Daily Scripture

Scripture:

James 5:13-20
Mark 10:13-16

Reflection:

TRUE REFORM

If someone were to ask you what the greatest need in the Church is today, how would you respond?  Some feel we must have more ordained priests or religious, or we must break down the abuse of power, insisting on greater transparency in governance, or empowering the laity over clericalism. Some feel we must attract youngsters away from social media or cell phones and the Internet and toward Sunday worship. Others are convinced that our energy now must be focused on supporting the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade — ending the federal constitutional right to abortion in the United States. And some challenge Church to respond to the violence in our cities, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan.

Without denying the significance of any of these concerns, perhaps a broader need hovers around the topic of adult faith formation. It is impossible for the average Catholic to pass to the next generation a reverence for the dignity of all human life, or the imperative of participation in parish life because of our Baptismal commitment, without continued education in our faith. I find, unfortunately, that most of our people possess a high school understanding of Catholicism at best. You cannot solve complex adult problems with a sixteen-year-old’s formation.

Back in the 1960’s the Second Vatican Council reminded us that REFORM is a constant need in the Church. (“The Church…at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.” Lumen Gentium #8). If the Church is always in need of reform, how is that reform to be described for our time?

Many contemporary theologians, and the Council Fathers themselves, have said that Vatican II was largely the work of French Dominican, Yves Congar. In his book, True and False Reform in the Church, Congar states, “In those unusually fruitful years (post World War II), … there was not a conference, a retreat, or a conversation between priests and seminarians that did not take up in one way or another the same questions that were on the mind of every minister of the Gospel seeking to achieve a real and efficacious pastoral ministry, namely, a real, less artificial preaching; catechetics more apt to prepare Christians for real life; less routine and mechanical liturgy, one which really expresses the living worship of the community; forms of parish life that are less legalistic, more dynamic, truer to the real needs of the people, etc.”  Theologian Rick Gaillardetz said it simply: “Too many homilies and conferences are answering questions that people aren’t asking”!

Ancient Israel lived a faith unlike any other religion in the distant past — they filled their sacred writing with self-criticism. This wasn’t suspect as many feel today, calling such action disloyalty or infidelity; rather, we call this the prophetic Word. Other cultures simply did not have the searing condemnation of injustice from an Amos, or the personal denunciation of corrupt leadership from someone like Isaiah, to help form their identity. As the years unfolded into the Christian era, the pages of our rich history were graced with saints like Bernard, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, and Catherine of Siena…men and women who spoke frankly. As we again prepare for leadership elections, how is the Holy Spirit leading us to REFORM?

Fr. Jack Conley, CP, is the local superior of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

James 5:9-12
Mark 10:1-12

Reflection:

Remembering Jesus at Mass

Years ago, I was giving a parish mission in Stonewall, TX, and visited the LBJ ranch.  Many colorful stories are told about President Johnson.  The lady in charge of the National Historical Park at that time told me that a favorite gift that the President would give was an electric toothbrush.   When asked why, LBJ would say “so they would remember me first thing the morning and the last thing at night!”.

Every Mass we attend, we hear the words of Jesus: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” LK 22:19 When God remembers a situation, His presence is active in remedying the situation.  “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. ^“Gen 8:1  The word remember in both the Old and New Testament has a long and wonderful meaning.  Remember has two aspects.  The first is merely to call to mind.  The next is action or response to what we recall.  In the Eucharist the remembered incident is “made present in the eternal now of the Risen Christ”!    At the heart of the Eucharist Jesus remembers us and we remember Him.

A memory at its best is something in the deep places of our hearts and minds!  In the first place, when we encounter the Risen Christ in the Eucharist, He remembers us!  His profound love for us in the Paschal mystery is more than a long-ago memory of the past!  When God remembers us, action and reality happen!  God’s remembering at Mass brings us face to face with the overwhelming present love of His scared risen Body “being given for us.”  This is a live event!  It is the most wonderful happening in the whole cosmos.

It is of tremendous importance for us to remember Christ!  We must receive Him in the depths of our minds and hearts!   The opposite of remembering is forgetting.  So many Catholics have forgotten Christ in the Eucharist.  What a horrendous Loss! This is the ultimate poverty in the world!   

