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Scripture:

Romans 7:18-25a
Luke 12:54-59

 

 

 

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus chides the crowds for being able to "interpret the appearance of the earth and sky," but are not able to "interpret the present time." In other words, they could not see that Jesus was the Messiah, and that the kingdom of God was at hand.

How are we to interpret "the present time?" Even though the economy shows signs of recovery, we know that there are still too many people out of work. When Jesus talks about settling with one’s opponent before the matter gets to court, it seems totally out of sync with what is going on. Around  the most difficult issues facing our country, battle lines seem to be drawn, and even when compromise is reached, there is little satisfaction among the participants in the process.

In our personal lives, many of us can relate to St. Paul, who writes in our reading from Romans, "I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want." He also writes, "I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand."

What is our response to these things? One response is to despair. Another is to follow along with the trends these things represent. The response to which Jesus calls us is neither despair nor accommodation. In the light of economic difficulty, we are to witness to hope and trust in God. We are to show gratitude and generosity. In the light of division and rancor, we are to share the love we have in Jesus Christ.

You could say that we are to live our lives in such a way that people can look at us and "interpret the present time" as a time in which God is still present and working in the lives of people. We are called to follow Christ in such a way that people will see, at this time, that there is still reason to hope and love and live. May we be such witnesses! In the words of St. Paul, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, Fairfield, Alabama.

Scripture:

Romans 6:12-18
Luke 12:39-48

Reflection:

Slavery/servanthood is a form of existence that has thankfully disappeared from most of western society, though instances of it still seem to perdure in some parts of the world.  While the external constraints that slavery enforces on people are degrading, it is the internal capitulation to these shackles that is by far the worse condition.

This thought comes to mind from the biblical readings presented us in today’s liturgical selections.  They derive from Paul’s letter to the Romans and Luke’s gospel.  They both address the issue of servant/slave.  They do so, however, not in socio-economic terms, but in inner soul-terms of sin.  And they proceed, especially Paul, in a graded or progressive manner.

He presents sin as if it were something outside or beyond ourselves, or, at least, our bodies, as in his remark that "…sin must not reign over your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires".  He seems to address "you" as over against one’s sin-controlled body.  And he proceeds to admonish his readers "not to present parts of your bodies to sin" as if sin, bodies and "you" were three separate elements, in need of coordination.

Luke’s parable of the servant, especially the wicked one, clearly describes the dire situation he finds himself in upon the master’s return: he "…shall be beaten severely".  But, unpleasant as this is, there is no certain indication that this servant has lost his job, especially in the light of Luke’s comment about a fellow-servant who was less informed about the master’s expectations, and who will "…be beaten only lightly".  In each case, it seems that the wrong-doing of these servants did not completely undo their status in the master’s judgment.

There is a resemblance in Paul’s and Luke’s accounts of the impact that sin has on us, like any slavery situation in which people find themselves.  It’s a progressive matter.  Just as socio-economic slavery moves from a less damaging external situation to the more worrisome condition of distorting the internal status of a person, so sin works on us in stages, from the less controlling influence on our external behavior, to a more insidious penetration of our inner self.  We can sustain a beating for succumbing to temptation, so long as we retain some status as a "steward …in charge…" of others.

Sin is a movement toward slavery and lowly servanthood.  We can’t avoid it completely, but, with God’s help, we can aim at Paul’s upbeat vision for his Roman readership: "Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness."

 

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

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 61, 1-3
I Corinthians 1, 17-25
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

St. Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Passionists, was born in 1694 in a small town called Ovada, in Northern Italy.  He was one of sixteen children, only five of whom survived infancy.  His father, Luke Danei, owned a small clothing and tobacco shop that barely supported his large family.  His mother, Anna Maria, was a faith-filled woman, whose devotion to the Passion of Jesus was the source of her courage and strength as she endured the grief and loss of so many of her children.

From his earliest years Paul, by the example of his Mother, had a deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus and at the age of 19 had a vivid experience of the depth of God’s love.  As a result of this experience Paul became determined to give himself totally to God.  Due to family need, however, he stayed at home, helping to support the family by working in his father’s shop.  At 22 he joined the crusade against the Turks though it took only two months for him to realize that the army was not for him.  Returning home, he once again worked in the family business.

When he was 26, the circumstances of the family became a bit better and Paul finally felt free to pursue his own personal dreams. Bidding good-bye to his family, he went to Alessandria, where Bishop Gattinara, Paul’s spiritual director and confessor, clothed Paul in a black tunic on the day of his arrival and then sent him to the parish of St. Charles in Castellazzo for retreat.  In the small sacristy of the parish church Paul made a 40 day retreat.  It was during those 40 days that Paul had the most extraordinary experiences of union with God and wrote the Rule of Life for the congregation he hoped to found.

