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Scripture:

Jeremiah 28:1-17
Matthew 14:22-36

Reflection:

“Take courage, it is I…do not be afraid.”

Jesus and the disciples had been ministering to the crowds, and it was now time to “move on”.  The disciples were to precede Jesus by boat to the other side of the sea while Jesus dismissed the crowds and spent some brief moments in prayer.  During their late-night journey by boat on the sea, the disciples were tossed about by the wind and waves – and their own experience of Jesus’ challenging ministry. Coming across the water, Jesus approaches them and their all-too-human leader, Peter; they think they’re seeing a ghost…  Jesus reassures them:  “take courage, it is I…do not be afraid”.  Their fears were calmed and they journeyed with Jesus as he ministered healing and teaching.  The result:  Jesus met the disciples’ fears, strengthened their faith – and Jesus’ mission continued!

Jesus speaks to our hearts today, inviting us to not be afraid as we courageously offer our lives in service of the Gospel message of love and reconciliation.  We may be tossed about by the winds and waves of contemporary life (e.g. violence, indifference, laziness, selfishness, etc.) and yet God continues to inspire us in the faith-filled lives of our spiritual leaders and fellow companions on the journey.  Let us prayerfully support one another.

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the Vocation Director for Holy Cross Province. He lives at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 26:1-9
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

Happy Friday in the 17th Week of Ordinary Time!

The Gospel today (Matthew 13:54-58) tells of Jesus in his own hometown.  The people said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?  Is this not the son of a carpenter?”  And they took offense at him.  Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.”  And so Jesus did not work mighty deeds there.

Where does a prophet have honor?  Where is a prophet heard?  Not among kin or in familiar surroundings; not among those who lack faith.   God comes to us in the most unlikely forms and talks to us from the most absurd sources.  Or perhaps is it just us who believe that the forms and sources God uses are unlikely and absurd?

The paradox we live and know is that to have faith, we must be familiar with Jesus. But the very stumbling block for the people in the Gospel is the necessary stepping-stone to hear Jesus’ word and accept him.  It’s tough to live our faith in today’s society… Just think about the last time someone came to you and said “I’d like to take a few moments to talk to you about Jesus.” The fact is that if we take seriously our own commitment to live Gospel values, there will be times when we will be faced with misunderstanding, rejection, and ridicule.

All over the Bible, we see how God’s prophets faced rejection and resistance.  And think about your own experiences – Spiritual or Secular – Have you and/or your ideas ever been rejected when you tried to change something for the better?  How do you handle that rejection?  And if we try, I’d wager we all can recall theologians, saints, scientists, doctors, or others who were rejected for their ideas. But what about today? Who are our modern prophets of today?  They are met with rejection and hostility at every turn!

Do we dismiss the innocent yet authentic viewpoint of a young child?  Or the experiential wisdom of the aging parent?  What about the homeless, the gay, the black, the rich, the disabled, the convict?  God made all of these people.  Jesus, Godself, spent most of his time with tax collectors and sinners.  Any one of these people, and more, can offer us the most intimate encounter with the Great & Holy One, and yet, more often than not, we deny the graces and contact with God, just because we judge the messenger “unworthy.”

God works with even these people, as “unworthy” as they might seem.  And yes — God works with even us.  We are called, you and I, to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” No matter how hard or uncomfortable, we’re the Body of Christ in the world today.

Is it a challenge to “be the only bible some people will ever read?”  YES!

Is it worth it?  Well, I hear the retirement is out of this world.

Dear God, thank you for the gift of trusting us with your Word.  Please help us to never grow weary of sharing your love with all those we meet… especially ourselves. And please grant us the grace to recognize you, and accept you, no matter the vessel you use to reach us.  Amen.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

Isaiah 6:1-8
Matthew 10:24-33

Reflection:

What does a 5^th century hermit cave dweller and monk have to do with us in the 21^st century?  We might ask that same question about a prophet who was caught up in the sway of a mystical vision nearly 3,000 years ago, or about a persecuted and cowering Mediterranean Christian community 2,000 years ago?  The answer lies in the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel: “It is enough for the disciple to be like the master” (Mt 10:25), meaning that we students, we disciples are challenged to learn obedience and radical trust in God from Jesus.

