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Scripture:
Ephesians 4:1-6
Luke 12:54-59

Reflection:
One of my esteemed professors in graduate school shared with me a fairly common matrix used by management professionals to prioritize the day’s or week’s tasks.  You may have seen or used this matrix:

Not Urgent and Not Necessary	Necessary but Not Urgent
Urgent but Not Necessary	Necessary and Urgent

We are hearing stories from the Gospel of Luke that clearly fall into the “Necessary and Urgent” category, and today’s selection in particular challenges us to apply our abilities to read the weather to the more important and urgent matters of life.  All through Chapters 12 and 13, Jesus implores us to be ready, watchful and diligent; to not be the unfaithful servant or the barren fig tree; to not be the rich fool who stores up what does not last or to worry about what we cannot control.

Too often, though, I find myself all-consumed by those concerns that are neither urgent nor necessary.  I find myself upset by minor distractions that really matter not.  I seem to focus on what’s right in front of me right now, which may not really be important.  I had an assistant who knew how to move her work along…she put documents front and center on my desk knowing I’d attend to those immediately, even at the expense of more important priorities.  I pulled out this matrix one day to remind me (and my assistant) that just because something is right in front of me does not make it urgent and necessary.  We worked out a better system.

I am very blessed to be carrying very few regrets in my heart.  This is not to say I could not have done many things better.  I know I could have.  But those regrets I do have are all because I did not do what I knew in my heart was the right, necessary and urgent thing to do.  I lost focus.  Jesus knows we lose focus and today calls us to clarify what is necessary and urgent.

St. Paul writes to the Ephesians a prescription for keeping priorities in their right order.  He writes, “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  The Kingdom of God is all that is really urgent and necessary.

 

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:

Galatians 3:7-14
Luke 11:15-26

Reflection:

Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided house falls”
– Luke 15:17

“Where do you live?” Several times last week I was asked that simple direct question. I responded with the expected answer by providing the street address of my house. However, being a teacher of meditation, the answer I wanted to give was much more nuanced. Where do I live? I live where you do. We all live in our minds.

We may think we live in our homes. But 24 hours a day, whether residing in our residence or not, we dwell in our minds. If an important visitor were coming to our home, we would most likely clean the house and perhaps adorn it with flowers. But how much attention do we give to cleaning and purifying the mind?

We may think we live in our bodies. A lot of interest goes toward our physical appearance, staying healthy and keeping fit. Yet most people give little attention to creating a mental environment of contentment or ridding their psyche of mental demons which inflict so much misery.

The mystics of all religious traditions stress the importance of purifying the mind of mental defilements. Evagrius Ponticus, an under-appreciated monk of the fourth century, was an astute observer of the inner world. In Praktikos, his guide to the Christian ascetical life, Evagrius analyzes the cognitive processes of meditation. One of his great legacies is a description of the principal mental defilements which obscure awareness and thwart access to the inner dwelling of Christ in our hearts. This eventually becomes the foundational source for the catalog of seven deadly sins. But Evagrius’ concern is not with a list of moral misdeeds. He wants to explore and expose the subtle mental dynamics which ensnare the mind and hinder us from abiding in God-consciousness.

These obstructive mental phenomena (logismon) he describes as demons. Evagrius writes: “We must take care to recognize the different types of demons and note the special times of their activity…so that when these various evil thoughts set their own proper forces to work we are in a position to address effective words against them…. In this manner we shall…pack them off, chafing with chagrin, marveling at our perspicacity” (Praktikos, #43).

Evagrius helps us understand that the demons Jesus speaks about in the Gospel (Luke 11:15-26) are not just sentient spiritual beings, but any dynamic mental force which inhibits the Reign of God from permeating our consciousness. They come ensconced in the destructive mental patterns of cogitation, rumination, and daydreaming. They appear as revelers in the inner cocktail parties of our minds – commenting, labeling, criticizing, judging, lamenting and desiring.

Anyone who has meditated for two minutes knows that if you think you control your mind, think again. Generally, we are not masters of our mind. We are afflicted with numerous mental obscurations which entangle us in misery and lead us astray. For this reason, St. Paul suggested: “be renewed in the spirits of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23). This is the work of meditation. This is the arduous path of purification which gradually enables us to “receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14).

Now, if you would please excuse me, I’ve got to get back to cleaning my house!

 

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 24:42-51

Reflection:

A young man approached an elderly guru and asked him to share the secret of a happy life.  The guru responded, “Pay attention.”

“Okay,” said the young man, “I’m paying attention.  Now tell me your answer.  What’s the secret of  a happy life?”
“Pay attention,” the guru repeated.
“Hey, I’m hanging on to your every word.” The young man said.  “Speak.”
Once more the guru stated, “Pay attention.”  Eventually the young man got the message.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples and us to “Stay awake!”  Usually we assume that this is a warning to be prepared for death.  We do not know just when we will be called to give an accounting of our life.   But we can also take Jesus’ words as a call to “Pay attention all day everyday.”  Stay awake and notice the many ways the Son of Man comes to us in ordinary life.

Jesus comes to us in Word and Sacrament.  He also comes to us disguised as poor, lonely and needy.  He often speaks to us through the gifts and talents he bestows upon us. He wants us to hear his voice in our hopes and our dreams.  He reveals himself in nature.  He discloses himself through beautiful art, music and poetry.  He even makes himself known through our faults and failures.

