Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 7:31-35

Reflection:

Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. ~1 Corinthians 12:31

It’s with these words, words that come from deep within Paul’s heart, words that almost seem to be a desperate plea to a people who Paul loves with a father’s love and looked upon them with pride and gratitude, that begins today’s first reading.

The faith community of Corinth was Paul’s first real success as the Apostle to the Gentiles. They were the dregs of society. You only need to read the first chapter of this letter to know that. There he says, “Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.” (I Cor. 1:26 – 29)

Paul knows that the people he preached to and the people who responded to his Gospel message were ordinary people, and yes, even prostitutes and law-breakers, as he reminds them in Chapter 6. They were once a fervent faith community. But then they went astray. Now these people were knowingly living a double standard, lives of unlawful and sinful practices and yet practicing their faith as if their bad behavior did not matter. Maybe they thought that they are fooling God, but they were not. So, Paul reminds them of that very ancient truth: God sees not as humans see. Yet Paul holds out hope for the worst offenders, for he says in 5:6 that there is still hope that “his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.” What a wonderful balance between a harsh critique of bad behavior and a loving, compassionate belief in a God of Mercy.

Is Paul talking to the people of his day or is Paul talking to the people of this day? Is he telling us as individuals and, especially as a community, “to strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts?” Are we content with living in two worlds that are so different from one another, that we have become powerless? Have we become blind and deaf to the injustices of our society, to the cries of the suffering and the dying, and have we become paralyzed to a proper Christian response? I know that I sometimes feel that way.

It is with passages as we have for today’s Mass, that tells us to “strive eagerly for the greatest gifts” and Jesus’ question: “To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?” that call us back to faithful discipleship.

Jesus and Paul do not want us to be satisfied with what is. We are being asked to be a courageous people. They want us to strive to do better, to live better, to love better. How, then, are we to love better?

Just continue with the first reading for today’s Mass!

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a
Luke 7:11-17

Reflection:

So often in the gospels, Jesus finds himself smack in the middle of somebody’s pain, somebody’s sorrow and loss. That is certainly true in the poignant, heart-wrenching story we hear today. In great detail, the evangelist Luke vividly describes the scene. Jesus approaches the city of Nain, accompanied, Luke tells us, not only by his disciples but also by a large crowd. As they are about to enter the city, they encounter a funeral procession. The deceased was a young man, “the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.”

Our attention is understandably drawn to the miracle by which Jesus brings the dead man back to life; but we should not overlook that the first thing Luke tells us is that when Jesus saw the sorrowful mother, he was moved with compassion for her. If we focus only on Jesus’ miraculous power in this gospel story, we fail to see that compassion came first. The fact that Jesus raised this mother’s son back to life only after feeling deep compassion for her, suggests that the miracle flowed from compassion. Perhaps we can even say that Jesus’ compassion made the miracle possible.

St. Thomas Aquinas, the great theologian of the thirteenth century, taught that compassion is the most important characteristic of God and the quality that most fully reveals to us who God is. He said that God’s power is a power of compassion and that we who are made in the image of God are most like God when we show compassion. This is one way of understanding the crowd’s proclamation about Jesus at the end of today’s gospel: “God has visited his people.” God continues to visit his people when we extend to others—especially the most distraught and desolate—the compassion that God in Christ has shown to us. What are we waiting for? After all, if we lead with compassion, who knows what miracles might follow.

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 of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 11:17-26,33
Luke 7:1-10

Reflection:

The Passionist Family celebrated our lives with fiesta during the assembly in June. We celebrated the Exaltation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. In addition, many joined us in Sierra Madre for the 100-year presence of the Passionist Family in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

As members of this family, we celebrate. The readings draw us into the Mass. The words, in a special way, draw us closer into the celebration of the Mass. In his letters, St. Paul refers to the words of consecration, the words and actions of Our Lord to give us His precious Body and his precious blood. The saving action is meant to include all, making no distinctions between brother and sister. The mystery of faith proclaimed in the antiphon of the psalm expresses hope. As Passionists, the words touch us in a deep and profound manner to preach Christ Crucified and to wait in joyful hope for His return.

The centurion humbles himself for the sake of his slave. He sees himself as a master, but also a subject to authority. The echo rings loud, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Jesus’ healing and presence shines through without distinction.

We celebrate Christ’s selfless gift at the banquet table. May we be filled with joy and thanksgiving as we gather around the table, brothers and sisters as one!

Fr. Phillip Donlan, CP, is the Associate Director of Ministry at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows

Scripture:

Isaiah 50:4c-9a
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for this Sunday (Mark 8:27-35), Jesus asks His disciples what the people are saying about Him: “Who do people say that I am?” When the disciples answer that the people consider Him as one of the prophets, Jesus wants to know what they think. And Peter replies, “You are the Christ.”

And then Jesus tells them something very important. He tells them what being “the Christ,” the Messiah, really means: “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.”

