Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:10b-16
Luke 4:31-37

Reflection:

“To See Thee More Clearly, Love Thee More Dearly…Day By Day”

A thought:  our birthdays are opportunities to reflect on the gift of life and how we have grown over the years; the aging process may be very evident, or we may be blessed with a youthful spirit that defies aging.  Our vision, hearing, muscle tone, energy levels…life changes!  And we are invited to be grateful as we move forward, finding new meaning each and every day.

St. Paul in today’s reading from his letter to the Corinthians helps us to make sense of our faith as it impacts every dimension of life:  “…we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God…”  His Corinthian listeners were a tough, no-nonsense group; he wrote to encourage their growth in knowledge and discipleship focused on Jesus Crucified.  The Corinthian world then was very similar to life today:  self-centered, given to carelessness and laziness, so secular that the sacred is brushed aside.  Paul encouraged them (and us) to “put on the mind of Christ”.

The Gospel selection recounts Jesus teaching on the Sabbath and healing a man with an “unclean demon” — to the amazement of those with Him in the synagogue who witnessed the miraculous healing.  They noted the “…authority and power He commands…” and spoke freely of Jesus to their neighbors.  Jesus helped the man regain God’s loving presence in his life, and opened the eyes and touched the hearts of all those who witnessed the miracle.

We are invited to see God’s love at work in our lives each day.  No doubt we live in challenging times — with serious and disheartening stories of violence, corruption, abuse, mismanagement, etc. in all dimensions of life.  Both Jesus and His faithful missionary St. Paul encourage us to dig deep in our faith, and rediscover God’s love miraculously at work in ourselves and our world — and then to faithfully witness God’s presence as we live our vocations.  Both a challenge – and an opportunity.

God is faithful and active!  God wants to remove us from our “unclean demons”!  May we see God more clearly and love God more dearly…day by day.

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Luke 4:16-30

Reflection:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” Luke 4:18 (Gospel Acclamation Verse)

Each of us can be a witness for Jesus just by sharing what He has done for us. In my twenties I had a habit of arguing about our faith, especially when I felt that someone was criticizing the Catholic Church. I felt that I had to defend my beliefs and I would try really hard to help the other person come to my way of thinking.

All that changed after I began to experience the Lord working in my life. Instead of just knowing about God, I began to know the Lord as a person. I didn’t need to defend my faith anymore because I knew what was happening to me was real and no one could take that away from me. We share the Good News with confidence because we have experienced God’s love first-hand. We pray God will use our witness to help another open up to His Presence, or to go deeper in their faith walk.

In our gospel today we hear again how a prophet is not accepted in his own place; how sad that Jesus couldn’t work miracles among his own people. And yet, am I open to miracles? Do I miss Jesus working because I think I know how a thing will turn out? Do I limit His power in my life?

We can’t give someone the gift of faith, but we can pray for them to receive it and we can share what God is doing in our life with others. May we all invite the Holy Spirit to use us to spread the Good News whenever and wherever we can and to help us be open to God working miracles in our own lives.

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Bainbridge Island, Washington,  and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Janice also leads women’s retreats and recently published her second book: God IS with Us. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8
James 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflection:

These are difficult days for our Church and for our nation. Already some of our preachers have been criticized by their hearers for not speaking out strongly enough against the excesses of power in the Church which have brought condemnation upon the hierarchy and its response to accusations of abuse. During the current mourning period for the Senator from Arizona, we have heard accusations hurled against the nation’s political leadership for it’s perceived abuses of power.

This may not be the right time to remind one another of Jesus’ words: “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone (Jn 8:7).”

What might we hear from the pulpit this September Sunday morning?

Since we often hear the assertion that the United States of America was “founded on Judeo-Christian values,” we might hear homilies this Sunday which remind us that although these values are nobly expressed in the religious traditions of a certain people, they are also universal values because they spring from the author of all life and all goodness.

Values which do not lead to action, to decisions, are not values, they are empty words (Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Jas 1:22). Values are proven in the hard decisions which often result from having to resolve a conflict of values. We cannot be a country that believes in freedom if the voting rights of citizens are manipulated by politically biased distributions of that voting power (something which has already been decided by the courts).

What are the values that we hear proclaimed by the “Word of the Lord” today?

Our values are trans-boundary; they invite all people to the table of wisdom and justice: thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations…what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? (Dt 4:6,8)

Justice is a fundamental value in the way we use our money or riches: The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord. Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent (Ps 15:2,4).

Sin is a reality that defiles the human heart: From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile (Mk 7:21-23).

The Word of the Lord brings life and healing to the human heart: Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls (Jas 1:21).

The challenges to our ecclesiastical and political systems may rise and fall, the Word of the Lord stands firm.

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Citrus Heights, California. 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 25:14-30

Reflection:

The gospel reading for today is Jesus’ parable of the talents from Matthew.  Like so many of Jesus’ parables the story has a certain enigmatic quality.  We are all familiar with the basic story.  An apparently wealthy man goes on a journey and, before he leaves, he calls in his servants and entrusts them with his possessions, giving one five “talents,” another two, and a third, one–“to each,” the narrator observes, “according to his ability.”

