Daily Scripture

 

 

Scripture:

Sirach 6:5-17
Mark 10:1-12

 

 

Reflection:

Salted with Fire

"For everyone will be salted with fire" (Mk 9:50) Today’s readings are difficult to understand until we remember the practices of ancient Jewish sacrifices.   The offerings had to be salted to express symbolically their soundness, sweetness, wholesomeness, and acceptability.  Before the days of refrigeration, salt was used as an important means of preserving food.  Nothing rotten was to be given to the Lord.   Since the offerings were to God "they became a thing most holy made by fire" Lev 2:3   Besides being a preservative, salt made things taste good.  "Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt?" (Job 6:6) 

To be an acceptable sacrifice we must be salted with fire.  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God." (Rom 12:1)  The pain and sorrows we experience in following Christ are the salt and fire by which we are given to God, sharing in Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20)

Reflecting on the words of Christ gives us hope in the darkness of our pain.  We are being given the privilege of participating in the redemptive sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  The pain and suffering of our lives is not in vain.  The ups and downs of our lives are a sacrifice to God in Christ.  The Scriptures with many words and hundreds of times tell us to hope in God.  

Charles Peguy in his beautiful poem on hope said:          

I am, says God, the Master of the Three Virtues
Faith is a church, a cathedral rooted in the soil of France
Charity is a hospital which gathers up all the miseries of the world
But if  it weren’t for hope, all that would be nothing but a cemetery.

                                                                                           

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

Scripture:

Genesis 11:1-9
Mark 8:34-9:1

Reflection:

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it."

 

As I read about Babel in the first reading for today, my memory of the story of Babel was hearing it for the first time in religion class when I was in grade school.  I remember thinking how scary it must have been to not be able to understand what another person was saying.  How would they live? How would they survive?

Today, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of different spoken languages and dialects throughout the world.  How do we understand each other?  How do we communicate?  Sure, English is spoken in many countries, but are we not too arrogant to presume another can speak English? I regret not learning another language when I was younger.  I know words and phrases here and there, but I am only fluent in English.   I should have paid more attention in my Spanish and German classes! I should have paid more attention to my grandmother and great-grandmother when they spoke Polish!

There is however, one common language that is "spoken fluently" across the globe, regardless of what your native country is, regardless of what language you think or speak in, regardless of what religion you practice.  There is one common language at the foundation of it all; it is our common language of Faith.  We all have some type of faith.  Some stronger than others; some different from others, it is our unique spirituality.  Our faith is our own personal language of our spirituality, but it is the common underlying foundation of our lives.

Jesus says in the Gospel, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."  We all, in our own way, follow Jesus through our belief in God, our love for one another and our common language of faith.

 

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

Scripture:

Sirach 1:1-10
Mark 9:14-29

Reflection:

Growth is the law that prevails in the spiritual life.  It is not a "one size fits all" program, since we all commence the process from different starting points, we keep at it for varying lengths of time, and we have differing arrival places, depending on God’s designs for us and our cooperation with Him.

Our scriptures today present one scenario of what this looks like.  It features the beginning of the book of Sirach within the wisdom tradition that was honored in ancient Israel.  It clearly focuses on the prominence of wisdom in God’s designs for those for whom wisdom is a calling-which presumably is most of us.  Sirach is laudatory of wisdom, situating it at the very beginning of creation, giving it an overarching role in the creation process, almost identifying it with God Himself.  This is an encomium to wisdom that suggests it as a requisite in the lives of us all.  And we gratefully note that God bestows it upon us all.

So far, so good.  But we know from our track record that there’s something amiss in our appropriation of wisdom.  If we possessed our fair share of it, we certainly must wonder why it is not more in evidence in the way we lead our lives.  Thankfully we have today’s gospel of Mark in which to frame an instructive picture of wisdom in operation.  As frames are prone to do, this frame sets limits to the attractive picture of wisdom that Sirach provides.

In the first place, Mark presents some of Jesus’ disciples in a quandary before a significant problem confronting them, the plight of a young lad possessed by the devil and grievously tormented by him.  This situation has driven the boy’s father to desperation, and he has approached the disciples, seeking their help for the boy, to no avail.  The disciples don’t know what to do.  They don’t display the kind of wisdom that Sirach speaks of in the earlier reading.  And even the father, at wits end, evidences a faltering conviction that Jesus can do something about the situation, when he exclaims: "If you can do anything…"  Jesus seems nettled by this remark of the father, mimicking in reply: "’If you can!’"  So the father too labors under a less than desirable portion of wisdom, until challenged by Jesus: "Everything is possible to one who has faith."  And that triggered in the father the requisite wisdom required: "I do believe, help my unbelief!"  And Jesus casts out the demon.

