Uniting Our Sufferings to Jesus: A Reflection on Luke 9:22

 “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man must endure many sufferings, be rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes, and then be put to death and raised on the third day.’”  (Luke 9:22)

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. And Jesus not only embraced the cross, but Jesus also understood the cross.

Jesus takes something painful, negative, and destructive, a monument to

humanity’s cruelty to his brothers and sisters, and transforms it into a thing of beauty. Jesus takes the ultimate symbol of death, and by embracing it, makes it the ultimate symbol of life.

That’s part of the beauty of being Catholic.

Our Protestant brothers and sisters can’t understand suffering the way we do. Non-Catholics have no concept of joining our sufferings to the cross. They think this concept is blasphemous. They think that we believe that we are adding to or changing Jesus’ sacrifice.

No.  We don’t believe that all.  We simply join ourselves to it. Say you have a friend whose Mother has just died, and you comfort this person by saying, “I know what you’re feeling.  I remember what it was like when my Mother died.”

Has anything changed?  No.  Your friend’s mother is still dead. But because you share that common cross, you can comfort that friend on a more

intimate level than someone whose mother is still living. This is why alcoholics in AA meet together.  These people share a common cross that most of us take for granted--sobriety. And so they come together.  Does that change anything?  No. They’re still alcoholics, but being with people that share a common cross enables them to rally and support one another.

When we share a cross with someone, we form a bond of intimacy with that person. Now God is no longer a stranger to us, because of the cross. Through the cross we share an intimacy with God that did not exist before.

So when we are rejected or misunderstood, we can join that suffering to Jesus through the cross because Jesus says, “I was rejected and misunderstood as well.”

When we undergo physical suffering or agony, we share an intimacy with God as Jesus says to us through the cross, “I know how you feel; I was in agony also.”

When we feel most alone, through the cross Jesus says to us, “All of my friends abandoned me, too.”

When we join our sufferings to Jesus, we are allowed to share an intimacy with Him that we could not otherwise have had, if we did not embrace the cross. That is why we should not fear suffering, because it brings us closer to Christ. That is why Jesus said, “Blessed are those who suffer,” because it brings us closer to Christ. And that is why Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, let him deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow me.”

And blessed be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco, Visitor

Confraternity of Penitents

Quote from a Saint: “Suffering out of love for God is better than working miracles.” – Saint John of the Cross

Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, grant that we may ascend the mountain of a holy life from this valley of tears, so that, conformed to your Passion, and well grounded in meekness and mercy, we may be enveloped by your cloud of light, and hears a voice full of joy proclaiming: "Come, beloved of my Father, receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world." To you be honor, glory and power, majesty and eternity throughout all ages. Amen."

Questions for reflection:

1. Father Sisco said that embracing the cross and understanding the cross are two different things. Explain the difference. Is it possible to embrace across without understanding it?

2. How does the Catholic view of suffering differ from the secular view?

3. How does embracing our suffering bring us to intimacy with Jesus?

4.  Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. On one side, write all of Jesus’ sufferings you can think of. Then, on the other side, right how these sufferings parallel your own. Do you believe that Jesus is present to you in your suffering?

5. How might the world be different if it understood the Catholic idea of suffering?

6. Read a quotation from St. John of the Cross. Why do you think he believed that suffering out of love for God is better than working miracles?

7. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, let him deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow me.” What did He mean by saying deny yourself? Does this mean only fasting or giving up things that you like? Might it have a broader meaning such as seeing others as more important than yourself?

8. Which suffering individual are you comforting now? How can you help that person unite his or her or her suffering to Christ?

9. Do you have a favorite prayer that help you in your suffering? Share it with your Oratory group.

--Madeline Pecora Nugent

“You say, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ezekiel 18:25)

I really like our first reading from the prophet Ezekiel. “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ezekiel 18:25)

I love that passage of scripture. It’s one of those passages that reminds us that we really haven’t changed so much in two thousand years. So often I hear people accuse God of being unfair, or the Church of being unfair, but me? I’m never the one being unfair.

The passage also points us to the truth that the need for personal conversion is ongoing. Note what I say; personal conversion. All too often, we’re so anxious and concerned over the state of someone else’s soul, that we’re really not focusing on what we need to do to bring us into a closer communion with God.

Saint Augustine, great psychologist that he is, summed it up perfectly when he said, “Having failed to convert ourselves, we become intensely interested in the faults of others!”

