Daily Scripture

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

“Respond to the Holy Spirit who is calling you! Come! Come! Come! Don’t wait for time because time isn’t waiting for you.” St Catherine of Siena, Letters to Pope Gregory XI

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of one of the few women Doctors of the Church, Catherine of Siena. Her influence on the Church at the time of the Great Schism was Divine intervention only because she listened to God with deep love and was open to the Holy Spirit.

In the first reading the Apostles are choosing the first seven deacons to help with the work of the Church while they take time to pray and preach the Word of God. By this time in the early Church the Apostles were finding that they were ministering to the needs of the poor, women and children. They were distributing food and clothing to the needy and visiting the sick. Most likely they were wearing themselves out doing everything. The deacons will take over the ministry to the poor and various needs of the Church while the Apostles could focus on preaching and teaching all that Christ taught them. Today we have the Permanent Diaconate to assist with taking communion to the home bound and those in hospitals. They may also have responsibilities within a parish to work in the parish food pantry or other outreach programs. Lay people are also called to minister within the Church. There are many ways in which lay men and women share their gifts with their parish or diocese. Lay people are in music ministry, taking communion to the home bound and nursing homes, lectors at mass, teachers in the RCIA programs and many more areas.

Which ministry are you being called to serve in?

“Come! Come! Come! Don’t wait for time because time isn’t waiting for you.”

In the Gospel the Apostles are out in one of their fishing boats at night and a “strong wind” is making rough seas. Not surprising that this is not the only time in the Scriptures that there are rough seas. This could very easily be an analogy of the rough time they will have in the future. Jesus appears to them and reassures them not to be afraid. As they are focused on Jesus the boat lands on the shore. In other similar scripture passages when the Apostles focus on Jesus things turn out for the better when they turn their focus somewhere else they sink or panic. Saint Catherine of Siena helped Pope Gregory to keep his focus on Jesus through her letters. When we keep our focus on Jesus even the storms of life can be calmed and the next thing we know we have landed on the shore safe and sound.

“It is I. Do not be afraid.”

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:34-42
John 6:1-15

 

Reflection:

ALLELUIA! Jesus is Risen!!!!! ALLELUIA!

I always find so much hope in the scriptures during the Easter season, more specifically, the Acts of the Apostles.  Discipleship in the early church has many parallels to Discipleship in the church of 2017!

The apostles had the experience of being with Jesus, but then he was gone!  It was challenging and overwhelming to try and spread the good news and at the same time mourn the loss of their friend and savior!  I’m sure they had regrets and frustrations and wished they had used the time with Jesus in a more serious and fruitful way.  Now they were without him and it was hard to carry on!  BUT, we hear in Acts of how joyous they were to suffer and serve, to teach and heal and tell the world about Jesus!  FAITH alive!

Disciples in 2017!

What can we learn from our sisters and brothers of the early church?!

We can rejoice that we have been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.  And all day long, in our parishes, communities, families, nations, we must continue to teach and proclaim the Christ, Jesus!  We must persist!  The apostles set the bar high without even realizing it.  Instead of seeing the bar as too high, why don’t we join them on the high bar!  A favorite chant from the women’s march in Washington back in January comes to mind;  “when you go low, we go high”!  When the people of God are cranky, stubborn and overwhelming and bring us down and we find ourselves questioning our call to ministry, when our leaders in government, church or institutions seem unjust, hurtful or just plain inconsiderate,  leading many to begin to feel used, abused and forgotten, we must lead them to higher ground!  We must persist!

The higher ground can be attained through our relationship with the Risen Jesus!

Jesus died so that we may have new life and have it abundantly.  So, Disciples 2017, let’s glory in the new life all around us and spread the good news that

JESUS CHRIST HAS RISEN, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!!!!

Theresa Secord is a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Writing these reflections every month can be a challenge!  Ask anyone who writes them on a regular basis!  You don’t want them to be substitute homilies and you don’t want them to be preachy or condescending.  This is why I usually try to precede my writing with some prayerful moments, often with music playing in the background.

Today’s music included the old hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “Imagine” performed by the popular singing group Pentatonix.  Today’s scriptures tell of the excited apostles fearlessly preaching the Word of God.

Reflection:

“Come thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.”

I need you Spirit of God, to know what to write.  Touch my heart.

“Imagine all the people, living for today.
Imagine all the people, living life in peace.
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world.
I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.”

I need you Spirit of God, to know how to live.  Touch my life.

The apostles were called before the Sanhedrin where they were soundly chastised for preaching about Jesus in the city streets.  The leaders were “infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

I need you Spirit of God, to know how to preach.  Touch my words.

Sometimes writing a reflection is simply a prayer lifted from my heart’s longing for God.  Maybe that’s the best reflection I can write, a reflection of my heart’s wandering amidst the signs of our times.

I need you Spirit of God, to know your love.  Touch my soul.

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:17-26
John 3:16-21

Reflection:

In these early days of the Easter season, the scripture readings lead us through a number of events in Acts of the Apostles. In these events the apostles, disciples, high priests, and those hearing the Good News of the Resurrection all have a choice. Believe or don’t believe.

