Claire Smith

The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle

Scripture:

Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22
Mark 16:15-18

Reflection:

Today is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle.  We all know the familiar story of Saul on the road to Damascus, filled with zeal for God, setting out to bring his Jewish brothers and sisters who “belong to the Way” of Jesus back in “chains for punishment.”  Suddenly, he fell to the ground and plunged deep into intimate relationship with Jesus, undergoing an interrogation and, one might imagine, a deep revelation of the incomprehensible forgiveness, love, and call that is Jesus’ very self.

As I read these familiar passages once again, I am struck by Acts 9:9, particularly the last five words: “For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.” It made me wonder about the tradition of fasting in Hebrew scriptures.  I thought of the people of Ninevah in Jonah 3:5,  who heard Jonah and repented.  They “believed in God, and declared a fast,” returning to renewed and deeper relationship with God. In the simple five word phrase “He neither ate nor drank,” we understand Saul’s deep repentance and humility.

I think too of Moses in Exodus 24 who was “with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water” as he wrote the ten commandments, emptying himself to be a channel for God.  Paul too, irreparably changed from his intimate encounter with Jesus, through fasting is emptying himself to be a “chosen instrument” of the Lord.

And finally, I cannot help but hear in Paul’s fasting the words of Isaiah 58:6-7: “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke?  Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?”  When “things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight,” these words from Isaiah remained in the ground of his mission. 

In today’s terminology, Paul “wakes up”!  And it’s not in a single moment–it’s a sacred “three day” process that involves being led and healed by others. It made me wonder if perhaps Paul’s process can be a model for us as we navigate how to empty ourselves and become more and more God’s “chosen instruments” in today’s riven world.  It might go something like this…Be open to grace and the voice of Jesus in those hard moments when we “fall to the ground.”  Let ourselves be guided by others. Take time in prayer to experience our blindness. Rest in repentance and humility in the loving arms of God.  Accept healing from others.  And, trust that each time we do this, “something like scales” will fall from our eyes and we will see just a little bit more clearly our “Way,” this work we are all called to do–to set the oppressed free, to share our bread with the hungry, to bring the afflicted and the homeless into our house.  To fast as God asks that we do.

Lissa Romell is the Administrator at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20

Reflection:

Lord is Close

One of the most precious gifts we have from God is His wonderful closeness to us.   The first words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel are: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close”.  Mk 1:15 The word for close in the original Greek is en-ge’-zo or in + gus= in hollow of hand. This word is used 86 times in the New Testament (NT). Its nuance is more than just being close, but in the hand i.e. in the possession of another’s grasp.   To give one’s hand is used in marriage i.e. To request permission to marry one,
as from their father or family.  To say God is close is to say in His hand. This gives us the verb, “to pledge,” “to engage” “offering security,” subst. “guarantor,” i.e., the one who accepts legal obligation (for payment etc.) in a bond.

When Sacred Scripture says: “The Lord is near.  Be anxious for nothing” Phil 4:5f   It should give us a sense of amazement at His closeness and consolation we are in His hand!  There are many expressions in the Greek NT to express the wonder of His nearness!   For instance, the Greek word “e-no’-pe-on” means to bein the eye.   It is used 97 times often referring to be in God’s eye. The beauty of this word is often missed in the English translations. “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before (in-op-pion) God.  ^{LK 12:6}

“God is with us” is another beautiful expression that appears some 647 times from Genesis to Revelation. The first as Immanuel and the last words of Jesus in Mt Gospel “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mt 28:20. “they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Mt 1:23

Two of the largest diamonds in the world are called Cullinan I & 11, or the Stars of Africa.  On special occasions, the Queens of England would wear both of these on a pendant.  The Star of Africa 1 alone is at 530.4 carats and the Star of Africa 2 is 317.4 together the diamonds are worth far more than 400 million dollars!  On must feel extremely important wearing these precious diamonds!    How incredibly significant are we who wear Christ, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ!” Rom 13:14 “The Lord is near.” 

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14
Mark 3:20-21

Reflection:

Have you ever been misunderstood? When I reflect on the sufferings of Jesus, there are of course, the physical sufferings: the scourging, the crown of thorns, and most of all, the cross. Then there is the emotional pain: the agony in the garden, the denial by Peter, the betrayal by Judas, and the feeling distant from the Father.

But even before the events leading up to His Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus encountered various trials that many of us encounter. And one is being misunderstood. Reading the Gospels, we see how often Jesus came into conflict with the Pharisees and the scribes and the elders of the people. But in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is misunderstood by His relatives! They have heard that the crowd following Jesus has gotten so large that He doesn’t even have time to eat, and their response is not one of awe about the size of the crowd, or about what might be happening. Instead, they conclude that Jesus has gone mad, and they set out to “seize him,” presumably to bring Him home.

