Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

Among the various things that have happened in our country and around the world recently, there was mention in the news of the fortieth anniversary of the resignation of President Nixon. When I was in high school, I remember coming home after school and watching the Watergate hearings on TV. Senator Howard Baker asked what has become a famous question, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"

I bring this up because our Gospel passage for Sunday (Matthew 15:21-28) has raised similar questions for Scripture scholars and theologians. In the encounter between Jesus and the "Canaanite woman," people have wondered whether Jesus actually had a change in His vision of His ministry, or whether He was actually teaching His disciples a lesson about the universality of His mission. In other words, what did Jesus know, and when did He know it? I’m not sure I have a definitive answer to the question. I think the questions come up because the debate raises important issues for various people. For those who stress the divinity of Jesus, there is no doubt that Jesus knew what He was doing all along, and therefore must have been teaching His disciples a lesson. For those who stress His humanity, it is important to detect growth and change in Jesus’ life on earth, and so they have no problem seeing Jesus change His views about His ministry. And there are those who see it as significant that a woman, a "foreigner," no less, is instrumental in helping Jesus broaden His horizons, and so the importance of women in Jesus’ life is once again confirmed, with implications about the role of women in the Church. I know it can be a cop-out to say this, but I do believe there is validity to all three perspectives.

But perhaps the most important lesson we can draw from this encounter in the Gospel is that, as we have seen in Matthew’s Gospel before with the visit of the Magi at Jesus’ birth, the Good News of Jesus Christ is not just meant for a specific group of people, but for the entire world! We cannot in any way, judge others as undeserving or unworthy of God’s love in Jesus Christ! We cannot try to withhold the Good News of Jesus Christ from anyone!

It may seem to be a given that the Gospel is meant for everyone. But this has led me to another topic for reflection. For those who see no reason why the Church should be involved in social justice, I offer this: If it is not right for us to withhold the Good News from anyone, can it be right for us to withhold the necessities of life? Many applaud the Church for the charity work that it does, but criticize the Church for doing things such as helping undocumented, or illegal, immigrants. But does it not make sense, along the lines of the Gospel, to see these people more in terms of their humanity than their legal status? In many ways, working for justice is the best (the only?) way to see that everyone has not only the necessities of life, but the opportunity to be the fullest expression of who God made them to be. Does the Church itself need to keep learning this? Absolutely!

Do we dare hope for a church and a world which is just and at peace? Do we dare hope for a world in which no one is prevented from living their full potential as human beings? What’s going on in the world seems to speak against any kind of hope. But the woman in our Gospel reading dared to hope! Knowing she was a foreigner in the eyes of Jews, she still came up to Jesus, begging for healing for her daughter. And ultimately, no matter what one reads into their exchange, Jesus heals her daughter. May we be like the Canaanite woman and dare to dream and hope, and help bring about healing in Jesus Christ!   

 

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

 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32
Matthew 19:13-15

Reflection:

This little periscope of two verses of Matthews Gospel has been called one of the loveliest incidents in the New Testament.  The mothers bring their children to be blessed by Jesus.  This was very understanding for its time because 30 percent of all children at the time of Jesus died at birth, 30% died of illness, and 60% of all children died before the age of sixteen.  It is not surprising then at the urgency of the mothers to want to have their children blessed by Jesus.

This passage is preceded by Jesus’ statement about the sacredness of marriage.  This passage will be followed by Jesus’ statement on the importance of celibacy.  None of the ancient religions or philosophical systems at the time of Jesus gave such importance to the child. Nowhere else will one find a teaching on the importance of the family as is taught here.  If you include the children you automatically include the significance of women in Matthew’s community. 

At this time the early Church was debating the legitimacy of the baptism of children. When Jesus says "Don’t hinder the children from coming to me"  Matthew deliberately uses the same word (kolo) "hinder" that is used in the baptismal formula for the baptismal rite. 

