Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 11:1-18
John 10:11-18

Reflection:

"…who was I to be able to hinder God?"
"No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own."

 

It seems to me that, underlying everything, we have one important choice to make that will inform almost everything that comes after.

We have the choice, and it is a choice born of our free will, to surrender our will in order to be present to the will of God, or we can choose to negate God’s power in favor of our own, thereby closing the door to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the invitation to be part of something infinitely greater than anything our own self could create.

It takes a leap of faith and a leap of imagination to choose to surrender one’s given or chosen identity and beliefs; all those "markers" that make us feel a part of our tribe. Reflecting on the first reading, I conjure up the group I can least imagine as being a part of my "inner circle." It makes me squirm. This is how the Apostles-faithful Jewish men-must have felt to see their beloved but fledgling commitment to Jesus being shared by the Gentiles, the strange, even "unclean" other.

In the reading, Peter goes into great detail about how he came to share a meal, perhaps a humble bit of bread and wine, with the Gentiles, and then says, so simply, of this act that will help to usher in a momentous evolution in Christianity whose reverberation will echo down through the ages, "…who was I to be able to hinder God?"

Just as Jesus had taught him, Peter was serving as the good shepherd. With a mind perhaps threatened by terrible uncertainty, Peter lays down his own will faithfully despite all the preconceived notions, fears of change, and understandable concerns challenging the new followers of Jesus. Peter sacrifices his will to God’s so that the Gentiles, too, might know the life-giving repentance of the belief in Christ. Peter is tending to this new kind of far-reaching flock, a flock that is destined to grow and be inclusive, not turn inward and exclude.

We live, today, among so many "others," out in the world and inside our hearts. It can be dizzying, frightening, exhausting. It takes faith to let go of a notion of ourselves that we have been clinging to or a notion of someone else that seems to feel so right and even righteous. But who am I to hinder God? Who am I to block the sweep of history toward the good or the glory of God revealed intimately in my own life? Who am I to do that? My greatest power lies in my willingness to surrender, to show up, to try and hear God’s voice in me, in you, and in the world. It is my choice in the end, however, to let go, and, as the phrase so aptly says, let God.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of marketing and communications at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Acts 2:14a, 36-41
1 Peter 2:20b-25
John 10:1-10

Reflection:

"… The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." This Gospel passage echoes words I have used countless times when I baptize children.  "What name do you give this child?" A simple question I ask of the parents, and yet so profound.  It means that no one goes to the waters of baptism anonymously. There are no strangers in the shepherd’s flock.  God calls us by name to follow him.  That is our vocation, our calling.

As we do every year on the 4th Sunday of Easter, today on Good Shepherd Sunday we celebrate "World Day of Prayer for Vocations."  Today, the Church is asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

For more than a millennium, the Church has relied on a corps of priests to celebrate the sacraments and to guide the faithful. But the number of priests has plummeted dramatically in the past 40 years, while the Catholic population has increased.  Yes, we must pray fervently for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life.  We need more pastors – more shepherds.

Indeed, when we are asked to pray for vocations, we know it means vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  This has been the common understanding of the word "vocations" for a long time.  Still, when we use the word so narrowly, we tend to lose sight of its fuller meaning.

Parenthetically, I recall my old Baltimore Catechism illustrating two kinds of vocations:

In one panel, were a husband and wife.  The caption read something like: "This is good."  The next panel showed a priest and a nun.  The caption read: "This is better."  Growing up, my understanding of vocation had this one meaning.

That is why Pope Francis’ Message for the 51st World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2014 is so refreshing.  He reminds us that we all have a true vocation.   By our baptism, we are called to holiness, our call to follow the Good Shepherd whatever our walk in life.  "Both in the married life and in the forms of religious consecration, as well as the priestly life," Pope Francis writes, "we must surmount the ways of thinking and acting that do not conform to the will of God.  We must be on a journey of adoration of the Lord and of service to him in our brothers and sisters."

This is a beautiful understanding of baptism.  It is the universal call to holiness.  Today, we urgently pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  But we also pray that those of us who may not be priests or religious, also remain faithful to our vocation – our baptismal call – by conforming ourselves to God’s will.  The Good Shepherd calls each of us by name to follow him in building up the Body of Christ.

