Claire Smith

Scripture:

1 Kings 21:1-16
Matthew 5:38-42

Reflection:

…but I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil…

How are we to interpret these words?  Are we called to be doormats, to be used and abused by others?  Offer no resistance!, how is that a healthy way to live?

I think of the phrase that was often heard within groups of kids on the playground ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me’.  The playground was often our ‘school of life’, it is where we learned how to be together, to get along, to discover and nuance the rules of the games we played so that they could be played no matter how few or many of us there were.  The playground was where we learned to build and maintain relationships.  Sometimes there would be arguments and disagreements, sometimes among the boys (at least it seemed more so with the boys than girls) there would be pushing and shoving and maybe even (simple) fights, but when the fight was over, the friendship was still there, sometimes with a little more respect.

But words, words are different, words cut to the quick, words can cause us to second guess ourselves, tap into our insecurities and even our self-worth.  Sometimes when we are attacked with words, we can’t think quick enough to respond.  Words can be violent and can lead to more violence.  Words can tap into the ‘Jezebel’ within each of us!

I don’t think we are called to be ‘thick skinned’ and let words bounce off us, rather I think we are called to let the words touch us and discover what is being triggered within us.  The ‘sticks and stones’ refrain perhaps was intended to slow us down, to pause and walk away, so we wouldn’t ‘react’ with similar mean and angry words.  But when we walk away, we need to acknowledge and feel the hurt and the sting of the words, ask God to help us notice what is really going on within us, remember that we are loved by God, and together with God, we can respond rather than react.

Non-violent communication would say we need to pause and discover and acknowledge what we are feeling and then discover and acknowledge what we need in the moment as a result of those feelings.

St. John of the Cross would remind us that we need to name the hurt, and claim the hurt, so God can help us tame or transform the hurt.

Jesus says, offer no resistance stand in the tension and call on me to help you respond.

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

Feast of Corpus Christi

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
John 6:51-58

Reflection:

Dear Friends, today we are celebrating a wonderful feast along with the whole community of the Church, the feast of Corpus Christi.  For some, this feast is an occasion to declare and defend a great belief in our Catholic faith, namely, the true presence of Jesus in the holy Eucharist, body and blood, soul and divinity, the “great mystery of our faith.”  And so it is.  And sad to say there are many who do not realize or even embrace what this great mystery means to us all.

But we also have another opportunity presented to us on this very wonderful feast of Corpus Christi.  It was none other than St. Thomas Aquinas himself who petitioned Pope Urban to make the feast of Corpus Christi a universal day of celebration.  He believed that we needed to unite as a truly “catholic” community of believers and celebrate, rejoice in the beauty and wonder of this great gift from God.  The feast of Corpus Christi is an opportunity for us all to be amazed at the wonders that God does for us.  We remember the night before Jesus died; we remember his last words to us as he said, “Do this in memory of me.”

And why is this feast so special?  Why should we rejoice as a people so loved by God to receive such a great gift?  Every time we gather around the table of the Lord not only do we receive the Bread of Life but we are also made one in him whom we receive.  In other words, as we receive Christ in the Eucharist, we are made one with him and are united as one body with each other.  And so we sing so joyfully:  “One bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless.  And we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.  Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more.”

Today our world is so divided.  There is dissension in every place.  It seems we are lost and do not know how to find that center once again that makes us one, one people, one human family that chooses to love over all else.  In place of love we seek power, wealth, and domination, as if this could possibly make us great!  The gift of Corpus Christi is the wonderful reminder that we will only be united once again when we choose love, the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated so totally when he gathered his disciples at the final meal, the final seder supper, before he poured out his life for us on the Cross.  Corpus Christi reminds us of that moment and challenges us to go forth and do the same thing that Jesus did: to go to the cross with forgiveness, mercy, and love in our hearts.  Let’s celebrate this great day and let’s try to do for one another what Jesus did so completely for us!

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

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.