Daily Scripture

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

Reflection:

It has been a beautiful advent. Somewhere in the beginning of the journey I saw a comment, that there is ‘No adventure without Advent”. This quote from Matthew in today’s Gospel brought me back to that quote. Adventure. So often I get caught up in my own world, my own adventure and forget the bigger picture, the part where God has a plan.

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet”

We are near the end…just a little more of the journey to walk through before the big day we are reminded that we are part of a bigger plan. God’s plan.

About 4 years ago I came to Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston for spiritual direction. I joined the team that gives retreats about 6 months later. About a year after that I was asked to be on the board of directors. Now I am the CEO, or retreat center director…God laughs. I think I know, I think I am planning and God, God has his plans.

Mary’s plans included being engaged to Joseph and that wasn’t exactly what God had planned for her, but, regardless of the difference, she was willing to listen and open her heart to the Lord and what he had for her. She still had to say yes, and so do we.

We are all part of the adventure that is life with Christ!! As Advent closes and Christmas day arrives, stop and take a moment to look back at the journey. Where was God in all of that?  That my friends is the challenge, to take a moment in the middle of the last-minute chaos and see Christ bringing you to this moment, just as He was there as a beautiful baby son, a gift for Mary.

Kate Mims is the Retreat Center Director at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

Both readings in today’s liturgy remind us of a truism of the spiritual life that often escapes us, namely, God always makes the first move!

In the first reading, Ahaz, is invited by God to ask for a sign. “…let it be deep as the nether world or high as the sky.”  Talk about an open invitation!!  It turns out Ahaz is way too fearful to ask God for anything.  Apparently, he believes that asking God for something directly would be an affront to God’s majesty.  So, he refuses to ‘tempt’ God.  Or, perhaps he believes that his relationship with God is so weak that he can’t even imagine that God would bother to respond to a request from him. In frustration, Isaiah gives Ahaz a sign from God anyway, “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel.”

In our gospel reading from Luke we read that God once again makes the first move.  God sends the angel Gabriel to Mary with a request.  Like Ahaz, Mary is surprised and a bit perplexed but, unlike Ahaz, her response is one of trust.  She opens herself and accepts God’s invitation to her to be the mother of His Son.  The world has been transformed by Mary’s openness to hearing and believing in God’s invitation.

Even with us, God is the one who makes the first move.  God invites us to welcome the birth of Jesus within us.  God invites us to bring Christ into the world through our lives of faith and our good works.  Many of us feel like Ahaz, unworthy of such a task or fearful that God might abandon us in our efforts.  But, Mary shows us the way.  Trust in God, be open to His call and God will accomplish the rest.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
Luke 1:5-25

Reflection:

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, “because your prayer has been heard.” Luke 1:13

We pray because we long for something we do not yet have or enjoy. We pray for health, we pray for healing, we pray for peace. There are many reasons why we pray.

In today’s readings, we have two examples of families praying for children, knowing that their time to have children has passed them by. In both families, the wife was considered barren. In both families, it did not stop them from praying.

These two accounts, one from the Hebrew Testament and the other from the New Testament are timely ones for our Advent season. This is the season of Hope. This is the season of praying for something we long for but have no expectation of receiving. This kind of prayer is an exercise of faith. We do it because we want something, not because we think that we will receive it. We pray because we trust in God!

Sometimes we need to be careful about what we pray for because God sometimes answers our prayers and we are not ready for them.

When the people of God longed for a Savior, they prayed for one. And the Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us. As we read our scriptures, we were clearly not ready for the coming of the Baby Jesus. The Word made flesh was the answer to our prayer but our hearts were not ready to receive him.

Let us rejoice during this time as we realize that the Baby Jesus, born in an abandoned stable in Bethlehem, was the answer to our prayer! Let us be ready for those surprises that God has in store for us! Come, Lord Jesus!

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 23:5-8
Matthew 1:18-25

Reflection:

“…I will raise up a righteous shoot to David…
                                    …Justice shall flourish
                                                            …God is with us…”

Have you ever gone out to your yard in early Spring only to find a gangly, overgrown, out of control, bush that you missed when you were doing your late Fall pruning (likely because you were getting a late jump, it was cold and the snow was about to fly).  Great!!, what am I going to do now – – – this leggy, crummy looking bush, how do I hide this?…what have I got to lose, (you think) I am just going to hack it down and hope for the best….