We’ll find out Jesus’ response in a couple of days. The challenge for us, I think, is to look at if there are times when we misunderstand Jesus, especially when we might be tempted to use our faith to justify our prejudices and attitudes toward other individuals or groups of people. While there are times when Jesus’ words and actions are most comforting and reassuring, there are times when Jesus’ words and actions still have the power to make us uncomfortable.

At those times we need to examine whether our attitudes towards others are taking us further from God. We have seen the effects of bigotry and discrimination not only on those who are the recipients, so to speak, but also on the perpetrators. Persisting in prejudice, I think, is part of the “dead works” mentioned in our first reading from Hebrews. And if we are willing to allow the love of Jesus to more deeply enter our hearts and lives, we can better understand what Jesus is calling us to, and we can be “cleansed,” in order to “worship the living God” in all we say or do.

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 7:25-8:6
Mark 3: 7-12

Reflection:

“To do your will, O my God, is my delight…” Psalm 40: 9

Everyone wants to have some delight in their lives. The Psalmist writes that doing God’s will brings peace and delight.  However, figuring out God’s will can be tricky and challenging. Many of the decisions we face are not choosing between good and evil.  Two courses of action can be equally valid on the surface. How does one go about discerning God’s will?  (Maryanne Hannan, Living With Christ, Thursday, January 21, 2021)

1. Set aside time to pray that God will increase one’s desire to do God’s will.
2. Ask for God’s guidance and direction.
3. Listen to God’s voice manifested in an urging, a prompting or recurrent thought.
4. Clear your mind of preconceived notions of what is best for you.
5. Examine one’s motives and intentions.
6. Seek wise council from a friend, a pastor or spiritual advisor.  (Meadow Rue Merrfill 7 Steps to Discerning God’s Will in Difficult Situations, April 24, 2017
7. Trust your instincts.  You might feel like something is not quite right or a nagging uncertainty. Pray that God will give you clarity and peace. (Mary Gallagher, How To Discern God’s Will in Any Situation, Simple Life/Simple Faith, May 11, 2018) 
8. Recall your meaning and purpose of your baptism and your vocation in life. 
9. Choose the course of action that will affirm your baptism, faith, and vocation. 

Through the process of discerning God’s will may we find peace and delight.

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Hebrews 7: 1-3, 15-17
Mark 3: 1-6

Reflection:

This Gospel text always saddens me.   I find it sad because it tells the story of people who have become so angry and frightened by their “enemy” that they’ve lost a true sense of their humanity.  

The story goes that as Jesus enters the synagogue, he notices a man with a withered hand.  His first impulse is to heal him.  Unfortunately, there are Pharisees in the Synagogue and they are watching him.  They hope Jesus will do something that they can condemn.  Jesus suspects that if he heals the man, they will condemn him for “working” on the Sabbath.  But Jesus refuses to let their condemning eye keep him from responding with compassion and love. 

So, he challenges them about whether it is allowed to do something good on the Sabbath.  “But they remained silent.  Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart,” Jesus heals the man’s withered hand.  The man healed rejoices but the enemies of Jesus continue to plot to have Jesus put to death.

Strangely enough, even while we rejoice at the courage, compassion and power of Jesus, most of us have to admit that we, too, can be intimidated by what others might think or say about our efforts to show compassion and love.  We seem to be burdened by so many ways to condemn one another.  Often our judgments come out of fear and ignorance.  Anyone who thinks differently than we do, or has a different heritage, or looks different or believes differently is suspect in our judgment.  Especially, if our friends, family or fellow believers share our outlook or beliefs.  Perhaps a good prayer for today be that God will give us the courage and wisdom to live our Christian life with the same generous integrity that we see in Jesus in our Gospel reading today.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Hebrews 6:10-20
Mark 2:23-28

Reflection:

Then Jesus said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” Mark 2:28.

One of the more classic lines in novels, movies, TV dramas, and even in real life is the demand, Who’s in charge here?

We have been asking that question more than usual these years. It is usually triggered when something out of the ordinary takes place because someone has stepped into our world and made changes, usually with changes we don’t agree with, little changes and big changes. All of a sudden, we become the judge, the arbitrator, the decider-in-chief of those changes that have taken place. Sometimes we bristle, but other times we may take a long view and begin to see the wisdom of the change.

When Jesus breaks into our history and into our lives, he begins to make changes, changes that begin to upset our normal way of living.

