Claire Smith

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Luke 9:18-22

Reflection:

In our first reading today from Ecclesiastes we hear:

‘There is an appointed time for everything,
And a time for every thing under the heavens.’

We live in a fast-paced society where life just keeps getting busier and busier and there never seems enough time for everything one wants to do or accomplish!  We know in our heads that there will never be enough time because if we had more time we would just fill it up and want more and more……it’s like being on an out of control roller coaster!!

As parish ministers we invite people to take advantage of ways to nurture their faith and focus on God’s time and God’s plan for them.  We offer scripture study, prayer days/nights, daily and weekend liturgies, formation opportunities, etc. Many set aside time for some of these activities and events.  Others will never slow down, stop the clock, smell the flowers, rest in the Lord because they just ‘don’t have the time’ they say!

It’s been my experience over the years that life can be as busy as we allow it to be!  Yes, we have to prioritize and really work at setting time aside as Jesus does in today’s gospel to pray in solitude.  My new mantra has become ‘take time to BE’; smell the flowers, sit around the campfire, plan a ‘mental health’ day or vacation with friends and family.  Now, there are times I do this very well and other times I fail miserably!  I can tell you though, that the ‘BE’ times are becoming more frequent and help me cope with the busy times with renewed energy and purpose.

Today as I reflect on all the ‘times’ found in Ecclesiastes it seems good to just sit with the timeless message it has to offer and savor the gift of solitude and peace it brings.  May the gift of time continue to enrich our bodies, mind and spirit so as to lead us in becoming the person God calls us to BE.

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

Scripture:

Proverbs 30:5-9
Luke 9:1-6

Reflection:

Two years of living among the urban poor in the slums on the outskirts of Manila changed me in ways that still today impact my life, even after nearly 30 years. This squatter community called, ironically, Commonwealth, grew up near one of the major garbage dumps of the city that provided a meager living for those able to scavenge through the refuse. Young children would run to meet the trucks as they turned, jumping up onto the heaping trash to get first dibs.

While this image of absolute poverty is seared into my mind’s eye and heart, the more powerful image I carry is of a community focused on their life’s mission. The lack of running water, sanitation and dependable electricity necessarily focused people on securing the essentials of food and shelter. And they focused on one another because, well, upon whom or what else could they depend? They needed one another.

The abundance and conveniences that I came home to at first jarred me. It even offended me. The extreme sense of community that I experienced among the poorest of the poor was in stark contrast to what I saw as self-sufficiency of my home country. “Who needs others when I can take of myself,” I asked.

When Jesus summoned the Twelve Apostles and sent them out to minister in his name, he said to them, “Take nothing for the journey…. Whatever house you enter, stay there….” Jesus is telling them, you will find what you need out there in the towns and among the people you will meet. Enter into their lives, share in what they have to give to you. You don’t need a second tunic or a walking stick or food or money. These are the things that might make the Apostles feel self-sufficient. Rather, go and find and build community. Isn’t that what he means by the Kingdom of God, to draw all into communion with God?

I do not romanticize poverty, not after what I experienced in the Philippines or what I see in the tough neighborhoods of Chicago. What I do see is how the “things” of our lives can insulate us, separating us from others and inhibiting the building of community. The Kingdom of God begins in the building of community, in knowing we need one another.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:

“Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue,
is chasing a bubble over a deadly snare.”  Proverbs 21

Not long ago Oblate of Mary Immaculate Fr. Ron Rolheiser penned a provocative — even searing — article entitled, “Playing Loose with the Truth.” The author states,­­ “Scripture tells us that Satan is the Prince of Lies and Jesus makes it clear that, among all sins, failure to acknowledge the truth is far and away the most dangerous. We see this motif particularly in the text that warns us that we can commit a sin that’s unforgiveable because it’s a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”

 Today’s first reading from the Book of Proverbs also addresses the issue of truth telling. We are admonished to be careful about what we are doing just now, putting a false spin on something because it is awkward or uncomfortable to accept as true. The danger is that if we continue doing this we may eventually come to believe our own lie. That will be unforgiveable, Rolheiser says, given that we will no longer want to be forgiven, because we will see truth as a lie and a lie as the truth. The sin cannot be forgiven — not because God doesn’t want to forgive it — but because we no longer want to be forgiven.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus gives new definitions to who is my neighbor (Samaritans?) or family (today’s Gospel), always pushing the polls of the tent to be more inclusive: “Who are my mother and brothers? …those who hear the word of God and carry it out.” Today might be a good time to stretch beyond my tribe, my team, my party… and seek truth.

