Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

The first reading for today is a blistering attack on the rich and powerful who exploit the poor for their own gain.  Amos, the eighth-century prophet, is known as one of the most powerful voices in the Bible calling for social justice.  Amos did not aspire to this role but was “drafted” by God to do so.  In a poignant passage, he exclaims, “I am not a prophet, nor do I belong to a company of prophets.  I am a herdsman and a dresser of sycamores, but the Lord took me from following the flock, and the lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

And prophesy he did!  In today’s reading, Amos challenges his fellow Israelites: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!”  His indictments of those who exploit the poor have an eerie contemporary quality.  He accuses them of reducing the size of the containers for the wheat and fixing the scales and the weights that measure out the food of the poor.  They are willing to sell out a poor man “for a pair of sandals.” Such cruelty and injustice, Amos warns in blunt words, will earn the wrath of God, the one who cares for the poor.

God’s care for the poor and vulnerable is one of the most consistent and challenging motifs in the Bible from start to finish.  The basic logic is that God is compassionate and just and cares deeply for the well-being of those most vulnerable and in need of support.  One recurring biblical expression for this is God’s provident love for “the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner”—each of whom were vulnerable in a strong clan culture that could leave an “outsider” unprotected or supported. A fundamental conviction of the Old Testament is that Israel was a “covenant” people, God promising to protect and nourish them but they, in turn, expected to care for each other. Those made “in the image and likeness of God, were to act with the same sense of compassion and justice characteristic of the God of Israel.

The gospel selection for today from Matthew’s Gospel moves in a similar direction.  We hear of Jesus’ call to Matthew to become a disciple: “Follow me.”  Immediately this tax collector, despised by some of his fellow citizens, gets up from his “customs post” and follows Jesus.  We can presume that Matthew was ecstatic at this recognition by Jesus and invites his Master to dine with him and his friends, identified by Matthew as “many tax collectors and sinners.”  This, of course, earns a rebuke of Jesus by his religious opponents: “Why,” they ask Jesus’ disciples, “does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus’ answer echoes the spirit of Amos, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.  Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice [a quotation from the prophet Hosea]. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reaches out in compassion to the poor, the lost, and the despised.

The great saints of our Catholic tradition have exemplified this same spirit of compassion and care for the poor, from the iconic medieval Saint Francis of Assisi to the not yet canonized Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic worker movement.  It is also a constant theme of Pope Francis’ teaching and example.  In today’s Eucharist the same challenge comes to us.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

Amos 7:10-17
Matthew 9:1-8

Reflection:

My eye was drawn first to the line in today’s gospel reading that says, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts?” When I read the comments from both sides of dissension in the news of today’s world, that is the thought that goes through my mind – why is it so easy for people to harbor evil thoughts against each other, rather than doing as the Father wants from us and just loving each other, living a life of prayer, and following Christ.

We live in a disposable and superficial world, where we act first and think later. We want to have what we want, do what we want, and say what we want, with no regard to kindness, respect, or mutual affection for anyone else. It is a selfish society. And in that society it is easier to do what you want, rather than do as the Father has asked – love one another; feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or comfort the sorrowful; live your vocation, whether you are single, married, a priest or a religious. 

Where is humility, charity and brotherly love today? They still appear as a paralytic on a stretcher, the person reaching out to us for support, crying out for love and mercy, wanting to take that first step toward the glory of a loving God.

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Scripture:

Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16: 13 -19

Reflection:

Today we celebrate two great men of the Church, Saints Peter and Paul. Two ordinary men, one a fisherman and the other a Pharisee and a tentmaker. Two ordinary men who recognized that God had called them to be something greater than they thought themselves to be. Two ordinary men who had courage to speak the truth that was spoken to them through Christ. They endured suffering through many hardships and trials for their words and actions and yet they kept on believing in the truth that dwelt in their hearts.

