Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Luke 6:6-11

Reflection:

Today is Labor Day in the United States. Different readings can be used for today’s Mass. I will reflect on the readings for ordinary time.

 

In the first reading Paul is reminding the Corinthian Christians about an obvious dynamic: one bad apple can spoil the whole barrelful. Yes, we are to be merciful and forgiving. But if the forgiveness is simply a cover up, pretending all is well, or turning a blind eye and ignoring what is wrong and immoral, then Paul’s criticism of the Corinthians to clear out the old yeast is appropriate.

On the other side of the coin of morality, Jesus infuriates the scribes and Pharisees because he heals a man whose right hand was withered. They accuse Jesus of being immoral since he healed (worked) on the Sabbath. For Jesus the Law was relative to what is good. Sometimes doing good can go against the letter of the law. What is legal is not always moral. In fact, in some situations following the law can be immoral for a Christian. To do the good sometimes transcends the law and may even contradict it.

In 1956, the Post Office made the first Labor Day commemorative-stamp. It was an image for that period of time. It showed the image of a large muscular man carrying a sledgehammer, a pick, a hoe, and an ax over his shoulder. His wife sat nearby showing a small child how to read. The words of the poet Carlyle in the lower left of the stamp announced, "Labor Is Life."

Labor is life!  For the apostle Paul and for Jesus their work brought forth life. As we stand against what is immoral or have the courage to transcend the law for what is good and just, we labor for life. We continue the work of God’s creation today. Happy Labor Day.

 

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

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 4:6b-15
Luke 6:1-5

Reflection:

Embracing Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath

Once again, Jesus meets up with the contrarian Pharisees who noticed some "unlawful" Sabbath activity by Jesus and his disciples:  hungry men picking heads of grain, shelling them in their hands, and eating them.  The Pharisees’ question "why?" was another attempt to humiliate Jesus and weaken any support for Jesus’ message of Good News.

The Pharisees’ legalistic approach to their religious beliefs revealed an extreme view of God and a lack of human compassion; their attitude was "let the hungry starve on the Sabbath; the law is more important than any hunger…"  Jesus pointed out that he and the disciples were doing what was reasonable – and not without precedent as noted in the life of King David; even the final statement of today’s Gospel selection cites Jesus’ crowning statement:  "the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

These days, how do we honor the Sabbath, and the Lord of the Sabbath?  Our 21^st century society offers many encouragements to live each weekend (especially Sunday) as just more days for our everyday routines of busy-ness and work, busy-ness and workl.  God…the Sabbath…no difference!  Jesus challenges our thinking, just as he did the Pharisees of times past:  the "Sabbath" is a sacred, special time for communication with God’; a time of re-creation and rest that opens our lives to the total gift of God’s Life at work in us.  Like those early disciples, we need to walk with Jesus, be nourished by his word and example – and give of ourselves in a profound, sacrificial manner.

Today, we are about a "Labor Day" weekend, as well as moving towards the Church’s 23^rd week in Ordinary Time.  Many will continue to "labor"; some will invest themselves in fellowship and good food, often prepared and enjoyed outdoors in the waning days of summer.  May these few days not be "ordinary", but may we walk with Jesus through the fields of Chicago, Louisville, Los Angeles, Houston, etc. — alive, filled with humility and gratitude for the many blessings that make up our lives as contemporary disciples of Jesus in union with St. Paul of the Cross.  No doubt:  Jesus is Lord!

 

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

Scripture:
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Luke 5:33-39

Reflection:
Would you ever consider cutting apart a section of a new jacket and using it as a patch on an old jacket?  This seems slightly ridiculous.  Or again, would you ever consider going to a wedding and not entering into the eating, celebrating, and rejoicing festivities?

In the gospel today we find certain religious leaders coming to ask Jesus why his disciples don’t fast and do penance. Perhaps it is one of those situations that no matter what you do, there will always be
someone to criticize you.   Jesus’ disciples don’t behave like the disciples of John the Baptist or the disciples of the Pharisees.  This certainly implies that there is a code of behavior by which a "disciple" should follow. Jesus’ answer is quite remarkable. For he doesn’t pass judgment on the question directly.  Rather, the examples he uses make his point without explicitly being judgmental.  Who would go to a wedding banquet and fast?  Why would you cut up a new jacket simply to patch your old jacket?  If you’re making wine, why would you go to all that work simply to put it into a wine skin which is old and worn out, knowing that it would rupture before the wine ages?  And lastly speaking of wine, why would you want to drink new wine that hasn’t aged properly?

All of these questions leave you with a light bulb going on that says, "Oh, that makes a lot of sense!"  What Jesus is trying to do is to get people to think about their religious practices.  The Pharisees believe they know the behavior for every practice.  Yet for Jesus many of the Pharisaic practices simply are eaningless.  Jesus allows the question to be asked and then answers it with another question thus heavily implying empty religious practices are meaningless.

 I think today’s Gospel has huge implications for us as Catholics.  For we frequently have a lot of behaviors we rarely think about.  It’s easy to go through the motions because that is what we were taught.  We spend a lot of time with the "shoulds".  We make judgments on others simply based on their religious behaviors.  We also make judgments on ourselves which are quite burdensome and can lead to negative energy.    But Jesus’ strategy is geared toward illuminating those who want to understand.   He never judges the person, nor does he comment on the quality of the question.  Judgment is subject to those who refuse to reflect.   Paul understands this as well as he speaks in the first reading, the letter to the Corinthians.  "The Lord is the one to judge me, so stop passing judgment before the time of his return."  He continues to speak of how the Lord will bring to light what is hidden.   Perhaps today that bringing to light is an invitation to reflect on some of our religious practices and the meaning which they have.  If this is the case, then we are left with these two specific questions.  Are we attentive to what your religious behaviors are? And do we know why you do them?  

 

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

 

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 18-23
Luke 5:1-11

 

 

 

Reflection:

Today’s two readings can be seen as the other side of Jesus’ question: "What does it profit someone to gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of one’s soul?"  That question was a warning to eschew temporal or selfish power when it jeopardizes one’s fidelity to Christ and His Church.

Today’s first reading tells us that the world is not an evil when seen through our fellowship with Jesus Christ, when we act in accord with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In fact, we share in the power of God that makes all things work together for good (cf., Romans 8:28).  Our baptism must not be divided into partisan expressions of faith in our Savior, Jesus  ("So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you").

Jesus is our "One Lord", and we belong to him, both as Savior and as Son of God.  Equally, when we act in accord with our baptism and with the Gospel, it is Christ who acts through us in all things.

Luke’s Gospel reading is about the choice that Jesus makes in selecting his first apostles, and the "sign" that he gave them of his power to fulfill what he promises.  These veteran fishermen are chosen by Jesus "follow" him; he sweeps them off their feet with an enormous catch of fish, and then he promises to make them even more productive as fishermen "of the Kingdom."

Where are we in all of this?  Jesus challenges us to become more engaged in the works of the Kingdom, and tells us that the arena of this engagement is the whole world.  The Gospel we live and proclaim is for the whole world to receive, and for us to promote by the denunciation of any area of our human life which ignores the Gospel values of justice and peace.

As we prepare to celebrate the Labor Day weekend, let us apply these readings to the scope of our workplace, our employment, our engagement in civil society.  Let us witness to the universality of God’s dominion over our lives.  Let us reflect our conviction that the Kingdom of God is here and now in our lives.  Let us work to build relationships of justice and charity which will proclaim that Jesus is Lord of our lives.

 

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P.  is the director of the Office of  Mission Effectiveness for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Luke 4:38-44

Reflection:

"See you in September, see you when the summer’s gone"… So the old rock song goes! September is somewhat distinctive in the American calendar. It signals the end of summer. There is a change in our national mood and mindset. Vacations are over. Holidays abide in our memories. Work in earnest begins. Schools have reopened. Children leave home, when they can afford it, and take up residence in a college or university. The hot, dog-days of August yield to the last month of major league baseball. Rosters expand to 40 players. Baseball vies with professional and college football. Soon autumn’s riotous colors will lead us into our Octobering. 

September 1 … It’s all just too busy, too overwhelming. Labor Day weekend is upon us. Even the church feels the intensity. Parishes pick up the pace. The catechumenate, less intense during summer months, seriously probes the message of the Gospel. Christian formation ministers seriously pick up the pace across the generations. Pastors, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers seriously implement plans, programs, and pastoral process. The church seriously gets down to evangelizing, meal serving, and fund raising. 

But who’s in charge? Why the hustle and bustle? Why such postures of blessed assurance and self-importance? Does the dawning of the kingdom of God really depend so totally on us for its fruitfulness and flourishing? 

Saint Paul reminds the church in Corinth that jealously and rival factions betray the ministry and the real meaning of ecclesial life. Apollos and Paul are merely ministers. Some plant, others water. But God causes the growth. Ministry is about service, not power, prestige, or privilege. God is in charge. God shapes the human heart and knits together virtuous deeds and lives. God uses us as co-workers in cultivating God’s field and in constructing God’s building. The end result is an ethics of solidarity, collaboration, cooperation, and mutual regard. The end result is a spirituality of humility, mutual regard, tender mercy, and table-sharing. 

The church should start September by catching its breath. We should resist the temptation to go, go, go. Halt the frenzied activity. Refocus so that the pastoral task and the character of pastoral agents join hands in virtuous living. Refocus so that ministerial teams and volunteers join efforts in authentic and suitable power relationships. Refocus so that an ethics of responsibility and a spirituality of mutual regard reign. 

 

Father John J. O’Brien is a Passionist priest, preacher, writer and teacher. He can be addressed at [email protected].

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.