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Scripture:

Acts 20:17-27
John 17:1-11a

Reflection:

"But now, compelled by the Spirit I am going to Jerusalem." Acts 20: 22

My version of this verse is "But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Portland, Oregon."

Growing up in Newport, Oregon, our family bought our "forever" home when I was two years old. I never had to move until I left home to attend college. My parents lived in that home until they died. I loved living in the same house all those years, and I knew when I married and settled down, I would want the same for my family.

When Jim and I got married, we moved nine times in the first year! After that I was bound and determined to again have a "forever" home. After about ten years and three different homes, we finally built the home I had dreamed of. We built it on five acres with a huge sand box for the kids, a fruit orchard with 30 fruit trees, a huge backyard with a swimming pool, and an outdoor sanctuary with redwood trees and a life-size crucifix!

We dedicated our home and property to the Lord and called it "God’s Place". We held youth group at our house, back-yard masses, prayer groups, bible studies, and just had lots of fun times there. I believed that we would stay forever. But I was wrong…

One of our sons wanted to help a friend start a business in Portland, Oregon. They offered Jim a job and the chance to invest in this great new start-up. When we met with them and heard about their proposal, everything in me cried "NO!", but the Holy Spirit said to me, "Just say yes."  And so I said, "Yes." And Jim said "Yes." And within a few months we had sold our "forever" home, down-sized a great deal and moved to Oregon.

It wasn’t an easy move, and for a time I thought God would surely take us back to our home and community in California. But He had a plan which brought all three of our sons to live in Portland and we have again put down roots because we very much enjoy living near our kids and their kids. However, I’m no longer looking for a "forever" home here. We may move again; we may not. What I know for sure is that I will follow the Lord wherever He leads and I will have my true "forever" home when I get to heaven.

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, Oregon and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected]

 

Scripture:

 Acts 19.1-8
John 16.29-33

Reflection:

Years ago when I studied in Rome, it was always an adventure to make one’s way from our monastery of SS. John and Paul to school (the Angelicum, in my case).  The most formidable part of the journey was crossing the road between the end of our property and the looming Coliseum directly opposite it.  Even in those days, Italian traffic was formidable.   With no traffic lights or stop signs in sight, nor any traffic patrolman, and with the roadway being some eight to ten lanes wide, one did as the Romans did: thoughtlessly plunge into the oncoming traffic without looking to right or left, disregarding the squealing  tires, and move undaunted toward the other side.   The only ones who never made it were those who stopped in horror.  This threw the ongoing Italian drivers into a tizzy, for they had acquired the race drivers capacity to dodge moving targets.  For the pedestrian it was a matter of blind faith in the wisdom of being neither here nor there.

Being neither here nor there is a message embedded in today’s bible readings.   When Paul journeys to Ephesus and encounters some disciples there, he inquires about their acquisition of the Holy Spirit.  When this inquiry stymied them, he asked about their baptism, only to learn it was one imparted them by John the Baptist.  Judging this to be not quite up to snuff, Paul baptized them "in the name of the Lord Jesus", for they were neither here nor there in their journey toward the safety of a fulsome faith on the other side of the "way" they were traveling.  For early on, this is how Jesus’ disciples were known: as travelers "on the way".

Similarly, when Jesus’ disciples engaged in self-congratulations that they finally understood what Jesus was saying, figuring that they had finally made it "there" ("now we realize…", they boasted), Jesus took them down a notch: "Do you believe now?", challenging their triumphant sense that they had "made it there".  "Behold the hour is coming …when each of you will be scattered…", He told them.   Perhaps they were no longer "here", in a maze of confusion, but they were certainly not "there" yet, where they could truly understand what was going on.

So the scriptures today present us two groups of people who thought they had made it safely across the ten lanes to the other side, only to learn that, though they may have moved away a bit from being "here", they were certainly not "there" yet.  Now we know why the early Christians were called followers of "the Way".

Thankfully, God takes us where we are at, often right in the middle of careening oncoming traffic.  Just as Paul was not taken aback by those whose baptism was incomplete, but simply completed the process with a baptism in the name of Jesus, and just as Jesus was not fooled into thinking that finally His apostles knew what He was saying, but simply remarked that "…you will have trouble…but take courage",  so we should settle for the situation in which we are neither here or there, but are on the way from here to there.  God takes us where we are at, even if it’s in lane five on the way to the Coliseum.   But it does help to be in the state of grace.

 

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

 

Scripture:

Acts 1: 1-11
Ephesians 1: 17-23
Mark 16: 15–20

 

 

Reflection:

While today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter, in many dioceses in the United States, the feast of the Ascension has been transferred from last Thursday to today.  Such is the case here in Chicago so my reflection today is based on the readings for the Feast of the Ascension.

This feast in a way summarizes all that Jesus, living as a human person in our midst, has accomplished and transitions the disciples of Jesus into their new role as living witnesses to the new life Christ has given us.

