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Scripture:

Acts 8:26-40
John 6:44-51

Reflection:

In the early 19^th century, Rev. Dr. John Scudder, missionary and physician, was the first medical missionary in India.  He became convinced that he was called to be a missionary. Then, he became thoroughly committed to serving God through medical missions.  First he went to Sri Lanka and then to India to proclaim the gospel. He established a large hospital, founded several native schools and churches. He and his wife Harriet had six sons and two daughters, all of whom became medical missionaries and worked in South India.

In the first reading, Philip explained the scripture passage of the prophet Isaiah to the Ethiopian eunuch. His reading from a scroll of Isaiah affirms his interest in Judaism. When he struggles to understand the passage from Isaiah, Philip obviously preaches to him about the passage’s fulfillment in Jesus, especially his death and resurrection. Then, the Ethiopian desires baptism and he gets baptized and goes on rejoicing. As the Ethiopian is anxious for baptism, so Philip is anxious to move on because he is a man with a mission!

Jesus too had a mission; mission of his Father. "For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father"(Jn 6:46). In the Gospel of John, the Father now teaches anew through Jesus about living bread. The familiar manna language from Exodus takes on new meaning and finds its fulfillment. Jesus has given himself for us our food in the Eucharist that gives eternal life.

As Christians, we too have a mission – the mission of Christ. We are all called to be missionaries either directly or indirectly in proclaiming the good news that Jesus has brought to us. As the body is broken and shared in the Eucharist, so our lives be broken and shared with others. As Mother Theresa beautifully said, "We all have a mission, a mission to love."

 

Fr. A. Justin Nelson, C.P. is a member of our Indian Vicariate and temporarily stationed at St. Mary’s Parish, Fairfield, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Acts 8:1b-8
John 6:35-40

Reflection:

"Play it again, Sam" (from the film, Casablanca) aptly describes the representation of events we hear about in our bible readings for today’s eucharist: play it again.  For we have a recapping of significant events in the Jesus story, as well as a capsule formulation of a "typical day in the life of the church".

And, above and beyond all of this, we see the church at work in making the scriptures her own, weaving and re-weaving them into the powerful testimony she wants to provide us about the life and ministry of Jesus.

"Play it again, Sam" occurs in the gospel as we hear events reminiscent of another time recalled again, but on this occasion, in a different key.  Periodically, when we hear a melody played in another key from the way we heard it earlier, it sounds like a different song.  And so when we hear Jesus refer to Himself in the gospel as "the bread of life", we not only hear a familiar phrase.  It also strikes us in a different way from how we earlier encountered it during the ministry of Jesus, prior to His Passion and Resurrection.  Back then it sounded strange and odd to us, a challenge to our belief as He proposes that He will satisfy our hunger with Himself.  Especially when He proceeds to say that belief in Him means both eternal life for us, and being raised on the last day.

We encounter all this again today, but now, within the setting of the Easter event.   It is not a future event; it’s behind us.  And we’re better positioned to accept the bread of life as eucharist in the light of the resurrection of Christ that we celebrate during this time period.  The same melody, but in a strange key: it sounds so familiar, yet there’s something different about it, much like the body of the risen Lord, which seemed much the same, but yet with a strange quality about it.

And while we ponder this, we’re presented, in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, with "a typical day in the life of the church".  We realize, of course, that we’re in a post-resurrection atmosphere where things take on a different hue and tone from what we’re otherwise accustomed to.  This typical day in the church’s life sounds familiar: opposition to the message of the church (especially about the resurrection of Jesus), involving persecution (had not the deacon Stephen just been stoned to death?) that scattered this incipient young Christian community just getting its act together.  But far from subduing them, this hostility just fired up the group, as in the person of the deacon Philip, to spread the word about Jesus in the places where they’ve just arrived.  So enthused are these first generation followers of Christ that their zeal breaks out into miracles of exorcisms and healing cures.  All this is a familiar replay of scenes from the life of Jesus during the days prior to His death and resurrection.

We listen to this symphony of the Christ event all over again-now in the post-resurrection period-thanks to the orchestration wizardry of the church, who trusts that, as it plays out before us once more (Play it again, Sam), we’ll realize, not only that we’ve heard this somewhere before, but, this time, in the light of the resurrection, it imparts new meaning and emphasis to our life-an experience comparable to that surrounding the risen body of the Savior.  And we’re right: it’s the same melody, but in a different key.

 

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

Scripture:

Acts 7:51-8:1a
John 6:30-35

Reflection:

Being a Witness

In the first reading of today’s liturgy we are given the account of the brave witnessing to Christ of Stephen, which cost him his life.    Stephen has the honor of being the first disciple and deacon to give his life for Christ  For all his wonderful gifts by the Holy Spirit no one ever accused him of having  the amenities of political correctness!  "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.^"  Acts 7:51   It is little wonder that ", they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him".   

