wpengine

Scripture:
1 Kings 11:4-13
Mark 7:24-30

Reflection:
Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs."  Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go–the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

No amount of biblical gymnastics can soften the insulting words of Jesus.  He called this nameless Syrophoenician woman a dog.  She begged Jesus to heal her daughter, but he compared her to a dog and the Jews to children around the table to whom he’s feeding bread. 

But this woman’s faith was unshaken.  She understood what Jesus meant.  She’s not a Jew; she is not one of the "children" but one of the "dogs."  She’s an outsider.  And she also understood that Jesus gives out bread.  She was willing to beg for the crumbs she knew she didn’t deserve.  She appealed to his mercy, not his justice.

Jesus saw the woman’s great faith and healed her daughter.

The faith – and humility – of this nameless woman, stands in stark contrast to anyone who believes that God owes us – owes us a good life, owes us happiness, owes us a great job, owes us trial-free life.  We deserve it; after all, we’re faithful Catholics, we never miss Mass, we pray the rosary.  These are good practices, don’t get me wrong.  But God’s grace isn’t something we purchase with our good works.  God’s grace is rich and complex, his love for us is freely given, pure gift.

Why doesn’t Scripture give us the woman’s name?  It does.  It’s your name and mine.

In sin, we all stand as outsiders.  In faith, we are invited to stand at the table with that nameless woman and humbly beg for God’s crumbs.

 

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

Scripture:

1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Mark 7:1-13

Reflection:

Mothers of young children are accustomed to saying daily, in an automatic fashion, "Wash your hands before we eat" or "Did you remember to wash"? This reminder becomes almost a ritual preceding a meal, a tradition of motherhood.  It is good to instill the value of cleanliness and proper hygiene into children as they grow.  Some families even have a certain kind of soap in a special container for the kids.  Currently, because of H1N1 and fears of contagion, a tradition is developing of singing "Happy Birthday" while washing to ensure the appropriate number of seconds for a thoroughly sanitizing scrub.  But a 25 year old man singing "Happy Birthday" in a public washroom while scrubbing his hands would seem extremely odd and immature.   To that individual, the support for the value would have become equal to, if not greater than, the value itself.

In today’s Gospel Jesus is not denigrating the value of hand washing or of ritual cleansing to which the Pharisees referred.  However, he is confronting and challenging the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who ask a question but are really making an accusation.  Why don’t your disciples wash before eating? is really meant to say: your disciples are less holy than us; they ignore the traditions of our ancestors.  For the Pharisees, the minutia of tradition equates with holiness before God.  Jesus’ counter accuses the Pharisees that they have made their traditions superior of God’s commandment even to the point of circumventing the Law entirely.  To them, the practice of "korban", giving money to the Temple, is more important than caring for one’s parents.  The values of the Law, justice, charity and love, have been cast aside by greed, pride and arrogance, the result of a false use of tradition.

In the church today there are heated arguments over ritual and liturgical traditions, both old and newly established.  Who can stand where?  Who can say what? Who can wash the dishes?  Who has priority of status over whom?  The fundamental human need to worship God becomes all but forgotten in the piling on of dictates and practices that have more to do with control and power than with worship, justice, charity and love of God and neighbor.  One can only wonder what the response of Jesus to such arguments would be today.

 

Cathy Anthony is on the staff of St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11
Luke 5:1-11

Reflection:

Our God is Love.  Sheer love gave birth to a material universe unimaginably extensive.  This universe was to be populated by beings capable of knowing God, capable of loving God and being filled with the very life of God.  God was and is so in love with the world and us human beings within it.!

In leading human beings to himself  The Father would send his Only Begotten Son who would become truly human while remaining divine,   "God so loved the world".    He would not only save the world, but would do it through humans like ourselves.

That is what we hear in the reading from Isaiah and the Gospel of St. Luke.  God seeks human leaders, human help.

Both Isaiah and Peter realize that no human is capable of being a partner in God’s love and God’s work of salvation.   But both find out that can and does bridge that infinite gap.  For Isaiah the sign is the burning coal, for Peter a catch of fish that nearly swamps two boats!  There is a response.  "Here I am.  Send me."

