Daily Scripture

 

Scripture:

Job 19:21-27
Luke 10:1-12

 

 

 

Reflection:

Poor Job.  Not only is he going through a lot of pain and sorrow.  His friends turn against him.  Job could have used the support and encouragement of his friends.  Instead they accuse him of sinning and deserving God’s punishment.   With friends like that, who needs enemies?

True friends are not judgmental but believe the best about us.  True friends stand by us to cheer us on.  They want us to succeed.  They want us to be happy.  In fact our pain is their pain and our joy is their joy, so closely do they identify with us.

In the book of Sirach we read, "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure.  A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. Sirach 6:14-15

Job realizes that his most faithful friend is God.  Job calls him "my Vindicator."  This vindicator will "stand forth upon the dust."  And Job can’t wait to se him.  "My inmost being is consumed with longing."

We learn about friendship at the foot of the cross.  Jesus said, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for one’s friends." (John 15:13)  He said it and then he did it.  Jesus raises the bar for friendship.

In our gospel Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to preach the kingdom.  Will they succeed in reaping a great harvest?  Only if they befriend, that is, love the people they are sent to.  That means they must die to selfishness.  That means they must sacrifice self-focus in order to be to keenly present to the other.  That means they must respect, affirm and believe in the people they serve.  …It was not easy for them, nor is it for us, to be a disciple of Jesus.

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.  http://www.alanphillipcp.com/

 

Scripture:

Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Luke 9:51-56

Reflection:

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you hadn’t been born?  That is how Job felt in our first reading today.  He was wallowing in pain and sorrow and wished he were dead.  Job was a good man and, despite his suffering, he remained faithful to God.  However he lived in Old Testament times.  He didn’t know Jesus and had no knowledge of baptism.  As a result, Job could see no meaning to his misery.

We who are baptized into the body of Christ Jesus have a strong motive for enduring suffering when it comes our way.  We know that we do not suffer alone.  In some way, because of our union with Christ, it is he who suffers in and through us.  And Christ does not suffer in vain.  Therefore, our suffering has eternal value.  Calvary continues in us.  How incomprehensible are God’s ways and how unsearchable are his judgments that he would involve you and me in the saving work of his Son!

The story of Job had a happy conclusion.  Eventually his suffering ended and he prospered for the rest of his life.  I suspect Job came to the same realization that the apostle Paul did.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul taught, "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him."(Rom 8:28)  After Calvary came Easter.  From death comes life. 

May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts.

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Job 1:6-22
Luke 9:46-50

Reflection:

For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest

I was watching my kids navigate their way around a crowded playground the other day, and I was amazed.  Even young kids are concerned about who is leading and who is following, which friends should be included in play and who just isn’t worthy that day.  There are always lots of hurt feelings and not as many apologies.    Everyone wants to be first for everything-in line, on the bus, at the snack table.  The kid with the coolest toy at show-and-tell has the biggest crowd around him after school.  But this isn’t what amazed me.

What made me really step back in awe was to think about myself and the other parents and how far we haven’t come from our own days on the playground.  Status, wealth-we may have advanced the concepts, but aren’t we still all jockeying for position somehow?  Don’t we complain about how much more we deserved the promotion at work than our neighbor?  Don’t we feel a tinge of jealousy when we see our neighbor’s expensive new car?  Don’t we spend time envying the lives of our favorite famous celebrities?  Not very far advanced over the politics of the playground, if you ask me. 

In today’s gospel, the disciples are arguing about who among them is the greatest.  Can you imagine this for a moment-sitting in the presence of Christ and squabbling about who is better or smarter or stronger?  Our Lord quickly puts an end to the bickering by inviting a child into their midst, "whoever receives this child in my name, receives me."  I have often wondered about this passage, but I think I have a clearer view since having my own children.  Trust me, to care for a child is to serve him, and it will quickly deplete any amount of arrogance you may have!

But, it’s not just about how we treat others.  (Though  in seeking power and greatness, it is always at the expense of someone else.)  It is also about what it means to have real faith.  In taking Christ as our Savior, we are saying that we do not define our worth by the world’s flimsy standards.  What matters is our standing with God. 

In reply to this, John tells Christ that the disciples witnessed someone doing good works in Jesus’ name.  But because he was not one of their small band of followers, they tried to stop him.  At this point in our lessons about pride, I half expected Jesus to say something along the lines of: "Are you kidding me?"   The goal is to serve and to move closer to God.   Does John really see this other person as a rival because he is serving in Jesus’ name apart from their tight knit group?  Is he really going to undermine this other man’s ministry?  Is John trying to bring glory to God or  to himself?  He might as well have come right out and told that man he had to get lost because he wasn’t one of the cool kids.  Jesus tells his disciples quite simply, "whoever is not against you is for you."

In other words-serve God, not your ego.  You might just earn a gold star at recess.

 

Marlo Serritella is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

Amos 6:1a, 4-7
1Timothy 6:11-16
Luke 16:19-31

Reflection:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

As I read the Scripture readings for today, the "Golden Rule" kept playing in the background of my mind.  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  When I was in grade school, one of my teachers had this on the bulletin board in her classroom. It was one of the first things you would see walking into the room.  I was young and it took awhile for the meaning of this phrase to become clear to me (I think the word "unto" is what threw me off).  I finally understood!  Do/act toward others as I would want them to do/act towards me.