Speaking to his priests, one archbishop defined “contemplation.”  He said it was “watching the Holy Spirit at work among your people.”  We need to stay awake.  In our crazy world, there is still a lot of goodness, truth and beauty all around.  If we pay attention, we will find God (as St. Paul did) in people who are “richly endowed with every gift of speech and knowledge.”  Then like St. Paul we will continually give thanks to our God for all the gifts he has bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus.

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

The Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18
Mark 6:17-29

Reflection:

Today we reflect on the Beheading of John the Baptist.  Beheading, a violent form of execution in any age, in the opinion of Herod’s wife was a sure method for silencing the voice of John the Baptist.  John the Baptist spoke truth Herodias did not want to hear.  As I reflect on today’s readings, I wonder how often I don’t want to hear the truth spoken in the Gospel message.

Do I really want to hear the truth spoken regarding peace and the message of non-violence?  Am I comfortable when I hear Jesus speak about riches and their relationship to my participation in the Kingdom of God?  When I truly understand the point regarding forgiveness of those who trespass against me do I cover my ears?  When Jesus says I must “take up the cross and follow Him” do I qualify his statement by trying to define my own cross on my own terms?  When Paul preaches Christ living in me and all creation do I think twice about my share of creation and what I do with my own “footprint” on this earth?

Whatever we say about Herodias and her leap to beheading John the Baptist, I think we have to admit that she was quite sincere and honest about her motive.  I’m not sure I can always say the same about myself.  When I am confronted with the truth of the Gospel, I think I sometimes participate in a “selective beheading”.  I choose which parts of the message to ignore, water down or simply re-frame on my own terms.

Herod traded the truth for a dance by Herodias’ daughter.  Am I trading the truth for convenience, comfort or the avoidance of sacrifice?  Like it or not, we probably all have a little of Herodias’ approach inside our hearts.

Today, I pray that God will give me at least some of the courage and strength of John the Baptist.  I also pray that I will be less selective and will truly begin to listen to the truth in the life and teachings of Jesus.

 

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family who volunteers at the Passionist Assisted Living Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 12:1-12
Matthew 18:21-19:1

Reflection:

” I confess to almighty God…”, “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy…”, “Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us…”, “Lord I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof…”.  Think about how often we ask for forgiveness during mass.  The Gospels we read at mass are full of stories about forgiveness and mercy, The Prodigal son, the woman ready to be stoned, and today’s parable are just  a few.  Lastly in praying the Our Father, amidst the many requests we have for God, the one request the Lord has of us is that we forgive others their trespasses.  Our Church fathers, guided by the Holy Spirit, understood how important forgiveness was and thus filled the mass with merciful requests to the Lord.  They understood that forgiveness is the true way to draw closer to the Lord.

How often should we forgive in our lives, today’s reading tells us seventy seven times meaning really no limit.  But the question can also be flipped.  How often are we likely to need God’s mercy in our lives? And again, for most of us it’s going to be a big number.  Jesus certainly lets us know through parables and example how important it is for us to forgive others, but He also teaches us that we need not be afraid of our own sinfulness and weakness.  We have a very merciful father.  Hiding our struggles from the Lord, or from others, separates us from the possibility to be loved, to be free, to grow in relationship.

It is interesting that in the discussions about forgiveness the emphasis is not on the specifics of the offense that requires mercy, but purely on the need to forgive.  Jesus doesn’t respond to the question in today’s Gospel by saying, “well that depends on the sin committed against you.” No, He puts all the focus on having a merciful heart.

Each time I go to mass and find myself repeatedly asking for mercy as I draw closer to receiving Our Lord in communion,  I realize it’s not when I don’t feel in need of forgiveness that I am closer to the Lord,  but when in my brokenness I humbly approach Him and am fully open to His merciful love that I feel closest to Our Lord.

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 3:14-17
Matthew 13:18-23

Reflection:

We have been learning from psychologists, as well as Eastern religions, that attentiveness is not the best trait of the “prosperous” Western mind. Yet more and more of us pride ourselves on multi-tasking! But a certain kind of Buddhism makes “mindfulness” the very center of religion. And now our society deems it necessary to double the fine for those who injure a highway worker if the offender is driving while using his/her mobile phone!

Today’s Gospel reminds us how vital is the attention we give to God’s Word. The parable, however, is not so much about the seed, it’s about the sower. The narrative is not to center on the fault of those who are scattered in their thoughts and unable to concentrate like seed choked or dried-up or scorched. (Why do so many of us need to have things repeated, emails re-sent, conversations re-connected?) Rather, like the image of The Sower by Jean Millet, God’s love is bounteous, not stingy; unconditional and indiscriminate, not measured and parsimonious.

As the summer begins to taper off, today might be a good day to ponder the fact that decisions determine actions, actions create habits, habits build character, and character evolves into my destiny or legacy. Maybe just being attentive to my wife during dinner, or gently returning to prayer when distracted, or giving full attention to my child, a piece of music, or my work… would be a faithful way to receive the seed of God’s love today.

 

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. ministers as a preacher of parish missions and retreats.  He is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.