Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Samuel 1:24–28
Luke 1:46-56

Reflection:

Yesterday, I attended the Christmas Concert and Living Nativity by the Choir and the children of our Basilica Parish.  I arranged the lights on our Monastery Christmas tree and arranged for the decorating of the Basilica in time for Christmas.  Today, I am writing out the employee Christmas cards and gifts as well as cards for each member of our Monastery Community.    You guessed it – Christmas is drawing near.  There is nothing like lively Christmas music and children telling their version of the birth of Christ to get you into the Christmas spirit.  And we do need to get into that spirit.

Our Scriptures today are very helpful.  We have two extraordinary women of faith to consider.  Hannah, who praises God for the gift of her son Samuel after years of waiting for this blessing from the Lord, comes to the Prophet Eli and presents her son to the Lord in the Prophet’s care.  In the gospel, we have Mary who bursts into God’s praises once Elizabeth acknowledges Mary as the “Mother of my Lord” who has come to visit her as she awaits the birth of her son, John the Baptist.  They are first of all women of faith.  They have each lived in a deep, abiding relationship with God.  They have poured out their hearts to God, have persisted in their petitions to God and have listened carefully to God’s answers through the very circumstances of life.  As a result, both Hannah and Mary are women of praise for God.  They  fully recognize God’s loving action in their lives and offer themselves in service to His divine design for life.  Because they  understand that it is God who loves first, they are caught up in praise.  They avoid the mistake of believing that this is all their own accomplishment.  Rather, they praise their God and revel in His love showered upon them.

This is not to say that Hannah and Mary are passive actors in the play of life.  On the contrary, they are women of faith who are preeminently women of action as well.  They accept God’s blessings in the persons of their sons and set about raising them in the spirit of that same faith and that same sense of service to God which characterizes their own lives.  Hannah is up and out the door to bring young Samuel to his apprenticeship with Eli.  She has a “get it done” attitude as she presents her son to the Lord.  Mary breaks into praise of God after hearing God’s Word through the Angel Gabriel, after accepting God’s Word into her womb, and after packing up and going to see Elizabeth who might need a bit of companionship and help as she gives birth in her old age to John the Baptist.  There is no sitting around with either of these women.

In this, perhaps, we find our own Christmas inspiration.  We often think of Christmas with a  kind of romantic notion.  We imagine a time of peace, comfort, shared happiness, a gentle snow falling (even if you live in Florida or Southern California).  We might hope the snow doesn’t last too long but the  image of a gentle snowfall with Bing singing “White Christmas” is very appealing.  We are able to sit back with a deep sigh of contentment.  Today’s scriptures and our two women of faith invite us to a very different understanding of Christmas.  We are called at Christmas to a time of action.  We are to set aside that  pessimistic moaning  we sometimes hear about generosity or kindness only surfacing at this time of the year and put our energy into heightening that generosity, compassion and kindness even if it wanes later.  We are invited by Hannah and Mary to be men and women of action this Christmas.  We are invited to take the initiative to mend the fences between us and a family member, to reach out to let others know how we are doing and inquire how they are even if it is only once during the year, to spend time with a sick neighbor or with Mom and Dad, Grandma or Grandpa in a nursing home, to affirm and encourage the children and teenagers in our lives – and to do so in a more energized and greater way during the Christmas season.  If we are looking to deepen our faith and live it more fully as disciples of action, Christmas has a natural pull on our hearts to do so now and with fervor.

As we close out our Advent this year, may God’s abundant Christmas blessings wash over us enlivening us to greater joyful action in living our faith this Christmas season.

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:

Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Luke 1:39-45

Reflection:

As we near the birthday of someone we know, a festive mood of joy and celebration prevails, which is usually the case, unless the birthday celebrant him or herself is not exactly joyous over the event.  In the case at hand, of course, most of us who are believers in the significance of the birth of the Lord Jesus among us have adequate reason to be joyful.

And our joy is well expressed by a woman in today’s gospel, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.  The entire gospel selection for the day is devoted to her exuberance at the visit of her young kinswoman, Mary, who has just arrived from relatively far away, perhaps not the case in our contemporary experience of travel, but certainly very much so in earlier, bygone, days.  Elizabeth is undoubtedly thrilled, and proud, at the considerable effort made by Mary to be near her at this particular time, since both women were pregnant with two very promising offspring.  And both were experiencing this, their first childbirth event, in rather remarkable ways.

