Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 15:7-21
John 15:9-11

Reflection:

In today’s reading from Acts, Peter and James argue forcefully for the inclusion of Gentiles without laying on them the demands of Judaism. They contend that God is acting in and through the Gentiles, showering gifts upon them and obviously accepting them as they are. If, then, we exclude and judge them, or deny their participation in the community, we deny God and thwart the good God is working to do.

Take that message into the Gospel, in which Jesus says something that can be read as exclusionary – "If you keep my commandments you remain in my love". Does that mean, as some would suggest, that only those who obey the commands of the Church remain in the love of God? Apparently, the Church does not read it that way, or the lectionary would not connect this Gospel to the pericope from Acts. Instead, Jesus’ statement is thoroughly inclusive. If we obey Jesus’ commandments – which ultimately we do by radically loving God and each other – then by definition we remain in God’s love because we are literally practicing and living it. We are embodying the essence of God and continuing the work of Christ in the world.

Ultimately, then, the challenge of these scriptures is to see the ways in which we exclude others, especially using stricter criteria than God would apply or without first looking to see how God is already working in their lives. We need to see where we fail to radically love, especially those outside our traditional faith circle or who disagree with us, and those cast out or on the margins. We need to change our hearts so we truly live in the passionate, forgiving, unconditional, self-sacrificial, and expansive love of Christ.

We have so far to go to reach that ideal! I see it in my graduate class. Some students are from other parts of the world, raised with entirely different cultural perspectives. Some are "traditional-age" (in their 20’s) while others are "second-career" ministers in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. There are Catholics (both strict traditionalists and those who practice faithful dissent), Protestants (both mainline and evangelical), and other Christian denominations. There are males and females, straight and gay. Some are ordained; others are members of the laity. It is a stew of faith-seekers called to be instruments of Christ in ministry with persons who are sick, dying, or grieving.

Given this diverse make-up, people sometimes ask how we can meet for hours at a time in the same room, much less examine the issues in a way that allows doubts, differing beliefs, and exploration that leads to more profound faith. It is a challenge! Yet with the wisdom of Peter and Jesus, I see that God is working in each student, showering gifts on them and drawing them ever deeper into discipleship. My job is to radically love, to treat each person with utmost respect and dignity while refusing the urge to judge or condemn. I need to facilitate, not obstruct, what God is working in them.

Perhaps the most challenging thing is to open my own heart with a sincere belief that God may be trying very hard to teach me something through these particular students. After all, I expect the same from them – that they will open their hearts to hear the knowledge, perspectives, and experiences I offer, allowing God to stretch and grow them in ways they never expected. It ends up being an incredible adventure every time. Our God is a God of inclusion and surprise!

Can I practice that same respect and openness on the street, in the pew, and in all other aspects of my life? I wish I were better at doing so. My students serve as a continual reminder, but it is ever so much harder to do it outside the classroom. I pray for the grace to follow the model of radical, inclusive love set by Jesus and the apostles, and to act, breathe, and live the love of God so that my joy and God’s may be complete.

 

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/.

Memorial for St. Joseph the Worker                                 

Scripture:     

Genesis 1:26-2:3
Matthew 13:54-58  

 

  

Reflection:

In 1955 Pope Pius XII proclaimed May 1^st as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.  Pius wanted to present on this day a true patron and model for all laborers throughout the world.  He chose a saint beloved to all Christians, the head of the Holy Family, their protector and provider. And although March 19 is the primary feast of St. Joseph, we may now celebrate him also in our liturgy of today – St. Joseph the Worker, St. Joseph the Carpenter, St. Joseph the Father of the Family.

The preface for the Eucharistic Prayer says it all: "It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, and on the commemoration of Saint Joseph to give you fitting praise, to glorify and bless you.

For this just man was given by you
as spouse to the Virgin Mother of God
and set as a wise and faithful servant
in charge of your household
to watch like a father over your Only Begotten Son,
who was conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit,
Our Lord Jesus Christ."

