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Feast of the Holy Rosary

Scripture:

Jonah 4:1-11
Luke 11:1-4

 

 

Reflection:

All of Catholic Europe prayed the Rosary when Sultan Selim assembled a great armada to overwhelm Italy and the West.  On October 7, 1571 the Christian fleet under Don John of Austria and Andre Doria smashed theTurkish threat at Lepanto.  Pope St. Pius V made that day the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

In our time Pope John Paul II inserted the Five Lightsome Mysteries into the Rosary for our contemplation.  For the Rosary is not a mumbling of Hail Mary’s.  It is an invitation to come to know and absorb the light and strength that Christ continues to share with us.  In the Rosary, we share Mary’s insights into the redemptive love of Christ.

Pope John Paul II suggested that we contemplate the Baptism of Christ as he embraced his call to be a victim for our sins.  At Cana he advances "his hour" at the request of his Mother.  He ministered to the multitude in the wearying work of proclaiming the Kingdom of God pouring out forgiveness and healing ills of soul and body.

The Transfiguration reminds us that the Lamb to be slain is truly the Son of God.  The Institution of the Eucharist gives us Christ our Life.  All these Mysteries give us light and hope as we see the Love of God poured out for us.  These events took place long ago in a far away land, but they become alive within us as we murmur our prayers.

"As I live, you shall live."  Jesus is totally present in each mystery. If the repetition of the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries have become a bit dull for us, perhaps probing these Mysteries of Light can waken us to the many ways in  which Christ loves us now as he did when he celebrated these events in Galilee and came to the aid of a trembling Europe at Lepanto.  The grace and power of Christ are there for us even amidst the new perils of the 21st century.

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

Scripture:

Genesis 2:18-24
Hebrews 2:9-11
Mark 10:2-16

Reflection:

To Love As Does Jesus

The Scriptures present the richness of God’s love:  the Genesis story of the creation of men and women, with its dose of the beauty of sexuality and human desire; the Gospel presents Jesus’ very direct teaching on marriage and divorce, plus his simple teaching on being childlike to enter the Kingdom of God. 

The selection from Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus’ teaching about the facts of relationships, love and life.  We easily recall the beauty of a married couples’ wedding day and their profession of faithful love for a lifetime.  Today we see that it doesn’t always happen:  the contemporary challenges of love and life can either bring blessed growth, or all too often, separation.

The Scriptures remind us that marriage is not merely a "body-thing", or a "social thing", or a "secular thing" – but a God-thing.  The Genesis reading teaches that God wants marriage to reflect God’s love for all people, a love which never fails, and which grows and promotes life.  Marriage and the relationship of man and woman is a challenge — God providing the example and encouragement to be patient, generous, thoughtful, enduring, forgiving, fruitful.

The last section of today’s Gospel highlights another dimension of marriage and life:  children.  People were happily bringing their children to Jesus that he might bless them, but the disciples tried to keep them away so as not to bother Jesus.  Jesus’ removed the human "barrier" and invited the children to come to him, reminding us all that parenting children is enfleshing God’s love (the Kingdom) by being life-giving and joy-filled (some parents may question the blessing of teenagers…).

Jesus is the model for the love of both spouses and parents.  As members of the Passionist family, we see Jesus promoting "Life" in gatherings as in today’s Gospel, and as we look to Him on the Cross of Calvary.  Sacrificial Love brings about life…in everyone!

Today, may we be grateful for our faith and our vocation in life.  May we seek a deepening of love in our lives, asking God’s blessing on the beauty of sexuality and relationships, God’s blessing of faithfulness and fruitfulness, and God’s blessing on children of all ages.

 

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

Feast of the Guardian Angels

Scripture:

Baruch 1:15-22
Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Reflection:

Today’s feast of the Guardian Angels points to a surprising intersection between ancient belief and a central feature of modern, popular spirituality.  In the contemporary religious scene, angels are definitely "in", as TV shows, websites and blogs, pins and T-shirts indicate. What are we to make of this?

For one thing, this popular focus on angels tells us that, even in our seemingly secular culture, people experience divine presence and activity.  There is a mysterious, positive power that is felt and ‘seen’; it is found active in all dimensions of human existence.  Popular belief is echoing the Gospel story – God is for real and is active in our world.

And, popular attraction to angels is focused on our need for protection. Life is sometimes tough, unkind or cruel; we need more security than we can muster by ourselves.  Here, contemporary spiritual experience is catching up with the meaning of today’s feast.

In both Old and New Testaments, God’s provident care and compassion is often expressed through the activity of angels. An angel protects the three young men cast into the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:49); an angel counsels Joseph to protect Mary and the Infant Jesus (Mt 2:13); an angel supports Jesus himself in his garden agony (Luke 22:43); an angel frees Peter from prison (Acts 12:6 ff). And these examples just scratch the surface!

