Claire Smith

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:19-21
Matthew 5:33-37

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel picks up where we left off yesterday as we move through Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount; in this Gospel, it is Jesus’ first discourse or teaching. In this section, we find ourselves listening to Jesus’ repetitions of, “You have heard it said to your ancestors, but I say to you…..” Today we are invited to ponder the deeper meaning of our Yes and No. The author of Matthew places Jesus on the “mountain” as he wants the reader to make the connection between Jesus and Moses. Here though, Jesus gives the new law while Moses simply received the law from God. Therefore, Jesus is higher than Moses. The author also wants us to hear these words as if the “kingdom of heaven” (3:2; 4:17) were already here. In quoting a law on the taking of an oath from Leviticus 19:20, scholars suggest that Jesus dispenses with it as if we no longer need this law because we Christians are living in the kingdom of heaven, now. So, Jesus is inviting us to live authentically and with integrity today.

Lately, I have been reflecting on exactly that idea as my husband, Pat and I approach our 40^th Wedding Anniversary. Our original Yes started a long life of Yesses. In the early days and years of our marriage, I must admit that sometimes I did not actually mean Yes, when I said, Yes. In fact, I might many times have meant No. Ah the joys of youth, how grateful I am to be in a different place where I have come to delight in saying Yes and meaning Yes! (or No!)

Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle suggested to his followers what living out the virtue of integrity looked like; integrity is not what someone does but who they are. I expect we can all resonate with this kind of thinking which Jesus first proposed on the Mount of Beatitudes. This Gospel is very timely for our contemporary society especially in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a former Minneapolis police officer. When we celebrate freedom for all in our just society, how well have we been doing? Is it time to open our eyes to the truth and reality of the suffering of our African American sisters and brothers? To have the courage to say, Yes, we need to hear your stories of unjust suffering. Yes, we need to strongly hold our politicians accountable to enact real change. Christ in his contemporary passion has been suffering mostly out of our sight. Jesus, the living Word of God still speaks to us. He still continues to invite us to live into the kingdom of heaven today. His Yes brought us the truth and taught us to value everyone. We believe that he died for every single life on this planet. So that “a stone of hope may rise out of the mountain of despair” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).

May we rise to this moment and fill it with our collective, Yes! In fact, the world is rising now. Once awakened to this tragedy, we must never rest until we have routed out the sin of racism in our society. Just like the prophet Elisha, in our first reading who left his old life and embraced the Yes of the new call. May we keep walking forward in hope and leave the past behind.

Today, we also celebrate the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, who was a wonderful Franciscan preacher. He, like so many who followed in his footsteps said Yes to God’s call. He also helps us locate our lost items.

How beautiful and timely is our Entrance Antiphon for today’s liturgy, “Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with justice; your holy ones shall ring out their joy.” (Psalm 132:9)

Together with Elisha and St. Anthony, may we embrace this day, trusting in the love of God to touch us in new ways. And may joy reign in our hearts again. 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.

Scripture:

Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
Matthew 5:20-26

Reflection:

Jesus said: “But I say to you, that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment” (Mt 5:22, NRSV).  Jesus’ words recalled my encounter many years ago with a couple I was preparing for matrimony.

“What does marriage mean to you?” I asked the young couple.  Each spoke about commitment, living happily, setting up their household.  But, oddly, neither spoke of love.  “Why?” I asked.  They stammered uncomfortably, attempting to explain – and to reassure me – that love is also part of marriage.

Their reaction troubled me.  I delved deeper. I asked them to describe their relationship with their parents.  Without hesitation, the young man spoke about loving, happy memories with his mother, father, and his siblings.  His fiancé, however, spoke more half-heartedly.  “I love my mother,” she responded.  “But I do not speak with my father, and I never will.”  Her response surprised her fiancé, who claimed he knew nothing about the situation, and it startled me.  She explained that the bitterness with her father did not stem from physical or emotional abuse.  But she refused to elaborate; nor did I press her.

