Claire Smith

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11
Luke 9:7-9

Reflection:

Who is This Man

“Who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.” -Luke 9:9

Herod’s question is the most important question of our life!   And to seek Him is the most important action of our life! “Jesus is every thing for every one!” Col 3:11 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Rev 22:13    

Ronald Wayne joined Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, who were 21 and 25 at the time, to provide the company with “adult supervision” and to oversee mechanical engineering and documentation, all in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the business.

While both Jobs and Wozniak were young and broke, Wayne had assets, including a house, and feared that the financial burden would fall entirely on him if the deal went south. So after spending a mere 12 days with Wozniak and Jobs, Wayne had his name taken off the contract and sold his shares back to his co-founders for only $800.

Ronald Wayne’s decision to leave the start-up cost him big. Today, a 10 percent stake in Apple would be worth more than $80 billion. That kind of fortune would make Wayne one of the richest men in the world.  Not to totally come to Jesus would make me one of the poorest persons on the earth!  Not to seek Jesus is to miss the biggest opportunity of our lives! Not to evangelize the world about Him is the biggest omission of our lives!  How right was St Paul!  “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of ^aknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” Phil 3:8

St Paul’s reflection reminds us of the task before us.  “In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:4                        

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

Scripture:

Proverbs 30:5-9
Luke 9:1-6

Reflection:

In these days of Covid-19, I have been invited to few parties, if any. But I always appreciate when people say, “Just bring yourself.” More and more, that is how I read the Gospels when Jesus sends out His disciples to proclaim the good news and drive out demons and cure diseases. In today’s Gospel reading, He says, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.”

For me, Jesus is saying two things. One, trust in God. Two, the most important thing you can bring to the people in proclaiming the Good News about Me is yourself. I want to heal the people through you, not the things you own or the money you have.

Think about that. Even if we had nothing, Jesus would still want to use us to bring good news and healing to the world. There is a quote from St. Louise de Marillac that expresses this in another way: “To share what one has is nothing if one does not give oneself.”

Jesus is seeking to send us out to give of ourselves to others, as a sign of God’s love in Him. We do this not out of a sense of superiority, but a sense of service. We need not browbeat people, but simply “shake the dust from our feet” if they do not respond.

May we be instruments of God’s healing and messengers of His love, especially as we continue to carry the cross of this pandemic.

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

Scripture:

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:

“Blind man stood on the road and cried.  He cried, ‘Oh Lord, show me the way’.   Blind man stood on the road and cried”.   

                        ~ Spiritual, anonymous, about 1920

The Responsorials today really touched me as they spoke with authoritative words of guidance in making decisions in following God’s law. But I struggle to understand what God wants from me when the world presents such complex choices, when there is no clearly right path.  “Lead me in the path of your commands”. 

I remember something Fr. Randal told me that has stuck with me all these years; “You have real faith when you keep on listening even when we think we can’t hear His voice.”  

“Guide me Lord, in the way of your commands.”  I strive to understand the commandments and look to live a good life, but Lord I look to you to help me discern the way to turn when the decisions are important and confusing, when the roads are all dimly lit and none offers a clear path? 

I am that blind man on the road begging for guidance, Lord.  In desperation I fall back on the old cliché of “What would Jesus do?”   But there are times when I wish I could read the mind of God because I have no idea what Jesus would do.  “Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart”.  I must spend the time to continue to listen for Your voice, my Father. I must turn off the vacuous calliope of noise and distraction of constantly streaming media and search for your voice in that silence where true discernment can be found. I must find Your voice which I know I will find only in that silence, and in that one humble request, “Lord, show me the way”.

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

Today is the feast of St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist and little is known about him. He was a tax collector and in other synoptic gospels referred to as Levi. The story of Matthew’s call is found in Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him”.

The “Call of Matthew” is captured on canvas by the  Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610).  Caravaggio focuses on the first moment that Matthew realizes he is being called. 

Do you remember when Jesus called you to follow him?  In our first reading, St. Paul urges us to ”live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and

gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace…” Jesus calls all of us baptized Christians to follow him. Like St. Matthew and St. Paul that ought to make a significant difference in our lives and influence how we behave. God has given all of us gifts.  Are we living in a manner worthy of our call and gifts?  Are we humble and gentle, caring for one another through love? Are we daily building up the Body of Christ by our mercy, and compassion including self-compassion?

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:6-9
Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20:1-16a

Reflection:

In Sunday’s Gospel reading (Matthew 20:1-16a), Jesus tells another parable, this one about a landowner and the laborers he hires to work in his vineyard. If Jesus was talking about hourly wages and eight-hour days, we might find ourselves sympathizing with the ones who worked all day and yet received the same wage as the ones who only worked one hour. But the parable is not about that. It is about the kingdom of heaven. And that changes how we are to hear this parable.

In the parable, the landowner decides to pay the laborers who were hired last, first. In his generosity, he pays them the same amount that the ones who were hired first, which causes grumbling among the latter group. But if you take the “wage” as entrance into the kingdom, there is no way for one person or group of persons to get “more” of a wage! If I get into heaven, by the grace of God, there’s nothing more to get. And even if you get away from thinking about eternal life, how much more can one receive from God than unconditional love culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus?

But we human beings are tempted to envy, and the desire for some higher status than the next person. Listen to the complaint that the first laborers make to the landowner: “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us…” Over these past few months, when the country, along with contending with Covid-19, is looking at race relations and the issue of real equality, I have been asked by some people to explain the viewpoint of white supremacists. I can only respond with speculation, because I do not subscribe to the idea of white supremacy. So one theory I propose is that some people have what is called a “zero-sum game” mentality. This mentality often leads people to feel “If you gain, then somehow I lose (“you have made them equal to us”).”

