31 August 2019 - invest

Today's Readings

(Audio)

so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.

We must not bury our talents out of fear. The LORD gives to each according to her ability. The LORD first gave us our ability and has an accurate measure of it. He knows of what we are capable more than we ourselves. Therein lies the struggle. He knows we are capable of greater things, using what we receive from him, than we ourselves believe.

He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.'

We are called to put the talents to work. We are called to do this even in the apparent absence of the master. The main thing is not to hide them. They do have value. Even the world can sense it. The world desires it. As long as we don't bury them we will return some value for the master. Even if we're afraid of those interactions with others we can at least invest in the bank of prayer to produce interest for the master. 

Paul has suggestions for the use of these talents. We should invest in fraternal charity. He calls us to a quiet life where we mostly mind our own business. Yet though this quiet life rules out many extraneous things and much gossip it does not exclude the love he first mentions. He calls us to focus on working with our own hands rather than letting distractions overtake us. When we do so, when we focus on love and on living these quiet productive lives, we become prudent and competent investors of our talents. No longer lost in abstraction, we return profit for our master.

Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.

30 August 2019 - behold, the bridegroom

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The LORD Jesus wants to teach us how to rely on the Spirit even when our own strength fails.

but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

We need to be wise when we are awake. Then we will be prepared when we fall asleep in spite of ourselves. Wisdom in this case means having our priorities sufficiently straight that we acquire the oil that lights up our darkness. The foolish doubtlessly realize that such oil is important. Probably they are planning to get it tomorrow or the next day, which turns out to be too late.

While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

We need to seek to be filled with the oil of gladness, the Holy Spirit.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah (see First Samuel 16:13).

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions (see Psalm 45:7)

To grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified (see Isaiah 61:3).

There is really no limit on how much of this oil we can receive. God "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" (see John 3:34). This is the Spirit who calls out from within drawing us toward a life of purity and holiness. He draws us away from immorality and lustful passion toward holiness and honor. We need therefore only be wise enough to know the value of this anointing.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge (see First John 2:20).

If we know it, we know to seek it, and to rely on it. When we rely on it we find that even when we ourselves are weak and fall asleep the LORD's light still brings us safely to the wedding feast.

Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.

 

29 August 2019 - ahead of the game

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.

John the Baptist was a man who spoke the word of God in season and out of season. He spoke words that made Herodias want to kill him. He spoke words that perplexed Herod. Yet his words rang with truth. Herod could not help be drawn to listen. John, though imprisoned for speaking, refused to be silent. He was the forerunner preparing the way for the one who was coming, even to the end.

John spoke in this way, not out of self-righteousness, but for the sake of his hearers. There was hope even for Herod. John did not want to see Herod condemned. He did not want to see him give over control more and more to sin.

The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.

Herod made a fearful choice. He had heard John. He knew where true goodness could be found. He knew this was the opposite direction. But he caved in to the pressure of sin. Did John do him a disservice by revealing truth to him? No! Without that truth he would have been even less free to resist temptation than he proved to be.

We are called to have the hearts of witnesses, just as John the Baptist did. We are called to care even more about the salvation of others than our own lives.

For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

Paul's whole being was committed to loving and teaching those under his charge. His prayer was for their good. He could will himself cut off for their sakes (see Romans 9:3).

Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts, 
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

With Paul and with John we need to learn to get beyond ourselves in such a way that truly makes us available to others. Paul, the credentialed Pharisee that counted all as loss, and John, the prophet come to prepare the way before Jesus, reduced to preaching from a cell, show us that this love is possible.

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

28 August 2019 - no ordinary word

Today's Readings

(Audio)

we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

God's word is no ordinary word. It isn't words like we normally speak. It is not just something that passes through the ear, and then possibly takes up residence in the mind. It is a word which gets inside of us and does work within us. It is, in fact, "living and active" (see Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is the Word of the Father. The word of God spoken to us is truly a living word precisely because it brings more of the life of God within us.

Understanding how God's word can change us from the inside out is the key to not becoming like the Pharisees.

Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

Motives that come from our flesh are concerned with how we look. Motives that come from God's power within us have no such constraints. They allow the fruits of the Spirit to blossom within us. Even we ourselves are surprised when we see such love flow through us, realizing that the all surpassing power is not from us but from God.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us (see Second Corinthians 4:7).

Let us fill our jars of clay with the words God gives us. Let us not just believe them in our minds, but speak them out loud into our situations. When we are fearful and feel weak, we can say "I am strong in him" (see First Corinthians 12:10).  When we face a challenge, "With you I can break through any barrier, with my God I can scale any wall" (see Psalm 18:29)

We see in Augustine how profoundly the word can change life from the inside out. He who had said, "Give me chastity but not yet" was changed when he heard "Take up and read" and did so:

Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away. 

- from Confessions of Saint Augustine, Chapter XII

Augustine prays for us today that we too may be transformed. Let us allow God's word full access to the deepest parts of our hearts where it can bear fruit one hundred fold for the Kingdom.

Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.

27 August 2019 - cleanse first the inside

St. Augustine and St. Monica

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.

Jesus can't only tell us what we want to hear.

But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.

Much of the time, what we want to hear and what we need to hear are two different things. Jesus is constantly inviting us to draw closer to him. We are invited to allow him to make us more like himself. Superficial changes that affect our appearance are what we want, because of our pride. We want to be able to show off our transformation to others. But Jesus is interested in what is happening in our hearts.

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

Preaching which is difficult and hard to hear, preaching which challenges us, does not necessarily come from delusion, impure motives or deception. As long as the goal is trying to please the God who judges hearts it is possible for such preaching to be done gently "as a nursing mother cares for her children." This is how God speaks even difficult words to us. He does so, in fact, by sharing his very self. So too does Paul. So too are we called to do.

God speaks words that convict, but not words that condemn us and make us feel hopeless. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came to give us hope. He came to help us move beyond the difficult places where we are stuck. He is the light of the world who wants to help get us past our blind spots. 

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.

Let us not run from the LORD. Let us allow him to search us, to speak to us, and to cleanse us from the inside out. In turn let us, with all tenderness, share whatever words we are called to share, however sweet or challenging those words may be.

26 August 2019 - blind guides

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Pharisees are blind guides. Jesus and those to whom he reveals the Father are the only ones who know the Father. Everyone else who tries to offer spiritual guidance is a blind person leading others who are blind, at least to some degree.

Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'

Left to our own devices even legitimate earthly wisdom becomes twisted and values inverted in such a way as to actually take us further from the Kingdom. We need Jesus to come and reveal the Father to us and show us his priority and the centrality of love.

One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.

Jesus brings a revelation that is different than some sort of scholarly work arrived at by study and logical demonstrations.

For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

The revelation Jesus brings is not something we would have guessed based on human philosophy. In fact, philosophy seemed to do little more than puff up our pride, giving us a false sense of understanding and control.

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe (see First Corinthians 1:20-22).

Only once we turn from idols to serve the living and true God can we see the world in its proper order. Only then can we understand a new and heavenly kind of wisdom.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away (see First Corinthians 2:6).

The Church countenances enough of the philosophy of Aristotle via Thomas Aquinas so as to show us that those who truly sought wisdom often penetrated very deeply into the order of God's creation and even gained a shadowy sense of God himself. Only by willingness to lay aside idolatry could this wisdom be found. So too in our day.  Only with God as first in our hearts can we use it without hurting ourselves. And this is not intuitive. It seems like we could just argue and deduce. But without God first in our hearts, without prayer sanctifying every thought, we are the blind leading the blind.

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

25 August 2019 - fitting in

Today's Readings

(Audio)

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. 
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

The LORD is calling us to be strong. But he is not calling us to the sort of independent struggle or contest where we fight to secure our salvation. This exhortation is addressed to us as children. It is a reminder to not lose heart as the LORD trains us to bring forth the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.

The LORD is training us to enter the narrow gate. He wants all of his children from the north, the south, the east, and the west to come into his house. But the gate is narrow. We and our pride won't fit through together, nor any attachment to wealth or riches. Yet we don't often lay down all of these encumbrances at once. The LORD does not insist that we be perfected all at once. Instead, the LORD calls us to the persistence that endures until we enter. He himself wants us inside. He is helping us to lay down every weight of sin. Jesus himself is the gate for the sheep. We need to let him make us like him to pass through.

