Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – February 9, 2020

This week’s readings, continuing the theme of light and holiness, proved particularly fruitful as we connected them with our Passionist charism. At first glance, only the Second Reading, with its famous quote, “I resolved to know nothing . . .but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” seems obviously “Passionist.” But the more we shared our reflections, the more we were able to see hints of our unique spirituality shining in all the readings.

One Sister shared some beautiful insights on the First Reading. God declares through the Prophet Isaiah that service to the poor and suffering is the condition for His blessings and the lifting of the Israelites’ own punishments for their sins. Sister was struck by how the various sufferings described in the passage were precisely what Jesus endured in His Passion – He was made “poor” and “afflicted,” His people “turn[ed their] back on [Him, their] own,” etc. He took on the consequences of mankind’s hardheartedness, of our refusal to heed God’s commandment to serve those in need. And as a result of this, He won for us the grace to obey those very commandments! As another Sister put it, He was both the “cry of the poor” and the answer to that cry.

The Gospel, too, can be interpreted through a “Passionist” lens. Although the salt and light mentioned by Christ are primarily images of the Christian vocation, one Sister pointed out how they can also be read in terms of our particular vocation. Our special charism is to “flavor” and “illuminate” the whole Church with the memory of Jesus’ love in His Passion. And if we refuse or neglect to do so, we frustrate the whole purpose of our existence; we are an oxymoron like un-salty salt or a covered lamp!

So how exactly do we as Passionist contemplatives let this “light shine before others”? As an answer, a Sister shared her own experience of getting to know several of our now-deceased Sisters in their last years. These women truly “knew nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” and by their very life they radiated the power and glory of His Resurrection in a mysterious way. All of them had to undergo their own passion, sometimes for many years, yet the peace that they were able to find in the midst of that suffering was evident. Everyone who knew them could see that there was “something different about them,” as they were reaching the height of their spousal union with the Crucified One.

Our mission in the Church to teach others how to live in loving union with Jesus Crucified, even as we live that union ourselves. Although we are certainly still bound to do what we can to serve our brothers and sisters in need, we are not called to alleviate all the suffering in the world. Since the fall of Adam, we can never escape suffering entirely. This is why the Passionist charism is so essential: we are called to give people meaning in their pain, to teach people how to see and embrace the Cross of Christ in their struggles. The Passionist Saints, Blesseds, and Venerables show this beautifully. Most of them are not known for working many physical healings, but many (even those not yet canonized) have obtained extraordinary graces of spiritual healing and conversion for those who seek their intercession. And Christ Himself, though He healed many, saw His redemptive Death (which forever brought value to human suffering) as more important than trying to bring physical healing to the whole world.

Thanks for joining us for today’s reflections on the Sunday readings – we hope to see you next week as we continue exploring the treasures of the Church lectionary!