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Scripture:

Hebrews 7:25-8:6
Mark 3:7-12

Reflection:

Whatever happened to all those people?

In today’s Gospel, St. Mark goes out of his way to tell us that there were an awful lot of people who wanted to be with Jesus.  He tells us that “a large number of people” from Galilee came, as did a large number from Judea, as did a large number from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan River, from Tyre and Sidon.  People were traveling from north, south, east and west, streaming to hear Jesus, to be with Jesus to touch Jesus.

In our imagination we can see the constant stream of people gathering from all directions to be with Jesus.  And, Jesus was a bit intimidated by the huge numbers because he asked his friends to have a boat ready to give him an escape route so “they would not crush him.”  And this wasn’t the only time great crowds came to Jesus.  There were the 5000 fed on the hillside, the 7000 fed with 7 loaves and 2 fish, and don’t forget the crowds lining the road into Jerusalem who were singing hosanna and laying palms down in front to Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem.  Great popularity and adulation!  But, whatever happened to all those people?

We know they receded back into the countryside when the religious and political leaders began to demonize Jesus.  They were nowhere to be seen when Jesus went through his Passion and Death.  But when everything settled down again and the disciples continued to talk about Jesus and witness to His resurrection did many of these people return to their initial interest and become followers of Jesus once again?  It would not be a surprise to find out that some (many?) of them did.  From Pentecost on the number of followers of Jesus grew rapidly.  No doubt some of the people who were frightened off came back.

Being a Catholic follower of Jesus can be a difficult thing even today.  Sometimes we’re very fervent but there are other times when our hearts can grow distant.  The disapproval of our neighbors or our society, the scandals that happen in our Church, the experiences of personal disappointment, disillusionment, hurt or anger can all cause us to pull back from our faith, to recede back into the countryside.  The beautiful truth about Jesus is that though crowds of people came and went, Jesus stayed faithful to all of them.  Jesus stays faithful to us as well.  Perhaps our prayer today can be to ask the Holy Spirit to grace us with the desire to stay close to Jesus, even in difficult times.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Revelation 10:8-11
Luke 19:45-48

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, after Jesus has entered Jerusalem, He goes to the Temple. And He proceeds to drive out all those who are selling things. He also begins to teach every day in the Temple area. And Luke tells us that while he is doing this, the leaders of the people are seeking to put Him to death, “but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on to his words.”

Luke’s account brings up a question: “What do we hang on to?” Do we hang on to Jesus’ words, or something else? In our society, today is known as Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. It can be easy to hang on to word of the latest sale or the best deal. After all, there is shopping that needs to be done.

But even when we realize that the things associated with the holiday shopping season are not what are most important, it may be good to keep asking the question – What do we really hang on to for guidance or inspiration?

In our first reading from Revelation, the author has a vision in which he is told to take a scroll and eat it. He is told that it will first taste sweet, but afterward it will taste sour. The sweetness comes because the scroll indicates God’s ultimate victory. The sourness comes because there are predictions of suffering before that happens. I think we can be tempted to hang on only to those of Jesus’ words that taste “sweet” to us, and not those that challenge, or taste “sour” to us. But we need to hang on Jesus’ words of forgiveness and compassion and mercy and love towards others, even of enemies, as well as when Jesus comforts us and promises us salvation.

If we can hang on to the truth of God’s love for us, we can hang on to Jesus’ call to follow Him, even when it involves taking up our cross. We know that no matter how heavy our crosses may seem, they are not the last word. God’s love will overcome all! May we have the faith to hang on to that!

 Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the beginning of Jesus proclaiming “woes” to the scribes and the Pharisees for being hypocrites in their leadership of the people. In the last several verses, Jesus criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees on how they determine the value of oaths: “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated…And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'”

Jesus points out to them that what they value is not what is important. I see this as a challenge to us because it is easy to bring the values of the world in to the practice of our faith. It is oh so tempting to try to manipulate the Gospel into justifying a desire for material wealth and possessions. As Christians, we are called not to let worldly values influence how we live our faith, but to let our faith influence how things are done in the world.

As we do our jobs, or seek employment, or attend school, or live out our retirement, we are to demonstrate forgiveness and mercy and compassion. Wherever we are, whether we are single or married, religious or ordained, we are called to love others as Jesus has loved us. Our trust is not in “gold” nor “gifts,” but in the God who has blessed us and given us the promise of everlasting life!

In the words of our first reading from 2 Thessalonians, may God “powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith” in and through our lives!

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

“For God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

There are times when I open the Scriptures and read the readings of the day, I become quite agitated. The Mass reading for today is one of those times. They are quite challenging. The first reading talks about arrogance. It describes people who are well off thinking that their wealth and good fortune comes from having superior wisdom and intelligence. Soon, they think themselves superior than God!

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us of the great challenge the rich have in getting into the Kingdom of heaven. To make his point, he gives an example. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

Needless to say, this teaching astonished the disciples. One of the great signs of God’s favor for them was the accumulation of wealth. They became concerned and went to Jesus with their anxieties. Besides, they saw themselves as the exceptions. They had left everything to follow Jesus. They had given up family, lands and wealth to become his disciples. They became concern that they would not be rewarded for their sacrifice. It just didn’t sound fair to them.

There are times when Jesus’ response is not so helpful at the moment. We usually want answers to our questions, and not proverbs. When Jesus told them: “For God all things are possible,” the disciples did not seem satisfied with that response. Peter goes on to tell him just how much they had given up in order to follow him, as if he didn’t know.

Jesus’ response should drive us to prayer. We will not understand it in a court of law, or in a universe where everyone is suppose to be treated with compensation. Our feeling is that if I do something good, then our earthly reward will be something good. But with Jesus, that’s not the way it works. Jesus asks us to look at life in a new way. Jesus wants us to recognize a new understanding of what constitutes family, blessings and God’s favor. It is not immediate gratification and it is not even what we deem is good. It is what God sees which God pronounces good. What we think is good is not always so good.

Being reminded that we are not god, that arrogance does not last and that our sense of reward needs to be rethought is not what we want to hear. But it seems to me that we cannot fully appreciate what God has done for us if we do not recognize our inability to see the role God has in our lives, in the life of the whole of creation and in the cosmos. Once we begin believing that only God is God, will we begin living as God’s loving children and realize our connectedness with the whole of creation.

Isn’t God great!

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

Scripture:

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
Matthew 12:38-42

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is asked for a sign, ostensibly to demonstrate that He is who He says He is. But Jesus replies, “An evil and unfaithful generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Then Jesus offers a parallel between Jonah in the belly of the whale and He in “the heart of the earth.”

There may have been times in our lives when we asked for a sign, especially at times when we were trying to discern God’s will. Does that mean we are an “evil and unfaithful generation?” I don’t think so, but you can almost hear the frustration in Jesus’ voice as He tries to point out that He is the sign they are looking for.

If there are times when we’re not sure of what direction God wants us to go, I can’t see that it is wrong to ask for a sign. But if we are at a time in our lives when we wonder whether God loves us or not, all we need do is look at the Cross! We can read the Scriptures. We can observe the beauty of creation. We can look at our lives, and as it says so famously in “Footprints,” we can see when Jesus was carrying us through our most difficult trials. These are the signs that God has already given us to show us His love! And there are probably so many small signs every day that come to us, whether it is an encouraging word, a hand on the shoulder, or even just a smile.

Some of the Pharisees just refused to believe in Jesus, and it wouldn’t have mattered what sign Jesus gave them. But for us who believe, may we have the grace to see and hear the signs, big and small, that God sends our way.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
Matthew 12:1-8

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 a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.