But Peter will have none of it, and rebukes Jesus. So, Jesus has to rebuke Peter in the sight of the others, because they all need to hear His answer: “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

And then, Jesus goes even further, to teach the crowd along with His disciples: “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.”

As I reflected on all these movements within our Gospel reading, what came to me was the centrality of the Cross. If we want to understand more fully who Jesus is, and how much we are loved by Him, we need to look at the Cross. If we want to understand how to respond to His love, and follow Him in our lives, we need to look at the Cross.

It is the Cross that guides us in how to obey the commandment to love. It is the Cross that leads us in doing the works that demonstrate our faith (See our second reading: James 2:14-18). It is by taking up our crosses and giving of ourselves that we witness to our hope in the Resurrection.

It is through the Cross, not the use of force or violence or any attempt to vanquish our enemies, or display what we see as our moral superiority, that we testify to the power and love of God in Jesus Christ!

May we not run away from the Cross, but embrace it, so that we may embrace Jesus. It doesn’t make sense to the world, but it is the Cross of Christ that will lead us to work for justice and real peace. It is the Cross of Christ that will lead us to serenity and even joy.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!

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

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Scripture:

Numbers 21:4b-9
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17

Reflection:

Today is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

‘Exalt’ has several meanings, but let’s consider ‘raise in honor’ and ‘stimulate the imagination.’

In a Catholic sanctuary, the first objects we likely see are an altar and a cross. Above the altar, the cross has indeed been exalted, ‘raised in honor.’ The cross may be so large it extends to the ceiling. Or it may be a small brass cross sitting atop a small altar.

How might these sights stimulate our imaginations? Remember that we Christians inherited altars from Old Testament days. And what is an altar? It’s a butcher block. A priest of the Old Testament, especially on festival days, would serve maybe dozens or hundreds of people who needed him to butcher a bird or a livestock animal as a sacrifice. Priests of the Old Testament and their altars were both drenched in blood for many hours at a time. Our church altars look more like creative art than butcher blocks, don’t they? At least, it’s easy to forget about an altar’s original purpose.

God’s sacrifice, the sacrifice of his son, happened on a hill called Golgotha, a blood-covered altar in its own right. Doves, pigeons, lambs, goats, and bulls bled out on ancient altars. Around 33 A.D, so did God’s son, whom we call the Lamb of God.

The priests of the Old Testament likely ended animals’ lives more humanely than the butchers did to Jesus on the road to the cross and upon the cross. When we read, pray, and sing that Jesus was the Lamb of God, we get reminded of the enormity of God’s sacrifice that calls attention to our horrifying sinfulness yet, astonishingly, still opens the gates of heaven. When we pray that we will forgive those who trespass against us, how can we not forgive others, as God has, and keep our doors open for those offenders, as God did?

Jack Dermody is the editor of the CrossRoads bulletin for the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission for Holy Cross Province. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27
Luke 6:39-42

Reflection:

I have served as a lector and taught lector training for decades.  I take proclamation of the word very seriously, with the aim of making it come alive so God can change people’s hearts.  I must admit, though, that I share one of Paul’s sentiments.  He fears he does not sufficiently live what he preaches.  Like him, I constantly have to ask myself how faithfully I live what I proclaim and how willingly I allow God to change my own heart.

Take the lessons of today’s readings.  Jesus tells us to take the beam out of our own eye before noticing the splinter in another’s.  I admit to too many times I have judged another person for a fault I myself carry.  In fact, psychologists tell us the characteristics that bother us the most in other people, if we look closely and honestly, are the same characteristics we fear in ourselves and which we struggle to overcome.  It’s just so much easier to criticize it in someone else, thereby deflecting attention from my own shortcomings.

Paul says that when he preaches, he is simply doing his job.  He expects no adulation or praise as a result, instead pointing to the gospel and to Christ.  How often have I wished to be like the grandstanding football players, who boldly act as if every tackle, pass, or touchdown were an impressive personal victory rather than a part of their job which could not have been achieved if it weren’t for the team?  (Imagine an Easter Vigil at which the neophytes emerge from the font dripping wet and scented with oil while the sponsors give a chest bump, pump their fists, point to themselves and yell “Yeah!!”) Can I let go of that all-too-human need for recognition and humbly join Paul in saying that when I proclaim scripture well, when I help people heal, when I teach a class or give a presentation, I am simply doing my job?

Paul also says to run the race well, constantly training and improving and keeping the goal in mind.  The “race” of which Paul speaks is not a sprint; it is an endurance event with multiple obstacles.  Yet I am sometimes woefully lacking in my commitment to the foundational training practices that allow me to stay on course.  How much time do I take out of my over-scheduled day for prayer?  What percentage of my stacks of required reading helps inform and challenge my faith?  When is the last time I went on a retreat, allowing God a more extended time to work within me?

