Daily Scripture

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent 

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14
Luke 1: 26-38

Reflection:

In five days we will celebrate the feast of Christmas.  Hovering over the Scripture readings for today is the question, "How prepared are you?"  This question is not raised in some kind of judgmental way, implying that you’re not prepared.  Rather, it is raised as an invitation to open your heart even more to the saving coming of the Son of God.

In the first reading from Isaiah we hear again the prophecy that God will save his people.  The sign that the fulfillment of this prophecy is at hand will be a virgin who conceives and bears a son and names him Emmanuel.

In the Gospel we recall that astounding moment.  The Angel Gabriel invites Mary, a virgin, to be the Mother of the Son of God, and she accepts.  The promise and the fulfillment.  God is faithful.  Are we ready?

The story of the Annunciation illustrates for us the attitude of heart we need to be fully prepared.  Mary is puzzled by the words of the Angel for she can’t imagine how these things could come about.  Though puzzled and questioning, she nonetheless accepts whatever God is asking of her.  In her heart she so totally trusts in God that she is able to say an unequivocal "yes" to whatever God wants.  And, at the moment of her "yes" the Son of God is conceived within her!

So emerges the question for us, "How prepared are we?"  Are we ready to open our hearts to accept whatever God is asking of us?  Can we move beyond our fears and insecurities to unequivocally trust in God’s will for us?  The prayer that emerges from these readings and the feast of Christmas could well be, "Come, Lord Jesus into my heart.  Help me to trust in you and your loving presence in my life."

 

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director the Development Office for Holy Cross Province  and is stationed at Immaculate Conception Community  in Chicago.

Scripture:

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
Luke 1:5-25

Reflection:

"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others." Luke 1:25

There are times in our lives when our hopes dreams seem so unattainable that we just give up on them. Not only do we tend to give up on them, but we may also give up on life.

When we are young and when we are starting out, our hope and dreams are a big part of how we live our lives. They shape our decisions and they move us in the direction that will help us realize them. We live life with enthusiasm and we may even begin to think that we are in charge. Our desire to realize our dreams is so strong that we are sure that we can overcome any obstacle that gets in our way.

With time, we tend to lose heart. We see the window of opportunity closing. Those who are more optimistic will not give up hope until the very last minute, until the window is completely shut. Those who are more pessimistic will lose hope way before the window closes. But ultimately, both kinds of people are faced with the same situation: hopes and dreams that once were the reason for living, for getting up in the morning are now dashed and life becomes less meaningful.

In today’s Mass, as we come to the last few days before Christmas Day, we are privileged to get a glimpse into the lives of two families who long had given up on their hopes and dreams. Two women, born centuries apart, married with the hope of having a family. They both discovered that they were barren. Both were married to men of prayer. And both allowed God to enter fully into their lives and turn their lives upside down. They ultimately had their hopes and dreams fulfilled, but these hopes and dreams were fulfilled beyond their wildest expectations. Their children were to have key roles in God’s Plan of Salvation.

I remember my Christmas expectations as a child, wishing for things that were way beyond my parent’s means. Some gifts we got on Christmas were "community gifts," like the football for the boys, and other gifts were very practical, like clothes. Yet, the greatest gift of all was being together, visiting family and eating our simple holiday meal with great pleasure. There was no sense of disgrace or shame in all of this. God was always there making things much better than what we could ever make them. Our hopes and dreams on Christmas morning were never fully fulfilled, but God was always there, and that’s what counted.

Advent is a time of being completely open to God’s way of doing things. While we may sincerely believe that our way of doing things will truly make us happy, God’s ways will not just make us happy but transform us into becoming the Children of God. Somewhere along the line we need to let go of our own small hopes and dreams and allow God’s Hopes and Dreams to transform us, our lives and our world.

Christmas is about believing that nothing is impossible with God!

 

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

Fourth Sunday of Advent 

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

"Nothing will be impossible for God."  Luke 1: 37

The gift of motherhood is offered to Mary.  She is not naïve: "How can this be since I have no relations with a man?"  She is told that "the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will conceive a son.  Therefore the child to be born will be called the Son of God."   She accepts. 

I don’t want to be simplistic.  Mary’s acceptance comes out of her "…full(ness) of grace."   Her role as the immaculate/ sinless mother will lead her to become the "Mother of sorrows."  Her pure and deep love will know a sorrow that none has ever known. 

