• 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
    • Lent 2021
    • 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
    • Vision Fulfillment Newsletters
    • 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, June 26, 2019

Scripture:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Matthew 7:15-20

Reflection:

In our home growing up, my father asked us to apply the “smell test” to life’s situations we might find ourselves in.  “Take a whiff,” he’d tell us.  “If it stinks, it’s probably rotten.”  We all know when milk has soured or meat is rotting.  Our noses are pretty good at detecting something gone bad, and this is particularly true about human behavior and being in situations that just don’t seem right.

It does not take long to see the hurt, the suffering, the hunger or the violence that plagues our world.  We don’t have to look far to see ruined fruit fall from diseased trees around us.  Our noses can pick up pretty quickly the smell of rotten human behavior.  At times, as we all know, that rotten smell even comes from within when we say or do something hurtful or unkind or just plain wrong.

The lyrics of British pop singers Pet Shop Boys strike me as wise: It is not easy, but don’t give up now. It is not easy.  Happiness is an option. That’s the name of the song, Happiness is an Option.  Unlike the diseased tree in today’s gospel, we can choose to bear good fruit.  We can choose to make choices that improve the lives of those around us.  Being happy and bringing happiness to others is indeed an option.

Perhaps we can better apply the smell test to the circumstances of our lives.  We often think we cannot make a difference in the world, that all we can do is plug our noses and put up with the stench.  That resignation is certainly the work of the evil spirit.  We can make a difference with our words and actions. We can distance ourselves from those who tear others down or whisper vicious gossip.  We can name the injustice of domestic violence or unbridled greed.  We can feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the sick – maybe not every single person who is hungry, naked or sick, but one or two certainly.  And simply exercising our option to be a happy person can much improve the air quality for those around us.


Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of
The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

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