Claire Smith

Scripture:

Wisdom 6:1-11
Luke 17:11-19

Reflection:

In his autobiography, A View from the Ridge, novelist Morris West suggests that at a certain age our lives simplify, become whole, and we need have only three phrases left in our spiritual vocabulary: “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

A life that is filled with gratitude is life marked by maturity, by holiness, by love.  The Samaritan in today’s gospel demonstrates such gratitude.

Yet, Jesus in curing the 10 lepers of their disease sounds so rude.  Nor does he address the Samaritan directly.  Instead, he speaks over his head to the crowd listening in.

“Ten were cleansed, were they not?  Where are the other nine?” he demands to know.

At one level, these are peculiar questions.  The other nine obeyed Jesus’ command to go show themselves to the priest.  They’re heading in the direction Jesus told them to go.  Still, they were lacking something.

Is it the point of this story to sting the ungrateful?  That certainly is a clear message.  But perhaps the crucial point of the story is to emphasize the importance of gratitude.

“And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”  This leper no longer had to shout from a safe distance.  He came right up to Jesus and said “thank you!”

That leper was “made well,” (from the Greek sesoken, healed of spiritual disease and death.)  The other nine were merely cleansed (ekatharisthesan, made clean of a disease.)

Gratitude, in other words, is fundamental to wholeness of mind, body and spirit.  A grateful person is one who experiences a healing that goes beyond the merely physical cure.  The Samaritan was restored to his family, his community, to wholeness in God.

In his book, Sacred Fire, Ronald Rolheiser writes: “Gratitude is the basis for all holiness.  The holiest person you know is also the most grateful person you know.”  To emphasize his point, Rolheiser urges us to “live in gratitude, and thank your Creator by enjoying your life.”

God blesses us, restores us, makes us whole, in so many ways, ways that we all too often take for granted.  Today’s gospel tells us to start living like that 10^th leper every day, to fall before Jesus and say simply “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:23-3:9
Luke 17:7-10

Reflection:

My sister told me that when Dad knew he was dying, he looked at her and said, “Don’t forget me, OK?” The question might seem silly, as if any of his ten kids would ever forget their father. Yet I have seen it over and over again. Dying people want to know their life made a difference, had some meaning, touched someone, and left enough of a legacy to endure. Likewise, survivors of a loved one’s death are hungry to know that someone else remembers besides them, that their loved one’s absence leaves a void in the world and they will not be forgotten. There is a deep longing in the human soul to live on and to know our loved ones live on as well.

Scripture describes it best when it says that we were formed to be “imperishable” in the image of God’s own nature. Some theologians, in fact, argue that our deep-seated desire for immortality is evidence that we are indeed immortal, that there is life beyond our earthly tenure. However, it does not change the fact that we are anything but imperishable in this life.

In my work with grieving people, I have come to see how important it is to honor that desire for memory and legacy. I often use a quote from tribal tradition: “No one is ever truly dead from this earth until there is not a person left alive who speaks their name or tells their story.” Why, then, do we tell mourners to put it behind them and get on with life? Why do we talk about anyone and everyone except the person who died? Why do we literally avoid saying the name and telling the story? It is not what the grieving person wants. It is not what the deceased person deserves. But it sure does make it easier and more comfortable to avoid the topic.

In reality, we never “put it behind us and get on with life.” We have to let go of that person’s physical presence; we will not hear the laugh again, feel the hug, or see them in their favorite chair. But we heal by creating memories out of what can no longer be, and carrying them with us into the future. We carry the life, love, lessons, stories, and memories, knowing that we are different because this person lived and died.

If you want to support a grieving person, don’t be afraid to say the name and tell the stories. Call them on the person’s birthday. Take them for coffee and share stories about their loved one. (Yes, you can include the good and the bad. Recognize that we’re not perfect people; we’re just people doing the best we can with what we’ve got, and we all mess up). Send a card on some of the monthly anniversaries letting them know you’re thinking of them and remembering with them. Accompany them to an All Souls service. Deliver flowers or comfort food or a bottle of wine on the anniversary of the death. In big and small ways, help their loved one live on in memory and story.

