Daily Scripture

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
John 12:24-26

Reflection:

Jesus taught that those who love their lives will lose them. This doesn’t exclusively refer to the moment when we breathe our last. All through the years, life is not static. Over and over again, we lose the “life we love” and have to let go, adjust, and build something new. Likewise, and as a corollary, Jesus constantly taught that we have to die – again, not only physically when we breathe our last on this earth, but more importantly, in ways big and small throughout our lives. The path to growth, maturity, wisdom, deeper faith, and fuller life is through loss of the life we currently lead, no matter how attached we are to it – in other words, through death. I wish there were another way; I don’t like dying! But I increasingly know there is not.

I’ve learned this lesson repeatedly, including in the past several years. I’ve had to let go of aspects of my self-image, my visions for what my life would look like, many beliefs about God and faith, my assumptions about people close to me, and more. Many of the things I let go of were cherished and valued. It felt like dying when I had to close chapters I loved, see dreams and hopes crumble, lose people I loved, and move on. It’s been hard work to delve deeply into myself, to accept and let go instead of resisting, and to re-envision myself and my life. At times, I felt like I’d lost “myself” and all I knew was darkness.

Yet God, who always sows in abundance, was sowing life in me. God was working slowly and patiently, and only as I was ready, to help me find my center, regain my strength, and guide me on the path. I’m not finished with this journey – as if we ever are! But I have been stretched, I’ve grown, and I’m in a much better place personally and spiritually than I was a few years ago. I never would have asked for the circumstances of my life to get here, but when those things happened and all I felt was dying and loss, God was there to crack open every hardened seed, help me slough off the debris, and gradually bring light, new life, and peace.  

Where are you in your life? Perhaps you’re in a more settled place right now, an oasis where you’re able to sow seed from the goodness of all God has given you. (Remember, God loves a cheerful giver!) Perhaps you’re in a dark spot, unable to see the light ahead and needing to trust in defiance of death (or in acceptance of it) as God cracks the seed casing you’ve so carefully guarded. Perhaps you’re somewhere in between, trying to discern what is God calling you to as you emerge from deaths, losses, and changes in life. Regardless, I believe that in serving and following Christ, we’ll be repeatedly challenged to die to and leave behind many things we cherish, learn what is worth preserving and expanding, and trust in the sometimes excruciatingly painful process inherent in the Paschal Mystery.

No, I still don’t like dying! Yet it’s the only way to become ever more abundantly who we were created to be, so we, too, can sow light, life and peace in the world.

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:

Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29a, 34-35
Matthew 15:21-28

Reflection:

Falling Into the Hands of the Living God

C.S. Lewis in one of his Chronicles of Narnia tells of a girl walking through a desert. She carries a burden of guilt for having done something hurtful to a boy she was traveling with; she is also dying of thirst. She sees a flowing stream ahead, but before reaching it an enormous golden lion comes to stand between her and the water. Are you thirsty? I’m dying of thirst. Come and drink…Do you swallow little girls? I have swallowed up girls and boys, men and women, kings and emperors, cities and realms. The lion said this neither boasting nor angry, it just said it…. I don’t think I’ll drink, then you will die. I’ll find another stream, there is no other…If I do drink will you hurt me? The lion answered her with only a low growl. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she went to the stream, bent down and drank the best water she had ever tasted. When she finished the lion said to her, come to me. And she had to go. How dreadful to fall into the hands (paws) of the living God!

She found forgiveness and healing with the lion, who wanted to have the deepest, most intimate relationship with her. To be in her life and share adventures of glory.

Three or four generations after the events of our reading from the Book of Numbers I wonder if a mother sat in her tent with her young children making up a story about great-grand parents in the desert between them and Egypt. She told how their sins were burned away over a long period of time and they went to God, but not before passing on the wonders that were part of their life, along with the hopes and joys that their children would soon know in ‘the land flowing with milk and honey’.

First it was hunger, then thirst, then fear of giants. But she told the children how everyone doubted that God would really take care of them. Moses told the people God had said in the burning bush, ‘I will take you to a land flowing with milk and honey’.

