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Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
John 5:1-16

Reflection:

We have beverages for every occasion-bright, bubbly, or intoxicating. But we would die without water.

 

In the first reading, we read of the lush vision of Ezekiel in which water pours out of the temple and flows out into the land making it verdant and plentiful. Of course this is in one sense a vision for a fertile Israel, one that will grow abundantly into the future.

But it is primarily Israel’s spiritual destiny which is being envisioned. And it is only from the temple, from God, that the sacred waters will flow to nourish souls and bring the Israelites into the fullness of their being as God’s chosen people.  That vision bears fruit in us today, too, when we draw our spiritual sustenance from the deep well of God’s love for us.

Similarly, the Gospel talks about the sick man who has lain fitfully on the edges of the pool of Bethesda, too sick to reach the water to be healed. But it is Jesus, the living fulfillment of the waters that streamed from the temple, who comes to the sick man and asks the simple question, "Do you want to be well?" And with the sick man’s admission of his own frailty, Jesus heals him.  God’s healing is within reach for all of us through Christ; we have only to come in humility before God to receive it.

What the Gospel also reveals is the human ability to block healing as the crowd does in persecuting Jesus because he healed the sick man on the Sabbath. Again and again we see Jesus trying to move us humans beyond the letter of the law so that we can experience the abundance of God’s love. It is our human sickness to live in a desert of fear, rigidity, greed, and judgment, to reject that which will make us spiritually supple and alive.  It is a sickness, but we can be well by drinking in God’s love.

As a final thought on a very practical yet vital level, globally we are approaching World Water Day (March 22^nd), an opportunity to further identify and relieve the suffering of those in our world who are deprived of even decent drinking water, and to find ways to treat this precious resource more respectfully.  The Passionists’ Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation program supports this effort: http://www.jpicpassionist.org/

If you are so moved, please click above to learn more.

 

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

 

Feast of St. Patrick

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:8-15
John 5:17-30

Reflection:

Jesus tells us in today’s reading from St. John’s Gospel, "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life."

We are well into our journey into Lent.  The Church presents to us today St. Patrick.  He was a great preacher of the "word" and of Jesus Christ.  He illustrates the power of the Gospel to save lives and bring eternal life.

St. Patrick was born in Britain.  Britain, as part of the Roman Empire, had come to know Christianity.  The island to its west, Ireland, had not.  Patrick was born of Christian parents and had a basic training in the faith.  At age 16 he was captured by a raiding party and brought to Ireland as a slave.  For the next six years he lived as a slave, spending much of his time being a shepherd.  He was able to escape and returned to Britain and his family.

He was back in Britain for some years.  He became a priest and then was sent back to Ireland as a missionary bishop.  Ireland was made up of many petty kingdoms suggesting how difficult it was to minister there.  Patrick was untiring in his proclamation of the Gospel.  Patrick had a strong sense of vocation.  He was creative, even resorting to bribing local rulers, so he could preach.  He was detained and imprisoned.  Patrick baptized numerous Irish people and ordained many priests, rooting the church on Irish soil.

The words of the prophet Isaiah speak beautifully of God’s call of St. Patrick: "Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I answer you….Saying to the prisoners; Come out!  Along the ways they shall find pasture… See, some shall come from afar, others from the north and the west…"

We are called to enter the lives of others, bringing them the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We come as though from "a foreign space", as someone unknown to them.  God will use us to bring his favor into their lives.  He will use us to show them pity and lead them and guide them to springs of water.   

 

Fr. Blaise Czaja, C.P. gives parish missions and retreats.  He is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54

Reflection:

Yesterday the Church presented us with the hopeful gospel of the Prodigal Son. It was a message that we all needed to hear to encourage us to ask forgiveness for our sins. Today the prophet Isaiah moves our thoughts to the final triumph of good over evil. God is creating a new heavens and new earth. The past is wiped away. No more war! No more violence and abuse of the weak and lowly. No more injustice and trampling of human rights. Rather rejoicing and happiness fill our hearts. The Church (Jerusalem) will be a joy and God will delight in his people. There will be no cries of pain or weeping heard in the land. Our human bodies will be transformed and no longer be subject to sickness and the ravages of old age. We will live at peace in our homes and enjoy the fruits of our vineyards.

Yes, here in the midst of Lent as I pray, fast, and give alms I am very aware of my humanness and how far I must still journey to become the faithful disciple who follows Jesus. The promise of what God want to do for us is beyond human expectations. Like the royal official in the gospel let us believe that Jesus invites us to transformation and new life.  

 

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

Scripture:

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection:

Once again we are invited into the amazing drama of the father with his two sons.  One son remains by his father’s side, faithfully tending to the duties of farm and household.  The second son is restless, unwilling to do all that his brother is busy with, and so he chooses to run off and leads a life that is unworthy of both himself and his family name.  Yet, as often as I read this unforgettable parable of the Lord, I am always drawn to the immeasurable mercy and kindness of the father.  I can only imagine his embarrassment when his prodigal son ran off to live a life of sin and self-centeredness.  Surely everyone wondered what had happened to him.  Surely many others already knew the truth of his choosing to be the "black sheep" of the family.  Yet, through it all, the father never forgets his love for his beloved son.

Week after week here at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center I find myself sitting with parents who have sons and daughters that are "prodigal."  I find myself amazed at their willingness to keep forgiving even the worst, most selfish behavior of a son or a daughter who has one child or more, yet has chosen to immerse themselves in a life of alcohol and drug abuse.  The grandparents, many of whom are hardly young, so willingly become parents again, only this time it is to their grandchildren.  At the same time, like the father of the prodigal son, they refuse to stop loving or give up on their son or daughter.  Their love is constant and endures even in the midst of embarrassment, hardship, and suffering.  Their love is like the love of the father in today’s parable.  Their love so beautifully mirrors the very love of God, our Father, whose mercy knows no limits.

