31 October 2018 - a measured gate

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them, 
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.

Indeed no one is strong enough to make it through the narrow gate on his own. Does this mean that the number of the elect is very small? Apparently not.

And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.

The point of the narrow gate is to warn those who think they can make it on their own, the prideful ones who seem themselves as VIPs, those who assume the door will just open for them as they approach. The answer of Jesus is meant to remind us that we can't expect to simply walk through this gate. It is narrow. Our baggage isn't going to fit. We won't get our big screen TVs or even our iPhones through with us. In fact the gate is so narrow that it precisely Jesus-sized. He himself is the gate. He himself is the blueprint of what passes through the gate. It isn't enough to simply say that we know him.

'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'

To pass through the narrow gate we must be united with him. 

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture (see John 10:9).

Are we ready to abandon all pretense and to seek Jesus himself as our only merit and our only righteousness? This is the narrowness Jesus tells us we will find. It is actually as broad as the embrace of Jesus, broad enough for the entire world, if only the world will embrace him in turn.

We can test how we are doing by looking at our relationships. How readily do we obey when it is time to obey? Do we obey with good zeal or grudgingly? Do we show genuine concern for those entrusted to our training and instruction or do we do the minimum to fulfill our obligations? Are we bullies or servant-leaders? If we fail, that isn't a reason to beat ourselves up. Rather, we should turn to Jesus, embrace him, and let go more and more of anything that pulls us away from that embrace.

The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.

30 October 2018 - the yeast of our problems

Today's Readings (Audio)

We are called to embrace smallness and hiddenness. Our human way of thinking tends to assume that only the noisey a visible things in this world are effective. Only those who dominate seem to be doing anything. Those with quiet faith seem to be at the mercy of those who will have nothing to do with the humility of the hidden. But this is an illusion.

The Kingdom works even when it has only the visibility of a mustard seed, meaning virtually none. The smallness does nothing to hinder the inexorable growth. It works like yeast which has an effect on the dough that is disproportionate to the amount mixed in. This hiddenness is not only not a hindrance it actually facilitates true success. That is why we are encouraged to keep our prayer life hidden and to not let our left hand know when our right hand is doing charity.

One place where this lesson needs to be applied is in obedience. In our relations with one another our obedience often feels like anything but the occasion of grace. This is especially true when we feel those to whom are subordinate are imperfect. This seems like a recipe for disaster. Perhaps we feel like we are subordinating the more perfect to the less. Not to exclude the possibility of situations in which obedience cannot be given, most of the time even  obedience to the imperfect is the occasion of immense grace. But it is hidden by the very nature of the relationship. 

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We are called to be small enough to be servants. We must not be so prideful to insist on being served ourselves. Even our roles of leadership are called to be service. We follow the one who came not to be served but to serve. Jesus himself was such a servant first in order to teach us how to live the call.

Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church

Let us flee from all desire to dominate and live instead in the fear of the Lord.

Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

29 October 2018 - fragrant aroma

Today's Readings (Audio)

Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Jesus calls us to love one another with the love with which he first loved us. He calls us to choose to love even when it isn't the easy choice. He insists that we love despite opposition from the world or even opposition from within our own souls.

But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day."

The world desperately needs love. After all, how many people do we see who are spiritually bent over, completely incapable of standing erect? If we really look, the number is more than a few. How can we withhold the love that will enable them to stand up straight and glorify God? Society criticize when or how we choose to share this love. But as long as we remember that what we want to share truly is the healing power of God we will not let society stop us.

Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

It's easy to put the blame on society when we don't share the love God gives us. But the problem is more often in our own hearts. We're too distracted by immoral, impure, or greedy desires. When we are preoccupied with modern forms of idolatry we demand sacrifices to appease our idols rather than ourselves becoming offerings with fragrant aromas.

no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.

