Daily Scripture

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32

Reflection:

On today’s feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we have a very personal and cultic set of readings.  “Cultic” means that the people, place and practices of the Temple are the setting for the young family which brings its first born to the Temple, to present him to the Lord.

The first reading, from the Prophet Malachi, anticipates the coming of Jesus to the Temple, as one sent by the Father.  It says:
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Although Jesus is only a few weeks old at the Presentation in the Temple, he is already acknowledged as the one who fulfills the longed-for expectation of a Redeemer for Israel.  This is what the two venerable old people, Simeon and Anna, intuitively see in the child being brought forth in the arms of his parents.  After lifetimes of hoping and praying at the Temple, Simeon and Anna give thanks to God for letting them hold in their arms the greatest sign of God’s love for humankind.

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that even in his incarnation and birth, Jesus is the Savior, whose human nature subjects him to all of human experience, and therefore makes His Passion meaningful for us because he willingly underwent His suffering on our behalf.  Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Today is a good day to remember Simeon and Anna when we go to Church (although you will probably attend the Sunday vigil Mass, rather than the celebration of today’s Feast).  Look around, gaze a bit at the older parishioners.  Think of the years that they have faithfully “come to the temple”, paging through their well-worn prayer books for the comfort of their prayers; sitting in quiet silence; asking for special blessing and grace, probably not for themselves, but for a grandchild, a niece or nephew, a son or daughter.  Remember Simeon and Anna, who reached out to receive the Child into their own arms and for a moment were suffused with grace and blessing; remember them when you reach out with your hands to receive the self-same Savior, not just for a moment of blessing, but for the grace of the divine Eucharist in your own being.

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

Scripture:

 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
Mark 5:1-20

Reflection:

The readings for this day are dominated by one of the longest and most powerful stories in the gospels, namely the healing of the Gerasene demoniac from chapter 5 of Mark’s Gospel.  In Mark’s Gospel the Sea of Galilee stands as a kind of boundary between the Jewish region of Galilee on the west and on the eastern shore, the Gentile region of the Decapolis, the league of ten cities founded in the wake of Alexander the Greats conquest of the Middle East three centuries before the birth of Jesus.  Most of Jesus’ mission takes place in the Jewish area but here, in a rare crossing to the other side of the Sea, he and his disciples land in Gentile territory.

What happens next is a parade example of the kind of “exorcism” stories that abound in Mark’s narrative.  As Jesus and his disciples come ashore, a man who had been dwelling among the tombs confronts him. Already we know something tragic about this man—he is living among tombs, in the abode of the dead.  We then hear a chilling description of his condition. He is wild, uncontrollable yet bound in chains, day and night crying out in torment and abusing himself with stones.  What the evangelist has done is describe, in the manner of his own time and culture, a person who has been completely de-humanized and suffers terrible isolation and mental illness.  We might think of someone we have observed on our city streets, truly down and out.   A few days ago I was in New Orleans for a meeting and noticed how many young people languished on the streets, obviously gripped by drug addiction, looking totally defeated and desolate.

In the view of the gospel this man has become dominated by a terrible evil that is sapping his life away.  For the biblical world, the ultimate root of illness and desolation was the power of the demonic.  Not in the sense that the person’s illness or distress is caused by their own failures but in the deeper conviction that the sting of death is not the work of God but the cost of the mortality that afflicts human nature.

Jesus, on the other hand, is filled with God’s life-giving Spirit.  Mark has stressed this from the very beginning of his gospel when Jesus comes to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  The Spirit descends on God’s beloved son and thus begins Jesus’ life-giving mission of healing and destroying death.  That mission of Jesus is revealed in all of the healing and exorcism stories in the gospel and, in a particular way, through Jesus’ ultimate giving of his life for the sake of the world.

In this gripping story in today’s gospel, Jesus confronts the evil spirit that is destroying this beautiful human life.  The demon’s name is “legion”—a remarkable detail of the story.  The term used here—legio—is actually a Latin word and refers to the Roman legions that held this region in their iron grip.  The gospel signals that the evil Jesus is confronting takes many forms, all of them destructive of human life.  In a touch that the early Jewish Christians would appreciate, Jesus allows the demons to infest a herd of pigs who go crashing down into the water and die.

The story ends in a stark contrast to its beginning.  The man Jesus has liberated from his living death is now calm and restored to his family.  The townspeople who come out to see what had happened are amazed and fearful (a typical reaction in the Bible to a divine intervention); they beg Jesus to leave their region.  But the man whose life Jesus had restored has a very different reaction.  He pleads to be able to stay with Jesus.  But, instead, Jesus asks him to “go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”  The man responds and, the gospel notes, begins to proclaim in the region of the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him.  From being a totally lost human being living in the tombs, the Gerasene becomes the first missionary to the Gentiles in the Gospel of Mark!

This is a powerful story of redemption and transformation.  It reveals the very purpose of Jesus’ mission: to liberate us from all the symptoms of death and to give our lives new meaning. Our circumstances may not be as dire as that of the Gadarene demoniac, but all of us are in need of healing and restoration.  As Pope Francis has said, “Jesus reveals the face of the Father’s mercy.” This amazing gospel story proclaims that very message in a compelling way.

