Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Genesis 18:1-15
Matthew 8:5-17

Reflection:

We read about several models of faith in the scripture readings today. In Genesis we hear the familiar story of Abraham and Sarah entertaining three visitors who in turn announce to this faithful couple that they will become parents in the coming year! While this was long-awaited news for Abraham and Sarah (especially Sarah), it also left them a bit perplexed.  They had wanted a child for so long but at this point they were old and unsure of how this was going to come about.  At the same time, they took this wonderful news in faith and trust that God was in charge.

The responsorial response, Mary’s Magnificat, her fiat her saying Yes to Jesus in faith, invites us follow Mary’s example and give our total self over to God’s will for us.

The gospel story offers two accounts of healing by Jesus.  One healing request came from a Roman centurion whose servant lay paralyzed and suffering dreadfully.  Jesus was so moved by this man’s faith that he healed the servant on the spot.  Afterward he went to the house of Simon Peter where his mother-in-law lay on her sick bed in a feverish state.  Here again because of her faith and that of Simon Peter, Jesus did not hesitate to heal the woman.

We are people of faith who believe in and trust Jesus’ love and care for us.  Our faith is a precious gift we often take for granted.  It needs to be nourished to enable us to grow in holiness with God and each other.  Let us strive to emulate the people of faith from our scriptures today, Abraham, Sarah, the Centurion, and Peter’s mother-in-law.  In this way Jesus may bless us as he did the centurion in these words;

            “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
            “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.”

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Scripture:

Ezekiel 34:11-16
Romans 5:5b-11
Luke 15:3-7

Reflection:

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. John 1:9 These are some of the most remarkable words of Christ in the New Testament!  In the life of the Holy Trinity the bond of Their love is utterly beyond our understanding and imagination and rests at the heart of experiencing the life of God.  When the Father reaches out to draw humans into the life of the Trinity, He sent His Son Jesus to touch us with His Holy Spirit by which we cry out Abba Father!

The fact that God wishes to share His Triune love with us is the most incredible surprise of our lives.   He invites us to live or “abide or menō” in His love as theoriginal inspired Greek text in New Testament states.  This word “meno” is used 118 times in NT.  How important it is that we live in His Love!   Who would ever dream that God would care so much for us to send His Only Begotten Son to die for us?    This amazing care for us is symbolized in today’s feast of the Sacred Heart.  

The Heart is used over 1000 times in the Scriptures.  The wonder of revelation is that the God of the Galaxies has a great Heart for us.  He cares for us a million times more than we would dare believe!  When the Apostles in Mark’s gospel wake up Jesus during the storm at sea, they accuse Him: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mk 4:38   In the original inspired text it says, “it does not matter to you that we are perishing”!  This is one of the most awful accusations we could make to Jesus.  Only Mark dares to use it of the apostles to Jesus in his account of the storm at sea.    

Reflection of how much Christ suffered for us on the cross should evaporate our doubts about God’s love for us. Psalm 32:10 is a beautiful help to calm our troubled hearts by His wounded Heart. “But he who boldly trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him^”

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Genesis 16:1-12, 15-6 or 16:6b-12, 15-16
Matthew 7:21-29

Reflection:

My, oh my. Today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis, which tells the story of Sarai and Hagar, is racy, to say the least. It’s a story that, were it not for being in the Bible, might well be banned from libraries these days.

The selection from the Gospel of Matthew is equally challenging. There is a tendency to shroud ourselves in righteousness, as if we speak for God like some spokesperson. Of late, there is a whole lot of name-calling and disparaging of others with crude and demeaning epithets by God-fearing, cross-wearing Christians who believe, like the disciples, that they are doing the Lord’s work. To them, Jesus says, “Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’”

The saying “God writes straight with crooked lines” may help us remain humble and open to God’s wisdom. We don’t know what marvels God can work in the minds and hearts of others. We don’t know how there can be wholeness/holiness from what looks broken or sinful. Abram becomes Abraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah. Peter, the denier, becomes the rock upon which God builds the church. The last shall be first and life from death.

We are all on a journey. We don’t know the whole story. We don’t know the mind of God. What we do know about God is this: God is love. God loves us and Jesus shows us how to love one another, especially the poor and outcast. Maybe this will keep us busy enough that we will have less time to judge and disparage others.

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

Scripture:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

In our divided times, the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading are most challenging: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.”

It seems to be a simple criterion for judging a prophet: by the “fruit” he or she bears. But right now, it seems difficult for people to even agree on which “fruit” is good and which is bad.

Perhaps we can take our cues from Jesus. Jesus often spoke about forgiveness and mercy, and He demonstrated both of those things time and time again, even from the Cross. He spoke about coming so that we might have life and have it abundantly. He criticized the scribes and the Pharisees for brow-beating the people without lifting a finger to help them. He ate with the tax collectors and the sinners, those who were considered outcasts and not worthy of God’s love or time. And He spoke to foreigners!

So, when I hear someone indulge in judgement and condemnation, in stereotyping those considered “other,” or even maintaining the status quo so as to benefit one group of people over another, I tend to view the message as a false one. When the message calls for repentance and justice and reconciliation, then it seems true to me.

