Claire Smith

 

Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:          

There are some readings in scripture that are particularly beautiful to read.  The words just flow off the tongue.  This is due to the poetic style of the writing and because of their familiarity, and perhaps because somewhere inside we know scripture is a way that God lets us know He cares for us.  At first read, these quotations make us feel good, kind of warm and fuzzy.

I think that’s the way it is with today’s Gospel.  “Love one another as I love you.”  What could be more feel good than that?  But wait a minute.   This Reading from John is a lot more than a feel good poem.  It is the supreme challenge to us.  What does it mean to love one another?   What exactly is it that Jesus is telling us to do?  Love each other as He loved us.  Pretty difficult to put our love for one another on the same level with the way Jesus loves us.  Just look at his life – he dined with tax collectors and sinners, he embraced the beggar, cared about the possessed, kept no possessions and finally died on the cross all out of love.  And He forgave us.

I think the forgiving of each other is the hardest part.  All of us have been badly hurt by someone in our lives– a spouse, a sibling, a co-worker.  Sometimes our trust has been betrayed.  Forgiving isn’t an easy task.  We are amazed and inspired when we hear of the family of a victim of violence who forgives the person who committed the crime.  Forgiving isn’t an easy task.  In a world filled with violence, with terrorism, with prejudice, and with injustice, we are called to forgive.  But forgiving isn’t an easy task.  We are supposed to forgive the guy who cuts us off in traffic, the rude clerk in the store, the bully in school and all the others who often make our daily life difficult.  Forgiving isn’t an easy task.

But here’s the thing.  No place in scripture does it say that being a Christian is easy.  Jesus calls us friend not slave and because of this, as Christians, we will continue to try to forgive, to love one another.  And through our forgiveness and love of one another, we will bear much fruit, and the Kingdom of God will flourish and grow throughout the earth.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Acts 15:7-21
John 15:9-11

Reflection:

Rules, rules, rules, rules, I don’t like rules. Not too long ago a good friend and I took a trip down to St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana to visit the motherhouse of many of the women who taught me as a grammar school child. It was magical. As we walked through the cemetery, we happened upon the grave of Sister Lawrence Marie. Sister taught me in both fourth and fifth grades and died shortly after that. (I don’t think there was any connection, at least I hope not.) Later we visited with my eighth grade teacher who is in the early stages of dementia. My schoolmates and I may have had something to do with that.

I couldn’t help but think as we walked the campus, that this is were the young women who I thought were old at the time, studied, prayed and played, the same things they did with me and my classmates.

We eventually found our way to the bookstore where I paged through a number of books on Saint Mother Theodore Guerin (1798-1856) the foundress of their community. I kept coming across the admonition she gave to her teachers, “Love the children—love those put in your care.” I taught for 20 years and almost all that time was taking education classes eventually earning a masters and a doctorate. In all the classes I took and books I studied, I don’t ever remember seeing that rule, love the children.

In today’s first reading from Acts we read about Paul and Barnabas’ debate with the early Christian Community regarding rules. Although Paul and Barnabas stood their ground, Mother Guerin would have been a great help and supporter.  Maybe she gleaned her wisdom from Paul and Barnabas. Either way, thank God she was around to establish the community that taught me the Good News.

 

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

 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

One of the major hardships resulting from the massive earthquake in Nepal was communication. The 7.8 earthquake created landslides that blocked mountain roads connecting villages with major centers, toppled telephone poles which interrupted normal patterns of communications, and shattered cell towers and electrical cables that made most mobile phones and computers useless. These damages left many key emergency response teams with no way of communicating with one another during a time when coordination of rescue efforts was most important.

The gospel reading today, the same as the Sunday gospel, is an illustration about the importance of communications and connections. The soil connects to the roots, the roots to the vine, the vine to the branches, and the branches to the fruit. In order to produce fruit, all levels need to be connected, communicating with each other. Without the soil providing water and nutrients to the roots of the vine, without the vine carrying moisture and nutrients back and forth between the roots and the branches, there would be no fruit. The roots, the vine, the branches must work together to reach the goal of providing fruit.

