Daily Scripture

 

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Scripture:

Matthew 21:1-11
Isaiah 50:4-7
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14-27:66

 

Reflection:

On Sunday we celebrate Passion Sunday, and our account of the Passion of Jesus comes from Matthew’s Gospel (26:14 – 27:66). I would like to reflect on the Passion of Jesus in the context of some words we find in our first reading from Isaiah (50:4-7): "The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them." 

Is the Passion of Jesus a word that can rouse people? The answer is "Yes!" Yes, because in the Passion of Jesus we find God’s love demonstrated in a most significant way: the Son of God sacrificing Himself for our salvation! In the words of our second reading from Philippians (2:6-11), Jesus "emptied himself" so that we could attain the fullness of life!

The Passion of Jesus shows us that God can transform evil into good; that suffering can bring healing, and dying can lead to life! By dying on the Cross and rising from the dead, Jesus has overcome for us the power of sin and death!

There are times when we can get weary. We can get weary of a seemingly endless struggle to survive. We can get weary of fighting one illness after another. We can get weary of constant pain. We can get weary of the injustice and violence in our world. The Passion of Jesus may not offer some miraculous cure, but when we reflect upon Jesus on the Cross, we know we are not alone. We know that Jesus is there in the midst of our pain, and will help us carry the crosses that come in our lives. We know that somehow, some way, Easter will come! We know that Jesus will take us through the Cross to the other side.

When we get in touch with the love Jesus shows us on the Cross, we can be roused out of despair and exhaustion. But Jesus’ Passion can also rouse us out of fear. We need not be like Peter, who became scared and wound up denying that he even knew Jesus. We can’t deny that we are connected to those who are "crucified" today.

If we let Jesus love on the Cross get to us, we will be roused out of apathy and complacency. We can’t be like Pilate, and pretend that we can "wash our hands" of what is going on in the world. Too often, the choices we make have some bearing on the rest of creation, including the lives of people thousands of miles away.

May the Passion of Jesus also rouse us out of a mob mentality where people are oh so ready to attack others. Many of the same people who sang hosannas to Jesus when He entered Jerusalem cried out that He be crucified. We can be susceptible to the same thing. Here in Detroit, we are still reeling from an attack on a man who accidentally hit a young child while driving his truck. Personally, I can’t even be sure you could call it vigilante justice. It seems to me to be more of just plain mob anger at what happened to the little girl. The driver did not hit her and run, but got out of the truck to help her, and that was somehow lost on the people who attacked him. So we can’t be like the crowds, either.

The founder of the Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross, had a motto that has stayed with us Passionists throughout the centuries: "May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!" May the Passion, and the great love which it represents enter more deeply into our hearts, and rouse us out of weariness and fear and despair and complacency and anger, and move us to love and peace and justice.

Have a Blessed Holy Week!

 

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

Tuesday of Holy Week

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
John 13:1-33, 36-38

Reflection:

Jesus had just washed the feet of his apostles and takes his place again at the table. No doubt that action had deeply impressed these men who had followed him for three years.   Looking at him they could see a seriousness and almost a pain in the Master’s face. Maybe Jesus even let out a sigh as he speaks the fateful words: "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."  There it is. They look at one another. Who can be the betrayer?  Then Jesus does a most intimate gesture. He takes a morsel of food, dips it in the sauce, and hands it to Judas.  Taking the morsel from Jesus, Judas looks into his eyes and realizes that Jesus knows who it is. It’s me!  What is he saying? "Do it quickly." 

Judas rises from the table and goes out into the night.

Immediately Jesus begins to speak of his "glorification" that is beginning and of his going away. This leads Peter to proclaim that he will follow Jesus anywhere, even to laying down his life for him. In the final irony of this scene Jesus answers: "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times!"

In these days of Holy Week every Christian is confronted with their faithfulness to the Lord. The sin of Judas seems so deep. "Satan entered him."  So complete is Judas separation from Jesus that in despair he will end his life by hanging himself.  The sin of Peter, caught by fear, "I do not know the man!" is more understandable, more like our own sins. Who of us has not denied the Lord by our actions?  We thank the Lord for the sacrament of Reconciliation.   

 

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

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Jeremiah 20:10-13
John 10:31-42

Reflection:

"This is who I am," Jesus tells the Jewish leaders repeatedly.  Look at my works, he says.  Hear my preaching, examine the scriptures.  All testify to my identity, Jesus says.  "This is who I am," he tells them in so many words.  But they refuse listen.  They stubbornly refuse to accept Jesus for who he was.  To them, he is a blasphemer.  Jesus undoubtedly felt beaten down by their obstinacy and their threats to stone him.

Has the world ever thrown stones at you?  Despite your best work performance, the company announces that your job has been eliminated.  The world says you’re no longer needed.  Your spouse shocks you with the words "this marriage is ended."  The world says you’re no longer loved.  The doctor delivers the devastating diagnosis.  You are seriously ill and will be permanently incapacitated.  The world says you no longer serve a useful function in your family or community.