It can seem counter-cultural in our society that wants to deny death and grief. Ignore society. Take the chance to love someone that well, to laugh and cry together, to help them heal, and to make a difference in another’s life. Be the face of Christ to them when they most need you.

Interestingly, the more you can do that, the more “imperishable” you become. You build a legacy of love and care that is more meaningful than any physical monument, accolade, or award, and people will remember you long after you are gone. And if we can all build that kind of legacy, who knows what might happen? I suspect we may bring about the kingdom of God on this earth.

 

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:

1 Kings 17:10-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

Reflection:

In many parishes, today’s readings of the Widow’s mite and the visit of Elijah and the gift of lasting flour and oil lend themselves to this being designated as Stewardship Sunday.  When we hear the words Stewardship Sunday, we may say to ourselves, “Oh no, we’re going to be asked for money again.”  But Stewardship is not about money.  Stewardship is mostly about gratitude and our acknowledging that it is God who gives us everything we are, and everything we have.

This is a pretty difficult concept in our western world where the best sign of success is to be a self-made man or woman.  My dad was such a man.  He was the youngest of 9 children, born on a farm and moved to the city in the height of the depression.  He was on his own by the time he was 13 and his survival depended on his making his own way.  He worked hard and in many ways achieved the American dream.  He used to tell my brothers and me, “There is no such word as can’t; you can do anything if you try.”

Dad converted to Catholicism when I was in second grade.  And as the case with many converts, he became a devoted and faithful Catholic, but he could never bring himself to pray for the things he could do himself.  He would get more than a little upset when he saw a sports player crossing himself or when he heard us praying to do well on a test.  “You can’t expect God to do what you could do for yourself,” he’d tell us.  During this time, he gave back although he didn’t think of it in those terms.  He donated time to the local parish; helped people he knew who needed a boost; visited the sick and quietly supported several charities.

But then his mother died and a few years later, he developed cancer.  Dad began to see that there were things in life he could not change.  He learned to say “can’t.”  And he began to ask God for help and soon was acknowledging that all that he had and all that he was was indeed gift – a gift from God.  I remember dad saying to me when he was first diagnosed and was facing some painful testing, , “pray for me.”

Before dad died, we had some good conversations.  He shared about converting to Catholicism and how it had come to mean so much to him.  And he shared how grateful he was for the many gifts he had received over the years.

My dad was a good man and I will always miss his presence.  And I will always offer prayers of gratitude to God for the gift of my dad and what he taught me about stewardship.

Mary Lou Butler is a long-time friend and partner in ministry to the Passionists in California.

Scripture:

Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27
Luke 16:9-15

Reflection:

In grammar school I was taught by the Sisters of Providence and for high school, I attended the Passionist Minor Seminary. The members of these communities take a vow of poverty and were great witnesses to me on what a gift that vow can be. I had also heard from members of these communities today’s gospel admonition, which explained at least in part, why they chose this life: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16: 13) Having their great witness and hearing the gospel were not enough to change my heart. I had to experience this truth on my own.

Letting go of my car twenty plus years ago is a good example of my struggle with this simple truth. I bought that car, a new, ’83 Cadillac Seville and spent much more for it than I should have because successful people in my business drove that kind of car. I wanted the image it exhibited. It worked for a time. People seemed impressed even mentioning how beautiful it was. Ten years later the time came when I realized that I was serving that car and not the other way around. It had to go. I called a friend of mine in the auto business and asked him to get rid of it for me. Finally it was gone. What remained however, were the phony thinking and the crazy contest for “personal prestige and big bank balances”. That is taking much longer.

I’m still learning today to simplify my life, letting go of things I no longer need on my journey to god. It’s not always easy and I’m a slow learner. God, I offer my life to you. Keep me from valuing anything over life with you, whatever that means giving up.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago. 

Scripture:

Romans 14:7-12
Luke 15:1-10

Reflection:

All of us have had that common experience of losing something and spending hours searching for it.  It is part of our human makeup. It transcends cultures and languages and is linked with the limitations of the human mind.  This experience is the impetus for the 15th chapter of Luke’s gospel; something is lost and then it is found.

