The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

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December 4, 2021

Saturday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

Prayer for Faithfulness

Loving God,

Ever-living source of all that is good,
keep me faithful in serving you.

Help me to drink of Christ’s truth, and fill my heart with his love
so that I may serve you in faith and love.

Keep me in your presence.
Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”    -Pope Francis

Scripture:

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

Reflection:

Father Nicholas Divine, CP, servers on the Ministry Team at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Through Faith
Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
Take 1 hour (or more) to be silent. No TV, no radio, no computer, no cell phone.

December 3, 2021

Friday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

Prayer for Faithfulness

Loving God,

Ever-living source of all that is good,
keep me faithful in serving you.

Help me to drink of Christ’s truth, and fill my heart with his love
so that I may serve you in faith and love.

Keep me in your presence.
Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”    -Pope Francis

Scripture:

Isaiah 29:17-24
Matthew 9:27-31

Reflection:

Phil Jackson is a long-time member of the Passionist Family. He currently works in Donor Relations at the Province Offices and serves on the Passionist Alumni Council. Phil has a great devotion to The Passion of Jesus Christ.

Through Faith
Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
Pick one or more of the peacemakers who attended the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference at the Vatican and search online to learn more about their stories.

December 2, 2021

Thursday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”    -Pope Francis

Scripture:

Isaiah 26:1-6
Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reflection:

Bob Rizzi is a longtime parishioner at St. Joseph Monastery Parish in Baltimore, Maryland, and a member of the Passionist Family.

Through Faith
Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
Buy Ethical Trade Christmas gifts at Catholic Relief Service. Ethical Trade means people will get a fair price for their labor and materials and no forced labor. https://ethicaltrade.crs.org/

December 1, 2021

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”    -Pope Francis

Scripture:

Isaiah 25:6-10a
Matthew 15:29-37

Reflection:

Sandra Sierra serves on the Board of Directors, where she is the Treasurer, for Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.


Through Faith
Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
For your bookshelf:  The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear” by Paul Rogat Loeb.

November 30, 2021

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

Prayer for Faithfulness

Loving God,

Ever-living source of all that is good,
keep me faithful in serving you.

Help me to drink of Christ’s truth,
and fill my heart with his love
so that I may serve you in faith and love.

Keep me in your presence.
Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Scripture:

Isaiah 11:1-10
Luke 10:21-24

Reflection:

Lissa Romell is the Administrator at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois. She is the co-chair of the Holy Cross Province Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team.






Through Faith
Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
Multiply your giving: for each person on your gift list, donate to a favorite cause of theirs, or give a gift in their name to someone in need.

November 29, 2021

Monday of the First Week of Advent

The Light of Faithfulness

 Prayer for Faithfulness

Loving God,

Ever-living source of all that is good,
keep me faithful in serving you.

Help me to drink of Christ’s truth, and fill my heart with his love
so that I may serve you in faith and love.

Keep me in your presence.
Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”    -Pope Francis

Scripture:

Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 8:5-11

Reflection:

Mike Owens is the Coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Council. Building off the values gained during his Passionist formation years, he is active in religious education, volunteering and board memberships.  Mike and his wilfe, Joyce, live in Louisville, Kentucky.

Through Faith

Poet: E. Margaret Clarkson

Through faith we understand
The things we cannot know –
The hidden pattern God has planned
And why each thread is so.
We trace life’s vast design
And lose His golden strand;
But when our wills with His entwine,
Through faith we understand.

Through faith we understand
What to our sight is dim,
And still Love’s sweet, all-knowing hand
Leads those who trust in Him.
Ours not to know the way
But bow to His command;
And when our childlike hearts obey,
Through faith we understand.

Call to Action: 
Make time to have a one-on-one conversation with someone you have wanted to “check in on.”  Give them your full listening presence.

Daily Scripture, September 15, 2020

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a
John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35

Reflection:

Behold your Mother! In life we never quite know what tomorrow holds, whether our next days will be bright and sunny, painful and challenging or full of sorrow is a mystery. But one thing that we as Catholic Christians can count on is that there will always be hope. There is always hope because we have a Mother and a Savior who love us in a way that we will never quite understand. He loves us so much that He gives us His Mother and she loves us so much so as to point us back to Him, this is a true love triangle!

Today we celebrate the feast of the Sorrowful Virgin Mary, by apostolic letter, Pope Paul the VI constituted and proclaimed the Sorrowful Virgin Mary as the principal patroness of the Passionist Congregation. The celebration of this feast of our Lady of Sorrows offers us all the opportunity to deepen our participation with her in the mystery of Christ’s passion. From the very instrument of His crucifixion, the cross, Our Lord offered His mother to all of humanity as He proclaimed, “Behold your Mother” and His Mother in turn points all of humanity back to her son offering reconciliation with him.

In the hymn, Stabat Mater which we sing on this day we hear the line, “at the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last” and it reminds us of the ultimate sorrow of a mother who witnesses the pain and suffering of her only son who is fully human and fully divine. In His divinity He is the Alpha and the Omega and in His humanity He feels the nails, the wounds, and the pain that cut to His very being. She is close to Jesus to the last and as such He offers her to us, to heal our wounds, to bring us hope and to love us. So, Behold your Mother!


Deacon James Anderson is the Administrator at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

https://passionist.org/daily-scripture-september-15-2020/