He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.

If we presume too much we may find the door locked. Let us not rely on ourselves and our own strength. But let us persist as the discipline of the LORD strengthens us and draws us in. He calls us to be strong under his discipline. But it is clear that only people who know him will ultimately enter. They are the ones whom he himself has trained.

Let us join the joyful procession to Jerusalem, to the kingdom of the LORD, and to the house of the master.

They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.

We tend to hear the gospel today and fixate on how narrow the gate is said to be. Yet we should hear rather the desire that all be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (see First Timothy 2:4).

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.

This should give us the courage to do what the psalmist suggests.

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

24 August 2019 - known and loved

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

Jesus knows us. It is a knowledge even greater and more comprehensive than that of the most intimate family members. It is a knowledge that compasses the good and the bad, what we show off, and what we hide. Even when we feel invisible to others Jesus still sees and knows us.

Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

Let us experience being known by the LORD. Then he will not say "I do not know where you are from" when we try to enter his Kingdom. It is a fearful thing to let ourselves be fully known because in life We always risk the response of those to whom we reveal ourselves. There are parts of us of which we are not proud. And revelation of these parts will result occasionally others withdrawing from us, even if just a little, loving us less, even while trying not to show it. Parents come the closest to unconditional love, but even they have lapses. Only Jesus loves us unconditionally. And this is why being known by him is so miraculous. It is like nothing we've experienced before.

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
- Psalm 139:1-6

When we are known by Jesus we admit that he knows even more about us than we know about ourselves. We admit that he knows more about what will ultimately satisfy us than we do. Really, given our track records for what happens when we try to find happiness ourselves, we shouldn't be surprised. And yet, only Jesus sees how we fit into the bigger picture of his plans. He made us, and he knows exactly why.

It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

We, like Bartholomew, are meant to be living stones in the Church (see First Peter 2:4). We are meant to be built together with Christ himself as the capstone (see Ephesians 2:20). We are made by love and for love. In being known we experience the truth of that love and at the same time unleash it in our hearts.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.

 

23 August 2019 - love poured out

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

We sometimes test Jesus in a similar way. We try to create a hierarchical list of commandments so that we can set some against others to justify a state of complacency. It is true that certain commandments have priority. Some things are intrinsically evil. Some goods are greater than others. But the ultimate schema that Jesus gives us does not allow any command to be set against any other.

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

In two commandments, commandments which cannot ultimately be separated,  contain every other principle and precept. Commandments are meant to point us toward love. Love is the overarching priority. It tolerates no lukewarmness, countenances no excuses, insisting always on the good of the other for the sake of the other. It is the single force that can give unified direction to otherwise highly fragmented lives. It is doubtlessly this love which Ruth saw in and indeed received from Naomi.

But Ruth said, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

Ruth experienced the close connection between the first and second commandments. The love of neighbor she received and returned caused her to also long to enter into that same exchange of love with Naomi's God.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (see John 13:35)

Again, there is no way to separate this love of neighbor from love of God. Without one both are deficient.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (see First John 4:20).

Though of course we cannot love neighbor or God without God first putting his own love into our hearts. 

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (see Romans 5:5).

God has poured his love into us. Let's stop testing Jesus and let it loose!

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.

22 August 2019 - over promised

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jephthah made a vow to the LORD.
"If you deliver the Ammonites into my power," he said,
"whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering."

We should be careful to promise to the LORD only what he is asking us to promise him. There was a certain zeal in what Jephthah promised. But it was not a zeal that God desired. It was a sacrifice, but not one the LORD desired.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.

We desire to share in the LORD's victory and we delight to the degree that his victory takes hold in our lives. But often we get ahead of ourselves by promising things we cannot deliver and were not meant to. Abraham certainly didn't offer Isaac because he thought it would be a good idea. He listened to the LORD and the LORD led him to the edge of faithfulness in that commitment. But there was no one to stay Jephthah's hand. Herod made so many vows and promises that he couldn't turn back when asked to kill John the Baptist. In our own lives we may be called to follow the LORD in hard ways which we do not understand just as Abraham was. But we must not impose those sacrifices on ourselves like Jephthah and Herod. If they are to bear fruit they must come from God.

