Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Colossians 1:9-14
Luke 5:1-11

Reflection:

Today’s gospel presents us with Luke’s tale of the miraculous draught of fishes.  Luke takes material from Mark and John and redacts it to give us a lively, human scene.  He opens with the crowd at the lakeside enrapt in Jesus’s talk: Jesus is speaking to them "the word of God."  Feeling the people pressing upon him at the water’s edge, Jesus looks around and sees two empty fishing boats, one of them Simon’s.  He asks Simon to take him out a short distance from the shore.  From the boat he continues to speak to the crowd – and clearly over the water they hear his voice.  Jesus lures them with the word of God. 

Finished speaking, Jesus then tells Simon to put out into the deep and lower the nets for a catch.  Simon, weary and feeling perhaps a frustrated failure, honestly tells Jesus that they have worked hard all night and caught nothing, "but at your command I will lower the nets."  Then the hustle begins – the rush of straining and pulling, of calling to the second boat for help, of emptying the nets into both boats, of bailing and balancing to keep the boats from sinking with so much fish.  In all humility, wonder, and awe, Peter falls to his knees, saying, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."

Luke is doing a number of things for us here – one of them is setting Peter up as the leader whom Jesus will choose for his intimate group.  Then, after a night of catching nothing without Jesus, Simon(Peter) and the group experience the immediate and overwhelming catch of fish.   Luke thereby enables Jesus to establish his credentials for what he is about to ask of them.  Astounded at the miracle, Peter responds with deep and humble faith in his Lord.  Jesus in turn then tells them all – "from now on (an expression always indicating a life’s turning point in Luke) you will be catching men."  And at that they leave everything and follow him.

Two days ago was the feast day of St. Jeanne Jugan, the Foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor.  In reading about her, I was taken by her advice on what to do when, metaphorically, the fishing seems hopeless and the nets are frustratingly empty, when we seem to be unable to lure anyone with the word of God:  "When your patience and strength give out and you feel alone and helpless, go and find Jesus.  He is waiting for you in the chapel.  Say to him, ‘Jesus, you know exactly what is going on.  You are all I have, and you know all.  Come to my help.’  Then go and don’t worry about how you are going to manage.  That you have told God about it is enough.  He has a good memory."

 

Br. Peter A. Fitzpatrick, CFX, a Xaverian Brother, is a Passionist Associate at Ryken House, St. Xavier High School, across the creek from Sacred Heart Passionist Monastery in Louisville, KY

 

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11
Luke 4:31-37

 

 

 

Reflection:

A mother brings her young adult son to a Psychiatrist.  "Please help my son.  He thinks he is Julius Caesar."  So the doctor sees the young man for an hour session every week for a year.  Finally, the doctor says.  "Okay, young man, you are cured.  You don’t need to meet with me any more."

Two weeks later the mother brings her son back.  "Please help my son.  He is very depressed."  The psychiatrist looks at the young man and asks him, "Why are you depressed."  He answers, "Doctor, a year ago I was Julius Caesar.  Today, I’m nobody."

There is an inner need we all have to be "somebody," to feel important.  We want others to respect us and think well of us.  We want to feel that we are successful, valuable and worthwhile.  When we don’t possess a positive sell-image we get depressed. Depression holds us back from giving our best.  Not giving our best leads to failure.  And then we get more depressed.

Wisely St. Paul tells us today to "encourage one another and build up one another." He was always concerned about community.  He knew that negative criticism, complaining and fault-finding tear down.  Words of encouragement, praise and gratitude build up.

Using positive words is not just good manners or good psychology.  Positive words flow from being "children of the light."  With the light of faith we see the inner beauty of every person we meet.  With the light of hope we see the possibilities in every person we meet.  And with the light of love, we see what God’s sees, the inner goodness of every person we meet.  "God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good."(Genesis 1:31)

"Keep trying."  "You can do it."  "You’ve got what it takes."  "I believe in you."  "Nice going."   You’re so talented." "You’re wonderful."  "It’s so nice to have you around."  Positive words like these that we say to one another are as important as the prayers we say for one another. As food and water give life to the body, the right words give life and energy to the human spirit. 

