Daily Scripture

 

 

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:1,12-22
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

 

 

Reflection:

"…they were trying to kill Him…"

Jesus came to our world with a living message of forgiveness, unity, and unconditional love – his life a gift from God and a challenge to contemporary folks!  His preaching, teaching, signs and miracles came to be seen not as means to personal salvation but as threats to safety and status quo.  The spiritual leaders of his time felt that his death was necessary for their "safety"…and "they were trying to kill Him…"

The words of today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom support the plot against Jesus:  "…the wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright:  ‘Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the Law and charges us with violations of our training.  He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the Lord.  To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways…"  Jesus was a living challenge to the spiritual leaders in their wickedness.

We know that Jesus’ eventual death on the cross was not the end of his ministry of reconciliation and forgiveness, but his gateway to eternal life and salvation for humankind.  As one author has stated:  "Good Friday didn’t spoil the weekend…"

As disciples of Jesus "on the grow" in our Lenten journeys, we are invited to be bold in living out our faith in Jesus.  Jesus encourages us to exemplary lives of charity, patience, justice, purity, prayerfulness, and respect for life in all its forms.  We know evil does exist in our 21^st Century world, and some unbelieving folks may ridicule and challenge us for giving flesh to our Christian beliefs.  Jesus leads the way for us and supports us as we face the "consequences" of life as a 21^st Century Christian…He reaches out to us from the wooden beams of His Cross on Calvary…the "Tree of Life".

May we be blessed and encouraged – even emboldened – as we are renewed in our 21^st Century Christian discipleship!  May these final weeks of Lent 2014 be a grace-filled experience of renewal in our prayer lives and our generous witness of love and service of our sisters and brothers.

 

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

Good Friday

Scripture:

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

Reflection:

A life’s project seemingly in tatters, trapped on a cross, betrayed, beaten, abused and experiencing a most cruel death. The passion of Jesus is presented to us in today’s liturgy without censorship or apology – the evangelist does not try to soften the suffering or the pain Jesus endured.

Yet the readings of today do not merely describe the death of a good man on a cross,  they also paint a portrait of Jesus dying as he lived – with faith, with self possession, with respect for others and kind words for those who care to listen.  Indeed if we look more deeply into this portrait we also see a man who despite his suffering remained prayerful till his last breath and whose trust in his Father likewise remained unshakeably strong to the end.

Amidst his cries, his forgiving words and prayers, there is one moment when Jesus turns to the little community standing at the foot of the cross and says, "Woman behold your son… behold your mother". And the evangelist records that "from that hour the disciple took her into his home".

Today I would invite you to pause there. To meditate on the fact that Jesus directed the disciple to make a home for Mary who is also suffering this devastating loss. That concept – of making a home for another who is grieving or who experiences suffering in broader ways, may be one of the fundamental lessons we can draw from Our Lord’s passion.

Those who stood with Jesus at the cross could not change or affect the outcome, but with faith and love they could be strong and supportive for each other. We too, so often stand with or besides those who suffer – the friend whose partner is ill, the parent sick with worry for their child, the friend who is rejected in love and doesn’t believe in themselves any longer, the fellow student or colleague who is dealing with a crushing blow to their study or career hopes or to their financial security. We too are often powerless to change their situations, but perhaps we are able to ‘make a home’ for them in their time of their suffering.

In such a context creating ‘a home’ for another could mean many things – to call them, to be present to them, simply being there to listen and to respond with a quiet word of assurance when its needed and silence when its appropriate. Making a home for another is doing all and everything that helps a person to know and feel that they are not alone in that dark place with their pain. In fact I think that the love that creates a ‘home’ for the other, that gives them a moment of peace or engenders a little hope also creates just enough space for God’s Spirit to find a way through their pain and into a person’s deeper self. In and through the ‘home’ we’ve provided (the human touch), I believe that the Spirit of God can build upon the foundations we lay to begin the often long process of healing.

Even with the deepest faith and trust, we will not overcome some sufferings and will not eradicate all evil – but we can follow the sign that Jesus left us from the cross and practice a strategy that can truly be termed a Christ-inspired response to the suffering of another. Every disciple has the capacity to make a ‘home’ for the one who is suffering; and the inspiring words of the dying Jesus invite us to do just that for those whose lives we are able to touch.

May the Passion of Jesus be always in our hearts and may our hearts always respond in a Christ-like way to the sufferings of others.

 

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is a member of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.  He currently serves on the General Council and is stationed in Rome.

 

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

Reflection:

Today’s gospel is unusual in that Jesus never appears, except as the subject of someone else’s discussion. And yet something he says a few verses earlier sums up this entire reading: "Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."

It has been said that there are three ways of knowledge. The first is through our heads. These days we are taught that this is the highest form of knowledge. Rational thought is well disposed to comparing, contrasting, weighing, and judging. All of our science is performed through this method of knowledge. If you can’t make a rational, head-centered argument for your case, it is often dismissed as irrelevant.

The second way of knowledge is through the heart. This center leads you forward emotionally towards something you feel empathy for. This is the source of much of what passes for dialogue these days. You only need to turn the television on to any of the news "discussion" shows to see people shouting at each other, trying to make their arguments prevail through force of will.

