Claire Smith

Scripture:

Micah 2:1-5
Matthew 12:14-21

Reflection:

….the grace to reject all that is contrary to the name of Christ…

Today’s Gospel boasts of justice – not an eye for an eye – but a justice of healing and reconciliation.  Jesus chose to ‘withdraw’ from a place of contention, division and hatred.  Many followed and he cured them – not for personal gain, but to spread peace.  Matthew shares that he warned them not to make him (his healing) known.  Jesus knew that healing brings peace – and peace – internal peace – is the foundation of collective peace.

The Collect of today’s liturgy talks of the ‘grace to reject all that is contrary to the name of Christ’ – in today’s world reality, that grace is the bedrock of change and transformation.  How do we open our hearts – individually and collectively – to that ‘peace’ of Christ?  Can we trust those words of Isaiah – ‘a bruised reed he will not break – a smoldering wick he will not quench’?   Many are hurting in our world and our country today – many are bruised and smoldering – what is God asking of us, of me, in these uncertain times, how is he inviting me to open my heart to the truth – not the politics – but the truth and the potential for healing. A healing that gives way to the possibility of hope and reconciliation – a healing that affords transformation, rebirth and growth!

In the words of a popular song, …’let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me’…

Today’s Gospel is an opportunity for us, each of us, to spend some time with the Lord and ask him what is it that he wants us, me, to do – how do I respond in a way that affords peace – peace in my heart, in my mind, in my community, my world?

If we are willing to ask with an open heart and mind – Jesus will answer – he will cure, heal and provide the path to hope, renewal and peace.  Can we trust?  Will we act?  Will we open our hearts to the grace to reject all that is contrary to the name of Christ?  To do that we have to hear the voice of Christ in our heart and step out in faith – He will heal!!

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
Matthew 11:28-30

Reflection:

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11: 28 – 30

We learn about working hard and carrying heavy burdens at an early age, anyway, I did. I think I was about 10 years old when I had this awareness. I had two older brothers and a sister who were slowly disengaging themselves from house chores as they advanced in age and studies. The house chores that they use to do, almost daily, like washing and drying the dishes after meals, were being passed on to me and my younger sister. Our whining fell upon deaf ears and our parents were not having any pity on us. We felt over-worked and unduly burdened.

One evening, after diner, I had had enough. I announced that I was going to run away from home! My mom asked, “Do you want me to pack you a lunch?” I decided to stay.

The older I got, the realities of hard work and the heavy burdens of life became much too real. Hard work was not just about physical labor, such as working long hours in the fields or pouring cement for foundations under the hot Texas sun. It was also about making difficult life decisions, like deciding who I wanted to be and what choices I needed to make to achieve my dream. Added to this, I became aware of the burdens of life: the death of grandparents, disappointments in friendships and the burden of not having much money. They seemed, at times, overwhelming.

As a young adult, I also learned that I carried the burdens of society and the injustices of world leaders with me. We found ourselves at war for a cause that lacked clarity as the years passed. We found peoples within our country who were treated brutally, even killed, for trying to register to vote or eat at lunch counters or drink from public water fountains. There was a felt need within us to say or do something in response, to be prophetic witnesses.

These burdens and injustices began to take a toll on us personally and as a society. We realized that no one person was going to fix it. No one political party had all the answers. And added to all this, there was the realization that it was going to take a lot of hard work to build a better world.

It seems to me that Jesus is speaking to me personally as he invites us to come to him so that we find rest, the kind of rest that will relieve us of our burdens as we assume his yoke and his burdens. By surrendering ourselves to him, we discover someone who is meek and humble of heart, someone who will enable us to rest easy and peacefully.

Today, we are filled with so much unrest, personal unrest, emotional unrest, social unrest, political unrest, anxious about what is said or not said, how it’s said and what needs to be said. If we take Jesus’ invitation seriously, then we will find rest and peace in him, in his word, in his Gospel, in his Truth, in his Life and Death, and Resurrection. These realities were true when Jesus spoke them, and they are true now. Love your neighbor and your enemy, treat the other with kindness and dignity, welcome the stranger, welcome the children, forgive the sinner, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

I find that if I strive to do this, then I will find peace and rest. Yes, it may seem to be hard work, but soon we will find the yoke easy and the burden light!

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16
Matthew 11:25-27

Reflection:

Today’s tidbit of a gospel contains a very important message, one we cannot afford to overlook or dismiss. Jesus breaks forth in exuberant praise of God because God chose to reveal the ways of God—indeed, the very mysteries of God—not to the “wise and learned,” but “to the childlike.” What is it about children that makes them particularly fitted to receive the revelations of God in ways that the “wise and the learned” cannot?

Children are open, trusting, curious, and eager to learn, which are all essential qualities to a life of faith. Children are not reluctant to follow even if they aren’t completely sure where a journey might take them, which pretty well describes a life of discipleship, a life marked by following, imitating, and learning from Christ. Perhaps most importantly, unlike people who look for reasons not to believe, children are filled with a natural sense of wonder that makes them eager to believe even if (and perhaps especially if) something sounds too good to believe. In fact, with children if it sounds too good to believe, all the better.

