Daily Scripture

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8: 1-11

Reflection:

In Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, the remarkable apostle to the Gentiles captures what I feel in moments of deep connection to Christ.

These moments can come when I spend extended time in prayer. But I also feel this connection in surprises, like when the entire family stands around the dining table before a holiday meal to hold hands in thankful prayer, or when I am absorbed in a beautiful Sunday Mass, or sit in my garden and pull weeds, feeling the cool breeze wash my face in the sun light.

There are other times when I experience a great chasm between Christ and me. Without warning, these occur when an idea, a worry, an object, a feeling, or another person, becomes more important than my love of Christ. I am then beholden to “rubbish”, in Paul’s words.

Ignatius, in his profound Spiritual Exercises, tells us an indifference sets the stage to experience to Christ’s presence in our lives:

In our everyday life . . . we must hold ourselves in balance before all created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some responsibility. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a  more loving response to our life forever with God. Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.

One remarkable Jesuit spiritual director, the late Mike Brophy, SJ, called this “poised freedom.” We are free to meet Christ every day in people, places, and events.

Jesus reveals his own poised freedom in today’s Gospel. The top-flight Jewish leaders want to catch him messing with Mosaic law to justify his expulsion from their faith community. Bringing to him a woman caught in adultery, Jesus is Mr. Cool. He bends down and doodles in the dust. It is like playing with one’s cell phone while someone is trying to get your attention on a life-or-death issue.

Jesus is confident, at peace with himself. The men in authority don’t ruffle him, nor does the legal issue at hand disturb his inner serenity. He doodles. He waits. He makes a comment at the right moment. He is totally aligned with his Father’s will. He experiences poised freedom.

Cultivating poised freedom in ourselves requires the total commitment to Christ of which Paul speaks. It is something that grace alone permits.

To ask for this grace is appropriate during this time of Lent.

I certainly welcome moments when Christ breaks into my life with surprises. But entering periods of prayer with a detached mind can make space for grace to elevate daily routines to be foretastes of heaven.

Pull away from all that distracts you today. Place yourself in the presence of God. Experience poised freedom that gives you peace and joy. It is there for the asking.

Jim Wayne is a member of St Agnes Catholic Community in Louisville, Kentucky, a Passionist parish. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for 28 years, is the author of the award winning novel, The Unfinished Man, and is a clinical social worker.

Scripture:

Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

Reflection:

As we journey through this Lenten season, the daily Scriptures increasingly reveal the growing conflict that will ultimately lead to Jesus’ crucifixion.

Today’s Gospel highlights deep divisions in the group of people who surround Jesus from its opening verses to its final line. First, we hear how the crowd is split. Some declare Jesus to be a prophet, while others insist, he is more than a prophet, calling him the Christ. Following this, disputes arise over his origins. John sums up that section with these words, “So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.”

The division extends beyond the crowd. The Pharisees clash with the guards, who are hesitant to arrest Jesus. Even among the Pharisees themselves, there is conflict and division. Some are quick to condemn Jesus without even following their law. Others caution against judgment without following the law.  

The final line is brazenly symbolic of this division; “Then each went to his own house.” It is a striking image of separation. In a sense, John has mapped out a picture of how diabolical divisions can be.  The divisions John has named have torn the fabric of their community.

Remember, this passage comes from the Gospel of John, nicknamed by some the Gospel of Belief.  Throughout John’s Gospel, we see a sharp contrast between believers and unbelievers. Every sign, every encounter is an encouragement leading people to believe.  Layered through this whole gospel is the great division of believers and non-believers. Scripture scholars remind us of how this reflects the troubles that existed within the post-resurrection Johannine community.

Listening to John’s Gospel, the author creates a duality between believers and unbelievers much like the “us” and “them” language of today’s reality. Do you see the numerous parallels between John’s divided community and our modern divided world? A significant difference is how John’s divisions were centered on religion, not politics. 

In today’s divided world, we have become overly cautious about everything we say, knowing that it will inevitably be viewed through a political lens. Almost everything is interpreted as a political statement. Sadly, we have lost the ability to see actions and motivations through other equally valid perspectives, such as economics and religion. So, when people ask me to help sift through it all, I merely say we have to be true to our discipleship. Jesus was pretty simple. He told us to love people and care about people.

Using the lenses of politics to pollute Jesus’ instructions is sinful. It doesn’t get more basic than Matthew 25: When I was hungry you gave me food. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink… To summarize, when I was a person in need, you helped me. And Jesus sums it up by saying, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.” These simple and basic words continue to challenge us two thousand years later.

