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1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27
Lk 6:39-42
We have a good number of letters from Paul the Apostle that tell us about him. A remarkable personality, wasn’t he? Yet, suppose all his other letters were destroyed and we were left with this one fragment from his First Letter to the Corinthians, which we read today. We would still be able to say: He was a zealous man.
His words are zealous. No lack of commitment in Paul. “I preach the gospel, an obligation imposed on me, woe if I do not preach it.” He’s a person with a mission, and he embraces it to the full.
For him, his mission isn’t a paying proposition, something that benefits him. “When I preach I offer the gospel free of charge.” His efforts don’t leave others obligated to him or give him a position of power. “I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible.” His zeal is not for his own interest or aims or security. He works for God. Full time.
He’s a dedicated runner in a race, an athlete in love of the game. He’s running to win and accepts the discipline that comes with his mission. “No, I drive my body and train it,?for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
Paul’s zeal is something you see in all the saints. I think of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, who had that kind of zeal too. It’s not a human kind of zeal. Saints look for an imperishable crown.
May God send saints like them.
Fr. Victor Hoagland, CP is the Director of Passionist Press and a member of the Passionist Community in Union City, NJ`
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, First Epistle to the Corinthians, god, gospel, passionist, Paul of Tarsus, Paul of the Cross, readings, reflection, reflections, Religion and Spirituality, saint, scripture, St. Paul of the Cross.
By admin
– September 10, 2010
Click here for today’s Scripture readings.
1 Corinthians 8:1b-7, 11-13
Luke 6:27-38
I have participated in many classes in U.S. Catholic History over the years. Many told a trans-Atlantic story of Catholics immigrating from Western Europe. I am the offspring of such courage, faith, and fortitude. I remember standing where Annie Moore stood — at the edge of County Cork — facing the Atlantic sea — with tears in my eyes as I realized that this was the spot where my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins had set sail for America. One of the most cherished photos in our family is that of the Griffin “girls,” my grandmother and Auntie Delia, Mary, and Ellen “standing on the corner” in New York City on January 1, 1900. Those were the days when people from Galway and the County Mayo came over the ocean and across the sea and began a new life in America. Those were the days when New York was Irish full of joys and heartaches. But the story was larger. It included narratives of Irish railroad workers, Welsh and English miners, Italian and Portuguese fishermen, French and Spanish laborers, German storekeepers, Polish and Lithuanian factory workers — Catholics flooding to the U.S. Their stories are testimonies of grace.
But even this story was not the whole story. It excluded the French story of New Canada and the Spanish story of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. It neglected tales of Chinese and Japanese coming to work in America and denied voting rights, Most of all it expunged, then left out the memories of so many who came from Angola, Guinea, Congo, and Ghana in chains, in fear, in suffering that was beyond imagination. They came by the thousands. It is reported that one thousand slaves arrived per month in Cartagena — to work the fields and to turn a profit for their cruel masters. For us who proudly claim U.S. heritage, the story is heart-wrenching, isn’t it! So many were abducted from Africa in order to be sold into slavery here. Many were lynched here. Many were beaten and brutalized here. Mea maxima culpa.
So, with heavy hearts, we remember the greatness and the holiness of Saint Peter Claver. Born the son of a Catalonian farmer in Verdu in 1581, Peter entered the Society of Jesus at twenty. In 1610 he came as a Jesuit missionary to Cartagena and ministered to African slaves for thirty-four years. He cared for their embodied selves, for their physical condition and for their spiritual well being. He was renowned for the kindness he extended to each individual. It is estimated that he catechized and baptized over 300,000 African slaves. He died in 1654 and was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. Today we laud him as the patron of Catholic missions among those of African ancestry.
And there is more to the story. For many years I found myself fascinated by the fact that so many African American Catholic parishes were under the patronage of St. Peter Claver. He inspired many black Catholics to holiness and service, to roles of leadership and hope. Their story has been amply and wondrously penned by Benedictine Father Cyprian Davis, historian and monk at St. Meinrad’s Abbey in Indiana. His History of Black Catholics in the United States honors the many who sacrificed much in a Church that excluded blacks from the priesthood and religious life for many years. Mea maxima culpa.
