Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Matthew 25:14-30

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, we hear of the master who gives three servants talents before traveling.  Upon his return, he asks each what they have done with these talents.

Although Jesus uses the word talents (a measure of money) in today’s reading, it is reasonable to consider an expanded definition of this word.

Everyone is endowed with talents of varying degrees.  These God given talents are uniquely ours to develop and grow.  Can you name a talent with which you are particularly gifted?  Have you fully pursued this talent for the betterment of others? 

In our daily lives, we have many opportunities to use our talents. Patience in traffic, kindness in shopping lines, empathy for those less fortunate than ourselves, and care for our surroundings and earth, just to name a few.  We should encourage others to hone their skills and develop good talents, recognizing their uniqueness and abilities.  The servant who received only one talent was fearful of his lord and therefore became paralyzed by inaction. 

We are called to unbury our neglected or unused talents.  Promote care for those who have little to nothing, walk in others’ shoes before having an opinion, understand varied cultures and their richness, and most of all, put fear aside and act to be part of the kingdom of God.

Bill Thoman serves on the Passionist Alumni Council and is active with the Share Our Gifts organization of the Passionist Alumni Association. Bill and his wife live in Cincinnati and have 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren.

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Mark 6:17-29

Reflection:

Holiness is often perceived as an achievement reserved for Saints, but in his Letter to the Thessalonians, Saint Paul encourages individuals to pursue holiness by “conducting yourselves to please God.” His instructions emphasize interpersonal relationships, specifically regarding choosing a spouse or interacting with others.

Saint John the Baptist preached about the coming of the messiah and addressed Herod Antipas’s marriage to his brother’s wife while his brother was still alive. This interaction may be viewed as an encouragement for Herod to reflect on the standards by which he related to others. When asked by his wife for the “head of John the Baptist,” Herod Antipas, holding authority as a king, did not refuse the request. Refusing could have been seen as humbling or a sign of weakness. Even someone in Herod’s position appeared to feel influenced by those present, possibly considering their opinions or support for either the queen or himself, while others may have chosen not to voice their perspectives.

Holiness is reflected in the way individuals conduct themselves in both personal and professional relationships, as well as in their integrity when unobserved. Saint Paul advised the Thessalonians to evaluate the quality of their interactions with others. The Gospel addresses the courage required to uphold holiness, particularly in challenging circumstances. Holiness involves striving for completeness and seeking a connection with God through our relationships, while also serving as a positive influence that encourages others toward holiness.

“Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
Mathew 24:42-51

Reflection:

We find a message of gratitude in Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians.

‘What Thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?’ 

It is a nice feeling when we receive praise and thanks.  Sometimes in our busyness, we can forget how important a kind word or gentle action on our part can mean to those around us.  It doesn’t always have to be about us. Our loving creator God loves us unconditionally and calls us to pay that same example of love and care forward, even to those we may not even like!

Saint Paul further calls the Thessalonians and us as well to remember God’s law of love for our neighbor:

Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you,
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and
For all.

We live in tumultuous times where love and goodwill for others aren’t always seen as a high priority, where saying thank you isn’t heard often enough, and where trust and respect for one another are not always valued. We know that there are good people who surround us and exciting things happening on our part as we follow Jesus’ example to love and care for those who are most in need. Parishes, communities and many families spend countless hours at food pantries, refugee resettlement programs, tutoring programs, and so many other activities.

In the coming days and months, may we take time to focus on helping those who cannot help themselves, speak out for the voiceless, and make an effort to show the face of Christ to those we worship with, live with, and those we don’t necessarily agree with.

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

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Matthew 23:27-32

Reflection:

Isn’t it funny that God knows everything about us, every hair on our head, every memory, activity, action. And yet there are still those who put on airs of grandeur. The pompous or self-righteous, those who seem beyond reproach and voice too loudly their thoughts and opinions.

And now think about this – WHO CARES? Why do we really care about how others present themselves? We need to get in the habit of focusing on ourselves – the good we do for others, corporal and spiritual works of mercy, maintaining a strong prayer life and constantly learning about our faith. We love and respect everyone, no matter how different they are from us in their thoughts or appearances. Why? Because that’s what Jesus would do…

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 23:23-26

Reflection:

“You have searched me and you know me, Lord.” This is today’s psalm response.

I want to edit it. “You have searched me and you know me, Lord, and yet you still love me.” For good reason, many of us are terrified of allowing others to see the full truth of who we are. We have scars. We have disordered affections. We have petty desires. We have disappointments and insecurities. We believe that if others really knew us, they could not possibly love us. Yet that is exactly what Jesus Christ does. We are sinners, we are broken and flawed…yet we are loved.

We don’t often hear in the gospels about Jesus getting in the faces of others, but he let’s loose in today’s gospel: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” The expression of faith begins within our hearts not in liturgical rubrics or pious devotions. Those cannot replace what is in our hearts, they should express what in our hearts.

