31 May 2014 - fount of living water
The first reading of the Feast of the Visitation can be read as spoken directly to Elizabeth.
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
Elizabeth is "advanced in years" and her husband is "an old man" (cf. Luk. 1:18). Children are "a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward" (cf. Psa. 127:3). Elizabeth appears deprived of these blessings. On top of that, the judgment of the LORD appears to be on her husband Zechariah who is rendered speechless by the angel Gabriel.
But this judgment is temporary. It is a preparation for the blessings to come. Zechariah names the child John according to the words of the angel and he is freed to speak. Elizabeth gives birth in spite of her years. But even the fulfillment of these deprivations is not all the LORD has in mind. His blessings surpass the mere absences of blessings which they can notice.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
Mary is the True Tabernacle who brings the presence of the King of Israel, the LORD, into the midst of Elizabeth and her household. Even with the blessings the LORD has given Elizabeth the destiny of her child leaves much room for fear. In fact, the more clearly she understands it, the more likely she is to fear on a human level. But Mary brings Jesus here in her womb to Elizabeth and says to her, "Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!" Even though his birth will be painful, even though his path will be difficult, Elizabeth doesn't need to be afraid. The Savior is here and he makes all the rest of it make sense.
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
Elizabeth and Mary are both filled with joy by the infant in Mary's womb. He rejoices over them, and in them, and even in the infant John, by his Spirit.
Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Mary also takes up the song of joy that the Savior inspires. She is constantly renewed in the love of the one who dwells within her. Here in the presence of Elizabeth she gives it voice.
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
God rejoices over them. This manifests by his joy within them, the joy they take in the love he shows. May our own praise be informed by this idea. Mary brings Jesus to us just as she does Elizabeth. And his presence should inspire joy in us like it does in John and then, in turn, Elizabeth. This is not just joy because of him. This is literally his joy shared with us. It is for this reason that even an infant leaps for joy in a womb. He doesn't know cognitively a reason for this joy. He simply experiences it as God rejoices over him. So too does Mary want to bring the joy of Jesus to us.
Mary is the fountain of salvation. Jesus is the source of the living water that we first taste in baptism. We should revisit this fountain often.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
At Pentecost we are invited to taste the living water once again. The living water refers to the waters of baptism on one level but that is because Jesus says that it is "the Spirit that those who came to believe" receive (cf. Joh. 7:39). And that means that we need to drink of it constantly, and not just at our baptism. And that, in turn, means we need to come to the fountain, Mary, constantly to ask it of her. She delights to pour it out. She wants to inspire us to take up her song of praise to God.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
30 May 2014 - plugged in
30 May 2014 - plugged in
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
We experience so much passing joy. It is hard for us to believe that there is any other kind. The Ascension is something which is essentially hopeful. "God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy", we read. But as Jesus leaves our sight, bringing our glorified humanity to the throne of Godhead, do we shout for joy? Or do we continue weeping as if the world has won?
The Ascension should actually seal the joy of the resurrection in our hearts. It reveals that the resurrection is not simply resuscitation. This is not another case like Lazarus. This risen body is taken up from the corruptible world to abide forever with God. It reveals the permanence of the victory of Jesus. Yet as we see a cloud take him from our sight we realize that this sight of him, risen and victorious, may be where our joy begins but it is not its basis. Seeing him risen reveals something even deeper. It reveals that he is who he says he is. He is the Son of Man that we can see but also the Son of God who can be with us always. The reason no one can take our joy away from us is that he can be with us always. He himself, risen and victorious, is the source of our joy.
The Ascension itself is closely linked to Pentecost. As the visible presence of Jesus recedes the Holy Spirit comes to plug us in to him in a way that is more profound than ever. This is why he tells us that it is better that he goes.
While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.” (cf. Acts 1:4-5).
With Jesus reigning in heaven and the Holy Spirit guiding us on earth we can now experience the joy he intends for us. The Church on earth is plugged directly into the life of heaven. It is better that he goes, but he is with us still!
But this connection is something we can choose to ignore. We can keep trying to power our lives on batteries that are nearly empty and always running down. Maybe they get the lights on occasionally but they often flicker and go out. For our joy to be complete we need to remember our power source. We need to fan into flames the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6).
It is because Paul is so plugged in to the Holy Spirit that he is able to hear the LORD speaking to him. Just when he might give in to fear the LORD gives him reassurance. But he can do this precisely because Paul open to the power of the Spirit in his life.
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
We often need to hear the reassurance of the LORD as well. Even if have great confidence already we need to hear this again and again. The LORD has already done mighty deeds through Paul. Paul could easily believe that he is now strong enough to not be afraid. But he still needs to hear these words. We need to hear them often as well. His Spirit in us can speak these words. Let us listen.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
We experience so much passing joy. It is hard for us to believe that there is any other kind. The Ascension is something which is essentially hopeful. "God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy", we read. But as Jesus leaves our sight, bringing our glorified humanity to the throne of Godhead, do we shout for joy? Or do we continue weeping as if the world has won?
The Ascension should actually seal the joy of the resurrection in our hearts. It reveals that the resurrection is not simply resuscitation. This is not another case like Lazarus. This risen body is taken up from the corruptible world to abide forever with God. It reveals the permanence of the victory of Jesus. Yet as we see a cloud take him from our sight we realize that this sight of him, risen and victorious, may be where our joy begins but it is not its basis. Seeing him risen reveals something even deeper. It reveals that he is who he says he is. He is the Son of Man that we can see but also the Son of God who can be with us always. The reason no one can take our joy away from us is that he can be with us always. He himself, risen and victorious, is the source of our joy.
The Ascension itself is closely linked to Pentecost. As the visible presence of Jesus recedes the Holy Spirit comes to plug us in to him in a way that is more profound than ever. This is why he tells us that it is better that he goes.
While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.” (cf. Acts 1:4-5).
With Jesus reigning in heaven and the Holy Spirit guiding us on earth we can now experience the joy he intends for us. The Church on earth is plugged directly into the life of heaven. It is better that he goes, but he is with us still!
But this connection is something we can choose to ignore. We can keep trying to power our lives on batteries that are nearly empty and always running down. Maybe they get the lights on occasionally but they often flicker and go out. For our joy to be complete we need to remember our power source. We need to fan into flames the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6).
It is because Paul is so plugged in to the Holy Spirit that he is able to hear the LORD speaking to him. Just when he might give in to fear the LORD gives him reassurance. But he can do this precisely because Paul open to the power of the Spirit in his life.
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
We often need to hear the reassurance of the LORD as well. Even if have great confidence already we need to hear this again and again. The LORD has already done mighty deeds through Paul. Paul could easily believe that he is now strong enough to not be afraid. But he still needs to hear these words. We need to hear them often as well. His Spirit in us can speak these words. Let us listen.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
29 May 2014 - engage
29 May 2014 - engage
(readings for the day, not the Ascension)
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
Why don't they ask Jesus directly? He just told them that they aren't ready to bear everything he wants to say. Fine. But is that an excuse to not even try to understand? Apparently not always. Jesus has more to explain here.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Yet even with that said there is something here which the disciples aren't ready to bear yet. They have to experience the Paschal Mystery, have to see the death and the resurrection of Jesus, in order to understand more fully. Even so, it is important that they keep trying to understand leading up to that pivotal event. It is important because doing so helps to build up their hearts in hope. They are able to look back at this partial understanding and remember it in the midst of their grief. Jesus tells them that their will be grief. Then when the grief comes they can remember that he also says it will become joy. This is hope to which they can cling.
We see hope fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus. And this teaches us how to relate to the Ascension. Jesus is also talking about the Ascension when he says, "A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me". But now that Jesus is risen we know even better how he fulfills our hope. We can now live the time after he ascends waiting in joyful hope for his second coming (and his daily coming into our lives). Our understanding is a work in progress. Our faith, our hope, and our charity need the constant input and inspiration that Jesus wants to give. We must stay engaged even when we don't understand everything right away. When Jesus has more to tell us that we cannot bear we should still stay in constant contact with him so that we don't miss the things he has to say which we can.
Paul himself is famous for his dramatic all-at-once conversion. Yet even with Paul it is a process. He is first blinded for three days before Jesus sends a follower to heal him. He too must enter in to the three days of Jesus' passion in order to bear the message which Jesus entrusts to him. And even after this his ministry is marked with opportunities to grow in understanding, such as when he goes to Jerusalem to get the official fellowship and support of the Church there. The first time which he enters into the passion of the LORD, when he is blinded, is not the last. We remember the "thorn" in his flesh which the LORD does not remove. He learns instead that God's grace is sufficient for him. Because he is able to stay engaged with Jesus like this Jesus is able to use him so effectively. Even hardships and roadblocks don't stop his efforts at evangelism.
When they opposed him and reviled him,
he shook out his garments and said to them,
“Your blood be on your heads!
I am clear of responsibility.
From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
And because he continues his efforts he bears fruit for the kingdom, fruit that will last.
Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord
along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians
who heard believed and were baptized.
The Lord wants to use us to reveal his saving power to the nations just as he uses Paul. To do so effectively we must stay engaged with him. We must let him refine us like gold in fire, to sharpen us like swords, so that the truth of the gospel can be seen clearly in us. His words are meant to cut to the heart. But before they can he must clean the cobwebs that cover them in us. Once they are clean they become a joyful song which we cannot hide.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
(readings for the day, not the Ascension)
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
Why don't they ask Jesus directly? He just told them that they aren't ready to bear everything he wants to say. Fine. But is that an excuse to not even try to understand? Apparently not always. Jesus has more to explain here.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Yet even with that said there is something here which the disciples aren't ready to bear yet. They have to experience the Paschal Mystery, have to see the death and the resurrection of Jesus, in order to understand more fully. Even so, it is important that they keep trying to understand leading up to that pivotal event. It is important because doing so helps to build up their hearts in hope. They are able to look back at this partial understanding and remember it in the midst of their grief. Jesus tells them that their will be grief. Then when the grief comes they can remember that he also says it will become joy. This is hope to which they can cling.
We see hope fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus. And this teaches us how to relate to the Ascension. Jesus is also talking about the Ascension when he says, "A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me". But now that Jesus is risen we know even better how he fulfills our hope. We can now live the time after he ascends waiting in joyful hope for his second coming (and his daily coming into our lives). Our understanding is a work in progress. Our faith, our hope, and our charity need the constant input and inspiration that Jesus wants to give. We must stay engaged even when we don't understand everything right away. When Jesus has more to tell us that we cannot bear we should still stay in constant contact with him so that we don't miss the things he has to say which we can.
Paul himself is famous for his dramatic all-at-once conversion. Yet even with Paul it is a process. He is first blinded for three days before Jesus sends a follower to heal him. He too must enter in to the three days of Jesus' passion in order to bear the message which Jesus entrusts to him. And even after this his ministry is marked with opportunities to grow in understanding, such as when he goes to Jerusalem to get the official fellowship and support of the Church there. The first time which he enters into the passion of the LORD, when he is blinded, is not the last. We remember the "thorn" in his flesh which the LORD does not remove. He learns instead that God's grace is sufficient for him. Because he is able to stay engaged with Jesus like this Jesus is able to use him so effectively. Even hardships and roadblocks don't stop his efforts at evangelism.
When they opposed him and reviled him,
he shook out his garments and said to them,
“Your blood be on your heads!
I am clear of responsibility.
From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
And because he continues his efforts he bears fruit for the kingdom, fruit that will last.
Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord
along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians
who heard believed and were baptized.
The Lord wants to use us to reveal his saving power to the nations just as he uses Paul. To do so effectively we must stay engaged with him. We must let him refine us like gold in fire, to sharpen us like swords, so that the truth of the gospel can be seen clearly in us. His words are meant to cut to the heart. But before they can he must clean the cobwebs that cover them in us. Once they are clean they become a joyful song which we cannot hide.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
28 May 2014 - step by step
28 May 2014 - step by step
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
When we hear this, how do we feel? Are we disappointed that Jesus won't tell us everything all at once? Do we take it as an insult that we "cannot bear it now"? Instead, shouldn't we be grateful? Jesus knows we are works in progress. Shouldn't we be happy that Jesus is willing to work with us as we grow? He meets us where we are. He does not insist that we achieve everything all at once or know everything all at once.
