Daily Scripture

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. 

Scripture:

2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

And He sent them out in pairs telling them to take nothing with them – no money, no extra cloak, even their walking sticks were to be left behind.

Lord, I can imagine the fear of those apostles walking through deserts without protection from thieves and wild animals.  Then going into towns to try to seek an audience open to their message, avoiding the sneering crowds who would stomp their testimonies into the ground like pigs would do pearls because they cannot grasp the value of what is being given to them.  Before arriving in any town, there were enemies already waiting for them: the Sadducees and Pharisees watching for the chance to trip them up and devour them like mad dogs.  Sounds like the worst cold calling assignment I ever heard of. Lord, grant me faith to look to You for my protection.   

The words of today’s Gospel ring as true today as they did two thousand years ago:  Beware of false prophets in sheep’s clothing with ravenous wolves hiding below.  Everyone must judge for themselves true from false. The only guidance given us is that “By their fruits you shall know them.”  Also, we are given the warning: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”.

Our Church is besieged, Lord, and signs of the evil one are everywhere.  Send St. Michael and his armies to thrust the evil one back into Hell so Your Church can flourish once more. We can’t do it without Your help, Jesus. For me it’s like one of my heroes once wrote:

 “Oh God, the sea is so great and my boat is so small” -John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage.

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36
Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Reflection:

“Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine”

Have you ever wondered what this passage is about?  In the ancient world pearls were considered precious and of great value.   Pearls were worn to enhance one’s appearance. 

Holiness is and being faithful to God’s love in how we think, speak and treat others.

Why does Jesus contrast holiness and pearls with dogs and swine? Jewish law regarded swine as unclean as well as wild dogs.  Jesus is encouraging us to stay away from those things that are spiritually or morally unclean.  (Gospel of Matthew-Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org matt7v6)

This scripture passage challenges us to be prudent and good stewards of the gifts God has given us especially the gift of the earth.  This would include taking care of ourselves because our health and wellness are gifts.

Another part of today’s gospel is the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  God calls us to an unconditional love which embraces all of humankind.  When we love our neighbor unconditionally, we fulfill the law of God and the prophets. (Gospel of Matthew-Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org >matt7v6)

Jesus’ use of the narrow gate is about making right choices that affects how we live each day.  What kind of choices do I make on a daily basis?  How do I steward the God’s gifts to me including taking care of myself? How consistently do I live the Golden rule in loving others unconditionally?  Jesus give me the grace to make good choices and to love others as you call us to love.

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
Matthew 7:1-5

Reflection:

At times when I get frustrated with politics and politicians, I find myself daydreaming about testifying to  Congress and giving them a good scolding about what I perceive that they are doing and not doing. If that ever came to pass, a good thing for me to do would be to read them our Gospel reading for today. In that reading, Jesus says, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s [or sister’s] eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother [or sister], ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s [or sister’s] eye.” It seems that there are a whole lot of people with wooden beams in their eyes talking about the splinters in the eyes of others.

Of course, the problem with scolding others about that sort of thing is that I would be guilty of the very thing I am accusing them! Jesus calls us to humility about our sinfulness. When we recognize our own sin, we become more understanding of our fellow sinners.

A result of removing the wooden beam from our own eye before helping remove the splinter from the eye of another is that when we see clearly, we may see that the splinter we thought we saw was not there at all. Or it may be that we see something entirely different that gets in the way of our brother or sister. For example, because of my being judgmental, I may take your shyness as snobbery. But if I let go of that, I may see that you don’t need to be taken down a notch, but that instead you need to be lifted up. It’s amazing what can happen when we see clearly!

May God give us the grace to acknowledge our own sin, and see clearly enough to help one another!

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

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Scripture:

Genesis 14:18-20
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11b-17

Reflection:

This Sunday in the Church calendar is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, when we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice and the sacrament in which we participate in the sacrifice, the Eucharist. This year, the day on which the Church celebrates this feast is also when people in the U.S. celebrate Father’s Day, and it also marks Juneteenth, June 19^th, when, in 1865, at the end of the Civil War, slaves in Texas were notified, quite some time after the Emancipation Proclamation, that they were actually free.

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is important to us as a church. In a famous phrase from the Second Vatican Council, the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our lives as Christians. It is the source of our lives because we are fed with the gift of Jesus’ entire self, His Body and Blood poured out for us. It is the summit because it signifies an intimate connection with Jesus, which we hope to have forever in heaven.

In the celebration of the Mass, we come together as a community of faith, to give thanks and praise to the God who loves us. We come to hear God’s word, and we come to share in the sacrifice Jesus made once for all, which is made present for us. We partake of the bread and wine which we believe becomes the Body and Blood of Christ poured out for us (See our second reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We receive Jesus into ourselves in a most intimate way.

To receive this gift of Jesus, given out of love for us, demands a response. And the response is to give of ourselves, to God and to the world. How do we do that? I think we can find answers in both our Scripture readings and in the days our society celebrates.

One way we give of ourselves is to share the blessings we have received. In our first reading from Genesis (14:18-20), Abram has returned victorious over the forces who took his kinsman Lot into captivity. Melchizedek, king of Salem, and a priest, blesses God and invokes God’s blessing upon Abram, and then “Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” In our Gospel reading (Luke 9:11b-17), Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fish, and gives the food to the disciples to give to the people. We are to give what we have been given.

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we can reflect on our call to give of ourselves as a loving father gives of himself to his spouse and to his children. We know the sacrifices parents make for their children, and in response to Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we are called to make sacrifices for others.

As we celebrate Juneteenth, we are reminded of another aspect to our celebration of the Eucharist. Our celebration of the Eucharist has a connection with the Jewish celebration of Passover. When the Jewish people celebrate Passover, they are not simply remembering something that happened thousands of years ago. They believe that the liberating act of God which brought them out of slavery in Egypt is made present for them. In the same way, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we are not remembering or re-enacting something that happened thousands of years ago. We believe that the liberating act of Jesus, which freed us from slavey to sin and the fear of death, is made present for us.

So perhaps we can see our response to Jesus as helping to free others. In working for justice and peace, we help people be free of injustice and oppression. In reaching out to others in their need, we help people be free from poverty and lack of the necessities of life. We help people be free from addiction by helping them turn to a loving Higher Power. We can help free people from despair by caring for them and sharing the hope we have in the Resurrection of Jesus.

There are many ways to respond to the gift of Jesus’ self, poured out for us. But we are called to respond. As we take Jesus into ourselves at the Eucharist, may we share the gift we have been given by giving of ourselves.

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