Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Hebrews 11:32-40
Mark 5:1-20

Reflection:

Take Courage…God Provides!

Life in all its glory continues on…post Super Bowl LIII…post yesterday’s World Celebration of Consecrated Life (thank God for our Passionist Family!).  God continues to lovingly act on our behalf, helping us fully participate in the “SuperBowl” of life, making the most of the opportunities and challenges presented us.

Today’s Scripture selections highlight the variety of challenges faced by some of our ancestors in the faith.  The Letter to the Hebrews continues its encouragement of God’s people who had lost heart and were dealing with a spiritual lethargy.  The author calls on the well=known heroes of the past and all they had endured for the Lord – all to help “boost” morale for the letter’s recipients…faith does make a difference!  Our Gospel selection from Mark 5 relates the story of Jesus healing the strong and fearsome Gerasene demoniac…a vivid display of Jesus’ loving determination to help the possessed man, and the people’s resulting awe and fear at Jesus’ power.  We see that problems and possession were faced with faith in God who lovingly and at times powerfully provides for the needs of His children.

Our challenges may not be as gut-wrenching or deflating as those related in today’s readings.  And yet we are asked to draw daily doses of strength, enthusiasm and perseverance from our faith in Jesus.  Our “demons” may be laziness, prejudice, a loose tongue, addictive behavior, selfishness…and Jesus meets us in daily life and helps rid us of the demons by his love and power.  We have no reason to fear and are encouraged to boldly share the Good News of Jesus transforming love.  Are you ready?

As 21^st Century women and men of faith, may we personally experience Jesus’ healing touch – and then follow His directive: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”  We have every reason to take courage — and love the Lord in thought, word, and deed!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 4:21-30

Reflection:

Our gospel reading for Sunday (Luke 4:21-30) takes up where we left off last week, when Jesus, after having read from the prophet Isaiah, says to the people: “Today, this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke tells us that “all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” And then something happens. Some people also ask, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” When we read what follows, there must be more here than just and idle question. Borrowing a bit from Matthew’s version (13:54-58), I wonder if some of the people who were listening to Jesus might have said to themselves, “That was great. But, wait a minute. Isn’t this Joseph’s son? Don’t we know him? He can’t really claim to be the fulfillment of that prophecy, can he?”

So when Jesus senses that this kind of thinking is going on, He speaks about a prophet not having honor in his native place, and then gives them examples about how God works outside of human boundaries: in Elijah helping a widow outside of Israel, and Elisha cleaning a leper from Syria. Then the people get indignant. I can imagine them saying to themselves, “Who does he think he is, saying things like that?” And they get so mad, they try to kill Him!

Before we look down our noses at the people from Nazareth, do we not at times have similar thoughts and feelings towards others. Have you never said to yourself, “Who does he/she think he/she is, telling me what to do?” Are we not at a time in the U.S., and in other parts of the world, for that matter, that it doesn’t matter how reasonable, or even right it may be, we instantly reject what is being said from the other side? Isn’t this what white supremacists do? For them, the only things that are worth anything are the things that come from white people. They cannot conceive of anyone else having as much gifts and talents and worth as they. Isn’t this also characteristic of clericalism in the church, where the leaders determine somehow that lay people are to be seen and not heard? And if I, as a citizen of the U.S., convince myself that only the U.S. matters and that the only good way of doing things is the “American way” of doing things, have I not fallen into the same trap? I can take pride in my country and still be humble enough to know that we can learn from others.

Even before Jesus, as we’ve seen in the examples to which Jesus refers, it has shown that God works outside of the boundaries and barriers that we human beings construct among ourselves. And in what we see from the Gospels, Jesus reaches out to those beyond Israel, and to people beyond what conventional wisdom or piety within Israel, dictated He should reach out to.

Why would God act that way? Why would Jesus give us such a model to follow? We have a very eloquent answer in our second reading from 1 Corinthians (12:31-13:13): St. Paul’s treatise, if you will, on love. When we get righteously indignant, and believe that we are standing up for what is right, but we do it without love, we are really standing up for nothing. Love takes no pleasure in the destruction of anyone, but in the rise of justice and peace for all.

It is true that the world is already accustomed to turning a deaf ear to the promotion of life, to the need for reconciliation, to the perspective of people of faith, but we cannot let that deafness lead us away from love. Otherwise, we have no possibility of being heard.

If we believe in the meaning of the Cross and of the empty tomb; if we believe in God’s desire to heal us and reconcile us and redeem us, then we are called to love as Jesus loves. We are called to be open to where the Holy Spirit leads us, even if it means crossing the barriers that exist between people. People may not be willing to hear. The leaders in Jeremiah’s time did not. The people in Nazareth who heard Jesus were not. And those who benefit from the status quo will not. But just as God promised Jeremiah (See our first reading: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19), God will be with us.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan. 

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

Reflection:

As members of the Catholic community, one reality that we meet today is that of the challenge of transmitting the faith to younger generations.

