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Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Luke 2:41-51

Reflection:

Today as we celebrate the Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, we pause to reflect on Mary, the Mother of God and what place she has in our lives.  In the Gospel of Luke we hear the familiar story of the holy family going to Jerusalem for the Passover and after it was over, they traveled home thinking all the time that Jesus was with the group of family and friends they were traveling with.  It is not hard to imagine their fear and frustration they upon realizing that he was not with them.  What parent or friend having lost someone in that way does not immediately think the worst has happened and despair sets in.  Fear turned to relief when they were reunited with him in Jerusalem.  Even though they were a bit exasperated when Jesus did not share their concern for his safety.  Another one of those occasions that give parents fits.

Mary, for her part ‘kept all these things in her heart.” What does it mean ‘to keep things in our heart’?!  As spiritual seekers we must be aware that deep within, in our heart of hearts is where we meet the Divine, where we encounter the Mystery that is beyond words or explanation.  God invites us to come deeper, to trust more fully, to  enter into the silence. This is where we are fed and nurtured with the spirit of God.

We are surrounded with so much busyness these days, with family, work, community, and even church responsibilities and events that we don’t make the time to get in touch with our heart time.  Mary had many instances where she pondered many things in her heart.  She found peace in her heart of hearts, the space she alone could commune with God.  This was her holy space where she gained strength to meet the challenges of daily life as the mother of Jesus.

When we make the effort to set time aside to just BE, to enter into that holy space where we meet our God, where we receive nourishment for the journey, then we are truly at peace.  Summertime offers us a chance to enjoy life at a different pace.  Where are you going on vacation this summer?  Why don’t you spend some time resting in God’s loving embrace that can only happen deep in your heart of hearts.  Enjoy your vacation with God this summer!

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 2:5-12
Mark 1:21-28

Reflection:

No sooner is Jesus baptized than he begins his public ministry with two actions: he teaches and he cleanses a man with an unclean spirit.

Mark tells us nothing about what Jesus said.  What is important is the effect of his words.  They have power.  They astonish the congregation in the synagogue because he speaks with authority.  Unlike the scribes and Pharisees whose authority and teaching came from their particular rabbinic school, Jesus taught on his own authority.   And Jesus’ teaching had the power of exposing and expelling evil – even when it dwelt in a holy place like a synagogue.

This passage raises several questions for us.  How do we react to the Word of God?  Do we interpret it on our own authority, that is, with self-serving rationalization?  Do we hear the Word of God, but respond with indifference – as in we know the stories, we’ve heard them before, and they have nothing new to teach us.  No surprise.  No astonishment.  No authority.  As with the man with the unclean spirit, not even a holy location will have the power to cleanse.

But, if we embrace the Word of God, it can have power in us.  If we study the Word of God, if we meditate on Scripture, it can comfort us when we’re discouraged.  It can give us encouragement when we’re ready to give up.  And in our self-satisfaction, it can expose with painful exposure who we really are – imperfect men and women with unclean spirit, the sin that stubbornly clings to us.  Ultimately, it brings us to a greater love of God.

When that happens, get ready to be transformed.  Get ready to be astonished by the Word of God.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Isaiah 26:1-6
Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reflection:
As a young man, I found this Gospel reading challenging. I always questioned, “is Jesus speaking to me? Am I one who says ‘Lord, Lord,’ but does not do the will of the Father?”

But upon reading it a little more deeply and from a perspective a little further along in life, I find comfort in it, as well as challenge.

First off, looking at the Greek word that is translated as “to do,” I found it can also be translated as ‘to make’ or ‘to be the author’ of something. So another translation might be “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Only those who make the will of the Father their own.” Or, “those who hold the will of the Father in their hearts.” For me this seems more obtainable than “doing” the will of the father. One of my frequent prayers is to know the will of the Father. I find my ego can be very clever at laying my will over God’s. But to hold the desire in my heart to do God’s will, that I can do.

