Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 23:23-26

Reflection:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.

This is the fourth of seven woes spoken directly by Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees. According to the Torah, the purpose of tithing was the support and upkeep of the temple cult and its officials, namely priests and levites. Jesus condemns the preoccupation with the concern over the smallest of herbs, while justice, mercy and faith are neglected.

Justice, mercy and faith – let’s start there. What do these words mean to us in our society today – in our jobs, our families, our friendships? We try to do the right thing, we show mercy and compassion to those around us, and we stay strong in our faith. But what if those we interact with don’t do these basic necessities to enable us to remain close to our God in heaven? What happens to us when we are placed in situations that seem hopeless; when we believe that we don’t have a voice; when we are made to feel small? Well then, we are losing sight of the beautiful and amazing gifts that God has in store for us – we should depend on Him alone, not solely in people. In our sensitivities and compassion for others, it becomes very difficult to maintain your beliefs when you surround yourself with those who make you feel small and insignificant – but we can’t allow anyone to make us feel that way! I am guilty of allowing it myself!

Secondly, do you know those who make themselves appear to be holy on the outside, but their heart isn’t a servant’s heart; their ears don’t listen to the truths around them; their mouths refuse to speak and accept the truth. In truth, are their intentions to make improvements and to live out their lives according to God’s almighty plan thwarted by pride and arrogance? Keep your vessel filled in order to do the work of the Holy Spirit, with a servant’s heart. Remain immersed in the faith, so that when you speak the truth, you speak with authority. And check your pride and arrogance at the door – that is one cup that does not need to be overflowing!

Patty Masson is a member of the Passionist Family in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

At the very beginning of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites a retreatant to contemplate the meaning of love: “Love should manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”  Love is the starting point of our care and service of others.  The Campaign for the Passionists of Holy Cross Province echoes this very insight – the Passion of Christ: the Love that Compels.  God’s love for us compels us to serve others, but it begins with this: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

To love comes before to serve. Love is the foundation of selfless service. If we love, we will be drawn to serve others. If we are rooted in God’s love, so too will we be rooted in service.   God knows and loves us, and serves us with the gift of his life.  As we know and love others, we will serve them with the gifts of life that God has generously shared with us, whatever they might be.

Today’s Gospel from Matthew reveals a side of Jesus we rarely see.  We see his exasperation at the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who have disconnected love from their service as religious leaders to become “blind guides.”  Lots of words and lots of hair-splitting rules.  They “lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.”  They have lost the experience of first being loved by God, so the law becomes what gives them meaning and purpose.

Contrast that indignation of Jesus with the joy of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where he celebrates the community’s “work of faith and labor of love.” The community at Thessalonica consists of “brothers and sisters loved by God,” who are compelled to serve in return. Paul reminds them that the Gospel did not come to them in word alone, but also in power and the Holy Spirit, that is, through deeds.

Much of the world – Catholic or not – has been mesmerized by Pope Francis.  He seems very clearly to see the relationship between love and service, and exemplifies through his own actions that love begins with a very real relationship with Jesus.  While in Brazil for World Youth Days, he spoke to the young people: “Evangelizing means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness, it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren, as Jesus did. Go, do not be afraid, and serve.” Indeed, love manifests itself in deeds rather than words.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Revelation: 21:9b-14
John 1:45-51

Reflection:

Come and See  -Matthew 1:46

There is a certain simplicity in the Gospels that for so many of us it is so very easy to miss. “Come and see.” These words of SS from today’s feast are some of the most important in the Bible! It contains the wisdom of the Gospels.

There is an important invitation: “come”. About one fifth on Gospels are accounts of simple people coming to Jesus for healing. They probably had little theology as to the nature of Christ, but they knew something we fail to appreciate. Jesus could make them well again! “And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them,” Mt 15:30

Among the first words of Jesus in John’s Gospel are: “Come and you will see.” In today’s Gospel Bartholomew heard these same words from Andrew “come and see”.  Among the first words of Jesus to all the Apostles were “come follow Me”. Jesus invites us with the greatest invitation we will ever receive. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28

The words “who labor” don’t seem to be the best translation.  The work in Greek is kopiao which means to be beat up or hit with a blow.    We find ourselves after a difficult day saying I’m beat. Jesus invites us to Himself when we feel we are down with the count.  Discouragement is an invitation to come to Jesus just as the “the beaten, the overburdened, the lame, the blind, the crippled” did in the Gospels.  It reminds one of the words of Jesus: “apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

I remember as a young struggling high school student seeing a Burma Shave sign from John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.^”  I thought then, and still do today at 82 that it is one of the most encouraging texts in the Scriptures!  I love the words of St Peter Julian Eymard who simply and deeply reflects the Scriptures: “go directly to Jesus without too much fuss.”  The final words of the New Testament is the beautiful petition: “come Lord Jesus”. Revelation 22:20

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

Scripture:

Judges 11:29-39a
Matthew 22:1-14

Reflection:

Recently I was reflecting on a time in my life when God gave ‘stubborn’ me a little nudge to get me moving, (this happens more often than I like to admit)! I didn’t want to give up control of my situation. I was praying for help.

At Sunday Mass that week, after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the Lord’s gift of Himself.  The choir started playing the beautiful song written by Catholic composer, Dan Schutte in 1981, ‘Here I am Lord’.

“Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go, Lord,
If You lead me…..”

It was like the Lord himself was calling me. From that moment, I gave control of that situation to the Lord. The beautiful lyrics reminding me, that with the Lord leading me, I can do anything.

Every time I hear that song or read those words, here from Psalm 40, I am again encouraged to give control to the Lord. To trust His leadership.

It sounds easy, but in following, you have to give control of where you go to the leader.  That, my friends, is the challenge for today.

