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Scripture:

Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

Reflection:

The readings for today remind me of a chapter from the book, "Journeys of Courage," pages 38-39.  It is a reflection about the tragedy of 9/11.  What is service all about?  Does it come naturally?  Does it cost?  "Firefighting is a very dangerous business.  It’s not just an occupation, because thousands of people rely on us to take care of them.  So regardless of how we might feel, we still have to go out and do our job well.  After the World Trade Center came down on 9/11, most of the guys were anxious to go to a fire as soon as possible.  It was like getting back up on a horse again after falling off and being injured.

"We call what happens around the firehouse table the ‘healing process.’  This old kitchen table really helps us out.  There’s a lot of stuff that goes on here, a lot of talking, crying, making fun of each other, laughing, healing.  Kenny and Stevie and Neal (three of their buddies who died) would want us to do it this way.  We’re a community, a family, and we try to be there for each other, to help each other out in various ways.  One day we might be patting a guy on the back and then the next day dumping a bucket of water on his head.  Crying and laughing together have been important in our healing process.  Maybe that’s what makes this occupation so special.  There are many other occupations out there that don’t have the luxury of being around a kitchen table, of having twenty-nine brothers growing up in a home together."

Are we being told that helping others has to be nourished?  That it doesn’t happen automatically?  Is this what happens at the Eucharistic table?  Is this what needs to be taken back to our kitchen tables?  Is this what happened that day when Jesus appeared in the upper room, where the doors were locked shut?  Would James and John be turning over and over in their heads and hearts what Jesus’ presence was saying to them about service?  It wasn’t a place of honor at a table.  "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve."  "Greater love than this no one has than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is the senior priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Chicago, Illinois.

Feast of St. Paul of the Cross,
Founder of the Passionist Congregation

Scripture: 

Isaiah 61, 1-3
I Corinthians 1, 17-25
Mark 6:7-13

 

 

Reflection:

Today we Passionists celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross, our Holy Founder (1694-1775).  It is a day for remembering this remarkable man and his profound insight into the mystery of God.  Paul Daneo started out as a young man fascinated by the Passion of Jesus Christ.  From his earliest years Paul recognized in the human sufferings of Christ a divine commitment to the human family.  Paul spent his entire life reflecting on the meaning of the love God has for us.  In his early years Paul burned with the desire to participate in the sufferings of Christ in his own person through long hours of prayer, penance, self-discipline, severe poverty and fasting.  He gathered companions to share in this life and threw himself into preaching the great love revealed in the passion and death of Jesus Christ.  In the mature years of his life we witness a man totally absorbed in God’s love and filled with a desire to share that love with everyone he met.  Paul is, indeed, a fascinating man who lives the transforming experience of giving oneself over totally to a God who loves us!

St. Paul of the Cross is clearly a vivid example of the truth of the testimony of St. Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Corinthians.  God’s wisdom and power, revealed in the Passion of His Son, Jesus Christ, is truly beyond human understanding. 

Paul Daneo spent his entire life embracing the mystery of Christ Crucified.  The depth of Paul’s compassion and commitment to the people in his life, from the outcasts of the Tuscan Maremma (marshes), to the families he guided, to the church leaders he advised, to the companions he gathered around him to share in his life, inspired them all to an ever-deeper conviction that God loved them beyond their understanding.  The love they experienced in Paul’s reflections on the Crucified Christ enriched their lives and deepened their own commitment to living their lives generously and faithfully.

 As we remember the example of this great Saint, we ask God to keep us centered in the love God has for us as revealed in the Passion and Death of His Son.

 

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of the Development Office for Holy Cross Province and is stationed at Immaculate Conception Community in Chicago.

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf
and Isaac Jogues

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:11-14
Luke 12:1-7

Reflection:

"Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:7)

Who of us hasn’t been afraid? There is a fear for every moment of life. There were fears that we had as children just because we had great imaginations and vivid dreams. There were the usual fears of young people, like: are we popular, what if we don’t get chosen or asked out? Other fears emerged as young adults, for example, the fear to dream big, the fear of failure, the fear of not belonging to anyone. There are fears of the people who live in dangerous neighborhoods or in violent relationships. There is the fear of being discounted, dismissed and disrespected. There are fears that drive us to drink, to addictions, to the "safety" of our house, our room, the darkness of our mind and spirit.

