Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10-20
Luke 13:31-35

Reflection:

Today’s scripture readings are all about “preparation.”   Paul’s letter to the Ephesians urges us to “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil” and “Put on the armor of God that you may be able to resist on the evil day.”  In Psalm 144 the writer urges us on with the words “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.”  In the Gospel, Jesus sets his face resolutely toward Jerusalem, where he will accomplish his purpose.  Preparation is the key to victory.

People have told me about preparation all my life.  From the Boy Scouts to sports coaches, formation directors, career counselors, financial planners and now “life coaches” I have been reminded about the importance of preparing for the future.  I have been encouraged to “think ahead” and plan for the moment to come.  Yet now I am beginning to hear different voices about how I should live in the present moment.

The mindfulness folks seem to be saying that if I don’t fully engage in the present moment, I am missing the essence of my life.  “God is in the present moment within you.”  If you live in the past or the future, you may miss the true presence of God in your life and opportunities for growth in the Spirit.  If I am caught up preparing for the future battle, I may miss the grace of the present moment.  So what about preparation and putting on my armor to get ready for battle?

Maybe “awareness” is a way to handle this “time puzzle”.  Keeping my awareness of grace in the present while knowing this present moment grace may be my “armor for the future” could be my answer.  Certainly gives me something to reflect on during this beautiful, fall Kentucky afternoon.  The signs of God are everywhere around me right now.  They indeed are my armor, my strength and my grace.  They are the angels who will carry me into God’s arms in the future.

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

Scripture:
Ephesians 5:21-33 or 5:2a, 25-32
Luke 13:18-21

Reflection:
A mustard seed is just a little thing.  But it can grow into a large shrub where the birds of the air build their nests.   A thought is a small thing, like a mustard seed.  But a small thought can lead to something very big.

The ancient Egyptians had a thought, “Ah, a pyramid.”  And today we can still gaze upon these amazing wonders of the world.  The ancient Chinese had a thought, “Ah, a wall.”  And the Great Wall of China became a wonder that is still standing today.  Michelangelo had a thought, “Ah, a likeness of David!” And out of a block of marble came a magnificent and much admired statue.”  These all began with a thought.

With the Department of Defense and the military-industrial complex we have thousands of people thinking about and planning for war.  How about establishing a Department of Peace where people think about and make plans for peace?

In one of the United Nations organization’s constitution we read, “Since wars begin in the minds of people, it is in the minds of people that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”

Thoughts are little things, but they have power.  Thoughts lead to action.  Thoughts place before our eyes a goal.  Thoughts focus our attention.  Thoughts mobilize our energy.  And then our bodies and emotions go to work.

Norman V. Peale said, “Change your thoughts and you can change the world.”  To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to ask the Lord to direct our thoughts to justice, peace and love.  Then our actions will follow so that on earth “His will is done.”

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:

Ephesians 4:32-5:8
Luke 13:10-17

Reflection:

LAYING ON OF HANDS

And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.   When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”  And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. Lk 13:10

My greatest experience of the laying on of hands was 51 years ago at my ordination.   The bishop was elderly and my fear was he might make a mistake and I would end up after 10 years of study not being ordained.  But when I felt the firm press of the bishop’s hands on my head it was and still is one of the happiest moments of my life!  It was then that the power of Christ to bring about the Eucharist and forgiveness of sins was given to a mere mortal!

LAYING ON OF HANDS

The laying on of hands is a beautiful and frequent phase in Scripture expressing power of Christ being communicated to humans.  We see in today’s gospel the poor little crooked woman freed from her disability by the laying on of the hands.  In His home town “He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” ^{Mk 6:5} He did the same with the children.

Beautiful things happened when people either touch and were touched by Jesus.  Crowds all but suffocated Him trying to touch Him.   “He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him.” Mk 3:9-10   The gospel talks about how they fell upon Him so much He used a boat to go off shore to preach to them so He would not get crushed to death!  The women encountering the Risen Christ threw their arms around His feet so He could not get away from them.  Wonderful things happen to us when with faith we touch Christ. “By prayer the soul is borne up to heaven and in a marvelous way embraces the Lord.” St John Chrysostom   Perhaps it can be summed up in the words of the woman who spent all her money on doctors in vain.  “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Mk 5:28

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

Scripture:

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Luke 18:9-14

Reflection:

When I was at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago studying theology, I took my Early Church History course from a Ukrainian Catholic priest, whose name I believe was Andrei Chirovsky (I can’t swear on the spelling). The course involved looking at how the early church settled various questions of doctrine and belief. And so Fr. Chirovsky gave us a definition of heresy that still makes a lot of sense to me. Heresy was not defined so much as falsehood, but as emphasizing one aspect of the truth to the exclusion of another. For instance, take the doctrine of Jesus Christ as the Incarnation of the Son of God. We believe Jesus to be both human and divine. A heresy would be to emphasize the divinity of Jesus to the exclusion of His humanity, and vice versa.

