Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Joshua 24:14-29
Matthew 19:13-15

Reflection:

Recently I heard a recording from a Fr. Richard Rohr presentation called the “Beginners Mind”. It reminded me of how a child reacts to the world. When we arrive in a room with small children, the child looks for the adult with a smile, the one who is open and friendly—the simple detective work of one hunting and searching for love.

Children detect hostility, unfriendliness, and those who are unauthentic in a way that is beyond words. Their agenda is simple; there is no agenda. There is no duality in their thinking, just looking for the one who is most friendly, open, and willing to love. Come play with me is mostly present in their eyes.  

How much of this can we learn again in our relationship with God. How many have fallen prey to following the tradition rather than the love? Our Catholic tradition without love is meaningless. Particularly if we start to “preach” tradition in a way that divides us from others rather than unites us in the community of God; the Body of Christ. The Church universal.

We sometimes need a reminder the word Catholic means universal. For us this is universal love, and there is nowhere we can feel and hear that word more soundly than in love expressed by a child. A child cannot fend for themselves; they survive only with love. So do I. Without love, I am nothing, just someone looking for a cave to dwell in with a warm fire and a loving friend.

The loving friend we seek is the same one the child in the room opens their heart towards. The love expressed by the adult in the room is filled with the grace of God. And one willing to communicate it freely, willingly with the smile which requires no repayment. Just gift. Pure gift.

Let us return to the “Beginners Mind”, let us unlearn the prejudices and offer ourselves openly to listen to others, even offer love to those we dislike, without scowls or pretense. The child in us all brings us back to the Beginners Mind, when we did not judge, but loved.

And sat silently on the floor waiting for God to come and play with us. Forever.

BE READY LIKE A CHILD

Be ready like a child,

For learning is simple when we accept
For belief with a child’s mind
is like simple addition.

The result is pure and right.

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Gospel of Matthew

Reflection, Photograph and Poem by Michael Cunningham, OFS, the Director and CEO of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Joshua 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17
Matthew 18:21-19:1

Reflection:

The goal of this reflection is to deepen our commitment to daily prayer in contemplation with Christ, and our commitment to eternal life through our merciful acts towards others, especially the stranger.

“When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.” Joshua is profoundly aware of the universal implications of the “Chosen People crossing into the Promised Land.” A foretaste of our Salvation! He desires that this event is sealed in their hearts. Never forgotten. The implications of this event would take us into the next life…the final crossing of the Jordan.

“Stand still.”

 That is what we are encouraged to do each day in prayer.

“Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” I ask myself the question, do I take the voice of God seriously, and do I deliberately pay attention?

If possible, the next time you are around the Table of the Lord, bring to mind this thought. If you are the Body and a member of Christ’s Body, your own mystery is placed on the table of the Lord – You receive your own mystery. That is, “Your intimate, unique relationship with God and all that God has in store for you according to God’s Will.”

To encounter the multifaceted Body of Christ, as something immediate and visible in our lives, we accept our daily occurrences and encounters with people as what I call “graced reality.”

Prayer is always an encounter with mystery. The Lord is there, in the heart of our Church working its way to Eternal Life, through our “merciful activity.”

Always, “stand still” in God’s presence, in order to know what God asks of you according to God’s Mercy. Expect the unexpected.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
John 12:24-26

Reflection:

As children, we are all taught to share. It’s one of the hardest lessons for young kids to learn, especially when they really want to keep the requested item. For instance, when my grandson is asked to share a certain set of toys, he frequently offers a totally different (and usually unacceptable) toy that he doesn’t want, so he can keep the desired ones all to himself. “Mine!” is the cry of the child.

Have we really outgrown that impulse? So much of the message of Jesus, and indeed of all scripture, is about generous, big-hearted, selfless giving. But what a challenge! Even as an adult, it’s easy to give or to share when I have more than enough for myself or when I don’t much care about the requested item. What about when I have to sacrifice something I want in order to give it to someone else? Too often, my inner toddler comes out and I suggest other alternatives or try to finagle my way into getting to keep what I want. If I simply must give something up, I am not the “cheerful giver” that God loves; I give with resignation or downright resentment. Then I am tempted to keep track of who gave what and when, so in the future, I can call in the favor and balance the scales.

Interestingly, despite that difficulty with physical giving, on the emotional side I’ve frequently been known to “over-give”. I want to make others happy or I want to be liked or I want to uphold my treasured image as a good person, so I sacrifice myself to such a degree that I have nothing left – no energy, no strength, no reserves. When I am so depleted, I am not a cheerful giver nor an effective one. It is just as unhealthy and un-Christian as the refusal to give in the first place, although it is often harder to discern because it seems so virtuous.

How can we achieve balance on both ends of the spectrum? We need to adopt the heart of Christ. We need to pray and allow God to transform our hearts into God’s own, to join our will to the will of God. Remember, Jesus didn’t cling to possessions, people, or even life itself. Yet he didn’t over-give either; he took care of himself as the valued son of God. I am slowly and sometimes painfully learning to give generously and cheerfully both physically and emotionally, and yet to respect the dignity and value I have as God’s beloved child by also generously and cheerfully tending to my own needs. I still find the latter more difficult, but I’m learning.

What about you? Have you sacrificed too much of yourself and left yourself depleted? What are you doing to ensure you have the strength and resources you need to serve God and others well? Let’s work together to give with open arms and hearts, while also allowing ourselves rest and replenishment so we can continue the journey.  