The world takes pleasure in telling us who we are.  Too often we’re taken in by its pronouncements.  We allow ourselves to be shaped by the world’s shallow values.

What did Jesus do in this circumstance?  He returned to the Jordan, to the place where John baptized him.  He went there to be refreshed, to be nourished.  It was there his father thundered from the heavens words the whole world could hear: "This is my son, and I am proud of him!"  Jesus remembered: "This is who I am."

Like Jesus, we too, need to visit our baptismal place to be re-affirmed in our own true identity.  It was at our baptism that we became sons and daughters of God.  It is there we are reminded that we were created in the image and likeness of God, rooted in his identity.  And because of that foundational truth, we are imbued with dignity and respect.  Our transcendent value is able to withstand any stones the world can hurl at us.  The day we were baptized God thundered from heaven for all to hear: "This is my son.  This is my daughter.  And I am proud of them!"

Here at the Jordan, we remember: "This is who I am."

 

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

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:21-28
John 11:45-56

Reflection:

The drumbeat of execution heightens the tension as the Gospel reveals a plot by the religious authorities to kill Jesus. With the feast of Passover approaching, many people from the countryside are coming to Jerusalem with the hope of getting a glimpse of this now-famous prophet. "Will he come or not?"

The religious authorities are threatened by Jesus’ popularity and afraid his appearance at Passover might translate into more people believing in him. They call a meeting to decide what to do. The only solution, they reasoned, was to bring about his death. Caiaphas, the high priest that year, sums up the situation: "It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish."

How come tolerance is so difficult? Even though love and kindness are beautiful ideas that we want to embrace, we live in a broken world and are often trapped spinning in our isolation, our anger, and our fear.

Christopher de Vinck, in his book The Power of the Powerless, tells a story.

One spring afternoon my five-year-old son, David, and I were planting raspberry bushes along the side of the garage…. A neighbor joined us for a few moments…. David pointed to the ground… "Look Daddy, What’s that?" I stopped talking with my neighbor and looked down.

"A beetle," I said.

David was impressed and pleased with the discovery of this fancy colorful creature. My neighbor lifted his foot and stepped on the insect giving his shoe an extra twist in the dirt. "That ought to do it,’ he laughed.

David looked up at me, waiting for an explanation, a reason…. That night, just before I turned off the light in his bedroom, David whispered, "I liked that beetle, Daddy."

"I did too," I whispered back.

The author concludes the story with a reminder: "We have the power to choose."

So true – we have the power to respond to every person and every living being that we encounter. Sometimes our feet are quicker than our hearts.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, Kentucky. See his website: http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/

 

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
John 8:31-42

 

 

Reflection:

The Struggle to Believe

Our Gospel setting is the feast of Tabernacles. In the background are the symbols used for the feast – water, light and the temple. Jesus offers us the water of life; he is the light of the world. There is ceremony described as part of the Feast of Tabernacles where the priests take their place outside the temple before sunrise. They face the east and as the sun appears before the horizon they turn to face the temple. Their prayer recalls that in the past the people turned their back on the temple and faced the sun and worshiped it. But now their eyes are fixed upon the Temple.

The fight between Jesus and the "the Jews who believed in Him" is fierce. We can imagine the disputants, faces distorted with anger, yelling and shaking their heads,  agitatedly arguing with Jesus. And these are the Jews who believe in him! They say they are Abraham’s children, but Jesus challenges them. The children of Abraham would not reject him and plan to do violence against him. Jesus says to them, you are indeed doing the work of your father. They protest that God Himself is their father. But if God were your father, you would love me for I came forth from God and am here….it was He who sent me. Children of the same Father love one another. Such hatred shows that Jesus and the Jews cannot be children of the same Father.

When Jesus left and the force of the argument subsided, did those who heard Jesus ponder his words?

Like the three young men of our reading from the Book of Daniel, those arguing with Jesus must have felt great loyalty to God and reverence for their heritage from Abraham.

The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the Exodus and the Covenant and on this feast Jesus is challenging them, revealing to them the Father’s love in a new way.

Like our Lenten journey this journey to faith in Jesus is not an easy one as John shows us.

We move to the Book of Glory where the great sign that will help us believe in Jesus will take place That sign will give meaning to these words of Jesus.

For those celebrating Tabernacles, perhaps for many involved in today argument, they would in their near future see Jesus also as the New Temple to whom they would turn and face, the one worthy of our worship.

Perhaps Psalm 84, a psalm of pilgrimage that praises God who welcomes us to His Temple, may move us in prayer as our Lenten pilgrimage continues? The people who argued with Jesus needed rest and peace as they labor in coming to faith in Jesus who is the Temple. We do too. 

‘How lovely is your dwelling place Lord of Hosts! My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The sparrow has found its home at last, the swallow a nest for its young. A single day in your courts is worth more than a thousand elsewhere; merely to stand on the steps of God’s house is better than living with the wicked. O God, happy those who put their trust in you!