"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. 
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"

The LORD wants to bring both the good and the bad into his feast. The originally invited guests get too busy with their own plans to attend just as Jephthah missed on a better future he might have otherwise had. It does no good to try to find clothes to wear to the feast ourselves. We can find nothing to cover ourselves which is suitable to the occasion. We need to rely on the host to provide us with the wedding garments of baptismal grace. We must continue to rely on this grace throughout our lives, letting him lead us through every challenge into we enter the hall filled with guests and taste the fattened calves.

"For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him"

21 August 2019 - a just wage

 

Today's Readings 

(Audio)

'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

The LORD is generous. He calls us into the vineyard and if we will go he gives us the wages of everlasting life. The good thief on the cross receives the same  wage as someone like Paul who spends much more of his life in the LORD's service. The LORD does not pay an hourly wage. He does not in fact give us what we earn. His call to the vineyard is a call to purpose, a call to be not just laborers, but his laborers. As long as we choose to be his he will give us salvation. To work in the vineyard itself is a privilege, a blessing, a way to show love to the LORD.

We have the wrong sense of what we deserve. This is why we tend to replace the direct rule of the LORD with the rule of kings we appoint for ourselves. The best of these kings seem to have good gifts and fruits to offer us. Sadly the best kings aren't interested in the job.

'Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men,
and go to wave over the trees?'

We seek after kings who can secure our rights and give us blessings. But we only end up with bosses interested in what they can extract from us. We do not find ourselves working for the landowner of the parable if we start from this perspective of ensuring that we get all that we can. The problem with that motivation is when we try it we usually end up with less than ever, used by kings rather than cared for in the service of the LORD.

But the buckthorn replied to the trees,
'If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith,
come and take refuge in my shadow.

We have deeply rooted beliefs about what we deserve. We have hard to break motivations protecting what is we believe is ours by right. Let us learn to relinquish these comparisons between what we get and what others get and learn to appreciate the blessings the LORD gives.

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

When we surrender ourselves to the payment plan of the LORD we find that we do have a king reigning over us, a generous king, who does more for us than we ever thought to ask.

For you welcomed him with goodly blessings,
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked life of you: you gave him
length of days forever and ever. 

 

20 August 2019 - go with the strength you have

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

Jesus reminds us, "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Walking in faith may feel like persistence at times. And Jesus also says, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (see Matthew 24:13). Yet nothing means nothing. Even our endurance and persistence must come from God.

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

The first thing we are tempted to do when we hear this passage is to get rid of our excess possessions, perhaps to give to the poor. These are good impulses. But they ought not be our first impulse. First we should turn to the LORD.

Gideon answered him, "If I find favor with you,
give me a sign that you are speaking with me.
Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come back to you
and bring out my offering and set it before you."

Gideon knows that he can't pull off God's plan on his own. He knows that he might be wrong about what the next move is. And so he brings his own understanding and subjugates it to the revelation to him from the angel. The LORD gives Gideon confidence to persist and endure by the power of his word.

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you."

It was faith in that word rather than any strength of his own that brought Gideon success. So too with us. Before we starting giving anything away let us listen for the LORD's word. We may well have excess to give to others. But let us wait for the LORD to guide us and give us strength to respond to his word to us. This must be qualified, because we may not feel strong even after having waited. Even so, if we turn to the LORD we know we can count on him to give us the grace we need to love just as he would love, to give as he would give.

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

When we give without grace we find ourselves empty and wanting. But when we wait and move at God's touch we find ourselves with more real and lasting possessions.

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

These riches are real even here and now in the Church. They don't keep us from the Kingdom. They are found within.

19 August 2019 - if you would be perfect

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The children of Israel offended the LORD by serving the Baals.
Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers,
who led them out of the land of Egypt,
they followed the other gods of the various nations around them,
and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.

Even when we have some base level of faithfulness to the commandments it does not mean our hearts belong to Jesus as much as he would like.

