Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Matthew 21: 28-32

Reflection:

There are several passages in the readings today that strike me. But there are a few in particular that are very powerful to me:

 

When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
You did not believe him;
But tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
You did not later change your minds and believe him.

Conventional wisdom might say that if tax collectors and prostitutes believe in someone – run in the other direction! But Jesus, who lives and breathes beyond the confines of all that is "conventional," challenges the chief priests and elders to get beyond their own egoistic judgment which keeps them from the true source of love and peace. The first reading, too, mirrors the sad isolation that comes from such headstrong, spiritually immature and destructive behavior:

She hears no voice,
Accepts no correction;
In the Lord she has not trusted,
To her God she has not drawn near.

We have been given the incredible gift of a God who will love us even when we doubt, even when we err, even when we are foolish, childish and obstinate for a time. In order to "draw near to our God," which is where our ultimate peace lies, we’re not expected to be anything close to perfect; we just have to be willing to bend, to trust, to believe, to surrender. And we can mess it up and still have a chance if only we will try again!

There is a beautiful passage at the end of the first reading that captures, so simply, the gift that awaits the humble people who take refuge in the Lord:

They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.

Amen to that.

 

Nancy Nickel is Director of Communications at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a
Matthew 21:23-27

Reflection:

As Christmas rushes closer we are brought up short by the introduction of the mysterious prophet Balaam, son of Beor.  What he has to say is first of all a blessing on the tribes of Israel. Balaam sees the future power and glory of the Davidic kings and more especially one king. He dimly foresees him, but he says that he will come as a star rising out of Jacob and as a staff rising from Israel. For many centuries the Israelite people thought that this prophecy was fulfilled in David who firmly established the kingdom. Yet God had a greater plan in mind, His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel passage today presents us with Jesus coming into the temple and teaching with authority. His enemies challenge his right to teach and ask him, "By whose authority are you doing these things?’  Jesus confounds them by asking his own question about the authority of John’s baptism. When they refuse to answer, he does not answer them. As we look forward to Christmas we sense the power of Jesus’ coming into our world. He is a person with quiet authority. May we accept the gifts he brings, especially his message of hope and peace.

 

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

Friday of the Second Week of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 48:17-19
Matthew 11:16-19

Reflection:

I have often heard "prosperity evangelists" quote today’s first reading and psalm.  They say, "See?  God intends for you to be rich and prosper.  All you have to do is obey God’s commands and you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise, with trouble-free children, a long life, and a peaceful death."  What an attractive message!  It’s no wonder they draw millions of adherents (and millions of donors).

But we are in Advent, awaiting the celebration of God’s incarnation in human flesh.  That incarnation seems to contradict the prosperity evangelists at every turn.  Who obeyed God’s commands more perfectly than Jesus?  Yet did it result in a life of privilege?  Did our incarnate God have lots of money, faithful friends, success in everything he tried, a large family of perfect children, and a long and happy life before he died peacefully in the arms of those he loved?

Perhaps we humans misinterpret.  Perhaps we impose our own thinking on God’s, and hear what we hope to hear.  It would be a human thing to do, like the people in the gospel who wanted John the Baptist and Jesus to conform to their preconceived ideas of how a prophet or a Messiah ought to act.  But true wisdom and genuine discipleship don’t work that way.  God doesn’t promise us an easy life.  God promises faithfulness, no matter what life brings. 

Today, as I mark 55 years on this earth, I bring to God all the messiness and pain of my life as well as the joy.  I have known miscarriage, being widowed at a young age, financial uncertainty, and a host of other sufferings.  Yet I have also known the deep love of two wonderful men, the births of three children, the strength of trusted friendships, and a vast array of joys which our language is inadequate to describe.  Through it all and beneath it all, I experience a different type of prosperity – the quietly flowing river of God’s love and grace.  No matter what happens, that river will sustain me, carry me, strengthen me, and hold me, until the day when the embrace becomes total and I return to the waters from which I came.

This is not empty sentiment for me.  I am spending my birthday in a hospital, where my husband just had surgery to remove what we hope is a benign mass.  Within a few days we will know what may or may not lurk within that tumor, and it is a frightening time.  Daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute, I find myself returning to that river for sustenance, letting my tears flow unto it and drawing courage from its depths. 

I have no illusions that my obedience to God will "save" me from being widowed again or erase all difficulties from my life.  I simply trust the river to keep flowing, and I try to allow myself to flow with it rather than fight the current.  If I can do that, I know God will lead me on the path where I should go, that my name will never be blotted out from God’s presence, and that I will have the light of life even in the midst of darkness.  That is prosperity indeed.

 

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/.

