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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

Tuesday February 22, 2005

+ 2nd Week in Lent

The pursuit of integrity is a lifelong task. Indeed!

Readings: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Matt 23:1-12

“The Scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not follow their example since they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders refusing to lift a finger to move them.” [Matt 23:1-3]

There is a very fine line between condoning sin and lending a compassionate hand to the sinner. The religious leaders who confronted Jesus for stretching the law and even breaching the law were themselves clever dodgers of the same law. They were quick to accuse Jesus but even quicker to excuse themselves.

This is a phenomenon that continues to appear now and then in religious leaders. They know the law and impose it with rigor and even penalties, but fail to see that there is a higher law that requires compassion, a law rooted in the heart of Christ.

Law was never meant to be an end in itself. Church laws were meant to be an aid to salvation not a tool to oppress, repress or demean. Divine law always takes precedence over human law, even human Church law. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “I have not come to do away with the law, but to bring it to fulfillment.”

Yes, there are sins that must be publicly condemned and crimes that must be prosecuted. We all must be held accountable for our failures but we must also remove the structures that promote sin and the barriers that prevent healing and the movement toward wellness.