But isn’t that Christianity in a nutshell? Isn’t Christianity the revelation of something that seems far too good to believe—totally preposterous—but is nonetheless true? Isn’t the gospel “good news” precisely because its message of God’s undying love, of God’s unconditional mercy and forgiveness, of God’s promise of healing, wholeness, and everlasting life (all of which sounds far too good to believe), the key to understanding everything and the reason for our hope? That is why no matter how far along we may be on our journey, we should never stop being a child.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:1-9
Matthew 11:20-24

Reflection:

The prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah renounce the evil deeds of Tyre and Sidon. We need not to go into the debaucheries of Sodom and Gomorrah. Still, Jesus says the final judgment will go better for them than with the towns of Bethsaida and Chorazin.

The towns of Bethsaida of Chorazin receive a mere glance in the Gospels. Jesus obviously had been to these towns and performed great miracles. The people witnessed miracles, but did not repent.

Brothers and sisters, the condemnation of these two towns underlies a message. Perhaps we can turn to the last line of John’s gospel. “There are also many things that Jesus did, but if I were to describe them individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written” (Jn 21:25). Jesus performed many great deeds that we believers are unaware of. What we do not know about Jesus far outweighs what we know about Jesus.

Hard sciences are the sciences pertaining to the natural or physical, studying the universe with experiments and making theories. We have all seen the beautiful view of the Hubble telescope and the universe beyond us. These sciences, although we still know very little and look out at the vastness of the universe is a finite science. Our study of Christianity and the person of Jesus is an infinite science.

The Gospels give us no insight into the deeds and miracles Jesus performed in Bethsaida and Chorazin, but deeds and miracles happened there. May this scripture passage encourage us to plumb the depths of Christianity and the person of Jesus who infinitely loves us and desires our salvation!

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 1:10-17
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection:

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth.  I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.  For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.
 -Matthew 10:34-35

What are we to make of these disturbing words from the “Prince of Peace?”  The commandments (Ex. 20:12) call us to honor father and mother.  Yet, Jesus’ words could be interpreted as anti-parents, anti-family.   It cannot be that Jesus is advocating discord or urging disloyalty to family.  Then, what is going on?  Where are we to find the Good News in this gospel?

Context here is critical.  Matthew seems to have written his gospel for a Jewish-Christian community at a time when relations had become severely strained between traditional Mosaic Jews and Jews who were Jesus followers.  Scripture scholars hypothesize that Jewish leaders were actively persecuting those whom they accused of breaking with Moses to follow a false messiah.  This bitter intra-family vitriol undoubtedly led to conflict among family members, friends, and religious leaders.   Indeed, Matthew’s gospel can be characterized by a bitter polemic, especially towards the Pharisees and scribes.  Matthew may have seen it important to bolster the faith of Jewish Christians.  Matthew achieved this by utilizing remembered past conflicts between Jesus and his opponents, then applying them to his community’s current situation.

Thus, Matthew may be telling his disciples, just as Jesus was met by opposition, so too will his faithful disciples.  Jesus calls his disciples to place loyalty to God even above loyalty to family.  Conflict was not Jesus’ purpose, but it will arise naturally from those who vehemently oppose him.  Nevertheless, Jesus’ disciplines must not waver or flag from proclaiming the Good News.

That message, within a bitter historical context, now opens this gospel passage to clearer understanding – especially since it is the conclusion to Jesus’ extended missionary discourse.  Jesus is calling his disciples to join him in his work of the gospel of kingdom.  They will experience different responses from the people.  Some will joyfully embrace the message.  Others will reject it.  And still others will persecute the disciples.  This was Jesus’ own experience, and so his disciples must expect the same – and to remain strong in faith.

What does this gospel mean for us today?  Perhaps, the message, despite its shock value, is a simple one:  with great privilege comes great responsibility.  Jesus has entrusted us, his Church, with the fulness of Christian truth and grace – even as a sign of contradiction in this world.  Christ is truly present among us – in his Word, in his Eucharist, and in his Church.  We then have a missionary responsibility, by right of our baptism, to proclaim the Good News with faith and zeal, in season and out of season, despite the cost or discomfort.  To us, much has been given, and, so, much will be required.

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

Scripture:

Amos 7:12-15
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

Today’s responsorial psalm proclaims four God-like elements that lead to glory and salvation: kindness, truth, justice, and peace.

Let us reflect on the ultimate outcomes in our lives if we somehow agreed that those four elements were the most important criteria to judge ourselves by.

Take, for instance, a difficult conflict with your teenage son. Later in life, when the adolescent reflects on that incident with you, how would he rate your commitment to kindness, honest frankness, courageous and thoughtful justice, and unrelenting efforts to help bring comfortable peace to your relationship? And, from your role-modeling, how much of that has rubbed off on him as core principles for the rest of his life and his relationships with his own family and friends?