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

What makes us go away from Jesus in sadness? For the young man, even though he kept the commandments, nevertheless his possessions were an idol that kept him from following Jesus. Discipleship would have been a great adventure. Following Jesus would have meant a new level of freedom. The young man must have sensed it. There was a sadness in his heart as he walked away. He knew there was something better that he was simply refusing to choose for himself.

But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,
following other gods in service and worship,
relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.

The commandments are like judges that can help guide us when they are present. The law can work in specific and concrete ways. But when the judges die we relapse. When there is something less specific, especially a question of some good we ought to do in a specific circumstance, the judges are absent and we fall back into idolatry. We do what are patterns dictate will make us happy but we walk away sad at the good we do not choose.

Knowing that our hearts tend toward idolatry let us ask Jesus to help us. He promised to give us knew and living hearts (see Ezekiel 36:26). This work is begun in us, but we need it to continue more and more.

Yet he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their cry.

So remember us, today, O Lord, and do not let us go away from you sad.

18 August 2019 - come with your fire

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us

We are surrounded by examples that prove that the Christian life is possible. The saints reveal that God's promise of grace in our time of need is real. They show us that even ordinary men and women can resist to the point of shedding blood, not by their own strength, but by grace.

The example of the saints show us what it looks like when people allow Jesus to set them on fire with his love. They show what it is like to love Jesus in all things and especially above all things to the point where we won't even put family before him.

We need the fire of Jesus' love in our hearts because when we are faithful to him we do encounter struggles. Like Jeremiah we may find ourselves sinking down into the mud because we refuse to preach anything other than the truth from God, even when it is a hard truth.

"Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin."

But even if we do find ourselves in a pit the fire of God's love can make us confident enough to keep our eyes on him.

keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith

We know for sure that Jesus will lift us from our pits of despair if we keep our eyes on him. The whale eventually had to relinquish Job. The grave had no ultimate claim on Jesus. So too does his fire make us confident as we face whatever baptism to which he calls us.

"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing! 
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! 

17 August 2019 - all in

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely.
Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the LORD.

Joshua knows that the people still have the gods from Egypt and beyond the river in their hearts. He sees that they have some intention of serving the LORD. In fact, they believe that is their only intention. But he sees that they, like us, have not entirely abandoned idolatry. We too like to imagine that we are entirely for the LORD. But then we realize all of the other things in our lives, lesser things, that we sometimes choose instead of God. Joshua wants us to go all in. He helps us to see just why we hold back.

You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God;
he is a jealous God who will not forgive
your transgressions or your sins.

Other paths sometimes seem easier. They sometimes seem more practical. In fact, being all in for the God of Israel means relying on his miraculous protection. It means leaning so strongly on him that if he does not support us we fall.

He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples
through whom we passed.

We know that the LORD can do these things. But if we are not committed to always relying on him we will definitely run into this or that circumstance where we fall back to relying on ourselves instead. We end up not doing what we know God would have us do out of fear. Or we take actions God would not permit to try to solve the problem. Joshua says we should trust in the LORD entirely. Will we listen?

Our own ability to trust is insufficient. We always straddle the world and the kingdom, looking for the most advantageous opportunities in the given moment. And if we're honest, we choose the world more often than not. Only if, by grace, we become like little children, will we be able to trust God completely.
Children were brought to Jesus
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,
"Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

The disciples here exist in our own minds and thoughts. They try to keep the simple trust of children at bay. But the children come from grace and offer trust in our minds and hearts. Let us welcome them to the central throne where Jesus reigns.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

 

16 August 2019 - thankfulness practice

Saint Stephen of Hungary

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant."

God was faithful before. He will be faithful in the future. We see grace at work in the past, where God gave us the victory in Christ through no effort of ours.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast (see Ephesians 2:8-9).

Just as our very creation is a gift, just as the victory of God in Christ is something we could never earn, so too is every blessing the LORD gives us unearned. We need to learn to treasure these things in our hearts as Mary does (see Luke 2:19). This is vital, because without doing so our blessings are seed that just falls on the soil and are quickly stolen from us by the enemy. The LORD has done so much more than we can ask or imagine, but we only remember a small percentage of it. We need to become intentional about giving thanks.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.

