Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Hebrews 7:25-8:6
Mark 3:7-12

Reflection:

He (Jesus) cured many and as a result those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. Mark 3:10

Recently, I received an urgent message for prayers. A dear friend of mine was suddenly taken to the hospital with severe stomach pains. I responded right away, saying that my prayers were not just for him, but also for the whole family.

About a minutes later, my phone message apt started pinging. I was not the only one who had received this message for urgent prayers. Many people began praying for my friend. Some were old friends going back some forty years, to the time when I met him. Others were new friends, people who had been touched by his generosity. We were all worried. About a couple of days later, we received the message: our prayers have been answered!

As I read this passage from today’s Gospel, I immediately identified with it. I could just imagine people coming to Jesus, people who were sick, hoping to touch the hem of his garment, hoping to catch his attention, and be healed. They believed in Jesus’ power to heal.

So many of us turn to prayer when we feel overwhelmed by life and its troubles.

Why do we pray? What motivates us to pray? When do we pray? These are questions that come to mind as I reflect upon this Gospel passage. I think prayers of petition, prayers for favors needed are probably on the top of everyone’s list of why we pray.

Such things as illnesses, tragedies, injuries, injustices, disasters, to name a few realities that drive us to prayer, make us feel helpless and powerless. We become aware that our personal efforts are not enough to overcome these overpowering happenings. We recognize that there is a Power greater than ourselves that is needed to lift us out of danger, to save us from the grip of sickness, to save us from the sufferings of this life. Prayer to a God who saves, a God who heals, a God who loves us is a very proper response to life’s troubles.

God invites us to pray so that we can develop a deep, personal relationship with our Loving God. Many people pray in order to get well, so that we can get out of difficulties, to help others in their times of trouble. Some even measure their faith in God on whether their prayers are answered or not. I don’t know how many stories or confessions I’ve heard over the years that began by relating a failed response to a prayer. They lost their faith in God and consequently, lost their way in life.

It is when we begin to understand that prayer is basically a deepening of our relationship with God, a loving God, a friendly God that we gain insight into prayer. St. Theresa of Avila says that prayer is a friendly conversation with God.  When we realize that, we begin to pray differently. We begin to pray like Jesus prayed, who said, “Not my Will by Thine be Done!” That is the kind of prayer that we are all called to make.

I often say to others who ask me for prayers: I will pray for you and your needs, but please pray for me. Let’s keep promising to pray for each other!

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Christ the King Community in Citrus Heights, California. 

Scripture:

Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17
Mark 3:1-6

 Reflection:

In our Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus enters a synagogue where there is a man with a withered hand. Those opposed to Jesus are almost hoping that He will heal the man so they can accuse Him of doing something unlawful on the Sabbath. So Jesus addresses them directly: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” After this, Jesus restores the man’s hand, and the Pharisees plot with the Herodians on how to kill Him.

This account in Mark’s Gospel is a challenge to us “church” people. Too often it seems that knowledge of the the laws or liturgy of the Church is used to put down or scold others. You may know people who never came back to a certain parish because of some disapproving remark made to them in church. It can be easy to disapprove of a person’s dress or seemingly uncaring attitude when they come to Mass. It can be easy to let disputes between families influence how we treat each other, even in church. It seems easy to bring our judgments of certain people with us when we come through the church doors.

When we come to Mass, somehow we are to come together. The Eucharist is important for the individual, but it is not meant to be a private celebration. Somehow we are to witness to being the Body of Christ. Conflicts will arise, but they need not keep us apart. We need to stand up for what is right, but I question whether condemnation has any place in our worship.

Jesus’ words call us to focus on lifting each other up instead of putting each other down. They call us to bring life to our worship together instead of death (It’s not always the pastor’s or the choir’s fault). May our desire to worship God with reverence not keep us from showing hospitality and joy!

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is on staff at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Hebrews 6:10-20
Mark 2:23-28

Reflection

Today’s reading from Hebrews exhorts us “to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.” It summons us not to lose zeal for—and thus turn our hearts away from—the most promising possibility with which God wants to bless us.

Christianity is unabashedly a religion of hope and Christians are called to be shining and resilient witnesses of hope because Christians believe that the God who first blessed us with life wants us to share fully in the joy and love and beauty and goodness that is God. But the very nature of hope reminds us that we are on a journey toward a fulfillment that we can anticipate (and, in some way, already experience) but cannot yet completely enjoy. Hope orients our lives to a future good that absolutely transcends anything we could ever give ourselves but which, precisely because we do not yet possess it completely, we can begin to doubt.