After his retreat Bishop Gattinara sent him back to his home town where Paul lived in various hermitages for several years.  In 1721 Paul made his way to Rome in hopes that he could get his Rule of Life approved by the Pope.  He was turned away by a Vatican guard so Paul returned home, discouraged but determined.  On his return, his brother, John Baptist, joined with him to try living according to Paul’s Rule of Life.  Paul and John Baptist became well-known catechists and Paul was even invited to give spiritual talks by various groups.

In 1725, the brothers returned to Rome and this time Paul was given verbal permission to gather companions to live according to his Rule of Life.  Cardinal Corrandini asked the brothers to work in a newly established hospital there in Rome.  The president of the hospital was so impressed by Paul and John Baptist that he arranged for them to be ordained to the priesthood.

As more men joined with Paul and John Baptist, they moved the whole community to Monte Argentario, a promontory about 150 kms northwest of Rome, where they established the first Passionist monastery in 1737.

While contemplation and prayer were at the very heart of Paul’s life and the life of his new institute, Paul himself soon became a very famous popular preacher, spiritual guide, writer and mystic.  For Paul the Passion of Christ was the most vivid witness to God’s love for us and he constantly called upon his followers to remember the sufferings of Jesus.

During his lifetime Paul founded thirteen monasteries of Priests and Brothers throughout Italy as well as a monastery of Passionist Nuns.  Today the Passionists live and serve in 59 countries of the world and are enhanced by other religious and lay groups who find inspiration in the Charism of St. Paul of the Cross.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.

 

Fr. Mike Higgins, C.P. is the director of lay formation for Holy Cross Province and lives in Chicago, IL. 

Scripture:
Romans 4:20-25
Luke 12:13-21

Reflection:
"Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to do." Romans 4:20

Today, we celebrate the North American Jesuit Martyrs that included two laymen. These brave missionaries ministered in a territory that was later to be known as Canada and the United States. Their desire to evangelize the indigenous peoples of this "new world" and to establish the Church in this "new land" serves as a great example to us today. It also serves to inspire us to develop a bold faith, a faith that expresses itself in doing God’s work without counting the cost or looking for successful outcomes. St. Paul says in the opening line of the first reading for today’s Mass: "Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God." Abraham and these Jesuit martyrs have much in common. As you may know, the Jesuit motto is: "For the greater Glory of God."

Faith is much more than the belief that God will work miracles for us when we are beset with personal sufferings and afflictions. This kind of faith will have us rushing to God when we become critically ill or when someone we love is experiencing a great personal loss. We will call upon family and friends to pray with us for a miracle and we will even turn to strangers to help us plead our cause before God. And if by God’s Providence, a "healing" of some kind takes place, we may be quick to say that it was our faith that was responsible for this turn of events.

There is no doubt that our faith calls us to turn to God when there is great need in our life. However, I am not so sure if this is the kind of faith that St. Paul was referring to in this first reading for today’s Mass, or the kind of faith that Abraham had in God’s promise or the kind of faith Jesus was asking of us when he said, "Have faith in God and have faith in me." (John 14:1) Jesus was demanding his disciples and the people who followed him to have faith in the God who sent Jesus into this world to save it and redeem it. Jesus is asking us to have faith in God’s Plan of Salvation, which included the Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion before Resurrection and Pentecost.

This kind of faith calls us to believe in a God of Life when all we see is death and destruction. It also calls us to believe in a God of Love when we are surrounded by hatred and loathing. It is the faith of the saints who walked in darkness and doubt when they prayed hours on end, like St. Paul of the Cross and Teresa of Calcutta. It is the faith of martyrs when their life ends violently after preaching a Gospel of love and forgiveness, like Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and their companions, the martyrs we celebrate today. It is a belief in a God who is more powerful and life-giving and loving than any expression of evil that we may encounter in our lives. God is able to bring light from darkness, life from death, and love from hatred. This, indeed, calls for some kind of faith!

 

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

Scripture:

Romans 4:1-8
Luke 12:1-7

Reflection:

I’m pretty sure that most of my fellow humans have, at some point, looked at a person who seemingly did nothing but somehow got ahead – got the job, got the girl (or the guy), got the promotion, got the recognition, got the life – and either scratched his or her head in disbelief or let out an internal howl at the injustice of it all. Some people just seem to be born with the "keys to the kingdom."

But it is God’s unconditional love that is the supreme balm for and leveler of all the human hierarchies and reward systems that tear apart, confound or stiffen our hearts and make us feel like we can never be, or have, enough.

