Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 18:23-28
John 16:23-28

Reflection:

Today’s Scripture readings demonstrate the importance of continuing to open our minds and hearts to a better understanding of our relationship with God. In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles we are told that Priscilla and Aquila “took Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” In the reading from John, Jesus shares with the apostles a deeper understanding of their relationship with God the Father. In both cases new understanding is gained by opening hearts and minds to growth. As I age, deepening my understanding seems to be a major task for me.

Lewis Richmond, in his book, Aging as a Spiritual Practice, puts it this way, “Aging is a time to get to know yourself in new ways––to open yourself to gifts unavailable to you––by forging a deeper connection to your inner life.” As a Passionist I have been taught the importance of both active ministry and a strong contemplative life. You can only draw water from the well and share it with others in ministry if there’s water in our contemplative well to draw.

Growing my understanding of who I am in relationship to a loving God requires me to spend time deepening the relationship. Learning about my relationship with God flows not only from my relationships with others but my relationship to the depths of my own humanity. I suppose this reflection leads me to ask a few questions.

What am I currently doing to deepen my relationship with God and others at this point in my life?

How can I make myself available for a deeper understanding of God and my own humanity?

When and how will I allow my present moments to reveal new graces in my life?

I invite you to join me in prayer, as together, we explore the answers to these questions.

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

Scripture:

Acts 18:9-18
John 16:20-23

Reflection:

A number of years ago, as I was about to undertake a considerable challenge in my career, I confided to a friend that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. He said to me, “Bob, you know what you’re doing. But I don’t think you know what you’re getting into.” Those sage words have remained with me and I have applied them many times over in my life.

I can imagine Jesus offering the same wisdom to the apostles, like St. Paul in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The early days of the Church must have been filled with uncertainty. There was no playbook or strategic plan. In so many ways they hadn’t a clue as to what they were getting into. But they somehow knew what they were doing. That is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today is also the feast of St. Philip Neri, an unlikely saint, as many are. Life unfolded for him gradually. He responded to one set of needs that led him to open himself to respond to a whole other set of needs. First serving the poor alone, others soon desired to join with him inspired by his zeal and holiness. At the beginning of his simple ministry to the poor of Rome, Philip could not have known that he would be the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. He just kept opening himself up to where God would next lead him.

We all like the assurance that comes with certainty. But certainty is not one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We want lifetime guarantees. But a life of faith offers none but the guarantee that Jesus will be faithful to us, will always love us and never abandon us. As the Lord says to St. Paul in today’s first reading, “Do not be afraid…for I am with you.” With this assurance, I can again believe that while I may not know what I’m getting into, I know what I am doing by entrusting myself to Christ.

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.

Feast of the Ascension

Scripture:

Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23
Matthew 28:16-20

Reflection:

 Each Fourth Thursday in November we celebrate a harvest festival of gratitude, modeling the pilgrims and Native Americans of 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. And each July Fourth, we celebrate our Independence from the British Empire. But forty days after Easter, if you were to ask some Christians what we’re ritualizing or celebrating (according to their responses) it sounds more like a science fiction movie… a blend of Superman, (or Star Wars: where Luke Skywalker completes his mission, saves the Empire, and returns to the Force…) and the old Jimmy Webb song (5^th Dimension), “Up, up and away… in my beautiful…”!

Allow me a dangerous detour for just a moment. Many people think religion is the cause of global conflicts. But a look through history will generally reveal that most wars are rooted in one tragic, and yet fundamentally banal cause — the drive to control limited resources. I dare say that, whether it be the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the third Crusade, or World War I, it usually comes down to one group wanting something that another groups wants. Yes, religion often makes a handy, and often more palatable pretext for this conflict, but that’s because appealing to a higher power and some abstract idea of righteousness is easier on the conscience than appealing to greed.

At the risk of sounding disrespectful, even blasphemous, our conception of a “theology of Ascension,” …in fact, our notion of Resurrection, Real Presence, or the Communion of Saints… and many other doctrines, principles, and guidelines of our Catholic faith… are mistaken and erroneous, too. I believe it’s the reason that lots of folks are leaving. Sure, some folks are simply lazy or prefer to golf on Sunday morning, but maybe we should look deeper.

If today’s feast of the Ascension is not about Jesus soaring upwards, what IS it about? I begin by saying what it ISN’T. The Ascension is not so much an historical event, it’s a theological statement. In a parallel way, remember the feeding of multitude, (deserted place, late…) when the disciples come to Jesus and tell him to dismiss the crowd (Matthew 14:16)? Jesus’ response is provocative and challenging: “YOU give them something to eat!” Rather than get lost in mental gymnastics and literal interpretations of Sacred Scripture, we might ask what God is asking of us today.

