Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Romans 12:5-16b
Luke 14:15-24

Reflection:

Our youngest sister, Dee developed normally until the age of two, when my parents recognized that rather than continuing to grow, Dee seemed to be regressing. Following many visits, to the medical community and eventually a trip to Illinois Research, the doctors told my parents that Dee was “profoundly mentally retarded”. We probably have a “nicer” term for that today, but those were the words my parents and eventually all six of her siblings heard and ultimately learned to live with.

Dee needed twenty-four hours–a-day, seven days a week care and as you might expect, became the center of attention in our home. As a seven year old at Dee’s birth and throughout her life up to her early death at twenty-two, I questioned God why Dee was born.

Fr. John Morton, C.Ss.R. gave the homily at Dee’s funeral Mass. I don’t remember the readings, but I’ll never forget Fr. John looking directly at all of us gathered in the front row of the church and saying something to the effect: “One day God looked down from heaven at Marion, Joe, Terry, Maryanne, Rog, Dan, Dave and Tim, the O’Donnell family, and said they are such loving persons—I going to send them someone they can shower all that love on, I’ll send Dee.”

After twenty-two years, I got it! Dee was a gift from God. I thought she was a burden. Dee was my teacher. She taught me what it means to love. Dee taught me in the words of Winston Churchill, “You make a living by what you earn; you make a life by what you give.” I suspect maybe that’s what St. Paul is trying to tell us in the first reading for today when he says: “…do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.” (Rom 12:16)

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

Scripture:

Romans 11:29-36
Luke 14:12-14

Reflection:

“When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about how to create a guest list and He teaches us that giving has a certain quality to it.  The way we give and the spirit in which we give is what is important.  True giving must have “no strings” attached…..no expectations of getting anything in return.

Years ago, when I began to discern my invitation from God to become a deacon, I wanted to be of service to God’s people most in need.  The first time I went to help serve a meal at our local homeless meal site, I was told that the first, and most important thing I needed to do, was to sit down and have dinner with the members of our homeless community that were present that night. And later I would be given the opportunity to serve.

As I became willing to share a meal and spend time with my brothers and sisters,to get to know their stories, and allow them to get to know me, to really enter into each other’s lives, something profound happened to me.  I was able to put a “face” to a “condition.” And as a result, my perspective changed.  “Homeless” was no longer a concept, but a person–Jesus with skin! “Whatever you do for these, the least of our brothers and sisters, you do for Me.” (Matt. 25)  How blessed I was that day. The same experience has been true in my prison ministry. I discovered Jesus behind the walls.

How can we invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind into our daily lives?

IN OUR OWN LIFE:  Am I willing to invite someone to dinner who is alone and has no family?  Am I willing to reach out to a neighbor who is crippled by fear, anxiety?  Am I willing to visit someone who is poor in spirit at a nursing home?

AT OUR EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION:  Do we welcome “the crippled, the lame” to our churches by being wheel-chair accessible?  Do we provide sign language interpreters for the deaf?  Large print material for the visually impaired?

True acts of love are not done so that you can benefit from them. They are done because the benefit is in being able to do them.  Yes, you are repaid and rewarded for doing good for those who can’t repay us because in doing so you “will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 

However, as you do those acts of love and kindness, you will be rewarded in the here and now as well in ways that you will not understand until you look into the eyes of those you are blessing.

Deacon Brian Clements was formerly on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.  Matthew 23:2-3

The gospel for today is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is directed to both his disciples and the crowds. This was a message Jesus intended for all to hear, not just the masses or His closest followers. Additionally, this sermon was not explained in private to his disciples, so we can take it at face value. There is no subtext we need to look for. This leads to the another interesting point: we are told to, “observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.” The Greek word translated as ‘“observe” is tēreō, or to attend carefully. Note this does not say blindly follow. Jesus is instructing the crowds and His disciples to attend carefully to what their leaders say. He then goes on to give all of the reasons we should not follow their example.