So today is a day to remember St. Peter Claver and to be thankful for his religious and priestly life. Today is a day to remember the efforts of so many black Catholics that have shaped the faith — Sister Thea Bowman, preacher and singer, Fr. Clarence Rivers, pastor and musician, James Lyke, bishop and guide, Jesuit J. Glen Murray, liturgist and priest in Washington DC, and Mr. Daniel Rudd, lay leader and journalist. Today is a day to thank God for the scholarly work of African American theologians — M. Shawn Copeland and Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, past presidents of the Catholic Theological Society of America, Sister Jamie Phelps in New Orleans and Bp Wilton Gregory in Atlanta. Today is a day to cherish black and white Catholics and the legacy of St. Peter Claver.
Fr. John J. O’Brien is a Passionist priest who teaches and preaches, studies and writes, and ministers in area parishes and prisons in Framingham MA.
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with African American, catholic, Catholic Church, christian, church, County Cork, daily, gospel, New York City, passionist, Peter Claver, readings, reflection, Religion and Spirituality, scripture, St. Peter Claver, United States, Washington DC.
By admin
– September 9, 2010
Click here for today’s Scripture readings.
Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30
Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23
Historic revolutions in the past have often begun with noisy uprisings, violent riots complete with lethal weapons, and scores of victims, who were often innocent bystanders. But the most significant revolution in human history from the vantage point of God’s initiative began with the ordinary cry of a newborn baby girl.
Like parents all over the world, Anne and Joachim experienced that unique bond with the child to whom they had given life. Steeped in the Jewish piety of their ancestral faith, they chose to name her, Miryam, in memory of the sister of Moses. From her birth, she was knit into the salvation story of God’s revelation which was about to take on a revolutionary shape.
Unlike other earthly revolutions with their legacy of struggle and death, the birth of Mary was a new act of God’s intervention in human history that would bring joy, peace, freedom from the power of sin, and the promise of life everlasting. But the parents cradling their infant could only know that in the gentle sounds of this child, their own lives were changed forever. Little did they know how the lives of us all would be changed one day through the child of Mary.
The birth of every child comes through the providence of God. In the earliest days of life, we can hardly know what gift this child in India, Africa, Pakistan, or anywhere else will be for the world. However, in a spirit of faith, we call down upon each new child the blessing of love and health in this life. We commit ourselves to do whatever we can to affirm children and hand on to them the heritage of Christian faith along with all the other good things of this world.
The cry of every infant calls us to hear new possibilities of a revolution of grace.
Father Paul Zilonka, C.P. is Director of Formation for the Passionist Community in Chicago, Illinois.
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with Africa, catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, Death, god, gospel, Gospel of Matthew, India, Infant, Jews, Pakistan, passionist, readings, reflection, reflections, Religion and Spirituality, scripture.
By admin
– September 8, 2010
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1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Luke 6:12-19
Introduction: “Head in the clouds, feet on the ground!” Many of the spiritually wise among us often use this homey and somewhat trite maxim to describe the Christian life. It may sound a bit worn, but time and experience, I suggest, will bear out its truth and insight. We might take it to ourselves as we look at Jesus in today’s Gospel: up in the mountains to pray; down on the ground healing the troubled.
As we reflect on today’s Gospel “Head in the clouds, feet on the ground” will find a truthful ring. Here we find Jesus spending the night up in the heights, in the mountains, some might say, “in the clouds.” We also find him down the plain, standing firm “on the ground” welcoming the crowds coming from all Judea, Jerusalem and the coastal regions, coming to be healed of their diseases of body and soul. In desperation they reach out to touch Jesus, to know within them the power flowing out from him.
A friend shared a phrase with me many years ago “Jesus Christ is balance!!” It has stayed with me as a “rule of thumb” for theology, prayer and mission. This engaging word picture we have in Luke’s Gospel, (6:12—19), seems to bear out a balance we find in Jesus. Here we find him balancing his life, prayer and mission. Yes, he’s up high in the mountain, “in the clouds,” then followed by what was most likely an intense interaction down on the ground “healing the crowds of their infirmities, even those tormented by demon spirits!”
