Scripture reflections for this Sunday and the coming weekdays

Sunday, June 1, 2008
Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Words indeed

To do something well, it helps to believe in what you're doing. To think what you're doing is meaningful usually contributes to doing it better. The other side of the coin is acting on what you believe—making what is paramount in your life the centre of your actions. This way of going about things applies to the most important task of all, living our faith. If we truly and utterly believe in what we do, and do we believe, we will be on the most solid of ground.

Today's readings: Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32; Romans 3:21-25, 28; Matthew 7:21-27

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."

 
Monday, June 2
Feast of Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs

Built with living stones

As we sit on in peaceful church buildings in relatively peaceful areas, it's challenging to imagine that faith in Jesus was ever a life-threatening decision. But for the first several centuries, Christianity was both a creed and a death sentence to those who embraced it. So Marcellinus the priest and Peter the exorcist went to their deaths in the year 304 in Rome. Poems were written about them; their relics were preserved; miracles were reported concerning them; and a church was built over their catacombs. The church we belong to today was built with living stones. Let us be inspired by and share their boldness and their witness!

Today's readings: 2 Peter 1:2-7; Mark 12:1-12

"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.'"

 
Tuesday, June 3
Feast of Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs

Just say no

People in power have been known to overstep their bounds and ask for more than is their rightful due. Such demands rarely turn out well—at least in the short run—for anyone who refuses the unfair request. Case in point: Charles Lwanga and hundreds of other Ugandan teens who were tortured and executed in the 19th century after their chieftain grew jealous of their devotion to Christianity and ordered them to denounce their faith. As the young men burned in a massive pyre, their torturers were assured of their victims' deaths only when the martyrs were heard to stop praying (because they had died). little did their torturers realise that their prayers never actually ended, having been taken up again in the next life. Let us pray for the spiritual gifts of fortitude and piety for times when we may be asked to do something we know would mean giving to others what is rightfully ours —and God's.

Today's readings: 2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18; Mark 12:13-17

"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."

 
Wednesday, June 4

Imposition of hands

As the early church began the transition from its first generation into the next, the apostles took great care that the "sound words" and actions of the faith would remain continuous and unified. We see this concern for unity in the pastoral letters written in the name of Saint Paul. Paul tells Timothy that his obligation to the true teachings of Christ as well as the grace of God to speak them is the result of the "imposition of my hands." This special gift of authority, which is given sacramentally by God through the earthly imposition of hands, serves as a guarantee of unity through the successive generations. Authority is not, then, a gift one can give to oneself. Consider all the impositions of hands that have come down through the centuries.

Today's readings: 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12; Mark 12:18-27

"God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."

 
Thursday, June 5
Feast of Boniface, bishop, martyr

Don't miss God's bus

Have you ever just missed catching a bus? You don't have to miss it by much. It gives you an idea of what Jesus meant when he said a scribe was "not far" from the kingdom of God. Imagine yourself ending up "not far" from God's kingdom. It would be like missing a bus by just a few seconds. In this case, a miss is as good as a mile. Making the kingdom is more than knowing the Bible and getting religion right. It's knowing Christ and living in his love. Saint Boniface sacrificed everything for the sake of the kingdom. What will you sacrifice today?

Today's readings: 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Mark 12:28-34

"When Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' "

 
Friday, June 6

Like it says in the Bible

While all scripture may be useful for teaching, correction, and training, scripture can also be abused if used as a collection of proof-text arrows to aim at whomever one's antagonist might be. Witness justifying slavery with Exodus 21:20-21, or Leviticus 18:22 to support homophobia. One who merely tosses quotations about has not looked beneath the word surface but uses select (and sometimes mistranslated) texts to justify a prevailing prejudice. Timothy encourages the use of scripture to equip us "for every good work," not for attack. Our culture is accustomed to headlines and sound bites, but a serious faith requires us to constantly deepen our understanding of both God and our world. We did not learn everything we need to know about our faith in the first years of our schooling, rather it is a lifelong journey..

Today's readings: 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Mark 12:35-37

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful . . . so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

 
Saturday, June 7

How to make a fortune with a coin.

Alchemy was an ancient practice, part science and part philosophy, which aimed to create gold from lesser metals, discover a universal cure for disease, and, while they were at it, indefinitely prolong life. The fact that it didn't work never prevented anyone from attempting it. But there is a spiritual alchemy that gains an eternal kingdom for the price of a coin. The widow in the gospel story practiced transformation successfully, according to Jesus. Mary of Nazareth gained the same kingdom at the price of her "yes." Want a kingdom? One word is all it takes. YES.

Today's readings: 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Mark 12:38-44

"A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny."

 

 

 ©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. Phone: 800-942-2811; e-mail: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; website: www.TakeFiveForFaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

 

25th May, 2008. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Hi everyone, please find some daily reflections for this weekend and the weekdays too.

 

God bless,

 

Fr Paul.

 

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus." (Blessed teresa of calcutta). these words can apply to everyone. Whatever you do, put love for Jesus, and others, at the heart, and you will be truly living a vocation and a calling.