That same Jesus is calling today for other Peters, other Fishers of Men.

Isaiah was at first fearful.  "I am a man of unclean lips."   Peter would say to Jesus:  "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."

Should the thought of being the Lord’s voice and heart cause you to want to hide, remember he who calls wills to sustain you.  What you cannot do on your own, you can do easily  in  him who strengthens you.  That can be priesthood, religious life.  That can be exceptional service to God’s People in other capacities.  Jesus may well need you to seek that which could be lost without you.

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

1 Kings 3:4-13
Mark 6:30-34

Reflection:

Solomon was the second son of David and Bathsheba and the third king of Israel. He ruled for about forty years, expanding the boundaries of Israel and amassing a great fortune for himself and his country.

In today’s first reading we hear from a young Solomon who finds himself in a powerful position that exceeds his capabilities. He tells God he is too young, not knowing how to act in leading such a huge number of people.

God gave Solomon a blank check, "Ask something of me, and I will give it to you." He could have asked for power, wealth, success, a life without headaches or heartaches, glory or the fulfillment of any number of personal desires. Today we might ask God for the winning numbers in a Mega Lotto, a healthy family, quickly moving up the ladder at work, a photographic memory, a computer that never has a problem, etc.

Solomon, in great humility, asked for an understanding heart and the wisdom to know right from wrong. Solomon knows he will need wisdom more than facts about leadership skills. Today, we live in what social scientists call the information age. Information, facts and theories abound and multiply. It is estimated that more than 2,000 new books are published every week worldwide. Add to that magazines, newspapers, journals, web pages. The total is far beyond the capacity of any person to keep track of, let alone read and absorb. Has this avalanche of knowledge made us any wiser? Has more knowledge eliminated greed, pride, anger or lust? If anything, we seem to be in a world that is greedier, prouder, angrier and more sexually oriented than ever before. The most destructive wars of last century were fought between the most educated nations on earth.

What would you ask of God? More knowledge to succeed, the skills to impress others, life without pain? Or an understanding heart to discern right from wrong? An understanding heart was the greatest gift to ask for thousands of years ago. It remains the greatest gift today.

  
Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Sirach 47:2-11
Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

Over the past two weeks, the Old Testament readings have been journeying with David.  We’ve seen him in his youthful days, through the adventures of his coming into power, his immense respect for the authority of the monarchy, his frustrations and struggles with Saul, all the way through to his assent to the thrown as king of Israel.  And the story didn’t stop there.  David’s gratitude for seeing God’s plan, past, present, and future honored and gave praise to God. His selfishness as he coveted Bathsheba and orchestrated the murder of her husband revealed the fragile side of the human person.  And his sorrow and anguish revealed his remorse and regret as he came to a greater awareness of his darker side.  

Today we conclude this journey with David.  Notice the style and authorship.   It is written more in a plural voice.  Is this not how the people of Israel remembered their great leader?  His greatness is not proclaimed by the king himself as much as it is by those who remember him.  It is an epic story.  It is a story which Hollywood has tried to convey and reproduce hundreds of times.  It is the story of a young boy rising through whatever life situations to become the hero.   It is today what millions of young boys dream of.  And before Hollywood existed which added numerous stories of the hero-journey to our viewing pleasure, this story would have been a primary story of inspiration to boys and young men for thousands of years.  For it is the story of moving from a young shepherd boy to gloriously remembered king.    