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent 

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection:

This second week of Advent the prophecy of Isaiah shows us a New Exodus more marvelous than the first. God does not provide water for the people in the desert; water is everywhere, and the hand of God is planting; we are in a new Eden. The fertility of which Isaiah speaks looks to the coming of the Messiah.

This Advent day we honor two holy men. The humble Juan Diego, whose feast falls close to his ‘mother’, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Although Mary’s feast will be largely celebrated in the Mexican communities this year because if falls on next Sunday, there will still be the portrayals of the appearance of Mary to her "little Juan", processions, pinatas and feasting. The Virgin of Guadalupe is pregnant, full of maternal solicitude for her little ones.

The other holy man is quite different than Juan Diego. He is Blessed Bernard Mary Silvestrelli, C.P. who died in 1911 at the age of 80. His devotion to Mary would have been expressed through our Mother of Sorrows, patroness of the Passionists. Bernard was a priest and for his 54 years as a Passionist served his religious order in roles of leadership, being its superior general for 25 years.

Juan was hesitant to ask about the building of a church for the ‘beautiful lady’, but Bernard established the Passionist community in Spain, Mexico, Chile and Argentina. Unlike Juan who didn’t get beyond the hills of Mexico, Bernard crossed the ocean to be the first General to visit the United States.

He appears a strong man, outspoken like John whom we meet in the gospel today. Paul Boyle, a former General of the Passionists, wrote the introduction to Fabiano Georgini’s biography of Bernard. He describes him as living faithfully the Passionist rule of life as an expression of obedience to the will of God. He held to the contemplative and community aspects of the Passionist way of life, at a time when many wanted to lay them aside for pastoral reasons. He was strong at a time when there was need for strength   as the Church revived from a period of suppression throughout of Europe.

John the Baptist is a model of faith. He stands in a certain balance against Jesus, desiring to decrease that He may increase. We might see today two holy men, models of faith, different weights in the balance; one strong, the other humble. Both in their unique way showing God’s will that was manifest to them, helping others arrive at the goal of their journey.

 

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

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Scripture:
Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14

Reflection:
Isaiah continues to be the prophet of God’s marvelous mercy as he proclaims, "Here is your God… Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs and leads the ewes with care…"

St. Matthew gives us the words of Jesus fulfilling the prophecy.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd  who goes in search for the stray and is happier about that one than about the ninety-nine that did not wander away.

And he makes sure no one, not the most stringent Pharisee or none of the rigorist challengers of shepherding Popes would miss the truth that is what God wants!

"It is no part of your heavenly Father’s plan that a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief."

Neither Isaiah, nor Jesus are trying to tell us an appealing story of a shepherd’s care for sheep.  Both are revealing something of the Heart of God for us.  God did not create to show his power in the unimaginable Big Bang that gave the astoundingly large universe its explosive start.  He was not amusing himself with astronomical fireworks.

Creation came from love, creation was to give us the power to love.  It also gave us a freedom that is too often abused.  But the God who loved us from eternity comes as the Good Shepherd to seek and save that which has gone astray.  He will not allow his love to be defeated.  For that reason the Son of God is born as the tiny Son of Mary, and grows up to be the Good Shepherd seeking the stray.  He rejoices every time he brings one back to his love.

Perhaps there have been actual shepherds who died defending their sheep from wolves, bears and lions.  There is no doubt the Divine Shepherd gave up his life to bring us all into his arms and into eternal glory.

That is the reality of Christmas — God’s Gift of His Son as our Savior and Shepherd.  Let us pray God for sinners and rejoice in every redemption!

 

Fr. Fred Sucher, C.P. is retired and lives in the Passionist community in Chicago.  For many years he taught philosophy to Passionist seminarians. 

 

Monday of the Second Week of Advent 

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-10
Luke 5:17-26

Reflection:

Today’s first reading expresses the excitement and anticipation of God’s coming into our midst. Notice where God’s blessings come about. In the desert and parched land. There in the desert the people will rejoice with joyful song. Isaiah had a radical vision of what it would be like to discover joy. It was joy found in the desert. The desert, usually a place of dryness, of emptiness, and of death, would suddenly come to life with joy. In his vision, he foresaw the coming of one who would offer us a new way of living, one who would bring us overflowing joy, one who would offer us salvation, hope, peace and joy.

