Daily Scripture

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

There comes a time when you just have to lay things out boldly and unvarnished. There comes a moment when you cannot accept what is wrong and you stand for what is right and just.

The gospel today is one such moment in the life of Jesus where he’s had enough. Enough of the false piety. Enough of placing on others unnecessary burdens. Enough of lording over others and seeming to be the gatekeepers to the Kingdom of God. Jesus could not be clearer. Enough!

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a familiar adage. I am not at all certain that those entrusted with power set out to be corrupt. There are most certainly good women and men who exercise power and authority with a deep sense of humility and kindness. There are also too many examples of those who exercise authority to prove they are powerful and better than others.

What is it in our human nature that tends us to think that we need to tell others how to live their lives? What makes us think we get to create others in the our image and likeness? What makes us uncomfortable with others who look different than us, speak a different language than us, worship differently than us, dress differently than us, or create families that are different than ours?

Enough with the judgment. Enough with the imposition of life-smothering burdens. Enough with the mocking and ridicule of others. “Woe to you…[fill in the blank]!” is not what we want to hear Jesus say to us. Let us, rather, lift others up. Let’s celebrate the marvelous faces of God that are all around us. And then we might rejoice with St. Paul in today’s first reading:

We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.

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:

Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Ephesians 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32
John 6:60-69

Reflection:

Our Gospel reading for Sunday (John 6:60-69) marks the end of the Bread of Life Discourse which we have been reading over the past few weeks. And, perhaps surprisingly, it doesn’t end with Jesus triumphantly convincing many people about who He was and why He was there. Many people who had accompanied Him were now leaving Him, because they couldn’t understand all the talk about Jesus as the living bread that came down from heaven, or about whoever didn’t eat of His flesh and drink of His blood not having eternal life. They say, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

What follows is a demonstration of Jesus’ humanity, and an occasion where Peter actually comes off quite well. When Jesus sees all the people leaving Him, He turns to the Twelve and asks, “Do you also want to leave?” And Peter, without the usual bravado or air of self-importance, simply says, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

If we read further in John’s Gospel, we see that neither Peter nor the rest of the Twelve completely understood what Jesus was talking about, but they were willing to stick with Him when others were leaving.

Are we willing to stick with Jesus even though we may not completely understand what He’s saying to us, or as may be more often the case, we do understand, but we don’t necessarily like it?

If we do believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and we do believe that He has given us the words of eternal life, we are called once again, to consider our response.

When we celebrate the Mass, and listen to God’s word, and take in Jesus’ total gift of Himself, are we really supposed to give in to despair about ourselves, or give in to self-righteousness about others? Or do we come humbly before God, accepting God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, and striving to love as He loves? This does not mean we forego working for justice, but while we may condemn injustice, we leave the condemnation of others to God.

In the words of Joshua in our first reading (Joshua 2:1-2a, 15-17, 18b), may we “serve the Lord,” not the current trend of contempt for the “other.” In the words of St. Paul in our second reading (Ephesians 5:21-32), may we “be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ;” for He does have the “words of eternal life.”

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

Scripture:

Revelation 21:9b-14
John 1:45-51

Reflection:

Come to Me

In most Eucharist liturgies a Psalm is presented to us as response to the Scriptural readings.  In the feast of the apostle Bartholomew, we find this beautiful quote of Ps 145:18: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.

To all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.”  The inspired Hebrew word for near is qārôb. “Basically, the word denotes being or coming into the most near and intimate proximity of the object (or subject). A secondary meaning entails actual contact with the object.” Strong 2065       The smartest thing Bartholomew ever did in his life was to come to Jesus!  This proximity changed his life.  We still remember someone who met Jesus 2000 years ago!  We talk a lot about legacy today.  Believe me, the only legacy we will ever have is our closeness to Jesus!

I often think of another young man in the Gospels who came to Jesus.  He was an ideal vocational prospect! Jesus loved what He saw.  “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, one thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  Mk 10:21 Like Bartholomew, this was the invitation of a lifetime! “But at these words, he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.^”    Believe me:  No legacy for him!  We don’t even know his name!  “He went away grieving.” To leave Jesus is the greatest loss and sadness of our lives!

Our prayer life can be simply understood as coming to Jesus!  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. MT 11:28 One of the most beautiful and frequent words for prayer in the New Testament is the Greek word parakaleo. It occurs 105 times in Scripture. It means kaleo, which means to call and para around or close.   Come to Jesus without too much fuss!  “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him” Ps 145

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P., preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

In our first reading we have a dramatic account of the prophet Ezekiel being led “in the spirit of the Lord,” in the “center of the plain, which was now filled with bones.” And walking among all those bones, Ezekiel exclaims, “How dry they were!”

When we think of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and all sorts of conflicts of which we are unaware, it doesn’t take much imagination to imagine fields filled with the bones of so many, too many, dead. We can also imagine the bones of all victims of violence. And we can go even further and imagine so many people feeling dead inside, worn down by poverty or oppression or simply despair. And we may be tempted to exclaim in a manner similar to Ezekiel, saying, “How desolate and hopeless this all looks!”

In our first reading, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over those bones, and Ezekiel witnesses something amazing: the bones start coming together, and muscles and flesh begin to cover them, but there is no spirit in the bodies. And so, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy again, and the bodies come to life! And again, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy: “Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord…”

For those people who feel dry and dead inside; to the world that is hurting from so much violence, we, too are called to prophesy. But how? The best way we have is what we hear in our Gospel reading. In that reading a scholar of the Mosaic Law comes up to Jesus to test Him. He asks Jesus, “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest?” Jesus replies, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

It couldn’t be that simple, could it?

