Daily Scripture

 

The Ascension of the Lord

Scripture:

Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23
Luke 24:46-53

 

 

Reflection:

                                       The Ascension Days, Days of Absence, Spirit and Joy

Jesus appears to the disciples after those who met him on the road to Emmaus recount their experience. He eats, shows them his body so they know he is not a ghost; he is really with them. He tells them that he has fulfilled the law, the prophets and the psalms. And ‘he opens their minds to the Scriptures’. Our gospel continues and along with Acts tells the disciples that the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, will come upon them and they will be witnesses of his dying and rising.

The palate of the Ascension and days that follow, the colors that we will work with are Jesus absence, the waiting for the Spirit, and joy. Our directions are the words of two men dressed in white, who appear standing beside the disciples, ‘Don’t stand there looking up into the sky. The one taken from you into heaven will return’.

On this feast we can look to the dome of some great churches and see the Jesus Pantocrator, Lord of All or more commonly Jesus, at the right hand of the Father. There are many artists’ renderings that show us Jesus rising from the midst of the disciples who surround him, listening to his final words, and of course the famous Ascension where we see the disciples looking up and Jesus’ two feet dangling from the top of the painting! Better than literal renderings, we do well to stick with our palate – absence, Spirit and joy. The readings take us away from Bethany to when we enter a time waiting.

The disciples are a wounded group. Judas has been lost to them. They are nursing their failures, their fear and their fleeing. They had been through the awful experience of human torture, injustice, loss and grieving of a dear, unique friend. True they now experienced him as risen and not a ghost but very much alive in their midst once again. In these days when Jesus has left them they must discuss how something so cruel as the Passion could be redeeming. This experience is indelible for them. 

They also at the same time know true joy. Joy must wash over them with a peace, a healing and sense of freedom. They acknowledge as heroes the women of Galilee – faithful in little things, they were heroines faithful to the end with Jesus! Luke loves them. And as they gather praising God ‘continually’ in the temple, they must ask over and over the story of what happened from the disciples who had met Jesus on the road and broke bread with him. What did he say? Tell us again in detail what he did.

Their minds were open to the Scriptures, but these men and women do not become Scripture scholars as we might imagine ourselves today. God’s Word is the love story of God for all of us; God’s working through a Chosen People entrusted with the mystery of God’s love in a unique way. The disciples ponder a new chapter in the love story where God’s love is told anew in the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Do they realize they will feature prominent in this story?

Today we can look up and see God’s grandeur in the clouds; we can look up and see art and beauty that speak to us of the story of God’s love for us. The great symbol of God’s love, the Church, are those who make it up, the Body of Christ, all of God’s people made in the image of our God. ‘Don’t look up’ said the men in white. Indeed as we are invited these days to consider absence, Spirit and joy, let us look around us where the One who left us in such a surprising fashion is just as surprisingly to be found. With them we continue our conversation, there we witness.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 16:11-15
John 15:26-16:4a

Reflection:

In two weeks we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. The Gospel reading today helps prepare us for this celebration. In John’s Gospel Jesus prepares the apostles for his departure. He refers to his arrest, conviction and execution. He gives the apostles words of encouragement as they will face many difficulties and tells them about the Holy Spirit, who will be with them.

The Holy Spirit is described in many ways: Comforter, Advocate, Counselor and Helper. Yes, the Spirit comforts us in our failures, frustrations, loss and grief. The Spirit doesn’t come in and scoop away our sadness. The Spirit will help us carry a heavy You cannot manipulate the Spirit to give you pleasant emotions. You cannot always trust joy and peace. It is easy to mistake false joy for true spirituality, and false peace for genuine peace.  The Spirit will help us work through difficult emotions to bring us closer to Jesus, giving us confidence even though our emotions might be confused and upsetting.

The Spirit is our Advocate, someone who is willing to stand up publicly to speak out on your behalf, like a defense attorney. The Spirit knows all about us, yet the Spirit declares us innocent because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Spirit makes the motion to dismiss all charges against us because of our faith in Jesus Christ. The Spirit always sees you as you can be, not as we or others condemn us for failures. Remember, the Spirit does not plead your good works or your fine intentions, but the Spirit pleads Christ for you.

We also know the Spirit as Counselor. The Spirit can untangle the greatest personal dilemmas we get ourselves into. By ourselves the way through these impasses seem impossible. The Spirit is the wisest of counselors. The Spirit doesn’t give us pithy clichés or quick-fix solutions. The Spirit gives us wisdom and understanding beyond what we can imagination.

Finally, the Spirit is the Helper. The Spirit gives you the aid that you most need at the right time. That help might not be to get you out of a difficult situation; it might be the help to get us through the difficulty. The help is not just a casual assistance, as if you could do most of the work and the Spirit adds a little bit more. When we experience our spiritual helplessness, we come to understand the enormous help that the Spirit offers.

