Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 John 5:5-13
Mark 1: 7-11

Reflection:

I sometimes imagine the day of my baptism in a little frame church in Louisville’s South End, a working-class neighborhood. A grainy black and white brownie camera photo on the front lawn of our small cracker box home a few black from the church shows my grandmother and uncle smiling at the camera while holding me, a tiny 7-day-old. It was a late May day, one of the most beautiful times of the year in Kentucky.

I was born into a line of Catholics dating back centuries. This, I can only assume, was all in God’s plan. As I matured, I would be nurtured in this faith community for years without fully realizing how counter cultural it is.

In today’s Gospel, we get a glimpse of how God broke into human history to upend evil at every turn. In a familiar, brief story, Jesus is baptized by his kinsman, John the Baptist. Okay, so his life is launched like mine was…the initiation ritual gets done, the voice of God confirms Jesus is on the right track and the Gospel moves on.

But if we pause and read between the lines of the first chapter of the shortest Gospel, we discover the depth of Mark’s understanding of Jesus’, and John’s, roles in the history of God’s work in the world.

First, John was an outlier in the tradition of one of the all-time great outliers, Elijah. He lived in the outskirts of the center of power, Jerusalem, dressed and ate like a madman and spoke radical ideas about conversion.

Second, Jesus, too, was an outlier, being from No-where-ville Nazareth in the northern section of the country, Galilee, cut off from Jerusalem and areas where the action was. The place was a backwater, distained by Jews in the south.

These two men of God begin their vocations outside the mainstream of life, away from centers of influence and trendsetting, away from privilege and power.

The baptism of Jesus by John is confirmation of John’s weird actions, but more importantly, it is an authentic act of repentance, conversion. Jesus is liberated from the dominant values, structures and expectations of the Jewish community in Palestine in the First Century.

The scripture scholar Herman Waetjen describes this baptism in social terms, not merely as a personal transformation:

It is a genuine act of repentance. As such it ends his participation in the structures and values of society.  It concludes his involvement in the moral order into which he was born…The entire redemption process of Jewish society as it is maintained by the institutions through which power is ordered…the totality of the Jewish-Roman social construction of reality has been terminated.  All the debts that have been incurred under this elitist ordering of power and its community life have been cancelled.  The death experience of repentance has redeemed Jesus from his comprehensive indebtedness and the prescribed ways and means of discharging his obligations.  He has become wholly unobliged.

As baptized members of the Body of Christ, we, too, are unobliged to conform to the social sins of our post-modern, militaristic, capitalist society that leaves our environment in shambles and billions of our brothers and sisters in poverty. We, too, are now the outliers, pointing to a new creation in which we respect and love one another, protect our planet earth, and as good stewards of our possessions and wealth, share all we have with the most needy and vulnerable.

I am no longer a sweet little infant being held by my loving grandmother at that long-gone frame church. I am, by God’s grace, a mature disciple of Jesus challenging the sin within me and in the difficult world around me.

Let us pray for the insight to know what God wants of each of us at this moment in history using the talents, gifts and abilities to build the reign of God here and now.

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

Scripture:

1 John 3:11-21
John 1:43-51

Reflection:

But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

-John 1:46

In today’s gospel, we hear of the calling of the first disciples. Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathanael. But there’s a curious little twist to the story of Nathanael’s calling. When Philip first shares his good news, saying, “[Come, for] we have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” Nathanael wants nothing to do with it. He rebuffs his friend, saying, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Have you ever gotten really excited about something, so excited that you couldn’t wait to share it with your friends or family? You might even set up a special time to meet with them just to tell them about it. Maybe it’s a book you’ve read, or a TV series that you fell in love with. But, when you do share it with them, they respond in an indifferent manner. Maybe they even dismiss it as being of no value at all, “I don’t read historical books,” or “Science Fiction has never interested me.” The feeling of let down can be disappointing, even devastating.