All of that generation did walk back toward Egypt, it would seem several times over the course of many years! They died in that desert. It can be hard to trust God. The mother brings her story to a close. Do you think they came to trust God? The children agreed because they could see God as a pillar of fire at night and a cloud during the day, always leading them. They had to know God loved them, they saw God! Mom thought to herself, indeed but how hard it is to fall into the hands of the living God.

Like the Jewish mother, Matthew taught his Jewish and gentile community the mystery of salvation, telling of a brave woman who humbled herself to beg. God feeds us all at the table of the Eucharist, all of us, just as Jesus fed a Canaanite and the lost sheep of the house of Israel. God’s ways are not always our ways, hard to swallow at times.

We remember today Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, O. Carm, Edith Stein, who perished in Auschwitz concentration camp. Being arrested she was heard to say to her sister who died with her, ‘come let us go with our people’.

Let us trust God’s love for us, hard though it may be, as it was for Israel, a Canaanite woman and Teresa Benedicta and her sister, to fall into the hands of the living God.

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

Scripture:

Numbers 11:4b-15
Matthew 14:13-21

Reflection:

…I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress. -Numbers 11:14-15

Forty years ago this month, I started on a journey after a night when for the first time in my life, of thirty-eight years, I thought about committing suicide. From all outward appearances my life seemed to be going so well. I had just made more money in one month than I had ever made in four years. I was driving a big expensive car, lived in a comfortable part of town, had an office on the tenth floor of a high rise in downtown Chicago. What more could one want?

Life, that’s what more! In the vision so well portrayed in Christopher Nolan’s film, Oppenheimer, I had everything, but I still needed to be cracked open, like a nut hiding in its shell, I still was not living, despite all the seeming outer accouterments, the nut (atom) Dan, was still hiding, locked up tightly where only a vision of the promised land lived, not the real thing.

That was a moment, Not meaning to compare myself with what Moses faces in today’s selection from scripture, but only identifying with getting to a point where I realized that I needed a much higher power, to continue my journey through the dessert. In my case I was still blaming everyone else, listening to their cries, their longings for life, all the while unwilling to deal with the only one I could change—me.

Luckily, I knew where I could go to get some help. The signposts that I had been ignoring all along the way, were clear to me now. The only question asked by the help I went to that morning: “Was I willing to go to any length to get that help?” I said yes, and one day at a time have freely shared my life in the promised land offered to us all. Not unlike the atom which Leslie Groves, Robert Oppenheimer…cracked on July 16, 1945, in the Los Alamos New Mexico Desert, a whole new universe opened to me. 

Thank you God. Help me open myself up to the gifts of life (energy) you offer me today and share freely with all your creation in this Promised Land.

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

Feast of the Transfiguration

Scripture:

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
2  Peter 1:16-19
Matthew 17:1-9

Reflection:

During a recent conversation with a 14-year-old, I learned of his intense interest in cosmology. He loves studying stars with his telescope on clear nights, is amazed the energy of the sun never seems depleted. The wonder of the infinite number of galaxies and the stunning photos of previously unknown discoveries being sent to earth from James Webb telescope filled his chatter.

The beauty of a 14-year-old mind is its simplicity. Although deeply penetrating in his questions, he is equally astonished by his awakenings to new knowledge, uncluttered by adult subtleties and nuance.

As we mature we devote more energy and time to the essentials of life: career, relationships, income, cleaning toilets, and grocery shopping. In the whirlwind of daily living, time for wonder, time for prayer, time for doing nothing under a shade tree all are surrendered to the need to care for loved ones, job advancement, daily duties to keep faithful to our commitments.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus led his three friends on a hike up a mountain, away from their daily have-to’s. If you have ever hiked with a friend, you know it can be a special time for spontaneous conversation. I imagine this is what happened to these friends on this trek. At the summit (figuratively and literally), when they witness Jesus’ conversing with two super heroes of Jewish history . . .  Moses and Elijah . . . awareness of who Jesus is dramatically dawns on his buddies. This realization is so astonishing, so surprising, so thrilling that Peter, in all his exuberance, says he’ll make three tents and we’ll have a group campout right here!

