Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Matthew 18:21-35

Reflection:

A very holy monk was once asked in a television interview what were the present day challenges to Christianity? He paused for a moment, reflected, and looking directly into the camera said: "the arrogance and hypocrisy of the Christians!" I was very impressed with the truthfulness of his answer.

I contend that what attracts women and men to Christianity is an encounter with Jesus the Christ. Sometimes that encounter happens in church, while reading the scriptures or maybe while pondering a piece of art, music or the natural world. However the primary way most of us encounter Christ is through other believers. People who live Christ! People who allow the Risen Christ to live in them! They may not be saints, they are probably not perfect, more often than not, they are folks just like us who struggle, who question, who strive, but there is an attractive piece (or peace) about them and that is their relationship to Jesus!

"You have the walk the walk and not just talk the talk!" – a famous statement in 12 Step Spirituality. Today’s gospel is about just that. "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Matthew’s community needed a lot of forgiveness. Scholars think the gospel of Matthew was written for the church in Antioch – a church filled with strife. It was a community of both Jewish converts and Gentile believers. Each staking their claims as to what it meant to follow this Jesus, this Christ. Some in the community believed that "not one jot or tittle of the Law" would be abrogated. Others, reflecting the Apostle Paul’s preaching, believed that in Christ all was made new – there were no more Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – no more need for the Mosaic Law. Naturally this caused conflict and need among the community for reconciliation. Put yourself in that situation. Would you be attracted to a community where there was constant fighting, exclusive cliques, harsh words, backbiting, and power plays? How does that reflect Christ? Isn’t this exactly what the holy monk is talking about???!!! Hence Matthew retelling this encounter of Peter and Jesus.

As we move into the last stretch of Lent perhaps we need to remember the basics. We all who bear the name of Christ must walk the walk and not just talk the talk! Forgiveness is the prime message of Christianity. On the part of the perpetrator is the process of admitting your wrong and asking for healing. On the part of the victim it is putting aside ones self-righteousness and offering healing. And we do this not just for the sake of ourselves but rather because we follow a crucified, condemned Savior. We do this because we can do no other if we wish to bear the name Christian. We do this because even he, the most innocent, healed the world by forgiving all of us from His heart!

 

Patrick Quinn is the director of Planned Giving at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

2 Kings 5:1-15b
Luke 4:24-30

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel and the verses preceding it, Jesus quoting Isaiah instructs his listeners and us to bring the good news to the poor, to release the prisoner, to cure the blind, to free the oppressed.  He and his message are rejected – perhaps because he left out the line from Isaiah that sites a vengeful God, perhaps because he is not performing miracles and other wonders for his own townspeople, as they expect.   And then Jesus tells the listeners that a prophet is never accepted in his own town.  He reminds them that Elijah and Elisha also did their healing with foreigners.

Perhaps this Gospel can serve as a reminder to us to listen to the directives from Isaiah and from Jesus. We are called to reach out not just with our own family, friends and community but also reaching out to those most in need wherever they are. 

I recently heard Jack Jezreel, the founder of Just Faith Ministries, speak.  Jack was telling the audience that as Church we are to be gathered and sent.  I think we would all agree with him when he says that we seem to do a pretty good job of  the gathering – of education, of worship, of forming ourselves – but we fall far short at the "being sent" part of the equation.  How much time do we as church spend reaching out to those in need, to bringing Christ’s message to the imprisoned and the sick, or to caring for the poor.  Particularly in these days, when many of us bear the burden of some economic set-backs, some giving up of living the life style that we had planned, can we be Christ-like and reach out to those who have less, whose need is far greater?  Or do we find ourselves so self-centered that we forget about others and just struggle to regain what we have lost.  Every day, in our papers and on TV and in many of our neighborhoods, we see the many areas calling out for help

For the rest of this Lent, let us fast from self-centeredness, let us give of our time, energy and resources to live the message of Jesus and Isaiah.  And let us give not from our surplus but from our own poverty to those in need wherever they are!!

 

Mary Lou Butler is a former staff member and a longtime partner of the Passionists in California.

Third Sunday of Lent 

Scripture:

Exodus 17:3-7
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42, or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

Reflection:

"God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."

Though I am sure I have read it countless times, I don’t know that I  ever thought much about this gospel of the Samaritan woman before today.  But upon a deeper reflection, I see that Christ tells us a great deal in this encounter, and not just from what he says. 

Jesus was a rebel.  Of course, this sort of goes without saying considering he was claiming to be the Son of God.  But Jesus did something truly scandalous as he took rest by Jacob’s Well in Samaria-he talked to a woman!  It may seem silly to us today, but it was strictly taboo for a man to talk to a woman he didn’t know in public, not to mention that he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan.  Then he doesn’t just talk to her-they engage in a profound discussion in which he not only offers her salvation but reveals himself to be the Messiah" "I am he, the one speaking with you."

