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Scripture:

Ezekiel 18:25-28
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 21:28-32

Reflection:

We are reminded in Paul’s letter to the Philippians today that the model for a good Christian life should look like this:

          Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
                    Rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
                    Each looking out not for his own interests,
                    But also for those of others.

So, what is the path that Jesus calls us to trod with these words?!

It is easy to put money in the basket for the monthly St. Vincent de Paul collection, or bring food for the food pantry.  How much better would it be to challenge ourselves to take our good deeds one step further, maybe even two or three? We are all aware of the many needs all around the world. We cannot be expected to solve all the problems or make the world a better place overnight.

But, what about the needs of those closer to home?  In our families, parishes and communities?  Can we not ignore the unkempt appearance of the homeless person sitting on our church steps or outside of the grocery store, and instead offer them a chance to enjoy a home-cooked meal?!  How about sponsoring that family of five who cannot afford the parish school tuition cost thus enabling them to have a chance to get a good education?!

The holidays are coming and with that comes a plethora of opportunities to help others less fortunate than ourselves.  There is no shortage of help during this time for the needy. But what happens to those same needs when they come in January or May or July?  People don’t schedule to be homeless, sick, unemployed, etc. on a certain month or day!

Paul also reminds us that we must:

          Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.

We are not called to be Jesus, but we are called to be Christ- like in how we relate to our brothers and sisters who are having a rough time.  It’s amazing the difference we can make in changing our own attitude.  So often we settle for the easiest path, one that will be less messy or take the least amount of time.

If we are really serious about being a follower of Jesus, then it is time to throw away our agendas, conquer our fears and put those  ‘too busy’ attitudes aside.  Time to walk the walk instead of just talk the talk!  It has been said that all the promises in the world count for nothing if action does not follow.

We are challenged this day to put on Christ, to serve rather than being served.  Are you up for the challenge?!

 

Theresa Secord is a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11
Luke 9:7-9

Reflection:

Today we join our Jewish brethren in celebrating Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year! Also known as the Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets, it is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of humanity’s role in God‘s world. What a wonderful way to celebrate our beginnings!

Today’s gospel text forms the meat of the sandwich formed by the sending out of the Twelve (9:1-6) and their return (9:10-17). In this instance, the twelve are sent on mission, the return is interrupted by the question of Herod and the event of the sending out of his disciples is continued and completed by their joyful return. Jesus shares his mission with the twelve and there is success! Their success is the result of their personal experience with Jesus – nothing more, nothing less. As news of their success reach Herod’s ears, he is perplexed! He wants to meet their leader – Jesus. Who is this guy? He is curious…he wants to know…he wants to meet Jesus. And eventually when he meets Jesus, he would scoff and have a cynical laugh.

"The story of Jesus Christ is the most powerful in history and has directly or indirectly influenced every noble aspect of modern civilization." says Matthew Kelly, in his popular book, ‘Rediscover Catholicism’.  "But amid the hustle and bustle of our daily lives", he continues "it is easy to become distracted and distance ourselves from this story." He speaks of people who come by and continue to remind us of this story of Jesus. "Some of these men and women are the saints who have become household names; others are just ordinary people: parents and grandparents, nurses and schoolteachers, financial advisers and entrepreneurs."

A lot of people out there are curious, perplexed, confused and in despair. They want to know and experience Jesus. May our lives proclaim the story of Jesus! May it bring fresh beginnings in the lives of people!

 

Fr. Bruno D’Souza, CP, is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

 

Memorial of Saint Vincent DePaul

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8
Luke 9:43b-45

 

 

Reflection:

Follow the Ways of Your Heart

At the end of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians the author encourages the community with these words: "…Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good."  Those thoughts might astonish us, but they are similar to the opening of today’s first reading, "Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart."

I don’t know about you, and those who coached you through your formative years, but my novice master never once instructed us to "test everything, keep what’s good," or "follow the ways of your heart!" Yet, Sacred Scripture is replete with these pithy statements, stirring God’s people into trusting the profundity of their own human experience.

Whether you are a parent, or a pastor, a principal or president, those in leadership roles soon realize that to love someone means to empower them. We would like to shield others from failure and suffering, but sooner or later those in our custody will have to "follow the ways of their hearts."