As we read the Scriptures, especially the New Testament, there are so many references to fear and to being afraid that we begin to realize that fear is a long-standing human condition. The Gospel for today invites us to reflect upon our fears, our personal fears, the fears that keep us awake at night and the fears that make us anxious all the day long. So many of us fear physical pain, we fear suffering, we fear the emotional pain that others can inflict upon us. Fear is such a fundamental human experience that we never really overcome our fears. When we allow ourselves to be dominated by fear, overwhelmed by it, then we discover how dehumanized we feel. Our self worth and our dignity are diminished and we allow ourselves to sell out to the closest security blanket we can find. To make matters worse, we also feel guilty for losing control over our lives. Who can save us from this mess? Who can save us from our fears?

This is when a Gospel like the one we have today lifts us up and helps us make sense of our fears. God’s personal love for us is more powerful than any human fear we can have. And the more we trust in that love, the more courageous we become.

The martyrs whose lives we celebrate today are examples of just how powerful God’s love is. All of these men, St. John de Brébeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and companions kept going back into the settlements of the Native American peoples of New York and Canada despite being captured, tortured and cruelly treated time and time again. Their letters tell us how they overcame their fears by believing that God would always protect them, even in their death. Fear makes cowards of us all but love, indeed God’s love gives us the strength to overcome all fear. Our fears will never go away, but they will never control us again once we allow God’s Love to transform us day after day.

I once celebrated a Mass for a College Newman center. The student president got up to speak after Mass. She said that when she first got to college, she was afraid to be Catholic, afraid to speak out, afraid to take on leadership roles. Then she started repeating a prayer every morning that someone gave her: "Remember you are a daughter of God, a God who loves you and cares for you. So today, show that love to someone else." That prayer, she said, took away all my fears! Yes indeed, we are worth than many sparrows!

 

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is stationed in San Antonio, Texas.

Scripture:

Galatians 5:18-25
Luke 11:42-46

Reflection:

The walk from our Holy Family parish to Birmingham Southern campus is a pleasant one.  My walk that August morning in 2009 had been a nice one.  I toured the campus, which has many beautiful sites, especially it’s chapel in the round.  I made sure I drank a lot of water for the 2 mile walk back to the rectory.  By the half-way mark, in front of Faith Tabernacle, I wished I had brought a bottle of water along.  Resting against the high curb in front of the church, I saw a car stop.  After a half-minute, a woman got out with a water bottle.  She said: "Honey, please take this." I gratefully thanked her.  Her memory came to me as I thought about today’s readings.  Jesus warned some of the Pharisees: "You pay no attention to judgment and to love for God."  That kind woman had paid attention to both. 

In today’s selection from the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul said: "If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law."  He then lists the "works of the flesh".  Thankfully, these are more than outweighed by the fruit of the Spirit.  Again, that woman of Ensley, with her acceptance of the fruits of the Spirit, shared God’s kindness and generosity.  So may we do each and every one of our days!

"Of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full."

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi, C.P. is stationed in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Every time I read today’s passage of Luke’s Gospel, I wonder if Jesus stayed for dinner at the Pharisee’s home after he was criticized for not observing "the prescribed washing before the meal," which made him admonish and be impolite to his hostess.   For Jesus not only insults the Pharisees and the Scribes, but also accuses them of being evildoers, fools, and hypocrites.  Even if he has good reasons to disagree with the Pharisees’ traditional legalistic thinking and act in self-defense, as a guest, Jesus still owes respect to his hostess’ domestic protocols.  So, if he was true to himself and his reprimanding words, Jesus probably left the Pharisee’s home without eating dinner.  Otherwise, it would be cynical of him, as of anyone of us, to have stayed enjoying dinner after showing a difficult attitude to his/our hostesses.

Jesus highlights the most important thing in and of our covenanting relationship with God, which is to appreciate, praise, and enjoy the goodness and beauty of God’s creation.  But, according to Jesus and Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, we are to do that not on the basis of the ritualistic observances of the Law which do not justify us before God, but on the life-giving basis of God’s grace which helps us build and strengthen our relationships with God and one another.   We totally depend on the Lord’s mercy, which the psalmist implores to be shown to him and those who trust in the Lord’s redemptive love, not in their thoughts and acts of self-righteousness.

Although it is clear and simple, the message of today’s readings is certainly not easy to accept and put into practice, for it is only by faith in Christ Jesus "working through love" and the sanctifying action of the Spirit that we are set and called to remain free from "the yoke of slavery."  In fact, like the Pharisee of today’s gospel, how many times are we not prompt to judge and exclude others for not thinking and behaving like us?  "Faith working through love" implies our acceptance of others’ gifts and talents, no matter who they are and how they relate to God and their neighbors, for it is about integration not assimilation.  So, when we reflect on our covenanting relationship with God and our faith and salvation in Christ Jesus, do we trust in God and therefore make ourselves dependent on God’s mercy?  Or do we rely on our ritualistic observances of the Law and our deeds of self-righteousness? 