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

Scripture:

Acts 9:1-20
John 6:52-59

 

 

 

Reflection:

May God’s Surprises Not Go Unseen

On Monday the Eastern Province of the Passionists will come together to examine its ministry and way of life, and elect new superiors. The meeting, which occurs every four years, has on its agenda: vocations to our religious community, and our change from a large, active group of men to a smaller, aging population. It will not be an easy meeting.

Our reading from Acts today tells of Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus. In all sincerity Saul asks a question of the one whose voice he hears, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me’, he receives as answer.

It was at one of the Passionist meetings a number of years ago that I sat with the director of an AIDS Hospice that our community supported in Honduras. The youth of one of our mission parishes had worked for almost two year on a small ranch house at the end of a remote town. Just as it was ready to receive its first ill people the town rose up and at a town meeting, and with the help of the military, had the house closed. At that time AIDS was something little known and greatly feared. Fortunately, in the seclusion of the ample grounds of an orphanage a lovely house that would care for 12 people was constructed. The orphanage in time would double its number of children to near a thousand, half of them having parents who had been cared for in the hospice.

The director told me something that he had observed and learned. When a new person, man or woman, came to the hospice to live, they were met by the residents and informed that they were becoming Passionists by living there. Not associates of the Passionist Community nor friends or fellow workers. He was quite specific as to what was told the new member. You will now be a Passionist.

As a Passionist we have year’s training in the novitiate where we study the spirituality of our founder, St. Paul of the Cross. We continue to learn the mystery of God’s love that is revealed in the Passion of Jesus. Our ministry uses our diverse gifts and leads us to many types of work where we share with others this love of God. It is both mystical and rather everyday reality. (The mystical is more fun!). It is a life long task. How profound that those suffering from AIDS, really experiencing the Passion of Christ from such a harsh illness of physical suffering, to public humiliation, and rejection should learn that they are Passionists.

It is strange that as we worry about our diminishment and how to cultivate vocations, right under our nose was a whole crop of Passionists. They were authentic. No one knew they were there, and so they were not counted as members. Saul heard in Jesus’ words that to touch his followers was to touch him. They were filled with the Spirit, beloved of the Father, other Christs. Who can guess what those hidden Passionists in Honduras knew of the everyday reality of Jesus suffering or the mystical experience as they meditated on being one with Jesus in his Passion?

Pray for this meeting of the Passionists. Like Ananias may we put aside our good reasons to do what the Lord asks of us. May we see what is important. May God’s surprising ways of accomplishing wonderful things be visible to us and inspire us.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 8:1b-8
John 6:35-40

Reflection:

"Get off your Irish high horse O’Donnell!" -a suggestion once given me by my high school history teacher in the heat of a battle (actually it was a discussion). Now, I could have been smart and say "Ok" heeding his advice, but I was only a high school student then, and I responded: "My? high horse!" That did it. I was sent to the dean of students-we called him director in those days. Once there I had to explain why I was in his office. He laughed, but strongly suggested that I recognize who was the teacher and who was the student in that class. I got down from my horse and I won.

Well, you’d think that I would have learned, but it seems that I have to keep relearning that particular lesson. As a teacher I often used to think that I was "in charge" after all, that’s what they told me at the De Paul School of Education-"You will be in charge of your classroom." The principal of the school also told me that. Truth be told, despite all my great knowledge and experience, sometimes I would again find myself on my "Irish high horse". I had to learn that my students brought much to the classroom; issues that sometimes got in the way of my lessons for the day. Despite all my efforts, my students’ issues often took precedence. When I recognized that, I was successful; when I stayed on my high horse, we both lost.

Well, the lessons continue today as a retired writer of reflections and the other great things I’m doing in retirement. Just when I think I’ve got it-I’ve got all the answers-people close to me demonstrate how much I have to learn.

Even on my Irish high horse, I don’t think I’m at all a match for the apostle, St. Paul, but it seems he also had to learn this lesson. The lesson isn’t in today’s reading, but we know it’s coming. Today he is described as: "Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church;^* entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.^" (Acts 8:3) I suspect he meant well, just like me.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.  

