The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, July 4, 2020

Scripture:

Amos 9:11-15
Matthew 9:14-17

Reflection:

Pandemics & Possibilities: Thinking Outside the Box

It’s July 4th:  For citizens of the U.S.A., a time to both reflect on and celebrate the dynamics of our nation’s history.  And the liturgical Scripture selections for “ordinary time”, the Saturday of the 13th week of the year, offer us reason to pause and reflect deeply on our faith as it impacts life today.

Our reading from the prophet Amos flows from his reputation as a prophet of both doom and hope!  Israel had been unfaithful to its covenant with God; they had been punished – thus Amos speaks of Israel’s restoration:  rebuilding the ruins, the “basics” of life restored, a sense of being “home”… a new age, a fertile earth – flowing from an abundance of God’s love.

Matthew’s Gospel pictures the disciples of John the Baptist questioning Jesus about the demands of fasting.  Jesus uses a variety of images – a wedding celebration, patching a piece of fabric, the care of new wine – to help them understand that, in Him, God is sharing a new image of God.  God’s love is fresh, new, abundant; God is forgiving, generous, loving.  Jesus challenges them to “think outside the box”.

Today we are invited to embrace the opportunities and challenges of life.  This time of the global “pandemic”, with catastrophic illness and death:  yes!  Social unrest and calls for a change of attitude and practice in the U.S.:  yes!  Contemporary “prophets” of doom and gloom, fanning fear with selfishness and mistrust:  yes.  Today, today:  Jesus invites us to have faith in Him,  to “think outside the box” and see the bigger / global picture, to accept and share God’s generous life and love, so powerfully revealed in His suffering and death on the Cross.

In keeping with July 4th, Psalm 85 speaks of God’s gifts of peace, kindness, truth, justice, salvation – the needed message of hope and encouragement for the U.S. and our world this July 4th.  Encouraged by the prophet Amos of old and one another’s example, may Jesus bring about new Life for our world!


Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the Vocation Director for Holy Cross Province. He lives at St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois. 

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.”