But when it comes to the kingdom of heaven, there is no zero-sum game. There is no limit to God’s love and God’s promise of everlasting life! There is no limit to the extent God will go to save God’s people! If you get to heaven before I do, that doesn’t keep me from getting there. But, again, we human beings put such a premium on status. Dr. King preached about this with “The Drum Major Instinct.” But there is no superiority before God. As we hear from our first reading (Isaiah 55:6-9), God’s ways are above our ways, and God’s thoughts are above our thoughts. If we work for real justice and real peace, everyone can win!

Are we willing to let go of envy and concern about status? Can we have the same generosity of spirit towards others that God has with us, and can we recognize that another’s gain, especially when it comes to the demands of justice, does not constitute a loss on our part?

God is calling us to work in the “vineyard,” with the promise of the kingdom. May we accept the call, and welcome others to work with us.

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Luke 8:4-15

Reflection:

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart and bear fruit through perseverance.” -Luke 18:15

Some of us are good at taking care of plants and planting gardens. Before many people could afford a landscaper and a gardener, planting a garden and taking care of plants was a family affair. My mom would plant roses that survived and thrived. My dad would plant vegetable gardens year after year, and never had a bumper crop. We always managed to have some home-grown vegetables, but not consistently. One year it would be tomatoes, another year, carrots and yet another year, onions. After the planting of the seeds, he was constantly weeding and watering them. It was hard work, after a full day of labor. But he never gave up.

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke tells us the well-known parable of the sower to a big crowd of people who follow him. We are familiar with it: a farmer sowing seeds in a field that fall on different parts of the ground, the path he is walking, places where not all of the rocks had been removed, some where not all of the thorns had been weeded and the good ground that was well prepared.

The disciples needed an explanation, and Jesus gives it to them. Not all of the seed will produce a good harvest.

The Gospel ends with these words, “But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart and bear fruit through perseverance.”

It doesn’t take a scripture scholar to see that Jesus is really talking about us as the rich soil of good ground that receives the seed (the Word of God) for harvest. But it is these last words that leave me wondering whether I truly embrace the Word of God when I hear it, not only embrace it, but embrace it generously. What does that mean?

The letter to the Hebrews describes the Word of God in this way: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. We cannot hide from the Word of God, from its saving power and its call to conversion. It penetrates us to the core when we are ignoring it, turning our back on it, trampling it underfoot. It fills us with love and resolve when we embrace it generously. It is our Salvation!

Especially today, we need the grace of perseverance, to hang onto the Word of God when words of despair and powerlessness consume us, choke us with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life. After all, the Word of God is the Word made Flesh, Jesus the Christ. He is our Lord and Savior!

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Luke 8:1-3

Reflection:

“…Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women…”

I write this on September 17, the Feast of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), Saint, Doctor of the Church, prophet, and preacher, musician and composer, poet and artist, doctor and pharmacist.  Author Robert Ellsberg states, “Hildegard presented a picture of human beings and the cosmos as emanations of God’s love, “living sparks” or “rays of his splendor, just as the rays of the sun proceed from the sun itself”…human beings are the thinking heart, called to be co-creators with God in shaping the world” (Blessed Among Us, p536)

These words came to me as I read the beautiful words of today’s Gospel – Jesus traveling from town to town, not alone but with others who knew him and his father.  Others who struggle throughout their human lives to stay connected to the God who loves them, and overcome temptations to falter.  Men and women with very human struggles, foibles, and transgressions – yet – willing to travel with Jesus to build the kingdom.  Willing to attempt to be that ray of splendor, that thinking heart – to trust that they could be co-creators with Jesus, with God!!

We, too, travel with Jesus from home to work, from town to town, from person to person – from situation to situation – do we emanate God’s love?  Do we strive to be a living spark or ray of splendor?  Do we connect with Jesus before we react?  Are our hearts open to the love that is called forth in every encounter we find ourselves in?  

Our nation is filled with strife, unrest, fear, anxiety, stress – Can we be a voice of love in the midst of all the opinion?  Can we travel with Jesus and let Him guide our humanity and respond as co-creators…Jesus thinks we can and invites us to join Him.

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 7:31-35

Reflection:

In this passage, John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to search out Jesus and his message.  Jesus is discouraged in this scene: John the Baptist has preached his message of austerity, whereas Jesus brings his message of joy and wisdom.  What is confusing is that the crowds listened to Jesus, their leaders did not accept his message, Jesus tells his listeners that they are like children.  If he plays them a song or game of joy and celebration, they reject it, if he plays them a game of sadness. They will reject it!  Jesus says they are like children who demand everyone should adjust to the changes in their moods. Jesus says he understands their doubts, but their indifference and confusion are what will destroy them.

Several years ago, the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago had a wonderful exhibit.  One of the rooms was a large room with strings of plastic that extended from the ceiling to the floor. It was entitled something like “Rain Forest.” As you might suspect everyone walked by very careful to avoid “Getting wet!” However, one little fellow broke rank and stepped into the “rain.”  Very soon other little ones enjoined running in the rain and not getting wet. Needless to say, some of the adults joined in the innocence of joy.

What Luke tells us is that Jesus came to spread the good news that the Kingdom of God was at hand.  To join in this community, one needs to seek the will of God and be of service to one another.

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