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The Love that Compels

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Claire Smith

Daily Scripture, March 31, 2023

Scripture:

Jeremiah 20:10-13
John 10:31-42

Reflection:

Happy Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent!

Have you ever felt like you were drowning?

Water — the ocean, lakes, rivers, and streams — have always been places where I’ve found peace and solace.  But there was this one day…

Many years ago, while performing on tour with a symphony orchestra, some of us walked out of our hotel and out to the beach to spend our morning off.  Everything began so calmly and joyfully as I went out to swim a little.  Suddenly, without warning, some rough tide rolled in and I became caught in the current, and was pulled out a considerable distance from shore.  I realized I was alone out there, and panic began to ensue.  The water began to cover my head, I started flailing my arms above my head and cried out as loud as I could, “Help.”

What I hadn’t realized was that there were some people — people whom I didn’t know at all — who had seen what was going on, hopped on a small craft, and were already rushing out to save me.  My arm was grabbed and pulled, and I found myself sitting on their boat, heading back to shore… to safety.

Being underwater really did stink… but before I even knew I needed help; my rescue had already been set in motion.  I was pretty fortunate that day…

But there are some times I find myself experiencing other types of “drownings.”  I’m no stranger to being hurt by friends, family members, and partners… I don’t think any of us are.  And I’m also no stranger to hurting other people, even if inadvertently.  One such moment was very recently, while closing in on the end of a very deeply challenging and emotional day on many levels.  While in conversation with friends, I had become so frustrated with a series of exchanges that, eventually, I found myself under a flood of frustration – my arms flailing above my head – but instead of crying “Help,” I spoke in a tone not indicative of the love I share for them.  And for that, I’ll always be filled with regret.

Being “underwater” can really stink.

I guess it’s probably a pretty universal thing for all of us humans to have times when it feels like we’re just underwater.  There we are, walking along our path with a calm normalcy, and suddenly, without warning, rainclouds come and open up, unleashing their stores of water, flooding us, and making dark all that surrounds us.  And when that happens, how easy is it to feel just so very alone.

Our Psalm in today’s Liturgy of the Word (Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7) sings,

“The breakers of death surged round about me,
    the destroying floods overwhelmed me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
    and my cry to him reached his ears.”

There will always be times we find ourselves “underwater,” feeling so very alone — as though nobody else in the world knows what we’re going through.  But God is always there, trying to reach us, hold us, help us.  In fact, God knows and sets in-motion our salvation long before we even realize we’re in need.  God is there, sending companions to help us on our journey.  God is there, trying to reach us through the very experiences and encounters of our daily lives — our every-single-moment… if only we would listen.

Who has been God to you in your need?
How has God used you to help others in their need?

Dear Lord,
I’m underwater… and it sure feels like a lot, lately.
My arms are flailing, and I’m screaming for help…
for someone to save me.
I know you’re there, but sometimes I don’t recognize you.
And other times, I try to ignore you.
Please,
open my ears to the sound of your voice.
Open my eyes to the sight of your presence.
Open my heart to the outpouring of your love.
And, please, dear Lord,
help me be the kind of person
that can bring You to life
to all the people in my world today.
Amen.

Peace and love to you today, and forever.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California,
and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Daily Scripture, March 30, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 17:3-9
John 8:51-59

Reflection:

I have been sharing the scrutinies with the elect for the past couple of weeks, and I find myself enlightened as well. We may listen to the word of God, and think we get it, but unless you are going deeper into understanding what we are reading, we may be missing a great deal of information. 

We see so many times in scripture where, for example, the Pharisees tell us the law, but Jesus says something completely opposite of what the Pharisees want us to believe – it is Jesus’ ideals of compassion and mercy that come through to all who hear him. In today’s readings, we see that the authorities could not grasp the idea that Jesus is the Son of God. As Jesus says, they claim to know God, but unlike them, Jesus says that he knows God and keeps his word. The people walking in Jesus’ midst who believed in his miracles were able to accept those miracles as truth – they believed!

Sometimes I find myself asking what it is that Jesus wants me to get out of the readings. Some days when I go to mass, it seems that the Homilist is talking to me – directly to me. And that is what the people in Jesus’ time had as well. They knew Jesus was mysterious, but so many had seen his miracles, or heard him speak his beautiful parables, and believed. 

Allow yourself to separate from the desperation of wanting to understand and grasp every reading you attempt to read. There are some things that are mysterious for a reason. God will open those doors for you as he sees fit. Don’t be the stone thrower, but the one whose glory comes from the Father through understanding and belief.

Patty Masson is the Director of Adult Formation and Evangelization at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, Texas.

Daily Scripture, March 29, 2023

Scripture:

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
John 8:31:42

Reflection:

The selection from John’s Gospel today speaks of true freedom.