St. Benedict of Nursia (480-540), the Father of Western monasticism lived a hermit’s life in a cave for many years.  His holiness, however, so attracted followers that he eventually went to Monte Cassino where he founded a monastery.  There he wrote what came to be known as The Rule.  It was to shape monastic life in Western Europe profoundly until the middle of the 11^th century.  In fact, Benedict’s Rule has been the model for many religious communities even today.  The Rule is concise – barely 12,000 words.  Yet, unmistakably, obedience is its main emphasis.  But Benedict’s understanding of obedience did not mean heavy-handed authority or joyless commandments.  No.  Benedict saw obedience in relation to a transformation of the self within community, and a restoration of relationship with God.  Benedict’s monks were students called to a special way of life in order to imitate Jesus and to learn obedience and trust in God.

In today’s first reading, God called Isaiah to mission.  Isaiah’s apocalyptic-like vision revealed his sinfulness, and his unworthiness to be God’s choice as prophet to his community.  “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” God asked.  Despite his inadequacies, Isaiah trusted in God, and like a good student, shouted, “Here I am.  Send me!” (1Is 6:8).

The evangelist Matthew wrote his Gospel, in part, to fortify and exhort his community in the throes of persecution and fear.  In chapter 10, the Matthean community read how Jesus called his rag-tag, mixed bag of disciples by name and sent them out with the words: “Proclaim the Good News!  The Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”  And Jesus added “Do not be afraid” (Mt 10:31).  God chose this early Christian community to imitate the teacher, Jesus, and, in obedience, to proclaim the Good News.

Returning to the questions at the beginning of this reflection, what do all these students have to do with us today?  Just this: like them, God chooses us, not because we are so holy or saintly, but precisely because we are broken, uncertain, inadequate.  God calls us by name, asking over and over, “Whom shall I send?”  Will we students learn obedience and trust from our teacher?  Will we go out to proclaim the Good News to the ill and despairing among us?  Will we heal the sick with compassion, raise those dead to hope with acts of kindness, and cast out demons of despair?  Do we, who today are caught in this pandemic moment, feel utterly inadequate to respond to God’s call?

God’s question, nevertheless, remains unchanged.  It echoes across the millennia: “Whom shall I send?”  God awaits our obedient and trusting response: “Send me.”

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

Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:19-22
John 20:24-29

Reflection:

The Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle – Some questions to take to prayer. Does God actively pursue me? Do I ever sense that God is “drawing” me into a situation, where I can be of service? Is there a grace or gift which God reminds me of that is for others? Do I ever feel “zeal” about carrying out a task?

I wonder about how God pursues us. We are created in God’s image as we were reminded last Sunday. In what way is God pursuing me? Let that be the meditation today. Our feast is about a zealous man, who happened to be not impressed with his fellow disciples when they were still locked in the upper room after Jesus had appeared to them. Apparently that was not enough to get them out into the world proclaiming the good news of the resurrection and hope.

God pursued Thomas, the apostle, inspiring him to take to heart the command to go out into the world with the message (however that may be proclaimed). Even to the shores of Malabar, India, where he planted the Word, and his own blood would nourish the seed. That same spirit is within us. Listen and pay attention to your surroundings. Therein lies the “wonder.”

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

Scripture:

2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
Matthew 7:1-5

Reflection:

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.”

I remember hearing similar words so many times as I was growing up. My grandmother and great-grandmother used to encourage me to consider things from the other person’s perspective. To treat others as I would want to be treated.  I, of course, did not fully understand this until I was a little older.  I have tried, though at times it has been difficult, to do just that – to listen and learn to understand any given situation from another person’s point of view.

I have said these words to my children as well when they were growing up. It was, and sometimes still is, the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Now that they are older I can see that somehow, some way they were listening!  I tried my best to instill in them to be considerate men, and think of how they would feel if they were on the receiving end of being mocked; and to imagine then, how another person would feel if my children were mocking them.  They get it!

We as humans are not perfect.  Everyone has flaws. It is when we understand our own imperfections that we can come to understand others.  We are all children of a God who loves us despite our shortcomings.

Claire Smith is the Director of Communications for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
Matthew 5:27-32

Reflection:

During my teenage years, my best friend from middle School left the Roman Catholic Church and became a Pentecostal.  The nature of his new found Church and faith was more militant than mine. Due to each other’s immaturity this became a source of friction. Very quickly our conversations of his new faith turned into debates about my faith and even faster into heated arguments. He was always more prepared than I was.  The ignorance of my own Catholic faith moved me to read and listen to Catholic apologetics in order to “defend” my faith. This new knowledge of historic facts and biblical passages and my own pride became an arsenal of arguments that I used against my friend. Though our conversations lasted longer and longer, our mutual love and friendship began to crumble.  Soon enough we began to avoid and even to ignore one another.  Just like Elijah and the prophets of Baal, we had prepared our own altars and where waiting to see which one would be set on fire first as a sign of God’s predilection. It was our so-called faith in Jesus Christ that we both used to separate one another, to distance ourselves. We forsook God’s commandments by turning our traditions into a god.

