Claire Smith

Scripture:

2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  So by their fruits you will know them.”

These words of Jesus in today’s gospel are relevant for our reflection today, especially during “watermelon thumping” season!  Every time I go to the grocery lately I come across a large box of watermelons for sale.  Invariably there are a number of people surrounding the box and all of them are “thumping” the melons to determine which ones are worthy of their summer picnic!  They all are trying to identify the “good fruit” Jesus refers to in today’s gospel.

Good fruit isn’t easy to find these days, especially when we consider what is happening in our world!  Many of us feel devastated as we see and hear children being taken from the arms of their parents along the U.S. border.  We are discouraged as we see families being put in chain link cages just because they are trying to seek a better life.  No matter who is responsible, this is definitely “bad fruit”.  The spiritual writer Richard Rohr describes “good fruit” for us.

“God calls us to protect and seek justice for those who are poor and vulnerable, and our treatment of people who are “oppressed,” “strangers,” “outsiders,” or otherwise considered “marginal” is a test of our relationship to God, who made us all equal in divine dignity and love.”  This quote from Rohr seems like a good way to find the good fruit and “thump the watermelon” of today’s current events!  Jesus is so convinced about finding the good fruit He repeats it twice in Matthew’s gospel.

“By their fruits you will know them.”  Let’s think about our “thumping” today.  How do we find the “good fruit” in our world?

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36
Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Reflection:

We’ve all gotten stuck. It may have been while crawling around in a cramped space as a child. Perhaps it was in a department store revolving door with too many packages, or trying to catch that L train when the door was closing. There’s too much of me to get through that space, that’s the problem.

The selection from the Gospel of Matthew for today fits into a much longer litany of teachings by Jesus that begins with the Beatitudes and then moves on to fasting, adultery and divorce, almsgiving and prayer. Today we hear Jesus sharing what we now call the Golden Rule, and then he says this: “Enter through the narrow gate…. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

It used to strike me as a contradiction to hear this rather restrictive invitation as compared to when Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t then say, “but only if you can get through the door.”

My experience of getting stuck is that I usually have too much stuff. Too many packages to get through the door. Too much weight to get into those cool pants. Too many biases or expectations. Too much anger. Disappointments.

Think of the times when Jesus calls the disciples to “come, follow me.” Leave your family and your work, he says. Leave your riches. Leave your places of honor. Leave your sin and blindness and crippled limbs. He calls us to put down all those things we carry that keep us from getting through the narrow door. We are called today to enter the journey with Jesus unburdened of all the stuff of life that gets us stuck. We can’t make that journey with him loaded up with stuff that really does not matter.

Maybe it’s not the door that is too narrow. More likely, it’s all the stuff I’m carrying that gets me stuck.

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.

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist.  His mother insisted he be named John.

“He shall be called John.” Lk 1:60   The name come from the Hebrew words Ya (Yahweh) and han (kind,gracious)   YAHWEH is MERCIFUL (Kind).

“And he John came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”   Lk 3:3  The word here for repentance is the Greek NT word metanoia. It is difficult word to translate into English.  It means to have a change of mind, to reconsider, to reassess, reexamine, to think again in a far more positive way.  Get your mind around a new monumental action of God!

Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their preaching career with:” “Repent (metanoeo), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mt 4:17  The imperative of their call is to mind a new startling approach of God in Jesus.   Jesus Himself is the “autobasilius”(Himself-Kingdom).  Origen reminds us that Jesus’ presence is the kingdom.  When we turn to Him our action takes on an excitement like none other! He is “the living One”  “In His presence is the fullness of joy.” Ps 16:11   When the young man departs from Christ in Mk 10:17 he is “gloomy” , and “he went away grieving”.   The ultimate sadness in life is to live unattached to Christ, “the Living One”!

The noun conversion metánoia used 22 times and the verb metanoeo used 34 times show us how important this concept is in Biblical tradition.  True conversion starts with wonder at the Incarnation.  “One thing I am certain that this age needs first and foremost, is to be startled, to be taught the nature of wonder.” G K Chesterton: John the Baptist complained: “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.^”  John 1:26   Oh that we could experience what the apostles experienced on the Sea of Galilee! “The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Mt 6:27

Key to responding to John the Baptist’s message is to what the SS calls ecstasy.  The Greek word in NT is existēmi  (to stand outside of myself)  “And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed existēmi and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”  Mk 2:12 John’s message is as meaningful today as ever: “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

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

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 24:17-25
Matthew 6:24-34

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus speaks to what is really important. He first says: “No one can serve two masters….You cannot serve God and mammon.” In other words, we cannot serve God and money or material things at the same time.

And then Jesus goes into a discourse about a proper perspective on things: “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Then Jesus uses the images of the birds in the sky and the wild flowers that grow in the field. Jesus also says, “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?”

It’s very easy to worry about food and drink and clothing, especially when one is struggling to get something to eat. But I’m not sure that even in those situations that worry accomplishes anything. Just as Jesus says we cannot serve both God and money, we have to trust one or the other. When we trust in material wealth or worldly power, we get anxious about protecting what we have, or we find that whatever we have is never enough.

When we put our trust in God, we realize that all good comes from Him. We see that all is gift. And we become more willing to help those who are in great need of the necessities of life, and help them to trust in God. Jesus tells us that the Father knows what we need, but we need to seek first “the kingdom of God” and God’s “righteousness.”

May we trust in God who loves us, and choose to serve Him.

