Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Luke 4:16-30

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel passage is the rather rich and dramatic reading which incorporates Jesus’ proclamation of the fulfillment of the Isaiah passage he has chosen to read in the synagogue of Nazareth, the positive response of the people, the transition to doubt and anger, and finally, the turning against Jesus and seeking to do him bodily harm.

One is tempted to think, "Why didn’t Jesus leave well-enough, alone?"  He had held up the mission proclaimed by Isaiah as having reached the time of fulfillment.  The people "all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth."

Instead of building on the popularity that he had generated for himself, he goes on to accuse them of selfishness ("Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.").  He replies that in the time of Elijah the Prophet, God favored the poor and needy who were in Sidon and Syria, rather than the Chosen people of Israel, thus reminding them in one utterance of God’s compassionate generosity to all people, and the low ranking of their town and its synagogue compared with the magnificent architecture in Capernaum.

It is no surprise, then, that "they rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill…to hurl him down headlong."

It is a familiar lesson that comes from today’s gospel passage.  The Church is a revelation to all peoples of the compassionate goodness of God.  The Church reveals God’s saving action in Jesus Christ as intended to reach all people.  But not "all people" can welcome that message.  We prefer that God build up in our lives the evidence of our spiritual superiority, our spiritual strength, and our proximity to the Kingdom.  We might even suffer from a spiritual jealousy of those who seem to have more than we have been allotted by the providence of God. 

Taking a cue from the Gospel of the 22nd Sunday (C), let us remember that wonderful Christian virtue we call "humility".  In a modern definition of that virtue, we believe that to be humble is to "see ourselves as God sees us."  God sees the divine image in us; God sees the life of one for whom his Son, Jesus, gave his life; God sees every effort we’ve made to be open and attentive to the Spirit of God; and God sees all of our sinfulness, and loves us still.

 

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

Scripture:

Sirach  3:17, 20, 28-29
Hebrews  12:18-19, 22-24a
Luke  4:1, 7-14

Reflection:

The readings today emphasize what has traditionally been called almsgiving -the giving of alms to the poor and needy.  They step by step lead us to the call to follow Christ in his great love for the poor and his mission to go about doing good to them and for them.

The first reading from Sirach opens by calling us to be humble, advising us to humble ourselves and listen carefully to the wise.  Sirach ends with a proverb: "alms atone for sins."

The psalm invites us then to see and praise God’s glory.  That glory is our heavenly Father’s great love and care for the poor, illustrated by each succeeding stanza.  And we reply with the refrain, "God in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor."

The second reading, the letter to the Hebrews, moves us into the new testament.  God in his goodness fulfilled his former covenant by sending us his son, who  now  mediates  a new covenant which he made by shedding his own blood.

The Gospel then shows us that mediator in person, the model of this new covenant: Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, teaching us to think not about satisfying and rewarding ourselves here on earth, but to go out to "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; – blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you."

In reflecting on these readings, I am constantly reminded of a saying of St. Teresa of Avila:

          "Christ has no body now but yours.
           No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
           Your eyes are the eyes through which
           Christ looks compassion into the world.
           Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good.
           Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world."

Christ, feeding me with himself in this Eucharist, sends me forth to be him – goes with me to make me him in his love and devotion to the poor, in his own giving of alms.  How well do I really let him act and show himself through me – through my hands and feet, my giving and caring?

I am called back to the proverb of Sirach: "alms atone for sins."

 

Br. Peter A. Fitzpatrick, CFX, a Xaverian Brother, is a Passionist Associate at Ryken House, across the creek from the Passionist Monastery, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4: 9-11
Matthew 25: 14-30

Reflection:

"..Well done, my good and faithful servant.  Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.  Come, share your master’s joy…."

The parables of Jesus not only help us to learn more about God’s Kingdom, but they also provide us with some insights that help us to move more effectively along that road to the Kingdom. These parables continue to have relevance in our lives today.

The message of today’s gospel parable is simply this: the Christian is a person who must put himself or herself at risk. We are asked to become risk takers.  The master gives money to two of the servants, they put the money to work, make a profit and make their master happy. These two individuals took risks.

It’s precisely this willingness to take risks that the master finds lacking in the third servant.  "You did not put the money to work because you were afraid you might lose it. Because of your fear, I received no profit. Now you will lose everything." 

Why must a Christian put himself/herself at risk?  At the heart of Christianity is Christ’s commandment to love God and love people. Is that command risky?  Indeed !!  This will very often mean; "take up your cross, die to yourself, live by Christian values and follow me." The demands of being a Christian can be very challenging.

Jesus’ parable is, of course, about what we do with all that God has given us.  "How are we managing our gifts and talents?" 

God has given everyone an abundance of gifts and talents. The gifts we have received are to be developed. The gift is the potential and our development of this potential brings about fulfillment of the gift.

