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Daily Scripture

Upcoming Daily Scriptures

Daily Scripture, July 17, 2023

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.

Daily Scripture, July 16, 2023

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.

Daily Scripture, July 15, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a
Matthew 10:24-33

Reflection:

A Happy Ending Just Out of Reach

We conclude today our reading of the Book of Genesis. It’s ending is the ending of the story of Joseph, which we have read for four days; a profoundly meaningful and tender story, hard to read without a tear. Joseph himself cries each of the four days, as do his brothers with him today.

We may think of creation when we hear the Book of Genesis. We have wondrous beginnings indeed, but it lasts only two chapters! The other forty-eight chapters are taken up with a great mystery. How can creation not love the creator? How can it not love the rest of creation? Things get bad: Cain and Able, Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood and the Tower of Babel. Is there a way out?

The final fourteen chapters of Genesis are the story of Joseph. Sold as a slave by his brothers, he is presumed dead by his Father, Jacob. Joseph finds himself a powerful man in the land of Egypt. There is the refrain, “God meant it for the good, to achieve his present end, the survival of my people” (50:20). Our story on Wednesday began when Joseph’s brothers stand before him; he recognizes them, they do not recognize him, but see a severe man of authority. His tenderness is revealed when unable restrain himself he bursts out crying, “I am Joseph…Is my father in good health….I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into slavery…do not reproach yourselves…God sent me here ahead of you.”

As Genesis ends it would appear that we have found the solution to all the bad we have heard in the Book of Genesis. Joseph is a man who can forgive those who have sinned against him. He is like God, “a God-fearing man”(42:18). Are our problems resolved. Have we come to a happy ending? Unfortunately, no, we have not.

Jacob dies. The brothers of Joseph are so afraid that they imagine Joseph has kept them alive so as not to upset their elderly, infirm father. They concoct a story saying that Jacob’s final request is a plea for mercy, a plea for their lives from Joseph. Joseph breaks into tears. The brothers throw themselves on the ground before Joseph begging that they become his slaves!

As we conclude our meditation on brokenness in God’s wonderful creation we find a man who forgives injustice and the wrongs against him. He may forgive better than anyone in the Scriptures? But it is not quite enough. His brothers cannot grasp his mercy and forgiveness. Truly this is something to cry about.

We leave Genesis now having seen God’s mercy, and the mercy of a God-like man, Joseph. We are invited to ponder how we the daughters and sons of Eve and Adam, will accept this mercy. It may not be easy? But in the beginning there is creation, there is mercy, and there is the need to embrace that forgiveness.

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

Daily Scripture, July 14, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Matthew 10:16-23

Reflection:

I am always struck by the number of people in the Old and New Testament who respond so decisively to the call of the Lord.  In today’s first reading we hear, “Jacob, Jacob.”  “Here I am Lord”.  “Go down to Egypt.”  And off he goes.  Same with Abraham, same with Simon Peter and the apostles, same in the most complete way with Mary.

Is it the same today?  We see it for sure with men and women who respond to the call to priesthood and religious life. We see it in the lives of the saints of our time like Mother Theresa.  But what about me?  Would I respond with such a resounding yes?  I wonder.  Am I too entrenched and too comfortable in my life?  Is there a tendency to think these sort of radical calls are for others and not me?  Then again is my life so busy I might not even hear the call?

Are these big life-changing calls the only way Our Lord calls us?  Doesn’t He also call us in little ways?  He calls on us daily to love, to forgive, to listen, to lend a hand.  I think of a time in my own life when in the course of a very short time I was “called” or “challenged” by two different priests to pray more, to take prayer more seriously in my life. I set out to do that, to say yes, to make prayer a more intentional and certain part of each day.   My life has not been the same since. My relationship with the Lord is so much deeper and real.

Isn’t that the way He works in most of our lives?  Calls us to the smaller things, helps us in our efforts when we say yes, and builds our foundation of faith and trust that if or when a larger call, or bigger challenge comes our way we are better able to hear and say yes to the Lord.

We may not know much about Jacob or the apostles before the Lord called them, but my guess is the Lord had been working in their lives preparing them before their “big call” to serve Him.  Might that then be our real call, to say yes in every opportunity and way we are called as disciples of Jesus Christ and as Catholics, and thus be more prepared for the ways that Our Lord may call on us to serve Him?


