Claire Smith

Scripture:

Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17
Mark 7:14-23

Reflection:

Today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis is a wonderful reminder of how good God has been to mankind from the beginning of creation and how abundantly he has blessed all generations.  God created the earth.  Then he created mankind and gave him the “various trees that were delightful to look at and good for food with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.  “God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.”

In the Gospel, Jesus said to the crowd, “Hear me all of you and understand.  Nothing that enters one from the outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”  There was nothing in God’s awesome creation that compelled Adam or Eve to disobey God’s first command.  Adam did not cause Eve to sin, nor did Eve cause Adam to sin.  The apple tree did not cause either of them to sin.  The apple did not cause them to sin.  Even the serpent did not cause them to sin.  Each of these “good” things that God had created were placed in the garden for their pleasure and enjoyment. 

So, what happened?  Genesis also informs us that “God created man in his own image, in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.”  Included in that divine image was God’s gift of free will.  Obviously, God, by definition, has his own free will.  How generous and loving was our God to share that special treasure with mankind?  Every person, ever born or to be born, has been blessed with free will out of the infinite goodness of the creator.  It was Adam’s and Eve’s own pride and greed that caused the sin.  They had used their God-given free will to disobey God’s mandate not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This act of disobedience obviously came from “within”.  Mankind has fallen in and out of a sinful state by abuse of the wonderful gift of free will ever since the first sin in the Garden of Eden.        

Could Jesus’ gospel message be any clearer?  Let us not blame our husbands, our wives, our brothers, our mothers, our fathers, our best friends, our neighbors, our dogs, the ads on TV, the internet, the government, or even the Church, etc., for our sinful ways.  These are all good things that God has given us to aid us through our journey of life.  It is the bad behaviors that we have acquired through our human weakness that cause us to sin.  Those behaviors come from within.  Keep in mind that no one has ever been born with a predisposition toward hatred, prejudice, greed, pride, impatience, maliciousness, etc.  These are all behaviors that are learned as we grow into our lives and begin to be influenced by the society in which we live.  This is why Jesus reminds us that nothing that enters one from the outside can defile a person.  It is our own lack of good judgment and learned bad behaviors that “come out from within that defile.” 

Let us pray that we continue to appreciate, cherish and relish the abundant “good” gifts that God has placed at our disposal throughout our lives and that we become more attentive to the learned attitudes and behaviors that, if not carefully controlled, escape via our actions and words to defile some piece of God’s “good” creation resulting in our own sin.  We have been blessed with free will to make those decisions.

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Genesis 1:20 – 2:4a
Mark 7:1-13

Reflection:

Genesis 1: Curtain-Raiser to the Drama of Salvation History

With the sweep of near poetic language, Genesis 1 introduces the major themes that will be developed throughout the rest of Scripture — themes like creation, order, humankind’s purpose, rebellion, sin forgiveness.

The overriding theme of Genesis is God’s eternal existence and his creation of the world.

God created the cosmos, the earth, and every living being. Genesis 1 implicitly raises the existential questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How, therefore, shall I live? Genesis 1, in other words, is the curtain-raiser to the drama of salvation history.

Pope Francis caught the profound essence of Genesis 1 when he issued his encyclical, Laudato Si’, in May 2015. Laudato Si’ is addressed to “every living person on this planet,” and calls for a global dialogue about how we are called to shape the future of Planet Earth, and all who inhabit this world.

The first words of the encyclical, Laudato Si’, are Latin for “Praise be to you.” They are part of a quotation from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures.”

The pope asks the question: What is happening to our common home? Marshaling current scientific findings on the environment, Pope Francis calls us to listen to the cry of creation, “to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering, and thus to discover what each of us can do about it.”

Laudato Si’ is sounding the alarm that the crisis we face today is an environmental crisis, an economic crisis, and a social crisis. A clear nexus exists among these crises. Human activity is harming both the environment and human well-being, especially when it comes to the poor.

We are called to respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor with an “integral ecology, which clearly respects its human and social dimensions.

