• Matthew 21:1-11. (Gospel for the Procession) This account of Palm Sunday emphasizes the divinity of Jesus, the fulfillment of prophecy, the messianic acclamation: “he who comes.”
• Isaiah 50: 4-7. Within this prophecy of Isaiah, the third song of the Suffering Servant quietly establishes the strength and dignity of a disgraced but righteous person.
• Philippians 2: 5-11. Jesus emptied himself of his divine dignity to be incarnated in our midst and suffer the humiliation of the cross as a way to glory.
• Matthew 26:14 – 27:66. The Passion according to Matthew more than Mark’s or Luke’s gospel, dramatizes the narrative, i.e., by ending with an earthquake, by providing more details from popular tradition, as the anecdote about Judas and Pilate’s wife and by meeting the catechetical needs through biblical citations.

Thoughts for your consideration: By John Gonzalez

This Sunday celebrates the beginning of Holy Week with Passion (Palm) Sunday. Along with the readings and Passion narrative for this Sunday let us also consider this excerpt from the philosopher Plato in his book “The Republic” which reflects on the social response to the Just Man:

They will tell you that the just man who is thought unjust will be scourged, racked, bound – will have his eyes burned out; and finally, after every extremity of suffering, he will be crucified: Then he will understand that he ought to seem only, and not to be, just. (2: 362)

One of our earliest Christian apologist Justin Martyr was so taken by the wisdom of the philosophers like Plato that he would go on to develop the notion of the “pre-Christian” in which he identifies the divine wisdom of the logos in the writings of certain philosophers and prophets who lived before Christ. In this passage by Plato the “Just Man” is the one who lives a life that fully embodies justice rather than merely appearing to be just. This Just Man is such a challenge to conventional society that the inevitable response is to eliminate him in such a way as to deter others from actually living the virtue of justice.

This week we bear witness to the prophesy of Isaiah and the philosophy of Plato as Christ, the Just Man and Suffering Servant, is placed within the midst of the social forces of his time. The procession reminds us of the triumphant entrance into Jerusalem where Jesus, the itinerant preacher and healer of Galilee, already disturbs the social peace of this city which is the center of power for the Temple and Roman authorities.

And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

No sooner do we celebrate this enthusiastic public response to Jesus’ presence that we are confronted with the readings from Isaiah and Paul where Jesus, the Suffering Servant, is described within the paradox of his Divine mission. Jesus shares equality with God and he is given the skills and wisdom to preach the Word but this awesome dignity and prophetic mission will earn him reproach, torture and a horrific death. The dignity that Christ recognizes is that in sharing equality with God Christ also shares the deep love that God has for all creation. This all encompassing love becomes the motive for true justice. That is why the Suffering Servant in Isaiah can bear all the injustice and not suffer personal disgrace. By finding strength in God the Suffering Servant sees his preaching ministry firmly rooted in the desire to bring the people back to God and if this is to be done by bearing their injustice with love then so be it.

In Matthew’s passion narrative we are confronted with the kairos moment that is used in chapter 26:18.  What we read as the “appointed time” is originally written with the Greek word kairos which refers to one’s destiny or a decisive moment in history. The stage is set for God to break into human history through the Paschal Mystery. In this decisive moment Jesus will commit himself to the final sacrifice that will testify to God’s great love for us. The Kingdom of God will bear upon our human experience with those who first witnessed the Resurrection.  Jesus, the Suffering Servant and Just Man, lives with us and in us through the Kingdom of God that is slowly emerging, bringing forth the redemption of all creation from the power of sin and injustice.

We are invited to share in the paradox of this dignity. No longer can we content with the mere appearance of being just. Justice in truth becomes the standard for us as we follow Christ, the Just Man, in bringing forth the fullness of God’s justice through an all encompassing love that we are to have for one another. God continues to break into our human experience through our own witness of this shared dignity. The challenge of this Christian paradox was described by another Christian apologist who anonymously writes the 2nds century letter to Diognetus.

Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory.             

• Isaiah 49: 14-15. God, our mother, cannot forget us, the children formed in the womb of divine love.
• 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5. We are servants of Christ and mediators of the mysteries of God. The Lord is our one judge, to bring to light what is hidden in darkness.
• Matthew 6:24-34. We cannot serve two masters, trust in your heavenly Father who knows all that you need. Do not worry about your livelihood. Is not life more than food, the body more valuable than clothes?

Thoughts for your Consideration: By Fr. Phil Paxton, CP

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount with these words: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one or love the other, or be devoted to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” What Jesus is saying here is that we cannot serve God and material wealth at the same time. If obtaining material wealth is our highest goal, we will not be serving God. Then Jesus talks about worry and anxiety, and in the light of this and our other Scripture readings from today and the past few weeks, it came to me that there might be other things or attitudes that we sometimes put before God.