Even Jesus’ prayer with the Father was not detached from the reality of his mission. While still “up there” before he “descended from the mountain to stand on the plain” Jesus engaged the practicality of his mission — selecting and naming the twelve apostles. We might speculate, did the decision to select and name the Twelve come during prayer? Or had Jesus already decided but went to prayer that his decision have the Father’s fullest blessing? Whatever the reason, Jesus’ prayer was not separated or detached from his intimate conversation with his Father. His head may have been “in the clouds” but his feet were firmly “on the ground.”
What can help me keep the balance in my life, prayer and mission on behalf of others? One way might be to ask myself, “am I praying or am I saying prayers?” Saying prayers may meet some imagined obligation or keep me on a self-imposed prayer schedule. Or do I try to “go up higher” to allow a place in my prayer for the Holy Spirit to speak?
What about my reaching out in service or mission to those around me? When faced with problems of those troubled by the problems and pressures of life, am I dependent only on my own wit and wisdom or do I acknowledge my powerlessness by opening my mind and heart for encouragement and guidance from the Holy Spirit? It would help were I to try to balance in my life, prayer and mission. Yes, to keep my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground!
Fr. Lucian Clark, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community in Union City, NJ and is the Director of Passionist Volunteers International.
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, First Epistle to the Corinthians, gospel, jerusalem, Jesus, Luke's Gospel, passionist, prayer, readings, reflection, Religion and Spirituality, scripture.
By admin
– September 7, 2010
Click here for today’s scripture readings.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Luke 6:6-11
What we do is very important. It’s just that why we do what we do is far more important. Let’s take for example, Luke’s description of the scribes’ and Pharisees’ behavior as we first come on the scene for today’s Gospel reading. They “watched Jesus closely.” Isn’t that what each of wants to do every day – to watch Jesus closely?
And what else are the scribes and Pharisees about on this occasion? They are intent on observing the Sabbath. How noteworthy!
What the Pharisees and scribes are doing in both instances is indeed important and worthy of commendation – watching Jesus closely and being intent on keeping the Sabbath.
But, remember. We learned long ago that God sees with the heart, not as human beings see.
- Why we do what we do is what matters to God.Why we do what we do is what matters to God.
- Why we do what we do is what matters to us too – when we’re thoughtful and honest about it.
It seems that the twentieth century poet, T.S. Eliot, has the right idea. He writes that “the greatest treason is to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
How admirable it would be if each of us began to be more intentional about “watching Jesus closely” and being determined about “keeping the Sabbath!” How effective it would be for us — if we watched Jesus closely! We could learn more and more to be like him. What peace and love would have a chance to abound in our homes if we too were intent on observing the Sabbath, on taking time to be refreshed in God’s love and God’s ways. How invigorated we would be to face the upcoming week.
The scribes and Pharisees did these “right things” for self-centered and evil, wrong reasons. Let’s us embrace all good and right things for the right reasons – to deepen our awareness of God’s love for us and his ever-presence with us.
Among us let there be no treason — let us embrace the right thing for the right reason!
Sister Mary Clark, SC is a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill, who lives at Elizabeth Seton Convent in Pittsburgh, PA.
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, god, gospel, Human, Jesus, Opposing Views, passionist, Pharisee, readings, reflection, reflections, Religion and Spirituality, scripture.
By admin
– September 6, 2010
Click here for today’s Scripture readings.
Wisdom 9:13-18b
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Luke 14:25-33
Xin Chao các anh ch? em.
Greetings from Vietnam. I’m Father Jeff, a Passionist missionary, born in Australia and living in communist Vietnam, and I’d like to share with you my mission story from Vietnam and offer you the opportunity to join with me in solidarity with the people of that devastated land.