One of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible, surprisingly, is that of a condemned felon crucified with Jesus!   “And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’”  Wow!  Jesus remembered him with eternal life!  When Jesus remembers us, it is our greatest moment.  What a great prayer to say at the consecration at Mass!

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

Scripture:

James 5:1-6
Mark 9:41-50

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus uses some startling, even harsh, words warning against sin: “Whoever causes one of these little ones … to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone was put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna…”

As I was reflecting on these words, I thought about those harrowing stories about people being caught in avalanches or something, and having to cut or gnaw off a hand or something in order to get free from whatever was trapping them. Very extreme, right? Maybe Jesus wants us to be as extreme for our spiritual survival as we can be for our physical survival.

Can we be that extreme in avoiding sin, and following Jesus? I don’t think Jesus is asking us to mutilate ourselves, but there are things we may need to cut off, which can sometimes feel as precious to us as a part of our body, such as a resentment we’ve been nurturing for a long time, or a prejudice we simply can’t find the will to let go of. Is there something we need to cut off, or, perhaps more accurately, let Jesus cut off, from our hearts?

How can we be extreme in letting go of what leads us to sin, and taking up what leads us to Jesus? At the end of our Gospel reading, Jesus says, “Everyone will be salted with fire…Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.” In the light of Pentecost which we celebrated this past Sunday, perhaps we can see Jesus’ words referring to the Holy Spirit. If we keep salted in the fire of the Holy Spirit, we will have what we need to be extreme in following Jesus, and finding peace.

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

Scripture:

James 4:13-17
Mark 9:38-40

Reflection:

Sometimes, the readings for the day are so descriptive of human foibles that they make the gospels leap off the page, becoming so real to me that I seem to recognize people I actually know.

Today’s readings show the disciples “tattling” to Jesus that there is another man in the district who has the unmitigated temerity to cast out demons without being a follower of Jesus.

Christ replies, in essence, that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.  John has barred a certain man from casting out demons, which our Savior makes clear is a wrong way of thinking about being one of His followers.  Discipleship is not an appointed position that grants special authority or social position.  It does not grant one status above others who may be doing good works in Jesus’ name but are perhaps not of our faith or community.

There have been times when I have felt jealousy for being passed over for appointed positions or not being selected for a particular award or recognition. 

Or perhaps I have been skeptical of people who are not Catholic or not Christian, who claim a special relationship with you.  

Lord, forgive me for the humility I have lacked and teach me acceptance of others in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

James 4:1-10
Mark 9:30-37

Reflection:

If you are a dedicated watcher of the evening news, you have noticed that there are conflicts throughout the entire world, in our communities, in our homes, and in our lives.   In our first reading today, James reflects upon the ongoing cause of conflicts. He states that the cause of conflicts is the war of passions within us.  The causes of our conflicts are internal, not external. (Cornerstone, author: Billy Haines, James 4:1-10; “The Real Reason We Quarrel”, cornerstonecpa.com/2018/10/James 4-1-10)

The reason for the battles we have with others is the battle going on within our hearts.  And so, what does James tell us to do?  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.” Humble yourselves before the Lord and the Lord will exalt you.” (James 4: 7-8) (Ibid)

This reading from James provides us with some important reflection questions.

Please take a few minutes today for reflection: (Ibid)

• How do the passions within us beget conflicts with others?
• How would I describe the difference between good and bad conflicts?
• What kind of conflicts am I experiencing in my own life?
• To what degree do I feel a need to win arguments and conflicts at all costs?
• What does it mean for me to resist the devil and draw near to God?
• What do I need to do in order to draw nearer to God?

Lord, may we ponder what we need to do in order to draw nearer to you.

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

Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church

Scripture:

Genesis 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14
John 19:25-34

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the Feast Mary the Mother of the Church.  Search as you might, you won’t find this title for Mary anywhere in the New Testament! It does appear, however, at different times over the centuries. The title first appeared in the 4th century writings of Saint Ambrose of Milan. It was also used by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.  In 1964 Pope Paul VI declared it an “official title” of Mary and Pope John Paul II placed it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  On February 11, 2018  Pope Francis inserted a feast by this title into the Roman Calendar to be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost.