We know what happens next. The servants with five and two talents each, risks investing them, earning money for their master.  The servant entrusted with only one talent, plays it safe and goes and buries it, “out of fear” that he might fail his “demanding” master.  When the master does return, he praises the servants who used his money profitably while condemning the poor servant who had buried his portion and gained nothing.  He has his portion taken away and given to the one who had the most.  The parable concludes with a paradoxical saying: “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

What are we to make of this strange story?  The reference to “talents” in the parable has inclined modern audiences to think of the fact that each of us are given certain “talents” or abilities and should use them well.  So the point of the parable becomes Jesus’ encouragement to be aware of our own God-given abilities and to develop them.

This is a reasonable interpretation.  Yet the term “talent” used in the story refers to a very large sum of money, not human ability.  It is hard to calculate the worth of a “talent” in today’s monetary terms.  The first century Jewish historian Josephus noted that the amount of an entire year’s taxes levied by King Herod the Great was “10,000 talents”—so we are talking big money here.  The “talents” given to these servants in the story may have been equivalent to millions of dollars.

What if the “talents” spoken of by Jesus do not represent particular human gifts or abilities but something even more fundamental and more valuable—the capacity to love given to each of us by God.  More than once in the Gospels, Jesus refer to the paradox that those who seek to live fully have to risk giving their life away.  Those who are truly great must be the servant of all.  Those who seek to follow Jesus, have to sell everything and give to the poor.  To purchase the pearl of great price or the treasure hidden in the field, you must risk everything.  In Mark’s Gospel Jesus speaks in a similar way: “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you” (Mark 4:24).

This parable, then, may speak of a very basic truth of utmost importance both for our own human development and for our lives as Christians.  We will be measured by our striving to reach beyond our own needs and hesitations in order to love and serve others.  Those who live turned in on themselves and who are concerned only about their own needs eventually lose everything.  As the parable observes, this call to love as Jesus loves is offered to all of us, “each according to his or her ability.”

 

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:

1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Matthew 25:1-13

Reflection:

…but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

“Things aren’t always what they seem.”

How many times have you heard that? It’s an interesting thing to think that what we see may not really be what’s there… that those things we experience could actually not be what we think they are.

And I suppose it’s completely true. There sure is a lot of falseness in our society these days. I wonder, though, if it’s really that new of a problem? I would guess that it isn’t… that, certainly, there has been the pull to cover up the imperfections of who we are, what we’ve done, or what’s been done to us. To augment our bodies, conceal our blemishes, or suppress our mistakes and “sweep the dust under the rug.”

I know I’m not alone when I say I have scars – some outer, some inner – that could stand to be covered up… removed. Perhaps even erase the moment that they came to be permanently etched on my body – or on my heart.

But I can’t. There’s no way to push rewind and have a “do-over” on yesterday. And you know what? I wouldn’t really want to.

Kintsugi or Kintsukuori is a Japanese approach to repairing pottery which has broken. The words mean “golden joinery” and “golden repair.” The craftsman takes the shattered vessel and fills the cracks with adhesive, and finishes by filling the scars with gold. When we set out to repair something, the result we seek is to camouflage the damage. Kintsugi, though, highlights and makes beautiful the very defects that we would usually seek to hide. The damaged vessel ends up more beautiful because it had been broken. Thanks to its brokenness, it now has been born into a stunning newness.

In today’s reading, St. Paul tells the Church in Corinth that “…we preach Christ crucified.”  I’ve been told by friends from other Christian denominations that they “… aren’t crucifixion people. That’s death. We’re a resurrection people!” You know what?  I am too.  But there could have been no resurrection without first Jesus dying.  It’s the broken Body of Christ and the scars Jesus carries for eternity that are the marks of the most amazing act of love in the history of creation. Why would I ever want to erase that stark, incredible reality?

It’s like that for us, now, you know. We all have those wounds… the scars we carry from injuries, ancient and fresh. Do we hide them or try to ignore them? Do we view ourselves as useless as a broken dish? Light does shine through cracks. Seeds do sprout after a forest fire. We can turn to the Crucified One and see the scars – our scars.  Like a Kintsugi master, Jesus took those wounds, once shameful, and made them beautiful. And he can do that for us, if we’ll just let him. Sure… we won’t be the same as if we were brand-spankin’ new, but we will be forever changed – for the better.

So, what would it take to make our wounds beautiful? Maybe purest gold in the hands of a master craftsman?

I think that Master is waiting for us…

Dear God, who brings all death into life,
thank you for the gift of things not always being what they seem. Grant us the grace to see our wounds as you see them,
for in your hands, our scars can shine anew. Amen.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center.

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 24:42-51

Reflection:

A young man approached an elderly guru and asked him to share the secret of a happy life.  The guru responded, “Pay attention.”