What is true in the gardening world is true in the spiritual world. There is a spiritual dynamic that must be in place for the fruit of Christian life to be manifested. Without this flow of life from God to Jesus Christ, to the Holy Spirit and to all Christians, there can be no spiritual fruit. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22:23. This dynamic is expressed at the end of many of our prayers: “Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”

God (the soil) has created all the resources we need to be faithful disciples (fruitful branches). Jesus Christ (the vine) has released that creative love of God by his death and resurrection; the Holy Spirit (sun, air, water) surrounds us with the power of God and the life of Jesus Christ. Let us stay connected to the true vine and the vine grower. When we are connected, God can do the work through us to produce the fruit. When earthquakes strike us, stay connected to the vine. Whether your relationship preference is prayer, Mass, scripture, devotion, faith community or nature, stay connected.

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Jn 15:4-5

We all need Jesus! Jesus connects us with the Father, who gives us the gift of life. Every breath we take is a gift from God, and apart from Him, not only would we not bear fruit, but we would die! We are totally dependent on God, and the more time we spend with Him, the more productive, joyful, and fruitful our lives will be.

I like the image of being a branch attached to Jesus the vine, where the sap is the Holy Spirit. As we allow the Holy Spirit to correct us, teach us and fill us with God’s life, we grow more and more into His likeness and we enjoy the fruits of the Spirit. Attached to the vine, God’s life flows into us and we experience His love, His peace, and His joy. Just as a leaf withers and dies when it falls from the tree, we cannot grow and thrive apart from God. Our world is filled with people who have no hope! Faith is such a gift, we need to cherish it, nourish it and share it!

On a recent trip to Toronto to visit our daughter, Sr. Cecilia Rose, SV, I was struck again by how joyful the sisters are. It is so delightful just to spend time with them! They pray five hours each day, which strengthens them for the work they do and reminds them that they are God’s beloved. Their faces and lives reflect God’s love and they are bearing great fruit for the Kingdom because they abide in God.

We’re not all called to religious life, but we can all thrive by spending time with God each day. A classic Christian folk song comes to mind: They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love. As we grow in our faith, it shows in our actions, in our choices, and in how we share our time, talents and treasure. Let’s give thanks each day for the gift of life and the privilege of being attached to the vine. God offers us newness of life during this Easter Season. May we strive to deepen our faith, surrendering to the sweet Holy Spirit and making more and more room for God.

 

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 wrote her first book: God Speaks to Ordinary People – Like You and Me. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].

 

Scripture:

Acts 13:44-52

John 14:7-14

Reflection:

Do you remember far enough back in time to call from out of your memory those moments that clearly and publicly said, “I am a Catholic”? I think that there used to be a lot more of them the farther back I go in my memories of growing up in East Los Angeles. For example, in the 1950’s “released time” religious education was the way I received my catechism training during the years that I was not enrolled at Resurrection School. The Victory Noll Sisters would meet us at the school building doors, and we would walk down the street to the home of a parishioner who had volunteered space in the family garage for us to set up our folding chairs, and sit before the blackboard and the Sister who conducted the class. That two- or three-block walk, past the corner store and the barber shop on our way to the proffered garage was our moment to be seen as the “Catholic kids”.

During the years that I attended Resurrection School, if I walked the two miles from my house to the school, it was in our Catholic School uniform, and once again, a public display of my being Catholic.

On First Fridays, we were expected to be at 8 a.m. Mass, and on Fridays of Lent, we left school early, and were marched all together to the parish church for Stations of the Cross.

Girls in May, and boys in June would collect at the little Mexican church of Monte Carmelo on Hunter Street, to “offer flowers” during the evening recitation of the rosary. We were expected to wear white; white dresses for the girls, and white shirts for the boys. As weekday evening fell, white dresses and white shirts would converge from the neighborhood for one more testimony to our being Catholic.

