by Berta Hernandez

I am a Passionist Associate. I am part of the associates in Jamaica, New York. Yesterday my husband and I were at a Bible study class and on a break someone asked what an associate does. The immediate reaction to such a question is always one of confusion. What DOES an associate do?

Well, the usual answer is that we meet every month and share our spirituality with each other. We read about St. Paul of the Cross and his spirituality and discuss his charism, which we believe is also ours. But yesterday I didn’t want to give the usual answer. I replied the following to the young man that had asked the question: I am a Passionist. I try to live with Jesus at the CENTER of my life. Because Jesus is at the center of my life I am filled with love and compassion for my neighbors, who I believe are the crucified of today.

I try my best to see Jesus in everyone I meet although sometimes it is not an easy task. I realize that because I am a Christian as well as a Passionist I have to make sure to not only look for Jesus in others, but to also walk in His footsteps and try to reflect Him through my actions and what comes out of my mouth.

Right now in Rome the Passionist order is having their General Chapter. They reelected Fr. Joachim Rego,CP as their Superior General for the next six years. I have always been inspired by his writings and his demeanor. On the 19th of October he sent out a message to his Passionist family, in other words, to all of us.

This is what he said in that message that resonated through my whole being: “Our mission (as Passionists) is integrally connected with our life in community. Our community life and our mission cannot be separated; they are two sides of the one coin. Our life is our mission (by witness), and our mission is our life (by action). Together, they both shape us and give us our identity and authenticity as Passionists. Who we are and what we do are interconnected and interrelated.”

I realize that this was aimed at the professed Passionists, but doesn’t this talk directly to us lay people also! We are the Church of Jesus Christ! The world is our community! At this particular time in our lives we HAVE to do what Jesus would do! Fr. Joaquin went on to say that, “Who we are (our being/life) and what we do (our doing/mission) are interrelated; they are two sides of the one coin and cannot be separated . Each flow from and influences the other. We are not called to be ‘working for God’, but rather we are to do ‘God’s work’ – a subtle but important distinction made by Fr Thomas Green SJ in his book: Darkness in the Marketplace.”

Why did I call this short reflection “The Call for Renewal”? I did that because we are facing many trials in our world today. We have to be renewed by the Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ! We are being called to action by the Holy Spirit of God! No longer to be quiet and shy! No longer to go past the hurt and the broken that we see in the streets, the hospitals, the nursing homes, next door. We truly have to pick ourselves up, shake ourselves out and start all over again. We have to pick up our cross and help whoever needs help in picking up theirs. We have to preach Christ crucified with words and actions. Let’s all join the Passionist Community in their renewal as of today, as of this hour, as of this minute!

And for those of you that are out there doing just that, thank you. You are the example . You are the servants. You are the light.

Berta Hernández

When our general chapter reconvened after visiting with Pope Francis on Monday we explored our mission with the laity. Our mission is “with” the laity. As a religious community our mission is incomplete without them.

“What’s your experience working with the laity?” That question yielded a rich response from members of my community from all parts of the world. Their life experience is different than ours, their holiness often deeper than ours, so we need to learn from them. We need to develop a mechanism to gather their wisdom and establish ways to work together.

During the chapter we had an excellent presentation on continuing formation by Fr Amedeo Cencini, who called “docility”, the willingness to be taught, the key to grow daily in life. Life in all its shapes and forms teaches us, day by day. I wonder if we need a mutual “docility” to create the best relationship between us and the laity.

If the present sexual abuse crisis in the church brings about anything good, it should lead to a greater docility in the future– a docility among church leaders and ministers to be taught and a docility among laypeople to offer their wisdom and experience to the church at all levels.

As I waited for the pope to enter the Clementine Hall in the Vatican on Monday, I took a picture of the large painting beside me of Jesus inviting his disciples, Peter, James and John and the others, to follow him to Jerusalem.(above) Mark’s gospel in recent Sundays says the disciples did not understand what that invitation meant. Neither do we.

But they learned, together, painfully, never completely. The gift of the Spirit made them docile.
Come, Holy Spirit, form us into a docile church.

