Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Amos 9:11-15
Matthew 9:14-17

Reflection:

For many of us here in the United States, the Fourth of July is filled with picnics and parades, family and fireworks.  These are festive times we set aside outside of the regular work schedule.

Yesterday, we as a nation celebrated our 238th birthday. The festival time still continues throughout this weekend.

The readings given to us this day certainly have a festive flavor.  Amos, in the first reading, was a simple shepherd.  His strong voice denounced the hollow prosperity of the northern kingdom.

Amos is diligent in delivering the message of doom upon northern Israel.  Yet the first reading is the conclusion of the book of Amos.

Rather than messages of destruction, Amos concludes with God’s promise of fulfillment. It speaks of planting vineyards and drinking wine. He reintroduces us to a God who pours out in abundance. "The juice of the grapes shall drip down the mountains and all of the hills shall run with it."

Today’s gospel links with this abundance.  Not only do we find this story in Matthew’s gospel but it exists also in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. In all three instances it is always connected with the image of the wedding banquet. Jesus purposefully told parables of wedding banquets to convey the truths of his father. Today, he speaks convincingly about old cloaks and old wineskins. They are no longer useful items. The old garment is not worth patching with new cloth the old wineskins cannot hold new wine. Implicitly, the old world’s age has run out; it is compared to the old garment or old wineskins.

Symbolically, the wine is the symbol of the new age; in the pouring out of the abundance of the wine Jesus reveals himself as the one who brings the time of salvation.  Similarly, the wedding is a symbol of the day of salvation, as the language of the apocalypse bears witness, "the marriage of the Lamb is come." The day is come, the wedding songs resound. Here is no place for morning. This is the time for the bridal festivals, why then should my disciples fast? For the people in first century Christianity, the old age has vanished and a new age has arrived!

In church terminology we refer to the end times as the eschaton.

About 100 years ago a term "realized eschatology" was introduced into theological circles. To realize that these are the end times is to see that the kingdom is now. It’s not about something that might happen to us after we die. Now is the kingdom, now is the day! And when we take this seriously we change the focus and direction of our lives. Praying about Jesus words today helps convict us that Jesus himself wants us to realize that with his presence there is a new world.  See, I make all things new (Rev 21:5).

While we continue our festivities on this Fourth of July weekend, perhaps there is a similarity between the religious time and the national holiday.  Much like the Fourth of July reminds us we no longer live under British rule, so too, realized eschatology reminds us that the kingdom of God is here in our midst today.  What difference does that make for you?

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Readings:    
Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
Matthew 8:28-34

Reflection:

Being a biblical prophet was not for the faint of heart…one was often subject to ridicule, misunderstanding and even rejection by family and friends. Perhaps that was because prophets saw the world, not in a short sighted way as others did, but rather they saw the "bigger picture" through the eyes of God!

We have a great example of this truth in today’s readings. Amos, the fiery prophet who lived during the peaceful and prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (c. 786-746 B.C.E.), speaks directly to Israel telling them not to misinterpret their current good future. While enjoying the fruits of their labor they should always keep in mind "the less, the least and the lost." Justice should be their ultimate goal not pretty offerings and expensive pageants. It is only through the justice they demonstrate in their care of others that the offerings they so conspicuously make have any meaning to God.

In the same way, our ultimate "priest, prophet and king" Jesus encounters resistance to doing works of justice for others. In this passage from Matthew Jesus encounters and heals two demoniacs, bringing them back into the community whole and holy to "hate evil and love good." However as a result of this exorcism, the expelled demons, loving only what is evil and destructive, in entering the swine toss themselves off a cliff to drown. Given the marvelous event that has happened to their community you would think the town folks would be grateful. Rather due to short sighted self-interest and misplaced fear (what if Jesus did this to all the farm animals?), they begged Jesus to leave their district!

Where does the Lord Jesus call me to be "prophet" in my own life? Where am I often "short-sighted" and reluctant to see the "bigger" God picture due to self-interest and unreasonable fear?

Jesus help me this day to "seek good and not evil" so that I may have your life and show others "the saving power of God."

