wpengine

Scripture:

Hosea 14:2-10
Matthew 10:16-23

Reflection:

In this time of election campaigns and the over 1 billion dollars that will be spent among the  contenders, our country continues to be divided among liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, those who care intensely for politics and those who have given up on it. It seems to be business as usual. In fear of losing votes to the other side, Democrats and Liberals do not want to criticize the Obama Administration for its failings, such as the list of people who have been and will be killed by drones because they have been labeled "enemy combatants" without bringing them to justice as our Nation and International Law demand. On the other side, Republicans will distract from conversation on Romney’s weaknesses by attacking the current administration because they do not want the other side to win. Everyone protects his own interest. Unfortunately, this creates apathy towards our political life among many of us, for there seems no alternative beyond the usual bickering and hypocrisy of the political cycle. Furthermore, the fear of social program cut backs or of the loss of our tax breaks, the fear of same-sex marriage or of restrictions on "reproductive rights", these issues make people feel like a sheep among the wolves. This constant bickering truly impoverishes our nation’s political discourse and dialogue.  Rather than a well-informed free decision, we will end up choosing our next leader out of our fear and confusion. 

In the midst of all of this, Jesus words in today’s Gospel challenge and also create an alternative possibility as we maneuver the through the politics of our nation and of the world community. Jesus invites us to be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. These characteristics can guide us as followers of Christ and as citizens. We are called to be astute in thought like a serpent. It is with critical reflection that we should wrestle with the complexity of our political life both at home and abroad.  Simple mental sharpness, however, is not enough.  Jesus also calls us to have tenderness of heart like a dove.  We must have the affective maturity to hold others, especially those with whom we clash ideologically, in compassion.

Let us continue to pray that, we, the Church, as well as all people of goodwill, may seek to become shrewd as serpents and simple as doves in order to enrich the political life of our country and give witness of the Reign of God in the World.

 

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

Scripture:

Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9
Matthew 10:1-7

Reflection:

I knew a catholic family who had five sons and three daughters. The parents came to the church regularly and worked hard. Their children were educated and had good jobs in different cities. Even though the parents had not been educated they made sure that all their children studied well, had good jobs and got married. When their parents got older and needed their children’s support to survive and help to meet their medical expenses, hardly any sons came forward to help them, even though the parents loved their children so dearly and gave everything for their good life. But their children had forgotten all the good things that they received from their parents.  They abandoned them.

In a similar way, we see in today’s first reading the Lord speaks about his love for his people whom he taught, cared for and loved. But they rejected him. At times, we too fail to realize God’s unconditional love for us each day of our lives – his protective hands safeguarding us and guiding us to a good life. At times, we fail to be grateful to God and to one another.

In the gospel, Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold commission. That is:  to speak in his name and to act with his power, so that we may continue to do the work Jesus did by bringing the healing power of God to the weary and the oppressed. To do his mission we need to trust more in him than in ourselves. We are called to continue to proclaim God’s Kingdom of love by our simplicity and to serve with charity and peace. As Mother Theresa beautifully said, "We all have a mission, a mission to love".

 

Fr. A. Justin Nelson, C.P. is a member of our Indian Vicariate and temporarily stationed at St. Mary’s Parish, Fairfield, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Matthew 10:1-7

Reflection:

Called to Mission

More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus called together an imperfect, improbable, implausible group of individuals, even called them by name, sent them out to proclaim the good news and to do his work.  We know little of the 12, except Peter.  Perhaps Jesus wanted the focus, not on his workers, but on his work.  His work: to follow Jesus, form community with him and carry out his mission by healing the sick and driving out demons.  His message: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."  It is a message of hope.  The kingdom is not a place.  It is Jesus himself who is near, present in our midst.  Can we recognize him?

As with the 12, Jesus also calls us.  It is the three-fold calling of our baptism.

Jesus calls us.  In our baptism, Jesus welcomes us into his community, not because we are so holy or perfect or talented.  Hardly.  We bear a remarkable resemblance to the 12.  He calls us because he loves us, and in community Jesus wants us to love one another.

