Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 7:55-60
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20
John 17:20-26
Reflection:

Today the church celebrates the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. The Ascension of Jesus is part of the fulfillment of the promises He gives to His disciples. During the Easter season we have heard Jesus telling His disciples that He has return to the Father, and then the Holy Spirit will come to them. The Ascension, then, is another point in salvation history, and another demonstration of God’s faithfulness.

As I was reflecting on Jesus’ Ascension, I found myself thinking about the “ascension” we hope to make. We don’t expect to ascend to heaven as Jesus did. But we do hope that when we leave this earth, we will be in heaven with Him.

What about between now and then? In a way, we are invited to make an “ascension” in our life now. We are called to come closer to God. We are called to be more faithful disciples of Christ. We are called to “ascend” to holiness.

This kind of ascension is not done just by looking up toward heaven. As the apostles are still looking up as Jesus leaves their sight (Acts 1:11), two angels say to them, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” To ascend to holiness, it is true that we need to be mindful of the “things of heaven.” But we need to look at what is going on in the world with our brothers and sisters and indeed with all of creation, and respond with the love of Jesus Christ.

We also know that ascension to holiness does not happen in one, uninterrupted, straight line of spiritual progress. There can be obstacles, setbacks, and surprises. Recognizing this has led me to reflect on how important the Easter season is. During Lent, we may ask ourselves why we find ourselves bringing the same issues to God every year. Although it may look like we’re traveling in circles, dealing with the same things, what we hope to be doing is actually travel in a spiral, in which we may deal with the same issues that turn us away from God, but on an ever deeper level. And so we need Lent to come around every year.

Perhaps we could look at Easter the same way. Every year, we come to the hope, joy and peace of Easter, but hopefully on an ever deeper level. Hopefully we come more and more in touch with the truth of Easter, and the victory of life and love over sin and death. And so we need Easter to come around every year as well.

To ascend to holiness involves trust in the love that God has for us in Jesus Christ. As it says in our second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (9:24-28, 10:9-23), “… let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.”

To ascend to holiness involves a willingness to let go of whatever takes us away from God. Before Jesus ascends to heaven, the apostles ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” It seems that they were still hanging on to the idea of Jesus as a worldly king, even with all that had happened. Sometimes we hang on to worldly ideas about Christ, even when we know what Jesus did for us on the Cross, and that we have the promise of everlasting life in His Resurrection!

To ascend to holiness also involves reaching outside of ourselves. We are not to be only concerned with our ascent, but the ascent of others as well. We are called to lift others up, as we have been lifted up. Too many people in our world are struggling just to ascend to survival. Others are struggling to ascend above despair and anxiety. Still others are trying to ascend to sobriety. We are called to share the hope and joy, and most importantly, the love that Easter shows us. Might we even say that our ascent is tied up with the ascent of others? What kind of a world would we have if we acted on that belief? Would that be too much to hope for? Not for an Easter people!

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

There is much turmoil and division in our world today. Like the disciples of the early Church, our faith can bring us into sometimes uncomfortable or touchy situations. Living out the beatitudes isn’t the “celebrated” lifestyle of our culture today. The up and comers of our world are famous, rich and possibly have reality TV shows. It is these lifestyles that our culture looks to exemplify and hold on a high pedestal; these things will make you a happy fulfilled person. Yet to be truly happy, we are called to live in this world, but not be of it.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Jn 15:18 – 19

The happiness that we seek is in Jesus Christ and is rooted in him. Our hearts yearn for our Creator and the happiness He brings. This kind of happiness comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ, living as a servant for others, being an example using the beatitudes and proclaiming Christ crucified through our daily lives. These actions may not cause us to have the “happiness” that we see on TV or on Facebook, but they will help us to attain true happiness in the end. What today’s Gospel is reminding us of is that there is something much greater ahead of us.

