Daily Scripture

Presentation of Mary in the Temple

Scripture:

1 Samuel 3:1-10
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

This liturgical memorial, with somewhat ambivalent origins in the bible, and a corresponding modest place in our liturgy, was nonetheless near and dear to St. Paul of the Cross.  He named his first community residence (or retreat) in honor of Mary’s Presentation in the Temple as a baby girl, and did the same for the first residence of the Passionist Nuns.  The former was built on Monte Argentario, the latter in Tarquinia. 

This memorial occurs just a day before the anniversary of Paul’s own dedication of himself to the work of God, symbolized by his being vested/clothed in the Passionist garb, or religious habit.  This is the heart of what we celebrate today: dedication.  And it’s an initiative that is a response to an earlier initiative on the part of God, both in the life of Paul (while still a young man), as well as in the early life of Mary, and equally so in the youth of the prophet-to-be, Samuel.  All three of these persons have in common the experience of a special call.

This occurred to Paul as he walked the streets of his hometown, Castellazzo, and suddenly received an inspiration (or call) from God; it happened to Mary in the privacy of her home in Nazareth as the angel Gabriel conveyed a message to her (a call); it interrupted the heavy sleep of Samuel in the temple in Jerusalem (in the form of several calls from God).

Each of these occurrences was unexpected and abrupt; each occurred in relatively private circumstances; each initiated a new enterprise or venture: Samuel was to discover and anoint the greatest king of Israel (David); Mary was to bring the Savior of the World into our midst; Paul was to begin new religious communities.

And each of these advanced the work of God on earth: consolidating the kingdom of Israel; establishing the definitive manifestation of God among us; enriching the church with a community to remind us of the blessings brought by Christ’s death on the cross.

We are the beneficiaries of these events.  We certainly have had nothing to do with their emergence here on earth; we are merely recipients of what they mean.  But, in this capacity, we are on the same playing field as Samuel, Mary and Paul, who likewise were simply recipients of God’s favors and gifts.  But each of these occurrences alerts us to the likely possibility that we too have a call from God, to note the benefits God has bestowed on us, and to see if we are using them to advance His work from our vantage point.  Samuel, Mary and Paul worked "out of their homes", so to speak, whether they were temple, home, or monastery.  Each of us too has a vantage point from which to hear God’s call, to explore its meaning, and to do God’s work-from home.

 

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

Scripture:

1 Maccabees 2:15-29
Luke 19:41-44

Reflection:

"As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it. . ." (Luke 19:41)

 

Life is full of disappointments. When Jesus approached Jerusalem on that day, as the Gospel tells us, he got in touch with the deep disappointment he was feeling over people of Israel’s lack of faith in Him as One sent by God and their lack of acceptance of his Mission: Salvation and Eternal Life for those who believed in Him. So Jesus wept!

Some people can deal with disappointments somewhat well and others are devastated by them.

Disappointments come in all sizes and wrappings. I remember well when I was cut from the track team on the last day of try-outs when I was in the 8^th grade. I was sure that I would make the team because I was consistently coming in third and fourth in cross country. My dad bought me a pair of tennis shoes (that’s what we called them back in the mid-fifties) as a surprise, even though we could not afford them. I was the last one cut from the team. I was crushed. I cried all the way home.

That was not my first disappointment in life and it would not be my last. We all face disappointments. Some disappointments are so trivial that many of us cannot understand the depth of the disappointment expressed by the one hurt. The response is way out of proportion to the hurt experienced in the disappointment.

Other disappointments are profoundly personal, as when we are rejected for being who we are, or passed over when we should be the one chosen, or rejected by someone we have loved without measure. Those disappointments can sting us to the core of our being and change us so radically that we only become aware of the change within us when we take note of the devastation we bring into the lives of those we love. Some become addicted to alcohol, to deviant sexual behavior or become uncharacteristically anti-social, fueled by an uncontrollable anger and rage.

There is no doubt that disappointment is a defining moment in our lives, and the way we respond to it makes us or breaks us.

When Jesus saw Jerusalem at a distance as he made his way to embrace the Cross, he experienced profound disappointment in the people of Israel, the people of the Covenant, the people he loved so deeply and so consistently. He says, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:42) That is why Jesus wept over this privileged city of God.

Yet, Jesus did not turn his back upon his mission of loving without measure the people that God had chosen. He did not let his disappointment drag him down to the depths of depression and despair. He did not cry out, "Oh, poor me! I don’t deserve this!" Rather, he set his face toward Jerusalem with resolve, calling upon every ounce of love that was overflowing in his Sacred Heart. He showed us the way to face disappointment in our lives.