The disciples in today's Gospel reading cannot bear to hear some things Jesus does want to tell them eventually. But it isn't exactly a shortcoming on their part. In order to accept and internalize what Jesus wants to tell them they need the Spirit of truth. If Jesus just drops the data on them that he wants to convey they will get lost in it. They will be confused. It may even hurt them and others. They need the Spirit of truth to guide them. The Holy Spirit provides the key that keeps them focused. He glorifies Jesus. He thereby prevents the truth from becoming abstract and impersonal. He prevents it from being watered down and sanitized. He prevents us from putting it into the service of personal self-serving or self-indulgence. The more important the truth the more it needs to be perceived by hearts which, in the power of the Spirit, glorify Jesus.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by guiding his people into all truth. It is to keep this promise that the Holy Spirit protects his Church from formally teaching error. As individuals, we benefit from the guiding of the Holy Spirit through the Magesterium of the Church and personally. Because the Magesterium enjoys full guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit we can trust that she faithfully hands on all that was entrusted to her by Jesus. Just like the Holy Spirit she will not speak on her own but will speak what she hears from the master. We share this promise personally, too. As we try to get to know Jesus better and to learn his plan for us we can count on the Holy Spirit to be there to guide us. We don't always listen. But he is always ready to glorify Jesus in us by revealing him more.
The Holy Spirit definitely guides Paul. He teaches Paul how to commend the Athenians for the good in their culture without obscuring the necessity and centrality of Jesus. He is able to say:
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
He says this without losing his point in a one to one association of that God with Jesus. The Holy Spirit guides him to glorify Jesus here, showing Jesus as one who utterly transcends the vagueness and human invention that mares the Athenian unknown God:
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
Paul is able to continue safely on the points of overlap precisely because the Holy Spirit proclaims the uniqueness of Jesus through him.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
Not everyone is ready to hear about the uniqueness of Jesus. They may put off thinking about it or even scoff at the idea. But the Holy Spirit isn't giving up and neither can we. He wants us all to be united in the praise of Jesus.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
When we hear this, how do we feel? Are we disappointed that Jesus won't tell us everything all at once? Do we take it as an insult that we "cannot bear it now"? Instead, shouldn't we be grateful? Jesus knows we are works in progress. Shouldn't we be happy that Jesus is willing to work with us as we grow? He meets us where we are. He does not insist that we achieve everything all at once or know everything all at once.
The disciples in today's Gospel reading cannot bear to hear some things Jesus does want to tell them eventually. But it isn't exactly a shortcoming on their part. In order to accept and internalize what Jesus wants to tell them they need the Spirit of truth. If Jesus just drops the data on them that he wants to convey they will get lost in it. They will be confused. It may even hurt them and others. They need the Spirit of truth to guide them. The Holy Spirit provides the key that keeps them focused. He glorifies Jesus. He thereby prevents the truth from becoming abstract and impersonal. He prevents it from being watered down and sanitized. He prevents us from putting it into the service of personal self-serving or self-indulgence. The more important the truth the more it needs to be perceived by hearts which, in the power of the Spirit, glorify Jesus.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by guiding his people into all truth. It is to keep this promise that the Holy Spirit protects his Church from formally teaching error. As individuals, we benefit from the guiding of the Holy Spirit through the Magesterium of the Church and personally. Because the Magesterium enjoys full guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit we can trust that she faithfully hands on all that was entrusted to her by Jesus. Just like the Holy Spirit she will not speak on her own but will speak what she hears from the master. We share this promise personally, too. As we try to get to know Jesus better and to learn his plan for us we can count on the Holy Spirit to be there to guide us. We don't always listen. But he is always ready to glorify Jesus in us by revealing him more.
The Holy Spirit definitely guides Paul. He teaches Paul how to commend the Athenians for the good in their culture without obscuring the necessity and centrality of Jesus. He is able to say:
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
He says this without losing his point in a one to one association of that God with Jesus. The Holy Spirit guides him to glorify Jesus here, showing Jesus as one who utterly transcends the vagueness and human invention that mares the Athenian unknown God:
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
Paul is able to continue safely on the points of overlap precisely because the Holy Spirit proclaims the uniqueness of Jesus through him.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
Not everyone is ready to hear about the uniqueness of Jesus. They may put off thinking about it or even scoff at the idea. But the Holy Spirit isn't giving up and neither can we. He wants us all to be united in the praise of Jesus.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
27 May 2014 - define 'better'
27 May 2014 - define 'better'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
The disciples have a hard time believing this. They can't imagine what could possible be better than Jesus being with them like he is here. He teaches, he heals, he does mighty deeds, and he leads them. If Jesus is no longer visible will they go back to wandering like lost sheep? Jesus says that it is better that he goes, but it is hard to believe until Pentecost. At least when they can see Jesus the disciples are able to know that their physical bodies in the place where they ought to be. That is straightforward enough. But their hearts have never quite been all there, even when there bodies are. Ultimately even the bodies betray him, turn away from him, and hide from the Cross. Hence they need Pentecost.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
When the Holy Spirit comes he convicts the world of the truth of what Jesus says and who he is. He enables us to believe in Jesus in a new and more profound way. We no longer see him with our eyes but we now see his righteousness vindicated in a way that we can stake our whole lives on. With the Holy Spirit inside of us and guiding us we can commit in ways that utterly transcend what we can do when we are still following what we see and hear, dependent, ultimately on material causes. We can now base all of our hope in him.
Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you see and hear (cf. Act. 2:33).
This is the strength of Paul and Silas that enables them to praise God in the innermost cell of the prison. This is the strength that enables them to stay in that prison and complete the mission even when early escape is possible. It is this strength in the face of suffering which the flesh cannot give. It is this strength in suffering which comes from the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
Seeing this supernatural strength, the guard can't help but say, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Experiencing the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit helps us to believe that the LORD will even be able to triumph over the circumstances of our own lives that keep us from him. Even the prisons of our doubts and failings are not stronger than him. He enables us to believe that he will bring his good work to completion in us (cf. Phi. 1:6).
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
The disciples have a hard time believing this. They can't imagine what could possible be better than Jesus being with them like he is here. He teaches, he heals, he does mighty deeds, and he leads them. If Jesus is no longer visible will they go back to wandering like lost sheep? Jesus says that it is better that he goes, but it is hard to believe until Pentecost. At least when they can see Jesus the disciples are able to know that their physical bodies in the place where they ought to be. That is straightforward enough. But their hearts have never quite been all there, even when there bodies are. Ultimately even the bodies betray him, turn away from him, and hide from the Cross. Hence they need Pentecost.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
When the Holy Spirit comes he convicts the world of the truth of what Jesus says and who he is. He enables us to believe in Jesus in a new and more profound way. We no longer see him with our eyes but we now see his righteousness vindicated in a way that we can stake our whole lives on. With the Holy Spirit inside of us and guiding us we can commit in ways that utterly transcend what we can do when we are still following what we see and hear, dependent, ultimately on material causes. We can now base all of our hope in him.
Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you see and hear (cf. Act. 2:33).
This is the strength of Paul and Silas that enables them to praise God in the innermost cell of the prison. This is the strength that enables them to stay in that prison and complete the mission even when early escape is possible. It is this strength in the face of suffering which the flesh cannot give. It is this strength in suffering which comes from the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
Seeing this supernatural strength, the guard can't help but say, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Experiencing the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit helps us to believe that the LORD will even be able to triumph over the circumstances of our own lives that keep us from him. Even the prisons of our doubts and failings are not stronger than him. He enables us to believe that he will bring his good work to completion in us (cf. Phi. 1:6).
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
Monday, May 26, 2014
26 May 2014 - open hearts
26 May 2014 - open hearts
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
When we think about sharing the good news with others we often approach it as if we have to open the hearts of our audience. But Paul knows better than this. He remembers the words of Jesus. Jesus does say that we will give testimony to him. But even before that he tells us that the Holy Spirit will testify to him. Saint John Paul the great reminds us that the Holy Spirit (and not you or I) is the principle agent of evangelization (cf. Tertio Millenion Adveniente 45). We often get the order flipped. We think that we testify and then, if we do it well enough, the Spirit will put his stamp of approval on our work by opening hearts. The order that Jesus gives is intentional:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
We need to know this because the world we face is often hostile.
“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
If we think that changing hearts like these is up to us we will quickly give up. But he who sets his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God (cf. Luk. 9:62). Woe to us if we don't preach the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 9:16). If we don't share what we receive, if we cork the springs of living water that flow from our hearts, we will find those springs drying up. It is just a fact that if we really recognize what we have, if we value it as the pearl of great price that it is, we cannot help but treat it that way in our interaction with others. To not do so is to resist this impulse, to suppress it, is to hide our lamp under a basket. If the lamp is left there long enough it will go out. If we habitually act as if the Gospel of Jesus is unimportant to us it will become true for us. Love demands to be shared.
Fortunately, though, sharing the Gospel isn't up to us alone. We can go into the hostile world knowing that the Holy Spirit will give us words to say. We know that before we speak he is already at work in every heart. It isn't as though he always opens every heart, as we know. But he opens the hearts that he wants to open, hearts willing to be opened. Our part is simply to invite, trusting that he is at work.
The LORD wants to change hostile hearts. He wants them to join the new song of praise to him, to be glad in him, and to rejoice in him. Let us trust this. Let us believe that the Spirit is already at work in every heart. Let us cooperate and share the love we ourselves receive.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
When we think about sharing the good news with others we often approach it as if we have to open the hearts of our audience. But Paul knows better than this. He remembers the words of Jesus. Jesus does say that we will give testimony to him. But even before that he tells us that the Holy Spirit will testify to him. Saint John Paul the great reminds us that the Holy Spirit (and not you or I) is the principle agent of evangelization (cf. Tertio Millenion Adveniente 45). We often get the order flipped. We think that we testify and then, if we do it well enough, the Spirit will put his stamp of approval on our work by opening hearts. The order that Jesus gives is intentional:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
We need to know this because the world we face is often hostile.
“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
If we think that changing hearts like these is up to us we will quickly give up. But he who sets his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God (cf. Luk. 9:62). Woe to us if we don't preach the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 9:16). If we don't share what we receive, if we cork the springs of living water that flow from our hearts, we will find those springs drying up. It is just a fact that if we really recognize what we have, if we value it as the pearl of great price that it is, we cannot help but treat it that way in our interaction with others. To not do so is to resist this impulse, to suppress it, is to hide our lamp under a basket. If the lamp is left there long enough it will go out. If we habitually act as if the Gospel of Jesus is unimportant to us it will become true for us. Love demands to be shared.
Fortunately, though, sharing the Gospel isn't up to us alone. We can go into the hostile world knowing that the Holy Spirit will give us words to say. We know that before we speak he is already at work in every heart. It isn't as though he always opens every heart, as we know. But he opens the hearts that he wants to open, hearts willing to be opened. Our part is simply to invite, trusting that he is at work.
The LORD wants to change hostile hearts. He wants them to join the new song of praise to him, to be glad in him, and to rejoice in him. Let us trust this. Let us believe that the Spirit is already at work in every heart. Let us cooperate and share the love we ourselves receive.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
25 May 2014 - life in the spirit
25 May 2014 - life in the spirit
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
We die with Christ in baptism (cf. Rom. 6:3). And as we die with him we too are brought to life in the Spirit. With Pentecost approaching we are challenged to begin to live this life of the Spirit in the here and now. It is only perfected in heaven but we begin to experience it in this life.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you (cf. Rom 8:11).
In the absence of his physical presence Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to us. He tells us that he will be the Advocate for us, opposing the Accuser (cf. Rev 12:9), and that he will be with us always. Without the Holy Spirit Jesus is at best a concept or a historical figure. We can know all about him. We can even try to live in accordance with his teachings. But we can't know him. And we find that we aren't strong enough to live the Christian life. We can't have the relationship to which Peter calls us this morning:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
When we know Jesus like this we are more compelling when we invite others to know him. To know Jesus in this way we need more of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Samarians most of us have also been confirmed. The Holy Spirit falls upon us when the apostles descendents, the bishops, lay hands on us. We have received him, yes. But do we allow him the freedom to move in us? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who guides us into all truth. But he does not guide us back to concepts and history. He unites us with the One who is Truth himself. It is by the Holy Spirit in an individual that Jesus "will love him and reveal" himself to him.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit makes this revelation drastic. Even if we don't always experience this it should not surprise us nor be beyond our expectations for how he may choose to work. We need expectations big enough for anything he might choose to do.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
The Holy Spirit wants people to pay attention to Jesus with "one accord" and he will do whatever it takes to reveal him. He wants "great joy" not just "in that city" but in our city. His desire is expressed by the psalmist:
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
As we approach Pentecost let us pray that the Holy Spirit falls afresh on us, fills us, and sets us on fire for Jesus. He delights to answer prays like this. Even if it seems like there is a vast sea between us and him he can change that sea into dry land.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
Let us cry out to him with joy!
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
We die with Christ in baptism (cf. Rom. 6:3). And as we die with him we too are brought to life in the Spirit. With Pentecost approaching we are challenged to begin to live this life of the Spirit in the here and now. It is only perfected in heaven but we begin to experience it in this life.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you (cf. Rom 8:11).
