Claire Smith

 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 34:1-11
Matthew 20:1-16

Reflection:

Matthew is challenging us today with this parable from Christ regarding the workers. In the time of Jesus and still today we spend too much time grumbling and ogling the gifts of others instead of spending that time in thanksgiving for our own gifts.

Christ asks us, “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matt 20:15)

It’s not about what our neighbor gets, our boss, or our brother.  It’s so easy to focus on what others have. I have heard it said that there is an “entitlement’ malady in the current generation. I think we all have it. I am certainly guilty of it.  This scripture reminds me it is not what I don’t have, but instead what I do have. All that we have and all that we are is from God.

In today’s society the more we gain, the faster we get there, the greatness of our victory is what we desire, even idolize.  For me the freeway is where I really see this come to life. I feel the need to hurry, to be first, to get ahead!

A simple response to such sentiments is to look upon the crucified face of Jesus and thus recognize God’s lavish generosity.  Paul of the Cross said that by praying with the passion we give, “a drop of remedy to the world.”

How can we be envious if we are looking with thanksgiving at Christ’s generous gift?

That is the challenge for today. When we start to ogle and compare, stop, think of Christ crucified, and give thanks. Today, be the ‘drop of remedy’ to the sickness in the world.

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 28:1-10
Matthew 19:23-30

Reflection:

So much of what we have enjoys value in our eyes, either because we have it, and others don’t, or because, while others have what we don’t, they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves, despite what they have.

The saint whose memory we recall today, Pope St. Piux X, had a motto for his pontificate: “to renew all things in Christ”.  This process of renewal was really one of re-evaluation, that is, taking a second look at the things we already have at hand.  There are people who specialize in obtaining items that show the effects of aging, but have the skill of restoring the beauty of these items so that, what was initially about to be discarded, is re-evaluated, becoming prized again.  This seems to have been the mission of Pope St. Piux X.  His reign as pope extended from 1903 to 1914.  It was during those years that the study of Scripture, especially by Protestant scholars, exploded into prominence, and Catholics were not far behind.  Protestant scholars utilized new methods of textual analysis, that is, of reading a familiar text, in this case, from the bible, and using current methods of exploring the meaning of a text in the bible, began to open up ways of appreciating the word of God that proved to be eye-openers.    Catholic scholars too began to do much the same thing, and some stunning appreciations of the bible began to appear.

Some of these were so surprising that Pope St. Pius X became concerned about Catholic scholars enthusiastically adopting some of these methods, fearing that they might change the meaning of some biblical verses that had withstood the test of time, so he tried to slow down this program.  But he wasn’t against change, or bringing the new to bear upon the old.  But he went about this his way.  He developed a new way of teaching young people the catechism, he promoted the then just developing Catholic Action, he updated church (canon) law, but above all he promoted the introduction of children to the eucharist at a much younger age than they were used to at the time, and urged Catholics to receive communion much more frequently than they were doing at the time.  The pope simply took a second look at some old practices.

So, while he was slow to accept all of the changes occurring with regard to appreciating the bible, he was not against change, and introduced many new approaches to the heart of our Catholic faith.  His motto was to “restore all things in Christ”.  So he had his way of having us appreciate the good things we have, duplicating what the prophet Ezekiel remarked about in his day regarding the wealth and achievements of a progressive people living in the city of Tyre, of whom he says that they are wise and successful and wealthy, but unable to handle all the good things available to them, so they are going to lose them all.

And later on, we hear Jesus telling His apostles that the rich will not find it as easy to enter the kingdom of heaven, as Peter and the other apostles thought, who were of the opinion that that the wealthy “had it made”.  Jesus throws some cold water on this mistaken notion, saying that a camel squeezing through the eye of a needle has an easier job of it than some successful people seeking entrance into heaven.

Pope St. Pius X polished the old, making it look good again.

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32
Matthew 19:13-15

Reflection:

…Let the little children come to me…for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as they are.