Steve Walsh is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, and a good friend of the Passionist Community

Daily Scripture, July 13, 2023

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.

Daily Scripture, July 12, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a
Matthew 10:1-7

Reflection:

When I read over Jesus’ summoning the twelve and giving them authority to expel unclean spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind, it struck me that the very power to proclaim such a bold mission was actually in the wake of the greatest events the world has ever and will ever known, namely, The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He could announce that the reign of God is at hand, because His obedience to the Father ushered in the Age of Redemption and full access to Eternal Life. So what am I waiting for? Am I taking full advantage of the graces that flow from the Paschal Mystery?

In the Egyptian world of Joseph’s time the country was able to provide enough food to provide for the inhabitants of most of the known world. In fact in God’s Kingdom the world produce was to be shared with each person. Later in history there would come a time when the kingdom of Israel was to deny this right of sharing in world resources.  Justice was violated. In the words of one commentator, “when the poor are neglected, then prosperous people have to worship gods other than Yahweh.” The prophets would raise their voices to express God’s anger and the despair of God’s neglected people.   That prophecy continues today in the face of massive world-wide, unwelcome and often, cruel treatment of immigrants forced to leave their homelands only to find additional poverty and abuse in the areas of the world in which they find themselves. At least, we can educate ourselves, locally, as to what is happening to our brothers and sisters who have been forced to resettle in the midst of hostility. And we can raise the consciousness of others.

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

Daily Scripture, July 11, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 32:23-33
Matthew 9:32-38

Reflection:

Jacob sent his wives, 11 children and others of his party with all his possessions, across the Jabbok River.  He stood alone on the other side of that river, alone in the deepest darkness of night.

In dread, he awaited the arrival of his twin brother Esau, who despised him for his deceptions.  Jacob knew that Esau was approaching with his army to seek revenge on him.

All his life, Jacob has been a man imbued with conflict.  Jacob and Esau were twin brothers.  Esau, however, was born first.  Jacob was born moments later, grasping at Esau’s heel as though attempting to pull him back, allowing Jacob to emerge first from their mother’s womb.  That is why he was named Jacob.  In the Hebrew, Yaakov, or Jacob, means the back of the foot, the heel.  It also means the one who deceives, the trickster.  That was Jacob.

The infant Jacob grabbed at Esau’s heel because it is the first-born becomes the heir to the father’s properties, possessions, wealth, and would eventually become the head of the extended family’s tribe.

Jacob’s grasping of Esau’s heel defined his life.  His modus operandi was always to grab the heel, to sneak from behind to deceive and get his way.  When Esau reached the age of maturity, his father, the aging, and nearly blind Isaac, was ready to give him his blessing as head of the tribe.  However, Jacob, with his mother’s help, deceived Isaac into believing Jacob was Esau. 

As a result, Jacob received his father’s blessing, and causing a bitter enmity with Esau.

Jacob now stood alone in his midnight hour, dreading the approaching Esau and his army.

Then, something strange happens.  “Jacob was left there alone.  Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.”  Literally, the Hebrew reads that some “ish” wrestled with him until the break of dawn. 

This word, Ish, has at least two meanings.  Ish can mean man.  In fact, the Book of Genesis refers to Jacob as “ish.”  But Ish can mean Angel of God.

The question we are left with then is which meaning are we supposed to ascribe to the phrase “some man,” some Ish?  Is it some mysterious man?  Or is it the Angel of God?

Perhaps the answer is both.

As Jacob stood alone in his spiritual darkness, all the deception and trickery Jacob had inflicted on his brother, and others throughout his life now returned to haunt him like a nightmare. 

He wrestled with that nightmare, with his conscience, and there were no wives, no children, no wealth to distract him.

Jacob wrestled with Ish, the man, that man, himself.  Who was he?  What was his true identity?  All his life, Jacob was no more than a false image of his twin brother Esau. 

All his life, Jacob wanted to be first, like Esau.  He could do this only by deceiving others and by deceiving himself.

Jacob wrestled with Ish, the Angel of God.  In the end, it was with God with whom Jacob had to contend with, wrestle with.

Have you ever found yourself utterly alone in your own darkness?  With whom have you wrestled?

Is it with Ish, yourself with whom you are wrestling?  Many of us do a lot of wrestling with Ish. 