 Scripture:

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
Matthew 8:18-22

Reflection:

The Fourth of July is coming up.  Think for a moment about The Declaration of Independence.  What if our Nation’s Founders said, "I think independence is a great idea.  I’m all for it…as long as it doesn’t take too much time…as long as I don’t lose any money…as long as I don’t get hurt…as long as it doesn’t involve my weekends."

In reality, they didn’t place any conditions or reservations on what they were about to do.  They were totally committed.  They proclaimed, "We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."  They signed their names boldly in ink, not pencil.  There were no wimps among them.

There is amazing power in making a commitment.  Our whole being gets involved.  The doors of our imagination and creativity open up.  Our inner resources are tapped.  We discover a quality of energy unknown to the wishy-washy.  Commitment rallies our courage, stiffens our backbone and toughens us for all challenges.  Commitment opens our senses and our intuition, alerting us to new opportunities of service. Commitment defines us.

Jesus knew this.  Such is the kind of commitment Jesus is looking for in today’s gospel. He is not against burying our deceased parents.  He just wants to make sure nothing, absolutely nothing gets in the way of our commitment to him.  We are to love him with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds.  And we can be assured by Calvary that nothing will ever get in the way of his love, his commitment to us.

 

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:

Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
Matthew 8:23-27

Reflection:

Recently Pope Francis visited the Calabrian region Italy which is the southernmost part of the Italian boot.  It is a beautiful region but wracked with poverty (the unemployment rate is over 50 %!) and crime.  Tragically, the Mafia holds sway over much of the region, with a chokehold on its economy and fanning government corruption and fostering the drug traffic and other evils.  Some people were startled to hear Pope Francis in a public address speak so directly and forcefully against the Mafia, telling the people to say "no" to them and warning the members of the Mafia themselves that they faced excommunication from the Church.  A prosecuting attorney who has worked against the Mafia in that region worried that the Pope even put himself at risk in taking such a strong stand against this evil force.

I mention this to put in perspective the powerful passage from the prophet Amos that is our first reading today (see Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12).  It is one of the most vivid condemnations of Israel’s sins in all of the Old Testament.  The prophet reminds his people that God favors them and loves them and, for that very reason, is profoundly disturbed by their sins of injustice and abuse of the poor (a constant refrain in Amos).  He warns them that God’s punishment will be like the roar of a lion: "the lion roars-who will not be afraid!  The Lord God speaks-who will not prophecy!"  He reminds them of the punishment that befell Sodom and Gomorrah, corrupt cities burnt by fire.  And even though Israel was ultimately rescued ("like a brand plucked from the fire") the people did not turn back to God as they should have.  This prophetic oracle ends on an ominous note: "…prepare to meet your God, O Israel"!

The prophet Amos is noted for his fierce response to the corruption of Israel, a corruption expressed in the way the elite of the land take advantage of the poor and treat them with contempt.  Amos would not win any prizes for diplomatic language-he speaks directly and vividly about the people’s failures and warns them that such evil has consequences for them.  Yet his ultimate purpose is not the condemnation of Israel but to bring it to its senses and urge the people to repent so as to experience God’s forgiveness.

This is where the parallel to the message of Pope Francis holds true.  Even as he directly and strongly condemned the evil ways of the Mafia, he reminded the people that God’s forgiveness is always available and ready to help anyone who desires to turn their life around.

In a very different mode but with the same fundamental message, the gospel for today drives this lesson of threat and forgiveness home.  In Matthew’s version of the storm at sea (Matt 8:23-27), a violent storm engulfs the disciples while they are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  Despite the storm Jesus is asleep in the boat and the terrified disciples wake him up, crying "Lord, save us!  We are perishing."  But Jesus calms their fears, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" and then "rebukes" the winds and the sea and a calm settles over the turbulent waters.   The story closes with the amazed disciples asking each other, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?"  The readers of the gospel are invited to ask the same question, as they confront the extraordinary compassion and mysterious power of Jesus.

