Claire Smith

Scripture:

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Matthew 7:7-12

Reflection:

Several years ago, the husband of a dear friend was hospitalized suddenly in serious condition. Before taking him to surgery, the surgeon told my friend that he couldn’t guarantee a good outcome. When I arrived, the atmosphere in the waiting room felt quite chaotic. As you can imagine, my friend and her daughters were shocked as they tried to digest the news. It so happened that same morning the Gospel was the one we have today. Before leaving for the hospital, I took my daily scripture prayer book, thinking that it might be a source of hope and consolation.

During the long hours of waiting periodically my friend would ask me to read the Gospel to her. I remember the sensation of being suspended in time as we waited and prayed with the Scripture, “Ask and it will be given to you. . .” (v.7a). Thankfully, our prayers for a good outcome were answered that night.

About two years ago, we prayed for the healing of a dear young man just shy of 17 years old suffering from a malignant brain tumor. Our community had been praying for him from infancy as he courageously fought –and won— the battles along his journey until he finally succumbed to the disease.

This felt like a gut check to our faith in God and prayer. We may often feel unheard or “not good enough” to have our particular petitions answered. No doubt we have all experienced both the euphoria of answered prayer—in the manner of our petition, and the disappointment of a perceived silence in the unanswered petition.

These situations provide no straightforward solutions or definitive answers. They call for deepening our faith in God’s wisdom and presence precisely when we don’t feel it possible. Trusting that our heavenly Father is not giving us a “stone” and withholding the “bread” when we ask (v.9a) is an act of faith in God’s providence and grace. It is choosing to believe in the bigger picture that God alone can see.  Surrendering to the mystery of human life in all its joys and sorrows is the ultimate expression of faith. Never a passive offering, it is an active and ongoing engagement with the Spirit of God in prayer.

Like the Psalm suggests, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me; you built up strength within me” (138:3). Therefore, strengthened by our prayer, let us hold fast to faith and trust that we will always receive “bread” from our heavenly Father in whatever form that takes. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a member of the Ministry Team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Jonah 3:1-10
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

The Old Testament reading from the Book of Jonah describes Nineveh as “an enormously large city: it took three days to go through it”.  In fact, for some number of years, the city of Nineveh was the largest city in the world.  However, the term “city” used in the Old Testament frequently referred to a regional area of relatively cohesive population under the rule of a single potentate, in the case of the first reading, the king of Nineveh.  So, the three-day transit makes sense. 

The Book of Jonah also depicts Nineveh as a wicked city worthy of destruction.  After Jonah’s perilous ordeal in the belly of a great fish, which resulted from his own disobedience to God by trying to flee from the mission that had God had sent him on, Jonah prayed and repented and moved on to the City of Nineveh to preach to the Ninevites of their coming destruction.  Upon hearing of Jonah’s warning from God, the Ninevites fasted and repented for 40 days.  As a result, God spared the city.

Five centuries later, Jesus told a gathering crowd, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”  The sign of Jonah is a reference to Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of a great fish.  Jesus is using this analogy to foreshadow His own death, burial and resurrection which transforms the Old Testament wrath of God to the New Testament covenant of salvation.

So here we are more than 2,000 years after the life and death of Christ.  If Jesus came amidst us today, would He consider this “an evil generation”?  Look around yourself at the global scene.  What would your own assessment be?  Obviously, in the context of our fallen nature, every generation is to some extent “an evil generation”.  There are good and saintly people and there are foul and demonic people.  That was likely the case in the city of Nineveh.  The question that we each need to ask ourselves: Am I a contributor to an evil generation?  Or somehow through the grace of God, am I able to turn my back on the evil within me and around me and achieve the mercy of God that the Ninevites did. 

Like the Ninevites, we are now in the 40-day season of Lent.  Perhaps we can follow the example of the wise King of Nineveh.  All, from the King to his lowest subjects, humbled themselves in sackcloth and ashes.  Seeing their repentance, God did not carry out the punishment he had intended for them.  Rather he relented and had mercy.  During this season of Lent, let us rise from our thrones, lay aside our robes, cover ourselves with sackcloth and sit in ashes for 40 days.  And let us remember, that notwithstanding our meager Lenten sacrifices, no matter their minimal consequential impact on our daily lives, God is indeed a God of mercy and forgiveness.  He only desires that we approach Him daily with a contrite heart and a promise to turn against our evil generation to bring the Gospel message to His people and to live out the Gospel message ourselves. 

