Daily Scripture

Scripture:
Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26

Reflection:
"He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet." He jumped up and began to walk about."  (Today’s selection from Acts)

My experience of healing has not been that dramatic, but I have seen how love can heal. I remember Johnny (not his real name). At one point in my teaching career, I was in charge of three reading labs and one math lab where we individualized the instruction for each student at our school. I felt very responsible for these labs. The school, along with a $10,000 grant had spent thousands more to set them up. Every teacher was daily taking their class into one or two of these labs. The Principal had made a big investment in these labs and commissioned me to make them work.

I was walking down the hall one afternoon when I heard what sounded like a riot, coming from room 201, the first lab we had set up. I rushed into the lab determined to find out what the problem was and to resolve it. There was Johnny, fighting with two other students. Now Johnny was a big, fat kid who didn’t pay much attention to his appearance and truthfully was not liked by many, if any, of his classmates.  What made it worse, Johnny had a younger brother, Petey who was cute, mild mannered and liked by most of his classmates. I could see that I had to straighten Johnny out once and for all. Before I could do that though, I had to reestablish some order. I told Johnny to go across the hall to an empty classroom and wait for me. I then proceeded in my professional teacher manner to reestablish order and get everyone back on task. I was good at that. What I wasn’t so good at is what came next. I proceeded across the hallway and into the classroom where I faced Johnny sitting there waiting for me. I was all ready to lay into him when he burst out crying: "Nobody likes me, I’m fat and I’m ugly." I was speechless. I started to cry. Everything he said was right. I put my arms around Johnny and held him for a moment and then said: "Let’s go back and start over."

Johnny did fine and I was healed.

The word "love" is used seven times by Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. I’m thinking there might be some connection between this "love" Jesus talks about and the healing each of us along with Paul are able to effect in our worlds today.

 

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

Scripture:
Acts 4:8-12
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18

Reflection:
"I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep." 

These words from today’s gospel reading are some of the most treasured in our Christian faith.  However I have to admit that I know very little about herding and caring for sheep.  I have attempted to "count sheep" but that’s about it!  So when John relates what Jesus said about the good shepherd, I have to rely on what others have told me about sheep and what I’ve seen at the Kentucky State Fair. 

Sheep are docile, produce wool and can be "herded", unlike our pet cats Solomon and Gabriel.  Sheep need a certain amount of protection from predators.  So, a "good shepherd" looks out for the sheep and takes care of them.  But "laying down my life for a sheep" (or either one of our cats), I’m not sure I could go that far!

"Laying down one’s life" for anyone or anything is a rare, remarkable, unique act of love.  I recently met an individual in my tornado disaster relief work for the Red Cross who did exactly what a "good shepherd" would do; he protected the lives of others and it cost him a broken back, great physical pain and life threatening injuries.  I was honored and humbled to meet and talk with him.  His only voiced concern was over the folks he tried to protect who did not make it.

Most of us will not experience this kind of a dramatic moment in time when we must choose to sacrifice our own life for the life of another.  However we all are "recipients" of the greatest sacrifice of all, the sacrifice of our good shepherd Jesus who gave his life for us on the cross.  I really don’t have to know about sheep to reflect on this sacrifice; I simply have to look toward the cross.  As members of our Passionist Family let us give thanks today and every day for the overwhelming act of love God has given us in Jesus crucified, our good shepherd!

 

Terry McDevitt, Ph.D. is a member of our Passionist Family who volunteers at the Passionist Assisted Living Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Scripture:

Acts 8:26-40
John 6:44-51

Reflection:

There’s not much I remember about serving the Latin Mass except how many rubrics there were to follow.  The priest’s introduction of "Introibo ad altare Dei" gave way after the server’s "Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam" to lots of mumbling as the priest raced through the prayers at the foot of the altar.  There was the Epistle side and the Gospel side, and the lifting of chasubles.  And there was the art of not causing personal injury with the paten to a communicant at the communion rail.  

The Mass ended with "Ite, missa est."  We translate this as "Go forth, the Mass is ended."  Another option is "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord," which captures better what is supposed to happen at the end of the celebration of the Eucharist.  We are sent.  Not sent away, but sent to live what we just celebrated; to be what we just received.  We are sent to be Christ in our world.   

Today’s two readings really work well together. The Gospel from John is part of the Bread of Life Discourse.  "The bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world."  The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles retells the story of Phillip being sent to explain the scriptures to the eunuch he meets along the way.  

