Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Mark 5:21-43

Reflection:

As he grappled with an aggressive cancer, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin wrote a beautiful reflection on his experience entitled, The Gift of Peace.  So deep was his faith that Cardinal Bernardin, despite being aware his life was ending, spoke of death as a “friend”—something he did not fear but could even embrace.  Our Scriptures would surely endorse such strong trust in God but, at the same time, the Bible also views death not as a “friend” but as the enemy.  Paul the Apostle called death “the last enemy.”  And today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom baldly asserts “God did not make death”; rather, death enters into the world because humans made a pact with evil and invited it in!  God’s original and abiding intent is that the world and all life within it should thrive.

This biblical perspective that God is associated with abundant life, not death, is strongly proclaimed in the Gospel of Mark from which our gospel selection is taken today.  Throughout Mark’s account, the focus is on Jesus’ power to heal, to defeat the threat of death, and to restore human life.  The key to Mark’s portrayal of Jesus is found at the very beginning of his Gospel when at his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus is infused with the Spirit of God—the ultimate source of all life—and the Father declares Jesus as his “beloved Son.”  Filled with that divine Spirit, Jesus plunges into his mission of healing and overcoming death with life.  Mark portrays the first day of Jesus’ ministry in the village of Capernaum as non-stop healing, with the crowds bringing their sick to Jesus.

The gospel selection for today recounts two more such healings.  A woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years touches Jesus’ cloak as he moves through the crowd and she experiences his healing power surge through her.  The second story is equally compelling.  Jairus, a synagogue official, had approached Jesus, pleading with him to come and heal his gravely ill daughter.  While Jesus and the official are on their way, Jairus receives word that alas his daughter has died.  But Jesus is undeterred.  The mourners who crowd around the house of the dead child ridicule Jesus when he states she is “sleeping” not dead.  But Jesus himself goes into the room where the young girl was, takes her by the hand, and says, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”  The story ends so beautifully—amid the commotion caused her healing, Jesus reminds her parents to give her something to eat!

Ancient medicine lacked the scientific knowledge and methods we have but they did have some wisdom about sickness and healing.  One of the common words for illness in the first century world was “weakness”—the Greek term astheneia; their generic understanding of the cause of illness was a lack of vital force.  Healing, on the other hand, involved a transfer of vital force or vitality from the healer to the one bereft of vitality.  This notion of healing as a transfer of life from one who has abundant life to one who lacks it fits well with the Gospel’s understanding of Jesus’ mission.  Jesus—filled with God’s own Spirit and, therefore, brimming with vital force, touches those who are ill and they are restored to new life.  This is clearly the case in both the healing stories we hear this Sunday: power surges out from Jesus to the woman who touches him, and Jesus’ healing touch restores life to Jairus’ little daughter.

This alerts us to a fundamental dimension of the Christian mission to the world.  We are called to be healers like Jesus who brings life to those who suffer. Understanding healing as a transfer of vital force can apply to a variety of situations: the skill of a physician or health care worker; the wisdom of a counselor or simply that of an understanding friend willing to listen to someone’s distress; the courage and tenacity of those who work for justice.  All can be healers in the manner of Jesus.

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

[This reflection is adapted from the author’s “Perspectives on Scripture” that appears weekly in The Chicago Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper.]

Scripture:

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Matthew 8:5-17

Reflection:

When it seems like our prayers aren’t being answered, it is good to go over this check-off list.

1) Do we pray with humility?  “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

2) Do we forgive all others before we pray?  “First, be reconciled with your brother, and then come an offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24).

3) Do we pray first of all for the coming of God’s kingdom?  “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33).

4) Do we pray with love?  “If I speak (pray) with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

5) Have we given thanks for gifts already received?  “Was no one found to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner” (Luke 17:18).

A rabbi was once asked this challenging question.  “How come God was so visible to people in times past, but nowadays no one ever seems to see him?”  The rabbi responded, “Nowadays there is no one who bows low enough.”  

In today’s gospel we see the centurion bowing low enough and praying with humility, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Matthew 8:8).  He realized his littleness and recognized the authority, the greatness of Jesus.  Apparently this depth of humility and faith was rare in those days because the gospel says that Jesus “marveled.”

