Claire Smith

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8

Reflection:

This year, the second of May occurs after the Fifth Sunday of Easter. In our participation at Sunday Mass, we have been listening to the accounts of the early Christian communities about how they came to accept the meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus in their lives. Belief in the Resurrection brought them to baptism. The Resurrection of Jesus fueled the missionary outreach of the Apostles and disciples. It was in the name of Jesus—who died and was raised – that the first disciples were able to work healing miracles as a testament to the power of the Son of God. It was the Resurrection of Jesus that strengthened the resolve of the first Christian martyrs to lay down their lives in order to be able to share in the Resurrection of Jesus.

Among the readings of the weekdays and the Sundays after Easter, we have had the opportunity to listen to the words given us by the Evangelist St. John, and the First Letter of John. I used to find John’s Gospel challenging because it was so complex and (to my mind) philosophical. I began to experience John’s gospel differently when I began to realize that his narrative weaves the experience of Eucharist into its many settings and declarations.

By the time that this Gospel of John is written, the independence of the Christians from the Temple worship is a fact of history following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Christians of the last decade of the First Century A.D. have withdrawn from the life of the Synagogue in favor of celebrations of the Eucharist on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. In this milieu of John’s gospel, the Eucharist is the basis of their worship. This could be the reason that John does not describe the Synoptic “bread and cup” narrative at the last supper. John presents the Eucharist not as a Passover meal, but as the “living bread that came down from heaven…and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (John 6:15)” The celebration of this Eucharistic “Sign” is not in the upper room, but on the hillsides overlooking the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus provides food for his followers.

With this eye to the Eucharist as a means of entering into the meaning of the Gospel of John, we can see how overtly several of the “Signs” that John references are about life, and therefore, about Eucharist. The first “Sign,” the changing of water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana, is a symbol of the rite of initiation for Christians: by baptism (water), the new Christian is brought to the altar to share in the wine, which by the power of Jesus’ word, has become the Blood-of-Christ.

The second “Sign,” the cure of the official’s son, is connected to the first “Sign” by place, it also takes place at Cana of Galilee. Jesus heals (restores life) by the power of his own word, the same word which assures us (in the Synoptic texts) that “This is my body…this is my blood.”

Chapter Six of St. John’s gospel is the highpoint of this Eucharistic sense of the Gospel of John. Here we find the fourth “Sign.” In spite of his having satisfied their physical hunger, Jesus’ discourse stresses the absolute condition for eternal life, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (Jn 6:53)”

The seventh “Sign” that the Gospel of John presents is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. What could be more Eucharistic for each of us than the assurance that our lives have been surrendered to the one who can take us beyond death. As we celebrate the presence of Jesus among us in Eucharist, we also share in the very same source of life which is eternal.

Unfortunately, if we limit our reading of St. John’s gospel to how we share in the life of Christ through the Eucharist, without any reference to our social imperative, we would not have grasped the meaning of Eucharist that Jesus offers us.

In St. John’s gospel and in the 1^st Letter of John, we are frequently called to love one another: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you (Jn 15:12);” to share in the risen life of Jesus: “what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us (1Jn 1:3);” and to follow Jesus’ example: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. (Jn 13:14)”

These are the two sides of Eucharist, that we be nourished by the life of Christ, in order to engage with one another in building up the Body of Christ through that love for, unity with, and service on behalf of one another. These are some of the ways that the Easter readings taken from St. John’s Gospel and the 1^st Letter of John have helped me to appreciate the meaning of Eucharist in the spirit of the Easter Season.

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Citrus Heights, California. 

Scripture:

Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a

Reflection:

In this Easter season we continue to have readings from the Acts of the Apostles.  Today we hear a segment from Paul’s first missionary journey into the interior of Asia Minor.  Together with his companions, including Barnabas, Paul goes from city to city, preaching the gospel and sometimes meeting a hostile response—as we hear in this reading where Paul narrowly escapes death from stoning, yet revives and continues his missionary work.

Several times the passage mentions a city named Antioch, but there was more than one city named such.  “Antioch” is derived from the name of the famous earlier ruler of this region, Antiochus—a dominant figure of the Seleucid dynasty that in the two centuries before the birth of Jesus ruled over the region of Eastern Asia Minor (now Turkey), Syria and part of the northeastern area of Israel itself.  The largest and most famous “Antioch” is not the smaller town Paul visited in this missionary journey into interior of Asia Minor but the major city—the base from which he and Barnabas began their mission and to which they would return. Acts notes that when Paul and Barnabas came back, “they called the Church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.  Then they spent no little time with the disciples.”

This Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire at the time of Paul and stood astride a major trade between east and west.  It figures prominently in the Acts of the Apostles.  Some of the Jewish Christians scattered when persecution broke out in Jerusalem after the stoning of Steven, fled to Antioch and began to baptize Greeks, that is, Gentiles.  At the time this was a bold step that alarmed some of the Jewish Christians leaders in Jerusalem so they sent Barnabas, one of the most beloved and trusted leaders of the early church, to check things out. He found that indeed the Gentile Christians of Antioch were filled with the Holy Spirit and Barnabas “rejoiced” and “encouraged” these new Christians.  Later Barnabas would go to Tarsus, where Paul had been sent after stirring up controversy in Jerusalem, and bring Paul to Antioch also.  It was there that Paul would be instructed further in his new-found faith and from there he and Barnabas would begin the first missionary journey to the Gentile world.

Later we learn that in was in this mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians, located in a large and dynamic city, that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians.”  The Christian faith of this community remained strong through out the early centuries of the Church as the presence of such great early Christian leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch testify, a faith brought to this region by people who were fleeing their lives but did not lack in courage and fidelity.

I am reminded of a comment by the great German New Testament scholar, Martin Hengel, who observed that the rapid spread of early Christianity was not due simply to a compelling message but to the courage and witness of compelling people.  I have had the privilege numerous times, while leading study tours to the region, of visiting the modern Turkish city of Antakya, the site of ancient Antioch.  In the heart of this bustling Muslim city near the border of tortured present-day Syria, there is a small but very vibrant Christian community, composed of Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians who work together in a remarkable way in order to give witness to their Muslim neighbors.  One of the lessons we can take from the readings of these early stages of the Christian community in the Acts of the Apostles, is that we, too, are called to give courageous and persevering witness to the beauty of our Christian faith, no matter what our circumstances may be.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

Acts 9: 26 – 31
1 John 3: 18 – 24
John: 15: 1 – 8

Reflection:

               “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because
                 without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

As we continue in the joy of the Easter season we are reminded by the Gospel of John that being connected to Jesus Christ is important in order to “bear fruit”. A person is not a whole person unless they person feed and nourish the soul. We feed our brain with information for our jobs or hobbies. We feed our body so that we can continue doing our physical tasks or exercise. We soothe our psyche with different forms of relaxation or decompressing from the stress of the day. Perhaps the soul could nourished by one or more of the following: Feeding it and nurturing it with the things it needs such as reading scripture or a spiritual book. Taking time to quietly sit and pray is a nice way to relieve stress, as is regularly attending Sunday Mass or attending Mass during the week. Some people like to pray the rosary or to say the Stations of the Cross which can be done outside of Lent. Finding a piece of art work, perhaps on the internet, depicting a favorite saint or scripture passage and meditating on it. Actively feeding the soul helps with our connection to Christ, the vine. Being connected is important for our souls to grow closer to Christ and when we grow closer to Christ, we also grow closer to one another. Being connected in this way also increases our capacity to love and love is the root of the message of Christ. “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34)

We are connected to “the vine” because Christ loves us.  Being a piece of fruit on “the vine” means that we work to become the person that God created us to be and thus we “bear fruit”. It is simple to say but not simple to achieve. A life time of feeding and nurturing is required in order to bear the fruit that we were meant to bear. The nurturing and feeding is required in the good times of our life as well as the times of struggle, for it is in the struggle that we depend on the vine the most. If we have that connection with Christ then we are able to pass through the struggle and see the grace and blessings that have been given to us through Christ.

“Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don’t look at
  your weaknesses. Realize instead that in Christ crucified you can do everything.”
                                                 – Saint Catherine of Siena

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 13:44-52
John 14:7-14

Reflection:

Since Easter we have been hearing of stories of resurrection and many of those are the growth of a new Ecclesia, a church, a new people of God.   One of my favorites is a story very few people have ever heard.  It is the story of a young boy named Peter Chanel and his courage to follow the call of the Holy Spirit.

