Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

Reflection:

There is something incredibly touching about meeting Jesus on the beach as he appears to the disciples casually cooking and inviting them to "Come have breakfast." Basic, simple, nourishing words that give no inkling to all that has occurred in the prior days. The horror of the crucifixion, the denial and cowering of the apostles, the earthquake that split the temple curtain, the shock of an empty tomb and the stunning, awesome awakening to their Savior’s presence once again. How could one ever return to ordinary life after such a cosmic event?

In the wake of walking in a world blown open by unimaginable Mystery, Peter and the disciples return to the familiar where the invitation to follow Christ was first accepted. Ladened with the reality of betraying his allegiance to Christ, the sea, abandoned boats and fishing call out to Peter offering him weathered security and comfort.

Before the disciples could fully embark on their new calling, experiences needed to be understood, integrated and healed. The connection to the real presence of God had to be grounded in each life and made real. Back in the familiarity of what they know, Christ returns to tie up the loose ends of the story, ensuring their connection of memory and experience while renewing, transforming and restoring the path for a deeper commitment. Known again through the miracle of the fish and the breaking of the bread, Christ continues to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead.

I have always viewed Peter’s and Jesus’ "Do you love me?" exchange that follows as a merciful chance to reverse each denial but I wonder if there is the added element of a deeper invitation. Peter is now more aware of the cost of discipleship. His earlier proclamations of love before his denial remind me of the initial vows of marriage. Exuberant, passionate, unequivocal in its early stages, we meet Love with a degree of pride and naivete, promising and yet unaware of the depth of what this Love will ask. Love must endure and mature through the unforeseen tests and trials of time with the question becoming more real and relevant after it has been tested. It’s as if Christ is asking, "Having now seen and experienced both the miracles and the suffering that loving and following me can entail, are you willing to go forward with me?" This remains an ongoing invitation that awaits a response from each one of us every moment of our lives.

 

M. Walsh is a retreatant at Madre Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a friend of the Passionist community.

Scripture:

Acts 6:1-7
John 6:16-21

Reflection:

Beautiful gifts can arise from a crisis. This is easier said than done, of course. When we are sitting right in the eye of the hurricane of our crisis neither beauty nor gift seem to come from it. From the interethnic tensions of the first Christian communities, as we read in the book of Acts, what we know now as the Diaconate came about. Men, and even in some cases women, became responsible for the work of charity and justice within the Christian Community throughout the centuries. The Spirit of God, just as Jesus accompanied the disciples in the midst of the storm in today´s Gospel, through our conflict and crisis endowed the Church with a great service as it was and is the Diaconate.

The Christian Community is confronted with many current crises, the abuse of minors by priests, the omissions of our bishops, the abuse of influence and disorderedly conduct  by high ranking Vatican Officials, the disillusionment of many Catholics who have  given up on the Church and now make up one of the biggest religious groups in the US. Can beautiful gifts arise from any of these situations? As we sit in the eye of the hurricane that we face as Church, the past storms within our Church assures that Jesus is walking with us and that the Spirit will plant and harvest beautiful gifts for the Church and the world. Let us pray to receive the wisdom and courage to recognize Jesus as he accompanies us and the action of the Spirit as it bestows the Church with beautiful gifts in the midst of our crises.

 

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 6:8-15
John 6: 22-29

Reflection:

There come into everyone’s life defining moments, forks in the path that set one on a new course. Our readings set the stage for a major transition in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the new Christian community that formed in Jerusalem after Pentecost. Let us look at Jesus. He had just performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of five thousand men. This precipitated a confusing aftermath: Jesus hiding himself from the crowds who wanted to make him king, boats leaving, the crowd confused, and finally the people finding him again in Capernaum. Jesus senses that this is the time to challenge the faith of the crowds enthused by his preaching and miracles. He launches into his discourse on the Bread of Life which reaches the startling proclamation that they must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood if they are to have life in them. John concludes with:  "From this time on, many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer." (6:66). The Twelve, led by Peter’s confession ("You have the words of eternal life") remain with him. The shadow of the cross is now over the Jesus movement.

