Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 or 40:1-5, 9-11
Acts 10:34-38 or Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Reflection:

When I was much younger, I remember being told that I have a compassionate way of being with people in pain.  Yet it took a long time before I realized there is something deep within me that is named "healer", that I cannot be who I am without helping people heal.  Then it took even longer before I figured out how to concretely make that happen, how to live out the identity God bestowed upon me. 

I’ve often noticed similarities when vowed and ordained religious tell me their life stories.  Almost inevitably, others pointed out their gifts or raised the possibility of a religious vocation long before they appropriated that calling as their own, and then they discerned the specifics of how to enflesh it. 

This growth process is encapsulated in the Christmas season.  We begin with the birth of the infant whose distinctive nature is proclaimed by heaven and earth through stars, angels, shepherds, and astronomers from afar.  This extended epiphany comes to an end when, 30 years later, Jesus takes the first tentative steps toward the fulfillment of that calling, publicly claiming the identity that was announced so long ago.

I imagine it was an emotional moment.  What courage did it take for him to leave Mary and his home in Nazareth to set out on public ministry?  What doubts and fears co-existed with his excitement and ever- growing passion to shine a light on the world?  How sure was he of the path, or even of the next step?  Was that voice from heaven meant primarily for those around Jesus, or was it equally intended as a necessary "push", offering him the reassurance he needed to embark on this journey?  When Jesus encountered the depths of pain, betrayal, and suffering that living out his "Beloved Son-ness" entailed, how often did he return to the memory of that day, to the dove from heaven and the voice of one so familiar, in order to sustain him?

These are questions I ponder, for it is much easier to have a sense of my calling than it is to publicly proclaim that calling and discern the specific actions required.  It is easier to know I want to write a book than it is to determine the particular focus and actually write one.  It is easier to know my kids need to be free to make their own way than it is to wholeheartedly send my son off to New Zealand.  It is easier to recognize I am at a transition point in my life than it is to determine where I am heading, to know what I want to be doing a year or five years from now, and it is always difficult to know whether I am on the right track.

Sometimes, especially in the midst of pain, when I don’t understand and my world seems covered in darkness, it is hard to rest on God’s promises.  Can I trust?  Do I want to claim and live out a baptism that leads inevitably to the cross?  Can I continue to cling to my belief that God has grasped me by the hand and claimed me as a beloved daughter when I am clinging to it with my fingernails as I hang over the precipice?

 Baptism is not easy.  Discipleship and authentic Christian living test me to the core and at times exhaust me.  Can I keep returning to that reassuring voice?  Perhaps just for today I can stand with Jesus in the waters of the Jordan, unsure of where I’m going and what my ministry will entail and yet open to hearing and gratefully accepting the everlasting love and faithfulness of the God who formed me, loves me, and will never leave me to face my trials alone.  Perhaps I can once again claim my identity as a beloved child guided by the Spirit.  Perhaps if I can do that, just for today, it will give me the courage I need to take the next step.

 

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:

1 John 5:5-13
Luke 5:12-16

Reflection:

During the Christmas season, we focus on the mystery of God becoming human. One of the great truths is that Jesus completely identified with us by sharing our humanity. On Sunday the Scriptures will touch on this theme again as we see Jesus baptized standing shoulder to shoulder with common ordinary sinners. In today’s Gospel regarding the leper, Jesus associates and identifies himself with the man fully by touching him and thus becoming unclean.

I remember when I was in Jr. High there was a young man who had a red birth mark that covered the entire left side of his face. Kids can be cruel and some called him "Jupiter." Jupiter, you will remember, has a bright red spot on its surface. This student lived a lonely life. No one wanted to sit with him at lunch or be identified as his friend. To do so would mean that you could face being ostracized.

By touching this leper, Jesus identified and associated himself with someone who was outcast and unclean. This is one of the meanings of Christmas: God became flesh in order to identify with us. Not only that, but in the incarnation, we are able to touch God and associate with him. Emmanuel means "God with us." No longer are we lonely outcasts or unclean. Christmas proclaims that God immerses himself in our situation and becomes one with us. God became fully human to touch our experience and ennoble our humanity.

 

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:
1 John 4:19-5:4
Luke 4:14-22a

 

 

 

Reflection:
Luke introduces the Lord Jesus Christ in his role as God’s Anointed, our Teacher and Redeemer at Nazareth, and take up his work at Caparnaum later. What was said and done at Nazareth is for St. Luke a cameo account of what will ensue in the entire life of Jesus.

St. Luke puts a composite quotation from Isaiah in the mouth of Jesus:"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives… to let the oppressed go free…" Jesus then flatly proclaims: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

His hearers were amazed. "Is this the son of Joseph, who grew up among us? Where did get all this? How dare he claim to be the Anolinted One predicted by the prophets?"

Then the atmosphere became threatening when Jesus declared: "You are saying: "Prove yourself, do here what we hear was done in Caparnaum!" Jesus then informs them. "You can no more lay claim on my powers to cure than did the Jews who saw Elijah and Eliseus work miracles for pagans."

And that was too much! "We’ll show this upstart his rightful place.  He thinks he can insult us. Why, in claiming to fulfill the scripture he insulting God! Stone him, throw him off the cliff."  They rushed him out of town to the brow of the hill and would have cast him down, but he calmly turned on them and walked through their midst.

What did St. Luke have in mind by opening Jesus’ mission with this incident? St. Luke clearly sees this introductory incident as a comment on the entire career of Jesus. It was his way of illustrating St. John’s insight; "He came unto his own, but his own people did not accept him."

Is there a message for us in this incident? Jesus apparently thought so! After his first sharing with Apostles what his fate would be as the Messiah of God, he warns the Apostles and all, including us: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Nazareth will be fulfilled on Calvary.

Jesus warns us to be ready every day for whatever trial or hardship may come our way. Bishop Oscar Romero was well aware that he was under the gun and his Calvary came while he was reoffering the Sacrifice of Christ. The Jesuits and their servants were shot to death as they lay sleeping in their courtyard!

The vast majority of Catholics will not be challenged to die for their faith. But we are all challenged to live it. To turn against God when failure, hardship, loss of job, loss of health, death of loved relatives or friends happens is to reject our faith, our commitment. It is joining the mob at Nazareth, the scorners on Calvary.

 

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

Scripture:

1 John 4:7-10
Mark 6:34-44

Reflection:

Have you ever seen Rembrandt’s painting of the prodigal son?  One of the remarkable details of the painting is that the father seems to be blind. And so to see his son he doesn’t try to look at him with the eyes of his head.  Instead he holds the son’s head close to his heart. I’ve noticed that there are different ways that people see.  Some see only with their mind. Others have the ability to see a little deeper. Frequently it’s that motherly love, which can hear and listen at the level of the human heart, which a child responds to most authentically.   

Our retreat theme this year at Christ the King is based on opening the eyes of our heart.  And one of the graces I am continually blessed to see on retreat weekends is how the totality of the person grows and expands simply over the course of 40 hours.  When people begin seeing with the eyes of their hearts, their ability to love and extend compassion is immensely multiplied.  

When I look at the gospel today, before jumping too quickly to the miracle of the event, I think we must start by seeing the energy and motivation which flows through Jesus.  I don’t mean to downplay Mark’s testimony of the feeding of the five thousand.  I simply think we need to highlight this divine energy and motivation which Jesus capitalizes on. In the first line of today’s gospel Jesus "sees" the crowds. He obviously didn’t see them only with the eyes of his mind, because Mark’s next phrase is an emotional reaction and outreach towards the people.  Mark says that Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.  Jesus sees them with the eyes of his heart.  Now interestingly, this is one of the few places we can know
what is going on in Jesus’ mind.  Mark tells us that an image comes to Jesus and that is the image of sheep without a shepherd. I think all of us have had at different times in our lives, images come to our minds. And sometimes, the image is so profound it speaks to depth of your vision and begins to tell you who you are. Specifically in this case—yes, Jesus, you are  the shepherd.  And so Jesus does what a shepherd does, he tends his sheep.  This is why we see in John’s Gospel, when he can’t do it anymore, he tells Peter to "feed my lambs, and tend my sheep" (John 21:15-16).

Jesus is the manifestation of the Father. And the divine energy at play here is that of compassion. When he invites his disciples to give the crowd something to eat, their response is not one of compassion but of the practicality of the situation. They simply revert back to what they see with their minds and the result is not something which build faith as much as it is something which scatters doubt.

Perhaps instead of naming this gospel, "Jesus feeds five thousand" a better title could be, "The disciples receive another lesson on seeing with the eyes of Jesus and responding with the compassion of the Father". Again and again I’ve been amazed at the miracles of healing parents have through that divine energy of love and compassion.  I’ve watched parents literally will or lift the pain which their child carries out of their child and carry it themselves. And it is merely the miracle of compassion. I’ve seen walls which took years of anger and hate to build so sturdy and solid simply crumble under a moment of compassion and grace. 

Today, as I hold this gospel, I see it not as historical story which demonstrates how Jesus had authority over fish and loaves as much as a spiritual lesson of life that is frequently played out in our present world.  I suspect you know this in your own experience.

I invite you today to reflect a little on your experiences of compassion. What miracles happened because of this grace? Do you find yourself having any more compassion since the celebration of the birth of Jesus, or even Epiphany?

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

  

Epiphany of the Lord

Scripture:

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

 

 

Reflection:

The Gift of God’s Love Made Manifest

Today we celebrate the "manifestation" of God’s Love in the person of Jesus, the newborn Savior.  The earliest recipients of that manifestation were the simple shepherds, then the elder Simeon and the 84 year old widow Anna.  In today’s Gospel Matthew recounts the star-lit manifestation to the magi, whom we’ve come to call the kings or the wise men — noted as well for the special (and pricey) gifts they brought Jesus and the Holy Family:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Our current practice of Christmas gift-giving derives from the action of these "wise men".  Gifts can be practical, necessary, creative, simple, pricey, even fun – but the significance of the gifts is found in the meaning they bear.

I am remembering the familiar short story by the American author, O. Henry, called "The Gift of the Magi".  The story features a young married couple who were very poor but deeply in love.  The wife had long, beautiful, dark hair.  For Christmas her husband wanted to get her a set of expensive decorative combs to wear in her hair, and despite their poverty he was determined to get that gift for her.  The husband treasured a gold pocket watch handed down from his grandfather.  The wife found an elegant (and expensive) watch chain, and despite their poverty she was determined to get that gift for him.  Come Christmas eve, they both had bought their special gifts for the other.  In exchanging the gifts, they discovered that she had cut and sold her hair to a wig maker to buy the watch chain, and he had sold his treasured watch to buy the decorative combs.  After their initial "shock", they both broke into laughter and fell into each other’s arms, realizing that watch chains and combs mean nothing — it’s love that counts!

Today, the greatest "gift" for each of us and our world is Jesus himself.  Nothing is more perfect or more precious or more practical or more necessary.  He comes to us and our world revealing and sharing unconditional, eternal L O V E … Like the early Magi, may we do Him homage by faith-filled lives of love and service — rooted in simplicity, wisdom, and openness.  With the psalmist we pray, "may every nation on earth adore you."

 

Fr. John Schork is the local superior of Sacred Heart Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Feast of Sts Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors

Scripture:

1 John 2:22-28
John 1:19-28

Reflection:

Today’s first reading, a passage from the first Letter of John, puts us immediately into the cauldron of the Arian Century (4^th Century).  Although not written at that time, nor for that purpose, the admonitions in the first Letter of John are pointedly relevant for a church beset by heresy and by the adherence of the political powers, the Emperors of the Roman Empire, to that heresy.

Arianism alleged an inferior status of the second Person of the Blessed Trinity to God the Father.  Only God the Father is eternal and perfectly divine.  Jesus, although exalted, and brought into being prior to the creation of the universe, is still secondary to the Father.

In the first Letter of John, and probably in response to the anticipation of the trials (the "antichrist", "those who would deceive you") that would beset the faithful believers who awaited the second coming of Christ, the church is asked to remain faithful, to hold fast to the truths which have been revealed by the Holy Spirit of God, God’s "anointing".

As the generations passed, the admonition was still valid, and remains so for us today: be confident in our belief, acknowledge the unity of the Blessed Trinity as the life-giving presence of God among us; "remain in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming."

Both St. Basil the Great (329-379) and St. Gregory Nazianzen (329-390) had to confront the power of the Arian heresy in their respective dioceses; they both held strong against the efforts of the Arian emperor, Valens, to promote Arianism in the Empire.  Following the death of the emperor Valens, they both worked to rebuild the faith of their flocks (Basil in Caesarea, and Gregory in Constantinople). 

Today’s Gospel reading from John reminds us that there will always be a curiosity about Jesus Christ.  It was there at the time of John the Baptist’s preaching and baptizing, it would continue through the public life of Christ, and it would culminate, in Jesus’ lifetime, on the stage of our redemption, on the cross of Calvary: "If you really are the Son of God…"  Not everyone was able to grasp the answer that they received.  Some simply "up and went".

We believe that Jesus is the Christ.  Let us pray today to live the life of Christ in the daily actions of working, homemaking, studying, keeping company, and relaxing.  May the light of Christ shine through us and into the shadows and recesses that need his light. 

 

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

 

Scripture:

1 John 2:12-17
Luke 2:36-40

 

 

 

Reflection:

As we continue celebrating the Christmas season, we might quietly wonder…  Why did Jesus come among us as a baby?  Whey didn’t he come upon this earth as a warrior on a horse, or as a king in a castle, or as a fifty foot giant commanding our attention. Why did he come as a little baby? 

I think he came as a baby, first of all, to show us that we have nothing to be afraid of.  The angel Gabriel told Mary, "Do not be afraid."  The angel told Joseph, "Do not be afraid."  The angels told the shepherds, "Do not be afraid."  So many times Jesus tells his followers, "Do not be afraid."  Jesus came to cast out fear.  Do not be afraid of God.  Do not be afraid of death.  Do not be afraid of those who can harm the body but cannot harm the soul.  Do not be afraid to live.

Secondly, a baby wants to be held and loved.  Jesus comes as a baby to tell us that he wants our love.

And thirdly, it is natural to pass a little baby around for others to hold.  Once held, Jesus says, "Now give me away.  Give me to others so that I may bring them joy. And when you give me away, you receive more of me."

     Yes, Jesus came as a little baby so that we would not be afraid.
     He came as a little baby so that we would love him.
     He came as a little baby so that we could give him to others.

In Luke’s gospel we read about Mary visiting her cousin, Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy!  The baby was John the Baptist.  It was the presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary that caused John to leap for joy.  Christmas calls upon each of us to be like Mary, that is, to bring joy to others by bringing Christ to others.

 

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 John 2:18-21
John 1:1-18

Reflection:
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

As this year draws to a close, the words of John’s gospel give us some thoughts to ponder as we prepare for the New Year.

Words are important. Words have power.  Words help us express our feelings and emotions, our hopes and our dreams.  Words enable us to communicate ideas and thoughts.  Words can unite us with others or separate us from one another. Words are significant.

In the beginning, God spoke and the world was created.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Somehow, before the beginning of time, this Christ child existed, not as a human being, but as God himself, as what we call the WORD. 

This Christ had something to do with the creation of every single thing that we have in our lives. And also, He had something to do with the creation of YOU and of ME. 

Sometimes, when we consider the vast expanse of the universe, we might think that you and I are very insignificant, but then we learn that this Christ-God, became just like you and me, He became a little child, a person just like us in all things except sin. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

 This Word, has graced us with many blessings:  The gift of power, God’s power; the gift of light, a light that shines in the darkness but will never be overcome by the darkness; and the gifts of perfect grace and truth, gifts that we receive everyday of our lives.

Words are important. Actions are important.

As we cross the bridge into 2010, let us walk humbly with our God, trusting that He will help us to: CARE DEEPLY, GIVE FREELY, THINK KINDLY, ACT GENTLY, AND BE AT PEACE WITH THE WORLD. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Deacon Brian Clements is a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, Ca.