The significance of this teaching is still with us today.  Recently a survey was taken on "Marriage and Happiness."  It found that the first year of marriage is the year of the greatest bliss.  The fifth year of marriage marks the end of the honeymoon and is the most difficult.  The tenth year of marriage for some reason is equal to and may even exceed the happiness of the first year.  And most recently it is found that the twentieth year of marriage, the years of the empty nest can exceed the bliss of even the first and tenth year.  One community skews this pattern.  It is the Catholic community.  The birth of the first child exceeds the bliss of the first year, and what’s more the birth of the second child exceeds the bliss of the first child.  Jesus saying "do not hinder the children from coming to me" has been tattooed into the DNA of every disciple the importance of the child.  We cannot do other than to love the children if we want to be his disciples. 

 

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

Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Scripture:

Isaiah 9 : 1 – 6
Luke 26 – 38

Reflection:

Today, for the second time during the month of August, we honor our Blessed Mother.  Actually, the "Queenship" of Mary may sound like an odd title for one of her feast days.  I have sometimes found it to be a strain to put the idea of "Queen" together with Isaiah’s prophecy and the wonderful image of Mary as the "handmaid" of the Lord in Luke’s gospel.  Of all the evangelists, St. Luke might be the one to most shy away from images of royalty when it comes to both Mary and her Son.  Yet here we are celebrating this wonderful feast day.

Isaiah certainly looks to the birth of a king who will restore the royal line of King David and be the savior for the people.  The majestic titles – Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, and Prince of Peace – create a vivid portrait of one who will rise up to fill God’s People with light, joy, and peace while freeing them from all that is darkness, all that holds them down, and all that holds them away from God.  Who can the mother of this King be?

As believers in Jesus, we look back on Isaiah through the prism of the resurrection.  We recognize the mother of this newborn king.  St. Luke describes her for us.  She is a humble maid servant of the Lord who listens attentively to God’s voice and is only intent to follow God’s pathways for her life.  It is Mary’s acceptance of God’s design that transformed her life to one of service not only to God but to her Son and, through Him, to all of us.  Her "yes" created a role for Mary in each of our lives, i.e. to draw us with love to the heart of her Son, Jesus.

As such, Mary stands in a position overlooking the cascading generations of believers offering majestic and royal guidance to the pathways of our lives.  She reigns as "Queen" for sure, but a "Queen" who is always a humble, gentle and loving companion and guide. 

 

Fr. Richard Burke, CP, is a member of St. Paul of the Cross Province and also serves on the Provincial Council of Holy Cross Province.  He lives at St. Ann’s Monastery in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Luke 4:16-30

Reflection:

Right from the start of his papacy Pope Francis has emphasized the need for the Church to care for the poor.   Even choosing the name "Francis" was part of his mission to remind the Church that it is to be a place of mercy and compassion, a community that works for justice for those most vulnerable.

Some of the biblical inspiration for the Pope’s emphasis can be found in the readings for this first Monday of September.   Both of these readings reflect on the very beginning of the mission of Jesus and of Paul.  They, too, put their emphasis on the cry of the poor and God’s care for them.

The first reading is from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians and it states one of the most fundamental principles of his mission.  Paul tells his Corinthian community that he did not come to them "with sublimity of words or of wisdom" but, rather, he had resolved "to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  This is the very core of Paul’s understanding of the gospel.   Jesus died as a sign of love for us.  His death by crucifixion came about because of a whole series of commitments that had defined Jesus’ mission: his healing, his association with the poor and the outcasts, his bold challenge to the authorities who had other priorities, his ceaseless proclamation of the Kingdom of God which would be "good news for the poor."   Thus the cross was transformed from being a sign of a terrible form of capital punishment into a paradoxical sign of ultimate self-sacrificing love.  Paul saw in the cross of Jesus that God wished to save the world not through an overwhelming power but through what the world would deem "weakness"-self-sacrificing love.   This was a sign for Paul that the God of love revealed through Jesus had a special affinity for those who were suffering and vulnerable.

The Gospel selection from the inaugural scene of Jesus’ mission in the Gospel of Luke drives home this same astounding message.  At a dramatic moment in his hometown synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus chooses as the keynote of his own ministry a reading from Isaiah, chapter 61 – "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."   This quotation is a preview of what Jesus in fact will do as he moved out from Nazareth across Galilee and ultimately to his death and resurrection in Jerusalem.