And hack away you do….and then, seemingly within days…a small green shoot bursting forth…new life, new energy, new hope…

Our readings point us to that new hope!  A shoot from David…God with us… Emmanuel…BUT…not just 2000 years ago, every day – we are invited to notice the ‘small green shoot’ notice the presence of God in our midst!

Advent is a time for us to also notice the ‘gangly, out of control, crummy’ stuff that prevents us from giving birth to Jesus in our world.  The attitudes, judgments, blinders that can overcome the love, peace, patience and presence that we want to present to the world.  Can we allow God to ‘hack away’ at the underbrush and make room for the person and presence that God calls us to be in our corner of the world?  Can we follow the dream as Joseph followed the dream – allow God’s mercy, love and forgiveness (small, green shoot) to enter our home, our heart, our world….

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Genesis 49:2,8-10
Matthew 1:1-17

Reflection:

In eight days, Christians will again celebrate the miracle that forever changed the world. When God became one of us in Jesus, being born into our world in Bethlehem, we received a promise of hope we never thought possible and a future joy we never believed our hearts could know. This is why Christians profess that in Jesus we meet our king and our redeemer, our savior and messiah.

But Jesus will be a king dramatically unlike other kings and a savior it is easy to overlook. The reading from Genesis foretells the royal life of Israel. Jacob announces to his son Judah that he, like other kings, will conquer his enemies, receive homage from the people, and be like a lion, “the king of beasts,” that everyone fears to approach. By contrast, the psalm response envisions the reign of God that will break into the world in Jesus. Jesus will rule with the wisdom, mercy, and goodness of God. Under his kingship, the world will overflow in justice and peace. The poor will not be trampled, crushed, and forgotten, but liberated. The suffering will not be overlooked or ignored, but comforted and healed.

The gospel passage from Matthew recounts the genealogy of Jesus. What can seem like a bewildering chronicle of names nearly impossible to pronounce reveals something wonderful: God works through human beings—including some who were dramatically flawed—to bring about something extraordinarily blessed. But it is easy to miss the blessing because God, who is savior and king, enters our world not in wealth and majesty, but as a helpless child in a family looking for shelter.

Today’s scriptures remind us that to prepare for the coming of Christ we must look for Jesus where perhaps we least expect to find him. Jesus is right before us, once more beseeching our help, in the stranger, in migrants and refugees, in the poor and homeless, in all those who, like Joseph and Mary and Jesus, are in need of rescue and hospitality. Are our hearts open to receive them? Are our hands ready to help? How we answer those questions will determine whether or not we are truly ready for Christmas.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a
Matthew 21:23-27

Reflection:

The Scripture for today’s Matthew’s periscope has a group of the Chief Priests and the Scribes, and the other Synoptics Mark and Luke has the grouping to be Pharisees and the Elders.  The importance of these groupings represent the divisions which make up the membership of the Sanhedrin.  They are the religious, cultic, social, and legal make up in the Sanhedrin.  Their primary responsibility is to discern the truth and/or falsity of one who identifies themselves as a prophet.

This is the first time that Jesus is in the synagogue in Jerusalem.   It is also the last time Jesus will preach in the synagogue.  The religious leaders ask Jesus if He is a prophet?  Jesus doesn’t answer their question, but asks a question of them instead.  The question deals with the authenticity of John the Baptist.  Jesus asks the grouping “Is John the Baptist a prophet? or an imposter?  This method is a familiar rabbinic method.  To answer a question with a questions is a typical rabbinical method.  Jesus’ question silences the questioners, because to answer it one way would upset the Roman authorities, and to answer with another way would upset the crowds who acknowledge John the Baptist as a prophet.  Jesus reminds the questioners that the way their ancestors treated legitimate prophets in the past was to murder them.

If there is a lesson here it might very well be something that St. Francis De Sales said.  “It is not necessary to always speak, but if we do we must speak the truth”.  In a book on “How to get to yes with people we disagree with” there was a gathering of Generals who had different suggestions on how to marshal their troops and resources to win a war.  These men agreed First, when presenting a position they would never get personal.  Second, in presenting a position they keep focused on the issues.  Of course with this formula they won the wars.

Finally, Peter Drucker, Father of Modern Management, had this to say about how to act when two or more people come to an impasse:  Be firm, be fair, and be friendly!

Fr. Ken O’Malley, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community at Sacred Heart Monastery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 11:2-11), we find that John the Baptist is now in prison, basically for having spoken “truth to power.” From prison he sends his followers to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” We may wonder why this man of faith, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah in the Jordan River, would ask such a question.