It may take a long time for us to realize the destructiveness that disappointment can cause in our lives and the disaster that we can create in other people’s lives as we cling tenaciously to disappointments. We need to weep and then get over them, as Jesus did. We need to fall on our knees before the Disappointed Jesus hanging on the Cross and ask for the grace to overcome them. Disappointments can make us stronger, more dedicated and more committed to our life-long vocation of love and service, no matter the obstacles before us and the disappointments we experience.

This is a good Gospel for us to meditate on and reflect upon all of the disappointments of our lives. May the Disappointed Jesus turn our small disappointments into new opportunities for growth and grace!

 

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

Scripture:

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 
Luke 19: 11-28

Reflection:

The role of the mother in the first reading from the Book of Maccabees’ opened up a flood of memories from my life.  My memories have to do with both words and examples of the older people in my life.  That includes my mother and dad, my grandparents, aunts and uncles and teachers, along with the long association with my Passionist community elders.  This is going to be hard: picking out just a couple among many, many examples!

First example…I’m in my late thirties and being driven by my Dad to the airport in Detroit.  We arrive at the airport and I lean over to give my Dad a hug.  I get out and reach for my luggage in the back seat.  I look up at my dad and wish him a safe trip back home.  He looks at me with a smile and says, "Pete, I love you."  I can honestly say that I knew that.  My Dad showed that love in many, many ways.  But to see that smile and hear those words…oh, my!  Those words, "I love you, Pete," kept coming back to me again and again as I flew on to Sacramento, CA.    Interestingly enough ever after that Dad never finished a phone call without closing with, "Pete, I love you." 

Another incident which brings memorable smiles to me was my arrival by plane back in Detroit, a couple of years later, dressed in slacks and sport shirt.  On our way home Dad very gently looked at me and said, "I am really proud of you as my priest son.  You know, I like seeing you in your black suit and collar."  I honored that request.  There were public appearances when it was most appropriate.  I cherish those memories of walking side by side with him.

Important elders in our lives like the Mom with the seven sons in the Book of Maccabees do provide tremendous support.  Many serious, life giving moments have occurred in my life and, I am sure, in yours.  I was talking to an elder Dad recently who shared that he was being criticized for hanging in over several very troublesome years as his son battled with alcoholism which led to divorce and separation from his children.  The elder Dad says, "I was criticized for hanging in there, providing money, a temporary place to stay, even though it was rough and painful.  But how could I not give up…he is my son." 

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

Scripture:

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9
Luke 18:1-8

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel leaves us with a question that surely crosses the minds of us all at one time or another:

"But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

I wonder about this question frequently and find myself answering it in diverse ways over and over again.  The Lord is going to come again, we know that for sure.  But when he does, what will he find?  Will he be pleased or will he be disappointed?  Usually my questioning leads me in two different directions depending upon current events unfolding around me.  When a psychiatrist, a major in the U.S. Army, whose primary responsibility is to bring healing and wholeness to wounded bodies and minds of young infantry personnel, instead loses a sense of his own self and wreaks death and sorrow rather than healing I find myself thinking, "If the Lord were to come now how terribly disappointed he would be!"  Then there are other times when my response is so very different.  For example, just the other day I was able to welcome back into the Church an elderly and very, very lovely married couple who many years ago had simply opted out for no reason in particular.  Their lives remained very loving, of that there is no doubt.  But what a joyous moment to reconcile them with the community of the Church and to invite them to receive the precious gift of the Eucharist.  In just a few more days they will celebrate 60 years married!  It is in moments such as these that I think if the Lord were to come he would be pleased and overjoyed with the goodness that he would find.  Will he find faith on earth?  Will he find us living as if faith really makes a difference in the daily grind? 

 

Fr. Pat Brennan, CP is the director of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Wisdom 13:1-9
Luke 17:26-37

Reflection:

The beaches and waterfalls of Hawaii, the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the fjords of Norway…..all of these are places of great natural beauty.  Perhaps your or my favorite scenic places, whether lake, mountain or prairie, are less well-known.  Whatever the case, each one of these places can lead us to God.  During my novitiate year, Fr. Tom More Newbold was exclaiming on the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains to us.  I remember him saying: "How could people not believe in God after seeing such beauty?"

Our selection from the Book of Wisdom today puts it this way: "Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them."  

God shares the beauty that is God’s own, that is, holiness, with each person.  Today we celebrate St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized.  She recognized the beauty of God in the people that came to her and her sisters for help.  She saw in the stranger, the sick and the frustrated (from today’s opening prayer for Mass) the face of Christ.  Today, let us ask God for a greater realization that all of the beauty that surrounds us is from God.

A verse from the song FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH puts it well:

     For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, 
     Friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild:
     Christ our Lord, to you we raise, this our sacrifice of praise.

