Claire Smith

Scripture:

2 Timothy 2:8-15
Mark 12:28-34

Reflection:

As we come to the end of the school year in the United States, those who have been students this past year, at any level, are attending graduations, preparing for summer school, dreaming about vacations, and looking for jobs to earn some money to help enjoy summer and prepare for a new school year or the start of a new career.

Some parents are probably wondering where the year went, how their children have grown, and grown-up so manifestly; maybe even trying to help their children make crucial decisions about the next school year.

As a Passionist with many nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and -nephews, I find myself sharing in the family engagement with the end of the school year.

That is why today’s readings seemed so timely for me as I was congratulating my grand-niece Erika on her passage out of eighth grade and into high school. The wisdom of the scriptures that I wish she would take with her into high school is richly described by St Paul in the first reading.

Paul writes to Timothy out of a prison, where he senses that his days will be coming to an end. His relationship with Timothy was both as close friend and mentor; which means that now that Paul senses that his life is coming to an end, he offers some advice which he not only understood, but which he has lived. This advice is relevant today for a younger person setting out to engage the world. They are words which Paul might have woven into a Graduation Address, had he lived in our day and been invited to speak to a graduating class.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering….If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.  Those of us who have been baptized into the body of Christ, are baptized into his death, but have also been raised with Him, which means that we share in every person’s suffering so as to witness to the Resurrection which redeems any and all suffering. We endure suffering because we shall ultimately transcend it; we endure suffering because it generates compassion for all who suffer. Paul did not walk away from his mission as an apostle when he endured so many hardships on account of it; rather, he drew strength from Christ and the Community of the Church, and continued his missionary life.

To those students who are setting out on their life’s journey, I offer them the wisdom of Paul, to pursue one’s mission in life, no matter how much we may have to endure suffering of all kinds; we know that nothing, no suffering, can separate us from the love of God and the Resurrection of Christ.

 

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Chicago, Illinois.  

Memorial of Saint Justin Martyr

Scripture:

2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
Mark 12:18-27

Reflection:

Many years ago when I was a Passionist seminarian studying philosophy in our Chicago monastery on Harlem Avenue, one of our “tasks” as students was to take turns in the evening visiting our elderly and retired members who lived in the small infirmary attached to the monastery.  Sometimes this meant simply sitting quietly by as one of our venerable members took a nap—at other times we heard an account of their latest aches and pains.  Among the visits I still cherish the most were the times I could spend with Fr. William Westhoven.  Fr. Bill had been a long-time missionary to China and had suffered there when the Communist government took over.  He was one of those people who always seemed to be full of energy and zeal, no matter how fragile his health became.  Sitting with him and hearing his mission stories always ended up being a pep talk, urging me and my fellow young Passionists to persevere in our vocations and to get ready to get out there and preach the gospel!

I thought of Fr. Bill, who has long since gone to his heavenly reward, when I read the selection from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy that is the first reading for today’s liturgy.   Scholars debate whether Paul himself wrote this letter or whether it was penned sometime after Paul’s death by a loyal disciple writing in his name.  In any case, the whole letter and especially this passage presents Paul speaking tenderly and with great encouragement to Timothy, his young co-worker who accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys.

Paul addresses Timothy affectionately as “my dear child” and states that he is “grateful to God” for Timothy and remembers him “constantly in my prayers, night and day.”  Most of all, Paul wants to encourage his young protégé.  He reminds him “to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”  Paul transmits his own sturdy and courageous spirit when he reminds Timothy that “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.”  Therefore, one should “not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord” and “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

Paul recalls gratefully his own vocation as a “preacher and Apostle and teacher.”  Paul is willing—as in fact was the case—to suffer for the sake of his ministry because of the strength that God gave him: “…I am not ashamed, for I know him in whom I have believed and am confident that God is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that [final] day.”

