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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 May 30, 2006

+ Feast of the Visitation

It was no ordinary visit.

Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a Responsorial Isaiah 12:2-3, 4cd, 5-6 Luke 1:39-56

“His mercy is on those who reverence him in every generation.” [Luke 1:50]

We celebrate today what I call, a “devotional” feast. In essence, it is a celebration in honor of a saint or of one of the ‘mysteries’ of our faith. Of course, Mary enjoys a very special place of honor in the Church’s liturgical calendar. However, even devotional feasts are Christo-centric, i.e., the focus is not only on Mary or one of the saints but on Jesus as the incarnate Son of God.

The readings today connect Old Testament prophecies with their fulfillment in the New Testament. Mary’s hymn of praise to God occasioned by the visit of her cousin, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, is actually Luke’s reconstruction of a more ancient hymn of Hannah in the Old Testament on the occasion of the dedication of her son, Samuel who’s birth resulted from the extraordinary intervention of God.

Indeed, Elizabeth’s visit was not just another visit of cousins. It was Luke’s way of connecting John the Baptist’s relationship with Jesus and of course, with the extraordinary intervention of God resulting in the birth of Jesus.

On behalf of all humanity Elizabeth ‘reverenced’ the presence of God in Mary.

As Christians, we see the presence of God in all creation but it is not always easy to see the face of God in our neighbor. On this feast of Visitation, as we ponder the mystery of God’s intervention into humanity, we are also challenged to ‘reverence’ God’s presence in our neighbor—no matter how that hidden that presence may appear. Sooner or later we will come to the realization that we are all sisters and brothers in ‘Christ.’

The God present within me greets the God present within you.