If we reflect on the splendor of creation and the beauty of human life, we bow down in reverence before the Creator.  If we gaze upon the crucifix, we bow down in wonder before this expression of God’s love.  If we consider the size of the universe and that we are just one in seven billion people on this little planet Earth, we are filled with awe that God would have compassion and pay any attention to little us.

So with confidence in Jesus’ power, love and compassion, we humbly present our petitions to him.  And Jesus “marveles.”

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Scripture:

Acts of the Apostles 12: 1-11
2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16: 13 -19

Reflection:

Today we celebrate two great men of the Church, Saints Peter and Paul. Two ordinary men, one a fisherman and the other a Pharisee and a tentmaker. Two ordinary men who recognized that God had called them to be something greater than they thought themselves to be. Two ordinary men who had courage to speak the truth that was spoken to them through Christ. They endured suffering through many hardships and trials for their words and actions and yet they kept on believing in the truth that dwelt in their hearts.

“Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.” Acts 12:5

I have just returned from a trip to the Alpine Region of Europe. As part of our travels we stopped in the city of Salzburg, Austria. One of the five churches of the old city is Saints Peter and Paul and it is magnificent! Pope John Paul II had visited there twice. There was also the church of Saint Francis Xavier in Lucerne, Switzerland with its beautiful and at times overwhelming Baroque style. In Como, Italy there was the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary and its ornate Gothic style. In Munich, Germany there was a Church off of the main square named Saint Peter’s and it was just as ornate and beautiful as the others. In Mainz, Germany we visited Saint Stephen’s where the famous Marc Chagall windows flood the church with a soothing blue light. In Mainz we also visited the Cathedral which is one of the oldest being constructed in 1009 and where the recently deceased, Cardinal Lehmann is buried in the crypt, underneath the altar. All of these magnificent structures show the dedication and art of the times in which they were built. Their beauty give praise to God as well as the people who come to pray and celebrate mass every day and on Sundays. These churches and cathedrals were built to teach the people of their day about the Church and they are not the Church. If there were no great buildings the Church would still exist because the Church is more than brick and mortar, it is the People of God.

All of us who are baptized in the Church are the Church. From the beginning it has always been about the people. The prayers of the Church are powerful, they may not always be answered the way we would like but they are still answered. Peter and Paul both put their faith and trust in the Church as they went about spreading the “Good News” They did not have an easy task with the many abuses they underwent as they preached, taught and baptized those who wanted to become disciples. On this feast we remember our two great saints who established the Church. Let us pray for our Church and world that God may send us the graces we need to proclaim the “Good News” and be the Church in our world today.

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

Scripture:

2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  So by their fruits you will know them.”

These words of Jesus in today’s gospel are relevant for our reflection today, especially during “watermelon thumping” season!  Every time I go to the grocery lately I come across a large box of watermelons for sale.  Invariably there are a number of people surrounding the box and all of them are “thumping” the melons to determine which ones are worthy of their summer picnic!  They all are trying to identify the “good fruit” Jesus refers to in today’s gospel.

Good fruit isn’t easy to find these days, especially when we consider what is happening in our world!  Many of us feel devastated as we see and hear children being taken from the arms of their parents along the U.S. border.  We are discouraged as we see families being put in chain link cages just because they are trying to seek a better life.  No matter who is responsible, this is definitely “bad fruit”.  The spiritual writer Richard Rohr describes “good fruit” for us.

“God calls us to protect and seek justice for those who are poor and vulnerable, and our treatment of people who are “oppressed,” “strangers,” “outsiders,” or otherwise considered “marginal” is a test of our relationship to God, who made us all equal in divine dignity and love.”  This quote from Rohr seems like a good way to find the good fruit and “thump the watermelon” of today’s current events!  Jesus is so convinced about finding the good fruit He repeats it twice in Matthew’s gospel.

“By their fruits you will know them.”  Let’s think about our “thumping” today.  How do we find the “good fruit” in our world?