Before we rush to judgement about “them,” ready to characterize them as true or false prophets, perhaps we ought to take a longer look at the “fruits” they bear.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Scripture:

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Reflection:

“John is his name.” Today, we remember the birth of St John the Baptist.  Admittedly, the Scriptures present him as rather threatening, but his name in Hebrew means Yahweh (God) is gracious!  The word gracious in Hebrew is ḥānan which means kindness with compassion!  In fact God is Self described in Exodus 34:4 “a merciful racham(compassionate) and very generous (ḥānan)!   The phrase rhymes in Hebrew, racham and ḥānan 

 John the Baptist had to be forceful in waking up his generation to the incredible act of love and kindness from the Father!  John’s mission was to prepare the people for the greatest event ever to happen in the cosmos “the Word was made Flesh”!   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” JN 3:16

Another St John wrote passionately: “¹¹He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. ¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God^” John 1:11

The greatest tragedy of our lives is not to receive and appreciate this enormous gift of Jesus from our Father in Heaven.   So many parents today who by not practicing their faith do irreparable hurt and loss to their children.   I can think of no other child abuse that is worse than this!  We must prayerfully and intensely encourage young parents to be faithful in example and instruction to their children.  I never saw my parents miss Mass on Sunday except for illness.  

Married couples have the power to have children.  What a beautiful opportunity!  I think many today can easily rationalize about not having more children!  What an awesome thing to do!  To give life with God to a human being that is destined to live forever!   Wow!

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Genesis 12:1-9
Matthew 7:1-5

Reflection:

In a group where people were sharing about seeing faults in others, I heard a phrase I never heard before: “You spot it, you got it.” I liked it when I heard it. It refers to that all-too-human tendency to point out what we dislike in others when it is something we have in ourselves. In our Gospel reading, Jesus points out that we cannot presume to point out the faults of others, much less help them, when we don’t recognize our own faults: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

I think it helps to remember that for the most part, we cannot remove the “wooden beam,” or even the “splinter,” from our ‘eye” by ourselves. We need the grace of God to remove our faults. Acknowledging this gives us the humility to actually be of service to someone else. We don’t help each other as experts as much as we help others as fellow travelers; as those who have known woundedness, too.

Before the Cross, we are all humbled and in need of mercy. This is why Jesus can tell us to stop judging and stop condemning. We may have to call out injustice, but we need not condemn others. Instead, we come together with people of good faith and work for justice and thereby help make peace. May the measure we measure out to others be one of generosity and compassion and the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Scripture:

Genesis 14:18-20
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11b-17

Reflection:

On Sunday, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This feast calls to mind the total gift of Jesus’ self for our salvation, and consequently, the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

Our readings point out certain aspects of the Eucharist and what it means to be church and to live Christian lives. One of the reasons we come to celebrate the Eucharist is to give thanks, as we see in our first reading (Genesis 14:18-20), when the priest and king Melchizedek comes to Abram with bread and wine and offers a blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” When we come to Mass, we give thanks to God, for the Son of God becoming incarnate in order to deliver us from sin and the fear of death.

When we celebrate the Eucharist, we come to hear God’s word, as did the thousands of people who came to hear Jesus in our Gospel reading (Luke 9:11b-17). I often imagine these crowds coming to Jesus, desperate to hear some Good News! Whatever concerns or issues we bring with us when we come to Mass, we can hear God speak of His love for us.

In our second reading (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), St. Paul writes to his brothers and sisters about what was handed to him about Jesus’ words at the Last Supper. We believe that the bread and wine become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus. In this way, the sacrifice of Jesus, made once for all, is made present to us, so that we can share in that sacrifice.

Hearing God’s word and receiving this intimate gift of Jesus’ self, poured out for us in love, we are nourished and empowered to fulfill the mission given to us as a church. Again, in our second reading, St. Paul writes: “for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” We are to proclaim the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ until He comes again. People are still searching for something, or more accurately, Someone, to give them redemption and hope and purpose.

In our Gospel reading, after the crowds have heard Jesus, and He had healed those who needed healing, the disciples come to Jesus and suggest that He dismiss the crowds so that they could get something to eat. And Jesus says, “Give them some food yourselves.” I can imagine the agitation in the disciples’ voice when they say, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Then Jesus takes what they have and multiplies it so that the people have enough to eat.

Jesus tells them to give the people food themselves. I am reminded of a quote from St. Louise de Marillac: “To share what one has is nothing if one does not give oneself.” I think that is what Jesus is getting at here. We are called not only to give what we may have, but to give of ourselves. Having been delivered and healed and comforted and reconciled and fed through the mercy and love and sacrifice of Jesus, we are called to bring comfort and healing and nourishment to others. We may not feel we have anything to offer, like five loaves and two fish in the presence of thousands, but Jesus can multiply our efforts, especially when we are willing to come together, so that people’s needs are met.

It is the Body and Blood of Jesus, the total gift of Himself, that enables us to go forth and follow His command to love. Sharing in the sacrifice, we are called to share in the Mission.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Matthew 6: 24-34

Reflection:

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life…”(Matthew 6:25)

I have friends, a married  couple, that have both been out of work for several years. They never seemed to worry all the while praying and reading the scriptures daily. When I asked about their situation they would say:  “God will provide”.  This couple really believed that God would pull them through. A couple of months ago, they both got jobs. I will be honest.  I don’t think I have that kind of faith and trust in God. 

As we all know, there will be tough times in life.  Jesus says don’t worry about tomorrow God will take care of that. Be calm because life is tough at times. The key is how do we respond to these difficult times when we are tempted to worry excessively. We are called to discern God’s presence and stay focused on the kingdom of God in our lives .  Our Lord instructs us not to worry or be overly anxious but to strive toward being just in all that we do. On a worry and anxiety scale of 1 to 10, 10 being excessive worry, where would we place our concern and worry over material things?  The Lord instructs us not to worry but seek first the kingdom of God.  

Dear God, give us the faith and wisdom to discern your priorities  and not worry nor be anxious about material needs.   

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.