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Scripture:

Sirach 4:11-19
Mark 9:38-40

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, John comes to Jesus about a man who was driving out demons in Jesus’ name. John tells Jesus that they tried to prevent him because “he does not follow us.” I wonder if Jesus’ answer surprised John and the rest of the disciples: “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

In these times when people seem to be choosing sides on every issue, and loyalty and purity are measured by an unwillingness to speak to the other side, maybe Jesus’ answer surprises us, too. To many, there may not even be a category of people who, though not part of us, “are not against us.”

Perhaps we may need to look at why John brings this up to Jesus in the first place. The apostles don’t necessarily have a problem with someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name. They have a problem because the man wasn’t one of them. Could this be similar to the problem the Pharisees had with Jesus? Jesus did good things, like healings and exorcisms, but since He didn’t have the same understanding of the Law (or the status of the Pharisees?) that they did, the Pharisees rejected Him.

Jesus in our Gospel reading cautions us about how we judge others. I think we can be true to our Catholic Christian identity and still work with others of good faith for the building up of the kingdom. That has been my experience in both Birmingham and in Detroit.

Perhaps it is a test of Wisdom, as it says in our first reading from Sirach (4:17), to see others as God sees them. May we follow the Wisdom of God in Jesus Christ, as we strive to work for justice and peace.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Genesis 3:1-8
Mark 7:31-37

Reflection:

You will be like gods!

Be opened!

Today we are reminded in the Old Testament book of Genesis, how cunning the enemy can be as he convinces us that we can be like gods. Satan (the serpent) was cunning in the days of our first parents, he’s been cunning in every generation since and he is cunning in our day as well. We should reflectively imagine how a small amount of doubt can totally cloud our judgement and drive us into poor decisions. It is definitely one of Satan’s favorite tools, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” Then we engage and the serpent continues, “You certainly will not die, you will become like gods.” Doubt-Darkness-Sin!

It is the same for us today, our sin is just as tempting, it is just as real and it is just as harmful. Human nature has not changed much through all the millennia of our existence and the pattern of sin is the same. First there is the temptation, that one thing that catches our eye, a handsome man, a beautiful women, a shiny object, an irresistible urge, then there is the doubt or justification that it can’t really be all the bad, surely I can enjoy this one little thing, just this one little time. I can be my own god even if for just an instant. Why do I need the Church, I can reason for myself, I’m not a bad person, I don’t need a Bishop, Priest or Deacon to tell me how I should live, act or die.  Then there is the act, we submit to the temptation just as Eve does and we find ourselves naked, exposed for all to see and we run and hide.

It is a vicious cycle that will only end when we listen to Christ, anyone that has been part of the 12 step tradition will tell you that they could not break free of their addiction until they submitted to God, “help me Lord I cannot do this on my own.” We must draw closer to God, trust in His embrace and allow ourselves to be opened, allow Christ to open our ears and remove our speech impediment so that we may speak and hear with clarity drowning out the clatter of the evil one.

Deacon James Anderson is the Administrator at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Hebrews 13:1-8
Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

Heroism and Humanness

Today’s Gospel selection from St. Mark recounts the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist at the hands of a weak-willed King Herod…a saga of religious dedication and heroism meeting human nature.

John the Baptist was a man who was completely absorbed in the person of Jesus Christ.  He had one mission:  to point out Jesus to others.  The persons of John the Baptist and Jesus go hand in hand…both giving of themselves without reserve.

Sad to say, the heroic life of John the Baptist ended with the almost ludicrous actions of King Herod.  Herod was a petty ruler, the pawn of an unscrupulous wife; he allowed himself to become trapped by the party-dancing of his own young daughter.  He was so taken up by the party, the people present, and the dancing of his daughter that he promised her anything, even swearing about his intentions!  The ultimate outcome:  John the Baptist was murdered per the request of Herodias, beheaded at the end of the party.  John’s heroic life ended as a victim of humanness, weakness and sinfulness.

We hear this story as 21^st Century disciples of Jesus Christ.  Like John the Baptist, we have been called to point out Jesus in our world, to unselfishly love and serve the Lord day by day — even in the hum-drum times of life.  As was mentioned in today’s 1^st reading from Hebrews, our love for Jesus is expressed in simple, practical ways like hospitality, concern for the needy, faithfulness to our vocations, detachment from things, and reliance on God.  Our lives may not appear heroic or romantic, but we are invited to give ourselves completely to God…in the humanness we experience.

As “Ordinary Time” continues to unfold and we embrace these wintry days, what challenges do we face on a regular basis as we point out Jesus in our world?  Do we at times “get carried away” by people or situations?  What helps us maintain our strength and perspective?  Let the words of today’s reading from Hebrews be review of life for us…an opportunity for growth in both love and service.

May we echo the words of the psalmist:  “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

Fr. John Schork, C.P., is a member of the Passionist community in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Reflection:

Many scripture commentators consider today’s Gospel the Inaugural Address of Jesus – words that chart out his platform for ministry, about to unfold. Our temptation is to reduce or even dismiss this narrative as a kind of pseudo-piety, or glaze over Jesus’ words, wrapping them in a cellophane of religiosity and placing them high on the shelf of spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Perhaps, in some ways, we fail to recognize how exciting – and how demanding – his words really are!

When Jesus quotes the prophet, Isaiah, “…he has anointed me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord,” we will soon see how revolutionary Jesus’ ministry will be, creating a whole new world order. Some say the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), for example, is more subversive than the Communist Manifesto!

Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, our Blessed Mother reinforces this prophetic role in her great Magnificat prayer, praising God who tears down the mighty from their thrones, lifts up the lowly, feeds the hungry and sends the rich away empty-handed. Because our Nicene Creed and the Mysteries of the Rosary (now beginning to change with the Mysteries of Light) and other devotions, for example, have focused only on Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we could easily avoid engaging with this Jesus who calls us to radical transformation, a different social order. Today’s readings introduce us to Jesus’ full ministry.

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Scripture:

1 John 4:7-10
Mark 6:34-44

Reflection:

In celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday, we were reminded that for God there are no   outsiders. All of creation is under the bright Light that came when Jesus Christ was born (“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1). The ‘revelation’ of God in Jesus Christ was to bring about more clearly the universal love of God. Everyone can pray “our” Father.  No one is excluded.  Everyone is included in God’s circle of love, and therefore every single person in this world is my sister or brother. I am called to live my life in ways that show respect and love for God’s family.

The readings today amplify the theme of this great revelation of God’s love. The breaking of the bread and its being shared is a symbol of the life of the Christian community, where all the resources of the community are shared. In fact, resources mysteriously seem to multiply as people share with one another. Additionally, there was bread and fish left over to share with those who were not present.

Notice that Jesus does not distribute the bread and fish himself. He asked his disciples to help him. Is that how Jesus acts today? People come to know Jesus today through our thoughtful deeds and words. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.”

Like the fragments of bread and fish, God’s love is in abundance. As it flows into you, let it flow beyond you to others. It is impossible to separate God’s love for me and my love for others. We cannot have one without the other.  Our Christian life, then, is about being loving persons. As St Paul the Apostle says in his famous passage in the first letter to the Corinthians, “If I have not love, I am nothing.”

The source of my ability to love, especially when I don’t feel like showing love, is not within  myself. “Love consists in this: not that we have loved God, but that God has loved us.” The evidence is in God’s sending “his son as an offering for our sins”. Our Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, powerfully preached that Jesus, hanging on the cross, is the most dramatic sign of God’s love for us, a love that is entirely free and never earned by any action of mine.

Look at Jesus on the Cross, offer a prayer of gratitude to him and then go and pass that love to anyone you meet today. Let the Light shine brighter as you help Jesus distribute the bread and fish.

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is director of the Province Office of Mission Effectiveness (OME). He resides in Chicago.

Scripture:

Titus 1:1-9
Luke 17:1-6

Reflection:

In his letter to Titus, Paul lists a sobering set of qualifications for a bishop or church leader: blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught, and able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents. Of course, Paul also says a presbyter is supposed to have children who are believers and who are not rebellious. Really? Maybe that’s why the Church instituted a celibate priesthood, because if a man had kids, he could hardly ever qualify!

In all seriousness, though, Paul’s extensive and demanding list of requirements takes particular import as we continue to grapple with the sexual abuse crisis, and as we examine more closely how priests, bishops, and members of the Church hierarchy exercise their power.  Pope Francis has issued strong challenges, and it seems the leadership of the Church has a long way to go and much reform to undertake before we reach the ideals Paul set forth.

Yet I don’t believe this list should apply only to priests, bishops, and church leaders. As with all of scripture, we need to examine the logs in our own eyes before looking for the specks (or logs) in the eyes of others. So what about us in the pews? Would people outside the Church recognize this list as an accurate depiction of a Catholic congregation? In our parishes, are we humble, hospitable, just, holy, and self-controlled? Are we living models of Christian discipleship?

Ultimately, of course, the parish will not reflect those values until the people within the parish do. So each of us must take a hard look at ourselves. In that light, I began down the list and compared my own behavior. I am not a drunkard, as I rarely have more than a glass of wine at any one time. But I reluctantly must admit that at least at times I have fallen down in each of the other areas, especially the one about being irritable! We all fall short of the ideal. We all have a long way to go and much reform to undertake before our parishes, liturgies, ministries, and lives individually and collectively reflect Christ.

Since change has to start with each one of us, for this month I resolve to post Paul’s list on my bathroom mirror. Each morning when I arise, I will remind myself of who I want to be, how I want to treat people, and what God is calling me to become. When I get ready for bed, I will read the list again and reflect on how I did that day and where I could do better. It won’t change the Church in a day. But it will change me, and allow God to better use me as an instrument of healing, faith, and love. If we all do that, we will change the Church. Do you have any space on your mirror?

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:

Ephesians 4:7-16
Luke 13:1-9

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells the people about sin and repentance and God’s mercy. When people talk to Jesus about Pilate slaughtering a group of Galileans, and what he did with their blood, He replies, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

The people in Jesus’ time tried to make sense of some tragedy or evil by concluding that it was a punishment from God. Many people today follow the same line of thought. Almost inevitably, after some disaster has befallen some part of the world, some evangelist will make a statement about how the disaster was God’s punishment on that country or that group of people. Today we hear Jesus reject that kind of thinking. The victims of Pilate’s slaughter were not punished by God. They were victims of sin. And Jesus’ exhortation to repent is so that, we too, do not fall victims to sin.

Instead, we are to follow Jesus in sharing love and showing mercy. We are to work for peace and justice. In other words, we are to bear “fruit.” And so Jesus tells the parable of the barren fig tree. In the parable, the owner of the tree, frustrated that there is no fruit on the tree, tells the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener asks that the tree be left for one more year, to see if it can still bear fruit. Such is God’s mercy toward us.

If we can accept God’s love and mercy, there need be no delay in our being disciples. By the grace of God, we can bear fruit, and witness to the love God has shown us in Jesus Christ. As our first reading says, “grace has been given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” May we use the gifts we have been given, turn away from sin, and bear fruit to a world in need.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the local of St. Paul of the Cross Community, Detroit, Michigan.