In our overstimulated world of distractions and crises, we can easily become caught into the whirlwind about us, spinning about aimlessly from one stimulation and thrill to another, all the while avoiding what we fear. We lose direction, become anxious, and cling to power, status, money to give life meaning.

But none of this satisfies.

The Jews of Jesus’s time endured many similar distractions and distresses. They clung to the Law of their faith to assure themselves of their righteousness before God.

Jesus, especially in John’s Gospel, works to dispel this narrow notion. He explains that the Law worked for a time to give them a direction, meaning and security that non-Jews would never have. But Jesus tosses this whole framework upside down. Instead, he acts on behalf of his Father in telling them that only total self-abandonment to Someone who transcends the Law brings total freedom and meaning to our lives. This opportunity, he goes on to say, is for ALL people, not just the Jews.

The new teaching didn’t set well with the elite in the Temple in Jerusalem and their followers. They argued with Jesus and devalued what he taught, perhaps because it destroyed every teaching that rooted their lives. We know how this tension ended on Good Friday.

The Gospel reading today assures all of us that Jesus is really from Almighty God, that God wants all people free and the way to freedom is Jesus.

As theologian Leonardo Boff states, “…self-surrender mean(s) risking Mystery, throwing in our lot with that ultimate vessel of Meaning in which we participate more than we dream. This is the opportunity offered to human freedom. Men and women can take advantage of the offer, and rest secure.  Or they can let it slip by, and founder in despair…. trust is our tool for not letting hopelessness have the last word. (It) constitutes the supreme deed of human grandeur.”

Following this Way, means much, much more than an intellectual assent, an act of faith recited.

It requires we imitate Jesus and be led into the truth that only an intimate relationship with God can provide. It is a life lived, as Gustavo Gutierrez has said, “without the constraining power of the Law.” Thus, Henri Nouwen concludes, “When we are able to throw off the compulsions and coercions that come from outside of us can we allow the Holy Spirit, God’s love, to be our only guide, then we can live a truly free, interior and spiritual life.”

So, whether as a responsible student, devoted spouse, sanitary worker, parent, factory worker, scholar, health care provider, teacher, pope, beggar or comfortable retiree savoring a life blessed by God, we follow Christ’s example of being loyal and totally dependent on God in every moment in every day. We let the past recede, giving up nostalgia and regrets, and ignore the imagined pitfalls and risks of the future, mindful only of God’s providence in the present moment. In this we are secure. In this we rest. In this we are free. At every one of life’s intersections, when we are to be decisive about which direction to take, we know the Spirit will guide us.

This deep, mystical abandonment to God is available to everyone, by God’s grace. Taking time to reflect and pray on this truth can transform us from being slaves to the winds and distractions of what is unimportant in life to live totally centered in God. This alone, Jesus says, is true, lasting freedom.

Anyone up for that?

Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Daily Scripture, March 28, 2023

Scripture:

Numbers 21:4-9
John 8:21-30

Reflection:

We hear in our first reading from the Book of Numbers how frustrated the Israelites are as they continued the journey to the Promised Land.  We see very clearly that they were close to the breaking point.  They grumbled and complained against God and Moses and just wanted it to be over!  God was disappointed in their perceived lack of faith and trust and sent down a painful punishment upon them in the form of seraph serpents. Then the Israelites begged forgiveness for their impatience and disloyalty.  God relented, forgave them and in turn, the Israelites promised obedience and trust in God’s unconditional love and mercy.

We all have had moments of impatience and frustration in our lives when we failed to see the hand of our loving God or hear and believe in the Good News that is staring us right in the face.  We are a privileged people who should never want for anything, but instead time and time again we are never satisfied and grumble and complain that life is so unfair.  The grass always looks greener on the other side, the glass is always half empty.  We want warm weather, but not too warm.  We look forward to that long-awaited vacation until the plane is late or gas prices are too high forcing us to go to plan B which may not be as much fun or convenient.  We become just like the Israelites in a flash!

During this Lenten season, we are called to put aside our self-centered ways.  We are called to look in the mirror and see ourselves as God sees us.  We are called to be people of compassion, mercy and love, to see the face of God in our sisters and brothers who suffer injustice, illness, homelessness and prejudices.  Jesus is a forgiving and loving God who calls us to embody that love and concern for all those around us who are at that breaking point that the Israelites found themselves in when the journey became too long and difficult.

In a few short days, we will move into Holy Week.  May this be a time during which we recommit ourselves to the service of others as we wash one another’s feet and feast at the banquet Table of the Lord.  May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts as we bring our humble and penitent selves to reverence the Cross upon which our Savior gave his life for us.  May we celebrate with Easter joy at the week’s end as we rejoice that the tomb is empty and Jesus is Alive and comes among us bringing new life for all.  Amen.