So how does this apply to us in 2017? There is no lack of Pharisees (i.e. people more than willing to tell everyone how we should live and behave) in our world today. And, as in the time of Jesus, “their works are performed to be seen,” and “they love places of honor…”  But often they speak wise words. Jesus exhorts us to attend to their words, but discern their actions. There is wisdom to be found all around us. But we must pay careful attention to the full message. Love of one’s country is admirable, but not to the exclusion of the refugee. We should have care for the sensitivity of others, but not to the total exclusion of opposing voices.

My prayer for myself today is that I listen with an open heart to all that is presented to me, while at the same time discerning with the help of the Holy Spirit the actions I am being called to take.

Talib Huff is a volunteer and presenter at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

Romans 11:1-2,11-12,25-29
Luke 14:1,7-11

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel selection sparks our deeper reflection as we enter upon the 2017 Holiday season:  on a Sabbath, Jesus goes to dine with others at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.  A special day…a Special Guest…an invitation to dinner and table fellowship…and a teachable moment!  Jesus is very aware of his host, his fellow guests and their actions at table…and rises to the occasion of this “teachable moment” with a parable.  “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor…” Jesus promoting the virtue of humility.  (Today’s Gospel selection will continue with Jesus speaking with his host, encouraging him to reach out and invite to dinner the poor and needy…the least, the last, the lost.)

The virtue of humility invites us to be very aware of our giftedness and our limitations.  The word “humility” is derived from the word “humus” or earth…created matter that sustains life and growth.  Humble people are not wishy-washy or “doormats”, but rather those who know and accept both their God-given gifts and their human limitations.  Perfect examples of humility are Jesus and Mary, followed by the many saintly people whose lives we celebrated in the recent Feast of All Saints.  Humility is a key virtue for Christians of all ages and walks of life.

The month of November helps us celebrate God’s Life shared with us and our world.  The virtue of humility…that grateful acknowledgement of our God-given giftedness…helps us celebrate the lives of the Saints (both officially recognized and those still “under construction”), the giftedness of our life and country which is acknowledged on Thanksgiving Day, and the giftedness which is ours in the Person of Jesus who birth and presence we celebrate on Christmas.  Blessings in abundance!

Jesus challenges us to go deeper in our humility:  to be women and men of grateful prayer, to be of respectful service to our sisters and brothers as we try to meet their basic needs and encourage them, to respect our earth as God’s gift, to see all of us as members of God’s family…in effect, to proclaim God’s Love for all creation!

As these days we dine with our families and friends, as we celebrate the holidays, as we regularly share at the Table of the Lord in celebrating the Eucharist:  may we humbly witness and celebrate God’s Life and Love present in us and our world.  God is good!

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

Scripture:

Romans 9:1-5
Luke 14:1-6

Reflection:

In today’s first reading, I believe Paul is lamenting the fact that so many of his brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith didn’t know Jesus. He even wished he himself could have been cut off from Christ for their sake. They were the Chosen People, and how it must have grieved the Father that so many didn’t recognize Jesus when He came as the Messiah they had waited for so long.

Isn’t it the same for us when a son or daughter loses their way and chooses not to live a life of faith? How we grieve for them, how we pray for them! We want only for them to know Jesus and to return to the faith we tried to impart to them as they were growing up in our homes.

I remember the year the song El Shaddai came out, sung by Amy Grant. I loved that song because hearing the names of God sung in Hebrew touched me deeply. Hearing them I sensed a connection to God’s Chosen people. Wasn’t our faith built on theirs? Didn’t their prayers and worship lay the groundwork for the Christian faith? Wasn’t Jesus a Jew? (Yes, I know, stating the obvious, but don’t we forget that sometimes?)

I experienced through that song a kinship, a knowing that I too belong to God’s Chosen people because I have been grafted onto the vine. They are a people still set apart and special to God, but we have the same Father. They are my big brothers and sisters in the faith, and I long for them to know Jesus as Savior too.

And so we pray. We pray for our children who have seemingly rejected their birthright. We pray for the Jewish people who are God’s Chosen ones and our brothers and sisters in faith. And we know that our prayers will be answered one day because the Father’s heart longs for all of His children to be one. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! What a day that will be!

