Claire Smith

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Scripture:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

Reflection:

Recently, I found myself imaging and asking what I would do if I stood in a room with two exit doors – one marked ‘my past’ and leading to a room packed with all the events of my life to date, and the other door marked ‘my future’ and this room would be filled with my dreams and hopes for the future. To make the choice hard, I imagined only being able to choose one of the doors – either to revisit the past or look ahead to the future.

Of course, this is an artificial choice, but one that might just be hard to make.

For some people relishing and celebrating the past with all its achievements or memories of exciting or meaningful times might be a fulfilling and happy experience. Perhaps too the past might just contain all those happy memories of loved ones who are not part of one’s life any longer and whose absence is deeply felt

For others, looking forward is their fundamental approach to life and they would draw energy from such a perspective.  In some cases, people allow the future to lead them onwards and thus inspiration, dreams and hopes are strong drivers in their life choices.

Neither the past or future reality – or indeed the present moment – is complete without the other dimensions. Indeed, today’s feast, that of All Souls – speaks to the dimensions of past, present and future. We, the Church on Earth, in this moment honour and pray for those who have gone before us into the future life of heaven. We celebrate and place our trust in the promise of God that eternal life is not only their gift now but is also an inheritance that awaits us also.

The image of the Church on Earth praying for the Faithful departed, and in turn them praying for us is a comforting one. Today is one day where that reality is not only imagined but celebrated.

We offer our prayers to God today – prayers of gratitude or intercession for our dear departed precisely because we want to share their memory with God and because we believe that they pray for us too.  

In our thoughts, prayers and Eucharist today let us all join in prayer. Let today’s feast be a rich, prayerful and hope filled time for you and those you cherish.

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

Solemnity of All Saints

Scripture:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

Reflection:

All Saints Day is a beautiful feast celebrating the call to holiness open to all the daughters and sons of God—those already wrapped in God’s loving embrace and those of us still on the road.   Paul the Apostle frequently referred to his fellow Christians as “saints” or “holy ones.”  The Greek word he used is hagios—meaning to be holy or saintly—the same word in fact is used of God, the “all holy one.”  Paul applied this title to all Christians, not just the ones that seemed to be the most pious or well-behaved. 

This call to holiness reaches deep into the Scriptures.  In Leviticus (19:2) God summons Moses to tell the people: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy”—a command that rings down through the entirety of the Bible.  The notion of humans imitating the holiness of God is something distinctive about our Jewish heritage and our Christian faith.  Most ancient religions did not correlate the worship of their gods with the values that ought to guide their lives of their devotees.  They hoped that homage to their gods would protect them from harm and lead to prosperity, but they did not derive their code of conduct from the example of their gods.  In fact, some of the behavior of the ancient gods of the Middle East and in Greek mythology was not to be imitated!

For the Bible, however, the “holiness” of God referred to the awesome beauty and power of God and God’s astounding tender love and mercy towards God’s people. One of the earliest acclamations about God is found in Exodus 34:6 as Moses encounters God at Sinai: “The Lord, the Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love and fidelity.”  God’s steadfast mercy, fidelity, and abiding love define what “holiness” means and set a pattern for the way we are to live our lives.  Astoundingly, as Genesis (1:16) affirms, the God of Israel creates humans in the divine “image and likeness”—we are endowed with a God-given capacity for holiness.

For Christian faith, God’s holiness is embodied in the person of Jesus.  In his very being and in the manner of his own life, Jesus revealed God to us.  As Pope Francis has repeatedly said, “Jesus is the human face of the Father’s mercy.” God’s Old Testament command to “be holy as I the Lord your God am holy” becomes for Christians equivalent to Jesus’ call to his disciples, “Come, follow me.”  In striving to live as Jesus lived we find the path to holiness.

