Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14

Reflection:

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you. ~1 Corinthians 15:1

“If you hold fast…” So, how do we do that?

There are many ways that we can remember all that God has done for us and taught us. One way is to keep a journal. Writing down God’s blessings and the things He is teaching us is a great way to recount our experiences and gives us a way to go back and remember if we should forget.

Telling others is also a great way to strengthen our faith and can be a way to bless them as well. When you tell your story you reinforce what happened to you, and cement the truth of it in your heart. Stories witness to God’s working in our lives and teach us about His character and love. Jesus told stories, and we can tell our stories too.

Spending time in God’s word re-reading the verses that have blessed us, taught and corrected us and also searching for new verses that speak to us reminds us that God can and does communicate with us through His word, and that He cares personally for each one of us. Somewhere in the Psalms we are told to “hide God’s word in our hearts.” Memorizing our favorite verses allows the Holy Spirit to bring them to mind just when we need them.

Here are a couple of my favorite verses:

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love. He will sing joyfully because of you.”

1 John 2:24b-25 “If what you heard from the beginning does remain in your hearts, then you in turn will remain in the Son and in the Father. He himself made us a promise and the promise is no less than this: eternal life.” (After which I wrote in my Bible: “Yipee!”)

And one more that I underlined this morning: “He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” (Hosea 6:3b) I like this verse, because it rains a lot here in the beautiful state of Washington. I am hoping I will see the rain now as God himself falling on me as a blessing. May we all “hold fast” to the Word that saves us.

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:

Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8

Reflection:

This year, the second of May occurs after the Fifth Sunday of Easter. In our participation at Sunday Mass, we have been listening to the accounts of the early Christian communities about how they came to accept the meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus in their lives. Belief in the Resurrection brought them to baptism. The Resurrection of Jesus fueled the missionary outreach of the Apostles and disciples. It was in the name of Jesus—who died and was raised – that the first disciples were able to work healing miracles as a testament to the power of the Son of God. It was the Resurrection of Jesus that strengthened the resolve of the first Christian martyrs to lay down their lives in order to be able to share in the Resurrection of Jesus.

Among the readings of the weekdays and the Sundays after Easter, we have had the opportunity to listen to the words given us by the Evangelist St. John, and the First Letter of John. I used to find John’s Gospel challenging because it was so complex and (to my mind) philosophical. I began to experience John’s gospel differently when I began to realize that his narrative weaves the experience of Eucharist into its many settings and declarations.

By the time that this Gospel of John is written, the independence of the Christians from the Temple worship is a fact of history following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Christians of the last decade of the First Century A.D. have withdrawn from the life of the Synagogue in favor of celebrations of the Eucharist on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. In this milieu of John’s gospel, the Eucharist is the basis of their worship. This could be the reason that John does not describe the Synoptic “bread and cup” narrative at the last supper. John presents the Eucharist not as a Passover meal, but as the “living bread that came down from heaven…and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (John 6:15)” The celebration of this Eucharistic “Sign” is not in the upper room, but on the hillsides overlooking the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus provides food for his followers.

With this eye to the Eucharist as a means of entering into the meaning of the Gospel of John, we can see how overtly several of the “Signs” that John references are about life, and therefore, about Eucharist. The first “Sign,” the changing of water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana, is a symbol of the rite of initiation for Christians: by baptism (water), the new Christian is brought to the altar to share in the wine, which by the power of Jesus’ word, has become the Blood-of-Christ.

The second “Sign,” the cure of the official’s son, is connected to the first “Sign” by place, it also takes place at Cana of Galilee. Jesus heals (restores life) by the power of his own word, the same word which assures us (in the Synoptic texts) that “This is my body…this is my blood.”

Chapter Six of St. John’s gospel is the highpoint of this Eucharistic sense of the Gospel of John. Here we find the fourth “Sign.” In spite of his having satisfied their physical hunger, Jesus’ discourse stresses the absolute condition for eternal life, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (Jn 6:53)”

The seventh “Sign” that the Gospel of John presents is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. What could be more Eucharistic for each of us than the assurance that our lives have been surrendered to the one who can take us beyond death. As we celebrate the presence of Jesus among us in Eucharist, we also share in the very same source of life which is eternal.

