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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 September 1, 2007

+ 21st Week in Ordinary Time

But we also need leisure time to discover our talents.

Readings: I Thess 4:9-11 Psalm 98:1, 7-9 Matthew 25:14-30

“Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” [Matthew 25:21]

The parable of the talents appears to be just an earlier version of the American work ethic—success is determined by the GNP, the gross national product. In fact this parable has nothing to do with the American or Japanese or Chinese work ethic all of which are driven by the acquisition of wealth. In this ‘economy’ the value of the worker is measured by his or her productivity.

The discovery and development of one’s talents has more to do with the soul of who we are than what we do with our hands and we need lots of leisure time in which to discover who we are.

Artists and poets are good at this. They know they cannot produce a work of art at a moments notice and money generally does not move them to produce great works. Though a few have achieved great material success from their efforts, the vast majority of the greatest artists are appreciated posthumously.

All of us have hidden and not-so-hidden talents that need to be explored and developed. The quality of our talents is measured by how much they enrich the lives of others.