There are two basic lessons for us in the readings for today.  One is that our God, revealed though Jesus Crucified, is a God of unfathomable love, a love lavished in a special way on those who suffer.  And, secondly, this same love of God impels us to live lives attuned to God’s love for us and, therefore, to be driven by mercy and compassion in all of our relationships.

 

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.

Solemnity of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Revelation 11:15a, 12:1-6a, 10ab
1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56

 

 

Reflection:

In the passage from Revelation John presents for our prayer a series of images. We start with a vision of God’s temple in Heaven. As the main doors slowly open we see in the center of the temple the Ark of the Covenant.  The image brings home to us that Church is rooted in the Old Testament and can only be appreciated by those who deeply understand the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. One of the most basic things we can say about Jesus is that he was a Jew. Synagogue and temple formed Jesus’s religious sense and provided the deepest insights of who his Father really was. When we realize this we are encouraged to pick up and read the book that that Jesus studied and learned.

The second image is that of a woman.  She is presented clothed with the glory of the sun, the moon under her feet, and wearing a crown of twelve stars. She is in labor to give birth. Immediately an opposing sign is presented of a huge red dragon threatening to devour her child, a son destined to rule all the nations.  God preserves the newborn and sets him on his throne. The woman flees into the desert where there is a place of safety prepared by God. Many interpretations have been made of this passage.

Is the woman the church?  Is she Mary? Most agree that the son is Jesus. As we pray over this image let us believe that the final victory of Jesus over the huge red dragon or Satan is sure.

John’s final image is the loud voice from heaven. We are immediately transported to the Jordan where Jesus receives his mission from the Father and to the mountain of the Transfiguration where Jesus, standing between Moses and Elijah. has his life’s work is approved by the Father. In this passage the voice declares the final victory: the Kingdom of God coming in saving power as every knee bows to the authority of the Anointed One. We are challenged to accept that the victory is ours. Let us prayerfully thank Jesus for all the blessings and graces of our lives.

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

Reflection:

The stark meditation from Jesus, for today, is: "unless you change and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of God." And so, what could this "childlike" existence look like, and in which transition do you find yourself?" Maybe it is someone else going through changes. No matter, we are all involved, for better or for worse, in change.

The Word speaks to that today. The venerable, late, Fr. Carroll Stuhmueller, C.P. had a great interpretation of Jesus’ "lost sheep" commentary as it relates to leadership through changes:

In any experience of change there are two levels of leadership that are possible, an external and internal expression.

The external form of leadership has to do with routine matters, external needs and projects. This form of leadership addresses the matters of the "99 sheep," the routine stuff that causes change. Things wear out, more efficient ways of running a household are discovered, new programs replace the old, and such. The second level of leadership has to do with an internal, Spirit-lead form of decision making which is intuitive, courageous and heroic in its expression of God’s will. It may be the realization that the signs of the time are demanding a different witness from religious communities in order to "WAKE PEOPLE UP" in the words of our Superior General, V. Rev. Joachim Rego, C.P. It may be that a marriage is in crisis because the usual, habitual, sensual supports are no longer sustainable for a happy married life. There is a radical change in one’s physical well-being. Whatever this kind of change demands, if we are alert to the inspiration, the "one percent of ourselves," (that lost sheep), or if you will, "the child" within us, this graced-intuition will come to have a bearing upon our decision making and the changes we are experiencing.

The habitual consumption of the Word feeds the child, or the lost sheep, if you will, within us. The Word of God spoken through Ezekiel the prophet tells us not to be rebellious, and to open our mouths and eat what is given to us. The food happens to be a scroll of scripture. Frequently, at marriage ceremonies, Quinceañeras, and Baptisms, a Bible is presented to the recipient of the blessing or sacrament. Usually I take the Bible and place it in my mouth and bite on it. Much to the surprise of the gathered congregation, I ask the recipients of the Word to eat it, consume it, daily. "Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey." The "sweetness" is the actions that bring hope, relief, comfort, direction, and gratitude to those for whom the action is directed.

