Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Sirach 1:1-10
Mark 9:14-29

Reflection:

Are you one of those people who find it very easy to identify with the father described in the Gospel?  I surely am.  He’s clearly desperate in trying to find a way to help his young son.  As today’s Gospel begins we find the father arguing with the disciples.  He’s arguing with them because he had brought his son to them for a cure but they were unable to cast out the mute spirit.  I wonder what he was telling those disciples?  Perhaps he was abrading them because they’d failed to heal his son and was trying to persuade them to "try harder."  Or, maybe he was calling them fakes and phonies because they’d promised so much but had delivered so little.  Whatever the topic of the "arguing," you can hear his fear and discouragement in his dialogue with Jesus.  Jesus tells him that everything is possible for one who has faith.  The father desperately cries out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"  He wants to believe with all his heart, but is struggling with all his previously dashed hopes.  But, his prayer for belief is enough for Jesus who then casts out the mute spirit from the boy.

When things settle down, the disciples ask Jesus how he was able to cast out the mute spirit when they had failed so miserably in their attempts.  Jesus responds, "This kind can only come out through prayer."  Jesus never makes clear whether it was his prayer or the young man’s father’s prayer that accomplished the miracle.

It’s easy for me to identify with the father in this story because there are so many situations in my life that I know would be better if only I had enough faith.  It’s fairly easy to become discouraged, even overwhelmed, by personal failures or dashed hopes.  Yet, Jesus shows such great compassion to this worried father, who didn’t feel he had enough faith.  Jesus, help us believe in you and trust that you will give us what we need in spite of our lack of faith.

 

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of the Development Office for Holy Cross Province and is stationed at Immaculate Conception Community in Chicago.

Pentecost Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17
John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26

Reflection:

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2:3-4)

Today the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday. It is a very special day for Catholics and we honor this day with great solemnity and festivity.

We often call this feast day the "birthday of the Church." We do so with good reason. This is the day when the disciples of Jesus took on a new life, a new identity. It was a turning point for them. In dramatic fashion, they received the Spirit of Jesus and there was no turning back. They came into the world fully alive with the Spirit of Jesus.

The Church is no stranger to dramatic events. Each Divine Mystery unfolds in a dramatic way, and changes our lives forever. The Incarnation is celebrated through the Christmas narrative and peaks at the moment when Jesus is born in a stable of poor parents, surrounded only by Angels and outcasts, the shepherds of the field. The Passion story cumulates with the Crucifixion of Jesus, dying outside the city, rejected by everyone except his most faithful disciples. The Resurrection accounts have Jesus appearing to his disciples in dramatic ways that leaves them both joyful but anxious. The climax of these appearances is the Ascension of Jesus, when He is taken up to heaven, leaving the disciples longing for the days when Jesus walked with them in Israel.

With the feast of Pentecost, the central focus of the previous feast days changes dramatically. The focus is no longer on one person (that of Jesus) but on the entire community. St. Luke begins his account in the Acts of the Apostles by saying that "they were all in one place together." By the time Jesus ascended into Heaven, the disciples and all of his followers had resolved their differences with one another. Thomas no longer doubted. The disciples on the way to Emmaus had rejoined the community. The tensions between Peter and John were resolved. But they were not yet a community, a Church.

The Holy Spirit descended upon them, not as individuals, but as a Church. This is the basic teaching of this feast day. From then on, it was the Church community that continued the mission of Jesus and individuals became indispensible members of the one Body of Christ, as St. Paul so beautifully states in the Second Reading. While we are many, with many talents and abilities, there is only One Spirit, One Lord, One God.

The Power of the Spirit enables us to proclaim the Gospel of the Crucified Jesus with great passion and conviction. It enables us to be alive with the Love of God, when we are surrounded by the forces of sin and temptation. It enables us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, enabling us to overcome human frailty and failings, fears and anxieties. The Spirit makes us partners with Jesus and his mission.

Thank God for the Gift of the Spirit!

 

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

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

What kind of man was Jesus that rough, rugged fishermen would drop their nets and follow him?   

He was the son of a carpenter, strong, robust, and capable of walking great distances.  He loved nature and often spoke about the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, sheep and goats, wheat and weeds, fish and trees, and the vine and branches. 

He was capable of anger, as when he drove out the merchants in the temple.  He could be gentle, as when the people brought up their children to see him.  St. Mark tells us, "He embraced them and blessed them." (Mark 10:16)

He was a teacher and a storyteller.  He must have liked parties, for his enemies accused him of being a wine-drinker and a gluttonous person. (cf. Matthew 11:19)

He experienced disappointment when he cured ten lepers and only one returned to express thanks.  He felt deep sorrow when he wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. 

He experienced frustration. "Philip, how long have I been with you and still you do not know me." (John 14:8). 

Hanging on the cross in his hour of need, he was deeply saddened that his closest friends were not there with him.  One betrayed him, another denied him.  The others scattered.  Yet, not thinking of himself, as a good son his heart was centered on his mother, entrusting her to the one loyal apostle, John.   

