Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Numbers 21:4-9
John 8:21-30

Reflection:

Jesus said to them, "You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world." (John 8:23)

Outside the chapel of a nearby Catholic High School for girls was a hallway poster that caught my attention. It was a photograph of slender young woman looking into the mirror with a question written underneath: "When did you begin to hate your body?" 

The Gospel passage today can give the wrong impression, incorrectly suggesting that if we love God we must despise the material world. It can dupe us into dismissing our bodies and the world of matter as insufficient or inferior to a higher realm of spirit. It can mislead us to think the world of God is in opposition to the world of majestic mountains, fertile fields, rambling rivers, temperate forests, brown bears and human beings.

Often Christians do not understand that matter matters. We forget that the church has a longstanding protest against the perennial heresy of Gnosticism, the belief that the material world is inherently evil. Gnostics are stuck in a dualism which pits the world of spirit against the world of matter. Historically, Gnosticism had to be refuted in order to reach an orthodox understanding of the incarnation: Jesus is fully God and fully human. "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14).

The incarnation shows us that matter is not all there is. But it also confirms that matter matters. Jesus clearly takes on our molecular structure and enmeshes himself in this physical world. Yet he points to another kind of existence, telling his disciples, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about" (John 4:32).

The food to which Jesus refers is a new level of consciousness that feeds his material body and human psyche. The Pharisees could not go where Jesus is going because their consciousness was stuck at a lower level. They were caught in the "sin" of separation, trapped in the illusion of what Thomas Merton calls "a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world, the world of renunciation and supposed holiness."

In the northern hemisphere, Lent unfolds at a time when daylight is increasing. It is an opportunity for Christians to cultivate the inner light of a new consciousness. Resurrection does not mean that we escape or flee this world, but that we learn to embrace and live in this world of matter enlightened by an Inner Spirit of wisdom and love. 

Submitted by Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP – executive director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, KY.

Lent 4.5 is a 7-week faith formation program of conversion to help Christians understand that matter matters. This year over 13,000 people in more than 50 churches and schools are participating in this program developed by the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center. It is designed to teach Christian communities how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, bring forth a just society, and nurture a fulfilling spiritual life. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Gospel simplicity to their everyday lives and take responsibility for the material world. For more information, go to www.lent45.org.

 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:12-14
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

Reflection:

After my husband died suddenly, I remember praying that God would bring him back to life like Lazarus.  I wanted nothing more in all the world. 

Yet, I had to admit it would be rather awkward.  Surely there would be cameras, reporters and an endless crush of people wishing to be in the presence of the miraculous.  Our infant son would forever be labeled as the kid whose dad rose from the dead.  We’d relinquish privacy for the rest of our lives in the fish bowl of questions and expectations.  We would also no doubt endure the anger and bitterness of others whose loved ones remained in the grave. In short, bringing John back to life would take away our life.  Reluctantly, I resigned myself to the fact that no such miracle would happen, and wisely so.  John was dead and would remain that way. 

It forced me, though, to confront deeper questions of my faith.  Standing before the stone that would never be rolled away, could I trust in the God who promises to open our graves?  Could I still embrace Christ as the resurrection and the life?  In the midst of the death and suffering of this world, what action or sign would be proof enough for me to believe that what God says is true?

The honest fact is that even if John were raised from the dead, many people would remain unconvinced. In the gospel, those who "converted" when Lazarus was raised seemed to leave their belief behind all too easily when the going got rough in Jerusalem. Perhaps that’s why Jesus increasingly avoided public signs and wonders, and why he refused to perform them for Herod.  Faith based on signs and wonders is no faith at all.  It is fickle, relying on the satisfaction of human whims with a constant stream of miraculous occurrences.  Besides, Lazarus did eventually die, as John would have if he’d been raised. No "proof", no sign or wonder, no miracle would truly be sufficient. 

In light of that, I am left pondering Martha. She clung to the foundation of her belief through the most difficult of circumstances. She knew enough to ask Jesus for what she wanted, and to wait for an answer. Even when she was upset with him for his action (or inaction), she felt free to let him know about it and express her anger and frustration. I believe that if she hadn’t gotten what she wanted, if Lazarus had remained in the tomb, she would have fallen into the arms of Jesus and found healing and hope in that embrace. Ultimately her unshaken faith was vindicated, not just by the raising of Lazarus, but by the resurrection of Jesus. She discovered the promises were indeed true, that new life was not just for her brother; it was for all who believe.