Today’s gospel event is totally devoted to Elizabeth’s experience of joy.  Mary’s expression of the same sentiment will be forthcoming in the bible readings to follow.  Elizabeth’s joy is based on both her own remarkable experience of becoming pregnant at an advanced age, and also on what her now mute husband (Zechariah) was able to convey to her about his own part in this good news (which, at the moment, was not exactly good news for him, given his present affliction).  Elizabeth’s joy is undoubtedly enhanced by what had been a likely sorrowful experience that she and he had undergone throughout their marriage at their inability to beget a child, a blessed event eagerly anticipated by every married couple, especially in the Israel of that time.  So certainly neighbors and friends would have shared joy in learning of Elizabeth’s good fortune, having known of her sorrow prior to this.

We have a corresponding reading today from the Old Testament: the prophet Zephaniah.  That is, it too is a joyful piece, following on a painful ordeal.  However, the circumstances surrounding this prophecy and its joy differ from those found in the gospel piece, if, for no other reason than that it occurred in a different time period, several hundred years earlier than that presented in the day’s gospel.  But there is this common thread running throughout both this prophecy and the visitation event.  They both occur after a drought of any such good, joyful news.  For just as Elizabeth and Zechariah went through some sad days in their marriage, so the city of Jerusalem, where Zephaniah lived, had had its experience of sorrow over the tragedies and calamities that had been inflicted on it by its enemies over the recent centuries, clearly permitted by the Lord as a result of the city’s sinful behavior.  But the prophet Zephaniah indicates today that this is now a thing of the past, and that Jerusalem is to enjoy a period of peace and prosperity.

So in both readings we have a mixture of joy and sorrow.  And we note the sequence in which they occur: sorrow first, then joy.  And it leads to the question: is this not usually the case, in the lives of all of us?  That the sorrow-joy sequence is more commonly experienced, than joy-sorrow events?   This is hardly true across the board, of course, but it seems that, within our own limited experience of things, the impact of sorrow/joy, in that sequence, is more compatible with our make-up, than the sequence of joy/sorrow.  Why is that, since each involves the same elements?  Perhaps this is because it is “easier” to enter into, first, sorrow, and then joy, than it is to enter into, first, joy, and then sorrow, especially if our joyful moment is already anticipating a sorrowful event to happen.  Whereas anticipating a joyful event about to occur can at times dilute a current experience of sorrow.  Going to the dentist, with a plan to attend a party afterward, is easier to undergo than to go to a party, while planning to make a visit to the dentist’s office afterward.  They each involve similar experiences, but in different time sequences.

Both Mary and Elizabeth were coming off of stressful moments in their lives (Mary’s encounter with the angel, and Elizabeth’s long childlessness), making their experience of mutual joy at the time of Mary’s visit to her cousin thoroughly understandable, as was Zephaniah’s joy at the relief now available to the city of Jerusalem and its people following their long-standing subservience to an enemy.  And, in general, it seems joy is more readily shared than sorrow.  So we look forward to Christmas and the good news that the angels plan to announce over the grazing lands near Bethlehem.

 

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

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Micah 5:1-4a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45

Reflection:

The readings for this Fourth Sunday of Advent, the final Sunday before the Feast of Christmas, ponder some of the mysteries that underlie God’s birth into the human family.

Micah prophesies that, when the Savior comes into the world, he will be born in a place so small and insignificant that it is not even identified “among the clans of Judah.”  Yet, despite the insignificance of the place of his birth, the Savior will “stand firm and shepherd his flock…”and “his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth….”

In the Gospel Luke recounts for us Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, after the angel revealed to Mary that her cousin, too, was “with child.”  Elizabeth, too old to conceive, and Mary, who had no relations with a man, both pregnant through the power of God.  Two women, who couldn’t possibly bring forth life, are the mothers of the two greatest figures in human history: John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world.

Through these readings we are invited to recall that our salvation comes through the gracious goodness of God.  Our hope does not come from our plans, our talents or our accomplishments.  When God comes into our lives, he does so from places we’ve never heard of, through people who are often beneath our notice and in events that we least expect.  Mary and Elizabeth illustrate for us the attitude of heart we must cultivate, a deep trust in God and an openness to God’s invitations.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
Luke 1:5-25

Reflection:

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.” Luke 1:13

As Christmas Day draws near, the Church invites us to tap into our deepest hopes for new life. Today’s Scripture thrusts us into the lives of two families that had remained faithful to God. Both longed to have children. One had not given up hope, and the other had resigned itself to being childless.

The human heart has longings and desires that may never be realized. When we are young, we long to be older and we long to be “someone.” We look at the things that may make us happy, successful and secure, like a fulfilling career, a family and a peaceful community. When some of these longings are lacking, it seems that our life is unfulfilled, no matter how good everything else is.

In our Mass readings for today, we have the tale of two families. Both families seemed to have good lives. Both families were faithful to God. In fact, Zechariah was a priest with privileges. He was chosen to enter the Sanctuary of the temple and burn incense. But in both families, there was one thing lacking: children. That longing for children had never left them, as good as their lives were.

