Daily Scripture

Solemnity of All Saints

Scripture:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a

Reflection:

Have you experienced reading an article or listening to a presentation and felt like the writer or speaker knew your story and was talking directly to you?  So, imagine you are among the crowd listening to Jesus as he delivers his sermon on the mount.   Times are tough for you…Roman occupation, corrupt politicians and religious leaders, poverty, hunger, poor medical care, perhaps persecution or even slavery.  This teacher, Jesus, he understands your sufferings and offers you a message full of hope. 

Fast forward a couple of thousand years and today you are attending Mass on All Saints Day. You have heard the beatitudes in today’s Gospel reading many times, perhaps so often that you memorized them.  You may not be experiencing the hardships of the crowd surrounding Jesus, but you can certainly relate to your need for comfort while mourning, your ache for the injustice in the world, your need for mercy, and so forth for each of the beatitudes. 

This year, instead of questioning how the beatitudes might apply in your life, take a moment to look around.  See the widow who is mourning the recent loss of her husband.  Be patient with the slow-moving, sickly gentleman who needs assistance to walk but always has a sweet smile for everyone.  Look for the volunteer who works tirelessly for social justice.  See the refugee parents who left a corrupt homeland, terrorized by gangs, in search of a better life for their family.  Each of these persons, and so many more, are the crucified of today, and Jesus has a hope-filled message for you and them. 

Now, look closely at the rhythm of the beatitudes—Jesus first names the suffering followed by the reward in heaven.   Each beatitude mirrors our message as Passionists—through the sufferings on the Cross we will experience the Resurrection! 

Mike Owens is coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Romans 8:18-25
Luke 13:18-21

Reflection:

Happy Tuesday in the 30th Week of Ordinary Time!

Do you remember your first Religion Book?  Mine was the St Joseph Baltimore Catechism, which all of us kids got in the very early years of Elementary School.  In fact, I still have it!

One of the most interesting parts of the book, for me, were the drawings.  To me as a kid, they seemed like photos, all in two-tone color of red and black.  They depicted so many portions of our faith, such as the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Way of the Cross, all the mysteries of the Rosary, Jesus, the Holy Mass… but the most fascinating to me was the image of the Kingdom. 

The Kingdom of God was represented as marble-walled castles with lofty gates sitting on puffy clouds in the sky.  And right there, smack in the middle of it all, was God!  A bearded figure with a triangular halo, arms raised, graces and blessings beaming down like sunlight from the palms of his hands.  It was all so very clean and perfect, with not a hint of dirt, problems, or pain.  Wow – what a sight!

But then, as the years passed, that image would be challenged as I’d listen intently to scripture as Jesus would explain to his followers and the crowds what the Kingdom of God was really like. 

In today’s Gospel (Luke 13:18-21), Jesus explains that the Kingdom of God “is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.  When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’  It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

From a tiny mustard seed into a large bush?
From a bit of yeast mixed with flour into leavened dough?

This is the Kingdom of God?

If we think about it, these two parables illustrate the proportions of the kingdom of God that result from deceptively small beginnings.  As tiny as a mustard seed is, or as little as a measure of yeast can be, both produce great growth and transformation.  These seemingly insignificant things turn out to have enormous effect.

But the thing is, unlike the Baltimore Catechism’s “photos,” these things are not sparkling clean and perfect.  In fact, they both are pretty filthy. 

The seed must be planted into dirt, covered with manure, and for it so it can grow. 
The seed needs the dirt and the manure.
Someone has to add the yeast to flour, and provide proper conditions for it to rise.
The yeast needs the flour and the heat.

I’m certain I’m not the only one of us who has experienced many times feeling as though I’ve been covered with manure and shoved into the ground.  There are many times I can relate to being mixed up, covered, and set aside.  But in looking back, it was thanks to being shoved into dirt and manure and flooded with water, that I’ve been able to rise from the muck and grow into a beautiful new life.  In reflecting, I can see how having been mixed with things that eat me, like yeast, I’ve been able to grow, able to rise into that which can, hopefully, feed others.

A mustard seed and dirt?
A little yeast & flour?
Is this the Kingdom of God?

This is the Kingdom of God!

—————

Dear Lord,
manure me. 
Yeast me.

Let your Spotless Kingdom begin to grow
right here,
right now.

Amen.

—————

Peace and love to you today, and forever.

Paul Puccinelli is Director of Liturgy & Music at St. Rita Parish in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.

Scripture:

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

Reflection:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. -Matthew 22:40

Love for God and Love for our neighbor are the two main themes for the readings today. They are also the foundation for building the Kingdom of God. In the Book of Exodus, we read about caring for those who are aliens, widows and orphans and when lending money to be fair and reasonable. It was so important to the Jewish people, that the poor were taken care of, that they had laws to guide them in this regard. They left some grain in the fields after the harvest so that the poor could glean the leftover grain to sustain them.

Today, we still have the poor and we give in different ways through donations to many organizations who assist those who are in need. In recent months we have had opportunities to help others due to natural disasters and war. Opportunities to give a voice to those with whom others have turned a deaf ear. Opportunities to assist those in our own communities, parishes or neighborhoods. A few years ago, I was able to witness someone take the opportunity to assist someone who could not afford their groceries. Not asking for anything in return, gave the person a hug and asked them to “pay it forward.” How many of these situations have we found ourselves in and turned away for one reason or another?  Jesus message to love our neighbor is a message to heal others through acts of kindness. Healing is what our neighborhoods, parishes, communities, state and country need at this time. Imagine what the evening news would be like if kindness, mercy and compassion were the headlines.