As a young priest I lived alone for ten years with Stone Age tribes in the jungles of New Guinea in huts made of sticks and leaves, and I was the first to bring them the name of Jesus. Much later I worked in Rome, and one day I said to my superior, “Padre Ottaviano, come mai…? How come? How come the Passionists are not in Vietnam? Passionists sit at the foot of the cross every day, we share the sorrow of Jesus and Mary his dear mother. You are always telling me our job is to listen to those in pain and bring them the joy that Jesus gives from the cross. In Vietnam they have been on the cross for hundreds of years. We should be with them.” Father Ottaviano is a wise man. He looked at me and said, “Away you go.” Me and my big mouth! In my old age I started a new life in Vietnam five years ago, and I love it.
Minh asked to join the Passionists; he was 27. A big foreign company offered to double his money, but he said, “No, I want to be with Fr Jeff.” I taught him English for three years. It was so difficult for him, and he worked so hard to learn. He picked up the word ‘century’, and said, “It will take centuries to learn English.” I asked him, “Minh, why do you struggle so hard to become a Passionist?” He gave me his biggest smile, “Because I want to be with suffering people.” This is Minh. He runs off to the dreadful hospitals we have in Vietnam, to visit the sick, talk to them, pray with them. He contacts relatives, negotiates, arranges things, helps out. Practical charity. People come to him as a spiritual father, even though he is still a seminarian.
I am 77 years old, 52 years a priest, but I have a long memory. I remember Pearl Harbour, and after Pearl Harbour the bombs that kept falling on Australia. My mother’s tears. Our country’s darkest hour. The United States of America came to our aid. Thank you. Thank you, America. Australia and America have stood together since then, in peace, and sadly, also in war, in Korea, in Vietnam, in Iraq. Today our young men are dying side by side in Afghanistan. Vietnam was a terrible war. More bombs on their heads than Germany and Japan combined, millions dead, so much suffering! The people of Vietnam have been told that America is the great enemy. But, guess what? The Vietnamese people don’t believe what they are told. You are not their enemy; they love you. They love America. They know your heart.
I live in Saigon with two missionaries, from India and Argentina. We live the simple life, it is part of our message; so I have started cooking. Maybe you shouldn’t come on the day I am cook – I am still learning. Bishops and priests welcome our help in church renewal. I teach seminarians, I teach priests, I teach young people. In fact my identity in Vietnam is teacher. I am not allowed to say I am a priest, or say Mass in the local church. Of course everyone can see the good we do. Even the local policeman sees no harm. He is a good man and he leaves us alone. To him I am Mr Jeff the English teacher. Fortunately he is not bothered by the fact that the people call our place, “The house where they make priests”. Yes, we make priests, and there are 30 young men in our program. Every Wednesday I go out and teach young blind people. They are great students. I love them. I was so happy when one of my blind students read the lesson in the Cathedral on Christmas day. She stood there with her eyes closed feeling the book with her sensitive fingers, the Braille text. But then I realized with a pang that if only I had a spare twenty bucks I could buy her a new Braille textbook.
Phat is asking to join us too. He’s 24. He studies graphic art at university. He thought about the Passionist logo that we all wear. This shows a heart with the cross. Inside the heart is a little prayer, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.” But he said, “Where are the suffering people so dear to Jesus?” He wanted them inside the heart too, so he drew the map of his beloved Vietnam. Jesus’ suffering, yes, – and all the heartache of his whole country with Jesus, inside the one heart. Creative imagination! As I was leaving for America a priest I taught English gave me the vestment I wear with Phat’s design. I love wearing it. May the passion of Jesus be in our hearts, and may we be the first to dry the tears of those around us.
We give thanks as Jesus did and we remember him. Do this in memory of me. Do this. Just do it! Jesus set the world on fire by his exuberant goodness, and so can we. We are partners here. It’s in our hands to complete God’s great work.
God bless you and thank you.
Fr. Jeff Foale, CP, is presently a “teacher” in Vietnam.
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with Australia, catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, passionist, Priest, readings, reflection, Religion and Spirituality, scripture, The Passion, Vietnam.
By admin
– September 5, 2010
Click here for today’s Scripture readings.
1 Corinthians 4:6b-15
Luke 6:1-5
To us, apostles have a privileged role in the church as close followers of Jesus. But the apostle Paul in today’s Letter to the Corinthians doesn’t see himself privileged at all. It’s tough to be an apostle, he says, and he recites a litany of woes to prove it.
