Daily Scripture

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Scripture:

2 Samuel 5: 1-3
Colossians 1: 12-20
Luke 23: 35-43

Reflection:

On this last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the solemn feast of Christ the King.  This feast is the capstone of the liturgical year, using the image of the King as the fullness of Christ’s triumph. 

I’ve often reflected that we Americans don’t respond very well to the office of “King.”  We have no experience of an earthly king so it’s a bit difficult for us to fully appreciate the message of this feast.  Nonetheless, we do have some notions about it.  We know that kings are respected.  They live in rather grand palaces, have servants to take care of many of their human needs, and exercise authority over their kingdom.  They usually lead the good life and embody many of the aspirations of their subjects.  When they treat their subjects with justice and their people prosper, they’re considered “good” kings.  When they are unjust and selfish, they are considered tyrants.

Still, our Scripture readings today invite us to reflect on the various ways in which kingship is exercised.  In the first reading from the book of Samuel we recall the moment Israel first established a King.  Strangely enough it was young David that God chose.  I say strangely because David proved to be an adulterer and a murderer.  Yet, God was able to use his gifts at leadership to unite the twelve often squabbling tribes of Israel into one nation.  Not everyone was thrilled with this development but it was a transforming moment for Israel.  For all David’s very real weaknesses, his gifts of unshaking faith in God and extraordinary leadership ability brought together God’s chosen people in a unique way.  They became an economic and military power in their region of the world.  Though they continued to struggle with their fidelity to God, they truly thrived as a nation.   

Then, in the Gospel we are presented with a very different King of Israel.  We see Jesus on the Cross, mocked and ridiculed, rejected and beaten, enduring the pain of his wounds and struggling for breath.  Yet, from the throne of his cross he forgives his persecutors, welcomes a thief into paradise, entrusts the Church into the loving care of his Mother, and then, surrenders his life with complete trust into the hands of his loving Father.  Christ’s kingship was not built on economic or military power, but on total, unconditional, self-giving love.

As we search for our path into Christ’s Kingdom, we are called to model ourselves after the One who is our King.  He gave his life so that we could have life.  We are called to give our lives so that our brothers and sisters can have life.  Christ is a unique King, indeed.  And, we are called to aspire to be (like) him.

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

Scripture:

Revelation 11:4-12
Luke 20:27-40

Reflection:

A Voice from Heaven

There I was standing in the cave where John the Beloved heard “a voice from heaven”. I recall being speechless and in awe and yet here I am still “hanging on His words” that He spoke to John.

We can find ourselves wondering about these “two witnesses” that biblical scholars believe represent the church, the martyrs, possibly Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, or maybe even Peter and Paul. But what does that mean to each of us? Can we say the same? Are we witnesses to the Truth? Do we remain constant in the presence of God? Can we remain steadfast when the enemy attacks mind, body, and soul? Do we give thanks and praise to God before, during, and after the trials? At the end will we too hear a voice, “Come up here”? I hope so.

There are many ways that the world attempts to have us question the “truth” or even convince us to try to water it down with new definitions and beliefs on marriage, family and most importantly our identity. We must stay steadfast and not be “lukewarm”. Our relationship through worship and friendship with Christ must be authentic and founded in our Christian beliefs. Have I let other religions or world beliefs affect my prayer, my union with God?

Today we hear a truth of what is promised to the children of God. We are called to be a temple of the Holy Spirit and give testimony. These thoughts bring me to another place in Scripture where God speaks to the prophet, Isaiah about authentic worship and prayer. God asks, “What kind of house can you build for me; what is to be my resting place?”

Lori Kananen, LMC is a lay Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Revelation 10:8-11
Luke 19:45-48

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading for today, after Jesus has entered Jerusalem, He goes to the Temple. And He proceeds to drive out all those who are selling things. He also begins to teach every day in the Temple area. And Luke tells us that while he is doing this, the leaders of the people are seeking to put Him to death, “but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on to his words.”

Luke’s account brings up a question: “What do we hang on to?” Do we hang on to Jesus’ words, or something else? In our society, today is known as Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. It can be easy to hang on to word of the latest sale or the best deal. After all, there is shopping that needs to be done.

But even when we realize that the things associated with the holiday shopping season are not what are most important, it may be good to keep asking the question – What do we really hang on to for guidance or inspiration?

In our first reading from Revelation, the author has a vision in which he is told to take a scroll and eat it. He is told that it will first taste sweet, but afterward it will taste sour. The sweetness comes because the scroll indicates God’s ultimate victory. The sourness comes because there are predictions of suffering before that happens. I think we can be tempted to hang on only to those of Jesus’ words that taste “sweet” to us, and not those that challenge, or taste “sour” to us. But we need to hang on Jesus’ words of forgiveness and compassion and mercy and love towards others, even of enemies, as well as when Jesus comforts us and promises us salvation.

