Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:1-3
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Matthew 14:13-21

Reflection:

All of the readings today are about God taking care of us or feeding us. In the first reading we hear: "Heed me and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare." The response to the psalm is: "The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." In the second reading we learn that "nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" and in the gospel Jesus multiplies five loaves and two fish to feed thousands of people.

We could look at God feeding us in several ways: one way is that He feeds us in the Eucharist, which is free and available to everyone who believes. The second is that He feeds us with His Word "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." Mt 4:4 And the third is to look at this as actual food for our physical bodies as in the feeding of the 5,000.

In the case of the third, what’s going on today that so many people in the world go to bed hungry every night? Online I read that one in eight (870 million people), were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012, and that nearly 1 billion people across the globe went to bed hungry each night in 2013, 200 million of them children.

We know that God doesn’t change – He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, knowing how He cares for us and provides for all of our needs, why are so many of His children hungry?

The only conclusion I can come to is that we have dropped the ball. God works through us to help others. Maybe what is different today is that we aren’t listening to the Spirit prompting us to eat a little less and to share a little more. Maybe it’s just easier to go on as we always have, not wanting to feel deeply the pain of the mother who can’t feed her children and has to watch them die.

The numbers on hunger are staggering to me. I have more than enough food to eat every day. And while I donate to ministries that help the poor, maybe there is more that I could be doing. Please join me today in praying that we will all look again to see what each of us can do to alleviate the hunger in the world today. "For I was hungry and you gave me food." Mt 25:35

 

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 wrote her first book: God Speaks to Ordinary People – Like You and Me. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].

Scripture:

Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
Matthew 14:1-12

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading at Sunday Mass last week (17^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A), we listened to one of Matthew’s parables of the Kingdom.  Jesus drew an example out of the merchant or the field worker, both of whom discover something of such great value that each sells all that he possesses in order to acquire the article of great value (the "treasure", the "pearl of great price").

The message is very straight forward: "there is nothing of any greater value for one’s life, and it is worth surrendering all that one has in order to possess it."

In today’s reading from Jeremiah, he asserts his claim that God has called him to prophesy to the people, to call them to repentance and to fidelity to the covenant they have with God.  He is willing to surrender his life, should they reject his preaching and turn against him.

In the Gospel selection from Matthew, we hear the often told story of the death of John the Baptist, murdered at the instigation of Herodias, the sister-in-law of King Herod, whom he had married after the death of his brother.

It might be said that Jesus, in describing the commitment to the Kingdom of God, asks each of us to be willing to surrender all that we have in order to give ourselves to the Kingdom.  What does it mean to surrender all that we have?  Ultimately, as in the case of Jeremiah and John the Baptist, it means to proclaim the Kingdom of God’s Covenant even when we risk the antagonism and persecution of those who choose other gods.  We know that it means the willingness to surrender one’s life.

Very recently in the news media, we have read and heard a comparison of the present bellicose events of the Near East, of African Nations, of Islamic states, with a new "Cold War," the stand-off that conditioned our mid-20^th century international relations with Russia (USSR).  Today, the stand-off is not only with modern Russia, but with other, more aggressive and terroristic governments and militias whose regard for human rights is not evident.

Who will raise the voice of Jeremiah, of John the Baptist, of Jesus?  Who is willing to surrender all that he/she has in order to serve the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to possess the "treasure" and "pearl of great price"?

 

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

 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
Matthew 13:11-46

Reflection:

Today’s gospel is about priorities.  What is most important to us? What is the "pearl of great price" in our lives?

 

Love songs often express the priority of one’s beloved.  The lyrics speak of climbing the highest mountain, swimming the deepest ocean, and letting nothing get in the way.  From the musical group Bread, we have a song titled Everything I own.   It contains these words:

I would give everything I own,
Give up my life, my heart, my home,
I would give everything I own,
Just to have you back again.

Some of you may recall a professional football player of the 1960’s named Gale Sayers.  He ranks among the greatest running backs of all time.  Around his neck he wore a gold medal about the size of a half-dollar.  On it were inscribed three words: "I am third".  These three words became the title of his best-selling autobiography.  If you were to ask him what those words meant, he would tell you, "The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third."  

In his autobiography Gale Sayers wrote, "I try to live by the saying on my medal.  I don’t always succeed, but having the saying around my neck keeps me from straying from it too far."

The question is not, "What do we possess?"  The right question is, "What possesses us?  What grips us?  What motivates us?  What is in the center of our hearts?"

Jesus challenges us to choose him first and commit ourselves totally to him.  The goal is to be able to say with St. Paul, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38-39)

 

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

 

Feast of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Scripture:

Jeremiah 26:1-9
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists and a Bishop and Doctor of the Church.  St. Alphonsus earned his reputation as preeminent moral theologian, a voice of clarity and reason concerning the moral obligations of being a Christian.

Although the readings for today’s Mass occur as part of an ongoing regular cycle and were not selected specifically for this feast, they have a strong moral tone as well.  In both the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah and in the selection from Matthew’s Gospel we hear again the voice of the biblical prophet and the cost of proclaiming the truth.