Unfortunately, if we limit our reading of St. John’s gospel to how we share in the life of Christ through the Eucharist, without any reference to our social imperative, we would not have grasped the meaning of Eucharist that Jesus offers us.

In St. John’s gospel and in the 1^st Letter of John, we are frequently called to love one another: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you (Jn 15:12);” to share in the risen life of Jesus: “what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us (1Jn 1:3);” and to follow Jesus’ example: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. (Jn 13:14)”

These are the two sides of Eucharist, that we be nourished by the life of Christ, in order to engage with one another in building up the Body of Christ through that love for, unity with, and service on behalf of one another. These are some of the ways that the Easter readings taken from St. John’s Gospel and the 1^st Letter of John have helped me to appreciate the meaning of Eucharist in the spirit of the Easter Season.

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

Scripture:

Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a

Reflection:

In this Easter season we continue to have readings from the Acts of the Apostles.  Today we hear a segment from Paul’s first missionary journey into the interior of Asia Minor.  Together with his companions, including Barnabas, Paul goes from city to city, preaching the gospel and sometimes meeting a hostile response—as we hear in this reading where Paul narrowly escapes death from stoning, yet revives and continues his missionary work.

Several times the passage mentions a city named Antioch, but there was more than one city named such.  “Antioch” is derived from the name of the famous earlier ruler of this region, Antiochus—a dominant figure of the Seleucid dynasty that in the two centuries before the birth of Jesus ruled over the region of Eastern Asia Minor (now Turkey), Syria and part of the northeastern area of Israel itself.  The largest and most famous “Antioch” is not the smaller town Paul visited in this missionary journey into interior of Asia Minor but the major city—the base from which he and Barnabas began their mission and to which they would return. Acts notes that when Paul and Barnabas came back, “they called the Church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.  Then they spent no little time with the disciples.”

This Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire at the time of Paul and stood astride a major trade between east and west.  It figures prominently in the Acts of the Apostles.  Some of the Jewish Christians scattered when persecution broke out in Jerusalem after the stoning of Steven, fled to Antioch and began to baptize Greeks, that is, Gentiles.  At the time this was a bold step that alarmed some of the Jewish Christians leaders in Jerusalem so they sent Barnabas, one of the most beloved and trusted leaders of the early church, to check things out. He found that indeed the Gentile Christians of Antioch were filled with the Holy Spirit and Barnabas “rejoiced” and “encouraged” these new Christians.  Later Barnabas would go to Tarsus, where Paul had been sent after stirring up controversy in Jerusalem, and bring Paul to Antioch also.  It was there that Paul would be instructed further in his new-found faith and from there he and Barnabas would begin the first missionary journey to the Gentile world.

Later we learn that in was in this mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians, located in a large and dynamic city, that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians.”  The Christian faith of this community remained strong through out the early centuries of the Church as the presence of such great early Christian leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch testify, a faith brought to this region by people who were fleeing their lives but did not lack in courage and fidelity.

I am reminded of a comment by the great German New Testament scholar, Martin Hengel, who observed that the rapid spread of early Christianity was not due simply to a compelling message but to the courage and witness of compelling people.  I have had the privilege numerous times, while leading study tours to the region, of visiting the modern Turkish city of Antakya, the site of ancient Antioch.  In the heart of this bustling Muslim city near the border of tortured present-day Syria, there is a small but very vibrant Christian community, composed of Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians who work together in a remarkable way in order to give witness to their Muslim neighbors.  One of the lessons we can take from the readings of these early stages of the Christian community in the Acts of the Apostles, is that we, too, are called to give courageous and persevering witness to the beauty of our Christian faith, no matter what our circumstances may be.

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:

Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26

Reflection:

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Acts 14:26

The Scriptures we read for today’s Mass gives us two snapshots of the historical development of the early Church.