The gospel passage from Matthew makes clear that Joseph was a carpenter, an ordinary laborer in the village of Nazareth.  His townspeople were not about to grant that his son could be in any way better than they.  But there is not much written in the Scripture about St. Joseph.  We must go to the infancy narratives in Matthew and in Luke, to gather the   little we have: – the story of the betrothal, the story of the birth in Bethlehem and the presentation in the temple, of the flight into Egypt, of their return when Herod was dead, and finally the finding of the boy Jesus in the temple.  We are not told of the life of Jesus the teenager growing into manhood.  We are not even told of Joseph’s death. 

But this very lack can become for us a great source of prayer.  We can go to Joseph at home in Nazareth in our meditation.  We can ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, to take us in our imagination to the house and shop at Nazareth.  We can visit there in imaginative contemplation, letting ourselves be just as we are, letting Mary welcome us and take us out to Joseph in his shop.  And there we can talk with him, asking him about his struggles in raising Jesus, about their difficulties of understanding each other, and about the ordinary things – like illness and sickness, and getting on with the neighbors.  Joseph may have much to tell us if we let ourselves be open to what the Holy Spirit prompts him to say.  

 

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:

Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a

Reflection:

"Poor me!   Why does everything always happen to me?  Why does God allow this?  Why am I going through all this pain?  Ain’t it awful.  Why me?"

 

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself?  Of course you have.  We all have.  We often get upset and angry when we endure physical ailments, financial setbacks, failures in school or work, heartaches, whatever.

And it is okay to cry for ourselves – for a while. The key is not to wallow in it.  I suggest no more than a half hour a week of feeling sorry for ourselves.  If we must talk to someone about it, talk to mother or a priest.  They have to listen.  That’s part of their job.  But again, no more than half an hour.  We should be careful not to burden our friends or coworkers with our problems.  They will start to avoid us.

Whenever we think our crosses are heavier than usual, it’s good to reread Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, verses 23 to 30.  There he relates how he was imprisoned, endured countless beatings "often near death", was beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, in dangers from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from the sea, danger from false brethren, often without food, in cold and exposure, etc., etc.

Needless to say, Paul expected suffering.  In today’s first reading from Acts, he tells his disciples "we must undergo many trials if we are to enter into the reign of God."  In his letter to the Philippians Paul speaks of his fellowship in the sufferings of Christ and knowing the "power of his resurrection."  (cf. Philippians 3:10)

Whether we have crosses from accidents and mishaps, crosses from another’s meanness, crosses that result from self-giving, or the crosses of aging, Jesus tells us today, "Do not be distressed or fearful."   He is with us.  We are baptized into his body.  Our pain is his pain.  And he does not suffer in vain.  We are privileged to share in the redemptive work of Christ.

  "If we have died with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him." (Romans 6:8)  People will know we are Christians by our dying and rising.

 

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:

Acts 14:21-27
Revelation 21:1-5a
John 13:13-33a, 34-35

Reflection:

People who know me know I like old music. There was a song written by Cole Porter almost 80 years ago called "Anything Goes."’One of the song’s lyrics is: "The world has gone mad today/ and good’s bad today/ and black’s white today/ and day’s night today… anything goes." The song was meant to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek, but there are many of us who might wonder what is going on in our world today, and how can it be stopped, so that things can return to the way they used to be. Often we look to the past not only for nostalgia’s sake, but because it can seem to be much better than the times in which we live.

I bring all this up because our Scripture readings for Sunday speak about the "new." In our second reading from Revelation (21:1-5a), John has a vision of a "new heaven and a new earth," with a "new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." Our reading ends with John’s vision of the "One" on the throne saying, "Behold, I make all things new." In our Gospel reading (John 13:31-33a, 34-35), Jesus tells His disciples, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." Our first reading from Acts (14:21-27) does not have the word "new" in it, but as the account goes, when Paul and Barnabas arrive in Antioch, they gather the church together and report "what God had done with them and how he opened the door of faith to the Gentiles." Again, a realization that something new was happening in the church.

There may be some who are disturbed by many of the new things that they see, and reading this may be thinking, "Come on, Father, you know the ‘new’ mentioned in these Scriptures is not the ‘new’ I’m thinking about. There is no good in what is new today."

