The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, November 13, 2009

Scripture:

Wisdom 13:1-9
Luke 17:26-37

Reflection:

The beaches and waterfalls of Hawaii, the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the fjords of Norway…..all of these are places of great natural beauty.  Perhaps your or my favorite scenic places, whether lake, mountain or prairie, are less well-known.  Whatever the case, each one of these places can lead us to God.  During my novitiate year, Fr. Tom More Newbold was exclaiming on the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains to us.  I remember him saying: "How could people not believe in God after seeing such beauty?"

Our selection from the Book of Wisdom today puts it this way: "Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them."  

God shares the beauty that is God’s own, that is, holiness, with each person.  Today we celebrate St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized.  She recognized the beauty of God in the people that came to her and her sisters for help.  She saw in the stranger, the sick and the frustrated (from today’s opening prayer for Mass) the face of Christ.  Today, let us ask God for a greater realization that all of the beauty that surrounds us is from God.

A verse from the song FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH puts it well:

     For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, 
     Friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild:
     Christ our Lord, to you we raise, this our sacrifice of praise.

 

Fr. Bob Bovenzi, C.P. is stationed in Houston, Texas.

 

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.”