The biblical peoples feared the sea and thought it was the abode of demons; the storms that rose up and could destroy those who ventured into the sea confirmed this for them.  Thus this account portrays Jesus as one who has power over evil and the threat of death.  In their fear the disciples forget this but nevertheless they do turn to Jesus and ask his help.  Several times in his Gospel Matthew portrays the disciples as having "little faith"-that is, they do believe but are also fragile and subject to fear and hesitation as they face the travails of life.  The point of this gospel account, like that of Amos’ prophetic preaching, is when we feel overwhelmed by evil in us and around us, we can always turn to God with confidence in his saving mercy.

 

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:

2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

With Israel captured by the Assyrians, the focus shifts to the two tribes in the south – the kingdom of Judah. Josiah takes charge of Judah at the age of eight and will go on to rule Judah for the next thirty-one years. During his reign, the Book of the Law is found! The Word of God! As they rejoice at the finding of the Book of the Law, disaster is pronounced on Judah through the Book. It too shall face the same fate as Israel. And so what does Josiah do? He gathers his people and makes a covenant with the Lord. What will follow is reformation under Josiah and the celebration of the Passover. What an amazing story of faithful leadership!

It all begins with the person of Josiah – right from the word ‘go’! "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left." (2 Kings 22:2) Although Judah will eventually face the wrath of God for their disobedience and unfaithfulness to Him, God will be faithful to Josiah until the end of his life.

Jesus does not mince words when he speaks about false prophets. We are all ‘prophets’ in ways we bring Christ to people through our words and actions. However, our thoughts and actions can easily be influenced and colored by what is happening around us. There will be discouragements and disappointments. In the midst of all these, we are called to be prophetic witnesses to our world. The challenge is to remain steadfast, faithful and bear good fruit!

 

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

Scripture:

Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9
Matthew 10:7-15

Reflection:

My cousin and his wife had a son, Jake, who was popular, smart, a top-ranked athlete, and an all-around great kid. Unfortunately, being a talented and gifted young man with devoted parents isn’t always enough. Jake began struggling with alcohol and drugs in high school and his addictions worsened when he left for college. His parents tried everything to help, and eventually admitted him to a rehab unit. There he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness that leads many sufferers to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. It also leads a high proportion of them, especially males under 30, to take their own lives. Jake died in May at the age of 21.

There is nothing more excruciating for parents than to watch their beloved child go astray despite their best efforts. There is nothing more tragic than a person sinking so irretrievably into despair that seemingly the only way out is to die. There are no words that can capture or take away the utter heartbreak my cousin and his wife feel. At times like this, God alone fully understands, and God’s heart breaks, too. In fact, God’s cry of pain in Hosea is one that my cousin could pray: "The more I called them, the farther they went from me… It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love…Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer."

Through the lens of Jake and Hosea, I think of how God must mourn over all of us, both individually and collectively. We are talented, gifted people beloved by our Creator. God has given without measure, offered everything we need, and sacrificed even life itself to show us how to love. Yet we turn our backs. We persist in addictions, betrayals, wars, destruction of the earth, and behaviors that not only kill others but are killing ourselves. Then we self-medicate our brokenness with substances, power and ego, or a vast array of other strategies, denying the source of all healing, the font of all love, and the ground of our being.

In the face of it all, I can feel helpless. No matter how strong my desire, I can’t stop Jake and others like him from dying. I can’t change our world into a compassionate, just, or fair place. But if this leads me to despair, too, then all is lost. In the face of pain, death, and profound suffering, each of us has a choice. As Mother Teresa so often reminded us, none of us can do everything but all of us can do something……..if we choose to do it.

So maybe each morning I can allow myself to cry out to God for all the Jakes who will die that day and the families that will mourn them. I can grieve for the devastation, pain, and sorrow in so much of our world. Then I can re-commit myself to staying close to God’s all-encompassing embrace, and doing my best to live up to the challenges and commands that such love requires. And as part of every day I can do at least one concrete thing to bring healing, hope, and peace to someone in need.

