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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 30, 2008

+ 17th Week in Ordinary Time

We have good days and bad days.

Readings: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18 Matthew 13:44-46

“Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth! A man of strife and contention to all the land! Why is my pain continuous, my wounds incurable, refusing to be healed?” [Jeremiah 15:10, 18]

Strange as it may seem, there are people who wake up in the morning with the ‘lament,’ “I thought for sure I would have a headache today! I hope you are not one of these folks.

This reminds me of the difference between a monk and a nightclub entertainer. The monk wakes up in the morning and say, “Good morning, God.” The nightclub entertainer wakes up and exclaims, “Good God, morning?”

Even Mother Teresa suffered long periods of what St. John of the Cross referred to as “the dark night of the senses” or the “dark night of the soul”—periods of spiritual depression when she did not have a sense of God’s presence in her life.

I’m one of those people who assume that I should feel good every day, all day and when I need to take medicine, I expect it to work miracles within minutes!

Jeremiah was having a bad day when he wrote these words. He didn’t want to be a prophet in the first place. He told God he was too young. God said, “No you’re not.” Jeremiah protested, “I don’t know enough.” God said, “Not to worry. I’ll give you the words you need to say.”

Of course, Jeremiah did in fact suffer the woes of every prophet—rejection from the people.

It’s not a good idea to go through life thinking that we are going to be on top of he world every day and that everyone is going to like us just the way we are.

However, God guarantees that his partnership with us will never fail and that in his dominion, all will be well. He will stick with us through thick and think

No, God doesn’t’ do life for us. God does life with us.