Jesus calls us by name.  In our baptism, the first words of the priest or deacon come in the form of a question.  "What name do you give this child?"  It is by name that God claims us as his own.  There is nothing generic, faceless or random when he calls us.  He calls us on purpose, for his purpose.  He calls us by our name.

Jesus sends us out to do his work.  No excuses, no hand-wringing about how sinful and inadequate we are.  He knows that better than we do.  It isn’t about us, the workers.  It’s about his work.  He will fill the cracks of our brokenness with his grace.  In the words of Henri Nouwen, we will be transformed into "wounded healers."  It is in our weakness that God’s power is revealed.  Our mission is to show compassion, to suffer with and help sustain the weak among us, those who may be dead in sin, to touch the so-called untouchables with our embrace.  But these actions must be accompanied with the message of good news or they mean nothing.  And the message is this: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Take hope. Jesus is in our midst.  Can we recognize him?  In this world, he resembles us.

 

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

Scripture:
Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:32-38

Reflection:
Humans have created and worshipped idols from the time of antiquity. Today, you do not walk into a Catholic Church and see golden images that people worship as gods. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we don’t still worship idols.

Everyone recognizes the U.S. tendency to create idols of celebrities.  Endless ink has been spilled on the perils inherent in this fame-and-money worship, yet it seems we can’t help ourselves. (Think of "American Idol", which attracts competitors and viewers with the premise that the next object of our worship will be discovered there.) Regardless of its dubious wisdom, at least we are aware that we do it.

More insidious are other types of idols we create, especially those generating so little ink that we remain unaware of their existence and therefore oblivious to their damage. These kinds of idols can be misrepresentations of God, of ourselves, of Catholic teaching, or any combination.

One example is the idol of perfection. We believe that if were are perfect, then we are worthy of love. Since such perfection is unattainable in this life we endlessly strive after an impossible goal while being endlessly reminded of how unlovable we are. You may know the refrain: "If people really knew me, they wouldn’t love me anymore."  This applies to God as well. We believe God can tolerate us when we sin, but God can only truly love us if we are the epitome of the perfect Catholic (by a narrow definition of "perfect Catholic").

So we create a molten idol of perfection, a god before which we worship every day. And every night, we chastise ourselves for falling so far short. We grow farther away from God, believing God would want to enter into a deep relationship with such an unworthy creature.

Jesus weeps for us because we are like sheep without a shepherd, chasing a molten image of God based on human ideas of perfection instead of listening to the Gospel truth. We keep looking up to heaven for the enthroned judge of all, wondering why God is so far away, instead of getting in touch with the real God, the immanent God who became incarnate in our world and who loves us beyond anything we can comprehend.

We need to dismantle such idols and turn the broken shards over to God to be recast into gifts of love, acceptance, challenge, and hope. If I were already perfect, I would have no need of God. In my flaws, in my sins, in my weakness, God can act even more strongly if I allow it.  (As St. Paul says, "When I am weak, then I am strong.") In fact, admitting my own imperfections helps others admit theirs. Embodying the unconditional everlasting love of God in the midst of my weakness witnesses to those whose idols still stand but who long to melt them down. Jesus can work through me to help cast out demons from those held in the grip of unworthiness, fear, perfectionism, self-loathing, and grief.

Jesus tells us the harvest is abundant but laborers are few. Perhaps that is because of all the false idols we spend our time, energy, and money worshipping. Perhaps we need to create a new "idol" that we actively strive to please every day – an idol of vulnerability and love. If we worshipped that idol as actively as we worship celebrities, perhaps our Catholic Christian communities could be places where the imperfect are welcomed and affirmed, where sinners come to the table, where those cast out are brought in, and every single one of us is assured of the unconditional, unimaginable, overflowing love of God for us. Perhaps we could work toward becoming parishes not of perfect people but of perfect love, where we cast out demons, heal the suffering, and lay down our lives for each other. Think of the harvest we could reap in our church and our world if we did that.

