wpengine

Scripture:

Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22
Luke 19:1-10

Reflection:

To be a Christian is to be a work in progress. In one sense, of course, we are loved exactly as we are; we don’t have to be perfect in order to be cherished by God.

But that does not mean we have a "pass" to be complacent of heart or self-satisfied in the ease of our own lives. We are continually being called to renew ourselves in the Holy Spirit, to reach out where there is suffering, to be humbled by the goodness of God.

It must have been difficult in the early Church, just as it is now, to keep the spiritual fires burning as the actual event of Jesus’ presence on earth receded farther into the past. Clearly the members of the Church in Sardis and Laodicea had either strayed into sinfulness or were content to merely look like they were doing all the right spiritual things. But the reality was that something was going terribly wrong. Not unlike the Pharisees of an earlier day, perhaps, they had drifted from the heart of their spiritual call and were at risk of becoming dead inside.

And then there is the robust picture of Zacchaeus bounding up into the tree to see the face of Jesus, giving away his riches to the poor, joyfully welcoming Jesus into his home. He is the essence of generosity itself; and we see the promise of salvation given to the "sinner," the one who is not perfect but who is changing toward the good because he has met the Savior and allowed the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into him.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

 

 

Scripture:

Malachi 3:19-20a
2Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke 21:5-19

Reflection:

As we continue toward the end of the liturgical year, our Scripture readings for today speak about the end times. In our first reading from the book of Malachi (3:19-20a), the prophet speaks about the coming day of the Lord, and what will happen to the "proud and all evildoers." In our Gospel reading from Luke (21:5-19), Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and then some people ask Him "And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" And so, Jesus first warns them not to listen to false prophets. Then He says, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

For some time now, in fact, throughout much of history, some people have looked at the turmoil and suffering of their time, and have wondered whether their time was THE time; if the things they were seeing were the signs that Jesus was talking about. It’s an understandable question. Certainly in recent years, we have seen all the things that Jesus mentions as signs in our reading.

While it is important to knowing what is going on in the world, we need to be careful about getting too caught up in speculating whether these are the end times or not. When we find ourselves spending a lot of time wondering if we are near the apocalypse, we may need to listen to what St. Paul tells the "busybodies" in our second reading from 2 Thessalonians (3:7-12): "We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food." In the context of our Gospel reading, it seems to me that our time is better spent by "keeping busy" in following Jesus.

In following Jesus, we may meet with hostility, but more likely indifference. In the Gospel reading, Jesus warns His disciples that they will be persecuted, and put in prison, and "led before kings and governors" because of His name: "It will lead to your giving testimony." In the U.S., we will not be led before kings and governors because of our faith. But we will be confronted by a culture of death. We will be face-to-face with greed and injustice and violence.

This, too, will lead us to "giving testimony." In the Gospel, Jesus says, "Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute." Perhaps the "wisdom in speaking" to which Jesus refers is the testimony of our lives. If we live our lives in such a way that the Gospel is proclaimed through us, no one can refute our testimony because we are striving to "walk the walk," as well as "talk the talk." We will be seeking to share the love and grace we have in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of turmoil and upheaval, we are called to remain faithful in our testimony; living in hope, knowing (in a paraphrase of the words of Malachi) that the Son of justice has arisen with His "healing rays." Jesus promises that we will be given what we need to proclaim the Good News in our lives. If we remain faithful, it will not matter whether these are the end times or not. We will be ready. As Jesus says, "By your perseverance you will secure your lives." May we persevere in hope and love.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

2 John 4-6
Luke 17:26-37

Reflection:

A few years ago I had an x-ray done of my left foot in order to see if I had torn a tendon while doing some steep climbing (crazy things like that seem to happen now and then in my older years!)  X-rays are amazing things aren’t they?  Imagine seeing beneath the surface, through muscle and flesh, nerves and ligaments, all the way down to the bone!  What a great thing to have x-ray vision!  It struck me as I was reading our scripture passages for today that once in a while God’s holy word is much like an x-ray, too.  It cuts right through to the bone, giving us a view below the surface, and revealing for us a message that is so crisp and clear that we can only be amazed at the way the Lord shares his divine plan with us.

Today is one of those days.  In the second letter of John we are told that what it means to love is not something obscure or hidden at all.  In fact, to love as God wants us to love means only one thing: to walk according to God’s commandments, loving God above all else and, as we remember so well, loving our neighbor as our very self.  If we do this we will be living in love, and if we live in love, we will possess the very living presence of God and God’s Holy Spirit.  Surely it is the certainty and joy that comes from living in God’s love that makes Luke’s Gospel warnings about the end of time something not to be feared but rather, a future to be embraced and looked forward to with eagerness and hope.

 

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

Scripture:

Revelation 10:8-11
Luke 19:45-48

Reflection:

Then someone said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." Rev. 10:11

 

Almost everything around us gives us a sense of urgency during this time of the year. The weather is gradually becoming colder and is more inconsistent. It may be warm one day and overnight, it becomes cold. We have adjusted our watches, but not necessarily our body clocks. We begin to make plans for major celebrations, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we don’t feel ready to celebrate just yet. My mood vacillates from wanting to do something now to maybe waiting for a while to see how things will unfold in the future. Someway, somehow, I just want to be done with transitions!