In the absence of his physical presence Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to us. He tells us that he will be the Advocate for us, opposing the Accuser (cf. Rev 12:9), and that he will be with us always. Without the Holy Spirit Jesus is at best a concept or a historical figure. We can know all about him. We can even try to live in accordance with his teachings. But we can't know him. And we find that we aren't strong enough to live the Christian life. We can't have the relationship to which Peter calls us this morning:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
When we know Jesus like this we are more compelling when we invite others to know him. To know Jesus in this way we need more of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Samarians most of us have also been confirmed. The Holy Spirit falls upon us when the apostles descendents, the bishops, lay hands on us. We have received him, yes. But do we allow him the freedom to move in us? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who guides us into all truth. But he does not guide us back to concepts and history. He unites us with the One who is Truth himself. It is by the Holy Spirit in an individual that Jesus "will love him and reveal" himself to him.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit makes this revelation drastic. Even if we don't always experience this it should not surprise us nor be beyond our expectations for how he may choose to work. We need expectations big enough for anything he might choose to do.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
The Holy Spirit wants people to pay attention to Jesus with "one accord" and he will do whatever it takes to reveal him. He wants "great joy" not just "in that city" but in our city. His desire is expressed by the psalmist:
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
As we approach Pentecost let us pray that the Holy Spirit falls afresh on us, fills us, and sets us on fire for Jesus. He delights to answer prays like this. Even if it seems like there is a vast sea between us and him he can change that sea into dry land.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
Let us cry out to him with joy!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
24 May 2014 - haters: not necessarily gonna hate
24 May 2014 - haters: not necessarily gonna hate
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
Jesus definitely provokes an anger in some of his contemporaries which can be difficult to understand. He comes to the world and speaks to us. He speaks that we might have joy, peace, and love. He speaks not to condemn us but that we might have life. He comes to us with mighty deeds such as the world has never seen in order to reveal the Father's love.
If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
But somehow all that Jesus does often provokes the opposite reaction. And this has to be because the only invitation which Jesus can offer is an invitation to repent. This is because he doesn't want to leave us in the condition in which he finds us.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. (cf. Tit. 3:3).
It is quite a pitiable condition we're in apart from him. He comes to us and finds a people in dire need of rescue.
You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest (cf. Eph. 2:1).
Jesus invites us to a better way. But for some reason we can be really attached to the broken parts of ourselves. Jesus points out our wounds. But if we believe that we are our wounds we feel attacked. When we feel attacked we close ourselves off. We don't take the risk of trusting Jesus. We hear him condemning what we do, the broken behaviors that promise happiness but leave us empty, and we take it personally. He offers a new way of living, a self-less way of living. He reveals the life he shares with the Father as the only alternative to slavery to our passions a society full of malice, envy, and hatred.
Once we accept this free and unmerited offer Jesus begins to dwell in us. He begins to manifest his unity with the Father in us. This means that we ourselves become a revelation of this life to the world. We ourselves become God's offer of mercy to the world. And the world cannot accept it. Jesus wants to prepare us for this. He wants us to be strong and ready when we experience it. The world can't accept it because it is under the power of the devil. It is the systemic brokenness that opposes God along with the flesh and the devil. But Jesus wants us to call individuals out from this system just as we ourselves were called from it.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”
They do not know now, but we were once like them, we ourselves were once just as foolish if not more so. That means there is hope for everyone. There is grace enough for everyone! Even as we reveal the need for repentance by the life of the Trinity in us we should also reveal the endless mercy of God.
And this revelation is not passive. We should be like Paul constantly seeking to "proclaim the Good News" wherever he can. We should be open to the guidance of the Spirit just as he is. The Holy Spirit is trustworthy. If we start in the wrong direction he will stop us if we are paying attention to him.
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
And he will guide us to the places he intends us to go, to the circumstances into which he desires us to bring him.
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us
And he will not stop. He won't leave people ignorant of Jesus and the Father. He expresses his desire through the psalmist, "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy."
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
Jesus definitely provokes an anger in some of his contemporaries which can be difficult to understand. He comes to the world and speaks to us. He speaks that we might have joy, peace, and love. He speaks not to condemn us but that we might have life. He comes to us with mighty deeds such as the world has never seen in order to reveal the Father's love.
If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
But somehow all that Jesus does often provokes the opposite reaction. And this has to be because the only invitation which Jesus can offer is an invitation to repent. This is because he doesn't want to leave us in the condition in which he finds us.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. (cf. Tit. 3:3).
It is quite a pitiable condition we're in apart from him. He comes to us and finds a people in dire need of rescue.
You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest (cf. Eph. 2:1).
Jesus invites us to a better way. But for some reason we can be really attached to the broken parts of ourselves. Jesus points out our wounds. But if we believe that we are our wounds we feel attacked. When we feel attacked we close ourselves off. We don't take the risk of trusting Jesus. We hear him condemning what we do, the broken behaviors that promise happiness but leave us empty, and we take it personally. He offers a new way of living, a self-less way of living. He reveals the life he shares with the Father as the only alternative to slavery to our passions a society full of malice, envy, and hatred.
Once we accept this free and unmerited offer Jesus begins to dwell in us. He begins to manifest his unity with the Father in us. This means that we ourselves become a revelation of this life to the world. We ourselves become God's offer of mercy to the world. And the world cannot accept it. Jesus wants to prepare us for this. He wants us to be strong and ready when we experience it. The world can't accept it because it is under the power of the devil. It is the systemic brokenness that opposes God along with the flesh and the devil. But Jesus wants us to call individuals out from this system just as we ourselves were called from it.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”
They do not know now, but we were once like them, we ourselves were once just as foolish if not more so. That means there is hope for everyone. There is grace enough for everyone! Even as we reveal the need for repentance by the life of the Trinity in us we should also reveal the endless mercy of God.
And this revelation is not passive. We should be like Paul constantly seeking to "proclaim the Good News" wherever he can. We should be open to the guidance of the Spirit just as he is. The Holy Spirit is trustworthy. If we start in the wrong direction he will stop us if we are paying attention to him.
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
And he will guide us to the places he intends us to go, to the circumstances into which he desires us to bring him.
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us
And he will not stop. He won't leave people ignorant of Jesus and the Father. He expresses his desire through the psalmist, "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy."
Friday, May 23, 2014
23 May 2014 - don't settle for less
23 May 2014 - don't settle for less
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
This is perhaps what the disciples were expecting to hear. This is a paradigm they can fathom and understand. They are to be valued based on their performance. They have to earn the love of Jesus. Or do they?
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
He commands us to love. This means that he is actually saying that we must love to be his friends. This doesn't mean earning his love by loving him. We don't even choose him first. He chooses us. While we are still sinners he dies for us. While we are still acting as his enemies he already displays the depths of his perfect love for us (cf. Rom. 5:8). He commands us to love in the sense that it is necessary for a life of friendship with him. Which, of course, is true of any relationship. If we want to elevate beyond mercenary relationships where we give only in order to get love is the alternative. So when Jesus says that we are his friends when we do what he commands us to do it means the opposite of how it sounds at first. Keeping his command isn't something we do in order to earn something. It is instead a new and better way of living in relationship.
Jesus is letting us in on the secret of Trinitarian life. How does it work so well? Why don't the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit get fed up with one another? Eternity is a long time to be so close. On the Cross Jesus reveals this secret to us.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
The Cross reveals the selfless love of God. It reveals a Father willing to offer his Son to save us (cf. Joh. 3:16). It reveals the Son as the one who does not hold onto his rights but empties himself for us (cf. Phi. 2:6). Only in love do we see what is the ultimate possibility and calling for our relationships.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus calls us to lay down our lives not because he needs us to but because we need to. Selfless love is the only workable paradigm for fulfilled relationships. We are made in his image and so we need to love like he loves. We need to get out of our own way. Self-centeredness always promises a fulfillment that it cannot provide.
So why does he command us to love, rather than simply inviting us to do so? In part, it is so that we don't settle for less, for the modes of relationship which we've known so far, which ultimately don't satisfy. And in part it is so we can be assured of the grace to do what we are commanded. Jesus never commands what he does not also empower.
This is the source of all commandments. The Church, like Jesus, commands us to love. But she does so in a way that is motherly. Her purpose is not to upset us, like those that go out from her "without any mandate" might do. Her moral teachings really say only two things. She says, 'This is what love is. To do less is not loving.'
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
For not letting us settle for less than love let us praise him.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
This is perhaps what the disciples were expecting to hear. This is a paradigm they can fathom and understand. They are to be valued based on their performance. They have to earn the love of Jesus. Or do they?
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
He commands us to love. This means that he is actually saying that we must love to be his friends. This doesn't mean earning his love by loving him. We don't even choose him first. He chooses us. While we are still sinners he dies for us. While we are still acting as his enemies he already displays the depths of his perfect love for us (cf. Rom. 5:8). He commands us to love in the sense that it is necessary for a life of friendship with him. Which, of course, is true of any relationship. If we want to elevate beyond mercenary relationships where we give only in order to get love is the alternative. So when Jesus says that we are his friends when we do what he commands us to do it means the opposite of how it sounds at first. Keeping his command isn't something we do in order to earn something. It is instead a new and better way of living in relationship.
Jesus is letting us in on the secret of Trinitarian life. How does it work so well? Why don't the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit get fed up with one another? Eternity is a long time to be so close. On the Cross Jesus reveals this secret to us.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
The Cross reveals the selfless love of God. It reveals a Father willing to offer his Son to save us (cf. Joh. 3:16). It reveals the Son as the one who does not hold onto his rights but empties himself for us (cf. Phi. 2:6). Only in love do we see what is the ultimate possibility and calling for our relationships.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus calls us to lay down our lives not because he needs us to but because we need to. Selfless love is the only workable paradigm for fulfilled relationships. We are made in his image and so we need to love like he loves. We need to get out of our own way. Self-centeredness always promises a fulfillment that it cannot provide.
So why does he command us to love, rather than simply inviting us to do so? In part, it is so that we don't settle for less, for the modes of relationship which we've known so far, which ultimately don't satisfy. And in part it is so we can be assured of the grace to do what we are commanded. Jesus never commands what he does not also empower.
This is the source of all commandments. The Church, like Jesus, commands us to love. But she does so in a way that is motherly. Her purpose is not to upset us, like those that go out from her "without any mandate" might do. Her moral teachings really say only two things. She says, 'This is what love is. To do less is not loving.'
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
For not letting us settle for less than love let us praise him.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
22 May 2014 - pope francis style
22 May 2014 - pope francis style
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
We don't keep the commandments just to be good people, to measure up to a standard, to check items off of a list, or so that we can think positively about ourselves. We keep the commandments so that we can remain in the love of Jesus. Importantly, we don't keep the commandments so that we can enter into his love, only to remain there. To enter his love is only and entirely a gift from him which is completely free and undeserved.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
Imagine, the joy of Jesus in us! Complete joy! The commandments are ordered toward relationship with Jesus. And he wants this relationship with us precisely because of how much we need it. He, in fact, doesn't need us at all. His happiness and joy are perfect and complete in his union of love with the Father and the Spirit. It is not increased when we do good things. Yet he is so good that he wants to share that joy with us. This is why we see what we might call a Pope Francis approach in the reading from Acts. This approach can be summarized this way:
It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
The approach here prioritizes relationship before the finer points of morality. It is flexible to the degree that it can be flexible because what rules there may be do not exist for there own sake but so that we can remain in his love. It isn't about placing burdens which are impossible to bear on people's shoulders. It is all about grace.
It is all about the saving relationship with Jesus through which we receive the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit who empowers us to remain in the love of Jesus. He is the source of our ability to keep the commandments, for "without faith it is impossible to please God" (cf. Heb. 11:6). But now we have been set free. We must choose to stand in this freedom in the strength he gives us (cf. Heb. 5:1). In other words, if we live by the Spirit we need to walk by the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:25)! We need to recognize the source of our life and strength and learn to rely on him when we are tempted to turn to our own resources.
When we realize that this is what the commandments are all about our approach to sharing the gospel changes. Yes, we still use what influence we have to change things at the level of society. We definitely still vote for laws and politicians that are informed by natural law. But when it comes to people, we realize that relationship and love must precede obedience.
This has the wonderful side effect of making us all equal. No one stands before God on his own merit. We are now united as brothers and sisters and no longer strangers because Jesus freely invites us all to come to him. And he provides everything we need to remain in him. So let us remain in him! Let's open ourselves to the joy he wants to give us. Let us be filled with this joy until with the psalmist we can't help but sing:
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
We don't keep the commandments just to be good people, to measure up to a standard, to check items off of a list, or so that we can think positively about ourselves. We keep the commandments so that we can remain in the love of Jesus. Importantly, we don't keep the commandments so that we can enter into his love, only to remain there. To enter his love is only and entirely a gift from him which is completely free and undeserved.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
Imagine, the joy of Jesus in us! Complete joy! The commandments are ordered toward relationship with Jesus. And he wants this relationship with us precisely because of how much we need it. He, in fact, doesn't need us at all. His happiness and joy are perfect and complete in his union of love with the Father and the Spirit. It is not increased when we do good things. Yet he is so good that he wants to share that joy with us. This is why we see what we might call a Pope Francis approach in the reading from Acts. This approach can be summarized this way:
It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
The approach here prioritizes relationship before the finer points of morality. It is flexible to the degree that it can be flexible because what rules there may be do not exist for there own sake but so that we can remain in his love. It isn't about placing burdens which are impossible to bear on people's shoulders. It is all about grace.
