Daily Scripture

Third Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Luke 13:1-9

Reflection:

In Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree. The owner of the fig tree is frustrated. The tree has been there for three years without bearing any fruit. He tells his gardener to cut it down: “Why should it exhaust the soil?” But the gardener says, “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”

The parable is a parable of God’s mercy. Even though we may not bear fruit as much as we could, God is still willing to work with us and in us so that we may bear fruit in spreading the Good News and in sharing God’s love in Jesus Christ. Can God be that merciful? It is God’s choice to be so. When we hear the story of the call of Moses in our first reading from Exodus (3:1-8a, 13-15), Moses asks God what to call Him when the people ask, “What is his name?” God replies, “I am who am. This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” The same God who is the Source of all being is the same One who freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and is the same One who continues to show us mercy and love.

But this parable also presents us with a few challenges. It implies that even though God is merciful, we should not abuse our relationship with Him. We ought not to take God’s mercy for granted. As St. Paul says in our second reading from 1 Corinthians (10:1-6, 10-12), “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”

The parable also challenges us about our relationships with others. Unfortunately, human history is replete with examples of one group saying about another something similar to “Why should it exhaust the soil?” It has been too easy for people to consider others as non-productive or superfluous, or even as a blight on the earth. In our Gospel reading, people tell Jesus how Pilate desecrated the blood of Galileans he presumably had killed. Then Jesus mentions some others who were killed when a tower fell on them. Jesus is quick to point out that these things were not a punishment for sins. God does not punish us like that! So why does Jesus warn the crowds that unless they repent they shall perish as those victims did? I believe it is because while God does not punish us with the evil of others, or with the tragedy of an accident, He does let us at times suffer the consequences of our actions.

Using the parable of the fig tree, if we resort to violence, whether it is physical violence to the point of genocide, or systematic discrimination or oppression, it is very likely we will suffer some violence ourselves. In various situations in the world we see a thirst for vengeance that never seems to be satisfied, and so one atrocity is answered by another. When we engage in condemnation and violence, how can we hope to bear any fruit? I know that we can say that we have not participated in any genocide or outright oppression, but we need to examine how often we resort to our stereotypes and prejudices to make sense of certain situations. Just being content with what is can help perpetuate what we know is wrong. When we treat others in a way that dehumanizes them, we need to remember the mercy God has shown us. I would think most of us can recognize times in our lives when we have been just like the fig tree in Jesus’ parable! Thank God that God has been merciful with us!

May we trust in God’s mercy, and show mercy to others. May we open ourselves to God’s love in Jesus Christ, and may that love bear fruit in us.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection:

The parable of the prodigal son is so familiar a story that it is understandably tempting to automatically tune out, as in heard that story, know that story, end of story.  The most common interpretation of this parable is the allegorical application.  The prodigal son represents the sinners with whom Jesus was eating.  The older brother represents the scribes and Pharisees who resented the unsavory company Jesus kept.  The father represents God receiving those sinners who return to him.

During this Lenten season, however, perhaps a more meaningful approach to this parable may be one in which we examine relationships – with one another, and with God.

The prodigal son

Did the prodigal son make sinfully wrong choices? Yes.  In his actions, this son abused and breached his relationship with his father.  He demanded his inheritance early.  He insisted on taking full control of his own life.  He rebelled against his father.  The son effectively rudely, thoughtlessly, and hurtfully shoved his father aside.  The son departed to a “distant country” and consequently became lost, not because he did not know the way home, but because he had wasted his father’s gift, the gift of his relationship with his father.  He was found only when he “came to his senses” and returned to his waiting father to seek forgiveness and reconciliation – that is, when he returned to the embrace of his father’s loving relationship.

The father

A key point in this relationship is that the father waited, no ran to his returning son, aching and rushing to reestablish their relationship.  The father neither chastises nor punishes his son.  Instead, he lavishly, wastefully, extravagantly, prodigally, had him dressed for a huge welcome home party.

 The elder son

By contrast, the older, self-righteous brother is relationally alienated from both his brother and his father.  Notice the words “this son of yours.”  The elder brother refused the father cajoling and begging that he rejoice in his brother’s return.  Instead, he angrily rejected any relationship with his younger brother.  The gospel writer, Luke, challenges us to reflect on who is the truly lost brother, who is the one missing in a far country.

And us…

Can we see ourselves in each of these brothers?  At times, are we not the ones lost in sin, alienated from God the father, yet to accept God’s extravagant gift of grace, to come to our senses, to repent, to return to a loving relationship with him?  And at times, sadly, do we not fall into the behavior of the elder brother, righteously smug in our faith and in our literal obedience to God’s commands, that we lose our compassion, our understanding, and forgiveness of others.  We lose the loving relationship God desires us to have for one another.

