Daily Scripture

 

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 7:6-11
1 John 4:7-16
Matthew 11:25-30

 

 

Reflection:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee.

In a wonderful book entitled, Broken Covenant, author Robert Bellah parallels the pilgrims’ crossing of the Atlantic Ocean with Israel’s crossing the Red Sea. America, like Canaan, was not uninhabited when our ancestors first arrived on these shores. Like the Canaanites (Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, et al.), native American Indians were rich in their myths and elaborate rituals. Bellah further draws the parallel of ancient Israel and America by saying that both "imperialists" felt that they were God’s "Chosen People," but America will never really be healed until it is acknowledged that our nation was formed on the brutal annihilation of two other cultures, the Native American and the African American.

These are harsh words, but are not our readings for this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also exacting?

It was not because you are the largest of all nations
that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you,
for you are really the smallest of all nations. (Deut.7)

…although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones. (Matt. 11)

Today’s feast is about God’s love for all people. Maybe to grow in holiness means I am less self-centered and more God-centered. Do you remember geography class when you were a child? The world map depicted the United States in the center of the page, and the former Soviet Union split on the edges! Or the bumper stickers we continue to display: God Bless America!  "Me first" is low-level religion, and today’s adult believer is edging toward a more collaborative tenor of networking with others.

Pope Francis repeatedly reminds us of God’s preferential option for the poor – for the little ones – as Jesus says. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee.

 

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is the director of the Office of Mission Effectiveness.  He is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Scripture:

1 Kings 21:17-29
Matthew 5:43-48

Reflection:

The whole Sermon on the Mount leads up to the most radical command of Jesus: "love your enemies".  Love Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Osama bin Laden, the attackers of 9/11, the Taliban?  Is Jesus crazy?  How loving is God toward King Ahab when Elijah pronounces God’s judgment that dogs will lick the blood of his wife and children in streets of Samaria? What kind of love is Jesus talking about?

While we have one word for love, the Greek language has four: love for family members, love and attraction for someone of the opposite sex, love of friendship, and finally unconquerable benevolence and good will. It is the latter kind of love that Jesus requires of us for the Greek word Matthew uses is agape to convey Jesus’ meaning.

The first three kind of love are very well known and experienced by us. The reality of these loves is relational. We give and receive. We embrace and enjoy the other person’s presence. We love and are loved in return. There is a warm feeling and joy that pervade our whole being when we are with the other. This is the love of the heart. Jesus notes that tax collectors and pagans are capable of the first three kinds of love.

What does agape call us to? It calls us to an unconditional regard and respect for every human being and to desire nothing for the other person except his or her highest good. In practical terms Jesus put it this way: "pray for those who persecute you". Implied in this stance is to refrain from bitterness in our hearts no matter how someone has treated us, insulted us, injured us or grieved us. Agape requires a great act of the will. We cannot do this unless Jesus and his Spirit help us.

Finally if we allow Jesus to live in us and inform our lives we have a chance to be perfect. The root meaning of the Greek word is to be fulfilled or completed. We say today: "Be all that you can be."  It is the "heavenly Father" that calls us and enables us to reach the purpose or end for which we were created.

While this reflection seems abstract if we look at our everyday lives we feel how radical it is to take the agape stance in all our actions.

 

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

Scripture:

1 Kings 21:1-16
Matthew 5:38-42

Reflection:

Jesus challenges us in the Gospel to "turn the other cheek."  He even challenges us with, "Love your enemies."  

 

It is so disappointing to hear Naboth’s wife, Jezebel, set up her husband to be killed by Ahab.  Standing or sitting with a heart filled with anger while reading or listening to this incident would be quite a natural reaction.

It is sad to say that we are finding more and more concern for what we today call "bullying."  How sad to hear or read about kids being picked on, beaten up, and made fun of.  And all of this to give the people who do the bullying a sense of power. 

Sense of power?  Isn’t it rather a false sense of power?  The idea is to pick on the weaker to end up looking great in one area of one’s life.  It becomes a cover up for areas that the bully dare not let anybody see.

Love your enemy…the bully?  That would allow him/her to remove the mask that covers up that area of their life that they cannot or will not deal with.  But that acceptance has to come from within the heart and mind of the bully.  Oh, for a friend that will love him/her.

Listen to St.Paul: "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous, but does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act selfishly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things; love never fails." (I Cor 13: 4-12)

Honesty and justice has to be present to deal with untruths and injustice.  That may have to come sometimes from the law in the form of incarceration.  That would be hell on earth as a person now will be watched and prevented from injuring another.  Tough stuff to help a tough individual come to the truth.  But there is hope, there is a way.