With God, it turns out, we don’t have to work like a dog to gain His love; we don’t have to prove ourselves to get the reward. There is no spiritual quid pro quo in which if we do X (fill in the blank) then God credits us as a righteous person. No, the source of our goodness is not us or even our actions, but God. And it is through our belief in God that His goodness takes root in us and creates magnificence in the world.  What a relief it is to know that there is no Cosmic Ledger against which we will never measure up. Even, or especially, our sins are forgiven because we are loved; because, flaws and all, we hold onto our faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus reminds his own chosen disciples to beware the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who think they possess the "inside track" to the Divine. There is nothing secret, elusive or exclusionary about God.  If the smallest of God’s creatures is known intimately by Him, then how much more are we known to God? And by "we," I mean you and me.

The responsorial Psalm today says it all: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. The way to God and the truest reward is not for the other more fortunate guy or the one who does all the right stuff. It is for each of us who chooses, against all odds and often in pain, to go to God in our belief and our willingness to love.

 

Nancy Nickel ([email protected]) is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Romans 1:16-25
Luke 11:37-41

Reflection:

Hand sanitizers are everywhere you look these days as we try to protect ourselves each other from the seasonal viruses that menace the land.  Today, as in Biblical times, the simple act of washing our hands is the easiest and most effective protection. 

Our Gospel selection for this day finds Jesus once again at the home of a Pharisee and in lively discussion about things ordinary and sacred.  The prescribed ritual of washing one’s hands before eating was, in fact, both ordinary and sacred.  This was another opportunity for Jesus to speak for integrity, transparency and consistency in all we do.  St. Luke often puts these dialogs between Jesus and the Pharisees in the context of a meal.  The Gospel context itself thus invites us to hear the challenge of Jesus as Eucharistic, where what is as ordinary as a meal, is really something so much more. 

The Eucharistic meal is a model of life itself for people of faith. We assemble ourselves around the table of The Lord as simply the people we are, without distinctions or exclusions.  No one is less clean or less worthy because The Lord has invited us all to the banquet.  Let us respond with faith again today invitation: "Come to the feast!"

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is a member of the Provincial Council and lives in Chicago.

Scripture:
Wisdom 7:7-11
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

Reflection:
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus, looking at him, loved him.

Jesus didn’t love him because he was good or because he knelt before him, or because he had been obedient from childhood, or because he was rich.

No.

Jesus just loved him.  He loved him with an agape, unconditional, love.

Jesus looks at us and just loves us. 

Running up to Jesus, we fall to our knees and ask the eternal question.  Jesus answers by revealing our attitudes, exposing our priorities, digging beneath layers that separate us from true discipleship – public piety, moral accomplishments, and political correctness.

He tells us the truth about ourselves, about what we lack and about the possessions that posses us.

 Jesus then invites us to follow him, to join him on the journey, to enter the Kingdom of God like a child, trusting, obedient and grateful to God.  If we follow, Jesus promises us the gift of eternal life.

Do we believe the promise?  Will we follow him? 

Or will we walk away in sorrow – dragging our pathetic possessions behind?

 

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

Scripture:

Malachi 3:13-20b
Luke 11:5-13

Reflection:

Two of the major themes highlighted by the evangelist Luke throughout his Gospel are prayer and the Holy Spirit. We have both of these present in our reading today. We hear Jesus encouraging us in our prayer to be persistent. I understand that the Greek here tells us to "keep on asking, seeking and knocking." Prayer is not a one time activity but a journey of faith and trust. Don’t let the lack of feelings or results stop you. One of the realities I love about St. Paul of the Cross was his persistence in prayer even when he experienced dryness. He endured into his old age and trusted all the way to the end of his life.

I get many prayer requests from people through my website because of my TV programs. Just yesterday I received a prayer request from someone unemployed, another for a son of theirs who has fallen away and another from a person about to undergo an operation. There are so many situations and a multiplicity of needs that people have. I certainly do intercede for these people daily. I know all of us are praying for our Fr. Jim Thoman recently diagnosed with cancer.

The thrust of this Gospel however, has more to do with intensifying our relationship with God. It was Matthew’s account of "ask, seek and knock" that was crucial in my own conversion at age 19. Luke further clarifies by changing Matthew’s "good things" that God will give us to "the Holy Spirit." What all of us really need is intimacy with God’s Spirit. It is the Spirit who invigorates us with passion, power and peace to live our vocations fully and achieve our potential. Most of all the Holy Spirit gives us what we all desire, a personal relationship with God. I invite you to be persistent and zero in on the person of the Holy Spirit. If you know how to give good things to your friends and family how much more will your Father in heaven pour out his Spirit on you!

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 12 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/