Then God broke into their lives. Once God brought new life into their world, their lives changed. God’s gift to them came with responsibilities. For so many of us, the experience of God transforms our lives. We become more aware of our frailties and much more aware of God’s love.

In our Christmas preparations, it is very easy to lose touch with our deepest longings and our greatest desires. We become overwhelmed with the superficial wrapping of the Christmas season. But every so often, we stop to take a deep breath and enjoy a quiet moment. It is then that we allow the unfilled longings to come to the front. And it is precisely there, where we encounter God. This is when new life happens! This is when we experience Christmas.

May we never be so busy this Christmas that we don’t recognize when God answers our deepest longings!

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 23:5-8
Matthew 1:18-25

Reflection:

Today’s Advent gospel highlights the role of Joseph in the birth of Jesus. Indeed, whilst we often reflect on the fact that Mary shows us a model of discipleship that totally opens itself to God’s will, it is also true to say that Joseph shows us a model of discipleship that can also touch our lives very deeply.

So today, let us reflect on this silent, faithful servant and his part in welcoming Jesus into our world.

Firstly, we can note most of all that Joseph did not insist on his own will, and in fact cooperated with God’s mysterious and seemingly unimaginable plan. In this sense, Joseph made himself vulnerable before God’s will.  And ‘vulnerability’, writes Brené Brown in Daring Greatly,  is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want to find a greater depth and meaning in our spiritual lives, then vulnerability is an excellent starting point and can be  the foundation of all the above emotions and feelings which we bring to our service of God.

Secondly let us notice that Joseph is resolute and committed. He listens and acts on his deep intuition (imaged in the fact that all his message come in ‘dreams’). He is collaborative. He is compassionate. He is loyal in the face of possible ridicule.

A further aspect of Joseph’s response to God is his great silence. He does not say a single word or make any kind of statement in the gospels. He is deeply receptive and his witness is one of a listening heart and  a contemplative stance.

Then we might notice his age. At least tradition tells us that he was somewhat older than Mary (who is depicted as a young mother). In this sense we have an image of discipleship revealed to us by an elderly person; one who is faithful and still close to God despite all the struggles that life has offered. Joseph joins characters like Simeon and Anna who will also have a part to play in the infancy narratives, in demonstrating for us that older people can and do show us the way to Christ and reveal him to us.

Joseph also shows us the dignity of labour. He was not just a carpenter, rather he was a ‘builder’ since in biblical times carpenters did not just make the furniture, they often made the house too. We see him as the instructor of Jesus and we see the impact on Jesus of Joseph’s example in the way Jesus himself later speaks and teaches  – e.g. with references to “splinters in one’s eye” and “drawing up plans for a tower”. We can note too that Joseph builds up the Kingdom of God by the labour of his hands no less than by the example of his life and faith.

Finally, in Joseph we see a witness to the importance of fatherhood and to the importance of wider family life in giving a young person a stable life platform. We see this reflected in Jesus life too – his attitude to women, his ease with children, his ‘at homeness’ in others’ houses and in mixed company. All this I think can be related back to the example of Joseph as a man, a husband and as one who humbly took upon himself the role of ‘father’ to Jesus.

Let us imitate his witness and example.

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.

Scripture:

Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Matthew 1:1-17

Reflection:

As a child I always wondered why today’s Gospel was necessary.  Why is it important that I know who came before whom, especially when I cannot pronounce half of the names included. As I became older, I yearned to know more about my own family heritage: people, names, places–things that could give me any indication of who I am and where I came from. The same applies to those readings during Advent that give us a genealogy, lists of animals and songs of praise. With these we are taken back to where it all began and are shown us how we arrived at where we are today. As we continue on our Advent journey, we are given ample occasion to turn and look back. We need that reminder of where we have come from so that we can continue to journey on to the future. This look back allows us to prepare the way of the Lord at Christmas and to open up our lives to the Christ-child.

The commercial effect of Christmas can be taxing on us.  We are constantly, from the day after Thanksgiving, preparing for the next major holiday milestone, December 25^th. Whether we are in line getting the best discount, gathering groceries, or wrapping gifts, we are preparing to make Christmas Day happen. If you were to ask anyone why they make all of these extraneous preparations, they will tell you -“I want my family and me to enjoy Christmas Day.” And that is rightfully so.

Advent is a time for us to enjoy, prepare ourselves for His coming, and reflect on the rich history that has brought us here. Instead of blinding ourselves to everything but Christmas, we should enjoy the journey beforehand. Throughout Advent we are graced with readings, traditions and music that exude our faith and give us the opportunity to prepare. Taking the time to prepare helps us to better enjoy the celebration, just as it would be if we were preparing for Christmas dinner.  So as we prepare in these final days of Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas, let us remind ourselves that we must take the time to prepare, to reflect upon our Salvation History.