 

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

 

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Numbers 21:4-9
John 8:21-30

Reflection:

One of my all-time favorite hymns is "Lift High the Cross."  I think it defines our role as Christians.   In our secular world, to hold sacred – to hold up, anything like suffering or death seems ridiculous.  We are all about avoiding pain; when we hear of suffering in our world, our inclination is to find a cure, to make it stop, and if we can’t then to turn away (albeit sometimes with guilt).  And certainly whether it is a nation torn by war, the victim of gun violence, or a man dying on a Cross, we rightly reject and with disdain look away from the violence.   But for us, as Christians, it all changes with the end of that opening line in the hymn: "…  the love of God proclaim" – then it makes sense.  It’s not just about dying on the Cross; it’s about the love of God.  Today’s readings are about this gift of the Cross.  We see Moses, ever the intercessor for the people,  pray to the Lord for the people to be saved.  Jesus, our ultimate intercessor, will carry Moses prayer further becoming a living sacrifice for us.  In the first reading from Numbers, God tells Moses to place a bronze serpent on a pole and when the people gaze upon the serpent, they will be healed.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us when he is lifted up, we will know who he is.  And when we gaze upon the Cross, recognizing the Son of God, we will be healed.

This is the special teaching, the gift, of the Passionists.  Gazing upon the horror of the Cross means nothing if we don’t remember always that this is the great message of love.  The great gift of the Passion and Death only exists when we recognize that Jesus died because of His love for us.  So for us it is with great anticipation that we approach Holy Week, that we look forward to again hearing the story of the Passion, to recounting the Last Supper, to celebrating Good Friday when we relive Jesus gift of the Cross to us and finally to experience the joy the Resurrection when we rise with Jesus to new life. 

This coming week, from Palm Sunday to the Triduum, we have the opportunity to let the world know why we celebrate the Cross.  Don’t miss this chance to let those around you know what we are celebrating.  As Christians, this is our week, this is our story, and this is our time to share the message – to let the world know we fast, we pray, we emphasize the spiritual because we believe in Jesus’ love for us. 

We are Christians, let us lift high the Cross and proclaim the love of Christ!

 

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

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
John 8:1-11

Scripture:

It’s so easy to be judge, jury and executioner, especially if you find yourself in a position of authority. I’m a retired teacher and I like to tell you of the times I made wise decisions and helped my students grow. I’m not too quick to tell you about the times I blew it. And there were many. I am shamed by these times and wish to forget them and hope no one ever finds out about them.

Last night I saw the powerfully moving movie Cesar Chavez. Having grown up in the 60’s I remember hearing about Chavez, and The United Farm Workers. I even remember not buying grapes, the non-violent means Chavez used to bring the growers to the table to work out a just wage for his Union. I didn’t know all the details, the struggles and pain on the part of workers and growers as well.

Daniel is such a great judge in our first reading today. My name is Daniel. I am moved by injustices when I see them, but like the growers, I make mistakes and need to recognize those before I’ll come to the table. Today’s psalm helps me remember. I need to say it often.

"Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage." Psalm 23:4

 

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

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:12-14
Romans 8: 8-11
John 11:1-45

Reflection:

Ten more days and we will enter Holy Week. Lent is quickly come to an end. You began Lent with great expectations, a list of disciplines to perform and devotions to fulfill. And now you find these promises have not been accomplished.  If you are terribly disappointed with yourself and feel like a complete failure, today’s Gospel is for you. Our Lenten journey leads us to the Risen Christ, and a top pathway to get there is through personal failure. In failure we discover that it is not about our powers but about the power of the resurrection.

First, notice that Jesus wept. When I was in the seminary, I attended a wake service that one of our Passionist priests was leading. As he spoke to the family, who had unexpectedly lost their father, he choked up, paused and took a deep breath; then he continued. There were tears rolling down his cheeks. At first I was embarrassed for him. But on second reflection, I knew the tears were a sign of his humanity and his empathy with the profound sorrow of the family. When people are in grief, they don’t need theological pronouncements. They just want us to come and love them and maybe even cry with them. Jesus wept with the Martha and Mary, their family and friends. Jesus felt the pain of the sisters in the loss of their brother. Jesus loves us in our failures; he walks through the valley with us and loves us through the valley of loss, confusion, failure, etc.

Jesus raised Lazarus. "Jesus performed no funerals, only resurrections," wrote a popular writer, Brett Blair. Jesus speaks the name of the dead man. Jesus will speak your name. He has a resurrection for you. He wants to bring you out of the tomb of failure. He will give you a new start and new life.

Finally, Jesus included other people. Jesus turns to the family and friends and says, "Take away the stone," and "Unbind him and let him go." Jesus knows how important it is to have family and friends helping us, supporting us, surrounding us with love.

Do we feel that our Lenten journey has failed? This is not necessarily a bad place to be. Ezekiel reminds us of God’s words, "I will put my spirit in you that you may live." Jesus felt the pain of those he loved and he still does. Jesus raised people up and he still does. He includes others in the healing process, and he still does. This is the Good News of Easter; Christ is risen and shares his resurrection with us today.

Let us pray for those killed and injured at Ft. Hood. May Jesus bless them with our love and prayers.

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.