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Scripture:

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

Reflection:

From glory to the cross, from high mountain top to the valley, from acceptance to rejection, how often that is the path we must travel. Peter, James, and John had just experienced the transfiguration of Jesus, had seen him conversing with Moses and Elijah and had heard the Father’s voice saying, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." Mountain tops are not places to stay. I remember some thirty seven years ago Fr. Jerome Stowell and I hiked to the summit of Mt. Whitney and gazed out over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Eyes feasted on the grandeur and wildness spread out before us. Our hearts beat faster and a sense of exaltation thrilled us. But then too soon came the moment to tear our eyes away from the glorious view and begin the descent. Peter, James and John are descending from a high mountain top with Jesus. They are in conversation about the vision they had experienced. Matthew chooses to recount but one question, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus takes the occasion to explain that John the Baptist fulfilled Elijah’s role and was killed. He then prophesized that he would face the same fate, "The Son of Man will also suffer at their hands." Here we have the mystery of life: that joy and success are often followed by pain and failure. This is our human condition and it is the law of Christian discipleship. No servant is greater than his master.  A few days ago I celebrated my 80^th birthday. There is much to be thankful for, not the least the wisdom to understand that peace comes when I "listen to him".

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 48:17-19
Matthew 11:16-19

Reflection:

I find it hard not to have questions and concerns in today’s uncertain world.  Everything is made even more difficult with our fast paced lives.  As Catholics, who isn’t confused on how to approach life  and all it’s issues.  Our recent election is just an example of how complex today’s issues are and how challenging it can be to know what is right.

Today’s readings though, give us some ideas. In the first reading we hear the "Lord will tell you what is good," and then we hear the Lord telling us "He will lead us on the way to go".  The Psalms are just as clear, follow the Lord, and have the light of Life.  The Bible is filled with the Lord telling us to follow Him, that He is the way, the Truth and the Life.

So why do we struggle so? Are we afraid to follow him?  We shouldn’t be. Doesn’t He repeatedly remind us, "be not afraid"?  Maybe the truth is, we want to lead, not follow.  We think we have a better understanding of our lives and what we need.  We don’t want to change our view points.  We just need His help.  That’s the way most of my prayers sound.  Here is what I need Lord, please help make it happen.  We are tempted to think we know what God wants and we end up not really sure what we want or where we are going. Like the children in the Gospel, not happy with or sure about anything we see.  That’s not following the Lord.  That’s not surrendering to Him.  To follow Him we need to seek Him, to know more about Him, to trust Him.

This advent,  this year of faith, Let’s truly seek Him in prayer, in the sacraments, in front of the blessed sacrament, in reading the Bible or other spiritual books.  Let’s listen to Him more by slowing down, taking time out from the rush of life.  Then can we begin to recognize Him, to see where He is leading us, and what He wants of us.  Then we will begin to know the peace and joy that can only come from following Him, and  then, maybe our descendants will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the shore of the sea, and we can yield fruit in due season.

 

Steve Walsh is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre ,and a good friend of the Passionist Community.

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection:

The violent know no limits. Mass graves are filled by narco-traffickers with impunity. Drones are drop bombs in Pakistan and Afghanistan and innocent civilians as collateral damage. This is how drug routes and the political stability of regions are secured by the violent among us. This kind of brute force knows no boundaries, neither does it follow accepted moral codes nor respect human values.

By this same might, yet by very different means, that knows no boundaries, we are invited to embrace the Kingdom of God. Jesus words rekindle and set ablaze our passion for the Reign of God. With the same zeal of the violent among us we are called to encounter the Reign and to build it.

I pray that this Advent Season our hearts may be set on fire for the Reigning of God and that with that same passion we may receive it. 