You will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. Jn 16:20-21

I remember the day that my daughter was born and how much worry was on my mind. Would we both be healthy? Will I be able to take care of her? Will she take to me? All of these worries swirled around in my mind until the moment I heard that beautiful cry come out from her. At that moment, the worries subsided and I focused on the joy of her face. I had never known such love and peace. Jesus uses this example to show us a glimpse of what it will be like when we encounter him in all of His glory. So as we go about our day, let us keep in mind the kind of happiness we are seeking. Even though it may not look like everyone else’s version of happy, we are on the path to eternal happiness.

“Only He who made man can make man happy.” St. Augustine

 

Kimberley Valdez is the Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

The Ascension of the Lord

Scripture:

Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23 or
Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23
Luke 24:46-53

Reflection:

Traditionally, this day has been the day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord.  In many dioceses, this solemnity has been moved to the upcoming Sunday for greater participation.  As we have journeyed through this Easter Season, I’ve grown in an appreciation for what the Apostles and early believers had to deal with in their desire to spread the news of the risen Christ.  The days of the Early Church were filled with opposition and discord.  And the disagreements weren’t always with the unbelievers.  Last Sunday, for example we heard how “no little dissension” between the new Jewish believers and the Gentile believers led to assembling the leaders and elders of the Church in Jerusalem.  This was the Church’s first Council—the Council of Jerusalem.  And I had to ask why Luke chose to include this in his book, the Acts of the Apostles.  Truthfully, I’ve grown in an appreciation of how Luke will include both the success stories and the stories of struggle and frustration.

Numerous times the Church will end the Easter reading from Acts on a very positive note, telling us how many people came into the faith.  In previous years I’ve dwelt more on the positive ending of the story almost negating the difficulties and frustrations Paul must have had to absorb.  Today’s first reading is yet another in the collection of frustration and rewarding experiences for Paul and the early believers.   Allow me to highlight a few points.

• He is coming from Athens, where things didn’t go as he had planned. The great Greek philosophers of Athens laughed at him and “scoffed” him.  He finds solace with some fellow tentmakers in Corinth named Priscilla and Aquila, who will both become good friends of Paul.
• His trips to the synagogue were numerous. When Silas and Timothy join him it is no longer merely his word or the testimony of his experience.  He now has the support, encouragement and voices of others who have also had the experience of the risen Christ.
• I’ve often wondered about Paul’s home life. Why would he leave family behind to spend his life telling people about Jesus?  At what point do the frustrations and disappointments build up so high that he would  just quit and tell himself that his family and friends are more important?  Yet Paul uses the word “responsibility” in today’s first reading.  He sees it his responsibility to bring the message of Jesus to those of his own religious persuasion.
• Luke specifically mentions Titus and Crispus, along with Crispus’ household and adds “many” others came to believe and were baptized.  Yet realistically there were those  (many) who didn’t believe and probably many who didn’t care one way or the other.  Is this any different than the dynamics we face in Christian churches throughout our country?

Paul’s ability to keep things in perspective must have been a real gift.    He most likely found regular encouragement through his journeys, keeping fervent  his passion for proclaiming Christ.  We all know those continuous, even daily experiences of opposition wear away at us. The zeal Paul had emerging from his conversion experience would not have sustained him through his  three significant missionary journeys. Yet the  work of these journeys  set a foundation for this new group of believers to build on; even to this day, including you and me.

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

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

 

Reflection:

“I Have Much More To Tell You…”

As we enter upon the month of May, for many people of all ages this is a time focused on their education:  the conclusion of the academic year, with reports to write, exams to take, a future to consider…  For many these are challenging times, with long hours of intellectual focus, the pressure of deadlines, and lots of academic material to cover and review.

Today’s Scriptures touch upon the “education” of both Jesus’ disciples and the people St. Paul addressed in the Areopagus in Athens.  The Good News of God’s merciful love flowed from Jesus’ very words and deeds as he worked with his disciples and the many people of all ages and walks of life that he encountered.  Jesus’ disciples like those in the Areopagus, needed time to assimilate the inviting yet challenging message of God’s love.