I was thinking about this as I reflected on the parable we hear in Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke (18:9-14), and why Jesus told it: “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” The parable is about a Pharisee and a tax collector who happen to be at the temple area at the same time. The Pharisee thanks God that he isn’t like everyone else, especially the tax collector he sees there. He also boasts about how faithful he is in fasting and tithing. Meanwhile the tax collector humbly beats his breast and asks for God’s mercy. What might have been shocking for His audience to hear, Jesus says that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, was the one who went home “justified.” The Pharisee could see the truth of God’s love for himself, but to the exclusion of seeing the truth of God’s love for the tax collector, even though the tax collector sinned. Or to put it another way, the Pharisee could see the truth of the tax collector’s sin while ignoring the truth of his own.

As we move to Election Day in the U.S., I think Jesus’ words may give us pause and a caution not to fall into the “heresy” of the Pharisee in the parable. Once again, I am reminded of Martin Luther Kings’ take on agape, which he gave in a speech before the Fellowship of the Concerned on November 16, 1961:

Agape is understanding, creative redemptive good will to all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. Theologians would say that it is the love of God operating in the human heart. So that one rises to love on this level, he loves men not because he likes them, not because their ways appeal to him, but he loves every man because God loves them. And he rises to the point of loving the person who does an evil deed while hating the deed that the person does. I think this is what Jesus meant when he said “love your enemies.” I’m very happy that he didn’t say like your enemies, because it is pretty difficult to like some people. … But Jesus says love them, and love is greater than like. Love is understanding, redemptive creative, good will for all.

To follow Jesus is to live in the whole truth: Not only does God love us, God loves all. May God’s love strengthen us, as it did St. Paul, which we hear in our second reading from 2 Timothy (4:6-8, 16-18), and like St. Paul, may the proclamation of the truth of God’s love for the world in Jesus Christ be “completed” through us!

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

Feast of Saint John Paul II

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:7–16
Luke 13:1-9

Reflection:

Do you remember August 1978?  Our Catholic Church said goodbye to a beloved Pope Paul VI who had directed us through the Second Vatican Council and had begun to implement the Council’s directions for the Church in the modern world.  We then welcomed a vivacious Pope John Paul I only to be sent reeling by his untimely death thirty-three days later.  I recall anxiously waiting to hear who would be our next Shepherd.  The wait seemed to last forever.  On the eighth ballot, the College of Cardinals elected Karol Wojtyla, Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow who would become Saint John Paul II.  Today we celebrate his feast day on the anniversary of his inauguration as Pope John Paul II.

Our sacred scriptures today invite us to reflect upon our foundational calling to be unified with Christ and one another, contributing our gifts to the building up of the Body of Christ to full stature.  At times, this may sound rather esoteric and theoretical.  What exactly does it mean to grow into full stature of Christ?

St. Paul reminds us that each one of us has been blessed with graces according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Is he talking of a generic grace?  I think not.  St. Paul is reflecting on the wondrous mystery of each unique person being blessed with gifts which are marked with the vitality, creativity, and hallmarks of each unique personality.  In Paul’s hope, each is invited to continuously grow into the fullness of the man or woman that God created us to be.  We are to purposely discover the gifts lying within ourselves, accept them, foster them and finally make them available to all of God’s people for the purpose of building up the Body, the Church.  With each of us making our individual contributions, the Church continuously grows toward unity in faith and full stature in Christ.  Paul is saying to the Ephesians and to us that we are no longer “infants” in the faith.  We have progressed beyond that and are moving toward adulthood in the faith.  We are asked to recognize this and begin living as adults so as to avoid being pulled and tossed around by every wind or false understanding of the faith.

Saint Luke reinforces Paul’s thought by remembering the lesson of Jesus to those who thought sinners were punished more gravely than others.  Jesus makes it very clear that each of us must acknowledge our sinfulness and repent of it.  We are not to be looking to the lives of others and drawing conclusions from what is on the surface of life.  Look to ourselves only.  See within the need for conversion in our own lives and accept the graces offered.  It is only from this humble stance in life that we are able to work with Christ’s gifts to continuously grow into the man or woman that God intends for us to be.