The third way of knowledge comes from the "gut." This is called intuition. It is from here that we often can find information that is not readily available to our rational heads or charged with the fiery feelings of the heart. This is the source of impulses and half-formed thoughts that can come to us in dreams or while "wool gathering."

And yet, to properly "judge justly," we need to use all three forms of knowledge. In the Gospel reading we see each one of these used separately as if it contained all knowledge.

The crowd is lead by it’s heart, one side for Jesus, the other side against. They stand in the marketplace shouting at each other they make trying to convince the other side that they are right. The Pharisees call them accursed, spurning their way of coming to judgement. The Pharisees use their heads. They go back to their law books, to their scriptures, and search in vain for the correct rule to apply to this situation. Obviously, Jesus has no value because he comes from Galilee and they can find no scripture that says anything good comes from Galilee. The guards are in confusion because they intuit that there is something here that is good, but they’re confused by the orders they’ve been given and the shouting of the crowd.

Only Nicodemus, who previously visited Jesus, proposes the correct approach. ‘Let us bring him in and question him.’ Earlier, Nicodemus’ heart led him to Jesus to find out what He was about. But his rational mind became stuck on the notion of being born again. His intuition, however, tells him that there is something of value here, something to be examined.

In my own life, I’m often tempted to use only one of these three ways of knowledge. I want to rush quickly after what my heart desires or find the right rule or previous response so that I don’t have to think about what a situation calls for, or I often stumble about, not sure what action to take because I feel underneath it all there’s information that I’m missing.

This Gospel shows us that when we are confronted with decisions we may be in a period of discernment. There may not be a quick answer readily available to us. But as Jesus advise, if we take the time to "judge justly quote," we can listen to our heart, our head, and our ‘gut’, we may then be able to prayerfully dicer God speaking to us.

I pray today that I am able to listen to God in whatever way He is speaking to me and to correctly judge and perform His will.

 

Talib Huff is a volunteer and presenter at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Exodus 32:7-14
John 5:31-47

Reflection:

"Then he spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, his chosen one, withstood him in the breach to turn back his destructive wrath." Psalms 106:23

Our prayers matter! Sometimes we think God doesn’t hear our prayers, because He doesn’t answer the way we would like. But that shouldn’t stop us from praying – especially for others. Intercessory prayer is such a privilege and so important! Sometimes we are the only one who sees a person in need, and if we don’t pray for them, who will? Don’t ever feel bad that "all you can do is pray." Praying is probably the best thing you can do!

I love this story in Exodus, because we see Moses reasoning with God, standing in the gap for his disobedient people and God actually changing his mind! . "So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people." Exodus 32: 14

We may grow weary of praying for a brother-in-law who can’t seem to quit drinking, or for a child who has wandered from the faith. But don’t give up! Our persistent, faithful prayers will make a difference. We have the good example of St. Monica to encourage us and countless others who have stood in the gap, interceding when there seemed to be no hope.

I want to encourage you today to keep on praying for all those who need your prayers. Especially for those who seem to have lost their way. We may be the one who helps them get to heaven!

 

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].

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:8-15

Gospel: John 5:17-30

Reflection:

Today’s readings ask us to remember that our relationship with God has been revealed as a bond as close as that of a mother and her children (Isaiah), or a parent and child (John). 

Since we are past the midway point in this season of Lent, our consideration of this close relationship with our God and creator could help us to prepare for the final weeks of Lent and the Liturgical celebration of the saving Sacrifice of Jesus prior to his Resurrection.

Because we chose to belong to the Body of Christ, affirming our Baptism, and nourishing our Christian life through the Sacraments, we are members of a relationship that not only includes the Trinity of God, but also the Body of Christ.  Baptism, and the Sacraments that follow it, are the work of the Holy Spirit of God acting through the Church.  By these Sacraments we renew and nourish our life in the hands of God.

Lent is traditionally a time of penance and sacrifice, fasting and almsgiving, but for those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil this is a season of anticipation, thanksgiving and commitment.  Those of us who have lived many years, if not a lifetime, of the Sacramental life of the Church, should join with our brothers and sisters by renewing our decision to live in the body of Christ, in the Church.

The words in Isaiah, then, can be our words:

"Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted."

Even though our lives may have passed through periods of sadness, loss, or failure, and we have cried out even as Zion did:

"The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."

Nevertheless, in the rhetorical question and its concluding affirmation…

"Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you"

…we hear God’s reassurance to each of us that no matter the course our lives take, no matter how much circumstances in life may make us feel abandoned by the loving providence of our God, God will never forget any one of us.

The New Testament, in today’s passage from John’s 5^th Chapter, puts the stamp of the Christian Community’s faith in the affirmation Jesus makes that not only will the committed believer be delivered from ultimate condemnation, but has already passed from death to life.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life."

Let us add this reflection to our Lenten devotions and prayers.  Let us give thanks to God for the unbounded love and fidelity of God to each one of us who continue on our Lenten journey toward the Easter passage from death to life.