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Daily Scripture, March 26, 2023

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:12-14
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45

Reflection:

Our Lenten Journey continues this week with the gospel story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The images in this gospel passage from Saint John are stark and compelling. If you can, read this account (John 11:1-45) slowly and pay special attention to this raw moment, not only for Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, but for Jesus himself. These are some examples of the tenderness in this story:

  • Master, the one you love is ill.
  • Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.
  • When Jesus saw Mary weeping he became perturbed and deeply troubled.
  • And Jesus wept.
  • See how he loved him.

Next week begins Holy Week. It too is a raw journey from life through death to new life. Today’s gospel story of Lazarus is but a foreshadowing of the journey Jesus takes, indeed one we all take.

Death, grief, weeping and graves are not magically dispelled by knowing that our rising again will come. Resurrection occurs only in our dying first, figuratively if not physically. We are the ones Jesus loves. We are the ones in the tomb out of which he commands, “come out.” We are the ones he calls to new life. We are the ones who need to leave the grave behind. We are the ones that need to be unbound and set free.

What is our tomb? What binds us and holds us back from life? The depth of Jesus’ care and love for us is so evident in this story of his dear friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He so much wants to give us life. Maybe we can ask ourselves, “Am I ready to leave the stench of the tomb, to leave behind what binds me.” Resentment, anger, fear, prejudice, and disappointment can all bind us and keep us in the tomb. As we make our way to Easter, let us hear Jesus’ words, “Lazarus, come out!”

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Daily Scripture, March 25, 2023

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”   -Isaiah 7:14; 8:10.

Once again we hear in the readings for the Annunciation of the Lord that “God is with us!”  How do each of us hear these words at this moment in our lives?  What kind of images arise that give flesh to the words “God is with us”? Isaiah is filled with images that foreshadow what Jesus will embody in human form—in just the next chapter, we find Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Prince of Peace. These images can fill us with joy and wonder and love. Such is the goodness and gift of God given freely.

God is with us!

Yet, we also find ourselves on a Lenten journey, walking together toward Golgotha, toward the Passion of our Lord.  The God who is with us is also a God who knows suffering, who chose to endure suffering out of a love that is incomprehensible for most of us. Jesus freely submitted to the unjust systems of his time to share in the suffering of the people of his time.  Unjust systems still persist in our world today.  People across the globe continue to suffer today.  And Jesus continues to love incomprehensibly and to share in this suffering. We see him living and present today in all who suffer.

God is with us!

Earlier this week, I received a text from a Passionist friend in Birmingham, AL.  In the text was a newscast (https://www.cbs42.com/news/racist-sign-swastikas-painted-on-building-in-ensley/).  A hate group who espouses white ethnonationalism, had painted a sign on the abandoned hospital building across from the Passionist parish and elementary school of Holy Family. You can imagine the pain and suffering this caused within the community, young African American children confronted by a message of hate directly outside their school. I think of this Sunday’s Gospel reading, “And Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35). 

God is with us!

At the deepest level, God is not simply with us, God is within us.  One of the greatest challenges of our time is to touch into the goodness of God within us, opening our own hearts to see God within ourselves and the other—excluding no one, neither those who suffer nor those who cause suffering. Our God is so intimately with us, so interwoven into our being that we call ourselves—all of us—the Body of Christ.  May it be so.

Lissa Romell is the Administrator at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Statement on Cultural and Racial Diversity, Reflection by Dr. Ed Poliandro

Daily Scripture, March 24, 2023

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Reflection:

The Closeness of God

In the responsorial Psalm 34:19 for today’s liturgy we find this beautiful text:

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted (shabar-Hebrew for break in peices) and saves those who are ccrushed in spirit.(dakka Hebrewroot; to crush)” PS 34:18  What a wonderful consolation it is that God is so very close to us when we are broken and crushed and most need of His help!

Ps 139 assures us that God is always near us!   “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;  It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” Ps 139:5  Jesus in the NT stresses this marvelous closeness of God to us in His Divine life!   Christ says: “the kingdom of God is in your midst.”Lk 17:20   His first sermon He stresses: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Mt 4:17

 The  NT Greek word for close or at hand is engizo ( used 42 times and engus used 31 times)  which is a total of 73 times in NT.  This is formed from ἐν (in) and an unattested substitute guae or gus  which means in the hollow of the hand.  The most literal translation for the Greek word “close” is to be in the hand of God.   This is a very frequent theme in Bible.  He assures us of His constant nearness and help: “I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.” Ps 73:23

What a breathtaking and astonishing teaching of Jesus that He is so close to us “at the door”! Rev 3:20

“While they were talking and discussing (at Emmaus), Jesus Himself approached (engizo) and began traveling with them. LK 24:15   The saints often spoke of the wonder of Christ’s presence. 

“I possess at all times and I hold in all places, the God of my heart and the Heart of my God.”  St Margaret Mary   “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Jam 4:8  A person may not have houses or lands or the admiration of others—but he has God, whose presence and protection is priceless!  “You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not fear!”  Lam 3:57

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

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