I did however advise them that her refusal to reconcile with her father could eventually harm their marriage.  “The anger you harbor in your heart,” I said, “is like a wounded tiger hiding in a dark corner.  The moment your husband does anything remotely similar to the way your father hurt you, the tiger will leap to attack him.”  I asked if she might be willing to take tiny steps toward reconciliation with her father.  “No,” she snapped. “Never.”   Given this irreconcilable situation, I recommend they postpone their wedding.  They would need time to discuss her bitterness.  “You owe it to him,” I said.  “At least he should be aware of your anger, so he knows what he must avoid in your married life.”  “No,” she said again.

Our meeting ended inconclusively.  Reluctantly, I promised not to stand in the way of their wedding.  I later learned she twice abruptly changed their wedding date.  When she insisted on yet a third change in date, our pastor refused.  She angrily complained they would have to find a more understanding and accommodating parish elsewhere.  The last I heard was that this couple broke up, and the wedding permanently cancelled.  Apparently, the angry tiger had attacked.

The pain of words, like a wounded tiger brooding within one’s heart, can often take longer to heal than a physical wound.  Worse, a hardened heart refusing to forgive or reconcile someone who has hurt us are things for which we will be judged.  Most often, we are our own harshest judge with our self-inflicted pain and punishment.

Jesus’ challenge with his Sermon on the Mount is clear.  The only antidote to anger is love, however uncomfortable it may be to stammer those words to one another.

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

Scripture:

1 Kings 18:20-39
Matthew 5:17-19

Reflection:

When I was 5 weeks into my first pregnancy I had some minor bleeding and cramping, but my doctor believed I would be OK. That afternoon my husband and I were in the car about an hour from home when I felt the bleeding and cramping noticeably increase. He stepped on the gas and headed to the hospital. Five minutes later, an officer pulled us over. Despite our explanation, he gave John a speeding ticket and said he should tell it to the judge. We were shocked that the letter of the law took precedence over my and our baby’s health. (I had a miscarriage that night and the judge threw out the ticket).

This officer would agree with Jesus’ statement in today’s Gospel that no one should disobey the smallest letter of the law. It is easy to be legalistic. It makes things very black-and-white. It promotes delineation of who is a “good Catholic” by how many laws they strictly follow, and allows a claim of superiority based on unfailing adherence. However, it is dehumanizing.

Jesus knew this. By his statement, he clearly did not want anyone to toss out rightful authority and the necessary systems of laws. Yet by his other teachings and his actions, he also countered a legalistic attitude. He personally broke established laws regularly and got into trouble for going against the authorities, always citing a higher law or a more encompassing principle behind the laws, such as unconditional love, healing, and pastoral compassion.

This is the same dilemma we often face today. Do we follow the letter of the law or do we make some accommodation for the pain, fear, and desperation that cause people to do so? Do we deny Communion to those who dissent from any part of Catholic teaching, or do we welcome every one of us sinners to the table regardless? Do we bar men who left the priesthood to marry from fulfilling any ministerial role, or can we embrace the many gifts that made them excellent priests in the first place? Do we work tirelessly to promote the legal aspects of our faith, or are most of our efforts on ensuring that the justice Jesus longed for is extended to all people, especially those who are marginalized, poor, and in need?

Obviously these are not all either-or situations. Just as Jesus did, we need to balance the necessity and value of rightful laws and authority with the equal necessity for compassion, acceptance, and love. Look around you today. How are we doing? What can we do better? That’s the true question behind these readings.

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/.

Scripture:

1 Kings 17:7-16
Matthew 5:13-16

Reflection:

The Word: See the Light, Taste the Salt

“The Triumph of Seeds” by Thor Hanson shares an image of how in nature every seed is given a lunch box as it goes off to begin its growth. The avocado, for example, gets a large lunch box, opens it immediately to gobble up nutrients so it can quickly put down a root and push up leaves. Its life begins in a competitive world. Other seeds may wait months or years for the right moment, then they will nibble their modest lunch and leisurely begin the work of growing.