Only by relying on the unmerited favor given by God can we actually live out the Christian call to marriage.

His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.

Humans tend to have a negativity bias. It may once have had survival value for earlier humans. But it is not the approach we want to apply to our spiritual lives. Yet we tend to note the imperfections and difficulties and pay little attention to the blessings and graces we are given. No wonder we think we are weak. We only remember how things are when we rely on ourselves and forget about God. Yet there is no vocation that doesn't rely on God's grace. We are not called to a life of weakness but one of victory.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (see First Corinthians 5:57).

Just as we are called to take every thought captive to Christ (see Second Corinthians 10:5) so too must we not only blessings to escape without giving thanks. We must let Mary be our model and treasure God's actions in our hearts. Then we can live our vocations victoriously, without fear.

15 August 2019 - the queen stands at your right hand

Today's Readings

(Audio)

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (see Genesis 3:5).

We see that enmity on full display in today's readings. The dragon does his worst to try to strike at the heel of the woman but she is protected.

Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.

The weapon of the dragon is death, power he has over man because of the fall of Adam. But he does not have this power over the new Adam, nor over the new Eve.

For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life

Mary is the New Eve. She is the mother of those who follow Jesus  (see Revelation 12:17 and John 19:26-27). She is the new ark of the covenant for she bears within herself the presence of God in Jesus Christ.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

(Compare with Second Samuel 6:9).

Just as that which was unholy could not touch the old ark (see Second Samuel 6:7) so too does God not permit sin on corruption to touch the new ark. She is assumed into heaven because death has no claim on her. She is assumed into heaven, to show us, as our mother, our destiny as body united to Christ the head. She reveals the holiness of God and how that holiness is meant to transform and infuse our very beings. This is why theologians call Mary and archetype of the Church.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.

Because Mary is in heaven, body and soul, we are meant to have great confidence that she is our mother, not only as a nice idea, but in way that matters, a way, that we can experience. In heaven she is not far away. She is close to us and able to love and care for us by her prayers before the throne of her Son.

The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

14 August 2019 - where two or three are gathered

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (see Psalm 133:1)

As Church, we are called to be one even as Jesus and the Father are one. This is meant to be so profound that it is can be a witness to the world of our identity as Christians.

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me (see John 17:21).

We are called to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (see Ephesians 4:3). This is what happened in the early Church.

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common (see Acts 4:32).

Unity is a basic condition of being powerful and victorious in our Christian walk.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.

We've been trying to live this life solo for too long. We have policies on non-interference, content to let others go astray without so much as a word. But we are in some sense our brothers keeper. We should meddle when souls are at stake.

If he does not listen, 
take one or two others along with you,
so that  every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.

We want to all be on the same page, united in the same truth, so that we can come together to make around the same prayer intentions. Then those intentions will have power. Israel was united around Moses because there was never a prophet like him whom the LORD knew face to face. We unite around Christ who is God himself. He is perfectly able to mediate our disputes and forgive us the sins that separate us from each other and from him. If the world seems to be lacking in signs and wonders than perhaps it is this unity around Jesus which is lacking. In what ways can we enter into it more deeply and more intentionally?

Bless our God, you peoples; 
loudly sound his praise.

13 August 2019 - never abandoned nor forsaken

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Moses can only get us so far. Eventually we will need to trust directly in God.

It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.

This is difficult for us. We become attached to our human teachers, leaders, and role models. They become quite good at teaching us and showing us God's will. But as the analogy goes, they are meant to be fingers pointing to the moon, not the moon itself. If we become too fixated on individuals we miss the heavenly glory.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth (see First Corinthians 3:7).

It is easier for us to put a good amount of trust in human authorities. It is harder for us to put supernatural faith in the fact that the LORD God is leading us moment to moment. It is more than merely acknowledging who he was or what he did in the past. It is faith whereby we can follow and trust him in this current moment of crisis, whatever that might be.

Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you.

What more do we need than that assurance? More teachers will come to clarify and to lead. But they are not the object of our faith. They come to show us how to trust God above all others.

Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Children tend to believe in the almost supernatural ability of their parents to set things right. The world is not vast and frightening when their parents are near. This level of trust belongs properly to God alone. We adults outgrew childlike hearts and found it necessary to become anxious. We now feel our anxiety and fear is necessary, keeping our grip on a world ready to spin out of our control. Yet God invites us to discover childlike hearts once more. In fact, he commands it.

Only with childlike hearts can we seek and save the lost. Otherwise we will be so preoccupied with maintaining business as usual we will be too afraid to go and seek them out.

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?

God will never abandon either us nor the ninety-nine. He will not forsake us. We are free to follow the shepherd in search of the sheep, without fear, confident that God marches with us.

While the LORD's own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.

12 August 2019 - set apart to bring together

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The LORD wants us to understand with what special favor he has loved us, and to respond in turn with our own love and obedience.

Yet in his love for your fathers the LORD was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.

His love for us proves he does not have ulterior motives. It ought to free us from any doubt or hesitation preventing us from loving him in return.

The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
who has done for you those great and terrible things
which your own eyes have seen.

Through supernatural means Jesus pays the temple tax for himself and for Peter even though, as Son, he is exempt. In the same way, though not a sinner, he is handed over, killed, and raised on the third day to pay our debt and purchase us back for God.

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (see First Corinthians 6:20).

The LORD chose Abraham and his children, he set them free from Egypt, and led them into the promised land because they were meant to be a people peculiarly his own. If the people of Israel were meant to be as numerous as the stars of the sky how much more is his Church, the Israel of God (see Galatians 6:16), meant to bring his salvation to the ends of the earth. Let us meditate on this fact that we are chosen and set apart.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (see First Peter 2:9)

The Israelites were called to love befriend aliens because they themselves were once aliens. We are called to love all of those who stand in need of God's deliverance because we too would be lost without it and still ourselves need his grace day by day.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

11 August 2019 - the readiness of faith

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen. 

Faith is not just a feeling. It has to do with much more than our inner subjective worlds. Faith is in fact much more practical than we usually accredit it to be. Faith gets us from where we are to a future that we can't see or calculate but which is certain and on which we need to stake our entire lives.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go. 

Feelings are insufficient grounds for the adventures to which we are called. We need faith that can sustain us even during the hard parts. Faith enables us to see and greet our destination from afar. It is the basis for a hope that can actually shape our actions. It is in fact a participation here and now in the world that is to come.

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,
they might have courage.

Practically speaking, with this faith we can gird our loins, light our lamps, and actually be ready for the master's return. We can actually live like ready to meet Jesus at any moment.

And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants. 

We often succumb to the world's insistence that it is only here and now that matters. We put ourselves first in the short-term thinking that we'll solve the problems of our hearts eventually. But faith puts us in such close contact with the master's return that being ready to meet him takes on a new priority. After all, we do meet him constantly in the lives of our brothers and sisters, in prayer, and especially in the Eucharist. But we tend to sleepwalk through these encounters. Faith can make them real.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
 who is our help and our shield.

10 August 2019 - reap bountifully

Saint Lawrence

Today's Readings

(Audio)

but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

We hear Jesus calling us to follow him. He does not allow love for life in the world to keep him from going to the cross for our sakes. Jesus is telling us that there is no way to bear fruit for the kingdom except by putting love of God and love of neighbor ahead of our love for this world. Our disordered self-love will choose comfort every time rather than giving one's life for one's friend.

but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

We do not hate life in this world absolutely. Our temporary and limited lives here below are in fact a good thing. In taking up our crosses and following Jesus we are actually embracing something better and more permanent.

Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.

We aren't called to the cross just for the sake of the cross. We are called to the cross to produce much fruit. We are called to love beyond ourselves. This is the way that we can enter here and now into the love between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, love where each pours himself out entirely for the other.

Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.

We can even live the call to gift cheerfully. We can't do that on our own. Without grace dying to self for the sake of other is never going to seem like anything but a burden. But we do this because God first showed us how. Now, united to him, we receive the grace we need.

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

As our seeds fall to the ground, as we follow the master, may cheerfulness mark our lives. May generosity that stems from the knowledge that God provides mark all we do.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.