Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Ephesians 3:2-12
Luke 12:39-48

Reflection:

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

I can recall the first time I came across this Scripture from Luke, and it left me quite terrified. Yikes! Who wants to be punished or beaten? Not me! Even Peter asks for clarification, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” Yet the reality of what Christ is trying to get across is not punishment, but it comes down to service: service to God and service to one another. What will we be “doing” when He comes? Are we utilizing the gifts we have been given to build up the kingdom here on Earth? An even better question to ask ourselves is, “will we be serving one another faithfully?” Christ tells us, “Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.” So, what is there to fear? What is there to lose?

Christ offers blessings to those that follow His example of service to God Our Father. It is a promise that unites us closely to Christ, to share the very gifts that we have been given. If we are doing so, there is no need to worry about the “unknown hour” but rejoice always in our service to God.

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

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:1-10
Luke 12:13-21

Reflection:

“Avoid greed in all its forms.” Jesus’ admonition in today’s gospel leaves us no room to barter or squirm. Jesus didn’t say that it’s okay to be a little greedy, just don’t let it get the best of you. No, Jesus declares that even a tidbit of greed is unacceptable. What makes greed so dangerous? So morally and spiritually deadly? Today’s gospel parable provides an answer.

It is the story of a rich man who clearly has more than he could ever possibly need. When the parable begins, he’s celebrating an unusually bountiful harvest, but the superabundance presents a problem: what will he do with it all? The obvious answer is to share it, but that never crosses his mind because he’s greedy and the first lesson of greed is that we never have enough. If there’s any rule of life the greedy take zealously to heart, it is “more is always better!” But he also never considers giving his surplus to others because the greedy are incapable of thinking beyond themselves. Thus, a second rule of greed: “Think only of yourself!” Greedy people follow this rule religiously because greed blinds them to the needs and sufferings of others. And because greed tightens the grip of the greedy on what they own, it is no surprise that the rich man can imagine no other solution to his dilemma than to build even bigger bins in which to store his grain. What also cannot be overlooked is that greed isolates us from others. The greedy person is so alone that he talks only to himself. He will relax. He will eat heartily. He will drink well. He will have blessings for years to come. There’s nobody else in the picture.

But he will enjoy nothing of that good fortune because at the end of the day he will be dead. His assessment of his future was wildly off the mark, but that is not surprising because greed warps our perception of reality, especially of what will truly give us life. Jesus’ declaration that the greedy man was a fool may sound harsh, but it is utterly accurate. After all, greed is like a robber that ransacks a home of all that is truly valuable. But with greed, we are the thief and the home is our own soul. Jesus is right. Greed should be avoided at all costs.

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

Scripture:

Exodus 17:8-13
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Luke 18:1-8

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus tells a parable “about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” The parable is about a widow who keeps after a dishonest judge to “render a just decision” for her against her adversary. The judge couldn’t care less about the merits of her claim, but decides to render a decision in her favor for fear that she might do something to him.

Jesus is not equating God with a dishonest judge, but says to the people: “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

When I look at our world today, and see wars and oppression, poverty and discrimination and injustice, I find myself struggling with those words of Jesus: “I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” Has that been our experience? I think many of us would say “No.”

When I started to write this, one thing came to mind, but now there are two. One has to do with how we normally understand justice. It is tempting to equate justice with vengeance. I’m sure many people in Jesus’ time would have thought that justice meant the obliteration of the Roman occupiers, as well as the tax collectors, and probably the Pharisees and the scribes as well. But Jesus never calls for that.

What else could justice mean except the punishment of the wicked? But could it mean more the salvation of the righteous (Not the self-righteous, mind you)? And has God been slow with that?

Another thing that comes to mind is that perhaps God wants to use us as instruments of answering the prayers of others for justice and peace. In our first reading from Exodus (17:8-13), Amalek has waged war against the Israelites. As Joshua leads the Israelites in battle, Moses watches from a high place, and as long as Moses “kept his hands raised up [with the staff of God], Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight.” So Aaron and Hur take a rock for Moses to sit on, and they support Moses’ hands, until Israel wins the battle.

This speaks to me of our call to help support others in their need. There are times when we do get weary, and we cry out to God for deliverance. Are we willing to help lift others up, as God sends others to lift us up?

We are called to be persistent in prayer, that we continue to live in hope and in trust of God. We continue to pray that we may be open to God using us to answer the prayers of others. We are called to be persistent, as St. Paul writes in our second reading (2 Timothy 3:14-17, 4:1-2) in proclaiming “the word, whether it is convenient or inconvenient.” This is so to help others, as well as ourselves, to not grow weary.

And one more thing: It may not only be the widow or poor person being persistent at knocking at our door. It may be God.

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

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:11-14
Luke 12:1-7

Reflection:

I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Luke 12: 4-5

In 1930, the Church canonized St. Isacc Jogues and his Jesuit companions as North American Martyrs. Seven Jesuits and one Jesuit lay missionary were martyred between 1642 and 1649. These men suffered greatly at the hands of the people they came to evangelize. They came to this part of the New World knowing full well that their lives would be in constant danger, not only from the indigenous peoples they came to baptize and catechize but also from the inclement weather, difficult living conditions and the lack of food and water.