We have been blessed with a great talent, the gift of speech.  I think we could easily add a line to the Lord’s parable of the talents in Matthew 25:21: "Well said, good and faithful servant."  And in Matthew 25:40: "As long as you said it to one of the least of my people, you said it to me."  When we hear those encouraging words addressed to us, then we know that we are truly "somebody" in the eyes of the only one who matters.

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.   http://www.alanphillipcp.com/ 

 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 20:7-9
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 16:21-27

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel, once again Peter’s not "getting it."  And this time, it’s hard to blame him.  Here is his leader, his hero, the Messiah – the one he has followed all this time telling them that okay sure we’ve done all these miracles, we’ve cured the sick, fed the hungry but now the path ahead is for Jesus to be captured, tortured and crucified.  Every human fiber of Peter’s being must have cried out in protest.  "Oh, no, Lord.  No such thing can happen to you!"  And then comes the rest of the bad news.    "Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself and take up his cross…"   No royal palaces, no being recognized as the liberators, no winning, no success in human terms – just self-denial and crosses.  Peter must have wondered, is this what I signed up for?

I think we all sometimes echo Peter’s sentiments-at least when the going gets tough.  It’s easy enough to be a follower of Jesus when things are going well.  We can be pretty good about keeping the commandments, caring for our brothers and sisters, giving to the poor and so forth.  But what happens when the going gets tough.  When illness, rejection, economic disaster or some other crisis enters our life, what happens to our belief then?  Isn’t our reaction "surely a loving God couldn’t mean for me to embrace this Cross?"  Our prayer often becomes "dear God, where are you?  Why don’t you make this go away?" 

Jesus understands our reaction. That’s why he says to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan…you are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."  And when on the Cross, Jesus, fully embracing his humanity, cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 

Jesus never promised us that he’d take away our crosses.  In fact, he said we’d have to carry them.  But he did promise to be with us and to understand our suffering..  When my husband died after a battle with lung cancer, a friend gave me a small holy card which really helped me through my grieving.   It was a picture of the Crucifixion and under it was written the simple words, "I am with you."

May you always know even in the hardest of life’s battles, Jesus is with you! 

 

Mary Lou Butler is a long-time friend and partner in ministry to the Passionists in California. 

 

Scripture:

1 Timothy 1:15-17
Luke 6:43-49

Reflection:

I was with several members of my very large family this summer when one person criticized individuals who dress in a certain way.  A chorus of groans rose up as one after another proclaimed the indecency or idiocy of "those people". I was tempted to jump right in, knowing the fun of participating and finding myself already entertained as examples flowed (sometimes with a tinge of exaggeration for effect). Besides, I had lively stories of my own to tell. But before I spoke, I sat back and listened. How judgmental we sounded!

Jesus says, "From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." Were the things coming out of our mouths reflections of the good stored in our hearts? Were people who dressed in a style we didn’t understand really bad people? Was it right to find entertainment value in denigrating them? I shuddered, took a deep breath, and said something positive about a person I knew who dressed that way. Several people snapped their heads around to look at me, someone made another comment, and then the topic moved on to other things. I don’t know that I changed the minds or attitudes of any of my family members, but at least I stopped the stream of nastiness in its tracks.

Not long afterwards, I read a book whose author suggested a practice of saying things ONLY if they meet three criteria – true, kind, and helpful. At times, of course, a bit of information may be unkind, yet absolutely necessary to convey – for instance to aid the police, report child abuse, correct injustice, etc. But those instances make up an infinitesimal portion of daily conversation. The author’s point is to be mindful of my everyday speech and habit patterns, especially when I am tempted to indulge in conversations that are not quite true, or that are unkind or unhelpful in the present context. With the taste of the family conversation in my mouth and Jesus’ words in my mind, I decided to adopt that practice immediately. I was not prepared for how hard it is!