Today’s Gospel revisits the first two of the trilogy: a sheep and a coin. A single sheep gets lost. The owner goes looking for it. Upon finding it, the owner is filled with great joy.  Notice here that it is not the shepherd of the sheep but the owner who goes looking for the lost sheep.  Does this mean there is more joy if the owner finds the sheep than if an employee finds it?

The owner has a greater vested interest.   The second story is so much like the first. Instead of it being a sheep that is lost, this time the lost object is a coin. And like the first story, again there is tremendous joy. Much like the lost sheep, it is the one with the vested interest in what was lost which receives the reward of joy. Is this what we are supposed to take from this Gospel reflection?

I certainly think the theme of joy is worth reflecting on, but did you notice the deeper theme in this gospel?   Luke doesn’t use this as a generic teaching of Jesus, nor does he use the phrase, “The kingdom of God is like…”  Luke sets the scene up with people gathered around Jesus listening to him.  Those who chose to encircle Jesus were classified as tax collectors and sinners. The first century understanding of sinner was someone who missed the mark, or even those who really didn’t have any place for the law of God in their life. So here are a group of people who never really grasped the religiousness of their lives.  I suspect they didn’t care too greatly of what religious people thought of them.   I can only imagine their enthusiasm as they are sitting around Jesus relating to him without feeling the imposition of the religious law.  They are no longer excluded, they are now part of the inner conversation and the outsiders in this circle are the ones who have always had the religious voice.  They must have been exuberant.

Luke merely says that the Scribes and Pharisees were complaining. Numerous times in both the Old and New Testaments reveal that the Divine isn’t very tolerant towards people who grumble and complain.  In this case the complaining is directed at Jesus stemming from the company he kept. If you read between the lines can you pick up on the judgmentalism of the Pharisees and their lack of gratitude?  Luke is clear. It was because of their complaining that Jesus speaks. What does he speak? He tells three parables about losing something and finding something. And he emphasizes the joy in the finding. It seems the judgmental complainers couldn’t recognize the joy in the eyes and faces of those they believed were beneath them.

What does this mean for us today? I think we can start with the simple questions.  What do you grumble and complain about?  Is the complaining keeping God from intervening?  Perhaps this is an area of conversion in your life.  If you are honest with yourself, how does grumbling and complaining fit with joy in your life?  I believe it is part of Pope Francis’ wisdom that the poor have the ability to bring us redemption, even if it is only from our own grumbling.

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

Feast of St. Charles Borromeo

Scripture:

Romans 13:8-10
Luke 14:25-33

Reflection:

Loving God, Neighbor, Self:  A Real Challenge!

At first glance, the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel and the words of St. Paul in the reading from his letter to the Romans – the words seem to contradict one another.  “…if anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children…” and “…owe nothing to anyone except to love one another…’you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself’…”.  Further reflection highlights Jesus’ use of making his point by exaggeration:  nothing and no one can stand in the way of our Christian call to loving discipleship – which includes carrying our crosses, renouncing our possessions, and following Jesus!  A real challenge for us 21^st Century folks!

Jesus’ and St. Paul’s words come alive for us as we continue our November journey and commemorate saintly people – today highlighting the person of Charles Borromeo.  A zealous man of the 16^th Century Church, he is seen as a true pastor who helped reform and grow the Church in a variety of ways.

As a bishop and Cardinal, Charles was one to encourage the intellectual and moral growth of clergy and religious, especially in forming new seminaries.  He helped author the catechism that was called for during the Council of Trent, and started the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) for children’s growth in their faith.  He held many special meetings in his home diocese of Milan, seeking to incorporate the message and teachings of the Council of Trent.  He reached out to the poor and needy of his day, sacrificing personal wealth, honor and influence to offer hands-on service to them – even in the challenges of the plagues and famines of his day, as he ministered to the sick, the hungry, and the dying.  Truly a zealous, loving man throughout his relatively short 46 years of life!  (And I think, Charles’ life would “fit” the call to discipleship that Pope Francis is setting before us these days…)

We’re encouraged this month of November to look to the lives of those who have gone before us…the “official” saints and the “everyday saints” we each know or have known.  Love of God, neighbor, and self is at the heart of each of their lives – and no dimension of this love can be downplayed or skipped!  So…

Today, as we seek to follow Jesus with the encouragement of others, we reach out in love in our day – to God, one another, and even ourselves.  Perhaps today is the day to let Autumn come alive for you:  to experience God in the beauty of autumn leaves and the crisp air, to have some quiet time for yourself, to enjoy a favorite meal or drink, to reach out to a family member or friend… May we be blessed, and encourage others to rejoice in their blessedness…all of us “saints under construction”!