And these are just a few lessons from one day of readings!  When I start listing all the ways I fall short of the scripture I proclaim, it gets discouraging.  I can feel like nothing more than the blind leading the blind, unsure whether I am even doing what God wants.

I believe Paul would counsel continuing to strive, yet concentrating on Christ rather than my own imperfections.  As today’s psalm says, God is the sun who sees and lights the path.  God is my shield and ever-faithful companion.  God withholds no good thing from one who acts with sincerity.  God is my ultimate home, my nest, my secure dwelling place.  Perhaps one day I will be able to stand before God and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Hopefully I will also be able to reply, “You’re welcome; I was only doing my job.”

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/.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 8:1b-7, 11-13
Luke 6:27-38

Reflection:

Aren’t there some teachings that Jesus leaves with us that are incredibly unnerving?

• love your enemies…………………..really?,
• do good to those who hate you……..wow!
• bless those who curse you………….hmm!
• pray for those who mistreat you….perhaps.

Who are my enemies; those who hate me; those who curse me; and those who mistreat me?

I think of a son in prison who has been the black sheep of the family and has been so antagonistic, selfish and verbally and behaviorally abusive that no one wants to have anything to do with him anymore.  And what about the lady in the parish who goes out of her way to publicly insult and embarrass others because of confrontations she has had with them over the years.  Then there is a fellow who reneged on his office rent for a year before he was evicted and never attempted to repay or apologize before the eviction, now living and acting as if nothing had ever happened. 

The list goes on.  Fortunately, most of us have more friends and trustworthy companions than we do enemies, even though it sometimes doesn’t feel that way.  But that is the whole point of Jesus’ teaching, isn’t it?  “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners do the same.”

So how do I learn to love and pray for the son in prison, the cantankerous lady in the parish and the defaulting renter in the same way that Jesus loves them?  Are my own feelings of anger and self-pity getting in the way?  Have I not learned to separate these individuals from their behaviors?   As troubling as the behaviors may be, they do not mitigate the fact that each of these people were created in the image and likeness of God just as every human being has been.  Perhaps I need to look more deeply to see that image of God in them.  I might then learn to love them in a different way and to tolerate their unwanted behavior, irrespective of whether I can reconstruct a workable relationship with each.  Perhaps I can learn to love them and pray for them in the way that Jesus expects me to while still, with some courage and sacrifice look beyond the consequences of the behaviors. 

Jesus could have destroyed his tormentors, torturers and crucifiers with a simple crushing blow.  But he did not.  Rather he chose to endure his passion and death for each one of us, even though we have also exhibited unwanted behavior at some points in our sinful lives. 

Sum it up for us dear Lord:  “Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.  “Stop judging and you will not be judged.  Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.  For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 7:25-31
Luke 6:20-26

Reflection:

Throughout the gospels, Jesus frequently makes enigmatic statements, but perhaps none so enigmatic as the Beatitudes in Luke’s gospel today.

“Blessed are you who are poor, because God’s kingdom is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed ae you when people hate you…Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!  Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”

What are we to make of these strange beatitudes, which are coupled with equally enigmatic woes to the rich, those whose stomachs are filled, who laugh now, and those who crave honor?

These beatitudes are and woes are descriptive rather than prescriptive.  That is, they describe an already established reality, what is.  A prescriptive statement describes what ought to be.

Jesus isn’t telling us, for example, to sell all we have and give it to the poor so we might attain the kingdom of God, although he later makes such a prescriptive demand of a rich man.

Jesus is telling the poor that the kingdom is already (present tense) theirs.  In the woes, Jesus tells the rich they have already received their reward.

Perhaps we can better understand Luke’s version of the beatitudes — and woes — within a broader Lukan theme, the great reversal.  Jesus describes a reversal that is simply a fact of life — if we Christians ae willing to open our eyes to this reality.  The kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this world are dramatically opposed. 

Luke presents a strong emphasis throughout his Gospel on the great reversal that the kingdom of God brings, beginning with Mary’s Magnificat: “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”  Think also of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  So many more great reversals may be recounted in Luke’s Gospel.

Luke had in mind a persecuted or marginalized Christian community.  Luke wanted to encourage his community that despite their suffering, they belong, not to the kingdom of this world, but to the kingdom of God — right now — therefore, it’s time to rejoice.

Luke is not trying to idealize poverty.  Instead he is telling his community that in the kingdom of God, we are to care for one another, comfort one another, share with one another.  Luke’s emphasis throughout his gospel is generosity and compassion rather than poverty.

On closer examination, then, it may be that today’s gospel is not so much enigmatic, as it is radical.

Which message will we heed — Jesus’ beatitudes or his woes?  The more profound question is this, in which kingdom do we reside right now?

Jesus tells us: choose the kingdom of God.  Then with Mary, we may proclaim “My soul rejoices in the Lord!”  And in Jesus’ own words: “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!”  Truly, a radical declaration even on this day of 9-11.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.