Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

Reflection:

The Spanish saint, John of the Cross, was not an ordinary writer. He was a poet. Thousands of years before, in the Holy Land of the Old Testament, he might have chosen to pen psalms.

But today’s reading brought up Elijah, a prophet whose story was penned by others, not himself. This raises a fascinating question: if Elijah, a prominent figure, didn’t write his own story, why should we expect Jesus to have written a few things down?

Consider the historical context: Jesus lived in a world rich in written languages – Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Yet, he chose to convey his teachings orally. Most people were illiterate in his day; we should not be surprised that most American citizens were also illiterate in Thomas Jefferson’s day. Even today, illiteracy remains enormous around the world.

Much of the Bible endures from that powerful medium called the spoken word.

The spoken word has proven to bypass the barriers of time and distance and forges bonds among people. It’s more compelling than the written word in terms of tone, pace, body language, and emotions. It can be spontaneous, fluid, and adaptable to situations. It reaches people who may struggle with written text for physical reasons, not necessarily from a lack of education. And we know oral traditions have been the backbone of countless cultures for millennia. So, let’s think about how much it shapes our identities and values that we treasure today.

Elijah, Jesus, and countless other leaders chose the spoken word to leave their mark. Their words, passed down through generations by their followers, continue to inspire and transform. As we reflect on their legacy, let’s acknowledge the extraordinary power of the spoken word. This tool has shaped history and will continue for generations to come.

Jack Dermody is president of Share Our Gifts, Inc., a proactive group founded by Passionist Alumni to serve others; he is also editor of CrossRoads, the newsletter for the Passionist Alumni Association. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 48:17-19
Matthew 11:16-19

Reflection:

I’ll Live in You, if You Live in Me; Dance then, Wherever You May Be.

John Mogabgab, founding editor of Weaving, prays, “May the Lord of the Dance kindle in us a passion for the promenade of love that moves to the music of the new creation.”

The Advent image of the Dance appears in the gospel today in a negative way, ‘some played the flute for you, and you did not dance’. We can sway to the rhythm of Advent, redeem those who do not dance, and show them that the season of poinsettias is not for wall flowers! In fact Jessica powers in her poem “The Visitation Journey” may show us just that? “Love hurried forth to serve”, but this girl upon a donkey ‘has thoughts blown past her youth’. On her jolting donkey ‘she rides further and further into the truth. Mary’s not dancing. Mystery is moving deep within her. When the journey ends  John’s dance in Elizabeth’s womb greets Mary. Now Mary’s dance can begin for real.

We want to dance because of the One who danced in the morning when the world was begun, who danced in the moon, in the stars and the sun; who came down from heaven and danced on the earth, In Bethlehem he had is birth.

There is a story of a mean old shepherd living on a hill above Bethlehem. The Holy Family arrives in the darkness of night, and no one will open a door. The only light is a shepherd’s fire. He refuses to help Joseph but relents seeing that Joseph has nothing in which to carry the burning coals from the fire. Joseph says thanks and puts a few hand fulls in his mantel and rushes back to Mary. The shepherd follows. ‘What’s going on?’ he asks. Joseph truthfully answers, ‘If you cannot see what is going on, there is nothing I can tell you.” The shepherd sees a stable and a young mother with a newborn baby. She is shivering. Joseph’s fire has not yet warmed the place. The mean shepherd who has never been kind to anyone before is moved by a feeling he cannot describe. He takes off his coat, the warmest in Bethlehem full of wool. He lays it over Mary. At that instant he sees what he could not see before. What does he see? A stable packed with angels, from the hills around Bethlehem armies of angels march to pass the stable to see for themselves the baby Jesus. When they pass, they break ranks quickly making room for others, and the marching gives way to angelic dancing. The mean old shepherd stopped being mean. He always looks around the hills and remembers what he saw. His heart dances; a baby, dancing angels, the smile of that young woman.

Madeline L’Engle tells of a ‘Dance in the Desert’ when the caravan taking the Holy Family rests for the night. In the light of the campfire desert animals, and a dragon and unicorn, come before the child Jesus to dance for him. Mary stops one of the me who would kill a snake thinking to protect the child. But Jesus moves close to them, arms open, welcoming them and laughing at some of their awkwardness. Mary realizes their acts of reverence. The final dance ends with the unicorn laying her head in Mary’s lap.

