Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Zechariah 8:20-23
Luke 9:51-56

Reflection:

As Jesus and his disciples entered a Samaritan village on their way to Jerusalem, they were not welcomed.  James and John were immediately on the defense and wanted to retaliate!

            “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”

We are all so very human and like James and John, we want to even the score when we feel we have been wronged or some injustice has been wrought upon those we love.  We have become a people quick to anger and slow to forgive!  Our world is filled with violence and unrest!  It has become the norm to pick up a gun or throw the first punch which ultimately ends in tragedy.  When did we become a people who favor revenge over reconciliation?!

The first step to peace and reconciliation is to remember that God is with us!  God is love!  God sees all people and creation with the eyes of love and as the love children we are, we are called to see the love of God in others, especially those we don’t even like!  Hard stuff!!!!

“Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”  This statement of faith closes out our first reading today. God is with us, no matter our nationality, creed or color, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, young or old. If we truly believe this, then what is stopping us from taking back our neighborhoods, churches, schools, families, cities, towns and country.  It’s way past time to promote reconciliation rather than revenge, to live in love rather than anger.

It is time to recognize and appreciate the goodness of God found in the beauty of family, faith communities, friends, nature, moral and just leaders.  Jesus rebuked his disciples and journeyed on to another village.  It is time for us to do the same.  Let us begin in small ways, maybe making that phone call to someone we haven’t spoken to in a long time, get reconnected, be willing to say I’m sorry, let’s begin again!  Let us be willing to sit at the same table with those we totally disagree with the goal of working together to find a common ground.

Jesus is calling us to move on.  Jerusalem is waiting to welcome us.  The kingdom is open to all God’s children!  Our hope rests in walking with Jesus!  Let’s get moving Church!!!!!!

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate from St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Zechariah 8:1-8
Luke 9:46-50

Reflection:

I have amazing grandchildren. They surprise me every time I see them – they are so smart and funny, and they have the sweetest little hearts. But think about how simple their little minds are when they are young. Now, realize that, as you grew up, how that innocence and simplicity seemed to be a fleeting memory as you reached adulthood. There is an innocence to a child’s thoughts and actions; a simplicity that we may have long ago forgotten. 

So, when Jesus brings a child to him to sit at his right side, what an honorable place for this little innocent, humble soul. The least among you is the greatest. With a child, there is no pridefulness, no vanity or self-aggrandizement. Their hearts are pure, and we should empty ourselves of all those things that prevent us from having that pure and simply beautiful relationship with Christ.

Cleanse yourself of those things that prevent you from having a heart that is pure. Honor our God with your humility and serve Him as Jesus did.

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

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

Scripture:

Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Reflection:

Where to start? So many contemporary themes and threads weave their way through the scripture readings for today’s Eucharistic celebration. These are themes that poignantly challenge us in our own day. Let’s look at a few.

First, how dare Eldad and Medad in the first reading from the Book of Numbers begin to prophesy when they were not in the tent when the spirit descended on the other seventy. This really upset some of the people who complained to Moses, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” But Moses answered, “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow God’s spirit on them all!” I wonder who we would complain about “not being in the tent when the spirit was giving out the gift of prophesy?”

Then in the second reading from the Book of James we read this: “The wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.” We profess our faith in Jesus yet mistreat or tolerate the abuse of others and say, “Thanks be to the Lord that we are not like them.”

And from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus chastises one of his favorite disciples, John, who complains that others not of the inner circle are preaching in Jesus’ name. More of the same…we are the chosen, not them. Jesus does not go for it.

We spend so much useless energy debating who’s in and who’s out. Who’s one of us and who is not, who looks like us and who doesn’t, or who speaks our language or not. We spend so much useless time demonizing others and not seeing our own insecurities and hurts that we cover over with riches or privilege. We are all children of God called to be welcoming and generous with all we encounter. To be a believer in Jesus and the Gospel is to include not exclude.

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.

Scripture:

Haggai 2:1-9
Luke 9:18-22

Reflection:

Rejection and Invitation of Christ

The ultimate sin that a person can commit is to reject Christ. The New Testament Greek word for reject is apodokimazō. It means to examine something first and deliberately reject it. It is sort of a premeditated repudiation! In modern times we have many more sources of information than our forefathers had. We can get very arrogant and think if I don’t understand the great mystery of the Incarnation then it is not true.

Another Scriptural word for rejection of Christ is exoudeneō. This word has rejection with strong idea of contempt. It comes from the Greek word for nothing. The most wonderful work of God in Jesus in whole universe is treated as nothing. Mk 9:12.  What an incredible insult to God!

I think one of the most common ways in our times for rejection of the massive love of God for us is agnosticism. An agnostic is a person who excuses himself from responding to God because he does not know Him.  But even pagans raised an altar to the “Unknown God”.