Every generation and age of the church has its challenges and this is certainly one for our age. Perhaps for one of the few times in history we are being asked to witness to faith in Jesus Christ without relying so much on external supports. We live in a time where many familiar patterns, institutions, devotions and practices of faith that marked the Church in recent memory have faded or have been surpassed.

While parents still carry the great privilege of this mission it is true to say that grandparents, older members of one’s extended family and even aging clergy and religious have an important role to play too.  It’s hard to find a marker to distinguish what might be said to the ‘old’ from what is ‘young’ in these times. So let us not dwell in ‘years of age’ so much as one’s own perception and the feeling that you can claim a certain status and wisdom due in part to age.

Thus in the context of the witness to faith that older members of the community bring, we might look today at Anna and Simeon. They are both very central to today’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, and their prominence in the gospel account is amplified by the very fact that they are elderly at this time of encounter with the newly born child, Jesus.

Both Simeon and Anna are deeply devoted to God – tending to fill their days in the presence of the Lord (in as far as the Temple precinct symbolised this). Perhaps they model for us faith grown old, but not weakened. In fact they can be seen as outstanding witnesses to the Lord.

It is always interesting to me, that in Luke’s portrayal of Jesus’ entry into our world, the witnesses to his true nature and mission are very specific persons. Obviously Mary & Joseph feature strongly, but in turn we see that those most trusted with this ‘good news’ are angels and shepherds and then Simeon and Anna.

I do think that this is an important lesson for us.  Anna and Simeon reveal to us that as we age and mature our call is more and more clearly to be a witness to faith and to its power in our lives. Further, as we age our capacity to be a witness is strengthened not diminished – we do not necessarily witness so much by actions, but by presence.

In such a light we can hear the prophet speak specifically to us too, alerting us to God’s word “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me” – we are entrusted to go before the Lord and prepare others for encounter with him.  We can do this in a myriad of ways – through our presence at family gatherings, through encouraging words to the young, through steady adherence to good values and through faith and trust in God in the face of loss and suffering – to name but a few dimensions

Let us pray that like Simeon we too can proclaim that “my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples” and with Anna we can always give thanks to God and speak about Jesus to all who are awaiting redemption.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.

Scripture:

Hebrews 10:32-39
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

For several days now, selections from the Letter to the Hebrews have appeared in our daily readings.  Relatively little is known about the precise circumstances surrounding this New Testament book.  Although attributed to Paul in earlier times, its very different style from the other Pauline letters has led scholars even in antiquity to question whether Paul actually wrote it. We also don’t know for sure where it originated or to precisely to whom it was sent, although a reference to “those from Italy send you greetings” at the end of the letter (13:24) suggests that it may have been written to Christians in Rome, perhaps from Alexandria.

What we do know from the letter itself is that it was meant to encourage Christians who were in distress.  The segment we hear today makes that clear.  The author notes that some have “endured a great contest of suffering,” “exposed to abuse and affliction.”  Others may not have been directly attacked or imprisoned but by associating with their fellow Christians who were in prison, they, too, suffered “confiscation of your property” and other types of suffering.

Earlier in the letter, the author notes that the burden of such sufferings had led some Christians to lose their early fervor and to avoid coming to the community’s gatherings for prayer.

The author of the letter urges his fellow Christians, “do not throw away your confidence” but to persevere.  Don’t, he urges, be “among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.”

Hebrews builds this type of encouragement on its portrayal of Jesus that runs through the first part of the Letter.  He describes Jesus as the great “high priest” who is the mediator between God and humankind, as one who himself had enduring suffering.  In a sweeping image, he portrays Jesus as entering into an ideal, heavenly temple and reaching the throne of God; through his death and resurrection, Jesus the high priest defeats death and intercedes for all who believe in him.  Like Jesus himself, we are promised to ultimately be united in love with God.  In this same vein, Hebrews uses images for Jesus not found anywhere else in the New Testament.  Jesus is the “pioneer” and “captain” of our salvation; the “stalking horse”—literally the one who runs through first—who leads us through the trial of death to ultimate life. Jesus is like the runner of a marathon who after enduring a long and exhausting race enters the stadium in triumph.

There are times, we all know, when we are called to perseverance in the midst of suffering.  The loss of a loved one; concern about a son or daughter in trouble; worries about the pressures of our job.  The same can be true about our concerns for the church itself these days: the wounds caused by the sexual abuse crisis; the lack of involvement of so many young adults.

The Letter to the Hebrews is written for us.  We are asked to take the long view.  To trust in God’s overwhelming love for us.  To remember that Jesus has walked the path of suffering and loss before us—and will not abandon us.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

Hebrews 10:11-18
Mark 4:1-20

Reflection:

The seed sown among thorns… “They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches and craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.”

This can be a danger for even “good people.”  We get so busy with work, family, school, social media, health concerns, paying bills, etc.  We are surrounded by noise, with so many people trying to get our attention. We put off praying, meditating, and spiritual reading.  We start to lose an awareness of God’s presence, forget to ask what is his will, forget to thank him, and just go about our daily lives living on the surface.

