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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

Wednesday July 2, 2008

+ 13th Week in Ordinary Time

Don’t just ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk.’

Readings: Amos 5:14-15, 21-24 Psalm 50:7-13, 16bc-17 Matthew 8:28-34

I spurn your feasts, says the Lord. I take no pleasure in your solemnities. But if you would offer me burnt offerings, then let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream. [Amos 5:21, 23b-24]

There is an ancient axiom that dates back to the earliest Christian writings on liturgy and worship: “Lex orandi, lex credendi.” Roughly translated, it means ‘the rule of worship is the rule of belief.’ In other words, observers should know what be believe by the way we worship. But worship is more than just the ritual celebration of our beliefs. It applies to the way we live our worship in the world.

Amos adjusts his tone just a bit in today’s reading, emphasizing the connection between ritual and faith practice. In essence, “Live what you believe; live what you sing and celebrate!”

I think this is something we all come to sooner or later. The most powerful witnesses are those who work on incorporating justice and charity into their daily schedules.

Few of us have ‘pull’ or power in the Church but all of us have the potential to make a difference in the marketplace by supporting movements that call our leaders—religious, political and corporate—to transparency and accountability and by refusing to cooperate in discriminatory practices or in the denial of the rights of the oppressed.