Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Sirach 35:1-12
Mark 10:28-31

Reflection:

When I think about the line from Mark that says, “But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first”, I can’t help but think about what I see at the end of mass every week. The communion lines begin, and people trickle out of the church after they receive communion. As the vessels are being cleansed and the ministers are preparing for the final prayers after parishioners have received the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, more begin to leave. I’ve even seen them cut in front of the procession so they can bless themselves with Holy Water before exiting the church. Yes, you will be the first ones out of the church, and out of the parking lot, but I must wonder if that is the end of the firsts that you will be receiving in your spiritual reality.

We are expected to give up everything and follow Jesus, but what have we given up? Do we still believe that finding the best seat at our favorite restaurant after mass is worth leaving mass early as we miss the final blessing, and in no means are we honoring our procession of Priests, Deacons, and ministers as they exit the church. Are we ignoring the needs of others so we can satisfy our own desires and wants? It’s time to take stock in our life as a follower of Christ and truly decide what it is we are missing on our journey to “follow him.”

As disciples of Christ, we know that there is an amazing reward at the end of our earthly road, but at what cost? Are we sacrificing what we should, being present to the downtrodden, lonely or sick, and loving unconditionally those who truly are in need? Have we given up everything and followed him? Are we willing to accept the persecutions that will come for us in our dedication to the Lord? We need to realize “enough” in our lives, and we need to know that when “enough” becomes “too much”, it’s time to make a change. Stop trying to be first – better – richer – prettier… If there is a possibility of being the last one in Heaven to close the gate, please let it be me! God bless you all!

Patty Masson is the Director of Adult Formation and Evangelization at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, Texas.

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Scripture:

Acts 1:12-14
John 19:25-34

Reflection:              

Two Sundays ago, we celebrated Mother’s Day, a day when we remembered all that our mothers have done for us to become the best we can be. Today’s feast is about our spiritual mother, Mary, who is the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church.

The first reading from Acts occurs after the Ascension where the Apostles and Mary are waiting for what is to come. They were likely still perplexed as to what their mission was and what were their next steps. This reading shows them all together in the same room where they celebrated the Last Supper and where they took refuge after the death of Jesus. They again are gathered in their safe place, praying together to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

We know that Acts was possibly written in in Rome between 70 -90 C.E. The early Church was already growing and putting into motion the mission that Jesus Christ had given the Apostles. We also know that when women are mentioned in the Gospels, the Letters of Saint Paul and the Catholic Letters, that these women held an important place in the early Christian communities. It is no surprise then, that Mary is with the Apostles in the Upper Room supporting them and encouraging them in their mission.

In the Gospel of John, written between 90 -110 C.E., Mary is again mentioned at the foot of the cross watching her son suffer greatly and then die. She knew who Jesus was and she held great sorrow in her heart as she witnessed something so unimaginable. As he suffered, Jesus entrusted his mother to Saint John, saying, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then Jesus directed his  disciple saying, “Behold, your mother.” Was this Jesus’ way of giving his mother to the Apostles as their own mother? We know that during the time of Jesus women did not have many rights and needed protection if there was not a husband or a son to care for them. Jesus offering Mary to Saint John to be taken care of is not unusual. Was the Gospel writer trying to also convey the role of Mary as the Mother of the Church?

Through the centuries Mary has been a model for all Christians. We have many devotions, prayers, and feast days that remind us of the ways in which Mary is not only the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of the Church. Our spiritual mother is our guide for each of us and for the Church.

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23

Reflection:

Happy Birthday, Church!!!

Jesus has risen from the dead!  Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!  Last week we celebrated his ascending back to his father in heaven.  This week we celebrate the fulfillment of his promise to us that he would send a powerful Spirit to be with us until the end of time!  What an awesome gift he has given us!

For those who know me, they have heard this favorite saying of mine concerning the Holy Spirit.  It goes as follows, ‘Holy Spirit? She be my best friend!!’  Whether we realize it or not, the gift of the Spirit in our lives is a gift that keeps on giving no matter the situation.  The gifts of the spirit poured upon us in the sacramental life of the Church include;  Wonder, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Awe/Respect of the Lord.  These gifts serve as take-offs for the many different ways the spirit acts in our lives.

