31 August 2016 - not mission out

[ Today's Readings ]

Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.

That might make it sound like we have no role to play. Isn't it interesting that we hear that we can't take pride in a thing and assume that means we play no part in it? But we do have a part to play.

For we are God’s co-workers; 
you are God’s field, God’s building.

We have to be there, so that God can produce fruit. We have to be there, so that his presence can take up residence. We even work. But we are not paid what we deserve. Instead we are given what we need, some of which is the working itself, because the working is loving and we desperately need to love more.

But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”

The mission itself is what matters. It needs to matter more to us than any earthly thing. It is why Jesus is sent. But we are sent as well (see Matthew 28:19). This needs to actually and not just theoretically matter to us. We can't get by being motivated by how it impacts our self-image. That is a weakness that the enemy is all too ready to exploit.

The world needs the healing that only Jesus can offer.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

He wants us to let him use us to make that offer to others.

He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

They in turn jump up to join the work. Together we trust in the LORD.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.

So we pray:

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands! (see Psalm 90:17)

30 August 2016 - one word

[ Today's Readings ]

“What is there about his word?

There is something utterly unique about the word of God. On the one hand there are demons, who, even when they speak things which are true do so to harm others and must be silenced.

I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”

They try to prove their importance by their knowledge. They think they are more impressive because they know this fact. But knowing it, they do not submit to it.

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (see James 2:19)

They do not treat the word as it really is.

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (see First Thessalonians 2:13).

We need to receive it this way, as the word of God, with power to work in us. We need to receive it as powerful.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (see Hebrews 4:12).

The way we do this is to let the word speak for itself. The word comes with its own built-in interpreter.

Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.

This is the difference between demons who know and tremble and ourselves, who "have the mind of Christ."

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.

29 August 2016 - spirit and power

[ Today's Readings ]

Our own fear, weakness, and trembling is no hinderance to God revealing himself through us. Our lack of persuasive words does not prevent him from working in us with a demonstration of spirit and power. It's better this way. We don't want people to have faith because of a persuasive argument we thought of. We don't want their faith to rest on human wisdom. Instead, we want it to rest on the power of God.

In prison, John doesn't make use of a lot of clever ideas or well spoken words. He speaks with integrity and he is very direct.

“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

He says this in spite of the fact that everything is only likely to be harder for him because he does so. And on the one hand it is, because, "Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so." But on the other hand something about this man who will not be silent even in prison is compelling to Herod.

It is true that it is not enough in this case to persuade Herod much less Herodias or his daughter. But who knows what seeds this plants. It contributes to the everlasting witness of John the Baptist to the messiah he came to proclaim. Even if Herod goes to his death unrepentant it does not diminish the witness he unwittingly allows John the Baptist to give to Jesus. John does not turn aside from speaking the simple truth, not with eloquence or wisdom, but simply with the power of God. He does not turn aside even in the face of suffering and death. Humans turn aside in the face of death. Or maybe they go down fighting. They do not die in peaceful witness. The is obviously the power of God at work. This is the pinnacle demonstration of spirit and power.

The trick is to know and love the Word of God.

How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.

When we do this we will not turn aside, no matter what happens.

From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.

Then we will be the witnesses that we are called to be. John the Baptist, pray for us!

28 August 2016 - unassigned seats

[ Today's Readings ]

The LORD is calling us to humility this morning.

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

He is calling us to seek the lowest place at the banquets to which we are invited. We need move beyond caring about comparing. We need to move beyond the vanity of needing to be seen as important. The only one whose opinion matters is the one who holds the feast.

Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’

The LORD is the one who calls us to the banquet where we join "countless angels in festal gathering". His opinion is the only we one need to care about. He is not one who is impressed by worldly feats and accomplishments. He himself is the one who first takes the lowest place. He washes the feet of his disciples. He comes not to be served but to serve. When we are invited to the banquet of this host we should strive to be humble rather than exulted because humility is what he values. He calls us to hold banquets for those who cannot repay us. But he himself first invites us to just such a banquet. We say, "LORD I am not worth that you should enter under my roof" and feast on the one whom we can never deserve, receive that which we can never repay. His invitation comes to us while we are yet sinners. Even after, washed clean by baptism, we ourselves have nothing that we did not receive which we could offer him as payment. All we can offer to him is what he himself gives to us.