We cannot serve God and despair – In our first reading from Isaiah, God promises us that even if a mother should forget her child, God will never forget us. In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Father does know our needs. Sometimes we can doubt this, because of our circumstances. But we can know God is with us as we carry our crosses, because Jesus carried His Cross for us.

We cannot serve God and condemnation – St. Paul warns the Corinthians in our second reading: “Therefore do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes…” If Jesus did not come to condemn us, how can we condemn others?

We cannot serve God and worry – Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?”

We cannot serve God and complacency – Again, in our second reading, St. Paul writes, “It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not therefore stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.” As Christians, we cannot be comfortable with what is, because what is is not the kingdom. In the status quo, there are people oppressed, exploited, and worn down. We can’t be comfortable with that.

We cannot serve God and hate – We heard last Sunday that Jesus told us to love even our enemies (as He did). Personally, I am more and more convinced that we cannot serve God and violence against others.

On the other hand, there are things and attitudes that seem to go along with following Jesus.

We can serve God and faith – As Jesus tells us, we can put our faith in God, who provides for all of His Creation, and understands our needs.

We can serve God and hope – In our second reading, St. Paul looks forward to the time when Jesus will come again, “for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.”

We can serve God and peace – In the Beatitudes we hear, “Blessed are the peacemakers…”

We can serve God and mercy and compassion – “Blessed are the merciful…”

We can serve God and righteousness – Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” This, of course, does not mean we can indulge in self-righteousness. The Gospel is very clear about that!

We can serve God and love – Again, in our Gospel reading from last week, Jesus calls us to love, and to love beyond what may seem fair and reasonable, even to the point of praying for those who persecute us.

We can serve God and justice – At times, there is a debate about whether “social justice” is really part of the mission of the Church. I think there is a long line of official documents that affirm that it is. In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Father knows our needs, but that we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given” to us. I don’t believe it is contrary to the Gospel, that as we are invited to let go of worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear, that part of “seeking” the kingdom of God involves wanting to make sure that all of us have something to eat and something to wear, and a roof over our heads. To work for this does not only involve works of charity, but working against the injustices that all too often get in the way of people having their most basic needs met.

May God continue to bless us all, and give us the grace to seek His Kingdom.

• Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7. In this first song of the Suffering Servant within the prophesy of Isaiah, God summons his chosen one to bring forth justice to the nations, quietly, considerately.
• Acts 10: 34-38. Peter instructs the first gentile converts beginning with Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.
• Matthew 3:13-17. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus proclaiming “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Thoughts for your Consideration:

This week our Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. In celebrating this event we are observing a number of important moments for our faith tradition. We celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. This beginning is marked in two ways which testifies to Jesus’ humanity (the baptism by John) and his divinity (the anointment by the Holy Spirit). We also acknowledge the foundation for the rite of baptism and confirmation as important sacraments of the Church and in our lives. We also observe the importance of John the Baptist and his prophetic role in preparing the way of the Lord.

But if we reflect on three readings together then we are confronted with another element that must be observed with this amazing event: Jesus’ ministry is grounded within the prophetic tradition. Isaiah’s suffering servant songs offer a resume for the anointed messiah. In this passage that we read today Isaiah reminds us that this resume fulfills the prophetic call for justice:

He shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth;

Isaiah tells us two things in this passage. First he tells us about the mission of the “suffering servant” in bringing forth social justice. He describes this mission as having a liberating effect to all of God’s people. Peter, in the second reading, receives his own epiphany by realizing that “God shows no partiality.” The people of God are not defined by a particular ethnicity or creed, and the gentile converts force Peter to recognize the universal extant of this liberating call to justice. The second thing that Isaiah tells us is the way in which the “suffering servant” will conduct this mission. He describes a nonviolent and humble approach in bringing about this call to justice. The “suffering servant” will not bestow justice with a firm hand or with harsh punishment; instead justice will be applied with mercy, humility and gentleness. Peter describes this in terms of simply being good and bringing about healing.

Baptism and confirmation does not make us good. By virtue of being created by a good God we and all creation are designated as good (Gen. 1:31). Baptism instead consecrates us to a life of perfect goodness. For us Catholics confirmation offers us the added grace of being anointed by the Holy Spirit which will aid us in the pursuit of perfect goodness. Justice is a virtue that belongs to all who seek the good. Justice was pursued not only by the prophets before Christ but also by every human civilization that ever existed. But through Christ we have been given the perfect model for our humanity and for our mission to pursue justice and all that is good.

You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Mt. 5: 38-39, 48)

This call to perfect goodness challenges us to adopt an ethic of peace and nonviolence in promoting social justice. The call to nonviolence is not a call to passivity. Instead we are still called to promote what is just and fair but our means are limited since they require us to apply mercy, respect and gentleness in addressing the injustice that we face. As we consider the social injustices and conflicts in our world let us reflect on our baptismal calling to model the “suffering servant” in our pursuit of perfect justice.

