Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Hebrews 8:6-13
Mark 3:13-19

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading from Mark, we see the names of the Twelve Apostles. But before the list of names, Mark tells us that "Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him."

The summons Jesus sent out was not only meant for the Twelve Apostles, nor only for those recognized as saints by the Church, but for you and me. This is not always understood. There may be times when we have difficulty imagining that we are among those whom Jesus wants. Perhaps someone in our parish has suggested that we become some kind of liturgical minister, or participate in some parish outreach, and our immediate reaction has been, "I’m not worthy."

It has been my experience that it doesn’t matter so much if I deem myself worthy or not. What matters most is that I am called. I could point out some very talented young men who were in the seminary at the same time I was. By all accounts they would have made better priests or religious than myself. But they did not stay. One could only surmise that they were not called to that particular vocation.

When one reads the Gospels, one can see that the Twelve did not always understand what Jesus was trying to tell them, nor did they always act in the best way. But Jesus called them, and they grew into the leaders Jesus wanted them to be. What remains for us is to live out our vocation whatever it may be for us. All vocations, married, single, religious, or ordained life, are sacred, as they come from God.

Be assured: Jesus wants us for something. We need only to respond to His call.

Scripture:

Hebrews 8:6-13
Mark 3:13-19

Reflection:

"Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me." Ps 40: 6

I’ve always had a hard time saying no when I’m asked to do something that I consider a "good" thing. God finally showed me that I’m not called to do everything! There will always be things that need to be done, but it’s important to first discern if God is calling me to do it – not just if I’m capable of doing it. I need ears open to obedience. For one, it’s easy to get over-committed and then family life suffers and often prayer time gets lost in the shuffle. Another result is that we sometimes keep others from volunteering because we say yes so quickly that no one else has a chance to step up.

It’s such an easy trap to fall into – especially in the church. Ministries usually need people to help. Someone tells us "You’d be so good at that!" We feel good when our ego is stroked, so we say yes. But is it actually God calling us? When our children were very young we went on a Marriage Encounter weekend. Afterwards the presenting couples asked us if we would like to be on the team. We were flattered, and really wanted to say yes. But after prayer and reflection, we realized that we couldn’t be away from our kids that much. It was a hard decision, because it would have been fun to share our love with other couples and to go out of town some weekends. Sometimes being obedient to God means saying no to good things. (And even though our answer was no, it was also right for someone else to say yes!) 

We can do lots of stuff for God and yet not even spend time with Him. But He doesn’t want our good deeds and worship out of obligation. He wants our hearts. I can go to mass every Sunday, and still be far from God. I can teach Sunday school and be in every committee at church and still be far from God. All of my acts of goodness don’t mean anything unless they come from a heart that loves God first. We are to abide in Him. When we do that, we soak up the love He gives us so freely, and then we say yes when He calls us to share that love with others.

 

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.

Scripture:

Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17
Mark 3:1-6

Reflection:

Barack Obama carries out his first full day of work as the President of the U.S. today.  His presidency represents a change in more than the usual sense of the term, when we speak of the change of watch that presidential succession entails.  For he is the first African-American to hold this office.  Quite a change!

And we expect corresponding changes from him in various areas of U.S. life, of which he allegedly said the very first thing to which he would attend, upon assuming the presidency, would be: the sick economy, the conduct of our two wars, the practice of torture and extradition, the reduction of taxes for the middle class, extended unemployment benefits, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, etc., etc.

The liturgical readings from the bible today likewise address change, leading us to ask whether the changes they describe portend anything above and beyond the obviously religious tenor we observe about them.  Hebrews looks to the ancient priest Melchizedec as a type or model of the priesthood Jesus represents: a new kind of priesthood, that is a change from the Aaronic priesthood that prevailed within Judaism up to that point in time: "…another priest raised up after the likeness of Melchizedec,…" (Heb 7.15).  And Mark describes an incident that Jesus instigated in the synagogue, on the Sabbath, healing the withered hand of a man present there.  In doing so, He changed the terms of the event from a Sabbath desecration to a: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil…?" (Mk 3.4)

These "terms of engagement" associated with Jesus: are they "only" religious, or do they suggest that any significant changes occurring in any venue must have a religious base?  We memorialize the young girl Agnes today: was not her death, even though religiously motivated, capable of shaking the foundations of the Roman Empire?  And are not the religious changes for which we pray during this octave of prayer for church unity capable of moving beyond the churches, and reaching farther, like the priesthood of Jesus, the keeping of the Sabbath, and the death of Agnes, right up to the desk of the President?

 

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

Scripture:

1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19
1Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
John 1:35-42

Reflection:

"Here I am, Lord, You called?"

"Jesus,  I heard Your call and I ended up with  a sense of direction.  As I look back on my life there have been times that You have used others to get my attention.  That still happens in my life.

For instance, I know that fifth grade seems awfully young for a boy to "hear" what would eventually develop into a realization that You were calling me to take a look at priesthood.    Our collecting of pennies "for the foreign Missions" during our years in grade school got me thinking: ‘how about my actually going on the Foreign Missions to help these people?’  Then, a Passionist priest came to St. Lawrence grade school to thank our student body for raising funds for our Holy Family parish, made up of African Americans, in Birmingham, AL.  But I also heard that the Passionists had  missionaries in China!   "Here, I am, Lord, you called!"

 But more immediately my contact with the Passionist community in Detroit introduced me to a group of young Passionist religious in their college years who appeared to me as men, who are happy, have a great sense of humor, easy to relate to, …and wow, some of them can really play baseball!  That was a powerful message to me: they were quite human, easy to relate to, whether they were on a ball field wearing sports clothes accented by a baseball cap and a baseball glove, or walking around the monastery wearing the Passionist habit and sandals.  The person mattered.   ‘Here I am, Lord, You called!’ 

 So I entered the Passionist Seminary in my first year of High School and continued on with much support from my parents, brother and sisters, and my Passionist family there in the Seminary.   Jesus, I remain ever grateful for the interest, trust and challenges that were presented to me during my seminary days.   "Here I am Lord, You called!" 

Ordination to priesthood came in 1957 followed by a special year in writing sermons, practicing them and finally getting into the pulpit.  Remember, Jesus, we wrote a sermon (we called it a "common-fit all occasion" sermon that fit every weekend and so allowed us to preach the same sermon a number of times so we could feel comfortable and sneak a peek at the congregation.  So at the end of that year we received our assignments: ‘Dear Father Peter, you are hereby assigned to the Minor Seminary to teach Latin."   Whoops!  ‘Here I am Lord, but, forgive me, where are you?  The Passionists are a preaching Community, are they not?’ ‘ Indeed, you are.’ ‘ Walk your talk, Peter, among the High School Seminarians.’  I ended up preaching in a St. Louis parish on weekends.  No, by this time I was writing a sermon that fit the readings of the day!  The teaching was fine.  I enjoyed the young men.  I did this for nine years.  "There I was Lord, You called!"

And then, another series of calls via my Superiors:

please become the Director of Christ the King Retreat Center in Sacramento, CA [nine years][ sure you can take 9 months off for a sabbatical in Denver, CO];

please head up the Passionist Student Residence house in Northridge, CA[three years];

please be the Vocation Coordinator on the west coast[four years];

please go to Pittsburgh, PA as Assistant Novice Master [2 years];

please take over the Vocation Recruiting Office for the Province in Chicago, IL [four years][sure, you can take 9 months sabbatical at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley, CA.][ I really didn’t know that my "yes" included a the heart attack while there!];

please, now that you have recovered and finished your studies, become the retreat Director of Our Lady’s Retreat Center in St. Louis [3 years];

please become associate pastor at the Passionist parish of the Immaculate Conception in Chicago, IL[4 years][again, that "yes" included time out for prostate cancer surgery];

and then, please become the Director of Holy Name Retreat Center[2 years] followed by 6 more years up to the present here in Houston, TX. [I am running neck and neck with Fr. Dennis McGowan, C.P. in Japan in counting stents in our arteries to keep our hearts functioning!] "Here I am, Lord, You called."

There has always been a deep peace within me knowing the Lord is, indeed, with me.  His calls have surprised me at times, finding me a bit queasy as to whether I would measure up to the call.  I gradually began to say to my Superiors and friends, "You know my gifts AND my limitations.  I will give it my best shot."   You and I know, Jesus, that a few shots have gone far afield!  And there have been both laughter and tears, successes and failures.

Looking back I realize that I was being called by You, Lord, to prepare myself for the future by many who were in tune with Your own wishes.  There is great value in having wise counsel when we are aware that we are being called by the Lord. 

Join Jesus at the table, talking over His calls to you.

 

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

Scripture:

Hebrews 4:1-5, 11
Mark 2:1-12

Reflection:

There is only one joy for me that equals the wonder and excitement of travel and that is…coming home. That first moment when I walk in the door after being away is like seeing real beauty for the first time. The walls may be worn, the cat may be cranky, the plants may be limp, but I’m home, and oh boy, it looks like heaven to me.

I wonder if Jesus ever got to walk in his house and just disappear and "regroup" for awhile. Today’s Gospel tells us it wasn’t the case at Capernaum. We know of Jesus’ excruciating journey to the Cross, but what must it have been like to carry the burden of souls, their wishes and shattered dreams, every day of His life, every moment? How in the world did He bear the weight of all those people seeking relief so desperately–the poor, the lonely, the lame, the sick, and the outcast?

"Child, your sins are forgiven." There is such heart-rending compassion, gentleness of spirit, and presence in those five simple words. Jesus didn’t take a nap when he got home, "take five," or promise to be in touch later. Jesus was there, as He always is for each of us, ready to forgive and heal. Moved by the faith of the crowd and despite the criticisms of the naysayers, Jesus proved that the lame can indeed get up and be freed from what cripples them. And, by breaking through our own walls that keep us from Christ, so can we.

I truly hope that Jesus laid down his sweet head to rest more than just when he was a baby in the manger.  But I suspect that his short life on earth was lived far less restfully, although certainly He lived it with open eyes, open hands, and a truly open heart.

 

Nancy Nickel is the director of communications with the Passionist Development Office in Chicago, Illinois. 

Scripture:

Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 2:13-17

Reflection:

Our first reading today from the book of Hebrews begins; "The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account."

The word spoken of here can refer to the Sacred Scriptures, the written word of God or it can refer to the Word, the second person of the Trinity, made flesh in Jesus Christ. 

The penetrating power of the word/Word, is capable of doing a lot more than giving us a good facelift.  We are talking about the grace of God getting in between the soul and spirit, joints and marrow.  That is about as invasive a procedure as one can imagine.  It is more than something created, because it can even get into the human soul.

Why is such a powerful spiritual anointing necessary?  Because that is how deeply we can get wounded by our sins and the power of evil that swirls around us.  We can mess up our lives in a royal fashion.  The inner disorder and disorientation from God can be so overpowering that we need this "power greater than ourselves" to intervene. 

All of us are prone to addictions of one sort or another.  Some are mild and not too destructive, but others can get into the very fabric of our life and take control.

In his book, "Addiction and Grace", Gerald G. May, M.D. tells us that an addiction "uses up" our desire to love God and others. 

        "It is like a psychic malignancy, sucking our life energy into
         specific obsessions and compulsions, leaving less and less
        energy available for other people and other pursuits.
        Spiritually, addiction is a deep-seated form of idolatry.  The 
        objects of our addictions become our false gods.  These are
        what we worship, attend to, where we give our time and 
        energy, "instead of love".  Addiction, then, displaces and 
        supplants God’s love as the source and object of our deepest
        true desire.  It is, as one modern spiritual writer has called it,
        a "counterfeit of religious presence."

The word/Word of God can get to the heart of this woundedness, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow and heal addictions and make us whole.  Often, with great fear and trepidation, we must invite Jesus into these dark and powerful areas of our lives.   Jesus was able to take Levi, a tax collector, and turn him into one of his Apostles, Matthew.   To penetrate between his soul and spirit, Jesus went to Levi and his tax-collecting friends and shared a very intimate and vulnerable moment with them.  He ate a meal with them.  Jesus will join us in meeting our addictions head-on and help us to conquer them.

 

Fr. Blaise Czaja, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community in Detroit, Michigan.  His primary ministry is preaching parish missions and retreats.

Scripture:

Hebrews 3:7-14
Mark 1:40-45

Reflection:

This week began ordinary time. Liturgically we have stepped out of the wonder of the great Christmas season. Our hearts were touched by the infant in the arms of his mother, the challenges faced by the holy family, the mystery of wise men following the star, the heavens torn open, the dove descending and the voice of the Father: "You are my beloved Son". After experiencing all of this the first reading is asking us: "what kind of heart do you have?"  It notes that the Israelites also experienced the wonders of their liberation from the slavery in Egypt and yet many hardened their hearts. The reading spoke of erring, evil, and unfaithful hearts. We are warned that "the deceit of sin" can darken our vision to what is true and good.

We want our hearts to be on fire with the love of God and our neighbor, yet we are human and we fall short. Like the leper in today’s gospel we beg the Lord to make us clean.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
or Isaiah 55: 1-11
Acts 10:34-38
or 1 John 5:1-9
Mark 1:7-11

Reflection:

No sooner did Jesus emerge from the muddy River Jordan, than the skies were torn in two, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and God the Father thundered from heaven "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."   This is the moment when the divine identity of Jesus was revealed.

And yet, that booming baptismal declaration also concealed something – who Jesus is.  What does it mean to be "My son, the beloved"?

The answer unfolded slowly in the ensuing life of Jesus, when, filled with the Holy Spirit, he embarked on his mission, proclaiming the Good News, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, unshackling prisoners, taking up his cross.

What happened to Jesus happens to us at our baptism.  The first words in the Sacrament of Baptism come in the form of a question: What name do you give this child?  The priest or deacon isn’t seeking information for a certificate.  It is the Church asking the existential question: what is the identity of this child?  Who is this child?"  And when the parents announced for all to hear – his name is James; her name is Julia – at that moment the Church declared "I claim you for Christ."  Our identity was forever marked with the sign of the cross on our forehead.

At that moment, the Holy Spirit entered into us and, like a proud parent, God the Father again thundered his declaration: "This is my son, this is my daughter whom I love."  The Divine Parent has spoken.

But this baptismal declaration conceals as much as it reveals.  How we live our lives as beloved sons and daughters of God slowly discloses the answer.  It is revealed to the extent that we proclaim the Good News, as we serve our brothers and sisters.  Ultimately, it is revealed as we take up our cross.

 

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