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:

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 4:21-30             

Reflection:

Do you ever wonder what Jesus was like as a kid?  I do.

I wonder if he walked around in flowing robes blessing people.  If Mary and Joseph ever ran out of food, did Jesus just miracle up all the wine and fish and bread he wanted?  When one of his buddies hurt himself in the playground, did Jesus touch and heal the sore?  And in school, when asked a question, did he answer in eloquent and perfectly crafted parables?

Or, I wonder if he was the Class Clown, like me?

I imagine Jesus had to learn to walk, like the rest of us.  He probably made mistakes growing up.  Maybe he lost some friends, and even had to deal with human emotions and fears.  I can hardly begin to understand what he must have had to process as he himself began to understand who he was, and what he could do, and what he was going to have to do.

He must have had a hard time accepting who he was, and his mission.

Today’s Gospel picks up just after Jesus spent 40 days in the desert.  He was tempted to renounce his relationship with his Father, but he remains faithful, and comes home renewed.  He reveals himself to the people who know him best.  They’ve seen him grow from that little guy learning to walk and making mistakes, and now he’s saying that he’s the anointed one of God.

I’ll bet they all had a hard time accepting who he said he was, and his mission.

There’s quite a foreshadowing of Jesus’ end of life in today’s Gospel.  It begins with people praising him and being amazed at his speaking and depth, but ends with them filled with fury, taking him to the top of a mountain to “hurl him down headlong.”  First loved and accepted, but then pushed to his death.  Those who praised Jesus on Palm Sunday were the same people that would scream “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”

And yet, even fully knowing what would happen, God still pursued us.  He sent his son as one of us to reach out, to call us home, even though he knew we would throw him off a cliff.

Such love.  Such amazing love… to hold out a hand of care and forgiveness even though those very people would slam a spike through it.

Pursuit.  Chase after.  Hound.  Dig for.  Leave no stone unturned.  Do whatever it takes.

How has God pursued you?

How have you tried to throw him off a cliff, headlong?

What was it that led you to finally accept God’s hand reaching out to you, waiting for you?

And, how have you been God’s hands, reaching out to others?

The refrain of a pop song, which was recorded by the artist Richard Marx, titled “Right Here Waiting,” says it pretty well:

Wherever you go,
whatever you do,
I will be right here waiting for you.

What a perfect description of God.  All we have to do look, listen, and be God’s beloved.

Amen.

 

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, CA, and a member  of the Retreat-Team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

 Reflection:

A violent storm was raging and a large ship was being tossed about on the sea.  A little girl sleeping below deck was wakened by all the commotion.  She asked, “What’s happening?”

She was told that there was a storm outside shaking the ship and all it’s passengers.
She asked,  “Is my father still at the helm?”
They told her, “Yes.”
“Then I’m going back to sleep,” she said.

In today’s gospel, that’s the kind of trust Jesus was hoping for from his apostles.  But they didn’t have it – yet.  Little by little, as they continued to see Jesus in action, they came to realize who he was.  Eventually they trusted him with their lives.

Throughout the centuries and especially in recent times the Catholic Church, the Bark of Peter, has been enduring turbulent times and frequent storms.  Yet it stays afloat and the ministry of fishing, of saving, goes on.  Like St. Paul, the Church has been “afflicted in every way, but not crushed: perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down by not destroyed;”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

As we encounter storms in our personal life, we need to remind ourselves that our father, Abba, is at the helm.  And he will not let us be crushed, forsaken or destroyed.  This realization brings us inner peace — and a good night’s sleep.

A final thought: “In the royal galley of Divine Love, there is no galley slave.  All are volunteers.”  — Francis de Sales

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:

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

I am not an expert on mustard seeds.  I don’t think I have ever seen one of these tiny wonders Jesus talks about in today’s reading.  However I do think I get the point Jesus is making today.  The smallest action on our part can build the Kingdom of God.   Twenty days at the Cleveland Clinic ICU with my critically ill wife has taught me a lot about mustard seeds and Kingdom building.

I was particularly down one night leaving the ICU.  I was alone in an empty hallway.  No chaplains, comfort doggies or social workers were there to console me.  Then I noticed him walking toward me, a tall, well-dressed physician I had only seen once on the ICU.  He saw me, grinned, stopped me and asked me how I was doing.

I started to tell him about the day, probably with tears in my eyes.  I related the story of my wife’s complications.  He stopped me in mid-sentence and said, “She is being well taken care of, let’s talk about you.”  He went on to counsel, console and encourage me.  I was deeply touched by this simple act of kindness, as small as the tiny mustard seed, yet building the Kingdom of God.

So maybe I am not an expert on mustard seeds, but I am very convinced one small act of kindness can build the mighty Kingdom of God.