Some things I want to say cannot be verified as true. If there is any doubt, I try not to say them.  Some things are indeed true and I know it, but if they are not kind (or at least neutral), I try not to say them.  Still others are true but they are not helpful – saying them would serve no purpose beyond feeding my desire to possess a "juicy" bit of news or to make a point at someone else’s expense – so I try not to say them. This practice is particularly difficult when discussing politics, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, parish leadership, pop music, business colleagues…oh heck…it is particularly difficult in most of the contexts of my life.

Even in my struggle to implement this principle, I’ve noticed the benefit of its reciprocal effect. The more I pause to tap into the goodness of God in my heart before speaking, the more true, kind, and helpful my speech.  The more true, kind, and helpful my speech, the more the goodness of God can grow in my heart. And when I stop judging and criticizing people, I am open to the goodness of God reflected in them.

Yet at the same time I relate all too well to St. Paul when he says he is the foremost of sinners and Christ has to practice tremendous mercy with him.  And I fit too easily into the parable Jesus tells about the person who hears his words but does not do them. I have been so deeply socialized into un-Christ-like habit patterns of speech. 

So relying on divine mercy and forgiveness, I keep trying. I pray I may be a tree that bears good fruit and a disciple whose actions and words shine as examples of God’s goodness.

 

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:

Colossians 1:1-8
Luke 4:38-44

Reflection:

They tried to prevent Him from leaving them.  But He said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent."

The Gospel today talks about four different events;  the cure of Peter’s mother-in-law, the cure of many sick people,  the prayer of Jesus in a deserted place, and His insistence on the focus of His mission.

Scripture has a way of helping us to learn about how to live life.  In the first reading, Paul models for us how to be grateful for all of the people who come into and go out of our lives, many of whom leave footprints on our hearts. (Developing an attitude of gratitude!)

The Gospel reading begins with the story of Jesus curing Peter’s mother-in-law.  After her cure, "She got up immediately and waited on them." (Developing an attitude of service!)

After the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, the people brought to Him all who were sick with various diseases and He healed them also. (Developing an attitude of preferential treatment for the poor and marginalized !)

It is interesting to note that Jesus spent time in prayer before and after. "He left the synagogue and went to a deserted place, "bringing healing and wholeness into peoples’ lives. (Developing an attitude of prayerfulness!)

The crowds wanted Jesus to remain, but He reminded them that He must continue to move on and stay focused on the mission given to Him by His Father. (Developing an attitude of discernment!)

Reflecting on Scripture helps us to develop attitudes and skills that help us each day to live out Jesus’ two great commands: LOVE GOD AND LOVE GOD’S PEOPLE.

 

Deacon Brian Clements was formerly on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California

Feast of Blessed Dominic Barberi, CP

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Matthew 25:1-13

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of Passionist Blessed Dominic Barberi.  Orphaned as a small child, Dominic was raised by a maternal uncle and aunt and learned to tend sheep.  As a young man, Dominic experienced his true calling: join the Passionist Congregation and someday set up a Passionist Mission in England. 

Dominic Barberi truly felt the word of God at work in his heart.  After years of ministries in Italy and then Belgium, Blessed Dominic was finally able to fulfill his vocation; in 1842 he was sent to establish the first Passionist residence in England.  During his time in England, Dominic Barberi preached missions and received many converts to Catholicism including Anglican John Henry Newman.  Dominic lived his life as a son of the Gospel, proclaiming the word of God to all.  He was a true believer and lived his life as God’s will; when people saw and heard him preach, it was evident he spoke from a spirituality deep within. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the "foolish virgins."  The five wise virgins brought extra oil and were prepared as they waited for the bridegroom, ready to enter the feast.  The five others were foolish and were not prepared with extra oil, they had to go off and get more and were late in returning.  Because of their foolishness, they were not allowed to enter the feast.   They proved themselves unworthy of entering the eternal feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How are we preparing ourselves for the day when we will enter God’s Kingdom?  Will we be ready to greet him, or will we be foolish?  How can we, as spiritual and moral followers of Christ, learn to glorify God with the gifts he has given us and share those gifts?  It does not have to be in the form of a call to religious life as Dominic Barberi received. Maybe these readings can help us to remember to let our trust in God be the center of our lives and to put our labors to good and loving use.