 

Fr. Hugo Esparza-Perez, C.P. is a Passionist of Holy Cross Province now working in Mexico with the Province of Cristo Rey.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

Scripture:

Zechariah 2:14-17
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

Appearances by the Virgin Mary have been regularly reported throughout the centuries. Some enthusiastic believers go into great detail describing the experience. Yet the church is generally slow to affirm that an apparition is "worthy of pious belief." Ecclesial endorsements are rare. Vatican scrutiny is severe. In modern times, only ten apparitions have been officially deemed to exhibit characteristics "worthy of pious belief." The earliest of these is the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac (Jaroslav Pelikan in Mary Through the Centuries).

The significance of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531 does not hinge on the historicity of the apparition. The miracle is manifested in the remarkable transformation which it evoked within the people of Mexico and the Chicano culture. Guadalupe has become a powerful cultural energizer. Her appearance was crucial in restoring dignity, humanity and hope to a conquered people. Truly, it lifted up the lowly.

An interpretation of the Gospel text (Luke 1:26-38) for this feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be understood in the same way. The miracle of the annunciation is not merely an historical event. It is a message addressed to every woman who searches for her own dignity and to every man on a quest for the meaning of his humanity. Our completeness comes in discovering the birth of the inner Christ in the womb of our hearts.

At various times, whispering angels suggest that we are blessed beyond expectation. They encourage us to look within to see in our hearts a seed, an embryo, a fetus, or maybe even a small baby – but, to recognize God within. As did Mary, the task of our spiritual life is to feed, clothe and nurture the child so that we may mature into the fullness of Christ. That is the miracle of transformation.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, Kentucky. See his website: http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14

Reflection:

"Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem…" Is 40:1

Some of Scripture’s most sublime poetry lies within Isaiah 40.  It is the poetry of God’s comforting presence in the midst of darkness and seeming abandonment.  In her little book titled "40 Stories to Stir the Soul," Sister Joan Chittister shares a wonderful Hasidic tale that captures God’s tender presence.

"Once upon a time, the local Jewish congregation was concerned that their rabbi disappeared every Sabbath night.  Was he chanting with angels?  Was he praying with Elijah?  Was he communing directly with God?  So, after months of this, they finally sent someone to follow him and report back to them on where the rabbi was going.

"Sure enough, the next Sabbath eve, the rabbi went up a mountain path, over the crest of the mountain to a cottage on the far side of the cliff.  And there the sexton could see through the window, an old gentile woman lying sick in bed, wasting away.  The rabbi swept the floor, chopped the wood, lit the fire, made a large pot of stew, washed the bedclothes, and then left quickly in order to get back to the synagogue in time for morning services.

"The congregation demanded to know: ‘Did our rabbi go up to heaven?’  The sexton thought for a moment, then replied, ‘Oh no.  Our rabbi did not go up to heaven.  He went much higher than that.’"

In 587 BC, in the brutal aftermath of the Babylonian invasion and destruction, Jerusalem and the townships of Judah lay in ruins; the Jewish leadership lived in Babylonian exile, seemingly abandoned and without hope.  In their darkest moment, God summoned his prophet Isaiah to console Jerusalem, to tell them God has never left them.  But, rather, like the rabbi who traveled to the far side of a distant cliff to care for the sick old woman, God was always present to the Jews even in distant pagan Babylon to offer his tender comfort.  Indeed, it was in that darkest period of their history, that the Jews reflected, studied and encountered God most profoundly in their Scriptures.

In this Advent Season, the message of Isaiah speaks to us, too.  Wherever we are, whatever our situation, whatever we’ve done, God still loves us, still cares for us.  And in the midst of our darkest moments, there is hope in the wilderness, and the words of hope are these: "Comfort, give comfort to my people."  Does God remain distant from us, way up in heaven?  Oh, no.  He is much higher than that.  He is present in our midst.