Our celebration of the Eucharist is meant to be effective.  The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist should be leading us to make Christ real in our world.  By going to Mass, we encounter Jesus resurrected from the dead who then sends us out to be the Bread of Life for a world that is all too often poor, hungry, sad, and burdened.  Like Phillip, whom the angel sends to proclaim the Gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch, we are sent…Ite, missa est…to comfort the brokenhearted and grief-stricken, welcome those marginalized by society and left by the side of the road, feed those hungry in both body and soul, and reconcile those among our family and friends who are estranged and resentful.  

Like Phillip and the rest of the disciples, we don’t have to look far and wide for where we are able live out the Eucharist.  Those to whom we are sent are those with whom we live and work.  We are going to encounter them along the road we each travel.  We just need to remember that we have been sent…Ite, missa est.  And to that the choirs of angels sing, "Deo gratias."

 

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 3:13-15, 17-19
1 John 2:1-5a
Luke 24:35-48

Reflection:

"As soon as I lie down I fall peacefully asleep, for You alone oh Lord bring security to my dwelling." Psalm 4: 9

I used to have a problem with fear. I remember being afraid of the dark when I was a little kid, but it became even more distressing after I got married and had kids. It started when Jim had to be out of town one week each month for work and I was home alone with the kids. I would wake up in a cold sweat, paralyzed with fear. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t know what to do.

God’s Word came to the rescue. I learned that not only does the Word of God teach us about God, but it also has power to accomplish what it says! All we have to do is find the scriptures that fit our situation and then begin to speak the verses aloud when we come up against our problem.

Here are some of the verses I found to help me battle my problem with fear:
"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust." Mark 5:36b
"He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 31b
"I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:5

The more we learn and speak the Word of God, the more we begin to believe it and claim the truth of it for our lives. As I spoke these verses over and over, I began to believe that God really didn’t want me to be afraid anymore. Psalm 4:9 – the verse that I started this reflection with – became the verse I prayed and believed each night before I went to sleep.

My victory over fear came when I understood the verse: "Perfect love casts out fear." (1 John 4:18) God showed me that He is perfect love, so if I cling to Him, and keep my eyes on Him, the fear flees. I have been tempted to fear many times since I learned these verses, but because I have taken God at His Word and believed His truth for my life, I am no longer afraid. Thank you Lord!!!

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected]

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

"We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5: 29

In the Readings for today’s Mass, the Church continues to help us understand more profoundly the implications of Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection. In the Gospel, we see Jesus giving testimony as to his origin as the Son of God and to his mission, which is to offer Eternal Life to those who believe in Him. (John 3:31 ff) At this point in time, the Apostles are just beginning to hear this teaching and have not yet accepted it into their hearts and minds. It would take them a long time to do so. The event which changed everything for them was the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. In the space of three days, the disciples of Jesus went from followers to leaders, from being the behind-the-scene people to being the persons up front, from being those in the background to those who now took center stage. This, indeed, was a dramatic change in so many different levels.

So it came to pass that the boastful Peter, so brave one moment and so fearful the next, now finds himself giving testimony about this Jesus of Nazareth that died and rose from the dead before the most important leaders of his time. These leaders threaten him with prison and command him to keep quiet about this Resurrected Christ. Peter, John and the rest of the followers of Jesus could not keep quiet. They had to give testimony to what they had experienced as followers of Jesus. We, too, need the grace to be transformed into bold preachers of God’s Word. We need to experience the Resurrected Jesus in our daily lives for that transformation to take place.

I am in the country of India at this moment. One of our Passionists was taking me around the city of Bangalore and telling me of the tensions that exist between the different tribes and religions in India. In February and March, I was in Vietnam and China. I have visited Cuba. In each of these countries, we have brave Passionists who are not afraid to speak out the message of Jesus and obey God. All of these are countries that limit the message that people of faith can deliver.

But these are not foolish people. They are a prayerful people, prudent people, people who know how to discern what the Gospel message is and what it is not. The message that Jesus preached from the first moments of his Resurrected Life was a message of Peace, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation. These people have learned how to preach, by word and deed, the core Gospel message without bringing needless pain or suffering to the people of God. They have discerned well the difference between obeying God rather than obeying their own agenda, being faithful to God rather than faithful to a message that will bring the spotlight to them rather than to God.

May we always follow that directive of St. Francis of Assisi: Always preach the Gospel, and use words if necessary!

 

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of the General Council of the Passionist Congregation and is stationed in Rome. 

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

Emotions drive the lives of many of us.  Sometimes they are of great benefit.  At other times, they are troublesome.  In today’s biblical readings, we see both sides of emotions displayed for our benefit.