Apostles are “the last of all, like people sentenced to death…a spectacle to the world…fools on Christ’s account… Weak… in disrepute… hungry and thirsty…poorly clad and roughly treated…homeless…ridiculed…persecuted…slandered… the world’s rubbish, the scum of all.”
Is Paul exaggerating? It doesn’t seem so judging by letters that describe his punishing life preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. On his missionary journeys he gained love and loyalty from many, he founded many churches, but others fiercely opposed him. Their opposition brought him much suffering and finally caused his death.
I suppose Paul’s suffering, like the sufferings of any of us who thinks we’re right, was aggravated by the conviction he’s on the side of truth. His message was from God. Why didn’t everyone accept him and this wonderful message?
The church itself is said to be apostolic, which means it share in the mission of Paul and the other apostles. But the truth we profess as believers doesn’t insulate us from suffering. In fact, it draws us more deeply into the mystery of the cross.
Paul’s complaints could be the complaints of Jesus. Shouldn’t they be ours too?
Fr. Victor Hoagland, CP is the Director of Passionist Press and a member of the Passionist Community in Union City, NJ
Posted in Religion and Spirituality, daily scripture.
Tagged with apostles, catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, First Epistle to the Corinthians, Good News, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, passionist, Paul, reflection, Religion and Spirituality, scripture.
By admin
– September 4, 2010
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1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Luke 5:33-39
I want to make a public disclosure. It seemed to me, when I was a boy, that Jesus said to Saint Peter, “You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my church.” Then, suddenly, the Vatican appeared in all its splendor. I don’t know whether I got this from a catechism illustration or from some kind of popular verbal explanation. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that this was not so.
But what was the story about Rome and the papacy? Well, it comes as no surprise that, in the Roman Empire, all roads did lead to Rome. One of the reasons why the Empire succeeded was its marvelous road system. All roads lead to Rome. Plus, from an ecclesiastical point of view both Saints Peter and Paul gave themselves tirelessly to the Gospel and died there as martyrs. In addition, the church in Rome was known for its charity, especially for those that fell through the cracks of the social network and for churches in dire need, and it became renowned for its fairness. Consequently, other churches appealed to Rome to settle disputes and to do arbitration. So, yes, all led to Rome and the Christian communities esteemed the Vicar of Peter and his unifying role.
Still, this does not clear up my image of the church in Rome being a powerful and perennial agent in the life of the Empire. My catechism learning led me to believe that the church remained regnant throughout the centuries. There was a continuity, an unbroken line of service that you could count on. So you can imagine my surprise when I came to realize that the city of Rome became almost totally pagan and secular in the middle of the first millennium. Conquering armies and foreign powers swept into the city and natural disasters devastated its institutions and population in 589.
Thank God for Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540-604), the doctor of the Church whom we make memory of today. Gregory was born into wealth. His father, Gordianus, had estates in Sicily and a mansion in Rome. He was also raised in an atmosphere of sincere and genuine holiness. His mother, Silvia, and his aunts, Tarsilla and Aemiliana were considered saintly women. Gregory meditated on Scripture and was devoted to God from his youth. In 574 he became a monk, a period of his life that he said was his happiest. In 578 he was ordained one of the seven deacons of Rome. He also was a church bureaucrat, serving in Constantinople on behalf of the Holy See and then Abbot of Saint Andrew. He was involved in missionary work, especially working to convert the Angles in Britain. Much against his will, he became Pope on 3 September 590. For the next fourteen years he endured poor health (indigestion, fevers, and gout), living out his life in monastic simplicity.
Gregory was a reformer of church life and liturgy, a physician of souls, a monk and a missionary, and a moralist. What we hear today in 1 Cor 4:1-5 truly applies to him and to his style of leadership. Gregory paved the way for the emergence of the medieval papacy and its role in reforming the church. “New wine into new wineskins” — Gregory’s life was led by the Spirit — from place to place, from one ecclesial task to another, from one pastoral stance to another. In the end, his life was not power at the table of God. It was about living simply with integrity and moral rectitude. It was about allowing Biblical personalities and images to engage his imagination and shape his soul. It was about dedication to holy reading and the divine liturgy of the church. It was about service in the liturgy of the world and its desire for unity, reconciliation, and peace.