If we want to live a walk of love it should be reflected in our speech. Our daily conversation ought to be compatible with our stated purpose of being agents of love. Yet, even if it isn't an outright contradiction is it at best a distraction? The content of our speech is actually a great measure of just how distracted we are. If it is so empty how can we hope to show love in our actions? What does Scripture suggest instead ought to fill, not just our minds, but our speech? Thanksgiving!

This is what it means to be in the light of the LORD. We must live as children of the light in which we live fully committed to the same walk of love that Jesus himself demonstrated.

Behave like God as his very dear children.

28 October 2018 - vision quest

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Master, I want to see." 

Blindness tends to isolate. It takes away some of the immediacy of experience. It makes it more difficult to get direction even when we determine a place we want to go. We tend to insist that our powers of perception are perfect. We claim nothing in common with poor Bartimaeus. But perhaps we share more than we realize.

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains (see John 9:41).

Like the Pharisees we are reluctant to admit that we need healing. We don't want to tell Jesus that we feel isolated from him and from one another. We keep heading down whatever path we're on, stubbornly not asking for directions. Perhaps we even have the map but are embarrassed that we cannot read it. We don't want to admit that we are lost and alone. But it was precisely the lost that Jesus came to seek and to save (see Luke 19:10).

Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." 
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

Bartimaeus now knows that Jesus himself is the light of the world. He walks near him, while he has the light, so he doesn't walk in darkness (see John 12:35). We can't take the flame and use it to illuminate our normal lives. Bartimaeus is hardly interested in lighting has usual roadside spot and staying there. But we are more comfortable. Each time we encounter more light there is the risk of stagnation. We go back to where we were before until our candle is again blown out and the darkness returns. The only true place of safety is around Jesus himself.

I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.

There is a deep overlap between exile and blindness. But the LORD will not leave us exiles. He promises to bring back the captives of Zion. He will bring the remnant of Israel back from the north. Even though those who are led were blind and lame when they follow the Father of Israel they walk on a level road so that none shall stumble.

Jesus is like us in all things but sin. He is the only guide who is not blind. He is the only one it is safe to follow. It is this sight, this clear vision of the Father's heart, that qualifies him to be a priest forever on our behalf. He is able to not only interrupt the cycle of sin, but to break it forever.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

27 October 2018 - branching out

Today's Readings (Audio)

Sir, leave it for this year also, 
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 
it may bear fruit in the future.

We have been dead and lifeless trees. We are meant to bear the fruit of love, joy, and peace. We are meant to manifest all the fruits of the Spirit. But we are often only concerned with our wood and branches and perhaps our leaves. These, we believe, are the necessities of our life. Fruit is for someone else. It is the optional extra when there is time. But this whole perspective is wrong. In this analogy trees exist, not simply for their own sakes, but to bear fruit.

We need the help of the gardener to succeed. On our own the conditions are to barren. We need grace that only the gardener can give. Only his cultivation and fertilizer can give us life abundant enough to bear fruit. We're overly self-protective because we're used to living without relying on his help.

Grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The gardener pours out blood and water on the earth. He nourishes us with the water of life that is his Spirit. This is the source of our fruit and our gifts. There is now nothing to stop us from bearing fruit except our old stubborn selfish habits. We're used to being barren so this abundance of life seems almost impossible. We believe it is too good to be true. We test and taste it at first but eventually ignore it rather than take the risk entailed in growth.

Let us receive the grace the gardener wants to pour upon us today. Let us see the ways in which he desires us to bear fruit and to grow.

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,
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

This growth keeps us grounded in love because its source is love. It protects us from waves and wind that arise from human trickery, from cunning in the interest of deceitful schemes, because what makes us grow shapes us more and more into Christ who is our head. We fear the future and so we hedge our bets by protecting ourselves. But if we simply trust in Jesus our future is assured. He himself is that future and all threats to it have already been overcome.

from whom the whole Body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning of each part,
brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.

Let us welcome the gardener's help. Let us delight to bear fruit for the LORD.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

26 October 2018 - union negotiations

Today's Readings (Audio)

You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Now is the time to choose peace. We shouldn't put off until tomorrow the good we can do today. In the grand scheme of things this life that seems at times to drag on is but a moment compared to eternity. This reveals the urgency of our task. Now, in the full freedom of life on earth, let us settle with our opponent on the way.

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;

What does it mean to settle with our opponent on the way? We owe the debt of our sins and even for the lack of holiness that is necessary to appear before God. It is a debt too great for us to pay. This is one reason we put off dealing with it. It seems like an insurmountable problem. We certainly realize it isn't something we have the ability ro solve. But the magistrate is willing to show mercy if we learn to ask for mercy. The Father himself sends us the one who can pay the debt if we let him. Jesus himself comes to our aid. He will make the payment on our behalf. The Father will accept it.

Having received mercy from Jesus (and continuing to receive it), we must now "live in a manner worthy of the call" we have received. We have been purchased at a price (see First Corinthians 6:20). We have received so much mercy. We can no longer accept the same old status quo from ourselves. The old ways is relating to one another (wherein our debts are accumulated) are no longer good enough. As people of mercy we must now bear with one another through love rather than striving to be seen as better than one another. We must strive to preserve, not a unity based on a delicate balance of self-interest, but the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;

We become much more than people who are merely forgiven a debt. We become united to the very one who pays that debt on our behalf. The love that saves us also fills us and transforms us.

one Body and one Spirit, 
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

It is as if to say that the whole problem was trying to do it on our own in the first place when we were always meant for this union. Let us not turn aside from it now. The signs of the times are all around us. Eternity is on its way.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

25 October 2018 - no fire escape

Today's Readings (Audio)

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

The source of this fire is the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. It is the strength of the Spirit in the inner self. Why, then, can it be so divisive?

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;

The fire of Christ's love only consumes us if we let it. And if we don't let it the fire just looks like a destructive threat. Human abilities and institutions are consumed and brought to nothing before it. Indeed our inner man sometimes seems like it might not survive. If we abandon our sinful desires what will be left? Will we still really be ourselves? It is divisive because the fire of Christ's love cuts to the core or our egotism. It forces us to abandon our illusions of control and stability that stem from pride.

Once we experience the fire we don't want it any other way. We are filled with the fullness of God. We are burned but not consumed, made into God's presence in the world, like the burning bush in the desert. The negative way to approach this gift is to be fearful since we cannot predict how it will change us and since it forces us to relinquish control. The positive way to view it is hope. It will change us in even better ways than we could ask. It brings about more wondrous things in our hearts than we could even imagine.

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In the end, what we want for ourselves is actually too narrow and limited. God wants to fill us with the fire of his own love. It's hot. It will consume workmanship of poor quality (see First Corinthians 3:15). It is a purgation when purging is needed. But the result is God's own life within us, blazing and untamed.

But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

24 October 2018 - prepared for more

Today's Readings (Audio)

You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

We should watch for the LORD and live a life prepared for his coming. He has mysteries that he wants to make known to us by revelation just as he did for Paul. He wants to surprise us with insight into the mystery of Christ. The promises we have through the Gospel are seldom fully appreciated. Yet our posture is more often as though we understand everything already. We've heard the readings before. The teaching we're receiving now sounds just like a teaching from last week. And so we aren't prepared for the LORD bringing us something new, awakening our hearts to some aspect of his promise of which we had been heretofore unaware.

We see with Paul that the LORD is sometimes willing to go to extremes to get his point across. But what time we waste when we don't respond at once. We put ourselves at risk.

Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’

It is complacency that is our enemy. It is lukewarmness that causes Jesus to spit the church at Laodicea from his mouth (see Revelation 3:16). The patience of the LORD is directed toward mercy and salvation.

And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation (see Second Peter 3:15)

We have, in fact, been entrusted with much. Those of us reading this today won't be let off with a light beating if we neglect the truth entrusted to us. There is so much need of it in the world. The heart of Jesus longs to be made known. The time is now.

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Let us, therefore, keep watch. The LORD trusts us, not simply with static doctrine, but to stay awake as he visits us, to have our hearts enlightened as he reveals himself more and more.

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

23 October 2018 - he proclaims peace

Today's Readings (Audio)

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace.

The entire human race was without hope and without peace. Some were strangers to the covenants of promise, others could not meet the obligation of the law with its commandments and legal claims. We were at enmity with God and with one another until Jesus came to bring and establish the peace which we lacked.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh

Apart from this peace we experience life as strangers from one another. We wander and feel lost. That was our condition. But now we have access to true peace because we have access to the only true source of peace.

He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

This is the peace the LORD speaks to us. We still experience moments when we feel without hope and alone. Let us listen to what God proclaims. Let us receive the peace he gives us.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (see John 14:27).

God's peace is unique among the false alternatives offered by the world in that it doesn't leave us alone and isolated but joins us together as one in Christ.

Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord

Perhaps we don't feel peaceful right now. Perhaps at this moment we do feel very much alone. Let us wait and be attentive, like servants waiting for the master. He wants to visit our hearts with all the gifts of his Spirit. If we are attentive to his coming we will receive them.

Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.

We must be "ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks." If we are ready we will receive the blessings he has for us. We can tell when we receive this grace for we are not united to God only but also to all of his sons and daughters. It is not abstract within the heart of a lone seeker. It is the very source of our life together.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.

22 October 2018 - the difference

Today's Readings (Audio)

You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world

This extreme language doesn't resonate with us. It seems too extreme. Dead in our sins?

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.

What does it look like to be dead in our sins and slaves to the desires of our flesh? Is this really a condition that people experience? For us, if there was a time before we knew Christ, can we recognize this condition in ourselves? Can we see it in others who do not know Christ?

And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”

This man is an example of one who, though he seems alive, is in fact dead in his sins. He is a slave to desires that will ultimately be rendered meaningless by death. Everything in this rich man is oriented toward death because it is centered around thing which do not last beyond death.

But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”

There is no way beyond this predicament on our own. There is nothing for us to desire except to eat, drink, and be merry. There is no lasting hoping apart for Christ.

But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved)

God sees our predicament clearly even though we often do not. He sees that life and death are vying for every human soul. He not only refuses to surrender us to death but he wants to give us a whole new kind of life.

[God] raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

God wants seats us in heavenly places and makes us capable of good works, prepared in advance by God. These works last. They store treasure in heaven because they and the new life from which they spring are founded on love. Love seems to be the most transient and fragile of all things but faith, hope, and love are the only three things that remain in the end (see First Corinthians 13:13).

Maybe now we can look back and see this new life at work in ourselves and others. We see it stirring in people even before they know Christ explicitly. We begin to learn the difference Jesus makes in human hearts. Our desires for the treasures of this earth wane and we learn to desire the kingdom of God above all else.

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

21 October 2018 - not to be served

Today's Readings (Audio)

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 

To serve others mostly seems like work. It is something which we know we ought to do. But we really doubt there is fulfillment to be found there. The saints seem to be special cases who can lose themselves in serving others and find true joy. But this joy is meant for all of us. 

We are not created to be self-enclosed fulfillment machines. We only discover greatness and true life when we give ourselves away. We only receive in the measure in which we give.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

The enemy wants us to think of serving others as a form of self-hatred or an absence of self-care. He doesn't want us to discover the genuine joy that can be found there. He is desperate that we keep our eyes on ourselves so that we don't discover the secret. Those who do discover it become great threats to the devil's power over humanity.

through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.

We cannot succeed on our own. We are too protective of ourselves. Our grip on our own lives is much too tight without help. If we truly want to be able to experience the joy that comes from loving and serving others we must rely on grace. We see the example of the one whose whole very self is for the Father and whose life on earth was love for us. We receive his own grace in order not be be served but to serve. And as we receive it we receive his joy in doing the Father's will

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.

20 October 2018 - the hope of our call

Today's Readings (Audio)

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call

If we really realize the hope that belongs to our call we begin to see much more radical change in our lives.

and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead

The power of the resurrection is at work in us through our faith. The very same miraculous power that raised Jesus from the dead is meant to transform us as well. If this power can't be limited even by death what else could hope to limit it? And if there are no limits to the power then surely it can make us all saints.

To embrace the hope of our call we have to recognize that it is a call to be in Jesus Christ. In the exultation of Christ above every principality and power we too are exulted because in his humanity we are united with him in this glory. He is the head and we are the body.

And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the Church,
which is his Body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

If the eyes of our hearts aren't enlightened we don't realize what's possible. We don't see that there is a great destiny toward which God is moving us and a massive power by which he has proven he can get us there. So we must begin with prayer. And we must pray expectantly, knowing that because Jesus wants to reveal himself he absolutely will do so.

It is this union with Christ that means that we must be ready to acknowledge him to others. Our words have power. Ultimately, they can be enough to separate us from Christ and from the union with us which he desires. They can be so contrary to what Jesus himself wants to say through us, his body, that the relationship ultimately is severed. But even then, there is hope. In the darkness of our own weakness apart from Christ we are free to return to him.

Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven

Only if we deny this forgiveness itself, offered by the Holy Spirit, are we without hope.

The grace of our union with Christ is not abstract, nor even legalistic. It is more than abiding by a set of rules so that we can know based on the teaching of others that Christ is in us. He wants to live in us. He wants to work through us if we will only recognize the hope toward which we are drawn.

For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.

19 October 2018 - inside and out

North American Martyrs

Today's Readings (Audio)

Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.

We must be people of integrity with none of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. We can't allow ourselves to remain one person deep in our inner self and someone else to the world. Unconfessed sin retains power over us. Even secret faults and weaknesses, not necessarily sinful in themselves, that we are unwilling to share with anyone can become strongholds. This is why the rule of Saint Benedict's chapter on humility tells us, "The fifth step of humility is that a man does not conceal from his abbot any sinful thoughts entering his heart, or any wrongs committed in secret, but rather confesses them humbly" (see Chapter 7 verse 44 of the Rule). Even thoughts, not necessarily sinful in themselves, are confessed so they do not become enemy strongholds. Confession leads to freedom. Our inner heart is no longer trapped inside ourselves. We no longer meet the world just on an external and superficial level. We come with are whole and integrated self.

When we are well integrated with no private secret attachment to sin we become fearless in the face of the things of this world even as the fear of God is made perfect in us.

I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.

Just as we cannot allow darkness to remain trapped within us so too must we allow the light we are given to shine through us. We can't be lamps hidden under a bushel basket. As we move away from our need to be fearful and self-protective we learn who we truly are in God's eyes. We see that we are worth more than many sparrows. When we realize this we no longer need to be afraid of the consequences of proclaiming the gospel. Indeed, we can't help but shout it from the housetops.

In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.

We are chosen to exist in this freedom, chosen for the praise of the glory of God.

18 October 2018 - your friends make known

Today's Readings (Audio)

You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

The LORD is calling us to be fearless in following him. We are called to proclaim the gospel in season and out of season (see Second Timothy 4:2). We have human tendencies to try to take care of ourselves, to ensure our needs are met, and to not put ourselves at risk by offending others. God calls us to learn to rely on him instead.

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

We want to carefully control our resources to ensure that we have enough. We want to take a very measured approach to danger likes wolves. If we can't avoid them entirely we hope to tip-toe as far from them as we can. This all makes sense until the LORD calls us and tells us where to go or tells us what to say.

Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.

We have to learn to trust Jesus and to take him at his word. The world needs the peace we have to offer. It is a peace that is only available when we surrender our rights to govern our own lives to God.

Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'

We can't give the peace of Jesus if we don't have it. This is why Jesus insists that the laborers whom he calls rely on him completely. Those he calls are not just priests and religious. He calls all of us into his vineyard so we all need to learn this lesson.

Let us remain faithful even in the hard times. This is a lesson Luke can teach us in his fidelity to Paul on the mission. This is the truth of friendship in Christ that is greater than any friendship the world can offer.

Luke is the only one with me.

May the LORD help us go out to the harvest on the path of peace he shows. May he give us and make us true friends in Christ.

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

17 October 2018 - not lost in the little things

Today's Readings (Audio)

You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.

High precision in smaller matters of religious observance can distract us from the weightier matters of justice and mercy and faithfulness. Jesus tells us that while these smaller matters are important they do not excuse us from our obligations to love God and to love neighbor. 

For example, absolute liturgical correctness won't excuse us if our hearts are full of "immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like." And this is not to say that liturgical correctness is important or even that it is unrelated to our ability to love well. It is to say that, certainly, it can become the sort of distractions about which Jesus warns.

When we start with the law and not the Spirit we often find ways to make religion self-serving. It becomes a list of accomplishments about which we can be proud rather than a work of God's mercy in us. When we look at our past week or so do we see boxes ticked on our lists of religious obligations? Do we see achievements of getting it all done? Or rather, do we see God working in our lives in spite of our weakness?

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit never ends up feeling like an achievement. It never incites us to pride. We know that of ourselves we fail to be patient and kind. We fail to love in all kinds of ways. But the Spirit is not limited by our limits. He is able to bear this good fruit in us in spite of our limits. The scholars of the law tell us that these things are correct but only the Spirit lifts a finger to help us.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.

The Spirit leads us beyond our need to satisfy ourselves. He teaches us to live for God by making us like Jesus who gives all he is for his Father.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. 

16 October 2018 - everything clean

Today's Readings (Audio)

Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.

The LORD isn't concerned with appearances. He doesn't like when people are trying to look a certain way to please the crowd. He really doesn't like when others are pressured to conform just for the sake of religiosity. On the other hand, external acts sometimes do have value. But that value is never found in self-image. They have value when our inner self is truly involved.

But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.

When we ourselves are deciding whether or not to do something how can we tell if we're overly concerned about self-image? We need to realize that whether or not it helps us to think about ourselves in the way we want is beside the point. Are we acting in faith? Is it love? If so, we're good to go.

For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.

It isn't so hard. We don't have to second guess ourselves constantly when we learn to act based on our faith in Jesus. When what we are doing is loving we can't go wrong. We learn to recognize when faith, hope, and love are missing motivations. It is only then that we run into trouble.

And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.

15 October 2018 - something greater

St. Teresa of Avila

Today's Readings (Audio)

We are called to recognize Jesus by his wisdom. We are called to listen to him and recognize one who is greater than Solomon. Even though Jonah's preaching was very effective we are called to recognize in Jesus an even greater message. It isn't a wisdom of this world or else he would not have been crucified.

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (see First Corinthians 2:8).

So we see at once an immense wisdom and yet a readiness to be misunderstood if we bring our worldly paradigms to bear on it. We tend to look for a sign when the preaching is too intense and we don't want to hear it even though we might recognize the wisdom it contains. We tend to look to earthly wisdom when demonstrations of the Spirit and power (see First Corinthians 2:4) make things more real and less abstract than we're willing to face.

If we want to experience the freedom of Christ we must let him bring his wisdom to bear on our lives, our minds, and our hearts. Only his wisdom can purify us to serve God with heart, mind, and strength. It seems that maybe this would be onerous. And it does indeed lead to the cross. But only by this route do we find freedom.

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

So let's become more aware of when Jesus is offering himself to us and we're choosing to look the other way. Let us seek his wisdom, the wisdom of the cross, so that we can experience everything he has for us.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.

14 October 2018 - if any of you lacks wisdom

Today's Readings (Audio)

True riches can only be found in wisdom.

Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.

We need the wisdom of heart that only God can teach us. To keep the commandments is necessary but insufficient. We can avoid transgressing those commands and still be fundamentally living for ourselves, investing in this world, without wisdom.

"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Wisdom teaches us to seek our treasure in heaven. It tells us to value the things that last rather than the things that are temporary. When wisdom is our teacher we learn not to store up "treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (see Matthew 6:19). We learn to use the things of this world as though not using them (see First Corinthians 7:31).

We need wisdom to follow Jesus. We need to learn the lessons she teaches in order to enter the kingdom of God. Wisdom shows us the freedom of Spirit we need to enter the kingdom. To do so we must follow Jesus as he enters. In order to follow Jesus we must be unbound by the world. But the world has subtle traps catering to our individual personalities. It encourages us to invest in things that are not only unhelpful but restrict and hinder our ability to follow.

Wisdom is not something that only a few gain by assiduous study. She is a spiritual gift on offer to everyone.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (see James 1:5).

Lacking wisdom is not going to be an excuse when God makes it so abundant. When we open God's word and ask for wisdom he delights to give it.

Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword

Wisdom is available. We need it to enter the kingdom. But to receive it we must ask. We must open the word of God, the privileged place where God communicates his wisdom to his people. If we are too rich to ask for wisdom or too comfortable to open the word of God. We are at risk just as the rich man is at risk. May we remember to number our days that we can turn toward those things that last, to learn to desire them, to ask for them, and to seek them.

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

13 October 2018 - family of faith

Today's Readings (Audio)

He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."

More than the blessings that we receive passively from God, the blessings of the things God  works through us are those for which we should be grateful. God blesses Mary so that her faith can bless the world. We, like Mary, can't hear the word of God and observe it without faith. It was Mary's faith in response to the angel that allowed God to work through her to bring Jesus to the world.

For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.

Mary becomes the mother of God through her faith. We become his family through faith as well. This was not something the law could accomplish. If we want to hear the word of God and observe it we must begin by faith, by clothing ourselves with Christ.

The point today is that we are too tempted to be content to receive blessings and not excited enough to be transformed by those blessings. Everything God does for us is an invitation to come to an ever deeper faith and trust. Mary shows us just how to welcome that invitation and be transformed.

Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.

12 October 2018 - by the finger of God

Today's Readings (Audio)

Jesus can drive out demons. This shouldn't be a thing for which he is criticized. And yet, even this is unpopular.

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."

As for the crowd, their own people also drive out demons and they aren't criticized. Why then is Jesus criticized? They aren't really open to the power of Jesus. They see good fruit and attribute it to a bad tree. Yet it also seems that there is a difference between what their own people did to drive out demons and what Jesus did by the finger of God.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus driving out of demons meant the Kingdom of God had come. It meant the enemy's possessions were no longer safe for a stronger one was beginning his attack. And it is perhaps for this reason that the crowds had a hard time accepting what they saw. It was a challenge to the status quo greater than any the world had ever seen. They themselves were not yet free. They themselves needed deliverance. And perhaps they just didn't want to face that fact.

The relationship of the people of Israel to Abraham was not enough to mean that they were free, even though they insisted, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?" (see John 8:33). It is not the children of the flesh who are justified but those who share in the faith of Abraham.

Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.

People rightly fear the empty house when the unclean spirit is driven out. It may bring back seven other spirits more wicked than itself. For this reason we are often too comfortable with the demons we know. But the finger of God is truly here. There is now a way to victory that doesn't lead further back into slavery. Jesus casts out demons and fills us so full of his Spirit that there is no room for any other demons to enter.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (see Galatians 5:1).

Let us receive the deliverance of Jesus. Let us stand in the freedom he gives.

He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.

11 October 2018 - keep knocking

Today's Readings (Audio)

Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.

Why are the Galatians so stupid (and why are we)? Why did they turn aside from the Spirit toward the flesh? Clearly the power of the Spirit was known to them. They experienced many things, indeed they witnessed mighty deeds, the origin of which was the Spirit. Why revert to the flesh? It is important that we try to understand so that we can avoid this risk ourselves.

'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'

Perhaps in relying on the Spirit they were unprepared to persevere. Maybe they gave up immediately the first time the Spirit didn't solve their problems immediately. After that they just turned to what they knew, the flesh and the law, to solve their problems in a way that they felt they understood and could control.

We, like the Galatians, have seen Jesus Christ publicly portrayed as crucified. We too have received the Spirit because of our faith in what we've heard. And we too are tempted to give up when the bread is not given immediately, when the door does not open at once, or when we ask but are made to wait.

Paul's point to the Galatians was that their old fleshly ways of solving problems couldn't solve the problems that truly matter. Only the Spirit given by Jesus could give the Galatians what they really wanted. So too with us. So what do we do when life gets hard and we are tempted to forget about God and rely on ourselves instead? At such times we need to have faith in the goodness of our loving Father. We need to ask and keep asking and to knock and keep knocking, as Scripture says.

If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"

10 October 2018 - Father forever

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

There is no one who can teach us to pray like Jesus does. He tells us to call God Father because he himself is the Son. He allows us to enter into his own relationship through the prayer he gives us. This changes how we should understand every line of the Our Father. They are lines which Jesus himself first lives and embodies out of love for the Father. They represent him thriving and flourishing in a perfectly fulfilling relationship. We, made in the image and likeness of God, are invited to participate in that relationship.

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.

It is not the submission of a slave so much as the complete dependence of a child.

Give us each day our daily bread

We learn to receive what we need and to trust in God that it is enough without needing to fill our barns to overflowing.

and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us

Jesus himself enters into our sinful condition to free us. He is able to forgive even those who crucify him. Showing mercy, he deserves mercy enough for the whole world.

and do not subject us to the final test.

The Father and Jesus want all to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. They do not delight in the death of sinners. Jesus comes into the world to save and not to condemn. This is the heart of the one who came to seek and save the lost of the Father who gave his only Son to save us.

Our relationship with the Father can gradually transform our lives. It can deliver us from fear. We even see that Peter needed to grow in this deliverance. He chose to please men rather than God when he drew back and stopped eating with the Gentiles. Paul on the other hand was willing to criticize the actions of even the first pope because he cared more about pleasing God than men.

I said to Cephas in front of all,
"If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

This is the Spirit we need in the Church today. We need to care what God thinks more than man. But the only way we can truly internalize this is by experiencing God as Father. The prayer Jesus teaches us holds the key.

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

9 October 2018 - first listen then mission

Today's Readings (Audio)

Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.

Let us choose the better part whenever we can. Let us choose it without fear, knowing that it will not be taken from us. We are anxious and worried about many things when we need to focus on the one thing necessary. We need to sit at the feet of Jesus. We can't become so busy that we don't have time for this. Without time to sit at Jesus's feet we aren't doing anyone any favors. Our serving itself becomes less effective and devolves into mere business.

When we choose the better part we are transformed. 

But when he, who from my mother's womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me

Jesus chooses Paul when he is afflicted and ready to listen. He is still enough to hear. He is blind to other distractions. Jesus chooses us as well, though this is hard for us to truly believe. He wants to tell us about his love for us and the unique mission he has for each one of us. 

We must listen first and do mission second. This is the order God intends. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees more perfectly than we do the work that will perfect us, that will not be anxiety and worry, and that will truly build the kingdom.

My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.

When we listen first and receive our mission from Jesus it does not devolve into uneffective business. Rather, people who look see God at work in us.

So they glorified God because of me.