Is 53:10-11. Through his sufferings my servant shall justify man, and their guilt he shall bear.

Heb 4:14-16. We confidently approach the throne of God’s grace where Jesus has entered — Jesus who is able to sympathize with our weakness, as he was tempted in every way that we are, without sinning.

Mk 10:35-45. Anyone who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first must serve the needs of all.

Thoughts for your consideration: by Hugo Esparza, CP

With what kind of attitude do I approach my work for justice? This has continually been in my mind as I have embarked on learning the art and science of grassroots organizing. The process of community organizing in this economy has turned out to be really hard. There have been moments where I have prefer to have a car run over me than ask a struggling worker for funds or for volunteering time when he/she could be out looking for work or resting. Also, when I’ve had to demand a pro-bono case from our overworked lawyer allies. At times I have excluded people that I presume will not be able to say yes to one of the needs of the organization.

…a prominent position demands careful exercise of authority.

In today’s reading the community of disciples are at it again. Their feeble characters have encountered a very strong response by Jesus. This response, as always, pushes all of us believers to deeper understanding of ourselves. The event led by James and John reminds us that we lose absolutely nothing by asking something of others. And Jesus’ response to the demand of his friends invites us to reconsider the use of our own authority.

…just as the rulers of the Gentiles…by denying these “needy people” their own power to turn me down or to accept my proposition.

James and John’s naiveté, as implied by Jesus’ questions to them, or their outright selfishness, as manifested by the indignation of “the ten”, only got them a “no” and some grief from their friends. Despite Jesus’ answer they could have attained prominent places, one at the right and the other at the left, when Jesus had entered into his Glory. This tells me that while I have been taught to always make demands of our allies that will further our relationship and collaboration, the example of James and John invites me never to miss an opportunity to do this, in spite of my misgivings. At the same time, Jesus’ response invites his friends to go deeper into themselves, for a prominent position demands careful exercise of authority.

… is all about making and keeping relationships that are approached by just and dignifying dynamics of power.

Grassroots Organizing is all about making and keeping relationships that are approached by just and dignifying dynamics of power. This is the mantra that has been repeated to me over and over by my Grassroots-organizing Gurus. My gut reaction, however, has always been to shy away from demanding money, time, etc. from people I consider vulnerable or in need. Jesus’ words in this passage have helped me to reconsider. It seems that I have also “lorded over them”, just as the rulers of the Gentiles, by denying these “needy people” their own power to turn me down or to accept my proposition. Perhaps, cunningly, I found a rationale to excuse the use of domination in these relationships. Despite my own naiveté and feeble character, I can always count on Jesus to help me go deeper in the attitudes that I use to approach the work of justice.

Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group:

Where do you see people competing to dominate and control others?
Or Where do you see people in our world trying to be “servants” to all?
What person or persons in your life has been a powerful example of someone who gives herself (himself) in service to others?

• Wisdom 7:7-11. I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me and in her company all good things.
• Hebrew 4:12-13. God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It judges the heart. Nothing is concealed. For everything we must render an account.
• Mark 10:17-30. One thing more you must do. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor. Whatever we have given up to follow Jesus, will return to us a hundred more in this life, plus persecution, and in the age to come, everlasting life.

Thoughts for your consideration: By John Gonzalez

God’s gift of Wisdom is at the heart of this week’s lectionary readings. We understand that Grace happens when God freely bestows his gifts upon us. Catholic tradition tells us that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that aid us in our struggle to follow Christ and redeem our humanity: broken by sin and the great temptations of self-indulgence. We require these gifts of God in order to achieve our ultimate purpose and calling which is to be one with God and all of creation. This week’s readings will help us comprehend the prominent role of the gift of Wisdom in the midst of this struggle.

This first reading reminds us of the great value placed on Wisdom by Solomon. If you had one wish in the world what would you wish for? According to this reading the answer would have to be Wisdom. The goodness that comes from Wisdom is not measurable by common social standards. The only appropriate way to consider the value of this gift is if you accept that under the guidance of Wisdom the ultimate sense of goodness flows from it. But having said this we must ask ourselves, “What is goodness”?

