Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12
Matthew 11:25-27

Reflection:

The Bible tells us indispensable truths about God and indispensable truths about ourselves, and this is especially the case with today’s reading from Exodus. It is the remarkable story of Moses encountering God in the burning bush. This passage is so familiar to even the most casual believer (and perhaps to the most seasoned unbeliever as well) that we can overlook why it is the central revelation of God for the Jewish people and, therefore, an important one for Christians as well. We know the context for the story: The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, which means that Pharaoh and the Egyptians saw them as less than fully human, expendable creatures to be used to build Pharaoh’s empire even if it cost them their lives.

In what are undoubtedly among the most crucial words that God utters in the Bible, God tells Moses, “The cry of the children of Israel has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.” God, far from being unmoved or indifferent to human suffering, cares deeply about it. The misery, sorrows, tears, and afflictions of people, particularly the poor and oppressed, matter to God. God is passionately committed to justice and unmistakably angry over injustice because the God who brought all things into being wants life abundant for all creatures. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that God takes sides because God stands not with the wealthy and the privileged, but with all of history’s victims to injustice and cruelty. Thus, the story closes with God vowing to liberate the Israelites from Pharaoh’s crushing tyranny.

But God will do so through Moses. God calls Moses to be God’s instrument of liberation, God’s agent of deliverance. Consequently, if this passage reveals a critical truth about God, it likewise discloses something important about ourselves: Like Moses, God calls us because God depends on us to further God’s creative and redemptive mission in the world. Yes, God has plans and purposes, but God needs our cooperation for those plans and purposes to be fulfilled. And, like Moses, God’s call can come at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places.

This is why we must be attentive and alert, always ready to respond, and continually asking, “How is God calling me today? How does God need me? Where is God summoning me to bring justice and life?”

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:

Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection

It is easy to dismiss today’s gospel as “crazy talk” because what Jesus asks of us seems not only excessive and unfair, but downright at odds with the deepest inclinations of our nature. Jesus doesn’t simply say, “Love me,” which would seem eminently reasonable and doable. No, Jesus flat out tells us: “Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.” There’s no wiggle room here, not a smidgen of space in which we might bend Jesus’ words more to our liking. Jesus doesn’t suggest that if we love our father or mother, son or daughter more than him we ought just to try a little harder; rather, he says we’ve made ourselves unworthy of him.

It almost seems selfish of Christ—greedy, really—to ask that of us, but Jesus’ jarring declaration is a reminder that the gospel leaves no dimension of our lives untouched. One set of loves, loves that seem so natural and so sensible, must be dislodged and relocated for the sake of another; indeed, everything in our lives must be reprioritized and rearranged because nothing can supplant our fundamental commitment to be faithful disciples of Christ. Jesus doesn’t say that loving our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings or our friends is wrong. But he does say that those loves can never be sovereign. Those loves, no matter how precious and resilient, can never be the leading loves of our lives. Everything that we love and prize and cherish must serve our love for Christ and strengthen our love for Christ.

If that’s not challenging enough, Jesus goes on to say that following him is inseparable from taking up the cross. There’s no alternate path, no scenic route to beatitude. This is hard to swallow, but it should come as no surprise to any baptized Christian. After all, we’ve known from the start that there is no life without dying, no life without letting go, no life without being remade at the very depths of our being. Or, as Jesus says in today’s gospel, “He who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to nought for me discovers who he is.”  

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:

Isaiah 55:10-11
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23

Reflection:

My hope is that each person reading this is able to be more intensely conscious of God’s fertile Word always present with you and for you.

What is God saying to us through Jesus’ parable of the sower, who is sowing with abandoned, his seed? His seed is His love, His friendship, His wisdom, His getting us through tough situations, His intense interest in our lives, our marriages, our vocations (after all, He called us) are all available through His Word. The same Word that created the stars, the planets, our own lives, always available! “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will achieving the end for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11)

To highlight the utter value of the Word that is “sown,” listen to this story which comes from the late, Fr. Joseph Donders:

“A young man had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend – a very serious misunderstanding.

 He was upset about it, because it spoiled their relationship entirely, and he like her very much.

He tried to talk to her, but that did not work. He tried to phone her, but when he heard her voice, he did not know what to say, and he had to hang up. He tried to write a letter but when he finished, he tore his letter up because he thought it sounded silly.

Then he remembered that she liked roses, dark, red roses. He bought her a rose -only one, because roses were very expensive that time of the year. The man in the flower shop put some ferns with the rose and wrapped it in nice thin, green paper with a simple bow. The young man knew that this would work.

