Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Titus 3:1-7
Luke 17:11-19

Reflection:

The 23^rd psalm contains some of the most cherished and oft-quoted verses in all of scripture.  Often used at funerals, it is loved for its comfort and consolation.  I think, though, that sometimes we concentrate so much on its comfort features we lose sight of the challenge inherent in these words.  At its heart, the psalm is about letting go of all means of security besides God.  "There is nothing I shall want."  Really?

I look at my bank account, my home, and my physical possessions.  While I like to believe I am not overly attached to them, when I dig deeper I realize that money is a means of security for me.  When my life is such that I am confident I can pay the bills and the mortgage, save a little, and maybe even have some left over for special things, I feel secure.  When situations in my life have not allowed for that kind of confidence, I feel scared and anxious.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant nothing except a home, food, clothes, education, a decent car, and more, didn’t you?  Yet all those things could disappear overnight through means that are beyond my control.  How much of my security do I place in these "things"?

I look at my husband of 26 years.  We love each other deeply, and our love is a huge source of security for me.  I take risks more readily knowing I come home to unconditional love.  I make decisions more confidently after I run them by my trusted mirror.  I can’t imagine my life without him in it.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant except my husband, right?  Yet I know he could die at any moment without warning.  How much of my security do I place in this one person?

I look at my body of work – the teaching, writing, preaching, and healing I have done, and I realize my reputation and talents are a source of security for me.  When I receive feedback that tells me how profoundly I have helped people or changed their lives, I feel gratified and humbled, but secure.  Nothing I shall want?  Wait a minute, God – you meant nothing except the ability and opportunity to be productive in meaningful ways, didn’t you?  Yet I could become unable to work, teach, and accomplish at any time.  How much of my security do I place in achievements and recognition?

If I lose everything – all my possessions and savings, the people I love, my productive abilities – I would indeed walk in the valley of the shadow.  Would I have no fear?  Would I rest secure knowing that God is by my side with rod and staff to give me strength? Is that truly all I want?

The truth is that I have placed a great deal of my security in things and people that could be gone tomorrow.  If all that is transient is removed from my life, what is left to me?  Only God – the One I can never lose, the eternal presence and source of all that exists.  Can I place my security in that?  Can I trust that no matter what happens, I will be OK because God is with me?  I’m trying to get there, and some days I’m better at it than others.  

Yes, this psalm carries comfort, but it is much harder to embrace than it appears at first glance.  May the challenge of this psalm be ever before me as I struggle to place my deepest security where it belongs – in God.

 

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/.

Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran  

Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22

Reflection:

Of sacred places in the church building the Bishops document, Environment and Art, names as special the baptismal font, the ambo, the altar and the assembly of the people. When the Rite of the Dedication of a Church and an Altar is celebrated, baptism is referred to in the blessing of the water to be sprinkled on the people, walls and altar. But nothing is said of the font, the tomb and the womb of those who make up the Church. 

Our celebration today of the dedication of the ‘Mother of all the other Churches’, the Cathedral of Rome, does not let us forget the importance of our birth. The early Christians renounced sin as they stood facing the West, then turned to face the rising sun as they made their profession of faith. Our first reading shows Ezekiel being led to the gate facing the East where he can see the glory of God approach. He hears a sound like the running of many waters. The feet of the Lord will be planted in the holy temple. The God whose appearances are always surprising and unpredictable will take up lodging among the people.

Paul, in the First Letter to the Corinthians, moves us quickly from the temple made by human hands to God’s work in us: "You are the temple of God; the Spirit of God dwells in you".

The altar is a symbol of Christ, the font where we see ourselves born. From the womb we set off to find our way to the altar to be nourished by the one we follow. At the end of our spiritual journey we will be placed near the altar, close to the one we first met at the waters of Baptism. Upon the altar the feast of the banquet of heaven will be celebrated to feed those who continue the journey and who will pray for us and remember us as possessing the fullness of the banquet.

