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Scripture:

Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Matthew 10:7-15

Reflection:

As Jesus sent out the 12 — this imperfect and frail bunch — to proclaim the good news, he gave them incredible gifts:

 

"Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons."  But perhaps the most powerful gift he gave them is one that easily overlooked.  It is the audacious gift of greeting — "As you enter a house, wish it peace."

What is so powerful, so audacious about the greeting "Peace be with you"?  It is the peace of God  that makes possible the curing of the sick, the raising of dead and all the other gifts.  These were Jesus’  first words after his resurrection.  It is the gift that allows us to be reconciled with God and reveals God’s extravagent love for us.  It is called the good news.  Proclaim this good news and then watch out.  Miracles will happen.

Jesus’ added another missionary directive to the 12.  Don’t bother taking gold or silver.  Take no bag, no extra clothes, or anything else.  He spoke words that would have been familiar to devout Jews of the day.  They would know what the Talmud says: "No one is to go the Temple Mount with staff, shoes, money purse or dusty feet."  The idea was that when a person entered the Temple, they must demonstrate that they have left behind everything that had to do with business and worldy affairs.  What Jesus was saying to the 12 is that they are to regard the whole world as the Temple of God.  He shattered the artificial divide between sacred and secular.

Little has changed in 2,000 years.  What was true for the 12 is still true for us today.  We — the imperfect and frail Body of Christ — gather at the Eucharist, where we bless one another with the sign of peace.  We receive the broken and fragile bread, the Body of Christ to nourish us and remind us that all we have to give God is our weakness and that in our weakness we find God’s power.  Only then, are we given our missionary directive and dismissed: "Go forth and proclaim the Good News to everyone."  We’re told: Go! Don’t stay inthe church.  The whole world and all God’s people are his Temple.  Go out and bless one another with the holy and audacious greeting: "Peace be with you."  Proclaim this good news.  And then watch out.  Miracles will happen.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Genesis 28:10-22
Matthew9:18-26

 

 

 

Reflection:

The Powerful Touch of Jesus

The daily Scriptures present stories of faith that lead to new and renewed life for many folks.  Jesus’ word of "courage!" is most appropriate!

The Genesis reading tells of Jacob on a journey to find a wife — stopping on the roadside for the night, sleeping on a rock, and having a fascinating dream of a ladder reaching to the heavens…complete with angels going up and down!  The dream opened Jacob’s heart, especially as the voice of the Lord in the dream promising him that the land he slept upon would become the home of his descendants.  Fulfilling that promise was part of a long and often shaky history of the chosen people from whom the Messiah, Jesus, would be born.

The Gospel selection from Matthew presents Jesus "at work" preaching…and ultimately healing.  An official approached Him and asked that He come and lay His hand on his daughter who had just died, believing that she would come alive again with his touch.  As Jesus and his disciples made their way to the official’s house, a woman with a long history of hemorrhages faithfully touched his cloak and was cured…receiving as well Jesus’ encouragement of "courage".  Arriving at the official’s house, Jesus put off the crowd that had gathered, took the girl by the hand — and she arose! 

The powerful touch of Jesus has changed many lives, and changed history itself.  For ourselves, whatever our nation of origin or our current citizenship, we "touch" God as we share in the Life of Jesus.  Freedom from sinfulness, peace with God and one another, life that lasts eternally, an abundance of gifts – all our ours in Jesus as we are touched by His Love in the Sacraments, the Scriptures, the Church, and the lives of one another. 

As we continue to face many challenges as Christians in the 21^st Century — and the opportunities which are ours as well – may Jesus walk with us, hand in hand, encouraging us as God did Jacob, and touching our lives as has happened for so many others.  God bless us all!

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a
Matthew 10:1-7

Reflection:

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends the Twelve to preach God’s reign, instructing them to deal only with the lost sheep of Israel and not with pagans or Samaritans. Clearly, this was not a permanent restriction, given Jesus’ later interactions, teachings, and healings precisely with pagans and Samaritans, plus his post-resurrection command to preach to all nations. Perhaps Jesus wisely provided a "safer" testing ground for the newly-minted Apostles, in which they could solidify their own faith and hone their skills in proclaiming it. (If you want to find out what you believe, try teaching someone!) Likewise, perhaps Jesus wished to get the house of Israel in order so it could be a more credible witness and model of faith to the world that God longs to save. In other words, Jesus began at the center and worked outward.