Jesus said that he talked about the Spirit so that we would not fall away. "When [the] hour comes you may remember [what] I told you" about the comfort, advocacy, counsel and help the Spirit will give you.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Acts 16: 1-10
Psalm 100
John 15: 18-21

 

 

Reflection:

Witnessing Jesus

St. Paul was truly a zealous traveling missionary, going from town to town to preach the Good News.  He worked hard, had his share of sleepless nights – and his message of Jesus’ unconditional love was all-too-often not well received.  Yet, nothing deterred him from his divine calling and his passionate response

We are women and men of faith today because of St. Paul and others like him.  Many people have generously responded to God’s call to be missionaries and evangelists, our own Passionist saints and blesseds at the top of our "lists".  That Good News continues to be spread throughout the world today, even "to the very ends of the earth".

As members of the Church, we are each called to be "missionary" in living and witnessing our faith in the person of Jesus, crucified and risen.  By word and example, we share the treasure of our faith and show the power of God’s love in our lives — especially in our love for one another.  Jesus’ words apply to us as well:  the message of love we proclaim may not always be received with great enthusiasm; we may have to join Jesus in suffering as we proclaim God’s Kingdom.

May these Easter days and the coming gift of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost encourage us in praying the words of Psalm 100:  "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy…Sing joyfully to the Lord…Know that the Lord is God…the Lord is good…"

Amen.  Alleluia!

 

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

Scripture:
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16:12-15

Reflection:
A dream come true!  I suspect that was what St. Paul was thinking as he arrived in Athens.  Here he was, in Athens, the intellectual and cultural capitol of the world!  And did he have important Good News to bring!

He made his way to the Areopagus, the center of the intellectual life of Western Civilization, observed the statues of the all the gods from every part of the Roman Empire noting that there was even a statue dedicated to the "unknown" god.  He used that statue as his entrée into speaking about what God had done for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He preached a beautiful classic sermon in which he revealed that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, has made us the sons and daughter of God.  So we are called to repent and live in the new life we have received through Jesus Christ.  No doubt, Paul used all of his oratorical skills and force of personality to convince his listeners of the truth of his words.  He finishes with a flourish and waits expectantly for the response from the people around him.

Some scoff; others say "We should like to hear you on this some other time."  Ho-hum.  No gasps, no exclamations of wonder, no conversion of heart, no expressions of belief.  There were a few in the crowd who became believers.  We are simply told, "And so Paul left them."

The lukewarm response of the Athenians to the message of the Gospel was not just a disappointment for Paul, it was personally devastating (see I Corinthians 2:1-5).  He had used all his considerable intellectual and oratorical skills to bring the Good News to the Athenians and almost nothing had come of it.  A defeat that shook Paul to his very core.  Yet Acts reports, "After this he left Athens and went to Corinth."

Have you ever done your very best to help someone, to convince them that the path they’re traveling only leads to heartache and death?  Have you had that experience of utter failure?  Then you know how Paul felt in Athens.  Paul not only went on, he became utterly convinced that Jesus Crucified was the only message that could move men and women’s hearts.  He had his greatest success in Corinth!

As we recall this great Apostle, his perseverance in the face of defeat and his willingness to change and depend more on Christ, we pray for the grace to surrender the brokenness of our lives to God’s love, confident that through our weakness, God will bring us ever closer into His love.

 

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.

Scripture:

Acts 18:9-18
John 16:20-23

Reflection:

I remember the loss of control I felt when I was pregnant. This little life governed every aspect of my existence.  My belly stretched to unbelievable proportions, and I moved, slept, ate, drank, and lived differently, surrendering every aspect of my being. During the birth process itself I aligned my breathing, position, and will to a force that was beyond me. The more I tried to fight the process, slow it down, or wrest in into submission, the more it hurt. At times I wondered whether I could survive, but what kept me going was the realization that my body was giving birth to new life.

Of course, the surrender did not end with that joyous birth. An infant has a way of taking over, and I could never return to the "normal" ways I knew before. My schedule, relationships, priorities, marriage, and social network were never the same again.

As I look back now from the vantage point of my empty nest, I realize how much pain I have forgotten – from the pregnancy, the birth, and the decades-long process of raising three amazing young men. Though they also caused more grey hairs than I can count, the joy of parenting them has far outweighed any pain I endured.

What does all this have to do with faith?

God is calling me to continually give birth to new life. I have responded in many ways, served and sacrificed, and done good work in God’s name.  Yet I know in my heart that I have not completely surrendered.  I respond with "OK God, but…." and then I list all my conditions. I want to choose what I give birth to. I want to control the process, which needs to be convenient and fit into my chosen schedule. I want to make sure it doesn’t hurt too much, and I don’t want it to be risky, especially if I have to give up something to get there. I don’t want to be afraid. I want to cling to my favored sources of security. I don’t want to surrender too completely, and certainly not body, mind, and soul. In other words, I refuse God the very things that I know from intimate knowledge are required to give birth. To bring fullness of life, God needs more.

Unfortunately, surrendering to God is not a one-time decision like becoming pregnant, when I could not take a day off, allow my body to change only in certain ways, or be half-pregnant. With God, it is a continual decision that I need to reaffirm over and over again, and it is too easy to stop at a comfortable level of discipleship. Can I allow myself to truly be pregnant, centering my life totally around God and yielding my whole being?  Can I trust the process if I am not in control? Am I willing to endure whatever pain may come, believing that the resulting new life will be worth it?

