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Scripture:

Romans 14:7-12
Luke 15:1-10

Reflection:

Earlier this week, as we celebrated All Saints Day on Sunday and All Souls Day on Monday.  I was thinking about the landmarks on our journey.   I believe these two days provide us with a tremendous authentic sense of who we are.    This is so necessary because in our day-to-day life we tend to get so busy with the details that we forget the truth.   Landmarks are specific elements which aid us in navigation and when we spot them they confirm that the navigation of our path is accurate.  Isn’t that the role of honoring the saints in our lives.  In honoring them, don’t we find ourselves pondering their paths and reaffirming the accuracy of our navigation?   On All Souls Day as we remember the dead, do we not ponder our mortality and understand that our future must take us on this path as well?  These are some pretty bold landmarks for our spiritual journey. 

I’m very much reminded of this as I read Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Paul informs us that living for ourselves is not going to get us anywhere except lost.   If we live, we live for the Lord.  If we die we die for the Lord.  Our journey, as Paul reminds us is living and dying with the Lord and for the Lord.  That is our journey.   Whatever takes us off this path leads us to being lost.   Is being lost necessarily a bad thing? 

Well, Luke shows us that the state of being lost reveals something of the kingdom.  This Fifteenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel is about being lost and being found.  And Luke will set it up so that Jesus tells three parables of something which gets lost and then later that something which was lost is then found.  The first parable is about a man who loses a sheep.  The second parable is about a woman who loses a coin.  And the third parable is about a father who loses a son.   And in each scenario, the owner finds what he/she has lost.   Each of these three parables is about losing something and then finding something.  Yet when that which was lost is found, there is another element in the equation.  In each of these three parables, the finding of that which was lost always introduces the cause to rejoice, the desire to celebrate and the need to tell others.  And this is precisely what Luke is trying to suggest that the Kingdom of God represents.    Moreover, Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who most likely happen to be fathers themselves.  He is trying to give them a new landmark to understand their path.  Will they rejoice or will they cling to their self-righteousness?  This is the question Luke leaves us with as the 15^th chapter concludes.    

Landmarks on our journey assure us our navigation is accurate.  Yet Luke believes that the rejoicing which happens by finding that which is lost is kingdom energy.   How is your ability to rejoice this day.  And can you rejoice at somebody else’s favor?

 

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

Scripture:

Romans 13:8-10
Luke 14:25-33

Reflection:

At first glance it seems that the words of Jesus in the Gospel are a contradiction of St. Paul’s words "the one who loves another has fulfilled the law".  Jesus talks about the need of turning one’s back on parents, spouse & children, brothers and sisters.  Yet Jesus is using a typical Semitic way of making a point by exaggeration:  He wants to emphasize that nothing and no one can stand in the way of our Christian duty to love one another. 

And yet sometimes, we stand in the way!  Part of St. Paul’s statement today is cited by Jesus in the Gospels, and is based on the Book of Leviticus:  "…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…"  Perhaps some of us have difficulty with that statement, "as yourself" — for we often zero in on the first part about loving our neighbor and forget the last two words!  Indeed, true love as witnessed by Jesus includes a genuine love of self.  If we look down on ourselves (a false humility?), we will likely find it impossible to reach out to others with a gracious and sincere love, or to relate to God in a mature way. 

The month of November encourages us to look to the lives of those who have gone before us:  "official" saints, and those "everyday" saints.  Each in their own way witnesses to the fact that a life of love as a disciple of Jesus includes loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves – no dimension can be downplayed or skipped!

Today, as you seek to follow Jesus Crucified, why not "do" one specific act of love for yourself?  Treat yourself to something you really enjoy:  a walk amongst the autumn leaves, a quiet time after supper, your favorite meal or drink, a phone call to a family member / friend, etc.  Your Christian love will grow, freed from personal limitations.

"Jesus, help us live all the words of your commandment of love."

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

Scripture:

Romans 12:5-16b
Luke 14:15-24

Reflection:

I describe being a Passionist as someone willing to be a channel, a "go-between," for the suffering love of Jesus from the cross toward those in sufferable situations. Whether in preaching or other ministerial work, Passionists deliberately put themselves in situations where there is obvious awkwardness, vulnerability, uncertainty, inconvenience or downright threat.  But, no matter when we are in the presence of human suffering.  The charism "moves" us to respond, as Christ Himself was moved with pity for the helpless crowds, and, as was the Samaritan called "good," moved to help the beaten foreigner. Our saint for the day, Bro. Martin de Porres, O.P., is exemplary for his move to minister to the poorest, most destitute in the African slave ships in Lima, Peru. He had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Martin included the poorest in the spirit of St. Paul’s opening line in today’s scripture, "We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another." (12:5) This reading could be one’s mission statement. Ponder it, make it your own. The contrast to such a spirit is the attitude of the person at table with Jesus who is obviously enamored of Jesus and the grand possibilities of staying close to Him, like at a meal. "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." But Jesus knows who the most valued guests would be – those from the alleys, streets, hedgerows and highways, making them feel at home with a place to belong. Being of mixed race, Martin knew humiliation. The grace of Eucharist enables us to respond to suffering, even through our own woundedness. Taking all of this to the Cross, daily,  puts the charism in the lens of how we see life, and in the soul of our ability to address the suffering that we encounter.

 

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

Reflection:

Today’s feast of All Souls summons powerful waves of memory for each of us and recalls the richness found in human relationships.  As we pray for our beloved departed we are immersed in the recollection of so much shared with those who have walked ahead of us into the mystery of eternity.  This is a day for gratitude, for sorrow and grief, for deep prayer.  More than all else, this feast invites us to renewed hope.

Death severs the cords of relationship binding us to others.  In loss we are reminded of how deeply our own lives depended upon theirs. Sharpened awareness underscores how much richness and blessing friends, relatives and even common strangers brought to our lives.  In grief we are brought up short in humble awareness of how little we can do, accomplish or achieve without the support of others.  The power of death is real and unkind; loss diminishes us.

Thanks be to God for the gift of our Christian faith!  Today’s readings sound notes of joy, of triumph, of victory.  Our true focal point is the Resurrection of Jesus.  The source of our hope is God’s stunning power that broke the chains of death.  And faith holds the promise of reunion with all who have gone before us.  We are reminded of those invisible bands of divine love that keep us and our dead bound together.  For, truly, they are not dead, but eternally alive by his triumphant love.  We and they are one people, one church, held together in His eternal heart that flames with life and joy.  He works so that, one day, all who have believed will be united and eternally praise His unsurpassed goodness.

 

Fr. Jim Thoman, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat Center, Detroit, Michigan.

 

 

Scripture:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew: 5:1-12a

Reflection:

Today we honor ALL SAINTS… women, men, girls and boys who come from everywhere… people whose lives are seemingly ordinary, but who daily live… now and in the past…  the faithful way of discipleship.   I suggest that describes many of us who read, reflect and pray these daily readings. 

Take a moment to reflect on and name the "Saints" in your own life. Who taught you the love of God?  Who trusted that love in the midst of their own sufferings?  Who assisted God in bringing you to life and deeper living, even through life’s crosses?

Are we not alive with faith and goodness because of them?

Our first reading today is from the Book of Revelation – like all apocalyptic literature, there is disclosure about something hidden; it was written to encourage the faithful in time of great suffering and distress.  The theme is centered on hope and trust.  The sufferings of the present lead to brighter future.  Communities under harsh conditions need encouragements both from within and outside the group.  Here is where this reading gets its importance and power.

Our Psalm Response reminds us that WE are the people who long to see the face of the Lord… and as we do, we shall receive a blessing from the lord… because we are the people that seek the face of God…."

Our Second reading from the first epistle of John  invites us to prayerfully ponder on the love that the Father has bestowed on us, so that we may be called children of God…. for we ARE God’s children…NOW… and we will be like Him for we shall see God  as God  is!

And how shall we LIVE like God’s Blessed children?  Today’s Gospel of Matthew

presents us with the spiritual platform Jesus stands upon and to which He invites us to join Him there.  These are basic invitations for real living, characteristics of those who desire a participation in the life He would live and for which He would die. 

Our blessedness is described as something of God’s holiness being shown through our human actions.  We are inside-outside people.  Being blessed is based on God’s sharing part of the essence of God with us and then our doing something from that inside gift by sharing it in small or large deeds.  We are not holy by what we do. We are holy because of the very essence of God shared with us.  And so we are blessed, holy.

How and where are you blessed today?

 

Sr. Marcella Fabing, CSJ is on the staff of Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, CA.

Scripture:

Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29
Luke 14:1, 7-11

Reflection:

"…..For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

Today’s gospel takes place at a dinner banquet to which Jesus had been invited – presumably a banquet that was quite exclusive.  He was certainly no stranger to festive get-togethers: the wedding feast at Cana, the parables of the great banquet and the prodigal son.

At this particular gathering, Jesus makes a strong statement about the virtue of humility, as he watches the invited guests scramble for the seat of honor and he gently chides them for their imprudence while teaching them perspective.

