wpengine

Scripture:

Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34
Matthew 13:31-35

Reflection:

"Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold.  But now, if you will forgive their sin-"

 

We all know this story.  I can’t count the number of times I have read or heard reference to this famous narrative of the "golden calf" and its lesson about the worship of false gods.  Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and comes back to find the Israelites in obscene celebration praising an idol-an image of a calf fashioned from their golden jewelry.  The image is so popular that it’s become almost secularized, often used to refer to people’s obsession with wealth over more important, more enduring things.  So, I was surprised when a very different lesson struck me upon my most recent review of the passage.  Forgiveness.

Moses has just rescued his people from a life of imprisonment and slavery.  They witnessed the greatness of the Lord swallow up their captors with the waters of the Red Sea.  But life is rough out in the desert.  Food and water are scarce, and the people are restless and unsure of their future.  So to ease their fears, the Israelites fashion a gaudy statue for praise and worship.  When Moses comes upon this scene, he is so enraged that he breaks the tablets upon which the Lord has bestowed the Ten Commandments. It almost seems like this could be the end of it all right here.  But he doesn’t abandon his people.  Instead he goes back up the mountain-this time to beg mercy for the weak and foolish Israelites.

So, Moses asks God to forgive what seems like the unforgiveable-a betrayal of the God who saved them from certain death.  Remember that Moses’ relationship with God is a new one.  He didn’t know what the answer would be.  Would God give pardon or punishment? 

Perhaps in my more self-righteous youth, I focused on the sins of the Israelites.  It was easy to point to the failings of others.  But now, I find myself understanding the hope for mercy and forgiveness and the pain of wondering if such mercy will be forthcoming.  Am I worthy of forgiveness?  Is there some limit to God’s compassion?  Am I asking too much of God?  In other words: Will God forgive me my sins?  I am sure we have all sat in the heaviness of this silence waiting for God’s answer.

But God’s answer to Moses-and to all of us-has already come in the form of the sacrifice of his only Son.  The power of God’s word, sown in our hearts like the tiniest of seeds, will grow and flourish.  Its branches will be tall and strong and give shelter and comfort.  Through faith in Christ all things are possible, whether it be the transformation of a tiny seed to a majestic tree or the forgiveness of great sin.  Now, we need only sow the seed.  

 

Marlo Serritella ([email protected]) is on the staff at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

2 Kings 4:42-44
Ephesians 4:1-6
John 6:1-15

Reflection:

I write this reflection from a Benedictine monastery perched on a mountaintop in Big Sur, California-overlooking the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.  Having traveled to the Holy Land, I can attest that my current landscape is very similar to the prospect enjoyed by the faithful gathered with Jesus as described in today’s Gospel reading. 

During my present retreat, I took time to read and reflect upon Pope Benedict’s latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate-hot off the press. In many ways, Charity in Truth connects beautifully with today’s gospel reading.  It is emphasized in the encyclical that the transcendent is made known through our quest for knowledge of God in communion (as a community.)  The breaking of bread brings hope and builds the community of faith in our world. 

Today’s reading from Matthew which describes the multiplication of the loaves and fish (also related in the gospels of Mark, Luke and John) challenges each of us to consider how we can provide for our hungry world-both literally and spiritually.  Clearly, charity in truth as revealed in the multiplication of the loaves and fish, provided an important revelation of God’s mission in our world-and our mission today as disciples of Jesus Christ.  We are called to be in communion with our world and to care for our human family.  Pope Benedict’s encyclical reminds us of our rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching and inspires us to live out this call.

At a Passionists meeting a few years ago, UN delegate Fr. Kevin Dance, CP, reported some alarming statistics.  790 million men, women and children were suffering from malnutrition and starvation, and 1.3 million people lacked access to clean water. And, by 2012 the population of the world is projected to be 7 billion, and ½ of these people will live in extreme poverty.  Recently published statistics from the UN project that we will soon have over 1 billion individuals suffering from hunger.

