Daily Scripture

Scripture: 

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16:12-15

Reflection:

As I reflect on the first reading from Acts, I am struck with the similarity of St. Paul’s times to our own.  In the Areopagus, Paul is doing something different from his former work as a pious committed Jew.  He’s following a call entirely new, and one whose newness keeps growing.  An ardent Jew, he was first knocked to the ground to become an ardent Jewish Christian, preaching to his fellow Jews belief in the crucified and risen Jesus of Nazareth.  Working with the Jews spread through Turkey and the Middle East, he then heard himself called to preach Jesus Christ directly to the Gentiles.  This is startlingly news.  Jews never proselytized directly among the Gentiles.  The Apostles were called, as Peter had announced, to declare the good news of the true Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, to their fellow Jews – those spread throughout the Roman empire.  And in those days the question of introducing the Gentiles directly to Jesus Christ without first leading them through Moses rapidly became a bone of contention.   The "Council of Jerusalem" settled the matter, with Paul standing forth firmly and reminding Peter of his own witness of the gift of the Spirit to Cornelius and his gentile family members without any circumcision.  The energy and commitment of Paul, his drive and intensity in those times of ongoing intermixing of races and diverse faiths and religions, remind me of our own days.

Shortly after the closing of Vatican II, theologians began to analyze the extent and the depths of the new call that the Council presented to the church.  It was a call to move from a European church to a world church – to move from a church of the hierarchy to a church of the people of God. (K. Rahner et al.).  It was a call to the laity to recognize anew the truly radical nature of their baptism and to assume fully their mission in the church.  It was a call to religious to study their sources and foundations to see how their mission must be accomplished in this new world. For it is a world on the move, evolving at tremendous speed, and in that evolution calling anew for the light and guidance, healing and inspiration of the crucified and risen Lord.  (For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. . . .  Jn 3: 16)

At that time our provincial told us that we had been given the call of Abraham: "Arise and go forth from your country . . . into the land that I shall show you."(Gen 12: 1)   We were called into the unknown, where we had never been before.  Trusting completely in the Lord, we were called to become church in new ways.  Now 46 years later, in my reflections I find myself asked how I am handling this call to be church in new ways.  How have I been doing – am I still an active contributing member to a world church?  Or have I grown weary and tired, become more or less passive and resigned?  Do my attitudes and my actions take me forward from a church of the hierarchy to a church of the people of God?  Where do I fit now in the "reform of the reform"? 

Am I really open to the new? Do I really listen with an open mind – and, more important, with an open heart?  Do I now enter into discussions with my mind already made up?  Do I enter eager to debate and to win, to have my idea prevail?  Do I want to convince people to my position rather than simply offer an idea that could be put forth with others for a common discernment?  Am I really willing to change? 

How really open am I to a new idea?  The Gospel prods me: Do I really believe that Jesus is in me – that His Spirit is in me?  Is His Holy Spirit really my spirit, prompting all that I do and am?  How can I tell? 

 

Peter Fitzpatrick, CFX, is a Xaverian Brother living at Ryken House, Louisville, across Bear Grass Creek from the Passionist Community Sacred Heart Monastery.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3: 14-18
Luke 1: 39-56

Reflection:

"And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Today’s Feast is the joining of the stories of two women, Mary, a teenager and Elizabeth, an elderly woman.  The angel informs Mary that Elizabeth, her cousin, is pregnant, and immediately Mary begins her journey to see how she can help.  It was not easy or convenient for Mary to travel that long, lonely, dangerous road to the hills of Judea, but Mary knew that Elizabeth needed a helping hand to prepare for the birth of her son, John the Baptist.

Mary arrives at the door bearing Jesus in her womb.  That’s how simple it is sometimes to spread the Good News–show up with Christ formed deep within you and you are indeed preaching,  without saying anything more than "Here I am."   

Mary, filled with grace, proclaims "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant and has done great things for me." 

When we come to Mass, we lay before Him all that we are, all that we need, and all that we can become.  We approach the Eucharistic table with a desire to better become the person that God created us to be–to be FULL OF GRACE.  At the moment of Communion with the Lord, we become filled with the Divine Spirit.  FULL OF GRACE.  And in that experience of joining our lives to His, a spiritual connection between the Redeemer and the redeemed occurs, and God’s unconditional love abounds  And charity must follow.

Today’s Gospel is a celebration that seems to demonstrate that one of the blessings of a grace-filled life is a spirit of gratitude that results in generosity.  The MAGNIFICAT is an example of gratitude and the VISITATION teaches us generosity.

Salvation history ends up in the hands of a teenager and an elderly woman, both preparing to give birth, both miraculous in their conception, and both who responded, " Here I am."

LORD, BLESSED ARE THESE WOMEN, AND BLESSED THE FRUIT OF THEIR WOMB.

 

Deacon Brian Clements is a member of the staff at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California

 

 

Scripture:

Acts 16:11-15
John 15:26-16:4a

Reflection:

Have you ever seen a drawing of God singing?  I haven’t.  I don’t know of any artist who has ever attempted to show that.  Yet that is the image that the prophet Zephaniah gives us.  "The Lord will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival" (Zephaniah 3:17).  Imagine that – God singing!