During Advent let us dance because angels and saints among us dance to see the Savior; sinners among us dance because they see the love of mercy; and those who do not know Jesus, they will dance, because they will know the invitation to life.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Scripture:

Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Luke 1:26-38 or Luke 1:39-47

Reflection:

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”  But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 

                                      (Mary’s dialogue with the Angel) 

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  Then the angel departed from her.

She was an impoverished Jewish teenage girl who loved God and was betrothed to a young Jewish carpenter.  In the space of a few minutes of conversation with an angel she moved from being “greatly troubled” to accepting the will of God.  Also, in the space of those same few minutes, and her almost immediate acceptance of God’s will, she changed the future of humanity for all eternity.  What did she understand?  What did she not understand?  What did she ponder about this mystery in the ensuing days, weeks, months and years? 

Mary is quoted only five more times in the New Testament after the dialogue with the angel: twice during her visit with her pregnant cousin Elizabeth; once when the young Jesus was found in the temple; and twice at the wedding feast at Cana.  Yet we venerate her, not only for her response to the angel, but for her resilient participation in her Son’s ministry from His birth in Bethlehem, then throughout His entire life, including His passion, death and resurrection.  Isn’t hers a life to be modeled? 

The marvel of this wondrous virgin Mother of God is not only what we understand from scripture, but from what she has shared with us in the 43 reported apparitions that have occurred over the centuries.  Included in those is one to a peasant named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531.  Was Juan Diego’s surprise and disbelief of that first apparition similar to her own “greatly troubling” encounter with the angel?  Yet young Juan Diego, like Mary, said yes to the message that she gave him.  When Juan Diego, attending to his mortally ill uncle, missed the planned 4^th apparition with Mary by diverting his route three days later on December 12th, she intercepted him on his detour.  After explaining his reasoning for the deviation, Mary gently chided him “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”  Juan Diego’s uncle was healed, the Basilica that she had asked for was built, and is now the most visited Catholic shrine in the world, “Our Lady of Guadalupe” has been named the Patroness of the America’s and of the unborn, and Juan Diego was canonized on July 31, 2002, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City by Pope John Paul II.

Dearest mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, inspire me to say “yes” to God’s holy will as you and so many others have done over the centuries.

Bill Berger has had a life-long relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPP’s) in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

During Advent, the Prophet Isaiah takes center stage in the Old Testament. He is, in a real sense, the Advent Prophet. Today’s first reading is a lovely example of Advent preparation.

By way of background, the Book of Isaiah focuses on the Babylonian exile of the Jews, which began in 586 BC, when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, and enslaved the Jews for more than 50 years.

Isaiah had warned the Jews of God’s judgment if the people were to continue placing their trust in secular rulers rather than God. They continued to disobey. Consequently, Babylon became God’s instrument of punishment against Judah.

Chapters 40-55, (Second Isaiah), which are most quoted passages during Advent, include today’s reading. These are words of encouragement, meant to lift up the promise of redemption for a people experiencing their harsh judgment.

God, through Isaiah, inspires the dejected Jews to take heart. The end of their exile is near. “Those who wait for God will renew their strength and will mount up with wings like eagles (27-31)

These verses call the exile to faith in the midst of defeat and servitude.

“He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”

The day is coming when they will return home, home to Jerusalem.

We, too, as with the Jewish exiles, await the coming of the Lord. In fact, we look forward to three Advents — in the historical past, in the present, and the future.

The first coming is the one that happened more than 2,024 years ago in Bethlehem. The second Advent is the one for which we prepare our hearts and souls to receive the Lord now.

The third coming will take place at the end of the age, when God will call us home, in a new heaven and new earth

We are a people in the in between time, between the past and the future. Now is when we lift our voices to sing the Advent anthem — “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here.”

Now is the time for us to prepare for the coming through prayer, quiet reading and meditation on the Scriptures, and in silent, anticipatory contemplation.

