Daily Scripture

The Ascension of the Lord 

Scripture:

Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23
Luke 24:46-53

Reflection:

"EVERY PARTING IS A FORM OF DEATH, AS EVERY REUNION IS A TYPE OF HEAVEN." – Tryon Edwards

Every type of human parting is difficult, painful, sad.  A 5 year old tyke is left by her mom or dad at the kindergarten door…tears….until mom says she’ll be back.  A husband and father has to be away from home during the week, the company needs him in a city 4 hours away…tears again, until the weekend comes!  The hardest of all…the parting which is death, from dad or mom or spouse, sibling, dear friend.  Many, many tears, perhaps a time of depression even, until the words of Jesus ring in one’s heart: "I am the resurrection and the life", or "I tell you most solemnly you will be weeping and wailing, while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy."

In 1984, my cousin Laura developed a condition known as Wilson’s disease….which results in a toxic accumulation of copper in the bloodstream.  Thank God, she was able to receive a double-transplant, kidney/liver, which gave her another 14 years of life, fully lived.  She resolved to make the most of whatever time she had left and was able to make every family reunion and wedding during that time. After she passed away, while waiting for another liver transplant, her sister Kris asked God to give her some sign Laura was OK.

Kris told us that that same evening, she had a wonderful dream in which Laura was "dancing in the house of Asher" (one of the tribes of Israel).  She told us how that dream enabled her to live more fully.

It’s 2010, and we once more approach the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the feast of Pentecost.  Like the disciples, we wonder at times when we seem to experience Jesus’ absence more than His presence, whether it be through the terrible oil spill in the Gulf, the shaky world economy or something more personal. " But your sorrow will turn to joy." Not through magic, but by going through the very pain of parting which we think will tear us apart, do we "see" Jesus again.  These meetings can be sudden, always peaceful, when we sense the Lord.  It can be in the glory of nature, by ourselves, yet most often ’round the Table or other times of prayer with Jesus’ other friends.

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi, C.P. is stationed in Houston, Texas.

 

Scripture:

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16:12-15

Reflection:

Some years ago, Mr. Suki Sivam, a Hindu motivational thinker, spoke about an experience he had when he was studying at a Christian school in Chennai. Once, a student was drawing a picture when the teacher was teaching in the classroom. The teacher got angry and asked him to stand outside the classroom as a punishment. Br. Anslem, the principal, happened to visit the classes and saw the boy standing outside the classroom door. He asked him what the reason was for this. The student responded saying, "I was drawing when the teacher was teaching in the class." The principle took him to the principal’s room and asked him to draw his picture. This boy drew a picture of principle so well that the principal was amazed. The principal appreciated this very much and even gave him some more sketches to draw. Then he said, "I ask you to do one thing, that is, not to draw during the class hour."  He took him back to the teacher and asked the teacher to excuse the boy this time. Bro. Anslem had a beautiful way of communicating with this boy and helping him correct his mistake. The student never drew pictures during class time again.

We see a similar thing in today’s first reading. Paul uses the shrine to the "Unknown God" of the Athens to speak about the God who has raised Jesus from the dead. He had a beautiful way of speaking about God’s creation of the world and humankind’s search for meaning in life. In the end though, only a few respond to his preaching, while the rest found it hard to accept the idea of the resurrection from the dead. In the gospel, Jesus too understands his disciples and encourages them by saying that he would send the Holy Spirit who would be a teacher guiding believers to the truth. God’s revelation likewise will unfold slowly in God’s own time. God is a gentle and patient teacher.

May the Lord help us to be always open to the Spirit.  May He guide us and lead us gently to the truth.

 

Fr. Nelson, C.P. is a member of the Indian Vicariate and is currently assigned to St. Agnes Parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Revelation ;10-14, 22-23
John 14:23-29

Reflection:

In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus says to His disciples after promising to them the coming of the Holy Spirit: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." In these times, it might be helpful to reflect upon the kind of peace Jesus gives.

What is the difference between how the world gives peace, and how Jesus gives peace? How does the world give peace? One of the ways the world "achieves" peace is by conquest. In almost any conflict throughout history, there has been a winner and a loser, and at some time the conflict is over, and this is considered peace. But all too often history shows us that oppression continues, even though those who oppress and those who are oppressed may change, and there is no real peace.

Another way the world "achieves" peace is by denial of the conflict. There may be upheavals in our lives, times of pain and sorrow, and we get sucked into trying to numb the pain or escape reality. This is not real peace, either.

The world also "achieves" peace by silent assent. It has been said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that evil triumphs when good people fail to speak up. We can sometimes turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to what is happening, and as long as there is no fuss, there is peace. Of course, the continuation of evil is not true peace.

How does Jesus give peace? In His love for us, Jesus gives us peace. Jesus’ love gives us peace because it leads us to put our trust in God. By His Sacrifice on the Cross, and His Resurrection from the dead, Jesus has freed us from the power of sin, and the fear of death! We know God is faithful! We know God is present, even when we can’t feel it. So when we may feel crucified at some time or another, we can look to resurrection! When the storms may be raging in our lives, we know Jesus can be our shelter! In the midst of upheaval, we can find real peace in Jesus.

As we grow closer to Jesus, and experience the peace that comes from knowing His love, we are called to share that love with others. We are called to make peace. There have been many in history, including Pope Paul VI and Martin Luther King, Jr., who have reminded us that to achieve real peace, we must work for justice. We are to work towards a world where all have the necessities of life, and all have the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential.

That may seem too abstract and high-minded to be realistic. Perhaps one way we can begin to make peace is to reach across the barriers and divisions that people put between themselves. Maybe now is the time to reconcile with that former friend or loved one. Maybe now is the time to listen to those who are different. In our first reading from Acts, the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem needed to listen to those disciples who worked with the Gentiles. The needed to hear how God was working among those who were different. And so, in the power of the Holy Spirit, they discerned that the Gentiles did not need to become Jews first in order to be Christian. There was no absence of a conflict (you can read more fully from Acts about this, not to mention Paul’s version of things in Galatians!), but rather, an effort towards justice for all disciples. In other words, there was work towards real peace in the community.

As we have found real peace in Jesus, we are called to be peacemakers. The One to whom so much violence was done, did not return violence with more violence. Instead, He sacrificed Himself, and won the victory for us, and gave us peace!

May God continue to bless us all. May we find peace in Jesus Christ, and may we make peace in His name.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, Fairfield, Alabama.

 

Scripture:

Acts 16:1-10
John 15:18-21

Reflection:

When I was 20 years old I often read the accounts of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. I allowed my imagination to run wild as I thought about his travels from city to city. Reading about Paul’s journeys had a huge impact on my way of life. I developed the desire to live my life like his. The Spirit guided my life’s call through the Scriptures. Now I go from city to city preaching the Gospel.

One of the joys of my life was leading a pilgrimage to Greece and some of the cities visited by Paul. Because of a dream, Paul concluded that he was being called to preach the Gospel in Europe. Monday’s reading will continue with his odyssey as he meets a woman named Lydia in Philippi. I had the privilege of presiding at Mass at this riverside spot where the first baptism in Europe occurred. So many cities visited and multitudes touched, all because Paul was open to the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit.

As a province we are faced with many decisions as we delve into restructuring. The Spirit is at work in our council and gatherings. Last night 20 individuals assembled at our retreat center in Houston to discuss relevant issues that would lead to a new retreat theme. It was wonderful to see the Spirit guiding us as we shared. As individuals, we are faced with a multitude of choices every day. I constantly strive for new preaching inspirations, expansion of my TV ministry, and guidance as I write. Paul was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I pray for a deeper openness to the movement of God’s Spirit in us as a province, local community, and as individuals. As he did in the Acts of the Apostles, God’s Spirit continues leading and guiding apostles today.

 

Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a missionary preacher, author of 13 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:

Acts 19:1-8
John 16:29-33

Reflection:

The disciples of John the Baptist, many years after his death, were still out proclaiming John’s call to repentance.  They would baptize with water, symbolizing the cleansing of the sinfulness people were letting go of.   This kind of preaching called people to make a very good examination of conscience.  They were awakened to a deeper awareness of their sinfulness and they cried out to God to cleanse them of these sins.

Paul reminds some folk in Ephesus who had received the baptism of John the Baptist, that John himself spoke of one coming after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  This person was Jesus.  To be baptized in the name of Jesus was not only a cry to be cleansed of sins but an opening to the great power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has released.  This baptism not only cleansed the soul but brought it into union with God in a mighty way and empowered it for it earthly journey.

In the early church, to receive the Holy Sprit at baptism was not just a belief in an invisible effect.  It was an actual manifest experience.  People knew clearly whether or not they had received the Holy Spirit.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit were visible; "they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

For some years I was very active in the Charismatic Movement.  At the heart of this movement was the belief that we all have received the Holy Spirit at baptism.  However, so many of us put this mighty power inside a thick lead box and say, "Holy Spirit I want you to be with me.  But stay here and do not bother me."  The Charismatic Movement had as its goal, the "release" of this boxed up gift of God, the release of the Holy Spirit.  The initial release was so powerful in our age, that it set many, many lives on fire.  Initially it was "out of control" so to speak.  But, things settled down and hopefully the fire is burning deeply and powerfully inside the lives of many people today.

We are getting near the great feast of Pentecost.  Let us dare to pray for the release of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.  There will be no doubt that we have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.    

 

Fr. Blaise Czaja, C.P. gives parish missions and retreats.  He is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

 Scripture:

Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17

Reflection:

When Jesus said, "Love one another," as he does in today’s Gospel, his followers might not have imagined just how far the limits to their love might need to be stretched. For there was no containing either the geographic or spiritual boundaries of the faith that would come to be called Christianity, and each of its believers would be called to a new level of surrender to God, to an expanded definition of family,  and to a new understanding of inclusion.

In the reading from Acts, we see the fledgling communities of Christians trying to "sort themselves out" and deal with the very practical issues arising from cultural differences among Christians.   On the one hand, there is the group of Jewish Christians who have come from a tradition which holds certain practices, circumcision and dietary practices among them, as integral to their very identity. Now here come the Gentiles, powerfully drawn to the word of Christ which has spread outward, but not practitioners of the same observances as their Semitic counterparts.

Right from its inception–due to its success actually–we see how Christians are forced to confront those impulses which seek to label someone as "other" and either dismiss, or control, that which is different. Christians are part of a new family, one that is diverse and increasingly far-flung, and the old judgments and narrow vision have no place.  It is quite touching to see how the early leaders, inspired by the Holy Spirit, seek to shepherd the various Christian communities and keep them rooted in the essential message of Jesus. Can you imagine the tragedy had the various groups descended into endless bickering or exclusionary ideology about what is the correct way to be a Christian?

And so we come to today, and I am reminded that inclusion is a struggle that didn’t only exist "back in the day."  Who among us hasn’t had to confront personal prejudice – against people of color, gay men and women, certain ethnic groups, people of a particular economic class?

To be a Christian is to embrace a radical vision of love – just as Jesus commanded – a love that doesn’t begin and end at self or immediate family – but extends outward, is inclusive, and may require the giving of one’s very life for another.  It is this commitment to unselfish love that keeps pushing back at the boundaries that divide us, and in the end defines us as a community of diverse, faithful, resilient people of hope.

 

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

Scripture:

Acts 16:11-15
John 15:26-16:4a

Reflection:

I have attended many gatherings of Protestant Christians wherein someone is invited to "give a witness" or to "testify".  These people then speak, often with great passion, about an encounter with God or a way in which God touched their lives. Sometimes these witness talks contain questionable theology or dubious interpretations.  Yet the overall effect is that the community is constantly being reminded of God’s presence and power in the world.

Where is the equivalent of this in the Catholic Church? 

We hear scripture readings (provided we listen to them attentively) and they certainly testify to God.  We hear homilies that hopefully help break open the Word and challenge us to see how it applies in our daily lives.  But I can’t remember the last time I heard a Catholic person stand up in a gathering and witness to their faith if they weren’t the paid speaker for the event.

Quite to the contrary, Catholics I know are intensely reluctant to testify to their faith.  We avoid the topic outside of the church building, and if someone else starts talking about faith, we quietly move away from that group.

I do not absolve myself.  I constantly speak of my faith in public in the context of the missions, retreats, training sessions, and workshops I offer all over the country. Yet in a group of people where I am unsure of the religious affiliation or leanings, I am much more reluctant to open my mouth.  At professional conferences that are not explicitly faith-based, I am guarded about my beliefs and religious affiliation.

Are we silent disciples missing something important?  Where is the line between inappropriate or theologically shaky testimony, and honestly witnessing to the power of God and faith in our lives?  How often have I too easily surrendered to the desire not to "offend" anyone or the fear of being labeled as a religious fanatic? How many people have remained untouched by God because I refused to allow God to work through me to reach them?  If I don’t open my mouth, how can God’s healing and loving word be spoken in a world so desperately in need?

Jesus warned us that not everyone would listen, and even fewer would agree.  He did not say this was an excuse to keep our mouths shut.  Are we listening?  Are we speaking?

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/.

             

Scripture:

Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8

Reflection:

Welcome back to the Vineyard!  As we continue our Easter journey, today the church continues the readings from Acts of the Apostles and St. John the Evangelist leads us back into the Vineyard.   
 
In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas decide they need to go back to Jerusalem for dialogue and conversation around one question. Luke, the writer of Acts of the Apostles, says the controversial issue is the practice of circumcision.  Probably the action of circumcision wasn’t nearly as big as the issues behind the actions.  Namely, does one have to become Jewish first, before becoming Christian?  And if this is the case, then is Christianity merely an elite branch of Judaism?  The church needed to come together to discuss its fundamental identity.  Who are we with respect to our essential roots in our Jewish tradition?  This gathering together of course was the first gathering of the church which we now call the Council of Jerusalem.  We would later come to name these gatherings as Ecumenical Councils.  The most recent of course is the second Vatican Council which took place from 1962 to 1965. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_council lists the councils and gives pertinent information regarding each Council.)  These gatherings of the church are for the most part good and healthy for its existence.  The church seems to be best when she is in dialogue.  So when the Pope calls an Ecumenical Council, he is inviting the church to do something which not only as part of our tradition, it’s also an invitation to listen to ourselves as a global entity and to enter more profoundly into a global and faith dialogue.
 
When we get to the gospel, we must remember that John’s Gospel is highly symbolic. John will frequently use the image of vineyards and wine with the understanding that these are the eschatological times.  All of us are invited to work in the Lord’s vineyard.  And that vineyard is not a heavy burden.  The vineyard is the place that prepares us as we work for some greater good.  The vineyard is the place that you work towards a future where there will be wine and celebration.  Ideally, the vineyard is a place of happiness ad peace.  It’s not a coincidence that the fourth evangelist has Jesus public ministry beginning at a wedding banquet.  The wedding banquet is the culmination of everything that came from the Vineyard, and Jesus sees himself as the bridegroom.  So the invitation to be literally grafted to the vine is an invitation of oneness with the Lord.  Similarly in doing so we also give the Lord permission to prune away any of the branches which are not fruitful.  This can be quite threatening, especially when we hold onto non-truths, broken promises, or sentimental keepsakes.

 If we choose not to be grafted to this vine I think we end up in a place of tremendous isolation and loneliness.  Scripturally, another profound example of this contrast is found with the two men who are crucified on each side of Jesus.  One accepted the love and mercy Jesus extended to him, and the other one did not. What a terrible, isolated, and lonely place that must have been.

 Reflection question for the day:  As you look at the place of your employment, can you see and name areas of the Lord’s vineyard which you have been invited to work and participate?

 

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