The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, August 1, 2012

Scripture:

Jeremiah 15: 10, 16-21
Matthew 13: 44-46

Reflection:

In this first reading Jeremiah continues to be the living parable of God.  In love with the Word of God,he devours the Lord’s words to him, feeds on them, and becomes God’s word himself.  And he suffers in himself what the Lord is feeling and suffering.  The pains that Jeremiah moans about are the pains of God himself, suffering from the treatment shown him by his faithless people.  Jeremiah is called to continue to be the voice of the Lord to these faithless and selfish people, preaching repentance from a saving God, despite what they do to him and the way they treat him.

When we move into the gospel, Jesus himself speaks to us directly.  We are his disciples and he teaches us about the kingdom of heaven.  We can recall from the opening of Mark’s gospel, that Jesus began his public life by calling us to the kingdom: "The time is near.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the good news."  (Mark 1:15)  Now, that we have believed and have become his disciples, he continues to teach us about this kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven.   And like Jeremiah, he teaches us in parables. 

These parables given in Matthew are short, pithy little comparisons, unadorned with questioning or further explanation.  Today Jesus continues with them, offering us simply two: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, . . ." and "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls."  How shall we deal with these parables?

I suggest that we just sit with them – sit with Jesus speaking them to us.  This is my Lord who loves me personally, unconditionally, who wants me to be one with him.  What is he saying to me  through these two little parables?  What does he want me to dwell on?  If I am quiet, attentive, keeping my eye on him and my heart open to him, listening, he will tell me – and tell me perhaps without using any more words.

 

Br. Peter Fitzpatrick,CFX, a Passionist Associate is a Xaverian Brother, dwelling across the creek fromSacred Heart Monastery in Louisville, KY, in Ryken Retirement Home on the St. Xavier H.S. property.

Ash Wednesday

On March 2, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. 

Most of us learned early in our Catholic lives that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and that is a time of special sacrifice in preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving…. These words of Pope Francis, taken from his Lenten Message of last year, 2021, and echoing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, can still inspire our answer to the question: “What am I giving up for Lent?” 

We can draw our Lenten sacrifices out of our daily life: 

Share our faith in God’s presence by sharing in prayer with our family or with those in our parish community.
Share our hope in God’s promises by encouraging positive and respectful dialogue in our family circle and among our friends. 
Share the charity God has bestowed on us in the Passion of Jesus, with those whose sufferings are ignored or aggravated.

Let us pray for one another as we enter the season of Lent. Our Passionist “motto” can be our daily prayer during Lent, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”