Claire Smith

Scripture:

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

Today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark inspires me when I pack for a trip, even a weekend trip to visit family a hundred miles away.

What do I need to bring? What can I buy there? What will my hosts provide?

Jesus is straight forward: keep it simple.

But putting myself in this Gospel scene, I still have questions about this call to simple living. I wonder why he wants me to take the means of travel (staff, sandals), but not the sustenance (shelter, bread, money, wallet and extra clothes).

What’s his point?

Perhaps he’s telling me, “Quit being so self-sufficient! I’m trying to teach you that together we…you, me, our fellow believers… have a mission in life and I don’t want you getting caught up in thinking you’re going to do it all on your own. Get it?”

I don’t get it right away.

Living in affluent America…where we are taught from youth to make our own way, be financially successful, and to look down on those who are lazy or dependent on others to take care of them…it is foreign and uncomfortable to accept what Jesus is telling his apostles.

But the reason for his instructions is to free us from our enslavements to money, possessions, status, power. If we devote our lives to these false gods, we will be forever enslaved by them. Jesus wants us to focus on his mission: healing and resisting evil (casting out demons) in all its forms. This is an enslavement to God’s will, but, ironically, an enslavement that is liberating.

Under God’s protection, devoting ourselves to seeking God’s will for each of us, we are free from all distress and anxiety. God’s grace, God’s presence, God’s providence is there when we need it.

In our illnesses, loneliness, grief, in our consoling and comforting others, in speaking truth to one another, in resisting the forces that threaten life, we are carrying out our missionary duties.

God will provide the sustenance (shelter, bread, money, wallet and extra clothes). More importantly, God will provide the map to live each day in God’s company.

So, live simply and be fearless on your journey.

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 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Mark 6:1-6

Reflection:

If you’ve been following the daily readings over the last couple of weeks, the readings from the Old Testament have immersed us into the life of the great king, David.    Amidst the greatness of his name and the lore that surrounds him, the church in her wisdom does not eliminate the readings which some may find dishonorable.  In fact, none of the hero’s in the Old Testament are models of perfection.  They are represented with all their foibles, flaws, failings and faults.    I think we all can learn a lesson from this.

First, if these significant people have such noteworthy deficiencies, then it ought to give us encouragement for God’s expectations for us are not our understanding of perfection.  If God does not hold the faults of the like of David, Solomon, and Moses, then it is unreasonable that God would hold us to a higher standard.   I think what makes David great in the eyes of the Lord is not the city he built, or his attempt to keep the Northern and Southern kingdoms united, but rather the texts that are also included which show his remorse, and his desire and quest to be reunited with the Joy of the Lord.

So much of Spirituality is the wrestling with being in between.  We are less than the gods yet more than the beasts—yet we are somehow both.   We are not everything, but we certainly are more than nothing.  Again, we are somewhere in between.  How does a person find meaning between the paradoxes of extremes?  A spiritual path doesn’t start by blaming others.  If you have ever met a person who has gotten stuck in the blaming game, how can you help them move beyond merely blaming others?   I think the spiritual challenge follows three unique steps:  First a person needs to see, then they need to come to an understanding and lastly, they find a place of acceptance.

Just like the Old Testament includes David’s sin, so too it includes his recompense.  Today’s reading from 2 Samuel finds David in a stage of understanding and having to choose consequences.   Even more profound is Psalm 51.  Reading it you’ll begin to see David’s remorse, and his inability to fix the situation on his own accord.    This if far different than the mind of the rugged individualist who simply says, you need to try harder or work harder.    It is more about seeing one’s imperfections and inviting God’s grace to transform them.  Which is the wisdom Paul receives when God suggests to Paul to trust his weakness,  “My grace is enough for you,  for in weakness power reaches perfection.” (2 Cor 12:9)

Dealing with imperfections, and failures is difficult.  Years ago, when I was in my studies of theology, I remember a quote from a speech Francis Vincent, the MLB commissioner gave.  He stated:

Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure.    We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often.  I also find it fascinating that baseball alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of its rigorous truth.

The frustration Jesus experiences in his hometown is their limited ability to see the mercy of God.  They can’t see beyond his membership in the village of Nazareth.   And this is their error.   Many of us may have the same kind of thinking when we think we have to fix whatever problems and challenges are in our life.  Perhaps the best spiritual practice we can partake in this day is to first acknowledge whatever breakdown, insecurity, failure, error, mistake, or mess is in our life.  And without having to attempt to fix it, if we first allow God’s mercy to touch it.   Remember what Paul was told,  “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.”

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

Scripture:

2 Samuel 18:9 – 19:3
Mark 5:21-43

Reflection:

 Today’s Scriptures challenge us to ponder anew the depths of relationship among family members.  It’s so natural that parents are concerned about their children, that we even see relative “strangers” as brothers and sisters in our human family.