Today’s gospel plays out another kingly story.   And while it too has gone down in history, it certainly has never been a story of honor.  When Herod is celebrating his birthday and witnesses the young girl dancing he wants to give her something.  He even brings her into the conversation. "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.   Even up to half of my kingdom"   On one level it appears that Herod is quite generous; except, do you know who the dancing girl is?  She is not a peasant girl or even an outsider.  She is the daughter of Herodias who is the wife of Herod. Mark doesn’t tell us her name he simply refers to her as "his own daughter".  Recall, Herodias was originally married to Herod’s brother Philip.  Many Jews were upset about this re-marriage.  In the Jewish mindset, it simply is not right for anyone to marry their brother’s wife while the first husband is still alive.  John the Baptist was outspoken about it to the point that Herod had him thrown in prison.   Mark tells us that Herodias, the wife, "harbored a grudge against him" on account of John the Baptist speaking against this unlawful union.  Mark also tells us that Herod the King, "feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man".  So the wife, Herodias, uses the opportunity of her daughter’s dance to play into her husband’s generosity to finish the job which her husband wouldn’t do.  Unlike the first reading this is NOT a story of glory.  This is a story which leaves the reader feeling shocked, being jolted by the tragic loss of such sacred life.  Even Herod, who was outside the Jewish tradition, saw John the Baptist as a man of God.   When we proclaim this gospel this morning there certainly won’t be any cheering. This is moral evil.

Mark cleverly sandwiches this account between the sending out of the twelve and their return.  This is missionary work.  They are asked to proclaim repentance, expel demons, anoint the sick, and cure people.   When they return they report back to Jesus, telling of their experiences.  Mark places the gospel of today between their departure and return as if to say something important about missionary life and evangelization.  And one of the truths is that if we authentically attempt to live the gospel, it will not win us votes in a popularity contest.   There are strong repercussions for speaking with the prophetic voice.   And we see this with John the Baptist, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Bold prophets tend to be hated by people who refuse to listen to the truth.  Lent and Holy Week will take us down this same path as we journey with our honorable king.  Let us pray that our ears will be open to hear it as we are called more deeply into the mission of evangelization.  

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is on the staff at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
Mark 6:1-13

Reflection:

A Disciple’s Love

As Jesus gathered the Apostles together and began to send them out to preach and heal, they must have been filled with both excitement and fear.  To preach repentance, to heal…with your only resources being your faith in Jesus, the clothes on your back, sandals and a walking stick…Wow!  And – it worked!  They drove out many demons, anointed the sick and cured them.  To be able to come back to Jesus and report what happened…

We share that same call in the 21^st century, to bring the Good News of Jesus to our world and its special needs.  No small task in a large and complex world, beset with all-too-many human tragedies!

Jesus missioned those early Apostles in a spirit of simplicity and focus.  Today’s call to Jesus’ mission comes to many of us in the midst of personal lives that are complex, cluttered, and most likely all-too-busy.  Our desktops, p.d.a.’s, and calendars are filled with all sorts of opportunities, commitments and challenges.  As we are sent out, our tendency is to carry along all our "baggage".

Perhaps…perhaps today’s Scripture encourages us to simplify and refocus our lives — just as David did with his son Solomon as death drew near.  Jesus’ Message is clear:  believe in Him and follow his example of all-inclusive, selfless, sacrificial love;  live as if today were the ultimate day of life on earth, and the gateway to the fulfillment of Life which is Heaven.  What needs to be set aside?  Jesus encourages only a walking stick and a pair of sandals.

Fellow disciples:  Let’s simplify, and take time for ourselves:  some peace & quiet in prayer, time for a personal retreat, the opportunity to see the sun rise or set in these frosty winter days, time to get back in touch with family and friends.  Let’s preach the Good News of Jesus — repentance, healing, love — by our lives, and use words if necessary!

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Mark 6:1-6

Reflection:

If I want to follow Jesus and "accept" Him as the Will of the Father guiding my life, then I am willing to be treated like Him. The willingness to act upon His inspiration in our lives with creativity, courage, and determination in the face of our ordinariness will put us "out there" for judgement. When His contemporaries observe that he is just an ordinary man, "the carpenter," with a large extended family,he does not deny this. He is being judged through the lens of the ordinary life.  Mere humaness did not appear to be capable of great things, much less mighty deeds.  His inspiration "happens" through our humaness.  It is the "medium" through which salvation is offered to the world.  

Salvation is defined as an active grace freely given, (due to nothing we have achieved nor earned), which lifts the burden and pain due to sin and injustice from all people. Our salvation is actually lived out insofar as we actuallize those fruits of the spirit, joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  It is through our very humaness that our salvation is lived out.

