Daily Scripture

 

Scripture:

James 2:14-24, 26
Mark 8:34-9:1

 

 

 

Reflection:

"If you cannot spend much time in prayer, no matter: to act well is always to pray well. Be attentive to your duties, and at the same time be attentive to God by frequently purifying your heart in the immense ocean of divine love." St. Paul of the Cross

This quote from the founder of the Passionists sums up the readings for today nicely. To act well is to pray well. It is a wonderful moment when we can schedule time out of our day to sit in silence and pray. However more often then not, there are days when we may find that we do not have the time to stop and carve out a silent moment to speak with God.

If the statement "God is all around us" is true, finding a moment to devote to Him should be simple as saying a morning offering before we get out of bed in the morning. Realize his presence in nature, in the faces of the people that we meet, and the works that we do. Praise him not only when blessed moments happen, but also offer up those moments when we feel our cross weighing down. Making ourselves aware of His presence helps us to live out the first reading from today: living our faith through our works.

Therefore, it is not about being able to give Him ten minutes of silent prayer a day, but about making ourselves aware of His constant presence in our lives. Keeping that line of communication open will allow our hearts to be open to His will. If every work that we do is for His greater glory, our daily tasks become not just empty gestures but acts of faith.  As taking from today’s first reading, "For just as a body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead". Our faith coming to a physical fruition is necessary for our spiritual journey.

By then offering our lives and work as a sacrifice to God, we not only show our love for Him and others but also take ownership in our salvation history. We recognize that we are part of His promise and are his hands here on earth.  We take up our cross, as we are called to into today’s Gospel reading, and follow him.

God is always communicating to us, although we are not always aware, we are constantly immersed in the ocean of God’s love.

 

Kim Valdez, is on the Pastoral Staff at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

1 James 3:1-10
Mark 9:2-13

Reflection:

"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this need not be so. "
1 James 3:10

 

Several months ago while I was still in Houston I had a simple, touching example of a blessing from a little four year old child.  Her family had gathered with others for a farewell party for me.  I sat with her family.  I noticed that she had a little plate filled with cookies.  I looked at her and reached out my hand, asking, "Could I have one of those cookies?"  She looked at me, then at her cookies.  There was a long pause.  Then she picked up a cookie and handed it to me.  "Here."  I responded of course with a "thank you!"  Sharing one’s goodies by a little four year old is a big step forward in realizing that she could make me happy by giving me one of her cookies.  She could see the look on my face and hear the tone in my voice.  She was free to say either yes or no.  But here was a step forward for her in realizing that cookies not only make her happy but others.

Toward the end of the party people were leaving.  I noticed that there were many cookies left.  I asked her Mom if she would like to take some cookies home.  A big smile said, "yes."  I got a paper plate and asked her little daughter if she would like to take some cookies home.  She understood that question right away!  I reached out my hand and asked her to follow me.  We had a great time circling the cookie table.  Mission of kindness accomplished for both of us.

Blessings are so helpful for each and all of us.  Busyness, preoccupation, failing to see the person standing in front of us shrinks a beautiful moment of blessing.  Blessings are a wonderful moment to realize that none of us have gotten to this point in our lives without many, many blessings.  Have you heard the word "here" recently as you have been offered a cookie recently?! 

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is the senior priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

James 2:1-9
Mark 8:27-33

Reflection:

A few years ago I attended a panel discussion at one of the very well known and attended Catholic churches in Chicago.  The congregation is, generally speaking, pretty financially healthy. I can’t remember the exact topic of the discussion although I think it was on an issue of social justice. I can remember, however, what happened at the gathering.

As we were seated with our light refreshments waiting for the panel to begin, a woman who was dressed rather oddly and in fairly worn clothes came and sat down at the next table. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and, while she wasn’t "well put together," it looked as though she had tried. As she began to converse, however, her comments made only intermittent sense. The reality began to dawn that she was probably homeless and certainly not mentally sound.

I could feel the energy shift, both within myself and around me. Several people’s body language began to change. I found myself feeling anxious – could she be violent? Would she be disruptive? I hoped she would simply leave. Those thoughts and feelings became mingled with guilt as I saw myself responding, before anything else (including compassion), out of fear. And the irony was thick. Here we were preparing to hear commentary on the plight of the disadvantaged and I could see that several of us wanted to jump out of our skins because the disadvantaged were so close. 

Today’s first reading and the Gospel do not mince words and we shouldn’t either. Being a Christian means to constantly ask oneself to let go of the societal barriers, stratifications and judgments that separate us externally so that we can love one another.  We shouldn’t put ourselves in harm’s way out of foolish romanticism. But we needn’t fear being close to "the other." We are called to love bravely.

