Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 6:8-15
John 6:22-29

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, when the crowd has spent some time looking for Jesus after He multiplied the loaves and the fish and fed thousands, one of the things that they ask Him is, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus replies, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

For me, that is an answer that raises even more questions. Does Jesus mean that all we need do is believe, and that’s it? Isn’t there something else that we need to do? As I have been searching for an answer, I’ve been led to reflect on what it means to believe in Jesus.

To believe in Jesus leads to belief in many things: That God has a plan of salvation; That God loves us more than we can imagine; That the Son of God sacrificed Himself for the forgiveness of our sins, and that He rose from the dead to give us the promise of everlasting life. To believe in Jesus means much more than simple belief in a Supreme Being. To believe in Jesus is to believe in love for us!

And if we can truly accept that love, we are compelled to respond. And the way we respond is to love each other and love the world. And so, like the apostles whose efforts about which we are hearing all through this Easter season, like Stephen, about whom we hear today, like all the saints, known and unknown who have gone before us, we are called to go out into the world, filled with the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, and proclaim the Good News in all that we say and do.

God gives us what we need to do the works we are called to do. May we believe in the One He sent, and give in return the gift of love given to us.

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

Scripture:

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
1 John 2:1-5a
Luke 24:35-48

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading from Luke, we hear the account of an appearance of the Risen Jesus to His disciples. In the Gospel, this happens after Jesus has appeared to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, and after He had been made known to them “in the breaking of bread,” they have returned to Jerusalem, to tell the others.

Similar to the account we heard last week between Jesus and Thomas, Jesus shows the disciples that it is really He by showing them His hands and feet, in other words, by showing them His wounds. He further demonstrates that he is not a ghost or something else by asking them for some food to eat, and then eating it. Again, it is interesting to me that Jesus demonstrates His glory, in a way, by demonstrating His humanity, his wounds and his human needs (hunger).

After Jesus has done for the disciples there what He did for Cleopas and his companion, and opened their minds and hearts to understand the Scriptures in relation to what has happened, Jesus says to them: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

In our first reading from Acts, we hear Peter speak to the people in similar words: “The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of his prophets, that his Christ would suffer. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

The Jesus who has been raised is the same Jesus who is the Son of God become one of us, and so I see repentance as not only sorrow for our sins, but a willingness to turn back to God, a willingness to turn to God in all things, knowing that Jesus understands our human condition, and trusting in His love for us. And so repentance may not need be a melancholy exercise, it can be an exercise in hope in the future and trust in the mercy of God.

The disciples were witnesses of God’s love and mercy. They saw Jesus heal and feed and calm the storm. They saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead. They were witnesses of the power of God’s love. Jesus was not risen in order to avenge His death. He rose in vindication of His sacrifice. He rose to offer the promise of everlasting life to all. Yes, He demonstrated power, but not power as the world so often understands it. He revealed the power of God’s love, a love revealed in mercy and forgiveness and sacrifice. I must confess that I have problems with depictions of Jesus as some kind of warrior king, because I see those depictions as attempts to make God’s power conform to the our notions of worldly power, and so those kinds of images don’t ring true for me.

Do we trust in God’s power? Do we trust in God’s love? It is not always easy to do so, when we see evil or are overcome by anxiety, but celebrating Easter helps us remember the reality of the power of God’s love. May we let go of any attempts to have power over others in trying to control their lives, or getting ahead by holding others back. May we live and speak and act in the power of God’s love in Jesus Christ, trusting in the reality of Resurrection.

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

Scripture:

Acts 6:1-7
John 6:16-21

Reflection:

In the Niccoline Chapel, located in the Vatican palace, there is a famous fresco that was painted by the great artist, Fra Angelico.  This fresco portrays the consecrating of the first “seven deacons” chosen by the Apostles: St. Stephen (first martyr); St. Philip, (Evangelist); Prochorus; Nicanor; Timon; Parmenas; and Nicholas.  The consecration was occasioned by the fact that the Church and followers of Jesus was growing rapidly.  The Hellenists, Greek-speaking Jews, were complaining because their widows were not sharing equally in the “daily distribution”, i.e., the sharing of food and other material needs overseen by the Twelve.  Since the Apostles realized they needed help in order to continue to dedicate themselves to the proclamation of the Gospel — the task of evangelization we speak of so frequently today — it was decided that others should be enlisted to help so that the Apostles could continue to put the proclamation of the Gospel above all else.  Our first reading today tells us, “Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Thus, we celebrate the beginning of the ministry of deacons in the Church, an ordained ministry and sharing in the priesthood that thankfully continues so vigorously in many parts of the Church today.  I am sure that many of us are familiar with deacons in our home parish and are very grateful for their service of preaching and assistance at the altar during the celebration of the holy Eucharist.  After this momentous event in the early Church the scriptures continue and tell us that “the word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly…”  This is one of the reasons why we can continue to rejoice so heartily during this Easter season.  Thank God for our good, wise, and reputable deacons!