Who believes the women who run to tell the apostles what they saw at the tomb? Who believes when John and Peter enter the tomb? Who believes as the disciples walk along the road to Emmaus? Who believes when told that Jesus has appeared to the apostles in the upper room? Who believes, like in today’s story of the miraculous release of the apostles from prison? And who chooses to not believe?

We read today in the gospel passage from John, “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.” There are far too many examples in our world today of those who choose darkness and sin: the tragedy of war that displaces those who have no power to end it,  the scourge of human trafficking and abuse of children, and the devastation of denuded forests, dying coral reefs, and choking smog. These are all human choices.

Yet we believe. We choose to see all the occasions where love triumphs over death. Forgiveness. Generosity. Selfless love. We choose to see what is happening all around us as Spring calls forth new life in dormant flowers and in tree buds. As priest and author Andrew Greeley is said to have written in his journal, “Someone keeps sending me flowers.” We can choose to see the flowers of Spring as the ongoing invitation of God to believe that Spring follows Winter, that Love is greater than Death, and that the Resurrection triumphs over Good Friday.

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.

Scripture:

1 Peter 5:5b-14
Mark 16:15-20

Reflection:

Often, when directing parish missions, I will give a talk on “vision” or “seeing through God’s eyes”… it’s an invitation to stretch our imaginations.  A major part of this conference might fall under the umbrella of hermeneutics, i.e., the proper interpretation of sacred scripture. As the believer becomes more familiar with God’s Word, one realizes that the Bible cannot be taken literally or fundamentally. (The Bible is not a science or history book.) Jesus doesn’t want you to pluck out your eye if it is a source of temptation; nor should you be severing your hand when the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion! Today’s Gospel on the Feast of Saint Mark offers yet another series of challenges: clearly Jesus is not suggesting that we brazenly handle serpents or drink poison, however.

But our Gospel begins with a subtler dilemma. The resurrected Christ concludes his ministry by instructing his disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 15) remember when he told the Syro-Phoenician woman, a desperate Mom, “My mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”?  It seems that Jesus has altered his targeted audience; initially he was limiting his attention to the Jews, now the poles of the tent have been stretched to include all people.

I reverence these conundrums, even the paradoxes in scripture. For example, the rich young man (Mark 10) departs from Jesus saddened because he was unable or unwilling to respond to Jesus mandate to sell everything, giving the money to the poor, and following Jesus. Zacchaeus (Luke 19), on the other hand, finds fulfillment in downsizing by only half his possessions!

How do we deal with these challenges from Jesus? I smile at the anecdote around the cleansing of the temple. Jesus curses a fig tree (Mark 11) because he wanted fruit and none was available; but Mark tells us it wasn’t even fig season! Either Jesus is having a very bad day, or we are invited deeper into the mystery of God’s Word.

As we ponder the gift of the evangelist Mark today, I ask for the grace to read between the lines, to not limit God’s Word to my puny imagination or narrow mind. And maybe I can commit to further Bible study. Hermeneutics.

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

Scripture:

Acts 4:23-31
John 3:1-8

 

Reflection:

Enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness.  Acts 4:20

An important word, witness, in New Testament helps to define what it means to be a Christian. Witness (martyreō) appears in its derivatives 295 times in NT. It means to be an eyewitness i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because he is taught by divine revelation or inspiration.

A simple definition of witness in Scripture is found in today’s liturgy:  “Enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness.”  The SS reminds us not only to grasp tightly the Risen Christ around His feet as the women did in Mt gospel, but also to boldly encourage others to do the same!  The Risen Lord had the habit of coming and going unexpectedly.   They wanted to keep Him there!   “There is salvation in no one else!” Act 4:12  The word for boldness is  parrēsia which means primarily, “freedom of speech, unreservedness of utterance,” “the absence of fear in speaking boldly; hence, confidence”

Parresia is one way we witness to the Living Christ today.   Lack of conviction plus fear of what others may think can easily stop most of us from “speaking your word with all boldness”.  “  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory” Lk 9:26  The word used for ashamed comes from aischos (disfigurement, i.e. disgrace).  We are made to believe that the teaching of Our Lord is narrow minded and wrong.  We let despicable practices against Christianity stand without challenge.

Perhaps one of our problems is we are far too quiet in our very secularistic climate.  Amid our rapidly changing and at times shameful culture, it seems so easy for us to let things degrade which took 2000 years of Christianity to establish.  It is a major Scriptural challenge to us to be a witness to our Living and Risen Christ!

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

Scripture:

Acts 2:42-47
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31

Reflection:

As we continue our Easter season, our Gospel reading is the account of the encounter between the Risen Jesus and the apostle Thomas. There’s an aspect to Thomas’ experience that is important to remember as we strive to bring hope to others in this season of hope.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus appears to the apostles even though the doors are locked. Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” He shows them His wounds, and they rejoice at recognizing Him. He commissions them, and breathes on them the Holy Spirit.

But as John tells us, one of the apostles is not there: Thomas. And when the others try to tell him the Good News that Jesus is risen, he will not believe them. He will only believe when he can see Jesus for himself.