 

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

Scripture:

Numbers 3:1-2, 9-13
Matthew 21:28-32

Reflection:

As we prepare once again to celebrate the birth of the Messiah our first scripture reading takes us back to the moment the Hebrew people completed the 40 year journey through the Sinai desert from Mt. Horeb and arrived at the plain of Moab. Before they could move into the Promised Land they would have to fight the Moabites. Barak, the Moabite king, seeks out a locally well-known prophet, Balaam, son of Beor, to curse the invaders. To the surprise and consternation of Barak, rather than cursing them, Balaam utters blessings.

In the first oracle Balaam blesses the Israelite people spread out in the plain below. He says they are like gardens watered by a stream or tall cedars planted by God. Their wells will provide free flowing water and the sea will open ways to prosperity. Their leader will rise ever higher and his family will be exalted. For us today we are reminded that Jesus came from a blessed people, that he was formed by his synagogue in Nazareth, and by the temple worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem. Circumcised on the eighth day he bore in his body the mark of his Hebrew heritage. Mary taught him his first prayers and Joseph and Mary introduced him to the annual Passover celebration in Jerusalem. Today the Church says that Christians should not actively pursue the conversion of Jews. God will save them through the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and renewed on Mt. Sinai before the people entered the Promised Land.

The second oracle is mysterious. Far in the future (not now, not near) Balaam sees someone who advances like a star or a staff rising. He sees the star and staff coming from Jacob (Israel). Such portents indicate that the Israelite people have god’s blessing and the Moabites will not be able to block their advance. Looking back two thousand years we have a clearer understanding of the prophecy. It wasn’t David or Solomon or any subsequent king that Balaam dimly saw. The star is Jesus and with his help (the symbolized by the staff) we can walk the way he leads us.

Jesus is rooted in the hopes and expectations of his people. He is the Messiah, the anointed one who reestablishes the Kingdom. May we enter deeply into this time of waiting and experience once again the mystery of Divine Birth.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

The Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18

Reflection:

Our readings for the 3^rd Sunday of Advent reflect beautifully the theme for this day when we light our Pink candle signifying Joy! Phrases like: Shout for joy; Sing joyfully; Cry out with joy and gladness; all point the way to the something new and mighty soon to arrive on the scene. And in the context of the world we inhabit today, I might add that it is a very timely reminder that the Good News cannot be drowned out—even now.

Our Gospel picks up a few verses beyond last Sunday with the prophet Isaiah: a voice crying out ………..heralding that all flesh will see the salvation of God ….. straight paths, hills and valleys becoming level. Something new is arriving and the crowds seem to be caught up in this wave of anticipation. We read that the people were filled with expectation having heard these Messianic verses and they wonder if John is the Messiah.  In what seems like a wonderful reflection of the baptism of repentance which John performed, the first reading from the prophet Zephaniah confirms this notion that the “Lord has removed the judgement against you.”

In preparation for this coming of the Messiah they questioned John, “What should we do?” His answer is to share what you have—live in awareness of your brother or sister’s need. Plain and simple; John’s teaching is an opportunity for us to share so as not to be possessed by our possessions. It is an invitation to become a community taking care of each other and living in God’s justice together.

We live only 80 miles from the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California an event which has caused great pain and suffering. Our hearts go out to those who are affected by such a senseless, violent act. For the rest of us, tragic events like these can rattle nerves, rob us of our sense of security and take away our peace. If we are not careful, fear can enter and take a foothold. The readings remind us that we must not fear or be discouraged. God is our mighty savior who rejoices over us with gladness and renews us in his love.

Paul calls us to rejoice always. He wrote this letter while in prison in Rome before being put to death. Yet, he doubly reminds us, rejoice! Let your kindness to known to all, he enjoins us to have no anxiety at all; and follows up with how we are to pray in these situations when fear beckons. Why? Because the Lord is near! The context in which he was writing makes a serious statement of surrender under any circumstance and is a good lesson for us to ponder.

We know that we cannot control much of what can happen and yet somehow we are seduced into imagining that we can.

“Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him” Sirach 15:17

Are we to share our cloak and our food with those who need it in our world or hide in fear? Brothers and sisters, the truth is that we are always called to choose life and break through our fears. This quote I discovered by Pope Francis speaks practical advice to us:

“You will find life by giving life, hope by giving hope, love by giving love.”

Come, Lord Jesus, come mighty savior with your Holy Spirit and fire, renew us in your love. Remove the chaff from our lives so that we may bear fruit that will last and live in your peace which surpasses all understanding. 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.