Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
Luke 14:1, 7-14

Reflection:

Our readings today challenge us to be more humble and less demanding of others.  As much as we would like it to be at times, it’s not all about us!  I don’t exactly know the reasons behind this, but over the past few months, there have been multiple events and issues that have led me to feel very humbled and grateful at the same time.  Our sisters and brothers in eastern Kentucky have suffered and continue to suffer from the effects of the devastating flooding.  They have lost home and family, job and a sense of security.  Yet, in the midst of the heartbreak they continue to give thanks for the blessings they have.  When I saw a picture of a small barefoot child walking down a mud-covered road that had once been a busy county road, I felt humbled and embarrassed for the times I complain that work crews slow my travel down just doing their job to provide safe roads to travel along.  It will be a long time before the roads in eastern Kentucky will offer safe passage for so many!

I walked with another friend who was suffering with depression and PTSD!  He was unable to take care of his family for several days as he tried desperately to crawl back from that black hole that held him captive!  As I prayed for him and helped his family cope with the rough days, I reflected on how whiney I can be when I’m having what I consider a ‘bad’ day!  Wow! A humbling experience!  We are such a blessed people!

I had the privilege recently to visit a friend who lost his foot to diabetes after many years of suffering and pain.  He has a prosthesis and is getting more mobile each day and looks and feels better than he has in years.  Through all of this transition and health woes, he continues to pastor a small country parish that is fighting to stay alive. I believe his faith in action helps give his people hope to keep on keeping on!  One night he shared with us the specifics of his amputation and recovery and his daily routine he follows just to get ready to meet each new day. Another humbling experience!  I find myself complaining a lot less about any minor aches and pains I may be experiencing!

Every day as I drive around the streets of Louisville, I observe so many homeless and hungry people at our intersections and highways.  I know some will say they probably aren’t really homeless or hungry, that they are scamming or whatever.  That may be true, I don’t know or care about that.  But what humbles me is the tenacity and courage it takes one to put themselves out there in the first place day after day! I am humbled to tears oftentimes as I lay in bed each night thinking of these folks and wonder what has brought them to this point in their life!?

In the book of Sirach, we read: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.  Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”

God Is Good All the Time!  And all the Time, God Is Good!  May we continue to find favor with the Lord as we allow the poor and downtrodden, the sick and alienated children of God to show us how to live a life of true humility!  Amen!  

Theresa Secord retired as a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 25:1-13

Reflection:

The reading from Matthew 25:14-30 has always stumped me – until today. If you think of this reading as a parable, try to envision the talent differently – in those days a heavy metal, usually gold or silver. So, if you have one gold bar as one talent, that’s pretty heavy! Now think of those distributions as the weight of holiness from God himself – are they to be kept, planted in the ground for safe keeping? Or are they to be shared, as a loving gift to others to draw people closer to God? These gifts from God are meant to be shared, not hoarded and placed in safekeeping within ourselves. The sharing of the spirit of God will only grow when you actually share it, not hold it within yourself. 

Read the gospel reading from today again and imagine that those talents are the spiritual gifts from God. If we hold on to those gifts, they will vanish, and that is not what our God wants from us. Be Christ to others, share your gifts, and be that light in the darkness for someone else. 

I always laughed at the saying, “You can’t take it with you.” And, in the light of Christ, this couldn’t be more true when we are discussing the gifts he gave to us, and what we should do with them.

God bless you all.

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 24:42-51

Reflection:

“Stay awake!” 

One of my spiritual mentors told me once, that when you commit to staying awake, you better be sure you want to go down that path, because once you are awake, there is no going back.

The truth of this has struck home for me throughout my life. 

It was 1994 and my mom was dying of cancer.  She was at home and I had been traveling back and forth between Chicago and Cleveland to be with her and help care for her.  I was exhausted, and I remember a moment when I had lain down and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I needed to get up to give her her medication.  The memory is so vivid for me because it took all of my conscious will to “stay awake” and get up when every other fiber of my being was saying “rest, sleep.” 

When I reflected on it later, it was clear that love is the only thing that could have given me that strength.  My mom and I are connected by, and exist in, a love much larger than each of us individually, a love made completely manifest only in God.  Once we say “yes” to this love in our life, there is no going back. Once we say yes to the love freely given to us in the person and Passion of Jesus, there is no falling asleep. It sets us on the path toward being the “faithful and prudent servant” in Matthew’s gospel. And, as Paul says in today’s reading, “[Our Lord Jesus Christ] will keep us firm to the end.” 