So we see wisdom in the process of being achieved, in this account.  Not all at once, but bit by bit.  And later on the disciples got the formula from Jesus on how to gain its fullness: prayer (and fasting).

We celebrate today the memorial of St. Peter Damian who, as a Doctor (a learned one) of the church, excelled in acquiring, and using, the kind of wisdom that Sirach proposes to us today.  St. Peter Damian was an 11^th century professor, prior and bishop who wisely used his gifts for the good of the church of his day.  His accomplishments offer another frame featuring wisdom at work, giving us hope that we too, each in our own frame of reference, can display the wisdom Sirach proposes today.

 

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

Scripture:

Genesis 9:1-13
Mark 8:27-33

Reflection:

There is nothing quite as striking or stunning as a rainbow after a deluge of rain that brings life to a standstill. Even while dark clouds still threaten more rain and there is only a promise of sun, the rainbow becomes a sign that the storm is finally over and life can begin again. It is at these moments that we are reminded of how great God is and how fragile we truly are in this life.

The Scripture readings for today’s Mass continue to remind us that God always looks for ways to prod us to acknowledge the power of God to save. In both readings, God initiates the grace and is the One to take the first step and is the One who clearly shows us what life is all about.

The first reading describes the covenant that God makes with Noah and his descendants after the devastating floods that almost destroyed the first creation. In the Genesis stories these last two weeks, we find a God who is good, life-giving, long-suffering, revising original plans for us, indeed, a God who never gives up on us, even when we have given up on God.

In the Gospel reading, we have a Jesus who has preached to all kinds of people, healed the sick, driven out unclean spirits, fed the hungry, opened the eyes of the blind, made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak, and has yet to hear from his disciples a declaration of who he is. He finally has to ask them, "Who do you say that I am?"

Our faith is ultimately a realization that we are in a very personal relationship with God, especially with each of the three Persons of the Trinity, God Creator, Jesus the Savior and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier. Our faith gets tested when we experience the storms of life, when the cares and concerns of this life threaten to drown us and overwhelm us and when we think of ourselves as irredeemable and without salvation. Even the best of us can point to moments of darkness in our lives, bad choices made, and wrong decisions embraced.

And then there is a sign from God, a rainbow that says to us that God is good, God is life-giving, God is forgiving and merciful and that Jesus is Love Incarnate. That is when the Spirit is truly present in our lives. Do you not hear God asking you, "Who do you say that I am?"

 

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of the General Council of the Passionist Congregation and is stationed in Rome. 

Scripture:

Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
Mark 8:22-26

Reflection:

Both of today’s readings today remind me of the role that time plays in coming to new life, new wisdom, new action.

 

Thinking about Noah’s journey on the waters, hunkered down for what must have seemed an eternity of days, he weathered the storm surrounded by all that had meaning in his world. How he must have longed to have his previous life restored! His life "adrift," however, would only be ended…when it was ended, and by a force greater than himself and his own desire.

Similarly, the blind man in the Gospel does not have clear sight instantly; his initial vision is cloudy and he cannot even interpret properly what he first sees. It is only when Jesus lays hands on him a second time that the world comes into focus.

How many times in the Bible are we shown that we don’t always understand, speak or see the truth our "first time out of the gate." False prophets abound. Peter denies Jesus Himself three times; a weary Jesus must constantly remind the disciples of the Father’s will. There is a long arc to our spiritual history.

The coming to truth–or coming home–is a process that unfolds often quite mysteriously. It can take time and spiritual discipline to "get it." We are an active participant on the journey to be sure, but sometimes, like Noah, the most we can do is choose to live and tread water faithfully until the moment arrives when our vision is changed and new life is possible.

As I write this, President Mubarak in Egypt has stepped down. Here in our midst is the story of a people waiting 30 years to speak their personal and collective political truth. And now, in a "moment," life is dramatically altered and, whatever happens next, their reality will never be the same.

Our spiritual truth is hard won, too, and its development requires time, patience and surrender so that when the right moment comes, we can truly respond with the fullness of our being. But lest we think we can play "fast and loose" with our newfound insight, all we need to do is remember Jesus cautioning the sighted man to "avoid the village." It is a precious gift, and one to be cherished.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10
Psalm 29
Mark 8:14-21

Reflection:

Our readings today put up a yellow caution light. In the pre-history account from the book of Genesis the human family is depicted as a failed project. God regrets the crowning of his creation that occurred on the sixth day: Adam and Eve. Judgment is given: "I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created."  However, God gives the human family a second chance with Noah, the only just man on the earth.