It is all about the saving relationship with Jesus through which we receive the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit who empowers us to remain in the love of Jesus. He is the source of our ability to keep the commandments, for "without faith it is impossible to please God" (cf. Heb. 11:6). But now we have been set free. We must choose to stand in this freedom in the strength he gives us (cf. Heb. 5:1). In other words, if we live by the Spirit we need to walk by the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:25)! We need to recognize the source of our life and strength and learn to rely on him when we are tempted to turn to our own resources.
When we realize that this is what the commandments are all about our approach to sharing the gospel changes. Yes, we still use what influence we have to change things at the level of society. We definitely still vote for laws and politicians that are informed by natural law. But when it comes to people, we realize that relationship and love must precede obedience.
This has the wonderful side effect of making us all equal. No one stands before God on his own merit. We are now united as brothers and sisters and no longer strangers because Jesus freely invites us all to come to him. And he provides everything we need to remain in him. So let us remain in him! Let's open ourselves to the joy he wants to give us. Let us be filled with this joy until with the psalmist we can't help but sing:
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
21 May 2014 - real fruit flavour
21 May 2014 - real fruit flavour
Remain in me
Jesus tells us to remain in him. The implication is to do so requires some participation on our part. It is something which we (assisted by grace) do.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
We can remain in him because he is already with us.
Remain in me
But how?
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
We need his words to remain in us. Jesus remains in us. He continues to speak. But we have to listen. We have to internalize. We have to treasure these things in our hearts like Mary does. We have to actively read his word because it is here that we hear him speaking to us.
For one who completely shapes his life and worldview according to this word can count on the promise of Jesus, "ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you." This is true precisely because Jesus remains in him and his words remain in him to such a great extent that this presence literally begin to shape what the man wants. Not happening for us? Delve more deeply into the word!
There are times when the word we have received isn't clear to us. Our practice at such times should imitate Paul and Barnabas. We should take our questions and "go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters". We should take it to Jerusalem where we will be "welcomed by the Church" who will help us to understand. The Church is enjoys a "compact unity" as a result of the Holy Spirit guiding it into all truth. We are called to this unity but our understanding sometimes need to be pruned so that we can bear more fruit. This isn't always enjoyable. Yet, when we avail ourselves of the Church's help here, we should "go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." Truth is here because this is the place where God most perfectly dwells. He prunes us not to destroy us but so that we can bear much fruit. He prunes us so that the life that flows from the sacraments can fill us more and more. When it does he can use us to build his kingdom.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
Remain in me
Jesus tells us to remain in him. The implication is to do so requires some participation on our part. It is something which we (assisted by grace) do.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
We can remain in him because he is already with us.
Remain in me
But how?
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
We need his words to remain in us. Jesus remains in us. He continues to speak. But we have to listen. We have to internalize. We have to treasure these things in our hearts like Mary does. We have to actively read his word because it is here that we hear him speaking to us.
For one who completely shapes his life and worldview according to this word can count on the promise of Jesus, "ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you." This is true precisely because Jesus remains in him and his words remain in him to such a great extent that this presence literally begin to shape what the man wants. Not happening for us? Delve more deeply into the word!
There are times when the word we have received isn't clear to us. Our practice at such times should imitate Paul and Barnabas. We should take our questions and "go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters". We should take it to Jerusalem where we will be "welcomed by the Church" who will help us to understand. The Church is enjoys a "compact unity" as a result of the Holy Spirit guiding it into all truth. We are called to this unity but our understanding sometimes need to be pruned so that we can bear more fruit. This isn't always enjoyable. Yet, when we avail ourselves of the Church's help here, we should "go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." Truth is here because this is the place where God most perfectly dwells. He prunes us not to destroy us but so that we can bear much fruit. He prunes us so that the life that flows from the sacraments can fill us more and more. When it does he can use us to build his kingdom.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
20 May 2014 - peacemeal
20 May 2014 - peacemeal
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
How does the world give peace? When we get exactly what we want when we want it we may experience fleeting peace in the world. Even when there are good things happening to us there is usually something at the peripheries that keeps us from experiencing complete peace. We may be walking in nature somewhere beautiful. The temperature may be perfect. The rivers and birdsong may be music to our ears. Even the breeze can seem like a gentle caress. That is when the mosquito buzzes by our ear. The fleeting peace of the moment is shattered. But we don't always get what we want. And we often get what we don't want. And even when we do get exactly what we want we can't hold on to it forever. Just as quickly the world promises peace somewhere else. It always keeps us looking from one thing to the next. It tries to keep us from noticing that it can never fully satisfy us.
The peace of the world is a peace dependent on circumstances. Circumstances in a fallen world can never give us lasting peace. Jesus has the ability to give us a deep peace the persists in spite of circumstances, in spite of our own feelings, a peace that is always available if we just trust him to give it to us.
How else does Paul get up after being stoned almost to death and yet re-enter the same city? When our circumstances do this to us we might try a different city. Or we might give up the mission entirely. Yet there are cities which we are called to enter. We are called to fulfill our mission in these places. But in these cities stones have already been thrown. We can't even think about these places without anxiety about the people within and the stones they are all too ready to throw. Paul has these human feelings, too. It isn't that he doesn't feel them. But there is something at a deeper level that empowers his decision making. There is a deeper peace that knows that circumstances don't have the last word. He knows that, ultimately, even death is defeated and can't beat him. He has the peace that comes from knowing the risen LORD. After all, we aren't promised perfect circumstances:
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
We need the peace of Christ to face these hardships. The peace of Christ can guard our hearts even in spite of these hardships. We need to use prayer and supplication to make our needs known to God. We don't deny our circumstances. But we entrust them to him. And then his peace guards us no matter what we encounter (cf. Phi. 4:6-7). We can easily imagine Paul doing this. He gets up from being stoned and immediately feels called back into the city. His mission there isn't finished. But he is afraid. His wounds are still fresh and painful. And every sting of pain is also the promise of a new stone thrown if he does return. So how does he do it? How does he go back? He must make this request of God. He must say, 'LORD, let me re-enter this city with the strength to do your will. I am afraid but you are the Risen One and you are with me.' He casts all his cares on Jesus who first cares for him (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7). Because he does this, trusting in the LORD in spite of his own feelings, the LORD is able to accomplish the purpose he has for him.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
The other aspect of living in the peace of Jesus which we shouldn't overlook is thanksgiving.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
We need to rejoice over what God does for us. When we treasure these things in our hearts (cf. Luk. 2:19) we seal the memories within us and prevent the enemy from tampering with them. If we don't give thanks it is easy for the enemy to steal these memories from us. Then when we face new trials it is harder for us to look back on his fidelity. When we face difficult we ought to say, "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done" (cf. Psa. 143:5).
Even when it seems like Jesus is distant, when it seems like he is moving away from us, we need to trust that he is moving toward the Father and bringing with him all who believe. We need to trust that, no matter how things look, the ruler of this world has no power of Jesus. Jesus within us is greater than the one who is in the world (cf. 1 Joh. 4:4). He has overcome the world (cf. Joh. 16:33). The context of the promise of peace from Jesus is precisely his imminent apparent absence and defeat. It is precisely here that we can claim his promise of peace. Circumstances change but this kingdom does not pass away.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
How does the world give peace? When we get exactly what we want when we want it we may experience fleeting peace in the world. Even when there are good things happening to us there is usually something at the peripheries that keeps us from experiencing complete peace. We may be walking in nature somewhere beautiful. The temperature may be perfect. The rivers and birdsong may be music to our ears. Even the breeze can seem like a gentle caress. That is when the mosquito buzzes by our ear. The fleeting peace of the moment is shattered. But we don't always get what we want. And we often get what we don't want. And even when we do get exactly what we want we can't hold on to it forever. Just as quickly the world promises peace somewhere else. It always keeps us looking from one thing to the next. It tries to keep us from noticing that it can never fully satisfy us.
The peace of the world is a peace dependent on circumstances. Circumstances in a fallen world can never give us lasting peace. Jesus has the ability to give us a deep peace the persists in spite of circumstances, in spite of our own feelings, a peace that is always available if we just trust him to give it to us.
How else does Paul get up after being stoned almost to death and yet re-enter the same city? When our circumstances do this to us we might try a different city. Or we might give up the mission entirely. Yet there are cities which we are called to enter. We are called to fulfill our mission in these places. But in these cities stones have already been thrown. We can't even think about these places without anxiety about the people within and the stones they are all too ready to throw. Paul has these human feelings, too. It isn't that he doesn't feel them. But there is something at a deeper level that empowers his decision making. There is a deeper peace that knows that circumstances don't have the last word. He knows that, ultimately, even death is defeated and can't beat him. He has the peace that comes from knowing the risen LORD. After all, we aren't promised perfect circumstances:
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
We need the peace of Christ to face these hardships. The peace of Christ can guard our hearts even in spite of these hardships. We need to use prayer and supplication to make our needs known to God. We don't deny our circumstances. But we entrust them to him. And then his peace guards us no matter what we encounter (cf. Phi. 4:6-7). We can easily imagine Paul doing this. He gets up from being stoned and immediately feels called back into the city. His mission there isn't finished. But he is afraid. His wounds are still fresh and painful. And every sting of pain is also the promise of a new stone thrown if he does return. So how does he do it? How does he go back? He must make this request of God. He must say, 'LORD, let me re-enter this city with the strength to do your will. I am afraid but you are the Risen One and you are with me.' He casts all his cares on Jesus who first cares for him (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7). Because he does this, trusting in the LORD in spite of his own feelings, the LORD is able to accomplish the purpose he has for him.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
The other aspect of living in the peace of Jesus which we shouldn't overlook is thanksgiving.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
We need to rejoice over what God does for us. When we treasure these things in our hearts (cf. Luk. 2:19) we seal the memories within us and prevent the enemy from tampering with them. If we don't give thanks it is easy for the enemy to steal these memories from us. Then when we face new trials it is harder for us to look back on his fidelity. When we face difficult we ought to say, "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done" (cf. Psa. 143:5).
Even when it seems like Jesus is distant, when it seems like he is moving away from us, we need to trust that he is moving toward the Father and bringing with him all who believe. We need to trust that, no matter how things look, the ruler of this world has no power of Jesus. Jesus within us is greater than the one who is in the world (cf. 1 Joh. 4:4). He has overcome the world (cf. Joh. 16:33). The context of the promise of peace from Jesus is precisely his imminent apparent absence and defeat. It is precisely here that we can claim his promise of peace. Circumstances change but this kingdom does not pass away.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
Monday, May 19, 2014
19 May 2014 - the big reveal
19 May 2014 - the big reveal
The disciple in today's reading wonders why Jesus will reveal himself to him but not to the world. Jesus reveals himself to us, too. But often we wish he would be more quick to reveal himself to the world. We ask the same question which the other Judas asks this morning. Does this disciple marvel at his apparent position of exclusivity? Or does wish to share what he has found with the world?
He hears Jesus say he will not be with him much longer. He knows that he needs the words of Jesus to open him to the grace in which he stands. He thinks that if Jesus will only be around for a short time then there will be no way for the world to know the grace that this Judas knows. They won't be able to experience Jesus and the Father making their dwelling with them because it all starts with keeping the word of Jesus. We ourselves hear Jesus speak at moments of conversion moments of profound intimacy and conversion. He speaks the words that open us to love him and keep his commandments. But then, later, in what we come to think of as the real world, when we want to share his good news, we don't know how to find him in order that he might speak these words to others. We take come to take it for granted that he is gone and that he revelation is something which is just for us. It is now something in the past. It is something we treasure, to be sure. It is still something on which we base our lives. But it is no longer a living word that can actually speak into our circumstances with power.
But Jesus tells us how to find his living word at any moment we desire:
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
Even though his concrete and visible presence is restricted to a certain point in history, to a certain people and culture, he nevertheless wants to speak to all men in all ages. Even before Jesus comes to us God "did not leave himself without withness" among the Gentiles. But now he speaks to them directly. He does so through his Spirit alive in his Church. He wants his relationship, where he dwells in us and we in him, to be just as real for us as for those who walk with him in Palestine.