The passage from Hebrews warns us not to become “sluggish” regarding the object of our hope but instead to keep our attention fixed on it. It is a perceptive and timely reminder that affirms not only how easy it is to turn away from the good that God has in store for us, but also to begin to doubt its very possibility. Or, perhaps more likely, we fill our lives with so many distractions and attach our hearts to so many lesser goods that we gradually forget that there is something greater, something far lovelier, and something infinitely more hopeful to which God calls us. In order to avoid those disheartening possibilities, there are two things we can do. First, as Hebrews reminds us, we must remember that all of us are heirs to the love, goodness, and mercy of God. God wants to bless us and will bless us because God, as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus vividly testify, is faithful to his promises. Second, as our gospel today memorably illustrates, we keep hope alive not when we are gloomy legalists who live to find fault with others, but when we seek to do good in whatever way we can.

Paul Wadell is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist family.

Scripture:

Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 2:18-22

Reflection:

This little periscope from Mark’s Gospel could very well be called a “Treatise on Happiness and Joy.”  Jesus is being challenged by the disciples of John the Baptist as well as by the Pharisees.  The thinking behind the challenges is that there are three great acts of religion. #1. Prayer, #2. Fasting, and #3. Alms Giving.  The disciples of JB and the Pharisees  knew there was only one day that required fasting.  This was the Day of Atonement.  However, the Pharisees also fasted two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.

Jesus informs the questioners that as long as the Bridegroom was present, there was no call for fasting, but only celebration, happiness, and joy. In the time of Jesus a wedding celebration could last a whole week.  During this period the bridal party and the guests continue the celebration and sharing in the joy of the newly married couple.  So too, for Jesus’ disciples, as long as Jesus was present, it was time to celebrate.

This scripture passage is one of the resources that establishes in Christian Spirituality the axiom that an infallible sign of the presence of God in one’s life is the presence of “joy” and “happiness.”  The word “joy” is uses fifty-five times in the New Testament.  Derivations of the word “joy” such as “joyful, Joyously” are used at least fifty times!  The other axiom in Christian Spirituality that assures one of the presence of God in one’s life is a deep sense of “peace.”  This word is used 393 times in the New Testament.   If one wants to understand if they are close to God all one has to do is ask “Am I a person of Joy and Peace?”

Happiness happens to us when we rejoice in the truth.  The Absolute Truth is itself the Light of God.  The Celts say that life is a journey to Truth.  When someone passes on, the Celts will say: “Now he/she knows the Truth.”  This journey compels us to “love people and use things.”  It takes courage to repudiate pride and it takes strength to love others, family, friends, and the Ultimate Other, God.

In recent years, people have taken this message to heart and have developed a spirituality which could be called the “The Mysticism of the Face,” others have called it “The Mysticism of the  Eyes,” and still others have called it the “Mysticism of the Other.”  The ultimate Other is God.  The atrocities of the past century would not have happened if we all looked each other in the eyes, in the face,  and again saw them as a reflection  of “The Other” i.e. God.

Fr. Ken O’Malley, C.P., is the formation director and local superior at Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

As we enter a brief period of what is called “Ordinary Time” in our Church calendar, our Gospel reading for Sunday (John 1:29-34) points out a basic tenet of our faith. In our reading, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming toward him, and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” As I was reflecting on this, I thought of all the terms the Baptist did not use to refer to Jesus. He didn’t say, “Hail to the Victor” (a la the University of Michigan). He didn’t use the term “Conqueror,” or “Emperor,” or “King.” Instead he says “The Lamb of God.”

There is a lot of meaning in the term “Lamb of God.” (See the notes on this Gospel verse in the NAB). It can refer to the lamb whose blood was put on the doorposts at the first Passover to save Israel (Exodus 12), or to the Suffering Servant likened to “a lamb led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). This Person of love and sacrifice is also the One of whom John the Baptist says “ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.” In other words, the Messiah, the Savior, is not one who conquers by force, or seeks domination over others. Instead, our Lord saves us by a giving of His entire self, body and blood, poured out for us.

To extend this line of reflection even more, the Baptist also says about Jesus, that He is the one “who takes away the sin of the world.” Again, note that this is not the usual response when we think of sin and evil. We often have a reaction to evil of seeking vengeance. But Jesus is not referred to as the one “who takes away the sinners of the world;” much as we might think that is the desirable outcome. Thanks be to God!

And so it is the Lamb of God in whom we have been “sanctified” and “called to be holy,” in the words of our second reading in 1 Corinthians (1:1-3). It is the Lamb of God to whom we witness as a “light to the nations,” in the words of our first reading from Isaiah (49:3, 5-6). It is the One who loves us and has sacrificed Himself for us whom we are called to follow.

Although we work for justice and stand for the Gospel, we do not seek vengeance against others or dominion over them. We seek to practice the love of Jesus Christ. This may be worth considering here in the U.S. as we celebrate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, and we witness, no matter how we may feel about the election, a peaceful transition from one presidential administration to another on Friday.

May God give us the grace to be faithful disciples of the Lamb of God.