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:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 5:5-11 or Romans 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

Reflection:

Last week I celebrated the funeral liturgy and burial of a 97 year old Catholic woman who was a widow and the mother of three children. In preparing for the wake and funeral liturgy, her daughter made a special effort to make it clear that she wanted her mother’s body sprinkled with holy water before the casket was closed. Opportunely, the closing of the casket was to take place immediately before the start of the funeral Mass. It seemed so right that we should evoke the words of the first prayer of the funeral Mass as the casket was being closed and the pall was being spread out over the casket. In baptism he/she died with Christ, may he/she now share with him eternal life.

The alternative second reading of today’s Mass comes out of the Christian conviction that the life we have entered into through baptism will never experience the defeat of death. Rather, by being joined to Christ in baptism, we are also joined to his Resurrection. We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

This conviction fueled the early Christian communities’ willingness to suffer death for the sake of the Gospel. This “Paschal Mystery” of the life-giving death and resurrection of Jesus also inspired many founders, men and women, of religious congregations to create the religious families through which one would die to self and live for Christ.

Outside of religious life in the Church, other Christians have embraced the lesson of the Cross, dying to self, in order to live on as a disciple of Christ and witnessing to the Gospel in their daily living.

For all of us the dying will overtake us, and we shall have no choice but to abandon ourselves into the loving arms of our creator and the multitude of the saints who will come to welcome us home. We may, by tradition, be remembering our deceased loved ones today, but the eternal light that shines for them is the light that also serves as the beacon leading us home to our God.

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Romans 8:18-25
Luke 13:18-21

Reflection:

Trick or treat!

Yep – it’s the eve of All Saint’s Day.  Halloween.  Who do you think will come knocking at your door tonight?

Today’s Gospel is part of those wonderful moments when Jesus speaks in parables about the Kingdom of God, making the concept more understandable for our mortal, limited minds.  In this case, he speaks about the Mustard Seed and the Yeast.  A reflection I wrote in July is based on this exact same message (which you can access by clicking this link right here ).

But today, being All Hallows Eve, I’ve been thinking a lot about who our trick-or-treaters are.  Who it is that knocks on our doors?  People from all walks of life, children primarily, who are filled with wonder and excitement at being someone or something else.  Dressing up, for me, was about putting on my fantasy of who I wanted to be… who I wished I was.  Except that year I went as a Hot Dog.  I don’t want to be a Hot Dog.

Is it too late to be who God wants me to be?

And this got me thinking about Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

I remember the last time I climbed a tree. It was in 1984, after my 8^th Grade graduation at Holy Family in South Pasadena. Everyone was gathered around the parking lot and celebrating all the new graduates. I couldn’t see where my friends and family went, so I climbed up this huge tree so I could get a better view in hopes I’d find my way to them. When I got high enough I realized that, in my enthusiasm and excitement, I’d neglected to think about how far up I was, or how I’d get down.  I really went “out on a limb.” Well, I found the way to both safety and my family, and (thank God), the tree didn’t drop me.  The Lullaby which includes the text “When the bow breaks” still makes me shudder.

Zacchaeus also really went out on a limb to see Jesus.  Just to grab a peek at the great Holy Man.  Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector, did what he had to do in order to find his way to Jesus.

But here’s the thing – Jesus was waiting for him.  Jesus called out, “Zacchaeus, come…”  High in a tree, at a distance, Jesus reaches out to a “sinner,” calling him.  And the people are all a-twitter when Jesus goes to stay at the house of this sinner, but he says “Today, salvation has come to this house.”

In a very strong way, this reminds me of a prayer we recite at every Eucharist:

“O Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

What does this have to do with Halloween?  Well, I guess Jesus is the really ultimate Trick-or-Treater…  He knocks on our door.  Always.  Not looking for our sweetness or our “candy,” but for us to open the door and grant him passage to our soul.  Our brokenness, our failure, our hurt, our sin – he calls us down from our shaky, unstable tree-limb.  “(I have) come to seek, and save what was lost.”

You know, that old tree is still down at Holy Family…

Maybe it’s time to go out on a limb again so I can hear the voice of Jesus say “Come…”

Dear God, thank you for the gift of your never-ending love, your knock on my door.
Please grant the grace of your mercy to me, a sinner, looking to change. 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 Passionist Retreat Center.