And just as importantly, we are to prepare by caring for one another, lifting one another’s spirits and hope — as in the words of yesterday’s reading In Isaiah called us to do: “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says the Lord.”

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14

Reflection:

My recent retreat experience happened to coincide with reading a powerful book (I highly recommend Richard Gaillardetz’ While I Breathe, I Hope: A Mystagogy of Dying). Theycombined to challenge me to look at all the ways I identify myself and see how many of them will die when I die.

As scripture tells us: “All flesh is grass, and all their glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts.” Does that mean the grass and flowers are not magnificent and life-giving? Of course not. They are good and necessary, but they aren’t eternal. As we entered fall, I watched as the grass gave up its green color, the flowers faded away, and the magnificently colored leaves fell to the ground in brown piles.

Likewise, my earthly life will end. My body will wither and fade away. My accomplishments will slide into the past. My life and love will remain within those I love as memories (hopefully fond, helpful ones!) Yet all of my possessions, accomplishments, outer appearance, and roles will die.

When I cling too much to my self-identity, even my identification as a loving and healing person, I can get offended, hurt, and angry when someone challenges or denies that identity. When I cling too much to my accomplishments, I get discouraged when someone else accomplishes more or else I assume I’m not worthy of love unless my accomplishments top the heap. When I cling too much to my bodily appearance or believe I must meet a certain standard of beauty, I am embarrassed by my increasingly sagging skin, ever-forming wrinkles, grey hairs, and changes that age brings.

It’s human nature to want to carefully craft one’s identity in the world, insist that everyone else agree with that identity, and hang onto it tightly. But it will all die when I die. What will not die? The radiant core of my true identity – my identity with Christ in God – the Spirit living inside of me – the little slice of the Divine that incarnated itself in my fleshy body – the eternal love that sets me free. In other words, what we call the soul. That’s the only thing that ultimately lasts.

So, this Advent, my focus is the incarnation – both the wondrous incarnation of the eternal God in the person of Jesus, and also God’s in-dwelling presence within me. I’m trying to let go of my deep attachment to the externals of myself and my life. I’m trying to spend at least as much attention on my inner being, my soul, and my identity in God as I spend on the external things that will die when I die.

What about you? With what external aspects of your body and life are you too deeply attached? To what do you cling even though it will die when you die? How can you re-focus your prime attention so you can give more of yourself to the things that last, to your eternal soul and your identity with Christ in God? If we can all do that, God’s love is free to shine through us into this world. Then we, too, can lives as Jesus did and participate in bringing the Reign of God to this earth.

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/.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Mary, Conceived Without Sin, Pray for Us Who Have Recourse to Thee

Have you ever felt your daily world was just not meshing with the world around you?

I walked through crowded downtown Manhattan this Advent day. The streets are crowded with holiday shoppers and explorers. I knew my world was different. Everyone was stopping to talk, admiring this or that, laughing. I was on a mission and being greatly delayed. No straight paths that Isaias promised to speed us along.

I am grieving with a dear friend whose baby was due three days ago, but a month before being born the baby died. He was beautiful, perfectly formed and ready to live, but no. Now all the things of Advent that she could identify with – the waiting and good anticipation, hopes and so, so much more, will not come to pass. There is the world of Advent so beautiful that promises our darkness will be overcome. For my friend who grieves there is only darkness, a world made even darker by failed promises.

We celebrate the Immaculate Conception today. This may be ‘Push Over Mary Monday’, but the beautiful readings for this second Monday of Advent remind us that Mary shares with Jesus this work of Salvation. There could be no better readings than those of this Advent day to accompany the ones for the Immaculate Conception.

Isaias says the deadest desert will provide the most beautiful bouquets. From what we dread, even our cherished neuroses that friends cannot cure, we will find comfort, joy and gladness, sorrow will flee. We will know the impossible is possible with God.

And the hope of a paralyzed friend whom we carry pushes us to new heights of creativity, or at least to the rooftop of the house where Jesus preaches. How could we have done such a thing? When it was over, we five, sat and laughed ourselves silly from the miracle we were part of. Even our promise and plans to repair a damaged roof made us laugh all the more.