It is such a struggle. I go back and forth, sometimes relaxing my grasp and sometimes clinging with all my might. Even the assurance that new, greater, and more authentic life will follow can seem like insufficient motivation to plunge in and surrender.

I don’t know if it will ever be easy, but I’ll keep trying. Perhaps one day I will be able to say "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word."  Then truly God’s life will be born in me.

 

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/.

 

Scripture:

Acts 16:22-34
John 16:5-11

Reflection:

As children we always had a pet in the house: dogs, cats and for a while even an aquarium filled with exotic fish.  I’ll never forget the baby rabbits my older brother snuck into the house without my mother’s knowledge. When she found one cowering underneath the kitchen table one morning, she ran upstairs, started packing and announced to us when we came home for lunch that she was taking our younger sister and moving out to our country home. She wouldn’t be back ‘til we ridded the house of this new infestation of mice. Our country home while nice, was very primitive. It had no running water or electricity. Surely we knew she meant business. While she never made the move, I think my older brother learned his lesson and hasn’t brought another pet into our or his home since.

When you bring a pet into your home you commit to feeding, walking, playing with and sometimes taking them to the vet when they get sick or hurt. I spent most of my adult life without a pet and just a couple years back relented and took in a stray cat I found shivering on my back porch. She looked hungry and scraggly. What could I do? Since then she has brought much joy to my home and in many respects made my house a home.

The jailer in today’s first reading eventually invites Paul and Silas into his home, bathes their wounds and feeds them. Not only does he find new life, but so do his family and whole household. I wonder how many prisoners, like homeless people, addicts, those with mental illnesses, I have locked up, keeping them at a safe distance from me? I wonder if I would find new life if I invited them into my world?

 

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

 

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
John 14:23-29

 

 

 

Reflection:

Jesus Keeps His Promises

We all have friends.  We have people in our lives whom we love, respect, count on, challenge and are challenged by them in return.  It is hard for us to say goodbye to a good friend who is moving away, a son/daughter going away to college 400 miles away, a spouse called to active duty in Afghanistan, or a best friend who dies.  We always do the ‘promise’ thing, "I’ll write you often, maybe I will visit in a couple months when you get settled, let’s keep in touch on Facebook, etc."  It’s hard to see someone we care about take leave from us.

Jesus and his friends were no different than us.  Jesus was well aware of the fact that there would come a time when they would have to say goodbye.  The apostles, like many of us, knew deep down that this was going to happen, but they didn’t really understand it and tried not to dwell on it.  Jesus began to prepare them for his departure as early as the last supper.  When it came right down to it, they were utterly devastated at the loss of their messiah, teacher and friend.

Jesus promised all of us that he would never leave us alone, he promised to send an Advocate, the Holy Spirit who ‘will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.’  His message is a simple one, it calls us to be peaceful in mind and heart, to love as he loves and to trust in the promises he has made to us.  Life is messy and Jesus never said it would be easy to be his disciples.  What he did promise was that he would not leave us to do it all by ourselves.

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we find further testimony and hope that Jesus was with the early church leaders as they endured their share of growing pains and chaos.  The church of today continues to experience some of those same growing pains.  Those who have gone before us in faith give us hope that our resurrected Jesus is still leading us, loving us, challenging us, but most importantly, holding true to his promise by walking the journey with us.

Jesus has risen just as he promised!  May we continue to walk together in faith as resurrection people!

 

Teresa Secord is the Pastoral Associate at St Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

The Feast of Ss. Philip and James, Apostles

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14

 

 

Reflection:

The Word of Life

Each day, as we reflect upon the Word of God, how do we actually create the space for prayer? I think it is good once in awhile to step back and just look at what Kind of space I am creating to be receptive to God’s Word and God’s Will. Basically, we are talking about reading the prophetic messages of God’s spokespersons, psalmists’ inspirations from following God, accounts of the early Church (the Acts), letters from Paul and other apostles, and Jesus’ words and activities.  So I get settled in a place, (know how much time I have), offer some expression of gratitude to God, take some deep breaths, accept the feelings and thoughts that are flowing though me, and then, bracket it all as best I can to concentrate on the Word of the day. "To what Lord do you want me to pay attention?" The fact in 1 Cor. 15  I am being saved?   Am I open to the "appearance of Christ" today, as is described in various ways in the same reading? Do I believe when Jesus says, "the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." So, for what am I asking Jesus, and am I open to "the answer to my prayer?" And, finally, understanding "that the Father may be glorified in the Son."  What is "Glory?" When someone is in their "glory" their wishes, desires, hopes and plans have been fulfilled. You may be in your glory because you are a new grandparent, you got the last child through college or married off to someone, or, your favorite sports team has won it all. The Father /God is in glory when THE Plan to transform the world, one person at a time is a happening, through our prayer and intentional works. That is "thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Give "glory to God," by carrying out his Will. This prayer method can help.

 

Fr.  Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, Birmingham, Alabama.