Daily Scripture

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.

 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

How discouraged and desperate Ezekiel must have been!  For months he had been prophesying to the people of Israel about the dire effects their behavior was having on their future.  Their greed, neglect of the poor, abuse of the weak and worship of false gods were destroying their society and sapping their national identity and strength.  Most of the people resisted listening to Ezekiel’s warnings but his deepening awareness of how desperate the situation had become was driving Ezekiel himself to despair, as well as those few who were listening to him.

And thus, today’s prophesy!  God gives Ezekiel a vision of a great plain covered with human bones, dry disjointed old bones scattered across the plain.  God asks Ezekiel whether these old dry bones can come back to life.  Ezekiel wisely responds that only God could possibly know that.  Then God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy that God will indeed, bring these old bones to life.  As Ezekiel makes the prophecy, the bones do come back to life, human life with warm flesh and renewed spirit.

God tells Ezekiel that all is not lost.  Just as God brought new life to the bones in his vision, so God will bring new life to the people of Israel.  Ezekiel need not despair, he can trust God’s fidelity to His people.  "I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord."

What a great vision!  The message God gave to Ezekiel is for us as well.  And we certainly need it.  Just think about how many old dried bones there are in our lives.  We can look around and be so discouraged by the scandals in the Church, the injustice we witness and even experience, the violence in our world, the disappointment, anger and darkness that may even be in our own hearts.  So many dried dead bones all around us and perhaps within us.  It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the dead bones that surround us.

Through Ezekiel God reminds us that even dead bones can be brought back to life by the power of God.  And that power will prevail because God will be faithful to us, just as God was faithful to the people of Ezekiel’s time.  So we can take heart and trust in God’s love and compassion for us and for our world.

 

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:

Ezekiel 36"23-28
Matthew 22:1-14

Reflection:

"I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts." Ezekiel 36:26

The other day, I watched a "good news" story on television. A family had lost everything, jobs, savings and even health. They were struggling to make ends meet while taking care of a cancer survivor. Their home was in need of major remodeling. Some friends got some businesses to give their home a major "make over." The family home got a new paint job, new windows, new kitchen and appliances, new everything. And the family spokesperson said through all the tears, it was time to make a new beginning.

If new beginnings were only that easy, then many more people would be able to make new beginnings. Changing appearances would be all it would take to begin life anew. Many people have changed their appearances. They change hair styles, grow beards, go on diets, have plastic surgery, buy new clothes to signal a new beginning. But soon they find themselves doing the same old things, behaving badly with others, cheating when they can get away with it, hiding addictions thinking that they are fooling everyone around them and feeling just as terrible, just as empty and just as desolate as before. Make-overs do not begin from the outside. They begin from the inside, from our heart and from our spirit.

The readings for today’s Mass are all about God’s invitation to be in full communion with God and with God’s people. God wants us to be part of God’s family and celebration. God’s invitation has always been to come and enjoy the good things in life, that is, to belong fully to God. In the first reading, taken from the prophet Ezekiel, God is calling a sinful people who have turned their backs to a God who has given them everything they needed for a good life to begin anew. And Ezekiel tells them exactly where they need to start: with a new heart and a new spirit, putting away their stony hearts and replacing them with natural hearts that love, forgive, have compassion, hearts and spirits that truly belong to God: "You shall be my people and I will be your God."  It all starts from within. We can change the outside all we want, but if we do not change our hearts and spirits, then very little changes.

The Gospel reminds us that God’s invitation is just that, a freely given invitation to join God in the greatest celebration of all time. For sinful reasons, we refuse, we refuse to attend the celebration, we refuse to accept the messengers who invite us to the celebration, and we even kill God’s messengers, believing that God will not do anything to us. But God will not be denied. God continues to invite, continues to bring in the outcasts, the "good and bad alike." We need, however, to have a change of heart. We need a wedding garment to get into the celebration and to belong to the Kingdom of God. We need God. We need to say "yes" to God’s invitation. We need to pray for that grace. It is not an easy prayer to pray. But God will help us.

As the Alleluia verse says: "If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts!"

 

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

 

Scripture:
Ezekiel 34:1-11
Matthew 20:1-16

Reflection:
"Woe to the Shepherds who have been shepherding themselves."  Ez 34
"Are you envious because I am generous?"  Mt 20
The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want."   Ps 23

Who among us has not been recently overwhelmed with the kindness, the generosity and the attention to our needs?  None of these gifts are given without someone paying attention, without noticing and taking time to tend to us. 