Since that fateful day when my husband died, I have repeatedly stood on the shoulders of this strong and courageous woman.  I dare to trust in the promise of resurrection, even when there is no evidence whatsoever that it could happen.  Time and time again, the promise proved true.  No matter what entombs me, if I reach out in the blackness and grasp God’s hand, I know that somehow something good will come out of it. No tragedy is too great for the God of life.

I don’t have Jesus standing before me. I have not seen anyone raised from the dead nor witnessed the resurrection. But I have known my own. My experience of the faithfulness of God allows me to stand with Martha and countless others as together we declare, "Yes Lord, I believe."  It is a belief to which I sometimes have to cling by the edge of my fingernails, and it does not spare me from needing to spout my frustration and anger to God.  But I know in the depth of my being that when all is said and done, the final word will belong to God, and God will not leave us in the grave.  God has promised and God will do it.

 

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:

Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

Reflection:

In John’s gospel we meet error, confusion and even, we might say, the manifestation of an ‘original sin’ in self-imposed isolation. Jeremiah, the Prophet of our first reading experiences these feelings, and they are not unknown to ourselves. We may want to carry the psalm refrain with us today as our prayer in the midst of such feelings, "Lord, my God, I take shelter in you."

There is argument as to where Jesus comes from, division as to whether he is the Messiah. Some, knowing that he comes from Galilee, reject him as Messiah since Scripture says he is to come from Bethlehem. The Pharisees also reject Jesus as a prophet; prophets do not come from Galilee. But the readers of John know already that Jesus was from Bethlehem, and that there were prophets from Galilee, among them Hosea and Jonah. We see the arguments presented against Jesus are flawed by error. But the real issue is not the geographical location of Our Lord. Jesus has come from the Father, that is his place of origin.

Nicodemus is shouted down when he protests that judgement is being passed without listening to the words of Jesus. The temple guards sent to bring Jesus to the Pharisees, return empty-handed. Their excuse is that, ‘no man ever spoke like that before’. It is not the law that the Pharisees are disregarding, but they refuse to listen to Jesus’ word. Nicodemus has listened to this word and it makes him different.

Our final words tell us that the Pharisees went off each to his own house. These words are similar to those of the gospel writer when Judas takes the morsel at the Last Supper, gets up and leaves. We are told that he steps out into darkness, the place of unbelief and sin. The Pharisees leave not in communion but isolation. Jesus who has come from the Father seeks the opposite of isolation. He has come to gather all of God’s scattered children. Jesus has come to lead us to intimacy with the Father. The Pharisees who are judging Jesus choose to move into isolation and division. Nicodemus, who approached Jesus in the darkness is moving in the opposite direction. He has heard the word of Jesus and is coming to the light. He speaks out and in the end will be one of the privileged entrusted with the great act of charity to tend the body of the Crucified. He unites himself with the disciples.

John’s gospel today tells us that Jesus is from the Father. We come to know Jesus by listening to his words. And there is a struggle between isolation and the work of Jesus to make us one in himself with the Father. In the midst of daily errors, confusion and ‘isolation’, let us draw strength from the Good News of John, and let us pray, ‘Lord, my God, I take shelter in you.’ 

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is pastor of St. Joseph’s Monastery parish in Baltimore, MD.

 

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Reflection:

As we journey toward Holy Week, our readings focus on violence and treachery. Jesus is the focus of misunderstanding and injustice.

 

I remember watching the movie Witness starring Harrison Ford. He was a policeman who was being sheltered by the Amish and adopted their ways. Once when four of them were travelling by horse and buggy, they were accosted by some youths who knew of their non-violent stance. The young people took an ice cream cone and smeared it into the face of each Amish adult who took it patiently. When the youths came to Harrison Ford, they expected the same, patient response. Instead, when they were about to smear his face, Ford punched his aggressor in the face. Suddenly the theater broke out into applause and cheers. I was caught up with the movie crowd and also began to applaud. Suddenly, I realized I was applauding violence. I stopped clapping and never forgot how our society aggrandizes and even applauds violence. Recently we heard about a "pastor" in Florida burning the Koran. The act was met with violence in Afghanistan as five U.N. peace keepers were murdered.