But the thrill of the moment wasn’t completed. Right before their eyes, from a bright cloud, a voice said “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

That’s it. The three friends are scared out of their minds and fall to the ground. What the heck was happening, they no doubt wondered, shaking in fear.

The next lines of the Gospel tell of the tenderness of Jesus. He must have known his friends had been over-stimulated and traumatized by something beyond all usual human experience. He approaches each of them, gently touches them and tells them to get up “. . . and do not be afraid.”

My hunch is the three friends walked speechless down that mountain.

We may never have such a mystical experience of heavenly glory on this side of the grave. But, if we are as open to the awesomeness of creation as that 14 year old boy is, we can catch a glimpse of realities far beyond daily routines.

As Passionist Father Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, has written, “Occasionally (heavenly glory’s) inspirations and insights, its secret hopes and joys, break through and transfigure, at least monetarily, the surface doldrums of our life.  These are those wonderful yet awesome moments when God summons us to leap beyond all earthly limitations and with our earthy body performs heroic deeds. These moments are fleeting dreams come true.” (Biblical Meditations for Lent, p. 99)

Being like a 14-year-old, uncluttered-thinking boy again can make space for the awesome moments Fr. Stuhlmueller describes. Today, perhaps you can take a walk with Jesus to your own mountain and let Jesus give a glimpse of wonders beyond your capacity to imagine. And just like Jesus and his followers, you may go beyond human limitations and perform your own heroic deeds today.

.Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17
Matthew 14:1-12

Reflection:

The readings in the liturgical cycle are laid out to cover the majority of the biblical texts and keep us familiarized with the history, theology and life of the people of Israel.  Today’s first reading is from the book of Leviticus, one of the original five books or scrolls written down for the Hebrew people.  It is a significant reading, articulating a request by God which would be most challenging for anyone in today’s world with authority, power, or possessions.  To most of us who are reading this reflection, it is very threatening. 

In this text from Leviticus, God’s people are asked to set aside a special year, a jubilee year, every fifty years by which a social balance would be restored with both land and labor.  It was predicated that after fifty years, the socio-economic balance would have shifted leaving many living in unjust situations.   It meant that anyone who had to sell themselves into slavery to provide for their needs and the needs of their family would be set free.  Additionally, all lands which were bought or sold since the last Jubilee year would be returned to their ancestorial origins.  The idea was to restore the social balance in a community and allow for a fresh start. So in effect, the jubilee year was to wipe the slate clean allowing everyone the opportunity to start over.  

I can imagine that anyone recommending a restoration of social balance publicly in U.S. history would find themselves quickly tarred, feathered and public flogged.  It certainly wouldn’t be accepted because we all have worked hard to get what we have attained.  That is our cultural norm.  For those of us who live by this belief, how naïve and blind we are.   What we truly believe to be ours, all of our material possessions, in the bigger picture is a gift from the earth and made with human hands.  The same words we use at every Eucharist as we thank God for the gifts of bread and wine.  Our greed, insecurity, and possessiveness lie to us proclaiming we “own” our possessions. 

Several years ago, while I was living in India, one of the highlights of the year was when the Mango trees produced their ripened fruits.  Such a sweet time!  We had two mango trees on the property and the youth from the local village would come over and help themselves to the fruit on the tree.  This of course infuriated a few of us who lived on the property.  They were our mangoes coming from our tree on our property.  The boys from the village had a different interpretation. The argument the youth shouted back to us was that the fruit didn’t belong to us.  God made the tree so therefore the fruit belongs to God.  How dare we become possessive of God’s gift.  As I reflect on this how different are the emotions and justifications for a wealthy person rather than a poor person. 

This reading concludes with what we would call a signature from God.  After the instruction is given, the last line is signed, “I, the LORD, am your God.”  Judging what we know from Israel’s history, this teaching on the jubilee year was frequently overlooked.  Human nature would simply ask what wealthy person wants to give up that wealth?  As people of faith, it doesn’t mean we have the authority to dismiss it too lightly though.