There can be no doubt that since the very beginning of the Church, Mary has had a firm hold on the Christian imagination.  She is celebrated as the one human being who was totally responsive to God.  And, by her complete openness and welcome to the mystery of God, she gives the Son of God human flesh and brings him into our world.  What a gift Mary has given to the whole human family.

But sometimes, in our wonder at the impact Mary has had on the human family, we can lose sight of the fact that she was a frail human being who didn’t always understand what was happening to her, just like all of us.  Down through the centuries many theologians and spiritual writers have reflected on her perfection, her sinlessness, her all-encompassing virtue.  So often in art she is depicted as the beautiful Madonna, peacefully at rest in the ethereal light, smiling benignly down upon the perfect baby who certainly is not crying but rather smiling gently in his contentment.  Beautiful images all and expressing a truth about who Mary is.

But in the Gospel stories we find not a passive, placid, contented Madonna, but a woman who from her teen years was fully engaged with a challenging and often enough painful life.  Whether we recall the very beginning when she asks the question of the Angel Gabriel “How can this be?” or imagine Mary coping with the consequences of her pregnancy outside of marriage, or the anxiety she must have experienced as she had to give birth away of home and family, or the pain and fear of fleeing her home and of becoming a refugee in Egypt to save the life of her son, or the stress and fear she must have experienced for her Son as opposition and hostility to him solidified around him, or the final tragedy of his arrest, torture, crucifixion and death.  In all of these experiences and more, Mary was constantly challenged to trust in God’s faithfulness to her in the face of extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

Yet it was her all-encompassing openness to God and unwavering trust in God’s fidelity that began so early in her life that we celebrate in today’s feast.  And, it was her ever-constant love for Jesus and his mission that underlies her title as Mother of the Church.

Strangely enough it is not so much in her perfection that Mary is so deeply loved and such a great model for us, but is, rather, in her response to the very difficult and tragic experiences in her life.

Most all of us have trust issues, even with God.  We have those issues because what is happening to us at a given moment of our lives often doesn’t make sense to us.  Figuring out how to respond is even more difficult.  And then, of course, there are those experiences of misunderstanding, disappointment, and even betrayal.  Events in our lives can easily overwhelm us and fill us with fear.  It is in times like these that the life of Mary and our awareness that Jesus, as he was dying on the Cross, gave us to her as her children, can speak to us.  She was battered by many tragedies in her life and was, I’m sure, afraid often.  Yet, her steadfastness in remaining open to the mystery of God and trusting in God’s faithfulness never wavered.  She was present from the beginning to the end and beyond, into the life of the early Church.  She is the true disciple.  As we remember and honor her today, may each of us ask God to help us in our lives to never lose heart and trust that God is with us.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California.

Pentecost Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25
John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

Reflection:

If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. 
-Psalm 104:29-30

 On this Solemnity of Pentecost, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church’s mission of evangelization. When Jesus spoke of the sending of the Spirit to His Apostles, He regularly proclaimed two things. First, the Spirit would come when He returns to His Father, and second, the gift of the Spirit was to be desired greatly. The Third Person of the Holy Trinity is the fruit of the love that flows between the Father and the Son.

When Christ returned to the Father, the Spirit was sent out so we could participate in this Divine love. It is said that God created us by love for love. As such, we were created to receive the Holy Spirit! As the psalmist proclaims, without the Spirit, we die. We can be sure that the Lord continues to send forth the Spirit upon the Church, but how ardently are we desiring to receive it?  

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that we were made to drink of one Spirit and that no one can say “Jesus is Lord.” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13, 3). If we truly want to be alive in faith, if we truly want to be heralds of the Gospel, we must thirst for the Spirit and drink in the grace He bestows. It is only when the members of the body of Christ are united in the Spirit that we are created anew as the Church. It is only through the Spirit that we can be part of renewing the face of the earth.

Megan Silas is a Lay Passionist at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.