The first snapshot that I want to reflect upon comes from the Gospel passage. Jesus had just finished washing the feet of his disciples when he begins a long discourse on our relationship with God, with Jesus himself and with one another. Jesus was well aware that this was the last time he would be with his disciples. He wanted his teaching and legacy to be clear. Jesus wanted his disciples to firmly believe that the Way to God was only through his Person, through Jesus himself. The test of discipleship would be fidelity to Jesus’ Word, to the Gospel Jesus so eloquently preached throughout his life. He told them: if you are faithful to His Word, you will be faithful disciples. If you do not keep His Word, then you are not true disciples. For Jesus, it was as simple as that.

Jesus wanted his disciples to have clarity on this. But he also wanted to assure them that an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would be guiding them, reminding them of his words and teachings, and they would receive new insights when they encountered new situations in their lives.

The second snapshot comes to us from the Acts of the Apostles, from the first reading for today’s Mass. There is a proverb in Spanish that goes something like this: we make paths by walking. This was what the Apostles were doing after Pentecost. They were creating new experiences of Church by just doing, by going out and preaching and teaching and loving one another. Sometimes bad things happened and sometimes good things happened. But they never wavered. They believe in the Person of Jesus, in His Gospel and in His Promises. In the good times and in the bad times, they were faithful to His Word.

And so it is with us. How do we know if we are Jesus’ disciples? If we are faithful to Jesus’ Word, then we are his disciples. If we surrender our selfish ways of doing things, then we are truly his disciples. If we let our good works go to our heads and begin to believe that we are like the gods, more important than anyone else, then we are not Jesus’ disciples. Being a disciple of Jesus takes constant vigilance, commitment and prayer. Can we do this on our own? Not on our life! Jesus said, by following His Word, we experience the indwelling of God. We allow God to be present in our lives. We get the grace to go beyond our human weakness. We receive the forgiveness we need to go forward. We become like those first Apostles who witnessed to Jesus’ Resurrection.

Jesus demands much of us. But he sends us his Advocate: The Holy Spirit. Alleluia!

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

Scripture:

Acts 9: 26 – 31
1 John 3: 18 – 24
John: 15: 1 – 8

Reflection:

               “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because
                 without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

As we continue in the joy of the Easter season we are reminded by the Gospel of John that being connected to Jesus Christ is important in order to “bear fruit”. A person is not a whole person unless they person feed and nourish the soul. We feed our brain with information for our jobs or hobbies. We feed our body so that we can continue doing our physical tasks or exercise. We soothe our psyche with different forms of relaxation or decompressing from the stress of the day. Perhaps the soul could nourished by one or more of the following: Feeding it and nurturing it with the things it needs such as reading scripture or a spiritual book. Taking time to quietly sit and pray is a nice way to relieve stress, as is regularly attending Sunday Mass or attending Mass during the week. Some people like to pray the rosary or to say the Stations of the Cross which can be done outside of Lent. Finding a piece of art work, perhaps on the internet, depicting a favorite saint or scripture passage and meditating on it. Actively feeding the soul helps with our connection to Christ, the vine. Being connected is important for our souls to grow closer to Christ and when we grow closer to Christ, we also grow closer to one another. Being connected in this way also increases our capacity to love and love is the root of the message of Christ. “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34)

We are connected to “the vine” because Christ loves us.  Being a piece of fruit on “the vine” means that we work to become the person that God created us to be and thus we “bear fruit”. It is simple to say but not simple to achieve. A life time of feeding and nurturing is required in order to bear the fruit that we were meant to bear. The nurturing and feeding is required in the good times of our life as well as the times of struggle, for it is in the struggle that we depend on the vine the most. If we have that connection with Christ then we are able to pass through the struggle and see the grace and blessings that have been given to us through Christ.

“Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don’t look at
  your weaknesses. Realize instead that in Christ crucified you can do everything.”
                                                 – Saint Catherine of Siena

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

Scripture:

Acts 13:44-52
John 14:7-14

Reflection:

Since Easter we have been hearing of stories of resurrection and many of those are the growth of a new Ecclesia, a church, a new people of God.   One of my favorites is a story very few people have ever heard.  It is the story of a young boy named Peter Chanel and his courage to follow the call of the Holy Spirit.