When Jeremiah does what God wants him to do and brings challenging words to Israel during the troubled reign of King Jehoiakim, urging them to repent so that they can experience God’s mercy.  But the people threaten the prophet with death and gather around him in a threatening manner.  This seems to be the fate of Jeremiah-his powerful words and gestures seem to fall on deaf ears and he is constantly persecuted and rejected.  It is not by accident that Jeremiah has a heavy tone, with the prophet constantly lamenting the fate of his people and their refusal to turn from their evil ways and return to God’s favor.

The responsorial psalm for today has a similar tone.  Like Jeremiah, the Psalmist laments the attacks he has had to endure-insult, shame, hatred, and isolation.  He turns to God for strength: "in your great kindness answer me with your constant help"!

The gospel, too, portrays Jesus as a rejected prophet, particularly in his home town of Nazareth.  Jesus preaches in the synagogue in a powerful manner (wouldn’t you like to be there to hear Jesus preach?!) but the reaction of his home town congregation is skeptical and all too human.  We know this man.  He grew up here.  We know his family.  Who does he think he is?!  Matthew’s Gospel notes that they "took offense at him"-in the Greek, they "found him an obstacle," the literal meaning of the verb eskandalizonto.  His relatives and friends could not get past the human face they thought they knew so well and find the mystery present there.  As the account concludes, Jesus laments "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."  Jeremiah would understand…

What are we to take for our own lives from these challenging readings?   The role of the biblical prophet was to speak the truth, even when no one wanted to hear it.  And there are occasions in our family, our community and in our workplace, when we are obliged to speak the truth, both to maintain our own integrity and to bring the light of truth to others, even when people would prefer to ignore it. The Scriptures today remind us about the cost of such prophetic courage.  At the same time, it is clear from the Scriptures that prophets such as Jeremiah and Jesus himself were not taking up their prophetic vocation out of a sense of arrogance or moral superiority not did they want to create turmoil for its own sake.  Genuine prophets bring to their people a message of hope and love-the realization that repentance will lead to new life.  Like what we call "tough love" there are times when God’s love should impel us to bring change to the way we live.

 

Fr. Donald Senior, CP., 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:

1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-33

Reflection:

There’s an interesting thing about hurricanes. Despite their fury, at the very heart of the storm is a peaceful place.  In the eye, the skies are often cloudless and the winds light and breezy. The devastatingly strong winds that converge toward the center never quite reach it. That eye is the focus of the hurricane around which the entire swirling, destructive storm rotates, yet it is always calm.

I try to remember that when my schedule feels like a hurricane with demands pulling me every which way, threatening to consume me.  In order to maintain my sanity and avoid sinking into the waves, I need to go into my heart and find the eye of the storm, the lifesaver that grounds me and centers my life in peace and calm. I need to pray, devoting unstructured time to sit in the presence of God, listening and receiving what God gives me at that moment. Whenever I do, I feel more integrated, serene, and ready to handle whatever the day may bring.

In fact, I think it is appropriate to call that place of calm and prayer the "eye". My goal is for God to be my vision, to light my darkness, and to help me see the world through the eyes of faith.  There is no day, no job, no conflict or problem, and no conversation that could not be improved with a good dose of divine calm at the center of it.

So why do I resist taking time every day for dedicated prayer time? It’s so easy to get started on my list of tasks for the day and never look back. In fact, I know if I get started on that list before I pray, it just isn’t going to happen.

Unfortunately, our society reinforces jumping right in and getting things done. In the business world, every minute of the day is to be accounted for. "Time management" is a buzzword intended to produce maximum achievement in the minimum amount of time, with a list of crossed-off items as proof. "Down time" is viewed as unproductive or selfish, and people who need it are considered weak at best and lazy at worst. In this milieu it is easier to get swept up in the storm and keep on going.

The only way to be consistent about prayer is to make it a priority. In the same way that I plan my time so I never go out the door without being properly dressed, I need to plan my time so I never go out the door without being centered in God. Just like brushing my teeth, it has to be a "given" rather than an option.

Jesus needed that, too, and modeled it for us. He could handle every storm (literal and figurative), the press of the crowds, and the constant demands on his time, energy, and resources precisely because he knew the source of his strength. He knew how to unplug, disengage, sink into the eye of his heart, and draw on the peace of God that is beyond all telling.

Every day, I need to resolve anew to let the hurricane swirl around me for a while so I can sit with God in the eye. The hurricane will still be there afterwards, clamoring for attention. Yet God doesn’t shout above the din to proclaim peace. God whispers peace in the stillness. We need to wrap ourselves in our cloaks, listen to that quiet voice within, and sit in the eye of the Almighty.

 

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.amyflorian.com/.

 

 

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Matthew 20:20-28

 

 

 

Reflection:

We hold this treasure in earthen vessels.