There are so many lessons just from this initial encounter-first off, you never know where you are going to encounter Christ (so you better be ready).  This woman was just taking her daily journey for water, an exhausting and monotonous task.  And yet, what she finds at the well will change the whole course of her life.   In her meeting with this strange man, it becomes clear that Jesus did not care about appearances.  If we are to take the reading literally, this woman has been married five times and is currently living with a man who is not her husband.  But our Lord talks to her as an equal knowing that her worthiness in the kingdom is not measured by her gender or race or class. 

And for her part, this woman could have closed herself off from this bold and inappropriate man who was bothering her for a drink.  But she received Christ’s message, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet."  She believed.  And even more, she became an evangelist!  She didn’t even take the time to grab her water jar first, she ran into town, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done.  Could he possibly be the Christ?"  Her testimony helped make believers out of many.  

How many times have we had opportunities to meet Christ in our daily lives and instead we just turn in the other direction?  And yet, this ordinary woman finds a peace that perhaps she didn’t even know she was looking for.  But this wasn’t a chance encounter.  Christ was waiting for her there.  Because he didn’t just come to save the devout!  He came for the lost and the hopeless and the sinner.  "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8).

Christ actually shares a lot about worship and faith and the Father in this brief encounter.  But what continues to resonate with me is this symbol of the living water: "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst . . ."  We are so busy running around trying to quench our proverbial thirst that we often ignore the only thing that will truly fulfill that longing-faith, love, Christ.

 

Marlo Serritella is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection:

"Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love". –Mahatma Gandhi

As I read today’s Gospel, one word that stuck in my mind was forgiveness.  I remember back to my school days and hearing the story of the Prodigal Son.  Much like the older son in the story, I could not understand why the father was so happy and ordered a celebration to hail the return of his younger son after he squandered his inheritance.  Now as a parent, I fully understand.

As the mother of two young adult sons I understand the joy the father experienced when he saw his son returning to him.  Something I have always told my boys is that "no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how you act, I will always love you." They know our home is their safety zone.  In the Gospel, as the son realized he was wrong and wished to seek his father’s forgiveness, he found his faith and was welcomed with open arms to his father’s home.

I made what I feel to be a great leap of forgiveness some years ago.  My mother passed away when I was very young and because of my father’s alcoholism, my relationship with him grew very strained.  I moved out and went to live with my grandmother and great-grandmother that raised me.  I did not see or speak to my father for several years.   When I was about 28, he got in touch with me and I went to visit him.  As I became an adult, and more importantly a parent, I understood the heavy burden he carried as a young widower and single parent of three.  We talked and cried and hugged.  I forgave him and we reconciled.  He got to meet my husband and children, his grandsons.  I think it gave him a sense of peace to know that I did not blame him anymore.  Several months after our meeting he passed away.  I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to give him the forgiveness he sought and welcome him back.

During this journey of Lent, maybe it is time to seek out forgiveness from those we have mistreated or forgive those who have mistreated us, leading us closer to the salvation that is the Resurrection.

 

Claire Smith is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.   

Scripture:

Jeremiah 18:18-20
Matthew 20:17-28

Reflection:

On one of my talks for the weekend retreat, I remark that Jesus knew what it was like to be misunderstood. In today’s Gospel, we see an indication of that very thing. Our Gospel passage begins with Jesus telling the apostles about His suffering and death that would occur when they got to Jerusalem. Right after this, the mother of James and John asks that her sons sit on His right and His left at the coming of the kingdom. We don’t have an indication that James and John tried to stop her from asking. But it seems to me that Jesus’ prediction of His Passion might have given them pause.

When we reflect on the Cross of Christ, it should give us pause. Jesus is telling the apostles about the suffering and death that has to occur before the Resurrection. But James and John are more concerned about the glory they could have. The other ten are indignant at James and John, but I don’t think it’s because they understand Jesus any better than Zebedee’s sons. I think it’s because they were hoping for glory themselves.

If we follow Jesus, we can’t take a shortcut to glory. In fact, personal glory becomes less and less important the more we follow Jesus’ commands. This is what Jesus tells the apostles and us: "Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." And if we act as a servant solely for the purpose of being considered great, we will still have missed the point.

We follow Jesus, even to the point of serving others and carrying our own crosses, not for glory or fame, but so that the Gospel is spread, the love of God is shared, and that we might live with Jesus forever. May God help us let go of the desire for glory, and give us the desire for His kingdom!

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 17:5-10
Luke 16:19-31

Reflection:

Listening to God

Each day when we reflect on the readings of the day it is a prayerful way of listening to the word of God.  Good prayer should be very sensitive to the Holy Scriptures as it is the revealed word of God to us.  When we prayerfully study the Bible we are asking God to speak to us. 

People in the Scriptures were terrified by the silence of God.  "For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit." (Ps 28:1)

The silence of God is death to prayer.  For in the Bible when God stops talking even nature sinks back into the chaos of early Genesis.  God’s word creates light and goodness and when he ceases to speak all becomes darkness and waste.  Praise to his love for us He constantly communicates to us his deepest thoughts in the Scriptures.

The secret of good prayer is to be a good listener.  It is nearly incredible the amount of emphasis that God places on listening!  "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." (1 Sam 3:9)  The Scriptures treat listening some 4,824 times.  "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (Jn
10:27)  The word "know" indicates a deep intimacy with Jesus.  Deep friendship with Christ emerges from paying attention to his word.                      

The closest we can get with persons is communication.  It is when I take what is deep in my mind and heart and give it to the mind and heart of another.  When we open our inner selves by listening to what lies deep in the mind and heart of God expressed in his word, we approach an intense intimacy with God! It is no wonder that God intervenes on the mountain: "This is my beloved
Son, listen to Him." (Mt 17:5)

 

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

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

Well, it has been almost two weeks now since the first day of Lent, when most of us had our foreheads marked with a cross of ashes.  It’s a good time to ask ourselves how it’s going.

Today’s Gospel moves us deeper into the spirit of Lent and challenges us to carry the Cross of Jesus in our hearts rather than on our foreheads. 

Religion can sometimes be such a pretence–like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel who are mostly pretending to be righteous.  They paraded around in their religious "costumes" so that people could see how special they were.  It’s a comical image, as Jesus describes them, with their extra large phylacteries and streaming tassels. (Phylacteries are little boxes hung on the wrists and forehead and over the heart, usually containing Scriptural prayers like the Schema Israel: "Hear Israel, the Lord our god is Lord alone.  Therefore you shall love the Lord with all your heart, your mind and soul."  Religious people took literally the admonition to have the Law always at hand and before their eyes.  And tassels were attached to the four corners of their robes as a reminder that the Law extends in every direction.)

Jesus warns us today not to pretend to be something we are not.  When it comes to true religion, the simpler and more honest the better-because God knows everything and it doesn’t matter so much what everybody else thinks. 

There is a wonderful story that Viktor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist, tells in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, where he describes some of the horrors of the death camps in World War II.  When he was arrested he tried to hide in the lining of his coat his life’s work-a manuscript on psychiatry.  But they took everything from him, even his coat.  Eventually he was given the coat of another man who had been sent to the gas chamber. In the pocket, Frankl found a single page of Scripture-the Schema Israel.  It suddenly became clear to him that the real meaning of life was not in his great book, but in his simple relationship to God. 

So having begun our Lenten journey with an external mark on our foreheads, let us allow the grace of this season to transform our inner hearts.  In the words and after the example of St. Paul the Apostle, let us strive only to "put on Christ."

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is on the Provincial Council and lives in Citrus Heights, CA.      

Scripture:

Daniel 9:4b-10
Luke 6:36-38

Reflection:

As the Japanese people continue their recovery efforts, following the devastations that overpowered parts of their nation, they are undoubtedly wondering how or whether they could have done anything differently, to either prevent it, or at least diminish its terrible effectiveness.  They are an intelligent, industrious and resilient people.  But we ask: are these endowments equal to the task of giving an affirmative answer to this question?  One thinks of the tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2004, recalling that the wildlife, the animals, knew ahead of time that the tsunami was moving their way, and they were already escaping to higher ground.  They were better equipped to deal with the imminent danger than human beings were.  Was that the case in Japan?

Heading to higher ground to avoid the threats of danger is an apt Lenten program.  Both Daniel and Luke help us in this trek.  Daniel exposes his awareness of a "higher power" at his beck and call: "Ah, Lord, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you….Justice, O Lord, is on your side….".  He also enjoys the kind of self-knowledge that makes him aware of a besetting problem: "We have sinned, been wicked and done evil…"  He knew where his weakness lay, in view of future onslaughts: "We are shamefaced…for having sinned against you."  With such attributes working for him, Daniel, rational animal that he was, was in position to compete with other animals of his environs to gain higher ground.

Luke recalls Jesus supporting this pursuit of self-preservation.  Jesus notes the waste of time and energy spent in judging others in a time of peril.  He urges His followers with vignettes that have proved helpful in gaining success: "Give and gifts will be given to you…poured into your lap.  For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."  Here Jesus provides the formula of success: giving more than getting.  This makes us masters of our own destiny.  For we know ahead of time exactly how we will manage in time of need, aware that the resources we have at hand are factored into our savings account by what we have given out to others.

Lent is the time before the storm, when we seek higher ground to escape the tsunami heading toward shore.  Veterans of past mistakes deterring us from the effort at climbing, we can now learn how to fashion our own future survival before the storms that lie ahead, by generously reaching out to help others in their upward climb.  If other animals have learned to move to higher ground, we can imitate them by mastering our own destinies through generously measuring out to others, what is ours.

 

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