Peter was born in 1803 across the Atlantic in the hamlet of La Botiere France.  The local parish priest noticed something special in Peter and convinced his parents to let him study in a small school the priest had started.  From there he went on to the seminary and was ordained a priest and assigned to a parish in Crozet.  Peter was fascinated with the stories he heard which came back from the foreign missions and he longed to be one of those who took the gospel to some distant place.  This desire was so strong that he asked permission to go to the missions. Sadly, the Bishop turned him down. Three years later he made a bold move and joined a newly founded missionary congregation, the Society of Mary.  Pope Gregory XVI agreed to the founding of a new congregation if the society would send half of their men into the newly opened mission area of Oceania.  This desire pleased Peter greatly and he left France on Christmas Eve, 1836.  Travel was slow in those days and it would take almost a year to reach their destination in the South Pacific.

On November of 1837 they arrived at the Island of Futuna.  Accompanying  Peter were Marie-Nizier Delorme, a French lay brother.   Initially they were well received by both the Islanders and Futuna’s king, Niuliki.    Without knowing any of the language and customs Peter found himself in the foreign missions; the very place he had hoped for and dreamed of for the past several years.  After three years he was having only minor success.  Only a few of the Islanders accepted baptism.  Then one day the event that would turn everything around erupted.  The king had a son named Meitala who approached his dad informing him of his desire to be baptized.  The king erupted in anger.  As King he was supposed both King and High Priest.  He was threatened by this religion of the white man.  One of the King’s warriors was told by the king,  “Do whatever is necessary and resolve this problem.”    The problem wasn’t resolved, it merely escalated.  Musumusu showed up at Peter’s home with several of his warrior friends.  After ransacking Peter’s belongings, he clubbed Peter to death.   It was April 28, 1841.   That was 177 years ago on this day.

It happened to be a week later that a trading ship stopped at the island taking Br. Marie-Nizier to the island of Wallis for safety.  Now news of the murder was out.  Ships moved very slowly and it would take almost a year for the news of this to actually get back to Europe.  Two significant things happened.  First the people of the Island were infuriated that their king would do such a thing.     The pushback the King received from the people of the Island made the king not only regret such a decision but also repent.  Second, Marists did not turn their back on the people.  They returned to the island to continue the work Peter Chanel had begun.  In due course, The King accepted baptism and became Catholic, as did all the other inhabitants on the Island of Futuna.

I can’t help but be astounded by the parallels between the death of Jesus and the execution of Peter Chanel.

• A good person who was innocent suffered and died
• Preceding the death, the current religious authorities were afraid and misguided.
• Someone else had to carry out the execution
• The sadness of death does not subdue the people but ultimately leads to a united faith in Christ.
• The death of one man leads to the salvation of many
• After the execution, the Spirit had a unique way of bringing Christ’s witnesses into conversation with those who carried out the orders.
• The faith has now been passed on from generation to generation.

Futuna to this day is still a Catholic Island, and it all started with one man who gave his life.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture: 

Acts 13:26-33
John 14:1-6

Reflection:

Sometimes in these scripture reflections I have a tendency to “interpret” the gospel message in the words of Jesus and apply my interpretation to today’s issues.  Maybe today’s scripture reading is not one for interpretation.  Today it might be good simply to take comfort in Jesus’ words.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”

In John’s gospel, Jesus speaks these words to the disciples on the night before he is to die.  Everyone is anxious, even Jesus.  Jesus is talking about his death and the disciples are reflecting on separation from Jesus.  In the verses before these in John’s gospel, Peter is proclaiming that he will never deny Jesus.  We know how that worked out for him!  Yes, everyone is anxious.

Anxiety seems to be one of the signs of our times.  We live in a world punctuated with “breaking news”, almost always bad!  People’s worries are blasted across social media on a daily basis. Uncertainties give birth to hostilities and kindness is often crushed in angry tirades and twitters.  Today’s words from Jesus go straight to the heart of our anxieties and offer comfort.

Today let us together simply take great comfort in the words of Jesus; “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  Together let us simply be quiet within our hearts in the presence and comfort of God.

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