In today’s gospel passage, which is the ending of John’s gospel, the evangelist tells us that he left unrecorded "many other things that Jesus did."  The four gospels record a lot of  Jesus’ words and actions. We have to fill in the picture on how he felt, what emotions he experienced.  So that, when we turn to him in prayer, we will know that our God is an understanding God.  He knows what we are going through.  He has been here before us. 

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 25:13b-21
John 21:15-19

Reflection:

This conversation between Jesus and Peter is reminiscent of some that I had with my parents as a child. They would ask "Do you love me?" and as an angsty teen who felt like they asked this question way too often I would reply "Of course! You know that!" When people we love ask this question over and over again, we tend to get frustrated. We begin to tell ourselves: "Why are they asking that question?" ‘I show them every day, they should know this by now.’ Peter at the end of this Gospel is no stranger to this sentiment. While in our humanness may ask this question for reassurance, this is not Jesus’ intent.

The Gospel today comes during the third appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection. Looking at this story through the eyes of Peter, I would worry that I would be reprimanded for my denial of Him. However,  Jesus doesn’t approach Peter in a resentful or condescending way, but as a friend. Jesus asks Simon Peter three times "Do you love me?" which seems to absolve Peter of his denial before Jesus was put to death.  Not only does he come at Peter in this loving way, but he gives him the task of ministering to his flock.  Peter is given this important and awesome role by Jesus even with his full knowledge that Peter is not perfect. This is reassuring and refreshing in two ways: 1) I do not have to be perfect to serve the Kingdom of God and 2) Jesus loves me, no matter how often I fail. This does not mean that I do not strive to be a better person or do better things with my life; on the contrary it means I get back up and do better.

Like most that are called by Jesus, we may have said that we can’t or we’re not worthy. We know from the Letters of Peter that he went on to teach and preach to others on how to live their lives for God. "Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:8-9). It can be surprising and baffling when we look back on our life and see the growth that God has allowed to take place within us. Reflecting on the gifts that have been bestowed upon us no matter our resistance shows God’s great love for us. A growth that has prepared us for the leadership that we are called to within the Church. The only appropriate response for us to give is "Yes Lord, I love you."

 

Kim Valdez in a Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas

 

Feast of St. Gemma Galgani

Scripture:
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
John 17:20-26

 

 

Reflection:

Pray for Unity, a Gift of Love

As I hear the Johannine Jesus praying for the unity of his disciples, "as you, Father, are in me and I in you" in the unifying love of the Holy Spirit, it seems to me as if I were hearing the famous motto of Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers, that is, "all for one and one for all, united we stand, divided we fall."  I indeed wonder if Dumas drew his inspiration to write his novel from Jesus’ prayer of unity.  For the hope and expectation of Jesus’ words are that all "may be brought to perfection as one," so that "the world may know that you sent me" as your promised Messiah.  

It is obvious that the unity Jesus prays for comes to be only in and through the mutual understanding and loving of his followers, to whom he has revealed his Father’s identity, so "that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."  What is more, the community of faith that Jesus envisions must remain open "for those who will believe in me through their word."  It must be an inclusive, loving community of disciples who remain faithful to the gospel and "take courage" in bearing witness to the cause of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, just as we see Paul in today’s first reading bearing witness to the gospel in Jerusalem and Rome. 

If faith in Jesus is required to become his disciples, then mutual understanding and love are required to perfect us in the unity of God’s Trinity, for that is the only way the community of faith makes known to world that Jesus is the Christ.  No wonder Paul tells the Christian community of Galatia that, "in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love" (Gal 5:6).  This is the truth the Jews from Jerusalem do not understand in Paul’s teaching and preaching of the New Way and therefore conspire against him.  For, to begin with, they are unable to believe in Jesus, the One the Father sent them as the Messiah.  Thus, they are unable to understand and accept one another beyond the differences of their religious beliefs, which engage them in a serious dispute. 

Today, May 16^th, the Passionists celebrate the feast of St. Gemma Galgani, and it is fitting to remember that, like Paul the Apostle, she also took courage in bearing witness to the cause of Jesus’ sacrificial love on the cross.  For she consecrated herself to a life of sacrifice and suffering for the salvation of sinners, and her witness to the Passion of Jesus Christ made her life and prayer grow in union with God, just as Jesus prays to his Father for his disciples in today’s gospel.  Therefore, today’s readings call us, to the example of Paul and Gemma, to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings and instructions by finding unity in God’s Trinity as we carry out the works of our ministries with unreserved love and understanding.

Join us for Mass celebrating the Feast of St. Gemma Galgani.  

 

 Fr. Alfredo Ocampo, C.P. gives retreats and parish missions.  He is stationed at Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Acts 20:28-38
John 17:11b-19

Reflection:

In a few days we will be celebrating the feast of Pentecost. As he finishes his final missionary journey to Greece and Asia Minor Paul himself was on his way to Jerusalem eager to get there by the feast of Pentecost if at all possible (Acts 20:16). Of course he was very much aware of the power of the Spirit in his own life and ministry (Acts 20: 22-23). On his way to Jerusalem Paul decides to avoid Ephesus, a place where he had spent three years teaching, setting in rather to the port of Miletus, about thirty miles from Ephesus. He summons the presbyters of Ephesus to Miletus for a farewell discourse and instruction.  Luke summarizes it by first emphasizing how selflessly Paul lived among them and preached the kingdom to them. Then we have the words we read today.