There’s a great story about Saint John Vianney, the curette of Ars, and the patron saint of parish priests. A brother priest had gone to John Vianney complaining that his parishioners were a bunch of pagans and he couldn’t do anything with them. So Saint John said to him, “How often do you fast on bread and water for them? How often do you sleep on the cold, hard, marble floor for them? How many times do you keep an all night vigil in front of the Blessed Sacrament for them?” The priest admitted he had done none of these things. Then John Vianney said, “Well, now go do them, and after a year, if they still haven’t changed, come back to me, and I will give you more to do.”

The late great Bishop Sheen in his book, The Priest is Not His Own, which if it were up to me I’d make mandatory reading in all seminaries, wrote “Father, don’t get on your pulpit and complain that the world is too materialistic. “If the world is too materialistic—then the priesthood is too materialistic. (Lustful-selfish-lazy) Bishop Sheen said, “Tthe world, whether they admit it or not, follows the priesthood.” Bishop Sheen published this book in 1967, forty two years ago!

We cannot convert others until we convert ourselves. When I was in seminary, I was very naïve. I thought if I became a good enough apologist; if I just learned all the arguments; if I just became a good enough debater; if I just became an eloquent enough speaker; well, then everyone would come to see my point of view. I would bring people back to faith. No. Only God brings people to the faith. I have to preach the truth, but, more importantly, I have to live the example.

It took years as a priest, for me to realize what really effects people is when they see a person striving to grow in the holiness of the Spirit. Dedication. Self sacrifice. Commitment. Which brings me back to Ezekiel.

Someone who is striving for holiness wouldn’t say, “The Lord’s way is not fair,” but would be overjoyed to see the sinner repent of his ways and be saved. Someone who is striving for holiness wouldn’t say, “The Lord’s way is not fair,” and wouldn’t even consider returning to sinful ways as if it was a right they were entitled to.

Jesus makes a very profound theological point in our gospel today; sin is not an action, but rather sin is in the desire of the heart. Murder is wrong, but the sin of murder begins with harboring hatred in one’s heart. The act of murder is only the natural consequence of what has already taken place in the will. So it is with all sin.

The secret to striving for holiness is to change one’s heart. And the secret to changing one’s heart is prayer, self denial, and works of charity. And isn’t that what Lent is all about--using these very things to change our hearts? It is my prayer for all of us today that, in the spirit of Lent, we become living witnesses to the way of the Lord.

Blessed be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco

Visitor, Confraternity of Penitents

Quote from a Saint: “There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection.” --Pope Gregory the Great

Prayer: “O Father, most merciful, who, in the beginning, didst create us; who, by the Passion of Thine Only Begotten Son, created us anew; work in us now, we beseech Thee, both to will and to do of Thy good pleasure. Grant us Thy heavenly benediction, that in whatever work we undertake, we may do all to Thy honor and Thy glory. Amen” --Saint Anselm

Questions for Reflection:

1. In what ways do you see manifested in society this attitude that the ways of God are unjust? In what way is it manifested in your own life?

2. To a Christian, what is meant by personal conversion? In what state is my own personal conversion?

3. By what means are you working on your own personal conversion?

4. In what ways have you grown in holiness?

5. One mission of the Church is to evangelize. How are you currently meeting this duty to evangelize others?

6. How might we better dispose ourselves for this mission as living witnesses?

--Susan Boudreau

Keeping Faith Alive: A Reflection on Jeremiah 7:28

“Say to them: This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the Lord its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.” (Jer 7:28)

The Lord says this to the kingdom of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. Let’s look at this statement and break it down.

"This is a nation, which does not listen to the voice of the Lord its God…" Meaning what? How has the nation not listened to voice of God? Their lack of listening is evidenced by not heeding the commandments and by not obeying the Law of Moses. What results in them not heeding the Law of Moses? They don’t "take correction."

They don’t take correction from whom? They don’t take correction from the prophets. The prophets knew the word of God. And the prophets convicted the people to stay true to the Law of Moses. But because the nation doesn’t listen to the voice of the Lord, or take correction, what naturally follows? "Faithfulness has disappeared."

Faithfulness to what has disappeared? Faithfulness to the covenant has disappeared. The covenant called the people to be faithful to God first, and then to one another. And what’s the end result of the disappearance of that faithfulness? “The word itself is banished from their speech." Meaning, they can’t speak the truth and their praise of God is empty.