Like the disciples in today’s gospel, we too may feel overwhelmed and discouraged when confronted with the enormity of the needs in our community and world.  "Send the crowds away" might be our response as well.  But, if we are truly called to be a living Christian community, we must reach out beyond our boundaries-as Jesus modeled.  Our commitment to a Eucharistic life must inspire us to take action on behalf of those in need.  May our communal actions be inspired by Caritas in Veritate…Charity in Truth! 

(Written on the Feast of St. Benedict.)

 

Angela Howell ([email protected]) is a retreatant and volunteer at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b
Matthew 13:10-17

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples ask Jesus, "Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?" In response, Jesus says, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted…This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen and understand."

All this begs a question. If the disciples were given knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, why were Jesus’ parables handed down through the centuries to disciples like us? Could it be that there are times when we look but do not see, or hear, but do not listen?

A case in point is another verse in our Gospel passage. Jesus says, "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away." That sounds a lot like "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." There is a temptation, I think, to read Jesus’ words and take them one of two ways. One is to somehow see Jesus approving of the rich getting richer. Another way is to see Jesus resigned to the harsh  reality of how the world works. But Jesus is not talking about material wealth here. He is talking about the desire to know and understand more deeply the "mysteries of the kingdom." Those who seek more will be given more.

And so I don’t agree with those interpreters of the Gospel who see material wealth as the sign of God’s blessing. As the hymn says, "The Lord hears the cries of the poor." I also don’t believe Christians are to be resigned to the injustices and sins that lead people to stay in poverty. The status quo is not the kingdom of God.

As long as there is the temptation to close our eyes and our ears to the challenges of the Gospel, we will need to hear the parables Jesus tells us. But we need not despair. God’s love and grace has been granted to us in Jesus, and in Him, we can grow in knowledge and wisdom, and be better able to share the Good News. 

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is pastor of Holy Family Parish, Fairfield, Alabama.

Scripture:

Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
John 20:1-2, 11-18

Reflection:

"The Lord gave them bread from heaven." Ps 78: 24b

In this story from the Old Testament, the Lord fed his people with bread from heaven each morning. Today, in our time, the Lord gives us Himself each day in the Eucharist, also bread from heaven.

In March 2000 Jim and I were on a prayer team for a high school retreat. During that weekend I got to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in a little room in a rustic cabin. I would like to share the reflection that I wrote during that prayer time.

"Here I am in a cozy little room with soft lamplight and the sound of a stream rushing by right outside the door. The peace in this room is tangible. The presence in this room is holy – Holy – HOLY for to my right on a small makeshift altar is what appears to be a tiny piece of bread imprinted with a cross. Such a small thing, and yet now containing so much!"

"For this bread is a consecrated host. It is the place where all love dwells, where the One who gave His life willingly for us now resides. Here is my Lord and my God – Jesus Christ – immortal, holy, awesome God! Here is the Lamb of God. Here is Emmanuel – truly God with us. Here is the One who set this whole universe into motion, who formed the depths of the sea, who created all living creatures and our own incredible intricate physical bodies. And here He is in this host that someone will consume, for He is giving Himself in this way to bring us life. He is now food for our journey. His presence in the form of this bread will become a part of us physically – His atoms mixing with ours. And one day we will be like Him for that is the work He must do in each of us. He will help us to become like Him – day by day, step by step, molecule by molecule."

"Lord Jesus, thank you for making yourself – body, soul, blood and divinity – so available to us; so near to us; so touchable; so simple; and yet so totally mystery and unfathomable. Jesus I adore you and everything within me cries ‘Holy’."

Thank you Lord for our church which makes your gift of "bread from heaven" available to us each day.

 

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 her website: www.jcarleton.com or email her at [email protected]. 

Scripture:

Exodus 14:21-15:1
Matthew 12:46-50

Reflection:

One of the fascinating moments in the take-off of the space shuttle from its launch pad is the explosive release of energy powering the huge craft upward at an incredible speed, breaking the prodigious pull of gravity as it spurts forth into freedom high above the earth.  We never tire of our fascination with this triumph over the powers of nature.