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family who volunteers at the Passionist Assisted Living Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
Mark 4:21-25

Reflection:

We celebrate the feast day of the great Saint Thomas Aquinas today.  Aquinas was a member of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominican religious order.  He taught, wrote learned books and contributed in an outstanding way to philosophy and theology.  He is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation.  Thomas Aquinas is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles of Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.  The works of Aquinas have long been a part of most seminaries and schools of theology.  In researching some of Aquinas’ background, I was surprised to learn that his greatest and last work, The Summa Theologiae which deals with the whole of Catholic theology, was uncompleted.  He stopped writing it about three months before his death in 1274.  When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, “I cannot go on…All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.”

In reflecting on the reasons Aquinas gave for not finishing the Summa I am very humbled.  In reflecting on the gospel passages found in our readings today from ordinary time as well as the feast day readings, I also come away being humbled and challenged.

In Mark 4:21, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?”

And

In Matthew 23:11-12, “the greatest among you must be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Aquinas was a brilliant theologian, philosopher and writer of Catholic thought.  So, why did he not finish the Summa???!!  I believe he was more importantly a person of deep faith, open to following the plan God had for him.  He did not need to finish the Summa, he did not hide his lamp of faith under a bushel basket, he opened himself up to the plan God put him on and in this way his light continues to shine in our world today.  He used the gifts God gave him to make the world of Catholic thought and deed live on for all the hundreds of men and women who have benefitted from his works.  He was a humble man aglow with the light of Christ.

…Challlenges for us…

Can we place our lamp on the lampstand to burn brightly so others may see the glory of God within and through us?

Can we serve humbly and faithfully as Aquinas did?

Can we give up our unfinished agendas and humbly accept the plan God has for us and trust that what needs to be accomplished will happen in God’s time and not necessarily on our timeline?

Saint Thomas Aquinas, inspired by your example, may we grow in knowledge of our Catholic faith and always strive to be people of humility and understanding.  May we keep this light of faith burning brightly as we continue to serve God and all God’s people.  Amen.

 

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

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:4-17
Mark 4:1-20

 

Reflection:

 I will not withdraw my favor!

I was really fortunate to have great teachers in college and graduate school (seminary). One of my favorite classes centered on sacramental theology, and the professor was also a Jungian analyst; he used Grimm’s Fairy Tales and other mythological literature to help us understand the mystery of Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation and Marriage. Repeatedly he had to remind us, however, of our proclivity to get mired in analysis. We always wanted to know, “What does it mean?” and his usual response was, instead, “Stay in the story.” Nocturnal dream analysis is similar: don’t move too quickly into finding out the dream’s meaning, but stay in the narrative!

Jesus often instructs his disciples in a similar fashion. They want a plain and simple explanation, and he asks them to be patient with the metaphor, and not to get too cerebral!

And I suppose most of us are like David, too, in our first reading. We want to confine God to our categories, our horizons, our temple. God’s response is that the Divine dwelling place is in peoplehood, not brick and mortar. As much as we attempt to grab the Lord by his divine ankles and pull him into our domesticated, little world, God is elusive. While King David seeks to build a house for God, God tells David that God will be doing the building for David!

I reverence that passage in John 4 when Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.  As she professes, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Obviously, Jesus is speaking on a deeper level.

Yet, the core of today’s readings moves beyond this challenge to not limit ourselves to the heady or analytic. So, God tells the prophet, “I will correct him with the rod of men, and with human chastisements; but I will not withdraw my favor from him.” We may get snagged with our propensity for control, but God’s love — indiscriminate, unconditional, without boundaries — eclipses even our longing for control!

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

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus

Scripture:

2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5
Mark 3:20-21

Reflection:

Uh-oh!  We have family issues.

I can’t help but smile when I hear today’s reading from Mark:  Jesus came home. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” They had heard he was doing strange things like forgiving sins and healing a paralytic man.  This just isn’t right, they say to themselves.

Jesus even redefines “family.”  When told his mother and brothers are outside, Jesus replies, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

The gospel selection for today’s feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus captures the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  He had just come down from the mountain-always where important things happen-where he selected his closest companions to share in his ministry.  From the outset of his ministry, Jesus gathers together a band of friends.  Perhaps not all the best trained, well-spoken or polished group of friends.  They didn’t always know what they were supposed to say or do, and they often tripped over themselves.  But they were Jesus’ friends and apostles.

Timothy and Titus were both first century bishops.  But first they were friends of St. Paul.  They knew each other and worked together.  Paul knew Timothy’s mother and grandmother by name.  He says of Titus, you are “my true child in our common faith.”  Paul is now writing from prison, but these two are like family to him.  He, like Jesus, has worked hard to develop another generation of ministers of the gospel who are sharing the Good News.

At the very beginning of Mark’s gospel at Jesus’ baptism, the sky opens and Jesus hears “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  That Father-Son relationship is deepened and tested as Jesus heads into the desert.  And when he emerges to begin his public ministry, he immediately gathers together his companions in ministry.  He invites these disciples to enter into an ever-deepening relationship, a relationship that is not always clear or easy for them.

It always begins in a relationship.  We live our faith in the context of family and friends, of parishes and schools, at work and at play.  The relationships are never perfect, but they are the place where the Good News is lived out first.  We don’t live our faith alone or among the fragments of broken relationships.  We first must be friends with Jesus, and then with our “families” – however they are defined.

 

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and is the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.