The next section of the reading took a little bit more life experience rather than academic research to understand. All and all, I had a pretty easy childhood. I had a stable home life, a loving family, and, although not well off, there was always enough. But, as with any life, as I grew older I was “buffeted by the wind and the rain and the floods.” The deaths of loved ones, loss of jobs, serious illness, have all swept through my life at one time or another. And yet I can say that my house of faith still stands. Holding the words of Jesus in my heart allowed me to move through these trials. And it’s interesting to note that in this reading the floods, rains, and winds come to both those who hold the words of God and those who don’t. None of us are safe from the storms that life brings. But by making God’s will our own, by making Jesus’s words our own, we can weather the storms that come stronger than before.

Talib Huff is a volunteer and presenter at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

Titus 3:1-7
Luke 17:11-19

Reflection:

When I was young and we visited the dentist or doctor’s office there would always be a copy of Highlights Magazine in the waiting room.  In it I loved to read the comic strip “Goofus and Gallant”.

In the comic, two boys are given a situation in life in which they need to respond.

Goofus would always do the thing we knew to be wrong while Gallant would respond with the right value called for, be it telling the truth, helping a neighbor, or saying thank you.  Figuring out the right thing to do in the examples did not take rocket science, and yet, we all knew as we read the comic strip, that we occasionally acted more like Goofus than Gallant.

In today’s Gospel Jesus comes into the lives of ten lepers and answers their prayers by lovingly healing them. If this happened to us, we all would know the right thing to do.  What Gallant would do.  Return and give thanks. This is not difficult to understand.  Yet I know there are times when Jesus is present in my life, when he answers my prayers or heals my brokenness and I am too busy, too distracted, or have already moved on to my next need or worry to even acknowledge His miraculous presence in my life. Giving thanks requires me to slow down, to pay attention and to humbly accept that God loves me so much that He desires to be part of my life.

I think there is also more to the Gospel than the basic value of gratitude.  Jesus’s love acted very powerfully in the lives of the 10 through their healing, and yet only one chose not just to give thanks, but to return to Christ in a more meaningful way.

We have been given much by Our Lord and our hearts should respond with giving thanks, but also by returning to Christ with more than just our words. The Gospel says the leper returned, fell at Jesus’s feet and thanked him.

What might that look like for us?  Maybe in this year of faith returning to Our Lord could include reading the bible more, spending time in front of the blessed sacrament, or receiving the sacraments more often.  Then we would truly be responding with our hearts and our lives to the way He heals us in our life.

Steve Walsh is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre ,and a good friend of the Passionist Community.

Scripture:

Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 14:15-24

Reflection:

“It’s too good to be true.” That is what we think when we are informed that we have received a free gift from a telephone call, a letter in the mail or an invitation on the internet. “Nothing is free in this life,” we tell ourselves. This is normally a smart and safe reaction. The Gospel reading today, though, reminds us that there can be an offer that is too good to be true and is also trustworthy.

Jesus asks us to see our gracious God as the banquet host. God has fixed a great banquet and invited many to the party. After sending out invitations and getting all the arrangements made, the host then sends a second invitation to remind all those who have been invited.

What a gracious God we have. God constantly calls us to come be with him, having prepared everything for us to enjoy. God gives us an invitation “too good to be true.”

Jesus describes people who refused the invitation to the banquet because they were too busy with possessions, profession or people. The excuses we hear are rather dim-witted. Would any one buy land or animals without first inspecting what he desired to purchase? The third man blames his future wife for setting the date of their marriage. All had plenty advanced notice of the banquet, but none wanted to attend and thought up dismal excuses.

Each of us is invited to a banquet, to spend time with God. Sometimes possessions keep us from attending the banquet. We have something in the house to fix, the new car to clean or the lawn to mow. It seems there’s always something else that demands our time and attention. Sometimes our work keeps us too busy. We want that overtime and so we can’t make it to church. We work all day and we’re tired so we just want to sit in front of the TV and not be disturbed. Sometimes people keep us from time with God. We get too busy with friends, going places doing things, and God just sort of ends up being neglected. We have good intentions and plan to spend time with God, but we never quite get to actually taking some quality time with God.