• Isaiah 7:10-14. At a time when the Davidic dynasty was threatened severely, even with the loss of the throne, Isaiah promised survival but through God alone.
• Romans 1: 1-7. Paul has been designated to announce the Gospel – Jesus Christ, “descended from David according to the flesh but… Son of God… by his resurrection.”
• Matthew 1: 18-24. A tradition centering in Joseph recalls Jesus’ virginal conception as announced through the prophets.

Thoughts for Your Consideration: By John Gonzalez

We are coming towards the end of the Advent season. The readings call to mind the Divine plan which called for the birth of the savior. Isaiah offers his prophesy regarding the birth of Emmanuel to King Ahaz of Judah as a miraculous symbol of Divine hope for a period of great national stress. Paul describes the mystery of the incarnation as part of the gospel creed and the hope for the early Christian community in Rome. In the Gospel reading according to Matthew the miraculous circumstances regarding the birth of Jesus are narrated to us through the eyes of Joseph who is both righteous and compassionate. Joseph struggles with the social implications of this event but through the power of faith that graces his intuition he is able to identify the great salvific hope that will be born to them.

These readings set up for us the exciting context for celebrating Christmas. They describe to us the foretold birth of Christ and we can get excited over the message in preparation for the festivities of the week. But if we take the time to contemplate each of these readings and appreciate the dire situation from which each of them where written in we will be feeling something other than excitement.  Instead we may end up with a healthy amount of anguish and trepidation for what is to come. In all three cases (King Ahaz, Joseph, and the early Christian community in Rome) each is being given a message of hope that can only be accepted in faith as they each are asked to take their first step into the deep unknown. At Christmas we celebrate the foretold gift of hope, a gift in the midst of a suffering world, a gift that will challenge all of us to have faith in a hope that is not of our own making and which places us in the midst of the social suffering of our world.

Let us explore the situation of King Ahaz. Ahaz, the King of Judah, reigned in the midst of social upheaval. The armies of Syria and Northern Israel formed an alliance against Assyria. Ahaz would not join the alliance and so the two armies strategized to take over Jerusalem and set up a puppet government which would concede to the alliance. Ahaz was rightfully concerned that a war against Assyria was folly. So instead of joining the alliance with Israel and Syria he contemplated forming a military alliance with Assyria. Here is where Isaiah comes in. He counsels Ahaz against forming an alliance that will eventually reduce Judah to rubble. Instead Isaiah’s advice to Ahaz is to wait out the crisis and “remain tranquil and do not fear.” Scripture Scholars suggest that Isaiah analyzed that Assyria would finish off with the two rebel states of Israel and Syria soon (which they did) and felt that it would be folly to place oneself into a relationship of submission to the Assyrians. In this situation Isaiah offers Ahaz a prophesy of hope regarding the birth of Emmanuel. This prophesy was to symbolize two things. For the interest of Ahaz it symbolized the preservation of the Davidic lineage. But it also signified hope in the midst of tribulation, new life in the midst of impending destruction. Ahaz does not concede to Isaiah  and engages the Assyrians. The Kingdom of Judah has lost faith, “unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm.” The birth of hope is instead brought to bear with the astounding faith of another member of the Davidic lineage, a lowly carpenter who faces a troubling pre-marital situation.

The central message of each of these readings is that hope is alive in the midst of our own social or personal tribulations. As the year 2010 draws to a close we face many social upheavals that can leave us without any faith for the future. Our global economy, domestic social welfare, political and military conflicts are all in turmoil. Where can we identify our hope in these times? Do we now compromise our faith with other organizations or ideologies out there that give us some semblance of comfort and stability? Like Ahaz, should we close in on ourselves with a narrow definition of community or nation and out of fear submit ourselves to the policies of those who appear economically and politically strong? No, Scripture has never presented that as a solution.  Our faith is in God, the God of the poor and the suffering, the God who promises justice, mercy and forgiveness time and time again. The non-violent prince of peace is our true hope, our way to address the violent and unjust challenges in our world. It is a path wrought with suffering as we promote policies of fairness; justice and compassion to all our brothers and sisters who need our help. It is a path that will bring us ridicule as we tirelessly advocate for peace and nonviolence to a world that is nurtured in conflict and violence. It is an unpopular path but according to the prophets it is the only sure path we have.

St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionist Community, experienced a time of great social upheaval and turbulence. Europe had just stemmed the tide of the Turkish war which threatened the continent at the Battle of Vienna. The Protestant and Catholic division continued to disrupt European stability. The old aristocratic order was being attacked by the emerging systems of nationalism. Several philosophies attempted to make sense of this new European reality from John Locke’s liberalism to Edmund Burke’s conservatism. And yet, amongst all this activity and development, the poor were in large parts ignored and left to focus on their own survival and left with few options like thievery or brigandry.

