Daily Scripture

Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14
John 19:25-34

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the Feast Mary the Mother of the Church.  Search as you might, you won’t find this title for Mary anywhere in the New Testament! It does appear, however, at different times over the centuries. The title first appeared in the 4th century writings of Saint Ambrose of Milan. It was also used by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.  In 1964 Pope Paul VI declared it an “official title” of Mary and Pope John Paul II placed it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  On February 11, 2018  Pope Francis inserted a feast by this title into the Roman Calendar to be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost.

There can be no doubt that since the very beginning of the Church, Mary has had a firm hold on the Christian imagination.  She is celebrated as the one human being who was totally responsive to God.  And, by her complete openness and welcome to the mystery of God, she gives the Son of God human flesh and brings him into our world.  What a gift Mary has given to the whole human family.

But sometimes, in our wonder at the impact Mary has had on the human family, we can lose sight of the fact that she was a frail human being who didn’t always understand what was happening to her, just like all of us.  Down through the centuries many theologians and spiritual writers have reflected on her perfection, her sinlessness, her all-encompassing virtue.  So often in art she is depicted as the beautiful Madonna, peacefully at rest in the ethereal light, smiling benignly down upon the perfect baby who certainly is not crying but rather smiling gently in his contentment.  Beautiful images all and expressing a truth about who Mary is.

But in the Gospel stories we find not a passive, placid, contented Madonna, but a woman who from her teen years was fully engaged with a challenging and often enough painful life.  Whether we recall the very beginning when she asks the question of the Angel Gabriel “How can this be?” or imagine Mary coping with the consequences of her pregnancy outside of marriage, or the anxiety she must have experienced as she had to give birth away of home and family, or the pain and fear of fleeing her home and of becoming a refugee in Egypt to save the life of her son, or the stress and fear she must have experienced for her Son as opposition and hostility to him solidified around him, or the final tragedy of his arrest, torture, crucifixion and death.  In all of these experiences and more, Mary was constantly challenged to trust in God’s faithfulness to her in the face of extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

Yet it was her all-encompassing openness to God and unwavering trust in God’s fidelity that began so early in her life that we celebrate in today’s feast.  And, it was her ever-constant love for Jesus and his mission that underlies her title as Mother of the Church.

Strangely enough it is not so much in her perfection that Mary is so deeply loved and such a great model for us, but is, rather, in her response to the very difficult and tragic experiences in her life.

Most all of us have trust issues, even with God.  We have those issues because what is happening to us at a given moment of our lives often doesn’t make sense to us.  Figuring out how to respond is even more difficult.  And then, of course, there are those experiences of misunderstanding, disappointment, and even betrayal.  Events in our lives can easily overwhelm us and fill us with fear.  It is in times like these that the life of Mary and our awareness that Jesus, as he was dying on the Cross, gave us to her as her children, can speak to us.  She was battered by many tragedies in her life and was, I’m sure, afraid often.  Yet, her steadfastness in remaining open to the mystery of God and trusting in God’s faithfulness never wavered.  She was present from the beginning to the end and beyond, into the life of the early Church.  She is the true disciple.  As we remember and honor her today, may each of us ask God to help us in our lives to never lose heart and trust that God is with us.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California.

Pentecost Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25
John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

Reflection:

If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. 
-Psalm 104:29-30

 On this Solemnity of Pentecost, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church’s mission of evangelization. When Jesus spoke of the sending of the Spirit to His Apostles, He regularly proclaimed two things. First, the Spirit would come when He returns to His Father, and second, the gift of the Spirit was to be desired greatly. The Third Person of the Holy Trinity is the fruit of the love that flows between the Father and the Son.

When Christ returned to the Father, the Spirit was sent out so we could participate in this Divine love. It is said that God created us by love for love. As such, we were created to receive the Holy Spirit! As the psalmist proclaims, without the Spirit, we die. We can be sure that the Lord continues to send forth the Spirit upon the Church, but how ardently are we desiring to receive it?  

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that we were made to drink of one Spirit and that no one can say “Jesus is Lord.” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13, 3). If we truly want to be alive in faith, if we truly want to be heralds of the Gospel, we must thirst for the Spirit and drink in the grace He bestows. It is only when the members of the body of Christ are united in the Spirit that we are created anew as the Church. It is only through the Spirit that we can be part of renewing the face of the earth.

Megan Silas is a Lay Passionist at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

How many times have we verbalized our interpretation of someone without really knowing all the facts, without knowing their back story or true self? Comments like, “ooh, I bet she was a terrible mother,” or “He probably did drugs in his youth.” Why are we judging, or causing others possibly to think of someone in a bad light? Are we too consumed with the opinions of others, completely forgetting that there is only one judge, only one who we need to stay focused on; the only one who knows everything about everybody. Do these suppositions pull me away from Christ in my need to feel superior as we think we so thoroughly understand everything about everyone?

