Daily Scripture

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

Reflection:

The Feast of the Presentation, forty days after Christmas, has been the traditional close of the Christmas season. In today’s second reading, we hear that Jesus “became like his brothers and sisters in every way.” The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is speaking of the Incarnation, meaning literally to be “born in flesh”. And because Jesus “became like his brothers and sisters in every way”, He was born into a particular cultural, political, and economic situation. In recent years, as I have listened to the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy during the Christmas season, I have been struck by the vulnerability of the Holy Family’s situation.

Mary had experienced labor and delivery in a stable, far from home. Jesus’ first visitors were also of low social status: the shepherds who came in from the fields. Jesus enjoyed a loving family and community, but His circumstances outside his home were precarious. He lived in territory occupied and oppressed by the Romans. In Matthew’s Gospel, we heard of Jesus’ escape from the murderous King Herod, by the Holy Family’s flight southward into Egypt. Today, thousands of Palestinian families are taking the same route to avoid violence and death.

And in today’s Gospel reading, we find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem practicing the ancient customs of their culture: Mary’s purification after childbirth, and Jesus’ presentation: the offering of the first-born son. Since they could not afford a sheep, Mary and Joseph gave the offering of the poor: two turtledoves and two young pigeons.

In his 2016 Christmas message, Pope Francis tells us the power and meaning of Jesus’ Incarnation:

The power of this Child, Son of God, and Son of Mary, is not the power of this world, based on might and wealth; it is the power of love. It is the power that created the heavens and the earth, and gives life to all creation: to minerals, plants, and animals. It is the force that attracts man and woman, and makes them one flesh, one single existence. It is the power that gives new birth, forgives sin, reconciles enemies, and transforms evil into good. It is the power of God.
This power of love led Jesus Christ to strip himself of his glory and become man; it led him to give his life on the cross and to rise from the dead. It is the power of service, which inaugurates in our world the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and peace.

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She served on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit. She is currently a member of the Laudato Si Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

1 Kings 2:1-4,10-12
Mark 6:7-13

Reflection:

What an experience for the young apostles when Jesus sent them out to preach for the first time.  His instructions were simple: take nothing but a walking stick, no extra clothing, and stay only where you are welcome. They were more prepared for their journeys than they could have imagined because, according to Mark, they made quite an impact by preaching repentance, driving out demons and anointing and curing the sick. Truth is that they had the best teacher since they had been following Jesus for some time before this moment and had witnessed how he ministered to those he encountered.

We, too, have our moment of being sent out each time we participate in the liturgy of the Mass. Possibly our reaction after the final blessing is that Mass is over, and I can be on my way.  Actually the final blessing is the end of the beginning!  We are not sent out to go home. We are sent out to witness the Gospel through our lives. 

Putting ourselves in place of the apostles, what does Jesus ask us to bring on our journey, and what does He want us to leave behind? 

We are asked to simply bring a heart open to loving God and all His creation, and to live our lives as witnesses to the Gospel message.

We are asked to leave behind our closed-mindedness, our preconceptions and judgment of others, our personal pride, and our dependency on our possessions and belongings.

If we approach our journey in this manner, we will be worthy missionaries like the apostles. 

Mike Owens is coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Mark 6:1-6

Reflection:

Happy Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

Do you ever wonder what Jesus was like as a kid? I do.

I wonder if he walked around in flowing robes blessing people. Did he stand on the top of his bathwater, refusing to get in?   If Mary and Joseph ever ran out of food, did Jesus just miracle up all the wine and fish and bread he wanted? When one of his buddies hurt himself in the playground, did Jesus touch and heal the sore? And in school, when asked a question, did he answer in eloquent and perfectly crafted parables?

Or, I wonder if he was the Class Clown, like me?

I imagine Jesus had to learn to walk, like the rest of us. He probably made mistakes growing up. Maybe he lost some friends, and even had to deal with human emotions and fears. I can hardly begin to understand what he must have had to process as he himself began to understand who he was, and what he could do, and what he was going to have to do.

He must have had a hard time accepting who he was, and his mission.

The Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) has Jesus in his hometown, revealing himself to the people who know him best. They’ve seen him grow from that little guy learning to walk and making mistakes, and now he’s calling himself a prophet and teaching in the synagogue with great wisdom and might! The people in his city, his neighbors, know him as the kid down the block… just an ordinary carpenter, and yet he teaches in the synagogue as one with learning and power. He could not possibly, in their eyes, be a prophet. Their lack of faith, though, limits his ability to perform and “mighty deeds” that reveal the presence of God’s kingdom in their midst.

I’ll bet they had a hard time accepting who he said he was, and his mission.

The people in today’s Gospel were a lot like me. Here is the Son of God himself, standing right in front of them, talking to them. God comes to heal the sick, bring sight to the blind, shower peace and love to all people, share the message of Eternal Life, and these folk were just too closed to see him at work in their lives. In fact they were so angry, they refused to let him do any mighty deed there, tying the hands of God, refusing all the love and grace Jesus offers!

There’s quite a foreshadowing of Jesus’ end of life in today’s Gospel. It begins with people praising him and being amazed at his speaking and depth, but ends with them taking offense at him. First loved and accepted, but then pushed away. It’s like those who praised Jesus on Palm Sunday, and became the same people that would scream “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

And yet, even fully knowing what would happen, God still pursued us. He sent his Son as one of us to reach out, to call us home, even though he knew we would tie his hands and turn our backs on all the healing and love he has to offer.

Such love. Such amazing love… to hold out a hand of care and forgiveness, even though those very people would slam a spike through it.

Pursuit. Chase after. Hound. Dig for. Leave no stone unturned. Do whatever it takes.
How has God pursued you?
How have you turned your back on Jesus?
What was it that led you to finally accept God’s hand reaching out to you,
waiting for you?
And, how have you been God’s hands, reaching out to others?

God waits for us. Jesus is right here, in our midst. The signs and messages are always there… if only we could be open enough to recognize him.

The refrain of a pop song, which was recorded by the artist Richard Marx, titled “Right Here Waiting,” says it pretty well.

Wherever you go, whatever you do,
I will be right here waiting for you.

What a perfect description of God. All we have to do look, listen, and be God’s beloved.

—————

Dear God,
thank you for the gift
of your most amazing
and ever available presence.
Please grant us the grace
to always open the door
and let you in. Amen.

Peace and love to you today, and forever.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30 – 19:3
Mark 5:21-43

Reflection:

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

Today’s Gospel selection features Jesus ministering to the pressing needs of large crowds of people – as well as individuals such as the synagogue official Jairus, his young daughter, and the woman with the persistent hemorrhage.  Each person saw in Jesus the opportunity to be fully alive and healthy, freed from the bonds of sickness and isolation and meaninglessness.  The crowds diligently followed Jesus on both land and sea; the synagogue official fell at Jesus’ feet to request a miracle; the sick woman quietly came up behind Jesus to simply (and anonymously) touch his cloak; the little girl was lovingly helped from her sickbed by Jesus’ own hand.

Each miraculous encounter was based on some level of faith in Jesus.  Jesus’ words to each of these people encouraged them to have deeper faith — and then to go and live that faith.  Fear?  No way!  “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”  “Go in peace…be cured of your affliction.”

Each of us has his or her special needs, and perhaps some fear.  We suffer with our Health, with a lack of Security or Meaning; we feel Alone; we lack true Love.  Our 21^st century world likewise has its special needs:  we yearn for hope, justice, freedom, leadership, a respect for life – to name just a few needs!  Jesus invites us all to come to Him with faith, leaving behind our paralyzing fears as we make our requests.  “Please, come…if I but touch his clothes…”

With supreme gentleness and selflessness Jesus offers us the healing power of His Love, manifested in His every thought, word, and deed – to the ultimate gift of His death on the Cross!  Jesus lovingly speaks to us as he did to the little girl:  “Talitha koum…little girl, I say to you, arise!”  Life and fulfillment are ours, in Jesus!

In these early weeks of the Church’s Ordinary Time, we are reminded of our rich blessings with God’s Life and Love in the person of Jesus!  As 21^st century men and women of faith, may we live and share that Life and Love with our sisters and brothers.

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 18:15-20
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Mark 1:21-28

Reflection:

In the gospel from Mark, we read about Jesus preaching and teaching in Capernaum, much like he has done in many other towns and villages. It’s interesting that it seems those who have gathered are finally hearing and taking him seriously.  He was being seen by many as having authority, in other words, he was being taken seriously.  This could be a good thing or not!  We are told his fame spread throughout the whole region of Galilee. 

Jesus had many followers. He was revered by many who listened and believed the message he came to share.  People came from near and far to be healed and to check out this man, Jesus!  We can tell that Jesus must have felt good about the fact that he was having success in spreading the word!  On the other hand, there were those in authority, pharisees and scribes who were beginning to feel threatened by this itinerant preacher from Nazareth, of all places, who seemed to be gaining in popularity.  In their minds, this was not good news!