An idol made of vulnerability and love is truly worthy of our worship. In fact, though, it is not an idol at all. It is Jesus. Believe in his Gospel. Believe in God’s ability to work through your imperfections and weakness. Dismantle false idols and turn them over to God. Then go out into the fields to plant, nurture, water, and harvest. We need more laborers.

 

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.amyflorian.com.

 

Scripture:

Hosea 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22
Matthew 9:18-26

 

 

 

Reflection:

Don’t Forget the Honeymoon

Recently I recommended a book to over a thousand people. I should have read it first! Oops. I would like to talk about honeymoons. Sure enough, I’ve never had the joy of being on one. But here a few things I heard from friends.

One remembers his first argument with his new wife. Not sure who won, but it hit him in the face that he was not totally the center of her universe. Another talks of their first day at a beautiful beach. They enjoyed the water and sun. They slept after the work of a wedding. Then, for the next few days of their honeymoon they could barely stand any sign of affection that included touch. And I was with a group that accompanied a third couple to the airport when they were leaving for their honeymoon. At the gate and ready to board they learned they were about to step into the wrong flight!

Hosea talks about Israel’s honeymoon. Their first one lasted forty years. You know the story – many fights with their lover, running out of food and drink, idols and invasions.  Yet Israel remembers their honeymoon fondly. God was with them in a special way, they were the Beloved, and God was a jealous lover. And now Hosea tells Israel that God would like to call them back to the desert to experience justice, fidelity, love and mercy. What a romantic God Israel has. Who can say no? One might question the venue. Tradition says that none of those who set out on the Exodus journey, even Moses, entered the Promised Land. They had all spent their lives on a honeymoon!

Honeymoons last days or weeks, but perhaps they contain within themselves a married lifetime in miniature? Hints of decisions to be made, that mistaken paths will be followed, sufferings to be wrestled with together? Israel had a long honeymoon with God. Perhaps it took that long to fill them with the hopes and promises and love that they would need to draw on in the centuries and sufferings that would follow? Hosea calls them to remember. Remembering is to experience anew the love affair that God wants to have with them.

What might our honeymoon be with God? I think of the sacraments as humanly meaningful experiences where we encounter the mystery of God’s love. Each has its own way…the accompaniment of a Good Shepherd for those sick, a new openness to the Spirit and God’s gifts to us at Confirmation, God’s on going creation that we share in through the love we give and receive in Marriage….These may be moments, some we repeat some we do not, we may feel the presence of God’s mystery or we may be caught up in some mundane distraction. But there are seeds that may blossom to be harvested by faith in another moment of life.

Let us take Hosea’s invitation to heart. Remember the honeymoons, the intimate encounters with God, and how God invites us again to the love of those meetings.

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 2:2-5
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6a

Reflection:

Do you have a thorn in the flesh? Perhaps it is fear, a feeling of rejection, or a physical ailment. It could be an irritating person who is a thorn in your side. For Jesus in the Gospel it was a familiarity that bred contempt. For other prophets it meant loneliness and misunderstanding. We aren’t quite sure what Paul’s thorn was. Since something like scales fell off his eyes at his conversion, some think he had an eye problem. Whatever his thorn was, he didn’t want it and pleaded that God would remove it. God didn’t take the affliction away, but as God so often does, he used it for good.

Perhaps the greatest things our sufferings do for us is bring us to the awareness that we are not in control. We must rely on grace. Our weaknesses can become strengths when mixed with God’s grace. Every day, including holidays, our retreat center in Houston is a meeting place for the 12 Step program. People affected by the disease of alcoholism gather, share, gain perspective, and surrender to God’s grace. Their so called weakness becomes a platform of new strength and renewed life. A common saying in the program is: "There, but for the grace of God go I."  

Whatever affliction or thorn you may be facing, it can serve a purpose. Your pain will humble you and make you rely on the grace of God that really is sufficient.