Today we can all thank God for the many people who come into our lives and who remind us by their example of the great mercy and kindness of our God.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Hosea 6:1-6
Luke 18: 9-14

Reflection:

The Roman philosopher Philo wrote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Lent is described many ways: a season of joy, a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, a clearing season.  Another way to live the mystery of this time is as a season of kindness.  When we remember the great loving kindness of God in sending Jesus to us, as we remember Jesus’ countless acts of love and kindness, we get further in touch with how God wants us to live.

The parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee reminds us of our daily choices.  Few words of Jesus chill me as much as his description of all of us at times: "….those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else."  OK, Lord, maybe I don’t despise others, but look down on them or think them weak?  Jesus, as always, gets at our motivation, our inner being before God and others.  Comparisons are odious, as the old Romans said.  God asks us simply during this holy season, to become like Him, kind and merciful to all.

We come to know the Lord (first reading) by being kind in thought, word and deed.  Then, our "random acts of kindness" are recognized as deeds of love, as God speaks through Hosea:" For it is love that I desire and not sacrifice."

Finally, the preacher and composer Frederick W. Faber wrote: "Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning." Make us kind, Lord!

 

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

Scripture:

Hosea 14:2-10
Mark 12:28-34

Reflection:

A couple of years ago, I attended an AA meeting at our Passionist Retreat Center in Houston to learn more about the AA movement. During the time of sharing one of the men in the group told of an experience he had in his family. He shared how his mother had guided him when he was a small child. She told him to follow the "three golden rules in life". (1) Do not take it, if it is not yours. (2) Do not say it, if it is not truth. (3) Do not do it, if you think it is not the right thing to do. His mother had given him the basic rules to live his life. It would apply to all, irrespective of any religion we belong to. Today’s reading invites us to reflect on the commandments that God has given for our Christian life.

In the first reading, the prophet Hosea invites the Israelites to repent from their sinfulness and return to God by following the straight path of Yahweh. In the Gospel, one of the teachers of the law asks Jesus a question, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Even though every law was important for them to follow. Jesus summarizes all the commandments saying that they all amount to love of God with all your being. Jesus adds the second saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself". For Jesus, every law must guide us to improve our relationship with God and with one another. Love of God and love of neighbor are so closely joined that they cannot be separated.

During this Lenten season, let’s ask the Lord to bless us and continue to strengthen us to love God through loving our brothers and sisters.

 

Fr. A. Justin Nelson, C.P. is a member of our Indian Vicariate and temporarily stationed at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky. 

 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 7:23-28
Luke 11:14-23

 

Reflection:

"If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

We are now three weeks into the season of Lent.  Are we listening to His voice?  How are we responding?  There is so much going on in our world today, how do we take time to for God; either to talk to him or listen to him?  Why is it that we always seem to make the time when things aren’t going the way we want them. It usually sounds something like, "please God, just get me through this and I will go to Mass on Sunday…please God, let him/her get better and I promise to help someone else in need…"  Can we find a way to make time for God without having to plead with Him?  Can we just make time to thank Him for the goodness in our lives?

I think about the people of Haiti and how their lives have been completely turned on end.  People all over the world understood the gravity of the situation and donated what they could, raising millions of dollars for relief. I think about the people from all over the world who went to Haiti to help: doctors, nurses, other medical personnel, rescue teams, etc.  Some at their own expense.  They worked together, united by faith and by the human need to help.  They worked through  the language barriers, infrastructure obstacles and setbacks, and aftershocks; risking their own lives to reach as many survivors as they could, not wanting to give up even when there seemed to be no more hope. This is faith, plain and simple.  They heard His voice and opened their hearts. Faith is active. I think nothing exemplifies this more than people uniting on a global scale for one singular purpose: to help others in desperate need.

How will we hear His voice today? Can we just make the time to stop and say thank you?  What can we choose to do today to act out our faith?"

 

Claire Smith is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

2 Kings 5:1-15ab
Luke 4:24-30

Reflection:

The first and second preface from the Sacramentary call Lent a "joyful season" and a "great season of grace." Today’s readings tell us it is a season of healing also. Most, like Naaman believe that God would "move his hand over the spot and thus cure." We want God to do something easy, quick and supernatural. Not so fast…

Tomorrow I’ll be having arthroscopic knee surgery. I have damaged the cartilage through sports activities and it needs to be repaired. There will be the blunt pain of surgery, the difficulty of rehab and then eventual healing. Sometimes married couples will come to me and ask for prayer. They want help in their marriage relationship. There are no quick fixes. Often counseling and confrontation is needed. The couple needs to honestly talk things out. The process can be difficult but life-giving. Many who are addicted seek God for healing. It would be wonderful if the desire for the substance were suddenly taken away. In reality people need to be plunged over and over into the Jordan of their deeper issues. Confronting issues is painful, requires courage, but can lead to recovery.

The serious disciple journeys through Lent desiring growth and change in a myriad of areas. Change doesn’t always happen immediately and completely, but comes incrementally and eventually if we are determined and courageous. Often the change we seek demands the obedience Namaan was called to today. As we yield our ways to those of God we find that healing often requires pain of some sort. Jesus faced this rejection and foreshadowing of death in the Gospel. The grace-filled season of Lent teaches us that sufferings of the present will eventually lead to new life.   

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 13 books and creator of the TV program Live with Passion! airing in many cities. You can learn more about his ministry at: http://www.frcedric.org/