Food for the Journey | Fr. Ron Rolheiser

Jesus’s real legacy to his disciples–and us– was the peace he left behind. What positive energy we leave behind is ours.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summarizes many of his key teachings. However, they are easy to misunderstand and rationalize. Mostly though we don’t pick up on what lies front and center in those teachings, that is, how our virtue must go deeper than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

These are important questions, not easy to answer. But they are key questions vis-a-vis discerning one’s vocation: what is that special task to which each of us is asked to give over our lives?

Why is there such bitter polarization inside of our countries, our neighborhoods, our churches, and even in our families? Why do we feel so unsafe in many of our conversations where we are perpetually on guard so as not to step on some political, social, or moral landmine?

We speak of that section in the Gospels which narrates Jesus’ life from the Last Supper until his death and burial, as chronicling his “Passion”, but why do we call Jesus’ suffering just before his death his passion?

Father Rohlheiser reflects on crowds. Some crowds can be good and purposeful, but others can get caught up in the fever of group-think and be mindless.

The founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Saint Eugene de Mazenod, said that Christian discipleship and spirituality is something of value and importance for everyone.

The Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit is both a physical and a spiritual force, the source of all physicality and of all spirituality all at the same time.