 

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

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
John 5:1-16

Reflection:

Water floods through the readings for today.   The first reading from Ezekiel 47 is the famous vision that Ezekiel has about water flowing from the Jerusalem Temple and transforming the desert into abundant life.  Anyone familiar with the terrain of Jerusalem and the nearby Judean desert can follow exactly this dream sequence which an angel shows to the prophet.  Water starts to flow from underneath the great temple and as it surges forward begins to course down the Kidron valley to the east and then down the Wadi Qelt, the deep canyon that runs down to the floor of the rift valley and the Dead Sea-the lowest point on earth-and beyond that through the long stretch of dry land between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, a section of land still called the Arava, or "dry land."  Wherever this new river flows, life bursts into bloom-trees and fruit and fish and great abundance!   The point of the dream could not be clearer: God is the source of life and can transform the most arid and abject terrain into a landscape of lush new life.

Water plays a role in the gospel for today, too-John’s intriguing account in chapter 5 of his Gospel about the sick man who has tried to get down to wash in the healing pools of Bethesda for thirty-eight years but always misses out at the last minute when someone gets to the waters ahead of him!  You can still visit these pools at St. Anne’s shrine in Jerusalem.  They were apparently part of a healing shrine dedicated to the healer God Asclepius, a popular cult at the time of Jesus (what is amazing is that this pagan shrine was only a stone’s throw from the site of the Jerusalem temple!).  I have visited here many times with groups of people with disabilities and they always laugh when they hear this story and they understand Jesus’ question to the sick man: "Do you want to be cured?"  They recognize what John’s story seems to imply-that this man was passive about his need to be healed and made only a half-hearted attempt to change his way of life.  Later this same man reports Jesus to the authorities who begin to hound Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.

What can these two Scripture readings suggest to us in this Lenten season?  God’s grace and healing waters are lavish and available to us-more than we can imagine.  And God’s redeeming love can transform what seems like a dry and lifeless desert into a river of new life-this is the fundamental Easter message.  But it is also important that we open our hearts to receive this abundant mercy and trust that we can be transformed.

 

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.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41

 

 

Reflection:

Our gospel today is about the cure of the blind man.  We might think, "Well, that doesn’t apply to me.  I can see."  But can we?  Blindness can be more than a physical affliction.

We may be blinded by prejudice, and fail to see the beauty of each human person.  We may be blinded by a sense of self-importance, and fail to appreciate the uniqueness of others.  We may be blinded by unforgiveness, and fail to see the way to peace.

We may be blinded by our desires for comfort and security, and fail to see the needs of others.  We may be blinded by fear, and fail to see the possibilities life holds out for us.  We may be blinded by self-pity, and fail to see our own inner beauty.

We beg, "Lord, remove our blindness. We want to see."  

Give us eyes of wonder to see the beauty of creation.  Give us eyes of courage to see our way through trials and difficulties.  Give us eyes of compassion to see new ways of helping.  Give us eyes of hope to see our potential.  And give us eyes of wisdom to see how short life is, and how great is the importance of each person in each day.     

God the Father is shouting out his love through the beauty of creation, but often we don’t see it.  Jesus is living in the poor, but often we don’t recognize Him.  God the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, but often we aren’t aware of Him.

The Little Prince said to the Fox. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly."  May the Lord grant eyes to our hearts, so that me may live as children of love and be a radiant image of the Lord.

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture:      
Isaiah 65: 17-21
 John 4: 43-54

Reflection:

"…there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create: For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight…"    Isaiah 65: 18

There was a period in my life, many years ago, when I spent a great deal of time and energy feeling sorry for myself because I was focused mostly on all of the material things that I didn’t have… things that I believed would bring happiness and joy to my life (a better job, a bigger house, more money…you know the drill !!).  One day I saw a poster that changed my way of thinking.  It was a cartoon character of a man wearing only a barrel, held up by shoulder straps, and the words underneath said…."Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have." 

This poster helped me to begin my journey of developing an attitude of gratitude that has brought much happiness and joy to my life. The words on the poster suggested that I begin to look at what I’ve been given…the many blessings that God had placed in my life (a loving wife, a beautiful family, good health, a growing relationship with God…you know the drill!!).  Trying to live in the gift of the present moment today helps me to continually see new blessings…new gifts that God places in my life.

In the Gospel story today, John tells us that Jesus had come back to Cana in Galilee. Cana is the place where Jesus performed His first miracle when He turned water into wine at the wedding feast (He certainly brought joy to that couple !!). Now, back in Cana again, He is approached by a Roman official who begs Jesus to come to his home and cure his son who is very ill.  Jesus states "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe." Then Jesus says to the official, "You may go; your son will live."  This man of great faith believes the words of Jesus and heads for home.  He is met on the way by his servant who tells him that the fever left his son about the time Jesus spoke his words of healing.  Joy and happiness certainly followed since "…he and his whole household came to believe."

Still today, I often need a "check up from the neck up" to remind me where to keep my focus and to be reminded that God, indeed, wants each of us to be happy, joyous and free.

 

Deacon Brian Clements is a retired member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California