Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Matthew 17:22-27

Reflection:

Last year at this time, we celebrated 25 years of consecrated life of three Religious Indigenous Women: Sr. Fabiana Arcos , Sr. Micaela Lopez and Sr. Marialena Mendez, from the Congregation of Eucharistic Missionaries of the Infant Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima. During one of my conversations a few days ago with Sr. Fabiana, I asked what the best thing was of celebrating 25 years of religious life. Very bluntly she answered, "I am glad that at this point of my life I can still be amazed by God." Her ministry as a religious is helping her grow, and her spiritual life is still open to the Spirit. Her routines were filled with God’s iconoclastic presence. After 25 years of consecrated life there is still more.

The imagery described in Ezekiel of the Cherubim in God’s throne speaks of God’s awesomeness that brings awe to the destiny and history of the people of Israel. The payment of the Temple Tax by Jesus speaks of God’s greatness. God reaches beyond Israel into the great human family from which people of all tongues and all nations will witness and proclaim God’s Greatness.

It is my hope that Sr. Fabiana’s experience of seeing her life and relation to God and her ministry as still having more to offer may become a reality for all followers of Jesus. May we never cease to be amazed by God’s Greatness in our life, for indeed God is great!

 

Fr. Hugo Esparza-Perez, C.P. is a Passionist of Holy Cross Province now working in Mexico with the Province of Cristo Rey.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
John 12:24-26

Reflection: 

The over-riding mentality of scarcity and competition in our society is troubling. As a nation, as companies, and too often as individuals, we assume that the only way I win is if someone else loses. The only way to get ahead is to keep someone else from doing so. The only way to have what I want is to ensure someone else doesn’t get it before me. I must put myself first because no one else will, and others are out to take me down. Admittedly, these are not unrealistic assumptions given the world we live in. Neither are they the path of discipleship.

Interestingly, there is emerging research from the secular world that promotes a different way. Wharton professor Adam Grant devoted the last decade to discovering the characteristics of people who achieve extraordinary success. Though not intended as a spiritual study, his conclusions strongly reinforce biblical values like "Sow bountifully". "God loves a cheerful giver", and "It is in giving that you receive".

Grant says there are three stances we can choose when interacting with others – takers (who seek to come out ahead, receiving more than they give), matchers (the "you owe me one" people who expect something commensurate in return), and givers (who go out of their way to help others regardless of an easily foreseeable payback.)  Counter to expectations, the most highly successful people operate as givers without thought of return.

Grant acknowledges that givers can also sink to the bottom of the pack. This occurs if they are martyrs (often wracked with insecurity) who give so much they cannot do their own work, care for themselves, or maintain focus. The key, and an overriding characteristic of those who rise to the top, is a healthy dose of self-interest combined with authentic generosity of spirit and a desire to see others succeed as well as themselves.   

Grant distilled the wisdom from these highly successful leaders into a four-step prescription for success, each of which easily translates into faith terms:

1. Recognize the full potential in people. (Acknowledge each person as a uniquely gifted child of God, expect the best of them, and help them achieve it).

2. Share your knowledge and expertise freely. (Think of your talents and knowledge as gifts meant to be used in service and shared for the common good.)

3. Communicate positively, offer gratitude, and show deep respect. (Build up the body and all its members, frequently offering thanks and reinforcing each person’s inherent God-given dignity.)

4. Identify and reward giving tendencies in performance evaluations and job interviews. (Look for and explicitly praise patterns of generosity, acting to support, promote and strengthen those patterns.)

These steps seem so simple and entirely in line with our call to discipleship. Yet in my experience, whether in churches, businesses, schools, or sports, people who live by Grant’s prescription are the exception rather than the rule.  How many parish and diocesan staffs operate thus? How many pastors and ministers have a primary concern to help others succeed? How many Christians in the pews actively seek to mentor others, helping them reach their potential regardless of personal benefit? Unfortunately, when I examine my own life I realize that I, too, fall far short of the ideal. I also realize how deeply the reign of God could penetrate our world if we collectively changed.

