31 October 2019 - more than conquerors

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?

Yet we take so seriously the condemnation of others.  Even tacit perhaps merely implied disapproval or the dissatisfaction we perceive to be present cause us to lose our root. We begin to fear that we have no value and that we deserve every criticism ever spoken against us.

What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

There is only one way to separate ourselves from the love of Christ. The outside world cannot do it. Our constant mistakes and failures cannot do it. We only separate ourselves from his love by intentionally acting so as to separate ourselves. It cannot happen by accident. And even then, are we truly separated from the love of Christ? No, because he is always calling us back. He never speaks in condemnation but always invites. He calls us closer, deeper, higher.

When we know our identity in Christ, when we are rooted in grounded in his love (see Ephesians 3:17), we are able to live on purpose even when our circumstances have a voice like the Pharisees in today's Gospel. They tell Jesus, "Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you." But Jesus, who knows the Father's plan, is undeterred.

Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.

Because Jesus conquers we too can conquer.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.

The purpose of Jesus is something more than the mere opposition of these forces of circumstance. He is not driven just to defeat negative forces of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Rather, he is driven by love.

how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!

Let us be driven by love as well. Let us spread our wings to gather the world to him.

30 October 2019 - gate-ful

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

We want to enter the kingdom. We strive to do so. But what happens when we discover that we are not strong enough?

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

The Spirit himself will cause the door to be opened for us. Whereas in our own strength we will be frustrated, left outside to hear the words, 'I do not know where you are from', if we let the Spirit intercede for us we will be recognized.

And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

It is the Spirit that makes us sons and daughters of God. 

For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. 

Many people will come into the Kingdom from the east and the west and from the north and the south. Let us not be those who are locked out due to presumption.

And you will say,
'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!'

It isn't enough to know about Jesus. It isn't enough to sit in mass and say our prayers. We may feel OK in such conditions, not threatened, and unchallenged. Yet we need his Spirit to be alive within us, transforming us, calling out to God on our behalf. With the Spirit leading us it may feel like much is going wrong, like many doors are closing, but we know that from that point on it is all made to serve a higher purpose.

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

It is the LORD who longs to give light to our eyes. He desires to make everything serve our greater to good, to pray from within the depths of our souls so as to be heard before the throne. 

Let my heart rejoice in your salvation;
let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."

29 October 2019 - dough and don'ts

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.

It is not obvious when one sees the seed how big the bush will be when full grown. The effect of yeast on a batch of flour would be hard to guess until one has seen it. These both sound like nice things in parables. But they are meant to be comfort for us. There are times when we know the seed of the kingdom is within us, times when we know leaven is being added to the dough, long before the results are visible.

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

What if our suffering is the seed of glory? What if all of creation is being leavened for glory that will one day be revealed?

for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption

It isn't simply that joy is on the other side of sorrow, though after sorrow we do have great hope. It is precisely through sorrow, through our suffering, because it can be united to the suffering of Jesus, that resurrection and joy are possible. The whole universe is ordered so even the brokenness and pain, though not intended by him, can lead us back to God. Death is permitted with a view to it one day becoming something more, a doorway to immortality. 

we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.  

If this seed is indeed within us, how should we live?

For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

Endurance, but more than endurance because it is charged with hope.

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

28 October 2019 - built together

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles

Jesus establishes his Church on the Rock who is Peter. He builds it upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (see Revelation 21:14).

The Church itself is the pillar and foundation of truth (see First Timothy 3:15). The Apostles not only hand down to us the written word (for not all of them wrote) but also by Sacred Tradition (see Second Thessalonians 2:15).

Christ Jesus himself is the capstone who makes this whole structure hold together. We can trust in him even when things are confusing, even when things look bleak. We see that in the mystery of providence Christ knowingly allowed Judas Iscariot to be a part of his plan because he knew that a greater good would result. So too every trial faced by the Church is permitted by God. He can see further than we can. From the time he "spent the night in prayer to God" he foresaw all that would result and chose what would ultimately manifest the glory, love, and mercy of God to the maximal degree.