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

Scripture:

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:

Eucharist at Calvary

“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Last week I had one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I received the great privilege of saying Mass on the Rock of Calvary! It was on the the site of the 11th station where Jesus was traditionally nailed to the Cross.

This wonderful place is the most valuable piece of land in the whole Cosmos! Here took place the greatest miracle of miracles of God’s love for the world! At this place the Creator of all gave His only Son to suffer and die for us and as one of us in His human nature!

Not only was this an awesome historical place but the wonder of this event is present in real eternal time in the Eucharist! What we devotedly honor in the past is being made present.

“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Lk 22:19. Recognize in this bread what hung on the Cross, and in this chalice what flowed from His side.   ~St. Augustine

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37

Reflection:

In our second reading for today from the letter of St. James I hear frustration when he writes: “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” I find myself looking at the political conflicts in our country and wanting to knock heads together! (Not the non-violent response I should take).

For James, conflicts within the community come because people want what they don’t have, and they let their envy and greed get the best of them. For me, it isn’t much of a stretch to extrapolate this to groups of people and to nations in the way they relate to each other.

In fact, we see this played out in our Gospel reading from Mark. Soon after Jesus has predicted His Passion again, the apostles argue about which of them is the greatest. Jesus uses the opportunity to teach them about discipleship and the kingdom: “if anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” He then takes a child, and putting His arms around the child, says to them: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

When I think about Jesus presenting a child to the apostles to help them understand whom they should serve, I think about what makes the abuse scandal in the Church so maddening and disheartening to people. The well-being of children is also at the heart of the immigration debate, the gun violence debate, the conflict about education and the debate about abortion. It is even at the heart about the debates we have about the environment as we look to what kind of a world we are going to leave our children and our grandchildren.

My hope for the Church is that the real changes that are necessary to be made, which would require a change in the “corporate culture,” so to speak, will be made.

But as far as the political debates are concerned, perhaps we could consider what kind of world are we leaving our children. In many ways, these debates can often devolve into contests to show who is the greatest, and the objects of our concern can actually be lost. Is the lesson we want to give our children that the only thing that matters is if you win against the other person? And it doesn’t really matter how?

In that letter of St. James, he writes: “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

Is it more important to cultivate peace or to prove that I or we are the greatest? By peace I do not mean, following Pope Paul VI and Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others, the mere absence of conflict, but the true peace that comes from justice. I believe Jesus would advocate cultivating peace. And I think working for justice and peace is a much better lesson we can give to our children as we strive to take care of them and show them the way.

There must be a way for people of good will to come together, forego trying to show they are the greatest, and work for justice that leads to peace and a better world for our children. May we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Luke 8:4-15

Reflection:

In the gospel today, Luke tells us the “Parable of the Sower” (Luke 8:4-15). After telling the large crowd the parable, Jesus takes the time to explain to His questioning disciples, and us, the parable.  Jesus explains that the “the Seed is the Word of God.” The seeds fall about and depending on where they fall the amount of fruit they bear differs.

I think it is easy to judge those who don’t go to church or aren’t Christian, or Catholic as one of the non-producing soils. Is it a little too easy to cast a stone or two toward others here? I think instead that we are all four of these soils, for me, sometimes in one day.

Some days when I sit in the morning to do morning prayer, I am fertile and the Lords word penetrates me. I am nourished and cannot help but share those graces that overflow from my heart.

Some days I start out really great and I allow the devil to “come and take away the word from my heart”

Some days I quickly dart through my prayer, receiving very much what I give to the Lord. That time quickly forgotten and trampled with my day.

Other days the whole prayer time is covered in distraction and thorns of the day.

Perhaps the gift of the parable today is to encourage us to all work towards being fertile soil. To be fertile soil more. To plan ahead, to cut the thorns, to tell Satan to ‘get behind me’ and to open our hearts to God and his miracle grow and watch the fruits grow and nourish those around us.

Today. To open our hearts to the Lord in a new way trusting his nourishment and his constant feeding.

Kate Mims is the Retreat Center Director at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

Today we recall the life and memory of the apostle, St. Matthew.  He comes down to us in history as one of the authors of our four gospels, and his gospel is usually placed at the front of the listing of these gospels in the bible.

