Personal Reflections on Today's Gospel

 

Jesus eats with sinners and publicans by Alexandre Bida

Some personal reflections by Terry McCann

Catholics are taught that when the priest at mass says the words of consecration: take and eat, this is my body, this is the cup of my blood of the new covenant; do this as a memorial of me -  that the priest is representing Christ who is really present in our midst, eating and drinking with us who are gathered "in his name."

My mother converted to Roman Catholicism so that my dad and she could get married in the Catholic Church. She died in January of the year that I would turn six years old. In December of that same year my dad married again - this time he married a non-Catholic divorcee. It is not surprising that he married again relatively quickly. I have been given to understand that I was something of a 'handful', with behaviour problems and temper tantrums. It must have been incredibly brave of my stepmother to marry my dad, given the baggage represented by the five year old brat that he brought with him. I found out later that, immediately after the wedding service at Manning Road Methodist Church in Durban, one of my aunts (second cousin 1x removed) said to my new mom, "Of course, you must realise that you are not really married in the eyes of the Catholic Church." This left my mom hurting and angry.  In all their married years, I have no recollection, other than with one exception, that they ever stepped foot in a Catholic church. Nor did they ever again communicate with that side of the family. I met that aunt at my dad's funeral. She was a stranger to me and had to introduce herself.

In his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia), Pope Francis writes:

It is important that the divorced who have entered a new union should be made to feel part of the Church. “They are not excommunicated” and they should not be treated as such, since they remain part of the ecclesial community. These situations “require careful discernment and respectful accompaniment. Language or conduct that might lead them to feel discriminated against should be avoided, and they should be encouraged to participate in the life of the community." - AL 243.

Many of us know how that went down. A small but vocal contingent of fervent Catholics, led by some bishops, accused the pope of sowing discord and confusion in the Catholic Church. Sin is sin, they say, and adultery is sin and should be called as such.

We also know from the gospels how Jesus felt about sinners, and about religious people. He called the tax collector, Matthew, to be a disciple and then joined in the party Matthew gave to his friends, eating and drinking with other tax collectors and sinners. See Matthew 9:9-13. This shocked the pharisees who were fervent, religious and meticulous about keeping the law. And yet it was to the scribes and pharisees that Jesus gave his sternest warnings: Woe to you, scribes and pharisees. See Luke 11:37–54 and Matthew 23:1–39.

It is very dangerous for us to judge who should be 'in' and who should be 'out'. Let's not go down that road. Our call is simply to love. As a general rule, the ones who most need our love are the most vulnerable people, and those who feel least loved. Our Lord call us to serve these with love, respect, justice and joy.

Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord

 

Sr Mary McGlone writes by way of reflection on this Sunday's readings in the National Catholic Reporter:

In our history, we Christians have missed the mark on carrying out much (most?) of what Jesus tried to teach. In the name of Christ, a shameful number of men went crusading to destroy unbelievers. The Council of Trent found it necessary to prohibit such egregious abuses of the Eucharist as paying priest celebrants according to how long they could hold up the host for the people to adore.

In the U.S., some Christians saw it as their duty to carry out outlandish "proofs" that allowed them to put "witches" to death. In the name of freedom of religion, we have privatized our faith to the point that many feel free of responsibility to the common good, believing that all God desires is that we will each save our soul.

Worst of all, we have found ways to justify all of this by citing Scripture — selectively.

St. Paul warned the Ephesians about this kind of distorted theology, saying: "Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons, but as wise ... do not continue in ignorance." He said, "the days are evil." 

Each of the deformations of Christianity mentioned above came from self-serving interpretations of Scripture, interpretations that employed fear and magic as well as bigoted exercises of power over others.

… How are we to know if we are following Paul's advice to seek the will of God rather than interpreting like the Crusaders?  … Instead of accepting inadequate interpretations of the Gospel, Christ invites us into an ongoing, mystical spiral of tasting and seeing the goodness of the Lord. 