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 2:13-17

Reflection:

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. Hebrews 4:16

I remember arriving in Lourdes for my first pilgrimage feeling so humbled as I watched people being rolled into Mass in hospital beds and wheelchairs. I couldn’t imagine how I could possibly ask for any graces when there was so much greater need around me. In those first moments there, all I was poignantly aware of were the outer needs of healing. But as the days of the pilgrimage progressed, with the more time I spent experiencing Christ through the sacraments of confession and Eucharist, adoration and finally in line for the baths I came to understand that every single one of us has area(s)- spiritual, emotional, physical – that we struggle with where we are all in deep need of God’s loving Mercy and Grace. And despite being one in a gathering of thousands upon thousands of people, God’s healing mercy arrives in an exceptionally intimate way. What I initially viewed from a place of scarcity, thinking there is only so much to go around, I received as an intimate experience of abundance, as God’s grace entered our experiences impacting lives through uniquely personal encounters.

This past week I was privileged to attend the SEEK conference in San Antonio put on by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) with over 13,000 college students and college missionaries strong in attendance.   It was amazing to witness and experience personally how in the midst of this immense communal experience, Christ was intimately connecting with and drawing near those who opened their hearts to His Presence.

No matter our stance before we arrive at a place of pilgrimage, retreat or confession there is a softening that occurs when we allow it. A relaxation and relief knowing we can lean into and be met where we are. Gifted with a vision of the possibility of what we can become in the world through Christ. Little glimpses of the sky opening to reveal what life can look like through our new lens of Mercy, Grace and Love.

It is real. It is accessible. Sometimes it takes us stepping out of the crowd of our sins or away from those places in us which point a finger at all but ourselves. Moving our eyes towards Jesus who sees us and the heartache of our own hope filled thirst of intentions.

When we meet the gaze of the One who knows us on every level and loves us just the same, can we drop everything? The judgment of the world. Our limited self perceptions. Our sinful ways. Through each intimate encounter, Jesus invites us to trust His Way. Can we respond fully?  In this moment. Now. And for all our days going forward?

M. Walsh is a retreatant and friend of the Passionist Community.

Scripture:

Hebrews 4:1-5, 11
Mark 2:1-12

Reflection:

I believe that today’s readings invite us to look at our faith through two different lenses. The first lens is from the point of view of the four men bringing a paralytic to Jesus. Imagine the power of their faith; to stop at nothing to get their friend before Jesus believing that this was his best chance. The message for us here is to never underestimate the power of our own faith in situations like this one.

Is there someone in your life who is “sick” and needs to be brought to Jesus? It doesn’t have to be so radical as we read in today’s Gospel. It can be as simple as bringing them to prayer. Clearly in this scene the paralytic’s faith or desire for healing is not mentioned the focus is on the men who brought him. This suggests that healing can come through your faith alone. Never forget that. Our God is so close to those who suffer that he hears the cries of friends on behalf of the sick person. He desires healing for all.

Think about the layers of roof those men had to remove—the work of bringing someone for healing suggests that we are to leave no stone (or roofing layer) unturned. Many times, in my life when praying for someone’s healing, I have visualized this scene substituting the paralytic for the person I am praying for at that moment. Over the years, it has served as a beautiful way for me to pray as I “lower” people to the presence of Jesus.

The other lens I believe is that of the paralytic, there are times when we need to allow the people in our lives to bring us to Jesus for healing. To be open to healing even if we cannot see it for ourselves; to choose hope! Are there layers of pain, hurt, confusion, bitterness, loneliness, sorrow, unforgiveness preventing us from coming before Jesus and asking for healing? Like the roof which was opened up as a passageway to Jesus. There is always hope to remove the obstacles so as to allow Jesus to work in our lives.

Jesus was preaching the Word to the people and always calling us forth to rest in him. We can have mixed up ideas on exactly what rest means. It is the Sabbath rest which nourishes us for today. It is the foundational movement in keeping us close to Jesus as expressed in our first reading. May we truly profit from the Word.

May we all come to understand the gift and power that our faith offers us and how it is strengthened by our resting (praying) in the Lord while we live on this earth. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Hebrews 3:7-14
Mark 1:40-45

Reflection:

An examination of conscience is included in today’s Word which exhorts us to not “harden our hearts” and to not, excessively, rely on externals as sure signs of God’s Will in our lives. “…your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works for forty years.” (Heb. 3:8) “See that you say nothing to anyone…but the man went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the word….” (Mark 1:43-44)

This examination can bring new, refreshing, light and perspective to a marriage, a family, or a religious community.  I am thinking of that excessive reliance on custom and routine in which we become set, doctrinal and hardened on that certain way in which “we have always done this.” With surrendering our reliance on the “tried and true”, or “the facts as I see them” is it possible to surrender, and step back from yet another battle ground? God brings new graces and new insights that will enable us to enter into a “rest,” thoroughly in God, deep within our hearts. With Christ as my acknowledged partner, (I bring my concerns to prayer, and into dialogue with others) I am able to hold my first confidence firm to the end. (Heb. 3:14)

The followers of Moses missed totally the significance of their sojourn despite how sacred the Ark was. It’s a matter of trust and faith in the mystery of the unknown, where God is.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president emeritus of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, Birmingham, Alabama.