Jesus offers a series of metaphors for the Kingdom of God in Matthew’s later chapters, and my favorite is the parable of the ten bridesmaids (Mt 25:1-13). It, too, includes the admonition to trust your experience. If you recall, five of the bridesmaids were wise and five foolish. Because the foolish ones failed to bring any extra oil for their lamps, when the groom was late, their lamps had gone out. Initially we might think that the five "wise" virgins should not have been so stingy! But this isn’t a lesson on generosity, it’s a narrative about wisdom, and that wisdom only comes from the precious oil of human experience. We come to understand that there are some things we cannot borrow, we must get our own. We cannot live vicariously, because the Gospel is not about virtual reality!  To mature in our faith we must know the experience of failure in a job, or betrayal in a love-relationship. That is why Jesus tells his disciples in today’s Gospel that he must be handed over. Other people cannot insulate us from that pain. Like today’s saint, Vincent De Paul, who was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity and known as the "Great Apostle of Charity", we, too, must follow the ways of our hearts.

 

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is the director of the Office of Mission Effectiveness.  He is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Galatians 3:1-5
Luke 11:5-13

 

 

 

Reflection:

He Fills the Hungry with Good Things!

Yesterday we heard Luke’s presentation of the Our Father, the prayer given to us when we meet Jesus, since it is part of the Baptismal rite. Luke’s version of the Our Father is rather matter of fact, but he follows it with an endearing parable, today’s gospel.

When we pray asking for our daily bread, forgiveness and deliverance from temptation, we can think of ourselves knocking at a door of a friend’s house at some inconvenient time. Although friendship will not make our friend hop out of bed or make the welcome all that warm, still he or she will come through. This parable connects our approach to the petitions of the Our Father in a personal way.

In two other parables Luke brings home how personal Jesus makes the Father’s response to us. There is the short parable of two debtors being forgiven. The question posed is: who will love more, the one who had the large debt or the one who had the small debt? The story brings its meaning into our lives. Despite being debtors, we personally meet the Father’s love for us in compassion and forgiveness. Also, there is the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Her perseverance wears down the judge and she wins. Do not each of us feel the sting of injustice at times? We need to persevere in not letting ourselves be diminished by it. In that perseverance we see our true selves. In God’s image we see ourselves as love by God despite evil.

Luke tells us to knock at the door. The Lord opens to us in our need and will never send anyone away empty. ‘He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty’ , not those who come knocking and are hungry(1:52). Into our empty hands the Lord will place a gift. Can we be sure that we will get something? Indeed. There are no tricks, no bad purpose. God does good like our parents, but Our Father will do good even beyond what we can count on from caring parents.

The Father will give us the Holy Spirit. This is something to look forward to as Luke’s Gospel and Acts continue. But as hearers of God’s Word we already posses this gift. So we can pray with praise, ‘Our Father in heaven, holy is your name’. May your kingdom come. Its fullness is with you now. May we who depend upon you for our daily bread, forgiveness and deliverance – gifts that bring us into personal dialogue with you – make your kingdom, this mystery of the presence of your love for us, present among all this day

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

 

Scripture:
Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Luke 9:51-56

Reflection:
Many people go through so much pain and suffering that, like Job, they cry out, "Why was I born?"  Like Job they’ve had enough.  They are longing for death and for the peace they foresee will come after death.  They have no hope of things getting better.

Job didn’t know that things would get better for him, but eventually they did.  Job repented of all his complaining, "and the Lord restored the fortunes of Job." (Job 42:10)

Compare Job to our Sorrowful Mother.  She underwent excruciating pain on Calvary, watching her son suffer and die. The Thirteenth Station, the Pieta, reminds us of her great suffering.  Yet, unlike Job, Mary knew something.  Mary knew what St. Paul was to later proclaim, that "in everything God works for good with those who love him…" (Romans 8:28).  So Mary waited, and hoped, and hoped.  And Easter came!  "In everything God works for good…"

In our extremely tumultuous times, when it seems things can’t get much worse, we need a vision of hope. This hope was well stated by Mahatma Gandhi who said, "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always."

This same hope was also expressed by J.R.R. Tolkein when he said, "All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual success – in vain: preparing always the soil for unexpected good to sprout in."

At times we may tempted to throw up our hands and say, "Enough.  Take me, Lord."  At that moment the Lord may reply, "It was for this that you were born.  I need you to be a beacon of hope for my people.  Let my light shine through you.  My power will prevail."  