Read the rest of Sr McGlone's reflection on the readings for this Sunday here… 

Spiritual Reflection for December Meeting

 

Selection by Deacon Steve

“Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21: 27 – 28)

As we journey in this season of Advent, a time of preparation for and anticipation of the coming of Christ in the Incarnation, which has taken place and is ongoing, we also remember that it is a time of preparation for the Second Coming, for as our Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent tells us, 

“Then they will see, “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21: 27 – 28)

Yet as Thomas Merton reminds us, 

“More important than the eschatological sign of renewed life, is the sign par excellence; “The Gospel is preached to the poor.” This means that the prophetic message, the fulfillment of the divine promises is now formally announced to the ‘anawim’, to those who hungered and thirsted for the Kingdom because they had no hope but the Lord…. This fulfillment has begun because now Christ has appeared in the midst of the poor as one of them, and has taken them to Himself so that they are, in a most special way, Christ. What happens to them, in a most special way, happens to Christ (Matt 25:37-45). The Last Days have come not merely because the poor have heard about Christ but because they “are” Christ. The poor themselves now become an eschatological sign of Christ, a sign by which other people are judged, for “if the wicked servant says in his heart: ‘My Lord delays in coming’ and begins to strike his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the Lord of that servant will come on the day he does not expect and in the hour which he does not know, and will cut him off (from Man in Christ) and give him his portion with the hypocrites.” (Matt 24:48-50)”

Thomas Merton, “Seasons of Celebration: Meditations on the Cycle of Liturgical Feasts” p. 79

Who is Jesus, and what does it mean to follow him?

A priest friend sent me this reflection on this Sunday's readings (24th Sunday) by Christina Zaker, Director of Field Education at the Catholic Theological Union. Most homilies that I have heard on these readings over the years focus largely on the Gospel, "Who do you say that I am?" What I like about this particular reflection is how it uses the the first two readings to help us answer the challenging question of Jesus not just with our heads and hearts but with our lives.

Timothy Schmalz: When I was Hungry

Who is Jesus, and what does it mean to follow him?

Reading 1: Isaiah: 50: 5-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm: 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Reading 2: James 2: 14-18
Gospel: Mark: 8:27-35

Today’s readings focus our attention on the very heart of Mark’s Gospel: Who is this man Jesus, and what does it mean to follow him? The question “Who do you say that I am?” that Jesus poses to Peter and his disciples is one we all must answer with our lives. How do we understand this person Jesus and his ministry, and how does this understanding shape the way we live our lives in response?

The first and second readings offer clues to what it means to follow him. In the second reading, the letter of James, we are implored to back up our faith with good works. If our faith only lives on our lips but is not reflected on and lived out in the work that we do or the way we build relationships with others, then our faith “is dead.”

The first reading points to the possibility of persecution for our faith. A living faith makes us have “ears that can hear” our God. When our actions reflect our hearing, we might suffer as a result. To have the courage to act authentically on our faith, means to disrupt the norms and challenge the status quo; to lean into discomfort for the sake of others. It is not always easy to live out our faith. However, Isaiah reminds us to set our “face like flint” and not sway from the path of our God. We will not be shamed if our heart is following God.

With these readings today, we are faced not only with the question Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” but also the reality that to know him and follow his footsteps means being willing to follow him in his suffering on the cross. It is this reality that makes Peter scoff. He believes in Jesus as the Messiah, but he is not yet willing to accept that the path leads through persecution and suffering. In turn, Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is startling, but one we should each note. We may think we know Jesus, but we need to truly reflect on the times in our own lives where our apathy or fear have held us back from the work to be done. When our comfortable lives have led us to hesitate, to think “Do I really want to get that involved in dismantling racism or anti-Semitism when it doesn’t really affect me?” or “Do I want to change my habits to act for climate change when I’d rather just do my thing?…”  When we hesitate to act, thinking we don’t really need to live our faith that way, those are the times we need to hear Jesus’ rebuke and reorient to his way.

Being a people of faith...

Read the rest of Christina Zaker's reflection following this link.
https://learn.ctu.edu/twenty-fourth-sunday-of-ordinary-time-2/

Jesus commissioned a community

The Gospel reading for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary time usually leaves us feeling uncomfortable. I recommend this take on today's Gospel as one that has real applicability to us as Vincentians. I particularly suggest reflecting on the part where Sr. McGone writes, "...in this Gospel Jesus commissioned a community, not individuals. No one of us will ever be sufficiently worthy or equal to take up Jesus' mission."