If we can hang on to the truth of God’s love for us, we can hang on to Jesus’ call to follow Him, even when it involves taking up our cross. We know that no matter how heavy our crosses may seem, they are not the last word. God’s love will overcome all! May we have the faith to hang on to that!

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

Scripture:

Revelation 5:1-10
Luke 19:41-44

Reflection:

Picture yourself in today’s gospel. You are walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem, but Jesus suddenly stops. Gazing down upon the city, Jesus begins to weep. Jesus’ sorrow breaks your heart because, standing near, you can see that his tears are born from love. As he looks down upon Jerusalem, you hear Jesus say, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jesus grieves all the violence and bloodshed, all the suffering and affliction, all the hatred and exclusion, all the injustice and indifference. He grieves all the unnecessary pain that human beings endlessly inflict on one another. And he especially grieves all the missed opportunities to love.

But can’t we also picture Jesus looking down over cities and countries across the world today and weeping? Cannot we imagine him looking into our homes, our communities, and societies, and saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes”? We know the path to peace is not found in accumulating weapons, building walls, and threatening wars. We know peace will be ceaselessly out of reach when we lash out in anger, insist on having our way, harden our hearts, seek a little revenge, and make a habit of not forgiving. But still, against our better judgment, we persist in these hopeless ways until “what makes for peace” is hidden from our eyes.

Today’s first reading from Revelation reminds us that the way to peace is not found in the attitudes, habits, and practices that are so destructively familiar to our world, but in the Lamb that was slain, the crucified and risen one who gathers together “those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation,” making all of us one. As we approach the season of Advent, we await the one whose life of mercy, justice, compassion, patient love and forgiveness reveals the true path to peace. Following him is the only way to stop breaking the heart of the God who loves us and calls us all to life.

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

Scripture:

Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5
Luke 18:35-43

Reflection:

Signs and Symbols of Hope

During the Church’s early days, the faithful rarely talked of what we now refer to as the “miracles” of Jesus’s mission. The healings, raising from the dead, and transformation of water into wine were all viewed differently. Just as the man whose sight was restored in today’s Gospel.

I am not sure exactly when in the history of the Church we started to refer to all these acts as miracles, but scripture itself talks of them as signs and symbols. Indeed, the early disciples, followers, and the New Testament authors spoke about them in these terms. So what is the difference between the word miracle and symbol/sign? Well, quite a lot. Today, we seem to want everything associated with God and his actions to be amplified, supernatural in nature, and impossible on our own. While these things may still be true, our desire to want to be “shocked,” “surprised,” and “exalted” by the act has, perhaps, caused us to elevate all of these supernatural acts to “miracle” status. I am going to return to this point again in a moment.

In a way, we seem to be missing the point of the “miracles” when the early Church did not. We tend to celebrate the miracles for themselves but rather not their importance and relevance. The act of healing or change was an act of supernatural powers, for sure; however, the reason was to prove the authority of God over all things man-made, which included our inability to heal ourselves during the time of Christ. The early Church and writers of the New Testament understood this fully, which is why they focused on the issue of signs and symbols of God’s authority and power rather than just the act itself. It proved God was above us, and most of all, Jesus Christ, in the second person of the Trinity, spoke with the authority of God. End of story. Listening to this authority is borne out in the other readings for today.

R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life. (Rev 2:17)

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

So today, perhaps if we move back for a moment and consider the “miracles” as symbols and signs of God’s authority and power, we can start to see more clearly. When we are driving from one town to another, we expect the signs that direct us there are accurate. If we drive East we don’t expect to move in a westerly direction. Signs and symbols tell us this, if we are heading the right way. For physical movement, we accept this, so why won’t we accept the authority of God without a miracle performed in front of our eyes? The answer is we want more.

Perhaps our reason for this is not being willing to accept God’s gift of hope to us. However, if we believe in hope, we already accept God’s authority and power. Not only this, but we are confident this power and his graces are coming our way in whatever form that may occur.

So, this week, let us accept the signs and symbols which God leaves for us in our lives, even if they are not all the miracles we are seeking. In doing so, that confidence and expectation of hope will return to us in considerable measure. Have a blessed week.

Michael Cunningham, OFS, is the Director and CEO of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Malachi 3:19-20a
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke 21:5-19

Reflection:

As we near the end of the Church calendar, our Scripture readings deal more and more with the end times. In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Luke 21:5-19), Jesus uses the opportunity of people speaking about the Temple to speak about the end times. When people are admiring how the Temple was adorned, Jesus predicts that it will be destroyed. And so the people ask what are the signs that this will happen. The first thing that He says, is that there will be people claiming to be Him and that “the time has come.” But Jesus warns, “Do not follow them!”