Sometimes our Catholic identity was reinforced by our passing by a Protestant church in the neighborhood. We would never have gone into one, but passing by on a Sunday morning one heard a lot more singing than we were used to. A synonym for “non-Catholic” when I was growing up was “holy roller”, which reveals more bigotry than I wish to acknowledge.

Eventually, after we had had the opportunity to meet and befriend people of other faiths, we had a more realistic sense of what “being Catholic” and “being Protestant” meant.

One difference that stood out in my mind was that Protestant prayers ended with the name of Jesus when Catholic prayers just concluded with a heartfelt “Amen”. Television evangelists often prayed “in Jesus’ name”; or “in the name of Jesus, the Lord”. If the prayer was addressed to Jesus, then the closing phrase might be “in Your name, we pray.”

Clearly, the Protestant faithful were onto something. While we Catholics were trying to build up the efficaciousness of our prayers by appealing to the intercession of patron saints or favorite saints, the Protestant pray-ers were putting all their bets down on Jesus’ name!

Today’s Gospel passage, from the Gospel of John, and in particular, the concluding verse, John 14:14, reminded me of this cultural difference. In fact, the cultural difference has valid and profound roots in scriptural theology. What I had once considered simply a different tradition of prayer forms, was instead rooted in an understanding of “name” that far exceeds a sectarian preference.

In scripture, “name” is a sacred reality; more than a word, it is the equivalent of the identity of a person, place, or thing. Our Creator-God is the first to name the realities of creation (Gen 1:5, 8, 10). In the second creation account of Genesis, God gives the power to name what has been created to Adam (Gen 2:19-20). God gives a new identity and purpose to a person’s life by renewing that person’s name (e.g., Abram/Abraham, Jacob/Israel; Simon/Peter; Saul/Paul). God’s nature is revealed as a perduring presence in the divine name revealed to Moses (Ex3:14). Key moments of the Infancy Narrative of Luke’s gospel are about the name of the child, Jesus (Lk 1:31, 32, 35; 2:21). In His public ministry, Jesus also begins to use the expression “in my name”. The apostles are concerned about people who have appropriated Jesus’ name without belonging to the body of disciples (Mark 9:38-39).

What does it mean to do anything at all “in the name of Jesus”?

It means that our actions are those of Jesus; saving actions, healing actions, loving actions, forgiving actions, truthful actions, self-sacrificing actions.

It is a bold affirmation, that we pretend to do anything at all “in the name of Jesus.” Is my prayer worthy to be called the prayer of Jesus? Is my effort to be reconciled with my brother or my sister worthy of the reconciliation that Jesus won for us on the cross? Is my prayer for success, or for health, or for mercy, worthy of the prayer of Jesus for whom success was liberating, for whom healing was in body and spirit, and for whom mercy was unconditional?

Let us honor the person of Jesus by the honor we give His Holy Name. The Name gives us access to the person of Jesus, and our use of the Name of Jesus, gives Jesus access to us.

 

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

Saint Joseph the Worker

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Today is “May Day.”   Around the world people celebrate on this day the dignity and rights of those who labor.  For Catholics it is also the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, taking its cue from the comments in the gospels that Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, was a “craftsman.”  Most think of him as a carpenter, a subject of art and devotion throughout the centuries.  The actual Greek word used in the gospels could mean any sort of craftsman, someone who works in wood or stone.  Of course, Joseph is lifted up not simply because of his craft but because through the work of his hands he, together with Mary, sustained the household in which Jesus was born and was nourished.

The readings for today draw their inspiration from the Easter season in which we still stand, awaiting Pentecost. But the gospel reading from John offers a connection to the work of Joseph the craftsman and breadwinner of the family of Jesus.  The selection today is from the Gospel of John, 14:1-6 and is one of the most well-known passages of this beautiful Gospel—Jesus’ words of consolation to his disciples: “I am going to prepare a place for you”.