This is the Spirit that fills Paul and Barnabas. It anoints their healing and their preaching. It speaks so directly to the circumstances in which they find themselves that those around them are tempted to worship them. They tell the crippled to stand in the power of the Spirit and the crippled don't just stand. They leap to their feet. The Holy Spirit manifests in Paul and Barnabas so strongly that the crowd is tempted to sacrifice to them. The humility that allows them to be so filled with the Spirit quickly turns aside any praise directed at them to the LORD who is the source of all mercy, truth, and blessing.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
But this is not meant just for them. God uses Paul and Barnabas to speak to that generation. He wants to equip us with his Spirit so that we can speak just as directly to this one until all peoples say with the psalmist, "Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory."
The disciple in today's reading wonders why Jesus will reveal himself to him but not to the world. Jesus reveals himself to us, too. But often we wish he would be more quick to reveal himself to the world. We ask the same question which the other Judas asks this morning. Does this disciple marvel at his apparent position of exclusivity? Or does wish to share what he has found with the world?
He hears Jesus say he will not be with him much longer. He knows that he needs the words of Jesus to open him to the grace in which he stands. He thinks that if Jesus will only be around for a short time then there will be no way for the world to know the grace that this Judas knows. They won't be able to experience Jesus and the Father making their dwelling with them because it all starts with keeping the word of Jesus. We ourselves hear Jesus speak at moments of conversion moments of profound intimacy and conversion. He speaks the words that open us to love him and keep his commandments. But then, later, in what we come to think of as the real world, when we want to share his good news, we don't know how to find him in order that he might speak these words to others. We take come to take it for granted that he is gone and that he revelation is something which is just for us. It is now something in the past. It is something we treasure, to be sure. It is still something on which we base our lives. But it is no longer a living word that can actually speak into our circumstances with power.
But Jesus tells us how to find his living word at any moment we desire:
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
Even though his concrete and visible presence is restricted to a certain point in history, to a certain people and culture, he nevertheless wants to speak to all men in all ages. Even before Jesus comes to us God "did not leave himself without withness" among the Gentiles. But now he speaks to them directly. He does so through his Spirit alive in his Church. He wants his relationship, where he dwells in us and we in him, to be just as real for us as for those who walk with him in Palestine.
This is the Spirit that fills Paul and Barnabas. It anoints their healing and their preaching. It speaks so directly to the circumstances in which they find themselves that those around them are tempted to worship them. They tell the crippled to stand in the power of the Spirit and the crippled don't just stand. They leap to their feet. The Holy Spirit manifests in Paul and Barnabas so strongly that the crowd is tempted to sacrifice to them. The humility that allows them to be so filled with the Spirit quickly turns aside any praise directed at them to the LORD who is the source of all mercy, truth, and blessing.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
But this is not meant just for them. God uses Paul and Barnabas to speak to that generation. He wants to equip us with his Spirit so that we can speak just as directly to this one until all peoples say with the psalmist, "Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory."
Sunday, May 18, 2014
18 May 2014 - something greater
18 May 2014 - something greater
At one time or another we all feel that we are meant to be a part of something greater than ourselves. There are many ways we try to fill this longing for purpose. But no matter what we build here we find that it does not last. We find that the stones which the builders select don't yield the results we seek. We try to build these edifices of earthly satisfaction with dead stones. Fitting people who are meant to live for more than just this present life into these structures which pass away is to treat them as dead stones. We force ourselves into places where we aren't designed to fit.
If we are to truly find purpose and meaning we will only find it in a structure which is built on living stones from top to bottom. Jesus invites us to come and be a part of this.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
He is inviting us to lay aside the projects that can never really make us happy in favor of that which can give us the purpose that we are meant to have. This purpose can fill our very being and give us a strength of which we don't even imagine ourselves to be capable. The sense that we have since we are children, the sense that we are special, has become true in Jesus Christ.
You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises” of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
We are being built into a temple holy to the LORD (cf. Eph. 2:21). Our very bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19). Without Jesus we build on shifting sands. All our efforts are cast into the wind. Our hard work is washed away. The inexorable tides of change take it away. Entropy makes it harder and harder to recapture. But with the Risen One as the cornerstone we are being built into a temple which, while it is in the world, is not of the world. It is a temple of those whose citizenship is in heaven (cf. Phi. 3:20). It is a tree whose seed is imperishable (cf. 1 Pet. 1:23). As Paul tells us, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:19).
That isn't us because this temple is built from the ground up with living stones. Living stones are animated by the Holy Spirit. And so Paul reminds us that "if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life" to the members of this temple.
Jesus himself prepares the finishing touches of this temple by his death and resurrection:
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
We are united to Jesus. Because he is the cornerstone on which we are built we are part of something which stretches beyond this life. We do not yet experience it fully. We long for the places he prepares for us in heaven. Yet even now our connection to heaven defines us. It is the source of our life and our strength. This connection is Jesus himself, with whom we are united.
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
What the psalmist dimmly suggests we now realize fully.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
This temple is not just for us. It has everything for which the world hungers within its walls. Let us seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom as are the seven reputable men selected in today's reading from Acts. Literal widows in the world hunger for their bread. But it is not just them, we all feel abandoned and hungry. Everyone longs for this bread which is only found in the new temple. When the Spirit leads the Church is animated and able to welcome all of us. She is empowered to feed us the food only she can offer.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
At one time or another we all feel that we are meant to be a part of something greater than ourselves. There are many ways we try to fill this longing for purpose. But no matter what we build here we find that it does not last. We find that the stones which the builders select don't yield the results we seek. We try to build these edifices of earthly satisfaction with dead stones. Fitting people who are meant to live for more than just this present life into these structures which pass away is to treat them as dead stones. We force ourselves into places where we aren't designed to fit.
If we are to truly find purpose and meaning we will only find it in a structure which is built on living stones from top to bottom. Jesus invites us to come and be a part of this.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
He is inviting us to lay aside the projects that can never really make us happy in favor of that which can give us the purpose that we are meant to have. This purpose can fill our very being and give us a strength of which we don't even imagine ourselves to be capable. The sense that we have since we are children, the sense that we are special, has become true in Jesus Christ.
You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises” of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
We are being built into a temple holy to the LORD (cf. Eph. 2:21). Our very bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19). Without Jesus we build on shifting sands. All our efforts are cast into the wind. Our hard work is washed away. The inexorable tides of change take it away. Entropy makes it harder and harder to recapture. But with the Risen One as the cornerstone we are being built into a temple which, while it is in the world, is not of the world. It is a temple of those whose citizenship is in heaven (cf. Phi. 3:20). It is a tree whose seed is imperishable (cf. 1 Pet. 1:23). As Paul tells us, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:19).
That isn't us because this temple is built from the ground up with living stones. Living stones are animated by the Holy Spirit. And so Paul reminds us that "if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life" to the members of this temple.
Jesus himself prepares the finishing touches of this temple by his death and resurrection:
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
We are united to Jesus. Because he is the cornerstone on which we are built we are part of something which stretches beyond this life. We do not yet experience it fully. We long for the places he prepares for us in heaven. Yet even now our connection to heaven defines us. It is the source of our life and our strength. This connection is Jesus himself, with whom we are united.
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
What the psalmist dimmly suggests we now realize fully.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
This temple is not just for us. It has everything for which the world hungers within its walls. Let us seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom as are the seven reputable men selected in today's reading from Acts. Literal widows in the world hunger for their bread. But it is not just them, we all feel abandoned and hungry. Everyone longs for this bread which is only found in the new temple. When the Spirit leads the Church is animated and able to welcome all of us. She is empowered to feed us the food only she can offer.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
Saturday, May 17, 2014
17 May 2014 - all the ends of the earth
17 May 2014 - all the ends of the earth
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
We can't just look at the Father. We want to see him, of course. We sense that if we see him we will finally find an answer to all the longings of our hearts. But who shall climb the mountain of the LORD and stand in his holy place? Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart! (cf. Psa. 24:3). Without holiness no one can see God (cf. Heb. 12:14). We are like Moses who will surely die if we look upon his glory directly. What an impasse! Purpose and meaning, but it will kill us to behold directly! But Jesus tells us that the pure of heart shall see God. They shall have their longings fulfilled. And while for man this level of purity is impossible with God all things are possible (cf. Mat. 19:26).
Philip asks Jesus to show them Father and in doing so reveals that the disciples don't see Jesus clearly either. Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father. To see Jesus is a transformative thing. There are many levels of seeing with him. We imagine to see and walk with the physical Jesus at that time would be so helpful. But the crowds see a mere person from Nazareth. Yet if they continue to look they will be changed from one degree of glory to the next (cf. 2 Cor 3:18). As we fix our gaze on Jesus in the places he is present to us we are more and more purified to see him. Looking at him is the very thing that provides the light to see him. He teaches us to see with the eyes of our hearts (cf. Eph 1:18) that he is present in the poor and disadvantaged, present in his people gathered, present in his word, and above all present in the Eucharistic species. When we see this way we begin to behold him not just as he appears at a superficial level but as he truly is. Only gazing upon the adorable Trinity itself could enlighten us like this. Only the act of beholding that bond of love could transform us like this. How could selfishness and pride do anything but melt away before this vision?
Is it any wonder that the whole city gathers to hear Paul talk about this? Jesus is a light to the nations and the nations are tired of darkness. It is good to know that the world wants what Jesus gives. When we realize this we are more quick to offer it to them. Hopefully even today the world can see that the "disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit." That's us they're talking about! Hopefully the world will seek the source of that joy and that light themselves until:
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
We can't just look at the Father. We want to see him, of course. We sense that if we see him we will finally find an answer to all the longings of our hearts. But who shall climb the mountain of the LORD and stand in his holy place? Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart! (cf. Psa. 24:3). Without holiness no one can see God (cf. Heb. 12:14). We are like Moses who will surely die if we look upon his glory directly. What an impasse! Purpose and meaning, but it will kill us to behold directly! But Jesus tells us that the pure of heart shall see God. They shall have their longings fulfilled. And while for man this level of purity is impossible with God all things are possible (cf. Mat. 19:26).
Philip asks Jesus to show them Father and in doing so reveals that the disciples don't see Jesus clearly either. Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father. To see Jesus is a transformative thing. There are many levels of seeing with him. We imagine to see and walk with the physical Jesus at that time would be so helpful. But the crowds see a mere person from Nazareth. Yet if they continue to look they will be changed from one degree of glory to the next (cf. 2 Cor 3:18). As we fix our gaze on Jesus in the places he is present to us we are more and more purified to see him. Looking at him is the very thing that provides the light to see him. He teaches us to see with the eyes of our hearts (cf. Eph 1:18) that he is present in the poor and disadvantaged, present in his people gathered, present in his word, and above all present in the Eucharistic species. When we see this way we begin to behold him not just as he appears at a superficial level but as he truly is. Only gazing upon the adorable Trinity itself could enlighten us like this. Only the act of beholding that bond of love could transform us like this. How could selfishness and pride do anything but melt away before this vision?
Is it any wonder that the whole city gathers to hear Paul talk about this? Jesus is a light to the nations and the nations are tired of darkness. It is good to know that the world wants what Jesus gives. When we realize this we are more quick to offer it to them. Hopefully even today the world can see that the "disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit." That's us they're talking about! Hopefully the world will seek the source of that joy and that light themselves until:
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Friday, May 16, 2014
16 May 2014 - way better
16 May 2014 - way better
In Romans we read that Jesus is "designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead" (cf. Rom 1:4). This is what Paul is preaching about in Antioch this morning. He tells us because he is risen Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. Then he quotes the second psalm.
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
'This day' for Jesus is the day of the resurrection. Jesus is revealed as the one begotten of God. He is not begotten at the resurrection but from all eternity. It is in the resurrection that his relationship with the Father is revealed and vindicated. This is why Paul refers to the second psalm when he talks about it. This psalm is used for enthroning a king. All the kings of Israel are meant to have a filial relationship to the Father. But for all of them prior to Jesus it is a metaphor, and one which is always lived imperfectly.
In those kings and for ourselves sin and death keep us from the Father. Only the one who has come down from heaven, the one who is without sin, truly knows the Father, and only he can reveal him (cf. Luk. 10:22, Mat. 11:27). "No one comes to the Father except through me", as he tells us. It is an unbridgeable gap for us on our own.
But Jesus is willing to bridge that gap in his very flesh. He is will to unite heaven and earth in himself. He wants to be "the way and the truth and the life" for you and for me. When Jesus is on the cross we wonder where this way can lead. It is a bridge disappearing into darkness. His claims of kingship seem equally insubstantial as he suffers before our eyes. He seems impotent before the inexorable power of death.
All of Israel sees this death happen. They're pretty sure that Jesus is dead, just another revolutionary or zealot. They think that he can't be a way which goes anywhere. If this is his power, they think, how can he be king? And we think these same things when Jesus doesn't act when we expect him to do so. That is why we need to hear Paul tell us:
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
Because of the resurrection all of the claims which Jesus makes are proven. He is the King of kings. He is the Son of God, for the Father himself has spoken for him by raising him up. Even his humanity is now enthroned by this resurrection. We can now see why he himself is the way. He is the way beyond death to life eternal. All of this is revealed by his resurrection! Imperfect metaphor gives way as the true king is revealed in all his glory.
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.”
Since we have such a great king, a king who only takes reveals himself out of love for us, let us serve him with joy!
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
Jesus, reveal yourself as the risen one to us! Show us why you are the way so that we can follow you with reckless abandon!
In Romans we read that Jesus is "designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead" (cf. Rom 1:4). This is what Paul is preaching about in Antioch this morning. He tells us because he is risen Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. Then he quotes the second psalm.
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
'This day' for Jesus is the day of the resurrection. Jesus is revealed as the one begotten of God. He is not begotten at the resurrection but from all eternity. It is in the resurrection that his relationship with the Father is revealed and vindicated. This is why Paul refers to the second psalm when he talks about it. This psalm is used for enthroning a king. All the kings of Israel are meant to have a filial relationship to the Father. But for all of them prior to Jesus it is a metaphor, and one which is always lived imperfectly.
In those kings and for ourselves sin and death keep us from the Father. Only the one who has come down from heaven, the one who is without sin, truly knows the Father, and only he can reveal him (cf. Luk. 10:22, Mat. 11:27). "No one comes to the Father except through me", as he tells us. It is an unbridgeable gap for us on our own.
But Jesus is willing to bridge that gap in his very flesh. He is will to unite heaven and earth in himself. He wants to be "the way and the truth and the life" for you and for me. When Jesus is on the cross we wonder where this way can lead. It is a bridge disappearing into darkness. His claims of kingship seem equally insubstantial as he suffers before our eyes. He seems impotent before the inexorable power of death.
All of Israel sees this death happen. They're pretty sure that Jesus is dead, just another revolutionary or zealot. They think that he can't be a way which goes anywhere. If this is his power, they think, how can he be king? And we think these same things when Jesus doesn't act when we expect him to do so. That is why we need to hear Paul tell us:
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
Because of the resurrection all of the claims which Jesus makes are proven. He is the King of kings. He is the Son of God, for the Father himself has spoken for him by raising him up. Even his humanity is now enthroned by this resurrection. We can now see why he himself is the way. He is the way beyond death to life eternal. All of this is revealed by his resurrection! Imperfect metaphor gives way as the true king is revealed in all his glory.
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.”
Since we have such a great king, a king who only takes reveals himself out of love for us, let us serve him with joy!
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
Jesus, reveal yourself as the risen one to us! Show us why you are the way so that we can follow you with reckless abandon!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
15 May 2014 - as promised
15 May 2014 - as promised
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
David has an amazing heart. He is a man after God's own heart. God's priorities are his priorities. He loves God and God's people with profound dedication. Most of the time he even manages to put them before himself. Because of this he can more truly say to God, "You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior" than anyone who lives before him. His heart and his life show the DNA of God.
But David is just a prelude. His life, while good, is marred by sin. He repents quickly, showing again the goodness of his heart, but even ignoring that fiasco his reign still ultimately ends in death. He is still only human. Even though he is so good we see that his reign is still temporary. It still calls out for something more.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
David's life is a preview of the love which Jesus displays even more perfectly when he washes the feet of his disciples, the love which comes not to be served but to serve. It is the love which gives its life as a ransom for many. David shows us how good goodness can be in order to teach our hearts to long for that goodness in an even more perfect and enduring way. We see how good it is our hearts realize that it is still meant to be even more.
John the Baptist is quick to say of himself, "I am not he" so that we can fully hear Jesus when he steps on to the scene.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Jesus is the one for whom humanity waits. He is the only one that can fully embody the goodness for which David teaches us to long. This is because, far more than David, Jesus can call God his Father (cf. Wis. 2:16). Like David, like ourselves, he is tempted. But unlike all before him he does not sin (cf. Heb. 4:15). He has the same sympathy for the rest of us that David has. But since he doesn't fall into these snares himself he is able to lift up the rest of us. Like David, he is made the head of God's kingdom. But unlike David, "of his reign there will be no end" (cf. Luk 1:33). Finally, we find the goodness for which we long. "No one is good but God alone" (cf. Mar. 10:8) which is why this can only be "I AM" himself. Finally in him we find the place where our hearts can dwell secure. In every other thing and every other person no matter how very good they might be there is always an underlying current of anxiety because we know that we will eventually experience a failing of that goodness or the sadness when it ends. In Jesus, the Son, the great I AM himself, we can finally know rest. This is the deep truth of which the book of Hebrews reminds us when it says that "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (cf. Heb. 4:9). This is the rest we can have because, in Jesus, God definitively says "My kindness is established forever".
So let us receive Jesus and the one who sends him. He is our resting place. To that end he tells us that we must also receive the messengers he himself sends to us. His messengers are no mere preludes as David is. Instead they bring us very presence. To reject them is to reject Jesus himself. To persecute them is to persecute him. They share in the divine Sonship in a way that even David does not. Through the Holy Spirit they cry out "Abba! Father!" (cf. Gal. 4:6, Rom. 8:15). And, perhaps frighteningly, we share in this authority to the degree that we receive it. Which means that we can't stop at receiving the messengers of Jesus. We can't stop at receiving Jesus or even the Father who sends him. We must go out and make him known! This rest, this peace, is not just for us. If we try to grasp it so closely we will lose it. We can only keep it if we give it away.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
David has an amazing heart. He is a man after God's own heart. God's priorities are his priorities. He loves God and God's people with profound dedication. Most of the time he even manages to put them before himself. Because of this he can more truly say to God, "You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior" than anyone who lives before him. His heart and his life show the DNA of God.
But David is just a prelude. His life, while good, is marred by sin. He repents quickly, showing again the goodness of his heart, but even ignoring that fiasco his reign still ultimately ends in death. He is still only human. Even though he is so good we see that his reign is still temporary. It still calls out for something more.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
David's life is a preview of the love which Jesus displays even more perfectly when he washes the feet of his disciples, the love which comes not to be served but to serve. It is the love which gives its life as a ransom for many. David shows us how good goodness can be in order to teach our hearts to long for that goodness in an even more perfect and enduring way. We see how good it is our hearts realize that it is still meant to be even more.
John the Baptist is quick to say of himself, "I am not he" so that we can fully hear Jesus when he steps on to the scene.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Jesus is the one for whom humanity waits. He is the only one that can fully embody the goodness for which David teaches us to long. This is because, far more than David, Jesus can call God his Father (cf. Wis. 2:16). Like David, like ourselves, he is tempted. But unlike all before him he does not sin (cf. Heb. 4:15). He has the same sympathy for the rest of us that David has. But since he doesn't fall into these snares himself he is able to lift up the rest of us. Like David, he is made the head of God's kingdom. But unlike David, "of his reign there will be no end" (cf. Luk 1:33). Finally, we find the goodness for which we long. "No one is good but God alone" (cf. Mar. 10:8) which is why this can only be "I AM" himself. Finally in him we find the place where our hearts can dwell secure. In every other thing and every other person no matter how very good they might be there is always an underlying current of anxiety because we know that we will eventually experience a failing of that goodness or the sadness when it ends. In Jesus, the Son, the great I AM himself, we can finally know rest. This is the deep truth of which the book of Hebrews reminds us when it says that "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (cf. Heb. 4:9). This is the rest we can have because, in Jesus, God definitively says "My kindness is established forever".
So let us receive Jesus and the one who sends him. He is our resting place. To that end he tells us that we must also receive the messengers he himself sends to us. His messengers are no mere preludes as David is. Instead they bring us very presence. To reject them is to reject Jesus himself. To persecute them is to persecute him. They share in the divine Sonship in a way that even David does not. Through the Holy Spirit they cry out "Abba! Father!" (cf. Gal. 4:6, Rom. 8:15). And, perhaps frighteningly, we share in this authority to the degree that we receive it. Which means that we can't stop at receiving the messengers of Jesus. We can't stop at receiving Jesus or even the Father who sends him. We must go out and make him known! This rest, this peace, is not just for us. If we try to grasp it so closely we will lose it. We can only keep it if we give it away.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
14 May 2014 - joy beyond ourselves
14 May 2014 - joy beyond ourselves
My paraphrase of today's gospel: I have told you to lay down your life for your friends, which is what it means to keep my commandments, so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is the joy of being my friends, the joy of knowing everything that the master is doing, the joy of knowing everything I've heard from my Father. From this vantage point, the Father will give you whatever you ask.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
We want complete joy. What is the 'this' here?
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
He tells us to keep his commandments not to impose limits on us but so that we might have joy. When we obey the commandments we keep our hearts open to the love he wants to pour out on us. He distills down the commandments to one commandment: "love one another as I love you." He tells us to lay down our lives for our friends just as he does. We know that we aren't quite where we ought to be yet because to lay down our lives does not sound to us like joy. Why does Jesus insist on this as a condition his friendship? Can't he just give us joy while we continue to live egocentric lives? He cannot. The deepest truth of who we are, made in his image, can only find fulfillment in self-gift. Vatican II tells us:
Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for himself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self. (GS 24)
This is what it means to know what our master is doing, everything Jesus has heard from his Father. It is a revelation about the structure of reality, about the purpose of God which underlies everything he does. The Father pours out all he is so completely that this is the Son himself. The Son reciprocates that love. The bond of self-giving between them is the Holy Spirit. None of the Blessed Trinity holds on to his own life. Their limitless joy is only in the context of constantly pouring out their own superabundant lives in love. God wants to let us in on this wonderful exchange. This is impossible on a human level. We can't get beyond ourselves to genuinely enter in to love like this. It is rather the lofty destiny of sharing in the divine nature. He wants our joy to be complete in nothing less than sharing in his own life. And in the human context of life on earth this means to lay down our lives for God and for our brothers. This is far from being an arbitrary limitation. It is a summons to move beyond all we can ask for or imagine into the uncharted territory of blessedness that is life in God.
It wasn't us who chose him. It was he who chose us because he knows so much better than us what makes for human flourishing and happiness. To that end, we should consult with him whenever we can when we have to make choices. This is what the apostles do in the reading from Acts.
You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Since we are working on a plan which predates us, which is ultimately more than we can even understand, with ends greater than we can imagine, we must leave the plan in God's hands. We must not try to take it and run with it on our own apart from him. This is how we can "bear fruit that will remain".
So let us keep his commandments. Let us be ready to lay down our lives for his kingdom. When we do so we experience the joy of knowing what the master is doing, of seeing the kingdom built. We see the lowly lifted up all around us, seated now with princes. St. Matthias is lifted up like this. But even those who aren't made bishops are lifted up because we are all called to the same thing: the fullness of joy.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
My paraphrase of today's gospel: I have told you to lay down your life for your friends, which is what it means to keep my commandments, so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is the joy of being my friends, the joy of knowing everything that the master is doing, the joy of knowing everything I've heard from my Father. From this vantage point, the Father will give you whatever you ask.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
We want complete joy. What is the 'this' here?
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
He tells us to keep his commandments not to impose limits on us but so that we might have joy. When we obey the commandments we keep our hearts open to the love he wants to pour out on us. He distills down the commandments to one commandment: "love one another as I love you." He tells us to lay down our lives for our friends just as he does. We know that we aren't quite where we ought to be yet because to lay down our lives does not sound to us like joy. Why does Jesus insist on this as a condition his friendship? Can't he just give us joy while we continue to live egocentric lives? He cannot. The deepest truth of who we are, made in his image, can only find fulfillment in self-gift. Vatican II tells us:
Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for himself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self. (GS 24)
This is what it means to know what our master is doing, everything Jesus has heard from his Father. It is a revelation about the structure of reality, about the purpose of God which underlies everything he does. The Father pours out all he is so completely that this is the Son himself. The Son reciprocates that love. The bond of self-giving between them is the Holy Spirit. None of the Blessed Trinity holds on to his own life. Their limitless joy is only in the context of constantly pouring out their own superabundant lives in love. God wants to let us in on this wonderful exchange. This is impossible on a human level. We can't get beyond ourselves to genuinely enter in to love like this. It is rather the lofty destiny of sharing in the divine nature. He wants our joy to be complete in nothing less than sharing in his own life. And in the human context of life on earth this means to lay down our lives for God and for our brothers. This is far from being an arbitrary limitation. It is a summons to move beyond all we can ask for or imagine into the uncharted territory of blessedness that is life in God.
It wasn't us who chose him. It was he who chose us because he knows so much better than us what makes for human flourishing and happiness. To that end, we should consult with him whenever we can when we have to make choices. This is what the apostles do in the reading from Acts.