All the greatness God has built into the Church does us no good unless we allow ourselves to become part of it. We need to take on a new identity shaped by our new destiny as dwelling places of God in the Spirit.

in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We must allow ourselves to be built together. Dividing walls must fall. There are strangers and sojourners outside of the Church. But within we must be fellow citizens. The Holy Spirit delights in unity and he will fill us more and more to the degree that we allow ourselves to be united with one another. This may be difficult. It may go against our preferences or personalities. But it is the call upon us. Once we accept it we will begin to know the fruits of the Spirit more deeply. We won't want to look back.

Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.

27 October 2019 - Lord, have mercy

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.

The most certain way to not receive God's help is to convince ourselves that we don't need it. The LORD wants to show mercy to anyone who knows his need of mercy. He wants to pour out his gifts on those who are not too full to receive them.

The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.

We cannot earn more by being better. We deserve no less by being less. God "is a God of justice who knows no favorites." With the tax collector we should pray 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' with the profound confidence that the "prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right".

What is the secret of having our prayers heard? Humility, clearly. But is it the sort of self-loathing that might seem to be implicated by the tone of the tax collector? While we must certainly express what contrition we have,  there is something more. We must not become so fixated on ourselves and our faults that we despair. Rather, even more important than contrition is the longing for God and the assurance of faith that he will answer. For if we do not have this, how will contrition profit us?

From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

We may enter into the confessional unable to raise our eyes to heaven, beating our breasts, and praying for mercy. But we do so because we know that we can go home justified, exalted by the God of mercy.

The LORD is asking us to turn away from our effort to be strong enough on our own and to increase our reliance on him and his strength.

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.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

26 October 2016 - fig-ured out

Image by Angeles Balaguer from Pixabay

Today's Readings
(Audio)

'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree     
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?'
He said to him in reply,
'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.
If not you can cut it down.'"

The LORD himself is the gardener who does all he can to help us bear fruit. The law was powerless to help us bear this fruit. It insisted, yes, that we bear fruit. But when we did not and could not it was only able to speak in condemnation. We were sinners heading toward death. The law told us this was our just fate. It seemed inevitable. The tower would have eventually collapsed upon us. Our blood would have been mingled with the blood of our sacrifices.

do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!

In his mercy the gardener prolonged the time before our judgment (see Romans 2:4). And he did not leave without help. He cultivated the ground and fertilized us by the Holy Spirit he poured out.

and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Although our bodies are still going to experience death even so is everything different, transformed for us, by the Spirit inside.

But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

May we not try to grow in arid soil without the nutrients we need. We need all the help the gardener desires to give. And he does desire to give it. So let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit this morning. Let us open ourselves to his fruit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (see Galatians 5:22-23)

25 October 2019 - the signs of the times

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

The sign given to this generation is Jesus (see Matthew 12:39, Isaiah 7:14). He himself is what they fail to interpret correctly. He calls everyone to repent and believe the Gospel. Just to behold the way he lives in the world is such a call even before his words are heard.

We need Jesus in order to repent. When we struggle without his grace we find ourselves unable to overcome sin.

For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.

Even though we can absolutely affirm that we desire righteousness and the law of God we find that we of ourselves are more or less captives to sin. At this point, and again every time we struggle, we are presented with Jesus and his call to repentance. Will we accept what he tells us about ourselves, about sin, and about salvation? Will we turn to him to be saved?

Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus can help us settle our debts now or we can pay them the hard way.

I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.

We need to realize that now, in this time of mercy, is a much better time than later. Now, Paul tells us, is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation (see Second Corinthians 6:2). Let us not wait for Purgatory to pry from our grasp the sins to which we cling. Let us turn toward the loving gaze of Jesus, which itself already causes our grip on them to loosen. Let his Holy Spirit flow into us, through our bodies, our arms, and our wills, releasing all else to which we hold so recalcitrantly, now so much dust in the wind.

