Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

[In] receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God.  -1 Thessalonians 2:13b

The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.  -Matthew 23:2-3

Today’s readings lead us to examine those people we choose to take advice and teaching from. If we take a look at our lives, we usually find we’ve had many teachers over the years. Starting from an early age with our parents, continuing into elementary school, high school, and beyond, there are many people we’ve had a teacher/student relationship with.

We can also find particular friends and family, pastors (whether of our own church or in the media), spiritual directors, workshop leaders, the list goes on and on of people that have and continue to inform our understanding of our relationship with God.

But often we find our teachers, like many heroes, sometimes have feet of clay. While they may have great insight into certain particular teachings, we should be cautious about following them in everything they do and say. Jesus admonishes his followers to listen to the scribes and Pharisees because they have taken the seat of Moses; that is, they are appointed teachers of the mosaic law. However, that doesn’t necessarily make them good role models because elsewhere in the gospel Jesus tells us we need to stay awake. As Saint Paul says in 1 Thessalonians, “Test all, retain what is good.”

It is tempting to become intellectually lazy and just want to go along without examining what we receive. But as both Jesus and Paul tell us, we are not to cut ourselves off from the world, but to examine it, to test it and retain what is good.

And how do I do that? Through reflection, discernment, and taking the time to sit with what I receive and listen to the spirit in my heart.

My prayer for myself today is that I’d be willing to take the time to seek the spirit in everything I receive and discern that which is true.

Talib Huff is a retired teacher and a member of the retreat team at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California. You can contact him at [email protected].

Scripture:

Romans 11:1-2,11-12,25-29
Luke 14:1, 7-11

Reflection:

2023 Holiday Humility

Jesus & “table fellowship”:  today’s Gospel recounts Jesus dining at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.  It’s truly a special day…a Special Guest…an invitation to dinner and fellowship — and a teachable moment!  Jesus is aware of his host, his fellow guests, their manners at table…and makes this occasion a teachable moment with a parable.  “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor…rather take the lowest place…one who humbles themselves will be exalted…”  Jesus highlights “humility”.  These Gospel verses then continue with Jesus encouraging his host to reach out and invite to dinner the poor and needy…the least, the last, the lost…humility leading to generosity.

Humility invites us to be aware of our gifts and our limitations.  The word itself comes from the word “humus” or earth…the created matter that sustains life and growth.  Humble people are not human “doormats”, but rather those who know and accept both their God-given gifts and their human limitations.  Great examples of humility are Jesus and Mary, along with the many saintly people whose lives we just celebrated in the Feast of All Saints.  Humility is a key virtue for all Christians!

The month of November helps us celebrate God’s Life shared with us and our world.  The virtue of humility…that acknowledgement of our God-given giftedness…helps us celebrate the lives of the Saints — those officially recognized and those still “under construction”.  Thanksgiving Day helps us celebrate the giftedness seen in our lives and our country.  At the end of the month, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, thus concluding the gift of the liturgical year.  November is a celebration of abundant blessings!

Jesus challenges us to go deeper in living the virtue of humility:  to be women and men of grateful prayer, to serve our sisters and brothers by helping meet their basic needs.  Jesus also invites us to respect our earth as God’s gift, to celebrate that we are all members of God’s family in our common home.  As we gather with families and friends, as we celebrate the holidays, as we gather at the Table of the Lord and celebrate the Eucharist:  may we humbly celebrate God’s Life and Love shared with us and our needy world. 

To paraphrase part of Psalm 94:  God is good…all the time!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

Romans 9:1-5
Luke 14:1-6

Reflection:

Dropsy (or Oedema) is a build-up of fluid in the body which causes the affected tissue to become swollen. The swelling can occur in one particular part of the body or more universally across the body. One of the causes is malnutrition (as was the lot of the poor), and another cause is standing for long periods (as a servant might do).

Perhaps our reflection might follow along the lines of these probable causes. Here at table, in the home of a prominent pharisee (and presumably a well-resourced one) all are eating. The man is either an interloper or a servant at table. There is no sign that anyone notices his condition or if they do, seeks to respond to it.