My prayer today is that God will crack open the hard shell of scarcity, competition, and self-centered ambition that lurks in my heart. I choose to direct my energy to generosity, sharing, nurturing, and mentoring. I pray for wisdom to determine the line between giving and martyrdom in order to care for the person God created me to be, while developing an attitude of abundance, joy, and delight in helping others recognize and fully use their talents. And as secular research reinforces the value of changing our prevailing attitudes, I pray that others will join me in this pursuit. Will you?

 

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/.

St. Edith Stein, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Matthew 16:24-28

Reflection:

Edith Stein, Carmelite sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, died on August 9, 1942 in the gas ovens of Auschwitz. A renowned scholar who studied under the founder of Phenomenology, Edmund Husserl, and who early in her career did much to teach and explain his philosophy. Edith was from a practicing Jewish family, but in 1922 became a Catholic. She did not rush to become a Catholic out of great sensitivity for her mother. Eleven years later she entered the Carmel of Cologne, Germany.

The tenor of the times as the Nazi’s grew to power deprived her of a teaching position due to her Jewish ancestry and also because she was a woman. It would seem that the world has rejected her. In the Carmel shortly before her arrest she wrote a final book, "Science of the Cross". This contemplative, soon to be martyr, embraces the Cross and in so doing would join Christ in the salvation of the world. Perhaps it is here that we would find a close association with the Passionist vocation? In an essay she writes,

The world is in flames…Are you impelled to put them out?…Do you hear the groans of the wounded on the battlefield?…You are not a physician and not a nurse and cannot bind up the wounds. You cannot get to them…[But] bound to the Crucified, you are as omnipresent as he is. You cannot just help here or there…You can be at all the fronts, wherever there is grief. Your compassionate love takes you everywhere.

[Carmelite News Vol.17, No3 http://www.baltimorecarmel.org/.  Sept-Nov 2010]

The life of this mystic explodes with meaning especially when laid against the gift of her Jewish faith with which she was born. She may well have escaped arrest had she escaped to the Carmel in Switzerland where there was room for her. She chose not to go because her sister Rosa who had joined her would not have been able to stay there. Rosa would be arrested with Edith. The words of Ruth to her mother in law Naomi fit well: Do not ask me at abandon you. Wherever you go I will go. Wherever you die I will die.

Her train passes through the transit camp of Westerbork on its way to Auschwitz on August 6. Another Jewish mystic, [Etty Hilesum, "An Interrupted Life"] who herself will follow the way of Edith and is a martyr of charity, makes mention of that mysterious train. Perhaps her religious sense is attuned to a holy woman, or like Ignatius of Antioch as he made his way to martyrdom in Rome, people were moved by grace?

When arrested Edith is supposed to have said to Rosa, "Come, Rosa, let us go for our people." Does not Edith Stein stand like Joshua whom we meet in the first reading today? Moses encourages him, "Be brave and steadfast, for you must bring this people into the land which the Lord swore their fathers he would give them; you must put them in possession of their heritage" There is something of the ‘child’ that we hear in Matthew, although we meet a brilliant, brave and self giving woman. Is she not a Good Shepherdess who resembles Jesus as his Passion approaches, who prays, ‘may they all be one Father as you and I are one’. Edith Stein draws her strength from the Cross; appearing to have been overcome by the world, in fact she  has overcome the world by making herself one with the sacrificial love of her Savior.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Numbers 20:1-13
Matthew 16:13-23

 

 

 

Reflection:

The Challenge and Reward of Discipleship

In today’s Gospel, Jesus interacts with his disciples, seeking their understanding and insight regarding His mission – and even helping them prepare for the ultimate sacrifice of His Life!  The Apostle Peter is presented as a spokesperson for the group, and his interaction with Jesus prompts Jesus to at one moment bless Peter for his statement of faith and later scold him for his limited view of Jesus’ mission.  Peter wanted to see Jesus as a powerful, prestigious Messiah…yet that was not to be.  Later, in Jesus’ Resurrection appearances, Peter made his profession of faith in Jesus and truly became the "rock" of the new Church — a model disciple.