According to the Evangelist Mark, Jesus begins to teach with authority: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” Mark 1:27. Then he goes and heals Peter’s mother-in-law and all those who came seeking him at night (Mark 1:29 ff). But his first big test came when a paralyzed man was brought to him at his home when he was teaching. The house was so full of people that the paralyzed man had to be dropped down from the roof. So, Jesus says, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) That was a bridge too far for the Scribes who were present in the crowd. They rebelled. They knew the implications of Jesus saying that he has the power to forgive sins, he was making himself God!

Then in today’s Gospel passage from Mark, Jesus says, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath,” when his disciples break the sabbath to feed themselves when they are hungry.

A big question for us these days is, when do we know that God is asking us to go beyond the norms of our lives? In John’s first letter to his community, he says: “Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1) This is such an important text to us as we try to discern what is from Jesus and God and what is from false prophets.

Fortunately, we have a clear message from Jesus as to know when we are his disciples: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 I believe that no one has to tell us what Jesus means when he tells us to love one another. Anything that leads us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to see the other as a brother or a sister, to treat each other justly and fairly tells us that we are following Jesus, who is the Lord of the Sabbath. On the other hand, if we follow a path of hate, violence and deceit, trample other people’s rights, and deny them the dignity of being children of God, then we are following false prophets.

A good way to conclude is by reflecting on our Gospel Acclamation for today: May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to our call. Ephesian 1:18

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

Scripture:

1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19
1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

If you ever find yourself saying, “Sorry I missed your call,” today’s first reading is for you. In this well-known story of the call of Samuel, we see that God can call at any moment, even in our sleep, so we have to be alert and vigilant lest we miss the call.

It is easy to miss God’s call because we can be taken up with so many tasks, so many responsibilities, that we lose the ability to hear. It is easy to miss God’s call if we are distracted, out of sorts, or turned in on ourselves. That too can make us hard of hearing. Or sometimes we deliberately become hard of hearing because we don’t want to be bothered. We’re comfortable with our lives as they are, we’re settled, we have our routines and don’t want to be budged by a calling. Or maybe we’re hard of hearing because we’re afraid of what the call might ask of us, where it might take us and how it might change our lives. We choose to sleep through the call no matter when it comes rather than nurture a “listening heart” that makes us keenly attuned to all the many ways God calls us, especially the callings that come every day and are so easy to miss. Those everyday callings can be a summons to be patient with a person who is difficult to love. It can be the call to comfort someone who is struggling or the call to reach out to someone who is lonely. Or it could be the call to forgive someone who hurt or disappointed us.

God calls us all the time. If we are to hear and respond to those calls, we must make Samuel’s words our own: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Perhaps those should be the first words out of our mouths at the beginning of the day, words we repeat throughout the day, and words we include in our prayers at the end of the day. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” We should take those words to heart because it is one thing to say, “Sorry, I missed your call” to a family member or friend; but what if we say that to God not just occasionally, but throughout our lives? If we continually miss God’s call, what have we done with our life?

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist family.

Scripture:

Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 2:13-17

Reflection:

This periscope is a typical vocation story. Jesus comes upon a Tax Collector called Levi. The observers are startled that Jesus would be seen with such a person. The reason  for this is that tax collectors  receive this job  with the approval  of the Roman Oppressors, and by a difficult lottery process. In a way Tax Collectors are trusted neither by the Roman Officials nor by the  Jewish leadership.  This position as a Tax Collector. leads to extortion, and abuse. Males 14-16 and Females 12 -65 are charged, Ground taxes are charged, and wine and oil are charged. Animals are taxed, axials on carts, wagons, are taxed. The list goes on forever.

Tax collectors have a quota in collections.  What happen. s is that if the Roman quota is met, extortion is commonplace. Hence, the reason the Jewish leaders are unhappy when Jesus chooses Tax Collectors as his Guests for the meal.

The Pharisees are disturbed because Tax Collectors are usually associated with other questionable characters such a Pro titutes, Robbe s, etc. When Jesus  invited them to j in his community of disciples the Jewish leaders are even more upset.

In the Gospel of Matthew where Matthew described his c II He says His call is Jesus’ greatest miracle. The other disciples Peter, Andrew James and John could always return to heir fishing boats and nets. But Mathew could not because the position of the Tax Collector are once in a life time job. The gospel tells us Levi got up and left everything. In the early Church Saint Jerome and Saint Augustine had a discussion on Levi’s call. Jerome said the disciples didn’t give up that much. All they gave up was a leaky old boat and some nets. Augustine said Matthew gave a lucrative position as a Tax collector. This cannot be retrieved.

In the bible the call or vocation is not an invitation it is a summons. It is not something we can think over. We have to respond.

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