Daily Scripture

The Feast of St. Monica

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18
Matthew 23:27-32

Reflection:

Readers of the daily Scriptures have another "woe" to contemplate today.  This is the sixth of seven harsh words Jesus has for this particular group of scribes and Pharisees whom he calls hypocrites and blind guides.  The Jesus of gentile compassion also has a side of righteous indignation as he denounces these so-called religious leaders of his day.  They are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dead men’s bones.  One would not want to be downside of Jesus’ anger!  Matthew presents Jesus as a fiery prophet equal to any of his storied ancestors who spoke in the name of the God of Israel.  In our bones we know the cry of the Psalmist, "Blessed are those who fear the Lord" (Ps. 128), and, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps. 111). 

But those who remain with Jesus and allow themselves to be called his disciples come to know, as well, that all it takes is a turn.  A turn on the inside, that is, where it counts.  Leave the whitewashed tomb and the dead man’s bones behind and allow the Spirit of God to work anew. 

Today the Church asks us to remember St. Monica, the great model of patience and intercessory prayer, and her call to turn away from sin.  Monica was the mother of St. Augustine and because she nagged him into the faith by her prayers and perseverance, her feast is rightfully celebrated the day before his.  It was not just her famous son whom she brought to the Lord by her prayers, but also her husband and her mother-in-law.  Truly, Monica was a woman after the heart of Jesus.  To her family, to the people of her day and to the church now she speaks the challenge of conversion and fidelity to the promises of God.  "If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts."

In our first reading we are given the consoling words of Paul’s 2^nd Letter to the Thessalonians.  Words with which the great sinner-to-saint says he ends every one of his letters to the churches.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you."

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is on the provincial leadership team and lives in Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Jeremiah 31: 31-34
Matthew 16:13-23

Reflection:

The first reading speaks of great changes coming to Israel’s people, changes that will come from God and will be established in a new way, not in fear and retribution, but in love. "I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts."  What a beautiful gift we have been given to be able to witness how the relationship between God and humanity is evolving and growing; how the sins of the past are being forgiven and a new covenant, initiated not by a punitive master but by a God who will reveal Himself in love and in relationship to us, is being created.

Then in the Gospel, we  read of Simon Peter speaking a great insight that God has indeed written upon his heart: About Jesus he says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus is aware that this knowledge has come from God Himself and that Peter, in allowing himself to be the vessel through which God can speak, is the rightful shepherd of Jesus’ flock when He is gone.  The bond between God and humanity is evolving yet again to an even greater place of depth and trust, evidenced in the building of this new Church: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This is not a God who is disinterested, uninvolved or merely observant of us. This is a God who loves us enough to give us His only Son, who allows us to be heard and engaged in the workings of heaven itself.

Later in the Gospel Jesus returns to a painful reality.  He knows that the time is coming when He will suffer and be taken from the disciples and they are beginning to understand it more fully, too. Peter speaks once more, this time not with God’s words but with words that are based in a rejection of God’s truth, a truth that is painful and fearsome. Jesus reacts to Peter’s dismissal, "Get behind me, Satan!..You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Jesus cannot be more clear in responding that the fears that cloud our thinking, or our desire to reject God’s truth and make it something other than it is, take us farther and farther away from Him and from all that is good. 

Of course we know that despite Peter’s faltering in that moment, and despite his later denial of Jesus, God remained faithful to Peter and Peter to God. As God had promised in the first reading, a new covenant was being given to us; a covenant in which wrongs could be forgiven and trust would endure if only we would be willing to hear God’s word written lovingly upon our hearts.

 

 

 

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17
Matthew 23:23-26

Reflection: 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus continues His denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. In the first part of our passage (Matthew 23:23-24), Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for paying attention to the minutiae of the Law, while at the same time neglecting "the weightier things…: judgment and mercy and fidelity."

This attention to trivial details while neglecting the larger issues is a temptation for us as well as it was for the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. In some newspapers, for example, the latest gossip about celebrities is near the front of the paper while international news, for instance, is put somewhere in the middle, or even further back. I think the temptation is so great because it is a lot easier to get caught up in things that don’t matter than struggling with the things that do. This can happen in the church as well.

