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Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

At the very beginning of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites a retreatant to contemplate the meaning of love: “Love should manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”  Love is the starting point of our care and service of others.  The Campaign for the Passionists of Holy Cross Province echoes this very insight – the Passion of Christ: the Love that Compels.  God’s love for us compels us to serve others, but it begins with this: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

To love comes before to serve. Love is the foundation of selfless service. If we love, we will be drawn to serve others. If we are rooted in God’s love, so too will we be rooted in service.   God knows and loves us, and serves us with the gift of his life.  As we know and love others, we will serve them with the gifts of life that God has generously shared with us, whatever they might be.

Today’s Gospel from Matthew reveals a side of Jesus we rarely see.  We see his exasperation at the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who have disconnected love from their service as religious leaders to become “blind guides.”  Lots of words and lots of hair-splitting rules.  They “lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.”  They have lost the experience of first being loved by God, so the law becomes what gives them meaning and purpose.

Contrast that indignation of Jesus with the joy of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where he celebrates the community’s “work of faith and labor of love.” The community at Thessalonica consists of “brothers and sisters loved by God,” who are compelled to serve in return. Paul reminds them that the Gospel did not come to them in word alone, but also in power and the Holy Spirit, that is, through deeds.

Much of the world – Catholic or not – has been mesmerized by Pope Francis.  He seems very clearly to see the relationship between love and service, and exemplifies through his own actions that love begins with a very real relationship with Jesus.  While in Brazil for World Youth Days, he spoke to the young people: “Evangelizing means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness, it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren, as Jesus did. Go, do not be afraid, and serve.” Indeed, love manifests itself in deeds rather than words.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
Matthew 13:1-9

Reflection:

“What have you done for me TODAY!”  That’s a contemporary saying that many of us use when we fear we aren’t able to meet our important needs and no one else steps in to help us or, perhaps, even notices our plight.

While that saying is a contemporary one, it’s clear that the experience of fear in this kind of situation is as old as the human family itself.  In today’s first reading from Exodus we hear just such a complaint from the people of Israel on their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.  They’re hungry.  They have no food.  So, they blame Moses and Aaron for their situation.  On their behalf Moses and Aaron have already overcome the oppression of Pharaoh, brought the people out of slavery in Egypt and opened the Red Sea so they could escape the Pharaoh’s pursuing army.  But, of course, that’s not enough because they’re hungry now.  “But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”  There’s no expression of gratitude for all Moses and Aaron have already done for them, only complaints and further demands.

Moses and Aaron feel helpless before the wrath of the people so they go to God seeking guidance.  God’s response is truly remarkable.  Clearly, God is not offended by the complaint or the continuing need of the people.  God simply tells Moses and Aaron to gather the people and tell them that God will provide them the food they need.  Quail will overrun their camp at evening and manna (bread) will be on the ground at dawn.  A simple solution.  God gives the people the nourishment they need.

The parable Jesus tells in today’s Gospel from Matthew also illustrates the overwhelming generosity of God.  The image Jesus uses is that of the sower.  In the parable the sower throws the seed everywhere.  Not just on the rich soil but also on the path, the rocky ground and even among the thorns.  The sower is hardly parsimonious but rather extravagant in sowing the seed.

Both readings remind us that God is more than generous in His gifts to us.  They also illustrate how easy it can be for us to forget all that God’s done for us.  But we need not fear because God will always respond to our needs with compassion and generosity.

Fr. Michael Higgins, CP, is a member of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Community in Sierra Madre, California.

Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle

Scripture:

Acts 11:21b-26, 13:1-3
Matthew 5:17-19

Reflection:

When I think of Barnabas, I remember the encourager.  The Jerusalem Church needed someone to send to Antioch, where many Gentiles were coming to Christ.  They dispatched Barnabas, “a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.”  Barnabas arrived in Antioch and immediately “encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”

When I think of Barnabas, I remember the friend.  Many in the church feared Paul, the former Christian hunter and tormenter.  They shunned him.  Not Barnabas.  He befriended Paul and even invited him to join Barnabas in his Antioch mission.

When I think of Barnabas, I remember the compassionate man.  I was as fearful as Mark. Doubtful of my calling to the diaconate, I thought of abandoning my journey.  And I was as disparaging as Paul.  I saw only my failures.  But a holy deacon, Ernie Nosari, like Barnabas, saw my potential.  He believed in me, mentored me.  With patience and compassion, he helped to prepare me for an exhilarating diaconate adventure.

Remember us, Barnabas.  Take us to Antioch with you.  Teach us how to encourage those who want to know the Lord.  Introduce us to Paul, to those who feel shunned and lonely.  Take us on your next voyage with Mark.  Show us how to be compassionate to those who are discouraged.  Show us how to reveal, not the failures, but the potential in others.  And especially today, your feast day, Barnabas, show us how to be encourager, friend and compassionate.  Show us how to be “good, and filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.”

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

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection:

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son, who essentially proclaimed his father dead, took his inheritance, and shamed his family and himself by how he chose to spend the money. Even the son’s return home was based more on the necessity of survival than it was on sincere repentance. (Interestingly, his father’s open-armed, joyous reception probably did more to generate remorse in the errant young man than did his time sharing slop with the pigs.)

We marvel at the forgiving nature of the father. We spend far less time exploring the resentment of the elder son. I suspect that is because we relate so easily to his feelings. He did everything right – obeying all the rules, living as the model child, and sacrificing his own needs for his father’s. He doesn’t want to see an undeserving sinner receiving the reward he feels is due to him. So instead of joining in this experience of unmatched love, dancing with his brother and celebrating the once-again-intact family, the elder son turns away, refuses his father’s love, and places himself outside the family. He is now no less prodigal than his younger brother. (Perhaps we should change the title to “The Parable of the Two Prodigal Sons”).