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 34:1-11
Matthew 20:1-16

Reflection:

How do we use our power and authority in relation to others? Do we use them to care for and help others? To offer comfort, support, and encouragement? Or do we use them only for our own benefit, even if that means treating others unjustly?

These questions arise naturally from today’s reading from the Book of Ezekiel. The prophet announces a word of righteous judgment against the “shepherds of Israel,” because instead of watching over and protecting the “sheep” that were entrusted to them, they were “pasturing themselves,” using their position to ravage and exploit, crushing the people they were given to safeguard and serve in order to promote and advance themselves. In their greed and lust for luxury, these false and pernicious leaders were completely insensitive to the sufferings and needs of their people. As the prophet vehemently chastises: “You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost, but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally.” Nothing expresses more dramatically the wickedness of these perverse shepherds than the prophet’s closing judgment that the sheep were being devoured by the very ones who should be looking after them.

What might Ezekiel’s chilling words mean for us? The sheep are anyone who is poor, needy, exploited or victimized. They are anyone who is lonely, hopeless, loveless or lost. Anyone among us who suffers and is in need, anyone who longs for healing and consolation, are sheep yearning to be comforted and assisted, rescued and reassured.

Each day we are called to be shepherds because every one of us has the crucial responsibility to live on the lookout for all who are in need of help, healing, and hope. Like Jesus, the good shepherd, each day we are summoned to bless, to build up, and to do good in any way we can. Like the landowner in today’s gospel story, we know it is never too late in the day to help someone in need.

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.

Feast of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Scripture:

Ezekiel 28:1-10
Matthew 19:23-30

Reflection:

Among the many gifts that I’ve cherished over the years, are stories of the truly remarkable people who have given their lives to witness to the importance of the Gospel.  And today we’re invited to remember one of the truly great ones, St. Bernard Clairvaux.  He lived at a time when both the society and the Church were truly struggling with the chaos both within and all around them.  And, despite all the chaos, he lived his life in such a way that his peers, both friends and foes, respected him.  As a result, he had a profound influence on the very best that emerged in his time.  He was born in 1090 and died in 1153 and created centers of stability and wisdom that helped hold his world together. 

He was born into one of the noble families in Burgundy, France.  He had a great future before him in the society of his day but chose instead to give his life to God.  Against his family’s wishes, he rejected the ambitious plans they had for him and, instead, followed his heart and at age 23 entered one of the most austere religious orders in the Church, the Cistercians.  He was already so influential among his peers, he brought a total of 30 young nobles (among whom were several of his brothers) with him into religious life.  Even at the early age of 23, he was a man of prayer and his prayer life deepened quickly under the guidance of the Abbot of Citeaux, St. Stephen Harding.  Though the Cistercians lived a very austere life, they were growing so rapidly at that time that just two years after he entered, he and fifteen other companions were sent out to establish another abbey.  Bernard was elected the first abbot of this new abbey located in the Clair Valley.  He remained Abbot of Clairvaux until his death in 1153

As abbot, Bernard emphasized three important spiritual disciplines:  an austere and simple form of life, lectio divina and personal prayer, and finally, a deep personal devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  His Abbey flourished and Bernard founded three additional abbeys with the monks from Clairvaux.

But it wasn’t just within the confines of the Cistercians that Bernard exerted enormous influence.  He participated in several Church Councils, brought unity to the Papacy (persuaded most of the secular rulers to accept Innocent II over Anacletus II), and overcame several heresies that were rampant during his time.   In short, Bernard became one of the most significant religious figures of 12th century. 

As you remember St. Bernard today, I hope you have a chance to read more about his life.  He is a true example of a faithful disciple of Jesus who uses all his considerable gifts to build up the Kingdom of God.  We thank God for this remarkable man and ask for the grace to live our lives in a way that builds the Kingdom of God in our world..

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 24:15-24
Matthew 19:16-22

Reflection:

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The encounter of Jesus with the rich young man has possibly inspired and motivated countless Christians across the centuries. It is indeed a powerful story and one that can speak deeply to all men and women who wish to live their lives as a more radical imitation of Jesus.

For the challenge of Jesus here is profound. Nothing less than a complete change of life and life style.

The young man is challenged to move from a lifelong devotion and steady adherence to the law to a seemingly reckless act of dispossession and to undertake the life of a follower of Jesus – the one who has nowhere to lay his head. In essence he is asked to substitute riches for poverty and to substitute  the security of land and wealth for a nomadic life of unknown destinations.

Perhaps most radically, the young man is challenged to substitute self possession and self reliance for a life lived in relationship to Jesus and given over to others.

Perhaps one can appreciate the depth of what Jesus asks and offers when one takes his commanding challenge and isolates the five verbs that fuel this challenge. “Go, sell, give, come and follow“. Perhaps it is here that we see how all embracing and deep is the challenge that Jesus offers the young man (and indeed us!).

Go – act, be committed. Sell – dispose of all that blocks your happiness and deepest desires. Give – be outgoing; be generous and prepared to make sacrifices. Come – enter into relationship with the one who can show you life. Follow – take up the mission of Jesus in our world and live it in all you do and say.

These five commands – these five verbs – can be a guide for us in life. Whether we seek a more radical following of Jesus in religious life or priesthood, or a life of committed love in marriage and parenthood or whether it is a dedicated single life serving others,  these same verbs apply.

For any meaningful and committed life – the necessity to be committed, to be ready to put aside things or attitudes that block you, to  be generous, to be able to enter deeply into relationship and to follow Jesus’ example and continue his mission – are all essential attitudes and capacities.

“Go, sell, give, come, and follow.” If we allow these words to echo and re-echo in our lives then we will be much more equipped to live out all that Jesus asks and offers to us.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.