Claire Smith

Scripture:

Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 8:5-11

Reflection:

They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.  -Isaiah 2:5

This passage made a powerful visual impression for the people who first heard it; for they saw how swords and spears were made: in the heat of a tremendous fire that melts metal. The sword, a tool of war, undergoes the heat of a forge and is bent round at the end, transforming it into a plow that breaks open the soil, readying it for seed. Likewise, the spear, another instrument of violence, undergoes the melting fire and is formed into a pruning hook for productive work in agriculture. These images of the transformations of the sword and spear have, over the centuries, become expressions of military weapons or technologies being converted for peaceful civilian applications.

As we begin Advent, the prophet Isaiah gives us a powerful vision of turning from violence and towards peace, a message joyfully proclaimed at Christmas to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14.

We long for peace; we send Christmas cards that say, “Peace on Earth”, and yet peace eludes us, in our own hearts, in our homes, in our communities, and on the world stage.

Around the world, we see people, especially children, suffer the consequences of violence and war: trauma, famine, displacement, and even genocide.

The first candle we lit in the Advent wreath is the “hope” candle; and next Sunday, we will light the “peace” candle. And today’s Gospel story gives us some hope, and some practical tools for building peace. We see Jesus and the Roman Centurion working together for the sake of a servant “suffering dreadfully”. The Gospel does not give details of how Jesus and the Centurion formed a relationship. Given the political and cultural realities of their time, they both probably received criticism and misunderstanding for even speaking with each other.

The Roman Centurion was part of an occupying force that levied heavy taxes on the Jews, and brutally suppressed resistance. According to Jewish belief, Jesus would become ritually impure if he entered the Centurion’s home—he was a Gentile. And yet, Jesus offered to enter the Centurion’s home to cure his servant. And yet, the Centurion’s confidence in Jesus was so strong that he knew it would not be necessary for Jesus to come to his home: “only say the word, and my servant will be healed”. Mt. 8:8

During this Advent, let us pray for the courage to work with others to build the peace of Christ, bravely transcending any barriers that keep us apart.

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She serves on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan. Patty is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the beginning of Advent. Christmas is only four weeks away, and holiday preparations are in full swing. During this busy time, we are asked to spiritually pause and enter a season of waiting. That is an interesting dilemma for us. The Jewish people waited centuries for the coming of the Messiah, while we struggle to wait a few weeks to celebrate the birth of Christ!

My favorite hymn for this season of preparation is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!” Each verse reflects one of the beautiful Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. The first verse ties closely with today’s readings.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Jeremiah reminds the Israelites that God will not forget the promise to send a Messiah. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to grow even more in love for one another in preparation for the second coming of Jesus. Luke encourages us to be vigilant and pray for strength when we stand before the Son of Man.

And ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here

The Jewish people are suffering through their exile in Babylon, devastated that Yahweh has seemingly abandoned them. Jeremiah, in a more upbeat tone than we usually hear from him, offers hope to the Israelites—God’s promises will be fulfilled.

Until the Son of God appear!

We anticipate the appearance of the Son of God during this Advent season. Jeremiah speaks of the historical event of the Messiah. Paul and Luke encourage their listeners to be prepared for the end of time. There is a third coming, which is neither historical nor future. This is the importance of Advent for us today. We prepare for the spiritual coming of Christ into our daily lives.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel!

Mike Owens is the coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

Scripture:

Romans 10:9-18
Matthew 4:18-22

Reflection:

Jesus has invited Peter and Andrew to be fishers of men. When have you felt a calling, an invitation of the Spirit? Maybe you felt called to a ministry at your church that you never, in your wildest dreams, expected to ever be a member, or even a leader. A calling for us today is a bit different from the calling of Jesus’ first four disciples – Peter, Andrew, James and John. These men left everything to follow Him. They trusted him, they felt his presence, they knew somehow that this was someone they needed to walk with. They returned to their families and their livelihoods, where they would continue to follow Jesus throughout their daily lives.

Do we continue to follow the call? There is a saying that is probably overused, but makes a lot of sense – he doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. How many times in ministry have we said, “oh, I can’t do that ministry because I’m not worthy”? We are all worthy, if we have that love of Jesus in our hearts, and we love him so much that we will serve him wherever he calls us! Can we trust him implicitly throughout our day to day activities, remembering that he is always with us?

Don’t let any earthly fear or attachment prevent you from answering the call! In your work, at home, at play – Jesus wants you, and he wants to be with you – he wants us all, to share in his works, and all we have to do is let go and trust his guidance. Don’t be a periodic searcher for Jesus in your life, bring him close to you always, and acknowledge and accept those gifts that he so generously wants us to have! God bless you!