It is my opinion that every time a wall of judgment goes up, it is our duty as Christians to ask ourselves why that wall exists, and if there is a way to take it down, brick by brick if need be. Whether the wall goes up in terms of wealth, race, sexual orientation, faith, politics, ethnicity or any of the other myriad reasons that radically divide us, we are urged by the Gospel to instead stand shoulder to shoulder before God and stop segregating those who are, simply put, not exactly like us. We are specifically called to reach out to the poor.

Loving bravely doesn’t mean there aren’t dangers. It cost Jesus his life and, frail human that I am, I hope to God I never have to put my physical life on the line for my beliefs. But we segregate out of hate and judgment at our spiritual peril, dying a bit inside every day if we lead with anger, fear and exclusivity. I think the only way through the cross of spiritual diminishment is to embrace Christ fully and be willing to love, knowing that God will give us the courage we need to let go of old fears and patterns of discrimination.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Tuesday before Ash Wednesday

The Prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ
in the Garden

Scripture:

Hebrews 5:1-9
Luke 22:39-46

 

Reflection:

Today is Mardi gras, Fat Tuesday, especially in New Orleans.   It is the last chance to enjoy oneself completely, especially with food and drink.   After all, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of a long, relentless Lent.  One must gird oneself for this ordeal, much like hibernating animals fatten themselves up on the verge of a cold, lean winter season, so as to survive off the body fat that has been accumulated during the good times leading up to winter.

That’s one way of doing it.   But there’s another way, presented in today’s  reflection, which is part of what is called "the Passionist Proper", that is, a special spiritual program calendared in for the Passionists on special days throughout the year, one of which is today: THE PRAYER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE GARDEN.   The Passionists enjoy their own "proper" liturgy (both Eucharist and liturgy of the hours), which departs from that celebrated in the rest of the church today.  Hence, the special bible readings, from Hebrews and Luke.

In place of the hibernation approach to the beginning of the Lenten testing season (as Jesus remarks to His disciples in today’s gospel: "Pray that you may not be put to the TEST"), the Word of God recommends prayer, one of the traditional Lenten practices urged on us by the Church throughout her tradition, starting with Jesus’ remark, just cited.   Despite the difficulties many of us have with prayer, such as distractions and sleepiness, (versions of our own hibernation approach), prayer is recommended to us today in both scripture readings: "In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to God…" (Heb 5.7), and, in addition to the citation above, we hear: "In his anguish he prayed with all the greater intensity…"  (Lk 22.44).  We note that prayer rises to prominence before the trial or the test commences.

Is this not true for most of us?  We pray most intensely when difficulties beset us.  That is the way it should be, given the example of Jesus.  And Lent is one of those difficult times when we pray about some issues affecting us, that we have been postponing.   And certainly one of our favorite prayers clearly emerges on the lips of Jesus praying in Gethsemane: "…not my will but yours be done."   We can pray no better than this.  And we notice what likely happens to us frequently when we pray: it fails "to work".  Certainly in Jesus’ case, the angel who appeared so as to strengthen Him didn’t remove the test ahead of Him.  But there was a benefit: "…he learned obedience from what he suffered."  And so with us.  No prayer goes unanswered.  So let us begin Lent with prayer on our lips and in our heart "that you may not be subjected to the trial" (Lk 22.46).

 

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

 

Scripture:

James 1:19-27
Mark 8:22-26

Reflection:

This section of the letter of James reminds me of the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Moderation and self restraint should be the hallmarks of the true disciple. Be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." Be eager to listen to the word and welcome it into your heart for it is able to save your soul. Here we have the encouragement to do daily "lectio divina". But being very practical James reminds the disciple the he must be "a doer of the word and not a hearer only". Then James gets specific as to what he thinks is absolutely necessary for a true disciple: he requires him to "bridle his tongue" and care for "orphans and widows in their affliction". I think that is a big order.

Mark presents us with a healing miracle. Friends bring a blind man to Jesus and beg for a cure. Jesus doesn’t act immediately but takes the blind man’s hand and leads him away from the crowded village. He anoints the blind man’s eye with saliva and asks the question: "Do you see anything?" The man says he cannot see distinctly and so Jesus lays his hands on "the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly". It is interesting that the other gospel writers do not recount this incident. Maybe they were embarrassed that Jesus didn’t accomplish the miracle on the first try. But just maybe we are dealing here with the growing faith of the blind man. Maybe that should be our prayer today: "Lord, may I see more clearly what you are inviting me to do when you touch me with your Spirit."

 

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

 

Scripture:

James 1:12-18
Mark 8:14-21

Reflection:

"Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?"

"all good giving and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights"

Trust.

I have spent much of my life waging an internal battle with certain relationships trying to figure out if I’ve trusted too much or too little. It is painful and debilitating spiritually, physically, mentally. When those difficult times occur, it is generally because I have been unable to let go of my own sense of control and the illusion that it is I who hold the power over what direction that relationship, or sometimes a part of my life, will go.