That is the spirit of today’s readings.  The first reading from Revelation is typical of the dramatic and vast canvas of this visionary New Testament book. Standing before the throne of God and the Lamb (the exalted Christ) “a great multitude which no one could count from every nation, race, people and tongue” cries out in exaltation, praising God and the Risen Jesus.  The Responsorial Psalm 24 also exults in God’s beauty and power: “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.”  And our response expresses the longing we are to experience as we, too, strive for a life of goodness, a life of holiness: “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face!”

The reading from the First Letter of John underscores the link between God’s love and the quality of our lives: “Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.”  John will affirm over and over: to be a child of God is to love as God loves, the central command of Jesus’ teaching.

And, finally, in the gospel passage from Matthew we hear Jesus’ beatitudes that begin the Sermon on the Mount, a  summation of the values and commitments that lead to authentic holiness, and, in fact, reflect Jesus’ own manner of life:  Comfort for the poor, for those who mourn, and for the meek;  Blessing on those committed to mercy, to peacemaking, to justice even at the cost of persecution.

At this tense and fractious moment in our history, this Christian vision of what authentic human life can be is balm for our souls.  God calls all of us to be holy as God is holy!

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:

Philippians 1:18b-26
Luke 14:1, 7-11

Reflection:

Happy Saturday in the 30th Week of Ordinary Time!

How many times have you heard the saying “It’s better to give than to receive”?

I don’t know about you, but I remember first hearing that as a kid, and thinking to myself, “Hmmm… that’s pretty stupid.  It’s AWESOME to get stuff.”  As time passed, though, I began to accumulate so many things that I was running out of space to keep them.  So I did what any other normal person would do in that case.  That’s right – I built a shed to hold all my stuff.  But it all was mostly just a bunch of things I really didn’t need…  and some of it I didn’t even want.  As the piles got bigger and bigger, ultimately, it all only served to really weigh me down.

It’s funny, in a sad way, how that transferred to my spirit and emotion.  I also held on to pain and hurt.  I held on to mistakes and brokenness.  I made space in my heart to house the betrayal and horror I had experienced.  It was like a huge trailer, covered with a mountainous pile of the past, on top of which I was sitting, the ceiling right at the top of my head.  Can you imagine trying to pull such a thing around with you?  I was unable to take any more.  I had no more room, and there was no place to build a shed.

If I were a betting man, I’d wager I’m not the only one of us who has experienced these types of things.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:1,7-11), Jesus instructs, “Do not recline at the place of honor.”  Instead he says to take the lowest place, so the host can ask you to move closer to the place of honor.  “The one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

On the surface, this sure looks like a social-status-climbing chess game to me.  I could just hear people saying, “OK, I get it.  I’ll sit down there because that way I’ll get the greatness and recognition I’m after.”  That sounds pretty hypocritical and selfish to me, and I don’t believe that’s what Jesus really intended as his point.

And then one day in church I heard this Gospel (for probably the 100th time), and it hit me.  It wasn’t at all about looking good in front of your friends.  I heard Jesus explain that by humbling yourself, you are actually becoming more open to God’s call to come closer to him. 

Being empty means God has room to fill you up!

It’s a sad truth that tearing down our sheds and emptying our trailers are such difficult things to do.  But it can get us off our “mountains,” bring us home, and help us prepare a place in our hearts to house all the care, compassion, forgiveness, peace, and love that God wants for us to both have and share.  Ultimately, it gives us a gift so huge that we’’ll never be able to house it… it brings us closer to God.  And that, my friends, is a gift worth all the room we can possibly make.

So let me ask you… what spot at the table do you need to get up from and leave behind?  What things must you to let go of in order to have space for God to work miracles in your life?

Let’s all pray to hear our great and loving Host say to us, “Come.  Come closer.”

Dear God, thank you for all the gifts you offer us.  Please grant us the grace to always be empty enough to accept your call to rise, and sit closer to you. Amen.