We can see this same pattern happen in the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They stopped listening for the voice of the Lord and were reducing the commandments to rules and ignoring the spirit of the Law. As a result, when Jesus came correcting them, they refused to listen. We see that their faithfulness disappeared in their lack of mercy towards others.

You would think they would be elated that Jesus could heal the sick and cast out demons and free people of such bondage, but because they have no faith, what instead is their reaction? The Word itself is banished from their speech, “He casts out demons by the power of the prince of demons.” Jesus effortlessly demonstrates that this is a ridiculous argument.

My brothers and sisters, we must always be on guard that we don’t fall into the same pattern, because many still fall into it. Our first necessary step is always listening to the voice of the Lord. How do we do this? We do it by listening to the authoritative body through whom Jesus has chosen to speak. In the Old Testament it was the Law and the Prophets. Now it’s the Church. Heeding the Church is necessary for hearing the voice of God.

That also means taking correction. From whom should we be taking correction? It means taking correction from the priesthood and scripture. We take correction in the teachings and exhortations we hear from the pulpit, and we take correction in the confessional. The scriptures should also be convicting us to change our lives.

How do we keep our faithfulness from disappearing? We do so through the sacraments. The sacraments are the source of Grace, and so build up faith and that my brothers and sisters will always keep the word of God on our minds, in our hearts, and on our lips.

And blessed be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco, Visitor

Confraternity of Penitents

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go quickly down to your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved.’” (Exodus 32:7)

Moses is the image of the priest. In this passage of scripture we see Moses acting as a priest. Now Aaron, Moses’ older brother, was the high priest. But here we see Moses in the priestly role of interceding on behalf of the people.

We know what’s happened; the Lord delivered the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt with a powerful hand with signs and wonders that God worked for Pharaoh through Moses, but Pharaoh would not believe. God fed the Israelites on manna in the desert, bread from heaven, but the Israelites only believed temporarily. And then Moses disappears on this smoking, thundering mountain for forty days to receive God’s law, and while he’s gone the people make a golden calf to worship.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re hungry, stressed, scared, anxious, or exhausted it’s a lot easier to sin? Sure, it’s easy not to sin when life is good. It’s when life is difficult that we’re overwhelmed by temptation.

The Israelites have been traveling through the desert. They’re tired and hungry. And now, their guide has disappeared on this mountain for over a month and they’re scared. What are we going to do if Moses doesn’t come back? He’s the only one who knows the way. And so they revert to worshipping something they’re familiar with, something they grew up with in the land of Egypt: the golden calf, the god Apis. And God is ready to wipe them out for it.

He says, “I will destroy them and raise up for you, Moses, a better nation.” Now what if God had said that to any one of us? This was a test of Moses’ faithfulness, just as much as the people. Moses passes. The people fail.

Moses, despite having been given the opportunity by God to father a new nation, assumes the role of a different fatherhood, a spiritual fatherhood, by assuming the role of a priest, and standing between God and the people, to intercede on their behalf.

Moses says, “You can’t do it Yahweh! Remember the covenant you made with your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Remember how you swore by your own self. You’re stuck with these people just as much as I am, because you have bound yourself to us by covenant.”

God performs signs in the form of plagues, but Pharaoh won’t believe. Jesus performs signs in the form of healings, but the Pharisees won’t believe. God fed people temporarily in the desert on manna. Jesus feeds thousands temporarily on a few loaves and a couple fish.

At one point in His ministry, Jesus listed that testifies to his authenticity: John the Baptist, God the Father, his miracles, the scriptures, even Moses. It's like Jesus is saying, "And that same Moses who stood between your fathers and the Almighty God and stopped him from annihilating them in the desert is going to be the same Moses to condemn you on a later day, because you refused to believe me, your true high priest, who will intercede for you before the Father.  I am your true high priest who came to form with you the new covenant that Moses began."

Every priest is now an image of that high priest. We are bound to God through covenant. He is ours, and all of us are his, for better or worse. The priest is true to that covenant through the sacraments of the Church that God has entrusted to us, to stand between the people and Almighty God, to intercede on their behalf.

Woe to the priest who neglects his sacred responsibility to dispense God’s Grace. And woe to those who seek to undermine the office of the priest. Pray for your priests. We have been trusted with a power and a responsibility that we cannot possibly fathom. Pray that God raise up more priests to serve him. And pray that he makes holy the ones he has already raised up.