We are the temples in which the Lord takes up lodging. The geography of the church, especially our Mother Church of St. John Lateran, is reflected within us who are living temples where the Spirit dwells. Our celebration today reminds us who we are and how we were born. The inscription in the Baptistery of St. John Lateran says in nicely,

            Here is born a people of noble race, destined for Heaven….
            Mother Church conceives her offspring by the Breath of God, 
                 And bears them virginally in this water….
            This is the spring of life that waters the whole world,
                 Taking its origin from the Wounds of Christ…
            There is no the barrier between those who are reborn and made one
                 By the font, and the one Spirit, and the one faith.

 

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

Scripture:

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38 or 20:27, 34-38

Reflection:

In today’s gospel, we have a confrontation that Jesus has with the Sadducees soon after his arrival in Jerusalem.  A majority of the priestly class who were in charge of the temple claimed to be descendents and followers of Saddoc who 900 years earlier took over the priesthood under King Solomon.  At the time of Jesus the priestly class were important functionaries for the temple. But  they were also the agents of the Persians, and Seleucids  and Romans who controlled the land when the Jews came back from their captivity in Babylon. They were an elite class.  Annas and  Caiphas  were recent  appointments from Rome.

In the religious field they might be called conservative.  They accepted only the Five Books of Moses as divine inspiration and opposed the Pharisees as innovators.

The early books of the Hebrew Scriptures did not take up the question of the after life, so as St. Luke reports the Sadducees held that "there is no resurrection."  Apparently a group of Sadducees  wanted to have Jesus approve their teaching  and came up with  what they considered a clinching argument.  In accord with the Jewish law a woman had married  some 7 brothers  so as to  continue that name.  If there was to be a resurrection, there would be 7 men to claim her as wife!

Jesus takes the ground from under them.  They are presuming that life after death and life in the resurrection is to be the same as in the  present time. 

Jesus declares "Those worthy to have a resurrection to glory neither marry nor are given in marriage, they are like the angels".

As far as God is concerned there are no dead.  God is the God of Abraham of Isaac and Jacob in the scriptures.  He is not God for dead men but for those who  who are alive.

That is our faith. "We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."  The Sadducee could look forward only to 70 years or so on earth, and then dissolution.  We have an eternity of joy in God awaiting us.  Jesus tells we are like the angels, immortal  and destined to have utter fullness of life and joy with God forever.  So we have every reason to live our life in God, now that eternal joy will be ours 

 

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:

Philippians 4:10-19
Luke 16:9-15

Reflection:

My mother is getting forgetful. She insists that she is not, but the facts speak for themselves. You can have the same conversation with her four times in one day. She does not remember if she did her morning exercises. At first she was resistant to any help. Now, she welcomes some help. My brother lines up her medications for the week, marks the calendar for doctor’s appointments and calls to make sure she did not forget to have lunch. She lets my sister take care of her utility bills and access her bank accounts. She is changing gracefully; just do not tell her she is forgetful!

At times, each of us is struck by forgetfulness. Paul, in the first reading today, shows us by example how not to forget to let others help us. The Christians at Philippi sent Paul a gift, maybe some money or perhaps a blanket to keep him warm at night. Paul tells them that he has everything he needs because his life is centered on Christ. This is the source of his happiness, joy and strength. At the same time he does appreciate the compassionate gesture of the Philippians. It’s not the value of the gift that Paul most values. Rather it is the investment they are making for themselves, for Paul is confident that God will repay their generosity through the "glorious riches" that come through Jesus Christ.

It might be too easy to say, "No thanks," when someone offers to help us. Perhaps we want to be independent and not rely on others; we don’t want to feel obligated to return a favor; or we don’t really need the help. Paul didn’t need the gift offered by the Philippians. He accepted it, not for himself, but so that God could bless their kindness. Don’t forget to give others an opportunity to be blessed when they ask if we need help. Their act of charity brings a smile to God’s face and a blessing to their lives.