But is that really true? It seems to me that we need to discern what might be good or bad in what is new today. When we discern, we need to remember that the kingdom of God is not to be confused with what is, nor with what was. What might have been the "good old days" for me might have been a time of hardship and injustice for others. We can debate endlessly about some of these points, and how we go about discerning whether something new is beneficial or not.

Perhaps the best thing we can do, and what could help our discernment, is to follow the "new" commandment that Jesus gives us: "love one another." This commandment has been passed down to us over thousands of years, but it is still "new." It is still new because we are often tempted to let the wisdom of the world define what it really means. We often let it be limited by greed and anger and prejudice and fear. And so we can find ourselves thinking, "Well, to ‘love one another’ doesn’t mean loving them."

But to "love one another" is to love them or him or her. To love others as Jesus loves us is to go beyond what might be considered reasonable. To dismiss the "new" as all bad actually limits the power and activity of God. Can we really say that God is only present in, for lack of a better term, the "old?" Does not our spiritual development often come from the revelation of something "new" to us, some new insight we have received?

It is true that not all that is new is good. It is true that even though we may have the capacity to do this or that doesn’t mean that we should go ahead and do it (the use of weapons of mass destruction come to mind). But these truths should not point us towards trying to turn back the clock. Somehow we must take those truths which we believe are universal and eternal into today’s world, and communicate them to today’s people, and be able to recognize them when they are revealed (which they sometimes are) in things that are new.

When we are willing to take the risk and love as Jesus loves, we will be helping build up the kingdom, looking for the day when the "old order" of greed and selfishness and seeking domination will have "passed away," and "God’s dwelling is with the human race."

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan. 

Scripture:

Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26

Reflection:

In today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles we see Barnabas and Paul in a ticklish situation.  After seeing a lame man walk, the people acclaim the two apostles as gods in human form.  The people even name them "Zeus" and "Hermes".  When Barnabas and Paul realize what is happening they speak to the crowd.  "We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them."

As I reflect on this passage, I realize how often I create my own "gods" and idols rather than partake in the life of the Spirit of God.  I also realize why I and so many of us create our own gods; what we create, we can control.  It is far easier for me to follow my own self-made gods than to follow the movement of God’s Spirit in my life.  Following the urgings of the Holy Spirit means I have to follow the teachings of Jesus.  The Gospel passage spells it out for us.

"I have told you this while I am with you.  The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name; he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."  Yes, it’s much easier to create my own gods than to follow the teachings of Jesus!  It is easier to ignore injustice in my world than to speak up in protest.  It is easier to pile up money than to risk giving it away to those in poverty.  It is easier to fill my life with gadgets, property, addictions and assorted distracting "stuff" than to truly listen to God’s Spirit every day in prayer.

Creating new gods in my life is easy.  I do it all the time.  Following the challenge of loving God and my neighbors is tough.  Before I dismiss the crowds who wanted to make Paul and Barnabas "gods", I probably ought to remember the "gods" I create every day to bring me comfort and a sense of control.  I need to remember the verse from the Gospel of John every day.

"The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you."

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 13:26-33
John 14:1-6

Reflection:

"There’s always room for one more" sums up my father’s generous spirit.  While some friends think this refers amusingly to the nine children my mother and he welcomed and raised, the story actually refers to a winter trip we took with ten of us traveling in one station wagon in the mountains of Wyoming.   Coming upon a man stranded and out of gas in sub-zero temperature, my father stopped to help.  The man looked inside the car and said he could wait for another car to hitch a ride to the next town to get some gas.  "Nonsense," said dad.  "There’s always room for one more."  So we made adjustments, as we often did, to make room for him.

My dad was anything but stingy.  He gave himself to others, and encouraged us to live generously.  I think of him today when I read how Jesus reassures Thomas and the other disciples, "In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places."  Jesus is always welcoming and including others.  There is always room for one more.

This inclusiveness is echoed in the first reading from Acts of the Apostles when Paul preaches to the "children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing."  The Word of God is intended to reach the ends of the earth, not for a select few.  Being on fire with the Living Word does not lend itself to being stingy.