Genesis 1 tells us that God created all things and declared them good. All things are good to the extent that they exist because God, the essence of good, created them. God created humankind, male and female, in God’s image, the imago dei, and said this is very good. Where lie the answers to the questions, who am I? Why am I here? How therefore shall I live? In Genesis 1. By virtue of our imago dei, we hold a special place in creation, and a special obligation. We are to treat all human beings — indeed, all creation — with dignity and respect. Laudato Si’ adds specificity to Genesis 1 for our times and circumstances.

I have no doubt but that Laudato Si’ will come to be known as Pope Francis’ defining, signature encyclical of his papacy. Laudato Si’ has given us fresh and much needed insight into Genesis 1. Indeed, this bracing encyclical has entered the great stream of Salvation history. At this moment in our history this is much needed Good News.

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

Scripture:

Genesis 1:1-19
Mark 6:53-56

Reflection:

This world exists because God’s love could not be contained even by God, and so it burst forth and poured out in creative action. Although neither we nor the created world are God per se, God’s love is the source and sustainer behind, within, through and around it all. I’ve often told my kids that when I’m sick or dying, they must find a way to get me outside. It’s profoundly healing to me to breathe fresh air, see blue sky, touch a leaf, inhale the fragrance of flowers, feel the caress of a breeze on my face, and soak in the sunshine. At night, I long to see the moon and stars and be enfolded in the still, quiet envelope of dark. Even in winter, I revel in the crunch of snow beneath my feet, and I appreciate the naked tree branches that witness my life, teach me to let go, and so often bend in the wind without breaking.

Perhaps it’s merely a reflection of the rural Iowa environment where I was raised, but I don’t think so. It seems that at a deep level, every human being senses a connection and attraction to the natural world. Just as God often uses people to speak to us, God’s love, healing, wisdom, and power is mediated through the things God created, provided we take the time to sit with them and let God speak to our hearts through them.

Unfortunately, as we immerse ourselves in nature and the expansive generosity of creation, we also see the wounds we humans inflict – on each other, on other living beings, and on the earth with which we were entrusted. We see how far we fall short of our responsibility to love one another as God loves us, to be healers as Jesus was, and to be faithful stewards of the world we were given. Especially in our current national and global milieu, these are serious challenges.

How can we let God’s love within us grow so strong that we can’t contain it and it must burst forth in creative action? How can we diligently care for the natural world to which we are so connected? How can we just as diligently care for each person on this earth, knowing that they, too, are a part of us, equally beloved of God and created by God?

This week, I pray to rely on God’s guidance and strength rather than my own, because the issues are bigger than just me. I pray that I can allow God to form and transform my thinking, attitudes, and lifestyle choices. Backed by this prayer, I will choose steps that I can take in the next month, no matter how small, to get closer to the ideal God seeks.

And because the issues are bigger than just me, I ask you to do the same. Even the smallest individual actions, when joined with hundreds or thousands of others, make a meaningful difference. How can you change? What can you do? Complacency is not an option. Together, as members of the one God, let’s act and commit ourselves to change.

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:

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

Reflection:

Here I am Lord; Send Me

God’s invitations, callings, or vocations give unity to our Sunday readings. Can we look at the familiar in a less familiar way? What might the women in these readings hear? 

How does God speak to me as he does to Isaias? Where and when have my eyes seen the Lord of Hosts? We don’t live a plan given to us to follow; rather, we receive an invitation from our loving God. In our mutual relationship with God, we discover our uniqueness and God’s self-revelation to us. The poem by George Herbert, ‘Love III’, begins, “Love bade me welcome” and despite unworthiness and objections to this welcome, we hear the final words, “…so did I sit and eat.” The gift of love prevails. Who would not respond as does Isaias, “Send me!” Send me to do that errand… to take care of that need so you won’t have to do it…how can I help you?…”. Every woman whose gifts bring order, hope and life to the lives they touch can hear, “sit and eat”. Thank you for all the preparations, now sit with me and find strength and peace.

