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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Daily Scripture

Thursday December 7, 2006

+ First Week in Advent

To trust is to entrust.

Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6 Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 18-21, 25-27a Matthew 7:21, 24-27

“Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down.” [Isaiah 26:4-5a]

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” [Psalm 118:8-9]

We are going through difficult times both as a nation and as a Church. I had always amazed me how similar is the path of politics and religion. Perhaps that is the reason for the warning of the sage, “Don’t mix religion with politics and don’t discuss either at a social gathering.” Both of these observations are overstatements, to be sure.

We are at a crossroad in Iraq and it is quite possible that in the light of the special Iraq commission those ‘in high places’ will pay attention to their finds and their recommendations. Folks who read the daily papers and watch the evening news have surmised for some time that things are not going well in Iraq. How do they know this? From the stats—we are at a point at which the number of soldiers killed has surpassed or is about to surpass the number killed at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in the crash of the plane in an aborted attempt to strike the capitol or the White House.

The number of Iraqi men, women and children is also close to surpassing the number of people killed by Sadam Hussein. But this is not a question of numbers but of moral integrity.

Within the Church we also have people in high places issuing edicts from on high with little or no apparent awareness that they have left the folks in the pew behind or shall I state more accurately, that the people in the pew are leaving the people in high places behind.

Jesus was intolerant of the arrogance of emperors and chief priests. His trust was in the ‘will of the Father.’ Indeed it is much better to take refuge in the Lord, i.e., to entrust oneself to Jesus in whom we live, and move and have our whole being.