Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Sirach 1: 1-10
Mark 9: 14-29

Reflection:

In our Gospel today we hear a remarkable, deeply human love story.  It is about a parent, in this case a father, who brings his son, who suffers from dreadful seizures, to Jesus for healing.  Just as the son is presented to Jesus, “the mute spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth.”  Jesus asks the father how long this has been happening to his son and he answers, “since childhood.” 

Jesus reassures the father that with faith it is possible to heal the child.  The father caught between despair and hope cries out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”  Jesus then reaches out to the boy and says, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”  The boy immediately goes completely still.  Some bystanders whisper that he must be dead.  But Jesus takes the boy by the hand, helps him get up, and returns him to the care of his loving father.  What a beautiful story of a father’s love and Jesus’ great compassion…and power.

While this story reveals the deep love of a father for a son, it also has echoes in the lives of many of us.  Every one of us has experienced a time(s) when no matter what gifts, strengths, desires or love we have, it is just not enough to deal with the real life situation we face.  The father’s anguished cry, “I do believe, help my unbelief,” resonates with our own feelings of helplessness in resolving many of life’s most difficult situations.  The care and kindness of Jesus toward the suffering father and son, is a comforting reassurance that God will reach out to us in our own helplessness.  Faith is, indeed, the path to life.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
1 Corinthians 3:16-3
Matthew 5:38-48

Reflection:

So be perfect!

Perfect is defined one way to be absolute; complete (used for emphasis). Today we hear Jesus telling his disciples, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In today’s world many hear this and immediately give it up thinking it’s not possible to be perfect. Others go in circles trying to be perfect according to the world’s standards and fall into scrupulosity. They find themselves more concerned with the fear of not doing something exactly right and their focus becomes self-inclusive. Then they aren’t able to live in the current moment freely as intended. They are wrapped in their mind allowing fear to keep them occupied. For some they just might be terrified of doing something wrong, so they stay away from everything and everyone. This way of life is not what God intended for us. Our call to be perfect reaches deep within each of us uniquely.

Today, Jesus is calling you and I to live counter-culturally, to live in such a way that all that we do is in and for the honor of God Our Father. Jesus tells as how to do this and how to become who we were called to be. To live fully and most importantly freely as His Beloved Son or Daughter.

There is a song by Ed Sheeran called “Perfect” that starts off “I found a love, for me” and as the song progresses, he is watching her at a distance internally while still being there in the moment with her. His eyes fixed on her with love. There isn’t anything that can diminish this love. At one point he says, “When you said you looked a mess I whispered underneath my breath – But you heard it Darling, you look perfect tonight”. He simply just loves her. Period. I believe that is the key to being perfect to be loved as we are in all of our “worldly” imperfections and allow ourselves to be love so we can give the love we received to others as Jesus says.

So as we journey along in this gift of life when we “slip” or “get it wrong” sure we can stop and apologize but then instead of staying in that moment in that vicious cycle we move forward, reach out for Christ’s hand and return our gaze to His and not on ourselves knowing that even when we find ourselves in a mess we can be assured of God’s love and mercy.

Lori Kananen, LMC, is a lay Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Hebrews 11:1-7
Mark 9:2-13

Reflection:

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” (Mark 9:6)

The readings for today’s mass present us with a moving sermon on the nature of faith and the beautiful account of Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor. In our first reading from the book of Hebrews, we are reminded that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” In the Gospel, we see Jesus taking his closest friends, Peter, James and John, up a high mountain where he is suddenly transfigured before their eyes. Jesus is seen talking with Elijah and Moses, two of the great prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. The disciples were overcome with fear and Peter began to talk nonsense. That is when God stops him cold. God simply says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Listening to Jesus is the same as listening to God!

Up to this point, the disciples were not good listeners. Jesus was going up and down Galilee and the surrounding countryside teaching and healing, feeding people when they were hungry and freeing people from unclean spirits and demons. Yet, the disciples were not listening to or understanding Jesus. On a couple of occasions, Jesus got upset with them He says in Mark 7:18, “Are even you likewise without understanding?” A few days later, in Mark 8:21, he says: “Do you still do not understand.” It seems that a stronger response was set off in Jesus after he told his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him. At that point, Jesus turns to Peter and says bluntly, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mark 8:33) After that, Jesus ^“summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.'” (Mark 8:34)

Sometimes God has to enter into our lives in a dramatic way to tell us to stop what we’re doing and to stop our gibberish. We need to take the time to Listen to Jesus, the Word of God, and his message given to us in the Sacraments, the Church and in the cries of the Crucified of Today. We really need to learn to listen with our minds and hearts so that we can do what we need to do as followers of Jesus.