If we look back at last Sunday’s Gospel, John was describing the Messiah to the people: “I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” If we look at how Jesus related to the people, it is true that He was in conflict with the Pharisees and the scribes and the elders, but He did not seem interested in overthrowing them as the leaders of the people.

But even more to the point, John was in prison! If the Messiah was here, why was he still there? It’s not hard to understand where John is coming from. Even though this is the holiday season, and this Sunday in the Church is called “Gaudete Sunday,” and “Gaudete” means “Rejoice,” we may not feel we have much to rejoice about.

If we’re discouraged, as John seems to be, what do we do? When John’s disciples come to Jesus and asks their question, Jesus responds, not with fulfilling John’s expectations of Him taking an “ax” to the “root of the trees” (Matthew 3:10), but with fulfilling another kind of expectation, found in our first reading from Isaiah (35:5-6a,): “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

Hopefully, with this answer John regained his “sight,” and he could see that Jesus was indeed the one he was waiting for, even though He would fulfill God’s plan in an unexpected way. “But, Father,” you may ask, “What about me?” As far as I can see, I don’t see these wonderful things happening for me?” I know that it may not be happening for you now, and it may not have happened for you in a long time, but I believe it will happen for you. Again, it may not be in the way you expect. It may even require you to step out in faith, and help make it happen for someone else. But it will happen. God has not abandoned or forgotten us! Jesus is right with us in our troubles!

So as we make more and more room for Jesus, we rejoice. We rejoice about His love for us. We rejoice in His birth! We rejoice in His Passion and death! We rejoice in His Resurrection! And as we rejoice, we regain our sight of His love for us. We hear Him speak words of comfort to us. When we think we can’t go another step, we find the strength to keep walking.

And maybe, just maybe, we are able to see others as God sees them. We are not deaf to their stories, as others are not deaf to ours, and instead of shunning the “other,” we try to help them find joy in the love of God in Jesus Christ.

This joy, I think, is deeper than what we usually think of when we think of happiness. But it is real, and it is possible. May we make room for Jesus, and find joy in Him.

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

During the first week of Advent, I could feel myself tempted to turn away from faith, from love, so stretched after having lost significant family members in these last two years. I had felt Jesus in their passing and yet in this moment I was deeply afraid of any further pain that might come in loving. The world of “what ifs?” arriving always viewed without present moment grace.

Then the scripture of Peter walking on water came Into my heart. Peter stepping out of a boat into turbulent seas looking straight into Jesus’ eyes. The wind distracting him and bringing fear back into play. Peter turning away from Jesus’ gaze and sinking. As I reflected on this scripture, viewing the emotions of grief as turbulent seas, faith and peace again found a soft place to land.  I need to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus.

But how? This personal God. This now invisible God. This Mystery. Unseen.

As we pray our prayers before communion, before the Blessed Sacrament, we come to know that He is seen. That we matter. Jesus did not spend His days breaking down the ins and outs of creation to prove the seed of its existence. His focus is fully on relationship. There was no question to Him who is at the center of it all. Through His Word and the Eucharist He comes to invite us, tell us, to love God and love our neighbor. We cannot see when our hearts become insular, small, protected, hidden.

His outstretched arms on the cross teach us the full stretch of love. Those unable to see and hear that love tried to pin Him in that pose as hate and fear-filled mockery. And yet, those same outstretched arms reflect what remains unseen without personally knowing him. His Heart, His Sacred Heart, that stretched beyond any human comprehension throughout His life and death.

His arms and heart opened wide to our suffering, to our sorrow, to our sins that harm love, pulling us into His love with His unfathomable consent to take it all. He cried out to His Father, as we cry out to His Spirit for the courage to live wider and deeper. To bear love, no matter how hard. To show how excruciating His anguish was we are told in Luke, that “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” at Gethsemane.

While the’ joy of Christmas is preferable sometimes the only true comfort comes from standing at the base of His cross covered in tears.

The gentle lyrics of a song rose as I finished this reflection:

“We have been told, We’ve seen his face,
And heard His voice alive in our hearts, Live in my love with all of your heart,
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” -David Haas

As we move into this third week of Advent, may we ponder today’s Responsorial Psalm, “Lord, make us tum to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

M. Walsh is a retreatant and friend of the Passionist community, with deepest gratitude for the charism and prayers for their vocations.