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., is Provincial of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

 

St. Martin de Porres 

Scripture:

Philippians 2:12-18
Luke 14:25-33

Reflection:

God is at work in you and me today. And like in nature, chaos, disturbance and seemingly destructive forces break into new life. I have vivid memories of some individuals who have challenged me to the wall. It wasn’t pretty, but it was the only way for the true truth to break through. It is a way to "giving up all my possessions." That is how I hear Jesus’ words to us today.

We remember Martin De Porres today. He was a Dominican laybrother in Lima, Peru. He had entered the friary when he was 15. He must have understood, in some way, shape, or form what Jesus was talking about when He said, "become my disciple, give up all your possessions." He served in all kinds of capacities including barber, infirmarian, farm-laborer. Ultimately, he put his whole self into caring for the sick the poor and animals.

What is your morning offering for the day? "Lord, of what do you ask me to let go, today, in order to better serve others?"

 

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

Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Scripture:

Wisdom 3:1-9
Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

 

 

Reflection:

Once upon a time, I was in my retreat center office, listening to the retreatants who had signed in for some time to speak to the retreat team member.

When this woman came into my office, it was clear from the expression on her face that she was angry about something.

It didn’t take long before she blurted out, "Father, I’m mad at God."

I gathered my senses around me, and asked, "Why is that?"

"Because God took my husband away from me without even letting me say ‘good-bye’."

I took up the challenge, and asked her to tell me about her husband’s death.  Sure enough, she had gone to the store for some dinner supplies, and when she came home from shopping, her husband was dead in his easy chair, in the living room, without any sign of a struggle or distress.

At that point, a barrier had come down between herself and God, a barrier of resentment because she had lost the person closest to her, and it didn’t matter to her that his death had been instantaneous and free of distress; what mattered to her was how much she missed her husband and how much she blamed God for not even letting her say "Good-bye, I love you" to her husband.  The anger was written in the frown-lines on her face.

I asked her whether, in passing by his chair in the living room, did she sense his presence still in that chair?  I asked her whether she still dreamed of her life with her husband.  I also asked her whether she ever felt that she could hear his voice inside herself.  She said "yes" quite enthusiastically to each of my questions.

So I told her, "Talk to him whenever you feel his presence."  "Tell him you miss him."  Say the "good-bye" that fate kept you from saying to him.

She began to look a little less perturbed with God (and life itself).  So, I took another step….I asked her, "Do you have a favorite saint?"  …"Oh yes, St. Francis."  "Do you ever pray to St. Francis about something in your life?"  "Sure, I do."  "Do you have a special devotion to Our Blessed Mother?"  "I pray the rosary and try to go to Mass on first Saturdays." 

At that point, I looked at her in the eyes, and I said solemnly, "You know, they are dead too." 

A great burden was lifted from her spirit.  She saw the connection; we are a family of saints.  We are a family in communion with one another.  Our belonging with one another is not sundered by death; both those who have died and those who survive, are eager to remain in contact with one another.

This is not "new age" mysticism, it is not "modern atheism", it is the traditional and Catholic "Communion of Saints", which we celebrate today with a special attention paid to those who have died.

Our first reading (Wis 3:1-9) says to us:

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.

Can you really believe that?  What keeps you from believing that?  Jesus’ life was about overcoming death.  Jesus’ resurrection was about our invitation to share in the fullness of life.  Our deceased loved ones have been called to the banquet of the Lord.  They are saving a place for us at the table.

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life. (Rm 6:3-5)

For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day." (Jn 6:40)

Today, "All Souls Day", take a moment to remember your loved ones, those who have gone ahead and who happily look forward to our reunion at the Table of the Lord.  Put some flowers on their graves; put a ribbon on their pictures, light a candle of prayer in your parish church, say the things you never got to say, and ask for them to save you a place at the banquet of the Lord.