 

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president of Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachy 3:1-4
Psalm 24: 7, 8, 9, 10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40 (alt., Luke 2:22-32)

 

Reflection:

Sometimes we struggle to understand how a day’s scripture reading might refer to me or to my life.  Nothing "jumps out" at us as we meditatively read over the scripture of the next day, in preparation for our Mass or Liturgy of the Hours.  Some days are just like that.

Yet there are other times that we find ourselves being "cuddled" by the scriptures; the examples, whether in the Jewish Scriptures or in the Christian Scriptures, which are used to describe God’s working in and among the people are examples that we can feel, taste, wear, and put our arms around.

Today’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord is like that for me.  In Simeon and Anna, I discover memories of my paternal grandmother and my maternal grandfather; the Gospel narrative brings these two people out of a 50 year old memory-space of my head and puts them squarely in the passages we share today.

Starting with Malachi’s first reading, we are reminded that fidelity is sometimes compromised even in serving our God, and that before fidelity can be restored, the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s lye–refining the precious metals, and "fulling" the newly woven cloth–will be applied as purification and renewal.

"Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire."  In the light of his coming, the struggles and burdens of a lifetime will be lifted, their purpose will have been fulfilled.

My maternal grandfather, "Don Chon" was purified through years of manual and menial work; at various times he collected firewood in New Mexico to sell in Texas; he collected scrap metal in the hope that the market price would give him something with which to feed his three sons and one daughter.  As late as 1951, he was driving a horse cart through the neighborhoods of El Paso, Texas, selling fruits and vegetables.  His oldest son was killed fighting in New Guinea, a victim of the Second World War.  His wife left him to his scrapping in order to pursue the seductively bright lights of Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.  Yet, he never gave up on his conviction that he was in God’s hands, that he would not buckle under; he would continue to provide for his family until they were "on their way" in life.  His sense of fidelity was purified over and over, so that when my grandmother defeatedly came home from Juarez, he welcomed her into his little one-room stone house, with a dirt floor.

My paternal grandmother, "Chanita" was always an anomaly to me as a child (she lived with us until two years before her death when she needed a nursing home’s attention).  She was always praying, always dressed in black, and always going to church.  However the only people I knew who were always praying, always dressed in black, and always going to church were the Religious Sisters who taught us catechism and taught in the Catholic Schools.  I wondered why she hadn’t become a Sister…and I usually tried to hide from her about the time that she would gather us "little ones" for our daily rosary and litany.  Her purification came through the years of caring for her oldest child, Julia, who was born with cerebral palsy.  My father followed, and she had her hands full since her husband would not stay behind in El Paso, Texas, where good jobs were scarce.  He left for California, but she would not leave the only world that she knew, and in which there were family members whom she could call on.  She also was tested in the crucible of purifying desperation, but she knew that if she was faithful to God, God would not abandon her, though her husband might. 

Whether either my grandfather or my grandmother had ever reflected on the words of today’s second reading, they are words that gave substance to their faith in God, in Divine Providence, and in the purpose of their life-long fidelity to God: "Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters….Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

By the time we come to the Gospel reading, my mind sees a hunched-over, shuffling Don Chon in the person of Simeon, and a prayerful, waiting Chanita in the person of Anna.  Two patient long-ers for the Lord; faithful in their aspirations; and constant in their "watching" for the Lord/Messiah. 

For Simeon and Anna both, there was the symbolic fulfillment of their watching as they recognize in the Divine Child the achievement of their lifetimes.  As they welcome the Child, their lives’ purpose is vindicated, and with purified and renewed spirits, they prepare to take their deserved rest.

Let us pray to be faithful watchers, in the face of every refining adversity, and to be confident that God will renew our faith when we most need it.

By the way, Don Chon died in 1970, in El Paso, Texas, six months after his grandson was ordained a Passionist Priest; Chanita died in 1960, at the very hour that her grandson was arriving at Union Station, Los Angeles, California, for a summer break from the Passionist Minor Seminary.  "Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine."  May they rest in peace.

 

Fr. Arturo Carrillo is the local leader of the Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.