Mary is our new Eve. Our first Eve and Adam were just like you and I. The apple doesn’t fall from the tree. So, then we are also just like them. All that God made was good, of course. Only Eve and Adam didn’t do what Mary did. Mary said, “I am yours, Lord. I will do anything for you. I say, ‘yes’. May I do what you desire’”. Mary is so pure. Mary is created without that inherited likeness to Eve. She is given the same opportunity as Eve – sinless and new – a daughter of Eve by God’s gift is sinless. And Mary will say, “Yes, your will be done”. How Eve must have cried for joy after sharing her tears for every other daughter who followed their first mother, placing themselves as more important when it came to saying ‘your will be done’. Some made Eve proud, given the family history, but none could do it on their own. And Mary, pure without sin, is one with her Son on Calvary, united with that openness to the Father’s will. Jesus one with Mary, the Word made flesh; Mary one with Jesus doing the Father’s will.

Your ‘yes’ is light in our world. We need a savior, and your ‘yes’ has brought Jesus into our world. Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6

Reflection:

For the Second Sunday of Advent, our Gospel reading introduces us to John the Baptist. In our Gospel reading for this Sunday (Luke 3:1-6), Luke tells us that “the word of God came to John,” and that he “went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Why did John preach repentance to “prepare the way of the Lord?” One way to look at it would be to scare the people to get right with God before the Messiah comes, especially if you think of the Messiah as some kind of avenging angel. But another way to look at it might be to consider that the way we really open our hearts to God is to acknowledge our own sinfulness and woundedness. When we are convinced of our own righteousness, or in denial about our need for healing, we actually wind up shutting Jesus out instead of letting Him into our hearts and lives.

To acknowledge our need for repentance does not mean we sink into shame and despair about ourselves. Instead, we turn back to God who can heal us. I love these words from our first reading from Baruch: “For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground.” God loves us so much to want to bring down the “lofty mountains” of defense that we put up to protect us from feeling vulnerable. He so wants to heal the “age-old” wounds which we may have been carrying for much too long!

Dare we live in hope? Dare we open our hearts and “make straight” the way for Jesus to come in and heal us? Dare we let God, in the words of our second reading from Philippians (1:4-6, 8-11), “complete” the “good work” begun in us and through us?

And moving outward from ourselves, would we dare to let God bring down those “lofty mountains” we have created between those we consider “us” and those we consider “them?” would we dare let the love of God in Jesus Christ heal the “age-old depths and gorges” of hate and fear and greed?

Again, in the words of our second reading; may our love “increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value,” so that we “may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…” May we live for the day, in the words of Isaiah, when “the winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

Reflection:

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

There I was, twenty years old, going to college largely due to the financial and moral support of two neighbors who we as children growing up called Aunt Jerry and Uncle Tom, when I got a call from another supporter, Fr. Joe. Fr. Joe was just assigned to Immaculate Conception (IC), the local Passionists’ Parish. Our friendship went back to my seventh grade at IC. He was Confrater Joe then, a major seminarian at the Monastery to which IC was attached. We got to know each other through the John Bosco Club, a club somewhat like The Boys and Girls Clubs that are prevalent today.

Anyway, now Fr. Joe was calling me to ask if I would be willing to teach a High School CCD class starting next Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm. I objected, saying I didn’t know anything about teaching catechism. Fr. Joe replied: “That’s ok. I don’t know anything about running a high school catechism program, but we have 200 high school students coming next Tuesday, and I need someone to take 20 of them.” I said okay, and prayed for the best, as I’m sure Fr. Joe did then as well.

That gift (there was no recompense) of my time lasted many years. In fact, many more years than Fr. Joe remained at IC. Today, sixty years later, many of the friendships I made then are still with me today. Just as important, that agreeing to volunteer led to a lifetime vocation – teaching that I ran away from screaming: “It doesn’t pay!” In truth, it paid many more times than any dollar and cents salary could have paid.

God, thank you for the many people in my life who have freely served me and helped me grow. Please help me see Your gifts not in dollars and cents. As important as those things are in our world today, what I believe is much more important is the opportunities to serve and love You, one day at a time by serving and loving the people (gifts) You put in my life today.

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