• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

  • Online Masses
    • Passionist Online Masses and Services
  • 300th Jubilee
    • Opening Mass of the Passionist Jubilee Year
    • Video: 300th Jubilee – English
    • Video: Jubileo Pasionista – Español
    • Jubilee Icon Itinerary
    • Jubilee Resources
    • Jubilee Song
  • Pray
    • Daily Reflections
    • Prayer Request
    • Sunday Homily
    • Passionist Spirituality and Prayer
    • Stations of the Cross
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
  • Grow
    • Journey into the Mystery of Christ Crucified
    • Celebrating the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Subscribe to E-News
    • Passionist Magazine
      • Passionist Magazine, Spring 2020
    • Passionist Ministries
      • Preaching
      • Hispanic Ministry
      • Haiti
      • Parish Life
      • Earth and Spirit Center
      • Education
      • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Retreat Centers
    • Passionist Solidarity Network
    • Sacred Heart Monastery
      • History of Sacred Heart Monastery
      • A Day in the Life of Senior Passionists
      • “Pillars” of the Community
  • Join
    • Nicholas Divine, CP, Ordination to the Diaconate
    • Are You Being Called?
    • Discerning Your Call
    • Pray With Us
    • Passionist Vocation Directors
    • Lay Partnerships
  • Connect
    • Find a Passionist
    • Passionist Websites
    • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Passionist Alumni Association
      • Reunions
      • 2019 Passionist Alumni Reunion
      • Welcome
      • Letter from the Provincial
        • These Men We Call Our Brothers
      • Mission Statement
      • CrossRoads Bulletin
      • Alumni Enrollment Form
        • Alumni Survey
      • Reunion Photo Gallery
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Leave a Legacy
      • Giving Matters
      • Ways to Give
      • Donor Relations
      • Testimonials
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
    • Privacy Policy Statement
  • Learn
    • 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 Scripture, January 12, 2013

Scripture:

1 John 5:14-21
John 3:22-30

Reflection:

I don’t know if it results from being one of ten children or if it is in the genes I inherited from my driven type-A father, but I have a competitive streak.  I want to be exceptionally good at whatever I do.  I strive for perfection, preparing endlessly and working very hard.  This is both an advantage and a nemesis.  It allows God to use me in many ways and most of the time I feel humbled and privileged to be God’s instrument.   At other times, though, my shadow side breaks through.

When that happens, I am tempted to compare myself to others in unhealthy ways.  I feel envy creeping in when someone else’s presentations or classes receive higher ratings than mine.  I have to fight the desire to be recognized and rewarded.  When I’m on a team, I get too impatient with people who are not working as hard as I am.  I find myself being overly critical of another’s successes.  In short (and to my profound embarrassment), I realize that I want others to decrease so I can increase.

At the same time, when I do achieve something or am recognized for my abilities, I can be tempted to take all the credit myself.   It is too easy to forget that all my abilities were given to me from heaven, and that it is only the grace of God working through me that touches people’s hearts and changes their lives.  I have been given many gifts and I hope I am using them well, but God is the focal point and destination, not me.  God is God, and I am clearly not.

John’s gospel today is a relevant and pointed lesson.  John had created quite a name for himself.  He achieved "success" in the eyes of the world and was recognized as a force in the society.  Yet he gladly and humbly steps aside for Jesus, whom he knows is greater than he.  In fact, when he sees people flock to Jesus, John proclaims that his joy is complete.

My challenge is to counter my shadow side with John’s gospel.  As it so aptly reminds me, God is the source of everything I have, everyone I love, and everything I own.  Nothing I have and nothing I have done would be possible without God.   In this new year, may I be even more aware that in all I do, God must increase and I must decrease.  It is only in that way that my joy may become complete.

 

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has  partnered with the Passionists.  See Amy’s  website: http://www.amyflorian.com/.

Footer

Facebook Feed

Support the Passionists

Contact the Passionists

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 © 2021 | Log in