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Romans 12:5-16b
Luke 14:15-24

Reflection:

In You oh Lord, I have found my peace.

This is the responsorial psalm for today. God’s peace is one of our greatest gifts, but it’s up to us to receive that gift and choose to live in peace. One of the ways we can foster peace is by controlling our thoughts.

We all experience difficult days when we let negative thinking get the best of us. I had a major melt-down several months ago. My feelings had been hurt and I was feeling very rejected and sorry for myself. One by one, negative thoughts came marching into my head. (We don’t have any real friends here. Jay’s moving to Denmark, and I may never see him again! I don’t think my shoulder will ever stop hurting. What if we have to move away from our kids and grandkids?) As each thought came, I let it stay, and soon I was spiraling toward despair, far from the peace that Jesus offers us in any circumstance.

A little later, my husband made a comment that felt like a criticism to me, and the floodgates opened. All of the negative emotion from the day came pouring out. Poor Jim! It’s so important to see how our thoughts affect our feelings and how our feelings affect our actions and decisions. If we’re not careful, our emotions can dictate how we live, rather than our faith.

How much better to stop each thought as it comes, and look for the positive, or at least remember that no matter what happens, Jesus is with us, and it will all work out! God’s peace is available to us every day, no matter what is going on. Lord help me look to You when problems and negative thoughts bombard me. Thank you for being our peace.

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Janice also leads women’s retreats and recently published her second book: God IS with Us. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].

All Souls Day

Scripture:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

Reflection:

Today is a day to remember our deceased family members, loved ones, friends, and others whose lives have ended and for whose lives we are grateful.

In the history of this day, it is very obvious that nationalities, cultures, and religions have contributed to the customs associated with remembering the dead. With the association of November 1^st as All Saints Day with November 2^nd, All Souls Day (and including the vigil feast of All Hallows Eve—Halloween, Christians have, over the centuries, developed and passed on popular customs as reverential expressions of their religious convictions about death and salvation.

Today, we in the United States may look back over these customs of our ancestors, and think of them as “quaint” or, perhaps, superstitious. For example, food left out for the visiting spirits of the dead, altars and candles to comfort those waiting in darkness for their turn to enter paradise from purgatory; all Christian traditions associated with November 2^nd reflect the beliefs of some particular time in history.

At the same time, we in the United States today, seem intent on giving a new meaning to our remembering the dead, we have made Halloween into the runner-up after Christmas for holiday spending. It isn’t the children who go trick or treat-ing on Halloween who are laughing all the way to the bank.

What do the suggested readings for today’s Mass tell us about our passage through death into eternal life? How should we remember the dead in a way that pays them tribute and respect?

But they are in peace. (WIS 3:3)

What would we give to have real peace in our lives and in our world? If peace were only the absence of conflict, how much we would gain by seeking it. But even though we could work our way through the conflicts of the present political, cultural, religious and personal universes that we inhabit, would we have peace? Something else must be added for absence of conflict to bring about real peace. It is the assurance that we don’t have to fall back into conflict at the next stage of life, the next political era, or the next cultural phenomenon that drapes our generations in misunderstandings and exaggerated economic competitiveness.

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. (ROM 6:8-9)

The citation from the Letter to the Romans tells us that true peace is possible if we live with him. Those who have died in Christ truly and fully live in the peace of Christ; they will not fall out of that peace. Those of us still engaged in our Christian, mortal lives, identify with the dying of Christ through our baptism, the epic symbol of death to sin and rising to new life that makes us living members of the Body of Christ.

Today, then, let us engage our customs and traditions; let us offer prayers for the peace of Christ to bond us with our beloved dead; and let us try just a little harder to live the peace that also bonds us with our brothers and sisters still living our mortal lives.

 

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