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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

Sunday January 16, 2005

+ 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 I Cor. 1:1-3 John 1:29-34

Please welcome Jesus as if for the first time. (Applause, please!)

“He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me… I way the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him…. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” [John 1:30-34]

I had a recent conversation with Father Gene Romano, founder and director of the Hermits at Bethlehem in Chester New Jersey. I have known ‘Father Gene’ since my first year in seminary 48 years ago. He was a deacon soon to be ordained to the priesthood. After fifteen or sixteen some odd years in parish ministry, Fr. Gene felt the strong desire to the eremitic life in contemplative silence. Bishop Casey supported his vocation within a vocation and Bethlehem Hermitage was founded.

Having had the privilege of presiding at the Eucharist for the small laura of hermits during Fr. Gene’s knee replacement, I was taken by the atmosphere of calm and peace. It was not what I would call a peace reserved for devotional settings but a deep and abiding sense of God’s presence in every corner as well as in the celebration of Eucharist.

Fr. Gene and I speak frequently about the need to feed the inner life of the soul. We all have our unique call / vocation as disciples of Christ, most of us to the active life. But all of us must do our soul work, i.e., attend to the development of our inner life.

“Bethlehem” means “House of Bread.” Jesus is introduced once more today as the Lamb of God. He is our daily bread, the one who sustains us in all our endeavors. The conversion of human hearts to God will not come through edict or weapons of mass destruction, the greatest of which is the human tongue but through a daily acceptance of our call to live in Christ which over tme can only transform us into living bread blessed and broken for others.