touch of Jesus brings the balm of God’s love into the midst of our suffering and gives us life.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 4:21-30

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, the people hear Jesus preach, and it is good – awe-inspiring – and then, someone decides to overthink what they hear and remembers Jesus’ background: how can the son of a carpenter know anything about preaching? 

Wow. Think of the best homily you have ever heard from your pastor – did you ever once consider his background so you could give him the all-clear to preach? Did you ever think to condemn him or judge him? And what about the lay people who take the opportunity to share their life stories because they know the impact others can take away, and the layperson who knows about the hope that just one person can receive in hearing how someone survived their experiences.

Judge not lest you be judged. Enough said.

God bless you all!

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas

Scripture:

2 Samuel 12: 1-7a; 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

“He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and  there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

Rembrandt’s, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, depicts the Apostles and Christ out on the Sea of Galilee in two small fishing boats. Five Apostles are on a vessel at the peak of a wave working very hard to survive the storm. The other six Apostles are with Christ. One is at the front hanging on to the rigging and the others are at the stern pleading with Christ to do something. Except for this one figure who is leaning over the side. My guess is he is seasick. Most of the painting is in black and dark blue, with the exception of light at the front of the two boats coming from outside of the painting and the face of Christ. Each of the Apostles has a different action as the violent sea is heaving the two boats up on the crest of the waves.

In the Gospel, Christ awakens, quiets the sea and then asks two questions of the Apostles: “Why are you terrified?” and “Do you not yet have faith?”. By this point in Mark’s Gospel, the Apostles have witnessed a couple of miracles and have just heard three parables about the Kingdom of God. In my reflection, I imagined that these two questions have come out of disappointment and bewilderment as to why the Apostles haven’t understood the message yet. As a teacher, I am right there with Jesus. I have the same feelings when after two or three days of instruction a student misses a question or two or three on the test or a quiz. “How could you miss this?” They were not paying attention. Hmm, how could the Apostles not pay attention to Jesus? They were average fishermen, tax collector, farmers and the like. Common ordinary men who most likely were distracted during some of Jesus teaching and miracles. Or they just didn’t understand. We know that they “get it” at Pentecost after receiving the Holy Spirit. The last verse in today’s Gospel tells us that they were still trying to figure it all out, “They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

The spiritual life is a journey of reflecting on our own life and how God is there helping us along the way. What questions is Christ asking you? What questions do you have for Christ?

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