Secondly, we usually think of faith as an attitude of trust or belief on our part. We trust the Word of God, we believe its message. The Ascension is the expression of a different kind of faith: God’s faith in us. Jesus concludes his ministry with that profound discourse: “I thank you, Father…  I have completed the work on earth you had me do.” In the midst of continuing violence, wars, disease, injustice, poverty, Jesus removes himself physically from earth, making room for his followers. He trusted them, believed in them. He had faith that, once they received the Spirit, once they were filled with God’s Spirit, they would work effectively for the coming the Kingdom. Ascension. That’s far greater than gliding away in my beautiful balloon!

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Scripture:

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16:12-15

 

Reflection:

Presence of God

“For in Him we live and move and exist.” Acts 17:27   When I was in the Passionist seminary in Missouri many years ago, we had the practice at various times to stop recreation for about a minute and call out: “Presence of God”.  At this announcement all became silent for a moment to remember the presence of the Lord.  Then someone would break the silence by saying: “Jesus and Mary be praised” to which all would respond: “forever and ever”.  Then recreation would resume.   This was an old tradition in Passionist history. This exercise of reminding us of the wonder of God’s nearness was of extreme importance in our spiritual growth more than 52 years ago!  It is the same today!

The fact that God is utterly close to us should be a major “wow moment” in our spiritual journey.   Presence in Hebrew is expressed by the beautiful expression panim faces.  There is a wonderful face on this encounter with God!  “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” Ex 33:11   God is present when we encounter His face by faith!

Meister Eckhart was just one of many mystics in the Church that reflected and cherished this beautiful truth of our faith.   “I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.”

Loretta Young was once asked to comment about prayer. “I believe that prayer is our powerful contact with the greatest force in the universe.”   I think these are words of someone completely taken with the wonderful truth of God’s utterly loving and powerful nearness. How often God speaks of His “not being far from us.” “For in Him we live and move and exist.”

St Paul of the Cross had a tremendous understanding of the presence of God.  “O my Lord! O my true God! Oh! How can I dare to remain in Thy Presence! The angels tremble before Thee!”

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

Scripture:

Acts 16:22-34
John 16:5-11

Reflection:

As we move through the Easter season, our readings from The Acts of the Apostles remind us more and more of the power of the Holy Spirit. In our reading today, Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, but there is such an earthquake that the doors of the jail fly open and the chains that held Paul and Silas are broken. But Paul and Silas do not escape!

Are they crazy? No, but the Spirit must have prompted them to stay where they were, and then we find out why. Staying in the jail even though they could have escaped prevented the jailer from killing himself, and brought the jailer and his family to Christ. Not doing the obvious, not seeking their immediate self-interest, wound up helping someone else.

The Spirit often prompts us and helps us to go beyond ourselves to follow Jesus’ command to love. And that is why Jesus can say at the Last Supper, in our Gospel reading from John: “…now I am going to the one who sent me… But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.” We need the Spirit to continue to be disciples.

If we can listen to the Spirit within us, we need not fall into despair, but continue to share the love that has been given to us in Jesus Christ. It is the love that the Spirit enabled Paul and Silas to have for their jailer. It is a love that worldly wisdom does not understand, but which the world so sorely needs. May we live and love in the Spirit.

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

Scripture:

Acts 16:11-15
John 15:26-16:4a

Reflection:

Have you ever seen a drawing of God singing?  I haven’t.  I don’t know of any artist who has ever attempted to show that.  Yet that is the image that the prophet Zephaniah gives us.  “The Lord will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival” (Zephaniah 3:17).  Imagine that – God singing!

This passage comes to mind because of today’s responsorial psalm: “The Lord takes delight in his people” (Psalm 149:4).  And the people in turn take delight in the Lord: “Let them sing for joy upon their couches” (v. 5).  This psalm depicts a festival of love, with a lot of singing going on!

With all our faults and failings, it is good to hear that God loves us, delights in us and sings because of us.  What does God see in us?  First of all, God sees the human person and he rejoices in his creation.  In Zephaniah’s time, God saw a faithful remnant restored to peace. After the resurrection of Jesus, God sees in his people the likeness of his Son.   “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15, 1).