The reason why we are not listening is because something is causing us to block God’s message to us. That would be our sin. To strip ourselves of our sinful ways is not easy. We may be able to cast aside the veneer, the façade but to do the inner work of finding the root cause of our sinful ways takes a great deal of dying to self and of taking up our cross to follow Jesus. This is ultimately a faith stance, something that we do in complete faith, not because we know the outcome, but because we just believe. It is not irrational faith, but a faith that goes beyond reason, beyond the senses, beyond the intellectual games we play to get around doing the inner work that strips us of our core sin.

We are so grateful that we follow a Jesus who knows and loves us so well, that he will not give up on us, just as he did not give up on Peter, James and John, when they were not listening. So, we do not give up. We get up. We follow Jesus. We try harder to listen to God’s Beloved Son. This is indeed our faith!

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
Mark 8:22-26

Reflection:

I still find myself navigating a post-pandemic world. Still taking in the shock of what was so deeply lost. But also so aware, maybe for the first time, of how tactile Our Lord was to anyone that asked. Jesus used His Voice, but he also used His Hands. Touching, holding, healing, continually moving place to place to open the doors within each heart. During a time when the world was changed, is still changing, many of us were asked to go deeper inward. Are we still carrying those feelings of loss?  Am I?  Or have new ways risen from within? 

There are two ending places I have known, where I now see as a new beginning. 

“Go in peace, lo love and to serve the Lord”
“And to amend my life. Amen.”

We know these words as Catholics.  Many times, said so completely heartfelt in the moments after receiving the Body of Christ the final words from the priest, and His Absolution in Confession. 

But what happens in how we meet the world again when we walk out the door? Or when we leave the door of confession after laying down the sorrow we carry? Struggling to follow the ways we so hoped as we move back into the world. 

As I read this unique and short Gospel, new words arrived in my heart this time.
I am learning the small parts of a greater story hold so much more than we can imagine. 

Jesus takes the blind man out of the village and tells him to return to his home after laying his hands on his eyes twice and gifting sight. Then saying, “Do not even go into the village”

How many times have I left confession truly feeling the grace of what was shared. Yet the hardest part can be to carry it forward. I had never seen this until today.  We are asked over and over by so many around us to be a part of the world that in some ways no longer makes sense.

Once we let you in Dear Lord.  Once we welcome You fully.  Once we say “yes”!
How then can we remain quiet, patient, trusting and still?
Eyes opened to all You have gifted.

For some, this may take a lifetime of returning.  For other’s a single day.
But sometimes the gifts are heard when they are not easily seen. 
Jesus is already fully open to the wideness of God’s Love. But we, like the disciples, need to find the courage to see. 

“Then He sent one who was healed to his home. Saying, “do not even go into the village.”
This passage I believe had Jesus preparing His chosen apostles to prepare for all to come.  

I imagine Him now saying to me.  I am giving you the Gift above all gifts.  
My Love and tender Mercy for each human being on earth. 

How can we learn to fully gift from our hearts knowing I have Jesus Christ truly within me.  
After Communion.  
After Confession. 

New ways rising always, new beginnings.

M. J. Walsh, laity, with deepest thanksgiving for all the Passionist community. With a prayer for vocation.

Scripture:

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10
Mark 8:14-21

Reflection:

Recently I heard a recording from a Fr. Richard Rohr presentation called the “Beginners Mind”. It reminded me of how a child reacts to the world. When we arrive in a room with small children, the child looks for the adult with a smile, the one who is open and friendly—the simple detective work of one hunting and searching for love.

Children detect hostility, unfriendliness, and those who are unauthentic in a way that is beyond words. Their agenda is simple; there is no agenda. There is no duality in their thinking, just looking for the one who is most friendly, open, and willing to love. Come play with me is mostly present in their eyes. 

How much of this can we learn again in our relationship with God? How many have fallen prey to following the tradition rather than the love? Our Catholic tradition without love is meaningless. Particularly if we start to “preach” tradition in a way that divides us from others rather than unites us in the community of God; the Body of Christ. The Church is universal.

We sometimes need a reminder the word Catholic means universal. For us, this is universal love, and there is nowhere we can feel and hear that word more soundly than in love expressed by a child. A child cannot fend for themselves; they survive only with love. So do I. Without love, I am nothing, just someone looking for a cave to dwell in with a warm fire and a loving friend.

The loving friend we seek is the same one the child in the room opens their heart towards. The love expressed by the adult in the room is filled with the grace of God. And one willing to communicate it freely, willingly with the smile which requires no repayment. Just gift. Pure gift.

