Claire Smith

Scripture:

Galatians 5:18-25
Luke 11:42-46

Reflection:

One of my favorite movie lines comes from the golf classic, “Caddyshack.” Judge Smails and Ty are arguing about participation in a golf tournament. The Judge says, “My partner was club champion, and I am no slouch myself.” Ty retorts, “Do not sell yourself short, Judge. You are a tremendous slouch.” The line is a witty reminder to check and humble yourself.

Jesus calls out many of his readers. Even in the Sunday Gospel, Jesus has to point out that following Him and the Gospel values are most important, not what you receive because of your discipleship. Jesus pronounces his “woes” on the Pharisees and scholars.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our constant companion. The bookend in Matthew’s Gospel, “Immanuel” reminds us that God is with us. The Book of Wisdom recalls the great wisdom of our ancestor Solomon. A young king, overwhelmed by the task of ruling a kingdom, asks for wisdom over riches. The queen of the south comes to the riches and wisdom of Solomon, a gift wrought by God. Still, like the Pharisees and scholars, he is in need of repentance. He goes astray in allowing his wives to worship their gods. The rich young man observes the commandments but is unwilling to give up riches to follow Jesus. Parables do not give a definitive end, but Jesus in his great love for us offers His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We are called to daily conversion and to examine our lives. Hopefully, we are not the slouches!

Fr. Phillip Donlan, CP, is the Associate Director of Ministry at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

Today’s reading revisits the ancient world’s horrific distinctions between slaves and free people, and the children of slaves and free people.

Imagine gathering around a round table today with people from all walks of life. We arrive by jet and car; they come on foot from a river, bearing a gourd of river water for cooking, so we can all eat together later.

In this moment, what do we say to each other? “Tea, coffee, or water? How’s life? What’s on your mind? What’s most important today? What are your kids up to? What are you looking forward to this weekend? Tell us about the best and worst things that have happened to you. If we meet again, what should we do together?

Then, ask ourselves: Are we truly serving one another? Are we exploiting each other unjustly? Does our relationship benefit everyone at the table and aim for a better life for all our children?

Back to the reading: Are we still making crazy distinctions between the sons and daughters of enslaved people and the so-called “free born”? Believe it—slavery exists in 2024. Maybe not far from our own homes, people are exploited and effectively enslaved. Ask ourselves what part we play in this “free” versus “enslaved” social structure and what we can do right now to withdraw our participation in such unfairness and cruelty.

Jack Dermody is the editor of the CrossRoads bulletin for the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission for Holy Cross Province. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. 

Scripture:

Wisdom 7:7-11
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30

Reflection:

Something I have never noticed before is what is missing in Jesus’ listing some of the commandments. He omits the first one, “I, the Lord, am your God . . .you shall not have any other gods besides me” (Exodus 20:2-2). I imagine this was intentional, should Jesus have begun by noting the First Commandment, the conversation might have ended quickly. We as the reader hear that this man may be attached to the other gods of “many possessions.”

Instead, Jesus allows the man to acknowledge his faithful observance of all “these. . . from his youth” which is good and honorable. While Jesus does not state outright, his loving invitation to find the “one thing” lacking by divesting himself of his possessions to follow him is effective. Of course, for us having listened to the accompanying readings for today, we hear the words through that lens, and it seems glaringly obvious.

Jesus is the example par excellence of the Spirit of Wisdom from our first reading by his interaction with this man. His offer posed to the man allows him to see for himself—to be enlightened. His eyes were opened. The word of God, from the letter to the Hebrews, is most definitely sharper than any two-edged sword as it penetrates and separates, informs, and even indicts us. It clarifies.

Following this exchange, Jesus states twice how challenging it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples are amazed and then exceedingly astonished at these statements. I can imagine Peter’s confusion at Jesus’ words. There is on the one hand a genuine sense of concern as to exactly what Jesus means. I might be frustrated; what more can we do? In sharp contrast to this man, they have left everything to follow him.

Jesus reminds the disciples, and us, that for God nothing is impossible. We must cling to this belief. Even the desire for eternal life is only possible by God’s grace. We know that God chose us first, and not us who chose God (John 15:16). This man who ran and knelt before Jesus could only do so by a graced desire planted in him. The desire to respond is always invitational and never forced. The choice is always ours to take the risk, to embrace eternal life and its treasures now—today. Jesus assures his disciples, and us, that we will receive a hundred times more in this present age and not only in the age to come.

Of course, he does slip in the phrase “with persecutions“—note the plural use of the word. Sufferings and crosses belong to all humanity, however, as followers of Christ we are invited to find meaning and consolation amidst the hundreds of blessings like “houses and brothers and sisters...” We are not meant to go through life alone, we belong to the Christian community with its abundant expressions of the face and Spirit of God in Christ.