Or perhaps you have been the dismissive one when someone shared something with you. I wonder sometimes if that is how God feels when he sees me turn away from His plan. Not that any of us know God’s plan in any detail, but with a well-formed conscious, you can usually tell when you’re slipping. God offers us a world where we can find love, by loving others. Where we can find compassion by being compassionate. Where we can find peace by sharing His peace. And yet we turn away to build up our own ego.

But let’s get back to Nathanael’s story. Yes, he’s dismissive at first, but Philip gently prods him, “Come and see.” And, to his credit, Nathanael does not let his preconceived notions get in his way of following his friend’s request. He follows Philip and meets Jesus and he himself is amazed at what he finds.

My prayer for myself and you today is that we will always be willing to put aside our preconceived notions of how the world should be, or the way that it is, and listen to God’s invitation us to help Him build His kingdom here on earth.

Talib Huff is a volunteer and presenter at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

1 John 3:7-10
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

Jesus’ Call and Our Response

Today’s Gospel features John the Baptist and two of his disciples meeting Jesus as he walked by – “the Lamb of God”.  This encounter led to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” where he was staying – and ultimately, that first encounter with Jesus led to dedicated lives as his disciples. 

Over the centuries countless women and men have responded to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see”, to follow him in lives of selfless service.  An 18^th Century American woman-disciple is honored today:  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton…the first American-born saint.

Born in 1774, Elizabeth Ann was raised as an Episcopalian.  She married William Seton and helped raise their five children.  She was drawn to the Catholic faith by a Catholic family whom she met while traveling in Italy with her husband.  After her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis at age 30, Elizabeth Ann embraced the Catholic faith – subsequently opening a parish school in Baltimore to support her family as well as witness her Catholic faith … despite protests from her anti-Catholic family and friends.

A group of young women gradually joined Elizabeth Ann in her approach to education and Christian life.  In 1809 they formed the American Sisters of Charity, following the rule of St. Vincent de Paul; later they helped found other schools and orphanages.  By the time of her death on January 4, 1821, the community had expanded their ministries as far west as St. Louis, being involved in some twenty schools and orphanages.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was called by God to help build up the Church in her day.  As noted in today’s Gospel, Jesus drew disciples to himself; Elizabeth Ann joined those early disciples in saying “yes” to Jesus and then worked tirelessly to grow the Church, especially among those on the margins.

The new year 2023 is upon us, and God blesses us with the Passionist charism as promoted by our holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, and the many people who have shared his spirit.  This new year, may we deepen our relationship with Jesus – as we encourage others to “come and see” God’s love present in their lives.  With Elizabeth Ann Seton & Paul of the Cross, we pray Psalm 98:  “Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done wondrous deeds…”.

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

1 John 2:29-3:6
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

Perhaps John’s repeated musing… “I did not know him” (which resonates like a refrain during this text) might give us a focus for our reflection on today’s gospel.

John’s testimony reminds us that knowing Jesus is not all our own work. ‘Knowing’ Jesus is both a gift and a grace, experienced as revelation and as a relationship, and asks of us the capacity to live with the mystery of his presence and yet make it manifest to others. Knowing Jesus invites us to be lifelong witnesses and yet always willing to learn.

John relates his knowing Jesus to the action of both the Father and the Spirit. He is called by God into a public role as a witness and emissary, and his faithful response to God’s call is confirmed by the action of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus himself.

Somewhere within this wonderful myriad of divine initiatives and actions, and amid our faithful efforts to respond to the gift that God offers – we all find the place wherein we meet and come to know Jesus.  For some it is a knowing that flows almost seamlessly from birth, for others it is a knowing that waxes and wanes throughout the years, for many, it is a knowing that is tested and tried by life’s challenges, and for some, it is a knowing that comes late in the day after a lifetime of labouring without knowing the one who offers meaning to life itself.

Whatever the moment, and regardless of the circumstances that lead us to faith, to know Jesus beyond merely knowing about him, is life itself. He has come not only to take away the sins of the world, as John reminds us, but, to reveal eternal life itself.

In this New Year, let us all seek what John discovered – to know that he is the Son of God and to testify to this in our daily lives.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops, and Doctors of the Church

Scripture Readings:

1 John 2:22-28
John 1:19-28

Reflection:

Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.  -1 John 2:23

Saints Basil and Gregory ministered in the early Church, in the fourth century, in what is modern-day Turkey. Their challenges were similar to those we face today—they lived in a time of great political and religious polarization. The Arian heresy divided Christians for decades, as followers of Arius promoted the idea that Jesus was not divine.

As bishops, Saints Basil and Gregory defended the Church from Arianism, one of the most damaging heresies in the history of the Church. In 325, the Council of Nicaea was convened to deal with the Arian crisis. The first version of the Nicene Creed was formulated. The creed states that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father,” also expressed as “consubstantial.” In today’s first reading, written some two hundred years earlier, the Apostle John could be speaking to the Arians when he said: “Anyone who denies the Son, does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”

After the Council of Nicea, the Arians continued to gain power and political influence throughout the fourth century. Even so-called Christian emperors were Arian, which put Bishops Basil and Gregory in conflict with civil authorities. Sometimes there was an assault on their lives, as well as constant threats to their ministries. On the vigil of Easter in 379, an Arian mob burst into St. Gregory’s church during worship services, wounding Gregory and killing another bishop.

As bishops, St. Basil and St. Gregory never stopped ministering to their deeply divided flocks. Despite St. Gregory’s dislike of conflict, he continued to dialog with people who were contentious and confused by the heresy, and he is known for his sermons on the Trinity. St. Basil is also known for his preaching, as well as his pioneering work in establishing systemic responses to poverty: hospitals, soup kitchens, and guest houses. Both Basil and Gregory are remembered for their contributions to the Church’s theology of the Incarnation and Holy Trinity.

As 2023 begins, let us draw inspiration from Saints Basil and Gregory for the new year. We pray for their perseverance in contemplating sacred mysteries, so we may share the fruits of our contemplation in our teaching and preaching. We pray for their love of the Church, so we may provide leadership in times of disunity and confusion. And we pray for their courage and compassion when we are in difficult conversations. Amen.

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Editors’ note: It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of our Passionist brother, Father Don Senior, CP, who died on November 8, 2022. We have published Father Don’s Scripture reflections over the past several years. As we look for a new reflection contributor, we will continue to repost Father Don’s past reflections on the first day of the month.

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Scripture:

Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21

Reflection:

Over the years this feast that marks the beginning of another calendar year has had different designations: the Circumcision, a day of prayer for World Peace, and now in later years a celebration of Mary as “the Mother of God.’

In a certain way all three designations point to the mystery of the Incarnation.  The ritual of circumcision is a sign that Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, marked with this traditional sign of his belonging to God’s people.  Jesus was not a “generic” human being but was born in a particular time and place in history. 

And praying for peace also reflects the deep longings that all humanity has for the cessation of violence and the blessing of authentic peace.  “Peace” refers not only to armed conflict (of which there are still hotspots throughout the world, for example, the raging civil war in Ethiopia and the massing of Russian troops on the border of Ukraine—to mention only two), but also the violence that marks our city streets and the verbal violence and conflict that seems to characterize a lot of our public life and discourse today. 

But honoring of Mary as “the Mother of God” is perhaps the most profound assertion of the Incarnation.  Mary was officially declared theotokos—literally in Greek, “God bearer”—at the Council of Ephesus in 431.  In one startling declaration, the church affirmed what we can hardly imagine—that God so loved our world that through his Son Jesus, the divine and transcendent God has completely embraced our human condition.  

Recent theologians have noted that the incarnation did not begin only with the advent of Jesus but was already anticipated in the act of creation itself when God, out of love, fashioned the world to reflect the divine beauty and order.  The creation of the human person is the crowning achievement of God’s creation and is made “in the image and likeness of God”—a foretaste of the Incarnation itself.  And God’s adoption of the people Israel and his abiding providence in human history are all expressions of God’s enduring embrace of humanity.