It’s exhausting… Can’t you just hear Jesus asking you, “What is it to you of that person’s past, of that person’s choices?” All the Lord wants is for you to follow him, and to love those around you openly. Just stay focused on him, always. Our preconceived notions are irrelevant, our assumptions of who people are or what they do – well, you know what they say about assuming.

When the Lord says, “Come, follow me”, it is an open invitation of love. He wants you, all in, to give of yourself to him. Stop worrying about the other guy, stop comparing what you have and who you are to others, stop playing the role of the superior being. Quick story – a man’s flight is cancelled, so he approaches the airline rep in a very nasty state, demanding an immediate flight (which no one was receiving) being rude, pushy, and angry. After not getting anywhere with the airline rep, he says, “Don’t you know who I am?” The brilliant airline rep gets on her microphone and says, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a man at the desk who doesn’t know who he is – if anyone can identify him, please come forward.” God bless you all!

Patty Masson supports the Passionists from Spring, Texas.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

“Do you love me?” It is the most penetrating, personal question anyone can ask us, and in today’s gospel, it is the question Jesus asks Peter not once, but three times. “Do you love me?” When someone asks us that, what is it that they really want to know? Minimally, they want to know if we care about them and if they matter to us. But there are different levels of love, different degrees of love, and that Jesus persists in raising the question indicates that he wants to know how deep Peter’s love for him goes. Yes, he is asking Peter, “Can I trust you? Can I depend on you?” But he is also asking, like lifetime lovers do, “What place do I have in your life? Can you imagine your life without me?” 

Each time Jesus poses the question, Peter wholeheartedly declares: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But it is fascinating that Jesus, rather than resting in Peter’s affirmation of love, responds by giving Peter work to do, telling him first, “Feed my lambs,” then “Tend my sheep,” and finally, “Feed my sheep.” Love binds us to another; love draws us into their lives so that what matters to them now must matter to us. So it is that to love Jesus is to share in his mission of bringing God’s love, justice, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to life in the world.

Today’s gospel should be given to anyone considering becoming a Christian—and to all of us who assume we already are—because it sets out very clearly the non-negotiables of the Christian life. If we fancy ourselves true Christians, then, like Peter, Christ must be the absolute center of our lives, the one we love more than anyone or anything else. And, if we fancy ourselves true Christians, we must, like Peter, demonstrate our love for Christ each day by continuing the work that he began. This is what Jesus had in mind when he said to Peter (and he says to us), “Follow me.”

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Severe weather and tornado season started early this year in the Midwest and the South. I was awed and dumbstruck to see one hit close to home in Nebraska, not just one but three or four in the immediate area. Soon after such disasters, news reports appear about clean-up and relief. Communities come together for the reconstruction effort.

Dear friends, on Sunday, most of our dioceses across the United States celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension. In continuity with the farewell discourses in John, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians intimates the idea of unity in the number one: one body and one Spirit, one hope of one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

Natural disasters cause chaos and destruction in the wreckage left behind. However, disasters can unite communities, urging others to care for their neighbors and help rebuild communities. The disciples, soon, will have a disaster leveled upon their heads. Their great master and teacher will be taken away from them. In their great fear and anxiety. Jesus will continue to be present to them in the moment, reminding them of all that He has taught them. What great bonds of love exist between the Father and Son, now proceeding to the disciples!

Help us, Lord, to see in our lives opportunities to build and strengthen the bonds of love and unity between God and humankind.

Fr. Phillip Donlan, CP, is the Associate Director of Ministry at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

“Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” John 17: 17 – 19

In our little household, we were five children, roughly about 2½ years apart. I suspect that we could have been a handful for our parents, especially Mom, as we entered grade school, and especially when we were cooped up inside the house because of weather. As normal kids, we would get into squabbles, about little things and major disputes. Mom had to become defender and arbitrator, judge and jury when conflicts became unsustainable. One of the things we learned early on in our lives was that Mom could always tell who was telling the truth and who was lying, whether it would be the older children or us, the younger ones. Hardly ever did we get punished unjustly, trying to hide behind an untruth.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are filled with examples of the God of Truth and ancestors trying to lie out of difficult situations, from Paradise lost to the first killing of a brother. Personal and community covenants were founded and validated upon the promise of Truth and Fidelity to the Truth. Throughout our Salvation History, time and time again, God and then his Son, Jesus, warned us about false gods, false witnesses, false prophets, false leaders, false testimonies, false apostles who call themselves Christian, to name a few. Exodus 20 ff, lists two of the ten commandments that forbids false gods and false witness. Our first reading for today’s Mass warns against “savage wolves will come among you and not spare the flock.” (Acts 20:29) Jesus, in today’s Gospel, prays that we be consecrated in the Truth and in God’s Word. (John 17:17).