This story parallels that of the vineyard workers who were hired at various times of the day, yet all received the same pay. If we worked long hours in the heat of the day, or did everything right like the elder son, we’d be angry over the unfair disparity in treatment, too. We demand justice. No, we demand equity. We want what we believe we have coming to us.

When his son turned away in anger, it is obvious the father’s heart was broken again. Just as he had waited patiently at the window for his beloved younger son to return home, he now had to wait at the window for his elder son to return. If the boy was as stubborn as I can be sometimes, he may have waited for a very long time.

God’s love and forgiveness, as the father demonstrates, doesn’t obey human rules of equity. We can’t earn it, no matter what we do. God simply loves and forgives, freely and lavishly, undeserving though we may be. That is an easier truth to accept when I have done wrong; when I sin I want to be welcomed back like the younger son. It is far harder to accept when I believe I am right, yet I see “a sinner” garnering praise and attention that I crave for myself. This is especially true when I work hard to overcome a certain flaw or sin, only to observe someone else practicing that very sin to manipulate people or situations to their own advantage. I know the short road toward anger and resentment when it seems more rewarding to do wrong than to stay on the right path.

How long did the eldest son remain a prodigal? We don’t know. Yet the operative question is: How long will I? Can I stay true to my calling as a follower of Christ even when I see the “rewards” that sometimes accrue to those who don’t? Can I rejoice just as heartily when the love and forgiveness that God lavishes on me is poured out on others in ways I may deem unfair? Can I turn around and lavish love and forgiveness on those who have hurt me?

I freely admit I’m not there yet. I am still working to transform my ideas of self-righteousness and fairness. I need to keep this parable in front of me, so I can continually let go of all the ways I act like the elder son. God is waiting patiently at the window, waiting for me to turn and come home.

 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/.

Third Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Luke 13:1-9

Reflection:

In Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree. The owner of the fig tree is frustrated. The tree has been there for three years without bearing any fruit. He tells his gardener to cut it down: “Why should it exhaust the soil?” But the gardener says, “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”

The parable is a parable of God’s mercy. Even though we may not bear fruit as much as we could, God is still willing to work with us and in us so that we may bear fruit in spreading the Good News and in sharing God’s love in Jesus Christ. Can God be that merciful? It is God’s choice to be so. When we hear the story of the call of Moses in our first reading from Exodus (3:1-8a, 13-15), Moses asks God what to call Him when the people ask, “What is his name?” God replies, “I am who am. This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” The same God who is the Source of all being is the same One who freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and is the same One who continues to show us mercy and love.

But this parable also presents us with a few challenges. It implies that even though God is merciful, we should not abuse our relationship with Him. We ought not to take God’s mercy for granted. As St. Paul says in our second reading from 1 Corinthians (10:1-6, 10-12), “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”

The parable also challenges us about our relationships with others. Unfortunately, human history is replete with examples of one group saying about another something similar to “Why should it exhaust the soil?” It has been too easy for people to consider others as non-productive or superfluous, or even as a blight on the earth. In our Gospel reading, people tell Jesus how Pilate desecrated the blood of Galileans he presumably had killed. Then Jesus mentions some others who were killed when a tower fell on them. Jesus is quick to point out that these things were not a punishment for sins. God does not punish us like that! So why does Jesus warn the crowds that unless they repent they shall perish as those victims did? I believe it is because while God does not punish us with the evil of others, or with the tragedy of an accident, He does let us at times suffer the consequences of our actions.

Using the parable of the fig tree, if we resort to violence, whether it is physical violence to the point of genocide, or systematic discrimination or oppression, it is very likely we will suffer some violence ourselves. In various situations in the world we see a thirst for vengeance that never seems to be satisfied, and so one atrocity is answered by another. When we engage in condemnation and violence, how can we hope to bear any fruit? I know that we can say that we have not participated in any genocide or outright oppression, but we need to examine how often we resort to our stereotypes and prejudices to make sense of certain situations. Just being content with what is can help perpetuate what we know is wrong. When we treat others in a way that dehumanizes them, we need to remember the mercy God has shown us. I would think most of us can recognize times in our lives when we have been just like the fig tree in Jesus’ parable! Thank God that God has been merciful with us!

May we trust in God’s mercy, and show mercy to others. May we open ourselves to God’s love in Jesus Christ, and may that love bear fruit in us.

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

Scripture:

Galatians 5:1-6
Luke 11:37-41

Reflection:

Can you imagine being invited to someone’s home for an evening meal and then find yourself being criticized for the way you eat your food by the very host who welcomed you?  It might very well make you wonder why you were invited in the first place!

Our Gospel passage today presents a very interesting moment in the life and public ministry of Jesus.  Luke tells us that after Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.  As the Gospel reading yesterday portrayed for us, Jesus had just spoken to a large crowd of people and surely some of those in the crowd were Pharisees.  They heard him say that, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”  If I was told that I was part of an evil generation how would that make me feel?  I am not so sure I would want to invite Jesus to my home for a meal unless I had some ulterior motive.  Yet, Jesus accepted the invitation, never wanting to miss an opportunity to set those so terribly bound by mere observance of the law free.  But his host missed the chance of a lifetime and could only fall back on criticizing Jesus because he did not observe the ritual of washing before the meal itself.  He missed the freeing love of Jesus who was there with him at table.  What a great loss!

Paul tells us in our first reading from Galatians that only faith working through love is what matters and that for freedom Christ set us free.  Today’s scripture readings are a wonderful reminder that we, like the Pharisee, can invite the Lord into our home, to welcome him as we gather around our table for a meal.  But the freedom he brings will only be ours if we are willing to welcome him in trusting faith and selfless love, something our Pharisee friend could not do.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P., is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.