The New Testament uses the word witness or martyr over 400 times to describe discipleship.  It is a key word for understanding what it means to follow Christ.    A witness is one who has firsthand information about an event or even an eyewitness.    Any description of a follower of Christ would have to give serious attention to this New Testament Greek word "martyrion". 

Briefly, there are three characteristics to this word.   First I must have a personal relationship with Jesus like Peter and the Apostles.   For us this relationship must take place in faith.  Stephen is said to be "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit."  Without a lively and loving association with the living Christ we can hardly ever give adequate witness to Him.   This involvement with Jesus is principally experienced in an intense prayer life.

The second observation is that we must speak up for Christ with the same sincerity as Stephean did.  Admittedly, we might think of using a bit more tact than Stephen.  However the tact must never belie the truth that Christ is everything to us!  "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." John 6:35   Life without Jesus is a horrendous loss! The popular opinion today that a watered down morality is enough to satisfy the human heart is totally unbiblical! Zeal for the propagation of the faith is becoming a lost virtue in the country.

The third observation is that there is no witness protection program.  We see Stephen had to pay dearly for his witnessing to Jesus.   In a sense if there is no pain in the proclamation of the Gospel we probably are failing in our message!   If we want to be comfortable in the world it would not be a very good idea to take up preaching.  "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!" Luke 6:22

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

Reflection:

There is something incredibly touching about meeting Jesus on the beach as he appears to the disciples casually cooking and inviting them to "Come have breakfast." Basic, simple, nourishing words that give no inkling to all that has occurred in the prior days. The horror of the crucifixion, the denial and cowering of the apostles, the earthquake that split the temple curtain, the shock of an empty tomb and the stunning, awesome awakening to their Savior’s presence once again. How could one ever return to ordinary life after such a cosmic event?

In the wake of walking in a world blown open by unimaginable Mystery, Peter and the disciples return to the familiar where the invitation to follow Christ was first accepted. Ladened with the reality of betraying his allegiance to Christ, the sea, abandoned boats and fishing call out to Peter offering him weathered security and comfort.

Before the disciples could fully embark on their new calling, experiences needed to be understood, integrated and healed. The connection to the real presence of God had to be grounded in each life and made real. Back in the familiarity of what they know, Christ returns to tie up the loose ends of the story, ensuring their connection of memory and experience while renewing, transforming and restoring the path for a deeper commitment. Known again through the miracle of the fish and the breaking of the bread, Christ continues to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead.

I have always viewed Peter’s and Jesus’ "Do you love me?" exchange that follows as a merciful chance to reverse each denial but I wonder if there is the added element of a deeper invitation. Peter is now more aware of the cost of discipleship. His earlier proclamations of love before his denial remind me of the initial vows of marriage. Exuberant, passionate, unequivocal in its early stages, we meet Love with a degree of pride and naivete, promising and yet unaware of the depth of what this Love will ask. Love must endure and mature through the unforeseen tests and trials of time with the question becoming more real and relevant after it has been tested. It’s as if Christ is asking, "Having now seen and experienced both the miracles and the suffering that loving and following me can entail, are you willing to go forward with me?" This remains an ongoing invitation that awaits a response from each one of us every moment of our lives.

 

M. Walsh is a retreatant at Madre Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a friend of the Passionist community.

Scripture:

Acts 6:1-7
John 6:16-21

Reflection:

Beautiful gifts can arise from a crisis. This is easier said than done, of course. When we are sitting right in the eye of the hurricane of our crisis neither beauty nor gift seem to come from it. From the interethnic tensions of the first Christian communities, as we read in the book of Acts, what we know now as the Diaconate came about. Men, and even in some cases women, became responsible for the work of charity and justice within the Christian Community throughout the centuries. The Spirit of God, just as Jesus accompanied the disciples in the midst of the storm in today´s Gospel, through our conflict and crisis endowed the Church with a great service as it was and is the Diaconate.

The Christian Community is confronted with many current crises, the abuse of minors by priests, the omissions of our bishops, the abuse of influence and disorderedly conduct  by high ranking Vatican Officials, the disillusionment of many Catholics who have  given up on the Church and now make up one of the biggest religious groups in the US. Can beautiful gifts arise from any of these situations? As we sit in the eye of the hurricane that we face as Church, the past storms within our Church assures that Jesus is walking with us and that the Spirit will plant and harvest beautiful gifts for the Church and the world. Let us pray to receive the wisdom and courage to recognize Jesus as he accompanies us and the action of the Spirit as it bestows the Church with beautiful gifts in the midst of our crises.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 6:8-15
John 6: 22-29

Reflection:

There come into everyone’s life defining moments, forks in the path that set one on a new course. Our readings set the stage for a major transition in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the new Christian community that formed in Jerusalem after Pentecost. Let us look at Jesus. He had just performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of five thousand men. This precipitated a confusing aftermath: Jesus hiding himself from the crowds who wanted to make him king, boats leaving, the crowd confused, and finally the people finding him again in Capernaum. Jesus senses that this is the time to challenge the faith of the crowds enthused by his preaching and miracles. He launches into his discourse on the Bread of Life which reaches the startling proclamation that they must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood if they are to have life in them. John concludes with:  "From this time on, many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer." (6:66). The Twelve, led by Peter’s confession ("You have the words of eternal life") remain with him. The shadow of the cross is now over the Jesus movement.