In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that the fulfillment of God’s Law will be through the Reigning of God. Jesus’ preaching, teachings and life make the Reign visible and orients us toward it. The values of God’s Reign, as we identify them are Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. These are the values with which the prophets’ proclaimed God’s presence and the need of conversion by those called to live in the Covenant. We continue to abide in God’s Law proclaimed by the prophets and by Jesus. This consists not of an exclusive privilege but rather of divine covenant to living and promoting the values of God’s Reign. This is what will make of us the greatest in God’s Reign.

My friend and I certainly missed the point of our faith and we became blinded by our pride. We limited our faith to defending it by belittling the other’s rather than by seeking justice and peace and by honoring the love and charity we owed one another. Certainly, God’s Reign was not visible through either of us or through the triumphalism with which we understood and presented our traditions. Good thing for my friend and I that God’s Law is also rooted in the conversion of our hearts and minds and in forgiveness.

Fr. Hugo Esparza, C.P. is a Passionist of Holy Cross Province now working in Mexico with the Province of Cristo Rey.

Scripture:

2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
Mark 12:18-27

Reflection:

Most of us have heard the G K Chesterton quote, “Christianity has not failed; it has not even been tried.” Is this what Paul is saying to Timothy? Paul, after announcing that he was an apostle of Christ, wrote Timothy to “stir into flame” the gift of the Spirit which had been given to him when Paul laid his hands on him.  Perhaps Timothy, hearing that Paul was imprisoned because of his preaching, hesitated to be a public witness and wanted to withdrawn from ministry because he didn’t want to be ridiculed or end up in prison because of his faith in Christ. Timothy, young in the faith, needed Paul’s encouragement to be bold rather than allowing fears to control his life. Avoiding ridicule is a strong temptation we all face. Who wants to be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others? Paul tells Timothy to overcome this fear by reminding him of the gifts of power, love and self-control that the Holy Spirit has implanted in his heart. The gifts of the Spirit can lie dormant unless we exercise them regularly and make them an active element in our lives. Timothy can be an effective witness to the Resurrection of Christ if he would move through his fears. Notice, Paul does not tell Timothy to deny his fears but to move courageously through them.

Courage isn’t about having no fear. It’s about being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. Like Timothy we have our fears. We can fear loss or failure. We can fear death. We can fear rejection or criticism. We can fear uncertainty. We can fear heights. We can fear many things about life. Paul reminds us that our task is to acknowledge the fears, and then to run past them with the courage of the Holy Spirit and do what needs to be done. Maya Angelou likens the process of developing courage to exercising and strengthening a muscle: “I don’t believe anyone is born with courage. You develop it in small ways.” The gifts of the Spirit can lie dormant unless we exercise them regularly and make them an active dynamic in our lives.

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

Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:

Both Scripture readings for today speak about relationships. In our Gospel reading, Jesus gives a commandment to His disciples: “love one another as I love you.” And then He tells them what kind of love that is: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” I think it is important to note that Jesus’ love for us does not depend on whether we obey His commandments. There is no way we can earn God’s love! But Jesus does tell us is that if we want to develop our relationship with Him, we will follow His commandment to love.

The more we love others as Jesus loves us, the deeper our relationship with Him will be. Are we willing to have that kind of relationship with Jesus? To answer “Yes” carries certain implications. It carries implications about how we are to pray. Jesus also says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” When we have a close relationship to Jesus, we will find ourselves praying not for things we want, but for what we need to “bear fruit.”

To have a deeper relationship with Christ carries implications about how we relate to each other. In our first reading from Acts, the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem send two messengers along with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch with a decision about whether Christians had to first be circumcised according to the covenant with Abraham. In the letter they sent, the leaders wrote: “It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…” A good criterion indicating our love for others may be whether we are trying to place burdens on them that are not necessary. Too often we see people burdened by poverty and discrimination and oppression.

Jesus’ commandment to love cannot be taken lightly. But the more we strive to follow His commandment, the deeper and richer our relationships will be with God, each other, and all of creation.

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