Doing so helps others and makes a difference in the world, however small. It also strengthens my relationship with God so that when I myself am in need of mercy, when inevitably I sin, when I fail or life fails me, when I am broken and confused, when I don’t know where to turn, I may more readily refuse to seek the things of this world but rely instead on the only One who is my true healer.

I wish I had better answers than that. I wish I could do more. But God is God and I am not. My task is to do what I can where I am. If we all did that, it would be enough, and together we may be able to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

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/.

Scripture:

2 Kings 24:8-17
Matthew 7:21-29

Reflection:

While on the treadmill, I like to listen to music.  I noticed some time ago that quite unconsciously I would set my pace of walking or jogging to become synchronous with the music to which I was listening.  Over time I began to pay more attention to how my body works to adjust to the rhythmic beat of the music.  When there was a change of song that carried a little different beat, I sensed a corresponding change in my pace to match the new song.

While on the treadmill the other day, I could not find my rhythmic pace at all.  It was really quite frustrating.  I was listening to a music collection that probably was very nice but just did not provide a steady and soothing rhythm that I could match.  It reminded me of my first attempts to ballroom dance.  My teacher described my dancing as a wrestling match.  I could not feel the subtle and graceful movement of my dance teacher.  I was thinking too much and not allowing the music to guide me.  I so wanted to be in control – to disastrous, if not humorous results.

Being in sync is an amazing experience.  We know that feeling.  We’ve all had those special moments when we find our rhythm within ourselves and with others.  We feel free and at peace.  A newborn child finds peace and calm laying its head upon its mother’s chest hearing her familiar and soothing heartbeat.  We will sit transfixed along the shore mesmerized by the rhythmic sound of the waves. The rhythmic pace of the treadmill or the dance floor, the gentle waves along the shoreline are but hints at the harmony we desire in our relationships, our families and our world. 

Tomorrow is one of my most favorite feast days, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The merciful heart.  The loving heart.  The heart that can be broken.  And like my attempts to set my jogging pace to the music playing in my ears, I search for ways to better synchronize the pace of my life to the rhythmic beat of Jesus’ heart.  I want to love as he did.  I want to find the harmony in my life that comes from finding my heart becoming more and more attuned to the heart of Jesus.

 

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.

 

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

 

 

Reflection:

Voice of God

So they said to him, "Who are you?   He said, "I am the voice, "John 1:23   John the Baptist defined himself as a voice, a" phone" in original Greek text.  What a wonderful self-description for anyone who wants to be an evangelist!  Voice is another expression for word.  It is used some 131 times for speaking.  All of us are at our apostolic best when we voice the words of Jesus.

The Word of God is full of power.   The Holy Scripture begins with the creative word of God.  "Let there be light and there was light" Genesis 1:3 God voices a word which immediately becomes a concrete reality!  When we see light we see an accomplishment of God’s voice.  Scripture uses the word debar which means both speech and deed.  In OT it is used 870 times for a word and 290 times for deed,    "Is anything (debar) too hard for the LORD?"  When God speaks this to Abraham about his coming child Gen 18:4 He is saying his word can do wonderful  ( Heb. pala’)  things.   One of the reasons we have so little success in our spiritual lives is that we undervalue the power of the Word.   We are poor because we are not rich in His word.  "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host." Ps 33:6   If we are facing a big day we speak of having a "power breakfast".   If we are discouraged and spiritually exhausted we need to have a power breakfast on the voice of God in SS!

Another reason we should be devoted to the Word of God is that it is the ultimate way in this life to be close to the Lord.   As in our human relationships we must be good listeners if we ever hope to achieve intimacy.   How many human associations start with a conflagration of intense feelings only to die in a rather short time in the absence of communication.  The same is our relationship with God.   Listening to the voice of God is the key to intimacy with Him!   God "in his very essence of infinite love is relational and self-communicating.  The Father, from all eternity, is never silent.  He, in the love of the Holy Spirit, eternally speaks his Word, who is his co-equal Son." (Preaching the Mystery of Faith)   USCCB    How intense our devotion to the Voice of God should be!              

 

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