Claire Smith

The Epiphany of the Lord

Scripture:

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Reflection:

Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.  -Matthew 2:2

Sitting in the barber’s chair getting my hair cut, the other day, I was bemoaning the fact that robots are taking over all the tasks that used to provide many of us with a good living (status in the community). He agreed saying: “Yes, they’re even talking about robots taking over my job!” I assured him that if he was still coming downtown to cut hair, I’d be coming to him to get my hair cut. (Two old chaps bemoaning progress–or is it?)

Where is this wealth of the nations that Isiah talks about in our first reading and Luke refers to in our Gospel passage today? I am reminded of my own heritage and family’s search experience. My father’s parents came to this promised land of America in 1909 because my grandfather (in 1909, women worked in the home which is the root of the word economics, care of our home) couldn’t find work. Upon arriving in Chicago, he went to work the next day, digging ditches for the gas company. Not too long after that he was able to get back to the work he did in Ireland and England, taking care of horses. Only here did he take care of the horses used for delivering milk to the citizens of his new home, Chicago.

God help me to continue the journey to you, realizing You have given me signs of your wealth and life, just like you did Isaiah, Herod, the Wise Men from another land, and the Shepards abiding around the lowly stable where your son Jesus was born. He was born because Mary and Joseph, two simple human beings just like me and those who went before me, were willing to understand, trust and act in a loving way to the messages you sent them.

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

Scripture:

1 John 5:5-13
Mark: 1:7-11

Reflection:

The writer of the Gospel of Mark does not mince words. The narrative is quick, blunt, to the point.

In today’s reading from that gospel, we are immediately put in the scene at the Jordan River where John the Baptist, that prophetic figure dressed to conjure up the image of Elijah, is initiating an entirely new order. The carpenter’s son from the backwater town of Nazareth steps up to participate in this revolution.

It is a revolution that will dramatically clash with the dominate powers of Rome and the Jewish establishment.

During the centuries since this baptism, the revolutionary pillars of Jesus’ messianic mission . . . confronting the old social order, building an alternative society, and lifting up the outcast, devalued, and the poor . . .have all been diluted, compromised and tamed by the status quo. Nothing controversial here, just move on. Maintain what you have been doing. Instead of living the revolution, we again and again succumb to the dazzling attractions of status, power, and money. We spend our talents, time, and worries on what is fleeting, superficial, and unsatisfying.

The subversive faith of Jesus is founded on a powerful connection with God the Father (“You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well-please!”). The heavens are literally ripped open and the Spirit hovers over Jesus as he completes the washing ritual to begin his life’s work.

In baptism he, like us, has died to the old order and our most primitive instincts . . .the instinct to control our own destinies, to get even, to hold a grudge, to dominate, to possess more stuff, to be better than others, and dismiss the weak, vulnerable, and powerless.

We have been gifted with grace to love and follow this Jesus, this God-man who spoke the truth even when it leads to the cross. We are called to be prophets in the tradition of John the Baptist, but more importantly in imitation of Jesus. We need not be afraid to call out injustice in our communities, nation, world. We support one another in serving the hungry, homeless, mentally ill, refugees, the bitter, and the angry.

As Jesus initiated his life work in the Jordan, we must re-think a vanilla, non-confrontational, bland faith designed to comfort us in a world marinating in greed, violence, hated, and destruction of the environment. It is an illusory comfort, destined to disappoint. True comfort is found resting securely in God. Jesus assures us, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (John 15,21)

Christianity does not endorse these sins. We are graced to resist them, eliminate them where and when we can, and suffer the consequences of doing so, as Jesus and John the Baptist did. The God of peace and joy will see to it we are rewarded with our most authentic, true selves. This is our destiny.

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

Scripture:

1 John 3:11-21
John 1:43-51

Reflection:

This is the message you have heard from the beginning:
we should love one another…   –1 John 3:11

Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him.   –1 John 3:19

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip.
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”   –John 1:43

This Christmas season we had the opportunity to see the Broadway on Tour production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Now, this isn’t going to be a review of the show, but I will say a lot was added to the story that wasn’t in the book I remember reading with my mother. However, one song that caught my attention was “Santa for a Day.” In this song, little Cindy Lou Who (if you don’t know what a Who is, go read the book) sings to the Grinch (a big meany) that he is her Santa for a day and that they belong “Heart to heart.”

