Daily Scripture

Feast of St. Paul of the Cross (USA),
Founder of the Passionist Congregation

Scripture:

Ephesians 3:2-12
Luke 12:39-48

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross, the Founder of the Passionists.  Paul was born in Ovada in Northern Italy in 1694 and lived a remarkable life as a preacher, mystic, spiritual director and founder of the Congregation of the Passion of Religious Priests and Brothers and a contemplative Congregation of the Passionist Nuns.

Paul had many gifts but it was his love of the Passion of Jesus that was the core of his life.  Whenever he looked at the cross of Jesus, he was overwhelmed by God’s great love for him and for humanity.  He spent his life trying to share that message of love with all who would listen. 

Paul’s secret for accepting the crosses in his own personal life was to accept them directly from God not from other people.  He wrote to one of his friends, Thomas Fossi, "Don’t take your trials from creatures, but take them directly from the hand of God.  He uses creatures as his instruments.  Love the divine will in the midst of naked suffering."  This attitude was important to Paul because he saw God’s love behind every cross.  As Paul told Thomas Fossi, "Adore the most holy will of God in every happening.  The love of God is as strong as death."

Most of us tend to look only at the human source of our sufferings.  Paul invites us to look beyond the human source and recognize that all our experiences, even the painful and difficult ones, come from the hand of God.  And, as we struggle to deal with our crosses, he invites us to trust in God, a God who gave His Son so that we could have eternal life. 

Paul is indeed a challenging saint and one who shows us how to trust totally in God’s love.  May we grow into the insight of St. Paul of the Cross, his insight into the meaning of our sufferings but more importantly his conviction of God’s love for each of us.

 

 Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director the Development Office for Holy Cross Province  and is stationed at Immaculate Conception Community  in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:12-22
Luke 12:39-48

Reflection:

"He (Christ) came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father." Ephesians 2:7,8

We Passionists celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross on October 19 except in the United States. We celebrate his feast in the United States on October 20. However, I am presently in Rome, Italy, at our headquarters, the Monastery of St. John and Paul’s and the whole community celebrates this day with great solemnity and majesty. It is difficult for me not to think of this day as the feast of St. Paul of the Cross.

St. Paul of the Cross became a renowned preacher at an early age. He lived during a time (1694 to 1775) when there was a great deal of political unrest, when the Church was having difficulty addressing the needs of the people, especially the poor and at a time when many Catholics had forgotten even the most basic understanding of God as a God of Love. St. Paul of the Cross, the preacher, set out to remind people that the Passion of Jesus was the greatest expression of God’s Love for us. When the Son of God became the Incarnate Word in the Person of Jesus Christ, He came with one purpose only, to make peace between God and ourselves. As the Apostle Paul says in the first reading, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the Blood of Christ." St. Paul of the Cross knew that we needed to be reminded, even daily, that the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ was God’s greatest act of love for us. We are now intimately united with God and in intimate communion with each other. Being at peace is a visible sign of love.

So many of us these days are not at peace. We do not feel peaceful within ourselves and we may not be at peace with a lot people or situations that are part of our lives. Even a simple disagreement or an opposing viewpoint will sometimes make us lose our patience and our peace of mind. While establishing and maintaining peace with God and with one another is noble ideal, it is not easy to accomplish. There are so many things that we are at war with that causes us to put up walls of separation with God and with each other. Creating peace and maintaining it takes a considerable amount of hard work and energy. But most of all, it takes God’s grace.

St. Paul of the Cross once wrote in one of his many letters: "Even if your whole world is turned upside down, don’t lose your peace of heart. Nothing, except sin, can separate you from God." When we find ourselves constantly at war with God and with one another, we discover that we have entered into some kind of a sinful situation. All of our human efforts to regain that peace of mind and heart begin to fail. We begin to justify our situation and find reasons why we are where we are in life. And yet, we are not at peace.

St. Paul the Apostle, in our first reading, gives us the starting point to restoring a peace-filled life. First, it is the acceptance that Jesus is the source of all peace. If we do not believe that Jesus destroyed the wall of enmity by his Death and Resurrection, then we will never have peace. Second, it is the Spirit of Jesus that gives us access to God. We need to pray to the Spirit for a life of peace and for being a peace-maker. That is our foundation for a life of peace and from that foundation, we begin building a peaceful life every day. It is around these two foundational points that St. Paul of the Cross established the Congregation of the Passion. May the Passion of Jesus Christ be ever in our hearts!

 

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

Feast of St. Luke 

Scripture:

2 Timothy 4:10-17b
Luke 10:1-9

Reflection:

"’Peace to this household.’    If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you."  Luke 10:5-6

As I was writing this reflection there was a knock at my office door.  A gentleman walked in, someone whom I have known (so I thought!) for a long time.  No sooner had he said, "Hi, how are you doing?" he went on to say how grateful he is for our Retreat Center of Holy Name.  He went on to talk about the former Passionists whom he met along the way.  "Each one of you has touched my life.  Each in his own way.  Whenever I come here I feel right at home."  He went on for a good amount of time pointing out individual Passionists.   I sat there and listened.  This man finds peace when he comes here.    

