Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

Reflection:

Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

“Who is the greatest in heaven?” the disciples ask Jesus in today’s gospel.  It is a question with which they seem almost obsessed.  The brothers James and John ask Jesus to sit in the greatness of his left and right in the kingdom (Mk 10:35-37).  In Matthew’s gospel, it is their mother who makes the request on their behalf (Mt 20:20.  Jesus responded with a powerful visual aid, a kind of living parable to drive home his point.  He placed a child in their midst and said: “…Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).

I do not think the disciples were ready for Jesus’ answer.  I am not sure we are either.  We hear Jesus’ words and at once think of our innocent, trusting children who love us unconditionally.  Jesus obviously must be using children to show us how he wants us to be.  And why not interpret Jesus’ message this way?  Our culture places great importance on our children.  In the way we treat them, with love and protection, we show unmistakably that they hold high status within the fabric of family, society, and its institutions, such as education.  Such, however, was not the case in the first-century Jewish world.  Children – and women – held low social status.  They were subject to the authority of their male elders.

Remember those disturbing words in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fed the large crowd?  “Not counting women and children, there were about 5,000 men who ate” (Mt 14:21).  Women and children were among the thousands who followed Jesus, and whom he fed.  Nevertheless, they did not count – at least not in the view of the evangelist.  They were invisible, insignificant, inconsequential, the no-counts in a stubbornly patriarchal world.

Returning to the disciples’ question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Jesus hit them between the eyes with his shocking answer. “Turn and become like children.”  Turn, that is, repent (metanoia), be transformed, turn your eyes, your minds, and hearts, to see as God sees.  God sees these children, these women.  They are the greatest in the kingdom.  In a flashing moment of revelation, the young Mary, both child and woman, proclaimed that which Jesus taught his disciples.  “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly” (Lk 1:46-55).  This is Mary announcing the great reversal.  This is Jesus overturning our values like a clutter of tables in a temple.

Today’s culture still prefers to count a bad census, so to speak, refusing to or unable to recognize the unimportant, the invisible among us.  Jesus challenges his disciples – and us – to undergo a radical reorientation in how we view the kingdom right here on earth.  He calls us to reject the worldly views of greatness and importance, to humbly become like children, the insignificant by the world’s standards.  This is not a warm and cozy message Jesus gives us today.  He is blunt.  He hits us between the eyes.  Unless we turn, repent, and become like children, there is no entering the Kingdom of heaven.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

One of the hallmarks of COVID is the tendency to hoard things. I remember videos of people literally running through Costco the minute it opened up so they could fill their entire cart with toilet paper. Some people bought 8 packages of 12 rolls each – 96 rolls of toilet paper! Others hoarded Lysol, flour, pasta, or whatever they felt they must secure for themselves before someone else got it.

At the root of this behavior is an attitude of scarcity, which teaches that there’s only so much, and if I allow you to get some, there’s less for me. So I’d better get all of it that I can, even if I won’t use it in a year’s time and even if it means several other people can’t have any at all. Contrast that with an attitude of abundance, which says that even if there is a finite supply, there is enough for everyone. Your gain is not my loss. In fact, your gain is my gain, too. The entire world benefits when more people have what they need.

I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said that whoever loves their life in this world will  lose it, but whoever hates their life in this world will gain eternal life. He didn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy our lives, provide for our families, and love with all our hearts. Jesus certainly loved life – so much so that he was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton! But he doesn’t want us to cling to the things of this life, to grab whatever we can at another’s expense, to discriminate against anyone, or to strive for power and prestige. In fact, Jesus immediately continued this teaching by saying that we need to be servants of all, putting others before ourselves, and follow him.

What does that kind of discipleship look like? Whenever someone needed comfort, healing, care, or kindness, Jesus gave willingly and generously. When others were hungry, he shared his food and helped them multiply their food until all were filled. He never turned his back, told people they deserved their state in life, called them demeaning names, or judged them. He always looked for ways that he could personally make it better, and at the same time he called out the authorities and powers of the day for the ways they made it worse. He operated from an attitude of abundance, and was never concerned that if someone else gained something, he was diminished. He never looked at life as a win-lose proposition in which he made sure he was always winning. He looked instead for win-win, where everyone had what they needed and was treated with the dignity that we all deserve. He truly was a servant to all.

We are called to serve, not to cling. We have to speak up, act, and raise the bar in a world where so many people are lowering it. As the prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila speaks so well: Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people.

What can you do today to live out that call?

