The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, December 13, 2012

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection:

The violent know no limits. Mass graves are filled by narco-traffickers with impunity. Drones are drop bombs in Pakistan and Afghanistan and innocent civilians as collateral damage. This is how drug routes and the political stability of regions are secured by the violent among us. This kind of brute force knows no boundaries, neither does it follow accepted moral codes nor respect human values.

By this same might, yet by very different means, that knows no boundaries, we are invited to embrace the Kingdom of God. Jesus words rekindle and set ablaze our passion for the Reign of God. With the same zeal of the violent among us we are called to encounter the Reign and to build it.

I pray that this Advent Season our hearts may be set on fire for the Reigning of God and that with that same passion we may receive it. 

 

Fr. Hugo Esparza-Perez, C.P. is a Passionist of Holy Cross Province now working in Mexico with the Province of Cristo Rey.

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.”