Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
John 2:1-5a
Luke 24:35-48

Reflection:

When Wayne Dyer was alive, he fervently advocated for simple strategies to cultivate a joyful spiritual life, emphasizing that hate can always be transformed into the life-affirming force of love. Today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles discusses the Israelites’ role in Jesus’s crucifixion, urging them to repent and seek forgiveness.

Throughout Christian history, prejudice against Jews due to Jesus’s crucifixion has been a dark reality. It’s crucial to note that not all Jews were responsible; rather, it was a small radical faction acting out of envy and self-interest. Similarly, entire ethnic groups can unjustly face hate due to the actions of a few.

God’s forgiveness, demonstrated through Jesus’s suffering, calls us to forgive others. Despite political divides, we share common values like seeking peace and safeguarding our families. By fostering understanding, dialogue, and patience, we can replace hatred with love.

Instead of falling into divisive narratives, let’s uphold values of kindness and unwavering love. Are we setting the example we wish to see in others? Are we willing to engage with those we view as adversaries? Let’s strive to open our minds, listen, and understand, working diligently to transform hate into the life-affirming grace of love.

Jack Dermody is the editor of the CrossRoads bulletin for the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission for Holy Cross Province. He lives in Glendale, Arizona. 

Scripture:

Acts 6:1-7
John 6:16-21

Reflection:

“…Do not be afraid…It is I…”

Quite a scene in today’s Gospel:  Jesus’ disciples riding in a boat on the sea, heading toward Capernaum.  It’s dark, the sea was stirred with sizeable waves, a strong wind was blowing, they had been rowing for a long distance.  Then in the darkness, they see Jesus walking toward them, on the surface of the water!  Needless to say…they were afraid — this rag-tag group of everyday men, from all walks of life, trying to journey with Jesus as He taught and ministered.  In the choppy darkness, Jesus approaches them and calmly says:  “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  No doubt, Jesus needed to calm their fears and again harness their youthful enthusiasm.

A similar situation arose a bit later in the early Church:  the Church was growing, and there were many spiritual and human needs to be met – more than the original 12 Apostles could handle themselves.  Rather than be paralyzed by inaction and fear, God’s Spirit led the Apostles to choose some reputable, talented people to meet the basic needs of the growing Church.  The deacons were “ordained”, and the Church grew – and continues to grow to this day, including ourselves and our Passionist Family.

No doubt we 21^st Century Easter People have our share of fears and needs.  A quick glance at news headlines bombards us with problems and challenges galore – health issues, leadership issues, refugees fleeing from danger in a variety of countries, hunger, injustice, abuse, politics, etc.  So easily we can suffer from “paralysis” with these important issues and want to retreat into safe little hide-aways.  But this Easter Season the Risen Jesus reassures us:  “Do not be afraid.”  Stay close to Him, be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit, join with Our Mother Mary and the holy women and men of history – and the “seas” of our life will be calmed and we’ll head in the right direction…toward heavenly life!  Placing our trust in the Lord (Psalm 33), the Risen Jesus will continue to journey with us and help God’s reassuring Message of unconditional love to spread in our needy world.

With such divine encouragement, we have reason to embrace our fears and needs these days, singing our Alleluia’s …even though perhaps off-key at times… “Don’t be afraid.”

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:

Acts 5:34-42
John 6:1-15

Reflection:

“So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.  But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him.”

How often do we hear about the “demise” of our Catholic faith in the face of an increasingly secular society?  Fewer Catholics are attending Mass.  Vocations are waning.  Many of our children or other family members are not embracing the faith.  Prayer seems to be banned in many places.  The Church continues to be persecuted in large areas of the world.  We encounter these issues over and over.  And indeed, these concerns are all supported by observable data. 

Nevertheless, do we have the faith to believe that “if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them.”  Indeed, there are rays of hope for the Church.  The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston added 2,400 more Catholics at this year’s Easter Vigil Masses.  Our own new Parish church, having three times the capacity of the old church and dedicated just two years ago, is already nearly filled to capacity at two of the three weekend Masses celebrated. 

