The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, December 24, 2010

Christmas Eve

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Luke 1:67-79

Reflection:

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us. 

Today’s liturgy reminds us of deep feeling of love that God has for us.   He expresses this by breathing his Incarnate Word into our world.   The expression tender compassion is a translation of the original Greek New Testament word splagchnon.   This is one of the strongest words in the Bible for the bottomless  affection that God has for us.

This monumental love of God for us in the birth of Christ should quiet all our fears and anxieties.  The prophet Zephiniah 3:16 tell us "God will quiet you with his love".  His love in the infant Jesus should silence all our anxiety.   When we gaze at the crib He in effect tells us to shut up, and rest in His love.   Praise to His compassion we are thousands of times more important to Him than He is to us.  "Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord: for He is risen from His holy habitation." Zck 2:13

 

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

 

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.”