Like his philosophical contemporaries St. Paul of the Cross recognized that one of the fundamental problems affecting his turbulent times was a lack of meaningful existence. Unlike his contemporaries Paul did not believe that the emerging social meaning had to come from outside the traditional Christian faith. Rather, as the above quote suggest, Paul believed that the greatest of personal and social messages was in the mystery of the Passion. What better message of empathy could there be to a world steeped in the midst of suffering then the message of the suffering servant. With the powerful meaning that this message could convey one could understand Pope Benedict XIV enthusiasm in making the supportive comment, “This Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ should have been the first to be founded and it has arrived at last.”

St. Paul of the Cross did not deny the immense suffering that was afflicting his world. In his massive correspondence we catch a glimpse of the numerous forms of personal and social suffering that he ministers to as a spiritual companion. For Paul one of the great problems of his world is that with all the suffering that was being experienced and the naturally imperfect condition of humanity, especially in its lack of humility, there was a growing tendency towards human arrogance, unbridled anger, and violence. People and society needed to come to an understanding of their suffering and find meaning in what they were experiencing. St. Paul of the Cross, like St. Paul the Apostle, believed that in understanding the suffering of this world through the prism of the Passion would condition humanity towards a compassionate love for one another rather than the antagonistic hate that prevailed. In that sense he would accomplish what St. Paul the Apostle wrote in his letter to the Romans “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

St. Paul of the Cross is well known historically as a mystic and a preacher of the Passion. However another point of his life that should be emphasized is his focus on the poor and marginalized. He wanted his community to minister to the poor and marginalized people who lived in the malaria infected regions of Italy known as the Maremma. He undertook a number of direct service ministries including as a hospital chaplain. We also know that during the Austrian-Spanish battle at Orbetello around the late 1730’s St. Paul of the Cross and his early community tended to the soldiers from both sides and as he developed a trusting relationship with both armies he participated with the negotiation of a truce between the two armies. This truce spared the city from a naval bombardment. As a result the city helped St. Paul of the Cross build his first retreat.

In his vast correspondence one can see St. Paul’s orientation towards the “preferential option for the poor.” He used to say “Look at the poor, there you will find the name of Jesus Christ written on their foreheads.” In fact during his early design for a religious community he initially went with the name “the poor of Jesus.” While the community eventually became known as the Passionist this exhortation to be with the poor always remained as a part of his mission.

Following the teaching of the Prince of the Apostles, and that before everything else holy charity may flourish in the Congregation, especially toward the poor sick, we ordain that these are to be cared for with all charitable attention to the extant that our poverty permits. May 20 1775; letter to the Passionist Religious

We ought to be grateful and correspond to his divine benefits by loving justice, truth, and exercising charity and the works of mercy towards our neighbor, especially to the poor. December 26 1772; letter to a gentleman

As the preaching fame of St. Paul of the Cross developed the founder found himself traveling throughout Italy preaching missions wherever he went. There are a number of testimonies that discuss how he integrated this justice for the poor. One amazing example of this is offered by his own biographer St. Vincent Strambi, CP.

As this true disciple of his Divine Master, all love and charity, could not do alone what he wished for the poor, he labored in their favor as much as he could, making use of the opportunities that the giving of holy missions and similar employments afforded him. On one occasion, when Father Paul was giving the exercises publicly in a city in 1759, he found out that the poor were in distress because they were obliged to pay back the loan of wheat received for their nourishment during the past winter from the public deposit, without having the means of repaying it, as the harvest had been very scanty that year. The law was just going to be carried into effect against them, and the poor creatures were reduced to extreme distress. Father Paul, moved with compassion for them and their misery, recommended so earnestly and forcibly from the platform to those gentlemen that governed this public office to grant some delay. Showing so tender and cordial a compassion, he moved the hearts of the Vice President and all the gentlemen who had anything to do with the affair, and obtained that payment should not be called for until the following year, to the universal consolation of the poor. He grieved deeply when the poor were abandoned.

Here we witness St. Paul of the Cross applying the scriptural mandate for debt relief to a community that was suffering from the social calamity of an arduous debt crisis. This example along with his mediation of the battle at Orbetello and his constant advocacy towards the poor demonstrates how he saw his mystical spirituality resonate with his own social responsibility. On October 18, 1775 St. Paul of the Cross passed on from this world and was canonized a saint in 1867. As we take the time to celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross let us also remind ourselves of the social as well as spiritual implications of his inspiring mysticism.

The 1971 Catholic Synod of Bishops offered a powerful support for the promotion of social justice within the life of the Church. Under paragraph 6 of their document “Justice in the World” The Catholic Bishops of the entire world say the following:

God has revealed himself to us, and made known to us, as it is brought progressively to realization, his plan of liberation and salvation which is once and for all fulfilled in the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.

Here, the pursuit of justice is described as being a constitutive element rather than an unimportant or secondary dimension of the Gospel mandate. Furthermore the Bishops also highlight the theological center of our call to pursue social justice within the Pascal Mystery. In the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection the plan of God’s Kingdom is revealed to us and the social program that Jesus pursues of publically promoting a society that is based on love, compassion, non-violence and justice is given the divine stamp of approval.

The Passionist Constitutions eloquently describes this theology further under Constitution article 65:

We Passionists make the Paschal Mystery the center of our lives. This entails a loving commitment to follow Jesus Crucified, and a generous resolve to proclaim His Passion and death with faith and love. His Passion and death are no mere historical events. They are ever-present realities to people in the world of today, “crucified” as they are by injustice, by the lack of a deep respect for human life, and by a hungry yearning for peace, truth, and the fullness of human existence.

Here again the centrality is the Paschal Mystery. However we Passionists also look towards the incarnation of the social injustice that Christ suffered with the unjust suffering that continues in our world today. Devotion to Jesus Crucified calls us to walk with the “people in the world today, “crucified” as they are by injustice.” Social justice is not an afterthought. It is a central part of the Christian mystery. Of course the pursuit of social justice has evolved along with the development of the social order so that the methods of pursuing the social agenda looks different now compared to the 2000 year history of the Christian faith. So with that we will examine what we mean by social justice today.

Actions on Behalf of Justice:

In a retreat program on social justice that the Campaign for Human Development offers the parishes the facilitator offers the following story to the participants:

Once there was a church picnic. It was a beautiful day. The picnic site was by a river, and there was a cool breeze across the water. Kids were playing ball. There was lots of food. Bingo was in full swing! All of a sudden someone shouted, “Look, there is a body floating face down in the river.” At once, a few people waded into the river and pulled the person ashore. Someone else called an ambulance while another administered CPR. Other shaded the person form the heat of the sun. Everything looked under control, but then another body was sighted and then another, and then another… Everyone scurried to help in some way. One person, left the group and began to run upstream. “Where are you going?” the crowd cried out. “We need you to help.” He replied, “I’m going upstream to find out why people keep floating down the river…”

This story begins to describe to us the concept of the two feet of social justice. The basic concept is that if we are to participate in God’s salvific plan that includes the transformation of unjust systems then we must address two aspects of social injustice. The first dimension of injustice is the real manifestations of suffering and injustice. We must help those who are suffering. Like the story above me must give aid to the people who are floating down the river. This form of service is traditionally called charity and we usually express this with direct social service ministries or donations. Homeless shelters, soup kitchen, prison and hospital ministries, educational opportunities, all these are expressions of charity ministries that address the real needs of people who are suffering.

However the person who left the group to run upstream exemplifies the other dimension of social justice. In this case the person is analyzing the situation to uncover the root cause of suffering. As the person goes upstream and discovers the reason for why people are ending up in the river he will have to further understand the reason of this situation and respond to the need. It may be that a bridge is broken and in need of repair. It may be that a criminal activity is happening whereby they will need to advocate for the end of this practice. This is the dimension we traditionally call justice and it is usually expressed with advocacy and community development. Legislative advocacy, corporate responsibility, micro-finance and development projects, Community organizing, are all expressions of justice ministries that address the root causes of suffering in the world. 

The analogy of the two feet is intentional because it suggests that just as a person finds it easier to progress walking on two feet versus hoping on one so to is it easier for a society to experience progress by utilizing both justice and charity. Justice without Charity is insensitive and bound to fail since it is not taking into consideration the needs of the victims. It would be as if the person at the church picnic just begins to make an assumption that some criminal activity is taking place and advocates for better policing when the entire time a bridge is broken. Similarly Charity without Justice leads to an unending cycle of service and ministry and at some point the community will either become exhausted or callous to the suffering.

The founder of the Passionist Community, St. Paul of the Cross illustrates the use of the two feet during an episode in the 1730’s when he and his community found themselves in the middle of a battle between the Austrians and Spanish in the town of Orbetello. In addressing the sufferings of the wounded soldiers St. Paul tended and ministered to the needs of the wounded from both sides. This shows his use of charity to the victims of the battle. During this same episode he became aware of the Spanish General’s intent to bombard the town. He appealed against the bombardment and as a result the Spanish General opted for a blockade which brought an end to the battle. This shows his use of justice to advocate against any further suffering.   

The Church has traditionally placed more emphasis on charity over justice. In the encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI states “It must be admitted that the Church’s leadership was slow to realize that the issue of the just structuring of society needed to be approached in a new way.” In this encyclical Pope Benedict maintains that the Church by its very nature is required to promote charity. Politics and the State on the other hand have the responsibility to administer justice, although the Church is deeply committed to the “promotion of justice through efforts to bring about openness of mind and will to the demands of the common good.” The Gospel and social tradition of the Church offer moral principles that promote the values of justice. Yet in the pluralistic global society that we live in we cannot expect nor want our Church to be legal authority behind the establishment of the just social order.