We are a part of the second chance. How difficult it is for us to live up to our calling to give glory and praise to God, to shout with every fiber of our being "Glory" (Ps. 29).

The gospel is another yellow caution light. Already earlier in the gospel Mark made it very evident that Jesus’ own people did not accept him and that their spiritual leaders, the Pharisees, were plotting to kill him. Now it is the disciples turn not to understand him. "Are your hearts hardened?" he asks in frustration. "Do you still not understand?"

These readings are a challenge to admit our own weaknesses in giving God his due. Often our hearts are hardened and closed, rather than receptive and open. In a thousand little ways we hold back and betray the gifts of grace that God extends to us. In my freshman year at Loyola Academy in Chicago

I was introduced to the motto of the Jesuits: "ad majoram Dei gloriam." I have tried to make it the motive and direction of my life.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

 

Scripture:

Genesis 4:1-15, 25
Mark 8:11-13

 

Reflection:

"Show me the money," the line in the movie goes. It’s a comedy, so we laugh. But how many other times in life do we act out of a sense that nothing means anything until the bottom line gets met, the payoff happens, the results are in, we get the proof we feel entitled to?

Can’t you just feel the weariness when Jesus, in today’s brief Gospel, "sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign?’"

The truth is, at some point in our life most of us want something. We want love, we want health; we want money, we want control; we want assurances, we want affirmation. We want God to smile upon us, and, if it’s not too much trouble, we want the side dish of a sign so that we know we are loved and valued. We test God often.

St. Paul of the Cross, Passionist founder, and Mother Teresa, are two visionaries who lived lives of astonishing goodness and heartbreaking questioning. They were given signs of their paths early on, and then groped in spiritual darkness for decades. Somehow they clung to their faith and remained true to the work God had called them to. They "knew their place" before God, and foregoing all human demands and expectations, surrendered themselves to His will and to His love.

In these tough times as we feel clueless, frightened or forgotten, that’s the real deal.

 

Nancy Nickel is director of communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Sirach 15:15-20
1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Matthew 5:17-37

Reflection:

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Matthew 5:17-37), Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount. In our passage, Jesus says many things that are challenging to us. After He exhorts the people to go beyond the letter of the Law when it comes to killing and to adultery, He says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have the whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna." Jesus is not telling us to maim or dismember ourselves. But He is telling us that where we spend eternal life is more important than anything we have here on earth.

That is a radical message. In a way, that should not surprise us. Jesus’ words are often radical to us. But if we think about it, Jesus is no less radical for us. As St. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah in our second reading from 1 Corinthians (2:6-10): "’What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,’ this God has revealed to us through the Spirit." God has revealed His love to us. God has shown us time and time again that He has not given up on us! He has not "thrown" us "away" as a lost cause. Instead, Jesus "threw" Himself away on the Cross in order to free us from the power of sin!

What are we willing to "throw away" for the sake of following Jesus? I think we are often tempted to throw away those parts of the Gospel that make us uncomfortable or that we find inconvenient. We may be tempted to throw away those parts that talk about love of enemies or mercy or forgiveness. We may wish to throw out the parts about turning the other cheek or going the extra mile. We may want to dispose of the words about denying ourselves and taking up our crosses. And yet, these are the words Jesus put into practice in order to save us!

At the same time we are tempted to dismiss parts of the Gospel, we are also tempted to hold on to things and attitudes that keep us away from God. Listen to what Jesus says about murder: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment." Perhaps it is better for us to lose our self-righteousness than to hold on to our resentments and take them with us into hell. Listen to what Jesus says about adultery: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Perhaps it is better to lose our feeling that all of our desires should be fulfilled, than to hold on to our lust and take it with us into hell.

For some of us (maybe most of us?) these attitudes and behaviors are hard to let go of. We may even be addicted to them. But even in our weakness and limitations, God loves us and wants to hold on to us! And even though we may be weak, God is not, and He will give us what we need to throw away what needs to be discarded. He is even willing to guide us, through the Holy Spirit, about what we need to keep and what we need to throw away. As Sirach says in our first reading (15:15-20): "The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man’s every deed." Thanks be to God!

 

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