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

Revelation 20:14; 11–21: 2
Luke 21: 29 – 33

Reflection:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  -Luke 21:33

Tomorrow at sundown we begin a new liturgical year with the beginning of our celebration of the season of Advent. There always needs to be an end before there is a beginning, and the readings today are about the passing away of Heaven and Earth. We have many names for this: the end of time, the apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ. From time to time, we may see a person standing on a street corner with a sign, “The End Is Near”. Even though we ponder on the message of the sign, we don’t know when or how. We read in the New Testament that there will be signs. The reading from Revelation speaks of “the sea giving up its dead” along with Death (evil) and Hades, the place of the dead. We are also told that all “the dead will be judged according to their deeds”. Those who fail the judgment of God end up in a pool or lake of fire, which symbolizes a second death or the final destruction of death. The last section of this passage then speaks of “a new heaven and a new earth.” These are places joined in a new beginning where death does not exist. The victory over evil has been won and evil has been wiped out of existence. All that is left is a “new Jerusalem”, the holy City of God. In another commentary that I read; it was more of a restoration of a transformed, this-worldly reality. All had been restored to the state it was at the beginning of time when God first created it. Imagine all living things restored to their most perfect and holy state. That is something that is a challenge to wrap one’s mind around and yet that is why we pray, worship, and believe in the living God. We know that all things are possible with God, who alone knows when this restoration will occur. We must not sit around, waiting for it to happen. As we go about our day we must continue to pray, worship and do good works to build the Kingdom of God in the people that we work with and our families.

Advent is a time for us to begin again, working to become the person that God created us to be. Yes, the end will come for all of us; however, today, we have an opportunity to rekindle our efforts to reflect the love, peace, and mercy of our God.

On a side note, the Book of Revelation is one of the most difficult books of the Sacred Scriptures to understand or comprehend. It is meant to be understood figuratively and not literally. However, the imagery contained in these passages can open us up to a deeper understanding of all the Scriptures.

May the new liturgical year bring many blessings and graces to you and your family.

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

Thanksgiving Day (USA)

Scripture:

Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
Luke 21:20-28

Reflection:

In preparing this reflection I spent time in prayer with the scriptures of the day, looked at the history surrounding Thanksgiving Day celebrations past and present, and reflected on all that has and is happening in our nation in these post-election times.  Wow!  I’m not sure where to begin.  One thing is for sure , we are a blessed people!

The scriptures speak of God’s goodness and mercy, peace, compassion, patience and understanding for all God’s people no matter the circumstances.  In Sirach we are reminded of God’s deep love for us even before we were born.  St Paul tells us once again of God’s faithfulness in spite of our unfaithfulness!  In the Gospel we hear the familiar story of the ten lepers who were made clean with only one who returned to give thanks, and he was a Samaritan! Jesus asked the challenging question, “were not all 10 made clean, why is there only one who came back to give thanks?”  How often do we forget to say thanks for the bounty we enjoy?!

We will gather this day with family and friends to share food and fellowship, hopefully giving a prayerful and humble thanks to our generous God as well.  This day is also a challenging and sad time for many people of other cultures, especially our Native American sisters and brothers.  To native Americans, thanksgiving is a day of mourning and protest since it commemorates the arrival of settlers in North America and the centuries of oppression and genocide that followed.  Our Native Americans remind us that giving thanks was a Native American tradition for generations before the European settlers arrived and long before President Roosevelt declared it a national holiday in 1942.  Today, many Native people celebrate this long tradition of gratitude while others observe a day of mourning.

In the days following the election of new leadership in our country, ongoing strife in in our cities and towns, wars in too many parts of the world, it is difficult at times to remember we are a blessed people.  At the same time it is important for all believers to remember to put our faith and trust in a loving and benevolent Creator God!  We have been created in God’s image and that image is good.  May this day of thanks be celebrated each day of our lives.  Let us strive to see the good in all people especially those who don’t share our beliefs, thoughts or life decision.  May we continue to give praise and thanks for all the blessings we have been given.

Be Blessed, Be Thankful. Amen.

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

Scripture:

Revelation 15:1-4
Luke 21:12-19

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, as Jesus is speaking to the people about the end times, He also tells His disciples to expect being persecuted because of their faith in Him. And He says, “It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself will give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute…You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Jesus tells His disciples that some of them will be even put to death, so I don’t think Jesus is promising them some kind of physical invincibility. What He does promise them is that no matter what happens to them, that they will not lose the promise of eternal life.

And in that hope of eternal life, they can persevere in following Him. In the U.S. we are not persecuted as the early Christians were. But we face many difficulties and challenges in living out our faith. But even in the midst of all sorts of trials and tribulations, going on in our lives and in the world, we too can persevere in following Him. We can persevere in loving God and loving our neighbor, caring for the “least” of our brothers and sisters, and working for justice. And perhaps doing this is the “wisdom” our “adversaries” are “powerless to resist or refute.”

The world needs our perseverance in living out the faith, hope, and love we have in Jesus Christ.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.