In our Christian spirituality and ethics, goodness is not defined as something that is self-gratifying or that simply produces our own personal happiness. Goodness is better understood under what Catholic social teaching calls, “the common good.” Mystics like St. Paul of the Cross would use the term, “the Divine Good” to describe the same concept. Good is a subjective term. What is good for me may not be good for another. So the concept of Divine or Common Good denotes another form of goodness that is not subjective. We would consider this to be a Goodness that is universal or an ultimate form of goodness from which everything that happens to ourselves and all humanity and indeed all creation can have the deepest meaning. So that even in our suffering people like St. Paul of the Cross can say that even in our suffering we may be serving the “Divine Will that can will only the greatest good.”

The Gospel account has a rich young man approach Jesus in pursuit of this greater good. Jesus offers him the Ten Commandments, but the young man has made it that far and now he wants to take the plunge into ultimate goodness no doubt believing that he is ready for the challenge. What Jesus does when he tells him to give all his belongings to the poor is to humble him into realizing the mystical challenge that is the common good. To serve God and the great good that comes from God is to be at the service of all creation, thus “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” For our part we must intentionally make that choice, to constantly see ourselves in relationship to God and to be at the service of all. As we can tell from the Gospel passage this radical call to goodness unnerves even the Apostles who begin to wonder if there is any hope in achieving this relationship with God. At that point Jesus will remind them that “for mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” So on our own we cannot hope to achieve this greater good. That is why we must have the grace of God’s wisdom to help guide us in this journey.

This may be unnerving and quite daunting but the second reading reminds us of how powerful and ever present the wisdom of God is. By faith we are told to accept that ultimately all things will be held accountable to the Divine Will. So we must not be afraid to ask for this great gift and to humble ourselves by allowing ourselves to be forged by this gift from God.

It is worth mentioning that just preceding this second reading, if we read the rest of Chapter 4 from this letter, we are told about the context from which God’s Divine Will is offered to us. The context is within the solitude of God’s rest. Sometimes, especially in our culture, we feel that we are beyond this ultimate wisdom. God does not seem to be speaking to us anymore. According to this chapter God is ever present and ever alive in our world, but we need to make time to first hear God’s wisdom in order to actually comprehend it. Solitude has been a prominent Christian value. For that reason the Passionists and other Catholic religious communities have upheld the importance for Christians to have an opportunity to engage in retreats periodically and to have spiritual direction in order to spend some intentional time in developing one’s relationship towards God. Many Catholic Religious communities have retreat centers that offer a variety of spiritual themes including silent retreats specifically designed to give each person the opportunity to hear God’s voice. Consider this spiritual option from our tradition as you reflect on the lectionary readings and contemplate how God’s wisdom is speaking to you.

Questions for your Reflection:

• Place yourself in the position of the rich young man. Consider your own hopes and expectations of your faith and imagine that Jesus is asking you to stretch those expectations further. How would you respond to call by God that makes you uncomfortable?
• How do you understand the “Common Good?” Take a moment to reflect on the concept of goodness from the perspective of the other. Consider something good for someone you know and love that may make demands on you. Now consider the good for people on the other side of the world that may make demands on your own society. How does this make you feel?
• What is your experience of spiritual exercises like Retreats or Spiritual Direction? Have you ever taken advantage of these services that our Church and the Religious community have to offer? If you would like to visit resources on these services visit either www.passionist.org if you live in the western part of the United States or www.thepassionists.org if you live in the eastern part to find these resources close to you.

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

One night this past week I was watching a TV program. It was entitled “2100,” and aired on ABC. It was basically a program that tried to shed light on what would happen to the world for the rest of this century, based on the choices made by individuals, communities, and nations. On the program there were many opinions and projections given by various scientists. But what I found most engaging was the approach used to tie all these forecasts together. The program used the form of a narrative, following the life of a fictional character named Lucy, born in 2009. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of God or faith or spirituality in Lucy’s story.

Is there a faith dimension when discussing ecological issues? Yes! In fact, there are many theologians and spiritual writers who have dedicated themselves to these very issues for many years. One of them is Tom berry, a passionist, who just recently died. He had written much on the Passion suffered by the world. As you may remember last month, there was an announcement about the U.S. Catholic Bishops encouraging people to take the “St. Francis Pledge” with regards to climate change and its effects on the world, especially the poor.