 

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/

Scripture:

Amos 9:11-15
Matthew 9:14-17

Reflection:

My father made a very good living in the 1950’s as a laundryman. For you young Passionists who don’t know what a laundryman does, he drives a truck in the city and goes from door to door picking up dirty laundry and later in the day brings it back fresh and clean. Those were the days before we all had washers and dryers in our homes. Now, not all laundrymen made "very good" livings. Most made enough to raise a family comfortably, but you had to really hustle, getting new customers to make a "very good" living.

In the early ‘50’s there were two types of laundry service. With one service, wet wash, your laundry was picked up in the morning and delivered later in the day for you to hang in the basement to dry. This was cheaper than what was called a three quarter bundle where your laundry was not only washed, it was also dried, folded, and your linens ironed. Three quarter bundles were usually delivered a day or two later. The two processes together were labor intensive and a very inefficient use of the laundry machines and personnel. The bulk of every laundry’s business was "wet wash".

The laundry owners all knew each other and recognized my father as a hustler and one who could bring in lots of new business. Two owners looking to regenerate their business took my father to lunch one day and asked if he would come to work for them. They had been losing money and had to change if they were going to survive. My father, having made these moves many times before, tried something different. He told them he would go to work for them if he could have a third of the profits and complete autonomy in running the business. The owners looked at each other and said a third of nothing is nothing and so they agreed. Then, my father told them how he planned to turn their laundry around. He would do away with the wet wash and concentrate solely on the three quarter bundle, offering all current wet wash customers the three quarter bundle service for the same price they were used to paying for wet wash. The owners could only see doom. Now they figured, they were surely going down the tubes. Eventually however, the simplification of the process not only saved the laundry, it made them a leader in the business, with all laundries quickly following suit or going out of business.

I’m not sure this has anything to do with new wineskins, but maybe so. Each new day brings new challenges and opportunities. Doing things the way we did them yesterday, using the same old wineskins to package the new day doesn’t work. Eventually the old wineskins burst and we lose all. Twelve step programs have a nice way of saying this. They define insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Father and mother in heaven, give me the vision to recognize the activities in my life that no longer serve me and my fellows and the courage to try something new.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.  

Scripture:

Amos 7:10-17
Matthew 9:1-8

Reflection:

Last week we had two significant readings from the second book of Kings. On Tuesday we heard how the Assyrians marched against Israel destroying the northern areas but were turned back shortly after getting to Jerusalem. Then on Thursday our first reading retold the story of the Babylonian captivity which led to the exile. These two events, the first in 722 B.C.E. and the second in 587 B.C.E. made an enormous impact on the collective mind of the people.  No one likes to be reminded of painful events in their life, nor do we like it when people begin to predict them.  The more we understand the seriousness of these two events the better we can understand the deep rootedness the religious leaders had in the days of Jesus.  

Amos, a prophet of the northern kingdom, speaks to us in today’s first reading about these events before they happened. And for his prophecy he receives mockery, and scorn. It seems no one wants to hear or listen to the doom impending upon Israel. His prophecy certainly comes true over the next 200 years. In all truthfulness,  Amaziah, the priest of Bethel who rejected Amos, won’t live long enough to see it.  As I think about this, I notice the same is true for us.  We sure are quick to dismiss or criticize bad news when things are going well, yet look how quickly we welcome good news when things are going poorly.  

Matthew’s gospel has similar voices.  In his desire to heal the man on the stretcher, Jesus needed to confront the voices which diminish and discourage.  Yet Matthew says Jesus caught sight of the faith of the people who carried the paralytic to him.  It was their faith which allowed Jesus to speak words of forgiveness.   At some point Jesus chooses the motivation of the man’s friends over the discouragement of the scribes.  The scribes claim he is blaspheming.  They could only focus on and hear that which disagreed with their theology.  But what else can you say when the man who previously could not walk gets up and walks out of a gathering of people? The criticizing scribes are silenced and the crowd glorifies God.

The opening prayer of this week, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time says that God chose us to be children of light.  It goes on to ask God that we "may NOT be wrapped in darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth".  

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.