But we can rejoice for another reason.  Who can forget the scene portrayed in today’s Gospel from John, chapter 6?  The disciples found themselves in rough and threatening waters.  Suddenly Jesus appears, speaking unforgettable words: “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  How frequently I need to take these words into my heart and allow them to dispel my own fears and anxiety.  We all do!  When we see the political chaos around us and the uncertainty of peace in our world — “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  When we grieve the tragedy of young deaths in our growing opioid crisis — “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  When we continue to see gun violence in schools and streets — “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  We can change these things, we really can.  All we have to do is to recognize the Lord, shed ourselves of fear, and respond with resurrection courage and joy.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-33
John 3:31-36

Reflection:

This meditation is based on today’s Word. “The One who comes from above (heaven) is above all….He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure.” (Jn. 3: 31, 33)

This is a meditation on the “world beyond our cell phones.” Yes, there is a world beyond our cell phones which is the greatest reality we have, which gives “the Spirit without measure,” and, which carries us into eternity. (You can stop right here, if that is enough to think about today!)

The other day I received a call from a friend who was in Machu Pichu, Peru. That was pretty amazing! It seems I’ve got the world in my phone. But, that is not quite true. The world that was confirmed within us at the Easter Rising of the Son of God is the world with which 1. we are accompanied, in which 2. we find the source of all wisdom and energy, and, 3. is through us and around us, whereby we find our meaning and direction, and our eternal destiny. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (Jn. 3,36) We can call this meditation the daily “WIT” prayer, if you like. That all we do today is With Him, In Him and Through Him.

That prayer form is compliments of Fr. David Knight, a preacher and a teacher. I put no superlative adjectives in front of his roles, he would not approve.

Why is this prayer form so important? Things have not changed much from those days when the original missionary disciples were harassed by the temple police. Yes people get upset when the “true truth” of the Son of God is proclaimed. Did anyone hear anything of the reality of non-violence in Christ’s Passion and Death during Holy Week? And how we are to imitate Him in His Passion and Death?

Pope Francis is about to publish a new letter to the Catholic world addressing the “truths of Christ” around which we are to imitate Him in our words and deeds, to unite us and not divide us.

Let us see where the “WIT” prayer will take us today.

Remember the opening anthem of our Liturgy today, “O God, when you went forth before your people, marching with them and living among them, the earth trembled, heavens poured down rain.” May we find each other in that march today.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is the administrator at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-37
John 3:7b-15

Reflection:

My son and I have interesting conversations these days. Steven was born with a soft, compassionate heart and a desire to make the world a better place. He has also been a seeker, trying to find God in many ways and consistently asking thoughtful questions as our family actively participated in the rituals and practices of Catholicism. He was probably the most challenging member of his Confirmation cohort, though he did decide to be confirmed in the Catholic Church. Now in his late 20’s, he has become deeply attached to the Buddhist tradition, and actively volunteers and teaches at a Buddhist meditation center.

Steven and I talk about the similarities and differences between Buddhist meditation and Christian contemplative prayer (which is my preferred prayer style). We explore the common commands to care for creation and to honor the dignity and respect due to each person. He inspires me with his commitment to being a vegetarian in order to do no harm to other creatures of the earth. He asks earnest questions of me about my beliefs, and I of him. In the process, even though I have a Master’s degree in pastoral studies from a Jesuit institution, I admit that I am learning even more about my own faith, reflecting an adage that I learned as a youth – “If you want to truly understand something, try explaining it to someone else.” It is an enriching process, and I am constantly challenged to grow, clarify, and expand my thinking.

