Daily Scripture

Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle

Scripture:

Romans 10:9-18
Matthew 4:18-22

Reflection:

Our feet are amazing.  They enable us to stand and not fall over. With our feet we dance, play football or kick the can.  Some people stand in the footlights, get a foothold or are just footloose.

There are footmen, foot soldiers and footnotes. Sometimes we put our best foot forward, put our foot in your mouth, foot the bill or live in the foothills.

Yes, our feet are amazing. The most amazing thing about feet, be they small or big, dainty or calloused, is that they can be…the feet of Christ.

It was Teresa of Avila who said that.  She said, “Christ has no body but yours…  Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.  Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

In our first reading today Paul quotes from Isaiah, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings.”(Isaiah 52:7)  We read these words on today’s feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle.

Yes, it was the apostles who first heard the call of Jesus to “Come after me.”   They answered with their whole being, including their feet, and walked with him.  Later they would walk miles upon miles announcing the good news.

As we linger in the glow of Thanksgiving, let us look with gratitude at our beautiful feet.   May we continue to walk with the Lord and, with the apostles, announce the good news with our words and deeds.

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   www.alanphillipcp.com/

First Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Reflection:

“In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.  In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The Lord our justice.”

Jeremiah’s words carry power.  They herald the good news of a tiny, just shoot.  The tiny, green shoot appears very small and vulnerable amidst the brown, chaos filled soil of those times.  Yet the tiny shoot brings justice.  Justice is the first message we hear in Advent.

Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, also speaks with power as he reflects on the signs of our times and the message of justice.

“In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters.”

As we watch the news and pay attention to the “signs of our times”, we clearly know who are the poorest.  Refugees have nothing and seek the shoot of justice.  We must choose justice at it emerges in our current soil of divisiveness.  I must respond and choose justice over intolerance, bigotry and fear.

I have a lot to think and pray about this Advent.  I must both choose and speak justice amidst the troubling signs of our times.

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

Scripture:

Daniel 7:15-27
Luke 21:34-36

Reflection:

Today we are reminded to:

“Be vigilant at all times
And pray that you have the strength
To escape the tribulations that are imminent
And to stand before the Son of Man.”

Sometimes pastoral ministry can seem overwhelming when these imminent tribulations find their place on your front door step and moreover, don’t seem to be in any big hurry to move on!  At these times I give thanks for the strength that comes through prayer and the faith that leads us to be vigilant.  Prayer gives way to hope and vigilance to promise if we can just remain faithful to a God who reminds us to let God be God and trust all will be well!

Tomorrow

We begin the four weeks of Advent,
When we are asked to put on patient waiting,
To stay awake and be alert as we prepare
To welcome the Christ Child in our midst

In the midst of the hectic pace of the past few weeks and the frustrations that come with trying to meet the needs of the people of God, I am so looking forward to the coming season of Advent.  I need to be challenged to wait patiently, to stay awake and to be alert to God’s coming into my life.  I yearn for the peace, the hope and the promise that a small child born into the poverty of a wartorn land over 2000 years ago,  offers to those of us who can be open to the new life and new ways that lead us to be better than we are right now.

Advent will challenge me to move out of my complacency, turn away from stubbornness and impatience and put myself in the hands of the one who promises to make all things good if we but trust.

I look forward to our Advent vespers, Taize, lectio divina, reflecting with our RCIA candidates on the meaning of Advent and participating in the many outreach opportunities we have planned.

I pray that whatever way you choose to celebrate Advent, that it be a time of patient waiting, wakeful moments and awesome new possibilities as we prepare for the coming of God’s Kingdom.  Happy Advent to all!

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

Scripture:

Daniel 7:2-14
Luke 21:29-33

Reflection:

Once again, our readings offer a dramatic contrast, although both passages are provocative. From the Book of Daniel, we continue a rich, apocalyptic literature, saturated with elaborate, even cryptic symbolism. The Gospel, on the other hand, offers a lucid, organic imagery — down-to-earth and practical, everyday wisdom that we learn from the natural order.

So many times in the Gospels Jesus admonishes his disciples to stay awake, to be attentive. He wants us to notice the lessons in nature, too, because something as simple as a blossoming fig tree will teach us. Or remember when he instructs his followers to “read the signs of the times” — “…when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Earlier this week we pondered how the obstacle isn’t always some kind of extrinsic evil or influence… it might come from within. In the shadow of the staggering global suffering and grief we now experience, for me, sometimes the biggest temptation is my penchant for quick answers, my craving for certitudes, and I am simply not vigilant. I want it swift and tidy. It is then that a quotation from M. Gandhi consoles and inspires:

When I despair, I remember that all through history
the way of truth and love has always won.
There have been tyrants and murderers
and for a time they seem invincible,
but in the end, they always fall –
think of it, …always.

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.                             

Thanksgiving Day (USA)

Scripture:

Daniel 6:12-28
Luke 21:20-28

Reflection:

For us living in the United States, Thanksgiving Day allows us look around and be amazed. More than the food or the festive table, we are amazed at family and friends gathered together once again, in person or in spirit. We feel welcomed and at home. We feel blessed and safe.

Yet we know there are many who do not feel welcomed or at home, blessed or safe. So I am thankful for those Passionists who extend compassionate hospitality, spiritual counsel, words of hope, and prayers for those among us in need.

I’ve been searching for a way to bring my own Thanksgiving into sharper focus. Here perhaps is a way, using the Gospel of Matthew (26:31-46), to bring to the Table of Thanksgiving within our hearts those for whom we give thanks.