The saint whom we remember today exemplifies the use of that 1% of "grit, or grace" that is within us. Jane Frances (Fremiot) Chantal was born 442 years ago in France. She and her husband had 6 children, two of whom died in infancy. When she was 29, her husband died. After a period of severe depression she found that 1%, that spiritual force, amidst the suffering. With her spiritual advisor, Francis de Sales, she founded the Congregation of the Visitation for women who wished to live a religious life but could not endure the austerity of the existing orders. They were committed to working with the sick and the poor. She died at the age of 69, having founded 85 monasteries. Let us continue to consume the Word and nourish that 1% of powerful grace.

              

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22
Matthew 18:15-20

Reflection:

In today’s reading from Ezekiel, the word, "abominations" stands out. It seems to be a word used sparingly in scripture perhaps in order to highlight the magnitude of the crime against God’s temple- where His presence dwells. The author‘s prophetic voice tells the reader that God has heard them, that His justice will rain down.

Today, many of us might wish for God’s justice to rain down. With its echoes of Passover, Ezekiel’s vision hits home a little too closely in light of the places where…."they have filled the land with violence" (Ez 8:17b). "They" might be any group or individual causing persecution. Among other tragedies, the destruction of flight 17 feels very much like an abomination when souls are treated with little dignity; we truly moan and groan for our brothers and sisters-where God’s presence dwells.

 Yet, there in the midst of this chaotic scene the glory of God rises up. The author assures the exiles that God’s presence is with them; it is not contained only in the temple but where they are-where we are. God hears our cries, He is with us. Therefore, we will not look to the future with anxiety; we will walk in trust and hope.

The Gospel calls us to ponder how life might be if we took those first steps towards right relationships. Could this be where the seeds of world peace are contained? Might this be the antidote to eradicating violence? Gathered together, we ask for God’s grace to have the humility to listen to our brother if we have sinned against them …….and let world peace begin with me.

 

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

 

Scripture:

Hebrews 1:12-2:4
Matthew 17:14-20

 

 

 

Reflection:

A Woman of Great Faith – Edith Stein

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, died in Auschwitz concentration camp at the age of 51. She was sent there along with her sister and a number of priests and religious who were Jewish converts, as punishment for the opposition to the German war effort voiced in all the churches one Sunday by the Dutch Bishops.

Edith was a brilliant philosopher. She was chosen by Edmund Husserl to be an assistant in his philosophical work. Among her circle of friends was a Christian couple whose dealing with death had a great influence upon her. She would be baptized and know great pain in her mother’s feelings that she had lost her daughter. Edith did not cut herself off from her family, but stayed close them and her mother. As WWII approached she lost her university teaching position in part because she was a woman and in part because she was Jewish. She became a Carmelite sister in 1934 at the community in Cologne, moving to Holland for greater safety as the war continued.

Today we may be sharing the feelings that Teresa Benedicta of the Cross felt as we see war and violence engulf many peoples. Not since WWII has there been so large a number of persons displaced from their homes by war. The reading of Habakkuk asks, ‘How Long, O Lord? I cry for help and you do not listen! I cry out violence, but you do not intervene.’ Habakkuk asks why God doesn’t do something against those who are wicked. He offers us this answer, ‘The vision has its time, presses to fulfillment, will not disappoint; wait for it, it will surely come.’

So too, does the man who approaches Jesus with his sick son. He has a vision and in the few minutes that may have seemed like an eternity he waited, his faith pressed forward, and he was not disappointed.

The faith of Edith Stein was tested on two fronts. She loved her family and was especially close to her mother. She loved her Jewishness and in her prayer grew in appreciation of God’s covenant with Israel and their being a Chosen People. When she was arrested with her sister she said that they would go to suffer for her people. With a love shared with the gospel writer of Matthew and with St. Paul, the ache of wanting Israel to know what she had found in Jesus, she must also have prayed the words of Habakkuk with faith.

The final work of Edith written just before she was arrested was ‘The Science of the Cross’. In the face injustice and evil she stood as a leader of her small, suffering flock being transported by train to the East. A witness of great faith to them as the Cross of unjust suffering and death approached.

Today Jesus encourages his disciples: even a little faith, the mustard seed sized faith, will do much. Great faith and intelligence, compassion and strength, describe the mystic Edith Stein. Let us humbly make ours the request and the questions in today’s gospel.

May the intercession of St. Teresa of the Cross and her love for Jesus help us to face the mystery of the Cross with faith?

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.