 

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-10
Luke 5:17-26

Reflection:

I’ve worked with many grieving people who are angry at God because their loved one was not healed. They tell me how they stormed heaven with prayers, and yet God was silent. Some even relate stories of another person’s healing and wonder whether their own faith wasn’t strong enough, or whether God was punishing them for their sins by taking their loved one away. These situations are wrenchingly difficult and tragic. They prompt me to look more closely at the Gospels to see whether perhaps we’ve gotten God’s healing all wrong.

Place yourself in the position of the paralyzed man whose friends brought him to Jesus. They were convinced Jesus would heal him so he could walk again. They were so excited about it that they ripped a hole in the roof of the building in order to get the man through the crowd.

Finally this hopeful man is face-to-face with the Messiah. But Jesus doesn’t say "Be healed". He says "Your sins are forgiven." If you were the man, wouldn’t you be mad? You thought you were going to walk; instead he just forgives your sins?

And yet….what if he wasn’t mad at all? Maybe this was the first time in the young man’s life that someone looked at him and did not see a disability, the first time someone loved him exactly as he was, and the first time someone didn’t think his paralysis was his most defining characteristic. Maybe he did feel guilty about how he acted because of his condition, how he’d been angry, bitter, and caustic. Maybe Jesus knew what kind of healing this man needed most, and it wasn’t physical healing. He needed to be made emotionally and spiritually whole. In fact, when Jesus gazed at him and forgave his sins, maybe this man felt so completely loved that he wept for joy.

Of course, the bystanders weren’t satisfied and demanded proof that Jesus could forgive sins. So Jesus acquiesced and said, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." Interestingly, that is exactly what the man does. He doesn’t jump up and down or have a party. He just stands up and walks home. It seems rather anti-climactic, but perhaps by that point it truly was. Jesus had healed him in the most profound way, and then it didn’t matter so much that he could walk. Physical healing was just the frosting on the cake, but not the miracle that made the difference.

I try to remember this story when I pray for my loved ones to be healed. God always heals, but it may not be a physical healing. In fact, sometimes the healing a person most needs is healing into a peaceful death. My heart longs for my dad, my sister, and my friend to be physically healed of their ailments. But God knows what type of healing they truly need; it is not my place to tell God what kind of healing I will accept.

So I change my prayer to one of trust. I pray that God will heal them in the ways they most need healing, and then I place them into the gentle hands of a God who loves them more than I can imagine and who wants their fullness of life in ways I cannot comprehend. The people I love may die; in fact, everyone I love will eventually die. Yet I trust that God is healing them every step of the way. Physical healing may be possible, or it may not. That is God’s call.

I pray the same thing for myself every morning of my life, and every morning of my life God is answering that prayer. I have all sorts of physical aches and pains I’d rather be rid of, but God is wiser than me. God is changing my heart. I am still deeply imperfect. God has a lot of work to do. But I believe, I trust, I know that whether it is for me or for someone I love, my prayers are being answered. Our God always heals.

 

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she partnered with the Passionists.  See her website: http://www.amyflorian.com/.

The Second Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6

 

 

Reflection:

The Surprise of Advent Continues

Advent is a time of feeling and surprise more than historical celebration. As a season practices and customs from different parts of the Christian world joined, evolved and contributed to our Christmas preparation. The historical pegs are fulfillment of prophecy, those to Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and also those that spoke of our long awaited savior and messiah. Even before Gaudete (rejoicing) Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, Baruch and Paul exclaim in our readings today, "Rejoice".

It seems right if Advent prepares us to celebrate our Savior who came in such a surprising way, then our entering into Advent will partake of surprise. Could this be our experience when we remember past Advent’s with nostalgia? An Advent when God’s Word was particularly inviting and prayer consoling? An Advent when we felt close to Mary or Joseph as they waited together for Jesus’ birth, or found ourselves moved by the music or decorations in church? Or when the Christmas preparations that filled a lot of our attention surprisingly kept us linked to God’s long preparation that reached its fulfillment in the meeting of Gabriel with Mary? Unable to recapture these warm memories can leave us feeling disappointed. But there is the surprise. They were the gifts for another time. In this new Advent, we will be surprised again. 