Our reading from Second Samuel helps us appreciate David’s deep love for his son, Absalom – even though Absalom wanted to forcefully take the kingly throne from his father David.  Word of Absalom’s death at the hand of Joab while attempting to kill his father brought copious, tear-filled mourning to David.  He saw Absalom as his son, not his enemy; he even prayed “…if only I had died instead of you, Absalom my son.”

The Gospel selection from Mark shares the story of the synagogue official, Jairus, pleading with Jesus to come and cure his dying daughter.  En route to the official’s home, Jesus is approached by a woman afflicted with long-standing hemorrhages; she touches his cloak, seeking a cure which she then received!  Jesus addresses her:  “…daughter, your faith has saved you.”  Upon arriving at Jairus’ house, Jesus enters and with a word restores the twelve-year-old daughter to full health.  In both cases, Jairus and Jesus’ love for family bring about health and life.

Truly we are members of God’s family, loved totally, unconditionally.  In Jesus, God is our all-loving Father/Mother/Parent – looking upon us with even greater tenderness and concern that is shown in the stories of David, Jairus, and the woman cited in Mark’s Gospel.  God loves us as family, is patient with us, so thoughtful, and always acting on our behalf (even in our sinfulness!).  Amazing!

Food for thought this 4^th Week of the Church Year:  How receptive are we God’s special love?  How grateful are we?  How do we share God’s love?  God’s love gives life and gladdens our soul; may we reflect that life and joy in our every thought, word, and deed!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community in Chicago, Illinois. 

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

Reflection:

In the world of Joseph and Mary, apart from adhering to the circumcising ceremony and undertaking the offering special thanks for a firstborn, parents also attended to certain purification rituals in the Temple itself.

However ancient tradition also stressed that a firstborn might be offered to the Lord for the service of the Lord, and thus today we witness Joseph and Mary presenting Jesus to God and ritualising this by their simple offering of a pair of turtle doves or pigeons.

But Luke shifts our attention swiftly away from the rituals and traditions and instead focuses us on two older and faithful people – Simeon and Anna. Both are deeply devoted to God and spend their days within the Temple precinct and in the service of God.

But perhaps Luke means for us to notice them more closely. Certainly, they point the way towards Jesus and the meaning of his life and mission to come. So in that sense, they are prophet-like in their stance. But are we meant to see more?

In highlighting them and their role is not Luke also showing us various dimensions of the Christian life that are as relevant to us today as throughout history?

I highlight three possible reflections we might take from this gospel today on this Feast of the Presentation.

Firstly, I wonder if Luke, through the characters of Anna and Simeon is indeed showing us the power of hope in a person’s life.

Secondly, is he not showing us that faithful longing and steadfast service will lead us eventually into the very presence of Jesus the Christ?

Thirdly, in that they are introduced to persons who spend their days in the Temple precinct perhaps they are meant to model for us faith in our advancing years. It can remain a steady and effective witness to others and is not a weakened force even if our physical capacity is reduced.

Perhaps in this way, we shall respond to the challenge of the prophet Malachy, who asks “But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?”

Let us resolve to be among those who have endured and witnessed faithfully throughout a life well-lived. We do this so that others around us may see more clearly the Lord when he manifests himself to them at unexpected times.  In that so often people reach out to Jesus in their pain and confusion, they will have our witness as a beacon casting light for them so that they may truly see the Lord when he comes to them.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

Scripture:

2 Samuel 12:1-7, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

The readings for today confront us with a fundamental and perhaps uncomfortable conviction of our Christian faith—the need for repentance.  The first reading for today recounts the famous encounter of the prophet Nathan with King David.  The Bible loves David, idealizing him as the creator of the Psalms, as a handsome and engaging personality, as a brave (remember Goliath?) and shrewd soldier.  But the Scriptures refuse to portray David as blameless.  In fact, as this story today reminds us, David failed miserably, allowing his lust for Bathsheba to lead him to plot the murder of her husband Uriah.

It is this violent sin that leads the prophet to confront the king.  Nathan tells the story of a poor man who had nothing to console him but a little lamb that he had raised.  But a powerful rich man blithely steals the lamb to serve a meal to a visitor, devastating the poor man.  When David hears this story he is filled with indignation: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this merits death!”  And then the prophet lowers the boom and declares to David, “You are the man!”

Realizing his sin, David confesses his guilt: “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Although David has taken the life of Uriah, Nathan assures him that God is forgiving.  Yet even so, the damage that David has done to Uriah and to his marriage lingers.  And for that, David did penance.