Jesus by even being there, demonstrates once more the extraordinary dimensions of his ‘boundary breaking’ ministry – he is not afraid to associate with the rich (nor afraid to challenge them ) even if, most likely, he has been invited with a less than generous spirit and the motive of his host(s) is to merely observe him and to ‘’test’ him.

The instinctive attitude and actions of Jesus inspired the response to life developed by the Belgian Cardinal Joseph Cardijn who founded the Young Christian Workers and the Young Christian Students. Cardijn promoted the response of ‘see, judge, act’ as a way of Christian action in the world.

We see its origins in Jesus himself – he notices the man, he quickly makes his own interior judgment that compassion overshadows the letter of the law in such an instance, and he acts to help and heal (even in the face of disapproval). Further, he challenges those who do defend the law as only having a literal interpretation, to justify their own actions and positions.

The meal was presumably nourishing, the actions of Jesus were life giving.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Scripture:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

Reflection:

All Souls Day is traditionally the third day of Allhallowtide—right after Halloween and All Saints’ Day. These three days have invited people into deeper communion with the dead, from ancient times right up until the present.

Ancient peoples who lived in the northern hemisphere experienced autumn as a time of diminishment, as their fields were emptied of crops, and the trees dropped their leaves. As the days became shorter and the air crisper, their thoughts turned to death, not only the death in nature, but their deceased loved ones as well. Halloween was first observed by Celtic people in Ireland at the end of their harvest season. On this special day, the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was especially thin.

In the southern hemisphere, the Day of the Dead, el Día de Muertos, developed in Mexico to honor deceased relatives, and is now joyfully celebrated in many other countries. With the coming of Christianity, the feast was celebrated on November 1^st and November 2^nd , in keeping with the Catholic Church’s All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebrations, which were instituted in the Middle Ages. All Saints Day is a celebration of the saints and martyrs in the Church, and All Souls Day is a celebration of the many other people who lived good lives, and who may have touched us personally: our ancestors, parents, extended family, mentors, teachers, and friends.

When we research and reflect on the lives of those who have gone before us, we discover that their lives were not always easy. In today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear of the soul’s journey as one of being purified as gold in a furnace: being tested by fire. 

Before our physical death, there are many other “deaths” during our lives: loss of a loved one, loss of our health, or even loss of a dream. How did those who went before us survive these tests by fire?

St. Paul answers this question in our second reading for today: “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.”–Romans 6:5. In union with Jesus, souls of the faithful departed rose up to meet the challenges of life and become the great souls we celebrate today, people who have built families, neighborhoods, churches, and communities. Let us remember them and thank God (and them) for their faithfulness. For, as we hear in our funeral liturgies, death does not break the bonds forged in life, and “Life is changed, not ended”.

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Solemnity of All Saints

Scripture:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a

Reflection:

Have you experienced reading an article or listening to a presentation and felt like the writer or speaker knew your story and was talking directly to you?  So, imagine you are among the crowd listening to Jesus as he delivers his sermon on the mount.   Times are tough for you…Roman occupation, corrupt politicians and religious leaders, poverty, hunger, poor medical care, perhaps persecution or even slavery.  This teacher, Jesus, he understands your sufferings and offers you a message full of hope. 

Fast forward a couple of thousand years and today you are attending Mass on All Saints Day. You have heard the beatitudes in today’s Gospel reading many times, perhaps so often that you memorized them.  You may not be experiencing the hardships of the crowd surrounding Jesus, but you can certainly relate to your need for comfort while mourning, your ache for the injustice in the world, your need for mercy, and so forth for each of the beatitudes. 

This year, instead of questioning how the beatitudes might apply in your life, take a moment to look around.  See the widow who is mourning the recent loss of her husband.  Be patient with the slow-moving, sickly gentleman who needs assistance to walk but always has a sweet smile for everyone.  Look for the volunteer who works tirelessly for social justice.  See the refugee parents who left a corrupt homeland, terrorized by gangs, in search of a better life for their family.  Each of these persons, and so many more, are the crucified of today, and Jesus has a hope-filled message for you and them. 

