Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 16:1-8

Reflection:

"My brothers…I so long for you who are my joy and my crown…"   Here we see the great St. Paul, God’s Chosen Vessel, the Mystic at home in the "Third Heaven" as a man of great sensibility who was a faithful, loyal, loving friend!

Earlier in his life, Paul was going from town to town in Asia Minor, the area we now know as Turkey and proclaiming the astonishing word God’s love for us human beings.  He intended to continue working in that area, but the Holy Spirit sent him to Europe.  So we find him at Philippi in Macedonia converting a Jewish business woman, and later rebuking an evil spirit.  That got him flogged and imprisoned.  An earthquake loosened his chains and converted his jailer.

The judges found out they had flogged a Roman citizen and were relieved to escort him on his way with honors.  The Christian Community at Philippi was the only one that Paul allowed to provide financial aid for his missionary work.  It is ten or so years later that Paul writes the letters we know as Philippians.  Paul was in prison, probably in Ephesus, where the Philippians sent him aid along with the person of the slave Epaphraditus.  Paul writes his thank them. 

A second letter takes up a problem that plagued Paul all his career.  Some Christians, former Essenes perhaps, claimed Paul was delivering only half the Gospel.  They demanded that Gentile converts needed to be circumcised as well as baptized if they were to be Christian.                                        

Paul had refuted that teaching in Jerusalem and Galatia.  He mounts a fierce frontal attack in defending himself.  His defense gives us his wonderful testimony: "My righteousness (comes) from God, depends on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection, the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead."  (3/9-11)

Paul invites his followers, and that includes us, to share his grace and calling: "Join with others in being imitators of me, conduct (yourselves) according to the model you have in us."  He concludes by reminding us: "…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorious body by the power that enables him to bring all things into subjection to himself."

We all are meant to be "the joy and crown of the very Son of God! 

                                                                                                              

Fr. Fred Sucher, C.P. is retired and lives in the Passionist community in Chicago.  For many years he taught philosophy to Passionist seminarians.  

Scripture:

Philippians 1:1-11
Luke 14:1-6

Reflection:

Today, we begin readings from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians.  Paul appears to have a great love for these converts because of how they welcomed him and because of their generosity to the poor.  Paul seems convinced that God had begun good work in them and that he would bring that good work to completion, and Paul takes time out of his life to acknowledge his appreciation in this letter to the faith community in Philippi.

The Philippians were moved from conversion into service.  This is in direct contrast to the attitude of the Pharisees in today’s Gospel who objected to Jesus’ healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath.  They were more concerned with legalism than with the spirit of the law.  Jesus demonstrates that coming to the help of others in need is what he calls us to do. 

We all need to know that we are truly appreciated.  God has begun good work in us and in others.  He wants to bring it to completion by forming us into a people who reflect his kingdom here on earth. 

Lord…….Help us today to offer words of love and encouragement to those who come into our lives today.  Many people may come and go during our day.  Help us to be especially grateful for those who leave footprints on our heart.

 

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

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10-20
Luke 13:31-35

Reflection:

Has this ever happened to you? You are glued to the TV set watching your favorite basketball team in the playoffs.  The score is tied.  There is one minute left to play.  Your team has the ball.  You are sitting at the edge of your seat to see what is going to happen next.  And then…there is a commercial break.  Ugh!  What a let-down.  It is not only the interruption in the action that you resent, but it is also the message.  Commercials may be about beer, or cars, or computers.  But the underlying message that comes across time after time is "the big lie."  Commercials tell us that "to be happy you have to buy lots of stuff."  Some people actually believe this lie, so they go out and buy lots of stuff.  They don’t feel any happier, so they go out and buy more stuff.  Still, no happiness.  These people scurry about, looking for life in all the wrong places.  Buying stuff just doesn’t work. 

In our first reading today St. Paul advises us to put on armor–the armor of God– to protect ourselves.  He is not talking about protecting ourselves from assaults by enemy soldiers, but assaults by the forces of evil.  And one of these forces is the big lie of advertising.  We need to shield our ears and the ears of our children.  We need to guard our minds and the minds of our children.  No, we don’t need lots of stuff to be happy.  For true happiness we need the Lord Jesus at the center of our lives.  Wisely Paul tells us "pray at every opportunity in the Spirit."   This will help us know what is really important in life.  Then Paul asks for prayers the he may "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel."  We ask for the same strength to be girded in truth and advertise by our lives that Jesus is the only source of lasting joy.  

