Daily Scripture

Feast of Christ the King

Scripture:

2 Samuel 5:1-3
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43

Reflection:

Give or take one or two, there are 44 monarchies in the world today.  Though these are often calculated according to blood line, their significance is seen in their wealth rather than in their power of rulership.  With the move toward democracy in recent times, and the will of the people supreme in the choice of leadership, kings and queens are usually more ceremonial than authoritative, with the exception of the Muslim world, where monarchies still reign supreme in certain places.

Kingship has not been particularly effective in improving the world, with a few exceptions, and God, as we gather from the Scriptures, was not particularly anxious to see it instituted among the people whom He had chosen as His own (cf. 1 Sm 8.6-9).  And once it got underway in Israel, it was more or less a disaster over the centuries, with a few notable exceptions, among whom David was outstanding (whose induction into kingship is described in today’s reading from Samuel).  But even he had his blemishes.

It was the house of David, the kingly, royal, house, that was to be a major vehicle through which God’s designs would work themselves out among the Jewish people, in the irrevocable move toward the coming of the messiah.  So it was that in the presentation of Jesus on the human stage, both Matthew and Luke took pains to trace His genealogy back through King David, to establish His credentials as being of the royal house of David.   Luke noted, on the occasion of Caesar Augustus’ decree that the whole world should be enrolled (2.1), that Joseph took Mary, pregnant with Jesus, "…to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David…" (2.4). 

And later, when magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, they asked: "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?" (Mt. 2.2)  This greatly upset King Herod who employed the magi to discover this new king, and when they outmaneuvered him, in a rage he "…ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity  two years old and under…" (Mt 2.16).  So the kingship factor was operative from the very beginning of Jesus’ life.  And it would be present throughout His life in the pursuit of His calling as the Messiah: priest, prophet and king.  But the "king" portion of His vocation played itself out very lightly until the end (however, cf. Jn 6.15) when it emerged strongly, as we hear in today’s gospel.  His main link to the king motif during His public ministry was in terms of several of His parables, featuring kings.

It was in the last week of his life, commencing with Palm Sunday, that His kingship rose to the fore.  As he entered the city of Jerusalem astride an ass, shouts went forth from the crowd: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, ….the king of Israel". (Jn 12.13)  And this title was to plague him, first, before Pilate ("Are you the King of the Jews?") [Jn 18.33], where a conversation ensued between them about this kingship, which Jesus did not deny ("You say I am a king.  For this I was born and for this I came into the world…") [Jn 18.37], and which the praetorium soldiers took up as a taunt: "Hail, King of the Jews!", and which eventually became the crux of a shouting match between Pilate and the Jews, remonstrating: "Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar" (Jn 19.12), to which Pilate replied: "Shall I crucify your king?"  (15).

The finale of this kingship dispute occurred on Calvary where Jesus hung on the cross beneath an inscription reading: "Jesus the Nazorean,  the King of the Jews" (Jn 19.19), and where the soldiers called out: "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.", as today’s gospel bears out.  The highpoint of this tawdry discourse climaxes with the criminal’s beautiful, dying request: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

It is fascinating to note how strongly kingship emerges at the end of Jesus’ life.  It is apparently a matter of keeping the best (revelation) till last.  For only at the end could a credible claim on kingship emerge so strikingly.  For, given the convoluted and twisted contortions to which kingship had been subjected in Jewish history, an entirely different setting was required to purify its meaning.

And it worked.  For years later Paul could write, as we hear today, to the Colossians: "He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…"  Finally, at last, the true dimensions of Christ’s kingship could emerge, in terms of a creation theology (a JPIC claim) announcing that "He…is the firstborn of all creation…in him were created all things in heaven and on earth…in him all things hold together…(where)…making peace by the blood of his cross…(occurs)".

This is why we pray in the Lord’s prayer: "Thy kingdom come!"