The readings for today highlight to me how the rich bask in the comfort and glory of the material things they have during life, but the poor know the riches awaiting them in heaven.  How do we balance the comforts we may have in life, while sacrificing something for those less fortunate; and not just financially.  We may be rich in many aspects of our life: love, happiness, good health, family life, friends, etc.   How can we share our riches with someone not as blessed?

I am reminded of this past July 4^th.  My family and I went to the annual Fourth of July parade; the same parade we’ve attended for over 20 years.  This year however, it was an extremely hot day in Chicago.  I think the heat index was above 100 degrees.  So, we packed our chairs and water bottles to try and make the heat more tolerable.

As I sat in the sun and watched the band march by, I noticed an elderly gentleman walking toward the parade.  He walked very slowly and was by himself.  I thought to myself, "I hope he’s ok in this heat."  He got to the street and stood to watch the parade go by.  After about five minutes I couldn’t let this go on.  I got up, moved my chair into the shade, introduced myself and asked him to sit down.  I proceeded to give him a cold bottle of water and made him drink some.  At first he was reluctant, but I think when he saw I wasn’t going to take no for an answer, he relented and was very appreciative.

I later learned that it took him 45 minutes to walk the three blocks from his house.  He is 99 years old, widowed 20 years, a retired Navy Captain and the last surviving member of his crew.  After the parade I pulled my car up and gave him a ride home.  Again, he was very appreciative.

The whole rest of the day I felt so happy and really good about myself; not in an arrogant way.  I thought that if that were me at that age, I would like someone to do that for me.  It was an opportunity for me to do something really good and I seized it.  It also became a great opportunity for my teenage sons to see the goodness in people.  I have always tried to teach them to be considerate of others, to do something nice and not expect anything in return.  I followed the Golden Rule, I shared my comforts and the gratitude I received that day was more than enough for me.

 

Claire Smith ([email protected]) is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels

Scripture:

Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14
John 1: 47-51

Reflection:

Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all three faiths speak about angels – messengers of God. From time to time even popular culture references the existence of angels and their supposed "mysterious" power to intervene in our human lives. Yet how are we as Christians, better yet, how are we as Catholic Christians to understand angels??

                Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this. Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

I find this scripture passage very telling. We as human persons cannot understand angels except through the lens of Jesus Christ.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Second Edition), the Church clearly teaches: "Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels…they belong to him because they were created through and for him. They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan…" (cf. 331) "From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word Incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels." (cf. 333) The angels proclaim the joyous news of Jesus’ birth – the Incarnation.  They protect Christ in his infancy, minister to him in the desert and uphold him in his agony in the garden.  Again, the angels proclaim the good news of the Resurrection and will be with the Lord at the end of time.

As such, Jesus shares with Nathaniel the secret that he too will somehow be a witness to the experience of the angels. Like the angels Nathanael, a "true child of Israel," will take on the same role of the angels in their service to the Son of Man. He too will be called to proclaim the joy of the Incarnation, God sharing His very self with all of humankind. He too will be called to serve Christ in his sisters and brothers in the infancy of their new lives, in their deserts of doubt, in their agonies of disappointment. Nathaniel to, like the angels, will proclaim that Christ is conqueror of death and Lord of Life!

And while the archangels the Church celebrate today have specific roles and functions…Michael, protector, Raphael, healer, and Gabriel, divine messenger…Nathaniel , like us, will have the privilege to serve in all of those roles!

May these archangels and all the angelic powers continue to support us in the work Christ has called us to do. Like these angels may we see ourselves as servants of Christ.  May our lives be so centered on Jesus that we too may hear our Lord say to us… "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him."

 

Patrick Quinn ([email protected]) is the director of Planned Giving at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Proverbs 30:5-9
Luke 9:1-6

Reflection:

"And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere."
Luke 9:2,6

 

Despite the many sobering and fearful statements in the New Testament, the overriding mood is one of joyful news and healing. Gospel or jubilant news becomes an essential word to describe the message of Jesus. Hollywood loves to protray religious people as either hypocrites or morose. They think the ideals are too high so that it is impossible to live up to them, so people must be acting or wearing a mask. This is what the Scripture calls hypocrisy. They think they must be sad or morose because the followers of Christ often reject the only things that secular people think make you happy.

There is an astonishing number of different words for joy in New Testament. At the Annunciation Mary dances with joy {ag-al-lee-ah’-o} in God her Saviour. The unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy in the presence of the unborn Jesus: "the babe leaped {skeer-tah’o} in my womb for joy." Luke 1:44 The angels tell the shepherds: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy {khar-ah’}!" This word for joy or {hkarah} appears some 59 times in Scripture. When the Magi "saw the star, they rejoiced {khah’-ee-ro} with exceeding great joy." Mt 2:10 This word khaheero appears 74 times in SS.  In the story of the prodigal son the father says: "It was right that we should make merry {yoo-frah’-ee-no}, and  be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." Lk 15:32  Yoofraheeno (make glad) is used 13 times in New Testament. Joy is but a reflection of Our Father’s life in Heaven.