And then Jesus speaks about wars and insurrections, but tells the people not to be terrified, for “it will not immediately be the end.” And then Jesus speaks about not only wars but natural disasters as well. And then Jesus speaks about the persecutions they will face. But He assures them that when it is time for them to give testimony that He will provide a defense for them “that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Later on, He promises them that “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

Earlier, Jesus tells them that some of them will be put to death, so it doesn’t seem that Jesus is promising them some sort of physical invincibility. Rather, it seems that Jesus is telling them that no matter what happens, they will not lose the promise of eternal life. Similarly, in our first reading from Malachi (3:19-20a), God says through the prophet: “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble…But for you who hear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.”

I think all this tells us not to lose hope, even in the midst of so many trials and tribulations. We are reminded that God still loves us and is with us, and that in Jesus Christ, we can persevere. We can persevere in following Jesus. We can persevere in love and service.

As I was reflecting on these readings, I was drawn to that last verse of our reading from Malachi: “there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” I don’t always associate justice with healing, but in places like South Africa, there was a connection made between justice and reconciliation. To work for justice often involves confrontation, and courage with a willingness to speak up. Working for justice doesn’t seem to be healing at all, but picking at the wounds that are there. But when we ignore justice in the hopes of avoiding pain, the wounds just fester. But to the degree that we can achieve real justice for everyone, the truth can be brought out into the open, and real healing can occur, as well as real peace.

It seems to me that we are called to work for justice and for the healing it can bring, out of the love God has for us and the world in Jesus Christ. And I wonder if that kind of love and service is the testimony Jesus has given us, against which our “adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.”

May we be open to the healing the Son of justice brings to us, and may a desire to bring healing and reconciliation inform how we work for justice and peace.

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

Scripture:

2 John 4-9
Luke 17:26-37

Reflection:

The Season of the Moon

The autumn equinox arrived in late September.  It marked the time when night slowly begins to grow longer, and daylight shorter.  It is called the season of the moon.  Spiritually, this time symbolizes a period of struggle between darkness and light, death, and life.  The year is coming to a close, to an end.  This time can be unsettling if we are not ready, not prepared.

Today’s gospel reflects the season of the moon, a coming end time.  Jesus tells his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man.”  They were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage up to the day Noah and his family entered the ark.  It rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  The flood waters destroyed everything on earth.

Jesus recalls the story of Lot.  In Lot’s time, they also were eating, drinking, buying, and selling.  But on the day Lot and his family left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down on the town and destroyed everyone and everything.  The demands and distractions of daily life left them unprepared for the “end time.”

This seemingly dark gospel, coming at a dark time of the year, should call us to reflection.  The Church reminds us that the end of the liturgical season draws near.  In less than three weeks, we will enter the new season of Advent.  It is time to get ready, to prepare for this “end time.”

With this gospel, Christ also encourages us to reflect – as in Noah’s and Lot’s times, the end times are always upon us.  Christ urges us to be always ready, always prepared to meet Jesus in those we encounter in our daily lives, in the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes in the darkness of Bethlehem, and, in the “end time,” face-to-face worshiping God in the Kingdom.

This is the season of the moon, a season to reflect, a season in the still of night urging us to be ready for the coming of Christ.

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

Scripture:

Philemon 7-20
Luke 17:20-25

Reflection:

Have you played Wordle, that daily game of figuring out 5-letter words? I like Sudoku, but I’ve become addicted to Wordle. I MUST play it every day or I’m not content. Though I’m loathe to admit it, sometimes when I wake up at 3 AM, I’ll realize the new Wordle came online at midnight and I’ll pull out my phone to do it before I go back to sleep. Ouch!

In the scriptures, we are directed to set captives free. May we never minimize our serious responsibility to work for the freedom and autonomy of our sisters and brothers in our own country and around the world! It is a primary dictate of the Gospel to work for justice and peace. Given all that is happening today, there is more than enough crying out to be done, and as disciples we must commit ourselves to actively being involved.

At the same time, we need to continually look at ourselves, because there are also more subtle ways of being held bound. Some are little addictions, with the equivalent importance of Wordle. Others are bigger issues, involving misplaced trust or security in things that don’t last, following “false prophets” who proclaim beliefs that are not in line with Jesus’ life and teaching, feeling entitled or self-righteous while turning a blind eye to those in need, or persisting in unhealthy relationships with people, food, or substances. All claim more of my time, energy, and commitment than God wants and/or they keep me from being who God calls me to be in this world.

Everything matters. If I can’t free myself from smaller addictions that keep me from God, I won’t have the wisdom, insight, or strength to resist the bigger ones. For instance, can I be as persistent about making time for prayer as I am about making time for Wordle? I need to sit in God’s presence, to let God love and heal me, to listen to God’s voice and allow God to change my heart. I need to allow God to direct my life. Maybe I can follow a rule where I cannot do Wordle UNTIL I’ve taken dedicated time for prayer that day. Oooo, that sounds hard! But I’m going to try.

What is your “Wordle”? Let’s all work to devote ourselves more fully to following the God who sets captives free, gives sight to the blind, who suffers with us and promises resurrection.

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/.