 “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church . . .” Mt 16:19

I have just returned from a trip to Rome, Assisi, Venice, the Klagenfurt region of Austria, Salzburg and Munich. As part of our travels, we had tickets to the Wednesday Papal Audience in Saint Peter’s Square. It was a surreal moment when Pope Francis passed by in his Pope-mobile. To be sitting there with the beautiful architecture and statues of the Apostles and Saints and hearing him give his address with many other pilgrims made real the image of the universal Church. After the audience, we had an opportunity to go into Saint Peter’s Basilica where the art and architecture is so beautiful and large that it is overwhelming. To be where so much history of the Church has taken place and to walk where many historical figures and saints have walked was both a thrill and a sacred moment I shall never forget.

To begin our tour in Rome was perfect and set the stage for the other churches we would visit or I myself would visit over the next two weeks. To pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi, see Saint Mark’s and attend Sunday liturgy at St Pantalon, where the world’s largest canvas painting covers the ceiling, in Venice.  In Salzburg, Saints Peter and Paul cathedral and in Munich it was the Church of the Holy Spirit, Saint Peter’s, Saint Michael’s and the Old Cathedral near the MarienPlatz. Their beauty give praise to God as well as the people who come to pray and celebrate mass every day and on Sundays. These churches and cathedrals were built to teach the people of their day about the Church and they are not the Church. If there were no great buildings the Church would still exist because the Church is more than brick and mortar, it is the People of God.

All of us who are baptized in the Church are the Church. From the beginning it has always been about the people. The prayers of the Church are powerful, they may not always be answered the way we would like but they are still answered. Peter and Paul both put their faith and trust in the Church as they went about spreading the “Good News” They did not have an easy task with the many abuses they underwent as they preached, taught and baptized those who wanted to become disciples. On this feast we remember our two great saints who established the Church. Let us pray for our Church and world that God may send us the graces we need to proclaim the “Good News” and be the Church in our world today.

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

Scripture:

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
Matthew 8:18-22

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel reading comes from Matthew 8:18-22. A scribe tells Jesus that he will follow him wherever he goes, and another says to let him bury his father and he will join Jesus then. Jesus says, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

How dedicated are we to the call of Jesus in our lives? We live in a society that says do what feels good, and don’t concern yourself with Christ’s teachings to fix the outcome. To be disciples, we are required to be faithful to the gospel, to trust in the teachings of our faith, and to be committed to the teachings of Christ. But we live in a throw away society – more people are choosing to throw away what is unwanted and unnecessary, rather than prayerfully working through the complications and seriousness of life. 

We are not guaranteed an easy life as followers of Christ. We have to be ready to stand by his promises no matter what. And we have to remember that we all have a story, and we do not know the details of what each person experiences. Please, do not judge those around you, but pray for those who are hurting, pray for those who must live with their decisions, and remember Jesus’ love for everyone. 

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21
Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Luke 9:51-62

Reflection:

There is always a “but.”
I want to lose ten pounds, but…
I want to learn Spanish, but…
I want to spend more time with my kids, but…

In today’s Gospel selection, Jesus inspires those who listen to him to say, “I want to follow you, but…I have to say good-bye to my family, or bury my father, or attend to some other urgent need that may delay me.”

We really do want to live good lives. In me writing this reflection or you reading it, we express a desire to love the Lord and follow the Spirit. But there is a voice deep inside that whispers, “But don’t ask too much of me, Lord!”

In his letter to the Galatians that we hear today, St. Paul clearly states: For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself (also see Mark 12.31). There is no “but” after that statement. The command does not say love your neighbor as long you like her or agree with his politics. Each of us wants—and has a right—to be treated fairly, respected, and free from physical and emotional harm. And what I want and expect from others, I need to show others through kindness and respect.

We may all appear very different from one another, yet we are fundamentally the same. We are all human beings made in the image and likeness of God. So, in loving our neighbor as ourselves, in both instances, we are loving God. I can’t imagine any one of us saying, “I love you, God, but….”

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.