In the Book of Wisdom, the Just One is tried and tortured but remains gentle and patient. In the Gospel, tension mounts as Jesus is misunderstood. In the face of treachery, betrayal, and injustice, Jesus remained calm, patient, and gentle. He never retaliated or tried to vindicate himself. He committed his cause to God who was his helper.

As we approach Passion Week, we are invited to reflect upon how we have allowed our culture to influence us. Do we allow our culture to form our judgments as well as our responses to the injustices that come our way? Or are we solidly committed to the Master who always chose the way of nonviolence? Like the crowd in the movie theater, we encounter many situations in our life that prompt us to applaud or even perpetuate violence. For example, a community member says something cutting. We are tempted to join in gossip around the table. Someone cuts us off in traffic and then drives slowly. How do you handle people who offend, tempt, and try you? The words of Peter are apropos here: "Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called. (1 Pet. 3:9)

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 14 books and creator of television and radio programs airing in many cities. You can learn more about his ministry at: http://www.frcedric.org/

Scripture:

Exodus 32:7-14
John 5:31-47

Reflection:

The gospel of John tells of the conflicts of Jesus in Jerusalem.  The background for today’s dispute took place on his second visit.  He stopped near the Sheep Gate where there was a large pond with five paved landings extending into it.  It was thought that if a sick person entered the water when it bubbled up they would be cured.  A paralyzed man had been there for thirty-eight years hoping he would be so blessed.

Jesus stopped by and asked him, "Do you want to be well?"  The sick man said he had no one to put him into the water.  Jesus told him: "Rise, take up your mat and walk."  He was cured.  Jewish authorities questioned him carrying a mat on the Sabbath. He explained: "The man who made me well told me to take up the mat and walk."

At the time, he did not know who Jesus was.  Jesus encountered him in the temple and warned him: "You are well, sin no more."  He then informed the authorities that Jesus cured him.

That started an official investigation.  Strangely, there was no question of the cure, or how the power of God was involved.  How dare Jesus cure on the Sabbath and have the man carry his mat?

Jesus claims he is at work just as God, his Father is at work and so is claiming equality with God.  The evangelist comments: "The Jews were more determined to kill him (for) speaking of God as his own Father and as God’s equal."

Jesus makes more claims to divinity: "…as the Father possesses life in himself so has he granted it to the Son to have life in himself."

The authorities refuse to hear all this and ignore God’s approval in the manifest cure.  They sin against the evident truth!

They will do so again with the cure of the man born blind.  Jesus is telling the Jewish authorities that he is the Living God, the Son of God come into their midst.       

The Jews will not listen; they will not consider the physical evidence.  None are so blind as those who will not see.

This incident is certainly written "that you may believe that the Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through this belief you may have life in his name."  That was the concluding sentence of the gospel and tells us who and what Christ is for us. 

It is also a warning that we can close our minds to the known truth of what God wants of us.  To ignore the known truth, God’s evident command, is a sin said "to cry out for the vengeance of God."  The Jews were guilty in closing their eyes to the truth of Christ’s divinity.   We can close our eyes to his demands that we keep his commandments.  If we believe he is God’s Son, our Teacher and our Redeemer there are consequences that are eternal. 

 

Fr. Fred Sucher, C.P. is retired and lives in the Passionist community in Chicago.  For many years he taught philosophy to Passionist seminarians.  

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54

 

 

 

Reflection:

Complete Faith and Heading For Home

Modern medicine has changed life as we know it.  Real progress has been made in dealing with major diseases, and research continues to promote health and longevity on many levels.  And yet death is inevitable, and modern medicine is helpless once a person has died.

Through his miracles Jesus wanted to show he had power not only over human sickness but over death itself.  Today’s Gospel story of the royal official shows a faith that at first was simply a belief that Jesus had extraordinary healing powers, that Jesus was some sort of super-physician.  As he anxiously encountered Jesus in Cana, his faith deepened and he cried out to Jesus:  "Sir, come down before my child dies."  We can easily imagine the official’s anguish for his child’s life – and the strong faith it took for him to head home after Jesus assured him that his son will live!  When he found out on his way home that his child was alive and well, he came to full faith in Jesus as the "life-giver"…and his whole household joined in his belief.

This complete faith is the kind of faith we are to cultivate this Lent in our prayer, penance and almsgiving.  Jesus is not concerned merely with our temporal well-being (important, no doubt!), but especially wishes to one day share with us his own resurrection from the dead and happiness in heaven.  That’s "Life" with a capital "L" – more than modern medicine can ever hope for!