We see from the beginnings of the Bible God’s immense care for the poor.  With Earth’s population around eight billion people, we now have a whole lot more people to look after, care for, and to share with.  I would invite you today to think about God’s request as was laid out in the instruction in Leviticus.  In the words of my experience in India, and speaking metaphorically, do you really need all of the mangoes from those two trees?  Honestly, how many are you actually going to eat?

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

Memorial of St. John Vianney, patron of priests & parish clergy

Scripture:

Leviticus 23: 1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37
Matthew 13:54-58

Reflection:

Remembering, Celebrating, and Proclaiming…

Today’s Scripture readings and the August 4^th feast of St. John Vianney challenge us to remember the “roots” of our faith, to celebrate God’s unconditional love for us — and then use our gifts and shortcomings to spread the Saving News of God’s love in the person of Jesus.

The lengthy reading from Leviticus summarizes the Israelite liturgical year, helping them remember the great events of their history whereby God saved them from harm and made them His own.  They were to celebrate Sacred assemblies, consume unleavened bread, refrain from work, make sacrifices and other mortifications:  to help give vitality to their relationship with God who loves and saves them.  The same is true for us, centuries later! 

The selection from Matthew’s Gospel recalls Jesus’ rejection by his hometown folks.  They saw Him a wise and powerful Man, a convincing Speaker…but where did He get these gifts?  He’s Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter and Mary…  His message is “repentance” and God’s Kingdom…challenging the hearts of His listeners then and now.  Deep faith is required to accept Him and His message– faith rooted in God’s working throughout all of history, even from earliest times.

Today we celebrate the holy life of a 19^th century disciple of Jesus, St. John Vianney.  A simple man with a humble background, a simple theology; his zeal in spreading God’s love helped build the Church of his day.  He is especially known for his selfless ministry of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation at his parish in Ars, France.  He regularly spent long hours sharing the Sacrament of Reconciliation with thousands of penitents who at times traveled great distances for a few graced moments with him.  His loving priestly ministry flowed from his intense spiritual life, based on both prayer and mortification– leading him to being named in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI as the “patron of priests” and parish clergy.

God indeed loves each of us and invites us to proclaim that love in our vocations as married, single, or priestly/religious persons.  Today, Moses, Jesus, and St. John Vianney challenge us to be zealous in living our vocations and sharing our faith.  Do we give ourselves special times of faith renewal and celebration (e.g., a holy hour, a retreat)?  Do we seek and offer forgiveness for the sinfulness we experience in ourselves or others?  Certainly Moses, Jesus, and St. John Vianney would have us 21^st Century disciples humbly pray the words of today’s response-Psalm 81: “Sing with joy to God our help!”  May our lives proclaim our “Amen!”

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 40:16-21, 34-38
Matthew 13:47-53

Reflection:

I wonder if we might allow our faith-imagination to be active today and reflect on the parable as applying to our inner life – as much as it might apply to the wider life of the Christian community. Today let us allow the teaching of Jesus to wash over us personally, and not seek to find its application elsewhere.

While tradition has gifted us with so much, it has also left strong traces of an expectation of judgment from God, and thus when we read of Jesus saying that “angels will go out and sperate the wicked form the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace..” we can be excused for being somewhat anxious – even if we have experienced a modern or liberal catechesis in our own life.

But what if the ‘separation’ is merely God sifting out the limits, failures, burdens and sins of our life and casting them aside, while allowing us to live on in the goodness and righteousness of our true self and that which is the reflection of God’s own image?

What if there is no judgement, only reconciliation and healing? What if God was intent on bringing out of the storeroom of our lives all that is life-giving and true and casting aside all that has held us back or caused pain and suffering?

It would seem reasonable to imagine God doing nothing else but this. It is at the heart of God’s leading the people away from slavery in Egypt and into freedom in the promised land, and it is at the heart of all Jesus taught.

God’s net is wide and there is room for all. What I think is new and precious in the teaching of Jesus, and which he so deeply wants us to appreciate, is that God is love, boundless love. That love accompanies us through the journey of life as much as the cloud and fire did for the people of Israel, and that love will equally come down upon us and surround us in the next life too.

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