Joseph’s brothers, on the other hand, got caught up in exterior issues of family position, power, and control. As they allowed those issues to move from the outside in, these demons ruled their hearts and resulted in their joint conspiracy to eliminate the one who threatened their status. Years later, forced under threat of starvation to go to Egypt, the brothers unknowingly encountered the outcast. Rather than retaliate, Joseph’s challenge to them was to find the center again. Could they clean out those external forces, take responsibility for what they had done, and humbly commit to a different path? Could they change from the inside out?

Perhaps we all need to do some inner housecleaning. Individually and collectively, we need to begin at the center and work outward. The house of the Church is hardly a pristine model and witness for Jesus Christ in the world today and, led by Pope Francis, a breath of change seems to be blowing through, transforming many aspects from the inside out.

What about me? I constantly feel pulled in many directions and it is so easy to lose centeredness. I get off-center in my commitment to prayer, convincing myself I don’t have time to pray today. I get off-center in my life, working so hard I don’t have time for renewal and silence. I’ve been eating too much of the wrong foods despite my desire to stay centered on my health. I struggle with relationships in my extended family, and have to work hard to stay centered in integrity, forgiveness, and love. It isn’t easy to keep God as the center and focus of every aspect of my life.

As I struggle, it is comforting to watch my toddler grandson. When I hold out my arms to him, he doesn’t make a perfectly straight and accurate beeline to my embrace. He meanders a bit, picks up a toy along the way, or gets distracted by a dog barking. Yet eventually, he makes it and throws his little arms around my neck. He gets off-center, but he knows where he wants to go and through constant course corrections, he gets there. I hope I am like that in God’s eyes. I know where I want to be. Sometimes I know the path I really should follow to get there. I just hope God has patience, grace, and mercy for my meanderings and mistakes. I also hope that I have the strength to continually clean the inner house of my heart, so that as much as possible, I stay centered on the God who gives me life and become a more effective witness to the Gospel in the world.

 

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.amyflorian.com/.

 

Scripture:

Genesis 32:23-33
Matthew 9:32-38

 

 

 

Reflection:

Martyrs, Pastors and Wrestlers

We look to summer for refreshment, a change of pace, vacations. Today’s readings may suggest that we do not take vacation from Our Lord or His call to discipleship. 

Martyrs. We begin with the feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, martyrs.

This feast includes 120 Martyrs who died in China, eighty-seven who included children, catechists and parents. The remaining thirty-three were foreign born missionaries. The feast includes martyrs from different periods, between 1648 and 1930. The word ‘martyr’ carries with it a special love of Christ that flows over the ages and lives of these men, women and children. It is clearly defined in Augustine Zhao Rong whose name gives the title to the feastday. Augustine was a Chinese soldier who accompanied the prisoner Bishop John Dufresse to his martyrdom in Beijing early in 1800. Moved by the bishop’s courage Augustine would seek baptism, become a diocesan priest and die a martyr himself in 1815.When we sing the hymn ‘Faith of Our Fathers’, these men, women and children are the ones who have great love true to Jesus till death.

Pastor. The people whom Jesus looks upon in the gospel are described as, ‘harassed and torn apart’. I asked recently why a well-organized program had fallen apart. I was told simply, ‘they had no one to pastor them’. A job description for a pastor, I think, is in the area of one who is a loving presence and witness, who cares and takes the side his flock, who protects and prevents others from hurting the flock, and who leads them to what is good for them. In this section of Matthew’s Gospel Our Lord, who taught with authority, is being revealed as the One who comes to save, a true and good pastor.

Wrestler. Our Old Testament reading brings us to the ending of the first half of the Book of Genesis.

The second half, the story of Joseph, will begin tomorrow with Joseph already in charge of the food supply in Egypt during the time of famine. Today we hear the detail that Jacob has eleven sons. Besides his sons, Jacob puts Leah and Rachel his wives, on the other side of the river Jabbok. Jacob has grown spiritually. Yesterday’s reading told of the renewal of the covenant between Jacob and God: "Know that I am with you; I will protect you…I will never leave you…"(Gen 28:15). Now, without what follows coming as a shock, Jacob wrestles all night. It is not a slugfest. The opponents talk, ‘Let me go it is daybreak. I will not let you go till you bless me. What is your name? Jacob. Let it be Israel’. There is something of intimacy, gift giving, and some pain – Jacob will walk with a limp in the days that follow. But he tells us that he saw the face of God and lived. We are left to wrestle with what this meeting of God and Jacob might mean.