How do we ensure that we are not living among thorns, that we are good soil, so that the word bears fruit?  The answer: A Passionist retreat.

At a Passionist retreat there is the gift of silence. This produces an atmosphere that is conducive to hearing God speak to us.  On a retreat there is time for listening, learning, reflecting and being present to God in ways that are often not possible in daily life.

Through the preaching, through participation in the Mass and other forms of prayer, through the sacrament of Reconciliation, the soil of our hearts is prepared and nourished so that the word of God can sink deep roots, grow and bear fruit.

The sower in today’s parable sowed seed not just on a small patch, but lavishly, all over the place.  He was not efficient; he was magnanimous.  On retreat we grow in awareness of God’s love.  Then we are sent forth to spread that love lavishly, all over the place.  God’s magnanimous love flowing through us will bring a harvest of joy.

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: 

Hebrews 10:1–10
Mark 3:31-35

Reflection:

Behold, I come to do your will, O God – Hebrews 10:7

Turning our will over to someone else is an unfamiliar activity in our society. We love our independence and freedom to make choices in our everyday life. At our Baptism we became children of God. And just as a child is to listen to their parents so too are we to listen to God’s Word and Commandments. God does not hang on to us but gives us the freedom to choose to follow his will or not. Christ is the greatest example of being open to the will of God. Through this openness Christ allowed himself to be sacrificed on the Cross for our salvation. Giving himself up for us he gave us his own Body and Blood for our salvation. Mary offers us another example of “thy will be done . . .” She was open to God’s plan for her as an instrument that would bring Christ into the world.

When we say “thy will be done. . .” we open ourselves to what God has planned for us. Usually it is a life we never thought we would be living. Being open to the will of God offers a new freedom to live our life more closely to God. It may demand things from us we are not sure we can do or be. It will certainly change and mold us into the person God created us to be.

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

Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

Scripture:

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28
Mark 3:22-30

Reflection:

We celebrate Saint Thomas Aquinas OP this day.  He was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church.  He was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism.  His writings are well known to all in the theological world of study and learning.  In looking beyond the scholastic contributions of Thomas Aquinas, I found a series of quotes attributed to him.  I look at these simple words as good pastoral advice for those of us called to ministry in the church today.  There were many quotes, but for the purpose of this reflection, I offer you the following:

‘Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.’

Ah! ’how wonderful it is after a long day to enjoy happy hour relaxing in a bubbling Jacuzzi or bubble bath and end the evening with the simple prayer that St. John XXIII ended each day with, ‘It’s your Church, God, I’m going to bed.’

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  To one without faith, no explanation is possible.’

Jesus tells us to bring the good news to all people. At the same time he reminds us that there will be those who are unable to hear the gospel message because of their hard-heartedness, disbelief, stubbornness or whatever!  Let us remember there will never be 100% participation at bible study, faith formation events, Sunday worship or the myriads of programs and events offered.  Rejoice in the 50% and do not let our hearts be troubled!

‘The things that we love tell us what we are.’

Fr Michal Judge, Franciscan priest, chaplain for the New York Fire Department, died at 9/11 as he ministered to those in need. His daily prayer:

Good morning, Lord.  Take me where you want me to be today.  Let me meet who you want me to meet.  Tell me what you want me to say.  And keep me out of your way.  Amen.  In love, may this be our daily prayer.

‘There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.’

True friendship rests in the celebration of the big (S) Sacraments and how we live out our lives of faith through the many small (s)sacraments.  True friendship calls us to continually look for the face of Christ in our family, friends, parish, community, nation as well as in the faces of those who are poor, lonely, sick, displaced, homeless and in need in any way.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life!  He is our best friend!  May we enjoy true friendship in him and through him.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!  Amen.

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

Scripture:

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Reflection:

Many scripture commentators consider today’s Gospel the Inaugural Address of Jesus – words that chart out his platform for ministry, about to unfold. Our temptation is to reduce or even dismiss this narrative as a kind of pseudo-piety, or glaze over Jesus’ words, wrapping them in a cellophane of religiosity and placing them high on the shelf of spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Perhaps, in some ways, we fail to recognize how exciting – and how demanding – his words really are!

When Jesus quotes the prophet, Isaiah, “…he has anointed me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord,” we will soon see how revolutionary Jesus’ ministry will be, creating a whole new world order. Some say the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), for example, is more subversive than the Communist Manifesto!

Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, our Blessed Mother reinforces this prophetic role in her great Magnificat prayer, praising God who tears down the mighty from their thrones, lifts up the lowly, feeds the hungry and sends the rich away empty-handed. Because our Nicene Creed and the Mysteries of the Rosary (now beginning to change with the Mysteries of Light) and other devotions, for example, have focused only on Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we could easily avoid engaging with this Jesus who calls us to radical transformation, a different social order. Today’s readings introduce us to Jesus’ full ministry.

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.