The second reading today from Paul’s Letter to the Galatian affirms this mystery in blunt phrases: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law…so that we might receive adoption as sons [and daughters].”  The result, Paul notes, is that we are able to cry out to God in affectionate terms as “Abba, Father,” that, is not as “slaves” but as “sons and daughters.”

Jesus’ conception in the womb of Mary and her giving birth to her Son seals forever the incredible mystery of God’s love for us as human beings and for our world of which we are a part. That is the reassuring teaching of our Christian faith we can take to heart as we begin a New Year, come what may.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. was President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  Until his death, he lived at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 or Colossians 3:12-21
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, on the Feast of the Holy Family, we see the undying faith of Joseph, husband of Mary. Like many people in today’s world, we see Joseph going where he needed to go to keep his family safe, trying to find an inn, but having to settle on a stable for Mary to give birth. In today’s reading, Joseph sees the angel of the Lord in a dream and says, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”  Not trusting the son of Herod, Joseph decided that it would be best to go to Nazareth to fulfill what the prophets had said, “He shall be called a Nazorean”.

During all of the bumps in the road of Joseph and Mary, the birth in a manger, the flight into Egypt, they remain strong in their support and protection of their precious family. Lord, help us to remember to keep sacred our vows of marriage, remind us to treasure the gifts of family that you have placed in our hands, and keep the bond of our families strong! 

God bless you all!

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

Feast of Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

Scripture:

1 John 2:3–11
Luke 2:22-35

Reflection:

   . . . for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. -1 John 2:8

In 1935 the play Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot, was published. The play focuses on the story of the death of Thomas Becket who was the childhood friend of Henry II of England. When Henry II ascended the throne he appointed Thomas as the Primate of England or Chancellor. Today that would be the Prime Minister. Everything was going along fine when Henry II decided that the Church had more power than he did and so wanted an inside man to help him with gaining control. Becket pleads with him not to appoint him Archbishop of Canterbury, which today is the highest ordained position in the Church of England, the Queen is considered the head of the Church of England. And all of that history is another story. Becket is already a deacon in the Church and so he is ordained a priest and the next day elevated to Archbishop. Over the course of several months Becket is changed by his position. He helps the poor and serves as a faithful shepherd of the people. Henry II and Becket disagree several times on matters of the Church and State. One night, in a drunken fury, Henry II makes a comment about being rid of the bothersome Archbishop. Four loyal knights interpret this as a command to assassinate Becket and so in the middle of the night they ride off to Canterbury Cathedral and murder him as he is saying a private mass.

The First Letter of John gives us the message of walking in the way of Christ through the commandments. The two commandments that Christ gave to his Apostles and us; To love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The message goes on to speak about what it means to walk in the light and what it means to walk in the darkness. Two leaders of England made choices. One walked in the darkness of wanting more power and the other followed the path of Light and was changed by that Light. Even in the time of Jesus there were people who thought that they were following God through the commandments and the multitude of prescribed laws. But instead became blinded by them and were unable to see the true Light when it appeared as promised.

Christmas is a reminder for us that the Light has come into the world and that we can choose to walk in the Light or to choose the path of darkness. Simeon, a man waiting in the Temple for the Messiah is blessed by God to be able to see the true Light before he died. He spent his life waiting patiently for that moment. What a great joy that must have been for him! The words of Simeon, from today’s Gospel offer us food for thought:

              “Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
              your word has been fulfilled:
              my own eyes have seen the salvation
              which you have prepared in the sight of every people,
              a light to reveal you to the nations
              and the glory of your people Israel.”

We don’t need to wait. The Light of the World has come, Emmanuel.

May the coming New Year bring you peace and joy!

Let us also keep Pope Emeritus Benedict in our prayers.

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