All around us there are plenty of self-proclaiming Christians who are, in the words of my father, simply “crude.” He loved that word to describe behavior that was cruel and rude. It is jarring to hear some, wearing a gold cross around their necks, proceed to demean others with crude nicknames or calling them losers. Where is the connection between the inside and the outside? How does God’s love revealed in the Passion of Christ and proclaimed in the cross around my neck lead me to love others, even the sinner?

We are not spared from Jesus getting in our faces. Woe to you, politicians… Woe to you, church leaders… Woe to you… Woe to me, hypocrite. Cleanse first the inside so that our care for others may be clean. We are sinners yet loved. Broken yet redeemed. In that experience of being loved and redeemed, let us love and raise others up.

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.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

At the very beginning of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites a retreatant to contemplate the meaning of love: “Love should manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”  Love is the starting point of our care and service of others.  The Campaign for the Passionists of Holy Cross Province echoes this very insight – the Passion of Christ: the Love that Compels.  God’s love for us compels us to serve others, but it begins with this: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

To love comes before to serve. Love is the foundation of selfless service. If we love, we will be drawn to serve others. If we are rooted in God’s love, so too will we be rooted in service.   God knows and loves us, and serves us with the gift of his life.  As we know and love others, we will serve them with the gifts of life that God has generously shared with us, whatever they might be.

Today’s Gospel from Matthew reveals a side of Jesus we rarely see.  We see his exasperation at the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who have disconnected love from their service as religious leaders to become “blind guides.”  Lots of words and lots of hair-splitting rules.  They “lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.”  They have lost the experience of first being loved by God, so the law becomes what gives them meaning and purpose.

Contrast that indignation of Jesus with the joy of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where he celebrates the community’s “work of faith and labor of love.” The community at Thessalonica consists of “brothers and sisters loved by God,” who are compelled to serve in return. Paul reminds them that the Gospel did not come to them in word alone, but also in power and the Holy Spirit, that is, through deeds.

Much of the world – Catholic or not – has been mesmerized by Pope Francis.  He seems very clearly to see the relationship between love and service, and exemplifies through his own actions that love begins with a very real relationship with Jesus.  While in Brazil for World Youth Days, he spoke to the young people: “Evangelizing means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness, it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren, as Jesus did. Go, do not be afraid, and serve.” Indeed, love manifests itself in deeds rather than words.

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.

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:1-21
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30

Reflection:

Enter Through the Narrow Gate

In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Luke 13:22-30), someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus replies, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” As I thought about Jesus’ reply, I began to wonder whether any of us were strong enough to enter by our own power. I don’t think any of us are. We need God’s love and grace and strength to enter through the narrow gate.

Maybe what Jesus is calling us to is humility, especially when it comes to being saved. After Jesus speaks about the narrow gate, He uses the image of a master of the house who has locked the door, and there are people knocking to get in. But the master says, “I do not know where you are from.” And the people outside say, “We ate and drank in your company, and you taught in our streets.” But the master is unmoved, and says, “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” and then Jesus says, ‘And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out…For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

What if the people on the outside were on the outside because they were so sure of their righteousness that they wanted to be the master and be able to tell others that they couldn’t come in? Maybe they wanted to be able to label those who were different as “all evildoers,” and therefore not worthy to be saved. Nowadays, that seems to be a very wide gate that people are flocking to enter through. It may not be as wide as the gate where people just grab things for themselves, or the gate at which people hope to have power over others, but it still is a pretty wide gate.

But if I am humble enough to realize that I need God to have the wisdom and the fortitude to enter through the “narrow gate,” I may be less ready to pass judgment on others. In fact, I may even be willing to seek justice for them as well as myself. I may even be willing to make sacrifices for others.

True humility is not always easy. Our second reading from Hebrews (12:5-7, 11-13) speaks about accepting “discipline” from God. In the language of Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholics or addicts usually have to hit some kind of “bottom” before they recognize that they need help from a Higher Power. We need not be discouraged about not being strong enough to enter through the narrow gate. We only need a humble heart to surrender to God’s love and will for us; to let go of judging others, and instead help lift each other up, working for justice and making peace.

In a variation of the words from that second reading, may we open ourselves to God’s love, and let that love “strengthen our drooping hands” and “weak knees,” so that “what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.”

Fr. Phil Paxton, CP, is the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Birmingham, and St. Mary’s Parish in Fairfield, Alabama. He is the Local Superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the Pharisees and the scribes: “Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen…. they love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor at synagogues…. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

I think part of what Jesus says is about privilege. The Pharisees and scribes enjoyed their “perks” of being the religious leaders of the people. But when people get caught up in their privileges, they forget to serve, and they have no trouble berating people without trying to help them.

We are called to service, not privilege. It might be helpful to look at Jesus’ words at the end of our reading: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” We can be tempted to try to raise ourselves up by putting others down. We can be tempted to justify our prejudices by demonizing those who are different. But when we remember how Jesus humbled Himself to save us, we can let go of these temptations and seek to serve. We will not be concerned about having privilege or not; we will only be concerned with following Jesus and being right with God.

Fr. Phil Paxton, CP, is the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Birmingham, and St. Mary’s Parish in Fairfield, Alabama. He is the Local Superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.