 Jesus had been on a journey of presence and healing.  Taking away pain and disease.  Leaders were trying to discredit him, trick him up with the letter of the law.  It was nearing the end of the day, and people were bringing their children – moms likely – bringing them for a blessing – a blessing from this man Jesus, who seemed to be about healing.

The disciples were trying to protect him, they could see how tired he was, exhausted really, from trying to be present and respond to all that was brought to him.  And now children! You can just imagine how the disciples would say, No – he has no energy left for active, energetic children!!!

I just spent a week with my grandchildren, five in total, one boy and four girls; two ten year olds, two eight year olds and one six year old.  Talk about energy!  Go, go, go; do, do, do!  At the end of each day, my husband and I were exhausted; at the end of the week, we were wiped out!   We sat and enjoyed the quiet…  But then we started to go back over the week… how happy they were to see us, to share some stories of what they had been doing of late; our walks through the neighborhood and the nearby woods and their excitement at all the ‘critters’ we encountered – including two rather large deer (and how quiet the kids could be)!  We remembered the water balloon fights where ALL of us were soaking wet and laughing (aren’t those new water balloons wonderful – you can fill 20 at one time!).  We remembered the trip to the bookstore and the precious time of reading to them.  We remembered their giggling, their wonder and awe – even in the midst of some whining!

Yes, we remembered those words of Jesus, let the children come to me, for the Kingdom belongs to them.  We introduce them to God and teach them about God; they re-introduce us to God and remind us of how we ‘encounter’ God!!!

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63
Matthew 19:3-12

Reflection

Sometimes we wonder if God really loves us or if we matter to God at all. Or perhaps we wonder if God could ever be so disappointed in us that God would stop loving us.

Today’s reading from the prophet Ezekiel should permanently expel those doubts from our minds. Ezekiel tells the Israelites that they were like a child that nobody wanted. At their birth, their “navel cord was not cut,” neither were they “washed with water nor anointed,…rubbed with salt” or “swathed in swaddling clothes.” Rather, they “were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,” worthless and despised by all. And yet, this people everybody rejected, were nonetheless loved and chosen by God. Ezekiel chronicles the many ways God lavished love on Israel. God “bathed you with water…and anointed you with oil,” the prophet reminds them. God gave you “a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear” and placed “a glorious diadem upon your head.” God’s love made Israel “exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.”

And yet, instead of being grateful for God’s extravagant goodness, “you were captivated by your own beauty” and “lavished your harlotry on every passer-by whose own you became.” Thus, not only did they attribute to themselves what was given to them by God, but they also shamed God by betraying the love God had shown them. The very people who were rescued by God’s love and brought fully to life by God’s love quickly forgot all that God had done to them. Still, what is most shocking about this passage is not Israel’s scandalous betrayal, but God’s absolute faithfulness and unshakable love. Even though God is like a spouse who has been humiliated by an unfaithful partner, the passage ends not with God justifiably abandoning Israel, but pardoning them for all they had done.

And so any doubts we have about God’s love should be replaced by wonder. We live from a love we never deserve, a love we may often forget and frequently take for granted, but a love that will be steadfast and faithful even when we are not. Thinking about that should bring us to our knees in gratitude, joy, and praise.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist family.

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:4-8
Ephesians 4:30-5:2
John 6:41-51

Reflection:

“…be imitators of God, as beloved children and live in love…”  ~Ephesians 5:1

In this meditation I want to address Paul’s admonition “to imitate Christ,” as opposed to a certain impulse “to imitate” built into our human nature. I stress that this is a meditation and may take time to ponder the realization of this thought.

Can I admit to the desire to imitate another and what it is they desire? Can I admit that this impulse is built into human desire?

See if you can get ahold of this: a major factor in the desirability of something is our perception of its desirability to others. I see peoples’ attraction to certain stuff, and I want that which is attracting others. It can be as simple as a hairstyle, clothing, a mode of behavior that attracts, or a certain brand’s logo. Desire is awakened in me when I see another person desiring something.

And further it is not the intrinsic worth of the thing desired, but more to do with my imitation of the desire which another has. So if my desire is awakened by another person’s desire, this might explain the conflict that arises so often in human relationships. If you and I both want the same object—whether it is a person, or a position or a product, and we cannot both have it, then my gain is your loss.