The Books of Kings, that we begin this week, are about the Word of God. With the history of the Kings of Israel and Judea as background, we will see that God’s Word is more powerful than the political choices that shape the world.

Jerusalem has become the center of sacrifice and worship to the God of Israel, but there is competition from the old, holy, ‘high places’. These traditional sites of prayer rub shoulders with Canaanite religion, especially the fertility rites which will always speak to an agricultural people. Elijah will clash with the priests of Canaan because the cycles of sun and rain, all of nature is the domain of the God is Israel, creator of all.

A great summary of the problem is the story of Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel. King Ahab makes a political alliance with the Phoenicians giving Israel access to the sea. A financial coup for his country. But the Word of God trumps being King; kings are subject to the Word contained in the Law of God. A Princess of Sidon, Jezebel, who follows the god of the Canaanites, becomes his queen. This is not a time of ecumenism!  Ahab’s policies of religious tolerance are rejected through the Word of Elijah the prophet, a servant of the Word. Note in our story how prophets speak that Word not to call down punishments, but to show the power of God.

Our little story today from Kings simply shows us the power of the Word spoken by the prophet.

Many of us cannot share the Eucharist yet, we watch mass on television. The Word of God is with us. We may not be dining, but we have a lunch box. That is enough for the seed to grow. The Word of Matthew tells us we are salt and light. These are essentials, but they do not stand alone. Salt accompanies, it does not make a meal; light gives itself for another. May we be ministered to by the Word in this moment of our history. Words are calling for justice and equality from our brothers and sisters. Words that speak of the values of Jesus are challenging the values of other kingdoms. May the Words of our brothers and sisters be salt and light. Our God gives growth to the seed in ways we do not understand, it is a mystery, but the vine he tends with love, he makes healthy, so that it will bear fruit abundantly.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

1Kings 17:1-6
Matthew 5:1-12

Reflection:

What is the secret?

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him” (Matthew 5: 1). Jesus went up on the mountain so he could teach everyone in the crowd, not just his disciples. The Beatitudes are the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Jesus did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and Christ is the secret of the Beatitudes. If you look at the Beatitudes, there is a secret subject that some of us might be missing. Let’s talk about the way the Beatitudes come across.

To me, the Beatitudes make me feel as if there was some kind of secret to each saying, as though it was a riddle to be solved. Jesus spoke this way on purpose without explanation because it was the truth, and if you are still into the world, you are not going to understand it. The secret to understanding Jesus was Jesus himself, someone not of this world.

In my life, deep down inside, I was always in search of happiness, which was not at all times clear to me, and the beatitudes are supposed to be a way to find happiness. I felt as though I first had to solve this riddle in order to understand the Beatitudes. Some of them I completely understood, but some of them needed further research or explanation to get the full meaning.

If I were in the crowd or were one of the disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, I would have slowed Jesus down a little bit and have him explain himself. I would have been the one in the crowd who would have asked him a thousand questions – that annoying person in the crowd who keeps interrupting his sermon so he could explain some of these things.

An example of what happened on the Mount had happened in my life when I was in college, and the professor was lecturing to an auditorium full of students. I was not able to read or understand everything he was talking about in the class. Some of the stuff just totally went over my head. I took the notes anyway, and I went home to study and read about the lecture while at home. After pondering over my notes a little bit, I was able to understand most of it, but there were still a few things that needed further explanation that the book could not articulate, and my notes did not cover. I saved those questions until the next time I was in class so that the professor could answer them or one of the students who understood it more than I did. This is how I felt about the Beatitudes.

