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Memorial of St. Philip Neri 

Scripture:

Acts 20:17-27
John 17:1-11a

Reflection:

Today, the Church recognizes the life and contributions of Saint Philip Neri.  Not everyone is familiar with Philip Neri, but he is a special favorite of mine.  First, he is the Patron Saint of Rome-one of my very favorite cities in the world.  Secondly, he is a Patron Saint of pilgrims-at least for pilgrims to Rome.

During his lifetime, Philip Neri encouraged many individuals on their spiritual journeys and he set up "Oratories" to gather seekers and to provide them with spiritual direction, and opportunities for prayer and renewal.  My favorite Philip Neri story is how he sought to counteract the temptations of Carnivale by gathering youth to set out on a pilgrimage to visit the Seven Churches of the city by foot.  After walking many miles throughout the day, the young people were too tired by evening to indulge in the frivolity of Carnivale!  But, he was not a complete kill-joy.  Instead, he is also known to as the Patron Saint of joy and humor-qualities he exhibited in abundance.  We can all use a Saint that makes us laugh!  Appeal to St. Philip Neri if you need a smile or some lightness in your life.

Clearly, not all Catholics will have an opportunity to visit the Seven Churches of Rome in person.  While a pilgrimage to Rome under the inspiration of St. Philip Neri may not be in your summer plans, it is possible to make a "virtual pilgrimage" by watching a wonderful video produced by Passionists Father Victor Houglin entitled "Pilgrim Churches of Rome."  (Order form @ crossplace.com/catalog-jan-2009.pdf)  In an age of "staycations", we can still be active spiritual pilgrims-through reading, prayer, contemplative walks, and interesting audio visual aids. I highly recommend Fr. Victor’s production as an informative way to experience the richness of our Church history as told by this very insightful Passionists priest. 

Finally, in the spirit of St. Philip Neri, consider organizing an "Oratory" of your own.  Perhaps you might invite some friends and/or young people to gather in your home, retreat house or parish to talk about what they are experiencing on their spiritual journey.  We have much to teach each other!

Pilgrims blessings to you and yours!!

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 18:23-28
John 16:20-23

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus continues to talk to His disciples about His leaving them to go to the Father. One of the things He says is, "I have spoken these things to you in veiled language. A time will come when I no longer do so, but shall tell you about the Father in plain speech."

In His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus has spoken to us "in plain language" about God. He has told us that God’s power is not in violence or domination, but love. He has told us that God loves us to the point of sacrifice for us. He has told us that God goes beyond what is reasonable and safe in dealing with His children. He has told us that above all, God loves us.

At times when we may have difficulty hearing God speak to us, we need to look again at the Cross, and remember again the empty tomb, and realize once again the immensity and depth of God’s love for us all. And if we can accept that love, we are called to share it with others, speaking in the same kind of "plain language" that Jesus used, the language of action and sacrifice.

When we go outside of ourselves to serve others, we are speaking to people about God. When we live with integrity and honesty, we are speaking to people about God. When we carry our own crosses in faith, we speak to people about God. And when we have joy and peace even in the midst of chaos, we witness to our trust in the love and power of God.

In an era of "spin" and so many different ways of communication, the world needs the "plain language" of Christian witness. May the language of Jesus’ love be spoken through us.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P.([email protected])is the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, Fairfield, Alabama.

Scripture:

Acts 18:9-18
John 16:20-23

Reflection:

"God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise." PS 47: 6-7

Learning to praise the Lord in word and song has been a very important part of my spiritual journey and is now a big part of my prayer life. I grew up praying our traditional prayers, and I still love them and pray them every day. I especially like to pray the "Anima Christi" after communion. But I’ve also learned to simply praise the Lord… focusing on God’s attributes and getting lost in who God is.

I start saying the names of God and thinking about who God is…"Praise You Lord, You are the Living Word and the Bread of Life. You are my Hiding Place, my Savior, and my Provider. You are the great I AM. You are my Shepherd, my Rock, my Deliverer" and so on. When I focus on who God is, my heart starts rejoicing and I am filled with thanksgiving. I am then much more able to be quiet and listen to the Lord, or I can just enjoy basking in His presence. God is SO GOOD!!!