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 19:9a, 11-13a
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-33

Reflection:

What Comes First? Finding God or Being Found by God?

A line from the Carmelite and poet, Jessica Powers, came to me as I read today’s readings, “We are of Love not hunters but the prey.” That does turn things around. A wolf or bear may be our prey the very day they are out hunting.

Elijah was the most powerful of prophets. Indestructible. One day he found himself the prey of Queen Jezebel and her soldiers. A new feeling for Elijah and one he did like: fear. He was ready to give up; he laid down to die. God sends him to the cave in the mountain, there he must have expected God’s power to come to help him. In the thunder, lightning and earthquake, nothing. The the gentle breeze makes God present. God asks, “Why are you here”, (implied, “It’s a work day”). Go Elijah, you have three anointings to do. Jezebel won’t catch Elijah, he was caught by God long ago. Elijah does learn again the surprise that God is the Hunter and he is the prey, and God will protect what he has already tamed (somewhat).

….And Peter, such a big jump from fishing all day to dealing with Jesus. One minute, fear of a ghost, then Jesus, of all things, walking on the water. Peter’s request fits the evening, and ‘fear’ fits his sinking. How quickly we sink stepping off a boat or the side of a swimming pool at the deep end. Quickly we are under water. Matthew shows us Jesus doing what God does in the Old Testament, only God walks the seas and calms the storms. We see in this event Peter’s willingness to go first and lead his friends. What a different gospel if Peter wasn’t afraid. Would the other eleven have followed him jumping the waves and running around the boat. Maybe the warning at the end of John’s gospel, that Peter would one day be lead where he did not want to go, was meant to give him courage when he would know the fear of being taken against his will? Poor Peter, he is at his best and having such a good time enjoying dinner with Cornelius and his pagan family. The Spirit is visibly at work, how can he not walk lightly over those uncharted seas of ecumenism? But of all people, Paul, would cage him for saying one thing and doing the other.

Elijah and Peter were hunters. They followed the scent of God and thought they knew what to do when they saw their prey. But when dealing with Love, Love is the hunter and we are the prey. And each time we are caught does God tame us a little bit more before releasing us again?

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 1:12-2:4
Matthew 17:14-20

Reflection:   

Today’s gospel is a story about faithlessness and faith.  But it begins way back in the Book of Deuteronomy.  There, a dying Moses tells the Israelites in his farewell discourse: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen…” (Deut 18:15-19).  In his gospel, Matthew takes those words to cast Jesus as that prophet, the new Moses who has come to deliver his people.

Chapter 17 in his gospel opens with the transfiguration of Jesus on a high mountain, where he took with him Peter, James and John.  There, from a cloud that covered the mountain, they heard a voice that thundered: “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.  Listen to him” (Mt 17:1-8).  That scene echoes the episode of Moses at Mount Sinai where he took three of his close associates with him up that high mountain (Ex 24:9), covered by God’s glory in a cloud, and who spoke to Moses (Ex. 24:16).

Today’s gospel reading in chapter 17 continues the Sinai parallels.  Jesus comes down the mountain and immediately runs into a demon-possessed boy, a distraught father and a bunch of hapless disciples’ helpless to heal the boy.  Jesus responds to this situation with the words: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?  How long will I endure you?” (Mt 17:17).  This, of course, recalls Moses coming down Mount Sinai to find the people worshipping the golden calf.  Moses rebuked the Israelites as a “perverse and crooked generation” (Deut 32:5).

Just as the Israelites showed little faith in the God who delivered them from Egyptian slavery, so too, the disciples showed little faith in God, even though Jesus early had given them authority over “unclean spirits” (Mt 10:1).

“To move mountains” is proverbial expression Jesus then uses to challenge his muddled, befuddled, and confused disciples – and us.  It is easier, more pleasant to experience a mountain-top faith than to return to our broken and doubt-ridden world and to exercise that faith.  Too often, that obstacle in our lives, which looks like the size of a high mountain, is just too much to overcome.  And so, we seize on our familiar and secure golden calves to somehow fix the problem.  That will never do.  That is the quick solution of a faithless generation, and it never works, never heals.

But, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, Jesus tells us.  The insurmountable can be accomplished by the infinitesimal.  Faith – even a small and fragile faith – has the power to unleash God’s healing grace in our lives.  That is what Jesus tells us.  And when we doubt his words, we are to listen to that thunderous cloud-covered, mountain-top voice: “Listen to him.”