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

Scripture:

Judges 9:6-15
Matthew 20: 1-16

Reflection:

For the average American understanding, today’s readings could be a challenge.  The first reading is from chapter 9 of the book of Judges. To understand this reading, you need to know the rest of the story.  Abimelch murders his brethren and is made king (1-6).  In the parable of the trees, Judge Jotham compares Abimelech to the bramble or thistle, a worthless plant, whose end is to be burned.

Today’s Gospel parable causes me angst. I want to say to Jesus “it is not right nor fair to pay the last workers hired the same as those who slaved all day long in the hot sun”.  In America, we insist that justice has to do with equality. Of course, it is not fair.  Jesus is teaching us that a God who is “just” is inclined to show special generosity to the poor and outcast.  Who spends the whole day waiting to be hired until the end of the day?  In Jesus’ time, this would have been the weak, infirm, disabled and elderly. The whole point is God’s generosity and bounteous love that God lavishes on saint and sinner alike.

Reflection Question:  How generous am I with my love for others?

Generous God help me to be generous in loving others today—especially upon those who seem undeserving, just as you generously love me.

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Judges 6: 11-24a
Matthew 19: 23-30

Reflection:

Among the many gifts that I’ve cherished over the years, are stories of the truly remarkable people who have given their lives to witness to the importance of the Gospel.  And today we’re invited to remember one of the truly great ones, St. Bernard Clairvaux.  He lived at a time when both the society and the Church were truly struggling with the chaos both within and all around them.  And, despite all the chaos, he lived his life in such a way that his peers, both friends, and foes, respected him.  As a result, he had a profound influence on the very best that emerged in his time.  He was born in 1090 and died in 1153 and created centers of stability and wisdom that helped hold his world together.

He was born into one of the noble families in Burgundy, France.  He had a great future before him in the society of his day but chose instead to give his life to God.  Against his family’s wishes, he rejected the ambitious plans they had for him and, instead, followed his heart and at age 23 entered one of the most austere religious orders in the Church, the Cistercians.  He was already so influential among his peers, he brought a total of 30 young nobles (among whom were several of his brothers) with him into religious life.  Even at the early age of 23, he was a man of prayer and his prayer life deepened quickly under the guidance of the Abbot of Citeaux, St. Stephen Harding.  Though the Cistercians lived a very austere life, they were growing so rapidly at that time that just two years after he entered, he and fifteen other companions were sent out to establish another abbey.  Bernard was elected the first abbot of this new abbey located in the Clair Valley.  He remained Abbot of Clairvaux until his death in 1153

As abbot, Bernard emphasized three important spiritual disciplines:  an austere and simple form of life, lectio divina and personal prayer, and finally, a deep personal devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  His Abbey flourished and Bernard founded three additional abbeys with the monks from Clairvaux.

But it wasn’t just within the confines of the Cistercians that Bernard exerted enormous influence.  He participated in several Church Councils, brought unity to the Papacy (persuaded most of the secular rulers to accept Innocent II over Anacletus II), and overcame several heresies that were rampant during his time.   In short, Bernard became one of the most significant religious figures of the 12th century.

As you remember St. Bernard today, I hope you have a chance to read more about his life.  He is a true example of a faithful disciple of Jesus who uses all his considerable gifts to build up the Kingdom of God.  We thank God for this remarkable man and ask for the grace to live our lives in a way that builds the Kingdom of God in our world.

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

Scripture:

Judges 2:11-19
Matthew 19:16-22

Reflection:

A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
Matt. 19:16

Did you ever wonder if you are on the right path to eternal life? Do you worry whether you are doing all you can to inherit everlasting life? Do you become anxious about wondering whether you are doing all needs to be done to follow Jesus?

During Jesus’ ministry, he had to deal with these question or similar ones. Today’s Gospel encounter is found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And there is a similar question posed to Jesus in the same three Gospels: What is the greatest commandment in the Law? Our questions and concerns for gaining everlasting life is as old as life itself!

This passage always reminds me of the old story of the two farm animals who had become friends, the hen and the pig. One morning the hen says, I will lay some eggs and we can have bacon and eggs for breakfast. The pig replies, for you, this is just involvement. But for me, it’s total commitment!

I believe that all of us are like the rich young man in today’s Gospel. We all have a deep longing to gain eternal life. We are constantly seeking ways to achieve our ultimate goal in life, getting to everlasting life. Most of us who are reading and reflecting on these scriptures and homilies are socially stable, have worked hard all our lives, are involved in our parishes and in ministry, attend retreats and do Holy Hours, go to confession regularly and strive to do all those things, like the rich young man, to gain eternal life.

The young man in today’s Gospel has followed the commands to the best of his abilities. And yet there is something lacking: “What do I still lack?” (In the other two Gospels, Jesus is the one who points out that there is still something lacking.)

This is when Jesus responds: go and sell what you have; give to the poor; follow me. The young man went away sad because he had many possessions.

This is when we take a deep breath and begin to ask ourselves, do our possessions own us or do we own our possessions. If we own our possessions, we can give them away. If they own us, we cannot.

What Jesus is reminding me in this passage is that it is easier to be involved, as difficult and sacrificial as that is, than to be totally committed to the following of Jesus. It also reminds me that discipleship or the following of Jesus is a journey.

By reading and reflecting and praying the Gospels, I begin to realize that I will always be asking the question, what must I do to gain eternal life and I will always get a response that challenges me to do more. I, like the rich young man, have many more possessions than I need. I can always give more to those in need and realize that I will always need God’s help to respond to discipleship with absolute commitment.

Just because I haven’t gotten there yet doesn’t mean that I must give up my quest of following Jesus. The first step toward total commitment to discipleship always begins with the unwavering desire to gain eternal life. If let go of my possessions, then God will do the rest!

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