Claire Smith

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Scripture:

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Mark 9:2-10

Reflection:

The two great prophets, Moses and Elijah just couldn’t get a break. Both were called by the Almighty to engage in life, to face life’s tragedies and evils head on. Both wanted with all their might to do the opposite.

Moses, God’s mouthpiece to the Hebrew people, got rejected by his own people in a dramatic way. Remember that Golden Calf? Since he didn’t receive the glowing response he expected, he wanted to forget his mission, to blend back into the faceless masses and live out his life with as little stress as possible. But no, God had other ideas. He wanted Moses to ascend Mount Sinai a second time and keep faithful to his mission (Exodus 33: 18 on).

Elijah didn’t fare much better. For all his troubles trying to do God’s will, he became a wanted man by the authorities of his day. He schemed to get out of there. But in his attempt to runaway he is met by guess who? Yahweh. Yahweh sent him right back into the struggle (1 Kings 19: 11 on).

Both men experienced Yahweh on a mountain at pivotal moments of discouragement in carrying out their missions.

They both endorsed the teaching that the way to life is the cross. In the sections of Mark’s Gospel that immediately precede the description of the transfiguration, Jesus tries to get this essential point across to the thick-headed apostles. Jesus rebukes them for not “getting it.”

His clear message… often diluted by those of us who, like the apostles, want a Jesus who will comfort us, provide security, consistency, and the justification to blend into our consumer- addicted, pleasure-seeking, individualistic culture… is that there is no union with a Loving God without the cross.

At Transfiguration Peter, ever the concrete thinker, wanted heaven on earth. He wanted a set of three tents to hide out with his three heroes. But the Almighty crashes in with the words, “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.” It is a dismissal of Peter’s limited desire for security. If I listen to Jesus’ words about the cross, I lose security as our culture defines it. I surrender my entire will to a loving God who has been drawing me to himself from day one.

After the resurrection, in Peter’s letter which we read today, we are told, “You will do well to be attentive to it (the prophetic message of the cross that is altogether reliable), as to a lamp shining in a dark placed, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.”

In the midst of our daily tasks we may grow weary, despondent, and feel that life is but a series of routines we must endure. In such a dead space, darkness can fill our souls. We may react the way Moses and Elijah reacted, wanting to escape to a self-soothing space, away from our personal crosses.

Jesus is calling us out of this dark place. He wants us to be faithful to our responsibilities, to cause Good Trouble (as the late John Lewis said), to stand up to evil, whether in the political world or the private worlds of family, neighbors, community, or parish. He wants us to protect our earth, to solve differences peacefully, to forgive, to share, to live simply, to welcome all.

In our private, quiet time with God today, perhaps we can examine our lives to determine if we are engaging in life the way God wants us to engage, even when that means accepting the severe pain and overwhelming fear that comes with the cross.

.Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 28:1-17
Matthew 14:13-21

Reflection:

What is the mission of the Church? Back in my student days, I had a teacher who asked this question a couple of times a semester. After giving us some time to share our answers, he would catch us and confuse us even more by stating that the church doesn’t have a mission. And then he would clarify, “The mission has a church.” 

I’ve thought of this numerous times.  It is frequently neglected in all church circles from small faith communities, to parish councils, to diocesan presbyteral gatherings.  The mission has a church. Here in the US, we are more accustomed to strategies, planning and goal setting.  We do so in order to fulfill the mission, yet we neglect to realize that our mission isn’t always the mission of Christ or the mission of the Gospel.  When we start with the wrong point, we will never get the right answer.   The mission has a church. This is something to ponder this day. And it is very applicable when we listen to today’s Gospel.

Truthfully, it would be easier to write about the beauty of Jesus’ miracle as he feeds the five thousand in today’s Gospel.  Yet it is the disciples in this story that resonate within me this day.   This version has some precious insights to Jesus who sees the crowd, seeing their brokenness, seeing their sick, seeing their hunger, seeing their need and responding from what he sees.  What do the disciples see? Matthew says they see a deserted place. And they see their incompleteness.  In their human compassion they ask Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they can go eat.  But the crowd isn’t being held there against their will.  Any of them can leave as they choose.  Obviously, there is something deeper and more profound holding the crowd around Jesus.