I have met many Catholics who lament such questioning of faith. However, I am encouraged about this process when I think of Nicodemus. He was a lifelong faithful Jew, a leader of his faith community, and a respected member of the Sanhedrin. He first came to Jesus at night, under cover of darkness. Perhaps he wasn’t sure enough of his budding faith to allow it into the light or admit it publicly. Perhaps given the vitriol of the debates in the Sanhedrin over Jesus, he may have felt that making his faith known risked his professional life and reputation. Or perhaps he didn’t want to risk affiliation with this young upstart in case his investigation yielded nothing. Regardless, he was willing to challenge his own beliefs and participate in discussions. His first tentative meeting intrigued him enough to keep coming back, trying to understand more deeply. He asked sincere questions, and listened even when Jesus’ answers seemed confusing (which they often were). Eventually he learned to genuinely embrace Jesus, and he became a disciple.

Nicodemus and Steven, as well as countless saints and prophets, remind me that questioning and searching are good, in and of themselves. They prompt us to go deeper rather than rely on surface assumptions or complacent belief in what we’ve “always been taught.” People of other faiths and our own young people demand this of us. In a country where almost 13% of those ages 18 – 25 are former Catholics (including my son, at least for now), I wonder whether we as a Church have failed in our ability to listen, to engage in sincere dialogue, to assume the other has something to teach us, and to be open to changing ourselves as God reveals truths in unlikely places beyond the safety of our church walls. I wonder if we rely too much on Pharisaical adherence to laws, exclusion of those who dare question or dissent, and rigid assertions of righteousness. Indeed, many of Steven’s friends have totally closed the door to anything having to do with Catholicism because of these attitudes, and it’s not likely they will ever come back.

I don’t know where Steven’s questioning will lead him. He may return to the Catholic faith of his youth at some point, or he may become a lifelong Buddhist. Wherever it leads, I know that I will love him, continue our discussions, and keep an open heart to ways his practice can inform and deepen my own. I also know that, as Jesus told Nicodemus, the Spirit blows where it will, even though we cannot see it, and that the Spirit often moves in hearts open to seeking God and truth. I know that God is at work not only in my son but also in me.

Along the way, I pray that just as the early disciples were witnesses to all those around them, both in their teachings and in the selfless ways in which they lived their lives, so I, too, may be a living witness in word and deed to the grace and faith that I’ve been given. I pray to be an instrument of God’s healing and love. I pray for wisdom to know what to say and when. Finally, I pray that I may allow the Spirit to blow freely, in Steven’s heart and in my own.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

The Annunciation – Mary’s Yes                                     

This year we celebrate the Annunciation during the Easter season and so have the opportunity to be with Mary who like Jesus does the will of the Father. As a mother she will suffer with of her son in his Passion. She will share uniquely his redemptive suffering in his passover from death to the victory of the cross. In our Easter celebration we do not forget the Passion of Our Lord. It is the love story. Today invites us to enter the ‘love story’ as we hear Mary’s ‘Yes’. To stand with Mary as sons and daughters at the cross, comforting her by our love and finding comfort as she shares with us the mystery of God’s love given to her.

There are dozens of beautiful pictures of the Annunciation on line, both modern and classics. The one I was looking for is entitled ‘The Long Loneliness’. It is by Fritz Eichenberg whose wood engravings graced the Catholic Worker newspaper. Mary is seated, resting, leaning backward, her eyes closed. One hand rests upon, the other below, her full and round stomach that shows her to be well advanced in her pregnancy. Whispering in her ear while hovering above her is Gabriel. In the space between Mary and the angel the three crosses on Calvary are seen in the distance, a  small, winding road leads from where Mary rests to the Crosses, and at her feet a flower blooms. Finally, in the upper corner, set off in a circle of white is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit hovers above the Cross and at the same times its rays touch Mary and the child growing within her.

The artist has blended the mystery of Mary’s Annunciation ‘yes’ with her sharing in the Passion of her Son. The angel who delicately whispers into her ear may well have continued to do so as she listened to the Word of her Son in the days of his ministry? The picture captures it all. It is a visual meditation worth finding on the internet.

Jesus in the Passion does the will of the Father. He gives glory to the Father and is glorified by the Father. Mary also makes her will one with the Father. We try to do what Our Lord and Mary do, to know the Father’s will and to make it ours.

As Mary takes her place by the Cross we see first her sorrow as a mother who shares the suffering of her son. Every mother must feel the depth of what this mother suffers.