Blessed Be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco

Visitor, Confraternity of Penitents

Quote From a Saint: “Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them we see people who achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well.” -- St. Anthony Mary Claret

Prayer: “O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You Yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things. I ask You, Jesus, for a special blessing and for light for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Amen.” --Saint Faustina

Questions for Reflection:

1. What does the word “covenant” mean to you?

2. How would you describe the covenant we now have with God?

3. What are the signs of God’s faithfulness to His present covenant with us?

4. What are the priests’ responsibilities to this covenant?

5. How can you support the priests in their responsibilities?

6. What are your responsibilities in this covenant?

7. How can you be best supported?

8. What stressors in your life could you resolve so as to reduce the risks of temptations to turn away from this covenant?

--Susan Boudreau

48 The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ ⁴⁹Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me. ⁵⁰Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. ⁵¹Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’ ⁵²The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.” ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?’ ⁵⁴Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, “He is our God”, ⁵⁵though you do not know him. But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ ⁵⁷Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’^{* 58}Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8: 48-59)

“Before Abraham was, I AM.” (Jn 8:58)

Now, in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus has really crossed the line. Before this they were always trying to get Him to say something or do something to trip Him up, so they’d have something with which to accuse Him. But after this scene, they really want Him dead. It is after this incident that they actively seek a way to bring Jesus down. Why? What did Jesus do here that sets Him apart from anything else He had ever done? Here Jesus says, “I solemnly assure you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Now Jesus has said controversial things before, but people could rationalize away some of it. What does He mean when He says that He’s the Son of God? People might rationalize, “Well, the psalms describe God’s faithful people as being the sons and daughters of God; maybe He meant that.” What does He mean, “Unless you eat my body and drink my blood you have no life in you”? Is He talking about cannibalism? People might rationalize, “Well, maybe He’s only speaking metaphorically.” But when Jesus says to a Jew, “I solemnly assure you before Abraham was, I AM,” there can be no misunderstanding what He means.

We have to go way back to the book of Exodus to understand this. God calls Moses from the burning bush and says, “Tell Pharaoh; let my people go.” Moses replies, “Whom should I say sent me?” God answers, “I AM WHO AM. When Pharaoh asks, tell him, ‘I AM sent you.’” From this comes the Old Testament name for God, Yahweh. Yahweh, literally translated, means, ‘I am who am.’

When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” He revealed His true identity.

Jesus was saying “I AM WHO AM.” Jesus was saying, “I am Yahweh. I AM that same God that spoke to Moses from the burning bush. I AM that same God that made the covenant with Abraham. I AM God!”

This is too much for the Pharisees. They’re going to stone Him on the spot, but Jesus slips away again. But from this moment on, they actively seek out someone to betray Jesus. The scene is all set for Judas Iscariot.

I think we need to remind ourselves on occasion, and remind others, that Jesus is God. “Well, Father Sisco, isn’t that self evident?” No. Not really.

Many today say that Jesus was one of the great sages of history, with Moses, Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and Socrates, but He wasn’t God.

There are some today that say that Jesus was a great teacher, a great philosopher, a great mystic, but not God. If you look on A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel at this time of year, you’ll see documentaries like, “Who was the REAL Jesus?”

Even within our own Church, we have theologians who try to rationalize away the miracles of Jesus. We have historians who say that we must separate the Jesus of history from the biblical Jesus, which is, in and of itself, arrogant presumption because it presumes that the Jesus of history must be different from the biblical Jesus and there is no proof of that. We have organizations like “We are Church,” “Call to Action,” and “Catholics for a Free Choice” that oppose various teachings of the Church. They don’t believe in their heart of hearts that Jesus is God, because they buck the system He set up.

The book The DaVinci Code, ironically a work of fiction, is being treated like a scholarly work. This book calls into question the authority of the Church by claiming that the Church suppressed certain knowledge about Jesus and invented His divinity.

Brothers and sisters, if Jesus is not God, we’re in big trouble, because if Jesus is not God, we have no way to stop the rising flood waters of evil in the world. Pray with me today that all people, everywhere, truly surrender our hearts to Jesus, Lord, God, the great I AM.