As we grow in faith we realize that faith in Jesus, like all growth, moves through different stages.  Early on we find an attraction of who Jesus is. Jesus has a way of seducing us and inviting us in.  And as we get to know Jesus more and more, the authority, peace, presence, availability and the numerous other characteristics we find in Jesus become quite familiar to us.  We are no longer as captivated on what initially drew us to Jesus.  This doesn’t mean we have lost faith in Jesus, we have just moved to a new level of relationship with Jesus.  As we mature in our faith, Jesus begins to ask more of us.  Recall Jesus’ words to Peter at the end of John’s Gospel. “Peter do you love me?”  Jesus begins to ask more of us, just like he does in the Gospel today, “Give them some food yourselves.”  And it was hard for the disciples to see they had something to give.  They are to use their eyes, their hearts and their gifts.  But first they had to open their eyes and hearts.  That is the conversion we all face today.  Isn’t it more convenient for us to keep our eyes shut, accuse others, or resist to invest ourselves?  It is so much easier to sit back and allow someone else to do the work. 

I will ask again, what is the real mission of the Church?  It certainly isn’t about asking God to fulfill our wishes.   The underlying theme for today’s gospel is about being the hands and heart of Jesus.  St. Teresa of Avila’s famous prayer flows from this attitude.  “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours…” 

Personally, I will be the first to say that the challenge doesn’t get easier.  Jesus will continue to invite us into greater sacrifices and deeper suffering.  And like Teresa, I echo her attitude, why would anyone say yes to this?  The answer is that it is not about any of us individually; it is about Christ.  It is the mission on which our church was founded.  And the greatest surprise is when we dig deep into ourselves and give of ourselves, we see Jesus’ glory in the simplicity of taking, blessing, breaking and giving.  Standing back in awe and amazement, we pray; Not only is your presence with us Lord, you are absolutely amazing! 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province. He resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Exodus 16:2-4,12-15
Ephesians 4:7, 20-24
John 6:24-35

Reflection:

A Hearty Appetite for the Lord

The readings for the 18^th Sunday in Ordinary time stretch our faith using a very familiar human reality:  food.  The selection from Exodus shares how the people grumbled again God in their famine while in exile – and God supplied food in the form of quail and manna.  The Gospel selection from John 6 relates Jesus dealing with the crowds who were amazed by his miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread — while He wanted to share with them “food” which endues for eternal life…Himself!

Today’s readings suggest that, for the people of early Bible times, the way to their hearts was through their stomachs.  The Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron because of their hunger – but things miraculously changed.  In the Gospel, Jesus had an eager audience after multiplying the bread, but they seemed to “grab” more than listen…they wanted more bread!  So, Jesus challenged them:  faith is more than the manna of the past, falling from heaven…Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life!

The recent Eucharistic Revival and the Congress have helped us celebrate Jesus giving Himself to us as our Life and Nourishment, though we be unworthy.  Jesus seeks to spark our “appetite” for Him, as He meets both our human and our spiritual hungers.  Jesus touches our lives and nourishes us along the varied “highways” of life; as hungry people when we encounter Him in the celebration the Mass, and in special times of prayer with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. 

The recent Olympics featured cheerleaders and excited crowds to help motivate both the competitors and us.  St. Paul, in today’s 2nd reading, is our cheerleader, encouraging us to have a greater “appetite” for Jesus.  We are to “put away our old selves and our old way of living” and be renewed in spirit and mind, putting on a new self created in God’s way of righteousness and holiness.  St. Paul did this for so many in his missionary journeys and letters, and he today challenges us to deeper life and faith in Jesus.

Those early listeners and prospective believers in Jesus had “faith” in the bread they received, and not so much in Jesus.  Today, WE have Jesus Himself – “The Real Thing”, as an advertisement once proclaimed.  Jesus wants to share in our life’s journey, to nourish us along the way, and to help fulfill our lives. 

Let’s be grateful for the gift of our faith, for Jesus Who is the Bread of Life.  May our “appetite” for the Jesus continue to grow these summer days, as He assures us that He “…is the Bread of Life and that whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst…”  Jesus is our True Friend, our Life…and that’s fantastic!!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
Matthew 14:1-12

Reflection:

It is innocent blood you bring on yourselves, on this city and its citizens. For in truth, it was the Lord who sent me to you, to speak all these things for you to hear.