The Sunday readings from Luke overlap with those of Matthew these days. In both we are hearing teachings of being disciples, at times the same passage expressed in the unique voice of each evangelist. We are disciples. We might add to our summer reflections today how the three qualities expressed in our readings and liturgy – martyr, pastor and wrestler – are present in our discipleship.    

 

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:10-14c
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Reflection:

There it was again, that large, plain grey platform in the sanctuary. For weeks it seemed sister would tell us about "the mission" that was coming. We were to come and bring our parents for this most important event of the year. Finally the night would come. I couldn’t talk my parents into coming, but I could go if I wanted, and I did. I remember sitting in church waiting for the mission to begin, looking at the stage that now had a life-sized crucifix in the center. Finally the bells would ring alerting all to stand and out came this tall man dressed in the stark black habit of the Passionists. He wasn’t wearing vestments. He walked right up to the platform, then up the couple of stairs and when he reached the cross; he dramatically took off his cloak, throwing it on the ground and began preaching. He would go from loud to soft, and make all sorts of gestures, the most memorable one being his kneeling down facing the crucifix when he was finished preaching. He grabbed the crucifix and started praying, talking directly to Jesus hanging there. I had no idea what he was doing, but I knew that one day I wanted to be that preacher and to move people to tears and repentance.

While I never became that preacher, I still wonder, why this person who claimed to be God was so wounded. Do I have to be wounded to be like him? I know I’m wounded, but isn’t that an aberration? Then I hear Paul telling us today:

Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.  (Gal 6:14)

Paul seems to be claiming that he himself participates in Jesus’ woundedness. He doesn’t boast that he persecuted the most people of this new Jewish Sect or that he above all was the best interpreter of the law. No, all he wants to boast in is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  That cross he says crucified him to the world.

I wonder if it isn’t simply Jesus’ humanness. Yes, he was God, but he doesn’t glory in that. No, he glories in his humanness, that he was born, grew up like all humans having to learn how not to wet his pants, how to feed and clothe himself and eventually how to love and allow other to love him. Surely, all these things he did, but now he just wants to glory in the most humiliating act of his life, the cross.

It seems to me our job as people, is to become fully human. Our gift in Jesus and Paul is that they show us how, especially in our woundedness. Maybe today I can realize that childhood dream and preach this good news by just being the best human I can be in both my accomplishments and my woundedness.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.

Scripture:

Genesis 27: 1-5, 15-29
Matthew 9: 14-17

Reflection:

Which comes first, fasting or feasting? Which is better, an old wineskin or a new one? These are issues that Jesus addresses in the gospel reading today. The question about fasting comes from the disciples of John the Baptist; the question about how to store new wine comes from Jesus.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." If you want different outcomes, you have to do things in a different manner or think in a different way.  A few years ago the Passionists established Governing Boards for our retreat centers. We asked the laity to take on leadership roles at these sites to secure this important ministry for the future. This decision created a new world where assumptions and expectations, ways of making decisions and collaborating needed to change. New ways of doing things do not fit well into old boxes. Everyone has to think "outside the box."  A new wineskin is needed to let the new ideas and methods ferment.

The Catholic Church is intensely promoting New Evangelization. The content and center of evangelization, Jesus Christ, remains the focus. The way of doing evangelization is changing. Evangelization is no longer the responsibility of clergy or religious traveling to missionary countries but the responsibility of all Catholics; it is no longer the pagans overseas that are our concern, but the people in our neighborhood or parish community; it is no longer having people memorize a catechism but helping them cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The bishops in the United States are creating programs to help us think "outside the box." A new wineskin is needed to let the New Evangelization transform our ideas about being Church.

Insanity is taking old, traditional ideas about the Messiah and trying to understand Jesus. In the gospel this morning, Jesus is making a tremendous claim for himself. Jesus announces that the Messiah has come and is in their midst. He himself is the Messiah, the Bridegroom. This is so great, so stunning and so unexpected that there is no need for fasting while the Bridegroom is humanly present. The old wineskins that contained the Jewish understanding of the Messiah can no longer be used. A new wineskin is needed to contain the fresh and unbelievable presence of God in Jesus. This new presence needs to ferment in our minds and hearts to give us new ways of understanding Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

There is a time for feasting and a time for fasting. There is a time to use the old wineskin and a time to use a new wineskin. Something old represents continuity; something new offers hope for the future. The Spirit moves us forward. We are to be like the owner of a house who brings out of the storeroom something old and something new (Mt 13:52).