However because the Church’s mission is the promotion of the Gospel we must expect the institution, and us as members of that institution, to participate in the global order by assessing justice or the lack thereof and offering guidance and assistance as individuals or as Non-Governmental Organizations especially where States either cannot or do not take responsibility with policies that fly in the face of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. “In today’s complex situation, not least because of the growth of a globalized economy, the Church’s social doctrine has become a set of fundamental guidelines offering approaches that are valid even beyond the confines of the Church.” With her orientation towards charity, the Church seeks to humanize and personalize secular and public institutions that otherwise may not meet the total needs of those they seek to serve.

Pope Pius XI reminds us in the encyclical Divini Redemptoris that “charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into constant account… let no one attempt with trifling charitable donations to exempt himself from the great duties imposed by justice. Both justice and charity often dictate obligations touching on the same subject-matter, but under different aspects.” Catholic social teaching has always described a deep relationship between these two values. However in the recent social encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, the Holy Father goes further in actually integrating these values and suggesting again that they serve the same function only with a different emphasis.

To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally, making it the pólis, or “city”. The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practise this charity, in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis. This is the institutional path — we might also call it the political path — of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbour directly, outside the institutional mediation of the pólis.

Justice and charity function to promote the common good. With this statement there is no longer a hierarchy of values. Charity is the personal encounters where we directly give to our neighbors in need. Justice is a “no less excellent and effective” form of charity that pursues such virtue through an institutional or “political path”, the path of social justice.

• Genesis 18:20-32. Abraham argues with God not to destroy the wicked cities, if fifty and eventually if only ten just persons are found in them.
• Colossians 2:12-14.The gentiles, though non-observant of the Jewish law and helplessly dead in their sins, were raised to new life in Christ’s resurrection. The decree against us was nailed to the cross.
• Luke 11:1-13. Jesus teaches the Our Father and persistency in prayer. Ask and you shall receive.

Thoughts for your Reflection: By John Gonzalez

God is merciful and God is just. These are two principle attributes that scripture tells us about God. In the first reading Abraham is petitioning for God’s mercy in the midst of his decision to distribute justice to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s concern for these two cities may be related to his concern for his nephew Lot. God on the other hand is concerned also with the “outcry against” these two cities. God patiently listens to Abraham pleas but in the end God brings down the destruction of these two cities. He does save Lot and his family from this destruction however so even though he does not respond to Abraham’s ultimate request for mercy he does respond to the personal concern that Abraham would naturally have.

Justice and Mercy may not always be what we expect them to be. I like to play this first reading off another reading found later on in the Hebrew scripture. In the story of Jonah we hear of another judgment event where God is set to destroy Nineveh. In this case Jonah is all in favor of this destruction and at first he refuses to participate with any act of mercy on behalf of these people. After he reluctantly does so he is disappointed in God for showing mercy towards the repentant residence of this city. Jonah refuses to accept this and waits in vain for God to act with shock and awe. Abraham is praying for mercy, Jonah is praying for justice and neither ultimately get what they want. How do we reconcile this with the Gospel reading where Jesus tells us with regards to prayer that if we ask we shall then receive?        

Prayer is an act of relationship. It does not function as a selfish act. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray he not only has them communicate with God but he has them engage in an intimate relationship with God by calling him Abba. There is direct correlative between relating with God and relating with others. To relate with God is to accept that you are in relationship with all of God’s creation. Our act of prayer is a selfless act. We place ourselves outside our own will and control and make the petition “thy will be done.” In making this statement we make our request within the realm of the common good vs. our own desired good. God is indeed attentive to our needs and cries but he is equally attentive to the needs and cries of the entire family of creation. In the action against Sodom and Gomorrah God is responding to the outcries of many but still he hears the one cry of mercy that Abraham gives and it may be for that reason that he saves Lot and his family from this fate.

The fact is that like Jonah and Abraham many of us have made prayer request that we feel have not been heard. Our first impulse may be to think that God is not listening to us. Those of us who work for issues of justice, peace and the integrity of creation may feel neglected in the face of grave injustice, violence and environmental degradation. This past weekend as I shared a talk on the passion of the earth I heard a comment from one of the participants on how they perceived God and humanity to be neglecting the ecological devastations we have been witnessing. It may not be apparent to us but this is where the attitude of prayer needs to transform how we see ourselves and our world. Prayer is an act of submission to something greater than ourselves. It is a communication with the divine author of creation in which we share our own petitions and thanksgiving but in which we also allow ourselves to be transformed into a cosmic plan and a divine will. We will not always understand this divine will and sometimes we may perceive it as something that is not particularly good to us. And yet our faith tells us that through the Paschal Mystery (passion, death and resurrection) that something good will come out of all this suffering. In the face of violence, injustice and devastation we believe that something positive can come out of it. Out of some form of suffering a greater good can be born. Prayer is the ongoing act of conversion towards that greater good, a common good.