 

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

Scripture:

Revelation 5:1-10
Luke 19:41-44

Reflection:

"As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it…"  This was the last time that Jesus would go up to Jerusalem.  His heart was broken and he wept as he foresaw the future.  Some of those tears would be for many whom he had been in contact with during his ministry there.    In the year 66 A.D. just some 30+ years after the death of Jesus on the Cross, the Romans converged on Jerusalem.  The Jews had revolted against the Romans, refusing to pay the taxes imposed on them.  Finally in the year 70 A.D. the Romans laid siege to the city of Jerusalem and in the course of four months totally destroyed it…"not leaving one stone upon another."  The historians verify this. Many people who stayed, trying to fight against the Romans, were killed.  Still others fled, seeking safety and a place to start a new life. 

No one wants a loved one to suffer needlessly.  Even on simple occasions many of us can remember the words of a parent, "Be careful!" as we left home to attend school, a movie or a birthday party.  They covered us with a cloak of love and concern.  At this time in our global history there is so much fear, so many threats of violence, of hatred.  The 9/11 tragedy has left us with the fearful reality that terrorists can find a way to inflict pain and death.  There is a great concern on the part of many families for a son or daughter who is engaged in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Christians in Baghdad just recently had some 50 of their parishioners killed in their church.  The real potential for suffering is staring all of us in the face.

I find myself realizing the need to work for peace now within my own geographical area as well as in the global areas.  That "work" calls for deepening the need to bring about a greater awareness of the dignity and preciousness of every single person.  It urges me to be involved in justice issues, of whatever is needed to protect and foster that dignity and preciousness.  I need to support and to challenge those in leadership roles in the church, the world, the individual nations, the states, the cities and the local neighborhood. 

Do you and I love?  If our answer is "yes", then you and I will suffer and shed many tears as we encounter the negative forces at work in our world.  Jesus even asks us to "love our enemies."  Not easy.  Not accomplished in a day.  Not always accepted.  Not believed to have any effect whatever.  A long journey begins with the first step.  Hand in hand we walk with Jesus, "Take up your cross and follow me."  We hear Him saying on the cross, "Father, forgive them."   "Greater love than this no has but to lay down his life for his friends."    

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is on the staff of Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, Houston, Texas.

 

Scripture:

Revelation 4:1-11
Luke 19:11-28

Reflection:

A bell is no bell till you ring it, a song is no song till you sing it, love wasn’t put in the heart to stay, love isn’t love till it’s given away.

 

This little saying that we have all heard many times, teaches us an important lesson.  Love is not something deep in our hearts that is simply meant to bring us comfort and delight.  It is a powerful force that seeks expression.  To survive and "really delight us", it must be given to others.  Love stays alive and grows by being passed on to another.

God’s love is like the waters in a mighty river.  As it enters our hearts, if we build a dam and try to keep it for our own pleasure, then it stops flowing and become stagnant.  This very source of life now becomes a source of death.  However, if we give to others what has been given to us, then, not only does the water of love keep flowing, but it is widening and deepening our capacity to hold even more of this precious flow.

In today’s Gospel parable, the servants, who took the gold coin and kept it in the flow of commerce, were the ones who increased their master’s yield.    The one who was turned inward by fear and hid the master’s gold coin in his handkerchief, he was the servant that stopped the increasing flow of value to the master’s estate.

We are all called to be channels of grace, of God’s love.  We need to keep the lid off and let God’s love bubble forth in all directions.  We are called to keep the fizz in life by expressing and giving to others what the Lord has so graciously given to us.  The more we give away what God has given to us, we more abundantly will God pour his goodness upon us.

 

Fr. Blaise Czaja, C.P. gives parish missions and retreats.  He is a member of the Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22
Luke 19:1-10

Reflection:

To be a Christian is to be a work in progress. In one sense, of course, we are loved exactly as we are; we don’t have to be perfect in order to be cherished by God.

But that does not mean we have a "pass" to be complacent of heart or self-satisfied in the ease of our own lives. We are continually being called to renew ourselves in the Holy Spirit, to reach out where there is suffering, to be humbled by the goodness of God.

