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The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

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Reflection Articles

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

martin-luther-king-jr

On Monday, January 20, we observe the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s hope for peace by means of non-violence still resonates today.

I would like to share with you a reflection from Fr. Alex Steinmiller, CP, about Dr. King’s life and how it relates to our Passionist charism. Until this year, Fr. Alex lived and worked in Birmingham, Alabama, for over ten years.

The Way of the Cross According to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The life-motif of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has significance for those who embrace the Passionist charism of St. Paul of the Cross.

Embracing the charism includes these essentials:

  • Contemplating at the foot of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • Being attentive to the signs of the times, through dialogue with our own communities, and with those experiencing the contemporary crucifixion at the hands of unjust societies, and,
  • To preach, teach, model a Christ-centered community, and serve others, inspired by that which we have seen and heard.

Dr. King embraced his “Way of the Cross” by strictly abiding by the tenets of non-violence with roots in the two Great Commandments, and he did so for the sake of the poor of every race and in the face of great opposition, especially from the Black Community.

In February 1957, in Montgomery, Alabama, he spoke to a mass meeting with these words:

“If we as a people had as much religion in our hearts as we have in our legs and feet, (referring to the rousing hymns which had precluded his speech) we could change this world.” And later that evening, “Our use of passive resistance in Montgomery is not based on resistance to get rights for ourselves, but to achieve friendship with the men (sic) who are denying us our rights and change them through friendship and a bond of Christian understanding before God.” .” Let The Trumpet Sound, The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr, Stephen B. Oates, New American Library, 1982, p. 115

 Two major events mounted growing opposition to Dr. King’s mission to truly “free” America from its oppressive past.

First, one year to the day of his assassination, April 4, 1967, Dr. King delivered his anti-war speech at New York’s Riverside Church, which linked the impoverishment of the poor in the U.S. to the expenditures of the war in Vietnam, and the exportation of violence and poverty to yet another country. On April 12, 1967, the NAACP’s Board voted unanimously to “…oppose any effort to fuse the civil-rights and anti-war movements.” In response, Dr. King stated: “I’ve fought too long and too hard now against segregated accommodations to end up segregating my moral concerns….I know that justice is indivisible. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The second proposed event that would cause much opposition from within his own ranks was to be the all-inclusive “poor peoples’ campaign” on Washington. Dr. King believed that it was either that demonstration of peaceful solidarity or more devastating riots and possibly guerrilla warfare in the cities. He warned his countrymen, that this was “…the showdown for nonviolence, a ‘last chance’ project to arouse the American conscience toward constructive democratic change.”

Dr. King’s Passion narrative would be dramatically shared in the last speech that he would give on the evening of April 3, at the Sanitation Workers’ rally at the Masons’ Temple in downtown Memphis. After recalling some close encounters with death, he continued:

 “Now it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. Like I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. And I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight. I am not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

 I have a dream this afternoon that the brotherhood of man will become a reality. With this faith, I will go out and carve a tunnel of hope from a mountain of despair. With this faith, we will be able to achieve this new day. When all of God’ s children – black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics –will be able to join hands and sing with the Negroes in the spiritual of old “‘Free at last! Free at last!’ Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” (Ibid., pp.485-486)

 Let’s pause today to consider this man’s “way of the cross” as an inspiration for our own.

alex-steinmiller

Father Alex Steinmiller, CP, was ordained a Passionist Priest on June 13, 1970. He has served in various Passionist ministries over the years. Father Alex is one of the founding members of Life Directions, an outreach program to young adults which seeks “to fill the need by helping to motivate, mature and give direction”.

In 2007, Father Alex was named President of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham, Alabama, a position he held until his retirement in 2016. Father Alex, now serves at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan, and is active in the Detroit community.

Solemn Commemoration of the Passion

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Today, March 1, the Passionists celebrate the titular feast of the Congregation – the Solemn Commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

It is celebrated each year on the Friday before Ash Wednesday.

This feast, which was instituted by St. Paul of the Cross, is a joyful celebration of the mystery of Good Friday focusing on the Passion as “the most overwhelming sign of God’s love” (St. Paul of the Cross).

Passionist Bishop Vincent Strambi writes, “Happy is the person who reflects on the life giving passion of our Lord. He will be humble, trustful, thankful and loving towards Jesus who is our justice, our sanctification and our redemption” .  (From the book ‘The Treasures Which We Have in Jesus Christ,’ Volume III, p. 14

May the Passion of Jesus be always in our hearts!

Prayer for the Solemn Commemoration of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

God of compassion, creator and redeemer of humankind, You sent your only Son into this world to die that we might live, and to restore us to your friendship, lost by the sin of Adam.  Keep before our eyes the mystery of Christ crucified, so that we may preach to the world the redeeming love of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Stations of the Cross: Videos

We invite you to walk the Stations of the Cross with us.  A new video reflection will be available each day through Easter Sunday.

