Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the third Sunday in Advent, typically referred to as Gaudete Sunday. We see this reflected throughout our readings beginning with the final chapters of the book of Isaiah in the first reading. Also, today we hear about John the Baptist as he prepares the way for Jesus’ ministry. In the first reading, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” Isaiah 61:1, offers us a look at a very ancient prophecy during a time when the Hebrew people were liberated from Babylon by Cyrus of Persia. Upon returning home, they discovered Jerusalem had changed. It was not how they remembered, their dream of rebuilding the temple is stalled. They were still unable to worship God—in essence, they were still captive. Certainly, amid these Covid days, most of us feel captive in our homes as our landscape has changed dramatically.  Like the Hebrew people, we wonder, will life ever return to “normal.” This reading is a foreshadow of the coming of the anointed One, the focus of Advent. In Jesus, our joy, we see all those elements revealed, in Jesus, we see the Father’s Glory. We are close to welcoming Jesus among us—once again. He truly is driven by the Spirit of God.

We see the Spirit of God at work in the humility of John the Baptist by his declarative statements, “I am not the Christ.  I am a voice crying out in the desert.” Further, John offers that “he is among you, whom you do not recognize”…. Which is an interesting insight for us. Catholic teaching suggests that  we are fashioned in the imago Dei, then isn’t that true? We are all an image of Christ. We might ponder, how well do we respond to the Spirit of God at work in our lives?  

Mary understood the promise of liberation in her Magnificat suggesting that “my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” in our responsorial psalm. She recognizes the Spirit of God at work in her life and the life of the community. St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians offers us this challenge, “Rejoice always.” It’s a very simple recipe as outlined by St. Paul. “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God for you.”

Especially in this time of virus desolation, we could all use a little bit of joy. Our call in these readings is to rejoice, pay attention, to be ready, to always give thanks and trust that the “one who calls you is faithful, and he will accomplish it.” Whatever the Spirit of God calls forth in our lives, may we respond in faith so that Jesus may come again—in us. And may the Spirit of God protect all our healthcare workers and those suffering with Covid and their families. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection:

The writings of the prophets resonate so strongly in our hearts right now. Everyone I know is weary of the coronavirus with its isolation and separation, of the deep polarization that is tearing our country apart, and with hearing about the cruelty we humans can inflict on one another. As Jesus puts it, “the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent are taking it by force.” Of course, the “prosperity preachers” say that if you follow Jesus, God will shower you with wealth, happiness, long life, and all good things. But Jesus promised peril, persecution, and the sword, with fractured families and loved ones turning against each other. In this milieu, Jesus’ words ring truer than those preachers.

Yet, amid enough suffering and tragedy to lead anyone to despair, the prophets hold out a promise: God will always have the final word. Even when we go so far astray that God has reason to call us “worm Israel” and “maggot Jacob”, God remains faithful. That is the message of Advent. When all is dark, we wait for the light. When hope seems lost, it is only obscured from our view.     

The challenge is to change our hearts, attitudes, minds, and actions in ways that make us worthy of a better name and allow us to not only see but to spread that light. God can’t do it without us. So perhaps our task for the remaining two weeks of Advent is to examine whether what we have done in the first two weeks has gotten us any closer to that goal. In what ways have I softened my heart, truly listened? How have my actions protected those most vulnerable to COVID-19 so more people can live? What have I read that has opened my eyes to the pervasive and deepening suffering in our own country, and what have I done about it? Where have I most closely adhered to the teachings of Pope Francis and the Church that call for mercy, compassion, and inclusion and how can I align myself more closely to those teachings?

Christ is waiting to be born in you, in me, in our country, and in our world so the light can shine in the darkness. We need to change ourselves for that to happen. So, what are we waiting for? Time is short. Let’s act.

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:

Isaiah 40:25-31
Matthew 11:28-30

Reflection:

The Night Sky of Advent

This is the week of the Geminid meteorite shower, the most spectacular of the year. If the sky is clear on Sunday night two meteorites a minute may be seen streaking across the sky. Psalm 8 prays, ‘When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place – What is man that you should be mindful of him…you have made him little less than the angels’.

