Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Luke 4:16-30

Reflection:

What is our mission?  What is our propose?  Why are we here?

 

In today’s gospel, Jesus proclaims his mission which included:
      — to bring glad tidings to the poor,
      — recovery of sight to the blind,
      — release to prisoners.

We are the baptized.  The Spirit of Jesus is upon us.  The mission of Jesus is our mission. What does that mean?

The poor need to know the glad tidings that they are rich in the love of God.  We can point to the cross and preach Christ crucified, as the apostle Paul.  We can also respect the poor, affirm their goodness, listen to their heartaches, and serve them.  When they experience the followers of Jesus loving them unconditionally, the poor will come to believe that they are beloved of God.  

Many people are blinded by prejudice, can’t see to the dignity of human life, and don’t understand the importance of caring for the earth.  When they see our joy in living by God’s law, their eyes will be open to a new path for their lives.

There are those who are imprisoned by greed, captive to selfishness, enslaved by fear and chained down by a lack of hope.  When they see us living in true freedom, they will come to wonder.  Then we can introduce them to the Lord Jesus, that they too may experience the liberty of those who follow his words and example.

Yes, our mission is clear.  It is the same as Jesus proclaimed in today’s gospel.  But, like Jesus, we too will run in to anger and rejection.  So we go forth, strengthened by Word and Sacrament.  We go forth in community, supporting one another.  We go forth confident that the "convincing power of the Spirit" will be with us.  Our faith and our purpose rests not on the wisdom of men but on the power of God.               

 

   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:

1 Corinthians 2: 10-16
Luke 4: 31-37

Reflection:

"…Be quiet! Come out of him!  Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm."

 

From the time we were small and first able to speak, we recognized that words have great power.  In the gospel yesterday, Jesus says that the Spirit anointed him to let the oppressed go free.  Today, we see what that means.

Jesus moves on to Capernaum and there he teaches people in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  His teaching made a deep impression on the people because he "spoke with authority".  He did not quote other authorities, like the teachers of the law, because his authority was directly from God.  It was his own.  Jesus’ authority is not only in word and teaching.  There in the synagogue, as he speaks, is a man possessed by an "unclean spirit".  The powerful word of Jesus, spoken with divine authority, drives out the unclean spirit.

Jesus met people who were demon-possessed; Jesus threw the demons out.  Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday.  He still throws out demons–the demons of addictions, self-destructive behaviors, powerful temptations, and other "unclean spirits" when he is called upon. 

We all encounter "demons" that can challenge us and sometimes compromise our relationships with those around us, as well as with the Lord.  We need not fight these destructive powers on our own, however.  We need only to recognize the Lord’s authority in our lives, surrender to his will and let his powerful  words of grace and healing drive out our "unclean spirits".

 

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

 

Scripture:

Sirach 3:17-18, 20- 28-29
Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24
Luke 14: 1, 7-14

Reflection:

"Religion as a source of consolation is an obstacle to true faith." – Simone Weil (1909-1943)

 

I do not come from a family of great traditions. Unless of course you call being of Irish ancestry, having a large extended family, and getting the brood together every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter having traditions. To me there was nothing traditional about this. It wasn’t something planned out, thought through or executed with any type of symbolism or pageantry as I always supposed "traditions" should be. It was a given in my life, as natural as the air I breathe.

Yet there was one implicit tradition we did "perform" during those gatherings and it revolved around the seating order at the meal. The oldest living Quinn present would always sit at the head of the table and the rest of the adults would follow according to age. We kids always sat at the card tables which were made like a train sometimes extending out of the grandparents’ or aunts’ dining room into the kitchen or beyond. Of course we as kids couldn’t wait until we could sit at the "big table!" And it was always a marked occasion when one of our numbers was officially "invited" from the card table to the adult table. Little did I realize then that that only occurred when one of our elders had gone home to their eternal rest!  It was only later when I was allowed a place at the "big table" that through the midst of all the screaming babies and jostle of silverware did I notice that when grace was said we always remembered those who held the place of honor at that same table years before.

I haven’t thought of this family "tradition" in years, but today’s Gospel brought it rushing back to me. Jesus’ words about having a place at the table and where you would sit really struck a cord in me. I wonder how many of us now want to be invited to the "big table" or maybe even think we deserve a place there! On a global scale I think about who would even be invited to the table??? Would it be my aunts and uncles, cousins and nieces and nephews who all look alike, dress alike, speak the same language or even share the same faith? I truly doubt it.

Throughout his preaching Jesus always used the image of a feast, a celebration, a festive gathering to describe His Kingdom. It is no different here. Jesus tells us his table will include all those folks we are not necessarily comfortable with…"the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind" … not because we should feel sorry for them, but because they have a right to be at the table. Even before many of us do!

Yes, the uncomfortable but real truth of this Gospel is that AIDs impacted African Mother, the gay drug addicted teenager, the hard working illegal alien, the Muslim Imam and the foul mouthed mentally unstable child will all be called by Jesus to come to the "big" table of the Kingdom before us.  And if we have love enough we might be invited too. And if Jesus offers us the head of the table would we truly love him enough to refuse it and give it to the AIDS Impacted African Mother or one of the others? I wonder? Now there is the test!

