The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, March 24, 2014

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Scripture:

2 Kings 5:1-15ab
Luke 4:24-30

Reflection:

For many of us Jesus is not welcome any more today than He was in his hometown so many years ago.  The New Testament word for welcome is dĕktŏs which means receive or accept.  There is an amazing array of variations on this word for welcome in the original Greek Bible.  For example:  "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."Lk 15:2  Here the word is pros-dechomai  i.e. to welcome with an attitude of accepting favorably or receive to oneself, looking forward to accepting  someone.  "Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, welcoming  the consolation of Israel" Lk 2:25

Another variation on welcome is upo- dechomai which means you are welcome under my roof  i.e. in my home.  So Zacchaeus hurried and came down and welcomed Jesus joyfully Lk 19:6   Still another use is word ap-ek-dechomai  which is assiduously and patiently waiting to welcome:  "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we are waiting to welcome  a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ", Phi 3:20

Another variation of the Greek word for welcome is apo dechomai.  This consists of apo, "from," intensive, and expresses dechomai more strongly, signifying "to receive heartily, to welcome,"  "When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and Jesus welcomed them" Lk 9:11

Our life is a study of how to welcome Jesus.  Our hearts should always be open to His presence.   We should passionately desire His stunning company.  With joy we welcome Christ to our very selves.  "I possess at all times and I hold in all places, the God of my heart and the Heart of my God." St Margaret Mary  

And St Paul of the Cross tells us: "Remember that it is a truth of the holy faith that God is nearer to us than we are to ourselves: He is much nearer to us than the skin is on our flesh" Letter 111 367   Let us keep the welcome sign for Christ before our hearts!

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

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.”