Our scripture passages today are a great source of consolation and strength.  We are urged forward in the sure understanding that through Christ, the Father intends for each of us to be all that we can be. This is not a theoretical or esoteric invitation.  Rather, it is a down to earth, everyday calling that deals with the very stuff of each life. With great humility, we are called to accept our part in helping Christ reach full stature in our world.  As we celebrate St. John Paul II today, I cannot think of too many others who lived that calling so forcefully, publically and humbly.  His very election called forth a greater understanding of the universality of Christ’s Body the Church.  His international travels over decades reinforced that understanding.  His vitality even in surviving an assassination attempt and in his senior years revealed his own acceptance of his call to keep growing, keep contributing, continuously do his best to enhance Christ’s presence, come to full stature in our modern world.  Throughout his life and now, St. John Paul II calls us to put all of our energy into bringing full stature to our own lives, to His Body, the Church, and to our world.

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

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-6
Luke 12:54-59

Reflection:

Most of us prefer to rely on our human resourcefulness in order to achieve a task.  We often undergo training or education precisely for this purpose so that we become capable people who can meet life’s challenges and accomplish them.

Our bible readings today attempt to bolster this self-confidence.  They accomplish this from the angle of both faith and human nature.  They forcefully remind us that we are competent people, fortified and strengthened in a very human project by the special gifts God places at our disposal.

For example, the Pauline letter to the Ephesians reminds us of such a resource in terms of our faith.  It features another instance of Paul’s incapacity brought on him by an imprisonment.  It’s instructive to note Paul is not concerned about his own welfare, or by his future.  His whole concern centers around the Christian community in Ephesus to whom he writes.  And he exhibits unbounded confidence in the faith that he has imparted to the Ephesian community.  He does this despite his inability to be physically present to them.  This is an encouraging sign for all of us who share in that same faith, helping us to realize the power and strength latent in it.  At times faith seems comparable to something like “easy come, easy go”, since some of us may never have experienced the challenge of having our faith challenged when we undergo a difficult situation, and wonder or even fear that it may not measure up to the vigor and potential that Paul reflects today in his remarks to the Ephesians.  He is totally incapacitated to provide for them in their difficulties—apart from this letter that he writes them, and the faith that he shares with them.  But we, along with them, are the beneficiaries of the wisdom he exhibits in this letter.

And St. Luke supports St. Paul in his contribution to the scriptural messages to us today.  But in a different way.  Unlike St. Paul who falls back upon the faith that he shares with the Ephesian community, St. Luke depends on something else held in common with the readers of his gospel: our humanness.  For he appeals to an inveterate habit most of us exhibit, often several times each day: the state of the weather.  When we rise in the morning we are anxious to know the weather forecast for the day, and when, in the evening, before retiring we look at the evening news, including the weather forecast for the next day, we exhibit that fascinating habit we have that early on St. Luke noted: a weather concern.  For he observes how today we observe the cloud arising in the west, and the likelihood that rain is in the forecast, and he also comments on our ability at forecasting the coming of some hot weather, based on the observation about the hot wind that has gotten underway.  Luke here astutely remarks on a familiar procedure most of us observe, regardless of our religious beliefs or our nationality or our gender or our age: the very human proclivity to know the weather conditions.  It may be that all we share with one another is our humanity, but it’s enough to bind us together in this one activity: keeping appraised of the weather.  But, of course, Luke is not trying to excel at being a reliable weatherman.  Rather, he is taking us to task for not duplicating this very human pastime in the faith area, so that we try to forecast what God will be about in our lives, helping us to “interpret the present time.”

And Luke follows the same procedure, as he notes how all deal with a potential judgment to which we are liable as he outlines the process for responding to a traffic accident, that may involve the police, an injured party; a judge and maybe a jailer, comparing how this same scenario can play itself out when our failures come to God’s attention.  Luke notes how a very human situation like this can be repeated in the next life.

So both faith and the human condition (nature and supernature), as we have traditionally articulated it) offer a stage on which both St. Paul and St. Luke instruct us on what is occurring in our lives, as we try relating to God.  We live on both levels, and deal with God in each scenario.  Together they constitute a large area of opportunity for enriching and improving our interaction with God.

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago.

Feast of St. Paul of the Cross

Scripture:

Isaiah 61, 1-3
I Corinthians 1, 17-25
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

Today is the feast of the founder of the Congregation of the Passion, more commonly known as the Passionists.  He is a remarkable man and served God and the Church throughout his long life.  Everyone who comes to know him finds inspiration and wisdom in his life and in his deep devotion to the Passion and Death of Jesus.  Let me tell you something about him.

St. Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Passionists, was born in 1694 in a small town called Ovada, in Northern Italy.  He was one of sixteen children, only five of whom survived infancy.  His father, Luke Danei, owned a small clothing and tobacco shop that barely supported his large family.  His mother, Anna Maria, was a faith-filled woman, whose devotion to the Passion of Jesus was the source of her courage and strength as she endured the grief and loss of so many of her children.