Read more about the life and Mission of Blessed Dominic Barberi, CP.

 

Claire Smith ([email protected]) is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist

Scripture:

Jeremiah 1:17-19
Mark 6:17-29

Reflection:

Today we recall the story regarding the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist.  The movie versions of this story always spend a disproportionate amount of time on the dancing skills of Herodias’ daughter, the gleaming blade of the executioner, and the grizzly dinner party scene with Saint John’s head on a platter.

The evident point of the story, if you limit the time you spend reflecting on the details, is that if you stand up for the truth as God wills, you might not be the most popular guest at a dinner party!  However, if you boldly proclaim the word of God, you will be blessed!  In fact, according to the verse from Matthew in the Alleluia proclamation today, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."

I find myself asking today, how many times have I been persecuted for the "sake of righteousness?"  I fear it hasn’t happened very often!  I wonder how many of us have ever been persecuted for standing up and proclaiming gospel values.  Not many of us will find ourselves in a drama like the one in today’s gospel, but all of us at some time will have opportunities to "stand up for the sake of righteousness."

Today’s feast at once seems to be both a tribute to the faith of Saint John the Baptist and a prophetic reminder of what true faith can lead us to; the foot of the Cross!  As Christians we certainly are called to stand up for righteousness.  The story of John the Baptist should make us uncomfortable, knowing the consequence of proclaiming our faith in word and action.  The story should also inspire confidence.  In the words of today’s reading from Jeremiah, "They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord."

 

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

Memorial of Saint Monica

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
Matthew 25:14-30

Reflection:

Today we remember St. Monica, known as the mother of St. Augustine, but also famous in her own right.  It was her motherly care and constant prayers that moved her son to embrace the faith.

Saint Monica was born in North Africa in 333. Her parents were Christian, however, there is very little known about her childhood. We do know more about her married life. She was married by arrangement to Patritius, a pagan official in North Africa, who was much older than she, and although generous, was also violent tempered. Monica’s new mother-in-law lived with them and was equally difficult, which proved a constant challenge to Monica.

Monica’s marriage, perhaps predictably, was an unhappy one. Monica and Patritius had three children, two boys and one girl. Her husband would not allow their children to be baptized. When her older son, Augustine, became very sick, her husband agreed that he could be baptized. However, when Augustine regained his health, her husband withdrew his consent.

St. Monica was very concerned about Augustine’s lifestyle and his bitter temperament. She prayed for him daily. When he was sent away to school, he chose to become a pagan like his father. Through her patience and prayers, she was finally able to convert her husband and his mother to the Catholic faith. Her husband died a year later. Perpetua, her daughter, and her second son, Navigius, entered the religious life. St. Augustine was much more difficult, as she had to pray for him for 17 years, begging the prayers friends who, for a while, tried to avoid her because of her persistence at this seemingly hopeless endeavor.

Monica followed Augustine to whatever town he traveled. She visited the local churches continually begging for prayers for her son’s conversion.  She appealed to Saint Ambrose to intercede, which he did and finally Augustine became a Christian. He was baptized in the Church of Saint John the Baptist in the town of Milan.  Later that year (387) on their way back to Africa Monica died at the age of 54.  Augustine later became Bishop of Hippo and served the Church for forty extraordinary years.

This simple woman who cared and prayed so much became the patron saint of married women, mothers, housewives, widows, alcoholics, abuse victims, difficult marriages, and disappointing children.

In today’s Gospel the faithful servant who was given a gift of five talents, through hard work turned it into ten.  In response his master said, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy."  Let us pray through the intersession of St. Monica for family members and loved ones who are in any special need.  The powerful prayers of St. Monica have been at work for centuries in the Church!

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is stationed at Christ the King Retreat Center and community in Citrus Heights, California.