Daily Scripture

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus

Scripture:

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

Jesus is God in the flesh. The crowds that were attracted by his preaching and cures did not see God in the flesh. They saw a man who could be a prophet sent by God, but maybe not.  Did Jesus have some obvious flaws that caused these doubts? He ate with tax collectors and sinners. His closest disciples were rough uneducated Galilean fishermen. He had a disturbing attitude toward the accepted traditions of Judaism. Moreover he seemed so ordinary, just fitting in with people in a gentle humble way. So they asked for a SIGN so unmistakable and spectacular that all doubts will be swept away.

The Church is the body of Christ in the world. Billions of people know about the Church from the attention given by the media one of its leaders, the pope. The witness of the early Church is the most published book in the world, the New Testament. Billions of people have heard the good news: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)  Yet, as with Jesus 2000 years ago, people wonder, is this true? Even some who grew up with this message, received from their parents and lived as a child, have walked away. The most recent survey of people in the United States reports that to the question: what is your religious faith? Twenty percent answer, "None".  The body of Christ, the Church, like Jesus 2000 years ago, is hard to accept for what it really is. Jesus was not at fault for the lack of faith that he encountered, but how about us? Do we live our faith in such a way that people that people can recognize Christ within us?

 

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 7:7-11
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

Reflection:

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him" "and he went away sad." A moment of connection seemingly ending in sadness and defeat yet, in the context of this manʼs life, the story may have just begun. He was a man faithful to the laws. He recognized something he wanted in Jesus but he was not able to surrender what was asked of him. As in many gospels we are only given a glimpse into the moment of meeting Jesus. It is left to our own lives and imagination to finish the story. What became of this man whose heart was stirred bringing him to kneel at the feet of Jesus?

When kneeling in prayer or listening to the Word, how often have I found myself responding to Jesusʼ invitations with my own versions of "Not now, Lord," "Not that, Lord," "Next time, Lord," fighting the inner wrestlings and challenges of a deeper call to conversion to live the gospel more fully? On an innate level I know something is missing and yet the price seems too high.

I fear releasing anything material, emotional or spiritual that I cling to that seems to bring comfort and security because I am afraid it might leave me vulnerable to suffering and uncertainty. Yet doesnʼt our greatest suffering occur when we let our own self imposed boundaries separate us from the fullness of Godʼs mercy and love? I believe Jesus understands this tension.

The gospel invites us not to wait for those life shattering moments that ultimately bring us to our knees but rather to rise to the challenge of surrendering to the call from the comfort of our lives. This is difficult for us alone requiring profound courage and trust but as Jesus tells his disciples in todayʼs gospel, "All things are possible with God."

 

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

Scripture:

Galatians 3:22-29
Luke 11:27-28

Reflection:

Jesus comes to free us. Jesus frees us to love beyond boundaries.  Jesus calls us to love freely and fully beyond the boundary of race, beyond the boundary of class, beyond the boundary of sexual identity, beyond our own dreams and wants, even beyond our securities.  When we love in this way, we will be called blessed. 

As we celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the II Vatican Council here in the Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico), we remembered the life that the Vatican Council gave to our Continent, especially in Latin America.  The reflection of Medellin, Puebla and Santo Domingo compelled the Church on the whole continent to love those who had been forgotten, the poor.

Out of this new life and commitment in the Church, men and women, lay and clergy, took on the challenge to love beyond boundaries to the point of giving up their lives. We began our celebration by remembering a few of the men and women who have been killed in El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala. Although none of these men and women are yet called blessed in a official sense, they are blessed indeed for many of us. They were living testaments of the Word of God among us.

Jesus words in today’s Gospel reading, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.", and these contemporary martyrs’ pious stance for human dignity, truth, justice and love, allow us to see a glimpse of God’s life. In other words we see how blessed they were then and, especially, now.  Their life and witness does not only give us hope but it challenges us as well by creating poignant questions for us as church.  How deeply will we, the church, be willing to love in a time of violent deaths (September was one of the bloodiest months in the failing Mexican War against drugs) due to the availability of North American weapons and its high demand of drugs and Mexican corruption and poverty?  Will the Church be capable of loving beyond the security of the new "tolerance" with the Mexican State in a time of fraudulent elections?  Will this silence our leaders or will we be brave and risk our own dreams and wants for the sake of justice and truth?  May we all let Jesus free us from the  shackles of our prejudices, the shackles of our fears and ignorance, the shackles of our egos and plans, the shackles of our silent complicity and numbing security in order to love freely and fully and be Blessed indeed!

Fr. Hugo Esparza-Perez, C.P. is a Passionist of Holy Cross Province now working in Mexico with the Province of Cristo Rey.

Scripture:

Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14
Luke 11:1-4

Reflection:

My one-year-old grandson John constantly looks to his parents for approval. If he gets encouragement or a hearty "Good for you!" he breaks into a huge grin and often claps with delight. When he gets a stern look or a reprimand, he lowers his head and sulks away. His parents’ reactions are helping John learn appropriate and acceptable behavior.