May today’s celebration deepen our trust in God’s protective compassion. Let us live in the conviction that our lives and destiny are cloaked in God’s invincible love.

 

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

Scripture:

Nehemiah 8:1-4A, 5-6, 7B-12
Psalm 19: 8-11
Luke 1-: 1-12

Reflection:

Our readings today reflect the spirit, depth of character and love of the young saint we celebrate today:  St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church ,who at 15 entered the Carmelites and died in their cloister at the age of 24.   A young woman of great love and fidelity in small things in every day life, Therese revealed her ‘little way" in her autobiography ‘Story of A Soul’.  Her "little way" was fidelity in the small things of everyday life with great love, trust and complete self-surrender to God.

Our first reading from Nehemiah, recounts Ezra’s proclamation of the Law in an open plain upon the Israelite’s joyful return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon.  "Today is holy to the Lord your God.  Do not be sad and do not weep… rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength…" Was that not the source of the joy and strength of Therese?  Is it ours today?

Our Psalm today is a hymn of praise of praise of God’s law as an expression of God’s will for God’s people… St. Therese and each one of us… refreshing our souls, giving wisdom to the simple, rejoicing our hearts… sweeter than syrup or honey from the comb… In the spirit of today’s reading… can we find joy in hearts that the Lord has for us this day?

Jesus in today’s gospel of Luke, appoints disciples, prays for them as He asks the Father to send laborers to proclaim His Kingdom… As each of us prays this Gospel…Let us put ourselves into this scene… we too are appointed to go… like Therese, whatever our circumstances of life… to announce God’s love, presence and Kingdom… bringing peace and God’s love … even in the midst of trials, sufferings…always with great love… with joy…. with trust in our God who sends us forth
today… and let us pray for one another. 

 

Marcella Fabing CSJ, is on the staff at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

 

Feast of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

 

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 7:9-10, 13-14 or Revelation 12:7-12a
Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5
John 1:47-51

 

Reflection:

Supernatural beings, particularly angels, continue to hold sway in popular culture. A 2008 survey in the US states that of the 1,700 polled – 55%, including one in five who say they are not religious, believe in a guardian angel. Our Catholic belief in angels can easily be traced back to our Jewish origins. With his book, The Celestial Hierarchy, in the 4^th century C.E., the medieval theologian Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite classified angels into several orders ranked by importance. Angels and archangels were considered to be of the lowest order, primarily concerned with the affairs of men.

Why the fuss about these three angels in particular? Perhaps because they are named specifically in the Scriptures, perhaps because they each perform certain functions -Michael as defender, Gabriel as messenger and Raphael as healer – and also more importantly perhaps because they demonstrate God’s supernatural care and concern for each and everyone of us.

The gospel today records Jesus meeting with Nathanial, Philip’s brother. Jesus sizes up Nathanial quickly and realizes that there was "no duplicity in him." Nathanial was not one to be taken in by fast talk and overblown promises. He was not one to believe in pie-in-the-sky stories so it may seem a bit ironic that Jesus ends his conversation with Nathanial telling him that he will see "the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Yet again, Jesus is making a significant point. Jesus is letting Nathanial know that to believe in him really means to embrace the totality of Him and his message. It is one thing to call someone a king; it is another to place your life at the king’s service. But as Jesus points out, once that is done, amazing things can happen!

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

 

Scripture:

Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Reflection:
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire."  Mark 9: 43-44

This past week, as I mulled over today’s readings, it was the passage from James that had me tossing and turning.  There is no subtlety about this message, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you."  It’s a fitting time to be considering such a fate, I suppose.  It seems as though everywhere you turn there is some new story of the "Wall Street" executives and their deceit and mishandling of other people’s money.  You know who I am talking about.  These are the people who live in palatial homes and have personal assistants, cooks and drivers.  My friends and I have wasted many of our conversations wondering how anyone could be so greedy.  They made it pretty easy to throw stones.

And then I started to think on it a bit more.  I’m sure that all the other times I have come across this reading, I have easily shrugged it off as not applying to me since I am not "rich."  But that’s a relative term isn’t it?  Don’t we still live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world?  Don’t most of us have shelter, running water, food? 

We have become a nation obsessed with scrutinizing the state of the economy.  I certainly don’t mean to minimize the real struggles for the unemployed, those without insurance or those who are living in fear of homelessness or poverty.  But the truth is, for most of us, we saw our 401k’s dwindle.  We saw our house values plummet.  We had  to pass on this year’s vacation or hold on to that old car for another year–not exactly huge sacrifices.  I may not have a cook or a driver, but I often spend $3.00 on a cup of coffee.  We are so fearful of not having enough.  But I would ask all of you to consider that you probably threw away more food this week than some families had to eat. 

