Daily Scripture

Scripture: 
Judges 9:6-15
Mtthew 20:1-16

Reflection:

"Are you envious because I am generous? Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matt. 20:16)

This is how Jesus sums up his teaching in today’s Gospel. For us who are brought up with a "First World" notion of fairness, this teaching does not make much sense. Many of us were brought up with the expectation that the more personal effort we put into something, the more reward we should expect. Personal worth is very much tied up with the personal investment we give to our job, our life and into whatever we do. The more work we do, the more pay we should receive.

Jesus certainly challenges this understanding of how life is to be lived with his teaching in today’s Gospel. Our salvation, our saving grace is a generous gift given to us by a loving God. And that tenet of our Catholic faith tells us that it is through this generosity on the part of God that we become heirs of the Reign of God, that is, God’s children and Jesus’ brothers and sisters and, thus, brothers and sisters to one another. God’s generous reward for working in God’s vineyard is absolute communion with God and with one another.

Our human tendency is not to measure our worth by God’s standards, but by our own measuring rod. Our human way of doing things is to measure our rewards according to the efforts we put into our work, into our life, even into our salvation. This approach to spirituality will ultimately lead to quantifying our spiritual exercises. Those who fall into this temptation will want to do more in order to accumulate more reward, yes, even a higher reward, like those workers who began working at the first crack of dawn.

On the other hand, those who get invited to enter into God’s vineyard at the last minute may be tempted to think that their last hour of work is not worth the effort, and so they may decline the invitation to come and work. In this parable, we are not told of how many workers decided not to go with the owner just to do an hour’s work. It is our desire to respond to God’s invitation that leads us to eternal life. That is what all of the workers of the vineyard have in common. They said yes to God and to the work that God had them do.

The owner of the vineyard in this parable asks the key question of this Gospel passage: Are you envious because I (God) am generous? During the course of our lives, we sometimes find ourselves complaining to God as to how unfairly God has treated us. We see people who seem to have more even though they have lived a more sinful life than we have. We see people lie and cheat to get ahead in this life and they seem to get away with it. We think we work hard every day, trying to resist temptation, seeking forgiveness when we fail and doing everything the Church tells us to do, and yet less "worthy" people get the attention they don’t deserve. Envy dehumanizes us. Envy makes us less forgiving, less charitable and less Christ-like.

This Scripture today invites us to deal with this sinful attitude of envy, often overlooked in our Spiritual lives, and often glossed over because of its implications. Today, we are invited to pray for total acceptance of God’s generosity, because that is what makes us Children of God and heirs of the Reign of God.

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

Scripture:

Judges 6:11-24a
Matthew 19:23-30

Reflection:

Both readings bring us face to face with some basic challenges. 

Gideon puts his concern right out there: "For now the Lord has abandoned us."  The Midianites are about to annihilatethe Israelites.  The fact that God boughtthem through all the trials and ordeals in Egypt seems to mean nothingnow.  And the solution of having Gideonlead the Israelites to conquer the Midianites doesn’t make too much  sense. "My family is the lowest and I amthe most insignificant."  Not toopromising!  God reassures him, however,that all will work out.  "Be calm, do not fear.  You will not die" in the upcomingstruggle.  The challenge is for him torealize and accept that he is not alone.

In the gospel we find Peter seeking recognition:  We havegiven up everything and followed you. What’s in it for us?"  Jesusis very honest in His reply: "Foreverything that you have given up, you will receive a hundred times more."   Peter is looking ahead.  Reality, however, will settle in as thingscontinue to unfold day by day.  Jesus,the popular one, irritates the Jewish hierarchy.  Ever so slowly yet convincingly the truthbegins to dawn on the Apostles that Jesus is the suffering servant foretold byIsaiah (Chapter 53).  And then, comes theplea, "Take up your cross and come followme."    Peter will have to endure a real humblingpurgation.  What happened in thecourtyard of the High Priest at the trial of Jesus—his denial of anyassociation with Jesus—would lead to an outburst of tears as he realize whathe had done.  That scene evidently neverleft his memory.  Later he would ask thathis own death on a cross be such he would be hung upside down. 

Can you and I resonate with Gideon and Peter?  To honestly be myself is of greatimportance.  It brings peace.  To wander through life envying others is tofail to live.  Giving up things, lettinggo of things is not to contradict what has been given to us.  It has to do with making choices as to how I will use my gifts andtalents.  And no matter what vocation inlife we choose, there is the ongoing challenge to let nothing get in the way ofmy loving God, my brothers and sisters, and myself. 

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, CP, is on the retreat team at Holy Name Retreat Center in Houston, Texas. 

Memorial of St. Pius X

Scripture:
Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

Patterns of migration are commonplace throughout the contemporary world.  These occur both within nations, as population groups move from one part of a country to another, as happened in our nation during the 1920s and 1930s, with African-Americans, especially, moving from southern, agricultural, states, northward, to industrial states.  And it also occurs between nations, as is happening now, in the movement of peoples from Mexico to this country, again, largely for economic reasons.

