The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, December 28, 2009

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Scripture:

1 John 1:5-2.2
Matthew 2:13-18

Reflection:

Today is the feast day of the Holy Innocents.  Just a few days ago, our readings were filled with joy and wonder!  The Christ Child was born.  But now so soon after, we hear this horrendous account of the killing of babies.    Herod looking to destroy Jesus sends his soldiers out to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem.  How can God allow this to happen?

Why does God allow bad things to happen?  "Why, God, why?" That’s a question that most of us have asked at some time in our lives.  Some people even denounce the existence of God with the argument, "If your God is good, why doesn’t he do something about all this suffering?"

But they just don’t get it!  The Gospel message is not that God will wipe out all suffering.   The message of scripture is rather that God will be with us in our suffering.  God so wants us to hear this message, He even sends His Son to become human, to embrace humanity, to walk with us in all ways. 

Jesus throughout His life delivers this message.  Born in a stable, living a simple life, risking all to preach about the Father and finally suffering a humiliating, painful passion and death-this is the Jesus we see in the Gospel.  The joy of being Christian does not mean that we can expect to pray for a miracle and if we’re good all suffering will be removed from our lives.  Christian joy is rather that we do not face that suffering alone.  As Christians, we know that Christ is one with us – in our joys and in our sufferings. 

"My kingdom is not of this world," Christ tells us. That’s why the the Resurrection and Ascension are needed to complete the Gospel message. Christ came to be one with us in this life and to prepare the way for us in the heavenly kingdom.   This is the promise.  This is the message.  This is why we are joy-filled to be Christian and no amount of suffering will remove that joy!

 

Mary Lou Butler ([email protected])is a former staff member and is now a member of the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center Board, Sierra Madre, California. 

 

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.”