Daily Scripture

Passionist Feast of
Mary, Our Mother of Holy Hope

Scripture:

Hosea 14:2-10
Matthew 10:16-23

Reflection:

The feast of Mary, Our Mother of Holy Hope, is celebrated in the Passionist Congregation, but not the general calendar. Celebrating such feasts is a way of nourishing Passionist spirituality throughout the year by recalling aspects of the central mystery of Our Lord’s Passion

There is a choice in the first reading: Sirach 24:1,3-4,8-12,19-21. Wisdom proclaims her glory before her people. For her we will hunger and thirst; obeying we will not be put to shame and serving her we will never fail. Or, in Acts 1:12-14, we see Mary with the apostles and disciples in constant prayer after Our Lord’s Ascension. The Response for today is the Magnificat of Mary, "My soul proclaims the goodness of the Lord", and our refrain, "Hail, O Mary, our hope". The Gospel is the wedding feast of Cana, John 2:1-11.

How might the feast of Our Mother of Holy Hope speak to us as lovers of the Passion? Another Marian feast is Our Mother of Sorrows, Mary beneath the cross. Here we may feel the invitation to stand with her, to comfort her, and enter with her into the mystery Jesus’ love upon the Cross. But in today’s feast we share with others the fruit of the Cross, the Tree of Life. The Preface for the feast, "Mary, Mother and Sign of Hope", shows Mary, having stood by the Cross, as the unfading star of hope and consolation before the dawn of everlasting day. We would stand with her again, each of us stars of hope in the nights of darkness.

We speak of the Passion of Christ as the love story of God told new. But not everyone approaches the Cross confidently. Many people see the Cross of Jesus and become afraid. They cannot go from the Cross as beacons of hope. Maybe their path is first to find comfort in the good that comes from the victory of the Cross, the hope and strength that brings consolation into our lives. Then they may draw near to the Cross of Christ without fear?

This feast is one that nourishes our compassionate sharing with those who suffer, our visits at the hospital bedside when words run out, our prayers for those frustrated who seek fulfillment, the failure, the abandoned. In the Gospel of the wedding of Cana, Mary tells the waiters to do what Jesus directs, although Jesus seems to dismiss her request  saying, woman, my hour has not come. Every mother knows that her work has not ended the day her child comes to life in the world. Indeed! Mary’s work as Mother continues as does that of every mother, she continues to share in the work of Redemption, guiding her son as only a mother can. Your hour has indeed come; off to work. Her hope is our hope.

Passionist Bishop and martyr Blessed Eugene Bossilkov, CP was arrested in Sophia, Bulgaria, in 1952. Alone and in prison he was put to death by a firing squad late one night. He served a persecuted Church and suffered greatly. He writes in a beautiful letter that things are bad, but he is a son of the Province of Our Lady of Holy Hope (Holland) and so he keeps going. May hope keep us going, may it be the star’s light to brighten the lives of others.

 

Fr. Bill Murphy, C.P. is a member of St. Paul of the Cross Province and is pastor of St. Joseph’s Monastery parish in Baltimore, Maryland.

Scripture:

Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9
Matthew 10:7-15

Reflection:

St. Paul of the Cross realized the necessity of benefactors in order to fulfill our mission. He spoke of our benefactors in the highest regard and showed great reverence for our greatest benefactors: parents of religious. As a priest I realize that I need partners, friends, and co-ministers to help me in my work of proclaiming the Gospel. Some contribute financially, some pray for me, and others help me in various ways to get the message out to as many as possible.

Recently at a mission I was preaching, an 8^th grade girl approached my book table and wanted to buy God’s Not Boring! When I tried to give her the book she insisted that she wanted to pay. I relented because I know that when you give to God, it always returns to you many times over. I didn’t want to prevent her from developing good habits of giving and receiving.

Jesus also realized the necessity of benefactors. In his missionary instructions, along with what to proclaim and even what to wear, he invites his disciples to find people of peace who will help them with their important ministry. I marvel at how God works through the people in my life who assist me in proclaiming the Gospel. As a community, we have countless people from every walk of life who assist us in our mission. I thank God for our many benefactors who contribute out of their resources and talents. We pray for these people, celebrate them, and ask God to continue to give us "divine connections" in the future.