Our readings for today begin with this challenging, heart-rendering cry from the prophet Jeremiah. His cry is a wonderful commentary on the events of the gospel. As we see John was executed not so much for what he had to say – after all it was the truth and his preaching did resonate with Herod – but he was executed because the truth disturbed Herodias.

In fact, both Herod and Herodias are weak in the face of the truth, and both are complicit in actions that allow evil to manifest itself.

Herodias helps us to see a tendency in human behaviour to avoid an ‘inconvenient truth’. John was silenced to still a voice that spoke to the deeper levels of a person’s heart – to the place where conscience dwells and where God can stir up our spirit. To avoid such a challenge Herodias goes to extraordinary and cruel lengths.

Her example warns us of dishonesty within our own being – how dangerous it can be to tell ourselves lies till we start to believe them.

Meanwhile, Herod helps us see how conformity can allow others to determine one’s moral response. Films love to portray him as infatuated, unhealthily so, with Salome, his stepdaughter, but his deeper failing is his inability to live his own truth in front of others. 

He cannot stand up to the crowd, he cannot risk changing his views and adopting a moral position for fear of what others might think (for they certainly would not have said anything!).

His example shows us the dangers of trying to avoid embarrassment in such ways that one can succumb to, and collaborate in, a greater injustice.

Herod and Herodias seek comfort based on privilege, power and position, but in fact model a level of weakness that resonates across time. Their example stands before us to illustrate not their worldly power, but the power of those inner voices of fear and self-preservation to mislead us so that we betray our true natures.

On the other hand, John’s example of being faithful to the end, stands before us to inspire, and guide us.

Yes, all through our lives there will always be inner voices, tempting us to seek easy resolutions and weak responses. In contrast we see the kind of courage needed to follow Jesus, in the one who prefigured him and who foreshadowed the courage that Jesus too would show.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 26:1-9
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

Two whistleblowers, Allan McDonald and Roger Boisjoly, engineers at Morton Thiokol Inc., testified before the Rogers Commission investigating the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. They said there had been ongoing problems with the rocket’s O-rings and that they had urged their supervisors and NASA officials to postpone the fatal launch. Following their testimony, the engineers were demoted to menial jobs. These men received the same treatment as over 65% of whistleblowers—they were either fired or demoted.

And so it is with the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading. When he tries to warn the Jewish people of impending spiritual, economic and political disaster, he is threatened with death. In today’s Gospel, Jesus, who knows well the history of the Jewish people and their prophets, reflects on his own rejection in his hometown of Nazareth: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” Mt. 13:57

So why would someone put themselves in this unpleasant and even dangerous position?

Most whistleblowers and prophets are motivated by LOVE: love of the institution, be it church, agency, corporation, or country, AND love for the people who are part of the institution. And in the case of a prophet, there is also love for God. In his classic book “The Prophets”, Rabbi Abraham Heschel says the prophet’s eye is directed to the contemporary scene; the society and its conduct are the main theme of the speeches. Yet the prophet’s ear is inclined to God. The prophet is struck by the glory and presence of God, overpowered by the hand of God. Yet the prophet’s true greatness is the ability to hold God and humans in a single thought.

My favorite part of the Baptism of a child at my parish is this blessing following the anointing: “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of His body, sharing everlasting life.” I wonder where the child’s life will lead him or her……will they be so full of the love and mercy of God as to be extremely sensitive to injustice in any form, and be compelled to speak in prophetic ways? Will they be so struck by the glory of God that they cannot stomach the desolation of poverty and pollution that covers much of Earth?

Many of us will not experience death threats or loss of our job for speaking up for what is right and good. But hopefully, we will live out the promises made at our Baptism to share in the Prophetic life of Christ’s body, no matter the cost.

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 Detroi, Michigant. Patty is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 18:1-6
Matthews 13:47-53

Reflection:

Jesus, in the 13^th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, shares seven parables with the crowds and the apostles. In today’s reading, we hear about the net cast into the sea, which is the final parable in this chapter. He puts the following question to His apostles:

“Do you understand all these things? They answered, Yes.”

Certainly, the fishermen among them are intimately familiar with sorting through their catch. Each of the apostles can relate to one or more of the parables in this chapter. So, their “Yes” is an honest answer. However, they are still students and have much to learn as they listen to Jesus’s teachings and witness His ministry. Even following the Ascension, the apostles only have a surface grasp of what they have learned.

