Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 John 4:11-18
Mark 6:45-52

Reflection:

The first reading for today begins with a surprising statement: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another." As I read this, I was expecting the author to say: "If God so loved us, we also must love God." But no. The real test of whether we are returning God’s love is our passing that love on to others around us. God is the source of love and does not need our love returned. We cannot give God something God has in infinite abundance. God does not want us to hoard this gift of love nor to return it. God wants us to use it by loving our brothers and sisters.

The reading tells us that "no one has ever seen God." Therefore, it is difficult to measure our love for God. We can say that we love God and the way to prove that personal statement is that we love others as God loves us. Therefore, if we can say that we are sincerely trying to love the people around us, those with whom we come in contact by design or by chance, then God is genuinely present within us. These people are very visible, sometimes uneasy to be with. Yet, it is to these people that we are called to share God’s love.

Our Christian life is not primarily about being politically correct or religiously correct, not about being perfect in following every rule or in performing religious duties flawlessly. Our Christian life is about being loving people. And the source of that love is God, not ourselves. Our loving acts are an expression of God’s love working in and through us. We see this dynamic working in Jesus Christ, whom God sent as an offering for our sins. Jesus on the cross is the most dramatic sign of God’s love for us, a love that is freely given and never earned by any action of ours.

Nine days into the New Year. How are you doing with your resolutions to make this a better year? Did you include being a more loving person?

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago, Illinois.

 

Memorial of Saint John Neumann

Scripture:

1 John 3:11-21
John 1:43-51

Reflection:

"Once a thief, forever a thief. What you want you always steal."  Spoken by the antagonist Javert in Les Miserables, he fires his judgment toward his adversary, Jean Valjean. Javert is the figurehead of authority who believes there are two kinds of people in the world, those who are law abiding, and those who have transgressed.  He is proud that he has lived his life without breaking a single rule.  He holds his exemplary attitude before Jean Valjean, the protagonist in the story, who admitted early on that he had stolen a loaf of bread to feed his family.  Having experienced radical forgiveness Valjean spends the rest of his life extending mercy to those suffering from misfortune.  Javert on the other hand, spends the rest of his time in harsh judgment and condemnation of others, especially Jean Valjean. 

These two struggle against each other much like the tensions which we live with and face on a daily basis.  These certainly must have existed in John’s community too.  In the first reading John speaks about these tensions:  Cain who belonged to the Evil One, the world which hates the righteous, and love which lays down its life for another.  Yet Victor Hugo’s work brilliantly shows that the one holding the grudge is the blind one.  And living with that burden day-in and day-out becomes quite burdensome, bringing one down.  The one who knows he has been forgiven, the one who has paid his debts, is portrayed as much freer and more joyful.  Ultimately, this is what John is trying to communicate in the letter to his community.

Change or transformation has more than one side.  Even if a person does change, how is this change accepted by others?  Will society or the community receive the person back?  Won’t the person always have to carry around the truth that they have a black strike against them?  Won’t the first thing out of people’s mouths be a negative kind of statement?  Wasn’t this the same with Nathanael? After Philip tells him, "We found the one that Moses wrote about in the Law" the first thing out of Nathanael’s mouth is the reply, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" 

Slowly we must put down our prejudices.  Why is it that the heavier they are the harder it is to put them down?  John’s gospel, thanks to Nathanael, gives us a recipe for letting them go.  First, come to Jesus.  And second, acknowledge who he is.  Can it be that simple?

Will Javert ever be able to put down his justification?  Will he let go of his intolerance toward Jean Valjean?  Without giving away the story, what happens when he sees through his blindness that a tremendous act of mercy was extended to him?  The story repeats itself in all of our lives.  As Christians, we merely call it an encounter with the risen Christ, the Son of the Living God.  Nathanael, after finding Jesus, becomes a believer and starts a new chapter of his life. 

It’s a new year, and time to start a new chapter in your life.

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

1 John 4:19-5:4
Luke 4:14-22a

Reflection:

We celebrated Christmas and welcomed a new year, yet we live in the shadow of violence and death. A gunman murders his mother, then shoots his way into a school and kills over 20 undeserving victims. Another man, acting for the thrill of it, kills his sister and sets a deadly ambush for the firefighters who would prevent him from burning down his entire neighborhood. These are but two of the more recent and shocking stories, yet the march of repeated incidents of inhumanity pierce our complacency and leave us achingly bewildered.

When I think of these events, my primary experience is one of vulnerability. I lust after safety and security. Is there a way to protect my loved ones and myself, or to stop these evil things from happening? Knowing that complete security and protection is impossible, my reaction (which I hear reflected all around me) is to throw up the barricades and adopt a mentality of exclusion, mistrust, insulation, and isolation.