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 14 books and creator of the TV program Live with Passion! airing in many cities. You can learn more about his ministry at: http://www.frcedric.org/

Scripture:

Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Matthew 10:1-7

Reflection:

The Eternal All-Holy God created humankind in holiness, but the first man chose to be independent of God.  Evil multiplied with murder  wholesale and  retail.

God began to help humankind back by calling special people to lead.  That is why we have Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist.  God would work through humans.  For that reason the Son of God became man.  For that reason Jesus came as truly human.  For that reason Jesus chose the 12 in today’s gospel.

What happened in the past is happening now.  God chooses  other human beings to continue his work.  He chose a Mother Teresa for Calcutta.  He chose a Fr. Rick Frechette for Haiti.  He chooses thousands and thousands to do his work,

Jesus wipes out the sinful independence of Adam, but he seeks other apostles today  to continue his work of salvation.  Vatican II makes that clear: all peoples’ right and duty to be apostles derives from their union with Christ their head. 

"On all Christians rests the obligation to bring all people the whole world over to hear and accept the divine message of salvation.  That is the essential work of Christ’s redemption."  It is shared by Pope Benedict XVI, by the last priest ordained, but just as truly by every adult baptized into Christ – cooks, bakers, teachers, mechanics, computer operators. 

And as apostles, we are concerned not only with churchy activities but in everything we do, to make this a safer, more beautiful world to live in. The mission of the Church is not only to bring people the message and grace of God, but to improve the world in which we live.

The great Apostle Paul did God’s work in his preaching and writing, but by using his skill to weave tough tent cloth he supported himself and his companions. That too was an  apostolic labor!

To be an apostle means to do all for and in Christ.  Some do it today on special missions to disaster areas, others keep their families together in the faith that is Christ’s work. All of this is done by 21st century apostles. 

 

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

Feast of St. Maria Goretti 

Scripture:

Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:32-38

Reflection:

Hosea is in a different mood today than yesterday. On Monday Hosea was encouraging the people by describing how loving and faithful their God was. It was good news. Today, we hear bad news. The prophet, speaking for God, warns the people they are about to move on. No, they won’t be going south to the country of Egypt, but north to Assyria, whose strong armies would conquer Israel, destroy the land and force the people of Assyria to be slaves. Why?

We are told that the people did not listen to the word of God, the warnings of the prophets or to their own deeper sense of what is right and wrong. Their leaders took the throne by violence, certainly not God’s choice. Worse, they melted down their silver and gold to make false gods. Hosea warned them to get rid of them. "When they sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind." One evil leads to something much worse. Israel sowed the wind of idolatry and reaped the whirlwind of Assyria.

In the Gospel Jesus must deal with people who also do not listen. In fact the section of today’s Gospel is preceded by several healing stories. We know that the stories of those who cannot see or hear or speak have deeper spiritual meaning. For Jesus, the spiritual reality is more serious than physical blindness or deafness or inability to speak. The Pharisees in the Gospel, like the people during Hosea’s time, are blind because they cannot see or do not want to see God at work; they are deaf because they do not hear or do not want to understand the truth; they are speechless because they cannot speak the words of life, love or hope.

When Jesus mentions that the harvest is rich but the workers are few, he is inviting us to see, hear and speak on his behalf. He cannot do it all. In fact, Jesus will hardly step outside the boundaries of Palestine. He needs many helpers. These helpers are not just the bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters. That would be a very narrow concept of "laborers." Every baptized person has been called by God to be a harvester, to help people find and experience the truth and the love that God gives us through Jesus Christ. We all have a vocation to serve and build the Kingdom.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Hosea 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22
Matthew 9:18-26

Reflection:

Perhaps you’ve noticed that the Gospels are written quite sequentially.  Jesus deals with one task at a time, works through it, brings closure, and then moves on to the next event.   But for most of us, real life isn’t like this.   For most of us we are perpetually interrupted with needs, and problems of others to the point it is difficult to get anything completed.   In our lifetimes these interruptions have become so normative that we’ve actually created the word, "Multi-tasking" suggesting that all of us are expected to be able to attain this.   I like the gospel today quite simply because it is one of such few places that Jesus is interrupted.   Yes, that is right, Jesus displays his multi-tasking skills.   

Most of us are probably familiar with this gospel story and have heard it many, many times.  Jesus is on his way to an official’s house to heal his daughter. As he is walking along there is a woman with a hemorrhaging who touches the tassel of his cloak and experiences healing.  The Church today gives us Matthew’s  version of the story.  It has been shortened and has fewer details than the more frequently read version in Mark’s Gospel. 

Another significant difference between these two stories is that Mark names this official Jarus, a leader of the synagogue.   Mark will have Jairus come to Jesus because his daughter is ill.  It isn’t until after the woman is healed that someone will come and announce that his little girl has died.  By this time Jesus has already committed to going to the house.    

Matthew shortens this story. Matthew leaves the man nameless. He is known as an official or a ruler in another translation.   Matthew places less emphasis on the woman with a hemorrhaging. But most significantly, Matthew begins the story with this official coming to Jesus because his daughter has died.  This is far different than Mark’s Gospel were Jarus and Jesus begin the journey because the girl is sick, and find out about her death after the healing of the woman with a hemorrhaging.  Why is this significant?  Because this official now comes to Jesus not to heal his little girl but specifically to ask Jesus to bring her back to life after she has died.   Here is a man who is asking Jesus to be resurrection.  He comes to Jesus with the truth that his daughter has died.    Come and resurrect her!!!   Here is a man who believes in resurrection.    See, this man is already speaking of death and resurrection!  Whether or not he is Jewish or not, he believes in death and resurrection.    Now Jesus’ reason for going to this man’s house is completely different than it would be in Mark’s gospel.    He is going to raise the dead.    He is being asked to do what his mission is about.  I also think that he is filled with tremendous compassion.  

I need to speculate for a moment.  Perhaps you’ve noticed that when people are empowered to do something and given a task they know they can accomplish, especially when it involves tremendous training, preparation, repetition, and anticipation, people seem to rise to a new level.  They are filled with confidence, and a sense of purpose and mission.  If you have seen this in your children you will notice they carry themselves differently.  When people who are in their 50’s and 60’s speak about this to me, it is as though their entire life is culminating into one event or one specific moment.  The look in their eyes is filled with light, meaning and purpose, and it is so empowering!   It’s empowering for me to witness a person rise to a new challenge, knowing they have the skills, talents, and gifts to accomplish this challenge.   Sometimes people whose lives are all coming together for them just start to glow.  So I must ask the question, do you think it was any different for Jesus?   

A man, who perhaps is not even Jewish, comes up, kneels down in front of Jesus, and requests him to raise his daughter from the dead.  To understand the significance of this you must put aside your knowledge of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This story happens before Jesus’s death and resurrection.  If Jesus knows internally that he is the resurrection and the life, and this man is asking Jesus to be who Jesus most authentically is, (resurrection) then Jesus must have been tickled and thrilled!   As they are walking toward the house, would there have been a difference in Jesus’ eyes?  Would he have carried himself differently?    My answer to this question is absolutely yes.  Why do I say this?  Because I see it in human people so frequently.  And Jesus was a human person.

I’m left still a little puzzled though by the interjected story of the woman with a hemorrhaging.  Matthew edits the story by removing the question and dialogue of, "Who touched me" which Mark was so emphatic about.  We frequently interpret the story out of the desperation of the woman.  However, given what was said above, if Jesus is carrying himself differently, if Jesus is acutely glowing, then she touches Jesus not out of her desperation but out of his goodness.  The first one is about her.  The second one is about him.  Putting this in terms of ourselves, do we touch Jesus out of our sinfulness or out of his goodness?

I invite you to think about that today, but more importantly, spend some time pondering how you invite Jesus to be resurrection in the midst of your death.  I think Jesus gets pretty thrilled about that invitation!

 

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:10-14c
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Reflection:

Discipleship Today

Last Sunday’s Gospel sets the tone for today’s liturgy:  Jesus wants His followers – you and I – to do what we can to spread the message of God’s Love.  Today’s Gospel selection from St. Luke recounts Jesus sending out the early disciples by two’s, with little else than one another and the message of "peace".  Super-simplicity…Wow!

There’s a sense of urgency in Jesus’ words:  the harvest is great, but workers are few.  He wanted people to experience God’s special love for each of them, and He likewise realized that many people would hesitate to take Him at His word – and so He called upon his disciples to "pound the pavements" of times past and present and use their gifts to help make this Good News known.

Each of us in our Baptism becomes a member of God’s family the Church, and thus helps further shape the mission outreach Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel.  We may not be dynamic street preachers, or great writers, or in other ways powerful or rich – but we each are called to witness Gospel values and live Jesus-centered lives.  We each have a vocation that embraces either married life, single life, priestly/religious life.  Our vocational life-witness includes an informed, enthusiastic, simple, respectful approach to daily events and our fellow human beings…based on the values proclaimed in the life of Jesus…celebrating God’s presence and love for each of us.

Today we’re encouraged to be open to "surprises", like the early 72 disciples:  they went out simply, and came back rejoicing at what happened!  Jesus reminded them…and us…it’s not what you do, it’s who you are.  We’re likewise encouraged to be grateful for our faith – and on this 4^th of July weekend, grateful for our gifts and responsibilities as U.S. citizens. 

May God help each of us to joyfully and faithfully continue living out our vocations, witnessing to God’s Life and Love in our needy world.  Yes, the harvest is great; our world needs God’s gift of peace and healing…and Jesus’ Love will transform us all!

 

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

 

 

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle 

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:19-22
John 20:24-29

Reflection:

"You are no longer strangers and sojourners…" the opening lines of St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians,  the proper reading for today’s feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Yes, I can get in touch with being "stranger and sojourner." When I am up against an evil that I cannot change but can resist, like racism, or solutions addressed with deadly force (abortion, war), I know what it means to be the stranger. When I make every attempt to contribute to the change of another’s life for the good, and do not look for results or acknowledgements, I know what it means to be a sojourner. Thomas gets the rap for being the "doubter," and that is a good thing..someone with whom we can identify. A spiritual blog I read says, "Out of chaos often comes the greatest creativity. We know this is the very nature of the universe. And the only thing that can endure deep doubt or anxiety is deep faith. ..those who can tolerate ambiguity and hold darkness are those who rise to great faith. Faith gets purified every time you go through the cycle of doubt and failure." So what does Jesus want Thomas to do, in order to believe from within, in the face of certain doubt? "Put your finger here…" Who knows where the Spirit  wants to lead us during our mission journey on this planet. The Spirit led Thomas to India.  Who knows where taking our doubts to Jesus will lead us. Don’t be afraid of touching the wounds through which He invites us into His mission of global reconciliation. It is all part of our Passionist charism.

 

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is president of Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham, Alabama.

Scripture:

Amos 7:10-17
Matthew 9:1-8

Reflection:

I don’t usually turn on the TV in the morning, but today I wanted to check the weather.

A cable station came up first. The man being interviewed was young and handsome and quite earnest. He was talking about his strength of faith. He didn’t seem artificially certain about it, but very genuine and full of life.

The camera pulled back and what was revealed in the longer shot was that he had no arms or legs; just one tiny foot beneath his trunk.  I don’t know if he had been born to a mother who had taken thalidomide or not.

He talked about how deeply he carried Christ in his heart. He talked about how he had come to be at peace with himself. What particularly struck me was when he said (to the best of my memory), "What I learned was that I was a broken man not because I had no arms or legs, but because I was broken within. Once I realized that I could be whole inside, I no longer felt incomplete."

Today in the Gospel, Jesus performs a miracle. Making the lame man walk is, of course, miraculous, but before that, he heals the paralytic’s sins.  This, Jesus reminds the scribes, is the far harder thing to do, perhaps in part because the one who is lost must be open and accepting of the grace that is being offered.  Our bodies can be restored and that is a wondrous gift, but it is our hearts’ readiness to receive the spirit of Christ that is truly transformative.

Clearly this young man opened his heart to receive a grace that has made the nearly unbearable, bearable.  His embrace of his cross has opened a door into a new life: a life where he is whole, where he is loved, and where, in his words, he is "not a broken man but a child of God." 

 

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