Claire Smith

Father’s Day

Scripture:

Job 38:1, 8-11
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Mark 4: 35-41

Reflection:

Fathers Day honors the man in the family bearing resemblance to God the Father, ”from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named”. (Eph 3.15)  This places dads in good company.  Why?  Because they do many good things for the rest of us, three of which are presented us today in our bible readings.

Dads are the outdoorsmen of the family, while moms are the indoors keepers of the family—more or less.  Dads are into lawncare, tree trimming, gutter-cleaners, building maintenance, garage and basement supervisors, snow removal—we get the idea.  How do we come upon all these good ideas for dads get all these ideas?  Perhaps from Job, of whom we hear today as he presents his own understanding of God as Father, engaged in more or less similar kinds of activities, like setting boundaries for the sea, deploying clouds as frills (decorations) around the seas edges, and darkness suggesting the depths beneath, keeping it land-locked so as to prevent it invading areas where it doesn’t belong.  This is God the Father’s job-description in His version of being a maintenance man: keeping things running smoothly and in good order.

Like His human counterparts, God the Father wants His (human) family to be off to a good start.  This is St. Paul’s take on God the Father today.  He leaves His imprint on the human family He has gotten underway, sending us Someone in His own image and likeness: Jesus.  Every father takes pride in the family He leads, seeing traces of his own image in the children swelling the family ranks.  His name (and ours, if faithful Christians) is as good as gold in certifying the trustworthiness of family transactions: accounts, purchases, taxes.  He is the designated family spokesperson, who are distinctive by the rules, customs and practices of the house (God has done this too with His ten commandments).  The family reflects the father’s value system, and this becomes evident everywhere: in the neighborhood, the school and parish, in recreational venues and workplaces.  Jesus recognized this in predicting: “By this shall all men know you are my followers, by your love for one another.”  As St. Paul says, family members operate on a different level, their own unique traits and characteristics: whoever is in Christ is a new creation: old ways of identifying the family may have to pass away, and be replaced by new things that do it better.  The father is the major influence in setting the family tone, just like God the Father and the Christian family.

And then there’s the fear factor insinuating itself into everyone’s life.  And fathers are made to offset such fears.  This is how Jesus His Son, His own image and likeness, saw it in proceeding in today’s gospel by going to sleep in the boat struggling to hold its own against a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus’ trust in His Father’s oversight and loving care and presence was more than equal to the storm’s fury threatening His band of followers.  And dads carry on that same protective concern against taunts, bullying, put-downs for the clothes children wear, or the kind of food eaten or the entertainment enjoyed.  Dads also offset the dangers of a flat tire, or a broken scooter or malfunctioning skates, or a threatening pit bull: all potential threats needing someone to take charge and calm fears down.  And that’s the father of the family.  With God the Father’s care always close at hand, the father of the family has an image at hand to be the take-charge guy, assuring that all is well.

The sense of fatherhood provides the security of management and control, of identity, of protective care.   It embodies a pathway for coming to know God as Father.  And it identifies a major help in appreciating the man of the house as someone standing in for the comforting and protective assurance that help is always nearby, especially when we remember to pray: OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN…

This reflection was written some years ago by our late Passionist brother, Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P., who passed away on January 1, 2021.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Matthew 6:24-34

Reflection:

Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” II Cor. 8 – 9

Today’s readings reminded me of an insight I had that emerged over time when I began my ministerial priesthood. From the first times I heard confessions to the times when troubled people wanted “a word” with me, I noticed something in their personal struggles that resonated with me, we carry with us needless burdens and necessary sufferings. This was brought home to me when a recently married woman whose devoted and prominent Catholic family I knew well came to me for some help. She discovered her husband to be very abusive. Yet, she didn’t want to divorce him because of her strong Catholic faith. After months of struggle, she did divorce him. A couple of years later, the husband remarried and eventually killed his wife.

Needless struggles are those unresolved issues in our lives that we are unable to let go of even though we think God wants us to carry them. Some of these issues emerge from our sinful lives, infidelity, dishonesty, personal gain for economic and political purposes, unjust practices in our dealings with others. We put up with some of these practices, though sinful, because we think that the “end justifies the means.” We convince ourselves that we are doing this for a greater good. Eventually, we may find that we have dug ourselves a hole too deep for us to crawl out without causing great shame on us or our families. Ridding ourselves from needless struggles does not mean that it will be painless and easy. But making that decision to walk away and to make amends is the kind of grace that Paul talks about in his letter to the Corinthians. It is also an example of carrying our cross, seeking for forgiveness and redemption.

