Daily Scripture

The Annunciation of the Lord

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38

 

Reflection:

St. Irenaeus, a second century bishop, records the importance of this feast.  There is also another ancient tradition that marks the death of Jesus on March 25^th.  Today this feast day comes as we are in the midst of Lent, and it brings something of the ineffable season of Christmas. 

In Luke, God works among ordinary people.  Zachary the elderly priest is going about his temple duties.  Elizabeth is a faith filled wife.   Mary is a young maiden betrothed to Joseph, the carpenter.  They live in an insignificant village, in an unimportant outpost of the Roman Empire.  There the angel Gabriel appears to Mary.

Luke focuses on the words spoken by the angel and Mary’s response.  Luke does this because it is God who is the principle actor in this scenario.  Gabriel’s parting words are: "Nothing is impossible for God!"  He is right: a barren couple bear a child.  A virgin conceives a child.  God becomes human.   A tomb will beget the resurrection.  The Spirit of God will inspire the Church. 

Like Mary, God enters our life at half stream and turns it around.  Gabriel waited for Mary’s answer.  God waited for Mary’s answer.  We all carry the promise of salvation within us.  God awaits our answers. Mary had no idea what was in store for her.  She entered into the imagination of God. Her whole life, body and soul, was caught up in God’s grace.  She was led by the Spirit into the full truth of Jesus’ suffering, passion, death and resurrection. 

Mary’s yes enlivened history, and changed the future.  Mary’s example teaches us that God interrupts our lives when we least expect it.  Mary’s honor and dignity come from her relationship with Jesus and her faith filled response to God’s call.  To accept interruption becomes a principle of our life.  Thus peace and salvation come into the world.

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P. is the archivist at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.   

   

 

           

Scripture:

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
John 8:31-42

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about his deep concern about truth. "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples".   One of the scariest things in life is truth.  We spend a great deal of time and effort in our lives making sure people don’t know the truth of ourselves.   The truth of God is far more intimidating than the truth about ourselves.    Once the truth of God is known, then excuses and lack of response leave us guilty and cowardly.    So we have a tremendous resistance to the truth.   We do all we can to obfuscate it, and have antipathy towards anyone who talks about the truth.   Authority in the Church is resented.   We defend ourselves by pointing to the personal deficiencies of the presenters of the truth.   Even the enemies of Jesus admitted, "Teacher, we know you are true, and teach the way of God in truth" ( Mt 22:16),  but they killed Him.

The Greek word for truth in the New Testament is alathaes.  It is a combination of the negative a and the word for hide, lanthano.   Truth is reality that is seen and is no longer hidden.  It is not difficult for us to understand why we fight the truth.  "The light shines in darkness" but we run like bugs on the floor.  We head for the dark places of this world.   I think in our modern world there is an abhorrence of the truth.   It makes too many demands on us.   It takes away our excuses.   It is interesting that both in biblical and modern English that truth is not just about reality.    Truth is deeply relational.  When Jesus says "I am the Truth" ( John 14:6), he not only talks about his all embracing reality, but about his faithfulness.   When a couple promise to be true to each other, they are talking about fidelity.   One of the beautiful titles of God is El Emuna, Truthful God.   Truth and fidelity must kiss if they are to reach their all enticing beauty.

 

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

Scripture:

Numbers 21:4-9
John 8:21-30

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus is trying to convince the people that He is the Messiah, the Son sent from the Father to save His people. He tells them, "For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." But the people do not understand. And Jesus then says, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me."

Once again, Jesus shows how different the Gospel is from the ways of the world. When He tells the people that they will recognize Him when He is lifted up, He is of course referring to being lifted up on the Cross. God’s power is not revealed in the taking over of a nation, or wresting it away from a foreign empire. God’s power is revealed in love and sacrifice.

What do we "realize" when we look at the Cross? Do we realize that God, the great I AM, the source of all being, the One beyond the limitations of time and space, chooses to love us that much? Do we hear Jesus indeed saying what the Father taught Him to say: "You mean this much to me?" Can we see that we are not alone in our sufferings and trials?

In our first reading from Numbers, Moses was told to make a bronze representation of a seraph serpent, so that the people could be healed from the bites of the real serpents. May we look upon the Cross, and open our hearts to Christ’ healing love for us.

 

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

Reflection:

Even good people get criticized.  After reading today’s scripture reading it seems it may be more accurate to say "good people get criticized more than most!"

The prophet Jeremiah was certainly a good person.  As we look back on the history of our religious tradition, he stands out as one of the very best.  Yet, in today’s reading, as in many other places in the Book of Jeremiah, he is lamenting the constant criticism he is receiving from so many of his peers, especially the religious leaders of his time.  He comes to the realization that they are not only critical of him but "are hatching plots against me."  The religious leaders set out to destroy Jeremiah’s reputation and ultimately, by their false testimony about him and constant harping against him, got him thrown into prison.  No doubt they were pleased that they had destroyed his reputation and forced him out.  Ironically, it was Jeremiah’s vision and witness that sustained the people of Israel during their darkest experiences of defeat and exile.

It seems that Jesus is having a similar experience in today’s Gospel.  It begins on a positive note with some wondering whether Jesus is "one of the prophets" or perhaps "the Christ."  But soon descends into bickering about where he’s from (Galilee? Bethlehem?), who his parents are, is he of the royal line of David, etc., etc.!   The arguments grow more truculent and the enemies of Jesus grow more determined when the soldiers refuse to arrest Jesus when ordered to do so.  Clearly, the chief priests and the Pharisees continue to malign Jesus and will soon plan his destruction.

It may be me, but it seems that there is a lot of criticism bandied about these days.  Political leaders, church leaders, local community leaders, members of school boards, parishioners and fellow citizens all seem to be fair targets for someone.  Accusations and denunciations are made with little or no concern about whether they are true.  The more scandalous or scurrilous the charges the more play they are given in the media, on the internet or over the back fence.  Few seem to worry about the impact the gossip has on not only the people targeted but also their families and friends.

It was this same kind of toxic atmosphere that ultimately imprisoned Jeremiah and killed Jesus.  Perhaps part of our Lenten renewal could be a refusal to enter into the free-flowing game of criticizing those around us, whether they be family, personal friends, or local and national leaders.  Christ’s call to love one another is the true path for us. 

 

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of lay formation for Holy Cross Province and is stationed at Immaculate Conception Retreat in Chicago.

Scripture:

Isaiah 43.16-21
Philippians 3.8-14
John 8.1-11

Reflection:

The former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is facing trial in the court of law for various violations of his legal responsibilities while governor.  Nonetheless, he is vigorously seeking out and receiving invitations to appear on talk-shows.  These are a source of income for him, to compensate for having been stripped of his status as a duly licensed attorney.  The downside of this creative approach is concern that he is tainting, by such public exposure, the potential jury pool that he will shortly be facing.

Is he violating the law, even flaunting it?  Is he thereby gaining an advantage for himself, in the meanwhile giving bad example to the public at large, that one can do these things with impunity?

When the scribes and Pharisees bring before Jesus a woman just caught in adultery (one wonders whether she was the victim of a set-up, just as Jesus was about to be in the plan underway), the law is very much in evidence: "Now, in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  So what do you say?"  To disregard the law would be bad example on Jesus’ part, to say the least.  But one wonders whether His stooping to the ground and writing in the dirt didn’t expose a bit of bad example clinging to the lives of her accusers.  Jesus may not have been beyond a touch of coyness on His own part.

The woman was obviously being used as a pawn in a chess game underway here where the major players were the law and faith in Christ.  Isaiah, in today’s first reading, lays down the ground-rules for the outcome of this contest: "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new."  The law was part of the old regime; Christ is something new on the scene.  The rules of the game are changing.  As Paul clearly spells it out: "…not having any righteousness of my own based on the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God…"

When Jesus dismissed the woman with His "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore", was she just happy to get off scot-free, or was it dawning on her that something new and momentuous was underfoot now, and she was an important player in bringing it about?  Perhaps she already anticipated Paul’s advice: "…forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal…"

This scenario confronts sin in a new way, elevating it from the level of a legal issue to that of a personal one, where the person is Christ.  The woman experienced this very thing in her encounter with Him.  It is not likely that she took the whole event lightly (she could have been stoned to death).  Being at the confluence of an Isaiah, Paul and Jesus, she really didn’t escape anything.  Rather, she fell into a whole new sense of what it means to sin.  In the process, she managed to avoid a judgment on herself by a probably tainted jury pool, whose members edged out of sight, slowly, beginning with the oldest.  Wouldn’t Lent be a triumph for us if we could absorb her experience into our lives?

 

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

 

Scripture:

Exodus 32:7-14
John 5:31-47

Reflection:

"You search the Scriptures, but you do not want to come to me to have life."

The ability to quote someone doesn’t necessarily mean that we fully understand the quote.  In dealing with our faith we are faced with something of the same order.  Quoting scripture that we have memorized is commendable.  Knowing the scriptures, the authors, the historical context in which they were written, the audience for whom they were written at that time is very helpful.  But the gnawing question is: How do the scriptures bring me to a greater knowledge of God, a relationship with God that is very personal.  In the gospel for today Jesus is disappoint with his listeners because it is precisely the personal relationship, the personal friendship that is lacking.  Oh, sure, "you search the Scriptures, because think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.  BUT…you do not want to come to me to have life."

No friendship is built totally on knowledge, as good as that is, and as necessary. Friendship needs the personal contact.  There is the element of trust, openness, honesty, patience, dealing with occasional mistakes.  Getting behind the Gospel text is offered to us, getting in touch with the person, Jesus.  That is a lifelong challenge, one that is true of any close friendship.

St. Theresa of Avila offers a point on prayer that leads a person like you and me "to have life with Jesus."  She makes the point that prayer is really a conversation between two close friends.  Think about that a moment.  Friendships grow.  They are not one-sided.  There is sharing about one’s life.  There are also those precious moments of quiet but with a deep sense of the presence of one’s friend.  Sometimes in the gospels it’s a picture, sometimes it’s a story, a parable, or words of wisdom.  Sometimes we read slowly, pausing over a word or phrase that touches us.  Sometimes it’s just sitting quietly with eyes closed but with a strong sense of His presence.

Where would you go in the scriptures to find out what Jesus has to say to you and me about love?  Have you and I shared and talked to Him about it?  Have you and I at times found ourselves saying, "Jesus, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what love is all about.  I’ve read and heard the scripture saying, ‘Greater love than this no one has but that he be willing to lay down his life for his friends.’ For the longest time I read and heard that line but never made the connection that You were including me as your friend."  From then on a crucifix has never been only that image on the wall at home, on my desk, or hanging on a chain around my neck.  And what about the crucifix hanging over the altar at church?  Mass will never be the same.  You and I hear at the consecration:" This is my body and this is my blood which is offered up for you for the forgiveness of your sins."

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

Feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary

 

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

 

Reflection:

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her." Matthew 1:20

Joseph knew with certainty that Mary was his wife.

However, he was afraid to take Mary, his wife, into his home. He was afraid to do this because he did not know with certainty whose child Mary was carrying in her womb.

Joseph, being a just man, was confused. Not only was he confused, he was paralyzed and unable to make a decision. He had three options, take Mary, his wife into his home, divorce Mary, his wife, in a public manner and bring her shame or divorce her quietly.

Who was he supposed to talk to in order to make a good decision, a decision a just man would make under these circumstances? Should he talk to his parents? Should he talk to Mary’s parents? Should he talk to Mary herself? Certainly, he was not going to talk to his or Mary’s friends about this situation. Maybe he should talk to his Rabbi, but maybe he was not so sure about that either. It was a very difficult and confusing time for him.

We do not know how long Joseph wrestled with this dilemma. Was it days, weeks, or even months? We just don’t know. What we do know is that he had finally made up his mind, and that was to divorce his wife quietly so that Mary would not be exposed to shame. This is what a "just man" does, he believed.

In our culture, it seems to me that we have lost the sense of shame. It is easy for us to shame and blame others. The easiest of all places for this to occur is within our family home. In a home setting, there is no outside world to question the way we shame and blame others, be they wife or husband, child or parents, the ones we are supposed to love the most. We can accuse and we can abuse or we can strike out and we can strike down just because we believe that we are within the safety of our homes and we have the power to do so. Some become so expert in casting shame, that it is not shameful for them to do this outside the home. Some even flaunt it, on the radio, the television or in public forms. The more powerful and untouchable we become, the more shameless we can also be. Those we shame become non-persons for us, in reality, nobodies, worthless creatures that have no human dignity.

What God teaches us through Joseph is that his intuition is correct. It is not right to shame someone, especially someone you love. God also teaches us that things are not always what they seem to be. Mary was with child through the Holy Spirit, and this is what Joseph was called to believe. He had to make this leap of faith when God presented to him that truth in a dream. Joseph had to let go of his decision to divorce his wife, Mary, quietly and then to decide to take her into his home.

God never shames us. On the other hand, we can become ashamed of God. We can become ashamed of being what God asks us to be. We are to be loving, forgiving, respectful and caring, even when we believe the other has done something very wrong. Out of human respect, we can become ashamed of standing up for the poor, the outcast and the nobodies of this world. If we listen carefully to our visions and dreams, we will learn what God is saying to us, just as Joseph, Mary’s husband, learned.

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
John 5:1-16

Reflection:

We have beverages for every occasion-bright, bubbly, or intoxicating. But we would die without water.

 

In the first reading, we read of the lush vision of Ezekiel in which water pours out of the temple and flows out into the land making it verdant and plentiful. Of course this is in one sense a vision for a fertile Israel, one that will grow abundantly into the future.

But it is primarily Israel’s spiritual destiny which is being envisioned. And it is only from the temple, from God, that the sacred waters will flow to nourish souls and bring the Israelites into the fullness of their being as God’s chosen people.  That vision bears fruit in us today, too, when we draw our spiritual sustenance from the deep well of God’s love for us.

Similarly, the Gospel talks about the sick man who has lain fitfully on the edges of the pool of Bethesda, too sick to reach the water to be healed. But it is Jesus, the living fulfillment of the waters that streamed from the temple, who comes to the sick man and asks the simple question, "Do you want to be well?" And with the sick man’s admission of his own frailty, Jesus heals him.  God’s healing is within reach for all of us through Christ; we have only to come in humility before God to receive it.

What the Gospel also reveals is the human ability to block healing as the crowd does in persecuting Jesus because he healed the sick man on the Sabbath. Again and again we see Jesus trying to move us humans beyond the letter of the law so that we can experience the abundance of God’s love. It is our human sickness to live in a desert of fear, rigidity, greed, and judgment, to reject that which will make us spiritually supple and alive.  It is a sickness, but we can be well by drinking in God’s love.

As a final thought on a very practical yet vital level, globally we are approaching World Water Day (March 22^nd), an opportunity to further identify and relieve the suffering of those in our world who are deprived of even decent drinking water, and to find ways to treat this precious resource more respectfully.  The Passionists’ Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation program supports this effort: http://www.jpicpassionist.org/

If you are so moved, please click above to learn more.

 

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