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Scripture:

2 Kings 2:1, 6-14
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection:

At one time during the First World War a young British Army surgeon was accompanying his senior officer-surgeon around the wards of the wounded soldiers. They had completed the wards housing the British soldiers and were now making a round of the wounded German prisoners. They came to a man with a badly damaged hand, and the senior surgeon upon a quick examination remarked for the notes “We can probably save the hand itself, but the fingers will have to be removed”. And then he walked on to the next bed. But the prisoner understood some English and his eyes met those of the young doctor as he pleaded “Please, I am a watch maker”.

Watchmaking as a profession has probably disappeared from our world, but in 1915 it was still a viable occupation and one that required surgeon-like precision and the obvious use of one’s fingers.

The young doctor was moved by pity and hurried after the senior surgeon to plead for the chance to save both the hand and the fingers. His appeal was not appreciated in a situation of limited resources of supplies and time – and after all this man was an enemy – but by persisting he won permission to try to save all of the hand. After much effort he did so.

Perhaps not surprisingly,  after the war the young doctor studied for priesthood and was ordained and ended his ecclesial life as a Bishop in the Anglican Church.

It often takes great courage to act against social expectations or one’s peer group or indeed the law itself.

One does not readily set aside any of the above, let alone all three at one time. Yet today we read of Jesus standing up to the letter of the law, the criticism of the Pharisees and the long standing traditions that surrounded the Sabbath.

But it is the statement of Jesus “… I desire mercy, not sacrifice…” that seems to give us the sound interpretive principle for understanding the motivations and perspective of Jesus. The disciples are innocent of any wrong doing – they are merely picking corn because they are hungry, yet there are those willing to ignore compassion and to condemn them for a minor infringement of the law.

The young doctor in the story above had understood this – he chose not to see an enemy, but a fellow traveller on life’s journey. He chose not to see a problem too difficult to deal with, but rather to see a need and a future life either ruined of saved by his actions. The young doctor understood the words of Jesus  “What I desire is mercy”… (not a slavish adherence to the letter of the law, or to peer expectations or social conventions).

Let us make this principle of Jesus the one by which we judge, interpret and respond to situations of need and challenge. At times it will take some courage to do so, but we can act knowing that we follow the teaching and example of the Lord himself.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30 – 19:3
Mark 5:21-43

Reflection:

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

Today’s Gospel selection features Jesus ministering to the pressing needs of large crowds of people – as well as individuals such as the synagogue official Jairus, his young daughter, and the woman with the persistent hemorrhage.  Each person saw in Jesus the opportunity to be fully alive and healthy, freed from the bonds of sickness and isolation and meaninglessness.  The crowds diligently followed Jesus on both land and sea; the synagogue official fell at Jesus’ feet to request a miracle; the sick woman quietly came up behind Jesus to simply (and anonymously) touch his cloak; the little girl was lovingly helped from her sickbed by Jesus’ own hand.

Each miraculous encounter was based on some level of faith in Jesus.  Jesus’ words to each of these people encouraged them to have deeper faith — and then to go and live that faith.  Fear?  No way!  “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”  “Go in peace…be cured of your affliction.”

Each of us has his or her special needs, and perhaps some fear.  We suffer with our Health, with a lack of Security or Meaning; we feel Alone; we lack true Love.  Our 21^st century world likewise has its special needs:  we yearn for hope, justice, freedom, leadership, a respect for life – to name just a few needs!  Jesus invites us all to come to Him with faith, leaving behind our paralyzing fears as we make our requests.  “Please, come…if I but touch his clothes…”

With supreme gentleness and selflessness Jesus offers us the healing power of His Love, manifested in His every thought, word, and deed – to the ultimate gift of His death on the Cross!  Jesus lovingly speaks to us as he did to the little girl:  “Talitha koum…little girl, I say to you, arise!”  Life and fulfillment are ours, in Jesus!

In these early weeks of the Church’s Ordinary Time, we are reminded of our rich blessings with God’s Life and Love in the person of Jesus!  As 21^st century men and women of faith, may we live and share that Life and Love with our sisters and brothers.

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” Psalm 51:1

How many times have we found ourselves in difficult situations? Our desires pull us one way and the Word of God comes to us, reproaches us and then we see with clarity the evil we have done, the wrong choices we have made.

This is what happened to King David, God’s anointed, in today’s first reading. These last few days, we have been reading the life story of King David during Mass. We read how he was chosen by God even though he was the youngest of his family, how he overcame the giant Philistine without the weapons of war and how he was loyal and faithful to King Saul, even when Saul wanted to kill him. God was with him. God protected him. God anointed him King of Israel. Who could have asked for a better life?

Then David did something stupid. He allowed his desires to overcome his good life and his good works. He takes the wife of one of his military officers, makes her pregnant and then has her husband killed. Maybe we haven’t done exactly the same thing, but we have acted in similar ways. We have allowed our vices and desires to overcome our goodness, made bad choices and have had to live with the consequences.