The Gospel comes to its culmination in the presence of the Risen Christ. The first words of Risen Jesus in Mt Gospel: Rejoice! {khah’-ee-ro} And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Mt 28:7 In Your presence is fullness of joy; Ps 16:11

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, CP, is an Itinerant Preacher who resides at St. Paul of the Cross Residence in Detroit, Michigan.

Feast of St. Matthew

Scripture: 

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

Accountants and auditors don’t sound like very exciting people.  Nor do tax collectors.  They seem to be the self-effacing type who wear inconspicuous clothing and prefer to be unnoticed.  They work away behind piles of books and papers, shying away from the limelight.  They need quiet time to cull "the books" and try to reconcile the facts of the case with the prevailing statutes and laws.  Their hope is to make as few waves as possible to avoid calling attention to themselves.  Colorless anonymity suits them fine.  Matthew probably fitted this description, since we’re not even sure about his name, given that at times he apparently went by another name-Levi (Mk 2.14).

Nonetheless, Matthew, a professional tax man and likely an accountant, still stands out:  he received a special call from Jesus.  Along with Peter, John, James and Andrew, his recruitment by Jesus merits attention.  Perhaps Jesus felt someone like him was needed to keep an eye on Judas, who apparently was not beyond purloining a few shekels (Jn 12.6) from the money bag.  But still, Matthew probably would have preferred that the banquet he gave after his call by Jesus remained low-key, but unfortunately it grew into a bit of a row as the Pharisees attacked his shady background, and that of his companions.

Matthew was quite a bit different from the other disciples-a company man with some professional credentials.  But his calling by Jesus served to highlight a major theme apparent in his later life: that of unity.  Already on the occasion of his calling, this unity theme was apparent because it gave Jesus the opportunity to clarify what He was about: calling sinners (as well as saints) to His discipleship.  He was pursuing the bad as well as the good, breaking down the wall of division between them, and unifying them in the great privilege of being companions of Jesus.

St. Paul picked up on this characteristic trait of Jesus in his words to the Ephesians where he clearly states that he is "…striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:…"  Paul spells out that unity in terms of one Lord, one faith, one baptism.  And he further describes it in terms of the diversified tasks in the early community: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.  He doesn’t mention tax collectors, but Matthew slips in under the category of apostle.

Matthew was to live out his life pursuing this unity theme, trying to reconcile the implications of following Jesus Christ, with the Judaism that was so dear to Matthew and many of his converts.  He wanted no part of the ostracism he experienced earlier in life,  later on in life, whether for himself or for his converts.

 

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Luke 8:4-15

Reflection:

"I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living. "(Ps. 56:14)

The apostle Paul certainly was on a search for truth in his letter to the Corinthians that will explain what happens after we die.  Paul doesn’t have all the answers. Jesus makes us face up in the gospel to the fact that growth in each of our lives is going to be challenged on a daily basis.  All of us eventually come to grips with the whole purpose of life as we face the reality of death.  Unfortunately some of us wait too long to face the reality of death by putting all our attention on the present life.  We are bombarded by the advertisement industry to consider clothes, food, cars, vacation spots, front row seats, a pocket or handbag filled with money, etc., etc., etc.  Truly, we all need clothes, food and time off, along with some money to take care of personal and family needs.  But we can find our focus narrowing down.   We don’t want to look at the whole picture and highlight what really matters.  Do you recall the saying, " Do you eat to live, or live to eat?!"  A nice reminder as to "why do I do what I do?"  What grabs my attention, what do I really want in life?  Does sickness or handicaps separate me from the living?  Who is really a friend of mine?

Take a look at the responsorial psalm for today.  "I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the living."  Give me a good, close friend, someone who truly waits for an answer to, "How are you doing?"    What a gift!  Some wouldn’t want to know.  Some really wouldn’t want to get involved.  They were being polite with their question.  I think that we are all aware of this and are not offended.  On the other hand, the Psalmist is reminding us that we do have a Friend in God who definitely wants to know how things are going and walks with us throughout our day.  Isn’t it also interesting that the Psalmist puts us "in the light of the living."   A true friend isn’t trying to dim the light that reveals who we are at any giving time.   What comes through loud and clear is that a true friend offers us their love first and foremost.   Being recognized as a person is so important.  Knowing that we are loved is likewise important.  Our answer to their question might reveal that things are going along okay especially in certain areas of our life.  But we don’t stop there.  Sometimes we also add that we are facing some real challenges or hurts.  These can be coming from God, from our loved ones, co-workers, strangers who know us, or from our very selves as we face personal challenges to continue to grow and not just vegetate.  And that is what is involved in living life in the present light: dealing with the whole truth.

Are you and I continuing to walk in the presence of the Lord, of our friends, and of being true to who we are as a unique person?   Are we truthfully facing persons, situations, lack of things, or challenges that can be a bit scary?   Are we so focused on the negative that we are truthfully missing the many good things we actually have?  Have we bought into the advertising industry that has sidetracked us into thinking that what we possess by way of material things is going to make us happy? 

 

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