I am neither a scientific expert nor a theologian on ecology, but it seems to me that the mystery of the Trinity has much to say about these issues. When we think about God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are led to the conclusion that God is a God of love and relationships. This is how God chose to reveal the Divine Self to us. When we look at our Scripture readings for today, we see that out of love, God chooses to be in relationship with us.

In our first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of all that God has done for them, leading them out of slavery in Egypt. In our second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds his fellow Christians that in the Spirit they can cry out to God just as Jesus did: “Abba, Father!” He also tells them that they are children of God, “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” And in our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus sends out His disciples to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus also promises them (and us) that he will be with them always, “until the end of the age,”

As one of my professors in the seminary said to us, if we believe that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that we are made in the image and likeness of God, we are meant to live in community. He could have said that we are meant to live in relationship. In fact, we are created that way; created in relationship with God, with each other, and with all of creation. It is in recognizing our connectedness to God and to all of creation that we can be willing to make the necessary choices for peace and justice and the sustainability of our environment. And it is in the love of Christ for us that we can be willing to make the sacrifices necessary for the good of all. For sacrifices will need to be made.

The doctrine of the Trinity, like all the tenets of our faith, calls us outside of ourselves to love God and the world. As we recognize more and more our connectedness in Christ, we will find ourselves more and more willing to forego the ways of violence and exploitation. Instead, we will seek the ways of the Gospel: peace, justice, reconciliation and cooperation.

 
Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group:

• How do you see relationships that are “out of whack” or unhealthy in our global world?  
• What needs to be renewed?
• Paul in Romans reminds us that we are children of God and heirs with Jesus Christ.  What experience has helped you to realize that we are all children of God?  What experience has shown you that we still have things to do to make sure that everyone is treated as a child of God?
• How has God’s Spirit called you into being part of a community?  
• How does the Spirit of God help you to live in community with others?  
• How is your community called to connect to other communities?

Thoughts for your consideration: by John Gonzalez

I find the readings during the Easter Season fascinating. Here the disciples of Jesus just experienced an amazing tragedy with the death of the Messiah at the hands of the authorities. Afterwards they experience the amazing intervention by God in raising Jesus from the dead. The disciples and followers of Jesus have been shaken to their very core, now they struggle to make sense of all this.

In Luke’s gospel Jesus helps his disciples understand what took place and what this means for the mission that God is giving the early Christian community. This week we take a break from Paul’s epistles to hear about how John and Peter came to understand this mission of being witness to the reconciliation of God and humanity.

Peter continues the miraculous power of Jesus by healing a cripple beggar. The Jerusalem community is again mystified but this time they nervously have to contend with their collaboration in having the Messiah crucified. Peter announces God’s message of mercy and reconciliation but he also corrects them for acting out of ignorance and again invites them to repent.

Likewise John also preaches on how Jesus has forgiven the sins of the whole world and how he is now our advocate as we struggle to atone. But if we are to accept Jesus as our advocate in this worldly struggle we “ought to walk just as he walked.” We must struggle to follow the commandments in the spirit of love as we journey to reach the state perfection that God calls us to.

The message of scripture is that God loves all of creation and he invites us to repent in order to abide in his love. Because we struggle with our own self-interest God breaks into human history with powerful moments that shake us all to the very core so that we can reassess ourselves based on these amazing moments of divine revelation. Peter and John share this powerful intervention by Jesus Christ in giving us a template for incarnational living. Now we are called to free ourselves from the same social ignorance which blinded the Jerusalem community and which continues to blind many of from the love of God. This love is expressed in the compassion that God has for all of humanity, especially for the poor and marginalized members of our society. From this compassion flows justice which God asks us to provide to all members of creation through the application of the commandments in the Spirit of divine love.

Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group:

• Are you aware of any social ignorance you may have had or that you may be struggling with now? Consider your own Easter journey, when have you allow the love of God to break into some aspect of ignorance during the Lenten and Easter season.
  
• Can you identify some aspect of social ignorance that blinds society from the love of God? What social institutions promote this blindness, and why? What can we do to move our society and our community towards the love that God has for all of creation?