Now, look closely at the rhythm of the beatitudes—Jesus first names the suffering followed by the reward in heaven.   Each beatitude mirrors our message as Passionists—through the sufferings on the Cross we will experience the Resurrection! 

Mike Owens is coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Romans 8:18-25
Luke 13:18-21

Reflection:

Happy Tuesday in the 30th Week of Ordinary Time!

Do you remember your first Religion Book?  Mine was the St Joseph Baltimore Catechism, which all of us kids got in the very early years of Elementary School.  In fact, I still have it!

One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me, were the drawings.  To me as a kid, they seemed like photos, all in two-tone color of red and black.  They depicted so many portions of our faith, such as the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Way of the Cross, all the mysteries of the Rosary, Jesus, the Holy Mass… but the most fascinating to me was the image of the Kingdom. 

The Kingdom of God was represented as marble-walled castles with lofty gates sitting on puffy clouds in the sky.  And right there, smack in the middle of it all, was God!  A bearded figure with a triangular halo, arms raised, graces and blessings beaming down like sunlight from the palms of his hands.  It was all so very clean and perfect, with not a hint of dirt, problems, or pain.  Wow – what a sight!

But then, as the years passed, that image would be challenged as I’d listen intently to scripture as Jesus would explain to his followers and the crowds what the Kingdom of God was really like. 

In today’s Gospel (Luke 13:18-21), Jesus explains that the Kingdom of God “is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.  When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’  It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

From a tiny mustard seed into a large bush?
From a bit of yeast mixed with flour into leavened dough?

This is the Kingdom of God?

If we think about it, these two parables illustrate the proportions of the kingdom of God that result from deceptively small beginnings.  As tiny as a mustard seed is, or as little as a measure of yeast can be, both produce great growth and transformation.  These seemingly insignificant things turn out to have enormous effect.

But the thing is, unlike the Baltimore Catechism’s “photos,” these things are not sparkling clean and perfect.  In fact, they both are pretty filthy. 

The seed must be planted into dirt, covered with manure, and for it so it can grow. 
The seed needs the dirt and the manure.
Someone has to add the yeast to flour, and provide proper conditions for it to rise.
The yeast needs the flour and the heat.

I’m certain I’m not the only one of us who has experienced many times feeling as though I’ve been covered with manure and shoved into the ground.  There are many times I can relate to being mixed up, covered, and set aside.  But in looking back, it was thanks to being shoved into dirt and manure and flooded with water, that I’ve been able to rise from the muck and grow into a beautiful new life.  In reflecting, I can see how having been mixed with things that eat me, like yeast, I’ve been able to grow, able to rise into that which can, hopefully, feed others.

A mustard seed and dirt?
A little yeast & flour?
Is this the Kingdom of God?

This is the Kingdom of God!

—————

Dear Lord,
manure me. 
Yeast me.

Let your Spotless Kingdom begin to grow
right here,
right now.

Amen.

—————

Peace and love to you today, and forever.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

Exodus 22:20-26
1 Thessalonians 1:5–10
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. -Matthew 22:40

Love for God and Love for our neighbor are the two main themes for the readings today. They are also the foundation for building the Kingdom of God. In the Book of Exodus, we read about caring for those who are aliens, widows and orphans and when lending money to be fair and reasonable. It was so important to the Jewish people, that the poor were taken care of, that they had laws to guide them in this regard. They left some grain in the fields after the harvest so that the poor could glean the leftover grain to sustain them.

Today, we still have the poor and we give in different ways through donations to many organizations who assist those who are in need. In recent months we have had opportunities to help others due to natural disasters and war. Opportunities to give a voice to those with whom others have turned a deaf ear. Opportunities to assist those in our own communities, parishes or neighborhoods. A few years ago, I was able to witness someone take the opportunity to assist someone who could not afford their groceries. Not asking for anything in return, gave the person a hug and asked them to “pay it forward.” How many of these situations have we found ourselves in and turned away for one reason or another?  Jesus message to love our neighbor is a message to heal others through acts of kindness. Healing is what our neighborhoods, parishes, communities, state and country need at this time. Imagine what the evening news would be like if kindness, mercy and compassion were the headlines.

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.