You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Since we are working on a plan which predates us, which is ultimately more than we can even understand, with ends greater than we can imagine, we must leave the plan in God's hands. We must not try to take it and run with it on our own apart from him. This is how we can "bear fruit that will remain".
So let us keep his commandments. Let us be ready to lay down our lives for his kingdom. When we do so we experience the joy of knowing what the master is doing, of seeing the kingdom built. We see the lowly lifted up all around us, seated now with princes. St. Matthias is lifted up like this. But even those who aren't made bishops are lifted up because we are all called to the same thing: the fullness of joy.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
13 May 2014 - voice of unity
13 May 2014 - voice of unity
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
At Antioch becomes apparent that all the old ways of referring to this Messianic movement which originates in Judaism are insufficient. Once people begin "to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus" it becomes obvious that we need a broader term to refer to his followers. The family of God is no longer delimited along ethnic boundaries. Rather all of those "turned to the Lord" are now included, whether or Jewish or not. The branch of the Gentiles is grafted on. The flock now consists of all those who hear the voice of Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
Before the voice of Jesus unites us we have to rely on other voices. The others voices have been all too human. Their guidance has been too uncertain. The LORD speaks to his people through prophets and kings. But the best of them are ultimately unreliable. Because this is so God cannot unite his people around their voices. He unites them around their ethnic heritage (and in doing so unites them around their shared origins in his covenant). He unites them around a rigid understanding of law. He does all of this to prepare a people to receive the shepherd when he finally comes. He comes to find those who are dissatisfied and disappointed with human voices. He prepares humanity to long for a voice which finally speaks "the words of eternal life" and then he speaks those words. Today. To each ones of us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
To be held in the hand of Jesus is to be held in the Father's hand. There is no more secure place than this. These are the words of certainty for which we long. This is the place where true unity among nations can be realized. We no longer merely hear the rigid demands of the law. We perceive the love of the voice speaking the law. When this assurance of love undergirds our own efforts we feel freedom to unite with one another. No longer do reject those different from ourselves. We no longer fear intimacy. Different origins no longer prevent us from sharing a common destiny. We are given a new birth to a living hope in (1 Pet. 1:3) baptism. This new birth is shared by all who are now called Christians. This is how are united in the city of God: the Church.
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
We finally belong! We are not strangers or sojourners any longer! We are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the very household of the most high (cf. Eph. 2:19)! Let us be consoled by this and rejoice!
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
At Antioch becomes apparent that all the old ways of referring to this Messianic movement which originates in Judaism are insufficient. Once people begin "to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus" it becomes obvious that we need a broader term to refer to his followers. The family of God is no longer delimited along ethnic boundaries. Rather all of those "turned to the Lord" are now included, whether or Jewish or not. The branch of the Gentiles is grafted on. The flock now consists of all those who hear the voice of Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
Before the voice of Jesus unites us we have to rely on other voices. The others voices have been all too human. Their guidance has been too uncertain. The LORD speaks to his people through prophets and kings. But the best of them are ultimately unreliable. Because this is so God cannot unite his people around their voices. He unites them around their ethnic heritage (and in doing so unites them around their shared origins in his covenant). He unites them around a rigid understanding of law. He does all of this to prepare a people to receive the shepherd when he finally comes. He comes to find those who are dissatisfied and disappointed with human voices. He prepares humanity to long for a voice which finally speaks "the words of eternal life" and then he speaks those words. Today. To each ones of us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
To be held in the hand of Jesus is to be held in the Father's hand. There is no more secure place than this. These are the words of certainty for which we long. This is the place where true unity among nations can be realized. We no longer merely hear the rigid demands of the law. We perceive the love of the voice speaking the law. When this assurance of love undergirds our own efforts we feel freedom to unite with one another. No longer do reject those different from ourselves. We no longer fear intimacy. Different origins no longer prevent us from sharing a common destiny. We are given a new birth to a living hope in (1 Pet. 1:3) baptism. This new birth is shared by all who are now called Christians. This is how are united in the city of God: the Church.
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
We finally belong! We are not strangers or sojourners any longer! We are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the very household of the most high (cf. Eph. 2:19)! Let us be consoled by this and rejoice!
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
Monday, May 12, 2014
12 May 2014 - one flock one shepherd
12 May 2014 - one flock one shepherd
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus wants to use us to invite these other sheep to be part of his flock. We know that we should be open to this. But we are disillusioned. There are a million roadblocks in the way. The Greek speaking peoples of the time have their own traditions of philosophy and science and they look down with disdain on the Jewish people. What does the story of this people have to do with them? The message of Jesus seems even more incredible still. Aren't they too well cultured for such things? It begins to sound familiar.
Peter probably would prefer to keep to the sheep who are of the flock already and ignore the Gentiles who are not. It would be more comfortable for him that way. There would be less opportunity for scandal if he does not mix with a people whose ways his fellow Jews consider undesirable and unclean. Listen to Peter's discomfort:
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Yet Jesus needs Peter to understand that these are also among the sheep for whom he lays down his life. Jesus loves all of his sheep, whether they are currently part of the fold or whether they are lost and wandering. He lays down his life for all of us. He is unwilling to let anything get between his sheep and himself. He is the good shepherd and wants all of us to hear his voice and to know him and be shepherded by him. Peter can't work like the hired man, where concern for his own well-being dominates. He must leave that comfort behind in order for Jesus as he truly desires.
How do we overcome this reluctance to let God use us? How do we overcome our lack of trust in him? How do we give ourselves completely to his plan? We know that the whole world is longing for him just as "the hind longs for the running waters". He wants to satisfy the world with the water of life. The water that he wants to give is the Holy Spirit. And we must be open to him ourselves. First, we must listen as he directs us. Jesus himself promises that we can recognize his voice.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
We are often too discriminating. We are quick to assume that people won't accept what we have to say. But sometimes it is our taste that is too discriminating. Sometimes situations are just too unseemly for us. Our concern for how we are seen be others take precedence over our concern for others. Let us hear the Spirit speak. These words can empower us, if we pray them, to overcome all discrimination which keeps him from using us to the full.
It is this same Spirit that he longs to give to the whole world. He makes a visible and life changing difference that is even apparent to onlookers.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
There is always more of the Holy Spirit to be received. He is a gift always waiting to be fanned into flames in our hearts. As we move toward Pentecost let us open ourselves to his transforming power within.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus wants to use us to invite these other sheep to be part of his flock. We know that we should be open to this. But we are disillusioned. There are a million roadblocks in the way. The Greek speaking peoples of the time have their own traditions of philosophy and science and they look down with disdain on the Jewish people. What does the story of this people have to do with them? The message of Jesus seems even more incredible still. Aren't they too well cultured for such things? It begins to sound familiar.
Peter probably would prefer to keep to the sheep who are of the flock already and ignore the Gentiles who are not. It would be more comfortable for him that way. There would be less opportunity for scandal if he does not mix with a people whose ways his fellow Jews consider undesirable and unclean. Listen to Peter's discomfort:
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Yet Jesus needs Peter to understand that these are also among the sheep for whom he lays down his life. Jesus loves all of his sheep, whether they are currently part of the fold or whether they are lost and wandering. He lays down his life for all of us. He is unwilling to let anything get between his sheep and himself. He is the good shepherd and wants all of us to hear his voice and to know him and be shepherded by him. Peter can't work like the hired man, where concern for his own well-being dominates. He must leave that comfort behind in order for Jesus as he truly desires.
How do we overcome this reluctance to let God use us? How do we overcome our lack of trust in him? How do we give ourselves completely to his plan? We know that the whole world is longing for him just as "the hind longs for the running waters". He wants to satisfy the world with the water of life. The water that he wants to give is the Holy Spirit. And we must be open to him ourselves. First, we must listen as he directs us. Jesus himself promises that we can recognize his voice.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
We are often too discriminating. We are quick to assume that people won't accept what we have to say. But sometimes it is our taste that is too discriminating. Sometimes situations are just too unseemly for us. Our concern for how we are seen be others take precedence over our concern for others. Let us hear the Spirit speak. These words can empower us, if we pray them, to overcome all discrimination which keeps him from using us to the full.
It is this same Spirit that he longs to give to the whole world. He makes a visible and life changing difference that is even apparent to onlookers.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
There is always more of the Holy Spirit to be received. He is a gift always waiting to be fanned into flames in our hearts. As we move toward Pentecost let us open ourselves to his transforming power within.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
11 May 2014 - speak life
11 May 2014 - speak life
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
How does the crowd respond? We hear the fire and brimstone in Peter's preaching. We might imagine that they become infuriated. We know how people would respond to us if we started accusing them of crucifying Jesus by their sinful behavior. They wouldn't listen. If they had been friends we'd be putting that relationship in jeopardy. But not so here.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
What is different? Peter in particular speaks with the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is the one who is called by Jesus to feed the sheep of his flock (cf. Joh. 21:17). These are the sheep who, like us, "had gone astray". But when they hear the voice of the shepherd speaking through Peter they hear something that hits them in a way that is personal and direct, a way that "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Leads them out from where? From our lives of sin unto death he leads us into green pastures and running waters. From the netherworld he leads his people to the banquet of heaven.
Only Jesus can enter this gate and lead his sheep out. This is the gate through death to life everlasting. And we follow him as he leads us. We were lost sheep but now his voice guides us. And Peter was once lost too. He was scattered like the rest when the LORD was crucified. But he heard the voice of the shepherd calling his name. He heard, "Peter, feed me sheep" and now follows Jesus into the kingdom.
As his delegated shepherd Jesus speaks through Peter to us. He is able to speak this way by the "gift of the Holy Spirit" which works in him in a profound and unique way. But the gift is also for us, our children, and all who are far off. He enables us all, to varying degrees, to speak with the voice of the shepherd and call those sheep who are still lost out from darkness. On our own our words are powerless or even harmful. But when the shepherd speaks in us marvelous things can happen. We all long for our shepherd and when we find him there is nothing else we shall want.
So let us return to the source of the shepherd's voice. Let us listen to the Church speaking in the power of the Spirit to us. Let us be filled with that same Spirit so that we may speak the words Jesus wants each one of us to speak. Let us disentangle ourselves from the many other voices which clamor for our allegiance.
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
We must do this because there is no limit to whom "the Lord our God will call." We need to make sure that the voice of the shepherd comes through loud and clear when they begin to listen.
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Let us rejoice together with all who were once lost at the table he spreads before us in the sight of all of those who were once our foes. Let us rejoice, anointed by the Holy Spirit, as we drink together the overflowing cup of salvation.
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
How does the crowd respond? We hear the fire and brimstone in Peter's preaching. We might imagine that they become infuriated. We know how people would respond to us if we started accusing them of crucifying Jesus by their sinful behavior. They wouldn't listen. If they had been friends we'd be putting that relationship in jeopardy. But not so here.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”
What is different? Peter in particular speaks with the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is the one who is called by Jesus to feed the sheep of his flock (cf. Joh. 21:17). These are the sheep who, like us, "had gone astray". But when they hear the voice of the shepherd speaking through Peter they hear something that hits them in a way that is personal and direct, a way that "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Leads them out from where? From our lives of sin unto death he leads us into green pastures and running waters. From the netherworld he leads his people to the banquet of heaven.
Only Jesus can enter this gate and lead his sheep out. This is the gate through death to life everlasting. And we follow him as he leads us. We were lost sheep but now his voice guides us. And Peter was once lost too. He was scattered like the rest when the LORD was crucified. But he heard the voice of the shepherd calling his name. He heard, "Peter, feed me sheep" and now follows Jesus into the kingdom.
As his delegated shepherd Jesus speaks through Peter to us. He is able to speak this way by the "gift of the Holy Spirit" which works in him in a profound and unique way. But the gift is also for us, our children, and all who are far off. He enables us all, to varying degrees, to speak with the voice of the shepherd and call those sheep who are still lost out from darkness. On our own our words are powerless or even harmful. But when the shepherd speaks in us marvelous things can happen. We all long for our shepherd and when we find him there is nothing else we shall want.
So let us return to the source of the shepherd's voice. Let us listen to the Church speaking in the power of the Spirit to us. Let us be filled with that same Spirit so that we may speak the words Jesus wants each one of us to speak. Let us disentangle ourselves from the many other voices which clamor for our allegiance.
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
We must do this because there is no limit to whom "the Lord our God will call." We need to make sure that the voice of the shepherd comes through loud and clear when they begin to listen.
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
Let us rejoice together with all who were once lost at the table he spreads before us in the sight of all of those who were once our foes. Let us rejoice, anointed by the Holy Spirit, as we drink together the overflowing cup of salvation.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
10 May 2014 - uncommonplace
10 May 2014 - uncommonplace
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
Is our Church at peace? We have gone for years and years with an absence of conflict that few of us would be so bold as to call peace. Peace is a positive quality, not a mere absence of conflict. Peace can't entail this sense of numbness and isolation that we experience as we drift through life in the Church. And these days, that life is not even without conflict. The government assaults the freedom of the Church on the external front. Within, liberals and conservatives war with one another. What is different in the early days of the Church?