The early church kept this letter and circulated it because of its beautiful portrayal of Paul as he faced the end of his days as the great Apostle to the Gentiles.  At the conclusion of the letter Paul would speak peacefully as he neared the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”  But beyond the letter’s portrayal of Paul and his care for Timothy, the early Christians wanted to take to heart the strength and encouragement of Paul’s words.  No matter what our role may be—lay person, religious or priest—God has given us the same gift as he did to Paul and Timothy, to live and proclaim the gospel, and to do so with courage—in Paul’s words, with “power and love and self-control.”

 

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.

The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:14-18a or
Romans 12:9-16
Luke 1:39-56

Reflection:

If you’re at all like me, you’ll have asked yourself The Question: “What is my purpose?  Why am I here?  Why was I born?”  I suppose that’s the question most often asked of Spiritual Advisors and religious leaders by seekers.  Part of our journey seems to be the ever-evolving focus of our vocation.  I know that what I wanted when I was 20 was vastly different when I hit 30.  And 40.  And…

I’m relatively certain most of us know today’s passage from the Gospel of Luke.  After hearing the news from the angel that she would give birth to the Messiah, Mary traveled “in haste” from Nazareth to the house of her cousin Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, which was in a village in the hill country of Judea. When Mary arrived, she found her elderly cousin also pregnant.

There are so many moments in this passage about which I could write.  Elizabeth was thought barren, but was now carrying John the Baptist.  And Mary, in the midst of a very interesting marital situation, has a heavenly messenger tell her she’s carrying the Son of God.  Both of these women were in the middle of truly miraculous pregnancies, having had remarkable and world-changing encounters with God.  And then there’s the fact that, in those days, the lengthy and difficult journey for someone entering her  (probably) 2^nd trimester could have been disastrous.  Or that God inspired Mary to go on this journey and be with her family.  And what about Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary? “Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice, ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does it happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’” Mary’s response is equally amazing, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” which we now pray as the Magnificat.

Such wonder, richness, and depth.

But there’s something else in this passage… something that hit me like a ton of bricks.  It happens just as the mother of the Messiah approaches the mother of the Forerunner – at the very moment Mary’s greeting was heard – John leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.

1^st Peter 1:8 explains it pretty well…

“Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

It kind of made me chuckle a little bit as I was reminded of that age-old question, “What is my purpose in life?”  Even before his birth, John the Baptist was pointing the way to Christ.

And so I found myself reflecting again on my own vocation and how it’s evolved in my 45 years on this planet.  What is it that God has been calling me to grow into?  I’m a composer and performer, writer and speaker, liturgist and minister, husband and father – a laborer in this small part of God’s vineyard – and what an amazing gift it continues to be for me.  And that’s not all… on another level I’m a counselor and confidant, spiritual guide and companion on the journey, meeting people where they are and hoping that, in some small way, I can help them see God’s presence in their own lives.

That’s when the light went off in my head.  That’s what Mary did.  She brought Christ to Elizabeth and John.  She brought Christ to the world.  And Elizabeth and John recognized Christ within Mary.  Ok, sure… Jesus was literally “within Mary” at the time, but I know you get my point.

All the items I do in life have one thing in common… they all are designed to reveal Christ to the world, and to help lead people into a deeper relationship with God.  And that’s not all… in doing that I also am reminded to look for the face of God in everyone I meet and every experience of every day.  And, friends, that’s a challenging order to fill.

Today’s Gospel uncovers that all of us have a “bottom-line” vocation – that we are all called to be like Mary and bring Christ to our world, and to be like John the Baptist and point the way to the Saving Lord.  In all we do, and all we experience, God is there, and we are called to see Him, to announce Him.  This quote from St. John Chrysostom of John the Baptist can certainly be considered a solid and unmistakable blueprint for our own lives:

He has not yet left the womb but he speaks by leaping; he is not yet allowed to cry out but he makes himself heard by his actions; he has not yet seen the light but he points out the Sun.”

