The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, July 15, 2013

Feast of St Bonaventure

Scripture:

Exodus1:8-14, 22
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection:

We have just read the conclusion of Matthew’s effort to gather in one place (Chapter 10) Jesus’s instructions to his disciples as to how they should conduct their evangelization efforts, the challenges they would face when they undertook this task and the difference responding to the good news makes in the lives of those who accept this message. In the highly charged atmosphere of the Roman Empire of 50-100 AD the consequences of accepting the Christian message could and did divide families. In 2013 enthusiastically accepting and living the faith might more mean incomprehension on the part of family members and friends rather than outright hostility. Yet that is a price many are willing to pay as they enter RCIA programs in response to hearing the invitation of Jesus to follow him as a Catholic.

Jesus asks this question of every disciple: who or what do you really love?  That question has never changed down through the ages. The answer has not changed either. I must love Jesus more than any human person and be ready to sacrifice my life or possessions for his sake. In stark terms: I must "take up his cross and follow after him". Only in giving will I find the life that Jesus offers.

Jesus concludes by speaking of the reward that comes with responding to the good news. The mystery is that whoever accepts the message receives Jesus himself and "the one who sent him", the Father.  Accepting the message also demands action. Even the simple act of giving someone a cup of cold water will be rewarded. In the heat of this summer, with temperatures close to 100 degrees some days, we recognize how life saving and refreshing a cup of cool water is.

The core of message "The Kingdom of God is at hand for you" challenges us to live in the nearness of God’s reign. Like the wise scribe who answered with understanding we are not far from the kingdom.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, 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.”