 In two of our readings today, the first reading from Acts and the Gospel from Mark, we hear accounts of the Ascension event.  In both accounts Jesus appears to his disciples and reminds them of his teachings, his passion and death, and of his resurrection.  He then mandates them to be his witnesses to the world, to tell the world what they have heard and seen.  In the account in Acts, Jesus also tells his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  "Then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand."

In the second reading for today, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul blesses his community by asking God to "enlighten (their) innermost vision that (they) may know the great hope to which he has called (them), the wealth of his glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the church, and the immeasurable scope of his power in us who believe."

The early disciples of Jesus welcomed their apostolic task of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.  After the Holy Spirit came to them at Pentecost, they were unstoppable.  It was their heroic fidelity to Christ that transformed the world and began a community of faith that continues to live in us today.

The blessing St. Paul bestowed on the Ephesian faith community is a blessing for us as well.  May God enlighten "our innermost vision that we may know the great hope to which he has called us, the wealth of his glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the church, and the immeasurable scope of his power in us who believe."  The world today needs our witness, may we, too, be faithful to our call.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23 or 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13
Mark 16:15-20

Reflection:

We experience many transitions throughout our lives. These transitions occur often and sometimes unexpected. We seldom know what lies ahead. During these transitions in our faith journey, we are called to step up, take hold of the reigns and move forward into whatever new venture God has in store for us.

We see the apostles in transition from the role of student to teacher throughout The Acts of the Apostles. The apostles were sent forth to different countries, with the ability to communicate with those from those regions so that everyone could hear the Good News. The evangelization of the Gospel continued even after Christ ascended into heaven. This transition was necessary so that the message of the Kingdom would continue to be spread and carried on for generations.

The Gospel reading today speaks of the beginning of the transition of the disciples going from not knowing to fully knowing and believing. This transition prepared them for the ministry of evangelization they were given. We too are asked often to transition into new roles in this ministry of evangelization. We are called within our  families, jobs and ministry to reveal to the nations His saving power (Ps 98).

Transitions are not without challenges. We see Paul in the first reading entering Corinth, attempting to have discussions in the synagogue, trying to convince people that Jesus is the Christ. While he encounters resistance at first, he perseveres and is successful.  Just as Paul did, we are will encounter obstacles and nay-sayers. Yet, when we allow God to become part of the conversation, we open our hearts to receive the grace and gift of understanding to listen to what He wants us to hear and say what He wants us to say. This allows us to accept His will for us.We must ask for the grace to have our eyes and ears opened to His voice and presence in our everyday lives. Encountering Christ with an open mind and heart assists us in our ministry of evangeization in spreading the Good News to everyone we encounter.

Yesterday, the Passionist Congregation celebrate the Feast of St. Gemma Galgani. Gemma was a faithful servant of God, and like some of us, she was called to a way of life she had not expected. While there was much pain and suffering in her life, she encountered trials, obstacles and challenges with the fire of love and obedience to God. We should follow the example of this young Passionist saint, accepting transitions in our lives with faith and courage that God has placed these transitions in our lives because of His great love for us. St. Gemma Galgani, pray for us.  

 

Kim Valdez is the Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16:12-15

Reflection:

Meeting God’s People Where They Are

Last week I attended the Presbyteral Convocation for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and one of the things I learned was that the New Millennials, young adults, especially Hispanic-Latinos of 18 to 35 years old, are the largest and fastest growing group in the archdiocese. I was also reminded that New Millennials tend to be more peer-bounded, self-serving, and spiritual individuals than inter-generational, communal and religious people.  This new generational reality obviously calls for a new evangelization with a pastoral approach that meets them where they are and persuasively helps them make the connection between spirituality and religion.  Such evangelizing, pastoral needs, however, are not unique to our generation of New Millennials, for the cultural, religious, political and social realities of people of every age have indeed called for a comprehensive preaching of the gospel that speaks to their life-giving longings and experiences of God.

In today’s first reading, we see Paul using the aforementioned pastoral approach in his evangelization of the Athenians, who "in every respect . . . are very religious" and debaters of new philosophical ideas. The Athenians already had the basic intuition of human and divine existence, for Paul reminds them that some of their Greek poets had said that "‘we are the offspring of God’" in whom "‘we live and move and have our being’."  Notice that, as Paul acknowledges their religious piety, he respectfully tries to correct their misguided imagination and artistic crafting of divinity, especially of the "Unknown God" of creation who cannot be contained in and by any creature.  Paul thus tells the Athenians that they "unknowingly worship" what he and Christians of all ages have truly believed and proclaimed in the Risen Christ, who is "the Lord of heaven and earth," because everything comes to be in and through him.   

Even Jesus meets us where we are and pardons our ignorance, for he knows that we cannot bear all the truth on our own, except in "the Spirit of Truth," who comes to all his faithful ones to guide them to "all truth" by affirming them in his loving communion with the Father.  Therefore, today’s readings invite us to reflect on and evaluate our pastoral care of those to whom we minister.  I hope, and for this I pray, that you and I will meet them where they are, so that we can reach out to them in and through the Spirit of Truth.