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Psalms 33:12-13, 18-21
Matthew 25:14-30

 

 

Reflection:

In First Corinthians St. Paul writes:

"Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards…
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise…
(For it) …is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us the wisdom from God."

Here at our Passionist retreat center in Houston, TX we have 16 weekend retreats for different 12 Step Programs.  One of the expressions that they have shared with me is:  "We are able to do great things; not because we are great, but because our God is great."  Surely, St. Paul reveals to us the same message.

When I combine this first reading with today’s Gospel from Matthew, I realize that all my talents, however small or great they are, belong to God.  Yet, as His gifts to me they are entrusted to me, but for His purpose.  I can use my talents as I wish like the rich young man in the Gospels, but until I lay them at the feet of the Lord, I will always walk away sad as the young man in the Gospel.  To the extent that God has entrusted me with certain gifts and talents and even weaknesses and limitations, for them to bear fruit and multiply and give life, God always invites me to make them available for His purpose in serving our brothers and sisters.

St. Augustine writes so beautifully that "the soul remains restless and until it rest in God," so our lives and our talents when invested in anything other than what God intends them for, will leave us unsatisfied, un-whole, if not restless.  But in making ourselves and all we are available before God in prayer and through the directions of those God places in our lives in love, our talents and our weaknesses alike will become instruments of His healing presence and love in the lives of others.  When we begin to sense God using us to love as Jesus loved, and see and sense the healing of those God allows us to touch, so many times we ourselves are healed and made whole in this graced process.

Let us pray that we may allow God to use our talents and our weaknesses for his purpose to build the family of God in the name of Jesus, our brother, who invites us always in grace: to love as He loved.

 

Fr. Joe Moons, C.P. is the director of Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, Houston, Texas.

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Matthew 25:1-13

Reflection:

Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour

I habitually procrastinate.  It is not something I am proud of, but there you have it.  I often make New Year’s resolutions about this problem but never quite get around to working on it.  This summer, for instance, I was going to make a scrapbook, clean out the linen closet and finally paint that bathroom door.  All of these tasks remain incomplete.  As I read today’s gospel, I am reminded of some of the more important commitments that I put aside-like reading scripture daily, praying the Rosary more often and finally getting to my parish’s adoration chapel for some reflection and meditation. 

How is it that I have somehow lumped all of these things together in one list?  I have umbrellas and snow boots, locks for my doors and a cell phone in case of emergencies.  But yet, those promises that I have made to the Father don’t always make it to the top priority spot.  Today’s reading reminds us of the devastating consequences of being unprepared for the coming of the Kingdom.

The parable in Matthew tells of the ten maidens waiting for the bridegroom so that a great wedding feast may begin.  Our Lord tells us that "five of them were foolish and five were wise."  The wise ones brought with them extra oil for their lamps, while the foolish did not.  When the bridegroom was delayed, their torches had to burn for longer than anticipated.  The unprepared maidens were left scrambling to find more oil in the middle of the night. 

How many times has our Lord warned us in Holy Scripture that we must be ever vigilant and prepared because his coming will not be announced?  It’s clear that we won’t have time to make amends for all our wrongs if we haven’t been living the life we should have all along.  It certainly will not matter that a bathroom door went unpainted, but what about that time we were going to spend in prayer?

Many things strike me about this reading.  For instance, all of the maidens are waiting together.  There is no great divide between them.  Our Lord does not call them stupid and smart or evil and good.  This is like life, isn’t it?  We don’t have signs on our head saying "I am saved."  It’s not that five of these maidens didn’t want to go to the wedding, or didn’t care about the bridegroom.  They are all there together hoping to join him at the feast.  But not everyone who professes to be a Christian truly holds God in their hearts.  They may put on the fancy dress and wait at the door with their lamp, but their fire will go out.  They don’t have the reserves to keep the flame going.

Suddenly, when the bridegroom shows up at midnight, the division will be apparent.  They shake off their slumber and run to meet him, but the foolish girls don’t have enough oil to keep their torches burning.  "Give us some of your oil," they ask of the wise group.  But just as we cannot borrow another’s faith, this oil cannot be shared.   When they finally return from their search, the door to the wedding is locked shut.  As they bang on the door to demand admittance, Our Lord says, "I do not know you."  How chilling is this?  Weren’t they just waiting with great anticipation for this man?  I am sure they were all talking amongst themselves about how handsome he would be and how much revelry would be at the wedding.  And now, because of just the slightest delay, they are unknown to him. 

Perhaps what is so frightening about this is that our Lord is telling us that there will be a real time in the future when it will be too late.  Our Lord is loving and forgiving and wants nothing more than for us to join him in his Kingdom.  And we have every opportunity to make that choice.  But there will come a time when we have waited too long.  So leave the scrapbook, don’t worry if you only have one umbrella.  Put Christ at the top of your "To Do" list.