This is an individualistic attitude based on fear. It says teachers must walk through our schools with guns strapped to their bodies. It dictates that our nations, cities, and neighborhoods be gated communities that keep out the "unwanted" or "unknown".  It teaches us to hoard our money for fear of losing it or not having enough to live the way we choose. It prompts us to go to war to maintain the flow of natural resources coming to us, to exact revenge for any hurts or embarrassments dealt to us, and to grab as much power and control as possible.

The problem is that our fear-based individualistic strategies do not ultimately make us any less vulnerable. We may feel secure for a while, but the truth is we are not in control. Jesus never promised us an easy, secure, or seamless life; in fact, exactly the opposite. Perfect safety and certitude are illusions. Evil things happen. Power corrupts. Death is a guarantee. Markets collapse. Greed bites back. Natural disasters come crashing in. Our children get hurt. Our parents get sick or sink into dementia. Sooner or later, our house of cards topples.

There is a basic choice in this milieu: Do I live in fear, mistrust, and exclusion, or do I open myself to the love and solidarity that Jesus proclaimed? It is far riskier, and yes far more vulnerable, to love in the face of evil and death. I know that when I am vulnerable I will get hurt. I know that not everyone in the world is as good-hearted as I’d like. I know that when I dare to speak about living a Gospel life, especially in light of the calamities of our world, people may wish to throw me off a hill, declare me crazy, or run me out of town.

Yet I cannot profess to love the God I cannot see if I do not clearly and openly love God’s people whom I can see. I would rather be crucified for trusting, sharing, and loving too much than live a life shaped by fear, isolation, and exclusion. As disciples, we are called to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom for the oppressed. We are called to self-sacrificial love in imitation of the one who died to show the depth of God’s love.  

Perhaps, then, less of our energy needs to go into self-preservation and more into self-emptying. Perhaps we need to loosen our grip on fear and strengthen our grip on compassion. Perhaps we need to uproot injustice and replace it with institutions and systems that work for the common good of all. Perhaps we need to concentrate on understanding and personally encountering the "unwanted" or "unknown" rather than excluding those who are unlike ourselves. Perhaps we can be prophets proclaiming a different path – a path of justice, mercy, non-violence, and the love of God.

After all, that is what the Christmas we just celebrated is ultimately all about.

 

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 of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 

Scripture:

1 John 3:7-10
Psalm 98
John 1:35-42

 

 

Reflection:

The Christmas Event & St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Today’s Gospel selection features John the Baptist and two of his disciples meeting Jesus as he walked by – "the Lamb of God".  The encounter led to Jesus’ invitation to "come and see" where he was staying – and ultimately, those first few hours with Jesus led to lives of life-changing discipleship. 

Over the centuries countless others have heard Jesus’ invitation to "come and see".  One such 18^th Century American woman-disciple is honored today:  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton…the first American-born saint.

Married to William Seton and mother of their five children, Elizabeth Ann was reared an Episcopalian but was drawn to the Catholic faith by an Italian Catholic family whom she met while in Italy traveling with her husband.  After her husband’s death from tuberculosis at the young age of 30, Elizabeth Ann embraced the Catholic faith – and subsequently opened a parish school in Baltimore to support her family and express her faith. 

Drawn by Elizabeth’s fervor, a group of young women joined Elizabeth Ann in her approach to education and Christian life.  In 1809 they formed the American Sisters of Charity, following the rule of St. Vincent de Paul and later founding other schools and orphanages.  By the time of her death on January 4, 1821, the community had expanded their ministries as far west as St. Louis.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was called to help build up the Church in her day.  As noted in today’s Gospel, Jesus drew disciples to himself and began the Church; Elizabeth Ann joined those early disciples in saying "yes" to Jesus and working tirelessly to build the Church.

As we embrace the new year 2013, God continues to bless us with our Passionist charism as enfleshed in St. Paul of the Cross.  May we deepen our relationship with Jesus these days – and encourage others to "come and see" God’s love present in our world.  With St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we pray the words of Psalm 98:  "Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done wondrous deeds…"

(N.B.:  January 13 to 19, 2013 is National Church Vocations Awareness Week.  Join us in praying for priestly and religious vocations.)

 

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

 

Scripture:

1 John 3:22-4:6
Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Reflection:

My mother had many sayings she often repeated to us. One of those was "Actions speak louder than words." Even at an early age, I knew what she meant. It’s so easy to say: I love you. It takes a lifetime to learn to live that sentiment. It’s easy to say, "We must stop the violence." Everyone, legislators, people on the street, and even NRA members repeat the mantra, and yet the violence continues. We must take action, if we expect things to change.