We cannot assume that this man who “went away sad” had an inability to divest himself of his possessions. It could also mean sadness at having to make the choice, yet willing to do so. I am often sad to let go of obstacles that ultimately rob me of a deeper commitment to Christ. A healthy life-in-Christ invites constant divesting of all that would impede our spiritual growth. We clear away all the clutter in preference for making room for the Spirit to breathe in us. Come Spirit of Wisdom, come Word of God, and help us declutter all that holds us back from you. Amen.

.Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Galatians 3:22-29
Luke 11:27-28

Reflection:

Today’s readings succinctly reveal to us the impact of the messianic message that opens our hearts and minds to faith in Jesus Christ.

In the pre-messianic period, the people were “held in custody under the law” (guided) in the exercise of their faith by the Mosaic law. Paul states that the “law was our disciplinarian for Christ”.  If the faithful adhered strictly to the law, they were considered to be in union with the will of God. 

However, once faith had been revealed through the life, death and resurrection of the Messiah, the faithful were no longer disciplined by the law but rather by the faith that had been revealed to them by the Messiah.  Paul states that through faith (our baptisms) we are all children of God in Christ Jesus (the Body of Christ).  Faithfulness to Christ is non-discriminatory.  It includes every baptized person, irrespective of race, sex, social status, etc.  Paul goes on to reveal that the faith that Jesus empowers us with, through baptism, frees us from the discipline of the law by empowering us with a new consciousness of seeking the will of God.

In the Gospel reading, an unidentified woman blesses the womb that bore Jesus and the breasts that nourished him.  However, without responding directly to her, Jesus deflects attention on himself and redirects it: “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”  With this 13-word statement, Jesus underscores Paul’s later message about the responsibility that we each have to seek and do the will of God.

Father Bennet Kelly, CP, in his book entitled “Spiritual Direction According to St. Paul of the Cross” shows how firmly Paul of the Cross believed that seeking and doing the will of God was a matter of faith. 

“The awareness that we should accept and follow God’s will is common to all Christians. We all say, “Thy will be done,” in the Our Father. However, for many this means following an inflexible, iron rule of things; laws and rules and regulations and directions from authority, which often seem inhuman and heartless. The same is true of natural disasters, which seem to be utterly indifferent to human suffering. Some do not accept these as God’s will, but even those who do usually have a problem with acceptance. There are probably very few who say the “Thy will be done” of the Our Father with any real enthusiasm. But Paul was one of those few. The reason he could be enthusiastic about God’s will, no matter what it entailed was that in faith, he saw God’s will, not as some iron rule, but as all love.” 1

St. Paul of the Cross’ sense of oneness with the will of God underscores the message reflected in today’s scripture readings. 

“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” 

1. Kelly, Bennet, CP. “Spiritual Direction According to St. Paul of the Cross”

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Galatians 3:7-14
Luke 11:15-26

Reflection:

A Disciple’s Work is Never Done

Dueling banjos. Paul and Jesus really go at it today! Our readings deliver their message with energy, peaceful assurance and challenge.

Paul must be frustrated. The seeds he has sown among the gentiles have blossomed into communities, but as he moves along proclaiming the Gospel, he hears from his gentile friends, “We didn’t know we accepted all of this by accepting Jesus. Are these teachers correct?” Now he has to contend with the ‘Judizers’, the Jewish-Christians coming in his wake and telling the gentiles that to have life they must follow the law, the rituals and Jewish festivals. This is necessary to be descendants of Abraham.

Paul’s responds, it is not the law that gives life, rather it is Jesus. In fact, the law is a curse. No one can fulfill it. As for being descendants of Abraham, God promised Abraham that all the nations would be blessed in him. In a hidden way he was announcing the coming of Jesus. Believing in Christ you receive Abraham’s blessing. You have become the sons and daughter of Abraham through the Holy Spirit.

As for the law, Jesus by being crucified bore the curse of the law and frees us from the law. That law is replaced by a new commandment, the law of love. Please don’t put yourself back under the curse of the law when you have chosen the freedom that Christ has given to us, says Paul.

Jesus is also doing battle. He proclaims the Kingdom of God and describes the opposition from the Kingdom of Satan. In this section of the Gospel Jesus is forming the disciples, and in the previous verses has taught them to pray. We see our prayer to the Father is contradicted by those who stand against the Kingdom of God. We ask for the Spirit from heaven, they ask for a signs from above, we pray not to be put to the test but they put Jesus to a test, rather than ask pardon they accuse, and they refuse to see Jesus as the Son, instead accusing him of doing the work of Satan.

The banjo is strumming…and Our Lord gives a reassuring picture. He is the Stronger One, he has broken into the Kingdom of Satan and takes the spoils. Stand with me, he says, don’t scatter. The victory is assured and it is ours.

We end with a parody that may have lightens the tension and gives a challenge. Chased away an evicted person sees his former dwelling fixed up and empty. He returns with friends and becomes a bigger problem. Emptiness provides no opposition.  So, our challenge: choose your Kingdom, your Lord. We know the harvest is great. Before leaving the Kingdom, your King has entrusted you with his gifts to invest. Don’t be idle, be committed.