Every six years my community, the Passionists, has a general chapter. This is our 47th general chapter and delegates from all over the world are here in Rome to elect leaders– a superior general and his council– and to chart the course for the future.

What’s our mission in the church and in the world? What are the challenges we face? What practical decisions can we make together?

Charting the course for the future may be a good way to describe what we doing here. In the retreat chapel where we pray every day the altar has become a ship as well as a table, and nets promising a catch fall from the ceiling. A model of an old sailing ship stands on one side of the altar. We have a voyage to make.

An article in the news around October 12 described the map and the mapmaker Columbus followed on his way to America. The map and the mapmaker get little credit, but without them Columbus wouldn’t have gone on to the “New World.” The mapmakers didn’t get it all right; sometimes they put imaginary islands where there were none, but their work was enough that Columbus and the others set out and got there.

I think that’s what we are doing here at this chapter. Maps are being drawn–not perfect– but they’ll help the community, the global community, sail on its way and put down the nets.

October 19th we celebrated the feast of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists. He gave us the first map. Still good, but we’re updating it now. We do what we can, and hope it’s God’s plan for the catch.

Today members of the Passionist general chapter here in Rome went to see Pope Francis at the Vatican. In the picture above I’m ten rows back, but all of us were able to meet him and shake his hand at the end of our meeting. He gave us each a rosary and his blessing.

The headline for the story on the Vatican website was “Passionists are Called to Read the Signs of the Times.
You can read the story here.

I hope we do.

October 21th SUNDAY TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 53:10-11/Heb 4:14-16/Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45 (146)

22 Monday
[Saint John Paul II, Pope]
Eph 2:1-10/Lk 12:13-21 (473)

23 Tuesday
[Saint John of Capistrano, Priest]
Eph 2:12-22/Lk 12:35-38 (474)

24 Wednesday
[Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop]
Eph 3:2-12/Lk 12:39-48 (475)

25 Thursday
Eph 3:14-21/Lk 12:49-53 (476)

26 Friday
Eph 4:1-6/Lk 12:54-59 (477)

27 Saturday
[BVM]
Eph 4:7-16/Lk 13:1-9 (478)

For this week’s homily, please play the video below.

I was in St. Peter’s square yesterday when Pope Francis canonized five saints, two of them well known, Paul VI, who was pope as the Second Vatican Council ended and Archbishop Romero of San Salvador who was shot to death while celebrating Mass at the Hospital of Divine Providence on March 24, 1980.

Pope Francis, a believer in symbols, wore the blood stained cincture that Bishop Romero wore when he was shot and celebrated the Mass with Paul VI’s favorite chalice and carried the pastoral cross he carried on his pastoral journeys.

The square was filled on this bright sunny day, the crowd spilling over to the neighboring streets. You can see more here.

I remembered in the square yesterday Blanca and Julio who lived in El Salvador at the time the archbishop was murdered and revere him as a holy man and so I took some pictures of the many who came from their country to honor Romero as a national and even an international hero who spoke for the justice for the poor. Blue was everywhere.

I’m sure Pope Francis was delighted to canonize Romero. We need bishops like him.

And what about those saints canonized yesterday not so well known? The pope said in his homily that holiness takes different forms. The saints not well known are just as important and those that are. That’s true.

October 14  TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 

Wis 7:7-11/Heb 4:12-13/Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27 (143) 

15 Monday Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church 

Memorial 

Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1/Lk 11:29-32 (467) 

16 Tuesday

[Saint Hedwig, Religious; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin] 

Gal 5:1-6/Lk 11:37-41 (468) 38 

17 Wednesday Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr 

Memorial 

Gal 5:18-25/Lk 11:42-46 (469) 

18 Thursday Saint Luke, Evangelist 

Feast 

2 Tm 4:10-17b/Lk 10:1-9 (661) 

19 Friday USA: Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs 

Memorial 

Eph 1:11-14/Lk 12:1-7 (471) 

20 Saturday

[USA: Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest; BVM] 

Eph 1:15-23/Lk 12:8-12 (472)

For this week’s homily please play the video file below.