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Romans 7:18-25a
Luke 12:54-59

Reflection:

Lord, it is not easy to accept that I don’t understand something.  I mean, there are vast tracts of brilliant interpretations from timeless theologians who attempt to explain every word of the bible, especially the words of Christ.  But really, I struggle.  Today’s gospel, for instance…

As Christ’s audience subsisted through agriculture or harvesting from the sea, it would be more than logical that they would understand the signs of coming weather… If clouds rise in the West then showers could be expected, because the sea is that direction from Jerusalem.   Likewise, a Southern wind would dictate hot weather coming because South of Jerusalem lay the vast, dry deserts.

But why does that mean that You expected them to be able to ascertain the signs of both your coming and that of the final days? 

Each generation of mankind feels superior intellectually to the generations before their time because we stand on the shoulders of those who went before us who shared their gained knowledge which we then built upon.  One may smugly assume that we have two thousand years of knowledge, built up like Lego blocks, on which we stand to understand and see the signs You spoke of more clearly.

I think I must be missing quite a few of those knowledge blocks.    The people you spoke to, including your disciples, didn’t understand and all these centuries later, neither do I.  I know that real understanding is a journey, in which that journey is just as important as the destination.  So, I l don’t look for signs that point to the end of times but for signs that point out the right path.  It is your light on my path that I pray for today, for You are the way, the truth, and the light. 

I figure if I can stay on the path, then I don’t need to worry about the final days, the end of times, Your final coming.   The Path will get me where I need to be. 

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

Romans 6:19-23
Luke 12:49-53

Reflection:

Jesus says to his disciples in today’s gospel from Luke (12:49-53):

“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.

Most of us would prefer to hear Jesus encourage us to “love one another,” or “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart… For my yoke is easy.” This reference to fire and division sounds so discordant to us. Many of us prefer a “kumbaya” gospel to this one.

I recently saw a quote attributed to Pope Francis: “Pray for the hungry. Then feed them. That’s how prayer works.” We often hear politicians say they will pray for victims of gun violence. We read about the ravages of war and prayers for peace. But then what? What do we actually do about it?

Remember the lyrics from the 1960s song, And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yeah, they’ll know we are Christians by our love? In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds the one making the retreat that “love is shown more in deeds than in words.”

Living gospel values can be unsettling. Maybe they ought to be unsettling. Those values can often clash with our political views or the privilege we have as Americans or enjoying a comfortable socio-economic status. In my experience, though, moments of discomfort are when growth begins. The discomfort can be a symptom of my needing to push beyond, to learn more, to explore new ideas, and reassess my assumed worldview. Let’s all be a bit more uncomfortable and see it as an invitation to grow in faith.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Scripture:

Romans 6:12-18
Luke 12:39-48

Reflection:

Even though it is not explicitly mentioned, I see both of our readings for today looking at the implications of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In our reading from Romans, St. Paul speaks to his brother and sister Christians about how, in Christ, they are “not under the law but under grace.” And then he speaks to a very human response to this: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not!”

I think we would be tempted to “sin because we are not under the law but under grace” if our relationship to Jesus was merely a legalistic one, and we were only trying to push the “legal” boundaries of what we could or could not do. But if we were in a personal relationship with Jesus, and we truly grew to love Him, why would we consider abusing the relationship in that way? To me, thinking in that way is an abuse of a loving relationship, just as it would be between two human beings. We don’t take our loved ones for granted in that way, do we?

I think Jesus says something similar to His disciples when He uses an image of a master of a house and a thief coming to break in to talk about being prepared for when the “Son of Man will come.” When Peter asks if this is meant for them (the apostles) or for everyone, Jesus uses another image: that of a “faithful and prudent steward” who is found doing his duty when the master arrives. He also says: “But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the manservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely…” Again, if that unfaithful servant had a loving relationship with his master, he would not have been unfaithful.

If we get away from a legalistic or transactional kind of relationship and instead accept God’s love and seek to love God in return, we will be willing to be faithful servants. And when we do turn away from God, it will not take much for us to turn back. May we be willing to enter into that kind of relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Romans 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21
Luke 12:35-38

Reflection:

Welcoming Jesus

A new word in our modern English is “woke”.   It means a person is awake but with an extreme connotation to left wing philosophy.   I love the word “woke” but not the strong modern nuance!  The Gospel today beautifully shows us we must stay awake to the coming of Jesus!  Jesus was two thousand years ahead of our modern implication of this word,“woke”!  We are chosen “woke” people that Christ is everything in our lives!

In the Gospels Jesus tells us many times with different words to stay awake to His coming!  “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast” Lk 12:36) The word in the original Greek text for wait is prosdechomai which means a lot more than waiting!  The biblical word comes from “dexomai” whichmeans to welcome.  It adds the preposition “pro” to welcome which means a very strong attitude and emphasis of yearning or longing.    For example, Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees and the scribes: “This man welcomes (prosdechomai) sinners and eats with them.” Lk 15:2   He receives them with understanding and deep love as a doctor to save people afflicted with the deadly cancer of sin.

In today’s Gospel we are to be like people with an intense loving expectation of the coming of Jesus’ A beautiful example of this in Lk 2:26’  “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting (prosdechomai) for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”  Simeon was among the first “woke” ones like the shepherds and Magi to receive Jesus in His arms like Mary and Joseph!

We must welcome Jesus “like men who are waiting prosdechomaifor their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12:35) ! Karl Rahner beautifully expresses welcoming Jesus: “We’re actually, really, dealing with Jesus only when we throw our arms around Him and realize right down to the bottom of our being that this is something we can still do today.”

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.