Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Luke 9:18-22

Reflection:

Today is the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian.  If one wanders the area near the Forum in Rome, there is a very ancient church dedicated to these twin martyrs-physicians by trade.  Over the altar is a beautiful mosaic depicting the brothers on either side of Peter and Paul, flanking the central focus–Christ the Redeemer.  In the middle of this past century, Thomas Merton, in his famous autobiography the Seven Story Mountain, describes his own conversion as he wandered the streets of Rome.  In this ancient church, and others he visited, he saw the powerful iconic images of the Saints transformed by the Risen Christ.  Confronted by this powerful message, Merton began his own journey to a new life in Christ…a life which has inspired others on the journey.

In our first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes, we encounter the beautiful poem which chronicles the joys and sorrows of life.  Despite times of sadness and destruction or loss and separation, God’s infinite promise is a new and transformed life.

In today’s gospel, Jesus asks his disciples the seminal question "Who do you say I am."  That was the same question that Cosmas and Damian had to answer.  It is also the same question that Thomas Merton and each of us must answer.  After the enlightened response of Peter, "You are the anointed one of God", Jesus went on to explain that the "Son of Man must suffer" for he knew he would die on the Cross.   Jesus is a true radical as he explains that the path to God involves suffering and death.  Cosmas and Damian shared in that suffering-first by fire-then beheaded.  And, Thomas Merton also experienced suffering during his lifetime, a life which ended abruptly by electrocution.  

Like the saints of the Early Church-Cosmas and Damian-or the everyday saints of our own age-we are each invited to a new life in Christ. So, begin anew today…take time to answer Jesus’ most personal question, "Who do you say I am?" 

Blessings on the journey!

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

Scripture: 

Eccl. 1:2-11
Ps. 90:3-6, 12-14, 17c
Lk  9:7-9

Reflection:

                The Gospel of Luke is characterized by individuals asking questions, e. g.  Zachariah, Mary, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Scribes and Pharisees, and in today’s gospel, Herod.  This device is used to explore the question of "Who is Jesus?"  Eventually, Jesus will ask the question and Peter will speak for the disciples and will declare that Jesus is the Messiah of God!

                Unfortunately, Herod asks the question, but for the wrong reason.  He is not a true seeker. He is curious because Jesus is the great miracle worker he has heard about from his courtiers.  But Herod’s personal life is in such disarray that he can’t entertain a truthful question.  He is married to his brother Philip’s wife Herodias.  His political life is being challenged.  The father of his former wife is the Nabatean king Aretas IV,  whose armies are circling Herod’s borders because of the treatment his daughter received from Herod.  So he can’t trust anyone, even his courtiers, to help him probe beyond the surface of the miracles, which give life and signal the in-breaking of the Reign of God in the person of Jesus.  Herod’s conscience is so clouded and guilt-ridden because he beheaded John the Baptist that he can’t see the Light or Hear the Word.

                The Church from the beginning of its history in its Councils struggled with this question of "Who is this Jesus?"  Is he human?  Is he divine?  It is the same question that we need to constantly ask also.  Who do we say Jesus is?  Unlike Herod, we do have guides to help us answer that question.  Henri Nouwen reminds us of what he called "disciplines."  We have the Church that makes Christ present to us through the sacraments, the preaching and teachings of the Church.  We have the book, the Bible, that speaks to us about God’s faithful love and who this person is we call Jesus.  We have the "disciplines of the heart," spiritual directors who accompany us on our journey, on our quest.  We have pilgrim companions who walk with us in search of the answer to our question.  As we mature in the life of Christ our questions deepen and our search is more profound.  Like the honest seekers:  Zachariah, Mary Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and Peter we can say that Jesus is the Messiah of God, our God, Redeemer, and Savior, who loved us so much He died on the cross for us, and overcame death in His resurrection. 

Kenneth O’Malley, CP, is an archivist at Catholic Theological Union

The Feast of St. Vincent Strambi, Passionist 

Scripture:

Proverbs 30:5-9
Luke 9:1-6

Reflection:

"And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere."
Luke 9:2,6

Today is the feast of St Vincent Strambi CP. He was a companion of Paul of the Cross and one of the greatest missionaries of our congregation. He read the beautiful love story of the Passion according to John to the dying Paul of the Cross.  He did this to envelop Paul with the overwhelming love of Christ. We read that Paul hearing the Passion "had a glow of heavenly radiance upon his dying face". "They looked {naw-bat’} unto him, and were radiant." Ps 34:5  The seriousness of the suffering and death of Christ is the greatest sign of God’s love.  Thus, it is the greatest cause of joy!  All who are dedicated to the suffering Christ, like Vincent Strambi, have a special charism of joy.

