Claire Smith

Scripture:

Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Matthew 7:21-29

Reflection:

And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.

As a people of God, we are given specific gifts that we should use for the continuation of God’s kingdom on earth. But, we must “walk the walk”, if we choose to “talk the talk.” Sharing the word of God but not doing His will, using the name of Jesus but not establishing a relationship with the Lord, witnessing our faith experiences in one breath, and hitting a low point in our lives and then doubting God’s existence just won’t cut it with the Lord – we have to be all in.

We need to be in the habit of practicing what we preach, living what we believe, and standing strong in our faith, to be His legacy – His presence in this world, rather than our own. There is a song by a contemporary Christian music group called Casting Crowns that says, “I don’t want to leave a legacy; I don’t care if they remember me – only Jesus.”

We have to realize that our security in this life isn’t a product of what WE have accomplished on this earth because, honestly, without Him, we are nothing. We can be firmly planted in Him – he alone is our rock. And no matter how great your marriage is, how talented your kids are, or how awesome your job is, it isn’t what you made of it on your own, but what God bestowed upon you for your complete joy. He loves us that much.

Patty Masson is the Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Genesis 13:2, 5-18
Matthew 7:6, 12-14

 Reflection:

 The Golden Rule

The coupling of today’s two readings is wonderful… Abraham and Sarah once again acting selflessly, even magnanimously, and Jesus unremitting in his call to holiness and depth in our spiritual journey.

Whenever I ponder this marvelous Gospel of “the Golden Rule” where Jesus also adds, “…enter through the narrow gate,” I am challenged by the holiness of people I know. Perhaps they are young parents who get up in the middle of the night — over and over again — with a newborn child. They are the parents who suspend their own desire for gratification to pay tuition dollars or to purchase a pretty prom dress or a down payment on a used car for their daughter or son. They are the Provincials in religious life who sacrifice their “down time” to telephone someone in their community who simply needs reassurance, or they travel for hours to attend a funeral because their presence is such an encouragement, such gift.

Maybe that’s why the prayer that Mother Teresa had in her room can be such an inspiration for us today; it speaks of Christ-like love. Now that’s a GOLDEN rule!

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66

Reflection:

John the Baptist

“The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel: Lk 1:80

John the Baptist lived in the wilderness. All of nature is a word 0f God to us.  In creation, God reveals Himself to us.  Every word we speak tells of what is inside of us. Every piece of nature reveals the wonders of God.  The Judean desert is awesome.  I can see John grabbing a Grasshopper for a light lunch!  The desert wilderness is no place for the faint of heart!

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” Rom 1:18 

“It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last speck of dust of our planet.” -Pope Francis, Laudato Si 

John heard the voice of God around him.   I am writing this surrounded by Sugar Maple Trees.  The mature tree I am looking at has 140 miles of leaf surface on it!  One square millimeter on a leaf which is a little bigger than a dot on my page contains about 500,000 chloroplasts on it. These are minute little factories producing sugar and other important ingredients for its growth.  I thought Detroit had a lot of factories. God is wonderful in His works!

Today we are growing in appreciating the wonder and beauty of God’s Word to us in the stunning earth!  We are finding each day the incredible wisdom and complexity of God’s creation! “O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?^” Ps 89:5  John the Baptist was formed in the wilderness with an awesome image of the magnificent God!

God finally spoke His most wonderful Word Jesus to him.  No wonder why his first sermon was on which is rather poorly translated as “repent”. Metanoia is the original word in Greek and means a change of heart and mind.  God is bigger and more loving than you could dream!  Open your mind to the startling Good News of Jesus! “The word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. … preaching a baptism of repentance (Metanoia) for the forgiveness of sins; Lk 3:3

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Scripture:

Genesis 14:18-20
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11b-17

Reflection:

Lately, my prayers before Mass have centered on my openness to receiving Jesus into myself. On the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ which we celebrate this Sunday, we call to mind what the Eucharist means to us. To reflect on the Body and Blood of Christ is to remember that Jesus has given us His entire self for our salvation. At Mass, we believe that His sacrifice, made “once for all,” is made present for us.

What is our response to this total gift of Jesus? If we remember that the word “Eucharist” is Greek for “Thanksgiving,” our first response is gratitude. Our second response is giving of ourselves in return. In the context of the Mass, this involves being present to Jesus as we believe He is present to us. We also make ourselves present to each other. When we are not there, something is missing from this sacred celebration.

Giving of ourselves, of course, has also to do with what we do before and after Mass. The gift of Jesus which we share at Mass is a challenge to how we relate to the world in all aspects of our lives. In our Gospel reading (Luke 9:11b-17), when the apostles see that it is getting late and that there is a great crowd to see Jesus, but it is in a deserted place, they come to Jesus with the suggestion that He dismisses the crowds so that they can buy something to eat. To the apostles’ credit, they are aware of the needs of the people. But when Jesus (rather mischievously, I think) replies, “Give them some food yourselves,” you can imagine the look on their faces: “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people. [And surely, Jesus, you don’t mean that, right?)”

Sometimes our hesitancy to give comes from thinking we don’t have anything worthwhile to give. Sometimes we’re afraid to lose what we have if we give. Maybe the apostles had these fears in mind. But in the multiplication of the loaves and fish, Jesus dispels these fears and gives the food to the apostles to give to the crowds. As Jesus has given us His Body and Blood poured out for us, He invites us to trust that He will give us all we need to do what He commands us to do. We need not be afraid to give, no matter how little we think it might be.

And so we’re called to give of ourselves, both materially and spiritually. In our second reading from 1 Corinthians (11:23-26), St. Paul writes: “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you …” He then proceeds to articulate what we believe about Jesus and why we celebrate the Eucharist. In our first reading from Genesis (14:18-20), Abram gives Melchizedek “a tenth of everything,” in response to Melchizedek’s blessing and all that God had done for him.

Receiving the gift of Jesus and giving of ourselves in return leads us to abundant life. Now I know this doesn’t make sense in a worldly way. Often, the wisdom of the world celebrates greed and sees giving as losing. But this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ tells us that the greatest gift of God’s love cannot be taken away from us! Giving what we have been given does not diminish what we have, but helps it to grow! Giving is not lived out in isolated incidents, but as a way of life, in gratitude for the gift of Jesus, we share at Mass.

May we be fed in the Eucharist to help feed others and to share our abundant life in Christ with the world.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.