As we look at our own lives, I wonder how many of us have accepted our role as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as brothers and sisters to Jesus.  The relationship is one of love.  The Father loves Jesus.  Jesus goes on to say that as the Father loves him so He loves each and all of us.  But then Jesus adds, "And as I love you so are you to love one another."   We can’t forget for one second that we are all brothers and sisters, one huge human family. 

I am sure that you will both give and receive gifts this Christmas.  May they be given and received with love.  In addition nothing will quite match the gift of our love which reaches out to the suffering, the sick, the weary, the abandoned, the depressed, the lonely, those misunderstood and those who need our forgiveness.  Please accept my gift of love.

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is on the staff of Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 54:1-10
Luke 7:24-30

Reflection:

As we rush toward Christmas we are given a moment to pause by our readings today. Our first reading comes near the end of the Book of Consolation (Chapters 40-55), a work of an unknown prophet who was active near the end of the Babylonian Captivity.  The prophet’s ministry was to a new generation of Jews born in Babylon. Jerusalem and the glories of the past were not active memories for them. Hope of returning to Jerusalem was hanging by a thread! God sent this new prophet to raise up hope.

The first image he uses is that of the sterile wife. Think of Sarah, Rachel, and Anna. All bore children through God’s special power. Barren Jerusalem will be repopulated again!  Her tent (recall the hopes of wandering Abraham) will be enlarged even to include the nations. Israel will forget the shame of her youth and the reproach of her apostasy. God is named a "husband" and redeemer who calls back the forsaken wife. Only for a moment has God abandoned or hid his face from them. With great tenderness and enduring love he will take them back. The prophet concludes with the assurance that God’s love will never leave them nor his covenant of peace be shaken. God’s mercy is on them.

This is a message we need to hear. It’s been two thousand years since the Word was made flesh and revealed the fullness of God’s love and fidelity to his people. The wonder of that comes back to us forcefully as we annually celebrate Christmas.  

 

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

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25
Luke 7:18b-23

Reflection:

How often I like to characterize Advent as that silent, still time of patient waiting.  Of course, this is true.  If it is anything, Advent is a time for our longing hearts to admit that we are all so incomplete and will continue to be so until the Lord comes and fills us with his new life.  Advent shall always be that time of waiting and longing, hoping and dreaming!  But it is also a time when God reveals Himself as the one and only power that can bring salvation to an empty, misguided world.  Isaiah certainly makes this clear in today’s reading.  Repetition is Isaiah’s tool as he forcefully cries out with great power and might: I am the Lord, there is no other!  At least four times in our first reading do we hear these words.  I am the Lord, there is no other.  Was it not I, the Lord, besides whom there is no other God?  There is no just and saving God but me!  There is great power in these words for us today and, while we long for stillness, calm, and peace, we are also blasted with the unforgettable reminder that there is only one God, one Lord, who will bring about all that we long for.  There is only one God who is the source of our salvation.

These words of Isaiah remind me of an occurrence that recently took place here at Mater Dolorosa just about two weeks ago, an event that surpassed anything that lifelong residents could ever recall having happened.  At about nine o’clock in the evening, as forecasted by the weather services, some unbelievable winds came blasting their way across the mountains immediately behind us to the north.  These winds exceeded hurricane force, topping 130 to 140 mile an hour winds!  I have never experienced anything like this in my life; nor had the older San Gabrielinoes who have spent eighty plus years here in the San Gabriel Valley.  Immense trees were blown over as if they were nothing but weak, skinny sticks in the ground.  Some very exquisite garden areas in the valley lost hundreds and hundreds of precious, invaluable trees.  All in all, thousands of trees were lost, not to mention homes and automobiles crushed under the weight of these immense trees.  Here at Mater Dolorosa we were very blessed and only lost four large trees; it could have been so much worse!  Yet, these winds were for me, personally, a reminder of the mighty voice of God, crying out the words, "I am God and there is no other!"  It was if nature was reminding us after the foolish post-Thanksgiving scurry to buy yet more material things that all of this is but rubbish, soon to be blown away by the wind.  Nothing lasts but the voice of God.  Nothing is accomplished without the power and the action of God Himself!  Nothing matters but God!  That was my experience two weeks ago with the amazing winds, the powerful reminder that the power of God is greater than all else.