And so we need to take heed of Jesus’ words. We have to be careful that our attention to small things does not blind or deafen us to the plight of our brothers and sisters in the world. Yes, constantly grappling with the problems of the world can make us morose and even lead us to despair. But we need to make sure we have not become numb to the pain of those around us. We need not despair, for we are not alone. As St. Paul writes in our first reading from 2 Thessalonians: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word."

 

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

 

Scripture:

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Matthew 23:13-22

Reflection:

This is one of the longest and harshest passages by Jesus in the Gospels directed against the Pharisees.  They impose heavy burdens on the poor and do not do anything to alleviate their suffering.  Matthew’s community is being expelled by the religious leaders from the synagogues, and is considered suspect by the Roman authorities.  The opprobrium vented against some of the Pharisees is that they have not been faithful to the Law of Moses.  Matthew reminds these leaders that God gave the Law to Moses. Moses passed it on to Joshua and the elders.  Joshua and the elders passed it on to the prophets, who passed it on to the Pharisees.  Matthew is reminding the Pharisees and his own community that things were different in the old days.  In the Book of Numbers a widow could inherit her husband’s estate.  Daughters could inherit from their parents along with their brothers.  The Pharisees changed this and left marriage and remarriage as the only alternatives for women.

The Rabbis in the time of Jesus used to have a saying: God cried over three things: 1.) Those who did not study the Torah and should.  2.)  Those who did study the Torah and should not.  3.)  Those who sought power merely to lord it over others.  Some of the Pharisees did not study the Torah well enough.  Some others never had a pastoral heart and should not have studied the Torah.  And, most abominable is that some became experts in the Law, Pharisees, in order to use their power to abuse those entrusted to their care.  Cod continues to cry over these same issues. 

In Greek mythology, when Hermes wanted to establish the perfect society he went to Zeus, the greatest of the Greek gods, and asked what he needed to establish this society.  Zeus gave him two things: first, Zeus gave Hermes justice, to remind people all were to be treated equally.  Then Zeus gave Hermes reverence to remind the leaders that they were not gods, but should treat all citizens of this society with respect. 

Two recently published books: The Kite Runner , and A Thousand Splendid Suns, are set in Afghanistan.  The first is about the abuse of power by the Taliban toward their people, especially young boys.  The second is about the same abuse but directed toward young women.  A movie that was produced a couple of years ago, Osama, also deals with this latter issue.  These works attest to the abuse of power, and lack of respect suffered by peoples throughout the world.  We are reminded of the need to select good leaders, and to pray for those, both religious and the secular, that they administer their authority with justice and reverence. 

 

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P., is archivist at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago.

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 22:19-23
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20

Reflection:

So many strange and wonderful Biblical events take place on the mountains, above the ordinary plane of human endeavor.  The Scriptures often challenge us to see the world from God’s eyes. 

Caesarea Philippi was a lush and sacred place in the foothills of Mt. Herman.  It is the location of one of the largest natural springs feeding the Jordan River.  In Greek mythology it was the birthplace of the god Pan.  In Roman lore it was given the name Caesarea after the deified emperor, Caesar Augustus, and later the name Philippi was added, after Philip, the son of Herod.  It was now in the time of Jesus the site of crumbling temples to ancient gods and broken images of once popular heroes. 

In a brilliant stroke of Gospel irony, Jesus seems to look away from the crumbling monuments and addresses two simple questions to his disciples: "Who do people say that I am?"  And, "Who do you say that I am?"  Whether it was due to the godly perspective of the mountainside or the dramatic examples of human mortality all around them, Peter clearly knew the answer.  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Then, in that place of sacred monuments, Jesus created another.  "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."  In this solemn moment, the Church founded by Jesus is given a message to live by.  We are built upon a firm foundation by Jesus and the Spirit.  But we are never to forget where our strength comes from.  The gods and heroes crafted in stone will pass away.  But by fidelity to God and God’s promise, what God has built will stand even against "the gates of the netherworld."

Thus we sing today’s responsorial prayer, Psalm 138.

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.

 

Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P. is on the Province leadership team and lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 43:1-7ab
Matthew 23:1-12

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus has harsh words for the scribes and the Pharisees: "…do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice." Jesus criticizes them for their outward show of piety, and their love of public recognition without any real regard for the people they led. For all those who have leadership positions in the church, these words from Jesus are a warning to avoid similar kinds of behavior.

At the end of our Gospel passage, Jesus summarizes His warning in this way: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." We must be very careful here, because the temptation may remain to desire to be exalted. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a famous sermon on wanting to be a "drum major" in life, always wanting to be the one out in front of everyone else. And so we can think to ourselves, "Okay, in order to make sure I’m exalted, I must humble myself." This kind of thinking does not lead us to where we are called to go.

True humility comes from knowing that all we have and all we are comes from the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Whatever success we have had in our lives comes from using the skills and the gifts and the experiences that God has given us. The more we realize that fact, the less concerned we become about receiving the proper recognition we may think we deserve, and the more concerned we become about giving proper recognition to God’s working in our lives. We become less interested in being "exalted" at all. To be free from worry about our own "exaltation" is a great gift! May God lead us to true humility and service of the Gospel.

 

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

Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 22: 34-40

Reflection:

Do you really believe that life is more powerful than death?  Do you really believe that good overcomes evil?  For all people, these real life questions must be answered regardless of what religion one may be.  All of us have had experiences of evil and good, and of life and death.  And interpreting these experiences as they actively affect our belief systems is a requirement for all people. 

We see the same theme in the scriptures today.   Ezekiel, in that famous prophecy over the bones has the ability to prophesy over the bones and call them to life.  It happens in a time when in Israel there seems to be absolutely no hope.  Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians; exiled in a foreign land.  In doing so they had lost everything that the LORD had given them for the past 1000 years.  They had lost the land, the temple, the ark of the covenant.  They started out as slaves in Egypt and now they found themselves as prisoners in another foreign land.   They were in a most hopeless situation.  It is here, in the midst of hopelessness that Ezekiel begins to speak.   If God can take bones, old dried up dead men’s bones and put flesh on them and bring them to life with spirit—- If God can do that in an absolutely hopeless situation, then what can God do in your situation?   Because your situation isn’t nearly as bad as decayed bones. 
 
Today’s gospel is the third in a series to trap Jesus.  It starts with Matthew 22:15, "Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech" So Matthew gives us three accounts of how either the Pharisees or the Sadducees will try to trick Jesus.   The goal is to get something against Jesus, something they can charge him with, a way to get rid of him.   When they bring a very well educated scholar of the Jewish law up against Jesus.  This man is certainly not looking for a change of heart.  What he and his colleagues are looking for is a way to trick Jesus.  They are playing a head game.  Jesus’ answer takes the question to the level of the demand and choice to love. 

It is a most challenging answer.  Because when I am in a situation of darkness,  when I feel completely lost and I don’t know where I’m going, when I’ve tried every option and possibility I could ever imagine, when I’m surrounded by an ocean of hopelessness, will I have the conviction to love? 

Does good really overcome evil.  Is light really more brilliant than darkness?  When I’m surrounded by death and darkness how does my belief system respond?  Do I buy into the hopelessness?  Or do I find a way to love, to breath life into the death of the situation?  Today as the church remembers the Queenship of Mary, we look to her as a model of one who discovered hope and believed in it.  

What is the situation or incident of death which the Lord is asking of you, bring life into death.  Breathe life into that situation of death. 

 

Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is on the staff of Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California. 

Scripture:

Ezekiel 36:23-28
Matthew 22:1-14

Reflection:

It’s fun to wrestle with the paradoxes of Scripture. At one point Jesus says, "Peace is my gift to you, my peace I want to leave you," but in another place Jesus says, "I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword; I
came to divide father against son."  In the Letter of James the author states that faith without good works is empty, but in some of St. Paul’s Letters we hear that our salvation is not in good works but faith.

In last Sunday’s Gospel Jesus spoke to Peter as rock, and in today’s first reading we hear the Lord takes away our stoney hearts. Paul separates flesh and spirit, but we also hear today the "hearts of flesh" imagery.

The life of St. Pius X whose feast we celebrate today, enfleshes this ambiguity, perhaps paradox – his life of tremendous reverence for tradition, yet open to radical changes. We learn in visceral ways the
"both-and" rather than "either-or" path of true discipleship. And maybe the truly whole or holy is recognizing the nuanced way that many are called, but few chosen.

 

Fr. Jack Conley, C.P. is pastor of St. Agnes parish, Louisville, Kentucky.