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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 December 1, 2004

+ 1st Week in Advent

Faith is a firm foundation indeed!

Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6; Matt 7:21; 24-27

“Therefore, those who listen to these words of mine and act on them will be like sensible people who build their house on a rock.” [Matt 7:24]

I grew up in a house that is now well over a hundred years old. The house was built on the side of a hill. The cellar floor was dirt but my dad had his workshop and I had my play area that I occupied on rainy days. It was my boyhood laboratory where I experimented with ‘hi tech’ ideas borrowed from the comic strip, Buck Rogers.

The foundation of this house was solid rock. There were no cracks and there were no leaks either. Though the house had settled over the years and weathered many ‘storms’ inside and out, but there were very few signs of structural damage.

Whenever I read this text from Matthew, my mind goes back to that house and my time with my father in the cellar where he would teach me how to use his tools and patiently mentor me into adulthood and into an adult faith. In fact, much of what I learned about life and faith I learned in that house, at our family table, not just the parish church. It wasn’t an either / or, it was a both / and.

Faith is a way of viewing reality in such a way that even although we don’t know all the answers to life’s problems, we have confidence that if we approach life as a mystery to be lived instead of a problem to be solved, we’ll not only get through but will live every day to the full and bless God for every opportunity to celebrate our humanity.

Faith will become a liberating rather than an oppressive experience.