If we were to look back in the life of the Church as well as our own lives, we could see the many instances where the presence of the spirit was and continues to be with us through the highs and lows of life.  Throughout the history of our church, there have been conflicts, persecution, heresies, controversies, invasions, Dark Ages, and insurrection.  Our scriptures during the Easter Season have been filled with the rough and tumble days the apostles experienced in the early days of the Church. But, the Spirit was present then as she is now!  I recall with a smile a favorite reminder that our Early Church History professor would share at least once in every class period when the discussion centered around the dark days of the early church up to the present day.  He would gleefully remark, don’t worry about the church of today, 2000 years ago they had the same problems! And, look  2000 years later!  We’re still here!’  Trust the Spirit!

The spirit ultimately gives us hope, trust and security and walks with us through our daily lives fraught with human frailty.  God calls, the Spirit guides and faith reminds us that our task is to trust her and let her guide us to become the person we have been created to be.  Maybe as we celebrate this Pentecost birthday, we might take some time to reflect on this question:

What fresh start is God calling me to make with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life?!

The Holy Spirit, she be my friend always and in all ways! Happy Birthday, Church!  Amen!

Theresa Secord is a retired Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 25:13b-21
John 21:15-19

Reflection:

…Do you love me?…Feed my sheep…

 Three times, Jesus asks Peter ‘do you love me’; three times, following Peter’s ‘yes, Lord’ Jesus commands ‘feed my sheep’.

What is it about ‘three times?’  We can make a connection to the three times that Peter denied him around the charcoal fire.  We could perhaps connect it to the Holy Trinity.  Perhaps the significance of three times is found in faceted dimensions of what it means to ‘feed’.

Peter is a disciple, a follower, a learner.  This is a Resurrection appearance, a shared meal, a conversation.  The passage concludes with a final command Follow me.  Could this sharing with Peter have been more for our benefit that his?

How do we recognize the risen Christ in our day to day lives?  How do we respond when we hear the question ‘do you love me?’  How do we feed His sheep?

As a parent, as a caregiver, as a member of a family, to feed means more than simply providing food.  It means planning, preparing, serving; it means nurturing, companioning, challenging; it means modeling, leading, guiding; to feed is to take care of needs.  To feed is to give others what they need to help them grow – not just physically, but what they need to grow in ‘wisdom and grace’.

How do we help another grow in their understanding of Jesus and his words?  How do we help another grow in their desire to turn toward God for inner strength?  How do we nurture another to grow in their awareness that they belong to God?  How do we lead Jesus’ sheep to a deeper relationship with God?

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
John 17:20-26

Reflection:

No doubt the Chief Priests and the whole Sanhedrin were excited to have a chance to get Paul condemned by Roman authority but surely they must have also been a bit nervous.  After all, the top Roman military commander of their area was personally bringing Paul before them to hear their complaint.  And, the Pharisees and Sadducees had no great love for Roman authority.  But, now was their chance to get Paul condemned and hopefully executed.  So they were ready.

Paul, too, was ready.  He knew that while they were united in their desire to get him condemned, their unity was a fragile thing because there were many other issues about which they vigorously disagreed.  So, as soon as he stood before their condemning eyes, he launched his plan.  “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”  Resurrection of the dead was a belief firmly held by the Pharisees but hotly denied by the Sadducees.  So the in-fighting began.

The argument became so heated that the military commander grew fearful for Paul’s life so had his troops rescue Paul from the room and bring him to safety, leaving the mayhem in the Sanhedrin going full blast.

Every time I read this account of Paul’s quick thinking, it reminds me of the many internal disagreements we experience in the Church.  We have our factions and our arguments about sometimes important but often enough not essential issues.  We condemn those who don’t agree with us and sometimes treat them with disrespect and even contempt.  We wrap ourselves in our convictions and are confident that those who don’t share our every belief are unworthy.

Paul was a man of deep conviction and strong beliefs.  Yet, he could acknowledge that he had been wrong in his beliefs about Jesus and he could embrace those he had once condemned.  At first he was convinced that the followers of Jesus were heretics and should be condemned, even to death.  After his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, he realized that Christ was the fulfillment of God’s revelation.  And that was just the beginning of the changes in his life.  He continued to grow in his understanding, changing his views on the law, moving beyond the Jewish community to the Gentiles, and recognizing in the sufferings and death of Christ the path to true life for all believers.  Paul is a remarkable example of someone with strong faith who could still really listen to the voice of God coming to him through the people in his life.