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36
Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Reflection:

We’ve all gotten stuck. It may have been while crawling around in a cramped space as a child. Perhaps it was in a department store revolving door with too many packages, or trying to catch that L train when the door was closing. There’s too much of me to get through that space, that’s the problem.

The selection from the Gospel of Matthew for today fits into a much longer litany of teachings by Jesus that begins with the Beatitudes and then moves on to fasting, adultery and divorce, almsgiving and prayer. Today we hear Jesus sharing what we now call the Golden Rule, and then he says this: “Enter through the narrow gate…. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

It used to strike me as a contradiction to hear this rather restrictive invitation as compared to when Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t then say, “but only if you can get through the door.”

My experience of getting stuck is that I usually have too much stuff. Too many packages to get through the door. Too much weight to get into those cool pants. Too many biases or expectations. Too much anger. Disappointments.

Think of the times when Jesus calls the disciples to “come, follow me.” Leave your family and your work, he says. Leave your riches. Leave your places of honor. Leave your sin and blindness and crippled limbs. He calls us to put down all those things we carry that keep us from getting through the narrow door. We are called today to enter the journey with Jesus unburdened of all the stuff of life that gets us stuck. We can’t make that journey with him loaded up with stuff that really does not matter.

Maybe it’s not the door that is too narrow. More likely, it’s all the stuff I’m carrying that gets me stuck.

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.

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist.  His mother insisted he be named John.

“He shall be called John.” Lk 1:60   The name come from the Hebrew words Ya (Yahweh) and han (kind,gracious)   YAHWEH is MERCIFUL (Kind).

“And he John came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”   Lk 3:3  The word here for repentance is the Greek NT word metanoia. It is difficult word to translate into English.  It means to have a change of mind, to reconsider, to reassess, reexamine, to think again in a far more positive way.  Get your mind around a new monumental action of God!

Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their preaching career with:” “Repent (metanoeo), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mt 4:17  The imperative of their call is to mind a new startling approach of God in Jesus.   Jesus Himself is the “autobasilius”(Himself-Kingdom).  Origen reminds us that Jesus’ presence is the kingdom.  When we turn to Him our action takes on an excitement like none other! He is “the living One”  “In His presence is the fullness of joy.” Ps 16:11   When the young man departs from Christ in Mk 10:17 he is “gloomy” , and “he went away grieving”.   The ultimate sadness in life is to live unattached to Christ, “the Living One”!

The noun conversion metánoia used 22 times and the verb metanoeo used 34 times show us how important this concept is in Biblical tradition.  True conversion starts with wonder at the Incarnation.  “One thing I am certain that this age needs first and foremost, is to be startled, to be taught the nature of wonder.” G K Chesterton: John the Baptist complained: “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.^”  John 1:26   Oh that we could experience what the apostles experienced on the Sea of Galilee! “The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Mt 6:27

Key to responding to John the Baptist’s message is to what the SS calls ecstasy.  The Greek word in NT is existēmi  (to stand outside of myself)  “And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed existēmi and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”  Mk 2:12 John’s message is as meaningful today as ever: “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

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

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 24:17-25
Matthew 6:24-34

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus speaks to what is really important. He first says: “No one can serve two masters….You cannot serve God and mammon.” In other words, we cannot serve God and money or material things at the same time.

And then Jesus goes into a discourse about a proper perspective on things: “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Then Jesus uses the images of the birds in the sky and the wild flowers that grow in the field. Jesus also says, “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?”

It’s very easy to worry about food and drink and clothing, especially when one is struggling to get something to eat. But I’m not sure that even in those situations that worry accomplishes anything. Just as Jesus says we cannot serve both God and money, we have to trust one or the other. When we trust in material wealth or worldly power, we get anxious about protecting what we have, or we find that whatever we have is never enough.

When we put our trust in God, we realize that all good comes from Him. We see that all is gift. And we become more willing to help those who are in great need of the necessities of life, and help them to trust in God. Jesus tells us that the Father knows what we need, but we need to seek first “the kingdom of God” and God’s “righteousness.”

May we trust in God who loves us, and choose to serve Him.

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