 I suspect that fear is the reason that many are reluctant to use their gifts or talents. Some may believe they have few, if any, talents that God would want to use.

God is accustomed to working miracles with "one talent people" who have enough faith in God and in themselves to do significant things. Remove the haloes from these heroes and saints of the past and let’s take a good look at them.

Moses was a man who had murdered an Egyptian. James and John were self-absorbed fishermen who tried to badger Jesus into giving them special seats in heaven. Peter was impulsive and widely known for making promises he could not keep. Paul was an unimpressive Pharisee determined to persecute every Christian that crossed his path. These were "one talent individuals" whom God took and twisted their talent into something incredibly significant…and today we call them saints!

The choice before us is one of being a reluctant servant or a risky servant!

God’s biggest challenge is not with big, important people…there are only a few of them in the world. No, God’s biggest challenge is with all of us "one talent" types who believe that no matter what we do it won’t make much difference.

There is great joy in developing and using our gifts and talents in a lifelong partnership with the One who created us, and God continues to use "ordinary" people to do "extraordinary" things!!

 

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 1:17-19
Mark 6:17-29

Reflection:

John the Baptist stood out in a crowd. At the least today he would be arrested for disturbing the peace; at the most he would be sent to Guantanamo for an extended and quiet stay! In any case, John the Baptist knew how to "press all the right buttons" to get a severe reaction from King Herod’s wife. As we remember the death of this disconcerting prophet, we remember our own Christian responsibility to "speak the truth to power".

How many times have we heard sermons urging us to be "prophetic" in our words and actions? Yet in my own life, my preaching (with both words and actions), seems more like a whisper than the full-throated, castle-rocking, King-challenging screams of truth from John the Baptist! I can only guess at the number of homilies urging me to be bolder with my life, perhaps actually living the message given to me at my Confirmation, to be a soldier of Christ even when it hurts.

Being bold with our faith comes with a price. Like John the Baptist, preaching truth and compassion in a self-centered culture will bring down a world of hurt on the preacher. Obviously, I am not there yet. I stay safely in the middle of the pack, living comfortably and safe while so many people suffer at the foot of the Cross.

So my reflection today takes me back to the foot of the Cross, gathering there with all who suffer. At the Cross I pray for the faith of John the Baptist, the faith to proclaim God’s love for all in a way that "stirs the pot", or as our new Pontiff puts it, to "go into the streets and make a mess". I ask God to open my heart to a new reality; a crucified reality where deep love and vulnerability combine to produce true faith.

 

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family who volunteers at the Passionist Assisted Living Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Matthew 23:27-32

Reflection:

In Matthew Chapter V we are given the seven beatitudes.  In today’s Gospel, Matthew Chapter XXIII Matthew gives us the seven woes.  Basically, what Jesus is upset about is that the Scribes and Pharisees, who should know the importance of the Law and the Prophets, seem to have failed to understand their message.  The Scribes and Pharisees  have put so much emphasis on externals that they have neglected what is most important the message of the Law and the Prophets, that is one’s internal disposition or    interior values are what is most important.

Jeremiah 2:4 says that it took the Babylonian Captivity for Israel to understand their identity, meaning and purpose.  They had to lose everything before they came to understand God and the world as God’s creation.  They had worshiped worthless idols and in doing so became worthless themselves.  Even their rigorous religious mandates, their externals got in the way of authentic religious worship.  In other words for them things  became more important than people.

Karl Jung says that happiness cannot be pursued, it is ensured.  He also says that after thirty-five years of age all questions are religious questions regardless of culture or status.  The wisdom of the ancients says that identity, meaning, and happiness are discovered not purchased.  So all the external rituals in the world will not make us happy or holy.  Genuine happiness or holiness is a question of loving God.  The way we can measure that holiness or love of God is answered by the question:  "How much do we love our neighbor."

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P. is the archivist at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.                          

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:18-21
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30

Reflection:

"Endure your trials as ‘discipline.’" Hebrews 12: 7a

We know that discipline is good for us. We need to discipline ourselves in many areas to live the abundant life Jesus wants for us. Just as children need discipline to grow and mature, we too need discipline to have balance in our lives and to continue to grow and change. Our second reading today asks us to look at our trials as a form of discipline and to see them in a positive way.

I facilitate a group of women twice a month called "God’s Girls." We start by coming into the Lord’s presence singing praise and worship songs. Next we have an opening prayer, where we thank God and invite the Holy Spirit to teach us and bless our time together. Then we do our lesson for the week, which comes from a bible study or one of Fr. Cedric’s books. We close by having a time of intercessory prayer and one or two more songs. This group is so life-giving – we pray together, cry together, and laugh a lot!