Let us return to the “Beginners Mind”, let us unlearn the prejudices and offer ourselves openly to listen to others, even offer love to those we dislike, without scowls or pretense. The child in us all brings us back to the Beginners Mind, when we did not judge, but loved.

And sat silently on the floor waiting for God to come and play with us. Forever.

The disciples need this reminder in today’s Gospel. To trust in God.

Michael Cunningham, OFS, is the Director and CEO of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Genesis 4:1-15, 25
Mark 8:11-13

Reflection:

Today, we pick up the story in Mark’s Gospel following Jesus’ feeding of the four thousand (8:1-9). These four verses connect to a bigger story of Jesus’ struggle with the Pharisees. Beginning in chapter five, Jesus performs one wonder after another culminating in the second feeding miracle, and the Pharisees demand a sign. A similar story appears in the book of Numbers (14:11), where God questions why the people continue to spurn him and refuse to believe in him despite all the signs performed on their behalf.  

The text tells us that Jesus sighs, “from the depth of his spirit (v.12a),” and my heart bleeds for him. Can you relate to this experience when nothing you do seems to satisfy in the way you had hoped? You pour everything you have, everything you are, and it is not enough. Among the many moments in Scripture where Jesus’ humanity is apparent, this ranks high on that scale. How lonely he must have felt, did he wonder if his message—the reason he came among us—would ever be understood and embraced? He is already experiencing his passion. Almost immediately, the wisdom of his divinity can be observed as he gets into the boat and goes to the other shore (v.13). He walks away. There will be no more signs for “this generation.” 

Unlike the Pharisees in this text, there were many who did believe in his signs. A Syrophoenician woman, a Greek, begged him to heal her daughter (7:24-30). She believed without question and displayed persistent faith. Yet, the Pharisees (and Scribes) show no honorable intention towards Jesus. They feel threatened by his power and presence, wishing to get rid of him. Soon we will discover that their jealousy knows no bounds.  

Our first reading from the book of Genesis foreshadows the effects of jealousy on humanity. This is the reason why Cain kills his brother Abel (1:8). Abel was honoring God with his virtuous sacrifices, and this displeased his brother. Here we see that even in sin God offers mercy, and he places a mark on Cain to protect him from harm (v. 15b). That same mercy is offered to us at every turn. 

Today’s message, I believe, is to persevere in love regardless of the outcomes and to know when it is necessary to walk away. In the letter to the Hebrews (4:15), we are reminded that Jesus suffered during his earthly life; therefore, he understands us completely. What a consoling thought. In those times when we do stray, we take solace in the mercy that awaits us when we turn back to God—every time.  

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Genesis 3:1-8
Mark 7:31-37

Reflection:

When I was in grade school, it was a big deal to get one’s hands on a Playboy magazine. The gloss and glitz! The provocative photos and enticing article titles! Groups of us would gather round, hoping to taste the forbidden fruit of adult sexuality so our eyes would be opened to the wondrous carnal knowledge unjustly denied us by our parents. Yes, the cunning serpent was alive and well!

I wish I could say the serpent has since been banished from our world. Instead, its tactics have been widely adopted. Have you noticed how everything from restaurants to politicians and even church services vie for our attention? It’s all about the gloss and glitz, provocative or emotion-laden images, promises of truth, success, insider knowledge, and superiority, and preferably accompanied by a catchy tune or memorable phrase that sticks.

These tactics certainly do attract attention, generate donations and patronage, and gain followers. The problem is they often don’t lead us to God or to real truth. Jesus doesn’t entertain us, demand our attention, or present in attractive images. He never promised us an easy life free of pain and filled with material wealth or worldly success. Jesus works among the suffering wherever they are found, and he works quietly, out of the limelight, off to the side. He invites, waits, invites again, teaches, reaches out, offers healing, and brings what the world can never give.

This healing and unconditional love are offered freely, too, without cost. We don’t have to do anything to “earn” it. We only need to ask with sincere desire and get our own ego and desires out of the way. God can then penetrate our senses and well-honed defenses to open our eyes and ears from within, changing and molding us to the core of our beings. There’s nothing glitzy or glamorous about it. In fact, I find that taking concentrated time for God, asking and allowing God to change me, is one of the most challenging aspects of my life. Yet over time, as God works, it is profound and life-altering.

What attracts your attention? Where are you spending time, energy, and money in ways that do not lead you to God (and perhaps even lead you away)? What do you most wish for God to heal within you? Let’s focus on those things and let go of the serpent’s tempting pathways filled with empty promises that eventually lead nowhere. Let’s instead examine our activities and temptations, and more consciously open ourselves to the truth that will set us free.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.