Blessed be God forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco

Visitor, Confraternity of Penitents

Quote From a Saint: “The Church is that one wherein the true word of God is preached, which Christ left to His Apostles, which the same Church hath always observed, the doctors preached, and Martyrs and confessors witnessed. This is the Church I believe to be true.” -- Saint Margaret Clitherow

Prayer: “O good Jesus, author of our faith, preserve it untainted within us; keep us safe in the bark of Peter, faithful and obedient to his successor and Thy Vicar here on earth, that so the unity of Holy Church may be maintained, holiness fostered, the Holy See protected in freedom, and the Church universal extended to the benefit of souls. O Jesus, author of our faith, humble and convert the enemies of Thy Church; grant true peace and concord to all Christian kings and princes and to all believers; strengthen and preserve us in Thy holy service, so that we may live in Thee and die in Thee. O Jesus, author of our faith, let me live for Thee and die for Thee. Amen. ” --St. Clement Hofbauer

Questions for Reflection:

1. At times, we all fail to recognize Jesus as God. Where has this been true in your life?

2. Where do you see the lack of belief in Jesus as God in your own community?

3. In what ways does your community separate the historical Jesus from the biblical Jesus?

4. What does it mean when church-going Catholics buck the system Jesus established? What causes this movement?

5. How are we experiencing “big trouble” in our lives and in our Church because of this lack of belief in Jesus as God?

6. How can we best fulfill our mission within the Church to evangelize those who do not fully believe that Jesus is God or who do not understand the implications of that belief?

7. What personal shortcoming keeps you from evangelizing or standing up for Jesus when His divinity is challenged?

8. The development of which virtues(s) will help you strengthen your ability to resist the rising flood waters of evil in the world and then turn the tide?

--Susan Boudreau

The Spirit of Godliness: A Reflection on John 3:34

“For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God; he does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” (John 3:34)

A couple of things come out in that line of Scripture. First, godly people talk about godly things. “The one whom God has sent speaks the words of God.” People who are into their faith like talking about their faith, and they tend to gather with other people who like to talk about their faith.

I always encourage people to get into prayer groups. It doesn’t have to be anything formal. Get together with a few friends and pray the rosary once a week or do Bible reading. Every one takes a turn picking a Scripture passage and reflects on it for a few minutes. Or just get together and share the ways God has touched you this week.

There are lots of things you can do. Husbands and wives can do this. Families can do this. Small prayer groups are incredibly helpful for building each other up. I must confess I avoid large prayer groups, but a group of two or three people can be very uplifting. Make a faith friend, get a prayer buddy, and talk about godly things.

The second truth is that God “does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” God isn’t stingy with his Word and God isn’t stingy with his Grace. It never says in Scripture that God sprinkles his Spirit. The Scriptures say that God pours his Spirit. God gives abundantly. To whom does God give his Spirit? He gives it to godly people. God gives his Spirit to those people who pursue godly things.

When people were amazed at all the wonders Jesus preformed, Jesus said that his apostles would do greater works than him, through the Holy Spirit.

We see this in the lives of the saints. They did incredible things through the Spirit of God. And the same is true of us.

Haven’t we all experienced God’s grace in little ways in our lives? Can’t we all tell a story of a moment or an experience when we knew the Lord was present to us? Why do we have those moments? Why do we have those experiences? We have them because God wants to make us eager for those moments. God wants to make us thirst for those experiences. God wants to make us hungry for his grace, so we will pursue sanctity and holiness with that much more fervor. God whets our appetite, so we will have an unquenchable desire for godly things.

Believing in the Son, submitting to the Spirit, may we all desire the Father, above all other things.

Blessed Be God Forever.

Father Michael Anthony Sisco

Visitor, Confraternity of Penitents

Quote From a Saint

“Not the goods of the world, but God. Not riches, but God. Not honors, but God. Not distinction, but God. Not dignities, but God. Not advancement, but God. God always and in everything.” -- Saint Vincent Pallotti

Prayer:

“O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy.

Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end.

May Your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now

with wisdom from on high, for the sake of Your infinite mercy. Amen.”

-- Saint Anthony of Padua

Questions for Reflection:

1. What are the evidences of your Godliness?

2. In what groups are you sharing faith?

3. To whom have you been sent to share faith?

4. Describe the abundance of Spirit poured into your life and how you are using it.

5. In what ways are you pursuing Godliness?

6. What wonders have you seen performed through faith?

7. What wonders have you performed through faith?

8. Tell the story of a moment or experience when you knew the Lord was present to you.

9. How are you currently pursuing sanctity?

--Susan Boudreau