What a wonderful promise.  The faithfulness of God and the incomprehensible love of Jesus frees us to act in love in situations that we would rather not be in, that are uncomfortable, that involve risk and loss.  Life is full of such situations–we don’t need to seek them out, they will find us.  On my good days, I am able to ask myself “In what situations in my life am I longing to sleep—or, perhaps, am actually sleeping?”

May God grant us all the grace to “stay awake!” and love.

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Experiencing Jesus

Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.”  -John 1:45f    

Philip made one of the greatest acts of charity in his life!  He enabled Nathaniel to meet and experience Jesus.  There is a sign on an old pulpit in a New England church facing the preacher which quotes the Bible: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” John 12:21 What a lovely reminder to the preacher that his main goal is to lead the people to the experience of Jesus!  

 There are many words in the Greek NT for encountering   Jesus.  The most obvious one is “come”.  “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Or the lovely invitation of Jesus: ““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. MT 11:28  The word come is used about 100 times in Mt Gospel.  The Greek word for come in some of these texts is deuro which has the idea of more closeness and perhaps should better be translated  “come here to Me”.

 A beautiful example is found in Mt 28:9 “And behold, Jesus met hupantaō them (women) and greeted them.   And they came up and took a stronghold of His feet and worshiped Him.” Mt 28:9 (Greek NT hupantaō 10 TIMES IN NT   is upo+anti = up close)

When one pauses to think of this Biblical word hupantaō meaning up and close one can feel these peoples’ intimacy with Christ!  This same word is used in John 12:18 ” For this reason also the people went and met hupantaō Him because they heard that He had performed this sign (raising of Lazarus),

Pope Francis, in The Joy of the Gospel, reminds us that each day is an opportunity for a personal encounter or experience with Christ. Every moment is a perfect time to “take a step toward Jesus [and] to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” 

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the beginning of Jesus proclaiming “woes” to the scribes and the Pharisees for being hypocrites in their leadership of the people. In the last several verses, Jesus criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees on how they determine the value of oaths: “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated…And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'”

Jesus points out to them that what they value is not what is important. I see this as a challenge to us because it is easy to bring the values of the world in to the practice of our faith. It is oh so tempting to try to manipulate the Gospel into justifying a desire for material wealth and possessions. As Christians, we are called not to let worldly values influence how we live our faith, but to let our faith influence how things are done in the world.

As we do our jobs, or seek employment, or attend school, or live out our retirement, we are to demonstrate forgiveness and mercy and compassion. Wherever we are, whether we are single or married, religious or ordained, we are called to love others as Jesus has loved us. Our trust is not in “gold” nor “gifts,” but in the God who has blessed us and given us the promise of everlasting life!

In the words of our first reading from 2 Thessalonians, may God “powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith” in and through our lives!

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:18-21
Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13
Luke 13: 22-30

Reflection:

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate”

In today’s first reading, Isaiah has a vision that “nations of every language” will come to see the glory of the Lord.  In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem and he  also speaks of people coming from the east, west, north, and south to experience God’s Kingdom.  On this journey someone asks Jesus: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I will tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

Jesus is speaking about the gate to eternal life which is not wide and spacious but it is narrow. What does it mean for us to get through that narrow gate to eternity?  We don’t merit everlasting life based on someone’s special status like race, religion, or class.  We have to earn it not by simply attending rituals, saying right prayers, or just observing rules. We earn eternal life by letting go of attitudes of prejudice, bigotry, and racism. (Dinah Simmons, Living with Christ, August 21, 2022, p. 154.) We have to let go of material things, past resentments, fears and past hurts. Living our faith fully means striving to love every person who enters our life specially the poor and vulnerable persons. 

Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D. reminds us: “ Let us always remember there is Someone who helps us squeeze through that narrow gate.  Jesus, like a gentle midwife, helps to pull us into everlasting life.”  How well are you and I doing in squeezing through the narrow gate to heaven?  (Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D., Living Faith: Daily Catholic  Devotions, August 21, 2022.)

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

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 43: 1-7ab
Matthew 23: 1-12

Reflection:

Some people are just worth remembering.  They live their lives in such a way that their peers, both friends and foes, respect them.  As a result, they have a profound influence on the very best that emerges in their time.  We celebrate the feast of such a remarkable man today, St. Bernard of Clairvaux.  He lived in the 12^th century (born in 1090 and died in 1153), a time of great turmoil in the Church and in society. 

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 that 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 found 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.

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