My priestly ministry has been in education rather than in parish ministry.  Unlike most pastors, I preside at funerals only occasionally.  But when I do have the privilege of celebrating the Mass of Christian burial it is almost always for someone I have personally known—a member of our staff or faculty, a family member of one of our trustees.  So I usually have the opportunity to confer with the loved ones of the deceased about what reading they would like to select.  Virtually every time this poignant passage from John is chosen.  On the eve of his arrest, Jesus makes his farewell with his distressed disciples.  “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…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.”

Those exquisite words of Jesus take the sting out of death.  It is no longer a step into a void but a homecoming, a passageway into the Father’s house where Jesus, too, will dwell with us and all our loved ones.  And Jesus himself will accompany us on this fateful journey into new life.  The image Jesus uses—that of leaving for home—reminds me of the famous words of St. Pope John XXIII as he approached the hour of his own death: “My bags are packed and I am ready to go…”

In using this comforting image for the experience of death, did Jesus remember the home he had shared with Mary and Joseph?  A home filled with warm and abiding love, a love that reflected God’s own unconditional love, the love that would sustain Jesus all his life, including his experience of suffering and death itself.

In this Easter season we renew our faith the power of the resurrection.  Because of God’s abiding love for us, life—not death—has the last word.  And whatever comfort and goodness we may have been fortunate enough to have experienced in our own home life is but a glimpse of the joy and peace that will be ours in “the Father’s house.”

 

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 12:24-13:5
John 12:44-50

Reflection:

“The Word of God continued to spread and grow.”

Today’s first reading details the work of Saul and Barnabas as they preach the Word of God.  There is a certain, palpable excitement in the early, infant Christian community.  This excitement around evangelization seems difficult to replicate in today’s world!

Over the years I have witnessed and participated in missions, door to door contacts and other media efforts to spread the Good News.  Yet the reception of the message often seems to be surrounded with less excitement than what is described in today’s scripture narrative.  When I ask myself when people have been most receptive to the Gospel message, I always seem to come back to the same “Passionist truth”.

People can experience God’s love at the foot of the Cross.  Relief work during Hurricane Katrina, seeing children and their parents stripped of possessions and family members, taught me how pain can present us with a pivotal choice.  Suffering people are in a unique position to receive or reject the Word of God’s love.  Compassion becomes the language we use to communicate with each other.

Passionists evangelize by standing together with others at the Cross.  My reflection today is in the form of a simple question.  Am I compassionately standing with those who are suffering in today’s world?

 

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

 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

I like the Easter season for many reasons, but one of the most hopeful aspects of this season can be found in the scriptures we read during this time.  More specifically, the Acts of the Apostles.  The comings and goings of the early church bring home the ‘real’ church, the day-to-day happenings, the ups and downs of ministering to a young, diverse church.

The church we minister in today is not necessarily ‘young’ at 2000+ years, but IS diverse, challenging, spirited, faith-filled and growing in all different ways!  As ministers we are called, commissioned, scattered all over the world, sent to preach the good news of the resurrected Jesus!  We have the same frustrations, joys, sorrows, hopes and dreams of the early church leaders.

We are like Barnabas, who upon arriving in Antioch was filled with joy and encouragement as he witnessed the grace of God at work in so many of the faithful. We all experience great joy and gratitude as we witness the grace of God at work in our parishes, schools, communities and families!

The hand of the Lord is upon us as well during those times of persecution, failure and dejection as the apostles experienced during the stoning of Stephen, one of their own.  In the aftermath that followed they grieved for their friend and colleague, but resolutely picked themselves up and continued to sing ALLELUIA !  May we have the courage and faith of the early church leaders to follow suit.

We hear another message of hope as Jesus tells us in today’s gospel from John.

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” 

It doesn’t get any better than this, folks!  Whether we are sheep or shepherds, let the ALLELUIAS sound forth from our lips and color all our actions as EASTER people!

Jesus Christ has risen and is alive among us, let us rejoice!  Alleluia! Alleluia!

 

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