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

Cleanliness laws were of high concern in the first century Palestinian world.  They still are to this day. So why would this group of Pharisees, who are strict observers of the Law, enter another person’s home when it might lead to defilement?  Such is the setting for today’s gospel reading.  What are these Pharisees doing at the home of a tax collector when all of his unclean friends are there with him?   In a harsh and critical way Jesus is criticized for the company he keeps.  He is eating in the home of an unrighteous person.  Curious; are not the ones who are criticizing Jesus also in the house eating?   

The majority of the gospel provides a context to the teaching, "Go and learn the meaning of the words; I desire mercy and not sacrifice".  It is a citation from the prophet Hosea.  What a slap in the face this must be to one who has spent his life learning and teaching and protecting the law of God.  They were part of a system that spent countless energy on the sacrifice of animals, even to the point of removing the human component.  Let’s spend a few lines with sacrifice and mercy.

I think sacrifices can have several dimensions.  Every day I am with people who make tremendous sacrifices for their children.  These sacrifices are done out of love.  Because they love their kids they will do anything for them.   Other times I see people who will mentally make the choice to sacrifice something but it’s not done out of love.  Behind the scenes they are always calculating what it is costing them.  And still on other occasions I meet people who say that their time or talent or treasure is too valuable to them, and they couldn’t possibly think of sacrificing any of it.  Question for pondering today, what is the role of sacrifice in your life? Do you make healthy sacrifices for God out of love? 

Mercy defines Jesus’ understanding of his mission.  He states clearly, "I have come…"  His invitation is to include people who have been excluded from the banquet of mercy.  The challenge with mercy is that it isn’t task specific.  To mark the beginning or end is not definitive.  At least when you sacrifice an animal you know when the task is complete and it can be checked off the big "To-Do" list.  Mercy is too fluid.  Like forgiveness, mercy has a way of showing up down the road.  And if mercy takes higher precedence than the sacrifice of animals, where does that leave the accusers of Jesus who are more concerned with purity and defilement? 

I am left wondering what happens to this group of Pharisees.   Do they leave this house without eating?  Perhaps they stay at the table and change their critical attitude.  Clearly what happens here is testimony to Luke 6:38b "For the measure you measure will be measured back to you."

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

 

 

Scripture:

Genesis 22:1-19
Matthew 9:1-8

 

 

 

Reflection:

Faith, Forgiveness, and Freedom

In the readings of the day, Abraham is presented as the biblical man of faith.  With this gift from God, Abraham was able to turn his whole life over to God with complete confidence…despite the challenges he would have to endure.  With heroic and blind trust in God, Abraham was ready to carry out the sacrifice of his son Isaac…but God did not require that death, only a sign of Abraham’s deep faith.  Isaac lived and became another member of God’s unfolding plan of salvation…forgiveness of sins and freedom to love fully.

Jesus was called to work a miracle for the paralytic:  He shared with the man the miracle of freedom from his sins and a physical healing that restored him to life.  The scribes of the time did not have the kind of faith in Jesus that allowed them belief in Jesus’ love and power…but God can do any thing in any one…even the likes of us 21^st Century folks in another part of the world!

Today we celebrate our gift of freedom as citizens of the United States.  We are a nation founded on faith in God.  Though all-too-human in our endeavors and making mistakes at times, we are called to promote the God-given virtues of justice, peace and the common good among our many peoples.  Through the words of our "Declaration of Independence" as pondered and applied over the years, we seek to foster growth in ourselves.  As members of the world community we look to our brothers and sisters throughout the world and seek the God-given good of all.  God invites us to help create a world of justice and peace, to journey with our brothers and sisters who are in special need.

Our gift of faith in the God of love and service makes today a special day of celebration…with time for remembering and recommittment – as well as enjoyable family gatherings, fireworks, and parades.  May our faith continue to sustain and encourage us in the challenging days ahead!

With Abraham, the cured paralytic, and Jesus we say:  Amen.

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky.