Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Psalm: 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

Today’s readings make me think of how often, and how easily, we make excuses for our "adjusting" the meaning of the Scriptures to suit our comfort or personal preference.  It is a constant temptation to re-interpret the scriptural challenges of Jesus’ words into something less demanding for us. Even more, the Gospel reminds us that Jesus condemned and called hypocritical the religious figures of his day for whom appearances and honors were more important than the conversion to compassion that the Jewish tradition called for ("They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.").

Since the "widow" and the "orphan" are the only two social classes that are named, we might be excused if we read the words of Isaiah and conclude that God is condemning those whose generalized indifference to justice and charity merit their being addressed as "Sodom and Gomorrah".  This appeal for conversion could be taken as the more abstract and universal pursuit of justice and charity ("cease doing evil" and "learn to do good").  However, we would be wrong because Sodom and Gomorrah are not cities like any other.  In the Genesis account, they are cities which are consumed by fire and brimstone because of their overt depravity, their indifference to the welcome due a stranger, and their hardness of heart in the face of God’s intervention in favor of Lot’s household.  Isaiah calls for the only kind of conversion that ever makes a lasting difference in the life of a community, that which touches the daily effort to live virtuously, to declare welcome those whom society oppresses, and to constitute family and communities where the Kingdom of God is proclaimed.

Jesus asks us to be "single-minded" about our relationship with God.  Let God be your teacher ("rabbi"), and acknowledge God as the source of your life ("father").  With respect to our ties to one another: see one another as equals in dignity ("brothers’), and give to others your humble service ("humble", "servant").  This is the rock-solid, concrete, action-oriented message of today’s readings.  May God give us the insight to discover the ways we can exercise this call to conversion today.

 

Fr. Arthur Carrillo, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist Community in Houston, Texas. 

Scripture:

Daniel 9:4b-10
Luke 6:36-38

Reflection:

Jesus himself gives us our Lenten reflection today.  Let each of us ponder His words, look at our lives and relationships and seek the grace to change our hearts and lives.

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
"Stop judging and you will not be judged."
"Forgive and you will be forgiven."

"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing will be poured into you lap."

"For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you."

Where and to whom am I called today…to be merciful… to stop judging… to forgive… and to give… and to receive…???

 

Marcella Fabing, CSJ, Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, CA

 

Scripture:

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1 or 3:20-4:1
Luke 9:28b-36

Reflection:

At the baptism of Jesus, God speaks from a cloud to Jesus, telling him "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."  But today, at the Transfiguration, God is speaking to us.  "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

Listening is a vital part of communication.  Throughout our world- in schools, businesses, and in the medical field new emphasis is being placed on the value of good listening.  It is probably the most common counsel given to interns and new managers.  If we listen well, we hear more than words.  In fact by listening well, we often learn to really know the speaker.

No less is true of listening to Jesus.  If we listen to Jesus, we learn that He is our loving Savior who gave himself up to God’s will. 

A few days ago, Fr. Phil Paxton reflected on these pages with these words about prayer,  "But if we listen to Jesus, we realize, once again, that we can trust in God’s love for us, and prayer is not only a way for us to communicate our needs to God, but it is to open us up to hearing God’s will for us."

Where do we hear Jesus?  Most of us would say that we hear Jesus in the gospels, and in reflections offered by the homilist at Eucharist. 

But where else do we hear Jesus?  Do we hear Jesus in the cry of the poor?  Do we listen to the voices of our family and hear Christ?  Do we hear the world news and hear Jesus?  Do we, as Fr. Phil is suggesting, hear Jesus in our praying?

Another way of listening for the voice of Christ is to be present to God in silence.  Jesus models this himself in the times he goes out to the desert.  It is good to find a space for yourself that is quiet, away from distractions, where you can go regularly and ask Jesus to be with you in the silence. 

A truly wonderful opportunity to hear Jesus is on retreat.  Removed from the busy cares and concerns of our daily lives, we can quiet our souls and experience a deep silence.  Then truly will we be able to heed the words of God and recognizing that Jesus is his Son, his chosen one, we will follow God’s decree and listen to him!

 

Mary Lou Butler ([email protected])is a former staff member and is now a member of the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center Board, Sierra Madre, California. 

 

 

Feast of Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, CP

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Matthew 5:43-48

Reflection:

We all have certain days that stand out in our memory-joys, tragedies, turning points in our lives.  I vividly remember a day soon after I graduated law school.  I was a young, new lawyer.  The truth is I had no idea how to navigate the legal profession.  I looked to people I trusted for guidance and advice. 

I was attending a seminar just a few weeks after passing the Bar Exam.  I don’t remember the particular topic for the day.  But, a very well-respected lawyer took the stage and started to talk about the fine art of litigation.  I remember nothing about the speech with the exception of one sentence. 

He pulled us all in with a bit of a hushed tone as if to indicate we were about to hear the most treasured secret to a successful legal career-the very essence of how to be a good, winning lawyer.  "Revenge," he said, "is a dish best served cold."  In that moment, I thought to myself that I may very well have chosen the wrong profession.   

You might ask (as I did), what does revenge have to do with being a lawyer-an advocate for justice, a champion of right?  Of course, our legal system is adversarial.  But to characterize the practice of law with this fierce a description shook me to the core.

I imagine that the speaker at this conference never read today’s Gospel-or perhaps wanted to forget it!  Our Lord often spoke in parables.  There are in fact many passages in the Bible where the language can be analyzed and picked apart.  But today’s message leaves little room for interpretation; "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."

How strange and foreign a concept.  We have heard that we should love our neighbor-and frankly, for some of us, that might be difficult enough.  But to love and pray for those who hate us is the very essence of Christianity.  I think when this reading first really made an impression on me was in high school. At the time, I remember thinking that as Christians God is calling us to be in some ways passive-to turn the other cheek. 

But when I read it now, I find it very empowering.  Let’s face it, as Americans and Christians, there are a lot of people who hate us.  It would be easy to let that dictate our own feelings.  Our Father’s direction to us, then, is really quite freeing.  We can and should give our love even to those who may not return it.  Our Heavenly Father "makes his sun rise on the bad and the good."  Are we wiser than our God that we should wish only darkness on our enemies?       

Sometimes I think I congratulate myself far too much for doing things that I should be doing anyway.  Think about some of the most evil figures-dictators and kings-in the history of the world.  Didn’t even these men and women have friends, spouses, children whom they cared for and loved?  As Jesus says, "if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that?"  Christ called us to be more than ordinary.       

And as for the revenge that my colleague spoke of?  I think I will leave that dish off the menu.

Marlo Serritella is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

 

 

Scripture:
John 3:1-10
Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:
The prospect of a "miracle" catches the attention of most any human being.  Perhaps a physical healing, a financial turn-around, the avoidance of a "sure" accident…for ourselves or a loved one….  Sure! Thank you, Jesus!

The people in today’s Gospel were looking for some such miracle from Jesus, some spectacular proof of his claims to selfless goodness and truth.  But Jesus refused to give any extraordinary sign…his soulful preaching of God’s word was enough.  Even the pagans of Nineveh accepted Jonah’s preaching of reform — and Jonah could in no way match the personal power of Jesus’ words!

As people of faith, we once in a while wish for some extraordinary sign from God to confirm our faith and help us get ahead.  "Oh if God would only let me get that job…win that lottery…lose some weight…cure that cancer…"  Mostly we live by the "ordinary" signs of God’s activity in our lives:  his presence to us in the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Scriptures, and in the lives of one another…"ordinary," yet oh so special!

The Lenten season encourages us to seek a renewal of heart, an openness to God’s redemptive presence in all aspects of life.  In our fast-paced world, it may take a "miracle" to get us to stop and pay attention:  to take a "time-out" and go deeper in our lives. 

Rather than clamor for an attention-grabbing miracle, perhaps we can quietly accompany Jesus to the desert for an experience of spiritual conversation and enrichment, or we can join Him at the table of the Eucharist for a weekday celebration, or accompany Him as He reaches out to the needy person we meet during our day.  And, it’s amazing how these Lenten practices can lead us to ponder the Cross of Jesus — the "sign" of God’s miraculous love for us and our world.  Jesus’ love is greater than we could ever ask or imagine!

May Jesus’ Passion-ate love fill our hearts these days of Lent.

 

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

Scripture:

Esther 18:21-28
Psalm 130: 1-8
Matthew 7:7-12

Reflection:

Today’s scriptures affirms for us that prayer is a dynamic relationship between God and ourselves.  In the Book of Esther she risks her life by interceding for her people.  Her prayer is "My Lord, my King, you alone are God.  Help me, who am alone and have no help but you."  In the parable of the annoying neighbor, who has unexpected guests, we admire his persistence and his neighbors acquiescence.  First, one of the lessons Matthew is communicating is that "persistence" in prayer is an admirable quality.  Second, and more important is that it is not "persistence" that wins the day.  It is the relationship that we have with God.  God is a loving parent and because of this wants to provide what we most need. 

Matthew uses classic biblical terms for prayer in this story that his audience could not miss.  Matthew has chosen very precise words to speak of the importance of prayer. The words: Ask, Seek, and Knock are all used in the Hebrew Scriptures as synonyms for prayer.   Not only in the Scriptures is this true.  It is also true in all our lives.  We all find ourselves "asking" God for our simplest daily needs: to finish a task, to keep an appointment on time, to finish an exam, to pass a test.  Sometimes we ask for daily needs  we can not even find words to express. That a loved one will be healed of an illness, an injury, an addiction.  At times in our asking we are like a child "with no language but a cry."  Yet somehow faith assures us our cry is heard and God will respond.  At other times we "seek."  We are like the student of life who is seeking for answers, and is not sure what the right question may even be.  But in our ignorance and thirst for an answer we are sure God understands our question and gives the needed response.  Because of this assurance we enter deeply into the mystery of life and carry the sufferings and hopes of our family and friends with us confident that God is a loving parent who provides for our needs.  Sometimes we need to "knock" because our words are too weak. Like the prophet Qoheleth, we stand pounding at the door of separation and injustice until our knuckles are bleeding.  We knock in the darkest night praying that the door of life is beyond the perceived door of death. God is the Door of Life and is opened to all who ask, seek, and knock.   Matthew says God will give all "good things" for those who ask.  Luke says God will give "the Holy Spirit."  Hopefully, "good things" and the "Holy Spirit" are the fruit of our asking, our seeking, our knocking – our prayer.

 

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:10-11
Matthew 6:1-15

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer. The lesson culminates in what we call the "Lord’s Prayer," or the "Our Father." In the first verse of our reading, Jesus says, "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." This is important to remember, because it’s very easy to see prayer as trying to persuade God to attend to our needs and wants. But if we listen to Jesus, we realize, once again, that we can trust in God’s love for us, and prayer is not only a way for us to communicate our needs to God, but it is to open us up to hearing God’s will for us.

When we see prayer in that light, we begin to perceive how radical a prayer the "Our Father" really is. For me, the most radical part of that prayer is, "…and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." As we look at the conflicts going on in our world, at the political divisions in our own country, and even isolated incidents such as the shooting in Huntsville, AL, or the man crashing his plane into the IRS building, forgiveness remains a daunting challenge and a radical concept.

But as difficult as it can be (and it can be very difficult), we cannot get away from Jesus’ command to forgive. Jesus even goes so far as to say, "If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." Thank God that God is always ready to forgive, and that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins! Thank God that we are given the grace to forgive, if we ask for it! In the words of our first reading from Isaiah, may Jesus’ words about forgiveness "achieve the end" for which it was sent to our hearts.

 

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

First Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 26.4-10
Romans 10.8-13
Luke 4.1-13

Reflection:

In a movie going back several decades, Pat O’Brien plays the role of a dock-workers priest on the east coast, defending the workers against exploitation by the dock boss.  A strong man was called in by the boss to demonstrate where the power lay in this confrontation, by his picking up a thick steel bar on the desk and bending it out of shape.  In response O’Brien picks up the same bar, and straightens it out.  This is called rectifying the situation, and this is what Lent is all about: rectification, or justice, as Pope Benedict describes Lent.

Each of today’s scriptures addresses this rectification process, in one way or another.  For example, the Deuteronomy reading presents Moses recalling some of their history to the Jewish people, starting with the "downside" earlier on, when they were captive to the Egyptians, undergoing maltreatment and oppression.  But he then recites the better days when the Jews cried out to the Lord for help, Who brought them out of Egypt with strong hand and outstretched arm.

In our second reading, Paul addresses the Jewish component among the early converts to Christianity in Rome, incredulous that the salvation they so fervently want doesn’t come from keeping the law but from faith that God raised Jesus from the dead and, what is more, that even non-Jews, i.e., gentiles, can gain the same salvation provided they share the same faith.  Thereby Paul attends to their concerns and anxieties.

Luke’s gospel account recalls the forty day ordeal Jesus spent in the desert, alone, and subject to the three temptations insidiously slipped before Him by the devil: food to allay His hunger, power over the kingdoms of the world to enhance His stature, bravado before the law of gravity to satisfy His pride, to each of which Jesus countered with His own versions of food, fealty and faithfulness, vanquishing His arch-enemy.

Lent is our opportunity to come to terms with our vulnerabilities, lying just beneath the surface of our complacencies, our comforts, our sense of accomplishment.  We suffer weaknesses, inadequacies and distortions like the Jews of old before the Egyptians or the law or like the weakened Jesus confronted by the wily Evil One.  Lent is not designed to leave us on the desk of life like a bent bar, but to alert us to our need of help-a Moses, a Paul, a Jesus (a Pat O’Brien?), so that we can be justified, as Pope Benedict would say, that is, rectified, and straightened out.  If we spend Lent recognizing our needs, we will reap, at its conclusion, convictions that help is at hand in the One Who died and rose into power and glory.  He can rectify our situation regardless of its ill-shaped condition.  

 

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