 

 

 

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Enjoy a full-bodied feast

The addition of today's feast to the church calendar was primarily the result of the work of 13th-century Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège. She worked in her convent's hospital nursing the sick. During this time she became aware that there was no feast for the Holy Sacrament. She persuaded Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose a special prayer to honor the Blessed Sacrament, and in 1264 Pope Urban IV made Corpus Christi a feast day. Today is a fitting day to ponder what it might mean for us to give ourselves "body and soul" to the Good News, as Jesus did.

Today's readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?"

 
Monday, May 26
Feast of Philip Neri, priest

Conversion by any means

Though God is only and ever one and unchangeable, curiously there are a wide variety of ways by which people may come to God. Few understood this better than Saint Phillip Neri (1515-1595). Known for his unpredictability, Phillip took vastly different approaches to bringing people to a conversion. Once when a man came to his Oratory prayer meeting for the sole purpose of mocking it, Phillip refused to let him be thrown out or reproached. Eventually this man, seeing such patience, became a Dominican. In quite another example, when Phillip encountered a sinner who refused to listen to him or to repent, Phillip seized the man at the neck and threw him to the ground. The startled man pretty quickly consented to repentance! Consider how your small attempts at evangelization might be tailored to each individual.

Today's readings: 1 Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27

"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

 
Tuesday, May 27
Feast of Augustine of Canterbury, bishop

A mission of love

In the sixth century Pope Gregory I sent Saint Augustine and 40 other Benedictine monks on a daunting journey to bring the gospel to England. At that time the only missionaries in the West had been monks in Ireland, and Rome had lost touch with the Celtic church. As a missionary, Augustine was sensitive to cultural differences and sought not to coerce the English with the Good News but show them it was for their good, telling the king, Ethelbert, "Do not see us as coming to force upon an unknown people benefits against their will. Be assured that only a great love constrains us to do this." In witnessing to what we believe, we should start with where people are at, not where we want them to be, and try to show them the way of faith will enrich their lives.

Today's readings: 1 Peter 1:10-16; Mark 10:28-31

"For it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' "

 
Wednesday, May 28

First serve

All throughout history there have been truths that, once discovered and accepted, have changed everything. That the earth is round is one such truth; that the sun is the center of our solar system is another. The revolution in thought that followed these discoveries is hard to overstate. The same applies to spiritual truths: Once they are known and accepted, the unwieldy, disconnected pieces of our lives tend to fall into place and everything changes for the better.

      Jesus' statement, "I came not to be served, but to serve," is one such radical, spiritual truth. If we lived our lives from this perspective, conflicts would be transcended and wisdom and compassion would prevail. Just for today, can I approach every task and every person with this attitude in mind?

Today's readings: 1 Peter 1:18-25; Mark 10:32-45

"For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."

 
Thursday, May 29

Call forwarding

Mother Teresa—now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta—had a way of packing a lot of insight into statements that on the surface seemed pretty elementary. Take for example the way she described the Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded to care for the destitute dying and other "unwanted" persons: "Many people mistake our work for our vocation," she said. "Our vocation is the love of Jesus." Her words can apply to everyone. Whatever you do, put love for Jesus, and others, at the heart, and you will be truly living a vocation and a calling.

Today's readings: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12; Mark 10:46-52

"And they called to the blind man, 'Take heart; get up, he is calling you.' "

 
Friday, May 30
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Listen to the beating of Love

The 13th-century mystic Saint Gertrude received a vision of John the Evangelist. Her first question to him concerned the night of the Last Supper when the disciple rested his head on Jesus' chest. She wondered, had he heard Christ's heart beating, and if so, why he had not revealed that to us. But John replied he had withheld this intimate revelation until a time when the world had grown cold.

      Meditate on this intimacy, laying your head on the chest of Jesus and feeling his sacred heart beat for you, as sure and constant as the rising and setting sun. As long as it beats, it remains, as the Litany of the Sacred Heart tells us, patient and rich and mercy, the desire of the everlasting hills.

Today's readings: Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 11:25-30

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

 
Saturday, May 31
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Let it begin with me

So many events in the Bible would never have occurred if humans had not believed enough to act in spite of their doubts and fears. In story after story we read that people are essential to carrying out God's plan for humanity. From Abraham and Sarah to Mary and Elizabeth, and continuing right down through the centuries to the present day, God inspires us to speak that courageous word, to offer that consoling message, to say "yes" to what we are asked to do.           

      You are God's hands and ears and mouth. The next time you feel the prompting of the spirit of God, ask yourself, "If not me, then who? If not now, when?"

Today's readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a or Romans 12:9-16; Luke 1:39-56

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

 

 

 
©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. Phone: 800-942-2811; e-mail: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; website: www.TakeFiveForFaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

 
Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

The Ascension of Our Lord, Year A

4th May, 2008      The Ascension of Our Lord, Year A

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

The Gospel this weekend is the passage at the very conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel….. it is one of the most beautiful, reassuring and powerful Gospel passages.