Mary suffers also because she knows God is at work in the child she gave birth to. To onlookers the crucifixion was the execution it was supposed to be. But to Mary there must have been sorrow as God’s love was was being crucified, Jesus was being rejected. His suffering and death would be for our redemption. Doing the Father’s will would lead us to the Father’s love. Mary suffered this mystery with her son.

The Annunciation will lead Mary to be a Mother of Sorrows. But the seed that she nurtures is the flowering of hope and the victory of love. We need to stand with our Mother and ask her to help us to say yes to God’s will, and to lead us into this mystery that she knows uniquely. Today we can stand with her on Calvary again, it is the time of victory. We who come to comfort are comforted by her, we rejoice and have hope.

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-35
1 John 5:1-6
John 20:19-31

Reflection:

The presence of peace in our lives and the reality of our communion with each other as brothers and sisters are two actualities that take on far reaching significance when one is meditating on the resurrection of Jesus.

Here today in our Easter Season as we contemplate the mystery of the resurrection, it seems to me that they are both strong indicators and signs of the presence of the risen Christ.

Firstly let us look at the word ‘peace’. It is a constant proclamation of Jesus in the resurrection accounts and in the language of Jesus this word denotes wholeness or completeness.

One reflection we might make is to see those moments of deep peace in our own lives and indicators of a deeper presence within and with us – that of Jesus himself who is the bearer of such peace. When we find ourselves ‘at peace’ – a peace that is wider and deeper than mere absence of wars or interpersonal strife – this can be a moment, a lens through which we might glimpse the presence of Jesus in the Spirit. Peace seems to be the hallmark of the life that God wants for us and which Jesus came to reveal. A life marked by a calmness of being and by an absence of fear, a life filled with moral value and divine presence.  Peace and even every peaceful moment in our lives thus becomes a grace, a gift of God to us, and one highly indicative of the nearness and presence of Jesus with us.

Secondly let us consider the importance of ‘relationship to and with the community’ of believers.  Thomas serves as our ‘guide’, perhaps not intentionally so, but nevertheless his story is powerfully indicative for us and our faith response.  Thomas stands before us as a disciple who attempted to reason his way through to faith and what is more, he tries to do it by himself. He is absent from the community when they experience the presence of Jesus and he does not believe their witness till he himself stands amongst them. In the company of his brothers and sisters he no longer needs the ’proof’ he has so clearly demanded when relying on only his intellect. Once in the community he experiences with them the presence of Jesus and his questions about proof fade away – he never seeks to touch or see as he had previously demanded. His experience teaches us that we nourish each other by our common faith and that the witness of each of us is important. Together as a community we can inspire and protect the faith we all bear especially those times of doubt and uncertainly.

In such ways we each become a new source, a new ‘sign’ of Jesus’ presence. Our witness may not be recorded in the gospel account, but it surely proclaims the good news.

So let us treasure the gift of peace when it reigns in our hearts – it reflects the nearness of Jesus to us and can inspire and strengthen us to have great courage and forgive much. Let us also treasure the community that surrounds us, it is a source of strength for our faith and a medium through which we encounter Jesus.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.  He currently serves on the General Council and is stationed in Rome.

 

Scripture:

Acts 4:13-21
Mark 16:9-15

Reflection:

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” ~Psalm 118 24

I hate going to the dentist. That’s not a reflection on any dentist, that’s me. I’ve gotten better over the years, but to this day I reluctantly make the appointment, dread the encounter as the day approaches and finally go. I get my teeth taken care of, usually just a cleaning and check–up, earn a reprieve for another six months, and I am grateful for the dentist and his staff who pamper me and do what I can’t do for myself.

This year we celebrate the life and legacy of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. by recalling his life among us, and its tragic ending 50 years ago this week.  I could never do justice to his story by trying to retell it here, and I don’t think it is necessary—we all know the story. As much as Dr. King talked of the Promised Land, I believe he was totally in the present moment urging his fellow demonstrators on, proclaiming non-violence today despite the violence and lack of justice surrounding him and his followers at that moment.

You’d think that my dentist experience, and with the great examples of men like Dr. King, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus, I would have learned by now; I haven’t, though. I still slip into worry about the future.  I still wonder if life is really a gift. I still worry about tomorrow.

Maybe if I truly pray the above psalm verse I will do better. Maybe I can learn to truly believe in Easter, the Resurrection and life, not only life ever after, but also life today. I think I’ll try that, hoping to live a life of thanks and praise to the God of life, the God who gives me this day.

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.