You and I need to pray for our enemies.  It can free us to see the whole individual and realize that there are black areas of our lives that we will not allow anybody to see.  Black areas can be caused early in our lives and never be dealt with.  Many black areas have never had an opportunity to be shared for fear of being taunted and ridiculed.

Love your enemies.  The truth will set them free, if they are willing.  May the truth begin with me.

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. lives at St. Paul of the Cross Community, Detroit, Michigan.

The Most Holy Trinity

Scripture:

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
John 3:16-18

Reflection:

Where I live, Detroit, there is major construction work being done on Interstate 96, just west of St. Paul’s. It was decided that the interstate would be completely closed on the stretch that they were working on so that the job would be completed more quickly. There is work not only on the road itself, but on the bridges that cross over the highway. To look at the work is pretty amazing. This came to me as I was reflecting on our second reading for today, Trinity Sunday. That reading is from 2 Corinthians, and St. Paul writes, "Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you."

Usually, "mend your ways" is an exhortation to reform our lives and turn away from the bad things that we do. But thinking about the road work, and the rest of the Scripture passage led me to understand those words in a different way. After St. Paul exhorts the community to mend their ways, he also writes, "encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace…" When we look at the state of politics in our country, or the seemingly endless conflicts around the world, encouraging and agreeing with each other seems totally out of reach. It seems to me, then, that we are called to "mend" the ways of communication with each other. Through social media, we have ways to keep in contact with people all over the world, and yet, we have trouble listening to each other when it comes to some of the important issues of our day. It seems rather easy to judge and condemn and dismiss those who disagree. There doesn’t even seem to be a desire to agree, much less come to some consensus.

Is it possible to mend the ways we communicate with each other? As St. Paul writes, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. We can mend our ways if we follow the ways of the Trinity. Our doctrine of the Trinity states that we believe that God is Three Persons in One God. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can somehow distinguish the Three Persons, but they are inseparable from each other. I always like to think of God as a Supreme Being of Relationship and Love. God has always communicated to us in love. Even when we read the Old Testament and it seems to us that God is punitive and harsh, there is always love behind everything that God does. He may let us suffer the consequences of our actions, but He always provides a way for us to come back to Him.

God chose to love outside of Himself. God chose to love us into being. And when we strayed from that love (God has never stopped loving us!), prophets and judges were sent to us to put us back on the right track, until the time when the Father sent the Son into the world by the Holy Spirit. In our Gospel reading from John, we have that oh-so-familiar verse: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." And the next verse says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." God has also revealed His love in the Holy Spirit, who is our Comforter and guide. The Holy Spirit may urge us and even push us, but the Spirit does not force us.

The ways of the Trinity are not condemnation and domination. How has God revealed God’s self to us except by a total gift of self? How has God communicated to us except by love and sacrifice? When we refuse to listen, or seek to condemn, whether we are at home or work or school, or on the bigger stages of politics and world affairs, there is no giving, there is no love, but only a desire to subjugate others to our will.

As our country celebrates the gift of our fathers on Father’s Day, may we follow the ways of the Trinity. May we share love and make peace. And may "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit" be with all of us today.

 

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

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Matthew 5:33-37

Reflection

"Let your ‘Yes’ mean "Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’." Jesus demands of his disciples a radical honesty and straightforwardness. He is taking the wiggle room away from us. We like to shade things to make ourselves look better or to soften the hard truth. We often call these white lies. Throughout the "Sermon on the Mount" Matthew has collected the teachings of Jesus that call his followers to a higher standard of living and relating to one another than is customary. These four verses have that perspective. In recalling this teaching of Jesus Matthew says that the Christian community should expect that every member is true to his or her word. Often friends will seal a decision or a business deal with a simple handshake. Matthew implies that should be the norm. Our word is our bond.  What we commit ourselves to we accomplish. Is this asking too much? Maybe it is if we do not take into account the grace of God. This leads us to the Apostle Paul.

So we have the key to the higher norms of action and relating to one another that is laid out for us in the Sermon on the Mount. It is the Spirit of Christ within us that makes it possible to do the impossible. 

   

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

Scripture:
Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
Matthew 5:17-19

Reflection:
Consider the mystery of Yodh, the 10^th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  It is the one to which Jesus refers when he declares "…not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the Law until all things have taken place."

The "smallest letter" is Yodh.  And "the smallest part of a letter" is the tiny decorative spur at the top of the Yodh.

Jesus spoke those words right after delivering his Beatitudes during his Sermon on the Mount.  Whom did he proclaim the truly blessed?

Blessed are the poor in spirit; they who mourn; the meek; they who hunger and thirst for righteousness; the pure of heart; the peacemakers; the persecuted.