In February 2022, the Vatican released statistics showing that in 2020, the number of Catholics in the world increased by 16 million to 1.36 billion.  That means that 17.7% of the world’s population is Catholic. There were 2 million more Catholics in the U.S. at the end of 2022 than there were 10 years previously.  Africa now has the world’s third largest Catholic population after the Americas and Europe, with more than 8 million people becoming Catholic in 2019 alone.  Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 171 million Catholics.    

Now reflect on the Apostles standing in front of the Sanhedrin being charged with spreading heresy: “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us. When they heard Peter’s response “they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death”.  However, “After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.  So, they left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

Centuries later, we are standing in place of those original twelve.  What is our response?  What hope do we have?  What can “I” do? 

“Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” “When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So, they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.”

No doubt, Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, had a premonition that “this work comes from God and you will not be able to destroy it.” 

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family. He and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston.

Scripture:

Acts 5:27-33
John 3:31-36

Reflection:

I must admit I occasionally find the Gospel of John difficult to comprehend.  Some passages can be obscurely mystical, enigmatic, even downright Delphic.  Today’s gospel falls midway between “I think I understand it,” and “what’s the evangelist trying to say?”

That is why I immediately clung to the words: “The one who is of earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.”  At the risk of reading too much into that statement, I think the evangelist is referring to John the Baptist, who a few verses before, proclaimed: “He must increase; I must decrease.”  Those earthly words from a very earthly man — he repeatedly said he is not the Christ — opened today’s gospel passage for me.

“The one who comes from above is above all” — this is the Logos, the Word of God, Christ incarnate.  And whoever “accepts his,” that is Christ’s, “testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.”

It was John who accepted Christ’s testimony and affirmed that it is trustworthy.  And it was John the Baptist who pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.

In this Easter Season, our calling is to point others to the Risen Jesus.  The only way we can authentically point to the Christ, however, is to decrease so that we can make room for Jesus to increase.  And in doing so, we will find ourselves in new life.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,” the evangelist declares.  As we celebrate during this Easter Season, we also celebrate our belief, our hope of new life in the one who died to death and rose to new life. 

Such belief begins with the earthly words: “He must increase; I must decrease.”

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

Scripture:

Acts 5:17-26
John 3:16-21

Reflection:

There were things about my childhood that were difficult and even traumatic. In the hard work of coming to terms with them, I learned that when we are hurt or betrayed, especially if we’re too young to understand, we build defenses of anger, resentment, and fear as protective mechanisms. Over time, those defenses can become so thickened that the original wound remains hidden – imprisoned in the cell of our own making, where it lies unhealed.

Then, as we grow up, those defenses can easily trigger whenever our vulnerable selves sense danger, even if the danger isn’t real. We instinctively react out of those defense mechanisms rather than out of a whole and centered self. The longer these wounds and defense mechanisms remain unconscious, the longer our hearts remain imprisoned by them.

What I now know is that God so loved the world, and God so loved ME, that God became human. God, in the person of Jesus, endured deep betrayal, misunderstanding, abuse, and torture to the point of death. Yet Jesus did not build a prison of defenses around unhealed hurts and wounds. Instead, he maintained integrity and faithfulness to his mission of love, laying his pain at the feet of God and walking in trust. Of course, that doesn’t mean he always FELT loved and held by God, and in fact cried out his sense of utter abandonment. But even in those moments, something deep inside knew and trusted the Divine Presence and the One who gave him what he needed to endure.

That same One, the ever-loving, ever-present God is continually working to free me from my prisons. God is melting the thick cords of anger and resentment wrapped so tightly around my heart. In the process, my heart can expand, light can enter to chase away the darkness, the pain and grief can be given their due, and I can gradually heal.

What are your prisons? Can you allow yourself to genuinely, deeply believe that God loves YOU? In what ways are anger, hurt, resentment, and fear keeping you bound? Who can be a wise guide helping you to work with God to soften, melt, and release those bonds so love, peace, and joy can fully enter?

As we continue our journey through the Easter season, this is our task. Resurrection is not an event; it is a process. Healing is possible. Experiencing deep and true love is possible. Anger and pain can be acknowledged, safely expressed, and then released. God calls us to be free. Let’s keep walking on that path out of the dark prisons in our lives and into the light of our God.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-37
John 3:7b-15

Reflection:

Hello Nicodemus!

We are with Nicodemus, the man who first came to Jesus at night. He moves from darkness to the light, faith in Jesus. He will grow to accept a “gift from above”; he will look upon the Son of Man lifted up; with Joseph of Arimathea he places Jesus in a tomb sealing in its darkness, a darkness chosen by men because of wicked deeds.  Nicodemus’ faith grew. As a follower of Jesus he touched the Cross and was enveloped by the light, the light that burst forth Easter morning.

‘No one has gone up to heaven except the One who came down from there…who must be lifted up, so that all who believe may have eternal life in him.’

We can identify with Nicodemus as we grow in faith, navigating ourselves through times of darkness, touching the Cross before the victory of the cross touches us.

But we are also already men and women of faith. We are blessed because without seeing the Lord we believe.

If we find ourself thinking, ‘I have faith but I know my faith can grow’ and ‘can I really celebrate the light and glory and joy of the Risen One? Maybe I’m not quite there yet..’. How our liturgy wants to teach us! On Pentecost Sunday we hear the Easter Gospel of Jesus appearing to those locked in for fear, and how Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of these fearful friends. Acts tells us all of these Easter days the powerful work of the Holy Spirit a work among us, it is ours – to use the words of Emily Dickinson – we who are ‘the meek members of the Resurrection’ – or the ones hesitant to let out, !alleluia!, The Spirit will surprise us and guide us and un-fear us.

Let us get to know Nicodemus much better, that is to say, the Nicodemus of the Resurrection, the one whose house is always lit up!

The invitation to pray Eucharistic Prayer these days tells us: we are overcome with Paschal joy! This is the time to acclaim more gloriously our ransom from death and the time of eternal life! The sacrifices of old are fulfilled in the raising up of the Cross! Angels gaze in wonder and we share in His destiny! ….there will always be new words to remind us to celebrate with joy.

A church father has said the apostles did not see Jesus, rather Jesus showed himself to them. Hummm. He seems to be saying that Jesus, the risen one is always with us, but Jesus chooses when and how to show himself that we can see. We need never be disappointed that we did not ‘see Jesus’ like the apostles or women who were at the tomb. Always we have the opportunity of recognizing Jesus in the faces of our brothers and sisters. In them the risen Lord chooses to show himself to us. We see Jesus revealed now in those bearing his wounds. Jesus even invites us to touch them. Or as Matthew 25, puts it when he lists those on the margins, saying that to touch their wounds is to touch those of Jesus.

We have so many reasons to continue to celebrate. Our Risen Lord is that close to us!

Fr. William Murphy, CP is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Acts 4:32-35
1 John 5:1-6
John 20:19-31

Reflection:

There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.  -Acts 4:34-35

My all-time favorite song is “To Dream the Impossible Dream” from the 1965 Broadway Hit Musical, “The Man of La Mancha” which tells of a man who sees the world differently than most of his contemporaries. Relatedly, reading the Book “Don Quixote” (1605) by Miguel de Cervantes as a college student is the first classic I remember reading and thoroughly enjoying, even laughing out loud in the library where I often studied.

Growing up on the northwest corner of Chicago in the early 1950’s my mother decided we needed our own “summer home”. She talked my hard-working father into believing this was a good idea. I believe their ultimately realized dream, leading to building, and owning a second residence, did more for bringing our family of six children, soon to be seven, together than any other experience that we shared as a family. It also has served as the cement that sixty to seventy years later, continues keeping us together, loving and supporting each other.

Jesus, your followers as witnessed in the above scripture, were willing to dream and take you seriously (Go, sell all that you have and come, follow me) as many professed religious and lay people do today, living life supporting each other in every way. Often, you and today’s dreamers and doers are marginalized and ridiculed. Thank you for their witness and help me today to continue to dream and follow yours and their examples, no matter what the cost.    

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.