It must have been difficult in the early Church, just as it is now, to keep the spiritual fires burning as the actual event of Jesus’ presence on earth receded farther into the past. Clearly the members of the Church in Sardis and Laodicea had either strayed into sinfulness or were content to merely look like they were doing all the right spiritual things. But the reality was that something was going terribly wrong. Not unlike the Pharisees of an earlier day, perhaps, they had drifted from the heart of their spiritual call and were at risk of becoming dead inside.

And then there is the robust picture of Zacchaeus bounding up into the tree to see the face of Jesus, giving away his riches to the poor, joyfully welcoming Jesus into his home. He is the essence of generosity itself; and we see the promise of salvation given to the "sinner," the one who is not perfect but who is changing toward the good because he has met the Savior and allowed the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into him.

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

Malachi 3:19-20a
2Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke 21:5-19

Reflection:

As we continue toward the end of the liturgical year, our Scripture readings for today speak about the end times. In our first reading from the book of Malachi (3:19-20a), the prophet speaks about the coming day of the Lord, and what will happen to the "proud and all evildoers." In our Gospel reading from Luke (21:5-19), Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and then some people ask Him "And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" And so, Jesus first warns them not to listen to false prophets. Then He says, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

For some time now, in fact, throughout much of history, some people have looked at the turmoil and suffering of their time, and have wondered whether their time was THE time; if the things they were seeing were the signs that Jesus was talking about. It’s an understandable question. Certainly in recent years, we have seen all the things that Jesus mentions as signs in our reading.

While it is important to knowing what is going on in the world, we need to be careful about getting too caught up in speculating whether these are the end times or not. When we find ourselves spending a lot of time wondering if we are near the apocalypse, we may need to listen to what St. Paul tells the "busybodies" in our second reading from 2 Thessalonians (3:7-12): "We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food." In the context of our Gospel reading, it seems to me that our time is better spent by "keeping busy" in following Jesus.

In following Jesus, we may meet with hostility, but more likely indifference. In the Gospel reading, Jesus warns His disciples that they will be persecuted, and put in prison, and "led before kings and governors" because of His name: "It will lead to your giving testimony." In the U.S., we will not be led before kings and governors because of our faith. But we will be confronted by a culture of death. We will be face-to-face with greed and injustice and violence.

This, too, will lead us to "giving testimony." In the Gospel, Jesus says, "Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute." Perhaps the "wisdom in speaking" to which Jesus refers is the testimony of our lives. If we live our lives in such a way that the Gospel is proclaimed through us, no one can refute our testimony because we are striving to "walk the walk," as well as "talk the talk." We will be seeking to share the love and grace we have in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of turmoil and upheaval, we are called to remain faithful in our testimony; living in hope, knowing (in a paraphrase of the words of Malachi) that the Son of justice has arisen with His "healing rays." Jesus promises that we will be given what we need to proclaim the Good News in our lives. If we remain faithful, it will not matter whether these are the end times or not. We will be ready. As Jesus says, "By your perseverance you will secure your lives." May we persevere in hope and love.

 

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

Scripture:

2 John 4-6
Luke 17:26-37

Reflection:

A few years ago I had an x-ray done of my left foot in order to see if I had torn a tendon while doing some steep climbing (crazy things like that seem to happen now and then in my older years!)  X-rays are amazing things aren’t they?  Imagine seeing beneath the surface, through muscle and flesh, nerves and ligaments, all the way down to the bone!  What a great thing to have x-ray vision!  It struck me as I was reading our scripture passages for today that once in a while God’s holy word is much like an x-ray, too.  It cuts right through to the bone, giving us a view below the surface, and revealing for us a message that is so crisp and clear that we can only be amazed at the way the Lord shares his divine plan with us.

Today is one of those days.  In the second letter of John we are told that what it means to love is not something obscure or hidden at all.  In fact, to love as God wants us to love means only one thing: to walk according to God’s commandments, loving God above all else and, as we remember so well, loving our neighbor as our very self.  If we do this we will be living in love, and if we live in love, we will possess the very living presence of God and God’s Holy Spirit.  Surely it is the certainty and joy that comes from living in God’s love that makes Luke’s Gospel warnings about the end of time something not to be feared but rather, a future to be embraced and looked forward to with eagerness and hope.