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

Scripture:

Sirach 48:1-14
Matthew 6:7-15

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the memory of a remarkable young Jesuit named St. Aloysius Gonzaga.  The elevation of Aloysius to the “honors of the altar”, so to speak, was the beginning of a trend in the church that has continued into our own time.  He died as a young man, 23 years of age, and, ever since then, the church has grown particularly interested in other young people like him, both men and women, who have caught the eye of the church for their remarkable holiness.  Prior to Aloysius, most of those raised to the honors of the altar were men and women who had lived long enough to achieve some remarkable feat, showing their holiness of life.

Aloysius came from a wealthy Spanish family, and, at an early age, decided to join a religious order, in this case, the Jesuits.  The Jesuits themselves were a young religious order at the time—just 34 years since their beginning.  But in a remarkable sequence of young saints (such as John Berchmans and Stanislaus Kostka) the Jesuits attracted much attention for their success in attracting such outstanding young men to their community.  And ever since then, the church has been sensitive to the remarkable lives lived by such young people.  The Passionists too have produced some outstanding young saints such as Gabriel Possenti, Gemma Galgani and Maria Goretti.

Of course, the constant series of remarks that has risen in their regard is: what have these young people done to deserve all this attention?  They have just gotten their lives underway.  The answer, of course, is that they have done nothing remarkable, in the way we usually think of remarkable deeds.  But the answer to our wonderment lies in our bible readings today.  For we have just heard the words of the apostle St. John extolling the value of faith, faith in Jesus Christ, that leads us to a close bonding with God and enables us to “conquer the world”, as St. John remarks today.  And closely bound up with this faith is the love of God that merits the beautiful encomium of Jesus to the effect that the greatest of all the commandments is to love God and to love one’s neighbor.  Simple truths we have heard time and again, but they contain the answer to our wonderment as to why a young person like Aloysius Gonzaga should be raised to sainthood.  The answer is: his faith and his love.  And this is the case with that whole series of young men and women who have caught the attention of the church over the past number of years.  Faith and love: not remarkably complicated, but significantly enriching.

A few years ago, in the 1950s and 1960s, the Detroit Lions professional football team acquired a young quarterback from Texas named Bobby Lane.  He had played college football down there.  Unfortunately, he had a drinking problem, and it only got worse during the years he played for the Lions.  There are stories about him going into huddle totally drunk, and having to be told what play to call by other players huddled there.  But that’s all Bobby had to know.  He acquired a reputation of being one of the best quarter backs in the game.  People always wondered: how could that be?  What enabled him to throw the ball on target?

This is not an exhortation about the value of drunkenness but it is an example of someone with a major problem and liability yet nonetheless achieving success.  He enjoyed only one asset, and used it well.  Such was the case with St. Aloysius.  He had faith and love enough to make him a saint.

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

Scripture:

2 Kings, 2:1, 6-14
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection:

Have you already sought and received your reward?  There are few of us who don’t often seek the approval of those around us.  Sometimes, we even go out of our way to make sure they notice the good things we do.  Sometimes, we will even choose to do something for others just to impress our friends…or anyone and everyone!  In today’s Gospel from Matthew we are challenged by Jesus to pay attention to our motivations in making our choices.  And, he insists that choices made to do good deeds, or to pray or fast are most effective and most praiseworthy when they are not made in order to make ourselves look good, but out of our love of God and our neighbor!  And, even if no one sees us do these good things, Christ assures us that God notices and will bless us all the more.

These teachings of Jesus about the best attitude to have when we do righteous deeds, pray or fast are a continuation of a whole series of surprising teachings we have been hearing over the past several days.  In the Gospels of the past two days, Jesus advised his disciples to respond to evil or conflict with the following:  “offer no resistance…turn your cheek…offer your tunic as well…go the extra mile…love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”

Wow, talk about a demanding way of life!  Every time I begin to think that I’m doing pretty well in living out my life with Christ, these readings from Matthew, and others similarly demanding, remind me how far I still have to go!  How about you?  Are you able to build into your life these remarkable responses?  Clearly, Christ calls each of us not just to avoid sin, but to really learn how to love deeply, even those who are almost impossible to love.  Today we pray for the grace of listening and taking to heart these challenges of Jesus.

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

Typically, when we think of power what comes to mind is the ability to dominate, to get one’s way, and even to hurt or to destroy. We seldom connect power with bringing things to life, but that is what we are called to do today. Both the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel and the parable from the gospel of Mark affirm that in God we find a startlingly creative power that can bring things to life in very unexpected ways.

In the passage from Ezekiel, God takes a tiny, “tender shoot” and plants it on a mountain where it becomes a “majestic cedar.” This same God makes “the withered tree bloom.” The message is that God can bring life to even the most unpromising situations. Similarly, in the gospel parable Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed, “the smallest of all the seeds on the earth,” that “becomes the largest of plants” under which “the birds of the sky” find shade. Again, from bleak beginnings springs forth an abundance of life.

But not without our help. In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells us that we are pilgrims making our way “home to the Lord.” As we make our way, we should “aspire to please” God by doing God’s good work in the world, and we do that when we work with God to bring about the kingdom of God. Any act of love, any act of kindness or thoughtfulness, any act of justice or compassion, no matter how small, helps bring the reign of God more fully to life. That whether we do or not matters is underscored in Paul’s closing comment that God will judge us on whether we used the gift of our lives to do “good or evil,” to bring light and hope to the world rather than to further the darkness. Like God, we are to use our power to bring things to life.

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.