 

Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

                                                                           

Scripture:

Ephesians 2:19-22
Luke 6:12-16

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast day of SS Simon and Jude.  These two men, along with the other Apostles were simple men.  They did not become Apostles because of some great feats or because of some great role they played in their community or because they came from influential families.  They were ordinary folk, but they were ready to hear the voice of God.  And Jesus called them.  We don’t know why he chose these men from the other disciples anymore than we can know why he calls us to our path in life.   Throughout life, when we meet another crisis, when we are faced with yet one more challenge or problem, or sometimes even when we realize we are gifted with a special blessing, we may wonder "Why me, God?"     I think the answer is that Jesus has called us.  Called us to experience the deaths and resurrections that mark the life of a Christian.  "Come follow me," Christ tells us.

The Apostles followed Christ.  Reflecting on what happened from this small group of simple men who heard their call and went out and converted the world, it is easy to dispel any doubts about our faith.  Started by a group of twelve, with Christ as the foundation, the Church has continued to grow and thrive for over two thousand years.  From a small town, it has spread throughout the world.  Isn’t that unbelievable?  Isn’t that awesome?

How do we emulate the zeal of Simon or the simple faith of Jude?  Do we listen to the voice of Christ as he calls us to evangelize the word?  How do we celebrate this Church which is continuingly as Paul told the Ephesians "being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.?"  How are we following Christ?  How are we being Christian?

 

Mary Lou Butler is a former staff member and is now a member of the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center Board, Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:32-5:8
Luke 13:10-17

Reflection:

"Hypocrites!"  This is certainly not a label that any of us would dare lay claim to.  The evil of hypocrisy is a popular theme in our Lord’s lessons to his followers.  Today’s gospel, along with Paul’s letter, serves as an important reminder of Jesus’ instruction on how to live a life as a true disciple of Christ, with harmony between word and deed.  

Luke tells that while teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus encounters a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years.  Described as "completely incapable of standing erect," we can only imagine this feeble and downtrodden woman in such agony that she was incapable of standing upright.  She is not given a name.  In fact, according to Luke’s account, she herself does not even ask for healing.  And yet so significant is her plight, Jesus immediately frees her from her bondage of suffering. 

Forever on the lookout for an opportunity to persecute Jesus, the synagogue leaders admonish Christ for his brazen act of curing this woman on the Sabbath, a clear breach of Jewish law.  For shame!  How sinful of him to perform this supremely good act on the day we are supposed to be honoring God with rest!  Of course, our Lord knows that curing this sick woman takes precedence over the letter of the law-a lesson lost on the synagogue head.  Christ does not mince words when he points the finger at these leaders, "Hypocrites!"  These are the same men who would lead their animals to water on the Sabbath without a second thought and yet they would leave this woman to suffer because of improper timing?  Jesus recognizes that it is in fact fitting to "set free" this woman on the Sabbath day.  

In healing her, Jesus also makes a point to name her as a "daughter of Abraham."  Abraham is the father of Israel.  In a holy covenant, God promised Abraham that through his descendants, all the nations of the world would come to be blessed.  Here standing before these scribes and elders is a daughter of their father, Abraham.  Is she not then, also an heir to God’s promise and their sister?  And if this simple, crippled, nameless woman is a daughter of Abraham, then is not the least among us also a worthy child of God? 

This question is answered definitively in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians where we are given the blueprint for a Christian life: "be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.  So be imitators of God . . . and live in love . . .  ."  We are told to be nothing short of Christ-like in our treatment of others.  But how often have we refused forgiveness to our neighbor out of anger, stubbornness or spite?  And yet, how many more times have we gone to our Father with the hope of being forgiven for some truly detestable acts?  Perhaps we have more in common with the hypocrites of Luke’s gospel than we would care to admit. 

Society looked at the woman in the gospel story and saw "bent," "incapable," and "crippled."  Jesus looked at her and saw "daughter."  Let us look at those in the world around us and see our brothers and sisters as our Father does-as sons and daughters created in His image and likeness and heirs to God’s great promise of salvation.  

 

Marlo Serritella is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Exodus 22:20-26
1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Matthew 22:34-40

Reflection:

Our Sunday readings invite us to the core of our call as Christians-a core firmly rooted in our Jewish heritage.  The first reading from the book of Exodus provides some of the Jewish code of behavior and ethic, a code that is clearly grounded in compassion.  In Jewish tradition and practice, the 613 laws that make up the Covenant ensure Israel’s relationship with their God.  A few years back I joined a Torah study group at a local synagogue to learn more about this tradition.  What I learned from my experience was that the Law is fundamentally our response to the goodness of God.  To reach that knowledge, I was posed with question upon question.  Every time I answered a question, my Rabbi would present me with a new question.  The posing of questions is clearly foundational to Jewish pedagogy. 

In today’s Gospel from Mathew (our most Jewish Gospel), Jesus is presented with the most challenging question of all-he is asked to choose the most important of the commandments.  This incident in the life of Jesus appears (with nuances) in all of the Synoptic Gospels.  For Jesus, the greatest commandment is expressed in the unity of two-the love of God and love of neighbor as one loves self.  To summarize the crux of Jesus’ response, I am reminded of the words of Bishop Gordon Bennett (a native of my region of Southern California) who states frequently in his preaching on the Christian journey, "The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart."  The Bishop always pauses in reverence after saying this line…and then slowly repeats it again, "The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart." 

After my mother passed away, my father purchased a condominium and the seller was a wonderful Jewish couple.  Visitors to my father’s home, aware of his deep Catholic faith, always ask if he is going to remove the mezuzahs that adorn his front door and that of his master bedroom.  My father always responds that he is delighted to have these prayerful reminders of our relationship to God and the Jewish roots of our faith.  Indeed, the Shema, the confession of love for God, is a beautiful meditation for all of us. 

In Richard Rohr’s new book "Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality", he states "How we relate to God always reveals how we will relate to people, and how we relate to people is an almost infallible indicator of how we relate to God and let God relate to us." 

What we learn today from the wisdom of Jesus is that the core of our faith must be the triad of loving relationship that we are called to embrace-the love of God-the love of neighbor-and the love of self.  This is the same love that St. Paul is calling the Thessalonian Christians to embrace.  What a beautiful and challenging dance of love it is! Is it not the "Dancing with the Stars" that our world truly needs today?

 

Angela Howell is a retreatant and volunteer at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-6
Luke 12:54-59

Reflection:

If one were to write a reflection on what things bothered Jesus the most when he preached, you would have to mention his deep concern for hypocrisy.    Over 20 times Jesus speaks strongly against it.   The word comes from the Greek krino which means to cut into something, or in this case, to interpret.   It is used for acting or interpreting literature.

For Jesus acting religious and not being sincere is honoring God with the lips while our heart is far from Him.  Why is Jesus so vehemently disturbed by hypocrisy?    True religion is to love God with one’s whole soul and heart and mind.     A hypocrite is one who acts or dissembles as one who loves but really does not.  Their concern is what they look like to others.    If I look good to others than I am good, even if I am filled with corruption like a white washed tomb. Their religion is directed to humans not to God.  

An actor is very good when he or she looks like the person they are presenting.   In real life they might be the opposite.  Sir Lawrence Olivier said that a good actor is a good liar.  I remember when I was young Ingrid Bergman acted as Joan of Arc in a popular movie.   Later, when she had a child out of wedlock people were all upset.   How could a saint do such a thing?   In reality Bergman was not even a Catholic, but she was an excellent actress.

In the last analysis it is a form of idolatry.   Idolatry is the ultimate sin of worshiping the creature rather than Creator.    Pure religion is of little interest to them because their mind is with the self.   They use religion to look good.  Their concern is the outside appearances and not with pleasing God.   They use God to advance their self worth in the eyes of others.

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. lives in the Passionist community in Detroit, Michigan.  His primary ministry is preaching parish missions. 

Scripture:

Ephesians 3:14-21
Luke 12:49-53

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus says some startling words: "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." This does not sound like the Prince of Peace!

First of all, we must remember that when Luke’s Gospel was written, deciding to be a Christian often did bring division within families. In fact, there are places in the world where that is true even today, and people literally risk their lives by professing their faith as Christians.

In the U.S., where there is not so much religious persecution, there can still be conflict within families over faith, and over which denomination people may choose. But for me, Jesus is speaking about something deeper than family disagreements about religion. To follow Jesus involves taking a stand. To be a Christian often involves going against the grain of conventional wisdom or popular culture. For instance, worldly wisdom will often take an absence of tension for peace. But, as those like Martin Luther King, Jr. have said, true peace is not simply an absence of conflict. Sometimes our faith leads us away from "going along to get along." To forego violence in a world that often uses violence to resolve conflicts may lead us to conflict. To forego seeking our own pleasures for the sake of others in a world that is constantly seeking more and more gratification may earn us some strange looks.

Fear of conflict makes it difficult to be Christian. We do not seek to impose our beliefs on others, or force them to do what we  want, but to follow Jesus means to live out our faith, no matter where we are. It means to love freely, as Jesus does. It means to share our hope, even in the midst of crisis. Living out our faith may bring division, but we will come to know, "with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth" of Christ’s love, and we will find real peace.

 

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