Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Luke 21:12-19

Reflection:

Wonderful Providence

Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
By your endurance you will gain your lives. -Luke 21:18

God’s Providence means that God’s loving care surrounds us at every moment of our lives.   It is told that it was a custom in one of the tribes of Native Americans that a young man had to go through a testing to prove his manhood.   In the dead of night, he was led by his father into the depths of the forest blindfolded.  The young man was tied still blindfolded to a tree.  He was left alone all the night vulnerable to animal attracts.   The boy thought he was all alone and was expected to show bravery.   Unknown to him his father was close by to protect him if danger approached. 

I believe this gives us a metaphor of the protective presence of God in our scary moments.   We might feel that “God hides His Face” in our troubles.  The face was used as an image of God’s presence. “Here is looking at you!”  Often in the Psalms the author prays: “Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake (Hebrew:ʿāzab to abandon)  me, God my Savior.” Ps 27:9 Praise to His mercy He does not abandon us in our troubles!

We must trust in this caring presence of God.  He only seems to abandon us, to hide His face. He is close and only seems to be away.  He is only encouraging us to trust in His deep love for us!  In our deepest anxious moments, He gives us the biggest opportunity to make our greatest act of loving confidence.   Like the young man tied and blind in the story we grow into a beautiful reckless bravery of trust.   Love cannot really grow without challenging scary problems. “By your endurance you will gain your lives.”

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

Scripture:

Daniel 2:31-45
Luke 21:5-11

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, after Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, people ask Him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” And Jesus talks about wars and insurrections, earthquakes and famines and plagues, “and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” And the reading ends there.

With divisions and unrest and seemingly increasing natural disasters amid concerns about climate change, it is natural to wonder whether these are the times Jesus is speaking of. In fact, Jesus says, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”

For me, our first reading from Daniel, and the beginning of our Gospel reading give us some perspective about thinking about the end times. In our reading from Daniel, the prophet interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians. The king’s dream is actually a prophecy of the end of earthly empires and the coming of the Messianic kingdom. As I mentioned before, the beginning of our Gospel reading has Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple. Both these passages speak to the transitory nature of earthly things, even buildings of worship. We believers put our faith, not in a what, but in a who, the One who has loved us into existence, and whose love for us never ends.

And so, even though Jesus speaks of wars and insurrections and nation rising up against nation, we are called to continue to work for justice and peace. Why bother? Because the One who has loved us has called us to love God and love each other in return. And in love, we need not fear.

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

The Feast of Christ the King

Scripture:

Daniel 7:13-14
Revelation 1:5-8
John 18:33b-37

Reflection:

In 1925 secularism had permeated significant parts of the world. Pope Pius XI created the Feast of Christ the King as an antidote to secularism. Secularism, at that time was considered to be a way of life thinking or living as if God does not exist. The feast is intended to cause us to evaluate what role does Christ have in our lives. Is Christ the center of our lives in all that we say and do? Christ the King should be central over individuals, families, society, governments and nations. (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2021-11-21)

This is the last Sunday of the Church year which means we focus on our eternal life to come. It also means that next Sunday is already the First Sunday of Advent. This day is referred to in the Church as the Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe!

When we say Jesus is king what does that mean for you and me? Does that mean we have a personal relationship with Jesus? Do we turn to him for guidance and direction in our lives? How much time daily to we spend in developing a daily prayer life and a  heart-to-heart conversation with Jesus. Is Jesus the focus and center of our life

If Jesus is King where is his kingdom? In the gospel of Luke, we find the answer. “The Kingdom of God is within you”. (Luke 17:21) A common popular interpretation is that God is within you (or among you). The kingdom is essentially inward as you develop your  relationship with Jesus allowing him to change your life, enabling you to make ethical decisions.  The kingdom is within you in’ the person of Jesus. To what degree have you developed your relationship with Jesus? To what extent have you allowed Jesus to guide and direct you and your life? This is what it means for Jesus and his Kingdom to be within you. Lord may your kingdom come and thy will be done with in me. (Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of-God-within-you.html)

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

Scripture:

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31
Luke 19:11-28

Reflection:

Over the years I have seen many pictures of martyrs who are about to be put to death and have always been amazed that none of them looks the least bit troubled or afraid. Indeed, although they are about to suffer a cruel and violent death, they look remarkably at peace.

Today’s reading from the second book of Maccabees helps us understand why. It’s the riveting, unforgettable story of a mother and her seven sons, all of whom “were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king” because they refused to violate God’s law by eating pork. Six of the sons have already died from the king’s brutality, but the youngest is still alive. In an attempt to get him to betray his faith, King Antiochus promises this last surviving son that he will lavish him with riches and power and status—as well as friendship—if he will only transfer his loyalty and obedience from God to the king. The mother, who saw six of her seven sons die that day, exhorts her one remaining child not to abandon his faith for the king’s empty promises, but she has no reason to fear. Her son, like all the martyrs, knows how hopeless and meaningless our lives would be if the only way we could have them is by betraying everything we believe.

