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Feast of the Ascension | | |
Christ, let me see You in others
Christ, let others see You in me
Christ, let me see.
You are the caller,
You are the poor,
You are the stranger
At the door.
You are the wanderer,
The unfed,
You are the homeless
With no bed.
You are the man
Driven insane.
You are the child
Crying in pain.
You are the other
Who comes to me.
Open my eyes that
I may see.
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Feast of the Ascension
Passionist JPIC E-Bulletin for May 16, 2010 |
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Greetings!
 This week we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. Ascension is traditionally celebrated on Thursday but many churches officially celebrate this on Sunday. For this week we offer the readings of the Ascension which will be read either on Thursday of Sunday.
This week's reflection on the Ascension will call to mind our own spiritual journey that we take in our lives. The Labyrinth is a powerful spiritual vehicle for us to utilize in taking some of our valuable time to quite ourselves from the distractions of the world and spend a moment ascending with Jesus towards the Wisdom that comes from God. Like the apostles we too must go back into the world and share in witness the social message of peace and justice that is revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Please visit the Lectionary Reflection Blog to share your own thoughts on this reflection and on your own spiritual journey.
The action section below offers us some issues of social concern that we may want to consider. Internationally we remained concern over the violent situation in the Holy Land. Members of the Passionist community are considering attending these conferences and we will share with you any insight and issue that emerges from this experience. Domestically we remain attentive to the situation of the immigrant. Please visit these links.
The Passion for Justice Blog reflects on the value of prayer to our social ministries. Also we posted a recent blog on the reality of isolation in our lives and that value of spending quality time with God, our families and our community. Please visit this blog and share your own thought on these issues.
Peace,
John |
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Lectionary Readings:
- Acts 1:1-11. Between Easter and Ascension Jesus instructs the apostles and advised them to "wait... [for] you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Eventually Jesus will return gloriously, the same way by which he ascended from their midst.
- Ephesians 1:17-23. Christ's "fullness fills the universe" and so the Lord distributes "the wealth of his glorious heritage" and "the immeasurable scope of his power in us who believe."
- Luke 24:46-53. This passage highlights the necessity of Jesus to suffer and the praise of God by the apostles in the Jerusalem temple.
Calendar:
May 13 or 16: Feast of the Ascension
May 14: St. Matthias, Apostle
May 15: International Day of Families
May 15: Police Officer Memorial Day in the U.S.
May 16: St. Gemma Galgani, Passionist Saint
May 21: Diversity Day
May 23: Pentecost
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Quotes:The true apostle is first of all a person who is "tuned in," a servant ready for God's action.-John Paul II Athens, May 5, 2001
The only way to peace is forgiveness. To accept and give forgiveness makes possible a new quality of rapport between people, interrupting the spiral of hatred and revenge and breaking the chains of evil which bind the heart of rivals. ... To love the one who offends you disarms the adversary and is able to transform a battlefield into a place of supportive co-operation.
-John Paul II, Message for Lent 2001
Intense prayer, yes, but it does not distract us from our commitment to history: by opening our heart to the love of God it also opens it to the love of our brothers and sisters, and makes us capable of shaping history according to God's plan. .... A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to "make room" for our brothers and sisters, bearing "each other's burdens" (Gal 6:2) and resisting the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy.
-John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte
We have a lot of work to do. Every time we reach out and assuage someone's hunger, and do that in memory of Jesus, a sense of Eucharist will bring to consciousness the Spirit and the real presence of Jesus - in us, through us, among us. That Spirit alone is capable of transforming us and the world.
-Miriam Therese Winter, MMS
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Thoughts for your consideration: by John Gonzalez
In the Christian tradition the labyrinth is a meditative prayer ritual that was used since the middle ages. It was and continues to be used as a form of personal pilgrimage that symbolized our own spiritual journey in this world. As you walked the labyrinth towards the center you slowly detach yourself from the social and personal baggage of this world. You approach God (the center) free from your secular and material attachments and allow God to penetrate you with His own enlightened wisdom. Once you have attained this enlightenment you slowly journey back into this world in order to now share this pearl of wisdom within society.
As I reflect over the Gospel readings for the feast of the Ascension I am at the Passionist Retreat House in West Hartford, CT where they have constructed an amazing Labyrinth within the property. Jesus' Ascension is a journey towards enlightenment for the disciples with a promise from Jesus that they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit with great wisdom and spiritual clarity. In the letter to the Ephesians Paul calls them to awareness of this great wisdom "May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call." The enlightenment from the Holy Spirit will clarify for them all that has happened and they will be able to be witnesses to the divine revelation that they experienced and the social message of good news to the poor, sick and oppressed.
In Acts 1:10 the apostles stare in bewilderment into the sky. They are moving towards the center of the labyrinth and there they want to stay. They may not have received the Holy Spirit yet but they  know something amazing has taken place. Yet the men dressed in white remind them that they cannot stay at the center of the labyrinth forever. The purpose of enlightenment is not to hoard the wisdom for oneself. Enlightened wisdom is a gift that must be shared "in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
The labyrinth and the Ascension narrative share with us the mystical formula of prayer and action. The wisdom of God is beyond our common secular patterns. The social issues that we face cannot be solved by playing the political game of having self-interest groups' fight amongst each other to control the political agenda. Social issues will only be correctly addressed by offering the issue up to God within a community of prayer and action. True justice will transcend common politics. Instead of fighting each other in endless smear campaigns we will be prompted to adopt a methodology of love, collaboration and genuine respect. For this to happen we must place our social concerns before God in an atmosphere of prayer and contemplation.
The Pastoral Circle is a methodology of prayer and action. It calls us to begin by identifying the issue in the real lived experience of the people who suffer. Once we have inserted ourselves into an experience of social injustice we then move into a phase of social analysis and theological reflection whereby we identify the social root causes behind the issue and reflect on these causes from our own theological framework. Prayer and reflection will give us guidance towards how to respond to social injustice in a way that builds up the suffering human community.
As I reflect on this methodology it kind of reminds me of the labyrinth, a labyrinth of social justice.
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| Action Alerts and Links | | |
Pursuing Peace Together: Working for Reconciliation in the Holy Land. Churches for a Middle East Peace (CMEP) is organizing this 2010 Advocacy Conference in Washington DC from June 13 -  15. Psalm 34:14 and 1 Peter 3:11 "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." inspired this year's conference theme. This Hebrew Bible and New Testament command to action is at the heart of what CMEP does to be proactive in promoting the right of people in the Holy Land to live in peace and security, free of fears of harassment, oppression, and violence The conference will provide knowledge, skills and networking opportunities for every participant to pursue peace on Capitol Hill and at home. Please visit the CWEP website and consider registering for this conference and the promotion of peace in the Holy Land.
Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform "is a coalition of Christian organizations, churches, and leaders from across the theological and political spectrum, united in support of comprehensive U.S. immigration reform. We are working together to see fair and humane immigration reform enacted in Congress this year because we share a set of common moral and theological principles that compel us to love, care for, and seek justice for the stranger among us." Visit their website and click here to take action on this Catholic social issue.
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North American Passionist JPIC Office |
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