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 Kings 19:4-8
Ephesians 4:30-5:2
John 6:41-51

Reflection:

The background to our first Scripture reading for this Sunday (1 Kings 19:4-8), is that it takes place after the prophet Elijah has demonstrated to the Israelites that God, not Baal, is the true God. But since the prophets of Baal were killed, the queen Jezebel seeks revenge, and Elijah flees for his life. Because he has not won over the people like he thought, Elijah considers himself a failure, and asks God to take his life, and falls asleep. But God chooses not to take his life, and instead sends an angel to tell Elijah to get up and eat. Elijah does just that, but lays down again. This time the angel says, “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you.” Elijah gets up and eats, and “strengthened by that food,” starts out on a journey to “the mountain of God, Horeb.”

To reflect on food giving strength for the journey is a good way, I think, to look at our Gospel reading from John (6:41-51). As we continue listening to the “Bread of Life” discourse, Jesus keeps referring to Himself as “the bread of life.” He says: “Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Jesus is referring to the sacrifice He will make for our salvation. Later on, the references will be more Eucharistic, but right now, Jesus is trying to get the people to understand who He is for them.

This sacrifice of Jesus demonstrates the incredible love and mercy and grace of God poured out for us. In giving of Himself, Jesus is the food that strengthens us. But strengthens us for what?

I think we find an answer in our second reading (Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2). St. Paul writes: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” It seems that today “fury,” “shouting and reviling” are seen as signs of strength and fortitude. But are they really? It seems to me that it takes inner strength to be forgiving in a non-forgiving world. Not to say there might not be a place for anger. This is something I read in some Twelve Step literature: “Often, we can only do that [not perpetually being victims] by giving ourselves permission to vent anger as an affirmation of self-worth, and not a contradiction of all we have been taught about being tolerant, forgiving and peace-loving. It is possible to hate the deed but to forgive the doer. We have the right to … be angry at people for their aggressive, hurtful acts, while being ready to forgive them as people who need love as much as we do.”

The sacrifice and love of Jesus strengthens us for the journey towards justice, reconciliation, and peace. Sometimes it seems like too long of a journey, but like Elijah, may we turn from despair, and strengthened by God’s love in Jesus Christ, continue the journey towards the kingdom.

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

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:4-13
Matthew 17:14-20

Reflection:

…Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.

-Matthew 17:20

Despite the fact that my mother died in 1956, (I was ten years old) I can still hear her saying: “Nothing is impossible”. That voice and assurance has made for a nice adventurous life for me. You see, I actually believed her then and still do today. I guess it helps to have grown up hearing John F. Kennedy spurred on by the Soviet Union’s unmanned moon landing in 1959, saying: “We (the United States) choose to go to the moon!” That was a dream in 1962. Then in 1969 I witnessed Neil Armstrong’s step off Apollo 11 Lunar Module onto the moon famously saying: “That’s one small step for man…”. Or (and this one blows my mind) hearing that we would one day be able to “see” the person we are talking to on the phone. Phones looked much different in the 1950’s, and my imagination saw pictures coming from the “dial” face of the corded landline rotary dial phones then.

I don’t need the Soviet Union, China or any other national power to challenge me today. I look around my world and see many “impossible” dreams that still need realizing. Two dreams come to mind. The first is the movement of the mountain blocking individuals to learning. That mountain consists of many fallacies, but two I believe I can do something about are: 1) you must go to school building to learn; 2) “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. The second mountain that I believe needs moving is the axiom that learners should be grouped homogenously, i.e. rich people with rich people, accomplished persons with other accomplished persons.

God give me the faith to keep dreaming and doing my little part to make this world a better place for all of its inhabitants.

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.  

Feast of the Transfiguration

Scripture:

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
2 Peter 1:16-19
Mark 9:2-10

Reflection:

At exactly 8:15 in the morning, Japanese time, on August 6, 1945, everything changed forever.

At that moment the bombardier on an American B-29 plane unloaded a weapon more destructive than any in the previous 200,000 years of human existence.

With the unleashing of the first A-bomb, more than 100,000 Japanese lives were instantly obliterated.

But more than the tragic deaths, the event at Hiroshima altered forever how we humans understand what we can do to each other and to our fragile planet. We, the only rational beings on this orb floating in lonely space, now know we forever hold the ability to destroy all life…microorganisms, sea creatures, trees, butterflies, domestic and wild animals, and every man, woman and child.

Never before had people known the immense power they hold to produce evil.

Now, despite 76 years to reflect on our potency and curb it, we have still failed to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Six popes have pleaded for nuclear disarmament, yet it remains an idealistic fantasy in the minds of political leaders. The strongest calls for laying down these weapons have come from Pope Francis, who asks all nations to abandon the insanity of deterrence by nuclear buildup.

What our Catholic leaders have preached is more than the destruction of these idols of death. The more radical message they offer is that, as much evil unleashed in a nuclear weapon, there is an even greater capacity of humans for good.

The Providential communiqué on this feast could not be clearer: the evil of Hiroshima is the extreme opposite of the event the universal Church celebrates on August 6 every year. At the Transfiguration, God the Father let the lead apostles glimpse the authority, power and transformation in the life of Jesus. But the peek at the glory of Jesus was but a foretaste of what His disciples themselves would be.  We, Jesus’ followers, are capable of doing good deeds beyond what even Jesus Himself did. We are charged with transforming our world from fear, hatred, divisions, destruction of one another and the earth into a world as God wants: peaceful, flourishing, fully alive in love.

Our work is serious and may cause suffering, setbacks, disappointment and even death. But, in doing our part in our spot on the earth we are assured of being united with the efforts of billions of good people around the globe, filled with grace, moving toward unity with each other and God for good.

What is your job today in this universal effort?

Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.