What shall I render to the LORD
for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD (see Psalm 116:12-13)

This is the model he gives us. We are to fellowship with others without comparing ourselves to them. We are to love others without demanding anything of them. In fact, we ought to try to share the gifts we do have with them, corporeal and spiritual works of mercy. Then our humility truly does make us loved more than a giver of gifts.

So let us approach the feast, Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, knowing that we have done nothing to deserve it. Let us strive to enter by our humility rather than our accomplishments. Let us imitate the generosity of the one who calls us to this feast by in turn calling others. We have nothing that we do not receive. But we have more than enough to share.

No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

This is the home the LORD prepares for the poor. To enter we must realize that poverty and allow our LORD to enrich us.

27 August 2016 - count on this

[ Today's Readings ]

Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.

We aren't necessarily people whom the world would rank highly. We often don't meet those criteria for success. Even so God still delights to make use of us. He likes how it is more obvious in that his power is at work in those who "count for nothing"

On our own we can do nothing (see John 15:5). Those whom the world regards as nothing tend to have internalized this truth. We need to also internalize the truth that we can do all things through him who strengthens us (see Philippians 4:13).  His power does work in us. He gives us talents to put to use in his service. There is something uniquely given to each one of us to do for the kingdom of God. It doesn't come from our human abilities. It comes from the grace of the master. We have it, but we can still squander it if we choose.

Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.

We must not squander the grace Jesus gives us. Even if we are not as gifted as other people seem to be we are not off the hook. We can't excuse ourselves and say that the calling to spread the kingdom only applies to others. Understanding that we start off as nothing must not diminish our confidence that God can work in us.

We may not start off with wisdom but Christ is willing to be our wisdom if we simply trust in him rather than ourselves. We can't allow ourselves to fall back to fear that we will squander the gift. The gift itself prevents that if we just trust the one who gives it.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.

Let's  invest in the kingdom today with the graces we are given. The world may not regard our contributions as significant or impressive but in God's eyes they are irreplacable

26 August 2016 - lightheaded

[ Today's Readings ]

We can't rely on others to keep our lamps lit.

The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’ 
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Other people can help in a variety of ways. But this oil, this most essential thing, is not a responsibility we can offload to others. This oil gives us the light to see the master coming. It casts out the darkness so we can go out to meet him when he calls.

‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 

He calls us to the wedding feast but we need to have our lamps lit to recognize and heed the call. We can't get this from others. "For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom" but neither signs nor wisdom is sufficient to fuel our lamps. In a sense they are both too external. In another sense they both make us the arbiter of truth. We makes demands of God rather than accepting his revelation if we insist on them. Instead there is only one way that we can truly find the oil we need.

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 16:17).

We need the oil of gladness that comes only from the Holy Spirit. He pours himself upon us to keep our lamps alight. He enlightens our eyes to recognize all of the ways the bridegroom calls us and comes to us. He convicts us of sin and empowers us to cast off the works of darkness. Let us look to the living water that pours for from Jesus.

but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Let us drink from this stream of delight so that no matter when the master calls we are ready to meet him with joy.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.

25 August 2016 - lacking no spiritual gift

[ Today's Readings ]

We are called to be faithful and prudent servants. We need the LORD's help to do so. We need his help to endure to the end.

He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Without his help we tend to be overwhelmed by selfish impulses. We lose sight of the big picture and try to do anything to make ourselves happy in the short term.

But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

We do this to the our fellow servants whenever we use them for our ends rather them recognizing them as ends in themselves because they are created to know, love, and serve God. Even if we are doing something good by them, but we are doing it in order to look good, we are using them for our own ends. Instead we need to distribute the spiritual food from God at the proper time. These gifts from God must be shared. We can't use our fellow servants. We can't even ignore them. We must use the blessings we are given to serve them. And this can't be just sometimes when we're feeling spiritual. It must be our default mode of existence.