Isaias is moved by stars too, ’Lift up your eyes and see who has created these [stars]: He leads out their army and numbers them. By his great might and the power of his strength not one of them is missing!’

Isaias and Israel looked up at the stars from their places of exile; Juan Diego, whose feast we celebrate today, appreciated the creation that surrounded the Aztec peoples; and we share the awesome wonder for the Creator of the starry night. But we also share with them the shadows of Advent. We wait in darkness, we journey at night, walking not by light but in faith. 

The God who calls the stars by name, has chosen a people who knows God’s love as the faithful and tender love of a mother. We have hope as we look into the shadows of Advent. But the Aztec people, who suffered the destruction of their world, the disease and defeat brought by their conquerors, did not know the love story of Israel, nor did the of the missionaries capture their hearts. They knew God through creation. But in the day of Juan Diego the night sky of December was not hope and peace. If they saw the meteorites of Gemini they were fiery omens of destruction.

Our night journey this year is surrounded by unrest, shared convictions and values are questioned. We walk in Covid-Time. The shadows of Advent are the places in our lives and our shared world that await the light of our coming redeemer.

Can a shooting star be a sign of hope? If Juan Diego can gather a tilma full of roses in winter and never tire of telling everyone about the beautiful, gentle dark skinned woman who smiled as she called him ‘her little Juan’….If the wind made by the wings of a butterfly can affect a star, can we hold the suffering of our present moment before the Creator of the stars and pray today’s Scriptures in darkness?

The Lord does not grow weary. He gives strength to the fainting, for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger an fall, they that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and to grow faint.

Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-15, 20
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

Today we celebrate Mary’s immaculate conception. Mary was chosen by God to bear the Son of God, while free from the stain of original sin, from the moment of her own conception. Mary was uniquely qualified to carry Jesus in her womb. Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are all able to carry Jesus in our hearts. Let Mary’s obedience inspire us to give God our assent to bring Christ to the world. Bearing Christ to the world is not only the responsibility of Mary, but also every Christian’s responsibility too. We have an obligation to bear Christ into our lives and witness his life and resurrection and God’s saving plan to everyone we meet.

As Saint Paul wrote, “in him we were also chosen,” destined in accordance with God’s will (Ephesians 1:11). As Christians, we have accepted Jesus into our hearts and our lives, and we also receive Him in the Eucharist. We are all called and empowered to bring Christ into our world. May Mary’s example give us the confidence and courage to accept this call.

As a son, I think about how my mother felt when she bore me into this world. Did she herald my coming? Was she pleased by the life I lived? My mother went home to God, a few weeks ago, Amen. Her death has led me to contemplate on the many memories I have of her showing her love for God, for others and for me, and appreciating all that she had done for me in her life here on earth.  A mother’s love is unfailing and forever. Mary, knowing that she was to bear the Son of God, must have been overwhelmed with grace, disbelief, and honor. Not knowing what all of this meant, she still said yes, and put her life into the hands of God with faith.

What a blessing to be conceived without original sin. What a blessing to be chosen by God to bear his Son. What a blessing to be the vessel of Our Lord and Savior. What a blessing to have a soul that is full of the grace of God. Mary did not go about saying, look at me. Mary obeyed God, did everything for his glory, and the good of all mankind.  

Mary was selfless and holy, and it always starts with our parents. Her mother and father were considered saints also. They made sure the human part was well taken care of, so God could take care of the divine part. Jesus was human and at the same time divine. Saint Ann and Saint Joachim loved Mary first and prepared a perfect vessel for the delivery of a perfect son, in Jesus Christ.

We must too, go out in faith bearing witness to the life of Christ by our words, actions, and deeds, everywhere we go. We must proclaim God as the Father, Christ as the Son, and the love of the Holy Spirit as one. We must show everyone we meet what the foot of the cross looks like.

