31 July 2017 - seeds of mercy

Today's Readings

It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.

This is good to know isn't it? Even if we don't seem to be making a world changing difference we can still have a transformative effect on the world.

The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.

Even if it seems like there are not enough of us compared to the problems the world faces we nevertheless have a disproportionate effect on the world. We don't have to be superheroes. We don't necessarily have to travel the globe, plant churches, convert masses, oppose pagans, and get martyred. We can grow where we are planted.

That the mustard seed and the flour can do so much with so little should really cause us to question more why the world is the way it is. Why isn't it being changed more? These parables might excuse us from a feeling that we should be doing something bigger and better. But they by no means excuse a lack of transformation in the world. Far from it.

Jesus mentions the mustard seed and the yeast for a reason. It is not just to excuse us from doing something. It is because he wants us to learn to discern and value the things which matter to the kingdom. He wants us to see the little seeds and give them the care and love they deserve. The bread must actually be baked to rise. The yeast must be mixed in with the dough. Do we truly plant and allow ourselves to be planted? Do we truly bake and mix and let ourselves be baked and mixed? Probably not. Probably we ignore these things because they seem too small or insufficient. The point here is that they are not. The point is also that they do not have their effect by accident, or if they do it cannot be put to use if it came about that way. We must nurture the seed. We must add yeast in just the right proportion. We are called to discern God's purpose amidst stillness, smallness, and even silence. This is what Elijah does.

And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.a And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave (see First Kings 19:11-13).

It is the secret the gives Ignatius of Loyola such insight in his writings on discernment. Perhaps it is even what Moses realizes that inspires him to seek mercy from God even though it seems like too little, too late.

I will go up to the LORD, then;
perhaps I may be able to make atonement for your sin.

Who knows what would have happened if Moses had not nurtured this small impulse to seek the mercy of God. Punishment ensues nonetheless. But it is doubtlessly lessened. Through Moses the people are able to turn back to the LORD. Without the seed this tree never would have grown. If the seed had been ignored or neglected it would have been no value to them. Thank goodness that Moses saw God in such a small hope in the face of such a blatant transgression.

Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.

30 July 2017 - more precious than gold

Today's Readings

What matters the most to us? As Christians we know the right answer. We probably tell people when they ask. But is it true. What dominates our thoughts? Do we worry more about the world or about the Kingdom? Do we concern ourselves more with passing things or eternal things? We know that passing things still matter. But in order to judge them correctly we need to put first things first.

Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. 

Only when divine wisdom is our first priority can we judge well the things of this world. The Kingdom is the treasure that is worth more than all else we have. If we treat it as just one thing among many we want be able to hold on to it or to anything else either.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

If we seek the kingdom first we find it. 

When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 

It may cost all we have. But the value of it is much more than anything we can even imagine. Let's not be content with what we have apart from the kingdom. Such riches cannot satisfy and do not last. Let us seek the treasure God offers. Receiving it, all else besides is also given to us.

It is not so much that we choose and God responds as it is that we are already chosen by him for the Kingdom. We are invited. We must simply prefer this to all of the other business and busyness of life.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose. 

Apart from God we can do nothing. He is the one who calls us to seek first the Kingdom. If we respond to him we surely find the treasure that is worth more than gold or silver, sweeter than honey from the comb.

The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

29 July 2017 - the words of life

Today's Readings

We will do everything that the LORD has told us

It's hard to stick with our commitments to the LORD in the face of tragedy.

Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.

We feel his absence and want to blame him for our suffering. But Martha shows us how to trust God in the most difficult of times.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you."

We have made a covenant with the LORD. We are marked by the precious blood of Jesus just as Israel is marked with the blood of the young bulls.

Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
"This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his.

Being marked by the blood of Jesus expresses our yes to God. And in being so marked we receives the grace we need to hold fast to his word. His blood allows us to say yes when yes would otherwise be impossible for us. It does so because the blood of Jesus proves to us that no matter what hardships we face they have already been overcome.

"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."

Yes, LORD, we will do whatever you tell us. We will go wherever you send us. We receive your blood to cover us, to protect us, to give us life eternal. It is not for nothing that it is called the antidote to death.

Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.

28 July 2017 - freedom's law

Today's Readings

I, the LORD, am your God, 
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.

All of the commandments have this as their context. We are brought out from the land of slavery. We are given the commandments not as new forms of oppression, but rather, as guarantees of freedom.

The Evil One tries to steal the protection God's commands can offer. He tries to make us think about God's commands as burdensome. He sends tribulation and persecution and tells us that what we need is to just forget the word of God and find comfort however we may. Perhaps we won't even have to endure the persecution. At least we, he suggests, we can find comfort in sinful distraction. He pulls at us with the allure of worldly riches. He pushes with worldly anxiety. He suggests that the only freedom we can know is to surrender the word of God and to live as pagans.

We must be assured that there is no fruit without the word of God. There is no freedom unless we cling to the words he speaks. No matter what deals the devil offers he cannot give us an unending life of pleasure. We're always going to face a struggle eventually. We all have a journey across the desert filled with many battles that we must undertake. Only God can keep us free and safe on this journey. Only his word has the power to guide us.

But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

The commandments are so basic that we often wonder if they really have this much value. But let's challenge ourselves. The more we lean into a command like keeping holy the sabbath or honoring our parents the more blessings we experience. The more act with justice toward others rather than violence or deceit the more we experience freedom in all of our relationships. There is more value here than we dared to guess.

Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

27 July 2017 - hearing and understanding

Today's Readings

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"

He does not speak to them with logical proofs. His words have authority but they are not arguments with which one can argue. Instead they always present us with us choice. We can choose to receive from what he says. If we do we receive with abundance. But we can also choose to see and hear but not to listen or to understand.

To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.

Let's choose to receive what God is offering and to grow rich with the word of God. Generations of people longed to hear what is offered freely to us. It may not persuade in the way of science or of philosophy. But it does have authority if we have eyes to see it.

The Word of God is more than mere science and logic. It is a place of encounter with the one who designed those things. It does not contradict them. But it cannot be subject to them. Let us receive the word and so encounter the one who is speaking.

The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking
and God answering him with thunder.

When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.

This is why generations have longed for the word we now receive. We come closer to God even though Moses does. We see his face more and more clearly as we walk with him day by day.

 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (see Second Corinthians 3:18)

 So let's listen and understand. Let's open our eyes to truly see. And let us praise the King of Glory.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

26 July 2017 - bread from heaven

Today's Readings

Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!

We may not like to admit it, but aren't we the same way? If the pilgrimage on which the LORD calls us does not include comforts to which we are accustomed don't we grumble in our spirits? We grumble, like the children of Israel, not because we lack anything needful, but because we lack the comfort of familiarity. But if we are really serious about leaving the land of sin we need to find new ways of having our needs met.

Then the LORD said to Moses,
"I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

What do we see here? The people used to be able to get food on demand. Now they're dependent on the LORD for fulfillment. And the LORD does provide. But they aren't used to relying on it. They have to learn to trust him. As do we all.

I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.

The deepest desire in our hearts is the desire for God. Learning to trust the LORD to feed us with himself is even more important than learning to trust him for our basic needs such as food. We cannot live on bread alone. What we need most is his word. We can't head back to Egypt seeking the old ways which we used to fill ourselves. Instead we must trust that each day, even though it seems impossible in the desert in which we walk, the LORD will provide.

A sower went out to sow.

There is always seed enough to produce fruit if we are willing to be good soil in which it can grow. 

Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.

25 July 2017 - competitive edge

Today's Readings

It's not about us.

We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.

It's not about how status or achievement.

Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom

It's definitely not about how we compare with others.

When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.

It is instead about the surpassing power of God. If it were about us we would not endure persecution, perplexity, or being struck down. If it were about us we could not drink the chalice of the LORD Jesus. We could not carry his dying in our bodies, let alone manifest his life in us. So what do we think we're competing about or comparing?

For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (see First Corinthians 4:7)

Rather than thinking about Christianity from a perspective of self-improvement, let's think more about how we're made able to love others.

But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

This does not mean that we ignore our own sin. It does not mean we overlook the absence of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should be marked by love, joy, and peace.  After all, the life of Jesus who came to serve and not to be served was marked by joy. So too, for example, Pope Francis. His joy enables him to live at the service of others. This is the real test. This is the real thing at which we can compete.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (see Romans 12:10).

Maybe our desire to compare and compete comes from the intuition that spiritual growth can't be a quietist internal transformation only. But let's direct this energy properly. Let's use it to love one another.

Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

God doesn't need simply to block or remove it our spiritual pride and vanity. He can transform them into attributes that help build the kingdom.

Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

24 July 2017 - still life

Today's Readings

He said to them in reply,
"An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

This is not unusual for us, either. We often say that we want signs just to put off something we already recognize. We look for signs to shift the focus from our hearts to the world. God does give signs to those who genuinely need them and ask for them sincerely. But he does not humor those who are looking to avoid making a decision about him. Signs are ultimately unconvincing to such individuals anyway. Many of us hear and know in our Spirit that Jesus is asking us to follow him more closely. He is asking us to turn from sin more, to love more, to let him live in us more. We do not need to authenticate such requests with signs. Yet we still ask, hoping to put off the change we know we should make.

We ask for signs because we are afraid to change. Or we ask for them because the change we have begun seems impossible. But rather than signs we need stillness in order to let the LORD work.

These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.

There is always an Egyptian army after us. The flesh always wars with the Spirit. When we see them we want to demand proof that we can win, or else run the other way. The odds are clearly not in our favor. But it is at such times and facing such battles that we must still ourselves and trust in God. We know he called us out of Egypt. We know that we can trust him. His wisdom will not lead us astray.

At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.

We're so eager to bring about victory through our own wisdom, ideas, and actions. We feel the need to maintain control at all times. Waiting on signs from God can be a manifestation of this need for control. But control in the face of this army will not help. And we are not fast enough to run. Our only option is trusting God.

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.

23 July 2017 - the yeast we can do

The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 

God brings his Kingdom to earth by means of his Spirit working in his people. We don't perceive just how present the Spirit is within us. That's why we ourselves seem like such mustard seeds. Our own resources seem like nothing compared to the task at hand. But somehow when we are placed in the right places we cause the whole dough to rise like a yeast.

'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? 
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'

There are weeds that grow up along side of us. Even within our own hearts we find them. But the LORD is rich in mercy. He doesn't immediately destroy everything that appears to be a weed. He waits with patient mercy so that as much can be harvested as possible. Things that turn out to be legitimate crops often, in many of our cases, start off looking a lot like weeds. Fortunately the LORD is generous. He doesn't allow any wheat to be lost just for the sake of expediency. This means we must accept the times when others behave like weeds. We must be patient with ourselves when we see the same problems in us. 

And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.

The Spirit can help us to persist even when the garden seems to be more weeds than wheat. He shows us that there is always more of the Kingdom at work than meets the eye. Let's blossom forth into bushes then. Let's help the flour to rise. Let's grow into a harvest worthy of the mercy we have been shown.  Anytime we feel overwhelmed let us listen to the Spirit groan within us. Let us know for certain that he is heard.

You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.

22 July 2017 - whom my heart seeks

Today's Readings

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he told her.

Thanks to Mary Magdalene we know that the LORD is truly risen. Yet at times we still feel his absence just as acutely as she felt it before Jesus revealed himself to her.

And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don't know where they laid him."

Her sorrow is not because the LORD is actually gone, it is because he seems gone to her. We too experience this apparent absence in spite of the presence of the LORD. Their are times when circumstances seem to say that the LORD is not in control. There are things that happen that make us wonder where God is. Even in prayer we don't always experience the presence of the LORD. At such times we must not surrender our desire for the LORD even if it is at those times a painful desire to hold.

She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,

We must persist even in tears as does Mary Magdalene. We must seek him whom our hearts love as does the bride in the Song of Songs. Even if we seek him without finding him we must keep seeking. Eventually the bridegroom will be revealed.

Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.

We do we have to experience all of this dying, this pain and this sorrow? We experience and enter into the death of Jesus so that we might truly live as new creations. The old flesh is put to death. Because of our holy desire we hold on even as we experience the dying of Christ in our own lives so that he can manifest his life in us as well.

The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.

God uses our desires for him to purify us. Tears are often a part of the process. But let's hold fast. The bridegroom is coming soon.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

21 July 2017 - feast forward

Today's Readings

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.

There is always the temptation in ritual to forget the purpose of the ritual. God does not establish any of it for it's own sake. It is meant to bring us closer to him.

If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.

This does not mean we throw away the ritual with the bath water. It is instead a way to ensure that we don't put ritual to the wrong use. We don't set ourselves up as the judge of others based on our ritual performance scorecards, for example.

It seems like the more intensely important the ritual is the more likely we are to misuse it.

This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month
every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,
one apiece for each household.

Why is this? We get so concerned about the formulas that we forget what the feast is all about.

It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every first born of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.

The feasts we celebrate are all feasts of God's mercy. They are rich opportunities for grace. And yes, the details are important. Vital, even. But the details only make sense in the context of the relationship these feasts are meant to deepen. Imagine, for instance, going to confession but not thinking about how confession is a personal contact with Jesus, the savior who offers forgiveness. We can do it. We can check it off the list. It still works. It's better, no doubt, than nothing. But we are drastically limiting the grace that can change us if we receive only in this way. Grace is received according to to the condition of the receiver. Here. Let's feel smart with some Latin from Thomas Aquinas: "Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur". This is literally "whatever is received into something is received according to the condition of the receiver." From this we see that formula isn't enough for feast to have its full effect. Only the grace of our relationship with Jesus can do this. It almost sounds like we have to earn it. But that isn't the case. We need only be open to 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.

20 July 2017 - the One who is

Today's Readings

Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.

Jesus tells us to come to him. This can provide great comfort for us if we understand who he is.

'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you."

Sometimes the call to come to Jesus is not an easy call. God may want us to come to worship him on his holy mountain. He even calls us to the promised land. But we can be assured that the king of Egypt is not be happy about it. The devil will try to stop us. There is no way we would undertake such a journey against such odds on our own initiative.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

This journey, fortunately for us, is God's initiative. The one who is the fullness of being himself. He promises to journey with us. He will do whatever is necessary to bring us out into freedom.

I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away.

We can find rest and have peace because of the one to whom we come. We can journey in confidence because the one who calls us on the journey remains with us and guides us. We encounter obstacles that seem to be imposing by the very weight of their existence. We need to remember, at such times, that only God truly is. All else passes. Nothing can overcome him. Nothing can even challenge him. Because he is with us there is nothing we need to fear.

He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.

19 July 2017 - presence accounted for

Today's Readings

But Moses said to God,
"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

When God calls us to follow him we become acutely aware of our own inadequacy. We need to become more like little children.

I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.

Children are trusting. They know that they have nothing to fear as long as their parents are with them. This is what Moses needs to understand.

He answered, "I will be with you;
and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this very mountain."

We tend to over-complicate things. We begin to imagine that the presence of God, which, sure, is all around us, is not enough for our current trials and tribulations. We feel like we face disaster so extreme that there is no help for us. Help, for the adult, would have to be more than mere presence. But the child is content to let the presence of the parent banish fear. Perhaps this is naive for the child at times. But it is never naive for the child of God. God has plans for us that cannot be thwarted by any circumstance.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

...

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (see Romans 8:35 and 8:37).

He will bring us to worship on his holy mountain. We can know this for certain simply on the basis of his presence. Jesus is bringing us to worship on that mountain so that he can reveal the Father to us. We are chosen to receive this revelation. No force in Egypt can prevent it.

He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion. 

18 July 2017 - drawing on our experience

Today's Readings

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

The bible tells us that to whom much is given much will be expected (see Luke 12:48). We are definitely among those who have been given much. We are accountable for the gifts the LORD gives us. We are not permitted to ignore them or bury them. We need to repent and bear fruit worthy of repentance.

When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter,
who adopted him as her son and called him Moses;
for she said, "I drew him out of the water."

We have all narrowly escaped a death sentence on our souls just as Moses does. We are all drawn up from the waters of baptism as new creations. We are given a new Mother to watch over us. We are made members of the royal household of God. We must therefore put aside selfishness and act with virtue and justice for the sake of God's people.

We are the people who know that the LORD our God is a God who saves. We are the people who have known that salvation ourselves. Knowing it, we can't keep it to ourselves. We are called to share it. This is the fruit worthy of repentance which we are meant to bear. Because it has its source in the providence of God we need not fear our own inadequacy. It is simply letting what he does flower and bear fruit as he intends.

"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."

17 July 2017 - walk like a Christian

Today's Readings

We are called to put Jesus first, even before our own families. We are called to receive him and anyone he sends to us. If we put anything else before Jesus the enemy is able to use this as leverage to pry us away from Jesus. He convinces us to spend so much effort trying to save our lives and those of our loved ones that we ultimately end up losing our souls. What does this mean? When our desire for life and comfort causes us to sin for the sake of acquiring or maintaining it we end up losing our souls to try to save our live sin the flesh.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

We put Jesus first precisely by receiving him and those he sends. We welcome whatever teachers Jesus sends us even if they bring us a difficult word. Even if they are controversial and make us unpopular we are still called to welcome them.

Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

This is essential because eventually we face times when there is a "new king, who knew nothing of Joseph". When this happens we have to be ready to endure for the sake of Jesus. Even if we are reduced to cruel slavery as are the people of Israel we must still not cave in and abandon the things that unite us as the people of God. We can't just try to blend in when we face persecutions. The only alternative is to put Jesus before all else. This is bound to happen eventually. Jesus is divisive. The life he comes to freely give upsets the current balance of power and threatens comfortable even while it comforts the fearful.

Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.

The old system of power rules based on fear and suffering. It is focuses on building pride and riches. It does not share power. And so Jesus cannot compromise with it. We can stay in the old system and never truly find a life of peace and meaning, much less eternal life. Or we can come to Jesus. If we simply receive him, we will not lose our reward.

We were rescued like a bird 
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare, 
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

16 July 2017 - no return policy

Today's Readings

so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

The word that goes forth from the mouth of the LORD shall not return to him void. It has the power necessary to give bread to the one who eats and seed to the one who sows. It contains the full potential of a one hundred fold harvest.

Yet the intent of the LORD is not grow a harvest on bad soil. He scatters everywhere but their is freedom in how his word is received. There is no one who cannot be transformed by it. But there are those who, in spite of the power of the word, allow themselves to choose the things of this world instead of the word. And by those, I mean us. We all do this at times. We all let tribulation, persecution, and worldly anxiety interfere with the power of God's word to give life.

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.

The call today is to let God plant his word so deeply in us that no combination of the world, the flesh, or the devil, can take it from us. As long as we keep the seed we receive the life it offers without fail. It does not return to God void. We need this word to be deeply planted in us. We need its roots to reach through all of our thoughts and feelings and desires. We need it to be such a part of us that we can't imagine ourselves without it. It is meant to come to define who we are.

The word of God itself contains the power to defend us against the temptations which suffering and persecution bring.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us. 

So let us allow God to plant his word as deeply in us as he desires. The next time we suffer let us claim this promise until it becomes habit to speak the word when we face challenges. Then it will be planted deep within us. It will stretch out roots throughout our beings.

You crown the year with your goodness.
Abundance flows in your steps;
in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.

15 July 2017 - fearlessly

Today's Readings

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others

It is possible to live the Christian life fearlessly. In fact this is meant to be normal. There are those in this world who can kill the body. But they have no power over the soul. Sometimes we let suffering make us afraid. We think that God doesn't really know what's going on. We can't believe it is a part of his plan. But God has numbered even all the hairs of our heads. He sees our suffering. He has compassion for he himself first suffers for us. He knows precisely how he is using every suffering to bring forth a greater good.

Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.

Perhaps we are like the brothers of Joseph. Maybe we're afraid because of our own wrongdoing. We wonder how we can be forgiven for what we've done. Joseph shows us that even our sins allowed by God so that a greater good may come. When he first bestows on us free will he knows that we will abuse it. He knows even then how he will heal us and restore us. It does not take him by surprise. So we be confident when we approach him for mercy. We can be confident of his love for us.

Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.

14 July 2017 - depart in peace

Today's Readings

Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.

We might not immediately make the relevant New Testament connection, but the readers of Matthew would remember today's reading from Genesis when they read

Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (See Matthew 2:13-14)

We learn about two men named Joseph who place their trust in God. God uses their obedience to make a great nation: Israel. Yet there is a sense in which Joseph remains in Egypt until God finally calls Mary, Joseph, and Jesus home. Egypt is the place of bondage to sin. God promises through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." But his true Son is not Israel, nor Jacob. His true Son is Jesus. So only when Jesus comes home from Egypt does the escape from sin and suffering truly begin.

And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."

Jacob sees the fulfillment of God's plan as the fulfillment of his own life. His son is not dead, but alive. He is in Egypt now. But Jacob comes to realize that God is faithful. He knows that he will be true to his promise to bring him back to his own land. It is a similar sort of fulfillment to that which Simeon experiences.

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples (see Luke 2:29-32)

What are we to make of all this? Trust in God! He is faithful to his promises. If we make his will the desire of our hearts we can find the fulfillment that Jacob and Simeon experience. When we learn these lessons Jesus is able to send us out "like sheep in the midst of wolves" fully trusting in him.

When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

So let's trust him! He has proven that he is faithful.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

13 July 2017 - expecting a surprise

Today's Readings

"Come closer to me," he told his brothers. 
When they had done so, he said:
"I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.

They thought he was dead. Now he is alive with blessings for them which he would not have had if he hadn't gone through everything he suffered. Does this sound familiar? God is establishing the pattern of allowing evil so that a greater good may come.

But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you.

How easily Joseph seems to say that. We probably wouldn't be so quick to say it. We wouldn't be so quick to forgive people who sold us off into slavery. The secret to Joseph doing so is precisely that he recognizes God's plan even in his hardship and suffering. When nothing goes according to plan and we suffer we do well to remember the lesson of Joseph. If we realize that God is at work even in the difficult times we gain a perspective that can give us peace and ensure that we do not become embittered.

We need to allow God to surprise us. He gives Joseph back to his brothers. He raises Jesus from the dead. Just when sin and suffering seem to have the final say God does something we don't expect. If we are open to such surprises we will be open to the blessings that come with them.

The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.

We are able to receive the one the LORD sends to give us his word. His peace comes upon us and rests on us. All of this can be ours provided we don't get so involved in our own problems that we don't see God coming to us and revealing himself to us. Look up! Look out! Be attentive. The day of our salvation is at hand! The king who was slain now reigns on high!

The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.

12 July 2017 - disbanded brothers

Today's Readings

Joseph reconciles himself to his brothers. He does so by drawing contrition from their hearts.

On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
"Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.

Joseph feeds the people in exile with stores of grain which he rations.

When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.

How much more does Jesus do these things. Just as the brothers sell Joseph into slavery so too are we complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus by our sins. Just as the people of Egypt feel hunger so too do we long for something which can truly satisfy our deepest hungers. Scripture tells us that we shall look on him whom we have pierced (see John 19:37). Jesus draws from us sorrow for our sins. Joseph weeps for the schism between his brothers and himself. How much more so does Jesus long to be united with us. He longs for us to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace (see Ephesians 4:3). He longs for us to be united in a new family, founded on the twelve apostles.

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.

The old kingdom of Israel could not maintain unity. Jesus brings a new kingdom where he himself is the source of unity. It is a kingdom built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (see Ephesians 2:20). The apostles are the twelve pillars of the city of God (see Revelation 21:14). From this new Kingdom Jesus feeds us with the true bread from heaven, bread which gives life to the world (see John 6:33).

Jesus weeps for our sins and longs for our reconciliation. He sees our hunger and longs to satisfy us the bread of life.

But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

11 July 2017 - keep on

Today's Readings

Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.

Jacob is bold in his pursuit of a blessing.

But Jacob said, "I will not let you go until you bless me."

There is much in Scripture that recommends persistence. Jesus says that he who endures to the end will be saved (see Matthew 24:13). The psalmist says that God will save him because he clings to him in love (see Psalm 91:14). Jesus gives us the Parable of the Unjust Judge (also could the Parable of the Persistent Widow) and the Parable of the Friend at Night. Sure, we may well think, persistence is one thing. But it is not really the violence Jacob displays.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (see Matthew 11:12).

When Jesus tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail against his Church we need to remember that gates are a defensive formation. We're on the offensive according to that image.

Yet we're content with a much weaker sort of prayer. We're quick to surrender our desires when we don't meet immediate success. And we wonder why miracles seem so few and far between in our world compared to when Jesus walked the earth.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.

But when Jesus tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock, the words mean to ask and keep asking, to seek and continue seeking, to knock and to keep knocking. If we do this we discover that Jesus really does want to work in our day as much as in his own. He wants to be as present to us as to anyone else. He wants us to experience the same wonder before his power that the people of Israel experience.

"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."

These readings today are about an encounter with God. It is an encounter which can be rough for us at times as our desires are purified and transformed. But it is an encounter on which we must not give up too easily.

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

If we find ourselves wrestling with God this morning let us keep wrestling. Let us not surrender until we receive a blessing. Laborers for the harvest are a great blessing. We need more people like Saint Benedict who take Jesus at his word and help others to experience his presence. Let's persist in praying for more laborers for the harvest to transform our world.

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.

10 July 2017 - the touch

"If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."

Today's Readings

In most cases things work in reverse. The disease contaminates that which it contacts. Only Jesus is different. Contact with him heals the hemorrhaging woman. His touch is even enough to raise the dead.

When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.

The reason for this is that in Jesus we encounter God himself. When we touch him we discover that we are touching the stairway between heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending.

Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens;
and God's messengers were going up and down on it.

He is not merely one point of access. He is the ladder, the bridge, or the stairway itself. All access is through him. To touch him is to experience the truth of it directly.

And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

The woman and the official are not afraid to seek out this touch. We must be bold in seeking it as well. But is seeking it even possible now that Jesus has ascended to the Father? It must be. He tells us that it is better that he goes. It is better that he goes because, as he promises, he is with us always, now in an even deeper and more personal way. If the official and the woman can touch Jesus, how much more can we? Though like Jacob, we often don't realize just how present God is to us.

"Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!"
In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine!
This is nothing else but an abode of God,
and that is the gateway to heaven!"

In the Church we find the abode of God. We hear such things and take them for granted as mere hyperbole. But the flesh of Jesus in the bread of communion is present in the Church. And we touch him here more intimately than anything the woman or the official would dare to imagine. So we too must be bold when we come forward to touch him. We should bring with us at least the level of expectant faith that the woman and the official have. They believe that the touch of Jesus will change them. Do we believe it?

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress. 

9 July 2017 - love wins

Today's Readings

Today Jesus calls us to draw near to him. He asks us not to overthink it. Children can simply sense his goodness and run to him. When we don't over complicate things we sense the same thing that children sense about him. Let's not be so wise and learned that coming to Jesus becomes a complicated matter. We need him. He wants us to come to him. He calls us and draws us near. Children aren't good planners. They don't usually strategize well. We don't need plans or strategies to come to Jesus. We just need to come. He is waiting.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.

When we start to overthink it we begin to wonder if it is too good to be true. How can one riding on a humble, peaceful colt be the savior and King? He faces the hostile powers of darkness. Doesn't he need more power himself to overcome them? No. His peace overcomes them. Shouldn't his victory be more obviously demonstrated by the submission of the worldly powers that oppose him? No. His obedience to the Father overcomes them. His cross is his victory. Peace triumphs over violence and hate.

He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior's bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Because he comes in peace he is able to bring us peace. Any peace brought about any other way is going to be short lived. Violence begets violence. Those who live by the sword tend to die by it. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He defeats the sin, death, and the devil by means, not of war, but of peaceful surrender. His surrender results in a victory that cannot be taken away. His peace is now something he offers to everyone.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

We need to escape from this "adult" paradigm where we have to win through opposing force. We don't find peace in the world in that way. Much less do we find peace in our hearts when we try to create it with our own strength. Instead, let us come to Jesus, simply and like children. Let us receive the peace he offers us.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

8 July 2017 - holy desire

Today's Readings

The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.

How can the bridegroom be taken from us? He promises to be with us always, even unto the end of the age (see Matthew 28:20). Yet we ourselves can draw near to him on the one hand or allow ourselves to drift away on the other. His presence is always available. It is not always experienced. When he is gone we mourn for him. At these times we grow in holy desire. Our hearts begin to learn what is the one thing that can truly satisfy. When he comes to us again we rejoice. This cycle of desire and satisfaction draws us onward and upward. 

Fasting is a strategy we can use to draw near to the bridegroom when he seems distant. In this sense, it means to remove distractions that compete with Jesus in our desires. It means to focus on and experience the longing for him rather than turning to cheaper satisfactions to distract ourselves from our true longing. Fasting, then, isn't merely a scientific program for weight loss. Nor ought it be a work we do simply because we think we should. This new fasting makes sense only in relationship with Jesus.

People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.

The paradigms and ways of thinking that mark the Kingdom do not make sense according to earlier paradigms. Before programs and strategies were easier to establish. Things could simply be done, without much reference to the inner life. But now, everything has a new and deeper value in its relation to the bridegroom. Only by attentiveness to the inner life, to his being taken from us and to his drawing near, can we make good decisions.

One thing we learn from paying attention to the bridegroom is that he wants to bless us. We don't have to trick him into giving us a blessing.

"Yes?" replied Isaac. "Which of my sons are you?"
Jacob answered his father: "I am Esau, your first-born.

Clearly, this deception is possible because the relationship is marked by externals. If Jacob puts on the right show he receives the right blessing. It is not so for us. Jesus knows who we are (sometimes more deeply than we might wish). He loves us in spite of our flaws. He knows are names and desires to give us his blessing. He has chosen us.

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.

Low audio quality, but no Tetragrammaton:

7 July 2017 - always forward never backward

Today's Readings

He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.

We are called to follow Jesus without looking back. We may have been tax collectors and sinners before. But we are followers of Jesus now. We cannot go back to the place where we came from trying to find our future. We will only find our future moving forward.

"What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land?
Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?"
"Never take my son back there for any reason," Abraham told him.

It is possible to look back on the past, on times when we weren't walking with Jesus, or on times when we weren't as close, and to long for them. Perhaps it seems we had more options open to us that we could choose in pursuit of fulfillment. Here's the thing. No options which are now closed to us would in any measure give fulfillment. God has better plans for us than anything we can even ask for or imagine. We can't find those plans in the past. We can only find them by going forward with him.

The LORD, the God of heaven,
who took me from my father's house and the land of my kin,
and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me,
'I will give this land to your descendants'–
he will send his messenger before you,
and you will obtain a wife for my son there.

We are all being prepared for a wedding. It is the marriage feast of the Lamb of God where the bridegroom finally and eternally espouses himself to his bride, the Church. For now we keep moving forward, trusting his word. We see fulfillment, as it were, from a distance.

Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him,
she alighted from her camel and asked the servant,
"Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?"
"That is my master," replied the servant.
Then she covered herself with her veil.

We see the bridegroom in Scripture and in Sacrament. We draw near to him and he draws near to us. We long more and more for the day when we will see him face to face. This longing is a mark of spiritual maturity. It is the antidote to our desire to look back. Our past cannot save us. Nor can it condemn us. It does not define us. Only the invitation of Jesus to "Follow Me" is meant to define us now.

Visit me with your saving help,
That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.