The first reading from Acts is a post-resurrection incident.   We note emotions at work in the story.   An argument broke out between linguistic groupings in the growing church: the Greek-speaking and the Hebrew-speaking Jews, both converts to the Christian way.  There was likely more emotion involved in this dispute than anything intellectual.   It had something to do with the widows of each group being equally treated at the table. 

We note that this happened in the halcyon days of the Christian community, still basking in the warmth and joy of the resurrection of the Lord.  And it really didn’t pivot around a faith or theological issue.  It was a pretty human affair (we have prison riots in our day over food quality and distribution).  But we note how amicably it was settled, obviously in an atmosphere of prayer.  This is not to say that a bit of maneuvering didn’t occur amid the dispute.   The Apostles were quick to work their way out of this issue by proposing a new group to take charge of situations like this-what we today would call the deacons.   This left the apostles free to preach (and escape the household arguments), while it initiated a new and very helpful type of leadership within the church.  This illustrates the working arrangement between faith and human elements in the lives of believers.

The gospel too puts on display the inroads of raw emotion in our lives.   The emotion in this instance was fear-the apostles’ fear of being swamped in their boat as they attempted rowing across the lake amid a fierce storm.

Now, of course, this was a pre-resurrection event, unlike that described above, and it was a different kind of emotion.  But just as we are liable to argue among ourselves, so are we vulnerable to our fears, of one kind or another.   In this instance, it was a significant fear: that of drowning.  But once again a spiritual element appeared on the scene in the person of Jesus suddenly appearing before the struggling apostles, and He was walking on the water.  On first sighting Him, their fear was actually heightened, increasing from that of drowning to that of encountering a ghost.  But the combination of His presence and His calming word: "It is I.  Do not be afraid", dispelled their fear.

Emotions propel our lives.   As we hear in the scriptures today, they are the occasion for moving more deeply into our faith.  So long as they continue to do that for us, they are a blessing, not a liability.

 

 Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

 

Scripture:

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

 

 

 

Reflection:

In our readings for this Wednesday of the second week of Easter we discover a very interesting contrast between two wonderful invitations from the Lord.  One invitation is to live our faith in Easter joy and light.  The second is to do just what the apostles did: openly proclaim that Jesus is Lord and not fear the consequences.

In the Gospel from John 3: 16-21 we discover one of the most popular and summary expressions of our Christian faith: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  Surely there is no more clear and concise expression of the kerygma of the early Church than these few lines.  We learn that we are to proclaim this truth by living in the light which is where the truth may be found, not in the darkness where one finds wicked things that are inimical to truth and light.

But, as we discover in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, there is a price to be paid if we are to choose the light and live in it fully.  For the apostles it meant that they could no longer hide and live in fear; instead, they realized that they were called to leave their fear behind and go out into the light, into the temple area, and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.  A prison awaited them for their courage and willingness to openly proclaim their faith in the Risen Lord.

We are also called to live in the light and to proclaim our faith with no less courage and trust than the apostles themselves.  Will it cost us imprisonment?  Probably not, though there are some places in the word this very day where imprisonment and worse awaits those who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.  But there is a cost, nonetheless, and we are called to be heroic and refuse to live as anonymous followers of the Lord.  Each of us this very day is asked to consider what this means in our own life.  Go out and proclaim to all you meet that Jesus Christ is risen!  Go out and announce the good news that God has so love the world that he sent his son as our savior.  Go out and live in the truth, the light, so that your works may be clearly seen as done in God.  Go out and live in the light and proclaim the Good News!

 

Fr. Pat Brennan, CP is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

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

Reflection:
We are many parts but we are all one body in Christ. As the disciples, while we all come from separate lives, our faith as Christians is our bonding agent. A strong part our faith that brings us together and sends us forth is that of evangelization.

Just like a machine, each part has its own purpose and job. For the machine to run like it should, every piece needs to work properly. The same goes for our faith community. Each person has his or her own way and call to spread the Word of God. Some through their daily jobs, ministries or in their own vocation of religious, married or single life. We have been given gifts by God to serve Him and each other here on earth.

What are these gifts that you have been given? How do you use them to serve?

We are called spread Christ’s love and mercy in the best ways that we know possible. That is what the disciples were called to do, to go out to preach to nations and tell the good news. This commonality of the call to evangelization for each person is something that binds us together and reminds us that we are not alone. The song by Marty Haugen "We are Many Parts", gives us a moment to reflect and consider that while we all have our own individual gifts and call, we are all connected to one another through love, faith and Jesus Christ. 

We are many parts, we are all one body
And the gifts we have we are given to share
May the Spirit of Love make us one in deed
One, the love that we share one, our hope in despair
One, the cross that we bear.

 

Kim Valdez is a Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas