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Scripture:

Isaiah 22:19-23
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20

Reflection:

So many strange and wonderful Biblical events take place on the mountains, above the ordinary plane of human endeavor.  The Scriptures often challenge us to see the world from God’s eyes. 

Caesarea Philippi was a lush and sacred place in the foothills of Mt. Herman.  It is the location of one of the largest natural springs feeding the Jordan River.  In Greek mythology it was the birthplace of the god Pan.  In Roman lore it was given the name Caesarea after the deified emperor, Caesar Augustus, and later the name Philippi was added, after Philip, the son of Herod.  It was now in the time of Jesus the site of crumbling temples to ancient gods and broken images of once popular heroes. 

In a brilliant stroke of Gospel irony, Jesus seems to look away from the crumbling monuments and addresses two simple questions to his disciples: "Who do people say that I am?"  And, "Who do you say that I am?"  Whether it was due to the godly perspective of the mountainside or the dramatic examples of human mortality all around them, Peter clearly knew the answer.  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Then, in that place of sacred monuments, Jesus created another.  "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."  In this solemn moment, the Church founded by Jesus is given a message to live by.  We are built upon a firm foundation by Jesus and the Spirit.  But we are never to forget where our strength comes from.  The gods and heroes crafted in stone will pass away.  But by fidelity to God and God’s promise, what God has built will stand even against "the gates of the netherworld."

Thus we sing today’s responsorial prayer, Psalm 138.

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is on the Province leadership team and lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 43:1-7ab
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus has harsh words for the scribes and the Pharisees: "…do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice." Jesus criticizes them for their outward show of piety, and their love of public recognition without any real regard for the people they led. For all those who have leadership positions in the church, these words from Jesus are a warning to avoid similar kinds of behavior.

At the end of our Gospel passage, Jesus summarizes His warning in this way: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." We must be very careful here, because the temptation may remain to desire to be exalted. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a famous sermon on wanting to be a "drum major" in life, always wanting to be the one out in front of everyone else. And so we can think to ourselves, "Okay, in order to make sure I’m exalted, I must humble myself." This kind of thinking does not lead us to where we are called to go.

True humility comes from knowing that all we have and all we are comes from the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Whatever success we have had in our lives comes from using the skills and the gifts and the experiences that God has given us. The more we realize that fact, the less concerned we become about receiving the proper recognition we may think we deserve, and the more concerned we become about giving proper recognition to God’s working in our lives. We become less interested in being "exalted" at all. To be free from worry about our own "exaltation" is a great gift! May God lead us to true humility and service of the Gospel.

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 22: 34-40

Reflection:

Do you really believe that life is more powerful than death?  Do you really believe that good overcomes evil?  For all people, these real life questions must be answered regardless of what religion one may be.  All of us have had experiences of evil and good, and of life and death.  And interpreting these experiences as they actively affect our belief systems is a requirement for all people. 

We see the same theme in the scriptures today.   Ezekiel, in that famous prophecy over the bones has the ability to prophesy over the bones and call them to life.  It happens in a time when in Israel there seems to be absolutely no hope.  Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians; exiled in a foreign land.  In doing so they had lost everything that the LORD had given them for the past 1000 years.  They had lost the land, the temple, the ark of the covenant.  They started out as slaves in Egypt and now they found themselves as prisoners in another foreign land.   They were in a most hopeless situation.  It is here, in the midst of hopelessness that Ezekiel begins to speak.   If God can take bones, old dried up dead men’s bones and put flesh on them and bring them to life with spirit—- If God can do that in an absolutely hopeless situation, then what can God do in your situation?   Because your situation isn’t nearly as bad as decayed bones. 
 
Today’s gospel is the third in a series to trap Jesus.  It starts with Matthew 22:15, "Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech" So Matthew gives us three accounts of how either the Pharisees or the Sadducees will try to trick Jesus.   The goal is to get something against Jesus, something they can charge him with, a way to get rid of him.   When they bring a very well educated scholar of the Jewish law up against Jesus.  This man is certainly not looking for a change of heart.  What he and his colleagues are looking for is a way to trick Jesus.  They are playing a head game.  Jesus’ answer takes the question to the level of the demand and choice to love. 

It is a most challenging answer.  Because when I am in a situation of darkness,  when I feel completely lost and I don’t know where I’m going, when I’ve tried every option and possibility I could ever imagine, when I’m surrounded by an ocean of hopelessness, will I have the conviction to love? 

Does good really overcome evil.  Is light really more brilliant than darkness?  When I’m surrounded by death and darkness how does my belief system respond?  Do I buy into the hopelessness?  Or do I find a way to love, to breath life into the death of the situation?  Today as the church remembers the Queenship of Mary, we look to her as a model of one who discovered hope and believed in it.  

What is the situation or incident of death which the Lord is asking of you, bring life into death.  Breathe life into that situation of death. 

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 36:23-28
Matthew 22:1-14

Reflection:

It’s fun to wrestle with the paradoxes of Scripture. At one point Jesus says, "Peace is my gift to you, my peace I want to leave you," but in another place Jesus says, "I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword; I
came to divide father against son."  In the Letter of James the author states that faith without good works is empty, but in some of St. Paul’s Letters we hear that our salvation is not in good works but faith.

In last Sunday’s Gospel Jesus spoke to Peter as rock, and in today’s first reading we hear the Lord takes away our stoney hearts. Paul separates flesh and spirit, but we also hear today the "hearts of flesh" imagery.

The life of St. Pius X whose feast we celebrate today, enfleshes this ambiguity, perhaps paradox – his life of tremendous reverence for tradition, yet open to radical changes. We learn in visceral ways the
"both-and" rather than "either-or" path of true discipleship. And maybe the truly whole or holy is recognizing the nuanced way that many are called, but few chosen.

 

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is pastor of St. Agnes parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Feast of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Scripture:

Ezekiel 34:1-11
Matthew 20:1-16

Reflection:

Well, it happened!  The whole world watched Michael Phelps swim into Olympic history and claim the title of "the greatest Olympian of all time!"  While we watched this amazing athlete surely we were thinking to ourselves, "He can do it all!  No matter what the event, he really is the greatest!"  You may be surprised to discover that in other moments of human history there were other amazing people, holy people, who could justifiably be called, "the greatest".  These were men and women who, in the service of the Lord, simply seemed to be able to "do it all"!  This would certainly be true of the man whose feast we celebrate today, St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

Bernard was a twelfth century saint who guided the popes of his time, reformed a great monastic Order, was a great preacher, theologian, and scholar, and a fiery man who preached throughout Europe the call to the Second Crusade (for which years later he would have tremendous regret given the crusade’s sad outcome.)  Bernard’s contributions matched his greatness, even as he longed for silence and prayer within the contemplative, monastic life itself.

Now you may be thinking, "Well, I am no Michael Phelps and I am surely no St. Bernard of Clairvaux.  What does this feast have to do with me in my own humble life?"  I would like to suggest that there is a simple, but very clear and heartening message for each of us in our scripture readings for this feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.  In our first reading from the prophet Ezekiel, just at its conclusion, we are regaled with such assuring words:

            For thus says the Lord God: I will claim my sheep…I will save my sheep.  I           myself will look after and tend my sheep.

No matter who you are, whether you are great or small, the Lord, our Shepherd, will be there guiding us along the way.  After hearing the message from Ezekiel we are then lulled even more deeply into this great assurance with the words of Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!  Imagine!  Wanting nothing else but the Lord!  Yet, for me, the real clincher is found in the 20^th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.  In this rather complicated but only too human story we hear about those workers who, while working disproportionate hours, receive exactly the same pay!  When questioned, the landowner replies, "Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?  Are you envious because I am generous?"  And so we are reminded once again that the Lord is generous and lavish in his love for us — whether we win the gold, the silver, or the bronze!!  We are all the greatest in the eyes of the Lord.