I was hungry, and you gave me food. For my special teachers, like Sister Cecilia, who fed me when I was hungry for knowledge. For all who work in food pantries or deliver Meals on Wheels so that others can eat.

I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. For my mother and father who had a thirst for justice and taught me how to look for truth. For all those who selflessly give themselves in service to others in developing countries that they might learn how to read, build a well, or grow food.

I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. For my friends, like Mike, Diane, and Bob who hugged me when I felt like I had been shunned and did not belong. For all who minister to those living under bridges or in parks, and for all who welcome the stranger and refugee, especially at this time of world-wide crisis.

I was naked, and you clothed me. For my family now that allows me to be vulnerable and not be ashamed when I weep. For those who are AA sponsors and mentors who stand by us as we fall and get back up.

I was sick, and you took care of me. For those who have cared for me, like Tom and Ron, who once had to rush me to the doctor. For nurses and doctors, especially those like the Little Sisters of the Poor who minister to those in their last days.

I was in prison, and you visited me. For my formal and informal confessors, like Fr. Doug, who did not fear visiting me in my dark cell of shame and sin. For those who give hope to the prisoner through their work for a more just legal system.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

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.

Scripture:

Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Luke 21:12-19

Reflection:

Jesus has just recounted probably one of the most significant financial transactions recorded in the scriptures.  It is the story of the Widow’s Mite.  A person who gave her last cent to the temple treasury.  This theme of generosity without counting the cost is carried on as this chapter continues.  Jesus speaks of the sufferings of the Messiah, and almost parenthetically about the sufferings the disciples will have to endure.

Jesus does not promise that things will get better and better.  Jesus does say that God can bring good out of evil, right will triumph over wrong.  The disciples will be “handed over” to the religious leaders of the synagogues and the Roman authorities. Words that appear again in the Passion Narratives.  These atrocities will be done by their parents, their siblings, and their friends.  Some will even be put to death.  These things were actually happening to the Lucan Community to whom these words are addressed.

Jesus tells his listeners #1. In these times of trial and persecution do not worry, the words you need will be given to you.  They will be so profound the enemy will be muted. #2. You will need patient endurance and you will be saved.  The severity of the persecution will be measured by the certainty of God’s protection.

Jesus tells us we can not escape from life, but must enter into it. Disciples can not be by-standers to life.  When Christians enter into life it takes on meaning, by entering into suffering (addiction, pain, etc.) freedom is found, etc.  We do it “for my sake!”  Victor Frankel, a survivor of the holocaust, said: “A life without meaning is not a life.  To live we must choose. To love we must encounter.  To grow we must suffer.”

In this little periscope there are clues of how to encounter God.  Like the widow we have to reach into the purse of our minds and hearts and find the patience, the kindness, the generosity we need when our lives are interrupted by the unexpected.  When we think we have given our all, we are reminded to find within the “patient endurance” needed to encounter life’s setbacks.  Jacob had to wrestle with the angel and wouldn’t let him go.  He said (Gn. 32:25-26) “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Sometimes people or circumstances appear out of the unexpected and must be addressed.  We can not let them go until we realize they are a blessing for us.  We know like Jacob, the widow and the disciples if we engage life generously we can expect to encounter God.

 

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

Scripture:

Daniel 2:31-45
Luke 21:5-11

Reflection:

And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.” Luke 21:8

Jesus tells us not to be led astray.  The word in the original Greek New Testament is planáō used some 46 times and means to (properly, cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue).   In our secular society we do a lot of straying from Biblical truths.  In our arrogance we think we should redefine ancient truths like marriage and willful taking away life before it has a God given chance to be born.   It was well said by Shakespeare that “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”  “Do not go after them.”

Pride is a confusing word today because it can take on a meaningful truth.  We are proud of our children, praising God for giving us such a wonderful gift.  We might well take great pleasure when God grants us the ability to do something beautiful.  But that greatest sin at the root of our straying is that arrogant attitude that nothing is true if I don’t agree with it.

Jesus was not exaggerating when He says “many” will pit our puny minds against God’s reveled word.  This was the primal sin of Adam. He thought with the help of the evil one that God did not want him to eat of the forbidden fruit because God didn’t want him to become a god doing his own will.  “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5   Well, they ended up naked and ashamed leaving to their children an inheritance of evil and misery!

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

Scripture:

Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20
Luke 21:1-4

Reflection:

In our Scripture readings for today, we find some aspects of what it means to be a disciple. In our first reading from Daniel, we are introduced to Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael. They are young men who have been brought to Babylon after the Babylonians conquered Israel to be of service to the Babylonian king.

Daniel and his companions show themselves to be exceptional young men. Here they are, in exile from their native land, and they still “bloom where they are planted.” (We pray that the refugees from war-torn lands will also be able to bloom where they land). They refuse the food given to them, most likely because it is unclean according to the Mosaic Law, but they flourish on vegetables. So they remain true to who they are, and in a phrase I learned in Alabama, and whose they are. God did not abandon them when they were taken from Israel.

Daniel and his companions show us that no matter where we are, God is with us, and that we can still grow in love and service, even though we may be far from what is familiar and comfortable.

In our Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus observes a poor widow putting a few cents into the Temple treasury, and remarks, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” What the widow teaches us is that we are called to give, not out of what’s extra, but of ourselves. And even though we may look at ourselves as poor, in terms of what we can offer, we are still called to give. God can use our “poverty” to connect with those who are feeling poor themselves.

As disciples, we are called to serve, wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves. We do so, knowing that God is with us always, giving us what we need to do His will for us.

 

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