Peace and love to you today, and forever.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

Philippians 1:1-11
Luke 14:1-6

Reflection:

In today’s compact first reading, St. Paul prays that the Philippians “discern what is of value.”  That brought to mind the following meditation:

When the time comes for our final accounting, when we stand before the Lord of Judgment, what will He ask us about our lives? Will He ask, “How many prayers did you say?” “How much money did you give to charity?” “Did you avoid sin?” These questions are important, but they aren’t the ones he will ask. I believe He will ask us something like this:

“Did you delight in my children? Did you give them affection, share in their wonder, bounce them on your knee and make them smile?

Did you care for my teens? Did you listen to them, affirm them and show them they were worth your time? Were you beside them in their searching? Did you believe in them?”

Did you share in the lives of my adults? Did you stand by them in their sadness and celebrate with them in their joys? Did you strengthen them in their failures and help them find peace?

Did you cherish my old folks? Were you patient with their infirmities and open to their views? Did you listen to their memories, help them in their loneliness and enjoy their company?

Did you… Did you love my people?”

This is the way of life that Jesus came into this world to teach us. If others see us, as his disciples, caring so greatly about people, they will have to conclude, “Their God must be a God of love.” If our lives have said that, we’ve said it all.

(Excerpted from the book, The Ten Things You Must Do Before You Die, by Alan Phillip, CP).

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10 – 20
Luke 13:31 -35

Reflection:

Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
 -Ephesians 6:10

As I have been reflecting on the scriptures for today, I can’t help but think that they are perfect for where we are at this moment in our country and the world. I am sure many a prayer has risen to heaven to end the Covid virus or prayers for family and friends who have contracted the virus. Prayers for the healthcare workers and first responders. Prayers for protection. Prayers to get through home schooling children and many countless prayers for many other things.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is another example of how the scriptures give us what we need when we need it. He gives us the instruments to help get us through the strain of a pandemic. The uncertainty of the election and the change that seems to be occurring as our eyes are forced open to look at racism and inequality at the local, state and national levels. With his analogy of a soldier going to war, Paul tells us to put on “armor of God”, “gird our loins with truth”; “clothe ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness”; “hold faith as a shield”; “take the helmet of salvation”; “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. Let’s look at these words that I have italicized: God, truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, and word of God. For me faith and the word of God stood out to the most. The scriptures have always been important to me and now all the more since March. My faith has grown into a deeper trust that God has my back if I trust in him. I had to dig deep to find the faith to go back to teaching on campus not knowing if I would catch the Covid virus. Our school has done an outstanding job of making it as safe as possible and I was very anxious the first couple of weeks. So far, so good. I know that I belong there to show the students and to support my colleagues that what we are doing is an important witness to the students that it is possible with adaptations to how we do school. We also have a very cooperative student body that also makes this possible. Whether it is conscious or unconscious we have all put on the armor of God and acted in faith and trust acting in hope and not fear.

How will I put on the armor of God today?

In Luke’s Gospel Jesus also acts with the armor of God. He trusts in the Father’s will for him and continues his journey to Jerusalem where he knows his end will be. He makes a prophetic statement to the Pharisees who have come to warn him, “Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. While Jesus knew his purpose, we do not. We hope and believe that we are doing what God has asked of us for today. That is all that is asked of us. To trust in God. To search our hearts and listen deeply for God’s peace and love as we make our way through these tough days. Remember, there is a Resurrection. Remember, the Resurrection is about new life. Peace to you and your families as we make our way in faith and trust in God.

How can I focus on the Resurrection as I make my way through these hard days?

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

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:19-22
Luke 6:12-16

Reflection:

Brothers and sisters:

WE are no longer strangers and sojourners,
WE are fellow citizens with the holy ones
And members of the household of God!

Paul was writing this to the community of faith at Ephesus, yes, but he is also speaking to us, the faithful, today.

Our world continues to be topsy-turvy, the virus continues to prey upon the young and the old, rich and poor.  Each day the news brings us word of uprisings, crime scenes, political unrest, suffering and chaos!