Peter was born in 1803 across the Atlantic in the hamlet of La Botiere France.  The local parish priest noticed something special in Peter and convinced his parents to let him study in a small school the priest had started.  From there he went on to the seminary and was ordained a priest and assigned to a parish in Crozet.  Peter was fascinated with the stories he heard which came back from the foreign missions and he longed to be one of those who took the gospel to some distant place.  This desire was so strong that he asked permission to go to the missions. Sadly, the Bishop turned him down. Three years later he made a bold move and joined a newly founded missionary congregation, the Society of Mary.  Pope Gregory XVI agreed to the founding of a new congregation if the society would send half of their men into the newly opened mission area of Oceania.  This desire pleased Peter greatly and he left France on Christmas Eve, 1836.  Travel was slow in those days and it would take almost a year to reach their destination in the South Pacific.

On November of 1837 they arrived at the Island of Futuna.  Accompanying  Peter were Marie-Nizier Delorme, a French lay brother.   Initially they were well received by both the Islanders and Futuna’s king, Niuliki.    Without knowing any of the language and customs Peter found himself in the foreign missions; the very place he had hoped for and dreamed of for the past several years.  After three years he was having only minor success.  Only a few of the Islanders accepted baptism.  Then one day the event that would turn everything around erupted.  The king had a son named Meitala who approached his dad informing him of his desire to be baptized.  The king erupted in anger.  As King he was supposed both King and High Priest.  He was threatened by this religion of the white man.  One of the King’s warriors was told by the king,  “Do whatever is necessary and resolve this problem.”    The problem wasn’t resolved, it merely escalated.  Musumusu showed up at Peter’s home with several of his warrior friends.  After ransacking Peter’s belongings, he clubbed Peter to death.   It was April 28, 1841.   That was 177 years ago on this day.

It happened to be a week later that a trading ship stopped at the island taking Br. Marie-Nizier to the island of Wallis for safety.  Now news of the murder was out.  Ships moved very slowly and it would take almost a year for the news of this to actually get back to Europe.  Two significant things happened.  First the people of the Island were infuriated that their king would do such a thing.     The pushback the King received from the people of the Island made the king not only regret such a decision but also repent.  Second, Marists did not turn their back on the people.  They returned to the island to continue the work Peter Chanel had begun.  In due course, The King accepted baptism and became Catholic, as did all the other inhabitants on the Island of Futuna.

I can’t help but be astounded by the parallels between the death of Jesus and the execution of Peter Chanel.

• A good person who was innocent suffered and died
• Preceding the death, the current religious authorities were afraid and misguided.
• Someone else had to carry out the execution
• The sadness of death does not subdue the people but ultimately leads to a united faith in Christ.
• The death of one man leads to the salvation of many
• After the execution, the Spirit had a unique way of bringing Christ’s witnesses into conversation with those who carried out the orders.
• The faith has now been passed on from generation to generation.

Futuna to this day is still a Catholic Island, and it all started with one man who gave his life.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture: 

Acts 13:26-33
John 14:1-6

Reflection:

Sometimes in these scripture reflections I have a tendency to “interpret” the gospel message in the words of Jesus and apply my interpretation to today’s issues.  Maybe today’s scripture reading is not one for interpretation.  Today it might be good simply to take comfort in Jesus’ words.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”

In John’s gospel, Jesus speaks these words to the disciples on the night before he is to die.  Everyone is anxious, even Jesus.  Jesus is talking about his death and the disciples are reflecting on separation from Jesus.  In the verses before these in John’s gospel, Peter is proclaiming that he will never deny Jesus.  We know how that worked out for him!  Yes, everyone is anxious.

Anxiety seems to be one of the signs of our times.  We live in a world punctuated with “breaking news”, almost always bad!  People’s worries are blasted across social media on a daily basis. Uncertainties give birth to hostilities and kindness is often crushed in angry tirades and twitters.  Today’s words from Jesus go straight to the heart of our anxieties and offer comfort.

Today let us together simply take great comfort in the words of Jesus; “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  Together let us simply be quiet within our hearts in the presence and comfort of God.

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

Scripture:

1 Peter 5:5b-14
Mark 16:15-20

Reflection:

Feast of Saint Mark

“The Picasso” is a 50-foot-tall sculpture in downtown Chicago that has been a landmark monument for the city since its dedication in 1967. Like most art, it is not free of controversy, however! Because Pablo Picasso never revealed what it was, some have guessed 1) an abstract replica of an Afghan hound, or 2) an African mask, or
3) even a sculpture inspired by a French woman, Lydia Corbett, who posed for the painter-artist in 1954. I have always appreciated Picasso’s response when a journalist asked him what the sculpture was. “If I could say it in words,” he said, “I wouldn’t have created a sculpture”!

Saint Mark, whose feast we celebrate today, concludes his Good News narrative in a parallel, very open-ended or abstruse way. Instead of an overt or lucid description of the resurrection, we hear only of an empty tomb. People of faith must write and live their own conclusion.

Perhaps that is what good art — whether music, literature, graphics — and good religion, often must be, viz., obscure, unfinished. So, the viewer or listener must complete the piece with their own experience. As followers of Jesus, as the Body of Christ, we now preach Christ crucified. We take up our cross and become disciples in mission. We proclaim the resurrection.

Today Chicago can boast of many grand, wonder-filled public pieces of art: several months after the Picasso dedication, a sculpture entitled Nuclear Energy by Henry Moore was dedicated where the Manhattan Project team devised the first nuclear reactor here at the University of Chicago. Works by Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, and Joan Miró also tell us to finish the story. Remember Rilke’s words in Letters to a Young Poet?

I want to ask you, as clearly as I can, to bear with patience all that is unresolved in your heart,
and try to love the questions themselves, as if they were rooms yet to enter or books written
in a foreign language. Don’t dig for answers that can’t be given you yet: you live them now.
For everything must be lived. Live the questions now, perhaps then, someday, you will gradually,
without noticing, live into the answer. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

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

Scripture:

Acts 11:19-26
John 10:22-30

Reflection:

Some years ago a provocative thought was put on a large billboard: WE NEED TO TALK. Signed God! This sign was a wonderful and simple reminder of the most important work of our lives! We desperately need to have a talk with God, This is what we call prayer. In today’s Scripture we have a text that enlightens us how to go about praying. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jn 10:27

One of the first steps of sitting down and communicating with God is for Him to speak with us. All good communication starts with listening. We believe that the Sacred Scriptures contain the “living and highly energetic Word of God.” Heb 4:12  If we are serious about listening to God we should have a passionate interest in His Word!

Deep listening to God’s Word leads to intimacy with Him, “Though God’s Word to God’s Heart” is how St Gregory beautifully expressed it long ago. In today’s Gospel people asked Jesus “How long are you going to keep us in suspense”? ( airo in Greek NT which means hanging in air)  We are not at all likely to know Jesus and find ourselves left in the air if we have no strong prayer life.  St Gregory of Nyssa about 17 hundred years ago remarked “the majority of people grievously neglect in their life this sacred and divine work which is prayer.   We must listen attentively to the Divine Voice.” He incisively says: “prayer is intimacy with God”.

Lastly, today’s liturgy says “they follow me.” How often discipleship is expressed by following Christ. One must keep close to the other to follow!  The other SS Word used for follow is to walk with Jesus. Jesus asked his close disciples: ”will you also walk away from me?” Not to pray is to walk away from Christ. He tells us “pray always so that you are not left in bad way!” Lk 18:1

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

Scripture:

Acts 11:1-18
John 10:1-10

Reflection:

Our first reading today is one of my favorite stories in the Scriptures. We have Peter explaining to his fellow Christians why he was with “the uncircumcised” and “ate with them.” Peter tells the whole story beginning with the vision he had in a dream, and the call to visit someone’s house (he doesn’t mention Cornelius’ name), and seeing the Holy Spirit descend on the household. He ends the story with “Who was I to be able to hinder God?”

In our Gospel reading Jesus uses the image of a shepherd and a gate for the sheep. In this way He is trying to express to the people who He is for them. He is trying to express His love for us. And at the end of our passage, He says, “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

I would connect the two readings with a question: Can we understand the “they” to which Jesus refers to not only mean “us” but “them” as well, no matter who we might consider as “them?” I found it interesting to note how the ones in Jerusalem referred to Cornelius and his household: “You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” They probably though they were being polite.

Labeling others is still with us today. But if we can take Peter’s experience to heart, perhaps we can let go of our prejudices and stop any attempts, conscious or otherwise, to “hinder God.” Instead, may God use us as he did Peter, and may we testify to the love of our Good Shepherd.

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