Daily Scripture

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.

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
John 6:51-58

Reflection:

As leaders we have our "rituals and rites" so as to remain in touch with the Inner Life that directs us and keeps us buoyant.

In the Catholic Tradition we have two "rituals or rites" that stand out as reminders that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is present in our reality and, is able to direct us, if we so choose.

The first, and central rite of our faith, is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Oh, there is such a hunger for real, honest-to-goodness unity amidst great diversity in the city of Birmingham. We "feel" it in the school with a variety of faiths, (Christian, Islamic, or, none at all). We are slowly becoming more diverse with the welcoming of our Hispanic brothers and sisters here.

But the hunger comes from being deprived of a welcoming environment in so many parts of our city that surrounds the school. Many people do not understand the plights of their neighbors, nor really care. Each time we, as a school body gather around the altar at Holy Family Church across the street, graces, power and energy flow from that table which help us become more and more, "at-one" with each other.  Granted, our senses do not perceive what the bread and wine truly are, Christ’s Body and Blood, but this spiritual food nourishes us in ways of which we are not even aware. It is called mystery, known only through revelation from God, and revealed in God’s own time.

The second ritual is the Sign of the Cross, that is, blessing oneself with our right hand, first on the forehead ("In the Name of the Father"), then upon the heart, ("and of the Son,"), then the left shoulder, ("and of the Holy Spirit"), and, finally the right shoulder ("AMEN," "So be it"). Why make the sign of the cross? It is a reminder that God is always present. It renews our baptism as members of the Body of Christ. It grants us the power of God’s name, we are reminded of the new life that has been given to us through His Death and Resurrection. We remind ourselves that we serve, daily, with sacrifice, as we take up our cross. It commits our whole being, giving our mind (Father), heart (Son), and daily labors (Holy Spirit) to God. This is not to mention that we show our faith in God’s presence, publicly, when we make this sign of the cross. This is not magic. I am not sure what happens when our athletes hit grand slam home runs, or score the buzzer-beating last shot in basketball and then point to the sky (heaven? divine intervention?) and then make that sign of the cross. It is pure mystery, which means surrendering to the Will and activity of God.

We are hosting all of our new 9th graders in an Academic Bridge Program this week. It is so wonderful to see another generation of students be transformed within the Body of Christ, to be shaped and guided toward their purpose for being on this planet. Blessings from the Altar of Sacrifice and the Sign of the Cross.

(Segments of this blog, are taken from AIM Magazine, Vol. 46, No. 3)

 

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

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 24:17-25
Matthew 6:24-34

Reflection:

Most of us, presumably, have occasion to visit an ophthalmologist or optician, if not frequently, at least occasionally.  Such visits are occasioned by some concern about our vision or eyesight.  We’re not seeing quite as well as we used to, or, at least, not as well as we would like.

This sensitivity to vision is an issue in our biblical readings today, accompanying the Eucharistic liturgy that is assigned.  It is sadly displayed in the saga of the Jewish king Joash.  He was just one in a long series of Jewish kings who left much to be desired.  So the story depicted here is, yet again, an account of his countenancing and likely fostering the apostasy of the Jews under his rulership, away from the worship of the true God (of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), and toward the "asherahs and the idols".  This was another dismal mistake on the part of the Jews, because it led to their punishment at the hands of an invading army of Arameans, who overran them and inflicted great losses on them.

The central issue here seems to be eyesight, or vision of what is happening.  At a younger age King Joash "did what was right in the Lord’s sight", thanks to the guidance he received from the priest Jehoiada.  But when Jehoiada died, things went downhill, with idol worship and even murder ensuing.  And this occurred despite prophets sent them to turn them back to the Lord.  And they suffered the consequences.  It was a matter of vision, of spiritual eyesight, made available to the king and his people by Jehoiada and these prophets, but not taken advantage of.  The Jews neglected the helps that were near at hand.

The same kind of situation is proposed today by Jesus in His exhortation to depend on God.  Jesus notes how so often we fret about the necessities of life, like food, drink or clothing.  The gist of His response to such concerns centers on vision again: what do we see?  Have we observed the birds of the air, how they make little provision for a food supply, yet do not succumb to starvation.  Or what about the flowers of the field: have we noticed how they bloom and blossom into beautiful colors despite a short life span?  Yet God sees to it that they survive to beautify our lives.

Again, it’s a matter of observation, of vision.  Can we not take note of the various life forms around ourselves: how they thrive and prosper without undergoing loss or injury as they do so?  We need to improve our eyesight.  St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the young Jesuit scholastic whose memorial we recall today, was gifted with this power of observation.   He noted the relatively new and thriving Jesuit community, and decided that he wanted to cast his lot with them.  He saw that the wealth and social status available to him from his wealthy family and his proximity to regal surroundings was not what he wanted for the remainder of his life.  Rather, the Jesuits offered him a vision of a life that he judged far superior to what he was currently enjoying.  It was a question of seeing with the improved eyesight available to him from his faith.  Faith enhanced his vision.  It was the lack of such faith that doomed the kingship of Joash.  May God help us see and appreciate, as did St. Aloysius.

 

Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

Scripture:

2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20
Matthew 6:19-23

Reflection:

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not store up for yourselves treaasures on earth, where moth and decay destroys, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." (Matthew 6:19-21)

Sometimes I’m jealous of my daughter Julie’s vocation. I know, "the grass is always greener", but when I consider her vow of poverty, it’s very attractive to me. Material possessions don’t get in the way for her. She isn’t storing up any earthly treasures, only heavenly ones! I look around my house, and it’s hard to even know where to begin to simplify. So many special books, kids toys, knick-knacks (Hummels and the like), quilt tops from great-grandma’s, movies, sporting equipment, and the list goes on and on. I thought my kids would want some of this stuff, but now I don’t think that’s the case.

Not only do we own a bunch of stuff, but we have to take care of it! Getting close to 60, it’s only right that I should want to start getting rid of things. Besides being emotionally attached to some of it, I want to sell it at a decent price, but with today’s market, that’s probably not going to happen. Jim hasn’t had a paycheck for two months, so it’s tempting to look at this as an opportunity to make a little money and help out. But considering the time and effort it will take to sell it, I find myself praying about simply giving it all away.

Maybe the quilt tops could go to the church group that makes quilts for the bazaar each year or to a historical society; maybe the books could go to different schools for their libraries; and maybe some of the toys could go to a homeless shelter? Please pray with me that I figure out what the Lord wants me to do and then do it! I love the idea I heard somewhere of "holding all things loosely." Lord, help me hold on to the most important things – my faith and relationships – and be willing to let go of the rest, knowing that You will "provide for all of our needs according to your riches in glory." (Philippians 4:19)

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, Oregon and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at mailto:janice@frcedric/org