What a joy to find that there is a loving peace that is extended to each person who walks through our Retreat Center  door.   Interestingly enough the peace that person finds has enabled him or her to come to grips with a lot of things in their life.  What a gift!  No one, including me, can easily get a handle on peace if we are in a hostile environment.  But if we are surrounded with people (or an individual!) who care for us, love us, we are so fortunate.  It is then that you and I can honestly deal with events in our lives that have eluded us, or been pushed out of sight because of the grief or pain that is associated with those events.                                                                                                                                               

I find Jesus’ words in today’s gospel to be so comforting.  "’Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you."  I find myself ever grateful to so many peaceful persons who have been there for me.  I didn’t expect them to solve my problems or break the grip of those problems.  Knowing and experiencing the love and concern of those persons have given me the time and place to deal with the truth.  Isn’t it something to find peace while talking over a cup of coffee with a dear friend or loved one.  And then to experience the strength and honestly to open a door that has been closed for so many years and face whatever is inside.                                                                             

Thanks to all of my readers who have that wonderful ability to provide a place of peace.  May you in turn be gifted with such a place!

 

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

 

Scripture:

Exodus 17:8-13
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Luke 18:1-8

Reflection:

Our readings today are permeated with the theme of perseverance.  As long as Moses is able, with the help of Aaron and Hur, to keep his hands held high, the Israelite troops, led by Joshua, were able to gain victory.  This was a team or community effort at perseverance.  We could reflect on this dimension alone and find a great deal of richness and wisdom.

St. Paul commends Timothy for his faithful perseverance going all the way back to his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  From his infancy he was given the foundation of Holy Scriptures to stand on.  Paul challenges Timothy to "be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

In our Gospel parable Jesus teaches us the power of persistence.  The widow wore down the judge and finally got him to render a just decision in her favor.

Our inner psyche is often full of urges, quick and undigested ideas and plans.  Sometimes our feelings are off the wall.  In this state we can come to God and jabber away asking Him all kinds of things.  God will, thankfully, not rush to answer our requests.  We need time for things to settle down and come to see more clearly just what it is we really want God to do for us.  Perseverance is a virtue that keeps us before God while the inner sorting out is take place within us. 

The virtue of fidelity is a type of perseverance.  It keeps a couple together, giving them time to figure out what this relationship of marriage is all about.  Many marriages end when they should not because the couple are following their present urges, hurt feelings and lack of deep understanding of their partner.

Today, we speak of soaking prayer.  God often wants us to soak our needs, day after day, in his healing and merciful love.  He does not want us to just run up and ask for something and then leave the response totally up to God.  If we come back day after day and soak our intention in his healing love again and again, the chances are we not only deeply understand our need but we are ready to prove our trust in God by this long range soaking approach.

Many years ago, when I was a novice, we were swimming, as a class, in the Neosho River in southeast Kansas.  One of my classmates, very dependant on his glasses, lost them in the water.  There was a frantic search for them that lasted about two minutes then everyone gave up the search and went about their swimming business.  I continued the search, trying to calculate the direction and force of the current.  With about ten more minutes of searching, I found the glasses.  My classmate was delighted that I did not give up but continued to look for his lost glasses.  Perseverance has it own rewards.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 12:8-12

Reflection:

"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

I had never considered this passage before-truthfully, I didn’t know what to make of it-and so I took myself out of my office and went to the office next door to consult with the nearest Passionist. "Why," I wondered, "was it forgivable to speak against Jesus but not the Holy Spirit?"

One of the theological points of view, I learned, is that when one turns away from the Holy Spirit then one willfully rejects God’s mercy and all those spiritual gifts from God that are life-giving and transformative of our very being. God has no entrance into our hearts. And so we become dead inside. And, worse than that, it is we ourselves who have chosen this terrible path of being dead rather than alive.

The lure of "feeling nothing" and opting to check out of life, or resigning oneself to being a hardened vessel filled with too much grief, too much anger, and too great a sense of powerlessness, is tempting at times. Some days I get fed up with someone’s behavior, feel wounded by a loss, or I turn on the news and think, "That’s it; I’ve had it." I can feel my heart steeling itself against this person or that, this group or that, and there might even be a momentary sense of relief. "Yes," I think, "maybe it’s better just not to care or write them off."

But that is a rejection of life and the possibility of grace. Here is one of the hardest things about being human, I think. To embrace life is to embrace messiness and suffering and frustration and disappointment. It is to accept that perfection will never be ours, only God’s. But the blessing is that in walking through what may feel like a pain that will never end, if we remain open to the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, then we are helping to create the place within us where transformation can occur, where joy can be reborn, and where hope can become real.