The call of Jesus touched the heart of the 19^th century saint, St. John Mary Vianney.  He is especially known for his gracious and generous ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at his parish in Ars, France — regularly spending numerous hours sharing God’s love through the Sacrament with thousands of penitents who traveled great distances to experience those few graced moments with him.  His loving ministry flowed from an intense spiritual life based on prayer and mortification.  St. John Mary Vianney truly helped many have the "clean heart," and the joy that accompanies such a change of heart.  Recognizing his priestly zeal and deep spiritual life, Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 named him patron of priests worldwide.

Jesus and St. John Mary Vianney invite us to reflect:  How do we see the person of Jesus?  How are we helping build up the Church?  What human weakness limits our discipleship?  Have we been credible agents of Jesus’ love and forgiveness in our day and age?  Or have we been more the "grumblers" mentioned in our first reading from the Book of Numbers?  Like St. John Mary Vianney, do we zealously and tirelessly give of ourselves in service to our sisters and brothers? 

May Jesus utter his words of blessing upon each of us as we live our faith!

And, pray this day for priests — active, retired, deceased — and for those discerning a priestly or religious vocation:  for a deepening faith, and a greater love.  Together, let us build up the Church.

 

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

Scripture:

Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29a, 34-35
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that hour. Matthew 15: 28

Over a hundred years ago in the rural town of Kilmeena, near Westport, Ireland, my paternal grandparents were betrothed to two others when they talked their priest uncle into quietly marrying them. After the ceremony, they took off for England.  That night their uncle told their parents what they had done. So continued a love story and journey for them leading eventually to Chicago in 1909, eight children, 45 grandchildren and god knows how many great grandchildren.

Maria Augusta Kutschera (1905 – 1987) of Vienna, Austria-Hungary, lost her mother at the tender age of seven. At eighteen, with teaching degree in hand she entered the Nonnberg Benedictine Abbey. She had been teaching classes there when her superior asked her to teach one and then eventually all of the seven Von Trapp children who lost their mother. Maria reluctantly said yes and a strange thing happened. Maria Augusta fell in love. Her story has been immortalized in her book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (1949) that eventually led to the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s smash Broadway Musical hit Play, The Sound of Music in 1959.

While probably not as popular a story but certainly better known than that of my grandparents’, the story of the woman in today’s reading from Matthew, Chapter 15, along with the above stories of real people, tell me once again to follow my "inner voice" especially in times of doubt and uncertainty and then…wait for the miracle.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Luke 12:13-21

 

 

Reflection:

Richness in God’s Sight

Jesus’ words in the Gospel are direct and challenging:  take care against all greed…life does not consist of possessions.  He follows with the parable of the rich farmer with a bountiful harvest, tying into our human desire for security on all levels of life:  finances, independence, health, and our sense of personal value.  Oh Jesus knows us well!

We all long for security.  The rich farmer of the parable could be a farmer of 2013 growing wheat in Kansas or corn in Iowa; a bumper crop and changing market conditions force him to replace his barns and bins with bigger ones; with his crops stored he rests contentedly on a job well done…but…  Jesus reminds us all that greed and selfishness can easily slip into our way of thinking, giving us a false sense of security, even a sense of isolation – and perhaps a forgetfulness about God.

The parable may be from "back when" in Gospel times, but greed and selfishness is a distinct possibility for us today.  How many of us "need" more money, more possessions?  In our quests, we work two jobs and struggle in a competitive society…oftentimes isolating ourselves and even forgetting about others.

Saint Paul, in the second reading, reminds us to "seek what is above… think of what is above…"  That’s great advice, but we still have daily needs; the clerk at the grocery store most likely won’t accept a promise of prayer to pay for a cartload of groceries!  Saint Paul reminds us to check our attitude about life and things:  the real meaning of life is love of God, neighbor, and self; "security" is our future with God and others…in heaven.

A word comes to mind:  humility.  A realistic look at self as gifted by God, along with our personal limitations.  We know that we can’t go it alone…without God we can’t do anything and we have nothing.  Greed is "out" — and a self-less love for God and others is "in".