 

Fr. Alfredo Ocampo, C.P. preaches and is a member of the Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Acts 16:22-34
John 16:5-11

Reflection:

When we read the Acts of the Apostles and see the sufferings that the early missionaries like Paul and his companion Silas had to undergo to preach the gospel, we wonder about our own commitment to preach the gospel. I preach the gospel basically to the saved so that they will more generously live the gospel message in their lives. At times I face boredom and indifference, but never outright hostility. I have never been beaten or thrown into prison. Rather most of the time people thank me for inspiring them and lifting their spirits. They want to hear the good news proclaimed and made meaningful in their lives. My "sufferings" to proclaim the gospel are spending the hours preparing the homily or retreat talk.  Maybe it means getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get to an early Sunday Mass at a parish several miles away, something many people do five days a week to get to their jobs.

For all one’s efforts to proclaim the gospel there is the payoff of changed lives. God uses those who proclaim the gospel by the words or deeds as instruments of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Helper, the Paraclete that Jesus sends that accomplishes the transformation in those who listen. The jailer in today’s story immediately proved his conversion by his deeds. No sooner had he turned to Christ than he washed to wounds of the prisoners back and set a meal before them.

May we remain committed to proclaim the gospel in any way we can. May we realize that the Holy Spirit working through us can touch the hearts of those around us.   

 

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

Feast of St. Matthias

Scripture:

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
John 15:9-17

Reflection:

For this feast of St. Matthias there is an element in the sacred scriptures that we will surely find to be very fulfilling.  We can only imagine how utterly incomplete and broken "the Twelve" must have felt after having one of their own betray not only the Lord but his brother apostles as well.  What better way to heal that rift, that open wound, than by selecting another to take the place of the apostate Judas.  And so the great Peter (himself no stranger to what it meant to be a denier of the Lord!) calls out to his brethren quoting the Psalms:  Let his encampment become desolate, and may no one dwell in it. May another take his office.  And so it was that Matthias was elected and played a key role in making "the Twelve" once again a complete and restored body of apostles who would guide and shape the early Church.  From the very first days we see that the Church is a living body in constant need of growth, change, and healing.

How does this process of healing and renewal take place for us today as it did in the apostolic times of the early community?  Our reading taken from the Gospel of John makes it so very clear.  It is only love that can make us whole; it is only love that will show us how to be the people and Church we are meant to be.  This wonderful section of John’s Gospel, so often read at marriages and other special community events, goes to the very heart of the Lord’s demands of us this very day.  We must be a people who take seriously the most imperative words ever spoken by Jesus himself:  This is my commandment: love one another as I love you… This I command you: love one another.  There is nothing optional about this message!  It is an absolute command coming from the mouth of the Lord.

The amazing thing is, dear friends, if we follow this command of the Lord we will be more alive, more joyful, more fulfilled than at any other time of our lives.  Just several days ago I returned from assisting a large group of "malades", very ill men and women who, as pilgrims, travel to Lourdes for an experience of spiritual healing and prayer.  Some were very young with illnesses that would soon claim their earthly lives; others were in the midst of a current battle with breast cancer or other diseases that would certainly demand constant care and attention that will alter their lives for ever.  It was amazing to see their courage and perseverance as they suffered; it was also equally amazing to see the unconditional love of Knights and Dames of Malta and other caregivers who would see to their every need and concern.  Love one another as I love you!  Love one another!  The words of the Lord were so very alive there in Lourdes in the midst of this amazing group of pilgrims, all of us, malades and caregivers alike, in need of healing from the Lord, just like "the Twelve" apostles in the early Church!  So what difference does all of this make?  The Lord gives us not only a command to love but a path that, if followed well, will lead us to a future of healing, peace, and joy.  This commandment is no burden.  This commandment is pure gift.

 

Fr. Pat Brennan is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 16:1-10
John 15:18-21

Reflection:

Today’s readings speak to me of the spiritual balancing act that Christians face.

 

In John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds the disciples that the message they are bringing is not one that will be understood, and will certainly not be accepted, by many. We "do not belong to the world," Jesus says, but rather to God.

And yet, as is so painstakingly detailed in Acts, we live very much in the world. We, too, spend our lives journeying from place to place looking for like-minded "spirits" while having the occasional door slammed in our face. Some have endured far worse. We get turned away from our intended destination only to be pulled toward places we didn’t even know we were headed. We screw up. It’s a messy place, our human world. We may not be of this world, but we are certainly stuck in it.

So how do we balance it all?

Paul tells us that despite–or because of–our humanity, the Church grew. Somewhere in the wilderness a voice cried out, "Come and help us." And letting go of all the planned stops on his ancient roadmap and pointing his all-too-human feet simply in the direction of a voice in a vision, Paul listened to the Holy Spirit and found his way to the right place: to a place where someone else, and then another someone else, and yet another someone else was hungering for the experience illuminated by Christ, of being in the world yet being one with God.

Maybe today we can take heart in all the ways the Holy Spirit and our own flawed but wonderful communities of faith, family and friends keep us headed in the right spiritual direction, remembering to thank God that when we are that voice crying out in the wilderness, there is someone there to hear us.

 

Nancy Nickel is the former director of communications for the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.