This got me thinking about belonging. One of the most terrible punishments we exact on people is solitary confinement, putting someone apart from everyone. Many societies throughout the ages have used shunning as a method to ensure compliance with the standards of behavior in the community. Even the Holy Family are told on Christmas Eve that there is no place for them. But Jesus Emmanuel, God with us, comes anyway, despite the world’s best efforts to shun Him.

The message He brings is one of belonging. In fact, it is this very aspect of His teachings that most riles the authorities of that time, and even today — that everyone belongs. The religious authorities (then and now) who value their positions as ‘holy gatekeepers’ are incensed at the idea that just anyone can enter into the kingdom of heaven, that our heavenly Father would actually allow “those people” to be in His presence.

As Jesus gathers His disciples in today’s reading, He doesn’t go to the temple or the palace. He chooses to go where the poor, the broken, the common people are. He calls to them, “Follow me.” He still calls today to all of us, “You belong, follow Me.”

Talib Huff is a retired teacher and a member of the retreat team at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California. You can contact him at [email protected].

Scripture:

1 John 3:7-10
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

“…Come and see…”

Today’s Gospel selection features John the Baptist and two of his disciples encountering Jesus as He walked by – so named “the Lamb of God” by John the Baptist.  This chance encounter ultimately led to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” where He was staying.  Ultimately, those hours with Jesus led Andrew and, later, his brother Simon Peter to lives as disciples and personal witnesses to Jesus.

“Come and see…”  That invitation of Jesus has touched the hearts and changed the lives of countless men and women over the centuries.  One such 18^th Century American woman-disciple is today honored by the Church:  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton…the first American-born saint.

Born in New York City in 1774, Elizabeth Ann was raised as an Episcopalian.  At age 20 she married William Seton and gave birth to and helped raise their five children.  She was drawn to the Catholic faith by an Italian Catholic family whom she met while traveling in Italy with her husband.  After her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis at age 30, Elizabeth Ann freely embraced the Catholic faith – and subsequently opened a parish school in Baltimore to both support her family and witness her faith. 

Drawn by Elizabeth’s charismatic fervor, a group of young women joined Elizabeth Ann in her approach to education and the Christian life.  In 1809 they formed the American Sisters of Charity, following the rule of St. Vincent de Paul; later they help found other schools and orphanages.  By the time of her death on January 4, 1821, the community had expanded their valued ministries as far west as St. Louis.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was called by God to help grow the Church in her day.  As noted in today’s Gospel, Jesus drew disciples to himself and began the Church; centuries later Jesus touched the heart of Elizabeth Ann to invite her to join those early disciples in saying “yes” to Jesus and working tirelessly to build the Church.

“Come and see…” words spoken to us today as we head into the new year 2024.  God invites us to come and see, to share in the life and spirit of St. Paul of the Cross whose birthday in 1694 we celebrated just yesterday; his special love for Jesus Crucified motivates us as members of the 21^st Century Passionist Family.  May we deepen our relationship with Jesus these new year’s days – and like Andrew and Elizabeth Ann Seton and Paul of the Cross encourage others to “come and see” God’s love speaking to our hearts.  And may we likewise generously serve our sisters and brothers in their needs and their growth as daughters and sons of God!

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:

1 John 2:29-3:6
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

By the time of the composition of the Gospel of John, the Johanine community had several generations of faithful living, spiritual reflection and praying both personally and liturgically to draw upon.

One senses all these elements at work in the construction of today’s gospel text. One can see that these early Christians have wrestled with the mystery of God and indeed had already begun to see the Trinitarian Life of God and their own part in the mystery of their salvation.

I suggest ‘wrestling with’ rather than defining the mystery might be the more apt statement. There is always an element of faith at work in every relationship and it is a primary concern in our relationship to God. Indeed, the early church continued to grow in understanding of the mysteries of the trinity and the life of Jesus for some hundreds of years till the Council of Nicaea gave us formulas through which we might best articulate our faith. 