“Okay,” said the young man, “I’m paying attention.  Now tell me your answer.  What’s the secret of  a happy life?”
“Pay attention,” the guru repeated.
“Hey, I’m hanging on to your every word.” The young man said.  “Speak.”
Once more the guru stated, “Pay attention.”  Eventually the young man got the message.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples and us to “Stay awake!”  Usually we assume that this is a warning to be prepared for death.  We do not know just when we will be called to give an accounting of our life.   But we can also take Jesus’ words as a call to “Pay attention all day everyday.”  Stay awake and notice the many ways the Son of Man comes to us in ordinary life.

Jesus comes to us in Word and Sacrament.  He also comes to us disguised as poor, lonely and needy.  He often speaks to us through the gifts and talents he bestows upon us. He wants us to hear his voice in our hopes and our dreams.  He reveals himself in nature.  He discloses himself through beautiful art, music and poetry.  He even makes himself known through our faults and failures.

Speaking to his priests, one archbishop defined “contemplation.”  He said it was “watching the Holy Spirit at work among your people.”  We need to stay awake.  In our crazy world, there is still a lot of goodness, truth and beauty all around.  If we pay attention, we will find God (as St. Paul did) in people who are “richly endowed with every gift of speech and knowledge.”  Then like St. Paul we will continually give thanks to our God for all the gifts he has bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus.

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

The Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18
Mark 6:17-29

Reflection:

Today we reflect on the Beheading of John the Baptist.  Beheading, a violent form of execution in any age, in the opinion of Herod’s wife was a sure method for silencing the voice of John the Baptist.  John the Baptist spoke truth Herodias did not want to hear.  As I reflect on today’s readings, I wonder how often I don’t want to hear the truth spoken in the Gospel message.

Do I really want to hear the truth spoken regarding peace and the message of non-violence?  Am I comfortable when I hear Jesus speak about riches and their relationship to my participation in the Kingdom of God?  When I truly understand the point regarding forgiveness of those who trespass against me do I cover my ears?  When Jesus says I must “take up the cross and follow Him” do I qualify his statement by trying to define my own cross on my own terms?  When Paul preaches Christ living in me and all creation do I think twice about my share of creation and what I do with my own “footprint” on this earth?

Whatever we say about Herodias and her leap to beheading John the Baptist, I think we have to admit that she was quite sincere and honest about her motive.  I’m not sure I can always say the same about myself.  When I am confronted with the truth of the Gospel, I think I sometimes participate in a “selective beheading”.  I choose which parts of the message to ignore, water down or simply re-frame on my own terms.

Herod traded the truth for a dance by Herodias’ daughter.  Am I trading the truth for convenience, comfort or the avoidance of sacrifice?  Like it or not, we probably all have a little of Herodias’ approach inside our hearts.

Today, I pray that God will give me at least some of the courage and strength of John the Baptist.  I also pray that I will be less selective and will truly begin to listen to the truth in the life and teachings of Jesus.

 

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family who volunteers at the Passionist Assisted Living Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17
Matthew 23:23-26

Reflection:

Our Church is once again plunged into despair and anger with the recent report of abuse and cover-up on the part of our church leaders coming out of Pennsylvania.  As we search to understand the meaning of these terrible deeds, we are filled with angst and empathy for the victims and maybe not so much for the perpetrators!  Even though we know and believe God is a loving and merciful God, many find it hard or impossible to cast a merciful or loving eye on those responsible for these hideous deeds.

Indeed our Church is in trouble!  Where do we go from here?  How can we be instruments of peace?  Is it wrong to demand justice for those involved?

As we work through these feelings of hurt, betrayal and anger where do we find hope?  As ministers called to lead and serve the People of God it is important to be as transparent, honest and loving to our people as possible.  I do not have the words to explain this upheaval.  I can listen with an open, loving heart to those in pain and uncertainty.  I can pray for a compassionate heart and forgiving spirit while acknowledging my own feelings of sadness and righteous anger.  The presence of evil in the world and especially in our church is overwhelming at times.

At the same time I find comfort in the blessing to the people of Thessalonica as found in our first reading of today.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
Who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
And good hope through his grace,
Encourage your hearts and strengthen them
In every good deed and word.

It is good to remember that our God who loves us and calls us to be members of this church gives us the hope and grace and support to carry on the mission of Christ.

Here in our parish as we move into the Fall season we become busy once again with school activities, parish programs, sacramental celebrations and all the hundreds of things we are about in ministry in this Church we call home.  The Holy Spirit is alive and well in our parish as we welcome smiling children back to school, excited couples preparing for marriage, eager RCIA inquirers anxious to begin a journey to the Easter sacraments.  Our refugee ministry has been planning and is ready to welcome our third refugee family at the end of this month.  The parish community shares wholeheartedly in this effort to give shelter to the homeless and food to the hungry as we say hello to this family of seven from the Congo.

Today we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.  Augustine’s early life was marked by dissolute living and upheaval.  His conversion experience which led to his baptism and subsequent service and giftedness to the Church is something we are grateful for.  We are reminded that even in the midst of the current darkness we are experiencing as Church, the grace of the spirit will lead us to a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

May we find comfort and hope in the love God has for each of us as faithful followers of Christ our brother and friend.

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