But this is crazy.  This isn’t what the world views as blessed.  What about the wealthy, the powerful, the mighty.  Jesus turns those values upside down, to the astonishment of the crowd.

Therein lies the mystery of Yodh – and the mystery of discipleship.

Yodh, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, hangs suspended in midair.  After Jacob wrestled through the night with the Angel of God, the enigmatic visitor from heaven changed his name from Ya’akov to Yisrael.  And all that remains of his former name for all eternity is the tiny Yodh.  God chose Israel as his special people, not because they are great or mighty, but because they are the smallest of all the nations – just like Yodh.

So small, so insignificant is Yodh, and yet so special.  The rabbis tell us that God gave to Yodh alone the honor of being the first letter of the Divine Name, YHWH.

Reflect on the mystery of tiny Yodh and the words of Jesus become clear. Not the smallest letter or even its decorative spur will ever disappear from the "God Breathed" Word until all is fulfilled. In fact when heaven and earth are replaced by a new heaven and earth, the Word of the Lord will have accomplished its purpose and will be fulfilled in every detail even to the very letter.

And the God who makes this promise is the same God who will never forget the poor, the hungry and the persecuted.  On the contrary, they hold a special place in the Kingdom.  Why?  Because God delights in using the small, the weak, the insignificant to demonstrate his glory and power.  The Law and the Prophets – all Scripture – find their perfect fulfillment in Jesus.  And we, the weak, the broken and the struggling, stretching to embrace the seemingly unattainable Beatitudes, we too will find our perfect fulfillment in Jesus – just like Yodh.

 

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

Pentecost Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23

Reflection:

Happy Birthday, Church!  Today is Pentecost — the day we celebrate the beginnings of our Church.  It is a day for us to honor the presence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church.  In the last few years, it has not been uncommon to hear people involved in our Churches bemoaning the diminishing numbers of people who practice their Faith.  And frequently we may feel discouraged and worried about the lack of fervor in ministries, devotions and service.  But look back to that first Pentecost of the Church.  The faithful followers who had been with Jesus throughout his public life were huddled together in the upper room, fearful and unsure of what to do next.   Ronald Rolheiser in his book, Sacred Fire, paints a vivid depiction of that upper room.  Rolheiser tells us that we should look at our churches and church meeting places today as the upper room.   And just as the Apostles gathered in the upper room, this is where we should gather together, continuing to be true, to show up, even though doubts may fill us and we may tremble with fear about the emptying of churches. 

So let’s keep in mind that our Church was started by a small group of people gathered together, huddled fearfully together in the upper room.  With a faith that had been shaken, they gathered and waited. "…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…"  It was only when the Spirit came upon them, that they were filled with fire to go out and share the Good News! 

Empty pews may sadden us, people walking away from the church may diminish us, families divided over religion certainly will hurt us, and our first reaction will probably be, "How can we fix this?"  However on this day, let us remember that it is not up to us to pick and choose when and how the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church.  This is part of Jesus’ promise to remain in us and we in him.  Rather it is our part to be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the fire of Your love!

 

Mary Lou Butler is a long-time friend and partner in ministry to the Passionists in California.

 

Scripture:

Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
John 21:20-25

Reflection:
"When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.’" Jn 21: 21

Wouldn’t we all have less stress in our lives if we followed the advice that Jesus gave Peter today? If he were sending an email, he probably would have written, "MYOB!" (Mind your own business!) How often do we concern ourselves with things that are none of our business? Or how often do we offer advice before we’ve been asked for it?

I think our concern often comes from a sincere heart – we want everyone to be happy; or we want to solve someone’s problem; or we think that we know what’s best in a given situation. I know when our first son got married I wanted to "help" them set up house and when the first baby came, I wanted to "help" them as new parents. Meaning, I tried to tell them how I thought they should do things (because I wanted to share the "right" way). I even tried to show them a "better" way to change the baby’s diaper!

Fortunately for me, after a few bungled attempts and I’m sure some hurt feelings, the Holy Spirit gave me some good advice: "Don’t offer your opinion or help unless it’s asked for." It was really hard at first, (and I may still forget sometimes) but for the most part I’m living by the rule: zip my lips unless I’m asked. This advice is good for many situations… even evangelizing! (Or maybe especially evangelizing.)

We’ve all know the bible thumpers who try to cram Jesus down your throat, and it really doesn’t make you want to become a Christian. Scripture tells us: "Should anyone ask you the reason for this hope of yours, be ever ready to reply, but speak gently and respectfully." 1 Peter 3: 15-16

The secret is to wait until you are asked, then share away! Just be sure to ask the spirit to guide your words so that you will truly encourage and upbuild the person asking. In the meantime, we would be wise to follow the second part of Jesus’ advice to Peter, "You follow me."

 

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].