During this Advent season it might help us to examine the places where we believe we can find joy, the places where we think our joy should be coming from. We would naturally think that our joy should come from family, friends, career, vacation, hobbies, entertainment or stuff. These places of joy seem natural to us. But often we come away empty. The world says you need more stuff. More stuff will keep you happy. And then your stuff starts to get old and needs dusting or repairing. It’s not as impressive (joyful) as it once seemed. Stuff doesn’t lead to lasting joy – the kind Isaiah was talking about. There are seasons when joy abounds in families. And it’s great. We should find joy in our family. But there are other times when family is less of a joy. When there is illness, when aging parents need to be cared for or a death occurs, when someone squabbles with someone else or disowns someone in the family. Then, family is no longer a joy. It’s work. It’s a burden.

Isaiah reminds us in a prophetic way what it’s like to have Christ come into our life. It’s like joy in the desert! Joy comes by welcoming the Christ child into your life, into your heart, and following in his new way of living, that gives true joy, joy overflowing, like streams bubbling up in the desert.

"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." Pick up your disillusionments and disappointments, broken dreams and broken hearts and go home to Christ. Invite the King of Kings to be in residence in your life. Walter Knight wrote: "Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts, announcing that the King is in residence today."

 

Fr. Don Webber is Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province and resides in Chicago.

Second Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12

Reflection:

Today we light the second candle of our Advent wreath as the darkness of the northern hemisphere settles upon us earlier than it did just one week ago.  We continue to call and chant, "Oh come, oh come Emanuel."  It is as if the calling and chanting will illumine the darkness of our own hearts and the light of yet another candle can awaken us to a hope beyond what this world offers.

Today, Matthew reintroduces us to the prophetic voice in the desert of John the Baptist.  John after all, is not a stranger to us.  We have listened to his prophetic message in previous years.  Yet today we are in a different place than when we last encountered him.  His message is very simple, "Repent for the  Kingdom of heaven is at hand."  To repent doesn’t mean to feel bad for something that happened in the past.  Feeling bad for a past event frequently keeps us stuck in the past.  Repentance is more focused on having a change of heart.  If a person changes their heart for the better today, then that person is immediately in a different place, emotionally, and spiritually.  And the Kingdom of heaven begins to shine a little bit brighter.

This is the Second week of Advent.  Last Sunday the message was short and clean.  We were told to stay awake.  I think that all of us like to believe that we are awake.  Personally, as I get older, I’m more convinced that God spends considerable energy trying to wake me up.  Sometimes we may have to
go through a significant ordeal or even a major loss before the question gets asked, "What more does God have to do to get your attention?"  That is the "stay awake" we heard last Sunday.  I believe these four Sunday gospels of Advent are linked together.  They are not merely four isolated weekends
that tell us in four different ways to get ready and be prepared.  I see them interconnected, leading us on a journey.  If John the Baptist is God’s messenger announcing the coming of the reign of God,  it can only be heard  if the person is awake.  So when the First Sunday of Advent tells us to "stay awake," it is because there is a message to be given to us. As we listen to John the Baptist today, hopefully we will hear something new because we are "staying awake."  We will never hear any messengers of good news if we are sleeping.  

May your Advent journey continue with the truth, the Kingdom of heaven is
at hand, on this day.

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is on the staff at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 30:19-21,23-26
Mathew 9:35 – 10:1,5,6-8

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel presents a very touching scene:  Jesus moves among the towns and villages, teaching, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, curing disease and illness.  To underscore just how personally involved Jesus was in this ministry, Matthew writes that Jesus’ "heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd."  The troubled, the abandoned, the lonely, the wanderers…Jesus had come into the world as a gift to such people — people like ourselves.  Jesus’ knew the depths of their hearts…and ours!

Afterwards Jesus spoke to his disciples about the abundant harvest of souls, and he expanded his outreach by calling his disciples to share his authority and help carry on his mission:  to make the proclamation that "the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" and follow it with action on behalf of those in need.  The final words cited in today’s Gospel selection are especially encouraging:  "without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."  God has freely given us faith in Jesus, and this gift is not to be hoarded but rather freely shared…shared with the same intensity that "moved" Jesus.

The gift of faith is so different than the material gifts that draw most attention during this Christmas season.  For example, if you give someone a gift of money, you necessarily have less money yourself.  However, if you give someone the gift of faith, you not only do not have less — you actually have more!  In fact, to grow in our Christian life, we must share our faith with others…families, coworkers, neighbors, even the "stranger" we meet as we do our holiday shopping.  Our words, our good example, our interest in people – arising from our faith — speak volumes and make real the person of Jesus who loves us unconditionally.  Faith shared is faith on-the-grow.

Advent is a time of hope, of anticipation, growth, and celebration – the gift of Jesus’ life and love are so real these days as Advent moves us into the celebration of Christmas 2010!  May we make our own Jesus’ clarion call:  the Kingdom is at hand!  May our hearts be moved to greater care for our sisters and brothers, especially those most in need.

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky.