30 September 2016 - truth stewards

[ Today's Readings ]

Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. 
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

We need to become good listeners. On a human level this means being able to understand and restate what we hear. But on a spiritual level we must go deeper. We must learn to listen with our hearts so as to hear what the LORD is saying. Many people know the scriptures without believing in them. And they in turn often open themselves up to trust in superstitions which are not worthy of their trust. We can't be like that. We have to hear the words of Jesus for what they are.

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).

Jesus speaks words that are categorically different from all other words. His words are not just true. They are powerful. Belief in them has consequences and so does unbelief. In a world where what is true is so contentious his is the voice we need to trust. We shouldn't just open our minds to everything or who knows what'll get in. Instead we should open our minds first to Jesus and let him lead us into all truth by his Spirit.

We have much pretense about our ability to understand things apart from God. Reason can indeed attain to scientific truths without the help of faith. But when there is truly no reference to God who created all of the objects of science we quickly become lost. Let us learn from Job humility. Let us realize with him that however much we know God knows still more. We must not use our knowledge to justify ourselves to the LORD. We must use the knowledge we are given to serve him.

Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.

This all begins with listening correctly. When we do we realize we are stewards of the truth rather than its creators. When we realize that God can guide us along the everlasting way.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; 
wonderful are your works.

29 September 2016 - in the sight of the angels

[ Today's Readings ]

Today we celebrate and thank God for the archangels. They help us, bring us messages from God and even fight for us against the enemy.

Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.

God does not intend for us to be on our own.  We ought to pray for one another and avail ourselves of the prayers and help of others. Even more ought we should avail ourselves of the prayers and help of the saints and angels in heaven.

We conquer the accuser not by our own efforts but by our blood of the lamb and the testimony which our words and our lives give, not to ourselves, but to him. This testimony to Jesus connects us not only to the head but to the body. We join not only Jesus himself but his Church because the two are inseparable. And the Church consists not only or even primarily of those on earth. It joins us to the Church in heaven as well.

Jesus knows us as surely as he knows Nathanael. If we stay near to Jesus we find a connection to the Church in heaven even now.

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.”

The focal point of all this is the mass. Angels surround us and assist in the worship of God. They carry our prayers like incense to the throne. Let us open ourselves to the full reality and power of this truth.

A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.

Heaven is not as far from us as we think. Let us receive all of the help God has for us. There is a whole supernatural dimension that we often forget. Today we are called to reorient our lives in consideration of that truth.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.

28 Septembers 2016 - wonders for the dead

[ Today's Readings ]

Kingdom first. Everything else second.

Even the best of good things only have lasting value in the light of God's kingdom. Even home and family must not be given priority over God. Indeed, they would not ask for such priority if they were thinking rightly. They ought to regard the one man's decision to follow Jesus as more important than the elaborate ceremonies of mourning that he wishes to attend. And if the other man is not even given time to say farewell the family should respect the urgency of that call. Being closer to Jesus and fulfilling his plans will never be worse for those around us. Indeed, whether we are near or far we can be assured that when we stand in the will of Jesus we do the best we can by everyone else as well. 

When we do go after Jesus we do not find a new stability in the world itself. In fact, we find less. We find fixed points we once had taken from us. The only fixed point becomes Jesus himself.

“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

We want to insist on more. We want to insist on Jesus and home and all of the comforts we think we deserve. But we need to learn, more and more, to insist only on Jesus.

How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.

Job's reverential fear is correct. But perhaps it lacks the appropriate sense that even when he does not understand God's will it is still somehow working for the greatest good of those who love him (see Romans 8:28). Let us have the fear of Job. But let us have even more trust in the love of Jesus for us.

Job might well pray:

Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?

Unlike Job, we know that he will not only work his wonders for the dead, he has done so.

27 September 2016 - resolutely determined

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus marches resolutely toward Jerusalem. He is often rejected along the way. From the time in Bethlehem until this Samaritan village he does not receive the welcome he deserves.

When he is not rejected he is often misunderstood. Even his disciples don't really understand what he must do in Jerusalem. It is because they don't understand that they want to call down fire from heaven to consume people who don't welcome Jesus. They don't realize that he has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (see Matthew 20:28). They don't realize that he has come not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him (see John 3:17).

The disciples have staked their own pride on the appearance of Jesus before the world. His shame and apparent defeat is too much for most of them to handle. They sink into a despair like that of Job when they witness the passion.

Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?

But Jesus journeys on. He does not let rejection stop him or slow him down. He has his destination in mind. He knows his purpose. When we journey with him and misunderstand he may rebuke us but he never sends us away. We don't have to fully get it. We just need to stay close to him.

O LORD, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.

If we stay near to him, even in the garden of Gethsemane, even at the mount of Calvary, even at the tomb, we witness the dawning of the day of resurrection, when life triumphs, when all sadness is forgotten and the tears are wiped from every eye.

26 September 2016 - afflicted but not crushed

[ Today's Readings ]

We don't think about it this way, but we do have a temptation to want to be the greatest. It is a subtle preoccupation with status and image. It keeps us from serving the least among us. We don't even notice them because we're too busy thinking about ourselves. Or if we do think about them we don't think we owe them anything.

Preoccupation with ourselves and what we deserve can really hurt us during times of trial. If we feel entitled to blessings we do not respond well when they are taken from us. We can become angry at others or at God for taking what we feel is ours by right. Instead we need to be more like Job.

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”

In all this Job did not sin,
nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

Job is afflicted but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned (Second Corinthians 4:8-9). He is able to entrust himself to God like a newborn child. He can recognize God's majesty even when all created things are taken from him because God's love embraced him before he had a single blessing of the created world.

If we can be like this we won't need to stop others from casting out demons in the name of Jesus just because they don't follow in our company. We are able to fully embrace all the good things that the LORD gives, even when they don't build up our own pride. We discover a world of allies and blessings where before we saw only rivals.

From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.

25 September 2016 - at our door

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus is calling us to compassion and love. We get preoccupied with comfort until it is totally out of control. The ivory beds, and couches upon which we lie, the calves and lambs, we eat, our music and festivities get carried away. They begin to act as insulation from things God wants us to carry about.

They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!

There is nothing inherently wrong with the comforts. There is nothing wrong with purple garments and dining sumptuously until we begin to neglect the poor man at our door. The scraps of our tables would be enough to satisfy him. And we can do better than scraps and still live lives with sufficient comfort.

In order to compete well for the faith and lay hold of eternal life we can't allow ourselves to become so lost in our own heads that we can't see the problems of the world. These are problems which God wants to solve using us. If we look we see people all around us physically and spiritually hungry. God gives us whatever physical and spiritual goods we have that they may be shared. Let us not withhold them.

until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see. 
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

He is the one who loves the poor. He is the one who sustains the father and the windowless. He is the one we profess to serve. Let us serve him, then, with hearts full of praise.

24 September 2016 - seeing beyond

[ Today's Readings ]

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Jesus is inviting us to look beyond the present so that we can see things in the light of eternity. We can't just live for the here and now, following the ways of our heart and the vision of our eyes. The days of youth quickly depart we cannot live as though they will last forever. We need to live for something more than moment to moment existence.

And the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the life breath returns to God who gave it.

This can be hard to understand when times are good.

“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” 
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them

We can even fixate on the individual deeds of Jesus and forget about the plan. His plan is to liberate us from the problems of sin and death. The plan is a pilgrimage from the temporary and time-bound to the eternal and permanent. It is about more than this or that consolation.

If we only live for the moment we tend to shun the difficult parts of that pilgrimage. We try to make lasting homes where we are only travelers. We avoid suffering and seek comfort. While there is nothing wrong with comfort it must not cause us to lose sight of our destination.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

23 September 2016 - a time to rise

[ Today's Readings ]

We tend to wish that this life was just births, planting, healing, building, laughing, dancing, gathering, embracing, seeking, keeping, sewing, speaking, loving and peace.

Our toil would seem much more advantageous were this so.

But dying, uprooting, healing, killing, tearing down, weeping, mourning, scattering, being far from embraces, losing casting away, rending, silence, hate, and war are part of this life we have.

It is not that these things are good. But they are facts. How can there be any advantage to our toil in such a world? The good things seem only to build us up so that the hard things can tear us down even more. But the timeless is hidden in our hearts by God. Something within points the way to that which can never be shaken or torn down. 

We hear, "But who do you say that I am?"

A voice from the center of our beings answers, "The Christ of God." 

The answer is not from flesh and blood. Rather it is from the timeless God places in our hearts. It is revealed to us by the Father. And when we know this one timeless thing it makes sense out of all of the times and seasons of life.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

There is a time to suffer for Jesus himself suffers. There is a time to die for Jesus himself dies. But these things are mere preludes to the resurrection. They lead to the birth after which there is no death, the life which cannot be killed. Our own sufferings come to share in the suffering of Jesus. They have meaning because they are leading to the last day. Time itself is an arrow pointed toward eternity. 

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.

22 September 2016 - true new

[ Today's Readings ]

What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!”
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.

There is one new thing though. Everyone tries to use old paradigms to understand it. They try to put the new wine in old wineskins. They try to use new cloth to patch old garments.

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

But none of these things is adequate to describing Jesus.

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?

No efforts of our own amount to anything lasting. They are washed away by the inexorable flow of time. We build up but our work eventually erodes. History marches on, seemingly indifferent to our efforts. There is one thing that truly profits us.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul (see Mark 8:36).

Gaining the whole world isn't the answer. But there is an answer.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (see Philippians 3:7-8).

Let us strive to see Jesus. But unlike Herod, it needs to be more than curiosity. We need to open ourselves to Jesus and allow ourselves to be changed. It can't just be novelty like a clever movie or book. It is something that is new inside of our hearts.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (see Isaiah 43:19)

Life contains so much frustration because our efforts are fleeting. But this is meant to draw us more and more toward the one who alone can satisfy us. Somehow, in him, even our temporal works take on new meaning.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!

21 September 2016 - the one to follow

[ Today's Readings ]

Let's follow Jesus like Matthew does. Let's get up right away when we hear the call and follow him. Why? Because we are the sick in need of a physician. We are sinners in need of mercy.

The bond of peace is hard to preserve. Without the Spirit it is impossible to do it. Only the supernatural humility, gentleness, and patience the Spirit gives allow us to bear with one another in love. Only his gifts allow other people to bear with us. Because, after all, we are sick and sinful. When people become frustrated with us or we become frustrated with others we know that we need more of the Holy Spirit in that situation. We hear Jesus calling, "Follow me" away from yourselves and toward the plans I have for you. "Follow me" away from your impatience toward the love I want to place in your hearts. "Follow me" toward the gentleness which is so careful not to give offense and to treat others well. Let us follow!

Imagine a society where leadership and power do not create division and animosity. Imagine leaders truly serving those in their care. In the secular world the fact that people have different talents often leads to competition. But in the kingdom it leads to cooperation and synergy. 

And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,

From our one call, the same call Matthew hears, we receive one goal: following Jesus into the kingdom of the Father.

until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

The Church, then, should be like creation, declaring the glory of God by how we live before any words are even spoken. 

20 September 2016 - feeling familiar

[ Today's Readings ]

“My mother and my brothers 
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

Let us follow Mary in hearing the word of God and acting on it. She is our example in this as in all things. The archangel declares the word to her and she replies, "Be it done unto me according to thy word."

She treats the words of the LORD differently than mere human words. She hears the plans of the LORD, sees them unfold, and treasures them in her heart. Like the psalmist, she meditates on the wondrous deeds of the LORD. She actively and consciously chooses to embrace the ordinances set before her. She does not lean on her own understanding. Rather, when she does not understand she asks in humility. She receives discernment in order to observe the law and keep it with all her heart. And for her, more than any other human, the path of the commands of the LORD is truly her delight. She keeps the law continually, forever and ever.

We are called to think of Mary not as a standard against which to condemn ourselves but rather as an example we ought to follow. We should let our hearts be streams in the hands of the king just as Mary's heart is. Our ways are always right in our own eyes and so we must surrender them. We must allow them to be shaped completely by the LORD our God. He shows us how to do what is just and right, in diligent humility and honesty. He helps to make us teachable so that we can gain knowledge and wisdom even when we fail.

He opens our ears to the cries of the poor. Like Mary, we are able to allow Jesus to welcome others even when it means not putting ourselves first. Like Mary, we can see Jesus welcoming others as his mother and brothers and only rejoice, with no jealousy or scorn, that the love is Jesus is without limit.

19 September 2016 - shine, jesus, shine

[ Today's Readings ]

Receiving the word is like planting a side deep within ourselves. But it is also like having a lamp lit that can't be buried or hidden. What's this deal? Aren't these opposite extremes? No, because the seed transforms us all the way from the inside out. The flower eventually breaks through the soil. We are not meant to hide the gift we receive even though we must make it so central that circumstances cannot uproot it. We must make sure that the flame is not extinguished. We must not only set it on display but fan the flame (see Second Timothy 1:6).

No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.

We are called to be a light to those in darkness. We have a gift without which those around us stumble. It is time to take responsibility for this by sharing it as freely as we can. We shouldn't be embarrassed about it. We shouldn't be afraid of people finding out. One day the truth of all hearts will be revealed. To the degree that we welcome this light we have nothing of which to be ashamed. This is the light that casts out the darkness!

The light does not make us proud but rather humble for it is not our own. It does not make us self-centered or prideful. The light is magnified as we do good to one another.

Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once.

There is no negative repercussions to letting this light shine even though it sometimes seem like there would be. It sometimes seems frightening. But it is only the dark spots of pride that resist it.

He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.

18 September 2016 - matters large and small

[ Today's Readings ]

We are called to use the things of this world prudently and not to squander them. This is because the way we do anything influences the way we do everything.

If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth? 

Rather than hoarding our wealth for ourselves we can use it to help others and ingratiate ourselves to them. We shouldn't hoard wealth when it is insufficient to help us. We need to look at the resources of this world more in terms of what can be done with them than simply having them. There is a long history of war and conflict over such treasure. But when they are used correctly they can help to bring prosperity and peace to many.

When we use our treasure in a way that is consistent with a desire for human fraternity and peace on earth we become more able to pray for those same things sincerely.

First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity. 

When we hoard and cling even as our ships sink and our houses burn we cannot be trusted to use kingdom authority as it should be used. We can't even use worldly treasure correctly. These readings are a corrective. Let us be prudent in all matters, both large and small.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;

Everything in our lives should be ordered around the truth.

There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time

God wants everyone to know Jesus and be saved. The greatest treasure we have is this knowledge. Let us share it with others so that our master will see us handling even the greatest of treasures prudently. Even more than worldly riches we should not hoard this or keep it to ourselves. Salvation, even more than the steward's stewardship cannot be earned. But the approval of the master is what matters. The prayers of those with whom we share this truth help us to stand firm.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

We ourselves have nothing. We can't give a good account of the stewardship. Yet the LORD delights to lift up the poor.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.

17 September 2016 - not seedless

[ Today's Readings ]

May the LORD plant the seed of his word in our hearts. Let us give it rich soil in which to grow. Let us keep it deep within, far from the surface, at the cores of our beings. Let us keep it far from the birds and far from the thorns which are in unavoidable part of life.

Ultimately our whole lives are meant to be seeds sown to be raised to immortality. We are like the grain of wheat that must die to bring forth life. And so the burial of the seed of the word sometimes feels like a dying to self and a dying to the world. It feels like a sacrifice because we are farther from the surface and the light and freedom. But if we let the LORD do his work we are raised to experience these things in a new and truer way.

So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible.
It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious.
It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

The depth of the planting is key. And it is precisely in that depth that we experience death. But we know that the LORD gives the growth and that if we let him he will bear much fruit in us.

For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

16 September 2016 - accompanying him

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

[ Today's Readings ]

We are like those accompanying Jesus  who have been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, from whom demons have been cast out. He's going from one village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. We are living proof of that good news. No really, we are. We are given new life in the Holy Spirit by Baptism and Confirmation. Sin does not have irresistible power over us. Death does not have the final word.

His resurrection makes all the difference in the world.

For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.

But Christ has been raised and we already share in that risen life even here and now.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 2:4-6).

We are already seated in heaven. The risen life of Christ begins now.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you (see First Corinthians 8:11).

We don't have to reprise the role of Jesus in sharing the good news. Instead we share it as people who know his healing power. We share it as people who know the power of the resurrection. He invites everyone before we speak a word. But we need to be ready to talk about his power at work in us. We need to know and be thankful for what he has already done for us and have confidence that he will do the same for anyone that asks.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings,
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.

15 September 2016 - our lady of sorrow

[ Today's Readings ] 

Today we learn to appreciate the value of sorrow, even the most bitter sorrow of a mother who has lost her only son. 

Mary loses Jesus. Most likely Joseph is already gone. Most likely she is widowed. She feels immense sorrow. But somehow she is not completely overwhelmed, even when the sword pierces her own side. From Our Lady of Sorrows we learn that sorrow doesn't have the final word. She is not completely crushed. She may not understand how something good can come from this but she holds on. Wouldn't it be better, we think, if this loss never occurred? But no, because then death would still reign. No, we wouldn't have been given the adoption that makes Mary our mother, too.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

She has suffered more than we have. The most perfect and precious thing is taken from her. And yet she has made it through by faith. She wants to teach us, as her sons and daughters, how to hold on through the sorrow. She wants to show us how even suffering can be transformed. She wants to lift our eyes to the resurrection on the horizon.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;

The third day is coming. Mary knows it and she can show us from her own love and faith how to hold on through the difficult times. Our Lady of Sorrows, because she endures and embraces those sorrows, is also Our Lady of Victory.

“The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD has struck with power.”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.

14 September 2016 - triumph of the cross

[ Today's Readings ]

Today we celebrate the feast of the love of Jesus for us.

We often take for granted the love God has for us. We are provided with miraculous food but it is not to our liking. He leads us through the desert of exile but it lacks the creature comforts we would prefer. Our various complaints become serpents that bite us and poison us. This isn't what God wants. What he wants is for us to turn to him.

“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”

Our complaints are not valid. They deserve to be struck down and destroyed. But we ourselves risk perishing with them.

But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.

In order for this not to happen we need to look to Jesus. He is one who has every right to complain but opens not his mouth. He has every right to condemn us for our complaints but he does not do so. Instead, he puts all of that to death on the cross. He opens the way to new life. He invites us to come to live with him on that far side of death where we share in his obedience "even death on a cross."

Rather than the condemnation we deserve for our idols, for our complaints, for our dissidence, we find and receive the life Jesus deserves for his perfect obedience. By the power of the cross that obedience and that righteousness is made our own.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Let us exult in the triumph of the cross today.

13 September 2016 - arise

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus has compassion for the widow who loses her son. He has compassion for all who suffer. He wants to offer comfort and healing to his people. It is not just a naive reinterpretation of bad circumstances. It makes a visible impact. People say, "God has visited his people" because of what they see. He comforts us in our troubles so that we can in turn comfort others (see Second Corinthians 1:4) with the comfort we receive.

Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.

We are part of the body Jesus uses to reach out to his people. We're all equally parts of it. It doesn't matter who we were before because the Spirit unites us in Christ. We can't use our backgrounds as excuses. It doesn't even matter what gifts we have now. The Spirit unites us in Christ so that nothing is lacking. But we need to make sure we're letting him work. We need to make sure that we "[s]trive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts." They are not just for our own sake. They are for the sake of the widow are her dead son and for all who need to hear about the good news and power of the resurrection. They too are meant to become part of this body.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.

Couldn't find this without edited with the Tetragrammaton removed. Be reverent, I guess.

12 September 2016 - nothing owed

[ Today's Readings ]

Let us approach Jesus with humility. Even if voices surrounding us say that we deserve to have Jesus help us we must not be fooled. Let us be like the centurion who knows that even his love of the nation and building of synagogues don't make him worthy of the presence of Jesus.

Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.

But let us be like the centurion in that, unworthy though we are, we seek him with great faith in his power.

but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.

We don't come to the feast of the LORD to celebrate ourselves.

Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?

Instead, we come to give thanks and celebrate all that Jesus gives to us.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

If we are indeed proclaiming the sacrifice of the LORD there is no room for pride. There is no basis on which some should feel more included than others or more worthy than others. From the greatest to the least we are all as unworthy as the centurion. Even the Holy Father speaks these same words, "I am not worthy", in each mass he celebrates. Saint Teresa of Calcutta spoke them in every mass she attended. But, possibly unlike ourselves, the great saints have immense faith in the authority of Jesus. They believe that he can and will stretch forth his healing hand. Let us learn from that faith.

May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”

Let us do all we can to welcome others to this same feast. Let us not rush forward, thinking only of ourselves. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Together we experience all that the LORD has in store for us.

11 September 2016 - homecoming

[ Today's Readings ] 

God is looking for us. He is searching relentlessly for us. He is not content to see us lost and wandering. Jesus himself says that he came to seek and save the lost.

We might not think ourselves worth finding. We might think we are just one sheep from a fold of ninety-nine. We might think that at best we are just one coin in ten. But our being lost is more of a concern to him than the ninety-nine sheep that are still accounted for and the nine coins he still has. They are in their proper place and they will be fine. His heart goes out to the lost.

To some degree we know we are lost. We know that we aren't as close to Jesus as we could be and that we don't always live in his will. But to some degree we think we're found already. And there is some truth to this. But like the older brother we don't fully appreciate what we have.

He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours. 

Let us return to the Father. We may not squander everything on dissipation in a foreign country. But we squander much of our inheritance right here at home. Sometimes we even give up so much of it that we feel we are dying of hunger.

The Father is ready to welcome us back. He is ready to throw a great feast just to celebrate our more complete and fully appreciative arrival in his house. He does more even than a fattened calf. He gives us his very Son, the lamb of God, for our feast.

When we realize what we are given we become generous. When we realize the mercy we are shown we desire to show mercy to others.

But for that reason I was mercifully treated,
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life. 
To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

No wonder that God has a heart for the lost. When he finds them they are ready not only to receive the love he shows them but to share it with others. They will stand in the breach for their people.

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand? 

We all need to be found to some degree. The LORD is searching for us even right now in this very moment. Let us open our hearts to him so that he can renew the joy of his salvation in us. Let thanksgiving for this gift overflow in our hearts so that we can share it with all others who wander apart from the love of the Father.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

10 September 2016 - all in

[ Today's Readings ]

Today the LORD is calling us to integrity. He is calling us to be all in for him. We can't serve him and idols.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons.
You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.

We are called to be so united to Jesus that any idol worship is not only inconsistent but personally offensive. Even though we have union with him we still stoop to serve these lesser things.

Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger?
Are we stronger than him?

We are called to follow him not just in word but in deed. We can call ourselves a good tree all day long but if we bear rotten fruit it is obviously false. If we say 'Lord, Lord' but don't do what he asks we are no further ahead. In fact, we're probably in more danger than before.

But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.

Let's receive his word and act on it. Let's allow his word to bear fruit in us. He wants to make us trees that bear only good fruit. He wants to make us a people who serve him with undivided hearts. He is the one who gives the growth and he is happy to do it.

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.

We share in his cup and his table. This is all we need to cast off the works of darkness, to tear down our idols, and to serve him with all of our heart, mind, and strength.

9 September 2016 - on the prize

[ Today's Readings ]

Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race,
but only one wins the prize?

Paul is not racing against others. He is racing for a prize. This is how he has the freedom of spirit to be a slave in regard to all. If he were racing against them he would always insist on his full rights in the gospel. He wouldn't take the time to become all things to all to save at least some. He would run and leave them in the dust. But his race is one where the more people who cross the finish line together the better. It is worth any individual sacrifice to get himself and as many others as he can to the finish line.

The level of focus required for this race means we can't let other people distract us. We can't critique their own slight errors of form while we ourselves and any who follow us careen off the road.

Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?

We need to put everything we can into the race we run. We get no closer to the goal no matter how accurate are our criticisms of others.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

Rather, let us run so as to win. Let us run with eyes clear, fixed on the prize. Let us run straight for the goal so that others may follow.

My soul yearns and pines 
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.

8 September 2016 - the plans he has for us

The LORD never gives up on us.

We are all too quick to give up on ourselves. We give up after weeks, months, or years. But God continues to seek us through generations of failures and partial successes.

From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.

God does not give up. When we first fail in the garden God already anticipates this and has a plan ready for our salvation. He makes the promise again and again to teach us to look forward to it, to hope in it, and to trust him.

All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

[ Today's Readings ]

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

All of the promises of this plan come to fruition in the birth of Mary our mother. She is the dawning of this new hope. She is the first bastion of the new light which is not poisoned by sin and darkness. It isn't about her efforts or accomplishments. She is given to mankind by God as a grace for us all.

(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)

If God does not give up on us let us not give up on him. Let us see in Mary not a standard against which to condemn ourselves but a sign of the hope held in store for all of us. Perhaps Joseph has been burned before. Even so, he learns from the angel to see in Mary the one through whom God gives hope to his people.

Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.

Let us learn to see that same thing in her. Through her, let us receive the one who is the yes to all God's promises (see Second Corinthians 1:20), more than all we can ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).

He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the end

Let's not let our hope waver, this morning we truly see that in spite of ourselves and our failures, we can "know that all things work for good for those who love God". May he be ever praised.

Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.

7 September 2016 - 99 blessings

[ Today's Readings ]

It is hard to think like Jesus.

Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.

It is hard to keep our eyes on the prize. But we are called to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (see Colossians 3:1), "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (see Hebrews 12:2). We are called to strive for it like Paul "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead" (see Philippians 3:13). We are reminded that we are in fact running for a prize, an imperishable wreath of glory, "So run that you may obtain it" (see First Corinthians 9:24).

It can actually be helpful when other potential prizes betray us. Riches, abundance of good, comfort, joy, and being well-regarded by others. These are good things. But they are not the prize. When they fail us we remember to seek the things which last forever.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. 
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

This is a reminder to not seek more consolations now than the world is designed to give. It is also a strategy for accepting the difficult things we encounter in this life as blessings. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta is reputed to have said, there are no problems, just blessings and unusual blessings. When we remember this we are more able to use "the world as not using it fully." We experience first hand that "the world in its present form is passing away." This should not distress us. We are preparing to leap for joy.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.

6 September 2016 - callified

[ Today's Readings ]

Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

Unrepented mortal sin is serious stuff. It can keep souls from heaven. When we try to solve it on our own we typically only make things worse. We wind up cheating in the name of justice. We misuse the good things God gives us turning them into idols. We must learn to recognize these failings and address them. They lie at the center of all worldly problems. We cannot push responsibility for these kinds of solutions onto the government or social programs. These are problems only Jesus can solve. And he wants to solve them!

Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Without his grace we fare no better. Even if we don't fall in the pit, the reason we don't fall is because the LORD saves us when we are about to lose our footing.

That is what some of you used to be;
but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God.

Let us come to the LORD to receive his mercy today. He is calling us as surely as he calls his disciples in the gospel reading. He has a mission for us just as he does for them. He does not call the qualified. Rather, he qualifies the called.

Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

5 September 2016 - love takes priority

Saint Teresa of Calcutta did not rest when the world thirsted for love.

[ Today's Readings ]

“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”

Sometimes we must show that love takes priority even over rest. This is scandalous to the Pharisees. It makes them feel guilty because they know that there is a sort of work that takes precedence even over the rest commanded by heaven. If we are using religious precepts to justify inaction or indifference we need to examine them more closely. Chances are we are misusing them.

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Yet we do try to bring the old leaven back to the feast anyway. In the past people had to rely on the letter of the law. They did not have the Spirit to guide them. They needed rigid rules because the Spirit of love did not live in their hearts. His guidance was not directly available to them. But without the Spirit that old law is not enough. We abuse it like the Pharisees. We twist it for our own selfish ends. Instead of the malice and wickedness of the old we need the sincerity and truth by which the Spirit of God lives and acts in our hearts. If we let him reign in our hearts we will know that to love is always the correct choice whether or not it is the Sabbath. The answer is always love.

But let all who take refuge in you
be glad and exult forever.
Protect them, that you may be the joy
of those who love your name.

4 September 2016 - no exceptions

[ Today's Readings ]

We need to plan to put Jesus first. We all eventually find ourselves in situations where we need to build a tower but can't afford the cost or to win a war but do not have sufficient troops. If we trust in our own possessions, or our own strength, or our own ability, we fail. But with Jesus we can have the victory. 

Jesus will do this for us if we put him first. But first means first. It means that father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even our own lives can't come before Jesus. We must not say to ourselves that we will trust Jesus to help us oppose another king except for our family's safety which we will take into our own hands because we don't trust him quite that far. There is no safer place for our relatives to be than in the hands of Jesus and not our own.

Our own plans are unsure and timid, and rightly so. Our earthen shelters are weighed down with many concerns. The paths of those on earth are only made straight by the Holy Spirit from on high. The wisdom we need is something only God can give.

When we surrender all to God we do not find ourselves diminished. Instead we receive it back in a new and better way. We have a healthier relationship where we no longer need to be the master that we were never qualified to be.

I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.

So let us surrender all to the LORD. Let us put him first and follow the wisdom of the Spirit that only he can give. He never ceases to pour it out.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!

3 September 2016 - true wealth

[ Today's Readings ]

What do you possess that you have not received?
But if you have received it,
why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?

We are always looking for something to boast about, even though we don't always realize it. We want to feel good about ourselves in comparison with others. But these aren't the kind of riches we need. These aren't the kind of distinctions we truly desire.

You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;
you have become kings without us!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we also might become kings with you.

Instead, it is better to be like Paul, a spectacle to the world and fools in the eyes of others. Even if it goes so far that we are persecuted, ridiculed, and roughly treated, it is worth it if we are living for the one from home true riches come. Even if we become like the world's rubbish, the scum of all, we find a freedom that we can never have when we have something to prove in the eyes of the world.

“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”

We become free to just follow Jesus. There are no other criteria to weigh or to measure. Only his perspective matters.

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

The LORD wants to show us a way beyond puffed up pride and constant comparison. He wants to show us how to make his concern to be our only concern, to show us how to love as we are first loved by him.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.