Praise ushers us into God’s throne room. We read in Ps. 100: 4, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Praise takes us right up to God’s throne! I can’t get in to see President Obama without great difficulty, if ever, but I can come into the courts of the King of kings and the Lord of lords whenever I want to!!! How awesome is that?

Another great thing about praising God in all situations is that it keeps our minds off of our problems. When we choose to praise God even when things aren’t going so well, we are trusting Him to provide for us and take care of things. It saves a lot of time and energy that we might otherwise spend worrying or trying to figure out the solution to the problem. Let’s praise God often for He alone is worthy of our praise. Let’s keep our eyes on God and rejoice in His amazing love!!!

I created a bookmark with many of the names of God found in a Litany of Praise. If you send me a SASE I will be happy to send you one. (You can get my address by emailing me.)

 

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:

Acts 1:1-11
John 16:6-20

 

 

 

Reflection:

The Easter event has fuzzied the notion of presence.  From the first encounter with the risen Jesus, people had trouble discerning precisely Who He was.  They somewhat identified Him, but there was a difference.

This Easter trait carries over into the scriptural accounts today, starting with Jesus’ words at the Last Supper about His visibility to His disciples.  "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me."  This literally happened during the days surrounding Easter.  Today’s gospel goes on, in Jesus’ words, to acknowledge that His followers will weep and mourn, but then counters by remarking that this grief will become joy.  Such exactly was the experience of the first seer at the tomb, Mary Magdalene.  Weeping, she was unable to discern the presence of the Person before her, but this soon turned into joy.

Paul rather vividly illustrates this "now you see me, now you don’t" experience, in today’s account from Acts.  Just arrived in Corinth from Athens, he continues his intense pace in preaching the gospel, moving about within Corinth itself, from association with Aquila and Priscilla, to teaming up with Silas, to housing with Titus Justus, to evangelizing Crispus.  Totally unlike his former Jewish compatriots, for whom spreading their faith by such missionary endeavors was virtually unknown, Paul engages anyone and everyone, regardless of race, with his message about Jesus as the Messiah.  He extends Jesus’ remark above about no longer being seen by leaving his Jewish setting, when he finally grasps how they oppose and revile him.  "He shook out his garments" and departed from them, allying with the gentiles.  Paul has an Easter sense of absence and presence.  Like the risen Jesus, he bestows it on willing listeners, but withholds it from those who close their ears to his message.

Easter prompts us to review our sense of Jesus’ presence, in word, sacrament, community and the poor.  Life tends to be fuzzy.  Easter challenges us to improve our focus on the risen Christ before us.

 

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, CP, [email protected], is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

Scripture:

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
1 John 4"7-10
John 15:9-17

Reflection:

The Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, tells us that on March 18, 1958, he was given a sudden insight as he stood on the corner of Fourth and Market (now named Muhammad Ali) streets, in downtown Louisville, Ky.  He was "suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people…"  He found them "walking around shining like the sun."  This graced intuition led him to redefine his monastic identity, putting greater involvement in social justice issues.

This kind of breaking more fully into God’s world, sharing God’s vision, is something we all experience in many different ways.  Some, like Merton and Dorothy Day, have these profound experiences locked in a moment of time.  I believe that most of us grow and mature into these "new visions, new worlds" more gradually.

In today first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we find good old Peter, deeply formed in mind and heart by his Jewish upbringing.  Salvation was for the Jews.  All of a sudden he was looking through the lens of Jesus-given faith.  Like looking through the Hubble telescope, he was seeing new worlds.  God was going crazy loving everyone.  "I begin to see how true it is that God shows no partiality.  Rather, the man of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to him."  The Holy Spirit was falling on people left and right.  Peter had trouble keeping up with God.  He quickly made the decision to give baptism to the family of Cornelius.  He responded in the Spirit, but later on his logic and enculturation caught up with him and stirred doubts and questions that he would need to resolve.

The most delicious grace I have received in recent years, is the intuition that shows me that God is at work calling all people, no matter what religion they belong to.  It is true that through Jesus all people are saved but God is mysteriously marvelous in the ways used to offer that call.  Pope John Paul II’s loving call to the peoples of all religions, East and West, freed my mind to let the Holy Spirit move my soul and get me genuinely excited about the unity I feel deep down with all peoples.  To be able to hug and embrace all peoples and believe in an eternity together, is and will remain a great grace given to me.

 

Fr. Blaise Czaja, C.P. gives parish missions and retreats.  He is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:

In the immediate context before our current gospel reading Jesus announces that he is the vine and we are the branches. (John 1-11) He tells his disciples to remain always connected to him as branches that share the life force of the vine stock. He invites us to "abide in my love."  Whoever remains in him bears much fruit. As is characteristic of the Fourth Gospel what is emphasized is an individual, personal relationship of the disciple to Jesus as the source of his/her life. The perspective widens with verse 12 with the new commandment, "love one another as I have loved you."  Now we see that it is not just Jesus and me. We are invited to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters as he did. But almost immediately we are called back to that personal relationship of being friends of Jesus. He has revealed to us everything he learned from is father. He has shared his mind with us, and has opened his heart to us. He has personally chosen us and then commissioned us to go out and bear fruit. We are his ambassadors. The fruit we are commanded to do goes out into the community as the passage comes to a close. "Love one another."

The Fourth Gospel does not give us those practical guides to loving as we find in Paul’s hymn to agape in 1 Cor 13. We are on a deeper level. John’s basic idea of love is the sharing of life together in concern and understanding. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share their life together in love. This is what every married couple is called to. This is what every community of believers is to strive for.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8

Reflection:

Harold, of the Trappists in Vina, California told me that their yield last year was about four and a half tons per acre.  I was impressed.  Think of all the wine they could sell! 

When I made retreat there in March, some of the community were pruning the branches from last year in advance of this year’s new growth.  I was able to join them in this work.  Pruning is an art, getting the branch trimmed at just the right spot to insure good growth.  Then, we raked the trimmed branches to the end of each vine row.  I’ve thought since of how God prunes us…by the insight of a friend or spiritual director, by an insight in prayer.  Usually, this pruning is gentle, yet sometimes it might be difficult, like staying with an exercise/diet program.  Jesus tells us to remain in Him as branches on the vine…branches that are pruned daily by prayer, eucharist, family and community life.    

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul, Barnabas and all of the early church had to deal with the issue of some wanting to insist on circumcision for the new members of the church.  They had to discern God’s will through prayer and discussion…what was absolutely necessary to be a member of the church and what was not.  Paul would later say in Acts that this burden was not necessary for new converts.

Today is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.  Mary told the young shepherds to offer their prayers and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and for world peace.  This is a gospel way of realizing that we are all branches connected to the vine.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a

Reflection:

The early Christian community struggled to establish itself amidst many conflicts. Not only were there external threats, but the community was susceptible to internal animosity, bitterness and greed. Yet in the midst of skirmishes and scuffles, as the Acts of the Apostles assures us, the Spirit surged forth in new life and new forms. The Spirit of Christ was continuing to shepherd the community.

Perhaps that is why Psalm 23 is the favorite prayer of many people. "The Lord is my shepherd" is the go-to-psalm when life feels overwhelming, when adversity seems to be crushing our hopes, or when we sense we have lost our way. The images in Psalm 23 are graphic and gripping metaphors of peace. It promises the pleasure of abiding in verdant pastures; the delight of relaxing beside restful waters; the assurance that a table of plenty will be provided amidst our foes.

How do we get there? How do we find that place of tranquility and satisfaction promised by the good shepherd and manifested in the early Christian community? How do we come to experience the peace which Jesus promised?

The answer is revealed in the second line of the psalm – "I shall not want."

The wanting-mind is the cause of so much agitation and misery. By simply observing our mind we will discover that whenever the mind wants something to be different than it is, we suffer and we are miserable. Two conditions provoke this insatiable wanting: when we have something we do not want or when we want something we do not have. Either situation creates a tension in the mind called misery.

When life goes our way and we get what we want, the mind is peaceful. But do not confuse that with the peace which Jesus promised. Yes, the world gives us peace when we get what we want. But Jesus promised a peace which the world cannot give. That is the peace which comes when the wanting in the mind stops before we get what we want.

One of the great insights of the spiritual life is to understand the cause of suffering and how the mind can be free. It all comes down to a simple statement: I shall not want. The cessation of desires in the wanting-mind is a central feature of Easter peace. It is experience as the absence of fear and manifested in a heart that is not troubled.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, KY.