Claire Smith

Scripture:

Joel 2:12-18
2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection:

You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people’s sins, to bring them to repentance, and you spare them, for you are the Lord our God. -Wisdom 11:24, 25, 27

And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.…and your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. -Matthew 6:6,18

Today we begin our Lenten journey. The words quoted above from the Book of Wisdom are taken from the introductory rites for Ash Wednesday. In a sense, they encapsulate all of Lent. We are called to return to the Lord. He is ready and willing to take us back into His care. We only need to repent, to turn our thinking back to what is right and real. If God truly despises nothing He has made, aren’t we called to do the same? There is a story told of Jesus walking along the streets of Jerusalem with His disciples. They turn a corner and there, lying on the side of the road is a dead, decaying dog. The disciples recoil in horror and disgust. One thing to remember is that in Jesus‘s time dogs were, in general, considered unclean and to be avoided, not looked upon fondly as pets, as we do today. So we have the disciples trying to avoid what they perceive as something that will contaminate them, both physically and spiritually. But Jesus leans in, looking carefully. His followers implore him, “Come away, Lord.” But Jesus just looks all the more closely and says, “Look how beautifully white the teeth are.”

And so it is with God our Father. We tend to look at the world and see only its sorrows, it’s troubles, and difficulties. But God sees what is good amid all these tribulations and calls us to see with Him. He truly sees what is hidden and secret. During Lent we are called to look with the eyes of God. Can we see beyond the surface? Can we look for and find what has been called, “collateral beauty,“ in our lives and the world around us?

My prayer today and for all of Lent is that we look with the eyes of God at our lives and allow ourselves to be called back to His side.

Talib Huff is a retired teacher and a member of the retreat team at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California. You may contact him at [email protected].

Scripture:

Sirach 35:1-12
Mark 10:28-31

Reflection:

Following Jesus…Really!

Today’s Gospel selection flows from yesterday’s Gospel wherein the evangelist Mark relates the touching saga of a rich young man who runs after Jesus, kneels before Him and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus looked at him with love and reminded him of the Commandments and the need to be free from all attachments, even worldly goods, and then follow Him.  The young man went away sad for he had many possessions. 

Jesus then challenged his disciples by commenting how hard it is for those with wealth to enter the Kingdom of God.  He also encouraged them:  “All things are possible for God”…even camels moving through the eye of a needle…

Then Peter questions Jesus and takes the idea a step further, speaking for so many of us:  what about us, we’ve left everything??  Jesus states that we’ll receive “a hundredfold” of good things – and some persecution, and eternal life in the age to come.  Great!!  But…huh?…really??

Following Jesus as 21^st Century disciples means following His very Life.  As countless spiritual authors have reflected, that means letting Jesus’ life become our way of life, which includes a litany of transformative virtues:  sensitivity, celebration, compassion, openness, willingness, determination, generosity, prayerfulness, selflessness, sacrifice…yes, unconditional love.

The great season of renewal called “Lent 2025” starts tomorrow, and today’s Gospel helps prime the pump for a possible approach to our Lenten “metanoia” or change of heart.  Jesus invites us to ponder His life, to follow Him, to help our sisters and brothers worldwide experience God’s love for them in their every blessing and need. 

May Jesus look at each of us with love and share with us His encouragement to “do the impossible”:  to freely and lovingly join Him in lives of selfless love and service.  May we be blessed these days…and every day, both on earth and –with God’s loving help – in heaven!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

Sirach 17:20-24
Mark 10:17-27

Reflection:

Today, we are privileged to hear a gospel that many believe has inspired ordinary folk, saints and founders throughout history to take radical action for the sake of Jesus Christ.

The challenge that Jesus puts to the young man has been one willingly accepted by founders and the like as they have begun new movements; it has been embraced wholeheartedly by women and men who have sought to go to greater depth in their spiritual life, and it has inspired many in their outreach and action for social justice. The call of Jesus has inspired courage, creativity and lifelong perseverance as people set out to respond to Jesus rather than walk away from his challenge, as does the young man in today’s gospel.

Perhaps we have to savour the young man’s story—it reveals much about spiritual yearning and how our inner world often expresses itself to us or others in our public choices.

Let us first notice that the young man ‘runs’ up to Jesus. His question and his verbal responses to Jesus are admirable but let us linger for a moment on this issue of ‘running’.

The act of running reveals a certain level of enthusiasm and excitement, and this is noteworthy and something we can imitate in our spiritual journey—to seek Jesus with enthusiasm, and joyful, open hearts.

However, it is too much of a stretch to say that running can also be seen as the outward expression of the inner desire for ‘the more’. The desire for ‘more’ can be a significant moment in spiritual life and one that God so often uses to fill our hearts – not with goods and other achievements – but with grace and love. A desire for ‘more’ in spiritual life can be a way into growth and nourishment for our relationship with God and an invitation to greater intimacy and love.

Of course, a desire for ‘more’ can easily be captured by needs and become a quest for power, prestige, position, or privilege, leading us away from God and our true selves rather than towards God.

But to return to the young man, Jesus admires him, nay ‘loves him’, for what he sees in him. This love spills over into what we hear as a challenge to let go and to give over, but let us hear the words that preface the challenge  – You are lacking in one thing.

Jesus’s challenge is not so much a test of willingness or generosity as an offer of a gift.

