Daily Scripture

Scripture:

1 Timothy 6:13-16
Luke 8:4-15

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable about a sower who goes out to sow his seed. The seed falls in different places with different results. Later on, Jesus explains the parable to His disciples. The seed that falls “on the path,” “on rocky ground,” “among thorns,” and “on rich soil,” represent different responses to hearing the word of God.

Only the last-mentioned condition, falling “on rich soil,” represents a positive response to God’s Word, and Jesus explains it this way: “But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

It is that phrase “bear fruit through perseverance” that struck me as I read this Gospel passage once again. It is through perseverance that helps us keep faith, even when we are like the seed that fell on the path and are led astray by the devil. It is perseverance that helps us when we are more like the seed that fell on rocky ground, and we falter in times of adversity. And it is perseverance that helps us keep faith when we are like the seed that fell among thorns and get caught up in worldly anxieties and desires, only to realize that fulfilling those desires still leaves our hearts restless and discontent.

And it is by the grace of God that we are able to persevere, and so we are called to do. The world needs us to bear good fruit. May God’s Word find “rich soil” in us, so that others may witness the love of God in action.

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

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9: 9-13

Reflection:

He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.  -Matthew 9:9

The Calling of Saint Matthew is a painting completed in 1599-1600 by the famous Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and illustrates when Jesus went into the custom house, saw Matthew the tax collector at his seat and called to him, “Follow me”. According to the gospel story Matthew rose and followed him. In the painting, Christ (on the right, behind Peter) points to Levi, the tax-collector (the bearded man wearing a beret and calls upon him to become the apostle, Matthew.

We can learn a lot from this painting. To begin with, when Matthew sees Christ pointing at him, Levi responds with a gesture, as if to say “Me?” indicating his uncertainty whether he is being addressed, or the younger man slumped on his right. Through the visual contrast between their reactions, Caravaggio displays psychological insight into two possible patterns of human behavior in the same situation of being called. (Famous Paintings: Analysis and Interpretation)

When God is calling us, do we respond “who me?” “You’ve got to be kidding.” “You can’t possibly want me.” Caravaggio shows us that miracles occur in the midst of our being called in the most mundane situations. In its capture of the exact split-second when Christ’s summons hangs in the air, and his listeners are still shocked and Levi himself is caught in suspended indecision. In another second, he will rise up, become Matthew the apostle and follow Christ out of the room. ((Famous Paintings: Analysis and Interpretation)

Prayer:

Lord, we are humbled that You call us as you called St. Matthew to serve, in ways big and small, to accomplish Your will here on earth. Help us respond without hesitation whenever we perceive Your voice calling us into action. In Your powerful and equipping Name, we pray, Amen.

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn and Companions

Scripture:

1 Timothy 3:14-16
Luke 7:31-35

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn and Companions.  For many of us St. Andrew is a “new” saint, canonized by Pope Paul II.  Though new to the liturgical calendar, St. Andrew and his companions are fellow Christians that we need to know because they are powerful witnesses to living the Gospel in real life.

St. Andrew is tied closely to the foundation of Christianity in Korea.  He wasn’t the first Korean Christian by a long shot.  By the time he was born in 1821, Christianity had been growing in Korea for about fifty years.  It is believed that Christianity had been brought into Korea by some Christian Japanese soldiers in the latter part of the 18^th century.   The Christian Japanese soldiers baptized the first Korean Christians and the Christian community began to grow quickly.  By the time the first foreign priest arrived in Korea in 1836 there was already a substantial Christian community flourishing there.  It’s the only known Catholic Christian community that first developed completely from the witness and work of lay Christians.

The rulers in Korea were not at all pleased to have this foreign religion thriving in their country.  At first they just discouraged it but soon enough outlawed this practice and began to actively persecute anyone who took it up.  As Christians were arrested, tortured and put to death the Church quickly moved underground.

St. Andrew’s parents, members of the Korean nobility, were an important part of that early community and secretly remained faithful to their life with Christ.  Andrew was baptized at fifteen and soon expressed his desire to become a priest.  He traveled to Macau to attend the seminary and was ordained in 1845.  He was the first Korean to become a priest and returned home shortly after his ordination to help organize the Church and bring the sacraments to the faithful.  He ministered in Korea only a year before he was arrested and put to death.

There were intense persecutions of Christians in Korea in 1839, 1846, 1866 and 1867 and 103 Christians were martyred for their faith.  We celebrate these heroic martyrs on this day.

May their faith and courage inspire us to live our lives faithful to the Gospel and have the strength to be fearless witness for Christ in our everyday lives.