We know that Jesus and the apostles were accompanied during the ministry in Galilee by the ‘Women of Galilee’. After Luke names the apostles he then names some of the Women. These will be the privileged women who carry the news of the resurrection. We can imagine women among those at the lake listening to Jesus and seeing the miracle of the fish, even hearing Peter’s response to Jesus. The fishermen left their work and income to follow Jesus, some women responded equally. On the shore of the Lake where the village of Magdala stood there is a newly built church named, “Put Out Into the Deep”. Entering the church is a rotunda with eight pillars bearing the names of the Women of Galilee. Of these two are blank,  for the unnamed women, another for the women of today who continue to minister to Jesus in the needs of those around them. The pillars form a circle with life giving baptismal font of the church in the center. How exciting and beautiful to be baptized surrounded by the Women of Galilee!

The Apostles were sent forth to preach and cast out demons. They returned anxious to share their experience with Jesus, and he called them together to rest and reflect. But the women whose vocation, like their love, was spread out and more personal, must have ministered to women who met and heard Jesus on his journey. In the society of that time the men apostles would not have counseled women. No, women shared their experiences and questions with other women. Jesus must have been just as interested and pleased at the personal ministries being done among the Women of Galilee in the midst of many other ordinary things, as he was with the apostles successes.

And Paul today, “I am what I am”, and this by the grace of God. It is Paul who calls out the equality between male and female, who places a new Church in the hands of a woman. Lydia, a wealthy dealer of cloth, who contributes her weaving and business skills to the weaving together of the church in the community of her city of Philippi.

God invites us to a mutual dialogue. We experience God’s self revelation and see our uniqueness before God. Here I am Lord. Thank you for delighting in me.                            

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21
Mark 6:30-34

Reflection:

The Great Commandment…Practically Speaking

Today’s two Scripture selections and the Responsorial Psalm flow together as a lived application of the Great Commandment to “love God…love your neighbor…love yourself”.  And as we’re close to the secular celebration of love highlighted in the ever-popular “Valentine’s Day”, these Scripture passages can be a wake-up call to really let God’s love come alive in us – and in our world.

Our selection from the Letter to the Hebrews is the conclusion of the letter, issuing a call to its readers to “offer God a sacrifice of praise” …to “do his will”…and to give God glory forever and ever.  At a most basic level, we’re encouraged:  Love God!

The writer also encourages the readers to “do good and share what you have”.  Most likely this encouragement flows from the prime example of Jesus and his apostles as related in the Gospel selection from Mark.  The apostles gathered with Jesus to report on their tireless activities in sharing the Good News, and Jesus invited them to go to a deserted place and rest a while…a welcome respite for any busy, hardworking person!  Off in a boat, to a deserted place, a mini retreat…Love yourself!

Eager for healing and the message of mercy and love being offered by Jesus, the crowds continued to pursue them – so much so that their needed rest and apostolic debriefing was put on hold while Jesus’ heart was moved, and He reached out in love for those in need.  These “sheep without a shepherd” were loved…Love your neighbor!

In our 21^st Century world we’re often overwhelmed with vivid stories of mistrust, violence, greed, poverty, discrimination, exclusion – you name it.  The rested, more contemplative spirit encouraged by Jesus helps provide a new and necessary perspective on our Christian faith meeting the needs of today’s world.  The Great Commandment is today’s rally cry, helping us provide a prophetic outreach to our needy brothers and sisters – with the supreme example provided by Jesus Crucified.

So… Take a few moments; step aside from the hoopla and hype of Super Bowl prep, the warm fuzzies of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, the perhaps cold and frosty weather of the Northern Hemisphere.  Join Jesus for a few special moments of peace and perspective in some “out of the way place”.  And, let these moments be a welcome breather, a life-giver – we need God’s love that is offered to us all.  Ah, those reassuring words: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want…He refreshes my soul…He guides me in right paths.”  Yes!  Amen.

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:

Hebrews 13:1-8
Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

“Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”  -Hebrews 13:5-6

I’ve often thought, I missed my vocation. I should have been an architect. I enjoy looking at spaces and imagining how a little tweak here or a change of furniture there would make a more welcoming space.

Is there anything more beautiful than a craftsman/woman working at their art creating useful gifts for themselves and the world about them? I think not! In 1963, shortly after Kennedy was assassinated, I left the small town of St. Paul, Kansas, where I was living in a loving community as a Passionist novice, and headed back to Chicago to reemerge back into the family life of my birth. That family life, while loving and caring had issues like every family, and I hoped that I could flourish and grow there like I had for the past five years living in the Passionist family.

The Passionists had given me a love of learning. With the help of neighbors and family, I was blessed with the gift of being able to continue my education. It was late December though, and it was too late to get into most colleges. the Art Institute of Chicago was offering a course in Interior Design and let me enroll. Among other things, that course gave me an appreciation for good furniture construction, teaching me about mortise and tenon joints as well as the tongue and groove joining of boards. It also introduced me to balance and space.

God, you call each of us to life. You bless us with all that we need. You called me, and with the help of the beautiful people and resources you put in my space, you led me to share the talents and gifts you gave me, bringing me and those around me much joy, love and peace. Help me to recognize the true gifts in my life today, to say yes to them and hopefully, bring a little bit more of your love into our world on earth.

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

In 2002, our archdiocese was in the throes of the clergy sex abuse scandal. In the poorest section of Louisville, where there were once 26 thriving Catholic schools, just one small Catholic school remained. The “White Flight” in the late 1950s and early 1960s saw thousands of white families, including Catholic families, abandon their neighborhoods. In turn, Black families settled the area. By the turn of this century, the solo remaining school was rightly subsidized by the entire archdiocese to serve families who could barely afford food and shelter, let alone tuition for their children’s education.

The chancery pulled the plug on the struggling school that had been a lifeline for families wanting a Catholic education for their children.

At the time I was the pro bono counselor for the school. Unhappy with the decision of the archbishop, several of us Catholics, including the pastor at the inner-city parish with the closed school, decided to intervene. We would have all the students enroll in Catholic schools in wealthier neighborhoods and make sure the children and their families had wrap-around services and transportation for the students to thrive.

The mission was clear, but the money was scarce.

In the next few years, the new organization, Community Catholic Center, struggled to hold together. Parents got frustrated by the pace of the efforts and many students dropped out. Lack of money was a constant threat. At one point, there was $75 in the checkbook and just 7 students remaining.

We refused to give up, feeling called to this task.

Mother Teresa said, “If it is God’s work, the money will be there.” She was correct. With prayers, teamwork, and persistence, Catholics with money rallied to turn things around. In time, the organization stabilized, parents trusted us once again, and word got out about our mission and successes.

Decades later this organization is flourishing. Hundreds of students have received PreK through high school Catholic education. Many have become professionals, entered trades, and are thriving in our community. This was all possible because Catholics with good incomes stepped up to support the mission of lifting up God’s poor.

Today’s Gospel is a model for this kind of mutual support and care. Jesus sends his followers out into the highways and byways to deliver the message of God’s love. They can take with them only what is needed for travel . . . staff and sandals. But they must rely on others for food, money, and additional clothing. These disciples were pilgrims and sojourners, just like us, on the most important mission in the world.

Jesus’ point is that the local faith communities where the disciples were sent would provide the means for the disciples to carry out their work. These families would freely give the food, money, homes for the disciples.

This is the vocation of hospitality, welcoming those sent by God to do God’s work. Jesus put so much emphasis on generosity and openness that he wants his followers to shake the dust from their sandals if someone refuses to be welcoming and magnanimous.

All of our efforts to make our world a place “where it is a little easier for people to be good” (the words of Dorothy Day) rely on the generosity of the broader faith community. The focus of our desire to live the Works of Mercy, whether in organizations, parishes, or individually, requires the financial and moral support of others.

Trusting God to provide for our needs as we do God’s work requires great faith. This faith promises we sleep well at night and live lives of joy. 

Jim Wayne is a member of St Agnes Catholic Community in Louisville, Kentucky, a Passionist parish. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for 28 years, is the author of the award-winning novel, The Unfinished Man, and is a clinical social worker.