Deacon Peter Smith serves at St. Mary’s/Holy Family Parish in Alabama, a religion teacher at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham, and a member of our extended Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-10
Luke 5:17-26

Reflection:

Back in the early ‘60’s in a time before the Internet, when life seemed simpler and you actually had to use books to do research, we Passionist high school seminarians gathered in the auditorium/gym to sing-a-long with the Kingston Trio, or at least, our version of them with the likes of one of my classmates, Terry Double and two other seminarians whose faces I can see, but whose names completely escape me. Along with many other folk songs we’d sing the Merry Minuet written by Sheldon Harnick:

They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch.
And I don’t like anybody very much!

You might think that reading from today’s scripture selection where Isaiah tells us of all the great things we have to look forward to would be more appropriate for seminarians;

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song. (IS 35:1-2)

At least, Isaiah sounds more hopeful than Harnick’s lyrics above.

I guess it wasn’t much different for St. Ambrose whose feast we celebrate today. Ambrose found himself in a world wrangling with issues of Faith and dogma. The story goes in Wikipedia that St. Ambrose was good at bringing people together, building bridges as Jesus did for the paralytic in today’s gospel selection:

But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God. (LK 5:24-25)

I do find hope when I come together with others whether face to face or online that we will seek to find and share what we have in common rather than where we disagree. Hopefully we will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and St. Ambrose, building the world of Isaiah and not that of “The Merry Minuet”.

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
2 Peter 3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8

Reflection:

Are you weary of the Covid-19 pandemic, yearning for the relief a vaccine promises? I am.

When this scourge ends, I can’t wait to hug friends and relatives again, dine together without fear of contagion, travel for vacations and recycle my growing stash of masks.

A similar longing for a better way to live is front and center in the opening lines of today’s Gospel. The common people of Palestine, at the time of John the Baptist, were weary of imperial propaganda and oppression emanating from Rome. They wanted it to end and looked to young, charismatic leaders to restore a life they once had…free of cruel foreigners who worshiped emperors and elite Jewish leaders who compromised themselves in order to avoid Rome’s wrath while burdening the poor with trivial rule upon rule.

In these first lines of Mark’s succinct Gospel, the author uses the propaganda tag of the Roman empire…”gospel”… to shock the reader to attention. Everyone knew the word gospel announced military victories and new rulers. This Gospel is of Jesus Christ the Son of God…not the divine man Caesar.

As we read Mark throughout this new liturgical year, we notice every word, phase and anecdote is charged with meaning. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, but is unique in its descriptions of the role of Jesus and His message to upend the status quo and inaugurate the Reign of God on the earth.

So, as the Gospel begins, the author alerts us to a radical story about to unfold. The writer wants the readers to be as attentive as when the propaganda machine of Rome announces another conquest or another Caesar. It is a news bulletin delivered by a man noticeably outside the establishment, wearing camel hair and a leather belt, living in the wilderness on honey and locust.

John is on serious mission: to get people ready for an amazing transformation of everything familiar. It’s as if he is saying, “Your old, selfish, self-destructive, fearful ways must cease. This man, this ‘anointed leader,’ who I am introducing, will astound you and the world. So change now, and ritualize your change with a baptism of water by me, so you can be open to receive his mind-boggling message. This message is going to be so strong, it will radically change everything. But be warned. This good news at first might scare you. And it may well cost you your life.”

Indeed, it is a subversive message, aimed directly at Caesar and those abusing power in the Jewish social order. As one theologian has stated, these opening lines are “a declaration of war upon the political culture of the empire.”

For us living in the first quarter of the Twenty-first Century, can we permit ourselves to be re-awakened to the power of Jesus coming into our world? As Pope Francis encourages repeatedly, Christians must examine our lives in light of our loyalties. Do I worship idols? Is any project, achievement, possession, financial portfolio, amusement, drug or alcohol, sport or hobby or organization a false god to whom I devote excessive time and attention, neglecting what God asks of me?

Advent can be the time for the self-examination Pope Francis advises. Setting a quiet reflection period each day before Christmas can help us excise our idols and rededicate ourselves to living totally as God wants. This will usher in a joy and energy that withers our weariness…even in the middle of a pandemic. But be warned, it may also cost you your life.

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