This Advent, just like you, I long for peace in the world; I dream of tranquility and joy reigning in the hearts of one and all.  Yet, given the mighty winds that still make a powerful noise in my head, I am also reminded with Isaiah that God, our almighty and all powerful God alone will bring about his justice to this world.

 

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

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Matthew 21:28-32

Reflection:

Matthew’s recalling of the parable of the two sons is in the context of Jesus’ conflict with the scribes and Pharisees. Luke also has a well known parable of two sons: the Prodigal Son, his elder brother and their loving Father. It has a different focus. But when you think about though, the basic facts of both parables are the same. There are two sons in each story, neither of whom are perfect examples of fidelity and obedience. None of the sons in these stories was the kind of son to bring full joy to his father. Yet in both stories one of the sons realizes how he has hurt his father. That realization, a sense of shame, brings about action that changes the condition of the son.

Yet, coupling the gospel with the Prophet Zephaniah is important. The prophet, preaching in the last days of the kings of Judea, sees Jerusalem as rebellious and polluted, accepting no correction and not trusting in the Lord.

He makes it abundantly clear that change does not come from human effort, but from God. "I will change and purify… my people". It is God alone who can accomplish this transformation and accomplish it magnificently: "From beyond the river of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North, they shall bring me offerings". As a result of God’s action "they will pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them".

Here in the third week of Advent I struggle with the question: what kind of a son am I? Even dealing with that question is a grace from God. As we prepare for Christmas, may we be surprised how abundantly God will act in our hearts. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

 

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

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Scripture:

Zechariah 2:14-17
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

Appearances by the Virgin Mary have been regularly reported throughout the centuries. Some enthusiastic believers go into great detail describing the experience. Yet the church has always been highly selective in affirming that an apparition is "worthy of pious belief." Ecclesial endorsements are rare. Vatican scrutiny is severe. In modern times, only ten apparitions have been officially deemed to exhibit characteristics "worthy of pious belief," and the earliest of these is the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac (Jaroslav Pelikan in Mary Through the Centuries).

The significance of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531 does not hinge on the historicity of the apparition. The miracle is manifested in the remarkable transformation which it evoked within the people of Mexico and the Chicano culture. Guadalupe has become a powerful cultural energizer. Her appearance was crucial in restoring dignity, humanity and hope to a conquered people. Truly, it lifted up the lowly.

An interpretation of the Gospel text (Luke 1:26-38) for this feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be understood in the same way. The miracle of the annunciation is not merely an historical event. It is a message addressed to every woman who searches for her own dignity and to every man on a quest for the meaning of his humanity. Our completeness comes in discovering the birth of the inner Christ in the womb of our hearts.

At various times, whispering angels suggest that we are blessed beyond anticipation. They encourage us to look within to discover in our hearts a seed, an embryo, a fetus, or maybe even a small baby – but, to recognize God within. As did Mary, the task of our spiritual life is to feed, cloth and nurture the child so that we may mature into the fullness of Christ. That is the miracle of transformation.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, Kentucky. See his website: http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/

 

Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

 

Reflection:

This is no ordinary Advent Sunday.  Today, the priest wears not penitential purple, but joyful rose vestments.  The Advent Wreath candle he lights is not purple, but rose.  Today is "Gaudete!  Sunday."  Today, we are urged, virtually ordered, to rejoice.

This liturgical midpoint in our Advent season sounds a joyful note.  The readings call us to rejoice.  The Prophet Isaiah seems to leap as he sings "I rejoice in the Lord, in my God the joy of my soul."  With our Blessed Mother in the responsorial psalm we sing: "My soul rejoices in my God."   The Apostle Paul greets us with the words "Rejoice, always!"

Why rejoice?  Because after nearly 800 years, the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled.  John the Baptist has burst onto the scene of salvation history to shout "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert; make straight the way of the Lord." 

That’s right.  Get ready, the Messiah is on his way.  And who better than John to make the announcement?  It was he, who in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, leaped with joy when the Blessed Mother came to visit her.  It is no surprise that some even call John the patron saint of spiritual joy.

On this "Gaudete! Sunday," as we prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Church encourages us to continue our spiritual preparation, especially prayer and fasting – with rejoicing.

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.