Most of these migrants think of their moves as temporary, allowing them enough time to earn some capital for themselves and their families, so that they can then return home, to lead a better life there.  Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way.

We hear of a similar move, in today’s readings, on the part of Elimelech, as he and his wife Naomi and sons, left Bethlehem for the plains of Moab, whether for economic reasons or not is unclear.  Tragedies intervene for Naomi, as she loses to death, first, her husband, then her two sons.  So she decides to go home to Bethlehem, and one of her daughter-in-laws, Ruth, accompanies her.

How familiar a scene, both biblically and contemporaneously: exile, tragedy, return.  These are the makings of disintegration and fragmentation, and yet something prevails to bond the pieces together: love-the love of Ruth for Naomi.  Ruth will not leave Naomi alone.

So Ruth anticipates Jesus’ reply to the somewhat intrusive lawyer, inquiring about the law and its center-piece.  Love, Jesus instructs him, is at the heart of things: love of God, love of one another.  Jesus notes the powerful bonding force of love, uniting the more than 600 pieces of a fragmentary law, plus many prophetic injunctions, into one whole cloth.  Jesus may have remembered Ruth.

Pius X went about this process in his own way: he opposed what he judged to be the disintegrating impact of Modernism on his flock; and he offered what he thought to be the answer: the unifying force of the Eucharist, extending it to young children, and encouraging adults to approach it more frequently.  Fr.Roger Mercurio venerated Pius X for this reason: he loosened pastoral practice on the Eucharist.

As we journey through life, we can well look to a love nourished in the Eucharist, to prevent us from wandering too far off, by bonding us more closely with one another.

 

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

 

 

 

Scripture:
Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Ephesians 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, we come to the end of Jesus’ "bread of life" discourse, and we find that many of His disciples are unwilling to accept His words about coming down from heaven and giving His flesh to eat. And so they leave Him. When they do, Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks, "Do you also want to leave?" Peter replies, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God, the Son of God come down from heaven to give us eternal life. To whom shall we go? And yet, many times we are tempted to go elsewhere. This temptation has been with us for a long time. In our first reading, after Joshua has led the people into the Promised Land, he asks them whom they will serve. He declares his choice by saying, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." The people  respond, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord for the service of other gods." And yet, there are many instances when the people did just that.

So what is it that takes us away from following Jesus? For some, it may be the implications of getting close to Jesus. The closer we get, the more likely our lives will change. For others, it may be the challenge of the Gospel. In our second reading, St. Paul writes, "Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ." When we also hear, "Love your enemies; Forgive seventy-seven times; or, Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me," we may want to resist.  And for others, it may be hard for them to believe anyone would love them that much, and they push Jesus away.

Whatever the reason, we need to remember that Jesus does have the words of eternal life for us. We can trust in His love for us. He is the one to whom we can go. By grace we can persevere in following Him, and be with Him forever.

 

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

 

Scripture:
Revelations 21:9b-14
John 1:45-51

Reflection:

"Here is a faithful Israelite in whom there is no guile."  John 1:48    The word for guile is dolos in Greek and it originates from the meaning of decoy. Hunters place wood ducks in the water to trick live ducks to come down to a safe place to rest.  They then shoot them.  In the epistle of 1 Pet 2:22 Jesus is described:  "no guile was found in his mouth".   Jesus loves sincerity because He is sincere.  He is the truth that abhors falsehood.  We should not use so much makeup when we approach the Lord!

We live in a world of guile.   Packaging is more important than contents.   We spend three times more for an attractive box than for the contents of breakfast cereal.  Looks dominate reality.   We can easily believe that if we look young, we are young.   Truth always threatens falsehood.   Moderns are terrified by truth.   They love to live in a world of relevancy.   God is the great Absolute, the destroyer of makeups and masks.  

Guile is a not so subtle form lying. In the movie North by Northwest Cary Grant says: "In the world of advertising there is no such thing as lying, only expedient exaggeration!" We must approach the Lord without guile.   Jesus can only help us if we bring our real selves to him.  Perhaps we can fool others, and certainly we can fool ourselves, but we can never fool God.   Nathaniel was sincere and was chosen as a key person in the Church. 

Our English word sincere comes from Latin.  Sine means without: cere means wax.  Dealers used to try to sell statues that were chipped by covering the damaged parts with wax so that it would not be noticed.   We must be sincere, without wax, when we approach God and neighbor.   It is a consoling truth that God is the only one we can and must approach without guile!

 

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

Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Scripture:

Joshua 24:1-13
Matthew 19:3-12

Reflection:

I write these few thoughts on today’s feast from our family home in St. Louis where I am visiting on vacation.  Were my father, James Aloysius, still alive today we would be celebrating his 100^th birthday.  Alas, or in truth joyfully, he celebrates this milestone not with us but with the rest of our family in his Heavenly home.  So, naturally on this special day as we remember a great contemporary martyr named Maximilian, my thoughts also drift to the life of another great one whose faith touched my own life, the guy we all called "Dad."  Now I don’t believe that Dad was as great and holy a man as was Maximilian, but, in his own way I have no doubt that he lived his faith in a heroic manner.  St. Maximilian witnessed his faith most fully by gladly offering his life in exchange for a fellow Auschwitz prisoner, Sgt. Francis Gajowniczek.  What a heroic moment that must have been when St. Maximilian stepped forward and, when asked by the commandant who he was, replied with the brief but powerful words: "I am a priest."  My father once lost a very, very good job working with a local and powerful company by the name of National Lead by standing up for the men working under him.  These sales men counted on commissions that were being denied them for the sake of making the administration and the books look better to the head office out of state.  My father protested unceasingly about this unjust and unethical treatment until the higher ups came to town and told him that if he did not desist he would be fired.  My father spoke some mighty heroic words himself: "Why, you can’t fire me.  I quit!"  He was over 50 years old at the time but had a great reputation in the business.  The next day another company hired him!  Still, he stood up to injustice and refused to be a part of something immoral.  I will never forget Dad’s action and the way he lived out his faith.

In our first scriptural reading for today’s feast we hear the Lord speaking through Joshua his servant at Shechem, reminding all of the forgetful people then and now, of the many wonderful things that the Lord has done for us.  Joshua proclaims this great reminder: "I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant."   How generous is our God!  How can we ever forget?

Summer is drawing to a close very quickly.  Let’s remember on today’s feast the heroic action of St. Maximilian Kolbe and all the other great ones that the Lord chooses to place in our life.  Let’s never forget how great and generous is our loving God!

 

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

 

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 18:15-20

Reflection:

The hysterical shouting matches at town hall meetings to discuss health care in the United States have demonstrated once again that there is no shortage of people who honestly believe they alone have access to the truth and all others have gone astray. To the contrary, the Gospel suggests that we might find wisdom in listening to the perspective of others, even when they disagree with us. Truth is usually discovered in community.

We live in communities at various levels – family, church, society. Our everyday lives are inevitably intertwined. Yet few of us appreciate being told what to do by members of our family, church authorities, or civil statutes. "Mind your own business," is a standard rejoinder that crosses the mind when we are corrected. The individual ego typically has a strong sense of self-determination with little tolerance for being chided.

Abiding within the wisdom of the community does not mean mindless conformity. Rather, a healthy community is the wise product of people striving together, the strength of many helping each other, the real freedom of people able to listen to each other. Listening to another is not weakness, but a sign of humility and intelligence. In dialogue with other members of the community we have a better chance of discovering the truth.

 

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

See his website: www.earthandspiritcenter.org

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
John 12:24-26

Reflection:

My husband died suddenly when I was 25 and our son Carl was 7 months old.  When Carl was almost 5, God gifted me with Ken, who asked me to marry him.  Rather than being elated, I found myself faced with a tortuous decision.  I knew with a clarity borne of suffering that we were both going to die and there was a 50-50 chance Ken would die first.  If I said yes, if I gave my entire life and my whole heart to him, I risked going through this hell all over again.  

I prayed and agonized over my decision.  Could my heart survive being torn apart a second time?  Could I expose my son to the risk that he’d have two daddies die?  If I said no I would lose Ken anyway. Yet it would happen immediately, when our lives were not so intertwined and it was easier to say goodbye.  I could stay safe and avoid the potential of profound pain.

And yet, saying no meant I would miss the potential for great joy.  I would be safe, but I would not be stretched, remaining a seed that refused to be broken open by life.  I would deprive myself and my son of the depth of relationship that can only happen when one risks it all.  I would be saying no to the cross, and no to the fullness of life to which God calls me.  Is that what I wanted for myself?  And is that the model I wanted to give my son?

With quaking heart I said yes.  Carl now has two brothers, Ken and I will celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary in October, and our family is rich in joy and love.  Yes, Ken will die, and there is still a 50-50 chance he will die first, but the pains of hell that follow will be more than worth it for the happiness we have shared.  In a very profound way, I had to lose my life, my sense of security, my desire for control, and the safety of the familiar in order to follow where God called. 

My decision of 25 years ago continues to inform my life as the challenge of risking, losing, and giving without measure is constantly present.  How often do I make easy decisions instead of stretching myself beyond what I think is possible?  In what ways do I try to control and hold onto my children instead of letting them grow away from me with freedom to become who God created them to be?  Of what situations, possessions, or attitudes do I need to let go?  How cheerfully do I give my time, acceptance, forgiveness, and love?  Where do I look for security, and how tenaciously do I cling when I think I’ve found it? 

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know these challenges will never cease.  I pray I have the courage to sow bountifully, give my heart fully, and lose the safety of my current life for the boundless love of Christ.

 

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website at http://www.amyflorian.com/.