God puts this desire for the good, the true, and the beautiful deep within us precisely so that he can fulfill it.

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

24 October 2019 - fire on the earth

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

Why division? Because the LORD offers us freedom. But all of us cling to slavery in one way or another. Some cling to it so strongly as to refuse the offer of freedom entirely. But even we ourselves are divided within, the old man from the new, the renewed heart from the heart of stone, by the word of God which "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (see Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus does not want to leave any part of any heart in the possession of the enemy. He is stronger than the enemy. He has already overcome him. But he will not force us to share in that victory. He invites rather than insisting. The division is precisely here. If he insisted there would be no division. If he did nothing there would be no division. But because he allows us to choose whether or not to love him division is a consequence. It is necessary, too, that it be as clear a distinction as it can be so that we can realize how bad and hopeless is life without Jesus.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.

When we see how places where Jesus does not reign are hopeless we become more motivated to turn more completely toward him. This is why we need to let the word of God fully reveal where we are committed to Jesus and where in us sin still reigns.

But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.

Perhaps it is not always clear to us exactly who or were the invitation of Jesus is most perfectly manifest. That is why Paul tells us "for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" (see First Corinthians 11:19). Those who are genuine will ultimately be known by there fruit.

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

The recognition of truth somethings even requires the teaching authority of the Church. But even this only happens if we are willing to be unambiguous about who we are and where we stand.

I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

Jesus does not want anything less than the fire of the Holy Spirit for us. He insists on nothing less than the all consuming fire of God's holiness that sanctifies the hearts of the saints. Let us receive it.

23 October 2019 - from the heart

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

It isn't so much that Jesus is trying to catch us off guard. It is rather that our lives must be marked be a consistency. We need to be faithful whether or not we sense someone watching over our shoulder. That sort of extrinsic motivation isn't enough.

But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.

Obedience from the heart transcends the fear that only obeys when others are watching. It is a response of love to the love we are first shown.

but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness.

Because Jesus died for us, because he himself manifested obedience for us even when he felt utterly abandoned, he is able to share that obedience with us as a gift of his resurrection.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (see Colossians 3:3).

We are meant to be entirely different sorts of creatures, new creations in Christ, living the grace of obedience he gives us, which leads to righteousness. How much better this is than slaves that merely act out of fear! Our very hearts are new. Hear it again: "obedient from the heart". This is something that is quite foreign to the thinking of the world, where everything is about power and obedience only arises from fear.

We have been given new hearts that can, if we embrace the gift, allow us to obey with joy from our very cores. But to know this is not the same as to receive and embrace it. It is vital that we do both.

still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more

It seems that we are near the top of the list of people entrusted with more. How are we using it? Do we still only obey in fear when it seems like God is paying particularly close attention? Can we not rather strive to let the love he planted in our hearts manifest, making every effort to live for him in each and every moment of our lives? This is rhetorical. We can in fact do so. The grace is given. So let us receive it and live it.

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

22 October 2019 - reign check

Saint John Paul the Great

"We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus"

- Saint John Paul the Great

Today's Readings

(Audio) 

how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

Let's do a brief self-assessment. Are we reigning in life? No? Well, according to Paul we should be,mo more and more. He tells us we are more than conquerors (see Romans 8:37). Yet many of us live lives that look defeated, subject to the winds of circumstance. John agrees with Paul that Christians should not appear thus.

for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith (see First John 5:4).

Perhaps the problem is that we let sin and darkness overwhelm us because we don't believe Paul when he said "Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more". We need faith to believe and receive the fact that there is grace enough for any challenges we might face in life. When we come to truly know this we will no longer be the somewhat pathetic pushovers of circumstance that we all allow ourselves to become at times. We can reign in life. We can walk in victory.

We need the attitude of victory if we want to remain vigilant to await the master's return. By the second or third watch of the night those who aren't walking in victory are starting to fall asleep, that is, back into the habits of sin and seeking satisfaction in temporary things.

Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding

It is precisely only the grace of the Holy Spirit that keeps these lamps lit. It is this light that keeps us awake and unafraid. There is enough for any depth of darkness, for any watch of the night. Let us receive it.

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

21 October 2019 - what matters to God

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions.

Wealth becomes a problem when we identify with it and can't see ourselves without it. It begins to dominate us instead of us simply putting it to use.

He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'

Some isn't enough. We find ourselves needing more, thinking at last that will be enough. But it isn't. There is always the sense that if we just have however much more we can finally rest. Yet if we have so fully identified ourselves with this wealth that we do in fact believe that our lives consist in possessions there is no amount of greater wealth that will ever satisfy us.

The problem arises when we try to use wealth, pleasure, or any other good thing to fill a hole in our hearts that only God was meant to fill. When we try to fill that heart with anything less than God we find those things subject to the fluctuations of a constantly changing world. We sense that we can't hold them forever and so become afraid.

'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."

Being rich in what matters to God is in some ways less obvious than to simply rely on things like wealth. Wealth seems more concrete, more definite, and more real. We can see it, and we can regularly observe the power it has. It takes faith to be rich in what matters to God. It is something that is more hidden than the things of this world. Yet for that it is no less real and no less powerful, if we have the eyes to see it.

Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.

Ultimately the promises of God are more lasting than any promise that wealth can make. Let us trust him.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

20 October 2019 - persist

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.

Jesus is teaching us about persistence in prayer. If the dishonest judge is willing to listen to the widow because she keeps after him how much more will God secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Yet we sometimes think of God as being more like the unjust judge, more or less indifferent to us, but occasionally persuaded to answer just to quiet us down. But this is not why Jesus calls us to persistence. It is not why it is necessary for us to pray always without becoming weary. The Father his a heart for his chosen ones. So why not instant gratification? Or better, since he knows what we need before we ask, why should we have to ask at all? Why not just smooth out the path of our lives before us, leaving nothing for us to desire?

God is training us. He is asking us elevate our desire for his promises so that they become unwavering even in the face of opposition. He is helping our hearts to become like his, who continued to call and to court us even when we opposed him outright.

proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

There isn't much in the building of the Kingdom that comes about without persistence and patience. The seed is sown and does not at once spring up. When we fight the battles the LORD permits in our lives are arms do grow weary. Yet we need to keep them raised in prayer and in worship.

As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight

In this need of persistence we are meant to help one another and to support one another.

Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Whether we are Joshua fighting, Aaron and Hur supporting, or Moses at prayer we need to fight the good fight of faith with the strength that comes from God. At times we will be called to all of these roles. Ultimately, none can succeed unless we play the parts to which we are called and persist until the battle is won.

My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

 

19 October 2019 - it depends on faith

Saints John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues and companions

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,

It is not the righteousness that comes from the law because that would come through our own efforts, giving us reason to boast, and to compare and compete with others. God wants to unite us in one family. This is not something we can earn. It is not something which admits of degrees. There would be no way to receive it if God did not give it. This is why we can't blaspheme the Holy Spirit, the very principle of the freely given gift.

Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.

To speak against the Spirit is to treat the gift of God with contempt. And without the gift we have nowhere to turn. There is nothing left, after conscious and complete refusal of the gift, except despair.

The Spirit is within us, moving and prompting us to acknowledge the Son of Man. Let us not resist his urgings. Let us not fear them. He himself will give us the words and show us the way.

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

Faith empowered by the Spirit can withstand any challenge, even when human wisdom would abandon hope. This is what Abraham showed when he believed the LORD for the promise he received.

He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.

The LORD has given us many promises. But we need faith to obtain them. We need to allow the Spirit within to reach out and take hold of them.

For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.

 

18 October 2019 - the Lord stood by me

Saint Luke, Evangelist

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.

Are we enamored of this present world? If we are it can prevent us from doing our part for the gospel. Too much love for the world can cause us even to strongly resist the gospel, but if not, it can still draw us to become deserters. May Saint Luke pray for us that we can stand up for the gospel and those proclaiming it when we are challenged. May he pray that the goal that motivated Saint Paul would spark a fire in us as well.