Jesus sees the void in this man’s heart, which gives rise to his desire. His desire to seek ‘more’ or a greater depth of spiritual well-being and life is a good and valuable movement.

Jesus’ challenge seeks to fill this void, but sadly, the young man cannot see this; or if he does, he cannot act on it. Perhaps his heart has already been turned; he is focused on things that might seem to satisfy him rather than the one person who might fulfil his life’s dreams.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

Scripture:

Sirach 27:4-7
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45

Reflection:

Has anyone ever told you the story about when an airplane is in trouble, each passenger is instructed to put on their own oxygen mask first before they help others put on their masks? When a friend or family member has told me this story, they were gently reminding me that I needed to take care of myself first, before I can care for someone else.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us two parables about our responsibility for caring for ourselves in our spiritual lives:

Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher. -Luke 6: 39-40

In the early 1980’s a close family member entered treatment for alcoholism after an intervention by members of our family. Thus began a 40 plus years journey in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous for her, and Alanon for me. I learned about the disease of alcoholism and the disease of codependency. In both cases, we do not take care of ourselves. In codependence, we become outwardly focused, blind to our own needs for the sake of others, often with an air of superiority or feelings of martyrdom. We do not see clearly, and our relationships with God and others suffer. We can descend into manipulation, judgment, and despair.

And Jesus addresses this blindness in another parable in today’s Gospel:

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. -Luke 6:41-42

How do we care for our spiritual lives? Lent begins this week, and once again we are called to the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and giving alms. Each Lenten season is another opportunity to creatively use these three tools to heal our blind spots and see our lives as disciples of Jesus more clearly.

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She serves on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan. Patty is currently a member of the Laudato Si’ Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

Sirach 17:1-15
Mark 10:13-16

Reflection:

Today’s readings could seem to be a paradox, which is a self-contradictory statement or situation.

The book of Sirach, sometimes called Ecclesiasticus, is part of the wisdom tradition in the Catholic bible. Ben Sira, a Jewish scribe, loved the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. In his manuscript, written in the second century BC, he writes about the individual, family and community, and their relationship with one another and with God.

In the first reading, Ben Sira reflects on the abundant gifts that humans received from God plus their responsibility to avoid evil and remember that God’s eyes are ever watching. If the gifts in this reading sound familiar, the early Christian church identifies them among the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, fear of God, counsel, understanding, and knowledge of the Spirit.

Jesus, in Mark’s Gospel, is surrounded by the little children. Imagine this scene for a moment. Jesus resting on a seat and children surrounding him, laughing, dancing, everyone talking at the same time, giving him hugs, some even sitting on his lap. The disciples, trying to protect these few moments of rest for Jesus, attempt to send the children away. His message to the disciples is harsh: let the children come to me because whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.

So, Ben Sira speaks of how we must live as adults, but Jesus says we must be childlike if we are to enter heaven. While this seems to be a paradox or contradiction, both characteristics can exist together. God expects us to be good stewards of the gifts we received in our creation. If we conduct ourselves as adults while acting humbly, remaining teachable and trusting in God, then we have accepted the Kingdom of God like a child.

Mike Owens is coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Sirach 6:5-17
Mark 10:1-12

Reflection:

During my time serving in parish ministry as a pastoral associate, one of my treasured experiences would be the opportunity to prepare couples for their marriage.  Every couple brought a different story of how they came to meet each other and the ups and downs which led to their coming to the parish to ask for a Catholic wedding.  One of the things I would always stress was the importance for each of us to respect and trust one another.  Each relationship whether it is a life-long friendship, an occasional connection between persons, male or female must be based on a basic sense of trust and respect, but most of all be grounded in the model of Jesus.

Dr Robert Wicks is a clinical psychologist, spiritual director, author writes about the intersection of spirituality and psychology.  He spoke at a conference I attended many years ago.  Dr Wicks focused on the importance of making the ‘imago dei’ central to our growth as spiritual beings. Imago Dei is a Latin phrase that means “image of God”.  The phrase is used to describe the unique relationship between God and humans. It also means that humans should treat each other with dignity and respect, as they are all created in the image of God.

Relationships, however long or short, sacramental or secular do not just suddenly go awry for no reason.  When divorce happens between a couple, it is most often because one partner has strayed from the model of love and respect that Jesus modeled for us.  When friends or siblings fall out of touch it can often mean they have lost the focus Jesus calls us to as well.  In the book of Sirach we are reminded that a faithful friend is a life-saving remedy. I remember as I was growing up, I would get frustrated with friends who seemed to be what used to be referred to as a ‘fair weather friend’. Those people who didn’t seem to take our friendship as seriously as I felt it should be.  I wanted to wash my hands of that person and move on, deciding I didn’t need friends!  My mother would chide me and say how everyone needs a friend, just keep looking!  She was so right! My life ROCKS because of my friendships!

It’s very easy to focus only on our lives, our interests, our needs and fail to take the time to recognize the ‘imago Dei’ in those persons who surround us crying for our attention.  We live in a world where strife and conflict make front page news all the time!  I was reminded recently that all of creation is a reflection of the glory and wonder of God.  Jesus calls us to be that faithful friend, that imago Dei that can change our world into a nicer place to live and love. To have a friend is to be a friend. Blessings!

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