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

1 Timothy 3:1-13
Luke 7:11-17

Reflection:

So often in the gospels, Jesus finds himself smack in the middle of somebody’s pain, somebody’s sorrow and loss. That is certainly true in the poignant, heart-wrenching story we hear today. In great detail, the evangelist Luke vividly describes the scene. Jesus approaches the city of Nain, accompanied, Luke tells us, not only by his disciples but also by a large crowd. As they are about to enter the city, they encounter a funeral procession. The deceased was a young man, and “the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.”

Our attention is understandably drawn to the miracle by which Jesus brings the dead man back to life, but we should not overlook that the first thing Luke tells us is that when Jesus saw the sorrowful mother, he was moved with compassion for her. If we focus only on Jesus’ miraculous power in this gospel story, we fail to see that compassion comes first. The fact that Jesus raised this mother’s son back to life only after feeling deep compassion for her suggests that the miracle flowed from compassion; perhaps we can even say that Jesus’ compassion made the miracle possible.

The great theologian of the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas, taught that compassion is the most important characteristic of God and the quality that most fully reveals to us who God is. He said that God’s power is a power of compassion and that we who are made in the image of God are most like God when we show compassion. This is one way of understanding the crowd’s proclamation about Jesus at the end of today’s gospel: “God has visited his people.” God continues to visit his people when we extend to others—especially the most distraught and desolate—the compassion that God in Christ has shown to us. What are we waiting for? After all, if we start with compassion, who knows what miracles might follow.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the extended Passionist family.

Scripture:

Sirach 27:30-28:7
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35

Reflection:

Today could well be called “Forgiveness Sunday.” The first reading from Sirach proclaims the scandalous contradiction between expecting forgiveness from God while selfishly withholding it from others: “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?” In the passage from Romans, Paul succinctly reminds us that we live only because of the freely given mercy of God that is ours through the death and resurrection of Jesus: “For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” And today’s gospel, which begins with Peter’s memorable question about the permissibility of limiting forgiveness, unfolds in a parable that emphasizes the disturbing fate that awaits anyone who refuses to extend to others the very forgiveness they have received.

None of us finds it easy to forgive. Christians should be virtuosos of forgiveness because we know that God has been—and always will be—endlessly merciful to us. But sometimes we’re understandably reluctant to forgive because we know forgiveness is both challenging and risky. Forgiveness is challenging because in order to forgive we must be willing to move beyond the justifiable anger, hurt, and resentment we feel when we are unfairly treated by another. And forgiveness is notoriously risky because we can never be sure it will repair relationships that have been damaged by unkindness, carelessness, and thoughtlessness. What if our forgiveness is refused? Even worse, what if the people we forgive show little remorse, accept no responsibility, and do nothing to amend their behavior? No wonder it is sometimes easier to remain estranged than to be reconciled; easier to nurture anger and bitterness over love and forgiveness.

But nothing could be more self-destructive or hopeless. Forgiveness is seldom easy, but what is the alternative? Yes, what was done to us was wrong, unfair, and inexcusable—which is also true about how we sometimes treat others—but do we want our lives defined by anger, hurt, and bitterness? Is that how we want to be remembered? The message of this Sunday’s readings is unmistakably clear: Forgiveness really is a matter of life and death. As the late Passionist priest and renowned scripture scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, wrote about these readings: “Not to forgive is like not breathing; it is that unnatural and inhuman.” Those are words to take to heart.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:   

1 Timothy 1:15-17
Luke 6:43-49

Reflection:

Jesus often speaks in parables in the Gospel. He uses an image to describe what the kingdom of God is. Funny how the Scribes and Pharisees ask him to speak plainly. He reveals the meaning to His disciples! I will show you what a follower of mine looks like. One who builds their house on a firm foundation, one who has a firm foundation in God, the Rock. This is the house that can weather the storms, the daily afflictions and bombardments.

This day in 1810 inaugurated Mexico’s war for independence. A Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bells in 1810. In the form of grito, he “decried” Spanish oppression with an impassioned speech. The brutal war lasted nearly eleven years. To this day, the tradition continues with the Mexican president ringing the same 200+year bell at midnight and reciting the cry of pain.

The bell continues to ring out across our world; we hear the cries of the earth. The war in Ukraine persists. Incidents of gun violence are taking the lives of our children. With all these events, what is our firm foundation? We are crying out and searching for our firm foundation. Christ indeed says that in the world that you will have trouble. But also, to take courage because He has conquered the world. Let us hear these “gritos” and stretch out our hands to our needy brothers and sisters. God bless!

Fr. Phillip Donlan, CP, is the Associate Director of Ministry at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, Citrus Heights, California.