Today’s reading accompanies yesterday’s ‘Our Father’ and can make our most familiar prayer come to life as a call to action.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Galatians 3:1-5
Luke 11:5-13

Reflection:

One of the most challenging things Jesus ever said was “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I’ve struggled with that all my life, and mightily so these past few years, as I pray, cry, and work to forgive someone who hurt me more deeply than anyone ever had. Our natural inclination is to make them grovel, to get revenge, punish them, and see them suffer. Yet I’ve learned that such desires only trap us, not the other. It chains us to the past and causes repeated re-triggering.

And that’s not God’s way. With God, no one “earns” forgiveness. God truly sees me, down to the depths of my woundedness, insecurities, and immaturity that cause me to sin in the first place. God understands me, longs for my healing, and, like Jesus in his practice of forgiveness, healing, and acceptance, wants to bring me back to Godself. God forgives because that’s who God is.

Forgiveness doesn’t preclude the work of justice. Perpetrators must be held accountable and, when crimes are committed, sent to prison or stripped of privileges. They must make restitution if possible. Yet, forgiveness can still be granted them by those who were victimized.

True forgiveness is rarely if ever instantaneous, and for more significant offenses, requires a lengthy process of work, therapy, and prayer. It involves lots of forward-backward-sideways-roundabout movements. It’s also not once-and-done and needs to be affirmed and re-chosen repeatedly. I’ve been engaging this process, because I want to be so uninvested in holding grudges, betrayals, and pain that I can forgive even this. I want to have such compassion for him and his wounds that I no longer desire his suffering or hold ill will but can instead release him to God who knows and loves him far more than I can imagine. After all, underneath it, he, too, is created in the image and likeness of God. He’s not a monster; he’s a very flawed human acting out of his unhealed hurts. God cries for him, just as God cries for me. God understands him in ways that I never will and is always working to bring him back to Godself. Who am I to stand in the way? Who am I to hold on when I have been forgiven for my own failings, which are so numerous?

I do not have to reconcile with him, nor do I have any plans to do so. Reconciliation is a mutual process requiring much of both parties, and indeed isn’t always wise. You can forgive unilaterally though, with the goal of freeing yourself, regardless of whether they acknowledge wrongs or are remorseful. 

Through this work and prayer, I am finally freeing my heart. And yes, it feels like freedom. Forgiveness and letting go open space in my heart, and now light can fill it. I know joy again. I am more open and loving to others. I can live out of who I truly am.

I pray that you may know this freedom. May God continue to lead me and all of us on the “difficult but worth-it” path of true forgiveness.

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:

Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14
Luke 11:1-4

Reflection:

A Synod in Rome and One in Galatia

The Synod continues in Rome. It is a magnum opus, and we pray that, like at the first Pentecost, people of diverse languages understood the Spirit-filled preaching of the apostles, so may the voice of the Spirit again be heard and as effectively listened to.

To prepare the Synod, there was a two-day retreat at which Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. offered four meditations to the participants. The meditations are available at vaticannews.va. His theme was Searching in the Dark. Here are some of his thoughts.

Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb while it was still dark, John and Peter came later and looked into the darkness of the empty tomb. Each helped one another: Mary led the apostles to the tomb, John’s love pierced the darkness with the light of belief, and Peter, carrying the darkness of his failure would find in the empty tomb the victory that overcomes all failure.

The night of the Resurrection the disciples locked in a room are immobilized.  Morning was dark because Jesus was not yet found, evening is dark because they are not yet filled with the life of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit will send the Church on its mission to speak boldly and humbly.

Night again appears as the apostles return to their role as fishermen. Have they given up being fishers of men? Worse yet, poor Nathaniel from Cana, not a fisherman is in the boat and two unnamed apostles. They have abandoned their calling and are just as poor at catching fish as they were when the gospel began! Mary is the untier of knots and Peter the mender of nets. It was hard for the apostles to recognize Jesus, but love faith, and hope bring light.

Fr. Radcliffe’s final meditation looks at the darkness that engulfed Peter. How well it is summed up. Peter said to Jesus as they sat at breakfast by the lake, “You know me”.

But it was a sad night when Peter, crying, fled the presence of Jesus having announced, “I do not even know the man”. Yet Jesus trusts Peter and entrusts the flock to him, although so far, he is untrustworthy. The Church is founded upon the rock of God’s unmerited trust in Peter. Can we trust each other?

Galatians also takes us to what we could call a synod. There is serious listening among the Pillars of the infant Church. A knot was untied, freeing the non-Jewish Christians to follow Jesus without the burdens of Jewish tradition. A community, neither Jew nor Greek, begins to appear.

Helping the poor will be a bond between the two groups. However, the reading ends by revealing that it was difficult, and problems and divisions will continue. Yet, from God who is compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love, we realize that we need discernment and clarification. What a better way to remember the Synod in Rome and our world in conflict than with the simple words of the Our Father, your Kingdom Come. Forgive us as we forgive those who wrong us.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.