Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

"…..Is he not the carpenter’s son?"

"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house".  Jesus was identified.  They knew who he was – the son of Joseph the carpenter, the son of Mary.  They knew just what the son of a carpenter was expected to do, but Jesus was daring to speak like a rabbi, and he was saying things that even the rabbis weren’t saying.  He was talking about the kingdom of heaven coming in our midst.  And he spoke with wisdom and performed deeds of power.  But he was the son of a laborer.  And the people around him were convinced that God wouldn’t speak through someone like that.

When did we lose the idea that God is the God of surprises, the one who reveals the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary?  When did we decide that God was tame and predictable?  In today’s gospel, Jesus was disrespected because he was lower class, not well educated…..the son of a carpenter, and yet he dared to suggest that the common people – not just the powerful – mattered to God.

Through God, the ordinary are chosen to perform the extraordinary.  This has been God’s pattern throughout history.  We never know just whose voice may be important.  God uses many different voices to be instruments through which the Word is spoken to reach this diverse, hurting world.

LORD……..HELP ME TO DEVELOP "SPIRITUAL EARS" TO LISTEN FOR YOUR VOICE 

Deacon Brian Clements is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.                                     

Scripture:

Exodus 34:29-35
John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42

Reflection:

Today on this Feast of St. Martha the Church offers us the option of two possible gospels for our reflection. I chose Luke’s story of the conversation between Martha and our Lord. It is a familiar story for most of us. Jesus comes to visit his friends Martha and Mary who lived with their brother Lazarus in Bethany. Now Martha, being the good hostess, was busy with all the serving, tending the needs of all the guests. (My presumption is that Jesus did not go alone but brought at least his disciples. There were probably others from the village there also as well as the news of the arrival of a famed teacher and healer like Jesus would have spread through the village like fire.) Needless to say, the house was more than likely crowded with folks that needed to be fed and cared for.

Martha therefore had her hands full. And it seems reasonable that she would be a bit perturbed by her sister’s lack of assistance. While Martha was running around like the proverbial chicken with its head off; there sat Mary at the feet of Jesus soaking in every word, every gesture of the Master. Martha complaint does seem justified. "Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me." You would think Jesus being reasonable and just would have taken Martha’s side. Yet as is Jesus’ way he turns the situation upside down telling Martha that she worries and fret about so many things…but Mary has chosen the better part.

How often do we choose the better part? How often do we sit at the feet of the Master contemplating his word and soaking in his every gesture?

It is interesting to note that St. Paul of the Cross, our Founder, made it a priority for all members of the Congregation to take time away to sit at the feet of the Master. In his 1775 Rule Paul of the Cross specifically refers to the houses of the vowed members as "retreats." These "retreats" were not at first places where the laity would gather for preaching and reflection on the Passion the way many of our retreat centers now are. Rather they were homes for the vowed members to rest and rejuvenate their spirits after the preaching missions they were sent on throughout Italy and beyond. These "retreats" were their home base where they could recharge their batteries and seat at the feet of the Master to be replenished. As an analogy from the first reading from Exodus, these "retreats" were the mountains where members could go to meet God face to face as Moses did in order to bring God’s people the word of life itself.

It is not enough for a Passionist, vowed or lay, just to preach the Passion of Jesus. Those dedicated to the Good News of the Passion must also spend time reflecting on it and its implications for their lives and the life of the world. Can we take time this summer to sit like Mary at the feet of Jesus? I am sure in the end Martha did.

 

Patrick Quinn is the director of planned giving at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34
Matthew 13:31-35

Reflection:

"Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold.  But now, if you will forgive their sin-"

 

We all know this story.  I can’t count the number of times I have read or heard reference to this famous narrative of the "golden calf" and its lesson about the worship of false gods.  Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and comes back to find the Israelites in obscene celebration praising an idol-an image of a calf fashioned from their golden jewelry.  The image is so popular that it’s become almost secularized, often used to refer to people’s obsession with wealth over more important, more enduring things.  So, I was surprised when a very different lesson struck me upon my most recent review of the passage.  Forgiveness.

Moses has just rescued his people from a life of imprisonment and slavery.  They witnessed the greatness of the Lord swallow up their captors with the waters of the Red Sea.  But life is rough out in the desert.  Food and water are scarce, and the people are restless and unsure of their future.  So to ease their fears, the Israelites fashion a gaudy statue for praise and worship.  When Moses comes upon this scene, he is so enraged that he breaks the tablets upon which the Lord has bestowed the Ten Commandments. It almost seems like this could be the end of it all right here.  But he doesn’t abandon his people.  Instead he goes back up the mountain-this time to beg mercy for the weak and foolish Israelites.

So, Moses asks God to forgive what seems like the unforgiveable-a betrayal of the God who saved them from certain death.  Remember that Moses’ relationship with God is a new one.  He didn’t know what the answer would be.  Would God give pardon or punishment? 

Perhaps in my more self-righteous youth, I focused on the sins of the Israelites.  It was easy to point to the failings of others.  But now, I find myself understanding the hope for mercy and forgiveness and the pain of wondering if such mercy will be forthcoming.  Am I worthy of forgiveness?  Is there some limit to God’s compassion?  Am I asking too much of God?  In other words: Will God forgive me my sins?  I am sure we have all sat in the heaviness of this silence waiting for God’s answer.

But God’s answer to Moses-and to all of us-has already come in the form of the sacrifice of his only Son.  The power of God’s word, sown in our hearts like the tiniest of seeds, will grow and flourish.  Its branches will be tall and strong and give shelter and comfort.  Through faith in Christ all things are possible, whether it be the transformation of a tiny seed to a majestic tree or the forgiveness of great sin.  Now, we need only sow the seed.  

 

Marlo Serritella ([email protected]) is on the staff at the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

2 Kings 4:42-44
Ephesians 4:1-6
John 6:1-15

Reflection:

I write this reflection from a Benedictine monastery perched on a mountaintop in Big Sur, California-overlooking the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.  Having traveled to the Holy Land, I can attest that my current landscape is very similar to the prospect enjoyed by the faithful gathered with Jesus as described in today’s Gospel reading. 

During my present retreat, I took time to read and reflect upon Pope Benedict’s latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate-hot off the press. In many ways, Charity in Truth connects beautifully with today’s gospel reading.  It is emphasized in the encyclical that the transcendent is made known through our quest for knowledge of God in communion (as a community.)  The breaking of bread brings hope and builds the community of faith in our world. 

Today’s reading from Matthew which describes the multiplication of the loaves and fish (also related in the gospels of Mark, Luke and John) challenges each of us to consider how we can provide for our hungry world-both literally and spiritually.  Clearly, charity in truth as revealed in the multiplication of the loaves and fish, provided an important revelation of God’s mission in our world-and our mission today as disciples of Jesus Christ.  We are called to be in communion with our world and to care for our human family.  Pope Benedict’s encyclical reminds us of our rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching and inspires us to live out this call.

At a Passionists meeting a few years ago, UN delegate Fr. Kevin Dance, CP, reported some alarming statistics.  790 million men, women and children were suffering from malnutrition and starvation, and 1.3 million people lacked access to clean water. And, by 2012 the population of the world is projected to be 7 billion, and ½ of these people will live in extreme poverty.  Recently published statistics from the UN project that we will soon have over 1 billion individuals suffering from hunger.

Like the disciples in today’s gospel, we too may feel overwhelmed and discouraged when confronted with the enormity of the needs in our community and world.  "Send the crowds away" might be our response as well.  But, if we are truly called to be a living Christian community, we must reach out beyond our boundaries-as Jesus modeled.  Our commitment to a Eucharistic life must inspire us to take action on behalf of those in need.  May our communal actions be inspired by Caritas in Veritate…Charity in Truth! 

(Written on the Feast of St. Benedict.)

 

Angela Howell ([email protected]) is a retreatant and volunteer at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b
Matthew 13:10-17

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples ask Jesus, "Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?" In response, Jesus says, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted…This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen and understand."

All this begs a question. If the disciples were given knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, why were Jesus’ parables handed down through the centuries to disciples like us? Could it be that there are times when we look but do not see, or hear, but do not listen?

A case in point is another verse in our Gospel passage. Jesus says, "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away." That sounds a lot like "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." There is a temptation, I think, to read Jesus’ words and take them one of two ways. One is to somehow see Jesus approving of the rich getting richer. Another way is to see Jesus resigned to the harsh  reality of how the world works. But Jesus is not talking about material wealth here. He is talking about the desire to know and understand more deeply the "mysteries of the kingdom." Those who seek more will be given more.

And so I don’t agree with those interpreters of the Gospel who see material wealth as the sign of God’s blessing. As the hymn says, "The Lord hears the cries of the poor." I also don’t believe Christians are to be resigned to the injustices and sins that lead people to stay in poverty. The status quo is not the kingdom of God.

As long as there is the temptation to close our eyes and our ears to the challenges of the Gospel, we will need to hear the parables Jesus tells us. But we need not despair. God’s love and grace has been granted to us in Jesus, and in Him, we can grow in knowledge and wisdom, and be better able to share the Good News. 

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is pastor of Holy Family Parish, Fairfield, Alabama.

Scripture:

Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
John 20:1-2, 11-18

Reflection:

"The Lord gave them bread from heaven." Ps 78: 24b

In this story from the Old Testament, the Lord fed his people with bread from heaven each morning. Today, in our time, the Lord gives us Himself each day in the Eucharist, also bread from heaven.

In March 2000 Jim and I were on a prayer team for a high school retreat. During that weekend I got to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in a little room in a rustic cabin. I would like to share the reflection that I wrote during that prayer time.

"Here I am in a cozy little room with soft lamplight and the sound of a stream rushing by right outside the door. The peace in this room is tangible. The presence in this room is holy – Holy – HOLY for to my right on a small makeshift altar is what appears to be a tiny piece of bread imprinted with a cross. Such a small thing, and yet now containing so much!"

"For this bread is a consecrated host. It is the place where all love dwells, where the One who gave His life willingly for us now resides. Here is my Lord and my God – Jesus Christ – immortal, holy, awesome God! Here is the Lamb of God. Here is Emmanuel – truly God with us. Here is the One who set this whole universe into motion, who formed the depths of the sea, who created all living creatures and our own incredible intricate physical bodies. And here He is in this host that someone will consume, for He is giving Himself in this way to bring us life. He is now food for our journey. His presence in the form of this bread will become a part of us physically – His atoms mixing with ours. And one day we will be like Him for that is the work He must do in each of us. He will help us to become like Him – day by day, step by step, molecule by molecule."

"Lord Jesus, thank you for making yourself – body, soul, blood and divinity – so available to us; so near to us; so touchable; so simple; and yet so totally mystery and unfathomable. Jesus I adore you and everything within me cries ‘Holy’."

Thank you Lord for our church which makes your gift of "bread from heaven" available to us each day.

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 2, soon to be 3. Visit her website: www.jcarleton.com or email her at [email protected]. 

Scripture:

Exodus 14:21-15:1
Matthew 12:46-50

Reflection:

One of the fascinating moments in the take-off of the space shuttle from its launch pad is the explosive release of energy powering the huge craft upward at an incredible speed, breaking the prodigious pull of gravity as it spurts forth into freedom high above the earth.  We never tire of our fascination with this triumph over the powers of nature.

Today, our bible readings address something comparable, but on a different level of human achievement.  There is no issue here of coping with nature’s inanimate force, but there is an equally familiar encounter with the pull of the human factor upon the freedom of our movement toward God.

In the reading from Exodus we hear again of the remarkable flight for freedom achieved by the Israelites against the overwhelming force of the Egyptian army.  This escape has become the classical example in world history of incredibly unequal forces pitted against one another, but with the outcome favoring the weaker.  There were many factors militating against Israel’s success in this venture, mostly of a military nature; but not entirely.  There were other stresses at work too.  Their flight into the unknown, away from the secure (even though under conditions of slavery), their relative unfamiliarity with their new leader, Moses.  In years to come, as they wandered through the tortuous byways of Sinai, they would have occasion to yearn for the leaks and garlic they enjoyed on their table, in a timely and predictable fashion.  These bonds of the familiar and the secure continued to exert their influence on the Jews.  Despite their escape from bondage, there was still a tugging sensation of the secure in their hearts.

And in the gospel story, another kind of bonding confronts Jesus, as bystanders bring to His attention that His mother and brothers were close by, wishing to speak to Him.  This gave Him occasion to assess the matter of personal relationships in His life-and in the lives of us all-by establishing a new norm of bonding among those making their way, in His company, to God.  The familiar and comfortable links of blood had to give way to a new surge of energy powering a person toward God, by dint of establishing contact with the will of God.  Jesus assure us listeners that this power-source could effect an overcoming of the pull of human affection and catapult a person upward and outward toward a totally new experience of bonding.

These readings give us food for thought, springing us free from the familiar table set before us in familial settings, and urging us to step into another kind of atmosphere that is less clinging and cloying than what we are used to, but one that is charged with an energy freeing us for great things ahead.

 

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

Scripture:

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:13-18
Mark 6:30-34

Reflection:

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." (Psalm 23:1)

Today’s Scripture readings reveal a God who cares deeply about us, about how we are being taken care of and about the kind of life that we are living.

Many of us want a God of quick fixes, a God who addresses my needs, my hurts, my sufferings. We want a God who intervenes in our life directly and promptly. We want a God who should spare us of difficulties, of painful experiences, of terrible human happenings that bring us pain and sorrow.

Instead, God calls people to shepherd us throughout our lives, people who will announce the Good News of God’s Love, people who will bring healing and salvation to our souls and spirits, people who will challenge us to change the way we live so that we can all be God’s children and we can all share in God’s blessings.

God cares deeply for all people and not just individual persons. God is vitally concern about our quality of life and invites us to become God’s people, a community of peace and justice for all, a community that Jesus describes as "the Reign of God."

God knows that people are the most vulnerable when they are hurting, when they are violated, when they are suffering deep personal pain. That is why, in today’s readings, God wants us to have the best "shepherds" to care for us when we are in these terrible situations, the best ministers who can bring about healing and reconciliation, peace and justice, indeed, salvation and redemption for all. That is why God has sent us Jesus, God’s Only Son, to bring us the fullness of redemption by an unconditional act of love. And that is why Jesus chose to die on the Cross. That is why we hold Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Mary, Jesus our Lord and Redeemer, as the incomparable model of the Good Shepherd. This is why Jesus’ heart was moved with pity when He saw the crowd coming to him and why He was willing to die on the Cross for our salvation and redemption.

God warns us of those "shepherds" who take advantage of our vulnerability to mislead and to mistreat the people of God. We know that these false shepherds are out there. Sometimes they mask themselves as leaders of countries and nations, or as powerful and wealthy people who defraud and accumulate riches by lies and deception. Sometimes they take the form of entertainers and popular personalities whom people admire for their God given talent. Most often, though, they are people like us, who preach the path of least resistance, the easy way out, the gospel of convenience and quick fixes.

When Jesus sent out the apostles to teach and preach and to heal and save, he was aware that there were scribes and Pharisees teaching and preaching and that there were priests and religious leaders who were offering sacrifices and prayers. But Jesus required a different kind of teacher, a different kind of preacher, a different kind of priest. He wanted apostles whose hearts could be moved with pity when they saw people suffering, who could bring words of reconciliation and peace where there was violence, shepherds who could bring everlasting life where there was death. He wanted us, his ordinary followers, to be his apostles, disciples, priests and prophets. Thus, we all are called to be Good Shepherds!

 

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