We are challenged everyday to give an account of our faith.  Unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees, we must not get caught up in internal squabbles and self-righteous condemnations of others, but give visible witness to God’s love for all peoples.   May God give us a loving heart.

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

Scripture:

Acts 20:28-38
John 17:11b-19

Reflection:

Saving Truth

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. JN 17:17   Today’s Gospel tells us that we are made holy by the truth of God’s word.   Our culture today is in many ways very good but in many ways very bad!  In one very bad way there is almost a total disregard of truth.

For many the only truth is my truth.  I accept only what’s true for myself and not for others nor God’s truth!  Pope Benedict XVI wisely pointed out: “We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definite and has as its highest value as one’s own ego and one’s own desires.” 

“An abomination to Him is haughty eyes and lying tongue,Pro 6:16  We live in a heavy air of mendacity which is loathsome to God and humans!  Often our society smothers the truth with a pillow hoping it will die. “Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.” Pro 12:22

 We thank Our Savior Christ for His truth filled word!  The word for truth in the inspired Greek New Testament is alethea which means not to escape notice.  When Jesus was on trail before Pilate He said: “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”   “Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?” JOHN 18:37

Thomas Merton many years ago in 1960s, when our culture was taking a dramatic change, made a very wise observation.  “There is no greater disaster in the spiritual life than to be immersed in unreality!” Truth is reality! 

 We are losing thousands of Catholics because their faith is being suffocated “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mk 4:18   

Today there is a massive use of drugs to escape reality.   Peace comes with truth.  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” Jn 14:6 “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” JN 8:32

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 20:17-27
John 17:1-11a

Reflection:

In our Gospel reading, we hear the continuation of Jesus’ discourse with His disciples at the Last Supper. Here, Jesus offers a prayer to the Father, recognizing that the moment has come for God’s plan to come to fruition: “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Jesus then prays for the disciples, and at the end of our reading, we hear Jesus say: “And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.”

In these divided times, I am drawn to that last verse: “so that they may be one just as we are.” It is not the last time in this prayer that Jesus prays for unity. I understand the prayer to be asking that the disciples be in communion with each other, as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are in communion with each other, beyond our understanding, in the Holy Trinity.

Again, in these divided times, I see the prayer also pertaining to us, that we find our way to communion with each other, with all people, and with all of creation. I don’t think unity requires absolute uniformity. As a church, we do need to be unified in our mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to share God’s love in Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. But we do it in cultural expressions and in a language that is understandable to the people we serve. We may not be free of conflicts or disagreements about how the message is shared, but we cannot give in to hatred and demonization of the “other,’ for we are called to serve them as well as those who are like us.

May the Holy Spirit guide us in resolving conflicts, and may we come together as one.

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

Scripture:

Acts 19:1-8
John 16:29-33

Reflection:

Lord, Sometimes I feel so fatigued by our increasingly divisive world of war, dissension, senseless cruelty, dismissively abrasive language and blocked minds.  A bewildering world where a teen can run up behind an old man, slap his ear hard enough to rupture his eardrum and call it a “prank.”  Everything sometimes seems so chaotic and haphazardly confusing as our parish is gray-haired and our young people are abandoning the Church. 

In dark moments of despair, I think of You at the Last Supper.  Jesus knew how little time was left to prepare His disciples as well as how much they were lacking.  You set Your night of pain in motion by telling Judas to “Do what you must do”, and he slipped away into the night to betray you.  

Still sitting at the Passover table was the man You had chosen as the next head of Your Church.  In Peter’s moment of darkness, he would deny even knowing you, not once but three times.  You knew the twelve men You had chosen and loved the most would desert as You died alone on the cross, and that was surely an incredibly painful and terrifying part of your Passion and Death.  

Help me strive to follow You, and refuse to desert You, even in times of fear, pain, and loneliness.  I know I am never alone, just as You knew the Father is with You in all that exists.     

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.