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
File under 'Stories of an Idyllic Past', right? But wait. Are we called any less than the early Christians to walk in the fear of the Lord? Are baptism and confirmation becoming less efficacious over time? Emphatically, no!
Yet we choose to walk without fear of the LORD. We choose to take him for granted. We are so used to the superabundance of his love and mercy that we accept it as normal. We begin to live as though it is something which we are owed. Our relationship with God starts to resemble a relationship between a man and a woman which, though it begins with the two so afraid to make a misstep because of the awe in which they each hold the other, quickly loses this quality unless it is constantly reaffirmed and chosen.
So to with us. If we want to walk in fear of the LORD it will not happen automatically. We can't just enter our churches on Sunday set to autopilot. We must choose how we regard God, whether with fear or with indifference. We must choose the quality of attention with which we regard him as he offers us life.
When we do walk in the fear of the LORD our relationship with him is marked by joy and freshness. Every time is like the first time. The Holy Spirit builds the Church up in his consolation because, fearing him, we are open to that consolation in the deepest part of our souls. We are intimately open to his gift in a way that we are not if we take him for granted.
This is why the stories from Acts are not just idyllic. The early Church walks so profoundly in the fear of the LORD that his power can't help but manifest all around them. Peter healing Aeneas, Peter raising Tabitha, and all of the healings in Acts are meant to show us what is possible. In fact, they are meant to establish expectations for what is normative when, as Church, we walk in the fear of the LORD.
The LORD's promises are so great that if we hear him and our hearts are indifferent we are tempted to turn aside.
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
But when his promises are more than we understand, indeed more than all we can ask for or imagine, we can nevertheless accept them if we are walking in fear of him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth on which angels ascending, lifting us high, and descend, bringing down every blessing. The places where heaven meets earth are not commonplace. We are called to turn to him with our whole heart because only in his name is there salvation. This is the attentiveness which couples that are truly in love with one another mirror on a natural level. Only the Holy Spirit and his consolation can ultimately empower such love in our hearts. But, oh, when he does, what joy we find.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
Is our Church at peace? We have gone for years and years with an absence of conflict that few of us would be so bold as to call peace. Peace is a positive quality, not a mere absence of conflict. Peace can't entail this sense of numbness and isolation that we experience as we drift through life in the Church. And these days, that life is not even without conflict. The government assaults the freedom of the Church on the external front. Within, liberals and conservatives war with one another. What is different in the early days of the Church?
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
File under 'Stories of an Idyllic Past', right? But wait. Are we called any less than the early Christians to walk in the fear of the Lord? Are baptism and confirmation becoming less efficacious over time? Emphatically, no!
Yet we choose to walk without fear of the LORD. We choose to take him for granted. We are so used to the superabundance of his love and mercy that we accept it as normal. We begin to live as though it is something which we are owed. Our relationship with God starts to resemble a relationship between a man and a woman which, though it begins with the two so afraid to make a misstep because of the awe in which they each hold the other, quickly loses this quality unless it is constantly reaffirmed and chosen.
So to with us. If we want to walk in fear of the LORD it will not happen automatically. We can't just enter our churches on Sunday set to autopilot. We must choose how we regard God, whether with fear or with indifference. We must choose the quality of attention with which we regard him as he offers us life.
When we do walk in the fear of the LORD our relationship with him is marked by joy and freshness. Every time is like the first time. The Holy Spirit builds the Church up in his consolation because, fearing him, we are open to that consolation in the deepest part of our souls. We are intimately open to his gift in a way that we are not if we take him for granted.
This is why the stories from Acts are not just idyllic. The early Church walks so profoundly in the fear of the LORD that his power can't help but manifest all around them. Peter healing Aeneas, Peter raising Tabitha, and all of the healings in Acts are meant to show us what is possible. In fact, they are meant to establish expectations for what is normative when, as Church, we walk in the fear of the LORD.
The LORD's promises are so great that if we hear him and our hearts are indifferent we are tempted to turn aside.
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
But when his promises are more than we understand, indeed more than all we can ask for or imagine, we can nevertheless accept them if we are walking in fear of him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth on which angels ascending, lifting us high, and descend, bringing down every blessing. The places where heaven meets earth are not commonplace. We are called to turn to him with our whole heart because only in his name is there salvation. This is the attentiveness which couples that are truly in love with one another mirror on a natural level. Only the Holy Spirit and his consolation can ultimately empower such love in our hearts. But, oh, when he does, what joy we find.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
Friday, May 9, 2014
9 May 2014 - sensory overload
9 May 2014 - sensory overload
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
This is the true meaning of eternal life. It isn't just being near Jesus. It is having his life in us. It is remaining in him. It is him remaining in us. This is why we receive him, why we eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Eternal life is so much more than just life without end. It is the communion of love and joy shared by the Triune God.
But if our focus shifts from this life in the abstract to our typical Sunday reception of Holy Communion we have trouble making the connection. Even if we know that we receive Jesus, even if our eyes our sometimes filled with tears at the tenderness of his touch, do we realize or experience ourselves being filled with the very life of God? Each Sunday has the power to change us forever after. Does it happen? The answer, since we are weak mortal creatures, is likely, 'no', or perhaps 'Really? That's possible?' But if the reality is there, why the disconnect?
We, like Saul, have scales on our eyes, preventing us from recognizing all the ways in which Jesus is present in this world. But Jesus gives sight to Paul even though Paul persecutes him. And he wants to give renewed sight to us as well. He wants Paul to regain his sight so that he may "be filled with the Holy Spirit". So too with us. When we truly see the gift of divine life in the Eucharist we too are more open to be filled with that life, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is why Peter tells us we may become "partakers of the divine nature" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). Doesn't the word partaker itself hint at the Eucharist? And he himself gives "us everything we need for a godly life through knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Jesus wants to teach us to listen as he teaches Ananias to listen. Jesus says something Ananias doesn't like and so Ananias points something out to Jesus which he feels Jesus may have overlooked.
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But Jesus, being omniscient, overlooks nothing. He has taken all things into account and wants to teach us to take him at his word. We may not at first understand why Jesus chooses one like Paul. But we must still go to him if we are called.
Back to Sunday Mass then. We may not understand fully what it means to receive "the bread that came down from heaven". And how can way since it has such depth of meaning? But we need to recognize that Jesus is the one with the words of eternal life. We can trust him. We can let the words, 'This is my body' and 'This is my blood' echo in our souls as we hear the priest speak them. They have the power to communicate to our spirits the truth they signify. The reality of the presence of Jesus, the reality of the divine life contained therein, is made present to us in these very words. Just before the consecration we hear the LORD call us by name as he calls Ananias. Let us answer, "Here I am Lord" as he does. Let us truly be present.
When we are hearing clearly the LORD can use us for his mission as he does with Ananias. Seeing clearly for Paul also means a worldview centered on mission. It is profoundly realistic, recognizing that suffering is entailed. But the message of the life which is available to us all means that any suffering we experience is not to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed (cf. Rom. 8:18).
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
As our eyes and ears are opened, so too are our mouths. We begin to proclaim this Good News with praise and joy. We move from timidity to reckless abandon to his mission!
Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!a
His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the LORD is forever.
Hallelujah!
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
This is the true meaning of eternal life. It isn't just being near Jesus. It is having his life in us. It is remaining in him. It is him remaining in us. This is why we receive him, why we eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Eternal life is so much more than just life without end. It is the communion of love and joy shared by the Triune God.
But if our focus shifts from this life in the abstract to our typical Sunday reception of Holy Communion we have trouble making the connection. Even if we know that we receive Jesus, even if our eyes our sometimes filled with tears at the tenderness of his touch, do we realize or experience ourselves being filled with the very life of God? Each Sunday has the power to change us forever after. Does it happen? The answer, since we are weak mortal creatures, is likely, 'no', or perhaps 'Really? That's possible?' But if the reality is there, why the disconnect?
We, like Saul, have scales on our eyes, preventing us from recognizing all the ways in which Jesus is present in this world. But Jesus gives sight to Paul even though Paul persecutes him. And he wants to give renewed sight to us as well. He wants Paul to regain his sight so that he may "be filled with the Holy Spirit". So too with us. When we truly see the gift of divine life in the Eucharist we too are more open to be filled with that life, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is why Peter tells us we may become "partakers of the divine nature" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). Doesn't the word partaker itself hint at the Eucharist? And he himself gives "us everything we need for a godly life through knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Jesus wants to teach us to listen as he teaches Ananias to listen. Jesus says something Ananias doesn't like and so Ananias points something out to Jesus which he feels Jesus may have overlooked.
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But Jesus, being omniscient, overlooks nothing. He has taken all things into account and wants to teach us to take him at his word. We may not at first understand why Jesus chooses one like Paul. But we must still go to him if we are called.
Back to Sunday Mass then. We may not understand fully what it means to receive "the bread that came down from heaven". And how can way since it has such depth of meaning? But we need to recognize that Jesus is the one with the words of eternal life. We can trust him. We can let the words, 'This is my body' and 'This is my blood' echo in our souls as we hear the priest speak them. They have the power to communicate to our spirits the truth they signify. The reality of the presence of Jesus, the reality of the divine life contained therein, is made present to us in these very words. Just before the consecration we hear the LORD call us by name as he calls Ananias. Let us answer, "Here I am Lord" as he does. Let us truly be present.
When we are hearing clearly the LORD can use us for his mission as he does with Ananias. Seeing clearly for Paul also means a worldview centered on mission. It is profoundly realistic, recognizing that suffering is entailed. But the message of the life which is available to us all means that any suffering we experience is not to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed (cf. Rom. 8:18).
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
As our eyes and ears are opened, so too are our mouths. We begin to proclaim this Good News with praise and joy. We move from timidity to reckless abandon to his mission!
Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!a
His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the LORD is forever.
Hallelujah!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
8 May 2014 - fire eaters
8 May 2014 - fire eaters
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
He replied,
“How can I, unless someone instructs me?”
Do we understand the Scriptures when we read them? A fair answer is the response of the eunuch. How can we, unless we are instructed? We have certainly experienced those barriers and roadblocks that try to stop us as we delve into God's word. Yet we remain fascinated with it. It is not like the other words of which our lives are so full.
But it is a very specific kind of instruction we need, as Jesus tells us:
They shall all be taught by God.
And since no one "has seen the Father except the one who is from God" that one, Jesus, is the source of the understanding we need. Our own efforts, all merely human wisdom, and teachers reasoning with merely human ability are ultimately insufficient.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." (cf. Col. 2:28)
We should like to sit at the feet of Jesus and ask him all sorts of questions about what Scripture means. But he is reigning in heaven. What do we do, practically, to gain wisdom and understanding?
The secret is (as often) the Holy Spirit by whom we are anointed in baptism and confirmation.
As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you (cf. 1 Joh. 2:27)
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (cf. Joh. 16:13). Let this remind us that we don't have the truth automatically and that we need a guide to get to it.
But what about our brothers and sisters? Surely the mature among them can help to guide us. Yet Jesus cautions such brothers, "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers" (cf. Mat. 23:8).
And yet we see Philip impart wisdom to the eunuch from Ethiopia. Is this a contradiction? He seems to be acting as a teacher even though we only have one teacher. But all is not what it seems on the surface. When we listen in we see that Philip is being guided by the Spirit who places him there in the first place when he says "Go and join up with the chariot." Together, Philip and the eunuch seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. This wisdom manifests more through one for the benefit of another, but it is the Holy Spirit who teaches. This is a microcosm of the larger Church. The Church is, as Paul tells us, "the pillar and foundation of truth" (cf. 1 Tim 3:15). What that must mean, then, is that it is filled with the Holy Spirit in a way that makes it an all together reliable guide for us.
From the bottom to the top of the Church the Spirit is speaking to his people, leading them into all truth. He wants us to be as open to this truth as Philip is. He wants to be able to send us out to talk to others. And at the same time he wants us to have the assurance that we can turn to the Church for the explanations we need when we find ourselves in situations like that of the eunuch.
How do we respond to this in a practical way? How do we open ourselves more to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, both to receive that teaching and to share it with others? We come to Jesus who pours that Spirit out on us. He is the one who fills us with the Spirit in our baptism and confirmation and it is he who fans the Spirit into flames in us when we ask.
But practically, how do we come to Jesus for this?
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
He gives us his very life in the Eucharist which is to say the life of the Spirit. That is why Saint John Paul the Great quotes Saint Ephrem who says that "He who eats it with faith, eats Fire and Spirit." Let us receive with faith so that we will be as free as Philip to proclaim Jesus.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
while I recount what has been done for me.
I called to him with my mouth;
praise was upon my tongue.
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