We meet John today, a character who is hard to file, he is unique. He is a prophet, a new Elijah. John does no miracles; he does dance for joy in the presence of Mary who is pregnant with Jesus. In art he can be a cherub next to the baby Jesus or the austere preacher coming out of the desert with dress and diet that set him apart. He is informed and can challenge those in authority. Although his preaching is repentance and conversion, no one argues that John is wrong, and many follow him.

Could this Advent Sunday invite us to be surprised by joining those who respond to the Word? John hears the Word of God and comes out of the desert to preach a message of hope. For that reason that people flocked to his Baptism. Who does not want to hear that our journey to God’s presence is a delightful walk? Those who hear John also respond to the Word. When John calls for repentance and assures forgiveness, God’s grace was working among them. Jesus would say how surprising that those who were sinners would find their way into the Kingdom before the self-righteous. John tells us why; those who repent and change take the expressway, level and straight! And perhaps there is a surprise too in that our call to rejoice goes hand in hand with repenting and converting? But this is Advent, a time of grace; a time when God’s Word calls us in surprising ways. May we say yes to God’s Word to us, and go along for the ride, or as John would say, ‘the walk that is straight and smooth and will lead us to see the salvation that comes from God.’

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of St. Joseph’s Monastery parish in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-15
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Luke 1:26-38

 

 

Reflection:

When I was a student at Catholic Theological Union, I decided to do a Scripture research paper about the Immaculate Conception since I was weak in Marian theology. I won’t give you all my findings and history, but I want to proclaim the central idea that ran as a thread throughout the paper: God’s original grace is stronger than original sin. God’s grace in us supercedes and helps us overcome the effects of the fall with which we are all so familiar.

I want to describe grace as "God’s initiative." We heard in the second reading that God "chose us before the world began." Notice, it was not when we were baptized or ordained or surrendered to Jesus. No, it was long before all of that. God had us in mind and chose us before we were born. The emphasis is on his election not our actions or any deeds we have done.

We are celebrating today that God chose a humble handmaiden from all eternity. Her song is ours. The opening prayer asked us to trace her love in our lives. She is the first disciple and shows us how to follow Jesus.

I’ve led pilgrimages to Rome and studied there while on sabbatical. In Rome, I saw many churches as well as works of art.  Many churches have mosaics in their apses. For example, there are four major basilicas in Rome: one dedicated to Peter, one to Paul, one to John, and one to Mary. The one dedicated to Mary is the Church of St. Mary Major (where St. Paul of the Cross went when rejected by the Vatican). 

When I visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the glittering mosaic in the apse of the church struck me. It shows Christ the King and on his right hand sits Mary, his mother. He is putting a crown on her head: the coronation of Mary. Another famous artist, Michelangelo, painted The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. He shows Christ as judge, raising his right hand in stern judgment. Just to his right is the Virgin Mary with her face turned from the damned since not even she can intercede for them now. My point is that many churches include Mary in a predominant place.

This brings to mind the story of James and John, the sons of Thunder, as Jesus named them. They were seeking to sit at Jesus’ right and left when he came into his glory. Jesus replied that it is not his to give but is for those "whom the father has prepared it for beforehand." My personal opinion, like many artists, is that Mary will sit on Jesus’ right for all eternity, and Moses will occupy the place on his left.

Eucharist is all about celebration and surrender. At Mass today, like Mary, we celebrate the wonderful love of God at the table of the altar. We rejoice that original grace is more powerful than original sin. Because God has chosen and handpicked us from all others in the world, like Mary in the Magnificat, "our souls magnify the Lord and our spirits rejoice in God our savior!" With Mary, we offer ourselves to God, as we also do in the Kyrie. We surrender ourselves again, now, united with the self-emptying of Jesus on the cross.

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 16 books and creator of television and radio programs airing in many cities. You can learn more about his ministry at: http://www.frcedric.org/