Paul begins by reminding them of their responsibility to "watch over themselves and the whole flock".  You have the Holy Spirit to help you he says. What you always have to remember that the Church of God is the Spirit’s work! This is something we have to remember today. Paul speaks of savage wolves that will come from your own group to pervert the truth. Be vigilant, Paul says. We ourselves have experienced the devastating effects of the clergy abuse scandal. What has made it so difficult for the ordinary Catholic is the failure for many years of our leaders to deal effectively with this scourge. As Paul finishes he has tears in his eyes and commends presbyters of Ephesus to God. His final wish is that they would "help the weak".   He quotes a saying of Jesus that is not in the gospels: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Doesn’t that say it all? Isn’t this the simple Way of Jesus? Isn’t this the path that St. Francis of Assisi found? 

In our gospel Jesus prays to his Father for his disciples: "Consecrate them in truth. Your word is truth". May we take the simple words of Jesus into our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire to live as Jesus lived.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 19:1-8
John 16:29-33

Reflection:

I am not alone; the Father is with me, Jesus tells us. In the intimacy between Jesus and his Mother-Father God, God becomes a witness. In the midst of trial and tribulation, God is the first witness and, at times, the only witness, of one´s suffering. This especially dignifies those whose plea for justice has been ignored or silenced. It is in God´s heart that all victims find a place for justice. This is both a comfort  and challenge. The comfort comes from the revelation that God´s just-love seeks to restore everything anew, both victims and victimizers. Our challenge is to do the same within the brokenness of our world in order to participate in the Raining of God.

The recent bombings in Boston create this opportunity for the American People. Will those brought to justice become the scapegoats of American fear, racism and xenophobia, or the U.S. Government´s extraordinary rendition  program depriving them of due process? Or will the American People decide to go forward in the radical proposition of God´s just-love that wants to transform even our hearts!

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 18:23-28
John 16:23b-28

Reflection:

Priscilla and Aquila offer us perhaps the most beautiful example in the Bible of a wife and husband working together for the advancement of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul was a scholarly and spiritual giant, yet he saw something special in this humble couple who made their living as tentmakers.  In tender terms, he called them "my fellow co-workers in the Gospel.  Together with Paul, they made a powerful missionary team.  No doubt they learned from each other.

Even the brilliant scripture scholar Apollos could not help but be impressed with Priscilla and Aquila.  Apollos came from Alexandria, the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the city with the greatest library in civilization — 700,000 volumes.  This was a place brimming with intellectual ferment.  Apollos drank of this knowledge.

On day, the couple heard Apollos preaching eloquently, in the synagogue.  He was brilliant and he was bold.  But, he also was seriously deficient in his understanding of Christ and faith.  This was not surprising.  His learning apparently ended with the teaching of John the Baptist.  He lacked a fuller understanding of Christ.

Interestingly, Acts tells us that Apollos "knew only the baptism of John."  The Greek word used here for "knew" is "epistamenos."  It means he had intellectual knowledge, he knew the facts and information.  But the word implies that he lacked the deeper dimension of understanding, in this case, of Christ.

Priscilla and Aquila noticed this deficiency immediately.  True, the couple may not have been well educated or learned in scholarly ways like Paul.  They held no major ministry position, like those of Titus or Timothy.  They never even held an official leadership position in the synagague.  As far as we know, they never even wrote a book of scripture or preached a sermon.  They were content to work behind the scenes in a supportive role.  What made them effective was their love of Christ, their deep faith, and their willingness to make their gift available in the service of the early Church.  Their gift?  They were spiritual mentors.

They took this young man home and with patience and love, they shared with him the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.  How long this took, we don’t know.  Apollos must have been a humble man, because no doubt he knew that intellectually and academically he was far advanced from this couple.  Yet, he was willing to listen and to be taught by them.  As a result of this encounter with Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos became a powerful servant of God, whom some in the Corinthian community would even place on a level with Peter and Paul.

In these people, the early Church gives us powerful examples of spiritual mentors and brilliant, but humble preachers.  The patient and loving couple, Priscilla and Aquila took a sincere man with a love of knowledge, and led him to a love of God.  Apollos, a towering intellect, who like Paul, saw something special in a humble tent-making couple, sat humbly at their feet to learn the love of God by witnessing their love for one another and for him.

Like them, we are called to make our gifts available — however modest they may seem to us — to share them with the Body of Christ.  We are reminded in unmistakable terms, that however knowledgeable and scholarly we may be, we will grow more deeply in the love of God when we have loving spiritual mentors.

Paul understood this best.  At the close of his letter to the Romans, he greets 26 people by name.  At the top of this list is the ministry team of Priscilla and Aquila, the first great spiritual mentors of the Church — and his.

 

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