For me, the Serenity Prayer helps move me from words to action and to make changes in my life when things aren’t working. It reminds me, that while there is much in the world that I cannot do anything about, I can always make changes in my own life if I have courage.

"God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference" (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Today’s scripture readings tell me that Jesus’ mother, Mary, must have gone to the same child rearing school my mother attended. They also tell me that Jesus was a man of action.

"He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people." (Matthew 4:23)

 

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

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Scripture: 

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Reflection:

Remember Luke’s story about the birth of Jesus. A slice of Luke’s nativity version described how God reached out to shepherds to announce the birth of the divine Son.  "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…" In Matthew’s Gospel today, God attracts the attention of astrologers by the movement of a star. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem." Luke’s story reminds us that God’s kingdom included the Jewish poor, neglected and those who were not usually welcomed at the local synagogue or at the table where important decisions are decided. Matthew, in using a different story, reminds us that God’s kingdom includes within its boundaries those even who are outside my religion or my society or my culture. In God’s Kingdom, revealed by Jesus Christ, all people are included.  All nations, according to Isaiah, will come "proclaiming the praises of the Lord."

Interestingly, Matthews says that the religious leaders of the time were not particularly aware of the significance of the birth of Jesus. Although they could tell King Herod that this Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, not that far from Jerusalem, no Jewish leader is found making his way to visit the Child. Herod takes more interest in the birth than the Jewish leaders; however, his concern had a sinister motivation. Herod wanted to get rid of a possible rival, who was referred to as a "king." This is all a sign that anticipates the rejection Jesus would experience from the Jewish and Roman leaders. The story of the itinerant astrologers finding the Christ child is also a precursor of the Gentiles embrace of the Way of Christ when St. Paul the Apostle begins his preaching ministry to the "outsiders."

Today’s readings are a reminder that God’s love is universal; there are no outsiders, no foreigners; no one is excluded from God’s Kingdom. We can all pray "Our Father" and claim the same inheritance. If God is Father/Mother of every single human person, then all people on this planet we call Earth are my brothers and sisters.

 

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

 

Scripture:

1 John 2:29-3:6
John 1:29-34

Reflection:

The Church honors the Holy Name of Jesus today. A name so powerful, and yet, taken so much for granted. In fact, there is something "foreign" about actually following and imitating Jesus the Christ. Why is it so awkward to talk about Him with others, or to tell of the ways we strive to follow him? Is it not recognized as culturally correct? Culturally correct means that society, "the world", knows and approves. Is that why St. John comments, "The reason the world does not recognize us is that it did not know Him"? Is there a way of knowing and seeing Jesus, despite the fact that we ourselves are not given the recognition? John the Baptist must have known the Way; he did not care that he wasn’t recognized when he pointed to Jesus as the One who would come after him as the greater one. "After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me." John’s whole ministry was dedicated to preparing for someone else.  Can I strive for that same attitude that lets go of what I want, and see my best plans turned around by others so to fit the group’s plans or desires?  This selflessness imparts that perception of God beyond words, which gives us a sense of God’s presence which is the closest thing on earth to seeing God "as He is." May the Name of Jesus always remind us that we form one family with Jesus, and we share that privilege with all God’s children.

 

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

Scripture:

1 John 2:22-28
John 1:19-28

Reflection:

The anticipatory season of Advent gave way to the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  The celebration of the feast of the Holy Family helped us to remember that Jesus grew in age, wisdom and grace.  The new year, just begun, has also reminded us that we, too are surely growing in age, perhaps in wisdom and hopefully in grace.

That is why today’s gospel passage has a relevant resonance for us when we reflect on the conversation between John the Baptist and the priests, Levites and Pharisees who come out to challenge him with their questions:

"Who are you?…Are you Elijah?…Are you the Prophet?…Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?

This last question is the one that reveals the hearts of the questioners.  They are asking not for themselves but for "those who sent us".  They have no commitment to the question, it did not arise from their personal desire for the Messiah.

Religious practice and religious practitioners can fall into this depersonalization of what can be a true faith experience.  When religious practice does not express my own personal hunger for Jesus, for a share in the saving grace that emanates from his victory on the Cross, and from the triumph of his Resurrection, then I am only echoing the questions and concerns of "those who sent us".

When I hunger to know Jesus and his life-giving grace in my life, when I am drawn to spend time in prayer with Jesus, and when I see the providential love of God working in the events of my life, then I do know the Lord Jesus in my life, and the grace of God will see that I, too, am growing in age, wisdom and grace throughout the new year of 2013.

 

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Chicago, Illinois.