Be sure of this: 
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.

The testimony of Christ is powerful enough to help us to stand firm until the end. It is the source of the spiritual gift by which we ourselves stand firm. It in turn is the spiritual gift we must share with our fellow servants.

God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are called into this fellowship together with our fellow servants. We need the testimony of Christ bearing fruit as spiritual gifts in our lives in order to heed the call. And since it is a fellowship to which we are called we must in turn share that gift with others.

Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.

24 August 2016 - dropping the facade

[ Today's Readings ]

Nathanael does not plan on being impressed by Jesus.

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Even though he hears that Jesus is the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote he doesn't have high expectations. He isn't planning to be impressed. And yet, when he meets Jesus, he is very impressed indeed.

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

He is able to recognize this because there is no duplicity in him. When he experiences the way that Jesus supernaturally knows him there is nothing preventing a response. Duplicity could get hung up on the fact that Jesus is (apparently) from Nazareth. It could cause Nathanael to resent even favorable judgments made by him. Nathanael is weary of the hope offered by Philip. But he does not reject it out of pride when he does encounter it. He experiences being known by Jesus. And this experience opens his heart to him. 

The woman who is guilty of adultery (see John 8:1-11) is similarly known by Jesus. She is beyond all duplicity when she experiences this. He already knows what she has done and yet he loves her anyway. Even past duplicity is not a deal breaker if we allow ourselves to be known. But if we insist on fronts and facades when Jesus shows us that he knows us we are unwilling to hear him. We don't receive the revelation that he knows us and yet still loves us.

We are always free to drop our duplicitous facades and to let ourselves be known by Jesus. We are meant to be the bride of the Lamb and there can be no secrets between us. We can leave the secrets of darkness behind us and know even as we ourselves are known (see First Corinthians 13:12).

Come here.
I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.

Once we know, we must share, just as Philip does.

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

If we meet apparent resistance like Philip does we can trust that the LORD is able to work in the hearts of others in ways which are invisible to us. We can simply say, "Come and see." If they are only willing to let themselves first be seen what they eventually see is amazing indeed.

You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

23 August 2016 - traditional medicine

[ Today's Readings ]

We ask you, brothers and sisters,
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly

We need not be shaken out of our minds suddenly. Jesus himself can protect us from anxiety. One of the ways he does this is by laying down unchanging teaching to which we can cling, by which we can stand firm.

To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.

If we want the traditions we hold to be an everlasting encouragement we need to do better than the scribes and Pharisees. They focus on points of minutia at the expense of the big picture.

You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.

They do the right things. Jesus says, "these you should have done" but adds "without neglecting the others." Justice and mercy are the main things he is concerned about. Tithes are oriented toward making us more just and helping us to show more mercy. They are not meant to be things by which we can consider ourselves superior to others. And so we should ask ourselves, is our Catholicism making us judgmental? Is our clinging to tradition helping us to be more or less merciful to others? We must not be blind to sin but recognizing sin in others ought never make us feel better about ourselves. It means that the work of mercy and justice still needs to be done.

Let us allow ourselves to be cleaned from the inside out. Justice and mercy and tithing become more than merely what we show the world. They begin to define who we are at the deepest level.

Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.

When we don't pick and choose the traditions we hold they purify us from within. They have the power to become an everlasting encouragement and good hope precisely because of the grace of Jesus that works within them. This morning let us experience the LORD encouraging our hearts and strengthening them in every good deed and word. In our turn, let us rejoice.

let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.

22 August 2016 - always connected

[ Today's Readings ]

We are meant to be always connected to God as the source of our strength.

Do we ever get disconnected?

Do we think about the things we must do without thinking about why they matter? This is the first step toward hypocrisy! If we think about making converts apart from their need for Jesus and salvation then our missions become vanity projects. They harm ourselves and our converts.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.

We become easily lost in details. We worry about checking the right boxes and not checking the wrong ones. Suddenly we are lost in legalism with no obvious connection to a God who loves us whether or not we deserve it.

Our gold and gifts have meaning precisely because they are made for use of the temple and for offering on the alter. Apart from these, sure, they look pretty. But ultimately they become distractions. Yes, even our own time, talent, and treasure can become distractions if they are used without reference to God. It is more than just following his plan for them. We need to understand who he is and how he himself would use them if we are to put them to good use.

When we remember that he who is seated on the throne of God is the one who gives meaning to our gifts and talents and direction to our missions we are not lost in hypocrisy or legalism. Realizing who he is means realizing that "God is love" (see First John 4:8). That love is what holds us in being. It is meant to our entire lives.

This is how our faith and endurance can be strong in the face of persecutions and afflictions. Such suffering tends to make us seek more immediate rewards when we can. They make us look away from the authority of the throne which apparently allows these sufferings. But we must not see them this way.

This is evidence of the just judgment of God,
so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God
for which you are suffering.

We are made worthy of the Kingdom through the discipline of our heavenly Father. We must become people for whom suffering only directs our hearts toward God more and more insistently. It begins when we remember who he is. When we know that God is love we trust his gifts even when we don't understand them. We rely on him even when it hurts. He himself is the one who bears the fruit of suffering in us, by uniting it to his own suffering for us. We just need to stay connected.

We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith,
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him,
in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Whether this moment finds us joyful or sorrowful let us stay connected to God and praise him for the gifts he gives.

Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

21 August 2016 - the gate to life

[ Today's Readings ] 

We can only enter through the narrow gate when the master has it open.

After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’

We have to not only come in response to the master's call. We must come when he calls us. If we hesitate we might find the door closed when we come. And so we can't be like those who are invited to the wedding with better things to do. We can't be like those who want to follow Jesus but have a list of things to do first. Imagine a climactic movie seen where the door is closing and there heroes race through, perhaps turning sideways to squeeze in at the last minute. The more we hesitate the narrower it becomes. But if we attempt it we can make it.

The gate is only as narrow as the person of Jesus Christ. We must come to him to be saved. Only by being conformed to him can we receive the holiness without which no one will see God (see Hebrews 12:14). If this is so then how does the gate seem to narrow? It narrows precisely as the time allotted for us to avail ourselves of it decreases. There is only this life and after it there is judgment (see Hebrews 9:27).

The urgency is that souls can be lost, our own or others, while hesitation keeps people from following Jesus. This is why we need to welcome the discipline of the LORD. Even though it seems a cause for pain rather than joy it is making us fit for the kingdom. It brings the fruit of righteousness. 

At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.

If we receive it we are strengthened and made able to enter the narrow gate while it is still open.

The gate may be narrow but the LORD wants to gather nations of every language into his kingdom so that we can all see his glory together. In fact those who have never heard of the LORD have an advantage in that once they hear they are less likely to be complacent about it. They pursue it and share it with others. May we not be complacent either but instead proclaim that greatness of the gift we receive.

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

20 August 2016 - motivated

[ Today's Readings ]

We are all prone to vanity. We need the LORD's help to not succumb to such motivations.

All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’

Aren't our own works performed to be seen? Isn't half the reason we act like a good person so others will see us that way? When we think a particularly sagely thought doesn't it reward us precisely because others might think it wise?

We need to stop feeding into that system.  We need to stop being so impressed with the cult of personality surrounding other people. If we value their works and wisdom so strongly then of course we will also be motivated to reproduce it in ourselves.

As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

We need to be disentangled from a system that rewards virtue with fame and thus tames virtue. We still want to surround ourselves with good teachers. But even if they are very impressive we must remember that those gifts come from God. We want good fathers in families and churches but we recognize that the authority and honor due to those position is due precisely because they receive their mandate from the one Father in heaven.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (see Ephesians 3:14-15).

When we internalize this truth we ourselves won't take the title of master to build up our pride and our ego. Even if we teach others we are not like the scribes and Pharisees who do it just to show how great they are but can do nothing to help others put it into practice. Instead, our love is genuine, able to actually reach past our own pride in order to actually help and impact others.

Then we see that all true manifestations of love are the LORD himself at work. When we strip ourselves of our vain and prideful motivations we begin to see his glory shine through us.

And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.
Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple,
while the man stood beside me.
The voice said to me: 
Son of man, this is where my throne shall be,
this is where I will set the soles of my feet;
here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.

We know that we don't earn the LORD's presence in the temple. We don't earn it in our hearts and in our lives. But this is exactly where he wants to shine. So we must let him!

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him, 
and salvation, along the way of his steps. 

19 August 2016 - out to dry

[ Today's Readings ]

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Doesn't this read to us like obligation? How does our heart respond when we hear this? Doesn't it sound dry, heavy, and burdensome? Yet we read that "his commandments are not burdensome" (see John 5:3). It seems like when we try to put them into practice we are overcome by the world. Yet we read that "everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world" (see John 5:3). So why do we feel like such dry bones?

The LORD is the only one who can solve this problem. He is the only one who can give us life again. Even though our bodies are alive true life, life that overcomes the world, is born again of God. Without his Spirit living in us we are little more than bones ourselves. We do have his Spirit living in us by virtue of baptism and confirmation. But have we unleashed him in our lives? Have we fanned the flame? A litmus test for us today is the degree to see to what degree the commandments feel like obligation. And if we feel like, "How dry they were!" then let us turn to the LORD and hear his prophesy over us.

Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.

Already we can feel the life returning to us. We no longer feel weak and fragile but rather strong in the LORD.

From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.

The LORD rescues us from the valley of death. He gives us life even in a world that seems to choke it. He empowers us to love when our human nature would simply find a burden.

And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.

Once we ourselves are rescued and restored let us continue to listen to the voice of the LORD. He may be asking us to speak that same life to others.

O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.

18 August 2016 - invited and chosen

[ Today's Readings ]

Let us hear the invitation of the LORD.

“Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’

Let us hear: "come to the feast."

And let us respond. May we not think that we have something better to do. Our farms and our businesses seem more necessary than a banquet. But they are not. It is when those priorities are challenged that we are sometimes angered.

The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.

We don't run the risk of shooting the messenger if we realize the the most essential of essential things on earth pales in comparison to the banquet to which we are invited.

We might think we aren't worthy to come into the presence of the king and for that reason decline the invitation. We are right that we are not worthy. But that is all the more reason we should thankfully accept the invitation.

The king himself gives us a robe to wear. He himself cleanses us for the feast.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.

Are we chosen for this? We have a hard time thinking of ourselves as chosen by God. But this morning he wants us to think of ourselves that way. Are we really chosen? Only if we want to be. Only if we let the LORD wash us and clothe us. Only if we listen to the possibility of joy the resonates in his invitation to us.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.

#newmancenterclassics

17 August 2016 - living wage

[ Today's Readings ]

‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’

We do tend to feel like we earn something. There is the feeling of effort. Because of that feeling we expect commensurate reward, just as we would for any effort. But this is different. We can't find any work on our own. To work in the vineyard, to do something meaningful, is actually a gift to us. On our own we stand idly in town with no higher purpose to guide us. The landowner allows us to share in the work of vineyard. In turn he meets our needs.

What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?

He does not give us less than we expect. We takes issue because he gives others more than we expect. But the connection between what we do and what we get doesn't apply here. He lets us work for our own sakes and therefore also for the sake of all those who enjoy the fruit of the vineyard. He supplies our needs. It isn't a particularly skilled trade. We don't deserve anything special for doing more. Ultimately, seeing the vineyard bear fruit is meant to become its own reward.

When we start working as though the field is ours we no longer approach the fruit as its own reward and we deserve reward proportional to our effort. We become like shepherds who have been pasturing themselves rather than the sheep.

Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel
who have been pasturing themselves!
Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?

We reap the superficial rewards where we can but do not do the things which do not seem immediately rewarding.

You have fed off their milk, worn their wool,
and slaughtered the fatlings,
but the sheep you have not pastured.
You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick
nor bind up the injured.

We are called, rather, to have a concern above all else for the sheep. They are not really ours, after all. They are entrusted to our care. But they belong to the LORD.

I will claim my sheep from them
and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep
so that they may no longer pasture themselves.
I will save my sheep, 
that they may no longer be food for their mouths.

Jesus himself is the vine. He allows us to be grafted in and pruned in order to bear fruit. He allows us to take part in the work of the vineyard to bear the wine of joy for the kingdom of God. Jesus himself is the shepherd. He allows us to share in his own love for his sheep, a love which we must first receive.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

If he shepherds us we want for nothing. We don't abuse other sheep. We don't demand more payment for our labor just because we see others getting more. Instead we dwell in peace and contentment.

Only goodness and kindness will follow me
all the days of my life; 
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

16 August 2016 - empty to be filled

[ Today's Readings ]

The LORD asks us to stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting him. We need to stop trusting our wisdom, our intelligence, and our riches. We should know better by now. We've seen how these things fail. We've seen how God never fails. And yet we seem no better now. He will allow our houses to collapse if we build them on sand.

They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, “I am a god!”
when you face your murderers?

No amount of strength on our own is enough without the LORD's protection.

“How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the LORD delivered them up?”

All of our anxiety is wasted unless we place our concerns in the LORD's hands.

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (see Psalm 127:1).

Nothing we have or possess can help us.

Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.

Nothing except God himself.

“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”

Let us look to the example of Mary who first put her trust in this promise when it was made to her by an angel. Let us share in the trust she has, stemming not from what she is, but from knowing he who loves her.

On our own we can do nothing but with Jesus we can bear much fruit.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (see John 15:5).

In Jesus Christ the impossible is possible. In him we can do all things.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me (see Philippians 4:13).

Jesus insists that we trust in him rather than ourselves. He does so because it is worth it for us. He loves us and is able to give us more than we can ever have apart from him.

And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.

So let's not insist on making ourselves first. Let us allow ourselves to fill the last place as regard our own strength and treasure. Let us be empty so that he can fill us.

But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

We can trust that he wants to do so.

Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.

15 August 2016 - ark of the new covenant

[ Today's Readings ]

Mary is the ark of the New Covenant. She is a vessel for God's own presence. We see intentional similarity in the language of today's gospel about Mary visiting Elizabeth to text about David and the ark.

"How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household (see Second Samuel 6:9-11).

To most people Mary would appear to be just a normal girl at this point. But Elizabeth receives a grace to see beneath the surface to the deeper spiritual truth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“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?

We become partakers of this grace whenever we pray the Hail Mary with focus and sincerity. We realize more fully the truth that Mary is the ark of the New Covenant, somehow containing the uncontainable Son of God within her own body. She is the queen of heaven who stands arrayed in gold at the right hand of God. It is impossible for corruption to the body of Mary for the same reason that Uzzah is punished for touching the ark. It isn't so much about the vessel as what it contains.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God (see Second Samuel 6:7).

Somehow, the grace to be an ark of the presence of Jesus is not given to Mary alone. 

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

She alone is sinless, but Jesus stills deigns to enter into our own hearts as well when we confess him as our LORD. Somehow, he even enters into our very bodies in the Eucharist. If we receive Jesus and allow him to abide in us he will lead us along the path that he blazed, the path on which Mary was the first to follow, the path to the kingdom of glory.

For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;

Today let us look to the sign of the woman clothed with the sun and find in her the consolation of God's nearness to us. Being near to Mary is a blessing for she is always so close to her Son. To be with her is to be sure we're in the right place. In her love for Jesus she loves all of his brothers and sisters as well. She wants us all to share in her own proximity to Jesus because that is the very best treasure she has. She intercedes and makes the grace available so that all who fear him in every generation can become arks of his presence.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”

14 August 2016 - fired prophets

[ Today's Readings ]

The LORD wants to strengthen us so that we can be prophetic even when there is fierce opposition. This opposition is actually inevitable.

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? 
No, I tell you, but rather division. 

If we follow Jesus we end up facing the same persecution that he does.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours (see John 15:20).

How can the word of love be so divisive? How can salvation and mercy create so much opposition?

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil (see John 3:19).

Sometimes our words have to be like those of Jeremiah. They can be words which demoralize "the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them". They are like this precisely because we cannot ever affirm the darkness. We must give warning when society chooses evil rather than love. It is not loving to affirm an alcoholic in his alcoholism and encourage him to continue in it. Rather we are called to love him at a deeper level, as a person, as a child of God, even if this does not feel loving to him at the time.

In order to be prophetic ourselves and in order not to stifle or ignore the voices of other prophets we must keep "our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith." Only then can we rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us without growing weary and losing heart in a world which opposes this message.

If they throw us in the cistern our hope must be in the one who can set us free again.

The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.

13 August 2016 - like a child

[ Today's Readings ]

The LORD is calling us to become like little children. 

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

He is telling us that nothing can keep us from doing so if we want. The innocence and trust of children are quickly ruined by the world. But we can have them back again. The march of time seems to inexorably steal these things from us but God restores them by grace if we just ask.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.

We blame past generations for our problems.

“Fathers have eaten green grapes,
thus their children’s teeth are on edge”?

We see history and convince ourselves that the way things were is the way they will always be. Today the LORD offers us a fresh start. We can no longer blame circumstances or history for our problems. We are free to shed these burdens and approach Jesus as little children. After all, baptism is a new birth in the Holy Spirit. It means becoming a new creation in Christ. We are meant to walk in newness of life.

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

We ask for a clean heart, knowing that it is the heart of a child, the heart of one who is born again. We are called "put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (see Ephesians 4:24). When we do so we can run to Jesus as freely as the little children. We don't need to worry about rebukes from anyone else. We know that he will embrace us and lay his hands upon us in blessing.

12 August 2016 - till death do us part

[ Today's Readings ]

He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.

Jesus empowers us to move beyond the limitations of our hardened hearts. He brings us back to the good things he has planned for us from the beginning.

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,

He doesn't do this because we deserve it. He didn't favor us then because we deserved it.

Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.

He finds us naked and clothes us in baptism garments, washing away our sins with water. He anoints us with the Holy Spirit. These gifts are so great that we should "be covered with confusion" for that the LORD has done for us.

He saves us from the trap of focusing on ourselves.

But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became.

He makes us capable of lasting love for others in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, even unto death.

His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”

This shows us that marriage is a calling. We don't have the strength to undertake it on our own. We should not, therefore, choose it on our own. God leads us to the calling he has for us. He equips us and gives us grace for that calling. Some he calls to marriage. Others are called to be celibate for the kingdom.

some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.

In many ways our society hears this and believes this is the impossibility. But "to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (see First Corinthians 1: 24). Suddenly what seems foolish to the world is the only thing that makes sense.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (see Ephesians 2:10).

Let us trust in the LORD's plans for us today.

God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

11 August 2016 - idol thoughts

[ Today's Readings ]

Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;
they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.

This is what happens when we worship idols. We become like them.

Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them (see Psalm 115:4-8).

The LORD invites us to repent before these consequences run their course. Idols make us less than what we are. We become like the things we worship. If those things are less than human we begin to lose some of our humanity in pursuing them. The LORD warns us that he is willing to go as far as exiling us from our idols. He sends Ezekial through a hole in the wall to make this point. Seeing it in advance, he hopes, will convict the people and change their hearts.

And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.

We are all scheduled for exile far from any possibility of idolatry. This is the final exile of death. Like Ezekiel, Jesus takes this path first to show us how we need to let go of our idols. We go and the idols cannot come with us. The only things we can bring are faith, hope, and love.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (see First Corinthians 13:13).

We can't bring any unforgiveness with us. 

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.

We are called to let go of our selfish pursuits and embrace love and mercy. We can do so because God first has mercy on us. We can no longer act based on what we think anyone deserves because God in his mercy does not consider what we truly deserve.

Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.

Let us not cling to temporary things. Let us instead rise on the wings of love. If we do, exile is not our final destination. Heaven is. We hear the Father say "Enter into the joy of your master" (see Matthew 25:23).

10 August 2016 - scalable grace

[ Today's Readings ]

Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.

This is true no matter to which good work we are called today. The grace scales to any situation. Whether we need to conquer ourselves and give a smile when we don't feel like it or whether we need to conquer ourselves to offer our lives like Saint Lawrence, God makes the grace not only available but abundant. It is not available in all things but abundant in some. It is, as we read, abundant for all things and for every good work.

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Losing our lives for the kingdom doesn't necessarily come with a lot of drama or a good story. It is often the small things done for love that truly transform us and the world. So we don't need to fear that we aren't doing enough if we aren't martyrs, necessarily. Then again, if God calls us to give the witness of martyrdom he makes the grace abundant for us to do so. Even then we need not fear.

We can make these offerings without sadness or compulsion because this is what God wants from us. He loves cheerful givers. It is a good thing we don't have to do this on our own because it seems pretty impossible without his help. We are called to give ourselves away this morning. But at the same time we are called to remember that only in God, only connected to his grace, can we do so.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (see John 15:5).

The man who is gracious and lends to those in need is blessed even before his horn is exalted in glory. The blessing is what empowers the gift. Trusting in that blessing makes him fearless.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.

9 August 2016 - all sweetness within

[ Today's Readings ]

Even when the message seems bitter..

Lamentation and wailing and woe!

..the words of the LORD are sweet..

Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

We are called to taste and see how good is the word of the LORD. His decrees are better than all riches. They are delightful. They give us counsel when we are in doubt. They are more precious than gold or silver. They are sweeter than honey to our mouths. The reason they are so good is first and foremost that they describe what lasts forever. They are words which do not pass away. We can trust in them. We can build on them. When we do, we can rest assured that our foundations are firm.

We have a hard time seeing how lamentation and wailing connect to anything joyful. But we need to remember that only impermanent things can be shaken. At minimum, these things teach us to put our treasure where it cannot be taken from us.

Let us be like little children and trust in the Father who gives us his words. He gives good gifts to his children. He makes all things work together for the good of those who love him. Let us not be proud, seeking words more to our palette, words with more glitz and glamour, less lamentation and woe. There is salvation in no other name but that of Jesus. Let us receive it. Let us confess it. We can trust that even if we wander and go astray he still seeks us out. When we truly come to trust that the Father has our good at heart we are ready to devour the words he gives us. We realize that he gives us not only words, but the Word of God, Jesus Christ. We do eat this word in Holy Communion. We are transformed into what we receive, tasting all sweetness within this gift of the Father for us.

I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.

8 August 2016 - see the glory

[ Today's Readings ]

Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

We need to believe in the glory of God because sometimes the world doesn't seem very glorious it all. In fact it seems so dark as to negate the possibility of any glory anywhere.

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
And they were overwhelmed with grief.

By all human judgment this is not what should happen to God's chosen one. The messiah is sent to fix the problems of this world, not succumb to them, isn't he? Yet fixing these problems is part of this promise, too, for he will be raised on the third day. The disciples are too overwhelmed with grief to hear this part of the promise. Indeed, they mostly cannot follow Jesus to the cross at first. But to ensure, at least, that they can return to him when they fail Jesus makes known his glory on the mount of transfiguration. A combination of that vision and this promise is not enough to prevent the denial of Peter. But it is enough to empower his repentance.

This morning the LORD wants us to receive a vision of his glory.

Above the firmament over their heads
something like a throne could be seen, 
looking like sapphire.
Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man.
Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum;
downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire;
he was surrounded with splendor.
Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day
was the splendor that surrounded him.
Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

We won't always have this vision before us. But if we act like Mary does, and treasure these things in our hearts, then the conviction the vision gives us remains even when the feelings fade. We treasure and celebrate these blessings from the LORD. We plant them deep within the soil of our hearts so that they can bear fruit and not be eaten by birds.

The way we plant glorious visions in our hearts is primarily by praise and thanksgiving.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.

Jesus is generous. He pays the temple tax for Peter as well as himself even though he is not obligated to pay for either of them. We can be confident in the authority he gives Peter, making him a spokesperson for the kingdom. The voice of Peter is another thing we can trust when times get tough. We can be confident that Jesus loves us enough to plant us firmly in the truth of his message if we let him do so.

And he has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him. 
Alleluia.