 

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

 

 

 

Feast of Passionist
Blessed Dominic Barberi, CP, Priest

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 24:42-51

 

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of Passionist Blessed Dominic Barberi.  Orphaned as a small child, Dominic was raised by a maternal uncle and aunt and learned to tend sheep.  As a young man, Dominic experienced his true calling: join the Passionist Congregation and someday set up a Passionist Mission in England. 

Dominic Barberi truly felt the word of God at work in his heart.  After years of ministries in Italy and then Belgium, Blessed Dominic was finally able to fulfill his vocation; in 1842 he was sent to establish the first Passionist residence in England.  During his time in England, Dominic Barberi preached missions and received many converts to Catholicism including Anglican John Henry Newman.  Dominic lived his life as a son of the Gospel, proclaiming the word of God to all. 

Blessed Dominic was a true believer.  He lived his life as God’s will, much like Paul in our first reading today.  When people saw and heard him preach, it was evident he spoke from a spirituality deep within. 

How are we called today by the Will of God?  What about people as a society?  What is it then, when we smile good-naturedly ward others, but the minute they turn around we gossip about them behind their back?  Where is our tolerance, faith in others and faith in God when we see someone in need of our help, and although we do the righteous thing and choose to help them, we do nothing but complain about the whole experience afterward? 

How do we make it right?  How can we, as spiritual and moral followers of Christ, learn to live our lives less in the ways that are easy and more as the will of God?  It does not have to be in the form of a call to religious life as Dominic Barberi or Paul the Apostle received.  Rather, making a decision based on what is right and not what is easy and acting upon that decision.

 

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

 

 

Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle

Scripture:

Revelation 21:9b-14
John 1:45-51

Reflection:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him."

In Jesus’ encounters with his apostles he liked to point out a special blessing given them by his Father.  Thus, he noted that Peter was a rock, or James and John were sons of thunder.  With Nathanael (Bartholomew) he said he was a man without duplicity or guile.   The Greek word for duplicity is dolos which means deceit, dishonesty, treachery, trickery, fraud.   The word comes from dello which means to decoy.  With Nathanael what you saw is what you got!  The Hebrew Scriptures spoke frequently against duplicity.   The Hebrew word was nasha’  which meant deceit.   "The serpent deceived me, and I did eat." Gen 3:13   Sin entered the world through guile and has been a part of it since the beginning.  There are many different words for pretence in the Hebrew and Greek but they touch on same theme of deception either given or received.

I think one of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is deception.  We can be deceived by outside forces or deceive ourselves.  The more we think we are not in deception the more deeply we are.  As we get wiser in the things of God, the more we are aware of our deception.  How many of us really know ourselves when the world around us sees a very different me!    An antonym for guile and deception Is honesty.  Jesus loved the honesty of Nathanael.  He will love our honesty which is our truthfulness with ourselves and others.

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 43:1-7b
Matthew 23:1-12

 

 

 

Reflection:

Getting a hold on religion and its practices is deceptively simple.  Children eat up little devotions with delight.  No problem.  But, as we age, we begin to get critical about things of religion, and sometimes extremely so.  We have such high expectations.

But, as the saying goes: "corruptio optimi pessima" (corruption of the best is the worst).  The clergy sex abuse crisis epitomizes this, and moves it way past the standard criticisms of yesteryear about the pastor drinking too much or driving around in his expensive cars.

There is a way, however, of handling this ambivalence we have toward religion, and traces of it are found in today’s scriptures.  Hopefully it can lead to that wholesome sign of being an authentic Catholic when we can take our lumps with our successes, much as we do with our own families, whose histories are not always something we want to parade around.

For example, the prophet Ezekiel works hard today at rehabilitating the good name of the temple in the city of Jerusalem-a temple that has had its ups and downs in the recent past, overrun by the enemies of the Jewish people, confiscated, disfigured, desecrated.  But Ezekiel skips past this sordid past and notes the glory of the Lord coming out of the east, entering the temple and announcing that this is where He intends "to dwell among the Israelites forever".

Jesus does a better rehabilitation job on Jewish religious institutions than even Ezekiel does.  First, He lets us know that He is not happy with the conduct of the ruling religious authorities among them: the Scribes and Pharisees.  He becomes almost sarcastic in describing their antics, all of which are designed to amplify their religious standing among their fellow-Jews.  But He has an answer for all this, which is not to abandon Judaism, but simply to do what they say, but not imitate what they do.

But, more importantly, He moves to a positive note, obviously the remark that He really has in mind: "The greatest among you must be your servant—whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  Jesus knows how to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Much of this is brought closer to our own day in the memorial we’re celebrating today of St. Pope Pius X, who died just as the First World War was getting underway.  Pius X had a  "feel" for the religious needs of his day, on the part of Catholics hesitant to approach communion more than once or twice a year, as well as confession/reconciliation.  Thanks to his effort, this was quickly turned around, and we today benefit by his intervention in a desultory practice.  At the same time, Pius was a doctrinal purist and was quick to dislodge any traces of unacceptable interpretations of tradition, such as the then current modernism.  He came down hard on such people, perhaps too much so.  But we survive the ups and downs of our religious heritage, certainly more enriched than impoverished by the riches available to us.

 

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