We also face necessary struggles that we cannot get rid of, just by walking away. For example, we cannot just get rid of an incurable illness or a chronic condition by ignoring them. These are our life-long sufferings that we unite to Jesus Crucified. Besides these kinds of life-long suffering, we sometimes choose to do the right thing by witnessing to Gospel values, knowing full well that we may suffer greatly socially, economically or personally. Gospel values are clear: we are all God’s children, love our enemies, we live by truth and justice for all, we are all responsible for one another, we are to love God and one another as Jesus has loved us. These are examples of God’s grace alive within us and also examples of picking up our cross daily and following Jesus.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, says: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mat. 6:24). So often, we try to be more clever than God. When we strive to live in both worlds, we find ourselves converting to that other way of life, easier to be dishonest, to be disrespectful, to be mean and uncaring, to be deaf to the cries of those who plead for justice and fairness.

But St. Paul says, the grace of God is stronger and more persistent than our sinful ways. When our conscience speaks to us in the depth of our hearts, to leave behind our sinful attitudes and ways, that is the grace of God lifting us up to the Cross of forgiveness. Yes, God’s grace is enough for us!

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection:

In this portion of the gospel Matthew has dealt with ·some of the guiding principles for Christina spirituality and practice. Jesus is telling his disciple to be aware when you are practicing the acts of faith found in all the great religions.

These are the acts of religion: Alms, Prayer and Fasting. In this portion of the Gospel Jesus reminds his listeners that the acts of religion, will be seen by others, but not be done to be seen by others. Our religious practice.s must be done for God, in God and seeks approval only from God.

Jesus instructs his disciples to Treat each other as God treats us. Jesus instructs us to avoid drawing attention to  ourselves when we offer acts of kindnesses and practices. Take care not to do your deeds of mercy and kindness not so your neighbors will see them, but they are performed to give honor to God. We have to enact our religious practices to honor God and live for God in our neighbors. We seek only the approval of God not others. The three acts of religion: Alms giving make us participants in God’s creation and mercy.  Prayer makes us an intimate friend of God and puts us in communion with God. It focuses us on the others, and ultimately the Other. Fasting- gives us clarity and purpose. It fills our hearts.

Fr. Ken O’Malley, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community at Sacred Heart Monastery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

My former Hebrew Scriptures professor used to say that there is nothing in the Old Testament that could not be found in the New Testament. This statement rings true for today’s Gospel from Mark. In just a few short verses, there are echoes of those Scriptures as well as our first reading from Ezekiel which points towards the Gospel. Today, Jesus is offering us two insights or parables as to how we “compare” the kingdom of heaven (God). The first part contains a man who sows seeds, they germinate and begin to grow in an orderly fashion while the man sleeps. In a harmonious echo of the Genesis’ creation story, the plant pushes up the blade, ear, and the full grain; and the ”man” does not know how it is happening. (v.27) The prophet Joel is quoted (4:13) when the grain is ripe and ready for harvesting. So, this is “how it is with the kingdom of God” (v.26).  At the end of the text, we read that Jesus explained everything in private to his disciples (v.34). Scholars attest to the fact that we have no evidence that he explained anything to them. When I hear this text, I cannot help but think about Fr. Alan Phillip, a member of the Mater Dolorosa community who passed away in early March following a brief illness. Fr. Alan was in parish ministry, he dutifully and joyfully served a local parish community. This past Sunday, he was remembered by that community. After the evening, it was evident the impact Fr. Alan had made on the community, especially the school children. Saint Oscar Romero wrote a beautiful reflection on our role as “Sowers of seeds” and the rest is in God’s hands. We trust divine providence to “grow” the seed. Fr. Alan spent countless hours serving this parish community by sowing seeds of God’s love. How profound, how humble, no doubt, today—in the presence of Revelation—he gives thanks to God for the grace to serve Him. Is there someone in your life that comes to mind? Fr. Alan exemplified the “man who sowed the seeds and allowed them to germinate and bear fruit.”

Biblical Scholar, Amy-Jill Levine, offers insights on the first century Jew and the genre of parable. Telling parables was a tradition in Hebrew life. Levine assures us that Jesus’ audience was well familiar with this rabbinic teaching tool. Further, she warns us second millennia Christians to be careful that we do not domesticate Jesus’ teaching. Parables are used to remind us about the “upside-down” kingdom. We are often tempted to fix Jesus’ words and give them a fine bow as if wrapping a gift. A parable is supposed to teach us new never-ending insights. So, before we find ourselves tempted to install a hammock to sleep away our warm afternoons under this tree, we might reflect on the details of the parable. Biblical scholars are largely in agreement that a mustard seed was not exactly the smallest seed, and eight feet was the most it could grow. Yet, most commentaries will offer the idea that the smallest seed was the growth in the Christian community. Its growth exceeded far beyond a pesty weed—as it was known in Palestine in Jesus’ time—into a large tree with room and shade for all peoples.

I read somewhere that a mature tree can offer a day’s supply of oxygen for four adults. It not only offers shade but oxygen—life-giving breath. Imagine you are resting in your hammock under this large tree with shade for every bird. What might you experience? Loud noise, bird droppings, interruptions, surprises? Perhaps, it is not quite what you expected? Are you being invited to take a deeper look? We each find the kingdom at work in our own lives. How does Jesus’ teaching strike you, today?

So, let us enter into this day as seed-bearers of the love of God. May we offer this gift to the future of our world. 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.

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Scripture:

Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9
Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19
John 19:31-37

Reflection:

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the symbol of God’s love for us.  Which leads to the question: what is love?  Merriam-Webster defines love as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person.”  Not a bad definition.  But St. Thomas Aquinas might disagree.  Love is more than a “feeling.”  Aquinas’ definition of love, found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is this: “To love is to will the good of the other” (CCC #1766).  In other words, love is more than having powerful feelings for another person.  Love is an act of the will, regardless of one’s “feelings.”  This is a simple definition of love.  It isn’t complicated.  This is how God loves us and how we are to love one another.

Even if we are unfamiliar with Aquinas’ definition, we still can know what love by what it looks like.  We recognize it when we see it.  We see it when a parent cares for a child with patience, tenderness, and unconditional acceptance.  We see it in relationships involving compassion, and self-sacrifice.

Today’s reading also shows us what love – God’s love – looks like.  In the Book of the Prophet Hosea, God called the Israelites out of Egypt.  The Lord compares the Israelites to a child whom he took in hiss arms, taught to walk, fed, and protected on their journey.  The Lord says, my heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred.  Despite their failings, God loved them.

In the Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul prays for the love of the Father, strength of the Holy Spirit, and the indwelling of Jesus, so that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what I the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  God’s love is fundamental to all other gifts.

And in the gospel passage reminds us of God’s ultimate act of love.  During his passion, Christ held each of us in his heart of love.  The Lamb of God was led to the slaughter and sacrificed for our sins.  True love has little to do with one’s feelings.  It has to do with the commitment of the will to seek the good of the other person, even when those feelings are not there.  The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart is all about love.  Christ suffered and died for us.  This is how God loves us.  This is how we are to love one another – with all our imperfections, with all our failings, and brokenness.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Walk in Light

Today’s Gospel reminds me of a song that says, “let your little light shine, shine, shine.” When we become children of God we are to shine. Darkness leads to sin, death, lies and separation from Jesus. Light leads to truth, holiness, generosity, sacrifice and virtue. “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” —— Matthew 5:14. Once we commit our lives to Jesus and let our light shine publicly, there is no turning back. Our lives can no longer be hidden once we step out in faith as witnesses for Jesus on the job, in the neighborhood, in the public arena, etc. When we come into the light, to let the world know that we live in Jesus, the Truth (Jn 3:21; 14:6), people are watching us to see whether we will falter or stay faithful to Jesus.

By our deeds we are to influence the world for good. We can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain. We should always try to be good and generous and to walk with giant steps along the way of holiness and love, to which we have been called. Love consists in sacrifice, virtue, and integrity. Try to be patient with trouble persons, bearing in silence all the sufferings that may afflict your heart, spirit, and body. Keep in mind that by possessing Jesus, we become rulers of the entire world.

When we become disciples of Jesus, we need to have a taste that is pleasing to all. When salt losses its taste, it becomes useless. We as Christians, should always carry a taste, so that we can glorify God through our good works. Jesus wants everyone to say yes to his presence so that we can keep our taste and shine before all and attract everyone to the goodness of the Lord. If we fail in good works, we are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp whose light is concealed.

We should never conceal our light. If we let our light shine before men, and then turn away from following Jesus and turn back to a worldly lifestyle, we are “unfit” to give glory to the kingdom of God (Lk 9:62). The public credibility of the kingdom of God is at stake, and we are on display. We have put ourselves in a position where we desperately need the Holy Spirit, day by day and moment by moment, to keep us “set aflame and burning bright” (Jn 5:35). Satan will temp us to take a “breather” by stepping out of the hot lights into the darkness (see Jn 3:19); however, stepping away from Jesus is the devil’s trap. We must continually come to Jesus (Mt 11:28) and never move away from Him. “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Heb 3:1) and let your little light shine.

Deacon Peter Smith serves at St. Mary’s/Holy Family Parish in Alabama, a religion teacher at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham, and a member of our Passionist Family.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 1:1-7
Matthew 5:1-12

Reflection:

I often wonder what Jesus means when he says in today’s gospel selection: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:3)

Oh, how I would love to rejoice and be glad, to possess the Kingdom of God. I so want mercy, to be consoled, to inherit the earth, to have my fill and on top of all that, see God. But, and here’s the rub, to get all that, you ask me, Jesus, to be poor in spirit (I’m not sure what that means), full of sorrow (Yep, I do know that means) to show mercy, seek peace, and suffer hate all because of you. Talk about not making any sense!

What seems to make more sense to me is to get the best job and make the most money. Then I’ll get all, or at least my fair share of the earth’s riches. People will look up to me. I will be able to buy my way out of any trouble I may get into if I have enough money. If somebody treats me with hate, I’ll sue the #$@#$ out of them and when I feel sorrow or any other negative feeling, I’ll just have a drink, and all will be well.

Well, that is, until the next morning, when all my crazy thinking will start over again, and I’ll end up having another night cap or two or three, depending on how many it takes to drown those feelings of sorrow, of being hated and of being not enough. At least I’ll have enough money.

That kind of thinking works for a while. I know. I tried it. For the long run however, I’m beginning to think maybe I should try Jesus’ way. Maybe being poor in spirit means being satisfied with enough and not needing more. Maybe when I feel sorrow, I can accept it as a part of the joy that comes with having loved and being loved by another person even if it was only for a brief moment in time. Maybe forgiving that person who doesn’t even know me but hates me because of the color of my skin will bring some peace both for me and for them. I don’t know for sure, but I do know the other way, absolutely does not work.

Thank you, Jesus, for showing me another way, a way that seems counter intuitive at first, but the more I try it, the more it seems to work. Help me today to keep trying and growing in Your way.

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

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Scripture:

Exodus 24:3-8
Hebrews 9:11-15
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Reflection:

During the pandemic lock down my wife and I, like everyone else, worshiped in front of our computer. No matter how beautiful the music or how inspiring the homilist, not physically being with our fellow parishioners, not chewing the Eucharistic bread, left us unsatisfied.

As Catholics, the “source and summit” of our faith experience is the Mass. Unless we are adult converts, all of us grew up with the weekly ritual. With its words so familiar, it easily became routine, even boring…especially during our teen years.

Fasting from the in-person experience of the Mass during the pandemic may have had an unexpected benefit: paying more attention to what we do at the sacred liturgy. Perhaps its absence made our hearts grow fonder of how transformative the Mass is.

In his highly acclaimed book Eucharist and Torture, Catholic Theologian William Cavanaugh makes the point that in Eucharist we are lifted up from the world and given a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom. We become the body of Christ in the Eucharist.

But what exactly does the Eucharistic celebration do to transform us?

If, in the liturgy, we listen to God speaking to us in the reading of the Word, we respond, at the offertory, by surrendering our entire lives to God’s providence. And what is God’s response to our offering? God takes us, unites us and changes us into the body of Christ. We, then, the Body of Christ, are offered to the Father to be at His disposal.

Reflecting on this awesome mystery can take us into a mystical state, which is always dangerous. Why? Because deep prayer, deep connection to God in mysticism always us leads to resistance. We become a public, collective protest against all that is counter to God’s will.

In today’s world sin is on display every minute, especially with the explosion of social media. Street violence, domestic violence, wars, torture, oppression, racism, lies, greed, sexual exploitation, neglect and abuse of children, drug and alcohol abuse, environmental destruction surround us constantly. It is too much to absorb or understand. Part of us wants to just escape all of it, to hide away in comfort zones of entertainment, sports, consumerism or other means that can be, in their extremes, self-delusional.

But as Catholics by God’s grace, we can respond to sin with the most powerful antidote: our collective cry in the Eucharist for unity that is found only in Christ. When we gather around the altar it is a public display of all our hopes, all our dreams, all our ambitions for a world ruled by forgiveness and love. A world as God wills it to be. We, collectively, literally consume Christ as a community. The Eucharist is not a refuge; it is a rallying call, a challenge, to go into the world and transform it as we have been transformed in our communal celebration.

We take into our worlds…our homes, neighborhoods, schools, ball fields, workplaces, marketplaces, vacation spots… something people sorely need: love and raw truth. These are radical, out of mainstream. In some situations, we will be laughed at, shunned, shamed. In rare cases we will be tortured and killed.

St. Oscar Romero, the El Salvadorian archbishop, let the Eucharist transform him while his country endured a destructive civil war in the 1980s. He spoke out against the violence and against the U.S. backed military that tortured and murdered thousands of innocent people, including some of his dear fellow priests. On the morning a lone sniper pierced the archbishop’s heart, the prelate stood at the altar in the little hospital chapel saying Mass for some sisters. During this transformative liturgy…all liturgies are transformative…he raised the host in protest against all the sin and sadness that surrounded him and his people. A single bullet splattered his blood on the altar and the sacred host. 

He witnessed the ultimate price we all commit to paying each time we pray the Mass and receive the Eucharist.

May God give us the grace we need to live what the Eucharist is.

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