 

Fr. Alfredo Ocampo, C.P. gives retreats and parish missions.  He is stationed at Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus

Scripture:

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

Jesus is God in the flesh. The crowds that were attracted by his preaching and cures did not see God in the flesh. They saw a man who could be a prophet sent by God, but maybe not.  Did Jesus have some obvious flaws that caused these doubts? He ate with tax collectors and sinners. His closest disciples were rough uneducated Galilean fishermen. He had a disturbing attitude toward the accepted traditions of Judaism. Moreover he seemed so ordinary, just fitting in with people in a gentle humble way. So they asked for a SIGN so unmistakable and spectacular that all doubts will be swept away.

The Church is the body of Christ in the world. Billions of people know about the Church from the attention given by the media one of its leaders, the pope. The witness of the early Church is the most published book in the world, the New Testament. Billions of people have heard the good news: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)  Yet, as with Jesus 2000 years ago, people wonder, is this true? Even some who grew up with this message, received from their parents and lived as a child, have walked away. The most recent survey of people in the United States reports that to the question: what is your religious faith? Twenty percent answer, "None".  The body of Christ, the Church, like Jesus 2000 years ago, is hard to accept for what it really is. Jesus was not at fault for the lack of faith that he encountered, but how about us? Do we live our faith in such a way that people that people can recognize Christ within us?

 

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 7:7-11
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

Reflection:

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him" "and he went away sad." A moment of connection seemingly ending in sadness and defeat yet, in the context of this manʼs life, the story may have just begun. He was a man faithful to the laws. He recognized something he wanted in Jesus but he was not able to surrender what was asked of him. As in many gospels we are only given a glimpse into the moment of meeting Jesus. It is left to our own lives and imagination to finish the story. What became of this man whose heart was stirred bringing him to kneel at the feet of Jesus?

When kneeling in prayer or listening to the Word, how often have I found myself responding to Jesusʼ invitations with my own versions of "Not now, Lord," "Not that, Lord," "Next time, Lord," fighting the inner wrestlings and challenges of a deeper call to conversion to live the gospel more fully? On an innate level I know something is missing and yet the price seems too high.

I fear releasing anything material, emotional or spiritual that I cling to that seems to bring comfort and security because I am afraid it might leave me vulnerable to suffering and uncertainty. Yet doesnʼt our greatest suffering occur when we let our own self imposed boundaries separate us from the fullness of Godʼs mercy and love? I believe Jesus understands this tension.

The gospel invites us not to wait for those life shattering moments that ultimately bring us to our knees but rather to rise to the challenge of surrendering to the call from the comfort of our lives. This is difficult for us alone requiring profound courage and trust but as Jesus tells his disciples in todayʼs gospel, "All things are possible with God."

 

M. Walsh is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California,  and friend of the Passionist community.

Scripture:

Galatians 3:22-29
Luke 11:27-28

Reflection:

Jesus comes to free us. Jesus frees us to love beyond boundaries.  Jesus calls us to love freely and fully beyond the boundary of race, beyond the boundary of class, beyond the boundary of sexual identity, beyond our own dreams and wants, even beyond our securities.  When we love in this way, we will be called blessed. 

As we celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the II Vatican Council here in the Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico), we remembered the life that the Vatican Council gave to our Continent, especially in Latin America.  The reflection of Medellin, Puebla and Santo Domingo compelled the Church on the whole continent to love those who had been forgotten, the poor.

Out of this new life and commitment in the Church, men and women, lay and clergy, took on the challenge to love beyond boundaries to the point of giving up their lives. We began our celebration by remembering a few of the men and women who have been killed in El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala. Although none of these men and women are yet called blessed in a official sense, they are blessed indeed for many of us. They were living testaments of the Word of God among us.

Jesus words in today’s Gospel reading, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.", and these contemporary martyrs’ pious stance for human dignity, truth, justice and love, allow us to see a glimpse of God’s life. In other words we see how blessed they were then and, especially, now.  Their life and witness does not only give us hope but it challenges us as well by creating poignant questions for us as church.  How deeply will we, the church, be willing to love in a time of violent deaths (September was one of the bloodiest months in the failing Mexican War against drugs) due to the availability of North American weapons and its high demand of drugs and Mexican corruption and poverty?  Will the Church be capable of loving beyond the security of the new "tolerance" with the Mexican State in a time of fraudulent elections?  Will this silence our leaders or will we be brave and risk our own dreams and wants for the sake of justice and truth?  May we all let Jesus free us from the  shackles of our prejudices, the shackles of our fears and ignorance, the shackles of our egos and plans, the shackles of our silent complicity and numbing security in order to love freely and fully and be Blessed indeed!

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