We are called to live a life of integrity, authenticity, honesty, and truth. Even as children, we were tempted to be dishonest, to lie to prevent punishment or to blame others or to deceive another willfully. Many of us will get accustomed to lie in order to save face, to justify what we believe is a greater good or just because it has become a way of life. The alcoholic says that he or she is sober when it is clearly not the case, the cheater will lie when caught red-handed and many a convicted person will swear innocence even when DNA says otherwise.

This is why God and Jesus, and then the Church has insisted that the Truth will always set us free. This is why Jesus consecrates us in Truth. To live a life of integrity and honesty is not easy and will make great demands on us over time and circumstances. We followers of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, will always be called to live truthfully and honestly, even when it costs us fame and fortune. Our life can only be build upon The Truth. Let us not worry, for God will always be there for us for it is never all up to us!

Let us embrace Jesus’ prayer for us today: “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” John 17: 17 – 19

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle

Scripture:

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
John 15:9-17

Reflection:

How often do we feel undervalued? How does being on the
B-Team typically make us feel about ourselves? And when we’re finally chosen for the A-Team, how much of that negative experience might we carry with us?

Consider the intense pressure Saint Matthias faced when he was elected to replace the traitor Judas as the twelfth apostle. The significance of the number twelve, resonating with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, underscored the weight of Matthias’ role in maintaining the apostolic circle’s integrity.

To top it off, Saint Matthias gets the weakest New Testament coverage. We learn he had been with Jesus from John the Baptist to the Ascencion. He was even in the room at Pentacost to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Beyond that, we learn he was martyred, likely beheaded with an axe, as an axe is what he holds in portraits of him throughout history.

Here’s the deal. Matthias had to be one of those special disciples. He probably didn’t talk a lot, but he was always there. Passing out loaves in fishes? Of course he was. Pulling in the fish nets? Of course he was. Defending all the apostles when they were hassled by unbelievers? He sure was.

He might have been super humble and did not need credit. And it’s a good bet he may have been one of the happier disciples, and a happier apostle.

It’s also a good bet he did not allow himself to wallow in the guilt of living in the shadow of Judas, to get lost in low self-esteem or negative stigma.

The odds are that we can aspire to bolster our own position in the world by doing what Matthias probably did: Let’s validate our own skills and abilities. Let’s change the narrative about negative Christian reputations. Let’s improve our performance in all things. Let’s enjoy a sense of accomplishment. On our own team, let’s build new relationships, learn new strategies, and contribute positively to a more Gospel-inspired team dynamic.

Nobody chose Saint Matthias as a patron saint for minor leaguers but, hey, why not? We’ve all been there.

Jack Dermody is the editor of the CrossRoads bulletin for the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission for Holy Cross Province. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

The first thing that strikes me about our reading from the Acts of the Apostles is the mention of John the Baptist for the second time in as many chapters (18:25; 19:3). Perhaps John’s reach into the Mediterranean world was more extensive than was realized. From scripture, we know that his death took place early in Jesus’ ministry, and we are now somewhere in the early 50s A.D., his message in “preparing the way” still bears fruit.

In the text, Paul exhibits care and tenderness in his conversation with the disciples in Ephesus. Might he have noticed in the previous chapter how Priscilla and Aquila quietly instructed Apollos in the faith (18:26). Later, Paul would write the following passage in his letter to the Romans, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (8:24). It is fair to say that he recognized the work of the Spirit in these disciples and desired to encourage them in their faith. Trust in the Spirit of God was at the heart of Paul’s theology. A good lesson for those in ministry is to treat our people at work with love, wisdom, encouragement, and tenderness. However, he deals a little differently with those in the synagogue as he boldly debates using persuasive arguments (v.8), and we get the sense of his forceful character once again.

In our gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples about this dynamic of confident trust in the Holy Spirit to guide them when he “returns to the Father.” Interestingly, his disciples now realize that he is from God. However, we know that while they understand who Jesus is, they don’t fully comprehend everything. Yet Jesus knows this and attempts to reassure them not to worry when confusion arrives. He reminded them where they would find their peace. In him!

And so it happened that following his crucifixion, they were all scattered. I wonder how long it took for them to remember Jesus’ tender words. So, too, with us, perhaps when life gets out of control, do we trust that Jesus is with us? Like the disciples, I can feel that with Jesus, I can get through anything. However, that is not always my reality when some unanticipated event invites me to live up to those beliefs and promises. It often feels more like a journey—a long journey—to trust.

Note his words in the final verse, “In the world you WILL have trouble” (16:33). He doesn’t say may or might; this is a declarative statement that reaches out to us these days. Because life WILL bring trouble otherwise, how would we learn the practice of staying close to Jesus? In these times, we don’t act out of our emotions; we act from our will—we make a choice.

Jesus, I trust in you.Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.