 "About that time Herod the king laid his hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John killed by the sword."  – Acts 12:1-2

James and his brother John were fishermen and called by Jesus to follow him. They, along with Peter were witnesses to the important events in the life Jesus during his ministry. As such, they enjoyed a special place with Jesus and among apostles. As Jesus continued to speak about the Kingdom, it was but natural for the closest to Jesus to think about some prominent positions that they would enjoy once He came to power! Traces of envy, greed, power and prestige were beginning to form in the hearts and minds of the apostles.

On one occasion, when a town of Samaritans failed to offer a proper reception, James and John suggested calling down fire from heaven to destroy it. Jesus rebukes them: "The Son of Man came not to destroy but to save." On another occasion, their mother intercedes for a place on the right and left for her two sons. Jesus patiently reminds them of the ‘Cup’. So much for being part of the inner circle of Jesus!

James was among the first of the apostles to follow his Master in death under King Herod Agrippa I.

We all want the best for ourselves. Parents want the best for their children. The mother of James and John was no different; and yet she got it all wrong. Many a times, we get it all wrong as we follow in the discipleship of Jesus. We have our mood swings even as we try to understand what Jesus wants of us. And then there are examples of profound witness of discipleship in our contemporary world.

Yesterday Pope Francis met with Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 26, a young Sudanese, at Casa Santa Marta, who was imprisoned and sentenced to death for marrying a Christian. She was accompanied by her husband, Daniel Wani, and their two young children, Martin, 18 months old, and Maya, born in prison two months ago. The Holy Father thanked Miriam for her witness of faith. She and her family thanked the Pope for his closeness, prayers and for the support of the Church.

Today’s feast reminds us that while grace is God’s free gift, there is a cost to discipleship. It reminds us that we too, like James and John and their mother, can have our own challenges in understanding the call to discipleship. Yet, if we remain steadfast in our faith, God will accomplish wonders in and through us!

 

Fr. Bruno D’Souza, CP, is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 13:1-11
Matthew 13:31-35

Reflection:

The kingdom of Heaven or the Reign of God is compared to many things.  In today’s Gospel the kingdom is compared to a mustard seed that, tiny in its form, blossoms into a larger plant with room enough for all the birds of the air to nest in. The kingdom is also likened to yeast that a woman took and mixed with wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.  In the Preface for our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the universe, we pray may your kingdom come; a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.  When we pray the Our Father, we pray that thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

How would you interpret the kingdom or reign of God?  For me, I believe the kingdom exists in the here and now as well as being a welcome state of eternal happiness upon resurrection.  We just finished a 4-day parish picnic/carnival at our parish.  Anyone who has ever been involved in even a small one-day event of this kind, knows full well the work involved and the sense of relief one feels when it is over.  This year our pastor challenged each of us to look for the face of Jesus in the many encounters we would have with the myriads of people present at the carnival.

Seeing the face of Jesus in this overwhelming group of humanity was a little like the kingdom of heaven.  There was true happiness and joy shared by so many people, the young and the not-so-young.  The delight of children enjoying the thrill of a roller coaster ride seated securely next to Mom or Dad or a sibling.  The screams of glee and anticipation heard throughout the carnival midway gave one a little sense of what heaven could be like.  After all, heaven to a 5-year old doesn’t get any better than enjoying a serving of cotton candy that is bigger than they are!

There was a spirit of camaraderie and goodwill among those who worked the picnic, played the wheels, enjoyed a beer, a game of showdown poker or a delicious lasagna or chicken dinner.  It seemed like the gates of heaven were open for all to come streaming through with a chance to enjoy the company of new and old friends and family.

It was a busy time for all who organized and worked the carnival days and at moments it may have seemed like too much chaos and not enough pleasure.  In the long run, though, the event presented a microcosm of what I believe the kingdom of heaven is all about, a kingdom of truth, life, peace, justice, love, holiness and grace.

 

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 7:1-11
Matthew 13:24-30

Reflection:

A prophet’s words can still stir the soul.

Hear again from today’s scripture selection the Prophet Jeremiah sent by the Lord not only to the people of Judah in the 7^th century B.C., but to us today:

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:

Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place.
Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the LORD!
Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever.

How much more clearly can God speak to us?  In so many ways and so many places – and too often in God’s name – we have turned from God. Innocent lives are shot out of the sky, children flee for a safer place to call home, rockets fly indiscriminately across borders, gangs terrorize villages and city neighborhoods, and those who were once peaceful neighbors turn on each other because they differ in their worship or their ethnic roots.  God begs us to return to the way of peace and justice.

When I hear Passionists pray, "May the Passion of Jesus be always in our hearts," I believe they are asking me to hold in my own heart the sorrow that I feel when I look around and see the same kind of injustice and brokenness Jeremiah and Jesus both saw.  Before I can repent, reform and renew myself, I  certainly have to recognize the injustice and brokenness out there in the world, but also within my own life.

I don’t like it, but I need Jeremiah to speak the truth to me and to our world today.  I need to be riled up and made to feel uncomfortable hearing the prophet’s word.  It is only when I know something is terribly wrong can I begin to make it right.

 

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.