Today, our bible readings address something comparable, but on a different level of human achievement.  There is no issue here of coping with nature’s inanimate force, but there is an equally familiar encounter with the pull of the human factor upon the freedom of our movement toward God.

In the reading from Exodus we hear again of the remarkable flight for freedom achieved by the Israelites against the overwhelming force of the Egyptian army.  This escape has become the classical example in world history of incredibly unequal forces pitted against one another, but with the outcome favoring the weaker.  There were many factors militating against Israel’s success in this venture, mostly of a military nature; but not entirely.  There were other stresses at work too.  Their flight into the unknown, away from the secure (even though under conditions of slavery), their relative unfamiliarity with their new leader, Moses.  In years to come, as they wandered through the tortuous byways of Sinai, they would have occasion to yearn for the leaks and garlic they enjoyed on their table, in a timely and predictable fashion.  These bonds of the familiar and the secure continued to exert their influence on the Jews.  Despite their escape from bondage, there was still a tugging sensation of the secure in their hearts.

And in the gospel story, another kind of bonding confronts Jesus, as bystanders bring to His attention that His mother and brothers were close by, wishing to speak to Him.  This gave Him occasion to assess the matter of personal relationships in His life-and in the lives of us all-by establishing a new norm of bonding among those making their way, in His company, to God.  The familiar and comfortable links of blood had to give way to a new surge of energy powering a person toward God, by dint of establishing contact with the will of God.  Jesus assure us listeners that this power-source could effect an overcoming of the pull of human affection and catapult a person upward and outward toward a totally new experience of bonding.

These readings give us food for thought, springing us free from the familiar table set before us in familial settings, and urging us to step into another kind of atmosphere that is less clinging and cloying than what we are used to, but one that is charged with an energy freeing us for great things ahead.

 

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:13-18
Mark 6:30-34

Reflection:

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." (Psalm 23:1)

Today’s Scripture readings reveal a God who cares deeply about us, about how we are being taken care of and about the kind of life that we are living.

Many of us want a God of quick fixes, a God who addresses my needs, my hurts, my sufferings. We want a God who intervenes in our life directly and promptly. We want a God who should spare us of difficulties, of painful experiences, of terrible human happenings that bring us pain and sorrow.

Instead, God calls people to shepherd us throughout our lives, people who will announce the Good News of God’s Love, people who will bring healing and salvation to our souls and spirits, people who will challenge us to change the way we live so that we can all be God’s children and we can all share in God’s blessings.

God cares deeply for all people and not just individual persons. God is vitally concern about our quality of life and invites us to become God’s people, a community of peace and justice for all, a community that Jesus describes as "the Reign of God."

God knows that people are the most vulnerable when they are hurting, when they are violated, when they are suffering deep personal pain. That is why, in today’s readings, God wants us to have the best "shepherds" to care for us when we are in these terrible situations, the best ministers who can bring about healing and reconciliation, peace and justice, indeed, salvation and redemption for all. That is why God has sent us Jesus, God’s Only Son, to bring us the fullness of redemption by an unconditional act of love. And that is why Jesus chose to die on the Cross. That is why we hold Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Mary, Jesus our Lord and Redeemer, as the incomparable model of the Good Shepherd. This is why Jesus’ heart was moved with pity when He saw the crowd coming to him and why He was willing to die on the Cross for our salvation and redemption.

God warns us of those "shepherds" who take advantage of our vulnerability to mislead and to mistreat the people of God. We know that these false shepherds are out there. Sometimes they mask themselves as leaders of countries and nations, or as powerful and wealthy people who defraud and accumulate riches by lies and deception. Sometimes they take the form of entertainers and popular personalities whom people admire for their God given talent. Most often, though, they are people like us, who preach the path of least resistance, the easy way out, the gospel of convenience and quick fixes.