The Fifteenth Station: Jesus is Raised from the Dead

 


The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Stations:

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross and Laid in the Tomb

 


The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

 


The Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

 


The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

 


The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

 


The Eighth Station:  Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem

 


The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

 


The Sixth Station:  Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

 


The Fifth Station:  Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

 


The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother

 


The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

 


The Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross

 


The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

Lenten Video Reflections

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Father Donald Senior, C.P., concludes our Lenten journey with an insightful view of the Gospels to help us prepare for the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

 


 

Fifth Week of Lent

Father David Colhour, C.P., invites us, as we continue our Lenten journey, to prepare for the new covenant with Jesus.

 


 

Fourth Week of Lent

During this fourth week of our Lenten journey, Dr. Capper Rademaker encourages us to get back to the core of our being – our faith.

 


 

Third Week of Lent

Father Jack Conley, CP, invites us to hear Jesus call us to a deeper transformation during our Lenten journey.

 


 

Second Week of Lent

During this Second Week of Lent, Father Robin Ryan, CP, encourages us to be attentive and listen to God.

 


 

First Week of Lent

Deacon Manuel Valencia invites us into the wilderness where we will make a wonderful discovery.

 


 

Ash Wednesday Message

Dr. Michael Downey invites us to learn how to weep, mourn and share in the joy as we begin our Lenten Journey.

Stations of the Cross

These beautiful Stations can be found at our Passionist Community in Glen Osmond, Australia.

The Seven Last Words of Christ

7 Last Words Menu_0Hope, Strength, Faith, Forgiveness, Love

The Seven Last Words spoken by Jesus from the Cross have always been a special focus for Passionist Spirituality.  In them Jesus speaks from the Cross words of hope, of strength of faith, of forgiveness and of love. Besides being words of power they are words of example on how to follow Christ Crucified.

Preparing for Easter

Easter ReflectionPrepare Ye, the Way of the Lord!

Catholics are very familiar with the powerful symbols and meaning of Ash Wednesday, celebrated this year on February 10. The reception of ashes is an ancient and powerful declaration of mortality, of sinfulness, of our need for God. The liturgy of Ash Wednesday utters bold cries such as “rend your hearts!” and “be reconciled with God.” What’s the purpose of this annual rite?

The deepest meaning of Lent is not found in repentance, meditations on death and sin, but in Easter Sunday. For Ash Wednesday launches the Church into its greatest liturgical season that reaches a highpoint in the joyous “Alleluias!” of Easter Sunday. Six more weeks of intense reflection on the meaning of Easter follow, concluding with the great celebration of Pentecost. In all, the Church devotes something beyond three months to preparation for and reflection on Easter.

This glorious time, graced with the disappearance of Winter and the welcome coming of Spring, speaks to the heart of Christian faith. In the Resurrection of Jesus, everything changed. In that deep mystery where death’s cold grip was broken, the power of Divine Love stood revealed in its reliability and invincibility. It is the Resurrection that makes Christianity possible for, without the Risen One, the broken and fearful disciples certainly would have drifted back to their boats and nets and abandoned their call to be fishers of people! This graced season of preparation frames the preparation time for baptismal candidates, prepared in today’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. This practice reminds us of the most ancient Christian practice to baptize only on Easter Saturday Night when the Resurrection was first proclaimed.

Begun on a day characterized by powerful calls to repentance and renewal of heart, the coming liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter invite us to sink deep into the great work of God at the heart of our faith – the Resurrection of Jesus. True repentance prepares our hearts to welcome the joy and hope that are Easter’s most welcome gifts.

How do we do this? Fasting? Dieting? Exercise? Good works for others? These are all wonderful practices with excellent church reputations. But how about something fit for our times? How about choosing to renounce negativity?

Have you ever noticed how a critical word, a gripe, a moan or complaint, sows a dark seed of sorrow in your heart and sucks all the fresh air out of the room you are in? What would happen if we were to deliberately refrain from all that? Would we have anything to talk about??? Could we be surprised to learn that negativity breeds results that wear its clothes, just as does hope and positive expectation?

How best to become Easter people, radiant with the power of Resurrection? This Lenten “rending of our hearts” would create some room, sweep away the dust of bitterness, the litter of resentment, and dispel the dark clouds of negativity and gloom – so that there would be room for the fragile shoots of Hope. Then, the Risen Morningstar that never sets would ever shine in our hearts and, through our living, in our world. Alleluia!

Fr. Jim Thoman, CP, died in 2010.  His timeless message for Lent encourages us all to become “Easter People.” 

Standing at the Foot of the Cross 

We welcome you to a new feature on our Website. In this section we invite you to pray with us for those who “stand at the foot of the Cross” with the Sorrowful Mother and the other faithful disciples.  We will add new features periodically, so check back often.

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