So I’ve replaced “Why am I here?” with much less simple questions I now ask myself instead.  Let’s take a moment and ask them of ourselves together right now:

Who have you been Christ to today?
Who has been Christ to you today?
How have I failed in these?

Dear God of all, thank you for the gift of your most precious presence. Grant us the grace to see you in the face of every person we encounter, and to be the face Christ to every person we meet. Amen.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member  of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center.

Scripture:

2 Peter 1:2-7
Mark 12:1-12

Reflection:

There is a lot of violence in today’s gospel.  Jesus gives a parable about the owner of a vineyard sending his servants to obtain produce from the tenants.  But the tenants seize the servants, beat them and even kill some of them.  Finally, the owner sends his son, and the tenants kill him, too.

Jesus addressed this parable to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders, and they knew he was talking about them.  It is easy for us to say, “Oh, those bad guys,” and to dismiss this parable as not applying to us.

But then in the background we hear Jesus’s words, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, you do to me” (Matthew 25:40).  And we hang our heads in shame.  For our world is filled with people being seized, beaten and killed.  From abortion to war, from rape to road rage, from school shootings to suicide bombings, violence abounds all over the earth.  Even a five minute sampling of the daily news shows us the Passion of Jesus going on today.

The Incarnation, Jesus becoming a human being, was God’s way of shouting to us that the human body fashioned by the Creator is holy and beautiful.  It is to be reverenced, cared for and enjoyed.  If we deeply felt that, I believe we would be less inclined to physically hurt ourselves or others, less inclined to bully or insult others, and less inclined to misuse our bodies in overwork and overeating.

In short, we would be less inclined to violence.  Instead, there would stepped-up efforts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and give drink to the thirsty.  There would be stepped-up efforts to improve sanitation, provide quality education and decent housing.  There would be stepped-up efforts to share good art, music and literature. There would be a greater commitment to unity and peace among nations.

Bodies hurt; bodies cry; bodies die.  Bodies also laugh, dance and hug.  The Church and its spiritual leaders should lead the way in the graceful celebration of human life, — soul, mind and body.  The care of the earth begins with the care of the human person.  “Laudauto Si’,mi’ Sigore,” — “Praised be to thee, my lord.”

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California. http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. What a great feast to remember when Jesus took ordinary bread and wine and changed it into his own Body and Blood to nourish our souls and to connect us all the more with him. In the readings today bread is being used in a blessing, a remembrance, and as food for the hungry.

In the Ancient Jewish tradition bread and wine are blessed as a way to begin the Sabbath or Shabbat. The challah is baked at home and is traditionally six strands of dough braided together. It is a reminder of blessings received from the six days of work and uniting them with our lives. The bread is broken with the hands and a knife is not used because it is seen as a symbol of violence. Wine symbolizes joy and life. The blessing of the wine is recited first out of respect for the sacrifice that the poor makes to have wine. Bread and wine are present when Melchizedek blesses Abram (Abraham) and thanks God. Simple items prepared and presented simply to give a blessing and thanksgiving.

In what ways has God blessed me? How might I be a blessing to others?

Each time we attend the Celebration of the Eucharist we remember Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. We bring our own sufferings, blessings and thanksgivings to the celebration. The men, women and children who had gathered to hear Jesus’ message also brought their sufferings, blessings, and thanksgivings. Many of them were most likely very hungry and may not have had anything to eat that day. Imagine sitting in a group and listening to Jesus’ words then one of his followers brings a basket around and hands out bread and fish to everyone. Shock and joy must have filled their hearts over the plentitude of fish and bread and “They all ate and were satisfied” They heard the Word and shared an extraordinary feast from five loaves of bread and two fish.

Today we hear the Word and share in an extraordinary feast where we have the opportunity to be with others who share our faith and to have hope in the promises of Christ by feeding ourselves spiritually through the Body and Blood of Christ.

Do I take time to prepare myself for the Celebration of the Eucharist?