But we’ve become so accustomed to planning–for retirement, our kids’ education, or just a rainy day.  Much of that planning revolves around financial security.  Sure, we go to church, we pray.  But, the question is, where are we really putting our trust?  We seem now, more than ever, to be looking for some guarantees about the future.  But James tells us that even gold and silver will corrode; "Your wealth has rotted away."  We have become experts on mortgages and mutual funds.  What about our souls?  I’ll be honest, I spent far more time this past month thinking about the money in my bank account than the needs of my neighbor.  So, how do we begin to change?

I think the answer, in part, comes in Mark.  I remember hearing this gospel so may times and thinking how harsh a solution it seemed–if your hand is sinning, cut it off!  But we all know that the hand or the foot is not the culprit.  I may pay for my Starbucks with the money in my hands, but it’s me–my heart and mind–making the decision.  Jesus isn’t really telling us to cut off our hand, then.  Rather, we need to cut off that which is causing us to sin–the desire we hold in our hearts.  It’s going to be difficult and painful.  We may even feel like we have lost  something important  to us.  But indulging ourselves in this life will bring much greater loss in the next.  

Let’ s remember that It’s not wealth itself that is sinful.  God has created us in his own image.  We have talents and gifts beyond measure.  For some, this means material gain.  But when we elevate our worldly possessions above God, when we put our faith in our checking account over our Lord and Savior, we have gone astray.  Think about all that you have.  Think about what your real fears are when you think about the need for financial security.  Open yourself to the possibility that faith in God is the greatest investment.  And you can take that to the bank. 

 

Marlo Serritella ([email protected]) is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

Haggai 2:1-9
Psalm 43: 1-4
Luke 2:18-22

Reflection:

In today’s gospel Jesus has just fed the 5,000.  Jesus goes apart to pray.  He then asks the disciples "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  Then He asks the disciples: "Who do you say that I am?"   After Peter’s confession, Jesus makes His first Passion Prediction. 

Luke has Peter’s confession take place where Jesus prays.  In other word, what follows is God’s plan for Jesus and His disciples.  Luke has Jesus ask what the "crowds" say?  Jesus is referring to those "crowds" who experienced the Miracle of the Loaves.   Luke says that the crowds say Jesus is "one of the ancient prophets."  In other words, Jesus belongs to the long lineage of prophets God has sent to save Israel. 

The Jesus asks the disciples: "Who do you say that I am?"  Peter says: Jesus is "the Messiah of God!"  Like Peter, our knowledge has to be first hand. Disciples need to have a personal experience of Jesus.  After Peter’s confession Jesus predicts His passion.    Peter was not prepared to hear this.  Jesus tells Peter to be a disciple one must "pick up their cross daily and follow Him."  As Messiah Jesus is faithful to His mission and it leads to the cross.  Jesus rescues humanity from alienation from God.    

One of the most important questions in life has to do with identity and relationships. If we are disciples of Jesus it has to be a personal relationship.  This relationship defines our values, priorities, and commitment.  We are called to be people of   prayer and to make our life decisions out of our prayer.  We are called to have personal relationship with Jesus.  Our discipleship allows us to daily die to ourselves in service to the "crowds," the others.

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P. is the archivist at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  

Scripture:

Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20
Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:

"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." Lk 8:19-21

When Julie was accepted to the Sisters of Life, we started hearing stories about the life of a postulant: no phone calls, no email, and you only write home once/month. She even heard she might not be able to take pictures of us with her to the convent.

After her second visit to their community she told me about her final conversation with Mother Agnes. Mother said to her, "I can’t wait until the day that I can call you daughter." When she told me that I felt a stab in my heart and immediately I thought, no one else can be your mother – that’s who I am! How dare she?! Almost immediately the Holy Spirit whispered in my heart, "You will always be Julie’s Mom. There is room for Mother Agnes too." Of course, I knew it was true. And actually, how fortunate for Julie that she will be loved and guided by this holy woman!

Mary too must have felt something when she heard that Jesus said others were his mother. And all of us can often take something someone says wrong and be hurt by it. Years ago I took a little line from "God Calling" (my favorite daily devotional) and have tried to live it: "I refuse to be offended". Some days I have to say it over and over, but it’s a good one! It helps me to keep my peace and look deeper at what the person might have meant. It helps me rely on God when I don’t understand.

We are back from our trip to New York where we got Julie settled into the convent and met many of her new sisters. We loved every one of them, and came away knowing in our hearts that Julie is exactly where she is meant to be. We do still get to be her family, just in a different way, and our family is now 69 members bigger and richer! God is SO good!!! Oh, and she did get to take some pics with her. 

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 2, soon to be 3. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at janice@frcedric/org