We humans, though, have a propensity to divide, exclude, and separate.  We tend to be stingy.  Look at the tremendous loss of life during sectarian violence in different parts of the world.  Listen to the debate on immigration reform.  We discount the unborn, the incarcerated, and the homeless. Conservatives and Liberals demonize and ridicule each other believing they are the only repository of truth.

The disciples were not much better.  They would try to get Jesus to send people away because it was getting dark or there was not enough food; to stop frequenting the homes of sinners; to call down fire on those preaching without formal credentials.  Time and again, Jesus would help the disciples – and us – be a little less stingy.  "Give them something to eat yourselves," and "Let the little children come to me."

The profoundly moving words of the Psalm today are spoken to each of us:  You are my son.  You are my daughter.  This day I have begotten you.  There is always room for one more -you, me, the hungry, the homeless, the rich, the poor, whites and blacks, Catholics and Hindus.    To live a life of generosity is to welcome and include others.  God is not stingy with His love.  We shouldn’t be either.

 

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and is the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

1 Peter 5:5b-14
Mark 16:15-20

Reflection:

Mark’s gospel is the oldest and the shortest of the four gospels.  It was probably written in Rome for a Gentile community of converts.  Of the four gospels Mark’s is a manifestation of the "scandal" of a Crucified Messiah.   It is fitting that Mark is represented as a winged lion. The roar of the lion was so loud, all shuttered at the sound.

Mark’s gospel is divided into three parts.  Chapters 1-8, no one seems to understand the true identity of Jesus, not even his disciples.  Chapters 9-15, true discipleship constitutes service to others.  The ultimate example of service to others is Jesus who dies for his people.  Chapter 16, Jesus’ death is not the end of the story.  The disciples of Jesus are challenged to follow his example and are imbued with the Spirit of Jesus to serve those to whom they are sent.

Mark’s gospel gives a very human portrait of Jesus.  In it, Jesus is able to be "sharp."  In Capernaum Jesus rebukes the spirit possessing a man in the synagogue (1:25).   Jesus is capable of grief and anger.  After healing the man with a withered hand, Jesus is upset with those who criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath (3:5).  He is indignant when the disciples try to prevent the mothers from bringing their children to him (10:14).  At the same time Mark shows the sensitive Jesus, who after curing the daughter of Jairus tells her family the little girl should be "given something to eat." (5:43). When Jesus meets the rich, young man who asks to follow Jesus.  Jesus looks at him and "loves him." (10:20). 

Trust is the heart of discipleship for Mark.  Jesus could give sight to someone who was blind, but could not give insight to his disciples about his mission as a Crucified and Suffering Savior.  It is service to others that the disciples take up the cup and cross of suffering and attain the glory of his Resurrection. 

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P. is the director of Formation and local superior at Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Acts 11:19-26
John 10:22-30

Reflection:

In our first reading from Acts, Luke tells us that "it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." What does it mean to be called "Christian?" Obviously there is not enough space here to go into a complete answer to that question. But our Scripture readings point to a few aspects of what it means to be Christian.

One thing that comes to mind is that to be Christian is to be open to God’s transforming love and power in Jesus Christ. We believe that in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, God transformed a sign of defeat and destruction into the sign of our salvation. In our reading from Acts, many of the disciples scatter after the martyrdom of Steven. And yet, look at what happens! The Good News of Jesus Christ now reaches Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch! God transforms the persecution of the disciples into an opportunity for evangelization!

Another thing about being Christian is that to be Christian is to be a person of hope. We are an Easter people. This is so important in our world today. In the aftermath of the bombing in Boston, and with all the senseless acts of violence in our world, Jesus’ words in our Gospel reading are especially meaningful: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand… and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one." It is true that too many people have been taken out of our hands through war and terror and violence. But they have not been taken out of God’s hands! And because of this, our loved ones who have gone before us have not been taken out of our hearts or out of our lives! Death does not cut us off from each other! As Christians, we comfort those who grieve. We work to help build a world where senseless violence will be a thing of the past. And we wait in hope for Jesus to come again and bring the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.

May God give us the grace to live up to the name "Christian."

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.