Time, sharing and attention…where have these gifts gone?  This is not to attack or ridicule anyone for lack of these gifts.  I guess the main point of this observation is to recall the many, many times we have been the recipient of the goodness of family, friends and even strangers. 

The prophet Ezechiel has lost his "cool" as he addresses the official shepherds of the people.  Maybe I should have said, God has lost His "cool."  God minces no words as he challenges the shepherds face to face.  It seems that the good things that should have been shared with the "sheep" got lost.   The protection that they needed was not given.  The shepherds kept all the good things for themselves.  "You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured.  You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost, but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally.  So they were scattered for the lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts.  My sheep were scattered and wandered over all the mountains and high hills; my sheep were scattered over the whole earth, with no one to look after them or to search for them."

If you are like me, (God forbid!) I get preoccupied with tasks, I hurry by people at times and miss what is really going on.  Or I put my expectations on others, forgetting that they have their own concerns or worries or stresses or sorrows: all of which can be a heavy burden that often times is overlooked.  My compassion has flown out the window.  How can I forget so easily that I too have concerns or worries or stressful situations or sorrows that can affect my ability to take care of my needs.  What a joy it would be to have someone ask, "Can I help you?"

Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel, points out another lack of goodness.  "Are you envious because I am generous?"  Oh, it happens too often as I forget the generosity extended to others including me.  But what has happened to my memory of all the good that God has done for me?!  "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.  He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.   With your rod and your staff that give me courage."

None of us need to wear a badge or other form of identity to indicate that we are a shepherd.  But, oh, how often the opportunity presents itself to reach out in loving concern for our sisters and brothers.  Will you and I never let a day pass without thanking God and our sisters and brothers for being our Shepherd.  And will this spur us on to notice a sister or brother who is in need of a shepherd: you and me.

 

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

Scripture:
Ezekiel 12:1-12
Matthew 18:21-19:1

Reflection:
Forgiveness is unglamorous courage. It doesn’t seem particularly heroic. It’s an interior shift which hardly anyone outside the forgiver notices. Yet William Shakespeare was precisely correct when he wrote:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Mercy is twice blest, resulting in a double blessing. Obviously, forgiveness benefits the one who receives it. The offender is let off the hook. The revenge or the penalty which might rightly befall them is relinquished. But forgiveness also brings enormous benefits to the forgiver.

When someone offends or insults us, it hurts. They hurt us and made us miserable. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough. Often we continually replay and restage the injury on the platform of our minds, churning up the misery again and again. In so doing we perpetuate the hurt. No one else can be blamed for the misery which we inflict upon ourselves by holding onto the transgression.

Once we understand that most of the miseries in our life are self-inflicted (and this can be realized by simple observation of the mind and our mental processes) freedom is possible. Forgiveness makes immeasurable sense. It becomes a blessing for the offender as well as for us. Jesus offered practical wisdom and spiritual guidance to liberate us in this world from the bondage of our misguided ways.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, KY.

See his website: http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/  

Scripture:

Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22
Matthew 18:15-20

Reflection:

This is the day of the death of Blessed John Henry Newman, a day to celebrate the life of a man who revitalized Catholicism in England.  He was a 19^th century Anglican priest and intellectual, who became the leader of the Oxford Movement, an effort to restore the Church of England to its catholicity.

Newman began a study of the development of Christian doctrine to prove that the Anglican Church had maintained the faith in contrast to the doctrinal distortions of the Catholic Church.  Instead, in his classic text, "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine," published in 1845, Newman concluded it was the Catholic Church that was faithful to its primitive origins.

Shortly thereafter, on October 9, 1845, Fr. Dominic Barberi, a Passionist, himself beatified a few years ago, received Newman into the Church.  In1879, at the age of seventy-nine, he was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII.

In his day, Newman was frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted.  In our day, however, he is seen as a man ahead of his time.  The issues he wrote about became the subjects of discussion of Vatican II, such as the question of ecumenism, the relationship between Christianity and the world, and the role of the laity in the Church.  His ideas so much anticipated those of our time that he has been called "The Father of Vatican II."

Pope John Paul II praised him saying: "John Henry Newman belongs to every time and place and people."  And Pope Benedict XVI honored him by traveling to the United Kingdom to beatify Cardinal Newman on September 19, 2010.

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.