God needed to remind David of what he did. God did this by sending the prophet, Nathan, to confront him, using a parable of good and evil. When David renounced the evil in the parable, then the prophet showed David his own guilt. David’s conscience then got the better of him and immediately began to do penance. One of our traditions says that David wrote the Psalms we pray between the Mass readings. His Psalm prayer for today’s Mass is: Create a clean heart in me, O God!

How do we go about creating a clean heart for ourselves? Like David, we may live in denial for a while. It can be so difficult to admit to our wrongdoing. The first step toward repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation is the acknowledgment of our sin and our responsibility for it. Hardly any of us ever make it that far on our own. Let us not turn a deaf ear to our conscience and let us not harden our hearts toward the grace of God, whose love brings forgiveness and communion. This is precisely the moment we need Jesus in our lives.

When we are tossed about in turmoil and turbulence, like the disciples were in the Gospel reading for today’s Mass, our inability to confront the storms in our lives, compel us to Jesus, afraid and frightened. Jesus will not only rebuke the storm but may rebuke us also for being people of little faith.

Creating a clean heart within us will take the courage to acknowledge our wrongdoing and the courage to turn to the only one who can forgive us, our loving God. Then, we, too, will be filled with great awe!

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

Joshua 24:1-13
Matthew 19:3-12

Reflection:

A Living Commitment to Companionship

“Love consists of a commitment which limits one’s freedom – it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one’s freedom on behalf of another” (John Paul II, Love and Responsibility).  The above words of John Paul II can help us understand better the anthropological and theological meaning of today’s scripture readings. In effect, in light of such papal statement, we can say that God’s life-giving plan of creation and salvation is all about living a mutual commitment to companionship.  That is why today’s gospel alludes to the Book of Genesis by telling us, in Jesus’ words, that: “From the beginning the Creator ‘made [humankind] male and female’ . . . [so that] ‘a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'” in order to populate the earth and be God’s stewards of creation.

For the above theological and anthropological reasons, Jesus reminds us of the gospel words that are central to the Rite of the Sacrament of Matrimony, that is, “what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  Therefore, a married couple is to be “one flesh” living, under God’s grace-giving blessing, a mutual commitment to companionship.  For the purpose of marriage is that the couple gives each other their selves by mutually limiting their freedom on behalf of each other.

In a similar way, we see God being faithfully married to the people of Israel, whom Joshua summons at Shechem just to remind them that their living God has limited his own freedom on behalf of them.  In other words, because God is good and “his mercy endures forever,” as the Psalmist prays, we find in the first reading a saving God who is fully committed to accompanying his chosen people, from Terah’s to the Patriarchs’ to Joshua’s to our times.  For God reminds Israel that, “it was not your sword and your bow,” but I who “gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”  Likewise, we are reminded that it is not by our merits that we have what we possess, especially the most valuable nonmaterial things, such as faith, hope, love, unity in diversity, and peace, but by God who is just and merciful.

In conclusion, today’s readings, especially the gospel, tell us that any God-given Christian vocation is to be lived in communion with God and one another, as well as in service to God and one another.  We are to live a living commitment to mutual companionship, a sacramental communion in and through Jesus Christ, who is true man and true God.  Out of love, we are to live, as John Paul II suggests, a commitment which limits our own freedom on behalf of others.  For Jesus states, “whoever can accept this ought to accept it . . . for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.”  We should therefore reflect on and evaluate our own Christian commitment to love and serve God and one another.

Fr. Alfredo Ocampo, C.P., is a member of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:10-11
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23

Reflection:

My hope is that each person reading this is able to be more intensely conscious of God’s fertile Word always present with you and for you.

What is God saying to us through Jesus’ parable of the sower, who is sowing with abandoned, his seed? His seed is His love, His friendship, His wisdom, His getting us through tough situations, His intense interest in our lives, our marriages, our vocations (after all, He called us) are all available through His Word. The same Word that created the stars, the planets, our own lives, always available! “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will achieving the end for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11)

To highlight the utter value of the Word that is “sown,” listen to this story which comes from the late, Fr. Joseph Donders:

“A young man had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend – a very serious misunderstanding.

 He was upset about it, because it spoiled their relationship entirely, and he like her very much.

He tried to talk to her, but that did not work. He tried to phone her, but when he heard her voice, he did not know what to say, and he had to hang up. He tried to write a letter but when he finished, he tore his letter up because he thought it sounded silly.

Then he remembered that she liked roses, dark, red roses. He bought her a rose -only one, because roses were very expensive that time of the year. The man in the flower shop put some ferns with the rose and wrapped it in nice thin, green paper with a simple bow. The young man knew that this would work.

The young man went to her home and put the rose down in front of her door at the time he knew she would come home. He then hid around the corner, behind some bushes.

Then she came, as lovely as ever. His heart was throbbing, and he was in a sweat. She opened her purse and took out her key.

She opened the door and stepped inside, without having noticed his beautiful, expensive rose at all!”

What a disappointment, what a tragedy, what a letdown, what a missed opportunity!  But we do not know what became of the young man. If he has an instinct to believe that God does not abandon anyone, then he will accept this reality, as painful as it is. Knowing that it is in the terms of the parables and this story that God, that Jesus, that Matthew, wants to speak to our hearts, to get our attention. Think of the unseen, unheard, unfelt, untouched signs that you wanted to give to someone else that somehow got lost, missed, never noticed.