 

Scripture:

Acts 2:14, 22-33
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24: 13-35

 

 

Reflection:

"…were not our hearts burning?…"

Today, a touching story:  two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the afternoon of the Resurrection, bewildered by all that had happened with Jesus.  They encounter Jesus, and at first fail to recognize Him as they walk along.  Jesus speaks with them, and sort of "kids" with them – and then begins to explain the Scriptures to them.  Life begins to fall into place; things make sense; their hearts are excited – and they want this experience to continue…"stay with us…"  Jesus blesses and breaks the bread, shares it with them – and their eyes were opened!  Jesus vanishes, and they run off to tell the other disciples.

Luke shares the story, not just so we can look back and say how blessed were those two early disciples, but so we can believe that what Jesus did then, He does for us now.  We gather as Church for the Eucharist, be it a Sunday or a weekday, and Jesus speaks to us, breaks bread with us – and hopefully excites us as people of faith.  We’re invited to open our hearts to the "fire" of Jesus’ life.

What strikes me as interesting is the fact that there are two disciples in the Emmaus story, one named Cleopas and one unnamed…  Perhaps, there’s a purpose here?  Perhaps…we are that unnamed disciples, we are on the road with Jesus these days, we’ve met Jesus, we have disciple-friends, we seek a deeper meaning in the up and down realities of life.  Let’s be honest:  we aren’t always so "fired up" about our faith, our vocation…

And Jesus wants to excite us today, to stir up the "fire" in our hearts.  And, He wants us to carry His Message of Good News to other disciples and our world, needy as it is. 

Today, let’s open our hearts to the risen Jesus.  We are Easter people on the road – be it in Rome or Chicago or Los Angeles or Houston or Louisville or Fort Knox.  Let’s be grateful for our Easter faith, for the risen Lord Jesus Himself, for the blessing of our companions on the journey:  our families, our communities, our jobs and our ministries. 

May Jesus stir up the "fires" of our Easter encounter with Him – to which we said "yes" on our Baptism day, or our wedding day, or our priestly ordination day, or religious profession day.  May we be Jesus’ messengers of Good News in all we think and say and do each day.  Amen!  Alleluia!

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Acts 6:8-15
John 6:22-29

Reflection:

In today’s first reading, Stephen, newly elected to the ranks of the disciples is coming face to face with the harsh reality of undermining authority.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Stephen’s words and works threaten the current ways of the scribes and elders.  In the next chapter of the book of Acts, Stephen will demand those in authority acknowledge their participation in the murder and betrayal of Jesus.  Stephen will be stoned to death for denouncing the status quo and questioning those in power.

If you believe in the One God sent, what traditional ideas are you willing to shake?

I graduated from an all-girl, Catholic high school in the 90’s.  Before the first day of each school year, each student was required to read that year’s student handbook.  Each year a chapter was dedicated to the school’s uniform.  Rules designed to encourage modesty and the importance of the student’s outward appearance dictated the length of the hem of the skirt and the importance of tucking in one’s shirt tail.  These rules introduced the concept that each student’s appearance reflected pride not only in the individual student but also in the school.  Uniform infractions were routinely and severely enforced.  The wearing of unsanctioned socks or the rolling of one’s skirt at the waist often resulted in an extra hour before school contemplating the error of one’s ways in detention.

During my junior year, a student was requested to withdraw from school as her swollen belly, obviously with child, could no longer accommodate the standard uniform.  Thankfully just a few short years later, the school was willing to make exceptions to the rigidity of this class of rules to accommodate a greater good.  Certainly there were some who would have preferred to continue to sanction the school rules enforcing the uniform.  Certainly there were some who would have preferred to believe that Catholic high school students did not engage in practices that made certain natural consequences possible.  I imagine some would have preferred to quietly ignore the underlying clash of the pretty phrase "sanctity of life" against the harsh reality that follows if this phrase is taken seriously: that without caring for the needs of the mother and the growing child both within and out of the womb the phrase becomes meaningless.

If you believe in the One God sent, what traditional ideas/practices/beliefs are you willing to denounce no matter what the cost?

 

Nellie Draus-Stallings is a member of St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 5:34-42
John 6:1-15

Reflection:

Both the reading from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel reading from John in today’s lectionary provide us rich food for thought.