This passage comes to mind because of today’s responsorial psalm: "The Lord takes delight in his people" (Psalm 149:4).  And the people in turn take delight in the Lord: "Let them sing for joy upon their couches" (v. 5).  This psalm depicts a festival of love, with a lot of singing going on!

With all our faults and failings, it is good to hear that God loves us, delights in us and sings because of us.  What does God see in us?  First of all, God sees the human person and he rejoices in his creation.  In Zephaniah’s time, God saw a faithful remnant restored to peace. After the resurrection of Jesus, God sees in his people the likeness of his Son.   "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15, 1).

What is the purpose of our lives?  Why are we here?  Jesus tells us today that we are to testify, to bear witness.  We are here so that the risen Lord can live in us, manifest himself through us, heal through us, teach through us, love through us.  And because of Jesus living in us, we can expect to do great things.  "He who lives in me and I in him will produce abundantly" (John 15:5).

He warns us that it will not be easy.  But the Spirit will give us all the help we need.  And the Father will continue to "exult over us with loud singing as on a day of festival."   Come, let us give thanks.  Let us sing thanks.

 

 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:

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
1 Peter 3:15-18
John 14:15-21

Reflection:

There is a verse from our first reading from Acts (8:5-8, 14-17) that states the answer to every preacher’s dreams. When the apostle Philip travels to Samaria, Luke tells us, "With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip…" As I come down from imagining how nice that would be, I am brought back to reality by a verse from our second reading from 1 Peter (3:15-18): "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope…"

As I write this, the nightly news has been filled with reports from Joplin, Missouri, and the devastation there caused by a powerful tornado. People are still recovering from floods along the Mississippi River, as well as from tornadoes that ripped through the South. This is not to mention the rebuilding still going on in Japan and in Haiti. And in other parts of the world there are people still engulfed in war and civil strife.

Especially in times like these, we need to offer an explanation for our hope. And our hope does not rest on us. Thanks be to God! Our hope instead rests on what we have been celebrating now for several weeks: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation. In our Gospel reading from John (14:15-21), Jesus tells His disciples at the Last Supper: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live." It may be hard for people grieving the loss of a loved one or sifting through the wreckage of their homes to be able to see Jesus, but our faith tells us that Jesus does indeed live, for He is risen just as He said! Perhaps the challenge for us is to reach out to those in sorrow and grief, so that they can see Jesus in us.

Reaching out to those in need is a way for us to keep Jesus’ commandments and demonstrate our love for Him. When we observe His commandments, Jesus promises us that He will reveal Himself to us. The more we share the love of God in Jesus Christ with others, the closer we come to Jesus, and the more we understand what He asks of us. The more we feel Jesus’ presence in our lives, the more we can have peace, even in the midst of chaos, and the more we can share our hope. This, of course, does not come from us. Philip did the signs he did in Samaria not by his own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him.

The Holy Spirit has been given to us! Jesus has shown His love for us over and over and over again! What is the reason for our hope? It is not what, but Who. Jesus is the reason for our hope, and in Him we can bring hope to the world.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 16:1-10
John 15:18-21

Reflection:

We spend a lot of our time and energy trying to get people to like us.  Whether it’s at work, with our neighbors, in our family or even at Church, we want approval from the people around us.  From the time, we are children, this need for approval drives many of our actions; we want to be liked.  As years go by, it becomes habitual for us to take the popular path because we think that’s the road to acceptance.  We watch TV and let the media decide the way we dress, what we eat and how we act. Surely, we think, if we do these things people will like us, we’ll be admired, we’ll be popular!

But popularity is not the message of the Gospel.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that if we belong to the world we will be loved by the world, but that as his followers, as his disciples, we have been chosen out of the world and the world will hate us.  Being a disciple of Christ is not an easy lot!

Martyrdom today may not mean that we will be persecuted like the members of the early church, but perhaps instead that we will have to accept being unpopular and rejected.  The world may indeed even hate us.  But God calls us to do what we know is right, regardless of what others think of our words and actions.  Sometimes people will laugh at us, disparage us, tell us we are being foolish!  We’ll be told "no one does that, or nobody thinks like that." 

But if we listen to what God is asking of us and turn away from what the world asks, then we will hear and answer the call of the Gospel.  And we will hear the call to take Jesus’ message of love, justice, and compassion to the world.  We are called to be Christ-like in all that we think, say and do – even when it isn’t popular.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:

"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you."

 

In the space of just a few sentences, Jesus twice commands us to love one another.  And not just to love one another, but to love one another "as I love you."  Jesus posed this tenet thousands of years ago.  So the question that I can’t seem to get out of my head is, how we doin’ so far?

Tonight on the news I heard about murders and assaults, robberies, fraud, war, adultery, terrorism, torture, and hate crimes.  (That was all before the broadcast even got to the weather).  In my very ordinary day, I overheard some nasty gossip.  I even witnessed some truly bad behavior between neighbors.  Certainly, my own transgressions could add to this list.    

But that’s not the whole story of course.  There were also the stories of the rescue workers in the wake of the Missouri tornados who risked their own lives to bring others to safety.  There was the very silly celebrity giving a very serious quarter million dollar check to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.  There was a mom of little means who has opened up her home to over 20 foster kids.  My favorite had to be the young woman who-presumably wasting time on her twitter account- heard about someone in need of a kidney, got tested, matched, and is donating her kidney to this complete stranger.   

So where does that leave us?  Unfortunately, somewhere in between.  As is evident from the news stories I mentioned above, there is not a day that goes by where some or all of us aren’t failing at following this commandment.  Certainly, we are in need of more of what Christ simply calls "love."  What really strikes me from the words of the gospel is the undeniable sense that we are being called to action.  "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  Of course, this supreme surrender is not something that will be asked of most people.  But the call to give of oneself is clear.  

Jesus is not asking us to simply think warmly about our neighbors, to be nice to our neighbors, to occasionally help our neighbors.  We are being asked to give love.  Love is hard work.  It’s not a fuzzy feeling, contrary to what we see on television and hear on the radio.  It means putting someone else before yourself.  It means doing things you may not want to do.  It means going out of your way for someone else.  It may even mean doing all of this when you may not particularly like your neighbor. 

There are also no qualifiers on this commandment.  Apparently, we are to love our neighbors even when they fail us, when they are hurtful, and even when they don’t love us.  Christ did not leave loopholes.  But the glorious message is that this is how Christ loves us-wholly, fully, unconditionally. 

     

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

Scripture:

Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." I have to confess that I struggle with these words from Jesus. What I struggle with is the seeming implication that the Father’s love for us comes after the demonstration of our love for Jesus. Elsewhere in John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that it is God who loves us first. In our reading from Acts, where the people of Lystra mistake Paul and Barnabas for Greek gods because of the healing of a man lame from birth, Paul tries to explain to them that it is God who has bestowed blessings upon them, even though they did not believe in Him.

So I don’t believe that our love of Jesus affects whether God loves us or not. God loves us no matter what. What makes sense to me is that when we observe Jesus’ commandments, in loving God and loving our neighbor, Jesus reveals more and more of Himself to us. The more we strive to love as Jesus loves, the more Jesus reveals to us how much He loves us and how much He loves the world, which better enables us to follow Him. Instead of a vicious cycle spiraling downward, perhaps we could call it a virtuous cycle spiraling upward.

After Jesus has spoken the words mentioned above, Judas, not the Iscariot, asks Him, "Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Judas is confused because Jesus seems to be speaking about a personal revelation rather than a universal one. Jesus responds by saying similar words to the ones He has just spoken. Perhaps the answer is that Jesus reveals Himself to the world through us. The more God is all in all for us, the more we reveal His love in Jesus Christ, and the more the world hears the Good News. May we follow Jesus’ commandments, so that His love is revealed to all.

 

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

Memorial of St. Philip Neri 

Scripture:

1 Peter 1:18-25
Mark 10:32-45

Reflection:

Today, the Church recognizes the life and contributions of Saint Philip Neri.  Not everyone is familiar with Philip Neri, but he is a special favorite of mine.  First, he is the Patron Saint of Rome–one of my very favorite cities in the world.  Secondly, he is a Patron Saint of pilgrims–at least for pilgrims to Rome.

During his lifetime, Philip Neri encouraged many individuals on their spiritual journeys and he set up "Oratories" to gather seekers and to provide them with spiritual direction, and opportunities for prayer and renewal.  My favorite Philip Neri story is how he sought to counteract the temptations of Carnivale by gathering youth to set out on a pilgrimage to visit the Seven Churches of the city by foot.  After walking many miles throughout the day, the young people were too tired by evening to indulge in the frivolity of Carnivale!  But, he was not a complete kill-joy.  Instead, he is also known to as the Patron Saint of joy and humor–qualities he exhibited in abundance.  We can all use a Saint that makes us laugh!  Appeal to St. Philip Neri if you need a smile or some lightness in your life.

Clearly, not all Catholics will have an opportunity to visit the Seven Churches of Rome in person.  While a pilgrimage to Rome under the inspiration of St. Philip Neri may not be in your summer plans, it is possible to make a "virtual pilgrimage" by watching a wonderful video produced by Passionist Father Victor Hoagland entitled "Pilgrim Churches of Rome."  (Order form @ crossplace.com/catalog-jan-2009.pdf)  In an age of "staycations", we can still be active spiritual pilgrims–through reading, prayer, contemplative walks, and interesting audio visual aids. I highly recommend Fr. Victor’s production as an informative way to experience the richness of our Church history as told by this very insightful Passionists priest. 

Finally, in the spirit of St. Philip Neri, consider organizing an "Oratory" of your own.  Perhaps you might invite some friends and/or young people to gather in your home, retreat house or parish to talk about what they are experiencing on their spiritual journey.  We have much to teach each other!

Pilgrim blessings to you and yours!!

 

Angela Howell is a retreatant and volunteer at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.