God gives us signs day after day, night after night, trying to get our attention. Like when someone asks you, “can we talk for a minute, just a minute, please?” Or, “Dad, I made a huge mistake and I need to tell you about it.” Or, “honey, you know we have not had the time just to talk about what matters to us.” Or, when someone in the family says, “Hey, I have this great idea for us to do.” Or, when a feeling comes over you, and you just want to be grateful to God, or to someone who never hears anything from you. Do you know what I am talking about?

Yes, we live as those who have eyes and see not; as those who have ears and hear not; not only as far as God is concerned, but even as far as the people around us are concerned.

Is not God trying to speak to us through others? Is not that what God tried to do through Jesus when he often “went out of the house and sat down by the sea?” Where are you and when God calls you to be in the presence of others, with Christ’s presence?

You and I recognize Him when we listen, look, see, pause and observe, and, yes, point His presence out for one another through our acts of kindness, patience, perseverance. Let go of your fear, God is behind it all.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Tobit 1:3; 2:1b-8
Mark 2:1-12

Reflection:

Today’s readings tell two stories designed to teach.  In the Hebrew Scripture, the exiled Tobit introduces himself, his background and works. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard.

Tobit illustrates, that through ordinary faithful lives- even in exile- the ancient traditions of fidelity to the law and compassion towards the neighbor are still part of everyday life for believers and are worth the risk to live out this spirituality daily, even in a hostile or foreign environment. Why?  To trust in God and to mirror daily God’s justice and mercy was key to Tobit’s character.   A question for our reflection:  Is this spirituality key to our own character and life?

Today’s gospel story is a commentary on the hostility of the Jewish leaders toward, not only Jesus himself, but it is also a comment on the harsh treatment given to God’s earlier messengers.

Returning to Jerusalem, Jesus is walking in the Temple Area . The chief priests and scribes approach him, questioning his authority. In response, Jesus speaks to them and to us in today’s parable.

We are familiar with today’s story and the images: The vineyard represents Israel; the owner is God; the tenant farmers are Israel’s leaders; and the beloved son is Jesus.  The owner leases his vineyard to tenant farmers and goes on a journey.  When the owner sent messengers for the “rent”, the tenant farmers seize, beat and send him back empty-handed.  Finally the owner, sends his son… and the farmers kill the son! As a result, the tenant farmers are severely punished and the vineyard given to others.

What might this parable say to each of us today? Who are the ‘messengers’ God sends us in our own life?  How do we respond?  Where does God send us as messengers of God’s love?

Scripture:

Hebrews 11:1-7
Mark 9:2-13

Reflection:

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” (Mark 9:6)

The readings for today’s mass present us with a moving sermon on the nature of faith and the beautiful account of Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor. In our first reading from the book of Hebrews, we are reminded that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” In the Gospel, we see Jesus taking his closest friends, Peter, James and John, up a high mountain where he is suddenly transfigured before their eyes. Jesus is seen talking with Elijah and Moses, two of the great prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. The disciples were overcome with fear and Peter began to talk nonsense. That is when God stops him cold. God simply says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Listening to Jesus is the same as listening to God!

Up to this point, the disciples were not good listeners. Jesus was going up and down Galilee and the surrounding countryside teaching and healing, feeding people when they were hungry and freeing people from unclean spirits and demons. Yet, the disciples were not listening to or understanding Jesus. On a couple of occasions, Jesus got upset with them He says in Mark 7:18, “Are even you likewise without understanding?” A few days later, in Mark 8:21, he says: “Do you still do not understand.” It seems that a stronger response was set off in Jesus after he told his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him. At that point, Jesus turns to Peter and says bluntly, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mark 8:33) After that, Jesus ^“summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.'” (Mark 8:34)

Sometimes God has to enter into our lives in a dramatic way to tell us to stop what we’re doing and to stop our gibberish. We need to take the time to Listen to Jesus, the Word of God, and his message given to us in the Sacraments, the Church and in the cries of the Crucified of Today. We really need to learn to listen with our minds and hearts so that we can do what we need to do as followers of Jesus.

The reason why we are not listening is because something is causing us to block God’s message to us. That would be our sin. To strip ourselves of our sinful ways is not easy. We may be able to cast aside the veneer, the façade but to do the inner work of finding the root cause of our sinful ways takes a great deal of dying to self and of taking up our cross to follow Jesus. This is ultimately a faith stance, something that we do in complete faith, not because we know the outcome, but because we just believe. It is not irrational faith, but a faith that goes beyond reason, beyond the senses, beyond the intellectual games we play to get around doing the inner work that strips us of our core sin.

We are so grateful that we follow a Jesus who knows and loves us so well, that he will not give up on us, just as he did not give up on Peter, James and John, when they were not listening. So, we do not give up. We get up. We follow Jesus. We try harder to listen to God’s Beloved Son. This is indeed our faith!

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California.