The Scripture Readings for today’s Mass do not help my mood much. In both readings, I catch a sense of urgency, a sense of time running out for both the author of Revelations and Jesus. Jesus has now entered Jerusalem, knowing that this is where he would end his life, betrayed by an apostle, handed over to the chief priests, condemned to death on a Cross, abandoned by his closest followers and friends and buried outside the city walls of Jerusalem, a sign of total rejection by the people whom he came to save.

The Gospels this week have been recording Jesus last days on this journey to Jerusalem, his encounters with the Man Born Blind and with Zacchaeus, the tax collector and finally ending up on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. What he saw made him weep. What he saw was not a city vibrant with life, but a city whose people had forgotten how much God loved them from the very beginning. He saw a city that was not so loving, welcoming or forgiving, but rather a city whose people resisted the graces that God was offering everyone so lovingly and so willingly.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is overcome with a sense of urgency. He can no longer tolerate the way things are. He begins by cleansing the Temple of those activities that do not belong there, and reminds everyone that the Temple is a "House of Prayer." Then Jesus takes up his role as Teacher and begins to instruct his disciples and those who gather around him what it means to be in right relationship with God and with each other.

We get a glimpse of this same kind of urgency in our first reading. The Evangelist is being pushed into a role that he takes up reluctantly. What he is doing does not come naturally. He is being pushed by the Voice of God, by the angels around him, by the messages that he finds written in the scrolls given him. It is as if these impulses are urging him to act and to act boldly. There is no holding back the Will of God!

I often find myself kicking and screaming when I am urged to follow the Will of God in my life. I ask myself so many questions: how do I know that this is God’s Will? How can I do this thing God is asking me to do? Why can’t someone else do it, someone more capable, more learned, more skilled than I am? Yet, when all is said and done, all I’m left with is the task before me that God is asking of me from the beginning. Our first reading sums up what I am called do quite nicely: "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." With God’s help, let’s just do it!

 

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of the General Council of the Passionist Congregation and is stationed in Rome. 

 

Feast of St. Martin of Tours 

Scripture:

Philemon 7-20
Luke 17:20-25

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel and the Feast of St. Martin of Tours fit well together.  St. Martin’s life is a colorful one.  He was a soldier who refused military duty, and a hermit who became a bishop.  But he is remembered most for a compassionate gesture.  Seeing a beggar shivering in the cold of a day, Martin tore his cloak and gave half to the beggar. That night Martin dreamed he had shared his cloak with Jesus.  In the beggar, he saw Jesus.

In the Gospel, Jesus talks about how those around him are not seeing who is in their midst. The Pharisees wanted to know from Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come.  They expected that the kingdom would resemble Jerusalem and Israel in their former glory under David’s reign.

This is why Jesus responds as he does.  He tells them the coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed.  The Greek word for observe, ‘paratereseos,’ literally means a doctor’s bedside watching.  In other words, the kingdom cannot to be observed, like a doctor at bedside carefully watching a patient.  The kingdom is not a place, nor will it have a triumphal military messiah.

Rather, Jesus tells the Pharisees, the Kingdom of God is among you.  It is Jesus, right in front of them, the suffering servant messiah.  But they don’t recognize him.

These words are for us too.  Our culture keeps fixated watch, like a bedside doctor, on those men and women it deems important – the powerful, the successful, the rich and beautiful.  A beggar can never qualify.  And yet, shivering before us, among us, is the Kingdom of God.  Do we recognize him?

 

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

 

Scripture:

Titus 3:1-7
Luke 17:11-19

Reflection:

The 23^rd psalm contains some of the most cherished and oft-quoted verses in all of scripture.  Often used at funerals, it is loved for its comfort and consolation.  I think, though, that sometimes we concentrate so much on its comfort features we lose sight of the challenge inherent in these words.  At its heart, the psalm is about letting go of all means of security besides God.  "There is nothing I shall want."  Really?

I look at my bank account, my home, and my physical possessions.  While I like to believe I am not overly attached to them, when I dig deeper I realize that money is a means of security for me.  When my life is such that I am confident I can pay the bills and the mortgage, save a little, and maybe even have some left over for special things, I feel secure.  When situations in my life have not allowed for that kind of confidence, I feel scared and anxious.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant nothing except a home, food, clothes, education, a decent car, and more, didn’t you?  Yet all those things could disappear overnight through means that are beyond my control.  How much of my security do I place in these "things"?

I look at my husband of 26 years.  We love each other deeply, and our love is a huge source of security for me.  I take risks more readily knowing I come home to unconditional love.  I make decisions more confidently after I run them by my trusted mirror.  I can’t imagine my life without him in it.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant except my husband, right?  Yet I know he could die at any moment without warning.  How much of my security do I place in this one person?

