Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 John 5:5-13
Luke 5:12-16

Reflection:

We are coming to the end of an entire liturgical season in which we celebrate the incarnation. There are so many layers to this that we can’t possibly explore them all. Perhaps because of that, it is easy to miss some of the most basic lessons.

For instance, words matter. Just as God’s words of creation took flesh in light, stars, seas, dry land, animals and humans, and just as the very Word of God became flesh here on earth, our words also take on flesh.  Unfortunately, sometimes the words of bullies take on flesh with disastrous results, even suicides, of those bullied. Other times a word of healing or compassion actually brings healing and compassion. Words of hope actually bring hope. The way we talk to ourselves, the way we talk to and about others, the way we talk to and about God – it all matters.

And it will continue to matter long after the Christmas season is over. Words are important. So how can I help the Word to continually become flesh in my own words and actions?

Especially in a toxic atmosphere of insults, degradation, and vilification, I need to resist the impulse to hit back verbally, to insult, demean, or disrespect any person (or any entire class of people). I need to pray for the strength to imitate Jesus in standing up for others when they are being insulted or disrespected, even at cost to myself. I need to be a disciple that brings God’s healing power to bear in every interaction. I need to meet, talk with, learn from, and befriend those who are of different races, cultures, economic status, and backgrounds than mine so I can hear the word that God speaks to them and expand my perspectives. I need to be a transparent instrument of the Word become flesh.

Wow, this is hard! It’s much easier to concentrate on the tree, the food, the gifts, and the parties. But that is not the heart of what Christmas is about, nor the message of Epiphany (which means “showing”). We must go much farther and do much more in order to fulfill this mission of discipleship. And because it is indeed so hard, we need each other, so that as a community we can challenge, support, and hold each other accountable in the work of the reign of God. We need prayer and deep reliance on the Christ who is embodied within each of us. We need open eyes, courageous mouths, soft hearts, and unafraid wills.

This is the vision placed before us during this season and throughout the year. As you put away the decorations and sigh over the gained weight, can you refuse to put away the challenge? Can you join me in committing yourself today, in the present, to diligence in becoming a transparent mouthpiece of the Word made flesh? God needs your voice, your actions, your words. Let’s refuse to let the Word be silenced just because Christmas is over.

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 John 4:19-5:4
Luke 4:14-22a

Reflection:

There May Yet Be a Gift to Discover?

The trail of the Magi is still fresh. We are happy for the Holy Family that they received such good gifts. We all love gifts!

The Chosen People are gifted, indeed ‘chosen’. They are light-bearers, a city upon a hill whose light would attract all nations. In salvation history Isaias the prophet told Israel that the day would come when the gentiles would take hold of the garments of the Jews and be led by them to God. Israel not only received such a gift but were blessed with the joy of being gift bearers. We also love giving joy and gifts!

At Christmas this year an Orthodox nun from Belarus stopped by our monastery to pass a few hours as she awaited a connecting flight to take her home. As we walked through the monastery she quietly told me that she liked her icons more than the type of art on our walls. I know that she has a sensitivity to the depth of meaning in an Icon that I do not appreciate. Even in teasing her that she was enjoying the best of both worlds, a Christmas celebration and then her Epiphany celebration, I knew I could not appreciate her depth of joy for all the meaning of the Epiphany. It is hard for me to see the gift of God’s love revealed to all the nations and celebrated in the Epiphany as being a greater celebration than Jesus’ birth. I can easily include what the Epiphany celebrates in Jesus’ birth.

But Matthew, whose gospel gives us the visit of the Magi, writes for a Jewish audience and underlines how universal is the gift at the end of the gospel when Jesus tells those who gather at the Ascension to go even to the ends of the earth to tell the Good News to all peoples. So, Matthew is stressing this universal gift. He must have a reason for doing so. It is not a given. He is saying, ‘some with the gift may be holding back, not unlike such a temptation any of us might feel having fallen in love with a particular gift we are going to surrender. Be honest, it’s not only the little kids who have that problem, right?’

In Nazareth, the joy of the gift will turn to a bit of anger in the next sentence just beyond today’s gospel. Some don’t want to share their gift.

I am fascinated by my Orthodox friend who has a deep awareness that God shares with all the gift given to Israel. St. Paul will say that the Chosen People would always be chosen in their role of revealing the gift of God to the world, but he gives up trying to explain the mystery of how God’s love unfolds! But Jesus is the Messiah for whom Israel waited and all the world unknowingly longed, and in whose coming creation is graced. Some would put brakes on the generous giving of God’s love to all. Some take it for granted, and some focus on it with profound joy and awareness.