We’re at the half-way point in our Lenten program, and we confidently look forward to celebrating Easter and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  As disciples we have pondered this same message in years past, but this year our faith has been tested by a variety of natural disasters, world violence, an unstable economy, challenging developments in our Catholic Faith – and perhaps even some aches and pains of our own…  As we figuratively "head home" to family and friends, Jesus invites us to join the royal official in a deeper faith in his Life and Resurrection.  Truly God will create the "new heavens and a new earth" mentioned in the first reading from Isaiah…complete with rejoicing and happiness – and health – that lasts!

In the words of Psalm 30:  "Lord, I put my trust in you; I shall be glad and rejoice in your mercy…"  May our Lent be blessed.

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

Reflection:

Give up, or given in? Is that the question to address during this journey of repentance and conversion? Generally people are giving up things for Lent. I have "given up" eating some favorite foods (and drink), to deny the flesh, as it were. I realize that in God’s pursuit of my heart, mind and will to be about the establishing of the "Kingdom" on this earth, there is so much more to this Lenten journey, this exercise in this season of conversion and change. I strive to "give in" to God’s will.

Both David and this blind man give in to belief in circumstances of apparent doubt, mystery and inadequacy.  Through David’s leadership, and the young blind man "sticking by his story (despite his parents, and the religious leaders abandoning him,) "God’s mighty work" would be revealed. The decision to cooperate with God is giving up of our agenda, by paying attention to our surroundings, and bringing the light of the Word to bear upon our reflections.

In 1974, when every 18 hours a youngster under 16 was being murdered in Detroit, I pondered with the Word as to how to direct the compelling desire within to do something. Another way to explain it, that is to say, that I give up my will into God’s, in order that I face the fears that stop me from doing what is necessary or right (yet not rewarding). What reins in my selfish urge is the reliance on the Word made flesh.

It has been said that, "God does not call the "equipped," he equips the "called."

 

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president of Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:
Hosea 14:2-10
Mark 12:28-34

Reflection:
The readings today are a call of love – a call from love and a call to love.

Hosea emphasizes God’s love:  Out of His immense love God calls to Israel to return to Him, to come back to Him and let Him heal her.

The prophet pictures God as a husband, a longing lover, who seeks out his faithless wife, pleading with her to return.  Early in chapter 2, Hosea says what he is going to do: "I shall draw her into the desert and speak to her heart."  The loving husband, forgiving everything, will convert her, take her back, pour his love upon her, and heal her.  We do not know for certain that Hosea is speaking from his own experience; we do not know whether his own wife deserted him.  Some scholars think that it is so and that the Lord prompts Hosea to use his own experience as an image of God’s grief at the loss of his faithless Israel – God’s great pain that Israel has turned away from Him to play the trollop among pagans, that she has left him for dead idols that they have made with their own hands.

In our verses today Hosea switches the image to suit both Israel and Ephraim: the faithless wife has become the faithless son.  Using nature imagery, Hosea goes on to paint a wonderful picture of how this Divine Lover will treat the faithless beloved if he would only return – he will grow strong and beautiful, tall and fragrant like the cedars of Lebanon; blossom like the vine, beautiful to look upon: he need only return.

Psalm 81 repeats the call of Hosea – return and let Me bless you; return and let Me love you.

Mark then in his Gospel shows Jesus reaffirming this great call of Love.  In His response to the honest scribe, Jesus declares to him the greatest commandment – the great Shema, the prayer of every Israelite:

               Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God is One!
               You shall love your God with all your heart,
               With all your soul,
               With all your mind,
               And with all your strength.

How do we know that we do love the Lord Our God?  How do we show that we truly love Him?

               The second is this:
                You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Do I love my neighbor as myself – really, every day?  If so, I know then that I love my God.

Today, April 1^st, is known in many cultures as April Fool’s Day.  One of our Flemish brothers told me the following:   In Brugge (Bruges), Belgium, there are many cobblestone streets with very narrow pavements.  Back before Vatican II a young priest walking on such a street came face to face with a stout white-haired man who was well known as anti-clerical.  The man pulled himself up, looked squarely at the priest, and with a scowl declared loudly, "I don’t step into the gutter for fools!"  The young priest bowed, smiled gently, and stepping off the pavement replied, "But I do."  Surprised, the man gave a begrudging chuckle.   To love your neighbor as yourself – with a smile.

 

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