Daily Scripture

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
Mark 4:21-25

Reflection:

In John’s gospel, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  Then in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)  Which is it?

Both.  Jesus is like a candle giving light.  And we are like mirrors that reflect that light.  And the closer we get to Jesus, the source of light, the greater will be our reflection of his light.

That means the closer we get to Jesus, the deeper is our commitment to the Father’s will.  That means we stand up for truth, work for justice, and strive for peace.  That means we show hospitality, express compassion, and reach out to the poor and lonely.  That means we are forgiving and understanding.  That means that we do not tear down people, but rather build them up.  That means we love without counting the cost.  Like Jesus.

One evening the English essayist and author, John Ruskin, watched a lamplighter move slowly on a distant hill.  He was lighting lamps along the street.  When Ruskin noticed the trail of light that the lamplighter left behind, he commented to a friend, “There is what I mean by being a real Christian.  You can trace his course by the light he leaves burning.”

Let’s all sing out today, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:4 – 17
Mark 4:1 – 20

Reflection:

Hear this! A sower went out to sow. –Mark 4:3

We are in the midst of winter and I have recently received my favorite catalog from a rose grower. I love growing roses and have about eight bushes that I tend. I hope to add a couple more this spring. Digging in the dirt, pruning, mulching, feeding are all a part of nurturing a healthy bush. I look forward to the middle or end of February when it is time to prune back the bushes. March and April is time to feed the roses to bring them out of their winter slumber. If I have done those things correctly and the weather cooperates the blooming will begin its cycles. So much of rose gardening depends on these things. And when it all comes together the fruit of my labor are beautiful roses to share with my friends.

The Gospel for today is also about planting, pruning, feeding and nurturing. The parable of the Sower is more than about working the dirt. It is about caring for our soul. How do I nurture my soul? What do I plant? What do I prune away? How do I feed my soul? Just as a rose bush or most plants have cycles of growth, blooming and dormancy so do our souls. Jesus relates the seed the sower sows to the Word of God. The Word the Sacred Scriptures are a great source of food for our souls. In the Benedictine tradition, feeding on the Word of God is called Lectio Divina. This is taking time to read a scripture passage thoughtfully. This can be one from the daily readings or of your choosing. As you read the passage is there a word or phrase that catches your attention? Read it again. What word or phrase catches your attention? Read it a third time and then hold on to one word. Let it soak in like a gentle rain. This is feeding or nurturing your soul. This may also be done with music lyrics or instrumental music. Spiritual reading is another way to feed the soul. It takes me a while to get through a book I choose for spiritual reading because I stop when something catches my attention and I ponder that for a day or two before returning to the book I am reading.

Pruning the soul may not be as pleasant as feeding the soul but just as important. Cutting away or cutting out the dead rotting parts changes us just as it changes the shape of the bush. This soul pruning can be through Reconciliation, prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This also allows us to continue to grow into the person that God has created us to be. Resting is also part of the growing process. Taking time to rest our bodies in quiet or taking in nature in a gentle walk is good for the soul as well.

Jesus is the Master Gardener and taking time with him allows us to grow closer to him. Doing our soul work allows us to prepare ourselves for the Word of God to be planted in our hearts.

And as he sowed, some seed fell on . . . -Mark 4:3

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19
Mark 3:31-35

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church.  Thomas is probably best known for his theological work, the Summa Theologiae, an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching.  Because he was regarded as one of the greatest theologians and teachers of our church, he is most often associated with academics, schools and universities.  One of my favorite places on the campus of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, my alma mater, is the Thomas Aquinas Chapel.

There was another side of Aquinas that I suspect is less known about this famously acclaimed Doctor of the Church!  While he is best known as a great scholar, there are those close to him that have shared the personal story of Thomas.  He was a person of prayer, modest and a model of childlike simplicity and goodness. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was.  He suffered with the poor and needy and devoted his life to easing other’s pain and suffering.

In our gospel reading from Matthew, we read,

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
But whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

It seems this passage highlights the virtue of humility, the same virtue practiced by Thomas Aquinas. Near the end of his lifetime, Thomas Aquinas stopped writing after having a vision of the glory of God, claiming that ‘All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me.’  Maybe it would behoove us to step back and reflect on how we practice this virtue of humility and resolve to be less proud and more humble, more prayerful and simple and good.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, model of humility and goodness, pray for us!

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

Scripture:

2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10
Mark 3:22-30

Reflection:

There is so much power in forgiveness. If we carry our hurts and disappointments with us – those things that have driven us through fits of anger and depression – and relinquish ourselves to a life of unforgiveness, we have failed in our Christian journey. In forgiving we find joy, strength and most especially peace, and our hearts are enlightened with a spirit of love. Joy can then return to us once more.

Through our unforgiveness, we deny ourselves the grace to be and to do our best for others, as we strive to be as Christ to others. Don’t carry that unclean spirit – release yourself from the chains that keep you bound, separated from the love of Christ, and release the gifts that God has had planned for you all along, whatever those gifts may be.

Patty Masson resides in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 8:23-9:3
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Matthew 4:12-23

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for Sunday from Matthew (4:12-23), we hear the account of Jesus calling His first disciples: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. When we look at what happens, it boggles the mind. Jesus seems to simply walk by, stop, and say to them, “Come after me,” and they drop what they’re doing and follow Him right then and there!

Right before this, Matthew tells us that after John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus moves to Capernaum, and basically begins His public ministry, proclaiming as He goes, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For Matthew, this is a fulfillment of the prophecy that we hear in our first reading from Isaiah (8:23-9:3), about the restoration of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, where Capernaum was, and where we hear those beautiful words which we also hear at Christmas: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”

As I reflect on what seems to be two distinct parts of our Gospel reading, they come together when we reflect on our lives as disciples. What moved Peter and Andrew, James and John, to drop what they were doing and follow Jesus? Maybe they recognized in Him the light shining in the darkness.

For me, this gives a good description of the spiritual life and our development as disciples. The more and more we are willing to live in the light of Christ, the more we are able to drop the things and attitudes that get in the way, and the more we are able to serve God and each other. And the more we serve God and each other, the more we are able to walk in the light of Christ, and the process continues.

May we be able to see that there is light in the darkness and that we do not have to live in gloom. May we live in faith, and without hesitation let go of fear and resentment and despair, and follow Jesus in loving God and the entire world. May we help bring light into darkness and hope in the midst of gloom.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

1 Samuel 24:3-21
Mark 3:13-19

Reflection:

“He appointed twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach.” Mark 3:14

Discipleship is simply and lovingly described by Jesus as “being with Him” and to “proclaim” the Gospel. The first requirement is to be with Jesus.  I think it is a terrible problem if we try to do and proclaim the Gospel without a meaningful friendship with Jesus.

A relationship with Christ means a vigorous personal encounter with Him.  This deep friendship makes our faith a joyous loving experience!  The traditional name for this experience with the Lord is strongly attested to in Scripture and is called prayer.  The beautiful and most common word for prayer in the original Greek SS is pros-eu-cho-mai which means wishing of God for me and I for Him.  All prayer begins with God’s deep desire for me and in return my desire for Him.  The noun and verb for pros-eu-cho-mai is used 129 times in SS.  Besides, there are many other words for prayer in OT and NT!

Today we celebrate the feast of St Francis de Sales who greatly encouraged all to prayer.  Prayer means much more than asking God for things.  For him, it was a heartfelt meeting with Jesus which he called meditation. One of his famous quotes: “Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed. In prayer, more is accomplished by listening than by talking. Let us leave to God the decisions as to what shall be said.”  St John Chrysostom 1,600 years ago gave us the advice of a lifetime, “There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as his companions.”

As for preaching, this too is very important or discipleship.  It is much more than being a social worker as important as that is.  We are wise to remember there is no worse poverty than not to have Jesus! The most important thing that every human being needs in life is Jesus!  It is a disaster not to have Him in our lives.  Each of us needs to evangelize but according to our particular vocations.  If we truly love Jesus and His Church we will find our opportunities.  St John Chrysostom made this observation: “Hard indeed must be the heart of one who is not concerned about the salvation of another”!

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

Scripture:

1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7
Mark 3:7-12

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, crowds of people come to see Jesus, having heard about all the things He was doing. Mark tells us that “whenever unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down before him and shout. ‘You are the Son of God.’ He warned them sternly not to make him known.”

Why would Jesus not want to be made known like this? I think it has to do with what kind of relationship He wanted and still wants with people today. I think He might have reasoned that if people only related to Him in terms of what He could do for them, they would miss relating to Him as He is.

That’s still true for us. In our first reading from 1 Samuel, we hear the beginnings of Saul’s jealousy of David, even to the point of wanting to kill him. This jealousy eventually overtook Saul, and in a real way destroyed him. If we look at others and wonder why he has this or she has that, and we don’t, and wonder why God hasn’t blessed us that way, we lose sight of what Jesus did do for us on the Cross, and the unfathomable mystery of God’s love for us.

We can ask God for material or physical blessings, and we may or may not receive them, depending on how God wishes to answer our prayers, and give us what we need. But I do believe that when we ask for spiritual healing: healing from jealousy, from fear, from anxiety, from resentment, from despair, we will receive it.

May we not lose sight of what Jesus has done for us and what He continues to do for us. May we not be overtaken by jealousy or fear or anger, but instead put our trust in God and be at peace.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
Mark 3:1-6

Reflection:

“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Mark 3:4

Today, the Church is asking all of us to pray for the legal protection of Unborn Children. And the Scripture for today gives us two very familiar Scripture images to help us reflect upon this request for prayer. The first one is David verse Goliath. The second one is Jesus curing a person on the Sabbath while the Pharisees looked on. Both of these accounts from the Scriptures are worthy of our meditation and reflection. Prayer, after all, is what allows us to come close to God and helps us to experience the grace we need to live a life worthy of our calling as disciples of Jesus, children of God.

There are so many examples of the “David versus Goliath” story that we apply to everyday life. It is the story of the inexperienced young person going up against the giant and seasoned warrior. It is the story of God’s chosen one from a small country village going against the destructive rule of gigantic power. Oh, how we love this story. We may love it so well that we may forget its underlying truth as found in verses 37 and 39 of the reading: that God would be with David and David did not take the sword with him, the instrument of war. If God is with us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) So many times we rely on our own resources to overcome evils that surround us.

And the Gospel account builds upon this important instruction found in the first reading. It tells us how Jesus gave life, restored life and valued life over any human norm. We know that we do the good when new life emerges and healing takes place, regardless of the time and place. So, today, let us take a good look at how we value life and how we restore life, especially by how we live it and in what we say and do.

One of the surest ways that we can protect the Unborn Children is by creating a culture of justice and peace in our world, in other words, by creating a culture of life. For the vast majority of us, it is about being respectful of life and cultures and customs. It is about saying no to destructive instruments and behaviors. Every time we do something that dehumanizes another human being, young or old, we are failing to protect Unborn Children. This day is about doing something positive to bring about new life. And we begin with prayer.

There is an old saying that goes this way: “it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Let us bring light and life and love into the world around us. Let us all pray for all that is yet to be born within us.

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