The young man went to her home and put the rose down in front of her door at the time he knew she would come home. He then hid around the corner, behind some bushes.

Then she came, as lovely as ever. His heart was throbbing, and he was in a sweat. She opened her purse and took out her key.

She opened the door and stepped inside, without having noticed his beautiful, expensive rose at all!”

What a disappointment, what a tragedy, what a letdown, what a missed opportunity!  But we do not know what became of the young man. If he has an instinct to believe that God does not abandon anyone, then he will accept this reality, as painful as it is. Knowing that it is in the terms of the parables and this story that God, that Jesus, that Matthew, wants to speak to our hearts, to get our attention. Think of the unseen, unheard, unfelt, untouched signs that you wanted to give to someone else that somehow got lost, missed, never noticed.

God gives us signs day after day, night after night, trying to get our attention. Like when someone asks you, “can we talk for a minute, just a minute, please?” Or, “Dad, I made a huge mistake and I need to tell you about it.” Or, “honey, you know we have not had the time just to talk about what matters to us.” Or, when someone in the family says, “Hey, I have this great idea for us to do.” Or, when a feeling comes over you, and you just want to be grateful to God, or to someone who never hears anything from you. Do you know what I am talking about?

Yes, we live as those who have eyes and see not; as those who have ears and hear not; not only as far as God is concerned, but even as far as the people around us are concerned.

Is not God trying to speak to us through others? Is not that what God tried to do through Jesus when he often “went out of the house and sat down by the sea?” Where are you and when God calls you to be in the presence of others, with Christ’s presence?

You and I recognize Him when we listen, look, see, pause and observe, and, yes, point His presence out for one another through our acts of kindness, patience, perseverance. Let go of your fear, God is behind it all.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Matthew 10:7-15

Reflection:

Our first reading continues to share the story in Genesis of Joseph and his brothers. That story is familiar to most of us if for no other reason than having viewed the musical “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.” Sharing the story of Joseph, his father Jacob, who makes a beautiful coat for him, and his brothers, who plot his demise, the musical was a huge success beginning in the early 70s. It is the ultimate family saga, relevant in our modern day. I remember how my parents loved the most famous song from the production, “Any Dream Will Do,” and often sang it in our home.

Today, the text tells of the epic reunion between Joseph and his brothers, who sold him into slavery years before. They do not recognize him, but Joseph knows who they are and dramatically reveals himself to them. Can you imagine their shock? The text says they were “so dumbfounded” (v.3). Afraid Joseph might retaliate for their crime against him, they were distressed. Yet, Joseph does no such thing. Instead, he sees the hand of God at work even in their crime because he is now in a position to save their lives and many others. He used his gift of “dreams” to foretell the future for God’s purpose. His brothers had nothing but evil intentions when they sold him yet, God takes even this terrible betrayal to bring about good.

In our Gospel from St. Matthew, Jesus instructs his disciples to proclaim, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v.7). This verse is first found in chapter 4:17 as Jesus began his ministry in Galilee following his temptation in the desert. Now he instructs his disciples to make that same proclamation, and from the previous chapters, we know what that signifies as Jesus “cured the sick, raised the dead..” 

Judgment is a motif of Matthew’s writing, and this is represented here by Jesus’ instructions to “shake the dust” from their feet wherever they were not received (vs 14-15). When returning home from Gentile (pagan) territory, Jews would shake off the dust to avoid bringing contaminated soil on their shoes.  Similarly, those who do not receive the word of God are no better than pagans.

I wonder, in daily life, tending to our duties and overcoming challenges or struggles of any kind, do we forget this proclamation? Does “the kingdom of heaven” seem far away in that ancient land where Jesus once walked? Do we fall victim to our circumstances, or fail to dream, thereby missing God’s presence among us? Within this context, we easily dismiss the radical messages in these verses and race along in our hurried-up lives.

Instead, what if the living word of God broke through into our consciousness, inviting us to slow down and take a breath? Then we may savor the miracle of Joseph’s life and his ability to see the work of God as active and dynamic. In choosing to keep his focus on God’s blessing, reconciliation with his brothers was possible. His actions challenge us to contemplate this same presence in our own lives.

As a world community when we realize this sacred presence, might it be possible to cure the sick and cleanse the leper? When we take time to receive the peace of Christ, like the disciples, we will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gentle Jesus, let this reception of your peace begin today with me. Amen.

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.