For a bigger example, consider a war among nations. A serious thinker must ask, “What is the end game of this war?” Is a nation’s (and a nation’s leaders’) view of justice a definable and defensible endgame? Or would you have to call the conflict more ‘revenge’ than ‘justice’? Are war plans for protecting non-combatants with kindness as powerful and as complete as the plans for destroying arsenals and offensive forces? How much of the core reasoning behind a war is based on defensible truth rather than raw power and sociopathic cruelty? Finally, if the end game is not unequivocally stated as long-term peace for the people on both sides of the conflict, what on earth could a justified conclusion possibly look like?

A meditation: How God-like might I try to be? How seriously have I identified and considered the elements of truth and justice for the challenge I face right now? Am I being the kindest I can be, and is peace a genuine aim?

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:

Isaiah 6:1-8
Matthew 10:24-33

Reflection:

The theme of today’s readings centers on mission; on being sent by God for a specific purpose to open hearts to God’s message. The prophet Isaiah writes of his vision of the throne of God in an epic display of holiness and worship. The ancients believed that to come face-to-face with God meant death; even the Seraphim covered their eyes in this sacred presence. Rather than being doomed, in this experience, Isaiah sees with new eyes his “unclean lips” and realizes his utter unworthiness before God. In the text, we read that in his new-found clarity, he is the one to judge himself and not God. In cleansing his “wickedness and sin,” the seraphim touches the ember to his lips.

When the question is posed, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here I am, send me!” Having been purged of sin, he now speaks for God—affirming his prophetic voice. It’s important to note here that Isaiah did not instigate this call. It was the complete initiative of God. When it comes to the call of mission, God always takes the initiative. Sadly, as Jesus points out in our gospel, the fate of the disciple often follows the fate of the teacher. It was so for the Hebrew prophets and the disciples of Jesus. Yet, three times tells them to “not be afraid” but to speak the truth—even from the rooftops!

In the final verse of our text, Jesus reminds the disciples that denial of him to others means his denial of them to the Father. Yet isn’t that what Peter did in the worst possible moment, during his passion? However, rather than denying Peter to the Father, Jesus puts him in charge of his earthly mission. Perhaps this God, who even has the hairs on our heads counted, knows our hearts better than we do. Jesus knows that Peter loves him and so reverses Peter’s thrice denials, “I do not know him!” by thrice posing the question to him, “Do you love me?”

I see a correlation between the call of Isaiah and Peter. Both received what they needed to carry out their missionary call and gave it their all. While we may not have the missionary call of Isaiah or Peter, we are called nonetheless for a specific purpose. Like Isaiah, Peter, and others, we take up our mission to be that presence of God in our world, whatever our role or station in life. Being in the presence of God began their journey and is the same way for us.

How beautiful and spiritually nourishing to reflect on a God who knows even the sparrow’s fall and counts the very hairs on our heads. This God engages intimately with us and knows us more than we can ever comprehend. Therefore, as we come into God’s sacred and holy presence, like Isaiah, we can understand our need for cleansing and healing. Thus, creating a deep desire to be a disciple; however, it is only and always by the grace of God’s initiative.

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:

Hosea 14:2-10
Matthew 10:16-23

Reflection:

Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.

Today’s gospel passage reminds us of Aesop’s tale of The Wolves And The Sheep.¹ 

A pack of Wolves lurked near the Sheep pasture.  But the dogs kept them all at a respectful distance, and the Sheep grazed in perfect safety.  But now the Wolves thought of a plan to trick the Sheep.  “Why is there always this hostility between us they said?  If it were not for those dogs, who are always stirring up trouble, we are sure we should get along beautifully.  Send them away and you will see what good friends we shall become”.  The Sheep were easily fooled.  They persuaded the dogs to go away, and that very evening the Wolves had the grandest feast of their lives. 

Jesus tells us that we are the sheep of his flock.  But who then are the dogs that are trying to protect us and the wolves who are trying to deceive us?  If we live the gospel message as witnesses before “men and pagans” for the sake of our faith, then those who would try to detract us from our Christian way of life must be the wolves intent on deceiving us.  Those who nurture and share our faith are obviously the gentle dogs trying to protect us. 

Jesus suggests we should be as shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.  By this coaching he suggests that we should not have much difficulty sorting out who is who.  The challenge becomes our own decision about who to follow.  “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” 

Isn’t this, in a nutshell, the challenge of our everyday life?  We need to judiciously sort out the family members, friends, associates, coworkers, newsfeeds, entertainment forums. and even strangers who continuously encourage us to follow the precepts of our faith vs those who continuously try to dissuade us from living our life’s values for the sake of his name.  And we shouldn’t forget that the most cunning wolf of all might be the one lurking in our own conscience who is continuously trying to lead us down the wrong path.  Wouldn’t it be a blessing to be able to silence that one forever?  Jesus gives us the courage to pursue.  “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.  You will be given, at that moment, what you are to say.” 

Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them.  Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsxwxQ8a-oo

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.