In the second reading Paul is informing the Colossians about this amazing transformation. On our own we are dead. The law is not sufficient for giving us new life. Through the cross Paul describes our emancipation from the sin of self indulgence. In the following chapter Paul describes these sins of self-interest which continues to keep us in captivity to this very day. In our own day we know that some even go so far as to say that greed is good but in Chapter 3 of this letter Paul tells us that greed is idolatry. If we pray for our own self interest and for our own desires then we are missing the point of prayer. We pray to share in the divine vision of building up the kingdom of God which will establish a common good throughout humanity and creation. Working with the analogy of the good parent that Jesus offers us in this week’s gospel may be helpful here. How many of us have dealt with petitions from our children which may challenge us. The item in question may seem like fun but based on our own experience we recognize the potential for unintended consequences and for that reason we may dutifully reject such petitions. So while it would seem obvious that we would not hand our children a snake when they ask for bread perhaps it may be equally obvious that would still not hand them a snake even if they were to ask for a snake.

God is just and God is merciful. This is a statement of faith because from where we individually stand we cannot possibly expect to know what this ideal of justice and compassion could look like. And so we make our prayers of thanksgiving and requests always keeping in mind that “thy will be done.”

• Jeremiah 17:5-8. Each persons experiences desert dryness at times; only the one with faith and deep roots in God survives and even bears good fruit.
• 1Corinthians 15:12, 16-20. If our hopes are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of all people. If Christ has been raised from the dead, he is the first fruits and we will follow.
• Luke 6:17, 20-26. How blest you poor… you hungry. The reign of God is yours. Your reward shall be great in heaven.

Thoughts for your Consideration: By Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, CP

Issues of justice, along with peace and integrity of creation, involve balance.  Justice is a matter of preserving some kind of equality between two (or more) parties.  It doesn’t have to be absolute equality, but enough to preserve the integrity of the exchange that occurs between people.  On that basis, people are then free to advance their own concerns.

This matter of balance is to the fore in today’s scriptural readings.  Jeremiah expresses it in describing the divine-human relationship, calling upon the familiar landscape of Judea to illustrate it.  Things become troubled when there “is no change of season”.  For seasons balance each other out: the dry counters the wet, the hot offsets the cold.  When that doesn’t happen, trouble occurs, just as when a person neglects his relationship to God, and throws his life out of balance.

Paul says much the same thing regarding the balance Christians strike between death and resurrection.  They need each other to depict what Christian existence is all about, thanks to our relationship to God.  Death without resurrection is troubling, just as resurrection proposed without death as part of the scenario is senseless.  There is a balance to affirm in the relationship prevailing between death and resurrection.

Luke hones this sense of balance in the context of common human experiences, such as riches attained without the background of poverty, or abundance enjoyed without any sense of hunger, or constant merriment at hand with no sensation of grief, or acclamation received without opposition or criticism.  He presents Jesus as seeing only woes in store for those deprived of this awareness.

The imbalances portrayed in today’s scriptures are types of injustice, since they picture a distortion of the exchange that is to prevail at different levels of our lives.  This is of concern to God, Whose role in our lives entails an “admirable exchange” between our needs and His gifts.

Tomorrow we celebrate Presidents Day, focusing especially on two significant men, quite similar to each other in this matter of justice as a form of balance.  Both tall men (6’3” and 6’4” respectively), they were married to short women (5’).  Men of few words (the one said hardly a thing at the Constitutional Convention, the other was “the most closed-mouth man” his friend had ever known), both good wrestlers and horsemen, both honed in the cauldron of war (The Revolutionary war, the Civil war), both defenders of the geographical integrity of the nation (one opposed to the sale of the Louisiana territory, the other to the division of the union), they sought a balance in the exchange between the views of a Hamilton and a Jefferson, and between pro-and anti-slavery forces.  Both men strove for the rudiments of justice amid contentious exchanges.  Neither was a church-going person, but each recognized concerns similar to those that Jeremiah, Paul and Luke express today in laying out God’s expectations that we live our lives sensitive to the balances that are to prevail.

• Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7. In his first song of the Suffering Servant within the prophecy of Isaiah, God summons his chosen one to bring forth justice to the nations, quietly, considerately.
• Acts 10:34-38. To instruct one of the first gentile converts, Peter began with Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.
• Luke 3:15-16, 21-22. Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist and confirmation by the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts for your Reflection:  by John Gonzalez

The readings for today initiate the public ministry of Christ with the baptism by John the Baptist followed by the public confirmation of his union with God. The Gospel and second reading remind us of the historical beginning of Jesus’ public ministry while the first reading by the Prophet Isaiah functions as a “job description” for the Suffering Servant.

After having celebrated the Incarnation throughout the Advent and Christmas season we now take some time to contemplate what this mystery is about. Jesus’ ministry is the public example of what it means to live in God. By his teachings and example Jesus will consistently demonstrate what it truly means to be human. This will culminate with His Passion, Death and Resurrection. In our Christian theology, the ultimate expression of freedom for humanity occurs when it exists in the service of God and humanity. This week Isaiah provides a glance of what this expression looks like — which Jesus, who is the suffering servant, will exemplify, and which we are called to follow. 