Our meeting was last night, and in the summer we study the readings for the upcoming Sunday, so it just happened to be the readings that my reflection is based on this month. I asked them to share some examples of trials in their lives that have resulted in blessings and growth. One woman shared that people going through a life-threatening illness learn to appreciate the gift of each day. They don’t "sweat the small stuff" and they are able to focus on what’s really important. She talked about sitting with her mother who was fighting for her life and how she realized at that same moment other people were out there fighting about silly things rather than cherishing the gift of life.

Another shared how she learned patience as she helped her sister raise her son who has Aspergers Syndrome. A third shared how a family she knows has reconciled and found each other again because of their mother’s illness. And a fourth told us about her sister who served time in prison and after getting out went back to school and has earned two masters degrees and is now getting her PhD. She is also starting a ministry for people being released from prison to help them re-enter society. Her time in prison gave her new purpose and inspired her to help others.

Whatever our trials, we can see them as opportunities for growth and know that good can come from them.

 

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].

Scripture:

Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

Naomi said, "See now! Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god. Go back after your sister-in-law!" But Ruth said, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Ruth 1:16

This beautiful text is often used for weddings and anniversary Masses. It resonates with us because it puts into words and deeds all those feelings and sentiments that have to do with loyalty. We long to have loyal family members and loyal friends. Loyalty is such a rare experience for us. Many of us think that we are much more loyal than our family or friends. We are much quicker to remember all the times when someone, especially someone that we’ve liked very much, has been disloyal to us than the times when we have been disloyal to family and friends. I have been part of difficult conversations when someone says to another, "I was very hurt when you were disloyal to me." More often than not, the other person replies, "I wasn’t disloyal! When I said this or did that did not mean that I was disloyal. That was just the way you were interpreting it." We may not have sensed that we were causing a rupture in the relationship, but the other person certainly felt abandoned and forsaken by our words and deeds.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a loyalty test. He states it in very clear and simple language: to love God with everything we’ve got and to love our neighbors as ourselves. These two commandments are clear benchmarks of our loyalty to God. These two commandments are easy to commit to memory and easy to repeat whenever the occasion calls. However, they may not be so easy to live day in and day out, year after year. As the saying goes, easier said than done.

But this is where my struggle comes in. Many of us consider ourselves faithful Catholics, Catholics whose love for the Church and the Church’s teaching is foundational to our faith-life. I certainly do. But I am not so sure that I have always been loyal to my God and to my Church. I have the very human tendency of choosing what I like about our Catholic faith and somewhat downplaying those aspects that do not appeal to me. I may even think that there are some things that the Church may be in error about. I can easily point to history to demonstrate that truth. So, what does loyalty call me to? Is it possible for me to be loyal to a Church which makes mistakes? Is it possible that my own errors are much more plentiful than the errors made by my Church? Is my God or my Church more loyal to me than I am to my God or to my Church? These are questions I need to take to prayer frequently.

I am grateful that I believe in a God who is so much greater than I am, so much wiser, so much more forgiving, so much more understanding than I will ever be. Loyalty does not come easy to anyone of us. It is a grace that we need to pray for each morning when we get up and it is a way of life that we need to intentionally make every day of our life. We need to make our own what Ruth said so eloquently, "wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge, I will lodge!" May God hear our prayer!

 

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is stationed in San Antonio, Texas.

Memorial of Saint Monica

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 23:23-26

Reflection:

A popular book in church circles today is entitled, "REBUILT: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter." It’s the authors’ contention that many Catholic parishes that used to be vibrant faith communities are now merging or shuttered, or, at best, merely surviving on life support due to an acute problem they label "consumer culture." Consumer culture erodes the sustainability of church communities because it allows the parishioner to assume the posture of shallow commitment and the attitude of ceaseless demands. Here, the consumer is schooled in insatiability. By its very identity this culture is never satisfied, at least not for long. And by their very natures, the consumers are taught that persons consist basically of unmet needs that can be requited by commoditized goods or experiences.

Paul’s words to the church at Thessalonica ("we speak not trying to please people, but God, who judges our hearts.") or Jesus’ words to the Pharisees ("…you strain out the gnat and swallow the camel") both confront the dysfunctional culture of their day… challenging the status quo with the urgency to re-shuffle priorities.

I suppose it’s easy for the preacher or pastoral minister to blame the congregant ("culture bashing"); nevertheless, maybe we all need to submit to a kind of performance appraisal now and again. Someone once said that you can always tell a person’s priorities by gazing at their calendar and checkbook …today it might be their iPad and credit card statement!

Remember when the people suggest that John the Baptist is the promised Messiah? His words of renunciation are strong: "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  The law of gravity (wheat, because of its heavier weight, falls to the ground, while the lighter chaff blows away) reminds us that some things are heavier – weightier – than others. Jesus’ whole ministry will be centered on what theologian Diarmuid O’Murchu calls his "relationship matrix"… and far more important than paying tax on mint and cumin, or even abiding by Sabbath prescriptions is the centrality of peoplehood, relationship.        What is of greatest importance in my Catholic identity? What is my priority?

 

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.