What is the purpose of our lives?  Why are we here?  Jesus tells us today that we are to testify, to bear witness.  We are here so that the risen Lord can live in us, manifest himself through us, heal through us, teach through us, love through us.  And because of Jesus living in us, we can expect to do great things.  “He who lives in me and I in him will produce abundantly” (John 15:5).

He warns us that it will not be easy.  But the Spirit will give us all the help we need.  And the Father will continue to “exult over us with loud singing as on a day of festival.”   Come, let us give thanks.  Let us sing thanks.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
1 Peter 3:15-18
John 14:15-21

Reflection:

As we move toward the end of the Easter season, the readings provided us suggest that there is still a good deal to learn about the Christ event that has preoccupied us now for several weeks.  There seems to be a sense of urgency.

For example, we hear about the activities of the deacon Philip, who is one of those chosen by the church gathered in Jerusalem to provide some of the leadership needed to keep the highly active church a cohesive unit.  Already the church is emulating the example of another deacon, Stephen, who earlier on had suffered martyrdom for preaching the gospel.  Nonetheless, Philip strikes out on his own, going to Samaria, which had been suffering strained relationships with the rest of Israel, and he was quite successful in his preaching activity, persuading the church in Jerusalem to send Peter and John there to follow up on what Philip had successfully gotten underway.  We get the impression that this embryonic church was gifted with some highly gifted personnel who were making their influence felt.

At the same time we are presented with some timely advice by St. Peter, who is aware early on that, along with the success that the young church was enjoying, there will be some kickback stimulated by this good fortune.  He writes to his correspondents to ready themselves for some opposition and defamation by those apparently concerned about the headway the nascent church was enjoying among the people at large.  Peter offers some encouragement about “hanging in there”, or, in his words, “it is better to suffer for doing good…than for doing evil.”  This is good advice, comparable to what an insurance agent may offer a client complaining about the steep price he or she has to pay to get the insurance coverage needed.  But just as the agent will likely admit it is costly, but then proceeds to point out the benefits gained by paying the fee, so Peter observes that Christ also had to suffer payback for the benefit accruing to each of us in his leading us back to God.

But at the heart of any restlessness the young church in Jerusalem may have been suffering was that unique privilege it enjoyed not too many months earlier when it had the actual personal presence of the Lord Jesus in its ranks, to guide and strengthen it in good times and bad.  That may now seem to be a thing of the past.  But in today’s gospel Jesus assures us: not so.  Just love and keep the commandments and Someone Else of significance equal to that of Jesus Himself will be given to accompany the lonesome church.  The church will come to see this if it continues to bear love for Christ through keeping the commandments, and this will provide a deep and abiding conviction about the presence of God’s spirit in its life.

So all the contingencies, all the “ifs and buts” hanging over the early church, have been foreseen, and will be addressed.  A rich legacy awaits the young church if only it “hangs in there” long enough to experience for itself what is here foreseen and promised.  And the same benefits await us, these many centuries later.

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 16:1-10
John 15:18-21

Reflection:

During these weeks following Easter, we continue to read about the developing early church and the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem and Israel.  In today’s reading we learn that the Apostle Paul brings the Gospel to Derbe and Lystra where he teams up with a young man named Timothy.  Timothy was suspect in some quarters because he was only Jewish on his Mother’s side.  His Father was Greek!  Nonetheless, Paul judged him to be a great witness to Christ so made him his companion on the journey.  Together they greatly strengthened every Christian community they visited.

Together they travelled on through Phrygian and Galatian territory though they were unable to enter the Province of Asia.  They wanted to go to Bythnia but could not so they headed to Mysia and Troas.  Paul then has a vision calling him to Macedonia so they headed there.

It’s fascinating to watch Paul respond to the obstacles that constantly emerge in his path.  He plans to go to one place but something prevents him so he immediately adjusts and goes to another.  He takes on a companion who others find objectionable.  He is mistrusted by many of the Jewish Christians so he moves on to the Gentiles.  Though Paul is single-minded and determined to spread the Good News, he is remarkably flexible and creative in responding to obstacles thrown in his path.  No wonder he is such a great apostle.

The resilience Paul shows in his apostolic life can be a great model for all of us who want to witness to Christ’s presence in our world.  There are always obstacles for us and often our plans prove unworkable for one reason or another.  It’s easy for us to get discouraged and be tempted to give up.  But Paul’s creativity and determination encourage us not to lose heart but to look beyond our small plans and trust that God is opening new ways forward for us.  May we have the freedom and courage to follow God’s lead.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.