I have. 

In my faith, my doubts, my questions, my fears, I have felt alone, standing on one side of the river, while my family of faith stands at the far side of the river.

In my darkness, I have wrestled with my physical limitations, which are really nothing more than the natural progression of age.  And yet, I have struggled with this stage of my life.

Have you been there?  Are you there now, perhaps in your illness, your grief at the loss of a loved one, in your marital difficulties?  We each wrestle with Ish in our own way

Sounds rather gloomy, doesn’t it?  Where then does hope lie on this side of the river?

Jacob and Ish hold the key to that question.

You see, even though today’s narrative says Jacob “prevailed” over Ish, it doesn’t mean Jacob defeated God.  No.  Nor did God defeat Jacob.  Winning and losing was never the point of this struggle.  The point was that Jacob refused to stop struggling.  Jacob did not quit.  He did not run away.  Nor did God.

Therein lies the hope for us.  These struggles and challenges will certainly come our way.  We will have to wrestle with Ish.  However, it is in that place of our struggle that Ish, God encounters us, wrestles with us.  God will never quit on us.  Nor should we quit on God – or ourselves.

And there is the Good News.  At the break of dawn, Jacob, as he had done by trickery years before, now begged for a blessing.  Jacob received several blessings.

–God, Ish, gave Jacob a new name, a new beginning, a new man: His name was now Israel, one who wrestles with God.

–And Jacob, that is Israel, walked out of his darkness and into the dawn with a limp.

Our struggle with God and ourselves, however, comes at a cost.  We walk away with a limp.  It is the limp – physical or spiritual, or both, that life will inevitably inflict on us.

And yet, that is the best news.  That limp, your limp and mine is the unmistakable sign that God has transformed us to be more authentically ourselves, more like God.

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

Daily Scripture, July 10, 2023

Scripture:

Genesis 28:10-22a
Matthew 9:18-26

Reflection:

As a child, did an adult entrusted with your care violate that trust in harmful ways? As an adult, have you ever trusted someone and then been betrayed? I suspect most people could answer “Yes” to one or both questions. I know I’ve had my trust shattered several times in my life. People, no matter how good they seem or even how well-intentioned, aren’t always trustworthy, and such betrayals can cause us to doubt whether there’s anyone we can trust. That skepticism often carries over into lack of trust in God.

The scriptures recognize the dilemma. Jacob has a visionary dream in which God promises to protect him, bring him back to his land, and multiply his descendants, assuring Jacob that he will do all that he says. Jacob is understandably ecstatic about this dream, and he dedicates the spot where it happened. And yet, Jacob states that IF this happens and IF that happens and IF another thing happens, then (and presumably only then) the Lord shall be his God. That doesn’t sound like he trusted God much!

Contrast that with the Gospel story of the official who asked Jesus to lay his hands on his dead daughter so she could live. Think about how outrageous that request sounded to bystanders! But his trust in Jesus was so high that he risked looking like a fool, even when the crowds at his house ridiculed them as they arrived. The official persisted, and Jesus amazed them all by raising the girl. Can you imagine the joy the official felt?

On the journey to the official’s house, a hemorrhaging woman believed that she could merely touch Jesus’ cloak to be healed. Remember that in her day, a menstruating or bleeding woman was unclean. She was banned from public gatherings, and touching a man was utterly taboo. She risked being arrested, beaten, or worse. Her trust and courage were rewarded, and she could hold her head high for the first time in 12 years. What an affirmation!

I am slowly learning greater trust. I’ve come to see that people will let me down, but God never will. Oh, I may not get what I ask for, but I will receive strength, wisdom, courage, and all I need to handle whatever life throws at me. I have a rock on which I stand, an unfailing source of life and love that is available to me always. Sometimes it seems I have a long way to go. Other times, my trust in God helps me step more confidently into life, willing to take risks, knowing I will be caught when I fall and loved always.

Where do you land on the trust spectrum? Do you demand that God prove things to you first before you risk trusting? Are you willing to place your trust in God come what may, even if it seems foolish? Or are you somewhere in between? Despite how tempted we all are to imitate Jacob and go for certainty, perhaps we can pray and work to risk the kind of trust held by the official and the woman. That seems like a pretty solid bet, don’t you think?

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/.

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