 

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the retreat director at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalms 67: 3, 5-6, 8
Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15: 2-18

Reflection:

All four readings in today’s liturgy speak of the love of a God who has no boundaries.  The God of today’s readings embraces diversities: geographical, ethnical, and theological.  The passage from Matthew of Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman highlights these considerations and concludes that great faith begets miracles.

Jesus has just left Gentile territory. He is followed by the Canaanite woman who pleads with Jesus to cure her daughter.  The Jesus of Matthew emphasizes that primacy of Israel in the plan of salvation. The woman concedes the primacy of Israel but extends that to include others even if it be only the "crumbs from the table."

She begins her petition for her daughter with a prayer, kneels, and acknowledges Jesus as "Lord, Son of David."   Jesus is impressed with her "great faith."   

There are lessons to be learned from this woman.  We must be persistent in hope and prayer. We must acknowledge Jesus as the "Lord, Son of David" who answers prayers.  We must do everything in our power, she left her homeland, and trust in God’s generous bounty. We must not give up the struggle of prayer, and at times the struggle with God.  We must identify the Canaanites in our life and find ways to include them.  Who are the alienated, marginalized and ostracized I exclude from my embrace?  From whom do I withhold the crumbs of my faith?  my affections?  my respect and friendship?  Like Jesus, we can’t build walls and set boundaries.  The greater the diversity of peoples we include in our circle the more like Jesus we become.  The greater our faith the better the chances of miracles in our lives, and the more like the Canaanite woman we become. 

Therefore, let us grow stronger in our faith and persist in prayer.  Amen.

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P., Archivist at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Revelations 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 11: 27-28

Reflection:

The Solemnity of Our Lady’s Assumption is "the summer feast" for those of us in the Northern hemisphere.  I remember as a young boy, this feast, followed closely by the State Fair, marked the high point of summer activities and began to turn our minds to the things of fall.  Fittingly so, the Assumption is a gentle movement forward. 

The Gospel passage chosen by the Church for this feast is Luke’s story of the Visitation.  Though not Mary’s final passage to heaven as commemorated in this feast, there is movement in this story which has the same energy and excitement as her final journey into glory.  In Luke’s lively choreography, Mary appears to dance across the fields to share the news with her cousin Elizabeth.  At their meeting, the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps with joy in response to Mary’s surprise.  Elizabeth sings, "Blessed are you…"  And Mary "proclaims the greatness of the Lord".   

Mary is always our best and most authentic response to God.  She is also the best paradigm of God’s eternal caring for us.  It is all a journey for Mary and for us.  Sometimes it’s as slow and easy as summer giving way to fall.  Sometimes it’s as exciting as the gift of new life.  And finally, of course, it is as unimaginable as being taken up in glory into the arms of our Loving God. 

"The Almighty has done great things for me and Holy is His Name!"

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is on the Provincial leadership team and lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 28:1-10
Matthew 19:23-30

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks to His disciples about the difficulty of the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Some people interpret the image of "the eye of a needle" as a low or narrow passageway. But as others scholars say, we should accept the image at face value. Jesus is telling us that it is as difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven as it is for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye.

We can be tempted to gloss over how radical this statement is. The disciples themselves are astonished and ask,"Who then can be saved?’ When we get caught up in amassing wealth or material possessions it can be tempting to try to fit the Gospel into sanctioning our desires, and so it becomes easy to pass over Scripture passages such as the one we read today.

But if we take the time to listen to what Jesus is telling us, we see that what He says is true. Often our possessions can distract us from what is really important. Often having a lot leads us to wanting more, not less. When we hear, "The one who has the most toys at the end, wins," it almost seems reasonable.

The best way out of being seduced into a false notion of wealth and possessions bringing us happiness and security is turning to God in gratitude. When we are grateful for what God has given us, and we realize that all is a gift from God, the desire to have more has less power over us, and we are more attuned to the kingdom of heaven and God’s will for us. May God give us the grace to pursue His kingdom instead of the world’s riches.

 

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