Why does Thomas doubt the word of His companions? For me, it is because Thomas is so hurt by what he saw happen to the One who he believed to be the Messiah, that he might have told himself that he would never believe in anyone like that again, so that he would never hurt like that again. There are times when we may refrain from getting close to someone, or not put our trust in someone because we’ve been hurt before, and we don’t want to be hurt again. But Jesus appears again a week later, with Thomas present, and shows Thomas His wounds, and Thomas believes, and says, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas is healed.

One of the things that strikes me about this encounter is where it happened. Jesus could have appeared to Thomas as He did to Mary Magdalene, when Jesus would have caught Thomas alone. But Thomas’ pain is healed when he is with the other disciples. Jesus appears to Thomas in the midst of the community.

That, to me, is the important aspect I mentioned earlier. It is in the context of community that Thomas experiences the risen Jesus. In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke portrays the early Christian community as one in which they had all things in common, and they combined their resources to supply the needs of everyone in the community. Luke tells us that “many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”

I wonder at what “signs and wonders” might be seen if more and more of us came together. What would happen if we dedicated ourselves to making sure that everyone’s needs would be met? But it takes effort to grow community. We know the effort that has gone into doing violence to others, to even kill people. If we are called to help bring the hope of Easter to others, are we not called to put in the effort to come together, realizing the power God can unleash through a community?

May we come together to bring the hope of the Resurrection to a world too hurt to be willing to believe.

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

How often I have heard someone say, “If I don’t tell you this, I am going to bust!!!”  It happens in the movies and in television sit-coms all the time.  Someone has to say something out loud to another person in order to relieve the internal tension that has been building around something marvelous or something strange or something that is a secret.  It happens in real life too whether it be a family member, or a friend, or a perfect stranger.  When it is finally out in the open, whatever it is, then there is great relief and joy ensues.  I had a cousin Bridget from Ireland.  When she became pregnant with her fifth child, she thought long and hard about how to tell her husband.  The right time didn’t seem to come along.  Anxiety grew.  The internal pressure kept rising.  Finally, she wrote a note and placed it in the middle of his lunch sandwich which he took to work.  He took a bite – what the heck?  He read the note and ran home to give Bridget a hug and a kiss.  The pressure was released and the celebration of life began.

As we reflect upon our Easter readings today, we are present to several people who just cannot keep a secret.  These are people who come to know something truly wonderful and cannot wait to tell someone – anyone – about this great news.  In the gospel, we run alongside Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the resurrected Lord in Mark’s gospel.  She has had a tough life with a great many challenges.  Jesus had helped her meet those moments.  For this reason, she was in the depths of grief and agony over His death.  Suddenly, the presence of the Risen Lord sends her spirit soaring to the highest heavens.  She must tell someone.  She goes to the disciples who cannot accept her good news.  Mary’s enthusiasm and joy cannot be dampened by weeping and grieving companions of Jesus.  She knows – He is Risen.  Nothing is able to separate her from her belief and her joy.

Eventually, the Risen Lord appears to the rest of the disciples who in turn come to know the joy that Mary experienced.  Like Mary, the internal anxiety, the internal pressure of that joy rises to the level of having to say something to someone – anyone.  This is not something to be kept secret.  In fact the joy being experienced only grows deeper and wider with every opportunity to tell someone – anyone – else about it.  The mandate of Jesus, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” becomes the driving force of every disciple.  As we witness the altercation between Peter and John and the Sanhedrin in the Acts of the Apostles, we see the overflowing driving force of the presence of the Risen Lord in their healing actions and in their zeal for broadcasting the Gospel.  We are able to nod our heads in agreement when Peter and John say without hesitation, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”

Our Easter visit with Mary Magdalene, Peter, John and the other disciples this day reminds us of who we are as we walk in their footsteps.  We are the companions of Jesus today who have received the revelation that the Messiah has suffered, died, and is truly risen from the dead for our salvation.  The Risen Lord remains present to us, continues to reveal Himself to us in a myriad of ways and circumstances causing us to marvel at His Risen Presence, find joy and peace in His dedicated loyalty to us, and then expand that joy by proclaiming to someone – anyone – who the Risen Lord is and what He has accomplished for us.  At Easter vigil this year, I celebrated with our parish family the baptism of five adults and the reception into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church an additional six men and women.  As they entered into new life in the Risen Lord, an indescribable picture of overflowing joy and happiness filled their eyes, their smiles and their parish community supporters.  All were present to proclaim the presence of the Risen Lord and to say this is something to shout about.  These wonderful men and women knew about the good news.  They had heard the shouting the year before.  They spent a year delving into what all the shouting was about.  At Easter vigil, as new companions of the Risen Lord, they added their voices to the chorus.

May the good news of the Lord’s Resurrection be the source of abundant Easter blessings for all of us and may it rekindle in us the kind of joy which requires us to regularly speak this marvelous mystery to someone – to anyone – in our lives.

Fr. Richard Burke, CP, is a member of St. Paul of the Cross Province.  He lives at St. Ann’s Monastery in Scranton, Pennsylvania.