Jesus intimately knew his disciples and their human limitations, and thus said to them:  “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”  A radical love, a life of service, the mission of sharing the story of Jesus, the good possibility of suffering for the faith…not an easy lesson to learn for the disciples of times past, or for ourselves as 21^st Century disciples!  It even happens, as it did for St. Paul in today’s reading as he spoke of Jesus’ resurrection, the words of rejection in “…we would like to hear you on this some other time…”

Jesus’ disciples, St. Paul, and each of us are people “on the grow”, with lives to live and lessons to be learned as we live our faith in the realities of daily life.  Jesus encourages us to be patient, to be open to action of the Spirit who will guide us to all truth — and to then be Spirit-filled people as we live and proclaim God’s love and mercy.  Given the many challenges to be faced in our world today – poverty, injustice, violence, abuse, homelessness, hunger, etc. – as people of faith, with one voice, we call out:  Come, Holy Spirit!  Kindle in us the fire of your love!

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14

Reflection:

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:3

What a gift! Truly this fact is of “first importance” since we cannot earn our own salvation. We cannot save ourselves. How sad would our lives be without the passion and sacrifice of Jesus for each of us. There is a line in the song He Paid a Debt that says it perfectly: “He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay.”

Thank God for Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross for us. And how sad that there are people who have not accepted His gift, who today are lost and don’t even know it. How can we not share the Good News with everyone we meet? Our willingness to give a witness to what God has done in our lives may be the difference between heaven and hell for someone.

I’m not suggesting we assault every person and try to convert them. I am saying we should practice sharing a short and simple testimony of how we came to believe so that we are ready if someone asks us a question about our faith. We may be the first one to tell them how much God loves them personally and that Jesus made a way for us to go to heaven when we die.

Of course living our faith is also a great way to witness to God’s love and may be the reason someone asks us the question that then invites us to share today’s Gospel message – that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! May we always be grateful for the gift of faith, and for the gift of eternal life won for us by Jesus’ death on the cross.

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR 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:

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

 Reflection:

I have spent two weeks helping to “stand-in” for the pastor of a Tennessee parish, following his being taken suddenly ill. During the daily and Sunday homilies, I have been drawing the profile of the missionary journeys of the apostles and disciples who took the Christian Gospel to the Roman world of Asia Minor.

This has not required an exhaustive preparation because the dramatic readings from the Acts of the Apostles have filled our Easter Season lectionary. Quite easily we have examined questions like: “What drove the apostles/disciples out into the periphery of the Roman Empire; what was their willingness to sacrifice based on?” “What was the message that the Apostles/disciples carried to their listeners?” “What is the model of the Church that emerges from the preaching of the Apostles/disciples?”

In today’s reading, Lydia, the dealer in cloth, has her heart opened to the words of the Apostle Paul, which leads to her and her household’s baptism. Lydia immediately seizes the moment to invite Paul and Barnabas to stay in her family’s home. This is a concise and essential summary of the nature of the Church and the model of Church. We become “Church” through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit working through the evangelization proclamation that invites to baptism. Once baptized, we become members of the “household of the Church”, the ecclesia. This community of the faithful connects us with the universal Church, but it also empowers us to be “Church” in more intimate settings, whether in an immediate family home, our parish family, or our local civic communities.

As I was concluding a recent homily on this topic of the Evangelizing Missionary Journeys in the Acts of the Apostles, I noticed that in the parish attendance that morning there were people of different nationalities, both proud natives of Tennessee, as well as so many others who had come from somewhere else, other States of the Union, and other countries across the globe. This prompted me to remind the parishioners that it was precisely this missionary commitment of the first generation Christians that led to our ancestors’ coming to receive the faith, perhaps centuries ago—in Germany, Poland, Russia, Ireland, England, and Latin America.