Drawing upon the words of today’s first reading, from Paul to the Ephesians: May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call…

 

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

Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus 

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:11-14
Luke 12:1-7

Reflection:

The high Christology of Paul’s letter is breathtaking. Verses 3-14 are one sentence in the Greek. Thoughts are just pouring out of Paul’s mind and his secretary can bearing keep up with him. The great mystery of God’s plan revealed in the fullness of time was to "bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ’s headship" (v 10). The "we" in verse 11 refers to the Jewish people, "who first hoped in Christ".  The "you" of verse 13 are the Gentiles who on hearing the Gospel believed and were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Finally Jew and Gentile together are redeemed as God’s people, his possession, to the ultimate praise of his glory (v 14).

St Teresa of Jesus certainly was consumed by her love for the Lord. As her religious title she took "of Jesus". Going right to the very heart of Christian life, the person of Jesus is the center, the goal, the life of the disciple. I personally resonate with this choice. My own religious title that I took as a 21 year old novice so long ago was "of Christ the King". Little did I realize at that time the depth and beauty of God’s purpose for his creation, to bring all things under the headship of Christ.  May we all cooperate with this great plan of God by opening our hearts to his Spirit who draws us ever closer into the mystery of Father, Son, and Spirit.

 

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

 

 

 

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:1-10
Luke 11:47-54

Reflection:

Today is a pretty ordinary day in the liturgy of the Church.  It is simply "Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week" in what we call "ordinary time."  Yet, my friends, there is nothing ordinary at all about the first reading we have for the celebration of the Eucharist on this plain, old Thursday.  In fact, far from ordinary, the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is incredible, extraordinary!  Why do I say this?

Paul is writing to the Ephesians to simply encourage them in their faith, in their discipleship, and to urge the faithful to remember who they are as men and women redeemed by the blood of Christ.  It is very likely that Paul sent this letter to other eastern/Asian communities as well.  But his purpose is totally uncomplicated.  Rather than address problems that may exist in the community of the Church as Paul often did, in this letter written to the community of the Church in Ephesus Paul’s intention is clearly to sing God’s praise and to inspire the readers of his letter so that they will do the same.  Paul cries out words of praise; Paul exhorts the faithful to remember their great dignity as destined "for adoption" and to belong to God himself!

            "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
             blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens…"

Paul sings out his praise of God.  Today, on this ordinary day, we are invited to call out to God with songs and hymns of praise.  And what is it that can possibly call forth such praise and emotion?  Paul puts it very clearly when he says,

            "God chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy
            and without blemish before him.  In love he destined us for adoption
            to himself through Jesus Christ.."

And this is how Paul exhorts us to remember who we are my friends.  Why, we are chosen by God himself from before the very foundation of the world, chosen to be holy and without blemish!  And we who are chosen are to be known as God’s very own beloved sons and daughters.  Certainly nothing ordinary about this message on this Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time!  In fact, this is the Good News that we need to hear so very much.  How easy it is to forget when we are surrounded by such bad news in our world today.  How easy to forget that we have been chosen by God to be God’s very own.  How easy it is to forget that the best thing we can do today is to praise God, to sing out God’s praises!  Yes, my brothers and sisters, today is certainly not an ordinary day!  Or is it?

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

On my mom’s first visit to Immaculate Conception rectory, Fr. Eric said to her: "How does it feel to have a son who is a slave of the church?"  The question startled her, and she really didn’t reply.  It has caused me to reflect over the years on the nature of our life in Christ, on ministry and the reality of our freedom in Christ.

St. Paul knew how terrible human slavery could be in his time.  As a Roman citizen, he knew how widespread it was….a slave was property, pure and simple.  Many slaveowners worked their slaves to death.  Others treated them more humanely and even allowed them to buy their freedom.  As terrible as slavery was, Paul knew that slavery to sin was even worse.  So he says in our reading today: "For freedom, Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery."  These words are echoed in his advice to Philemon, the owner of the slave Onesimus, who had run away.  Paul wrote:" I know you ahve been deprived of Onesimus for a time, but it was only so that you could have him back for ever, not as a slave any more, but something much better than a slave, a dear brother (Philemon 1:15-16).

Slavery still exists in our day….people trapped in subhuman working and living situations.  The slavery of sin still exists for many, through addiction to drugs or alcohol, the sins of social injustice and racism.  The church’s mission continues the work of Jesus is breaking the bonds of slavery of all kinds.  The church’s ministers in a special way share in the exhileration of people set free.  As all Christians, they model themselves on Jesus, who though divine, "emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave."

An old folk song has the refrain: "It’s a long, long way to freedom."  In Christ, we have the gift of freedom.  Let us rejoice in it and share this gift with others!

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi lives in Chicago.