Where are we on the gift-giving/receiving spectrum? Do we express thanks? Do we like to share our new treasures? Does the gift unite me to the giver more joyfully or intimately? Will it be a gift we always remember, and even one that whets our appetite, makes us wonder or even long about the possibilities of the next one to come?

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

Scripture:

John 4: 11-18
Mark 6: 45-52

Reflection:

Take Courage and Do Not Be Afraid

The secret of the spiritual life consists in this: that we try, with a spirit of faith and with sincerity of heart, to unite ourselves to God in the midst of all the vicissitudes of life. The important thing is that we withdraw our interior life from that region where the changes and fluctuations of this world shake and disturb it, and place it in that serene region where there are no vacillations, but only stability and peace. Thus, the Church petitions in one of her prayers: “That, amid the changing things of this world, our hearts may be set where true joy is found.”

Our life is so complex! So very many elements enter into it! We are affected by everything, even by the weather: cold, heat, cloudy days. Hence, with greater reason do these various states of our soul affect our being. Again, I say, this is the reason our life is so complex.

The long biblical tradition, echoed by Saint John in today’s first reading, said that no one could look upon the face of God and live. Yet in the human face of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made flesh for our salvation, we have seen the true face of God’s unimaginable love.

The Infant Jesus cannot yet speak, yet when the day comes that he can, no force of nature will prevent him from coming to us. Even when we are tossed about by the storms in our lives, we are reassured by his words, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” As we “acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God,” the love that sends him over the water to us is brought to perfection in us.

Let us learn how to guard our treasure equally well at midnight and at high noon, whether the tempest is unleashed, or the sun shines brilliantly in a cloudless sky.  (Servant of God Luis Maria Martinez) God is for us refuge and strength: let us come before him with songs of praise.

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:

1 John 4:7-10
Mark 6:34-44

Reflection:

“In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.” (1 John 4:9)

I must confess, that when I read the above passage, I don’t get very excited. I don’t feel affirmed or want to change my way of living. Maybe I’ve heard it too often, I don’t know.

Last Friday after wrangling with myself for some time, and realizing I really had nothing better to do, I decided to see “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” a Sony Pictures movie currently at the theaters telling the story of Fred Rogers. I didn’t think I’d learn anything new or get any new insights into Fred Rogers. While I’ve never watched him on TV, I’ve heard and read much about him over the years.

Wow! What a surprise when I found myself crying and being moved watching Tom Hanks (Fred) bring to life Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) a writer for Esquire who in some ways resembled my own life’s experience. I left the theater, grateful that the Spirit moved me to go and experience this, yet another take on a person some might call a saint. Actually, Vogel suggests this to Roger’s wife, (Susan Kelechi Watson) who responds: “Please don’t do that.” She insists he is just like you and me, and if we want, we can live our lives just like him. What a challenge, to live my life just like Fred Rogers.

Maybe I can substitute “Fred” for “his only-begotten Son” in this passage. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent Fred Rogers into the world so that we might have life.

I hope and pray that when I’m gone people will be able to say: “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent Dan into the world so that we might have life.

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

Scripture:

1 John 3:22-4:6
Matthew 4:12, 17, 23-25

Reflection:

We live in a world of instant reactions. A Facebook, Instagram, or Tweet is posted and, with questionable forethought, people respond, often with unflattering or hurtful words.

Recently, while driving to our Grandmother’s childhood home deep in the Kentucky countryside, I noticed a young man emerging from a dilapidated trailer home. Someone riding in our car blurted to us, “Meth Head,” meaning the man was a methamphetamine addict.

This derogatory judgment startled me. I thought, “How could anyone be quick to pigeon hole a man they did not even know? Could he not be living life with cancer? Is a family member ill and demanding his time and attention? Or, if he was an addict, isn’t that a disease?

But upon deeper reflection, I realize that there are times I am quick to categorize, criticize and castigate a fellow human with minimal knowledge about their history or life circumstances.

Pope Francis, in his remarkable Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, notes how destructive such quick assessments can be: “Detraction and calumny are acts of terrorism: a bomb is thrown and the attacker walks away, calm and contented.”

Quick judgments can be the work of the “spirit of the antichrist…the spirit of deceit,” in St. John’s words in today’s first reading.

In our prayerful, quiet times with God, we are given the grace to reflect on how these spirits work in our minds, how they pull us far from God and divide us from one another.

In his remarkable Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola writes in-depth on the discernment of spirits. To listen to God in our lives requires the discipline, much like that of a superior athlete or artist, to be alone with God to let the Spirit speak in silence.

The fruit of this discipline is the fruit Jesus experienced in today’s Gospel. Upset by the arrest of John the Baptist by the political powers of his day, Jesus retreats to the seaside, no doubt to pray and reflect. He emerges like a bolt of lightning, sourced in the Holy Spirit, to preach, heal and live the love of God.