Fr. David Colhour, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province. He resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Wisdom 2:1a,12-22
John 7:1-2,10,25-30

Reflection:

“…they were trying to kill Him…”

Jesus came to our world with a living message of unity, forgiveness, hope and unconditional love – His life both a gift from God and a challenge to contemporary people!  His preaching, teaching, signs and miracles came to be seen not as a means to personal salvation but rather as threats to safety and the status quo.  The spiritual leaders of Jesus’ time felt that His death was necessary for their “safety” …and “they were trying to kill Him…”

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom supports the plot Jesus later faced: 

“…the wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: ‘Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the Law and charges us with violations of our training.  He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the Lord.  To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways…”

Jesus was a living “thorn-in-the-side” for the wicked spiritual leaders of his day – “…and they were trying to kill Him…”.

As 21^st Century believers, we know that Jesus’ eventual suffering and death on the cross was not the end of His ministry of forgiveness, reconciliation and selfless love, but rather His means to sharing eternal life and salvation for all humankind.  My favorite saying from an author of long ago:   “Good Friday didn’t spoil the weekend…”

We are called to grow as Jesus’ 21^st Century disciples as helped by Lenten journey, including its griefs and graces.  We are invited to be bold in living out our faith in Jesus.  He encourages us to live lives of charity, patience, justice, purity, prayerfulness, and respect for life in all its forms — combating the force of evil which exists in our 21^st Century world.  Jesus leads the way for us, reaching out to us and encouraging us from the wooden beams of His Cross on Calvary…hailed as “The Tree of Life”.

Our journey continues in this last half of Lent 2025, pilgrims of hope in and through Jesus Crucified!  May these grace-filled days renew us in every way and help motivate us to be credible disciples of Jesus Crucified by our love and service of our sisters and brothers worldwide.

Our Holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!

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:

Exodus 32:7-14
John 5:31-47

Reflection:

One of my teachers once said to me that he found John’s gospel good for meditation and hard to preach.

Perhaps there is some truth in that, although it is possibly tempered by one’s personal preferences and sense of how one wishes to receive and savour the ‘good news.’

Nevertheless, today’s reading from John tends towards an interpretation that favours the ‘good for meditation’ axis.

It is a rich tapestry of imagery and truth blended together into one of the discourses of Jesus. It has a myriad of ‘word images’ that nourish our faith and open doors to deeper contemplation and insight into the divine.

We are invited to contemplate being emissaries who ‘testify’ to the truth that is Jesus Christ.

We are invited to contemplate the possibility of seeing ourselves as a burning and shining lamp, albeit one that is far dimmer than the true source of light itself – Jesus Christ

We are invited to contemplate ‘hearing’ the voice of God, not in any supernatural way, but by listening to the Word of God.

We are invited to contemplate our relationship with Jesus, to “come to him.” Openly and wholeheartedly in order that we might have life itself.

We are invited to contemplate seeking Jesus above all, above the messages of the witnesses and scriptures that preceded him, and challenged at the same time to believe all that Jesus has revealed to us – that is, to believe his words.

Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 49: 8-15
John 5: 17-30

Reflection:

Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you. -Isaiah 49:15

In today’s first reading from Isaiah, the author is speaking to a desolate and destitute people, who have been deported from Jerusalem to exile in Babylon. Their faith and their hope are at a very low ebb, and he does his best to console them by describing the coming liberation and restoration of Jerusalem. He uses beautiful images that were familiar to them, like shepherds leading their sheep to good pasture and away from dangers.

And they are not receiving his message. They respond with: “The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”

So, the writer of Isaiah offers perhaps the most beautiful expression of divine love in the Bible:

Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you. -Isaiah 49:15

When times are hard, or when we are discouraged by the evil we see in the world, it is difficult to believe in a loving God. Or we may feel unworthy and small; and it is a big leap of faith to believe that God sees me, loves me tenderly, and will never forget me.  

Once we understand, accept and truly experience this tender love from God, we come to realize that God loves everyone in this same intimate way.

And we want to pass it on.

Having a conversion of heart, we take on the mind of Jesus, who proclaims in today’s Gospel reading His inclusive love:                                                                                                                     
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life. -John 5:24

Being loved by God and loving God, and loving others and being loved by others, leads us into compassion, sharing the tender love of God with those near, and eventually the entire created world.

Compassion begins with solidarity with a suffering world. -The Passionist Way

Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She serves on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan. Patty is currently a member of the Laudato Si’ Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.

Scripture:

Ezekiel 47:1-9,12
John 5:1-16

Reflection:

Twice I’ve stood close to the power and majesty of large waterfalls—at Niagara Falls and in the Colorado mountains. I vividly remember the enormous volume and thundering sounds of the cascading waters. Water has center stage in today’s readings, much quieter than my experience with the waterfalls but more powerful.

Ezekiel, while being led by an angel around the four sides of the temple, witnesses an increasing flow of water, first as a trickle and ultimately as a deep river flowing to the Dead Sea. He sees an abundant, life-giving, never-ending flow of water bringing life and healing to the sea and river banks. In this reading, water is a metaphor for God’s gift of grace to creation.

Jesus is visiting the temple and encounters a man lying by the pool of Bethesda. Jewish tradition speaks of an angel stirring the water once a year. The first person who touches the water will be healed of their illness. Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed, but the man answers that he has no one to carry him to the pool. Jesus immediately heals him and disappears into the crowd. The following day Jesus finds the man in the temple and tells him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more so that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Jesus teaches us two important lessons from his encounter with the sick man. We do not need to be carried to the pool for healing. God’s grace is freely given to us without anyone’s assistance and without any conditions that must be met to receive it. The second lesson is we must lead grace-filled lives. Jesus’ command is that we do not sin anymore. However narrowly or broadly you define sin, we must follow Jesus’ teaching to love God and our neighbor. By following this Gospel message, we will flourish from the life-giving, never-ending flow of God’s grace.

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:

Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54

Reflection:

The Responsorial psalm in today’s readings captures so aptly today’s gospel:
“I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”

Jesus had reproached the people who followed him with the titillating expectation that he would perform something remarkable, even sensational, before their eyes.  Instead, Jesus demonstrated that the most amazing power comes from his word.

Today’s gospel tells the story of the royal official who approached Jesus in desperation — in a kind of foxhole prayer.  His son lay in mortal illness at home.  He urgently begged Jesus to heal his son.  “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 

In a most unsensational way, Jesus said to the royal official, “You may go,  Your son will live.”  Jesus’ simple declaration was all it took.  ”The man believed in what Jesus said to him and left.”  Undoubtedly, the royal official returned home praising the Lord who rescued not only his son from death, but him from despair to belief.  Indeed, he and his whole household came to believe in Jesus the Christ.

As with the royal official, Jesus challenges us.  Will we believe that the words of Jesus pack  life-giving power for us?  Will we believe that the Word of God is enough to conquer death and lead us to eternal life?

The story of the royal official is our story.  When we received ashes on our foreheads at the beginning of Lent, we heard the words, “Repent and believe in the gospel.”

During this Lenten season, we are called to believe the way the royal official believed — and to praise the Lord for he has rescued us.

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

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Scripture:

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Reflection:

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son, who essentially proclaimed his father dead, took his inheritance, and shamed his family and himself by how he chose to spend the money. Even the son’s return home was based more on the necessity of survival than it was on sincere repentance. (Interestingly, his father’s open-armed, joyous reception probably did more to generate remorse in the errant young man than did his time sharing slop with the pigs.)

We marvel at the forgiving nature of the father. We spend far less time exploring the resentment of the elder son. I suspect that is because we relate so easily to his feelings. He did everything right – obeying all the rules, living as the model child, and sacrificing his own needs for his father’s. He doesn’t want to see an undeserving sinner receiving the reward he feels is due to him. So instead of joining in this experience of unmatched love, dancing with his brother and celebrating the once-again-intact family, the elder son turns away, refuses his father’s love, and places himself outside the family. He is now no less prodigal than his younger brother. (Perhaps we should change the title to “The Parable of the Two Prodigal Sons”).

This story parallels that of the vineyard workers who were hired at various times of the day, yet all received the same pay. If we worked long hours in the heat of the day, or did everything right like the elder son, we’d be angry over the unfair disparity in treatment, too. We demand justice. No, we demand equity. We want what we believe we have coming to us.

When his son turned away in anger, it is obvious the father’s heart was broken again. Just as he had waited patiently at the window for his beloved younger son to return home, he now had to wait at the window for his elder son to return. If the boy was as stubborn as I can be sometimes, he may have waited for a very long time.

God’s love and forgiveness, as the father demonstrates, doesn’t obey human rules of equity. We can’t earn it, no matter what we do. God simply loves and forgives, freely and lavishly, undeserving though we may be. That is an easier truth to accept when I have done wrong; when I sin I want to be welcomed back like the younger son. It is far harder to accept when I believe I am right, yet I see “a sinner” garnering praise and attention that I crave for myself. This is especially true when I work hard to overcome a certain flaw or sin, only to observe someone else practicing that very sin to manipulate people or situations to their own advantage. I know the short road toward anger and resentment when it seems more rewarding to do wrong than to stay on the right path.

How long did the eldest son remain a prodigal? We don’t know. Yet the operative question is: How long will I? Can I stay true to my calling as a follower of Christ even when I see the “rewards” that sometimes accrue to those who don’t? Can I rejoice just as heartily when the love and forgiveness that God lavishes on me is poured out on others in ways I may deem unfair? Can I turn around and lavish love and forgiveness on those who have hurt me?

I freely admit I’m not there yet. I am still working to transform my ideas of self-righteousness and fairness. I need to keep this parable in front of me, so I can continually let go of all the ways I act like the elder son. God is waiting patiently at the window, waiting for me to turn and come home.

 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/.