And because of such rivalry, life becomes competition and other people become threats, which lead to the evils described by Paul: bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling.

Paul calls on us to imitate God. My gain is not God’s loss: God is not a rival with whom I am in competition because God needs nothing, God lacks nothing.

God desires nothing but that we share in God’s boundless generosity and goodness. This is what Paul means by “imitating God.” I, we, can claim our share of God’s goodness by being “kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.”

These reflections were inspired by Sr. Laurie Brink, O.P. and Deacon Frederick Bauerschmidt, in Living the Word.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is the administrator at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
John 12:24-26

Reflection:

I fly a lot for business. Every once in a while, because I have so many miles, I get a free upgrade to First Class. That happened recently as I was leaving Oregon. Then I overheard a gentleman who had also been upgraded asking the gate agent if there was any way his wife could come up with him. But there were no more seats. I offered to give up mine so he could travel with his wife and enjoy a First Class ride. He looked at me like I was crazy. Who gives up a First Class seat? Even the gate agent said, “Wow. That’s something you don’t see every day.” The incredulous but ever-so-grateful man offered to thank me by buying a drink or some food or whatever I wanted. I told him that all I wanted was for him to pass it on, and do an unexpected act of kindness for someone else.

I don’t tell this story to toot my own horn. Quite to the contrary, it saddens me. Why is a simple gracious act so unusual? Why are people dumbfounded that someone would give up a privilege to benefit someone else? Scripture tells us that God loves a cheerful giver, yet it seems that our society’s goal for human living is to achieve something that puts us above everyone else, and then hang onto that status for dear life. It’s about rank, position, power, and ownership. If you aren’t sufficiently smart enough, strong enough, or just plain lucky enough to secure it for yourself, that’s your problem, not mine.

At the root of this possessiveness is an attitude of scarcity. We are taught that there’s only so much food or money or other resource, and if you get some, that means there’s less for me. Contrast that with an attitude of abundance, which says that even if there is a finite supply, there is enough for everyone. Your gain is not my loss. In fact, your gain is my gain, too. The entire world benefits when more people have what they need.

I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said that whoever loves their life in this world will  lose it, but whoever hates their life in this world will gain eternal life. He didn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy our lives, live them to the full, and love with all our hearts. Jesus certainly loved life – so much so that he was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton! God didn’t create us on this earth to deny our own existence. But he doesn’t want us to cling to the things of this life, and especially not things like status, power, or prestige. In fact, Jesus immediately continued this teaching on life by saying that we need to be servants of all and follow him.

And what does that kind of discipleship look like? Whenever someone needed comfort, healing, care, or kindness, Jesus gave willingly and generously. When others were hungry, he shared his food with them and helped them multiply their food until all were filled. He never turned his back, told people they deserved their state in life, called them demeaning names, or judged them. He always looked for ways that he could personally make it better, and at the same time he called out the authorities and powers of the day for the ways they made it worse. He operated from an attitude of abundance, and was never concerned that if someone else gained something, he was diminished. He never looked at life as a win-lose proposition in which he made sure he was always winning; he looked instead for win-win, where everyone had what they needed and was treated with the dignity that we all deserve. He truly was a servant to all.

We are called to serve, not to cling. We have to speak up, act, and raise the bar in a world where so many people are lowering it. As the prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila speaks so well: Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

What can you do today to live out that call?

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:

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 16:13-23

Reflection:

Can a Leopard Change His Spots?

Like the vassal state before its overlord, so is Judah toward her God. Vassals obey their master until the master looks elsewhere, then they do what they want. So with Judah, she prays to the God of the covenant, but when Judah feels independent she trusts in other gods with less demanding loyalties.

Jeremiah says that Judah has dug a deep whole for herself. Sin is written in stone in her heart. Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23). Doesn’t look it.