I look at my body of work – the teaching, writing, preaching, and healing I have done, and I realize my reputation and talents are a source of security for me.  When I receive feedback that tells me how profoundly I have helped people or changed their lives, I feel gratified and humbled, but secure.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant nothing except the ability and opportunity to be productive in meaningful ways, didn’t you?  Yet I could become unable to work, teach, and accomplish at any time.  How much of my security do I place in achievements and recognition?

If I lose everything – all my possessions and savings, the people I love, my productive abilities – I would indeed walk in the valley of the shadow.  Would I have no fear?  Would I rest secure knowing that God is by my side with rod and staff to give me strength? Is that truly all I want?

The truth is that I have placed a great deal of my security in things and people that could be gone tomorrow.  If all that is transient is removed from my life, what is left to me?  Only God – the One I can never lose, the eternal presence and source of all that exists.  Can I place my security in that?  Can I trust that no matter what happens, I will be OK because God is with me?  I’m trying to get there, and some days I’m better at it than others.  

Yes, this psalm carries comfort, but it is much harder to embrace than it appears at first glance.  May the challenge of this psalm be ever before me as I struggle to place my deepest security where it belongs – in God.

 

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/.

Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran  

Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22

Reflection:

Of sacred places in the church building the Bishops document, Environment and Art, names as special the baptismal font, the ambo, the altar and the assembly of the people. When the Rite of the Dedication of a Church and an Altar is celebrated, baptism is referred to in the blessing of the water to be sprinkled on the people, walls and altar. But nothing is said of the font, the tomb and the womb of those who make up the Church. 

Our celebration today of the dedication of the ‘Mother of all the other Churches’, the Cathedral of Rome, does not let us forget the importance of our birth. The early Christians renounced sin as they stood facing the West, then turned to face the rising sun as they made their profession of faith. Our first reading shows Ezekiel being led to the gate facing the East where he can see the glory of God approach. He hears a sound like the running of many waters. The feet of the Lord will be planted in the holy temple. The God whose appearances are always surprising and unpredictable will take up lodging among the people.

Paul, in the First Letter to the Corinthians, moves us quickly from the temple made by human hands to God’s work in us: "You are the temple of God; the Spirit of God dwells in you".

The altar is a symbol of Christ, the font where we see ourselves born. From the womb we set off to find our way to the altar to be nourished by the one we follow. At the end of our spiritual journey we will be placed near the altar, close to the one we first met at the waters of Baptism. Upon the altar the feast of the banquet of heaven will be celebrated to feed those who continue the journey and who will pray for us and remember us as possessing the fullness of the banquet.

We are the temples in which the Lord takes up lodging. The geography of the church, especially our Mother Church of St. John Lateran, is reflected within us who are living temples where the Spirit dwells. Our celebration today reminds us who we are and how we were born. The inscription in the Baptistery of St. John Lateran says in nicely,

            Here is born a people of noble race, destined for Heaven….
            Mother Church conceives her offspring by the Breath of God, 
                 And bears them virginally in this water….
            This is the spring of life that waters the whole world,
                 Taking its origin from the Wounds of Christ…
            There is no the barrier between those who are reborn and made one
                 By the font, and the one Spirit, and the one faith.

 

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

Scripture:

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38 or 20:27, 34-38

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, we have a confrontation that Jesus has with the Sadducees soon after his arrival in Jerusalem.  A majority of the priestly class who were in charge of the temple claimed to be descendents and followers of Saddoc who 900 years earlier took over the priesthood under King Solomon.  At the time of Jesus the priestly class were important functionaries for the temple. But  they were also the agents of the Persians, and Seleucids  and Romans who controlled the land when the Jews came back from their captivity in Babylon. They were an elite class.  Annas and  Caiphas  were recent  appointments from Rome.

In the religious field they might be called conservative.  They accepted only the Five Books of Moses as divine inspiration and opposed the Pharisees as innovators.

The early books of the Hebrew Scriptures did not take up the question of the after life, so as St. Luke reports the Sadducees held that "there is no resurrection."  Apparently a group of Sadducees  wanted to have Jesus approve their teaching  and came up with  what they considered a clinching argument.  In accord with the Jewish law a woman had married  some 7 brothers  so as to  continue that name.  If there was to be a resurrection, there would be 7 men to claim her as wife!

Jesus takes the ground from under them.  They are presuming that life after death and life in the resurrection is to be the same as in the  present time. 

Jesus declares "Those worthy to have a resurrection to glory neither marry nor are given in marriage, they are like the angels".

As far as God is concerned there are no dead.  God is the God of Abraham of Isaac and Jacob in the scriptures.  He is not God for dead men but for those who  who are alive.

That is our faith. "We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."  The Sadducee could look forward only to 70 years or so on earth, and then dissolution.  We have an eternity of joy in God awaiting us.  Jesus tells we are like the angels, immortal  and destined to have utter fullness of life and joy with God forever.  So we have every reason to live our life in God, now that eternal joy will be ours 

 

Fr. Fred Sucher, C.P. is retired and lives in the Passionist community in Chicago.  For many years he taught philosophy to Passionist seminarians.