Read her full reflection here: Love makes us worthy

(Unsplash/Alex Block)                                                      .

Daily Advent Meditations with Pope Francis and Laudato Si'

These meditations were originally published in 2015 by St. Vincent de Paul Parish Community in Baltimore.

 

Sunday, Dec. 1: God's loving plan

Third World Day of the Poor - Questions for reflection and discussion 

The numbers in parentheses refer to the Pope's Message which can be linked to here, a summary of which follows below the questions.

1. The Pope says (#9) that the poor "save" us. In what way do the poor save us? Which gospel passage do you think the pope is referring to? How does this affect how you view the poor?
2. When Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom, whom did he place at the centre (#5)? What task did he entrust to us? Do you feel up to the task? What are some possible next steps you can take? Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus?
3. What does the pope mean by "social imbalances" (#1) and "bondage" (#2)? What social imbalance and bondage have you personally witnessed whether in yourself or others?
4. Who, or what groups of people, in your community and parish boundaries might be feeling like strangers or outcasts (#6)? How welcome do you think they would feel if they walked into our church for Sunday mass?
5. What do you think the pope means by "stifling individualism" or "small circles of spiritual intimacy with no influence on social life" (#6)? What should make this impossible for disciples of Jesus?
6. On this World Day of the Poor, what else can we offer beyond material assistance (#7)? What is an indispensable start for having a true concern for the poor?
7. Who makes God's love visible for the poor (#8)? What do the poor need even more than a hot meal or sandwich?
8. We talk about "the poor", but what is the danger in always using this term (#9)? Who or what are "the poor"?
9. What can we offer the poor (#10)? Why? Can we do it alone?

Here is a summary with extracts from the Pope's Message announcing the Third World Day of the Poor.

Spiritual Reflection for September - Charity & Justice

Charity and Justice

We are well acquainted with the two-fold commandment that Jesus quoted, to love God with all we've got and to love our neighbour as ourselves. (See Matthew 22:36-40.) To be commanded to love is somewhat paradoxical. The act of loving, of course, can only be done voluntarily: we cannot be dragged kicking and screaming to love; we choose to love or not to love. But, for us as Christians, it is nevertheless a matter of obligation. 'Love, or take the consequences.' The paradoxical nature of Jesus' command helps us better understand what Jesus intends here. He is NOT commanding us to have warm, fuzzy feelings in our hearts for God and our neighbour. Trying to work up such feelings inside of ourselves would not be a good place to start rolling out how to fulfil the Great Commandment. This love is to be exercised in action, not emotion, by acts of compassion and kindness.

Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis)

Have you heard of the "Stations of the Resurrection"?

In this article posted in FAMVIN, Fr.  John Freund, CM tells us how we can use these Easter "Stations" to help us be people of Easter life, hope and joy: Being Easter People in a Good Friday/Holy Saturday World.

Jan 14, 2019 - Spiritual Reading - The Baptism of Jesus

Yesterday we had the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Here are some take-aways for us as Vincentians from a spiritual reflection by Sr. Mary M McGlone CSJ.


"What can we take away from today's celebration of the Baptism of the Lord? First, we can celebrate the reality that our baptism links us to Christ and to all who have gone before us in faith. At a time when legal papers have become so important for determining status, we can claim our baptismal certificate as our principal identity card. It tells us to whom we belong and to what we are called.

"Jesus' response to his baptism reminds us that the ceremony is but one tiny moment, the meaning of which is determined by how we live it out. Observing Jesus, we realize that baptism does not give us a status but a mission. To discern that mission, we too must pray and listen to the Scriptures.

"God will continue to send vibrant characters like John to remind us of the Spirit's fire. After those prophets wake us up, we will be called to prayer as was Jesus. Then, like Jesus, the first message we will hear is that we too are God's beloved. That love will then send us into the mission that only we can accomplish in our own day." (1)

The point is, for us as Vincentians, if we hope to be effective in bringing the love of Christ to the poor and others whom we serve, we need to have enduring confidence that God loves us. One essential way for nurturing that confidence is listening to God speak to us in daily prayer and reflecting on scripture.


(1)  The Baptism of the Lord: No script but Scriptures
Jan 12, 2019
by Mary M. McGlone
 From <https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/scripture-life/baptism-lord-no-script-scriptures>