“They all ate and were satisfied”

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

Scripture:

Jude 17, 20b-25
Mark 11:27-33

Reflection:

The message from the Letter of Jude is somewhat of a mystery.  We know almost nothing about who wrote it, to whom it was written, when it was written, and what it is really addressing.  It seems the author is reminding us, the faithful, of the importance of staying faithful to the message preached by the apostles of the mercy and love of God.  We are cautioned to be wary of false prophets who stir up angst and unrest and work against the message of love and mercy proclaimed by our Lord, Jesus Christ.

At times it seems like our lives are inundated with false prophets, broken promises, untruths and unrealistic messages.

What is a person of faith to do!!!!

As people of faith, we are called to stay true to our belief that the love of God and mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ will overshadow this dark cloud of fear, mistrust, arrogance, bullying and meanness that seems to pervade our very existence at times. It is at times like these that we are called to stand up for our values and beliefs that make us the people God created us to be.

Our parish community of Saint Agnes is aflame with the excitement of the new Pentecost as witnessed in the Acts of the Apostles. There is no place for the unrest and angst that pervades the world around us.  With excitement and determination we continue to preach gospel values and try to live them out in these ways….  We are about a capital campaign that will enable us to better serve our parish community as well as the broader community around us. We are following the admonition of Pope Francis in settling a refugee family later this summer and we are making room in our school to meet the growing needs of pre-school children in our area.

In all of this we take hope in the closing doxology of the Letter of Jude.

“To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of this glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come.”  Amen.

Down with false prophets! Up with dreamers and visionaries!  Hope in the Lord!

ALWAYS!!!!

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

 

Scripture:

1 Peter 4:7-13
Mark 11:11-26

Reflection:

“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” My new friend “Harriet” recently showed me how to use a gift to serve one another.

Harriet hugs people. She seeks out homeless individuals in the city of Louisville, asks them if they would like a hug, and if they say yes, she hugs them. She seeks out not just those who are at shelters, cleaned up and warm. She specifically looks for those who are not cleaned up, often sick, and not yet clear of the smells of city streets. Harriet is in her eighties, frail with age yet strong with love.

I heard Harriet speak about her ministry last week at a meeting of the Louisville Compassionate ElderCounsel. I, and all those present, were humbled by her wonderful ministry, so appreciated by the recipients of her hugs. One of them told her “No one wants to hug me. This means so much to me.”

Harriet is a great model for seniors. We seniors tend to think we have nothing to offer once we are not able to minister to others in the ways we used to in the past. We sometimes forget that the source of our ministry comes from deep inside our relationship with God. We all have gifts. Harriet’s gift comes from her experience of the meaning of a hug she received as a child. Now she uses the experience to express God’s love to others.

Today would be a good day to reflect on our own gift. How do we share the gift we have received from our own experience of God’s love in our life? As Passionists, how do we take the gift we experience at the foot of the Cross and serve others, no matter if we are ten years old or ninety?

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

Scripture:

1 Peter 1:18-25
Mark 10:32-45

Reflection:

Once again I hear the challenge and love of Pope Francis, encouraging us to move from the center (where power dwells) to the periphery (where we are called to serve). And Jesus reminds his disciples (you and me) that princes of this world use power to dominate, but it can’t be that way for Jesus’ followers.

Last week I directed a retreat for (mostly retired) religious women. The Sisters might seem frail or fragile to the spectator, but their histories are anything but! Several of them spend fifteen or twenty years in West Africa as foreign missionary educators. One spoke to me of founding a school/home for unwed mothers because the high school had a policy of expelling any pregnant girl and forbade her getting a diploma. (“Why not the boy?” she questioned!) So she made sure the girls had the opportunity to complete their course work and graduate. Another Sister shared the privilege of working with refugees in Minnesota. I stand in awe at their conviction, their commitment, their courage.

It seems to me that we need not waste our time anxiously pondering diminishment of resources (finances or personnel in church and religious life and vocations) when we can revel in the kingdom God is building now, much like the disciples in today’s Gospel, full of “wonderment”!

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