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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

Saturday December 11, 2004

+ 2nd Week in Advent

Readings – Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4,9-11; Matt 17:10-13

We are also preparing for Easter!

“...I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.” [Matt 17:12]

During Advent, our focus is on his birth but his death already looms on the horizon. As we prepare to commemorate the birth of a ‘king’ in humble surroundings, the scriptural selections for this day remind us that he would journey throughout his life in the shadow of the cross. But it was never God’s intent that he should suffer the humiliation of execution as a common criminal but that he would be faithful to life though it may cost him his life. God is not a sadist and Jesus was not a masochist!

Jesus was life-giving. That’s what it means to be “Messiah-Redeemer.” Jesus came to liberate us from the oppression of evil and sin and from the forces that militate against spiritual freedom. But he didn’t come to “take us off the hook” as it were. To live freely in the dominion of God brings means in the words of St. Paul, “putting on the mind of Christ.” [Philippians 2:5] so that our thoughts, our words and are deeds are rooted in generous love rather than selfish interests.

Jesus was pro-life in every respect. We on the other hand are very selective in our applications of the Gospel to life and death situations. Abortion is the unjust taking of human life but the killing of innocent victims in war is unavoidable collateral; assisted suicide is immoral but the benign neglect of the poor in the face of an ever- expanding economy for the rich in a global market is justified by the now well-established trickle down theory. If the rich get richer, the leftovers for the poor will also increase in quality and volume.

We Americans have much and want more at the lowest prices possible. In order to compete for our trade-dollars for cheap goods-retailers need to go over seas for cheap labor. Manufacturers have no alternative than to lay off American workers. Catch 22!

Those who speak for integrity in government, for truth among warring nations, and for justice in the marketplace are marginalized and their voices silenced. Even the ‘unbiased’ media know what side their bread is buttered. Justice only makes the headlines when it sells.

Time will tell where and with whom wisdom rests, but the Gospels provide many clues.