Today’s Scriptures challenge us to action:  a renewed sense of gratitude and generosity…an active love for God and others.  This love starts in our homes and leads us out to others in special need, including the multitudes of poor and isolated people in our day; Jesus teaches us that as Christians we can’t hide behind our full grain bins!

May this season of growth bless us with a renewed sense of humility, gratitude, and generosity. Amen!

 

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

Scripture:

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17
Matthew 14:1-12

Reflection:

Anais Nin said, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage."  If that’s the case, then John the Baptist lived a colossal life.

Nothing could hold John back.  He was fearless.  He was faithful.  He was determined.  He spoke the truth as he saw it and didn’t count the cost.  In the end, it cost him his head.                                                                                                 

The dictionary defines courage as "that quality which enables one to pursue a course deemed right, through which one may incur contempt, disapproval, or opprobrium."     

I imagine John the Baptist was a peace-loving man.  But for him it was not peace at any price.  He watched Jesus.  And he could see that to speak the truth and act out of truth often brought conflict and division.  The example of John’s courage in the gospel stiffens our own backbones for the many challenges of life.

It takes courage not only to stand up for what we believe.  It takes courage to face loneliness. It takes courage to deal with suffering.  It takes courage to admit when we are wrong and ask for forgiveness.  It takes courage to forgive even when the other is not sorry.  It takes courage to get up after we have failed.  It takes courage to love, even though we know our hearts may break again. Everybody needs courage.

Like John the Baptist, a person with faith goes to the source of courage.  If we get out of bed in the morning to face the day and we depend only upon our own wisdom, our own strength and our own cleverness, we have every reason to be afraid.  The wolves will prevail.  But if we place our lives totally in the hands of God, counting on his power and his love, we can sport a confident and unflinching smile.  With the psalmist we proclaim, "O Most High, when I am afraid, I place my trust in you." (Psalm 56:4)

 

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

Scripture:

Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

While the first reading of today’s lectionary invites us to consider the relationship for the Jewish people between God’s blessings to them and their filial response to God’s gifts in their festivals and holy days, it is the Gospel reading that sets us to ponder the mysterious ways in which the incarnation of Jesus puts the human and divine elements of Jesus’ life into an apparent opposition with one another.

We see this contraposition throughout the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ life and mission.  The divine son of God is born into a poor family, to a tradesman and his young wife.  The first years of his life are lived in peril of death and in a forced exile.

Jesus spends the years of his adolescence and young adulthood in the relative quiet and anonymity of  Nazareth, where he is known on as the "carpenter’s son", with his mother called "Mary", and a batch of kin, some of whose names are given, "James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas".  Some of his recognized kin are women.

Then, one day in his early thirties, Jesus feels that the time has come for him to take up his divine mission, to announce in the local synagogue that the hour has come for the revelation of the nearness of the Reign of God.

These two elements of Jesus’ life, his human roots and his divine mission, will remain in contrast with one another for the remaining years of his life.  In his humanity he will experience what might call his own powerlessness. 

Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because he could not move the peoples’ hearts to conversion (Lk 19, 41-44).  Jesus wept over the tomb of Lazarus because he knew the pain of loss that he shared with Mary and Martha (John 11, 35).  Jesus knew the abandonment that followed the dispersal of his disciples after he shared with them his promise of flesh and blood as food and drink (John 6, 66).  Ultimately, Jesus came to experience the abandon and desolation of the Cross, when his humanity was being exsanguinated and suffocated on the cross (Matthew 27, 45-46). 

In today’s gospel reading, it is in the context of his human origins that his friends and neighbors doubt that this could be anyone special, or gifted, or blessed.  He is too human, especially when measured by their self-deprecating sense of selves.  They do not believe in him because they believe so little in themselves.

A lesson for us lies in the transforming experience of our baptism (Romans 6, 1-4).  Just as Jesus was raised so that his human mortality might be victorious over death (1Corinthians 15, 55-57), so do we, who are baptized into the risen Lord, no longer live with the futility of human powerlessness.  We live no longer for ourselves, but for Jesus, who lives in me.  If only the people of Nazareth had known what the world has come to recognize, that Jesus is the wisdom of God and the power of God (1Corinthians 1, 24).  He is our brother.

 

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