 

Father Arthur Carrillo, CP, is the director of the Office of Mission Effectiveness and Mission Director for Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

Solemnity of All Saints 

Scripture:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew: 5:1-12a

Reflection:

Today we honor ALL SAINTS… women, men, girls and boys who come from everywhere… people whose lives are seemingly ordinary, but who daily live… now and in the past…  the faithful way of discipleship.   I suggest that describes many of us who read, reflect and pray these daily readings. 

Take a moment to reflect on and name the "Saints" in your own life. Who taught you the love of God?  Who trusted that love in the midst of their own sufferings?  Who assisted God in bringing you to life and deeper living, even through life’s crosses?

Are we not alive with faith and goodness because of them?

Our first reading today is from the Book of Revelation – like all apocalyptic literature, there is disclosure about something hidden; it was written to encourage the faithful in time of great suffering and distress.  The theme is centered on hope and trust.  The sufferings of the present lead to brighter future.  Communities under harsh conditions need encouragements both from within and outside the group.  Here is where this reading gets its importance and power.

Our Psalm Response reminds us that WE are the people who long to see the face of the Lord… and as we do, we shall receive a blessing from the lord… because we are the people that seek the face of God…."

Our Second reading from the first epistle of John  invites us to prayerfully ponder on the love that the Father has bestowed on us, so that we may be called children of God…. for we ARE God’s children…NOW… and we will be like Him for we shall see God  as God  is!

And how shall we LIVE like God’s Blessed children?  Today’s Gospel of Matthew

presents us with the spiritual platform Jesus stands upon and to which He invites us to join Him there.  These are basic invitations for real living, characteristics of those who desire a participation in the life He would live and for which He would die. 

Our blessedness is described as something of God’s holiness being shown through our human actions.  We are inside-outside people.  Being blessed is based on God’s sharing part of the essence of God with us and then our doing something from that inside gift by sharing it in small or large deeds.  We are not holy by what we do. We are holy because of the very essence of God shared with us.  And so we are blessed, holy.

How and where are you blessed today?

 

Sr. Marcella Fabing, CSJ is a former staff member of Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, CA.

Scripture:

Wisdom 11:22-12
2 Thessalonians 1:11-2a:2
Luke 19: 1-10

Reflection:

"Today salvation has come to this house."

 

Today’s gospel is one of my favorite Scripture passages.  It is the story about a tax collector named Zacchaeus and how his life is transformed during a single encounter with Jesus. 

The theme of today’s readings is summed up in the last line of the gospel, where Jesus says to Zacchaeus: "today, salvation has come to this house," and Jesus goes on to emphasize that he has come "to seek and to save what was lost".

Zacchaeus was a little man who did a little thing.  He climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus as he was about to pass by.  He was probably just curious, because there was nothing in his background that would indicate that he was a person of faith.  Quite the contrary. 

Zacchaeus was a tax collector (in Jesus’ day, they were in the same category as thieves, murderers, and prostitutes!).  He was not just a tax collector, but the CHIEF  tax collector, sort of the "Godfather" of the tax collector mafia.  Luke portrays him as a kind of lovable Danny
DeVito like character who simply wanted to see Jesus, not meet him. 

But Jesus spotted Zacchaeus, who was willing to "go out on a limb" and Jesus called him by name. "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house".  Zacchaeus came down quickly and greeted him with joy.  The crowd on the other hand was shocked.  But Jesus is more interested in the outcast than the outraged.  Jesus does not condemn Zacchaeus, nor does he exact repentance from him.  Rather, he looks beyond his sins and gives Zacchaeus the space and the grace, in an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, to choose to redirect his life.  And he does. He is transformed from a TAKER to a GIVER.

Zacchaeus repents and makes a public amends for his wrongdoing, offering to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay those he extorted four times what they are entitled to. 

The true attitude of prayer is when we allow ourselves to be open to God’s unconditional love for us.  And, as Zacchaeus discovered, our lives will be transformed in a most profound way.  We take one small step towards Christ and he takes one GIANT step into our lives.  Jesus comes to us just as we are but does not leave us as we were.   Allow salvation to come to your house.

 

Deacon Brian Clements is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California