According to Isaiah the suffering servant’s mission is to: “bring forth justice to the nations.” He is expected both to teach and establish justice. Verse 2 and 3 explain his methodology. He will not be a soapbox preacher or a shouting protestor. Instead he will be pastoral in his approach, “A bruised reed he shall not break.” In the language of the Church, the servant will be both “Mater et Magistra” (Mother and Teacher) in that on the one hand the servant will teach God’s justice by word and example (Magistra) but the servants’ methodology will be pastoral (Mater), and build up, rather than divide, the human community to embrace God’s justice. As we consider the public ministry of Jesus let us consider how he is our consistent teacher of God’s justice while he employs a pastoral and compassionate methodology. This is the example which we are called to live out.

In verse 7 and 8 Isaiah will describe what God’s justice will look like: “To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”  God’s justice is truth and hope. It is a truth and hope that will heal our broken humanity. It is a truth and hope that will physically liberate us from injustice and spiritually liberate us from an isolated and empty existence. Jesus, in his role as teacher, will expand on this later on in Luke’s gospel in his beatitudes (Luke 6:20-26) and in his discourse to the scholar of the law (Luke 10: 25-37) and the rich official (Luke 18: 18-23).

According to the prophesy of Isaiah and the life of Christ this interpretation of justice is at the heart of the Gospel. While the methodology of Jesus is compassionate and pastoral and our call to bring about God’s justice must also be compassionate we are not called to compromise the truth of God’s justice in any way. Any injustice that violates the integrity of human life and creation is an injustice that demands our gentle but firm reproach. Jesus was both pastoral and prophetic. A Christian is called to be both. To seek social justice is not an option for ministry. It is an essential element of our vocation and ministry. This was summed up very well in the 1971 Synod of Bishops when they declared that:

Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.

• A call for accountability to the corrupt Afghan government that suffered a recent electoral debacle
• A stronger Afghan security force and government
• A initial planed withdrawal of US forces by 2011
• A commitment against permanent occupation

By now many Catholic and other faith-based organizations here in the United States have openly criticized the strategy for being vague on the mission and for its focus on a military troop surge. Much of this response stems from the Christian position of promoting peace and non-violence, a position that we as Passionist generally support because of the consistent position of Christ himself as a promoter of peace even in the midst of the violence he experienced with His Passion and death. The Catholic social tradition has supported both the Just War and Non-Violence theory with regards to its position on war and peace.  However Catholic social teaching also reminds us that peace is a value only insofar as it related to justice. In his 1972 Message of Peace titled “If you want peace, work for justice” Pope Paul VI said:

And where other unquestionable forms of Justice have been injured or crushed – be they national, social, cultural or economic – could we be sure that the Peace resulting from such a tyrannical process is true Peace? That it is a stable Peace? Or, even if it be stable, that it is a just and human Peace?

Any analysis of the situation in Afghanistan reveals that the situation is very complicated. Unfortunately there are no simple solutions here. Peace is always desirable, but the lens from which we measure peace demands that we also review its ability to promote justice. Paul VI also qualifies what this peace based on justice looks like in this famous speech of his: “A Peace that is not the result of true respect for man is not true Peace. And what do we call this sincere feeling for man? We call it Justice.”

It is for this reason that I will not be so quick in judging the current strategy of President Obama on the merit of his military surge. The situation in Afghanistan is critical and, not being in a position of evaluating the full scope of global security, I cannot presume to know the resources necessary to achieve a just goal and an actual peace.

What I would critique however is the emphasis of President Obama’s strategy objectives. Especially with regards to the “war of ideas” it is necessary to offer a clear vision and related goals for the promotion of a just scenario where the sincere respect for the people of Afghanistan is evident. This vision cannot be to merely “deny al Qaeda a safe haven” and to “reverse the Taliban’s momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government.” This vision must be rooted in a plan to partner with the Afghan community for the political, social and economic development of the nation.  It is not enough that the President touch on the value of promoting mutual respect and a form a collaborative partnership with Afghanistan when he shared his commitment that the United States would not engage in a permanent occupation. This principle should have been the cornerstone of his strategy.

True development should not come from our own economic or military interest but the interest of the Afghan community and their culture. The 3D (Development, Diplomacy, Defense) Security Initiative suggest in their report, “Missing Elements of a Comprehensive Strategy in Afghanistan,” that a greater surge priority should have been for a development surge and as a model they suggest supporting the Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program (NSP) which are development projects that are run by local, democratically elected, mixed gender Community Development Councils.

The military strategy needed to win the stability of Afghanistan is beyond my scope of analysis. Think tanks like the Brookings Institute or the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace have offered some interesting points on this matter. But if our position is based on a priority for justice, solidarity and compassion for a people who are experiencing social and economic suffering then our own position must prioritize a vision to partner with them in achieving a social and economic development that works for them.