Humility accepts who I am, what my gifts are and uses them for the betterment of the community and the world.  It’s not about power, position, or prestige.  It does not need to control others or situations.  It is about recognizing my gifts and putting them at the service of others:   not because of the benefits I will receive, but because they were given to me to be shared.

Humility has also been misunderstood to mean that I must not take credit for what I do well.  There is a difference between being self-assured and having positive self-esteem, and being arrogant.  True humility is knowing that I have certain gifts and using them in such a way that does not judge and put down others, but accepts everyone exactly where they are at on their journey.

In God’s eyes……………. WE ARE ALL GREAT !!

 

Deacon Brian Clements is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.  B[email protected].                                                                                                                                                      

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:19-22
Luke 6:12-16

Reflection:

Today’s readings are wonderfully appropriate for this year of the Priest.  The Gospel emphasizes the importance of the priesthood, telling us of how Jesus chose his Apostles to be the special twelve and predecessors of the ordained. 

And the First Reading tells us that we, as laity, are all also chosen – fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the house of God. 

The documents of Vatican II state,

"The laity derive the right and duty with respect to the apostolate from their union with Christ their Head. Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, . . . they are consecrated into a royal priesthood and a holy people." (n.3)

Since Vatican II, theologians and church leaders have emphasized this priesthood of all the baptized.  In realizing our baptismal role as members of a royal priesthood, it is easy to focus on the rights and forget the duties part.  We are the Church, and that means that we not only have rights, but we also are responsible for what happens within the Church.  It means that we have an obligation to see that our local church community has the resources to pay the bills, but it also means that the growth of our church, the evangelization, the spiritual vitality rests with all of us.

We’ve moved past the day when it is up to the Pastor to determine whether or not "this is a good parish" – We can no longer opt for just saying, "Father will take care of it, let’s ask Father" – and then when things go wrong, it is Father’s fault – not mine.  And if we don’t like the priest, we just worship at another church.  Isn’t it time that we completely accept our role as fellow citizens with the holy ones? 

Perhaps now is the time for all of us ordained and lay to remember that we are united in Christ, all members of God’s family and as such we are all called to love and care for one another.  This may mean taking some time to access our roles in our local parishes. 

In the Gospel, Jesus took the time to pray before choosing the Apostles, may each of us follow Jesus’ example by praying about our role in today’s Church.

 

Mary Lou Butler ([email protected])is a former staff member and is now a member of the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center Board, Sierra Madre, California. 

 

Scripture:

Romans 8:31b-39
Luke 13:31-35

Reflection:

I recently finished reading an incredible book. It was called "Surviving the Holocaust: The Kovno Ghetto Diary." It was an account of daily life in this Jewish Lithuanian Ghetto written by Avraham Tory. From June 1941 until January 1944, Mr. Tory, the official secretary of the Jewish ghetto council, was determined to record every aspect of life, every interaction with the Nazis persecutors in order to someday bring to justice those men and women who committed such atrocious crimes. Mr. Tory did this knowing that if he was ever found out, if any of his documents leaked out to the Nazis, he would be immediately executed and everything he worked for would be destroyed. Yet almost despite himself, Mr. Tory could not help but write. Not only of the injustice he and his fellow Jews experienced at the hands of their captures, but also to give a witness to the amazing strength, bravery and, at times, cunning, of the Ghetto inhabitants. Having finished the book, I wondered if I would have had such courage!

As I read the gospel today I read about Jesus and his determination to follow the course God laid out for him no matter the consequences, no matter the cost. He was warned by the Pharisees to flee, to run away, to escape. But Jesus knows that it is only in Jerusalem that he can meet his destiny and fulfill his mission. He makes clear that his attitude toward Jerusalem is that of his Father. He loved Jerusalem even though Jerusalem would, in a matter of months, be the place of his execution.

It is often easier to talk about trusting in God than it actually is "trusting" God. Paul’s words resonate over and over again and again, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" "…neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor principalities…nor heights, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus was the living embodiment of "trusting" in the Father even in the face of certain death. He went forward because it was his destiny, his calling, his mission to fulfill.

We may not in our daily lives find ourselves confronting, like Jesus, such overwhelming dramatic issues like that of our life’s destiny and the sort of mission we will fulfill. But how do we act in the small challenges that life asks us to embrace? Do we "talk the talk" but not "walk the walk?" Or do we "will" ourselves to trust in God, in what is right and just, and do what we know we are called to do? If our model of faith is Jesus, who confronted death and was victorious, can we expect to do any less?  

 

Patrick Quinn ([email protected]) is the director of Planned Giving at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.