In Acts we have a decisive moment as well. The deacon Stephen has risen to prominence in the Christian community on the strength of his powerful preaching and healings. Possibly understanding the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus he has begun to stress the differences between Judaism and followers of the new Way. He is arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. The charges against him (making statements against the law and that Jesus the Nazorean will change the customs Moses handed down) were in fact true. Our passage ends with Stephen standing before them his face shining like that of an angel, about to launch into a passionate defense of the new Way. He is dragged out of the city and stoned to death and a fierce persecution, led by Saul, begins against the church in Jerusalem. As a result Christians seek refuge away from the city and the

Church spreads to Damascus and Antioch, a changing event that moved the church into new lands, peoples and cultures.

Maybe we can ask ourselves what is the meaning of our new Pope named Francis.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

 

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-37
John 3:7b-15

 

 

Reflection:                                          

Nicodemus, Model of Catechumens

I find myself feeling a certain awe when I am with those in the RCIA. Something wonderful is happening in their lives. In words used in today’s gospel the Spirit is bringing into them something from above. They have questions and challenges but in the end it seems catechists and celebrant step back, and the persons to be baptized stand open before God, while God works in them.

Today is our second of three days with Nicodemus this week. Jesus challenges him to be born anew, to a new way in which God is at work. Jesus gives him a parable about the wind, and draws from it, that like the wind that cannot be controlled, so is the mystery, the freedom of God. What a good example are those newly baptized who have the seed of new life carried to them by the Spirit, it will be born within them and will grow to something new.

In the middle of our reading the conversation shifts. It is no longer Jesus and Nicodemus, but the faith community and Israel who are in dialogue. ‘We testify to what we have seen, you people do not accept our testimony’. We are in the days of mystagogy, the 50 days of celebrating the Resurrection and the time in the early church when those baptized were taught about their faith. There was much for them to learn, especially as they were celebrating a mystery that could only now be fully explored and entered into. We have welcomed those newly baptized at Easter this year. Even if our parish or the religious community in which we live did not celebrate a baptism, we join the community of the larger Church in celebrating those baptized. We by our faith during Lent witnessed to them, some in prayer others by example. And they have helped us by surrendering to the mystery of the breath of the Spirit working in them. They have answered the question of Nicodemus, "How can this happen?" 

The gospel ends today with a summary of faith. John tells us this is where the Spirit leads us: Jesus is from the Father, the one above. He will be lifted up as was the serpent in the desert during the Exodus, and will be our Savior. All who believe will have eternal life.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-33
John 3:31-36

Reflection:

"He does not ration his gift of the Spirit."

This is a very personal reflection.  I know first-hand that God does not ration his gift of the Spirit.  About 20 years ago, after much prayer, a private retreat, and discussion with my spiritual director, it became clear to me that I, a husband with two children, wanted to live my life more fully as a Passionist.  But how?  The only way I knew was to embrace the one gift that is unique to all Passionists – their vow to keep alive the memory of the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Memoria Passionis.

I wrote to Fr. Michael Joseph Stengel, then the Provincial of Holy Cross Province.  I requested his permission to enter into a year-long private formation leading up to the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother, Sept. 15, when I would hope to take the Passionist vow.

Fr. Michael Joseph replied: "I don’t have the power or authority to give you permission to take this vow.  We Passionists don’t have a monopoly on this charism.  We can’t ration it out. It belongs to the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit shares it with whoever desires it.  I can’t give you permission.  But my blessing you have as you prepare to take this vow."  About a year later on the Feast of the Mater Dolorosa, in the chapel of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, before family and the Passionist Community, I made the vow that Passionists have been making for nearly 300 years – the Memoria Passionis.

God is not stingy, not miserly, not tight-fisted.  God does not ration his gift of the Spirit.   God lavished me with the unmerited gift of the Spirit, the desire to preach Christ Crucified. And God allows me to share this gift in Passionist retreat ministry.

What has this personal reflection, the Memoria Passionis, to do with all of us during this Easter Season?  Just this:  As we continue to celebrate the Season, we are called to remember that the centrality of the Gospel is the cross, because it leads to life – never rationed, but bestowed lavishly.

 

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