 

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

 

Scripture:

Wisdom 7:22b-8:1
Luke 17:20-25

Reflection:

Many people in India wear a colorful dot on their foreheads. This location, between the eyebrows, is known by various names such as the ajna charka, third eye or the Eye of Wisdom. The vivid mark, called a tilak, is a daily decoration or religious gesture for some. Often at special ceremonies and rituals it is a custom to place a red kumkum or beige sandalwood tilak on guests as they arrive or depart. While this may sound mystifying to those in the West, it is a beautiful sign indicating a person’s intention to honor and open the Eye of Wisdom.

Physical eyes make contact with the physical world. When our two physical eyes are open, we see a rich world of color, forms and shapes. If they grow dim or weak, we cannot perceive the physical world clearly. In the same way, if the Eye of Wisdom is not cultivated or opened, we are unable to perceive spiritual dimensions. "Opening" the third eye means unification of our consciousness with Divine consciousness.

The book of Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures describes wisdom as "an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty." To see the world through the Eye of Wisdom means to see the world as God does, without the intrusion of the ego. The Eye of Wisdom is freedom, for wisdom sees and knows things as they are. The Eye of Wisdom perceives beyond the world of duality – good vs. bad – to embrace all fields of experience equally. "She reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well."

Those who move along the spiritual path come to realize that the third eye matters more than the two physical eyes. Of course, good eyesight is enormously important and advantageous in the conventional world. Yet when the Eye of Wisdom is opened through spiritual practices such as meditation, a person becomes conscious of a radiant realm which was previously inaccessible. With the Eye of Wisdom one can perceive what Pharisees in the Gospel missed: the Kingdom of God in our midst.

 

Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP is the director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, KY.

Please visit his website: www.earthandspiritcenter.org.

Feast of Saint Martin of Tours

Veterans Day

 

Scripture:

Wisdom 6:1-11
Luke 7:11-19

 

Reflection:

November 11 was originally proclaimed Armistice Day, from the armistice that ended hostilities in World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of 11th month, in 1918. Later, Congress in 1954 changed the observance to include all veterans, and so Veterans Day.

November also is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of soldiers.  Martin was born in 316 in what is now Hungary.  He was named after Mars, the Roman god of war by his father, a tribune (or colonel) in the Roman army.

When Martin was ten, he disappointed his parents by taking instruction as a catechumen. However at age 15, Martin made his father proud by joining the army.  He was stationed in northern France.

One day, he passed a man freezing on the road.  Martin immediately tore his military cloak in two and gave half to him. That night, in a dream he saw Jesus wearing that half cloak.

Martin saw more than a dream.  He saw a lifelong calling to cloak the lowly and poor.  Soon after, he was baptized and later his church drafted him into service as a bishop to…"rescue the lowly and the poor; and from the hand of the wicked deliver them." (Ps. 82)

Martin died Nov. 8, 397 and was buried Nov. 11.

On this day, Armistice Day, now Veterans Day and also St. Martin’s Day, we rightly remember and celebrate in gratitude all those men and women who have protected us with their military cloak.

Perhaps, armistice may be the best we can do.  Hostilities cease for a while, only to erupt again.  Meanwhile, the Lord continues to shiver in the winter of war, reminding us that he offers us, not the peace the world gives, the half cloak of a temporary armistice, but a true and lasting peace.

 

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the ministry staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

1 Kings 17:10-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44 or 12:41-44

Reflection:

Widows are women who have gone through suffering. They have experienced the loss of their husbands and have had to learn to cope and develop new life strategies. Both widows in today’s readings display a wonderful spirit of generosity as well as trust in God. The widow in the Gospel gave (in the Greek) "her whole life."

I read a story about a woman who was driving in L.A. The cars on the freeway came to a standstill. As she stopped behind the car in front of her, she looked with horror into her rearview mirror. She saw a car barreling down the freeway with a distracted driver and knew she was about to be hit very hard. She noticed that her hands were clenched tightly around the steering wheel. Instantly she thought, "This is the way I have always lived by being in control and clutching tightly…I’m not going to die this way." She let go of the steering wheel and placed her hands by her sides. The impact was powerful. The cars both in front and behind her were totaled with her car sandwiched between them. Miraculously, she escaped unharmed. The police told her that because she had let go and relaxed, she was less susceptible to injury.

This experience taught her that she could live life with an open hand instead of a clenched fist. She relaxed and now feels more connected to herself than she ever has. It is an entirely new way to live.

These readings challenge our life’s strategy. Rather than clutching tightly, we are invited to live life "open handed" and give our entire being to God in trust. These readings inspire us to surrender finances, time, our potential, and our heart to the one who can increase and multiply us. Perhaps you could take a moment now to open your hands in prayer and surrender all you are to God. 

 

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/