From his earliest years Paul, by the example of his Mother, had a deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus and at the age of 19 had a vivid experience of the depth of God’s love.  As a result of this experience Paul became determined to give himself totally to God.  Due to family need, however, he stayed at home, helping to support the family by working in his father’s shop.  At 22 he joined the crusade against the Turks though it took only two months for him to realize that the army was not for him.  Returning home, he once again worked in the family business.

When he was 26, the circumstances of the family became a bit better and Paul finally felt free to pursue his own personal dreams. Bidding good-bye to his family, he went to Alessandria, where Bishop Gattinara, Paul’s spiritual director and confessor, clothed Paul in a black tunic on the day of his arrival and then sent him to the parish of St. Charles in Castellazzo for retreat.  In the small sacristy of the parish church Paul made a 40 day retreat.  It was during those 40 days that Paul had the most extraordinary experiences of union with God and wrote the Rule of Life for the congregation he hoped to found.

After his retreat Bishop Gattinara sent him back to his home town where Paul lived in various hermitages for several years.  In 1721 Paul made his way to Rome in hopes that he could get his Rule of Life approved by the Pope.  He was turned away by a Vatican guard so Paul returned home, discouraged but determined.  On his return, his brother, John Baptist, joined with him to try living according to Paul’s Rule of Life.  Paul and John Baptist became well-known catechists and Paul was even invited to give spiritual talks by various groups.

In 1725, the brothers returned to Rome and this time Paul was given verbal permission to gather companions to live according to his Rule of Life.  Cardinal Corrandini asked the brothers to work in a newly established hospital there in Rome.  The president of the hospital was so impressed by Paul and John Baptist that he arranged for them to be ordained to the priesthood.

As more men joined with Paul and John Baptist, they moved the whole community to Monte Argentario, a promontory about 150 kms northwest of Rome, where they established the first Passionist monastery in 1737.

While contemplation and prayer were at the very heart of Paul’s life and the life of his new institute, Paul himself soon became a very famous popular preacher, spiritual guide, writer and mystic.  For Paul the Passion of Christ was the most vivid witness to God’s love for us and he constantly called upon his followers to remember the sufferings of Jesus.

During his lifetime Paul founded thirteen monasteries of Priests and Brothers throughout Italy as well as a monastery of Passionist Nuns.  Today the Passionists live and serve in 59 countries of the world and are enhanced by other religious and lay groups who find inspiration in the Charism of St. Paul of the Cross.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.

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

Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

Scripture:

2 Timothy 4:10-17b
Luke 10:1-9

Reflection:

‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

One of the great themes of the gospels (especially after the resurrection) is the proclamation of peace by Jesus.

Indeed one might suggest that one of the signs of the resurrection, one of the signs that Jesus is present and in our midst, is when the community find themselves ‘at peace’ or find themselves in a moment where a deep sense of peacefulness has surrounded their relationships and brought about a new sense of awareness.

In such moments, as Jesus often reminds us,  “the Kingdom of God” is close to us (or we are enclosed by it!). It is in such moments that one is invited to ‘see’ more deeply.

We probably sense this ourselves, just from our own experiences in life. There are moments, and often only moments, where a couple feel a deeper sense of connection, a deeper peace in each others’ company. There are moments where a meal, a conversation, a walk, a panoramic outlook all capture us and in the silence we are more in touch with deeper sense of ourselves in connection with the Other – be it partner, our companion of the moment or our God.

The peace of the moment itself is not itself the experience of God’s reign breaking into our lives, but it is a sign that we are standing on holy ground and that we are ‘close’ to God in such moments. We only need to open our hearts in prayer or humble silence to know more deeply that our God is near and acting for or with us.

This seems to be the key message of Jesus to the disciples in today’s gospel text.  Yes there are many instructions – mostly about the missionary logistics of first century Palestine. But the core of the instructions to the disciples seems to be that first of all they are to be bearers of ‘peace’. They are to let it resound and surround them, and through their actions and witness it is to encompass others. If and when peace resounds in the relationships they form then the ‘kingdom’ can flourish and grow in that place, in that moment.

Not being distracted by possessions, purses, seeking better accommodation or status are means to an end – namely, a peaceful, quiet calm that one needs if one is to see, feel and experience the deeper reality of God’s presence.

Other aspects of today’s readings bear witness to the same reality. Jesus speaks of behaviours that bring about healing, or that reflect humility, compassion and forgiveness – all of which contribute to the bring about a deeper peace in life. In this sense these actions also become keys to enable the reign of God to come about.

Let us make them our own standard and let us live by them in daily life.

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.