King Antiochus had no power over this mother and her seven sons even though he could kill them because they all knew what the king would never know. They knew that they had been given life by God in the beginning, had been sustained in life by God each day, and would be guided by God through death to a life that never ends. This is why the king with all his threats looks both weak and foolish, and why the young man, knowing he will die, can fearlessly proclaim: “What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king’s command.”

What is true for the martyrs is true for us. If we hold fast to our faith, we will always have life, even when it comes time to die.

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.

Scripture:

2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Luke 19:1-10

Reflection:

But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, . . . (Eleazar) went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture, as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life. 2 MC 6: 19 – 20

The Scriptures for today’s Mass invites us to reflect upon the role of personal courage in our journey of faith.

Most of us grew up hoping that we could be courageous when that time came. Popular books and movies often portrayed heroes and heroines as their main characters. Men and women who did courageous acts of bravery in war, or in saving lives, sometimes quite by accident or suffered death while defending just causes were often lifted up for our edification and admiration. Being recognized as courageous in the midst of a dangerous situation was one of the highest achievements that could be conferred upon someone. Courageous men and women just made us feel good. And they inspired us to be courageous when our time came to act with courage. We only have to witness a ceremony of the President conferring a Medal of Honor to experience those feelings.

I remember reading books and accounts of the lives of the saints that would highlight the courage of these men and women as they confronted the evils of this world and even their own communities and religious leaders. It did not take long for me to figure out that there would be times when I would need to be strong and courageous in my convictions and commitments to my faith, my Church and my God. Likewise, there would be times in our lives when we have to decide to act with courage rather than cowardice, integrity rather than duplicity, truthfulness rather than deceitfulness.

Today’s readings give us two examples of courage, Eleazar, a ninety year old man who was put to the test to save his life by breaking his religious law, a man of respect and beyond reproach, a man whose example would lead others to do what he did; and Zacchaeus, a thief, a cheat, and a tax collector for the Roman Empire. Both were asked to do the most courageous act of their lives, say no to an unjust law for Eleazar and to invite Jesus into his life and home for Zacchaeus. For Eleazar, that meant certain death. For Zacchaeus, a whole new way of life. Both acts of courage led to everlasting life. We have a lot to learn from their example.

To be a faithful follower of Jesus today and a member of the Church that He established, takes an extraordinary amount of courage. In living our daily life of faith, we quickly learn that the courage we are talking about is not just human courage but Christian Courage, the kind of courage we need to pray for every morning. Every day, we will be asked to act with courage and integrity, to do the right thing, to be a good person. Ordinarily, this will cost us nothing. But there will come a time when it will cost us everything. We will be asked to choose to do the right thing, to stand with God’s Word, God’s Values and God’s Love while rejecting the false promises of human happiness and success. There will come a time when Jesus will be passing by and we will have the urge to climb a tree to see him, and then experience Jesus’ invitation to let him into our hearts and homes. Then, we will know what needs to be given away. We will need the courage to be converted and changed forever. Then, we will hear Jesus say to us: “Today, salvation has come to this house!”

Let us pray for the grace of this kind of courage every morning we wake up!

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

Scripture:

1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Luke 18:35-43

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Albert the Great, a Dominican scholar who also had the distinct privilege of helping to form the mind of another great Dominican, St. Thomas Aquinas.  These two brilliant men surely helped to shape scholastic thought and theological development for centuries, even to our present day.  Philosophical and intellectual clarity offered a means of looking at the mysteries of our faith in a very logical and systematic way.

Yet, interestingly enough, the readings for this particular Monday during the 33^rd Week of Ordinary time, portrays a moment in Jewish history that is far from being characterized as clear and faithful to the religious traditions and beliefs of the Jewish community.  In fact, as we see in our first reading for the day, taken from the First Book of the Maccabees, with poor leadership and heretical thinking, many of the people were abandoning their faith in favor of the Gentiles living among them.

They covered over the mark of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, each abandoning his particular customs.  All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king, and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.

At first glance, we might be amazed at how such a faithful people who suffered so greatly for their faith could be swayed so easily as to capitulate to the demands of a king who was clearly not representing God and God’s sacred covenant with his chosen people.  But then, as we reflect a bit further, perhaps we can see that in our own lifetime and in our own country, we are witnesses of many people who are compromising the truth of their faith for fame, control, and popularity.  We are all only too susceptible to the influences and seduction of our modern world.  We need only think about the reality of “culture wars” in America today to get an idea of how easy it is to be misled, to go astray, all accomplished through the power of misrepresenting the truth and appealing to personal ambitions and even the anger that binds so many together in our struggling society today.

How can we change all of this misdirection and division, all this animosity and separation that is tearing us apart?  It seems to me we have only to go to our Gospel passage for today’s feast this day and meditate long and hard on the words of the blind man who was so privileged to meet Jesus.  With him we have to all cry out humbly and sincerely, “Lord, please, let me see!”  Only the Lord can give us the sight and the vision that will lead us to the truth that can make America great once again!  Only the Lord can guide us to that truth that will set us free.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.