We are the fruit of these first missionary experiences of the first generation of Christians, particularly the journeys of Paul and Barnabas, which are highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
John 14:23-29

Reflection:

The first reading for this Sunday is from the Acts of the Apostles.  It narrates the first great gathering of the “apostles and elders” in Jerusalem in order to deal with some fundamental problems facing the early church as its mission spread out into the Mediterranean world.   As the reading discretely notes: “…there arose no little dissension and debate”!  One of the greatest challenges was whether non-Jews, that is, the Gentiles, would first have to become Jews before they could be true Christians.  As the reading reports, some Christians from Judea were saying, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”  But we also know that other early Christian leaders like Paul were completely opposed to this viewpoint.  Paul reverenced his Jewish heritage but he also believed that the saving power of Christ’s death and resurrection embraced all peoples and cultures, and that Gentiles could directly experience God’s grace just as Jewish Christians had. And still others, like the embattled Peter, while believing in the universal outreach of the gospel, tried to find a compromise in order to keep the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian factions of the church together.  For such a stance, we know that Peter received an earful from Paul—as the “Apostle to the Gentiles” states in his letter to the Galatians: “I opposed [Peter] to his face because he clearly was wrong.”  Paul was not one to put things diplomatically…

At that council in Jerusalem, the leaders of the church debated the issue and came to a consensus.  The first reading for today includes the beautiful letter that the leaders sent to reassure the Christians of “Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia”—the Gentile territories evangelized by Paul and Barnabas and others.  “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…”  Then the council members asked the Gentile Christians to accept a compromise such as abstaining from certain forbidden foods and from unlawful marriage, things very sensitive for Jewish Christians.

The reference to “the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us” is a key point; there is an important reference to the Spirit in the Gospel reading for today taken from John’s Gospel.  On the eve of his death, Jesus reassures his disciples that even though he will be absent from them, he will send upon them the “Paraclete”—John’s unique term for the Spirit—who “will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

The power of the Spirit and the outreach of the Christian message to the entire world are fundamental themes of the New Testament.  God’s Spirit is expansive and all-embracing; God’s mercy is not restricted to one race or one people or one viewpoint.  Before God, all of us are equal.  We can remember Paul’s famous formula for this spirit of inclusion: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  Working this out in practical terms while remaining faithful to the gospel was often challenging, and anyone who thinks of the early church as an ideal community that had no problems or divisions, should read again these chapters from the Acts of the Apostles!  The church today is the same: a very human community but yet one filled with the gift of the Spirit.  That Spirit—the Paraclete—will keep reminding us, even in the midst of our divisions and debates, that we are called to transcend our differences and become one in Christ.  This is a compelling quality of the Christian vision so necessary today when prominent—and loud—voices are fostering divisions and suspicion among the peoples of the world.

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. is President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union.  He lives at the Passionist residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Scripture:

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

 

Reflection:

Keeping the Word

“If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “ John 15:29

A frequent exhortation in the Gospels is “to keep the word”.   The word in Greek is a lot more nuanced than keep.  In the original language of the New Testament the word is terao which has the connotation of guard or treasure.    We should prize God’s words to us.   Mary held the words of the angels in her heart that first Christmas.  “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

The Library of Congress holds an estimated twenty million books and serial volumes. The most valuable book in whole collection is the Gutenberg Bible.  The price of a complete copy today is estimated at $25-35 million.  Individual leaves now sell for $20,000-$100,000,   For us Christians the Bible is precious and beyond value not because of its’ historical and cultural value, but because it contains the word of God.  It’s message is full of the power and intimacy of His word.

The word is prized for its power.   “For He spoke, and creation was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps 33:9  We are assured that the word “is living and active,” Heb 4:12  When we open our minds and hearts to listen to God’s word in SS we are exposed to the same  power that called  a rotting corpse out of the grave! “Lazarus come here!”

This is why the Church has always held in extreme reverence the place of Scripture in both its devotional and its liturgical life.

God’s word has not only God’s immense power behind it but it is an extension of his very self.  The closest we can get to each other is by communication.  God has an immense investment in us when He speaks to us.   He shares what is deepest in His heart and mind with us and enables us to respond to Him from our minds and hearts.   When we are sincere in our desire to be friends with Christ, one of first places to which we turn to a God who is intensely concerned to speak to us!

One of the amazing lines in Scripture is when Jesus said: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”  Lk 8:21   Communication by listening to the word brings us to a wonderful family intimacy with Christ!   This family inclusion goes right into the Father’s bosom.  “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Jh 14:23

 

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