Doesn’t God, through our holy Mother Church, afford us so many opportunities to turn our back on sin and return to Him rejoicing in His wondrous love and mercy?  Thank you, dear Lord.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:10-11
Matthew 6:7-15

Reflection:

Hidden in Plain Sight

The Lord’s Prayer, as we know, contains seven petitions:

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.

But, the Lord’s Prayer has a word hidden in plain sight, or word with a concealed meaning. This word appears only twice in the entire bible, in Matthew’s prayer here, and in Luke’s version of the Our Father, Lk 11:3.

That strange word is a Greek word, epiousion, and unfortunately it is mistranslated as “bread” — give us this day our “daily bread.”

If this word is strange and curious, it is because the gospel writers needed to create a new word to describe something new — the communion bread of the Last Supper, the Eucharist.

Epi, means over, above. And ousios, means essential or substantial. Thus, a more accurate translation and meaning would be “super substantial bread.” In his Vulgate (Latin) translation of the Bible, St. Jerome translates epiousion as panem supersubstantianem.

This is no ordinary bread to which the Our Father refers. No.

Give us today our super substantial bread clearly echoes the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the confected bread looks like ordinary “daily bread.” But as we Catholics know — with the certainty of faith — that underlying the substance has been changed. And the reality hidden in plain sight by the accidental veil of plain bread is the real presence, body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.

This mysterious coined word, sits right in the middle of the seven petitions. The first three petitions are heavenly, transcendent petitions. The last three petitions are earthbound. And the word, epiousion binds the heavenly and the earthly, just as the Eucharist is the super substantial

bread of the Messianic banquet, which we celebrate, that unites us, the mystical body of Christ, with God, the angels and saints.

Whether we call it a word hidden in plain sight, or a word with a concealed meaning is of little matter. The epiousion, the Eucharist remains for us our super substantial bread that nourishes us daily.

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

Scripture:

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Matthew 25:31-46

Reflection:

Justice, mercy, honesty, and self-sacrificing service – these are the themes of Christian discipleship throughout Scripture, and very pointedly today. The reading from Leviticus gives an entire list of “shall nots” – we are not to lie, cheat, steal, show partiality, or harbor hate, and we are not to “stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.”  The section ends with a “shall”: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Jesus reiterated this command to love your neighbor, calling it the Second Greatest Commandment (after loving God with everything you’ve got.) To describe the neighbor whom we are to love and whose life we are to defend, Jesus used the Good Samaritan parable, illustrating that everyone, even a person of different ethnicity and social class, is our neighbor, and we are not to “stand idly by” watching their suffering. In today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that theme again in the Last Judgment narrative. Whatever we do to others (positive or negative), and especially what we do to the least and most marginalized, we do to Jesus himself. As Pope Francis recently taught, our responsibility to love others doesn’t end at our own doorway or family circle; it is universal.

It is starkly clear: We have a God-given mandate to feed hungry and thirsty people, care for the oppressed and outcast, welcome strangers in our land, clothe those without clothing, serve those without support (scriptural examples are widows and orphans but there are many others in our time) and care for even criminals in prison. None of these commands ever say it’s OK to judge whether recipients are “worthy” of our aid or can do anything for us in return. No, we are to give freely and generously, recognizing that we are all neighbors to each other. To put it bluntly, we are to live as Jesus did. Wow! Those are tall orders!

It’s especially challenging to live out these non-negotiable mandates of discipleship, as many people worldwide revert to padding their own interests and pocketbooks at the expense of others. Those whom Jesus commanded us to love are largely going unloved, underserved, and suffering, and their plight is only getting worse. As people of faith, we can’t “stand idly by”.

Of course, if anything is going to change in my world, I have to change myself first.  So in what ways am I looking after my own interests, failing to work for better treatment for those who have no voice, or even perpetuating the injustices? How often am I standing idly by while others are suffering and in need? And what can I do about it this Lent?  Can I give more to organizations that serve the hungry, immigrant, oppressed, war victims, and imprisoned? Can I write Congressional representatives to insist they pass laws reflecting Gospel justice? Can I become more involved in activities here in my own community that advocate for and serve these marginalized people? How can I join with others to make our voices heard?

I wish I had the answers as I search for effective ways to act. I don’t. But I won’t give up. I’m determined to stand up for Gospel values, the mercy of God, the service that Jesus lived for, and the values that he died for. Jesus stands in front of each of us right now, dividing us into sheep and goats. To which side will he send me? To which side will he send you?

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/.