As we get older, our most-highly-desired approval may not come from our parents. Yet we still rely on the reactions of others to determine the acceptability of our actions. The problem occurs when we are so dependent on the approval of others that we compromise our beliefs or integrity in order to win it.

Peter was called to task by Paul for acting differently with the Gentiles when no Jews were present than he did when Jews were there. We have certainly seen our politicians act one way in front of a particular audience and a very different way in front of another.  

This is not to say we can’t tailor a message to an audience; I speak differently to a meeting in a church than I do to a group of financial advisors. The key lies in determining whether I remain true to my beliefs and principles in all settings, allowing the message to be delivered in different ways or at a different pace but not changing the message itself in order to gain that group’s approval. I need to ensure I am not so dependent on the approval of others that I say something I don’t believe, or act in a way I would not act if that particular group of people were not watching.

We are created with a craving for love – not just divine but human – and much of what we do is a quest to gain it. We so often go for human adulation because we can hear the applause of human beings; we can’t hear God clapping. Indeed, we live in a world where God’s voice is frequently silenced or drowned out. We need "God with skin on" so we experience the truth and know in tactile, sensate, visible ways that we are loved and lovable, accepted and acceptable.

Our appointed task, then, is multi-layered. We need to consistently critique our own behavior and pray that we may strive more to follow Jesus than to gain the approval of human beings. At the same time, we need to seek out faithful, trustworthy servants of God who can be sounding boards for us, challenging us as Paul challenged Peter whenever we are going astray. Finally, we need to be "God with skin on" for others. We need to be instruments of healing who reassure others of their innate approval before God, who help ensure they have their daily bread (in every nuance of its meaning), who help them resist temptation, who forgive  without measure, and who companion, instruct, challenge, and love them as Jesus would if he were here today.

It is very difficult to seek God’s approval, which we cannot visibly see, over the approval of those we can see. It is very difficult to keep our allegiance to the gospel strong and true even in the midst of human disapproval. It is very difficult to be such a model of Christ that others come to prefer discipleship to human praise. But if we don’t, what will children like John learn, whose approval will they crave, and ultimately, who will they follow?

 

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/.

Scripture:

Galatians 1:6-12
Luke 10:25-37

Reflection:

Our church begins the "Year of Faith" on Thursday. How appropriate that we are reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians as this year commences. This letter could be called the Magna Carta of faith and grace. Throughout the letter Paul makes his case that we are saved by faith, not works and "the one who through faith is righteous shall live." A Gospel of salvation by works is the "different" or "other" Gospel that he vehemently mitigates against.

The Gospel presents us with the story of the Good Samaritan. The fathers of Vatican II used this story as the symbol of the church. As the body of Christ in the world today, we are to abound in good works, compassion and service to the needy.

The question isn’t whether or not we are saved by faith (we are), the question, as we commence with the year of faith, is "what is faith?" Certainly faith means that we believe in Jesus as our savior. Faith is an inner assent and confidence that Jesus loved us and died for us. But a key ingredient in the virtue of faith is action and involvement. Service, love, and getting involved with people "makes effective" our faith as Paul writes in 5:6. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Action vivifies and completes faith! Confident assent that shows itself in action and love is the faith that will move mountains, open doors and comfort us with blessed assurance.  

May this year of faith move us to believe and love like never before.

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 16 books and creator of television and radio programs airing in many cities. You can learn more about his ministry at: http://www.frcedric.org/

 

Scripture:

Galatians 1:13-24
Luke 10:38-42

 

 

 

Reflection:

                                                                A Story of Transforming Grace                                       

Martha and Mary figure large in our religious imaginations. Luke gives us this first meeting, but John will show us two more times when Martha and Mary are with Jesus. Today’s reading opens up a larger meditation upon the working of grace in the lives of these two sisters.

This story of hospitality stands in contrast to the opening story of Luke 10, where the Samaritans refuse to welcome to Jesus. We will meet Mary who welcomes the words of the Word of God. But what do we see first? We see Martha. We could say that she is "Out There". She welcomes Jesus, she calls to his attention, and probably to everyone else, that her sister, Mary, is not doing her share of the work.

We jump to the next meeting of the sisters, in John’s Gospel, the great sign of the raising of Lazarus. When Jesus goes to Bethany Mary stays at home, but Martha goes to meet him. She does not hide her feelings of disappointment and sorrow in the least as she says to Jesus, "Had you been here my brother would never have died."

We may well have considered the psychology at work between the two sisters or decided who is our favorite, and we can agree that Martha and Mary are quite different. There does not seem to be a war between the two, but one could imagine that Lazarus lived amidst a bit of tension.

Then, in conclusion John shows us a beautiful family picture. Tension is gone, there is a new freedom and the grace of Jesus has grown each person to a greater stature. The banquet celebrates Lazarus’ return from the dead. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with rich oil drying them with her hair; Martha serves. It is a picture of reconciliation. No complaints, no reluctance to come out and be with Jesus, no words. Martha does what she does best, Mary too, as she has taken in God’s word and responds now fittingly, warmly. Lazarus probably just smiled and ate. Grace has come to this family and worked among them. Things are different because they have welcomed Jesus. As we put the whole story together we see it took some time, there were tears, dying and rising, the humanness of anger being transformed into tenderness, and service, no quick meal this time but a banquet. Grace is at work.