 

I have read this section many times but you know I had never noticed something that is really interesting about this gospel….//  what’s missing????.......     on this feast of the Ascension…..  which features THIS Gospel of Matthew…. the thing that is missing is that it actually doesn’t mention Jesus’ ascension. It ends rather with the wonderful words….  ‘know, I am with you always…. until the end of time…” ……  It is assumed that the ascension follows, because of similar sections in the other Gospels and also in “The Acts of the Apostles” and from The letter to the Ephesians…..  but Matthew’s gospel is making a very strong point here.. and that is: Jesus never really leaves us….// He continues to be present with us and to us who are his disciples….. //  Jesus effectively never goes away, (according to the point Matthew’s Gospel is trying to emphasise).  Sure, he returns to his Father in Heaven,; Yes he ascends to Heaven …… He becomes Lord of all heaven and earth…… //  True… he does later send the Holy Spirit to his disciples…..  but the bottom line is that Jesus continues to be very much WITH US….//. and his ascension, and the sending of the Spirit only serve to make him evern closer to us than before….  in ways so deep that they go beyond appearances.  

 

 How reassuring it is to us to trust that Jesus is as much WITH US now as he was with his disciples all those many years ago……..  //   

 

We are called to go and make disciples of all nations because we recognize that our Lord Jesus is with us until the end of the age;

It is not as though somehow we are workers for the Lord.  Rather it is the Lord who works through us.  Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit.  Jesus promises the power of the Holy Spirit at work with us. // so we are commissioned to be like “Jesus in the world,” Jesus for one another, Jesus interceding for all

We need to serve the Lord in one another.  We need to witness to the presence of the Lord Jesus to others .  We need to use our energies for the Kingdom and for the glory of God.

 

The readings this weekend repeatedly state that “ALL POWER, ALL AUTHORITY… ALL DOMINION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO JESUS CHRIST…. AND IS HIS….”….   Jesus also promises to give us this same power and authority….   to all who are his disciples……  

 

I am fascinated by this concept of POWER and SOVEREIGNTY…… 

 

when we speak of power… a lot of thoughts come to mind about the meaning of it…… the definition can mean everything from an ability to do or act a certain  way…….a physical or moral capability of doing or effecting something…. it can also speak of physical strength or force or the ability to control or command ….as well as influence…..

 

If someone came to town this weekend and said… I am about to bestow on you true POWER and DOMINION…. I will give you POWER over all the world…… I reckon most people would consider that this would mean the ability to control, to will……to direct, and to force….  to overwhelm….  no wonder there are so many fantasy movies around that show power as an ability to override the willpower and EFFECT results according to the willpower of the person commanding…..    any many wars and battles have been fought over attaining that kind of control and power….. 

 

what is the meaning of Jesus words…. in what way does he really have power…. and what kind of power is Jesus promising to pour down upon us with the coming of the Spirit…..??

 

A person who dominates is powerful in a sense….   but one who frees is greater……..

A person who controls people or events by their own could very well be described as ‘powerful’  but one who gives true freedom…… is greater still… 

 

a person who rules by force and threat exerts enormous power….. but the one who leads by persuasion and truth… is devastatingly more powerful…… 

 

One who does not resort to violence in order to acieve the results one demands is greater than those who wish to hammer and force the world into a mould of their own choosing….. 

 

This is still difficult to comprehend….   but it is God’s way….  

 

true power, true authority, true leadership is this:

 

LOVE, vulnerability, release, freedom, persuasion, a heart so open that is can suffer…..     

 

 

  A person who is truly free…. who knows that they have the authority that comes from truth….. this person is devastatingly powerful…..   a person who refuses to bow to threats or force and does not even fear the loss of their own life, because they believe in the absoluteness of the truth of things…… that is bigger than themselves and bigger than threats and violence….    such a person cannot be controlled… they are powerful…. 

 

There have been many kings and queens… great and terrible rulers throughout history…….    But none of them have had a more profound and lasting impact on the world and history than one solitary life…..   a carpenter’s son… wo rejected violence and took the path of love and suffering….. who was not defeated even by a sham trial and a criminals death, but rose up even more powerful than ever….   and won the whole world………     

 

the roman empire which was in “POWER” at the time of Jesus is now a pile of ruins in the middle of Rome….   but Jesus message is stronger and more powerful than ever…..   and yet…   the standard definitions of power still distort and influence so many people’s opinions and beliefs….   false power has to resort to the lie of violence and fear in order to be effective….  but when true power and real authority faces it, it so often is shown to be a a sham…….   Jesus give us the power to liberate, the power to build up and not to tear down, the power to forgive rather than to avenge…. the power to heal rather than wound…..  the power to ‘empower’ others, rather than to render others powerless…..  //    sure,… this power is so different…  we hesitate and we doubt… the gospel said that so did the apostles even as they worshipped Jesus on the mount… but this is sure…   Jesus invites us to share in THIS power…and to continue his work…. for he is with us…. let us trust in him… and follow him……