We can thank God for some like Pope Saint Gregory the Great. There are only a few persons in world history that are worthy of being considered great.
Father John J. O’Brien is a Passionist priest living in Framingham MA. He is involved in preaching and teaching, study and writing. He serves also in area parishes and prisons.
Posted in daily scripture.
Tagged with Catholic Church, Christianity, daily, god, gospel, Jesus, passionist, pope, readings, reflections, Religion & Spirituality, Roman Empire, Saint Peter, scripture.
By admin
– September 3, 2010
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1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Luke 5:1-11
I suppose if we asked Peter, the apostle, if he were wise, he probably would say he wasn’t. He didn’t have the learned wisdom that people who taught school had. But he certainly knew a thing or two about fishing. When the fish weren’t biting or couldn’t be found, it was time to pack up your nets and head for shore. Don’t waste your time in the dark.
That’s what he was doing when Jesus got into his boat and said “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter replied, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
Of course they made a great catch of fish, so many that their boat almost sank and they needed help from another boat to bring them all in.
Jesus challenged Peter’s everyday wisdom, the kind that comes from hard-headed realism. Peter’s wisdom was the wisdom of experience. We call it the best teacher, but sometimes experience can be wrong. Where it tells us to expect nothing, treasure may be hiding there.
As we go out into our day today, we guided by our experience. “Same old, same old,” we may say as we go through the day’s routine. “Nothing here today.” But maybe there is, if we see life with the wisdom of God. Maybe there’s a catch to be made.
Fr. Victor Hoagland, CP is the Director of Passionist Press and a member of the Passionist Community in Union City, NJ
Posted in daily scripture.
Tagged with catholic, christian, Christianity, church, daily, First Epistle to the Corinthians, Fishing, gospel, Jesus, reflection, reflections, Religion and Spirituality, Saint Peter, water, Wisdom.
By admin
– September 2, 2010
The healing of Peter's mother-in-law, Chora Museum, Turkey
Click here for today’s Scripture readings.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Luke 4:38-44
Suffering in its many forms can be found on most pages of the four Gospels. Some Gospel stories seem closer to our experience than others, especially those about physical suffering. The practice of medicine in Galilee in the time of Jesus left much to be desired by modern standards. The challenge of keeping healthy in that environment serves as a constant backdrop for Jesus’ preaching and merciful deeds.
The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the numerous other unidentified people mentioned in today’s excerpt from Luke echo Jesus’ healing ministry in all four Gospels. Truly fortunate were those who lived in the time of Jesus, and in the towns where he was to pass. But just as surely many others never felt his healing touch, nor did he pass through their village on his way to Jerusalem and the death that not even his heavenly Father could spare him.
In our health-conscious era, it is common to hear people say. “Jesus healed so many who were sick in his day. Where is he when my colleague faces a long illness with no hope of return to health? And what of the children who die with leukemia with no chance to enjoy a full life?
The litany of countless people who suffer, especially without any fault of their own, drones on day after day. Reason stumbles before the image of a good God who apparently refuses to prevent the suffering of the innocent. But today’s Gospel invites us to realize that our health is not a possession for ourselves alone, but a gift for others.
These stories of Jesus restoring people to health make clear that sickness and death will come to an end once the kingdom of God has come in its full glory. This is our faith, the faith of the early Church. We yearn for that time, but meanwhile, like Peter’s mother-in-law who enjoyed good health once again, we are called to minister to others. We should be wary of reducing that gesture to making a good supper for Jesus!
We may have to rely on medicine for maintaining health ordinarily, but our loving care for those who are sick can bring healing of the spirit which no medicine can supply.
(Father Paul Zilonka, C.P. is Director of Formation for the Passionist Community in Chicago, Illinois).
Posted in daily scripture.
Tagged with catholic, christian, Christianity, daily, god, gospel, jerusalem, Jesus, Kingdom of God, passionist, readings, reflection, reflections, Religion and Spirituality, scripture.
By admin
– September 1, 2010
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