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
Matthew 17:14-20

Reflection:

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise as I stiffened and began to plan my rebuttal. A Black retired educator and friend had just pointed out to me and some others attending the same meeting, that we came from “privileged” backgrounds and we needed to own that.

Luckily, I uncharacteristically kept quiet, listened and reflected on what my colleague was saying. After some further explanation on his part and discussion among those attending (all White, but him) I realized that he was right. I did come from a privileged background, and it was not one I did anything to earn. Maybe that’s what the theologians mean by grace. I further began to realize then, that privilege continues today. Some may see this privilege as merited or even more absurdly, earned, but I believe, put in its proper perspective, it is simply gift. The cross I am blessed with is the cross of ignorance that I must die on if I really want to live.

Despite a lifetime of formal and informal education, I still have much to learn. Most importantly, after the above incident as well as the intervening happenings of “Me too” “Black Lives Matter” and “LGBTQ” stories I’ve been privileged to hear, I am trying to recognize that everyone who comes into my life today, deserves those same advantages afforded me.

God, I pray for the grace to let go of my narrow views of what life is all about, and to open myself up to the wonders and beauty of your creation which every day is totally new and glorious. I desire your life.

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
Matthew 17”1-9

Reflection:

On this day 75 years ago, the relationship between the earth and humans changed forever. Men and women have lived on our planet about 200,000 years. During these 8,000 generations, with the exceptions of the last three, the forces of nature had directed and determined our relationship to our world.

With the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed between 129,000 and 226,000 of our brothers and sisters, most of whom were civilians, everything was irrevocably altered. We showed our full physical power to destroy, permanently, ourselves.

Today eight nations are stockpiling nearly 14,000 nuclear warheads, enough to obliterate multiple earths. Congress just passed funds to “modernize” our nuclear arsenal and treaties with Russia to curb the arsenal are being discarded.

How ironic that on this feast, celebrating the mystical experience of Peter, James and John with Jesus on a mountain when in deep prayer, that the very first destructive weapon was unleashed.

The Transfiguration recognizes the dignity of humans in our relationship with God and the unique role of Christ in this relationship. It was the turning point in Jesus’ life, setting him on the path to Jerusalem where he was to confront the deadly powers of evil. We are called to unity, to love for one another, to build a just world, to confront the powers of evil…all in imitation of Christ.

This is the reason Pope Francis decried, in 2017, not just the use of nuclear weapons, but even the possession of nuclear weapons. “The threat of their use as well as their very possession is to be firmly condemned,” the pope stated.

God is a God of life, not death. As God’s sons and daughters we are to be God’s presence on earth, fostering life.

Relying on nuclear weapons for security is blasphemy. The pope stated the existence of nuclear weapons creates a false sense of security that holds hostage international relations and stifles peaceful coexistence. Our security is found in God alone, not is warheads.

Do I really believe this? Is it reflected in my life everyday as I consider which candidate to support, what policies I endorse?

Starting in my home, workplace and marketplaces, am I life promoting? A Peacemaker? Merciful?

Taking time to reflect on the dramatic feast of the Transfiguration is more than remembering an event in the lives of the three apostles and Jesus. It is a time to reflect on our God-created dignity and the amazing love of our Creator for each of us. It is an occasion for my own mystical experience of God Almighty.

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

How do you determine if a person is trustworthy? Can you actually perceive another person’s determination? How long do you have to know somebody before you realize they are truly loyal?  Great friendships are built on honesty respect, acceptance, trust, sincerity, generosity, and probably 25 other important and key ingredients.  Why is this any different than our relationship with the Lord?   Another very important component is the element of time. Great relationships are also built over a long period of time.  This also is no different than our relationship with the Lord.

The beginnings of relationships don’t always have that luxury of time. Take for instance hiring someone for a job.  Finding that top-notched applicant not only requires a knowledge of the skill set, but a greater challenge is getting a handle on the intangibles mentioned above, namely the character of the person.  Both parties have little time to size up these intangibles.  Do you think it was any different in Jesus’ day?  As time goes on, more and more people would be telling stories about this man Jesus. Then, putting yourself in the story, what happens to you on the day he comes to your village? How much time would it take you to build trust in this person having only heard about him, though you have never met him?