Despite the many sobering and fearful statements in the New Testament, the overriding mood is one of joyful news and healing. Gospel or jubilant news becomes an essential word to describe the message of Jesus. Hollywood loves to protray religious people as either hypocrites or morose. They think the ideals are too high so that it is impossible to live up to them, so people must be acting or wearing a mask. This is what the Scripture calls hypocrisy. They think they must be sad or morose because the followers of Christ often reject the only things that secular people think make you happy.

There is an astonishing number of different words for joy in New Testament. At the Annunciation Mary dances with joy {ag-al-lee-ah’-o} in God her Saviour. The unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy in the presence of the unborn Jesus: "the babe leaped {skeer-tah’o} in my womb for joy." Luke 1:44 The angels tell the shepherds: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy {khar-ah’}!" This word for joy or {hkarah} appears some 59 times in Scripture. When the Magi "saw the star, they rejoiced {khah’-ee-ro} with exceeding great joy." Mt 2:10 This word khaheero appears 74 times in SS.  In the story of the prodigal son the father says: "It was right that we should make merry {yoo-frah’-ee-no}, and  be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." Lk 15:32  Yoofraheeno (make glad) is used 13 times in New Testament. Joy is but a reflection of Our Father’s life in Heaven.

The Gospel comes to its culmination in the presence of the Risen Christ. The first words of Risen Jesus in Mt Gospel: Rejoice! {khah’-ee-ro} And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Mt 28:7 In Your presence is fullness of joy; Ps 16:11

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, CP, is an Itinerant Preacher who resides at St. Paul of the Cross Residence in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Proverbs 3:27-34
Luke 8:16-18

Reflection:

"Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him."
Proverbs 3:27

Our son and his family came over for dinner the other night. Three-year old Mayzie said, "Grandma, come and play with me." There was a pretty important conversation going on at the table, but I went with her to our "elevator". It’s the little space just inside our front door. She brings blankets and a pillow and stuffed animals and anything else we’ll need for our ride. We sit down on the rug and she pushes a "button" on the wall and we go up and down and up and down and sometimes we even let her little sister Addie go with us. It would have been so easy to miss this latest adventure with my granddaughter, but thankfully, I said yes and got on board. Just before I went back to the table, she gave me a big bear hug and said "I love you Grandma!" How many of those have I missed because I was too busy? And how many opportunities do we miss each day to "do good" for another when it is in our power to do it for them? Even a smile can make someone’s day brighter. I believe the Holy Spirit prompts us all the time with ideas for blessing someone else. Don’t miss those promptings! Let’s keep our hearts and minds open for ways to let God’s love touch another through us today.

 

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:

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 7:31-35

Reflection:

Today’s first reading is a beautiful passage and perhaps one of the most quoted in the New Testament. It is often read at marriage ceremonies or embraced by hopeful couples, flushed with an eagerness to embody love’s greatest ideals.

But in the Bible, the Scripture passage that immediately precedes today’s reading is not one in which Paul talks about romantic or individual love, but about the new Church that is being created, a gathering of spirit and people and talents and gifts that will form in its entirety the Living Body of Christ.

There is a powerful reminder in this reading that the old world and the old ways of serving God, of leading people, of demonstrating faithfulness, are passing away. We are called to let go of our former selves like the child who must now grow up to a mature, deeper self.  Love–patient, forgiving, just and enduring–is at the heart of the Body of Christ in this new world, and love gives value and meaning to all the actions of the Body. Without love–deep and committed and courageous–nothing is achieved and we can never be fully known.  Even the greatest spiritual gifts, which we are encouraged to strive for, are void of life’s breath if not imbued with love.

The passage is indeed a beautiful one, but it is not sentimental. It is filled with the fire of a vision of a new way of being.  We are called to be transformed through the power of love so that we shall know God fully as we are fully known by Him.

 

Nancy Nickel is the Director of Communications for the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

Scripture:

Isaiah 55:6-9
Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20:1-16a

Reflection:

Even though we acknowledge that there are mysteries in our faith that really constitute the heart of our relationship to God, nonetheless we take consolation in the way that the faith often makes eminent sense to us, providing "answers" to life’s problems.  For this   reason we recommend our belief system to others, assuring them: "try it; you’ll like it", meaning that others will find it meeting many of their life difficulties.

Today’s bible readings, however, call us back to the incontrovertible presence of  mysteries that just don’t fit themselves easily into our daily lives.

Isaiah gives shape to God’s role in our experience with the reminder that "…my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways…," illustrating the point by noting how distant heaven is from earth.

And St. Paul gives us a peek into his dilemma as he wrestles with the desire to leave this life so as to be with Christ in heaven, but, on the other hand, recognizing that he has some unfinished business here below, amounting to fruitful labor for himself while also being beneficial to others.  And Paul ponders which is better for himself.

St. Luke rounds out this puzzling mélange with a parable of the Lord about workmen spending varying amounts of time in a vineyard, while, at day’s end, receiving the exact same compensation.  There is the anticipated complaint about the inequity in this transaction, and the unexpected rejoinder from the owner of the land about earlier agreements to this arrangement, and his own role in this project: he "calls the shots".

These are challenging predicaments: are they exceptions to the way faith operates, or its normal procedure?  While it may be unsettling to base our lives on an elusive faith, yet it is comforting to have a faith embracing so much more than we can comprehend.

 

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

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Luke 8:4-15

Reflection:

What kind of field are you?  Are you hardened like a footpath?…rocky ground?…overgrown with thorns?…or, are you good soil, fertile and productive? 

As I listened to Jesus talk about the various ways that the seed of the word of God can be trampled, withered, choked off or ignored, I must confess that I couldn’t immediately decide what kind of field I am.  You see, I recognized myself in the description of every sort of field.  At various times of my life I have received the word of God and responded to it in all these various ways.  Sometimes I hear the word of God but get so busy and involved in my own projects that the word, that seems so rich when first received, begins to fade because I am about so many distracting things.  Other times, I begin to respond to the word but ultimately turn away from it, tempted by my own needs or trapped by my own fears.  And, sometimes the word seems to be stolen from me by my disappointment or disillusionment with other people or situations in my life.  It’s not easy to be good soil, ready to receive the word of God and persistent in nourishing it within us.

Given the realities of our inconsistent natures, the really good news in this particular parable is the way Jesus describes the sower (God).  Jesus says the sower spreads the seed generously and everywhere.  The sower isn’t careful, controlled, miserly or cautious with the seed.  He is profligate, generous, open-handed, and extravagant.  He continues to throw the seed in all directions, letting it fall where it will, confident that good soil is there right alongside the hard ground, rocks, brambles and bushes.  And, the sower knows that the good soil will produce much more than the unprepared or inhospitable ground will lose.

As we reflect on this parable, we thank Jesus for telling us how God continuously reaches out to us and we ask for the gift of being receptive to God’s saving word and nourishing it within us.

 

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is stationed at Immaculate Conception Retreat in Chicago.

 

 

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Luke 6:43-49

Reflection:

In the liturgy of the hours, the leader starts with the phrase: "O Lord open my lips", and the people respond: "And my mouth shall declare your praise." In today’s gospel, Jesus says: "A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good…for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." In this election year, we pay particular attention to how the candidates for public office speak, because this gives us some insight into their character. The gospels are full of stories about how the people responded to Jesus’ words, e.g.: "the majority of the crowd heard this with delight." (Mark 12:37)

What a gift it is for the followers of Jesus to echo his words to their brothers and sisters, and to apply them to the challenges of today! One of those who did this is St. John Chrysostom, who lived in the 4^th century. As bishop of Constantinople, he encouraged his flock to love as Jesus did. He also gave us a reason for praising God.

He wrote: "Why does God wish to be praised and glorified if not to make our love for him more fervent? His desire is not to receive service or glory or anything else from us, but only for our salvation, and for this he made the whole world. Being filled with praise and wonder because of the grace bestowed on us will make us more diligent and zealous."

Little wonder that St. John Chrysostom received the nickname of "Golden Mouth."

May our words and deed be like gold also in praising God.

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi, C.P. is stationed in Chicago, Illinois.