He has the distinction of not only being called by the Lord to become His follower, but his calling was distinctive, along with that of Peter and Andrew, James and John, and Nathanael, because it enumerates him among those specifically named by Jesus, and provides some information about his background.  For Matthew was a tax collector, working for the government, and the government happened to be Roman controlled.  The Jews had no love for the Romans, their conquerors,  who, among other things, used Jewish wealth/assets for Roman projects, in which the Jews had no interest whatsoever.

At any rate, Jesus went out of His way to meet Matthew in his work setting, and He invited Matthew to become a follower of His.  Matthew jumped at the opportunity, for, Jew though he was, he was comparable to being a traitor to his Jewish background.  So he was not popular among his fellow Jews.  To have someone of the caliber of this remarkable young Jew named Jesus of Nazareth to invite him to join His specially chosen group of followers was a wonderful opportunity for Matthew to reconnect with his Jewish background again.  So he lost no time in inviting Jesus to his house and join him for a meal with many other tax collectors and “sinners”.

In view of this strained relationship, it is surprising (or maybe it’s not) that Matthew’s gospel has come down to us as an effort to present the life and death of Jesus as being in continuity with the religious convictions of the Jews, deeply rooted in the bible.  This became the conviction of Matthew in writing his gospel in which he depicts the way Jesus comported Himself in dealing with His Jewish compatriots.

And that’s why the words of St. Paul today are so appropriate in describing how Christians should live their lives, “striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace, one body and one  Spirit..one Lord, one faith,…one God and Father of all.”  And, again in St. Paul’s words, Paul writes the Christian community in Ephesus to anticipate attaining “to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God…”

So St. Matthew hopes that his gospel will be instrumental in unifying Judaism and Christianity.  For he has undergone the pain of being ostracized from his native Judaism.  So Matthew can well be a bridge between the Judaism of our day, and our own Christian faith, even though the past century is replete with the horrors  of anti-judaism reaching its climax in the near annihilation of the Jewish race during Hitler’s time.  Judaism remains as the oldest religion on the face of the earth, with the possible exception of some far eastern religions like Hinduism and Confucianism.  Perhaps St. Matthew’s gospel can inspire us to see bonds of unity waiting to be tied between Christianity and Judaism.  May it serve to diminish anti-judaism from our society.

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Memorial of Saint Andrew Taegon and Companions

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 7:36-50

Reflection:

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you….

With these words from our first reading today, St. Paul is urging the Corinthians to resist the judgment and condemnation of the culture around them, but rather to be faithful to the Gospel that they have received.  These words of St. Paul encouraged the Corinthians and the many generations that came after them to stand with Christ no matter the cost.

These are powerful words and words that were certainly taken to heart by the men and women we celebrate today, St. Andrew Taegon and his many Companions.  Perhaps this St. Andrew is a “new” saint in your awareness.  He was canonized by Pope Paul II only in 1984.  So, these saints are new to the liturgical calendar.  But they are worth remembering and celebrating because they are fellow Christians who are powerful witnesses to living the Gospel in real life.

St. Andrew is tied closely to the foundation of Christianity in Korea.  He wasn’t the first Korean Christian by a long shot.  By the time he was born in 1821, Christianity had been growing in Korea for about fifty years.  It is believed that Christianity had been brought into Korea by some Christian Japanese soldiers in the latter part of the 18^th century.   The Christian Japanese soldiers baptized the first Korean Christians and the Christian community began to grow quickly.  By the time the first foreign priest arrived in Korea in 1836 there was already a substantial Christian community flourishing there.  It’s the only known Catholic Christian community that first developed completely from the witness and work of lay Christians.

The rulers in Korea were not at all pleased to have this foreign religion thriving in their country.  At first they just discouraged it but soon enough outlawed this practice and began to actively persecute anyone who took it up.  As Christians were arrested, tortured and put to death the Church quickly moved underground

St. Andrew’s parents, members of the Korean nobility, were an important part of that early community and secretly remained faithful to their life with Christ.  Andrew was baptized at fifteen and soon expressed his desire to become a priest.  He traveled to Macau to attend the seminary and was ordained in 1845.  He was the first Korean to become a priest and returned home shortly after his ordination to help organize the Church and bring the sacraments to the faithful.  He ministered in Korea only a year before he was arrested and put to death.

There were intense persecutions of Christians in Korea in 1839, 1846, 1866 and 1867 and 103 Christians were martyred for their faith.  We celebrate these heroic martyrs on this day.

May their faith and courage inspire us to live our lives faithful to the Gospel and have the strength to be fearless witnesses for Christ in our everyday lives.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.