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Luke 2:41-51

Reflection:

In vain they ask their mothers,
“Where is the grain?”
As they faint away like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
And breathe their last
in their mothers’ arms.
~Lamentations 2:11-12

The Book of Lamentations was likely compiled between 586 and the end of the 6th century B.C.E.—over 2500 years ago.  Yet the situation it describes sounds pretty familiar from our daily news.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a report this month entitled “Hunger Hotspots. FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity” (https://www.fao.org/3/cc0364en/cc0364en.pdf). It begins with the tragic fact that “acute food insecurity globally continues to escalate.” Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia all have populations projected to experience starvation or death from June to September 2022, the “outlook period” of the report.  And these are just the countries that meet the conditions for “catastrophe.”  Many others are of high concern: Burkina Faso, Chad, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Benin, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mozambique…all Hunger Hotspots. In Illinois, where I live, 1,211,410 people are facing hunger.

In Jewish liturgical tradition, Lamentations is read once a year on the ninth of Av, a fast day commemorating the heart-rending destruction of both the first Temple in 587 B.C.E. and the second Temple in 70 C.E. The anguish of the poems is palpable, a communal expression of grief and mourning for a way of life that is no more.

How can we not feel anguish today? Ten thousand children die daily from chronic poor nutrition. Soaring food prices driven by the war in Ukraine, persistent drought due to climate change in some countries, at times combined with conflict, and the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19, are driving up food insecurity worldwide. And food insecurity is just one among many interconnected global crises we are facing.

Sometimes it feels as if numbness is safer than giving ourselves over to lament in the face of such excruciating violence and suffering. Yet the Book of Lamentations invites us beyond the temptation to numbness, witnessing to our deep human need for collective lament in the face of incomprehensible realities.

And today, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary offers us comfort and courage in our grief and lament.

In March, Pope Francis asked us to join him in consecrating all humanity to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  “Turn to Mary,” he invited, “and knock at the door of her heart,” saying “We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: ‘Am I not here, I who am your Mother?’”^[1] Mary is the mother who is always with us and loves us unconditionally.

Lord, knowing we are held in the tender love of Mary’s heart, help us to truly feel the pain of our world today.  Let us together lament and “pour out our hearts like water” (Lam 2:19). Let us not turn away but rather let our hearts, like Mary’s, be pierced, allowing all our children who suffer, all our sisters and brothers who suffer, to enter in. 

Help us to trust that, as Pope Francis affirms, this “is a paschal experience, a painful passage that opens to life, a kind of spiritual labour that in the darkness makes us come to the light again.” Grant us the grace to be your body in the world, knowing that the “turning point is not because the problems have disappeared, no, but because crisis has become a mysterious opportunity…”^[2]

Amen.

Lissa Romell is the Administrator at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

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^[1] Pope Francis, Consecration Prayer, March 25, 2022.

^[2] Pope Francis, Homily at Holy Mass for the repose of the Cardinals and Bishops deceased during the course of the year, April 11, 2021.

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Reflection:

Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. Normally this would be celebrated on the 24^th, but that conflicts with the celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this year. So, our Scripture readings for today focus on John the Baptist. When we read the circumstances around the Baptist’s birth, it is quite remarkable. His father, Zechariah, when informed by the angel Gabriel that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child in their old age, was rather dubious, and he was then struck mute until the child would be circumcised. His mother, Elizabeth, was thought to be incapable of having a child, but as the angel said to Mary at the Annunciation, “Nothing will be impossible for God.” (Luke 1:37).

When the time for circumcision comes, the family expects that the baby will be named after Zechariah, but Elizabeth tells them that he will be named John. When they ask Zechariah, he writes down that his name would be John, and then he is no longer mute, and praises God! When the people see all this, they ask one another, “What, then, will this child be?” Because, as Luke writes, “surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

For most of us, our births were not accompanied with such remarkable events. But we can say, that, just as it was with the Baptist, the “hand of the Lord” is with us. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. We can feel like Isaiah in our first reading, who felt “… I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly spent my strength…” I wonder if John himself felt like that when he was in prison. But even in those times, God is with us, and Isaiah realizes this: “yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God.”

John testified to the truth about Jesus, and was eventually martyred. But his reward is with the Lord. Like John, we are called to testify to the truth about God’s love in Jesus Christ. We may not be martyred, but we will probably be called to make sacrifices to bear witness to God’s overwhelming love for the world in Jesus Christ. May we put our trust in God, even in difficult times, and find our reward in His love.

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