In Acts we have a decisive moment as well. The deacon Stephen has risen to prominence in the Christian community on the strength of his powerful preaching and healings. Possibly understanding the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus he has begun to stress the differences between Judaism and followers of the new Way. He is arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. The charges against him (making statements against the law and that Jesus the Nazorean will change the customs Moses handed down) were in fact true. Our passage ends with Stephen standing before them his face shining like that of an angel, about to launch into a passionate defense of the new Way. He is dragged out of the city and stoned to death and a fierce persecution, led by Saul, begins against the church in Jerusalem. As a result Christians seek refuge away from the city and the

Church spreads to Damascus and Antioch, a changing event that moved the church into new lands, peoples and cultures.

Maybe we can ask ourselves what is the meaning of our new Pope named Francis.

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-37
John 3:7b-15

 

 

Reflection:                                          

Nicodemus, Model of Catechumens

I find myself feeling a certain awe when I am with those in the RCIA. Something wonderful is happening in their lives. In words used in today’s gospel the Spirit is bringing into them something from above. They have questions and challenges but in the end it seems catechists and celebrant step back, and the persons to be baptized stand open before God, while God works in them.

Today is our second of three days with Nicodemus this week. Jesus challenges him to be born anew, to a new way in which God is at work. Jesus gives him a parable about the wind, and draws from it, that like the wind that cannot be controlled, so is the mystery, the freedom of God. What a good example are those newly baptized who have the seed of new life carried to them by the Spirit, it will be born within them and will grow to something new.

In the middle of our reading the conversation shifts. It is no longer Jesus and Nicodemus, but the faith community and Israel who are in dialogue. ‘We testify to what we have seen, you people do not accept our testimony’. We are in the days of mystagogy, the 50 days of celebrating the Resurrection and the time in the early church when those baptized were taught about their faith. There was much for them to learn, especially as they were celebrating a mystery that could only now be fully explored and entered into. We have welcomed those newly baptized at Easter this year. Even if our parish or the religious community in which we live did not celebrate a baptism, we join the community of the larger Church in celebrating those baptized. We by our faith during Lent witnessed to them, some in prayer others by example. And they have helped us by surrendering to the mystery of the breath of the Spirit working in them. They have answered the question of Nicodemus, "How can this happen?" 

The gospel ends today with a summary of faith. John tells us this is where the Spirit leads us: Jesus is from the Father, the one above. He will be lifted up as was the serpent in the desert during the Exodus, and will be our Savior. All who believe will have eternal life.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-33
John 3:31-36

Reflection:

"He does not ration his gift of the Spirit."

This is a very personal reflection.  I know first-hand that God does not ration his gift of the Spirit.  About 20 years ago, after much prayer, a private retreat, and discussion with my spiritual director, it became clear to me that I, a husband with two children, wanted to live my life more fully as a Passionist.  But how?  The only way I knew was to embrace the one gift that is unique to all Passionists – their vow to keep alive the memory of the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Memoria Passionis.

I wrote to Fr. Michael Joseph Stengel, then the Provincial of Holy Cross Province.  I requested his permission to enter into a year-long private formation leading up to the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother, Sept. 15, when I would hope to take the Passionist vow.

Fr. Michael Joseph replied: "I don’t have the power or authority to give you permission to take this vow.  We Passionists don’t have a monopoly on this charism.  We can’t ration it out. It belongs to the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit shares it with whoever desires it.  I can’t give you permission.  But my blessing you have as you prepare to take this vow."  About a year later on the Feast of the Mater Dolorosa, in the chapel of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, before family and the Passionist Community, I made the vow that Passionists have been making for nearly 300 years – the Memoria Passionis.

God is not stingy, not miserly, not tight-fisted.  God does not ration his gift of the Spirit.   God lavished me with the unmerited gift of the Spirit, the desire to preach Christ Crucified. And God allows me to share this gift in Passionist retreat ministry.

What has this personal reflection, the Memoria Passionis, to do with all of us during this Easter Season?  Just this:  As we continue to celebrate the Season, we are called to remember that the centrality of the Gospel is the cross, because it leads to life – never rationed, but bestowed lavishly.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:17-26
John 3:16-21

Reflection:

I feel great compassion for the Sadducees and Pharisees. They were not, after all, bad people. They were the religious authorities of their day. Being human, no doubt some became obsessed with or corrupted by power. Yet for the most part, these leaders believed they were safeguarding the truth, speaking for Yahweh, and enforcing the rules of the faith in ways they needed to be enforced. They honestly believed they were right and were offering valuable service.