I think about this in terms of some of the stories we’ve recently listened to from Matthew’s Gospel.  Specifically, today is that familiar story of the Canaanite woman. Like the others we have heard, this is a story of faith.  It is finding the determination within oneself to push the envelope.  This determination comes from within her. It is motivated with a voice which says, you Jesus, can do something about my daughter!  She is driven. Did you notice how this nameless woman pursues Jesus?  It’s not that their paths crossed haphazardly. She seeks him out.  Why? Because her daughter is tormented by a demon.   Secondly, she doesn’t allow religion to get in her way nor their differences in gender or culture.  These differences are not going to be an impediment.  She pursues Jesus because she knows he is a man of authority.  He has authority over unclean spirits.  Her daughter is tormented by a demon.  She calls upon the authority of Jesus to do something about her situation.

The media today easily focuses on how polarized and divided we are as a society and a human race.  We are divided politically, religiously, economically, educationally, let’s add to that categories of gender, race, language, location, age, music, and the list goes on.  Frequently, we use these categories to set ourselves apart from others, to put others down, or to justify ourselves.  There certainly were categories in Jesus’ day.  But human need and desperation has a way of breaking down the heavy stones of these categories, opening the doors to compassion.  Isn’t that what the Canaanite woman teaches us today?

As a Passionist, I’m always enlightened when I see suffering being redeemed.  And sometimes it’s in the form of this specific gospel story. An experience of human suffering forces one to let go of one’s stubbornness which leaves them persistently locked in their categories.  And finally free of that, one is capable of coming authentically to Jesus.

It seems to me we can learn a lot from this non-Jewish woman.  How do we approach Jesus out  of our need and not out of our agendas?   Moreover, if we want to build a lasting relationship with the Lord, it will never work if we are banging our personal gavels. The end result is a much tighter relationship with the Lord and a more authentic faith.  Putting down my agendas and my gavel means the only thing I have as I stand authentically before God are all those important and key ingredients for building relationship.  Behold, my true love of the LORD is authentic and I discover in new ways how God  cherishes life and delights in a level of spiritual maturity.

We see elements of this longevity even in today’s feast day.  As the church celebrates the dedication of St. Mary Major. It is the oldest church in the West dedicated to the honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It dates back to the fifth century. Roughly 1300 years later a dejected and disappointed young man would stand before the painting of Mary (which some attribute to having been painted by St. Luke) and pour his heart out.  He would make a vow there before the icon to trust God’s inspiration by promoting the memory of the passion of Jesus and to work to gather companions for this purpose. His name, —St. Paul of the Cross.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the local superior of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Memorial of St. John Vianney

Scripture:

Jeremiah 30:1-2,12-15,18-22
Matthew 14:22-36

Reflection:

Discipleship, Hope, and Healing
…St. John Marie Vianney…

Today the Church calls us to a deeper sense of discipleship as we meet the serious challenges of today’s health and social pandemics.  The prophet Jeremiah, Jesus, and St. John Vianney team up to bolster our sense of discipleship.

The Scripture readings are dramatic.  Jeremiah is sent to witness hope to the people of Israel who had betrayed their faith and now faced serious military opposition; God reminds them “…you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”  We see Jesus preaching to multitudes in today’s selection from Matthew’s Gospel; He sends His disciples to the next ministry location as He pauses for prayer; while they boated there a fierce storm repeatedly rocked their boat – they were afraid!  Jesus comes towards them walking on the stormy waters; Peter tries to walk towards Jesus, but his lack of faith causes him to sink…and Jesus to snatch him from the water!  The result:  the disciples’ faith was strengthened, and Jesus continues to teach and heal.

We are called to a deeper faith.  We are to witness God’s healing love by our lives – in all our humanness.  Such was the case with the 19^th Century saint we celebrate today:  St. John Vianney.  A simple parish priest, he served God’s people in Ars, France.  Flowing from his intense spiritual life based on prayer and mortification, John Vianney regularly spent long hours sharing God’s love in the Sacrament of Reconciliation…ministering to thousands of penitents who at times travelled great distances to share a few moments celebrating God’s mercy, forgiveness and love  in the Sacrament.  God used John Vianney to prophetically witness to the transforming power of God’s love for people who need healing and hope.  In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him patron of priests and parish clergy worldwide…yes!

We are called to discipleship in a world in need of healing and hope on many levels.  We may not have the personal gifts of Jeremiah or John Vianney – yet as women and men of faith we are invited to make the most of our strengths and weaknesses.  A listening ear, a gentle smile (even from behind our facemasks!), a kind thought, a simple prayer, an encouraging word or deed of affirmation or forgiveness:  there is no limit to the hope and healing God can share through you and I.  May we and our world experience divine hope, healing, and love!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the Vocation Director for Holy Cross Province. He lives at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.