In the midst of all of this craziness, we are reminded that God counts us among his household, that we are part of the family that includes apostles, prophets, saints and sinners.  This is GOOD NEWS People of God!  For me, this offers hope and gives purpose to my everyday life!  I think today there are so many people who are looking for hope, who are just hanging on by a thread, who spend more time worrying than rejoicing!  God is telling us once again that we are important, we are loved, and we are not alone!

In our gospel reading today, Jesus chooses his twelve apostles, charging them with the task of spreading his message throughout the world.  Wow! No small task!  Think about that on those days when everything seems just too overwhelming and hopeless!  We are also charged with spreading the good news of Jesus, but, thankfully, these twelve and others who followed them, paved the road ahead of us!  We also pause to give thanks more specifically today for the lives and works of Saints Simon and Jude, apostles, preachers and missionaries who died for the faith.  They spread the message to far away Persia and other parts of the world.

Paul goes on to remind us that WE are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  May we continue to enjoy life in the company of all God’s faithful and be open to the indwelling of the Spirit as she guides us along the path of righteousness and goodness.  Amen.

Theresa Secord recently retired as a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:21-33
Luke 13:18-21

Reflection:

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast show how quickly and successfully the gospel could travel throughout the world despite opposition! 

We live in a world of rulers – our government, our employers, maybe someone in your families! We are given a voice by God, and a choice by God – to do what is right in our hearts and not be swayed by someone else’s agenda. NO ONE can stifel or silence us. We are allowed the chance to be heard. And at this writing, we are in a flux of emotion as we see where the world is going – riots (which I pray continue to subside), a pandemic (who saw that one coming), hurricanes (a ridiculous number of those), the reality of seeing our social lives change dramatically with our friends and family, as well as  limited attendance for funerals, first communions, baptisms – even our church attendance is limited and, quite often, live-streamed so we can watch from the comfort and safety of our own homes. And on top of all of that, an election that is causing more thought and concern than most I can remember in my lifetime. 

We see where the world is right now – we must continue to spread the gospel in a world of opposition. We have to prayerfully choose our words, deeds, actions – and right now – our votes! If we do what we can here and now, prayerfully, and through faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and his Blessed Mother, Mary, we can make positive changes in a world torn in chaos. 

Learn from the mustard seed and the yeast – our faith and our love must grow exponentially so that there is no doubt that they are present in our reality. 

Patty Masson prayerfully supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:32-5:8
Luke 13:10-17

Reflection:

The requirements of faith don’t get any more real than what we hear proclaimed in today’s scripture that picks up on yesterday’s Sunday readings. It really upset the synagogue leaders that Jesus would dare to cure the crippled woman on the Sabbath.

There can be no dissecting our love of God from our love of neighbor. There is no nuancing who is and who is not my neighbor, just like there can be no conditional love of God. In other words, you can keep holy the sabbath and care for those in need. In fact, caring for those in need is keeping holy the sabbath.  In yesterday’s gospel, Jesus refused to be tricked when asked what is the one “greatest commandment.” Jesus replied that the two commandments of loving God and loving your neighbor are inseparable.

Fratelli Tutti is the recent encyclical shared with the world by Pope Francis. It’s a reflection on Saint Francis of Assisi and his idea of brotherly and sisterly friendship expressed in “an openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.” Pope Francis writes in this letter, “Wherever [Saint Francis] went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters.”

Loving God means loving our neighbor, especially those left alone and abandoned – often referred to as the widow and orphan, the cripple and leper, the sinner and foreigner. For us it means loving those who have a different skin color than we have, speak a different language, practice a different religion, and wear different clothes. It certainly means loving the most vulnerable and forgotten in our midst…the unborn, the migrant, the prisoner, the homeless, and those preyed upon for being a woman or gay or Black.

The Gospel does not say “Love the Lord your God when it is easy.” It does not say “Love your neighbor who is like you.” I wrote this reflection on the Feast of Saint Paul of the Cross who enjoins us to love and care for those crucified in today’s world. Gaze upon the Cross of Jesus and see God’s love, then gaze upon our suffering world to see and love our neighbor…all of them.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.