If I am too busy for God, I am too busy! I set my priorities! I find time to do that which I believe is important. Would my life be different if I set a priority in my life to accept the invitation to spend some time with God, to strengthen my relationship with Jesus, to listen to the gentle whispers of the Spirit? “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is the director of the Office of Mission Effectiveness and resides in Chicago.

Scripture:

Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
Luke 10: 17-24

Reflection:

I remember when I was young, my mother used to write my name on just about everything. She would put my name on school supplies, clothing items, and sometimes toys. My name even appeared on the refrigerator door with a photo.  Is your name written on things that you own? Even today I have my name written on various items: passport, driver’s license, legal documents, business cards and even on my office door. Sometimes we might want to put our name on a laptop or cell phone or maybe even on the inside cover of a special book.  This is helpful because when the item is lost or misplaced, you might get the item returned. Your name on a particular item says that article belongs to you.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples, “…rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”  First, though, Jesus gives a prohibition, a warning. “Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you.” Jesus had sent the disciples out to announce the Kingdom of God. They returned from their short missionary journey all excited because the evil spirits were subject to their commands. Jesus calls off his disciples from rejoicing even in that which is legitimate and a good reason for rejoicing as any-namely, success against the powers of darkness. He calls them to fix their joy upon a good infinitely to be preferred to that-their name written in heaven. Jesus was fearful of spiritual pride and a false sense of security in his disciples.

When I am successful, it is easy to think that it’s all because of me–my skills, my knowledge, my determination, my power. I become the center and fail to acknowledge all that lies behind my success: encouragement of friends or education or opportunities others don’t have. Maybe even luck plays a role. And behind it all is God’s graciousness. The other point is that when we have a false sense of security, we are easily crushed and lose heart when the tide goes against us. To fortify us against these two outcomes, Jesus reminds the disciples that their victories are temporary. Having their names written in heaven is permanent.

My name on a piece of clothing says that item belongs to me. Having my name written in heaven means I belong to God. God does not forget me when dark clouds surround me, when the good I desire to do fails miserably or when there is no reason to rejoice. God knows my name, loves me and watches over me every day of my life. My name is written in heaven. Now that is a fact in which we can rejoice.

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is the director of the Office of Mission Effectiveness for Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Jesus has just come down the mountain after the Transfiguration experience.  He encounters a man whose son is afflicted with epilepsy, which the disciples were not able to heal.  Jesus heals the young man.  Then Jesus makes His second passion prediction.  In this prediction, Jesus mentions being “handed over.” This is a reference to Judas’ betrayal.  The more Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples the quieter they become. They are beginning to realize the implications of Jesus’ mission and their discipleship.  Only after the resurrection will the disciples understand the total implications of His death on the cross.

Some say the purpose of the Transfiguration was to give Jesus the courage He needed to face his sufferings and passion.  Others say the Transfiguration was for the sake of the disciples to follow Jesus into His sufferings and death.  Slowly the disciples will realize that discipleship means giving up one’s own ambitions and taking on the demands of faithfulness to Jesus and the demands of the Reign of God.

There are times in our own life when life is bleak and we need hope to continue.  In Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the daughter, Frances has just given birth to her baby.  She asks her mother why bring children into a world filled with poverty and pain.  The mother responds: “Things will get better.  In Austria, everyone worked twenty-four hours a day for a landowner.  At the end of the day, you still owned nothing.  In America, one works twelve hours a day.  You get a check for your family. You can hope to own your own home.  First, you must nail a star bank in the darkest corner of a closet.  When you shop, select a defective head of lettuce, or a bunch of carrots.  Ask the manager for a discount.  Put that saving in the star bank.  When it is cold, instead of turning up the heat, wrap a shawl around your shoulder, and you will save on the cost of electricity/coal.  Put that saving into the star bank.  Eventually, you will have enough to own your own home.  When you own your own home ‘you are nobility.'”  John Hassler, in his book, North of Hope, which is set in Minnesota, a character is very despondent and says: “Hope doesn’t come this far north!” “Christina, hope has no limitation.”  The Transfiguration gives all Christians the power to be the presence of hope wherever God places us.

Fr. Ken O’Malley, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community at Sacred Heart Monastery in Louisville, Kentucky.