The psalm response is taken from Psalm 51, recited every Friday in the church’s morning prayer.  It, too, is a prayer of repentance, asking God’s forgiveness.  “Create a clean heart in me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

The gospel selection for today seems, at first, to go in a different direction.  It is the haunting account of the storm at sea from Mark’s Gospel.  While Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat, the disciples fear for their lives engulfed in a raging storm.  They awake him, accusing him of neglecting them at a time of distress: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  In a demonstration of his overwhelming power and authority, Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the sea—a power reserved to God alone in the Bible. “Why are you terrified?” Jesus asks, “Do you not yet have faith?”

Yet there is a connection with the theme of repentance.  Our faith does not leave us crushed with guilt for our own sins or discouraged by so much failure and violence in the world around us that we despair of our future.  For us, too, it may seem that God’s presence is missing.  But this gospel scene reassures us of God’s loving and compassionate presence even in the midst of the storms that threaten to overwhelm us.

Today’s reminder about the need for repentance is grounded in the reality of our lives—we do fail and sometimes seriously so.  The celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation lays out the components of true repentance.  We are urged to admit our failings and to ask forgiveness. We do “penance” to rectify the harm we have done. We are also urged to have “a firm purpose of amendment”—that is, to ask God for the strength to change our ways and to renew our life.  But the last word is always “absolution”—the assurance of God’s unlimited forgiveness.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

It is the smallest of all seeds, and becomes the largest of plants. Mark 4:32

Happy Friday in the 3rd Week of Ordinary Time!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to seeds, scattered and grown.  “If a man were to scatter seed on the land, the seed would sprout and grow, yet he knows not how.  It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants.”  (Mark 4:26-27, 30-32a)

Do we see the Kingdom of God today in our own lives?  It seems all too easy to lose sight of the vision of God’s kingdom. We see violence in our world and among political factions.  Strife and clamorous discord loom over our communities, parishes, and families.  People seem to be more polarized and less tolerant than ever.  Maybe our own vision has eluded us and we have become discouraged.  Maybe our vision for our lives, our relationships, and our world has become tarnished and clouded. Still, the promise remains that the vision Jesus paints of God’s kingdom will grow and flourish.

I remember, when I was a little boy, watching how the plants in our back-yard “farm” would get just a little bit bigger every day. My mother cared for the chickens, ducks, geese, and the other little animals, while my father, who, as a farmer with his father after he emigrated from Italy in the late 1930s, would tend to the plants and trees.

We had trees of oranges, apples, cherries, walnuts, persimmons, apricots, peaches – and grape-vines, basil, rosemary, lettuce, all kinds of vegetables. But what was really amazing was his radicchio.

He said the original seeds came with him on “the boat” from Italy, and he’d been growing plants which originated from those same seeds for, at that point, the better part of 40 years. Every season he would tend and water these plants with so much care and delight. Most of them would get eaten pretty quickly (I can still taste the way he made a salad), but a few he would let “go to seed” so he could remove, dry, and rest the pods for the next year. It always amazed me how many seeds would come from those plants… how many would grow from the gift of just one head of radicchio!

Well, guess what?  We all plant seeds.  Every moment.  You never know how something you say or do will affect someone.  The words coming out of our mouths can either hurt or heal.  The actions we take and the steps we make can leave such a wonderful impression – or a poor one.  Things we say and do have the potential to do great good, or great damage.  And in turn, like plants that go to seed, the effects of what we do can spread far and wide, and become food for so many.  It’s an amazing and scary thing to think…

Is this not the growing of the Kingdom of God in our world today?  Are these not all seeds you and I plant on behalf of God?

So — What has blossomed in you as a result of seeds someone planted?
What seeds have you planted?
What seeds do you wish you had never planted?

Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of life growing in us and all around us.
Grant us the grace to carefully plant good seed of your most amazing love
in everything we do.
Through Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
Mark 4:21-25

Reflection:

In John’s gospel, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  Then in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)  Which is it?

Both.  Jesus is like a candle giving light.  And we are like mirrors that reflect that light.  And the closer we get to Jesus, the source of light, the greater will be our reflection of his light.

That means the closer we get to Jesus, the deeper is our commitment to the Father’s will.  That means we stand up for truth, work for justice, and strive for peace.  That means we show hospitality, express compassion, and reach out to the poor and lonely.  That means we are forgiving and understanding.  That means that we do not tear down people, but rather build them up.  That means we love without counting the cost.  Like Jesus.

One evening the English essayist and author, John Ruskin, watched a lamplighter move slowly on a distant hill.  He was lighting lamps along the street.  When Ruskin noticed the trail of light that the lamplighter left behind, he commented to a friend, “There is what I mean by being a real Christian.  You can trace his course by the light he leaves burning.”

Let’s all sing out today, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/.