Here is the secret, Jesus. It is He, who is the example of what it means to be poor in spirit; it is he who mourns, who is meek, who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, who is merciful. It is He who is pure in heart; he is the peacemaker; he is persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

Jesus was thinking all along that; I’m talking about myself. I am an example. Follow me. I am the way the truth and the life. If the world rejects me, they will also reject you, my disciples. Your eyes will open when you realize that I am referring to myself. When I say these words if you look at my examples, you will understand. The secret is in your perception. The secret is Me, Jesus.

The Beatitudes are a key text of Christian faith and life. This is not some exaggerated or unreal moral lecture that seems completely impractical. We need grace, but we need not depend totally on grace. We have a part to play in this too. We have free will. It’s all in how you look at it. This is not a contrast between moralism and the theory of pure grace. Christ is the mean that unites these two. It is only discovering Christ in the text that it opens the beatitudes up for us to become a beacon of hope for the human race. If we get to the bottom of the beatitudes, the secret subject, Jesus, appears everywhere.

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.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Scripture:

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
John 3:16-18

Reflection:

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  -John 3:16-18

I love mysteries—the Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie type—not religious ones like the feast we celebrate today, the Blessed Trinity. I’ve heard many reflections on this and other religious mysteries. None come to mind however, as I sit to share my reflection today. Why, I wonder couldn’t God just explain all this life business to us in simple human terms instead of these unsolvable mysteries.

On another note, this “Sheltering in place” has reawakened in me my love for a good piece of bread. I vividly remember seeing a vocation movie (it would be called a video today) as a seventh grader, in 1957, of the Passionist starting their day after rising and celebrating the liturgy together, standing in a corridor off the “refectory” eating bread and drinking a cup of coffee. In the ‘60’s that corridor at the Passionist Prep High School in Warrenton morphed into a room off the kitchen for the professed with yes, bread, but also jams, jellies and other condiments. I think this simple custom continues today.

Even before that as a younger child I remember visiting my grandparents’ home and seeing loaves of bread all over the kitchen which my Irish grandmother just pulled out of the oven. The aroma was intoxicating and there was much ceremony over sharing that newly baked bread and adding a good hunk of butter and watching it melt. I don’t think the monks added the butter.

Maybe God does make it simple for me to understand. Just look at bread, a simple gift from the grains of the field along with the loving attention of the farmer, the miller and the baker. That’s kind of a mystery too, isn’t it? All these elements coming together to bring life.

Speak to me today God, and let me choose you, the God of love and the Trinity, that I may bask in your loving, nourishing and delicious life. Help me to identify my role in this process and lovingly embrace it.

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

Scripture:

2 Timothy 4:1-8
Mark 12:38-44

Reflection:

A tragic reality in our world is the great economic struggles of our brothers and sisters who lack the necessities of life: clean water, food, housing, education, clothes and healthcare. Sources tell us almost half of the world’s population–3.4 billion people–still struggles to meet basic needs.

Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si, examines the causes of this misery and their links to the imminent destruction of our environment. He condemns the evil forces of greed, military might, discrimination and domination.

The pope, in his wisdom, is doing what Jesus did in today’s selection from the Gospel of Mark.

Traditional biblical scholars interpret this passage as a contrast between the piety of the poor widow with the hypocrisy of religious establishment…the scribes.

More recent commentators recognize this passage is more a dramatic condemnation of the religious economy of Jerusalem.

Scribes, powerful men in Jewish culture, were often given the task of being trustees of the finances of widows…a practice noted for embezzlement and abuse. Indeed, the affluent lives of the religious leaders and the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem were built on the exploitation of the poor.

Jesus didn’t mince words about this travesty: “They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

These victimized widows were the same women who dropped their pittances into the collection basket of the day. Jesus decried the economic system that depleted the resources of a powerless widow: “she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

His new Way does not permit economic exploitation and opportunism.

This is the same message delivered by our Holy Father.

As People of God, we are called to lives of economic justice, honesty and love. Our lives must have no room for exploiting the sick, the weak or workers. Racism, classism, sexism or any form of domination of people or natural resources is evil.