Agnosticism is a very dangerous way of losing the greatest treasure of our lives!  It is seemingly a valid excuse for rejecting God’s wedding invitation inviting us into Divine intimacy! In reality it is prideful answer that ignores our small brains and hearts from the ability of ever receiving such a great God by our own abilities. We must beg God to open our eyes and enlarge our hearts as He did to the disciples at Emmaus.  In short, we must humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God. James in 4:10 tells us: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Pope Francis in his beautiful exhortation “Joy of the Gospel” writes: I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”

“The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”.#3

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

Scripture:

Haggai 1:1-8
Luke 9:7-9

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading from Luke, Herod hears about Jesus, and what the people are saying about Him, that He was one of the prophets risen from the dead, including John the Baptist. But Herod knows that he had John killed, so he’s curious about who Jesus really is. And Luke tells us that “he kept trying to see him.”

As it turns out, Herod doesn’t see Jesus until Jesus’ Passion, when Pilate sends Jesus to Herod because He was a Galilean. When they do meet, Herod wants to see Jesus perform some sign (Luke 23:6-11). It seems that he is only interested in some kind of performance. He doesn’t seem to be really interested in what Jesus has to say about God or the kingdom or the “least of these.”

The challenge for us is not so much to consider what we want God to perform for us, but to open our hearts and let God in. We are invited to come to know Jesus’ love for us from the Cross. We are called to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in loving God and loving our neighbor in response to all that God has done for us.

May we take the risk and come ever closer to Jesus. Unlike Herod, may we not so much wonder about Him, but be willing to let Him more and more into our hearts and our lives.

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

Feast of St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

Today is the feast of St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist.  Little is known about St. Matthew.  He was a tax collector and in other synoptic gospels, he is referred to as Levi. The story of Matthew’s call is found in Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him”.

The renowned painting above is the  “Call of Matthew” by the famous Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610).  Caravaggio focuses on the first shocking moment that Matthew realizes he is being called. 

Do you remember when Jesus called you to follow him?  In our first reading, St. Paul urges us to ”live in a manner worthy of the call you have received…Do what God has called you to do no matter how big or how small.  God needs you, me and all of us to embrace and live our call.  Take a moment today to discern what is God calling you to do.  Like St. Matthew and St. Paul that ought to make a significant difference in our lives and influence how we behave.  St. Paul continues by saying that God has given all of us gifts.  Are we living in a manner worthy of our call?  Are we humble and gentle, caring for one another through love? Are we daily building up the Body of Christ by our mercy, and compassion including self-compassion?

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37

Reflection:

But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. Mark 9:32

Today’s Gospel is a three-part Play.

Part One: The second prediction of the Passion. As this scene opens, Jesus is walking with his disciples on a journey through Galilee. Jesus was still revealing his true nature as the Son of God to them, in ordinary and extraordinary ways. He took his three close friends, Peter James and John up a high mountain and was transfigured before their eyes. The disciples didn’t know what to make of this extraordinary revelation of Jesus, so they kept the questions they had about what they experienced to themselves.

Shortly after Jesus’ Transfiguration, Jesus began telling them what was in store for himself and for them. They would all go to Jerusalem, where Jesus was going to be taken prisoner, condemned to die but after three days, he would rise from the dead. They heard Jesus’ words, but they did not understand their meaning. They probably didn’t want to take these words literally. Once more, they kept their questions to themselves.

Part Two: The disciples want to know among themselves who was the greatest. This is not the first nor would it be the last time that this question of who was the greatest among them would become a point of contention. In the Gospel of Luke, they argue about this during the Last Supper! Our second reading for today’s Mass gives us a more detailed accounting of what happens when we become jealous of one another and let selfish ambition take over our lives. It leads to violence, coveting what is not ours and allowing our selfish passions to control us. Again, this ceaseless desire as to who is the greatest among them shows Jesus that the disciples were not understanding his words and deeds.

Part Three: The Greatest in the Kingdom of God. Then Jesus does what he does best. First, he calls his 12 Apostles together for a very private conversation about their endless discussions on who is the greatest among them. Then, Jesus sets them straight as to how they can tell who is the greatest among themselves: it’s the one who serves! To top it all off, Jesus then calls a little child to himself, embraces the child and teaches them the lesson that they will reflect upon and later teach others for the rest of their lives. Whoever receives a little child in his name, receives Jesus’ himself and the One who sent Jesus to them in the first place, his Loving Father. So, this is not about them, their talents and their abilities, but about welcoming the other, no matter how improbable it may seem. Matthew 25 sums it up in this way: “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least of my brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

What a timely message for us who are Jesus’ disciples today. If we were to examine ourselves and our lives, we may find ourselves being more like the disciples and Apostles in this Gospel passage. How many times have we failed to understand what God is telling us? How many times do we bury the questions within us that can help us understand? How many times do we move from the important task of taking up our cross, to argue about who is the greatest among us? How many times do we fail to see Christ and the Father who sent us Christ in the children, the immigrants who cross our boarders, the refugees who are fleeing persecution and wars?

Let us remember Jesus’ words to his Apostles and meditate upon them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

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