When Jesus sent out the apostles to teach and preach and to heal and save, he was aware that there were scribes and Pharisees teaching and preaching and that there were priests and religious leaders who were offering sacrifices and prayers. But Jesus required a different kind of teacher, a different kind of preacher, a different kind of priest. He wanted apostles whose hearts could be moved with pity when they saw people suffering, who could bring words of reconciliation and peace where there was violence, shepherds who could bring everlasting life where there was death. He wanted us, his ordinary followers, to be his apostles, disciples, priests and prophets. Thus, we all are called to be Good Shepherds!

 

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

Scripture:

Exodus 12:37-42
Matthew 12:14-21

Reflection:

So often I, myself, and others have reflected, "Oh, I really missed understanding that person.   I was only looking at the outside.   Little did I know what was going on inside."   I had a gentleman share something that amazed me.   He said that he would automatically avoid any requests that his wife made of him.  These were not gigantic tasks: mow the lawn, paint the kitchen, etc., etc.  When asked why he excused himself, he did not have a really good reason except that "let’s get someone else…a kid in the neighborhood, or a professional painter.   Definitely someone else!"   This has gone on for years.  As he sat talking with me his face brightened as he said, "I finally realized that something that happened a long time ago was blocking my willingness to do something for my wife whom I love dearly."    He went on to relate that as a youngster his father repeatedly criticized him for anything he did.  Nothing was good enough in the eyes of his dad.  No matter what the young son did escaped this negative attitude.   It went on for years.     "Would you believe, Father that I realized this only two weeks ago?   I am 62 years old!  For years I have carried a fear that criticism was going to be leveled at me again."

Jesus, in the gospel today I see the Pharisees on the prowl to put you to death.   Yet you kept on with your mission of healing.   Oh, you told the people not to let the Pharisees know where you were.   Your time had not yet come.   The quote from the prophet Isaiah gives an insightful picture of who the "messiah" was to be.   You certainly fulfilled that description.   You grew into it -a month, a year at a time.   Nothing automatic about it.

Jesus, I pray for each and all of us who refuse to acknowledge our total selves at any given time.  Stuff gets pushed behind us.    Stuff from the past gets denied.   Stuff is avoided with emphasis put on the gaudy, the flamboyant.   The true self is divided and causes us to limp.  The awesome truth that you love us as a person gets overlooked.   Perfection is our desire.    Some things do turn out well but we are constantly "on the grow."  Some things take a while to hone.   Other things just simply show us that we do have some limitations!   That isn’t really a surprise.  But what a difference in the midst of it all to know that You love us as the person we are. 

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is on the staff of Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection:

Friends of mine recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Lake Tahoe.  The cool blue and aquamarine waters, reflecting the Sierras, were so peaceful.  As I walked along the lakeshore, someone said to me: "It doesn’t get better than this!"  I had said the same thing earlier to another person.  When we are in peaceful situations, it’s easy to feel, to sense, to exude peace.  Jesus says to us: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.  I have come to bring not peace but the sword."  I might be irreverent then, and respond: "Lord, give me a break!  I thought you always give peace."  Of course, Jesus does, in his own way, which so often surprises and baffles us.  He gives us peace, when, after reflecting on a family or community disagreement, we have the courage to ask for forgiveness.  God gives us peace when we reflect upon the lives of the prophets and how they persevered in getting God’s word across to the people (see Jeremiah 6:14: "Peace, peace, they say, though there is no peace").

Jesus’ peace is many faceted, giving us consolation in the midst of mourning, challenging us to confront injustice.  It is the peace we long for, not only for ourselves and for our own, but for whole nations, especially Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.  It is the peace that the Hebrew people, experiencing their cruel slavery in Egypt in our first reading longed for.

May the peace of Christ, la paz del Senor, fill our being.  May we be channels of peace to others.

PEACE.  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (anonymous)

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community stationed in Chicago, Illinois.