What spirits are at work in you? Which is the Holy Spirit? What is the Holy Spirit asking of you today?

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

Epiphany of the Lord

Scripture:

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Reflection:

It has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
-Ephesians 3:5-6

Behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
-Matthew 2:1-2

On the website literaryterms.net, an epiphany is defined as, “…an “Aha!” moment. A[n] epiphany is the moment when a character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story. Often, an epiphany begins with a small, everyday occurrence or experience.” Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The coming of Jesus the Christ can certainly be characterized as, “a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story.” Even those living in 1st century Jerusalem were thrown into confusion and became “greatly troubled” when confronted with the news that a new king had been born. People do not generally like change, especially when it is not brought about be their own efforts and designs. We like to think we are in control of our own story. The Epiphany of the Lord reminds us that we are not in control of much.

But this feast day might better be called the Epiphany of Everybody. We are the ones who have the aha moment. And although the Greek word Paul uses is translated, “Gentiles,” (ethnos) is usually taken to mean non-Jews, it can also mean the whole of all living creatures, humanity and animals. This is the Epiphany of the Whole World, where all become co-heirs, co-partners, one body. In one small, everyday occurrence, the birth of a child, we all made one. The challenge of this great event is two-fold: can I accept this invitation for myself and can I recognize it in everyone I meet?

My prayer for myself today is that I actively work to be a co-partner with everyone I meet in creating God’s kingdom here on Earth.

Along with working as an independent teacher, Talib Huff volunteers and works at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights. You may contact him at [email protected].

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Scripture:

1 John 3:7-10
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

Jesus’ question in today’s Gospel is one He addresses to each of us: “What are you looking for?”  The two disciples of John the Baptist heard John speak of Jesus as the “Lamb of God”…and thus wanted to get to better know Jesus.  Jesus invited them to “come and see” – and the rest is history!

The appeal of Jesus’ loving personality has touched the hearts of many people over many centuries, to ourselves as women and men of the 21^st Century.  We human beings seek fulfillment, and love, and a sense of purpose and self-worth, and companionship…to name but a few longings of our hearts!  As the Holiday Season winds down and we embrace the New Year we realize the blessings of God that are our faith, our Church, and our vocation; we have reason to hope, to embrace the opportunities and challenges of each day.

And so today we celebrate the life of a disciple of Jesus who graced our American soil:  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a holy woman of the 18^th Century, and the first American-born saint.

Born in 1774, Elizabeth Ann was raised as an Episcopalian.  She married William Seton and helped rear their five children.  She was drawn to the Catholic faith by an Italian Catholic family she met while traveling in Italy with her husband.  After her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis at age 30, Elizabeth Ann fully embraced the Catholic faith – and subsequently opened a parish school in Baltimore to support her family and witness her Catholic faith, despite protests from her anti-Catholic family and friends.

Drawn by Elizabeth’s faith and fervor, other young women joined Elizabeth Ann in her approach to education and the Christian life.  In 1809 they formed the American Sisters of Charity, following the rule of St. Vincent de Paul; later they helped found other schools and orphanages.  By the time of her death on January 4, 1821, the community had expanded their ministries as far west as St. Louis with some twenty schools and orphanages.

Like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton we respond to Jesus’ question / invitation and seek to live for God as we share the Good News of Jesus in our needy world.  May the new year 2020 be blessed by God, as inspired by great women and men saints — including our own holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, whose birthday we celebrated yesterday.  May we “Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done wondrous deeds…” Jesus calls us, Jesus loves us, Jesus missions us to help share the Good News!

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

Scripture:

1 John 2:29-3:6
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

What if our daily meditation began with the assumption and acceptance that we are “children of God?”

“That is what we are,” according to John. This mindfulness will wake us and shake us, because “the world of our making” doesn’t recognize this identity, nor from where it came. (1 Jn 3:2) Rather, in the eyes of those who buy into the powers that be, they see only children of profit, power, proficiency, popularity, and pleasure.

To bolster the power of this new creation that we are begotten by God, through His Son, we realize as did John the Baptist, that this is a totally inspired gift from God. “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

At a recent Mass before we made the penitential act of forgiveness, I asked the congregation to imagine that God wanted to forgive every single sin that separates us from Him. And, I asked the question, “Are we willing to do what is necessary to amend our lives?” As children of God, despite all fears of what it will take to amend our lives, this is our primary act of faith, and trust. He died for our sins and wants us, his brothers and sisters, to join him in the mission to redeem the world by removing all that taints our family’s communion with God.

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