But for today in this text, we see the community putting some of the essential pieces of the mystery in place. They have come to see God as One who calls and sends (and who Jesus will address as Abba), they can see the Holy Spirit as a guide who is indwelling and bearer of graces, they can see Jesus as both pre-existent and here with them now as the one sent by God and as the one whose sacrifice will set them free. They can see too their own role as well – it’s as if John represents them and they like John are called to go before the Lord, perhaps not called by God to a baptismal ministry but nevertheless called to announce Jesus and proclaim him as the true Lamb of God. 

Perhaps the title of Jesus as the Lamb of God had emerged from their early liturgical practice and devotion, but it has remained and is still part of both our own liturgical prayer as well as a formulation that expresses our faith.

Let us go forth to announce him to the world by our witness also.

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

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Scripture:

1 John 2:22-28
John 1:19-28

Reflection:

St. Basil and St. Gregory were each bestowed the title “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Pius V in 1568. Doctors of the Church are canonized saints who have demonstrated exemplary holiness and have deepened the understanding of the Catholic faith. Of the 10,000 saints recognized by the Church, only 37 men and women have been named a Doctor of the Church;  so, St. Basil and St. Gregory have a special place in the Church.

St. Basil and St. Gregory ministered in the early Church, in the fourth century, in what is modern day Turkey. As a young man, Basil enjoyed stimulating university life in Caesarea, Constantinople, and Athens. There he met Gregory Nazianzen, a quiet, scholarly man. The two became close friends, who supported and challenged each other throughout their lives.

With input from Gregory, Basil composed a rule of life for monks, which still influences the monasteries in the Eastern Church, as well as Benedictine monks in the West. Called to a more active life of service in the Church, they left the monastic life and were ordained priests, and eventually became bishops. St. Basil became Archbishop of Caesarea and St. Gregory became Bishop of Constantinople.

As bishops, both Basil and Gregory were called upon to defend the Church from Arianism, one of the most damaging heresies: it denied the divinity of Christ. St. Basil contributed to the Nicene Creed, which states that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father,” also expressed as “consubstantial.” In today’s first reading, written two hundred years earlier, the Apostle John could be speaking to the Arians when he said: “Anyone who denies the Son, does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”

St. Basil and St. Gregory are Doctors of the Church because of their significant contributions to the Church’s teaching, as well as their holy lives. In contentious and polarized times much like our own, they never gave up on their deeply divided flocks. Despite St. Gregory’s dislike of conflict, he continued to dialog with people who were confused by the Arian heresy, and he is known for his sermons on the Trinity. St. Basil is also known for his preaching, as well as his love for the poor. He was a pioneer in establishing systemic responses to poverty: hospitals, soup kitchens, and guest houses.

As 2024 begins, let us draw inspiration from St. Basil and St. Gregory for the new year. We pray to love the Church as they did, so we may provide leadership in times of disunity and confusion. We pray for their courage and compassion when we find ourselves in difficult conversations.

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

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Scripture:

Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21

Reflection:

Today’s liturgy celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  While the early church revered Mary as Jesus’s mother, not until the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD was there a formal declaration that Jesus was both human and divine, and therefore a declaration that Mary was truly the Mother of God.

The Israelites longed for the coming of the Messiah.  Among the manifestations of the Messiah was the concept of the Royal Messiah—a king arriving in glory and suppressing those who oppressed God’s people.  Remember that Herod massacred all boys two years old and younger so that he would have no threat from a prophesied king.  Tragically, Herod and most everyone else missed the full message of the prophets.  Instead of a majestic arrival in a royal court, God chose a young virgin to become the mother of Jesus, and her child was born in humble surroundings.  Instead of a royal proclamation of his birth, God chose shepherds, considered by some to be on the lowest rungs of society, to proclaim that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. 

From these circumstances of Jesus’s conception and birth, God sent a message that this was no ordinary child.  For the remainder of his time on earth, Jesus would reach out to those on the margins of society. 

Mary knew she had a special child—the angel told her so—and that she was given the responsibility to raise Him.  From fleeing to Egypt to avoid persecution, to finding her pre-teen son preaching in the temple, to nudging Him to perform the miracle at the wedding feast, to his sufferings and crucifixion, she was always with him and guiding him as only a mother can do! 

Mary, Mother of God, we pray that you will walk with us and guide us, just as you were always close by your Son.    

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