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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

Monday February 14, 2005

+ 1st Week in Lent

But what does it mean to be holy?

Readings: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 Matt 25:31-46

“I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” [Matt 25:40]

In recent years, religion has been politicized not only by the right but also by the left, each side claiming to represent the unbiased view of the mind of God. Despite internal differences within our own religious tradition, we Catholics have never separated our religious convictions from our political persuasions. We have been sensitized by the great social encyclicals, beginning “Rerum Novarum” of Leo XIII in which he clarified the relationship between socialism’s denial of priate property and capitalism’s denial of the rights of labor.

The greatest of the social encylicals were authored by Pope John XXIII in his two renowned letters, “Mater et Magistra” and “Pacem In Terra.” John Paul II has also been an outspoken advocate of human right especially the human right to life. He has spoken for unborn life, against war, including the Iraq war and against the death penalty.

It is interesting how easily Catholics on the right downplay the Church’s teaching on social justice –with the exception of abortion—while Catholics on the left stress the progressive social doctrine of the Church while downplaying the Church’s teaching on personal morality.

Of course, it is simplistic to position these teachings at odds with each other. The social encyclicals were clearly motivated by certain political realities that impinged on the rights of the church as well as the rights of individuals. On the other hand, the Church’s moral teachings have not always recognized the progress in behavioral sciences.

Holiness, i.e., our personal relationship with God cannot be divorced from our relationship to our neighbor. Personal morality has a social dimension whether or not every personal issue touches the common good of society. On the other hand, no issue that effects the common good can be divorced from personal responsibility.

Now more than ever, we need to be intelligent Catholics who do their homework when confronted with issues of personal/individual or public/political morality and we ought not be too quick to condemn our opponents but engaged them in dialogue.

Data based decisions are always more effective than power based decisions.