Today we are bombarded with many different factions who all have a message to share, a promise to offer, a product to make all things better.  They ask us to trust their message, buy their products and believe in those promises. Oftentimes it’s hard to know who to believe and trust that what is being said and done is the right thing for the good of all.  I often wonder if Jesus was walking the streets of our cities, neighborhoods, churches and public markets with the message that he preached so long ago in faraway places like Capernaum, Galilee, Nazareth, would we welcome his message or would we find the messenger despicable, dangerous or even a fraud!

Jesus is our authority figure who loves us, challenges us, and walks with us throughout good times and unhappy times.  The Good News he preaches calls us to challenge those in authority who may not have our best interests at heart.  We are called to ask the hard questions, to take a stand that might make us unpopular or make us uncomfortable.  Psalm 95 responsorial psalm reminds us that:

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts’.

Jesus calls us to lead with authority as people who have seen a great light, his light and life.  May our lives reflect hearts that are not hard, but, rather open to serving those most in need in our community and world.

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” Psalm 51:1

How many times have we found ourselves in difficult situations? Our desires pull us one way and the Word of God comes to us, reproaches us and then we see with clarity the evil we have done, the wrong choices we have made.

This is what happened to King David, God’s anointed, in today’s first reading. These last few days, we have been reading the life story of King David during Mass. We read how he was chosen by God even though he was the youngest of his family, how he overcame the giant Philistine without the weapons of war and how he was loyal and faithful to King Saul, even when Saul wanted to kill him. God was with him. God protected him. God anointed him King of Israel. Who could have asked for a better life?

Then David did something stupid. He allowed his desires to overcome his good life and his good works. He takes the wife of one of his military officers, makes her pregnant and then has her husband killed. Maybe we haven’t done exactly the same thing, but we have acted in similar ways. We have allowed our vices and desires to overcome our goodness, made bad choices and have had to live with the consequences.

God needed to remind David of what he did. God did this by sending the prophet, Nathan, to confront him, using a parable of good and evil. When David renounced the evil in the parable, then the prophet showed David his own guilt. David’s conscience then got the better of him and immediately began to do penance. One of our traditions says that David wrote the Psalms we pray between the Mass readings. His Psalm prayer for today’s Mass is: Create a clean heart in me, O God!

How do we go about creating a clean heart for ourselves? Like David, we may live in denial for a while. It can be so difficult to admit to our wrongdoing. The first step toward repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation is the acknowledgment of our sin and our responsibility for it. Hardly any of us ever make it that far on our own. Let us not turn a deaf ear to our conscience and let us not harden our hearts toward the grace of God, whose love brings forgiveness and communion. This is precisely the moment we need Jesus in our lives.

When we are tossed about in turmoil and turbulence, like the disciples were in the Gospel reading for today’s Mass, our inability to confront the storms in our lives, compel us to Jesus, afraid and frightened. Jesus will not only rebuke the storm but may rebuke us also for being people of little faith.

Creating a clean heart within us will take the courage to acknowledge our wrongdoing and the courage to turn to the only one who can forgive us, our loving God. Then, we, too, will be filled with great awe!

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Scripture:

2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5
Mark 4:26-34

Reflection:

There is no forgiving heart of Jesus in the world without our hearts.
There is no consoling embrace of Jesus without our arms.
There is no loving gaze of Jesus without our eyes.
There is no Body of Christ in the world without us.

The parable of the small seed yielding a great harvest in today’s gospel is familiar to us all. Too often, though, I miss an essential element of that story. The seed needs a sower. There is a collaboration or partnership in the act of sowing seed. Both are necessary.

What is inspiring in the Acts of the Apostles, and specifically in today’s readings for the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, is this collaboration. In this instance there is certainly Paul as a bold apostle of Jesus, but also Paul’s collaboration with Timothy and Titus. Jesus recruited the Apostles. Paul recruited Timothy and Titus, and they in turn are encouraged to “set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.”

We do God’s work together. We sow the seeds of faith, hope, and love. These are not for us to keep for ourselves. They are given to us to share. Jesus needed partners in ministry. Paul needed partners. We now are those partners in proclaiming the Good News. We don’t need to profess religious vows or be ordained a priest. We can be Passionist Partners.

Many of us may be old enough to remember, “Ite, missa est,” The Body of Christ in us is sent forth into the world at the conclusion of celebrating the Eucharist. Go, is the command. Be Jesus’ partner in ministry in the world today.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.