As I pray over this Gospel I must examine my conscience to discern areas of my life where prejudices blind me to reaching out to the frail, the powerless, the exploited, the mentally ill and addicted, the frightened and the poor.

Do I stand in solidarity with workers struggling with poverty wages? Do I give generously, not just from my surplus, but from my essential resources? Do I respect and love, in my heart, the ones who are different from me in color, in language, in heritage, in income?

These questions are the ones Jesus and Pope Francis want us to ask ourselves. The answers will determine how closely we are walking with Jesus.

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

Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:10-17
Mark 12:35-37

Reflection:

This has been a most difficult week for many of us.  We weren’t even comfortable dealing with a Covid-19 pandemic when now violence, looting, murder, and demonstrations have erupted in our cities and our neighborhoods.  There is a tremendous amount of pent up emotion, prejudice and anger festering in our brothers and sisters, and it is being expressed very loudly.  As I’ve been praying through this 12th chapter of Mark’s gospel, I’m in touch with the anger and hostility the religious leaders had toward Jesus.  His way of life didn’t fit with their vision.  And instead of listening to his message.  It was easier to get rid of him.   Mark lays out three confrontational stories back to back “to catch him in his speech.”   First the Herodians and Pharisees were sent to set a trap him in a cleverly planned situation.  It failed.   Then, the proud Sadducees challenged him, and Jesus corrected their theology, calling these experts, “mistaken.” Third a scribe, recognizing Jesus’ skill approached him with a question of the greatest commandment.   Mark concludes this section with by stating, “And no one had the courage to ask him any more questions.”  That is the line preceding today’s gospel.  And this sets the context for understanding this gospel text.  Now Jesus gets to speak. And those gathered round, having been silenced can do nothing but listen.

Jesus is speaking to a group of people who believe they are the authentic interpreter of scripture, especially the messianic texts.  They also believe that King David was under divine inspiration at the time of writing Psalm 110.   So Jesus uses this knowledge.  Throughout the gospel Jesus doesn’t refer to himself as the messiah.  But it is the mystery for those who believers to ponder.  So is this group willing to ponder the mystery, or to use a phrase from John’s gospel, will they refuse to believe?   Writing about the messiah,  Mark quotes Psalm 110, “The Lord said to my lord….”   In other words the one who is God said to the one who is Messiah,  sit at my right hand…  Thus, how is this Messiah supposed to be David’s son?  So when Jesus asks, “If David himself addresses him as ‘Lord’ in what sense can he be his son”   they couldn’t answer his question.  Nor could they see the messiah when he was staring them in the face.

In all these confrontational encounters Jesus creates something new.  The old categories were too small to hold what was emerging.  And perhaps that is where we are in society today.   For many of us the world has become smaller as it has become more global.  International exchange happens instantaneously.  A murder in Minnesota leads to demonstrations in Europe and Japan.   Something different is emerging.  For many people of the earth, the old categories are too small.  Personally, I don’t believe we can solve our conflictual challenges merely with human achievements or politics.  I think human beings on their own accord are too selfish.  I believe we can get there only if and when we allow Jesus to stretch us which requires faith and trust in the person of Jesus.

Our Universal Church celebrates this day the feast of Boniface, a great Missionary in Europe who was instrumental in reorganizing the church in Germany and the Frankish kingdom. Living in the eighth century as a Benedictine monk, he was sent to preach the Gospel in Germany, earning the title “Apostle of Germany.” His respect earned him greater responsibility as he was named Abbot and eventually Archbishop by Pope Zachary.  As I read about his life, his ability to convert great numbers amidst tremendous civil chaos, it parallels our world this week. I ask, did he bring about a utopia?   No, he brought people to Christ, and not everyone believed.   He died as a martyr when a group of barbarous pagans interrupted the confirmation of a group of neophytes.  It wasn’t a storybook ending.  Boniface was person living in a conflictual society and devoutly focused on Christ.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the local superior of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.