Today in the Passionist family is the anniversary of the death of Father Theodore Foley, CP who died in Rome in 1976 after a short illness. Fr. Theodore was serving as the General of the Passionist Community.

He has received the title, ‘Servant of God’ and his cause for sainthood has been introduced to the Church.

Theodore, was a soldier who stood beneath the banner of the Cross, and like Mary, he reached out in his humanness to comfort Our Lord in his Passion and to comfort those who were suffering the Passion in their lives. Like Martha he served. It was charity that made his service a banquet to his brothers in community.

As we consider Martha and Mary transformed by the grace of Jesus, we might also see Fr. Theodore Foley, ‘Servant of God’, as a man also transformed. He served, he welcomed the Word of God. May we ask his prayer, and remembering him, approach with love the mystery of Christ Crucified.

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of St. Joseph’s Monastery parish in Baltimore, Maryland.

Scripture:

Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:3-5
Luke 10:13-16

Reflection:

Metanoeo – Greek – To turn around, to change one’s thinking, to repent.

Today’s readings all deal with repentance. But they look at it from three different views. Before we begin, let’s look at the word  "repent." We often think of repentance as connected with guilt and suffering. But the Greek word used in the New Testament that is translated as "to repent" is closer to "changing one’s thought, to reconsider, to think in a different way."

In the first reading we have God’s answer to Job after Job demanded, ‘Show me where I have sinned. If I am punished so, where is my fault?’ God answers with some difficult questions: "Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place for taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?" After hearing God’s answer, Job repents, he experiences metanoia. That is, he reconsiders his thoughts, he turns his mind around. He recognizes the narrowness of his own view. He sees that his previous way of thinking (if bad things happen to me, I must have done something wrong) does not bring him any closer to God. He vows to stop seeing the circumstances of his life from this narrow point of view.

In the second reading the psalmist is speaking after he has experienced metanoia. He sees that there is nothing he can do to escape God. He surrenders his previous way of thinking and calls on God to lead him.

To understand today’s gospel passage takes some work. Not so much intellectual struggling as plain research. If we only read the quoted verses, at first it seems as if Jesus is saying how poorly He was received in Chorizan, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (His home town!) but then, He compliments them! After His condemnation He says, "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me…" How does this follow? Going back to the full gospel provides the answer. Jesus is addressing the 72 disciples He is sending forth to perform great deeds. It is to them that He says "Whoever listens to you listens to me." Jesus is speaking of the repentance of entire towns and lands. He is sending His disciples out to accomplish this.

It is sometimes easy to despair when it seems that everyone in our organization, our city, our country, our world is in need of repentance (a change of thinking). And yet, we see that this is possible. The Civil Rights movement in the 60’s, Ghandi’s march across India, the end of apartheid in South Africa, these all show that God can call entire nations to repentance through the work of individuals.

My prayer for today is that I listen for God’s call to repentance in my own life and that I have the courage and strength to call others by example.

 

Talib Huff is a volunteer at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California.

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Scripture:

Galatians 6:14-18
Matthew 11:25-30

Reflection:

During this month of October the lives of many religious founders are celebrated; today’s special scripture selections for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi help us celebrate with our worldwide Franciscan sisters and brothers – and help us acknowledge the Franciscan "roots" of our Passionist family and our Founder, St. Paul of the Cross. 

In writing to the Galatians, Paul the Apostle could truly "boast" in Jesus Crucified and look to the Cross of Jesus as the means of salvation.  Saint Matthew’s gospel selection shares the priestly prayer of Jesus — praising the Father, and inviting one and all to leave everything, come to Him and be refreshed and enlightened.  Saint Francis of Assisi heard that call of Jesus in the 12^th Century, gave himself wholeheartedly to Jesus and began an exemplary life of praise and sacrifice; some six centuries later, St. Paul of the Cross was called to build upon that blessed spiritual foundation.

To "boast" of Jesus Crucified; to praise God in all aspects of creation; to "rest" in the Lord and "learn" what it means to really love God and neighbor:  Jesus offers a transformation of life through joyful love, poverty, humility, and simplicity.  That’s a special message for our 21^st century!

The Scriptures came alive for Francis of Assisi.  His carefree youth was radically changed by the call of Jesus; he renounced his personal possessions and changed his life to one of evangelical poverty and preaching.  Francis was truly charismatic, compassionate, and in love with all God’s creation; soon others were attracted to his lifestyle.  Francis was blessed to compile a "rule of life" and establish a number of religious communities of both men and women.  In the short 44 years of his life, he sparked a spiritual renewal that continues to thrive over the centuries.

Today, Francis invites us to reflect:  how do I respect God’s presence in people, nature, created things?  How do I reflect simplicity and humility in my life?  How do I help build up the Church?

Francis invites us to join him today in "boasting in Jesus Crucified", and praising God in our simplicity and respect for God’s life in all its manifestations.  We pray:  O Brother Sun and Sister Moon, Brother Francis, Paul Daneo:  together we rejoice in the Lord and boast in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

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