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a part to play in how my life unfolds. But I have been "enticed," as the first reading might say, "by desire." And the desire is to manage reality so that it doesn’t wound me, knock me off-balance, make me feel foolish or exposed or too vulnerable. I want to feel at peace; if only I didn’t have to let go to attain it!

What Jesus is saying in the Gospel, I believe, is that the very bread of one’s life – that which will nourish, sustain and relieve our human hunger (or desire for a life of wholeness) – does not come from a source that is external to us, just as the Pharisees or Herod could not provide the "leaven" that would truly feed the disciples. And it is also not created within us under our own power or control.

That which is good, healing and life-affirming comes to us from God. But allowing that goodness in requires a measure of trust from us. In the Gospel, we see that it is only a short time after the disciples have seen Jesus feed the multitude that their trust in Him begins to falter and they are tempted to reclaim their belief in human power in order to alleviate their hunger.

It is a cry of anguish to me – "Do you still not understand?" Jesus will need to go to the very Cross to help awaken us to the love and nourishment that is God’s gift just waiting to be received.

It is a terrible thing to live without trust; it deadens the heart and soul. But the power of God is one of resurrection, so that no heart is beyond reviving and no soul is beyond salvation. We have only to "let go and let God." Not always easy, but a promise that at the end of the tunnel, there is, in fact, light.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

James 1:1-11
Mark 8:11-13

Reflection: 

Once again Jesus is frustrated with the Pharisees in today’s gospel. No big surprise there! And, once again, it is easy for us to distance ourselves from the actions of the Pharisees, claiming that we would never have treated Jesus the way they did. However, a little self-evaluation may indeed reveal that we are all much more like the Pharisees than we would like to believe.

Fully convinced of their own righteousness, the Pharisees wanted "holiness" to be defined by how well they followed rules and laws. In return for their "holiness", they expected God to reward them with signs and special treatment. Meanwhile, they were completely ignorant of all the signs around them. They were ignorant of the thousands of disciples who were rediscovering hope and having their lives transformed. They were ignorant to the fact that God was visiting the poor of the world through the person of Jesus. They were ignorant of their God being "Emmanuel" -with them in their humanity.

Perhaps the same can be said of you and me as we live in the modern world. Instead of celebrating what’s right with the world around us, do we celebrate what’s wrong with the world? Instead of accepting our own weaknesses in humility, do we hope to be rewarded for our "holiness"? Instead of considering it "all joy when we encounter trials," as James writes in today’s first reading, do we consider it all sorrow? Instead of having unwavering trust and faith, are we "tossed about by the wind?" (James 1: 6)

What is so ironic about Mark’s gospel today is that this section of chapter eight immediately follows Mark’s depiction of the second miracle of the loaves. The Pharisees are demanding a sign from Jesus immediately after he just fed a very large crowd with just seven loaves! The power of the Bread of Life was not fully appreciated – something we still fail to appreciate in the modern world. Think about it: How often do we fully recognize the true power of the Eucharist? How often do we acknowledge that our Creator gives us a "miracle of the loaves" every time we go to Mass? With the Eucharist as our food for the journey, we should be able to recognize the "signs of the times" – that Jesus is truly present in the modern world. We would see that despite selfish tendencies, humans truly are full of service and love. The Body of Christ remains strong.

 

Tony Cortese, a recent college graduate, is the Campus Minister at the Newman Catholic Community at Sacramento State Univversity.

Scripture:

Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Mark 1:40-45

Reflection:

To our modern minds we find the treatment of lepers as set forth in Leviticus very harsh. The leper must live apart, outside the camp, and should a healthy person pass by the leper must cry out: "Unclean, Unclean!" This was still the law when Jesus walked the roads of Palestine. The leper in this story comes to Jesus (a bold action) and knells before him (a humble posture). His request is respectful: "If you wish, you can make me clean."

For a brief instant, everything hangs in the balance. The apostle must have been watching in shock. What would the Master do? Jesus stretches out his hand and touches the leper (a bold action that in the law makes Jesus ritually unclean) and he says. "I will do it. Be made clean."  Mark makes the judgment that Jesus was "moved with pity." The cure was instantaneous.

The power of Jesus to heal even the "living death" of leprosy was clear for all to wonder at. It was impossible to Jesus to enter a town openly.

We might first reflect that we must boldly go to Jesus as the leper did. Even that action will be an inspiration of the Spirit. We need to sense that Jesus has power. But must we go as humble supplicants, simply presenting our needs, demanding nothing. This passage of Mark’s gospel invites us to trustin the loving heart of Jesus.   

A final thought: who are the outcasts in today’s society? Are they the homeless?  Are they the prisoners in overcrowded jails?  Are they the undocumented immigrant? Are they the child that our schools leave behind?

Are they the abandoned in our nursing homes? If we are true followers of Jesus we will reach out as he did to relieve and help the least of our brothers and sisters.

 

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