…During this Lenten season

And during this Lenten season, can we see God the father?  He is the one who gives us the freedom to choose him or reject him, but who waits patiently, ready to embrace us in welcome, ready to shamelessly cajole and beg us to love and forgive one another.  Why?  Because, in God, we are called to have an extravagant, prodigious loving relationship with one another as brothers and sisters – you know, the kind of relationship he has for us.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Matthew 21: 33-43,45-46

Reflection:

For so many years, Lent was a time for giving up things such as dessert, going to movies, etc.  The focus was on giving up something that I liked instead of doing something hard such as working on my faults. In today’s first reading, Joseph’s brothers were so spiritually dead that they could not even greet him or be kind to him. Considering the behavior of  Joseph’s brothers should enable us to examine the difficult things about ourselves. Lent is a time for us to take the pulse of our spiritual life.  If there are no daily efforts to foster a spiritual life, or we refuse to speak or be kind and loving to others then we must consider that our spiritual life could be dead (spiritual arrest) or non-existent.

How do I spiritually resuscitate myself?  To foster spiritual self-renewal, we should engage in spiritual life-giving practices like daily prayer, daily meditation, scripture study, and acts of service; seek forgiveness and cultivate gratitude; and find time for reflection, solitude, and connection with nature or others. (Adapted from Self-Renewal on Google). It is important to have time set aside for daily spiritual activities. It is advantageous to designate a specific area in one’s home that is quiet, free from noise, and conducive to silence, reflection, and prayer.  A healthy spiritual life requires daily attention through spiritual practices. 

Lord, may I have the strength to engage in daily spiritual renewal activities, allowing me to grow closer to you, my loved ones, and everyone I encounter.   

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 17:5-10
Luke 16:19-31

Reflection:

Welcome: “Soft Hearts,” Sincerely Abraham

Not too long ago, at a school in the Detroit area, a faculty member proposed that the adults in the school community each select a student and write a personal letter telling what they appreciate as special about the student. There were 50 students who were singled out for such gifts as leadership, kindness, generosity, attention to other students. I heard praise both for the gifts of the students as well as how they shared their gifts. Before handing the letter to the student, we heard some of the letters being read. The letters were not finished before each child covered his or her face and cried, some sobbed. I cried too.

At the passing of our unnamed ‘rich man’ it seems not many people cried, ‘he was buried’. The parable doesn’t elicit tears. Sadly, there is no alternative ending. A petrified heart finds no place in Abraham’s bosom, and bad news continues for the five brothers.

Remember the children! The rich man had a lot of wealth with which he could have done good. The children have their children size gifts. We have ours. No matter, a small store of riches can be just as absorbing and blind us to the poor at our gate. The children were singled out because they shared what they had. Their gifts benefited others.

Why did they cry? Could it be those tears originated in the heart? In some way that none of us can explain their goodness was exposed; a goodness that reached out to many untold sufferings. Could their little gifts of kindness, help, or encouragement to a classmate alleviate some suffering. In their humble, small way sufferings were eased by their gift, but their gift brought them into contact with a bit of suffering. Maybe they do not understand this, nor could they articulate such a mystery. But what they did their hearts knew and their hearts overflowed with tears when it was named. These are the hearts that Abraham embraces in his bosom; hearts growing to the size of the love of God’s heart for us.

Would it have helped if someone wrote a letter to our rich man? Well, Moses and the prophets seem to have one this. But if we notice a friend or classmate whose heart needs some attention, it could well be that we also have a gift to speak a word to the weary. Sad, no one spoke to the rich man. Could he have been helped?

The Lenten days remind us that we are given a great gift, beyond our stored-up treasures. God gives us a sign in the resurrection from the dead that we are called t share a risen life. Life beyond this life is our destiny. We glimpsed this with the apostles Sunday. There are innumerable moments of resurrection – a peaceful death, a birth, an act of love, our boundless world of nature. These moments shout and can awaken in us, something that helps us know there is a resurrection of our humble mortal bodies. Let us celebrate them, look for them and share this gift with others.

Do not deny your gifts, use them. Affirm, awaken and encourage them in others. And in the Lenten days share the moments of resurrection that reveal the gift to come.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

Reflection:

It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes through faith. Romans 4:13

On this Solemnity when we venerate St. Joseph, spouse of Mary and foster father of Jesus, in both the Old and New Testament readings the Church recalls the promise made to Abraham by God that he would be the father of many nations. While the reading from Second Samuel tells us how that promise was made, in his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us why. It was the faith of Abraham that was the firm foundation on which the Lord would establish a people uniquely His own. It was from these people that ultimately the Lord would send His own Son. 

When the time came for Jesus to enter the world, the Lord sought another man of faith, a righteous man, to be a father. St. Joseph did not sire Jesus, but he served as a father from the line of Abraham in the flesh and more importantly as his heir in faith. We clearly see Joseph’s faith when he believes what the angel tells him, and he takes Mary into his home. What Scripture does not describe, however, are all the many other realities that required Joseph’s faith. It doesn’t tell us how he had to trust that he would have the wisdom to be a father to God’s Son. It doesn’t tell us that he had to believe that God would give him the grace to live a celibate life. It doesn’t tell us how he had to have faith that he could be worthy of such a role. There are numerous things Scripture doesn’t tell us explicitly about St. Joseph. Rather, it tells us what need to know. He was a man of faith.

There are many times when Scripture does not describe and give answers to the exact circumstances of our lives. In those moments, we have a choice. Will we become disillusioned, anxious, or resentful? Or rather, will we be like St. Joseph and his father Abraham and allow our faith to be the answer and the foundation for God’s promise in our lives?

Megan Silas is a Lay Passionist at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

We are in the second week of Lent and our readings for today immerse us even more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and compassionate love.  But gratefully, we are also shown a better way to make a difference where it can really count.  Let’s revisit the people’s plaintive plea from the book of Deuteronomy:

 “Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments!  We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.  We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land. Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day…”

We are “shamefaced”, so painfully aware of our sins and transgressions against all that is good and holy.  And so, we cry out to God above and plead for God’s mercy and forgiveness.  This cry out to the Lord is so very appropriate for all of us today as we see the horrid and tyrannical transgressions against God’s love and justice so present in our own land and in the world itself!  Repeatedly, in the psalm response for today’s Eucharist, we hear ourselves chanting, “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins!”

And how does the Lord respond?  The answer is so clear as we listen to the message proclaimed in the Gospel of Luke.  Be merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful.  Don’t judge and condemn others.  Forgive and love one another.  How can we expect to receive God’s mercy and love when we refuse to offer the same thing to one another!

What I most appreciate about the readings from the Liturgy today is that what seems so overwhelming when we view all the evil around us can be transformed so simply if we only do what the Lord has asked of us from the very beginning.  Love one another; forgive and be merciful.  Then we will know mercy and love ourselves, and the world will not be the same!  It just has to start with each of us in our own way.  If we want the Lord to be kind and merciful to us, shouldn’t we all do the same for one another?  It has to begin somewhere.  It has to begin with us, right here and right now!

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Daniel 9:4b-10
Luke 6:36-38

Reflection:

Today’s readings could fittingly be described as a “crash course” in Christianity because they tell us everything we need to know: We are sinners. God is forgiving, compassionate, and merciful. And we are called to be the same by extending to others the mercy and forgiveness God lavishly and unstintingly bestows upon us.

The first reading from the Book of Daniel gets straight to the point: “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and laws.” That heartfelt confession strips away any consoling illusion of innocence, any soothing pretense of undefiled goodness and virtue. When we hear those words (or whisper them silently) our own failures to do good are suddenly and painfully remembered. We recall times we did something that wounded a neighbor we were given to love. We ruefully recollect little betrayals; thoughtless acts born in bitterness, anger, or resentment; or simply the countless occasions we had a chance to love and didn’t bother. No wonder we find ourselves nodding in assent when the people unanimously exclaim that “we are shamefaced even to this day.”

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story because, as today’s psalm response continually reiterates, God does “not deal with us according to our sins.” Despite our persistent waywardness, despite our almost chronic hardness of heart, the God we reject and betray loves us all the same, responding to our sin with endless mercy, compassion, and love.

We show our gratitude by offering that same compassion, forgiveness, and love whenever we can to whomever we can. When we do, we fulfill Jesus’ command in today’s gospel: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” To take that summons to heart, and to live by it day-after-day, is to know the abundant new life that is found in being a recovering sinner.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 9:28b-36

Reflection:

Last week, we reflected on the temptation of Jesus in the desert, when the devil tempted Jesus to betray His true self; to serve Himself instead of being obedient to the Father’s plan, coming to serve rather than to be served. We reflected on our own temptation to be false to who we are, and our call to be true to who God created us to be.

Just as the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent is always the account of Jesus being tempted in the desert, the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Lent is always the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop. This year we have Luke’s account (Luke 9:28b – 36). At the Transfiguration, Peter and James and John get a glimpse of the fullness of Jesus that is to come. During the temptation, Jesus was tempted to betray His true self. Here, Jesus’ true self is revealed. When Jesus is transfigured, a voice from heaven declares, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” Luke tells us that on the mountaintop, Moses and Elijah appear and speak “of the exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” Jesus reveals everything about being the Son of the Father in His Passion, death, and Resurrection. I think Peter, James and John do not speak of this at the time was because they didn’t fully understand what it meant until Easter, or even Pentecost.

Just as Jesus’ true self was revealed on the mountain, our true selves are to be revealed in the world. As I was thinking about this, I thought of the song, “Child of God”: “If anybody asks you who I am, who I am, who I am; if anybody asks you who I am, tell him I’m a child of God.” I also thought of Philippians 4:5: “Your kindness should be known to all.” There is also 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you a reason for your hope.” There is another old song: “and they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” And again, there is this refrain: “If anybody asks you, where I am going, where I am going, soon. I’m goin’ up yonder…I’m goin’ up yonder to be with my Lord.”

We are called to live our lives in such a way that reveals that we do believe that we are indeed children of God; that, in following Jesus, we are willing to show kindness to everyone, and demonstrate our love for each other and for the world, in working for justice and peace. We are to live as people of hope, helping now to building up the kingdom, and looking forward to being with our Lord in heaven.

To be true to who we are, we need God’s grace. We need to be open to God transfiguring us, to be “the change we want to see.”

May our lives be a revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ. May we do our part in helping “transfigure” our world into the place God created it to be.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.