 

Fr. Pat Brennan, CP is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Revelation 10:8-11
Luke 19:45-48

Reflection:

Then someone said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." Rev. 10:11

 

Almost everything around us gives us a sense of urgency during this time of the year. The weather is gradually becoming colder and is more inconsistent. It may be warm one day and overnight, it becomes cold. We have adjusted our watches, but not necessarily our body clocks. We begin to make plans for major celebrations, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we don’t feel ready to celebrate just yet. My mood vacillates from wanting to do something now to maybe waiting for a while to see how things will unfold in the future. Someway, somehow, I just want to be done with transitions!

The Scripture Readings for today’s Mass do not help my mood much. In both readings, I catch a sense of urgency, a sense of time running out for both the author of Revelations and Jesus. Jesus has now entered Jerusalem, knowing that this is where he would end his life, betrayed by an apostle, handed over to the chief priests, condemned to death on a Cross, abandoned by his closest followers and friends and buried outside the city walls of Jerusalem, a sign of total rejection by the people whom he came to save.

The Gospels this week have been recording Jesus last days on this journey to Jerusalem, his encounters with the Man Born Blind and with Zacchaeus, the tax collector and finally ending up on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. What he saw made him weep. What he saw was not a city vibrant with life, but a city whose people had forgotten how much God loved them from the very beginning. He saw a city that was not so loving, welcoming or forgiving, but rather a city whose people resisted the graces that God was offering everyone so lovingly and so willingly.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is overcome with a sense of urgency. He can no longer tolerate the way things are. He begins by cleansing the Temple of those activities that do not belong there, and reminds everyone that the Temple is a "House of Prayer." Then Jesus takes up his role as Teacher and begins to instruct his disciples and those who gather around him what it means to be in right relationship with God and with each other.

We get a glimpse of this same kind of urgency in our first reading. The Evangelist is being pushed into a role that he takes up reluctantly. What he is doing does not come naturally. He is being pushed by the Voice of God, by the angels around him, by the messages that he finds written in the scrolls given him. It is as if these impulses are urging him to act and to act boldly. There is no holding back the Will of God!

I often find myself kicking and screaming when I am urged to follow the Will of God in my life. I ask myself so many questions: how do I know that this is God’s Will? How can I do this thing God is asking me to do? Why can’t someone else do it, someone more capable, more learned, more skilled than I am? Yet, when all is said and done, all I’m left with is the task before me that God is asking of me from the beginning. Our first reading sums up what I am called do quite nicely: "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." With God’s help, let’s just do it!

 

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

 

Feast of St. Martin of Tours 

Scripture:

Philemon 7-20
Luke 17:20-25

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel and the Feast of St. Martin of Tours fit well together.  St. Martin’s life is a colorful one.  He was a soldier who refused military duty, and a hermit who became a bishop.  But he is remembered most for a compassionate gesture.  Seeing a beggar shivering in the cold of a day, Martin tore his cloak and gave half to the beggar. That night Martin dreamed he had shared his cloak with Jesus.  In the beggar, he saw Jesus.

In the Gospel, Jesus talks about how those around him are not seeing who is in their midst. The Pharisees wanted to know from Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come.  They expected that the kingdom would resemble Jerusalem and Israel in their former glory under David’s reign.

This is why Jesus responds as he does.  He tells them the coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed.  The Greek word for observe, ‘paratereseos,’ literally means a doctor’s bedside watching.  In other words, the kingdom cannot to be observed, like a doctor at bedside carefully watching a patient.  The kingdom is not a place, nor will it have a triumphal military messiah.

Rather, Jesus tells the Pharisees, the Kingdom of God is among you.  It is Jesus, right in front of them, the suffering servant messiah.  But they don’t recognize him.

These words are for us too.  Our culture keeps fixated watch, like a bedside doctor, on those men and women it deems important – the powerful, the successful, the rich and beautiful.  A beggar can never qualify.  And yet, shivering before us, among us, is the Kingdom of God.  Do we recognize him?

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.