These men were committed missionaries. They fully recognized the dangers that awaited them. They had to face many fears: fear of disease, fear of the bitter cold without adequate clothing or housing, fear of starvation, and fear of death from natural predators and warring tribes. There is a powerful phrase in the Book of Revelations, Chapter 12:11: Love for life did not deter them from death. They knew they had to overcome all their fears in order to live out their missionary commitment.

If there is one thing that every individual is aware of, it’s their fears. Our fears manifest themselves early in life and then there comes a time when we realize that those fears will never go away.

When Jesus was instructing his disciples in today’s Gospel about their real and sometimes hidden fears, he teaches them that God can help them overcome all their fears. They may be fearful and anxious about what they are to wear, what they are to eat, and where they are to live but God will always Provide. They are to rely on the goodness of others when they may not have enough for themselves. God’s goodness makes everyone capable of being good.

Hidden fears are dangerous. We all walk around with fears in our hearts, some are very visible in our faces and speech, others are well concealed within our awareness. Some of us do not realize how we are controlled by our fears: our fear of not having enough of food and resources, our fear of being told what to do by others, our fear of dying. We mistakenly believe that we can overcome our fears by being more powerful, having more money and being better armed than the people around us.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “Do not be afraid of those who those who can kill the body, but after that can do no more.” This is difficult for us to grasp. For so many of us, our greatest fear is of those who want to take away our human life. Human instinct takes over. We either fight or run from this danger. This is normal. And yet, like the saints we honor today, we can choose to overcome this fear and allow our lives to be at risk for the sake of the Gospel.

Jesus also goes on to say: “Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna, yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.” What does Jesus mean by that? I think he means that we may be willing to sell out our Gospel values for saving our human lives and our creature comforts. I think we all know what our Gospel values are. We were given a list of them in Sunday’s Gospel. Are we willing to risk our human life for living the Gospel and the values the Gospel teaches us? We all need to answer this question.

The first letter of St. John says it well: Perfect love drives out fear!” (I John 4:18) May Love help us overcome every fear we have!

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

Scripture:

Galatians 5:18-25
Luke 11:42-46

Reflection

Today’s gospel is filled with woe. In a rather short passage, a clearly disgruntled Jesus utters four declarations of woe, warning the Pharisees and a “scholar of the law” that they will all come to a sorry end if they do not redirect their misguided lives.

The gospel is a lesson in how easy it is to get sidetracked by the trivial or to be all tangled up with things that aren’t nearly as important as we think. Jesus is exasperated with the Pharisees because they are so obsessed with paying tithes on garden plants or so concerned about having the best seat in the synagogue where they surely will be noticed that they have completely forgotten what truly matters. Similarly, the lawyer may be a wizard when it comes to legal matters, but since he’s especially adept at making things harder for others (“You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”), his life is hurtling in the wrong direction.

But are we really any different? Haven’t all of us, like these Pharisees and the lawyer, sometimes lived by the wrong priorities? Haven’t we too occasionally given lesser things far more attention than they deserve and more important things not nearly enough? If so, Jesus’ promises of woe are meant for us as well. And yet, there is hope. We can move from woe to well being, from death-in-life to real life, if we replace all that might be misguided about our lives with the fruits of the Spirit that Paul delineates in the reading from Galatians. As he assures us, we make our way into the Kingdom of God when our lives are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we embody those virtues, all our woes will soon be left behind.

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.

Scripture:

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31 – 5:1
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

Have you heard the concept of “putting a fleece before the Lord?” It appears in the book of Judges, when Gideon demanded undeniable proof of God’s will and God’s intention to live up to his promises. He directed God to make a fleece wet while the surrounding ground stayed dry, and then vice versa, before he would act on God’s word. He clearly didn’t trust God. He wasn’t willing to take a risk, as failure might cost him. He wanted certitude.

Fast forward almost 1200 years, and similarly, people kept asking Jesus for a sign. Despite hearing of his miracles, they wanted to see one (or more) for themselves before believing him. Only with undeniable proof would they act. Jesus rightly refused to play that game. We could distance ourselves from these stories, except another 2000 years after Jesus, we persist in doing the same things.

For instance, I assumed God’s will was a road map laying out every decision I should make – what college to go to, who to marry, what job to take, where to live, and on and on. When faced with a decision, especially a major one, I searched for signs and confirmations. I begged God to write on the wall, so I’d know for sure, and was filled with angst when I wasn’t certain. I didn’t trust enough to step out in faith and make a decision. I didn’t trust that even if I made a mistake, God would be there to help good come out of it. I didn’t trust God to hold me up, guide me, and support me all along my life’s journey wherever it led. Oh, ye of little faith!

I’m trying to do better. When I practice contemplative prayer and sit still before God, my heart becomes more in tune with the Divine melody and I gain courage to act on the promptings coming from my heart. Are they from God? I don’t know for sure. If they are from God and I don’t act, I’m stifling God’s will in my life. If they are not from God, I’m still trying to do God’s will and I know God honors that. Besides, I’m convinced now that God’s will is not a laundry list of decisions I am divinely directed to make. Instead, there are many paths I can take and still be living God’s will. As long as my motivations, values, and goals are centered in the Gospel, love of God, and a desire to do God’s will, God brings resurrection, joy, and purpose into my life, ultimately guiding me to become the best Amy that I can be.

As St. Augustine said: “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.” That is way more comforting than a wet fleece!

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/.