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

 

 

Scripture:

Proverbs 30:5-9
Luke 9:1-6

 

 

 

Reflection:

Biggest Mistake of My Life

If I asked what the biggest mistake of your life was, doubtless all of us would have quite a story.   If we asked Holy Scripture the same question we would get a clear answer.   It would be not to welcome the Son of God into our life.  In today’s Gospel we hear: "And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." Luke 9:5  In other words if people reject Christ you don’t even want their dust on you because of the immense tragedy that will befall them and even where they live!

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Scripture:

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ family comes to see Him, but the crowd around Jesus is so big they can’t get to Him. So Jesus is told that they are waiting for Him outside. Jesus’ response is not to stop everything to see them. Rather, He says something that probably caused the people there to wonder: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

I can’t see Jesus as dismissing His blood relatives. But at the same time, He is saying that His love goes beyond blood relations. And perhaps He is telling us what it means to be in a relationship with Him. Perhaps another way to say this is to imagine Jesus saying to us, "Those who want to have an intimate relationship with me must really listen to what I say, and live their lives accordingly. You must be willing to act on the words I give you. You must be willing to love each other."

Like Jesus, we are to look beyond members of our family, or members of our church or group, or members of our country, and see our sisters and brothers everywhere. And seeing them thus is to lead us to action. As we hear in our first reading from Proverbs: "He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard."

We need grace to see as Jesus sees, but we are not lacking in grace! For the One who looks on us with an incomprehensible love will give us what we need to "hear the word of God and act on it."

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is on staff at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:6-9
Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20:1-16a

Reflection:

Last week I attended a meeting related to an initiative sponsored by the Brightmoor Pastors’ Alliance called "Present! In Brightmoor!" It’s an effort to increase school attendance in the neighborhood. The meeting was held with people from Southwest Solutions, which is also interested in helping schools. We had a great nationally known speaker, and the meeting was very good. It was held at the UAW local in Dearborn. Along the corridor were pictures of the UAW, mostly chronicling the struggles, which included some violence, to unionize Ford Motor Company. Last year, Michigan became a right-to-work state amid a lot of controversy, but Detroit is still probably considered a union town.

I write all this not to launch a debate about labor unions, but to note that if we read the parable that Jesus tells in Sunday’s Gospel reading (Matthew 20:1-16a) on a surface level, it might seem anti-labor. In the parable, a landowner hires workers for his vineyard at several times during the day, beginning at dawn, and ending more or less at dusk. The ones who were hired last got paid first, and received a whole day’s wages. When the ones who were hired first got the same pay they were upset with the landowner for not giving them more. After all, they worked all day, and the last group only worked an hour or so. The owner’s response might seem a bit harsh, or at least insensitive: "My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?" And then Jesus says, "Thus the last will be first, and the first will be last." Technically, the landowner is not cheating the first group, but to our ears, it still sounds unfair.

It would be unfair, I think, if Jesus was only talking about the labor practices of a landowner and people trying to earn a living. But Jesus is not talking about those things. He is talking about the "kingdom of heaven." If we think about the kingdom, we realize that there is no way we can earn our way in. Yes, we are called to work for the kingdom. Yes, we are called to serve God and others. Yes, we are called to follow Jesus. But I don’t see living out our vocation as Christian disciples as the way to get a spot in heaven. We do the work we do, and serve the people we serve, and follow Jesus, out of response to the love God has for us in Christ Jesus, not in order to earn it. This doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. If I love God, I will serve Him, hoping to be with Him forever. If I love Him, but have no interest in serving Him or loving my neighbor (which is pretty much the same thing), then I might have to look at how much I really love Him and what I have really chosen in my life.

If we see the kingdom as being with God forever, would there really be different levels of eternal happiness? If I’m in the presence of a loving God for all eternity, would I really care if someone came after me or before me? I would just be happy to make it and join in their joy that they made it. Only human beings would try to come up with ways to lord it over others, even in heaven!

Look at St. Paul in our second reading from Philippians (1:20c-24, 27a). He writes, "For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit." Paul can hardly wait to be with Christ. There’s no mention of being first or last. He wants to enter the kingdom, but he chooses to do God’s will.          

May we be willing to work for the sake of the kingdom, and be ready when God calls us home.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is on staff at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.