Throughout these post-Easter weeks, the lectionary has portrayed how the first Christian communities were being formed from the preaching of those witnessing to the Resurrection of Christ.  "Witness," both as a noun and as a verb, is one of the strongest words used in the post-Resurrection accounts to describe the activity of these first proclaimers of the Resurrection of Christ.  In today’s first reading, the Pharisee Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin Council, counsels the Assembly to a "hands-off" posture toward these followers of Jesus (although they will receive a flogging before being dismissed).  For him, it is the reasonable and, at the same time, astute way to defuse the tensions building between the public following which the disciples of Jesus are generating, and the interests of the Temple leadership.  It is a dramatic narrative.

In the Gospel passage, we are treated once again to this Eucharistic narrative of John’s sixth Chapter, which begins, around the time of the Passover, with the miracle of the loaves and the feeding of 5,000 people.  The rest of the chapter builds through the discourse on the "Bread of Life" with its declaration that "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you," and then concludes with Jesus’ challenging question, "Will you also go away?"  Peter’s profession of faith is modulated by the reference to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.

One expression caught my eye, and I spent some time drawing out the meaning of Jesus’ caution, after all had eaten, to collect the fragments, "so that nothing will be wasted." 

This sixth chapter of John’s Gospel is explicitly his effort to bring the Eucharist out of the setting in a ritual meal for a Jewish feast (Passover, the Last Supper), and to place it under the skies, on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, among an assembly whose connections to Jesus would include some very faithful disciples, some curious followers, and perhaps even some ne’er do well hangers-on.

By the time that John’s sixth chapter is redacted, much has already happened to the community of Jesus’ followers.  They have seen the coming and the going of disciples, they have known the ultimate test of martyrdom ("witnessing"), and they continue to carry out Jesus’ command to them, "Go, and make disciples of all nations…."

When Jesus’ words, "so that nothing will be wasted," are scripted, I find it interesting that unlike our English "waste", which can be an indifferent attention to little things, an "oversight", the Greek word used in John’s text is of a very different character.  It means more than the careless indifference to a remnant from a meal.  It is a very strong word that connotes the utter destruction or the perishing of something or someone.  Jesus is alert and asks us to be alert when we share the body and blood of Christ, "so that nothing [no one] will perish."

This can give us encouragement and hope.  As members of Christ’s body by baptism, we nourish our life in Christ through the Eucharist.  Some members of the body of Christ may be overwhelmed by discouragement, by failure, by illness, by betrayal.  These are all part of the human experience, they are part of the experience of any Ecclesial body at any time; it is what we are when we come to Mass on Sunday.  To us, Jesus says, When you come together for the Eucharist, see that all are nourished, provide for those who need special care, and look around at those whom you might otherwise overlook, gather them in, lest they be lost (perish) although in our very midst.

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

 

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14

Reflection:

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:2

When I was a senior in college I had a wonderful experience of God’s presence. I was in Newport, Oregon with my roommate and we were walking across the Yaquina Bay Bridge. It was well past midnight, so there was no traffic. I walked out into the middle of the bridge and looked down on the sleeping town below me. The bridge is elevated way above the bay and I was standing on this huge stage where I was the star. I felt larger than life! The whole world lay before me. They were the peons and I was all-powerful and important!

Then I turned around to face the ocean… and everything changed. Now I was the peon, or an ant in the picture, as the expanse of the night sky rose above me and the ocean stretched forever out in front of me. It was beautiful and huge and there were a billion stars flung across the sky. . . and now I was a tiny speck in the scheme of things. I felt the glory and power and majesty of God. It made me feel so tiny and insignificant, I turned back around to feel big again!

When I turned back again to face the ocean, I thought of this scripture:  "When I behold your heavens . . . The moon and the stars which you set in place – what is man that you should think highly of him or the son of man that you should care for him? Yet you have made him little less than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:4-6) As I stood there looking into the vast universe, I was overwhelmed with God’s love because even though we are so small and seemingly insignificant, we are precious to God. We are not a tiny speck to Him, we are His crowning creation, and He is crazy about each one of us!

As we see in today’s first reading, we have a God who sent His only Son to save us, and just as he appeared to 500 after his resurrection, He wants to appear to each of us. May we keep our hearts and minds open to experiencing his personal love for us – especially as we walk through these glorious days of Easter.

 

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].