Posts tagged Scripture
Breaking Open the Word - 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A (2023)

As anyone who has followed the Lord for some time can attest, there are certain aspects of our Faith that simply cannot be grasped right away. It takes time, prayer, and spiritual growth to ready our hearts for these more mysterious realities. One of the greatest of these mysteries is the wisdom of the Cross – that is, the intimate connection between suffering and love.

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Breaking Open the Word - Epiphany of the Lord

While the shepherds received a direct and unambiguous revelation from the mouths of angels, the Wise Men were led only by a mysterious star. The shepherds knew exactly where to find Jesus in the cave at Bethlehem; the Magi at first sought the “newborn King of the Jews” in the great city of Jerusalem, where one would expect to find an earthly ruler.

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Breaking Open the Word - 4th Sunday of Advent, Year A

He is coming! This refrain re-echoes in the Church’s liturgy throughout the Advent season, but during this final week before Christmas, the expectant Bride of Christ redoubles her enthusiastic expectation. The readings for this Sunday focused in a special way on the First Coming of Christ – the Incarnation – and how God prepared the way for His Son to enter into human history.

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Breaking Open the Word - 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

Have you ever wondered why religious life is not a Sacrament? The reason is simple: the Sacraments are signs of the Heavenly kingdom, while consecration is the reality of Heavenly life, begun here on earth. As such, while all the Sacraments will ultimately pass away, religious life will endure even in Heaven – because there, every soul is totally consecrated to God!

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Breaking Open the Word - 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

Our Lord’s words to the lone thankful leper (“Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”) provide a window into the way our ingratitude grieves His Heart. We as Passionists, however, have the great joy of being able to console Him by our vow of gratitude – “to promote devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ”!

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Breaking Open the Word - 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

The Greek word that our translation renders as “burdened” literally means “pulled away”; Martha’s anxiety over her “to-do list” was actually pulling her heart and attention away from Jesus. This is a classic example of how the devil loves to take a thing that is good in itself and make it into an obstacle, by encouraging us to place excessive focus on it.

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Breaking Open the Word - 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. John could have truthfully written that “The dwelling of God is in the heavens, and He will reign as sovereign forever.” However, what the Lord said to him was rather different: “The dwelling of God is with the human race. He will dwell with them … and God Himself will always be with them as their God.” Of all the features He could have chosen to highlight in His description of the new creation, God focuses on His closeness to humanity.

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Breaking Open the Word - 5th Sunday of Lent, Year C

This Sunday, we began the time traditionally known as “Passiontide” – those days leading up to the great feasts of our Redemption during Holy Week. How fitting, as we turn to a greater focus on Our Lord’s suffering out of love for us, that Mother Church offers us a beautiful Gospel about Christ’s love and mercy towards a particular sinner.

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Breaking Open the Word - 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C

Passionists often refer to our unique religious habit as the “garment of mourning and penance,” so what are we to make of Our Lord’s command to “take off the garb of mourning?” Isn’t it He Who called us to wear this garb in the first place? The answer lies in the deeper mystery of what it means to be a Passionist.

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