Jesus knows the apostles will need assistance to truly understand His teaching. In John’s Gospel, He tells the apostles, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.” The depth of Jesus’s message will become clearer when the apostles receive the gift of understanding from the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

How would we respond if Jesus asks us the same question He put to the apostles? How often have we heard the Gospel messages and truly grasped their meaning? Let us pray to the Holy Spirit for assistance to grow beyond our human understanding and comprehend the teachings of the Gospel with the mind of God.

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. 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
Matthew 13:44-16

Reflection:

Happy Wednesday in the 17th Week of Ordinary Time!

“What would you do for a Klondike Bar?”

Do you remember the ad campaign for a chocolate-dipped square of vanilla ice-cream?  It had people doing the craziest things.  I recall watching people cluck like chickens, and sing  out-loud “I’m A Little Teapot” in a courtroom.  My favorite, though, was when they approached William Shakespeare himself and asked if he’d write a Sit-Com in exchange for the bar.

If you know me at all, you’d know that embarrassing myself is something I have learned to fully embrace, and have become quite good at.  But, truth be told, I never actually liked the bars all that much.  Sure, they were just fine, and came in different flavors and all, but there was never anything about them which would tempt me to embarrass myself in order to get one.  I just knew there was something better out there… I just needed to look for it.

It’s like that with most things, I think.  No matter if it’s a car or a house, a portfolio or bank account, honor or praise or awards — for me, everything always fails to satisfy.  No matter what I would possess, I find myself still feeling empty somehow.  If I was a betting man, I’d wager that it’s the same for many of us.

The Gospel today (Matthew 13:44-46) begins with Jesus comparing the kingdom of heaven to “a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Just imagine finding that pearl… discovering that treasure.  What would you give in order that you might have it?  If we ponder the example we have in Jesus, Godself, we see that,  obviously, he thought of you and I as the most valuable thing of all time!  Just think about it… he gave  his love, his life, his all.

So, what is your “pearl of great value?”

What would do to get it?

The easy answer might have us eschew worldly things for the hope of Heaven and eternity with God.  But we can offer a glimpse of that amazing promise now, on earth. 

“Love one another.”

In loving others just as Jesus loved us, we give our lives and share the Kingdom of Heaven in our world right here, right now.  It could be as easy as sharing a kind word or smile.  Perhaps sharing in prayer with someone in need or someone in gratitude.  It could be taking food to someone who needs a meal.  Or giving that extra jacket to someone who’s cold.  What may seem like a simple visit to someone alone could result in the heavenly experience that you both were seeking.

In sharing ourselves in this loving way, we share God…

And in sharing God with others, we find God with us, in all things.
And that, my friends, is a share in the true Pearl of Greatest Value.
Peace and love to you, today and forever.

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 14:17-22
Matthew 13:36-43

Reflection:

Once again our Scriptures give us a blueprint to help us grow in relationship with our God if we so choose.

We read in the Alleluia verse:

“The seed is the Word of God, Christ is the Sower; All who come to him will live forever.”

And in the Gospel we read:

“Whoever has ears ought to hear!”

The Word of God planted by Christ in our hearts can give us everlasting peace and hope.  It can also challenge us to listen with our ears and respond accordingly.  During these pandemic times we are surrounded by so many voices, some that give us hope while others cause us to despair.  Even as we try to listen and follow the directives set forth from those who have our best interest and wellbeing at heart

It is difficult to remain positive and hopeful.

My faith tells me that no matter how bad things seem to be, God is in charge and we will get through this.  I also ask myself what are we supposed to learn from all of this?  I find my hope once again in the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel.  There are good seeds as well as weeds. There is the loving sower,Jesus, but also the evil one, the Devil!  If we are people of faith (the good seed) connected to the sower, Jesus, and make the effort to avoid the weeds sown by the Devil, we will produce a bountiful harvest of love, compassion and mercy!

There are multiple examples of love, compassion and mercy being sown on a daily basis in the midst of this pandemic! The challenge for us is to keep our ears open, our eyes focused and our hearts willing so that we can share the harvest of good news that Jesus continues to preach and respond accordingly!  AMEN!

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