• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

  • Migration
    • Statement from Passionist Leadership Regarding Current United States Immigration Policies
    • The Global Migration Crisis: What Can a Retreat Center Do?
  • Laudato Si’
    • Laudato Si’ 2023-24 Report and 2024-25 Plan
    • Ways to Live Laudato Siˊ
    • Sustainable Purchasing
      • Sustainable Purchasing Guide
      • Hints for Sustainable Meetings and Events
      • Sustainable Living Hints
    • Passion of the Earth, Wisdom of the Cross
    • Passionist Solidarity Network
    • Celebrating the Season of Creation
  • Pray
    • Daily Reflections
    • Prayer Request
    • Sunday Homily
    • Passionist Spirituality and Prayer
    • Video: Stations of the Cross
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
  • Grow
    • Proclaiming Our Passionist Story (POPS)
    • The Passionist Way
    • Retreat Centers
    • Passionist Magazine
    • Passionist Ministries
      • Preaching
      • Hispanic Ministry
      • Parish Life
      • Earth and Spirit Center
      • Education
      • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Passionist Solidarity Network
    • Journey into the Mystery of Christ Crucified
    • Celebrating the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Subscribe to E-News
    • Sacred Heart Monastery
      • History of Sacred Heart Monastery
      • A Day in the Life of Senior Passionists
      • “Pillars” of the Community
  • Join
    • Come and See Holy Week Discernment Retreat
    • Are You Being Called?
    • Province Leadership
    • Vocation Resources
    • Passionist Brothers
    • The Life of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Discerning Your Call
    • Pray With Us
    • Passionist Vocation Directors
    • World Day for Consecrated Life
    • Lay Partnerships
  • Connect
    • Find a Passionist
    • Passionist Websites
    • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Passionist Alumni Association
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
      • St. Gemma Circle of Giving Intentions
    • Leave a Legacy
      • Giving Matters
      • Ways to Give
      • Donor Relations
      • Testimonials
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
    • Privacy Policy Statement
  • Learn
    • Our Passionist History: Webinar Series
    • Proclaiming Our Passionist Story (POPS)
    • Our Founder
    • History
    • The Letters of St. Paul of the Cross
    • The Diary of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Mission and Charism
    • Saints and Blesseds
    • FAQs
    • Find a Passionist
    • STUDIES IN PASSIONIST HISTORY AND SPIRITUALITY
  • Safe Environments

Daily Reflections

Daily Scripture, July 6, 2025

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:10-14
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Reflection:

My fellow Kentuckian, Trappist monk Thomas Merton, wrote: “I have come to think that care of the soul requires a high degree of resistance to the culture around us, simply because that culture is dedicated to values that have no concern for the soul.”

When the culture around us endorses or is indifferent to owning nuclear weapons, polluting of our fragile planet, leaving our brothers and sisters homeless, hungry, or diseased, we disciples must offer a high degree of resistance. When people in our culture cheer when immigrants and refugees are arrested without due process, stripped, shaven, and thrown into a foreign country’s jail, resistance is demanded, as our pope and American bishops have courageously done.

The seventy-two disciples Jesus instructs in today’s Gospel are sent into harsh territory, into mostly Greek-formed cultures where Christians were required to offer a high degree of resistance. The Gospel focus on forgiveness, love, and absolute trust in God no doubt got a lot of push-back.

In imitation of these disciples, we must ask what are our own acts of resistance in our fast-paced, complex, media-saturated world?

Our culture is not foreign to us, most of us were born into it and have been shaped by it. But the message of Christ is foreign to our culture. The advertising world promotes being young, attractive, popular, powerful, and wealthy. These things, we are told, assure happiness, pleasure, satisfaction. To sustain our consumer-satisfying culture we start wars for oil, build war machines to “guarantee” security, and exploit and pollute Mother Earth in irreputable ways.

None of this offers care of the soul. Jesus’ message, which the seventy-two are asked to preach and live, emphasizes humility, powerlessness, detachment, and deep love for one another, especially the weak, lowly, discarded, and poor.

To be close to Christ means living simple, sincere lives with total trust in God to help us resist what does not respect our souls. This can mean pain, suffering, rejection, and, at times, feeling like we are accomplishing little in the eyes of the world.

But it is the only path to caring for our souls, to finding the deep, inner joy and peace that everyone longs for in the darkest moments of the night.

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

Daily Scripture, September 27, 2012

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 Luke 9:7-9 Reflection: Sometimes, I suppose we’re all like Herod the Tetrarch; we keep trying to see Jesus. But like Herod, or like Jesus’ disciples, it’s a » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 26, 2012

Scripture: Proverbs 30:5-9 Luke 9:1-6 Reflection:  For most of us the classical Greek axiom, "moderation in all things," seems a reasonable tenet to live by.  It seems all the more » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 22, 2012

Scripture: 1Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49 Luke 8:4-15 Reflection: "What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies." 1 Corinthians 15:36   I’ve been thinking about seeds lately – actually » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 21, 2012

Feast of St. Matthew Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Matthew 9:9-13 Reflection: Usually we like to put our best foot forward when we’re meeting someone for the first time, or entering a » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegŏn, priest and martyr and Saint Paul Chŏng Hasang, martyr, and their companions, martyrs Scripture: I Corinthians 15: 1-11 Luke 7: 36-50   Reflection: Most » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 18, 2012

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14, 27-31a Luke 7: 11-17 Reflection: There was a man calling all his friends to his back yard.  He wanted to show them the car he had » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 17, 2012

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33 Luke 7:1-10 Reflection: When I was young my great-aunts used to say things like:  ‘Vaya con Dios’ whenever I left their houses, ‘Si Dios Querien’ » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 16, 2012

  Scripture: Isaiah 50:5-9a James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35     Reflection:  Who Do You Say that Jesus Is? "Who do you say that I am?"  Mark finally takes us to » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 19, 2012

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 Luke 7:31-35 Reflection: "But wisdom is vindicated by all her children." Luke 7:35   When I first reflected on the readings for today’s Mass, I was » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, September 15, 2012

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35 Reflection: For all Passionists and the larger Passionist family of those associated with them this » Continue Reading.

  • « Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 403
  • 404
  • 405
  • 406
  • 407
  • …
  • 522
  • Next »

Footer

Support the Passionists

Contact the Passionists

Name

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province
660 Busse Highway | Park Ridge, IL 60068
Tel: 847.518.8844 | Toll-free: 800.295.9048 | Fax: 847.518.0461
Safe Environments | Board Member Portal | Copyright © 2025 | Log in