Because Judah’s ways stand against God’s desire to help and to free them, what can God do? God does not forget Israel, the past and the special relationship with the chosen people, their love story. But a new relationship must start. Not with the stone tablets of the covenant on Mt. Sinai but now a covenant of heart and will; an internal communion and a change of will. Only God can bring this about. God chooses to do so by offering a deep and totally personal relationship as the basis for this new covenant.

Jeremiah does not give up his belief in the promise of God. God will not abandon the chosen people but will fashion an even better relationship with them. Forgiveness and mercy from God will restore Israel to their land, they will now know God from personal experience with a intimacy that will make teaching about God unnecessary.

How incredible that Jeremiah who suffers personal doubt and pain, and even wonders about God’s presence in his ministry, gives us today this most famous passage of his prophecy, the beautiful vision of the gift God’s fidelity when we are undeserving. ( See the excellent summary of the Book of Jeremiah in Vol. 10 of the Old Testament Message by Lawrence Boadt CSP., Glazer, 1982).

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, martyr in Auschwitz during WW II. There is rich material on line about her. May these quotes resonate with our reading of Jeremiah today.

Jeremiah wonders if there will be a new covenant, but he says no because God will not do away with the first covenant that expresses God’s enduring love to the Chosen People. “You don’t know what it means to me to be a daughter of the chosen people, to belong to Christ, not only spiritually, but according to the flesh”

Her words on love and suffering bring Jeremiah into the Paschal Mystery, “Love is stronger than hatred. In the end there will be only the fullness of love… If we accept the whole Christ in faithful self-giving, by choosing and walking in the way of the imitation of Christ, then he will lead us through his Passion and Cross to the glory of the Resurrection.”  Jeremiah will disappear from the Scriptures as he is led away to Egypt. “Enkindle your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me and I shall meet with peace.” And her final recorded words to her sister when arrested, “Come, we are going for our people.”

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

In the time Jesus the two cities of Tyre and Sidon were prosperous Roman port cities and as we might guess despite the wealth of the citizens therein, there was also ‘poverty’.  Commentators suggest that there was a great spiritual hunger in the region and it seems that news of Jesus and his message and probably news of his reputation as a healer had proceeded him. Thus when he withdraws to the region it might not surprise us that a Canaanite would approach him for help.

Certainly Canaanites did not normally mix with Jews and indeed Jesus often faced hostile receptions in such places. But in fairness, there was also prejudice and mixed feelings on the part of both ethnic groups about the other – feelings that found their way into language and attitudes.

So we have a puzzling story of why Jesus does not at first answer the woman and why he repeats and uses ‘common’ language in his dialogue with her – a dialogue that at first seems to be dismissive.

Yet as every parent knows, one will fight and advocate for one’s children to the end of our strength – such is the power of love. So why does Jesus seem to ignore her at first?

We can struggle to easily and simply explain away some of troubling words in this text – or we can look a little deeper and see what lessons there might be there for us to notice.

Let’s look at one very important message. If we look to the story as a whole, we see that this woman becomes for Jesus a wonderful example of humility, persistence in prayer, and faith.

This indeed might be the essential truth for us to notice – and the example for us to imitate in living our own discipleship. We are called to be like this woman!

To be humble is to allow God to work in and through our lives. It is the defining stance of a Christian, and to be humble is to put ego and self aside and stand before our God in all our needs and powerlessness and accepting from God all the graces we need.

To be persistent in prayer is likewise a central reality in our discipleship and a stance that underpins our very lives. It is to be constantly in relationship to God in our thoughts, words and reflections and to listen attentively to God’s word to us.

To have faith and to live from it is the foundation of our everyday life. It is at the core of our being Christian. It is at once the ‘compass’  that guides our every decision and act, the rock on which we stand in times of trial and suffering and the place from which we draw meaning and offer our thanks to God.

Ultimately through her interaction with Jesus the Canaanite woman shows us that indeed our God “will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.” This truth is evident and it is one we can place our trust in.

Let us imitate the example of this woman in our Christian journey each day – living a humble life, being persistent in our prayer and having faith at all times and in all circumstances.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.  He currently serves on the General Council and is stationed in Rome.