Then this stranger comes and starts preaching about Yahweh in a completely different fashion. Rather than judgment, awe, and power, he speaks of love, forgiveness, humility, justice, and service. He touches people that the scriptures explicitly command no one should touch. He violates the rules of the Sabbath laid down in Yahweh’s law. He dishonors himself by eating with known sinners. He comes very close, or sometimes seems to cross the line, to blatant blasphemy. He challenges the religious authorities and leadership, and their interpretation of laws they’d studied from the time they were young boys.

Yes, this stranger also had incredible charisma and drawing power. From all reports, he healed people, walked on water, and performed miracles. Indeed, many Jews were following him, supporting him, and going out to preach the message themselves. But how could Jesus be doing these things in concert with Yahweh given such egregious violations of Yahweh’s laws combined with his refusal to submit to the divinely sanctioned authorities of the church? How were they to respond to this threat to the established system, their religion, and the way of life ordained in scripture? This man seemed too contrary to what they’d been taught and the principles on which they based their lives, faith, and ministries. He seemed dangerous – to them, to the faith, and to God’s chosen people.

The same dynamics are still in play two thousand years later. There is a lengthy list of contentious issues in our society and in the Catholic Church. It is incredibly difficult to discern whether different or even radical perspectives on these issues are dangers requiring condemnation and suppression, or whether they are strong movements of the Spirit trying to open us to God’s ever-surprising call.

We believe that God will never abandon the Church, and in the long run the Spirit will guide us on the right path. In the present moment, though, we are all human beings capable of mistakes, just as the faithful Pharisees and Sadducees were. Even those with knowledge, authority, and right intent can become whitewashed sepulchers who miss what God is trying so hard to do in our midst.  Today, as then, there are principles and doctrines we need to retain, and there are ways we need change or outright reform. I pray constantly for our Church leaders, that they may have the wisdom, insight, and openness to see the changes Christ desires in order to move us closer to the Reign of God.

The light has come into our world. Especially as we move forward with our new pope, may we not prefer the darkness, but open ourselves more fully to the dangerous, radical ideas of Jesus Christ.

 

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/.

Solemnity of the Annunciation

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38

 

 

Reflection:

Years ago, filled with doubt and trepidation, I readied myself to embark on a major new challenge.  A good and wise friend said to me in response to my uncertainty, "You know what you’re doing.  You just don’t know what you’re getting into."

Today is one of the great feasts of the liturgical year.  The story of the Annunciation has been told and retold by the great masters of art throughout the ages.  A young girl is visited by an angel who tells her she is to conceive and bear a child, the Son of God.  She, of course, does not have the full knowledge of events yet to come as we do.  We can sit here with the advantage of time to say to Mary, "Go for it…it will all work out."

This feast of the Annunciation falls this year just after Holy Week.  That might help put into perspective Mary’s fiat, her "May it be done to me according to your word."  To what is she saying yes?  She knows there is risk for scandal ("I have no relations with a man.").  She knows the ordinary demands of motherhood.  And she knows that God is faithful.  So, knowing all this, Mary knew what she was doing.  But she certainly did not know what she was getting into.

The death of my brother when he was only 22 years old was heart-wrenching.  Great as that pain was – and is – it pales compared to my mother’s.  The horror of a mother losing a son to war, violence, disease or accident is a loss so deep that really only other mothers can know it.  Yet here we are on this feast contemplating Mary’s yes knowing that Good Friday brought her immense pain as she watched her son suffer and die.  We are forced to see the connection between saying yes to God and where that yes may take us. 

The yes we give to God takes us not just to the cross, but through that brokenness and loss to new life.  But simply because we know where our yes to God will take us ultimately – we know what we’re doing – it doesn’t mean we know what we’re getting ourselves into.  That journey of faith that continues with our saying yes today will certainly challenge us along the way to new life.

 

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:

Acts 5:12-16
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31

Reflection:

I hate to say it, but I think old age is finally catching up with me. I live in Chicago, one of the most Catholic cities in the world, and what do I see? I see babies being shot and killed. I see church buildings that once were filled and buzzing with activity, now empty and shuttered. Public and church leaders alike insist we don’t have the money, we can’t afford the personnel. I see a public school system that spends more than ever before and yet fails to get the majority of their students through to graduation. Then I hear Pope Francis in his inauguration say the mission of the church: "means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about."

Truly, I feel like Thomas in today’s readings who says, I don’t believe and until I see Catholic politicians more concerned about making sure sick people are taken care of or school children get the care and attention they need than balancing their made up budgets, I will continue being the doubting Thomas.

 

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