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.

When following Jesus seems to hard, when it seems like we too many people are abandoning us and when we're giving up too much, he is able to strengthen us. The only way to go safely as lambs among wolves is sent be Jesus, with a strength of heart that can come from him alone. With his peace in us and ready to offer others we can forget about the lack of money bag, sack and sandals. We can persist in spite of deserters. We can move without fear among wolves.

Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,

The very peace that we experience even in times of trial is precisely what we are called to offer others. We are called to go forth and bring the healing that can only come from the gospel. 

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

Jesus calls us friends. And we read, "Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom." Saint Luke, Saint Paul, pray that Jesus would give us hearts for the gospel and fill us with peace and healing to share with the world.

17 October 2019 - the principle of faith

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.

Who are the heroes of faith that we celebrate, the saints and scholars upon whom we heap respect and celebrity? On the one hand, it is good to have models such as these. On the other hand if we don't let them teach us the way to holiness we are left as hypocrites. The saints and scholars can't love Scripture for us. Nor can they do works of charity for us. Loving Saint Theresa of Calcutta while remaining closed in heart to the poor means we are even harder of heart and more guilty than we would have been otherwise.

To be like these figures is more than mere imitation. It is more than just doing what they did as well or better than they did it. The saints and prophets and modern scholars all want to teach us one thing. They want to show us the principle of faith by which they lived. They were not like the old scholars of the law  in today's Gospel who could do nothing to help those trying to enter into holiness, relying as they did on their own strength and their own knowledge.

You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.

Genuinely holy people call us to turn away from ourselves and our own abilities and ideas and toward faith in Jesus Christ.

For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.

When we are justified by faith we are forgiven of sins previous offenses. We agree with Jesus about what is wrong in our hearts and turn away from sin by the grace he gives. We are transformed into people who no longer need to kill prophets. We no longer compete with the prophets in order to achieve holiness and so there is no need for violence. Rather we and they both rely on the same faith.

Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.

Let us turn from a mere passive celebration of our saints. Let us ask their prayers for the grace to live by the same faith that motivated their lives.

I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

16 October - grave expressions

Saint Margaret Alacoque

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus tells us not to get so lost in detail and nuance that we miss the main point of his message.

but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.

It isn't so hard to tithe on mint, rue and every garden herb. But to focus on justice and the love of God demands all that we have and all that we are. We just want to feel like we are doing it right, living correctly, and checking the boxes. We want this so we can sit contentedly in seats of honor, acknowledged by others to be good Christians, good people, and therefore valuable.

Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.

We see the problem with this attitude in us whenever we find ourselves happy that someone else is wrong and we are right.

"Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them."

In fact, even though we may well be correct in our arguments nevertheless our practice isn't much different from the rest of the world.

Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things
and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?

We need drastic transformation from the inside out. We need life for the parts of our hearts which still dwell in death. Only he who gives life to the dead (see Romans 4:17) can help. The one purpose of this gift of new life is love of God, and in and through him, love of neighbor. When this transformation happens we still attend to the little things but without neglecting the main thing. We still have concern for the truth, but we do all we can ourselves to help others bear it.

Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.

15 October 2019 - unashamed

Saint Teresa of Jesus

Today's Readings

(Audio)

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.

Herein lies the risk we all face when we don't enter deeply into the gospel. The gospel reveals God's salvation and his righteousness. Without the gospel our reason is able to know God through creation. Yet without revelation we are quite adept at fooling ourselves. 

Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools

It is not just those entirely without the gospel whose minds are darkened. To the degree that we don't rely on the gospel ourselves our minds are also darkened. We are meant to have our minds renewed.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (see Romans 12:2).

There is the choice. We can let this world conform us. Or we can let God's word transform us. The later possibility is the only one worthy of our hope. Yet it does not just happen. We can't hope that it will work by osmosis. Not being ashamed of the gospel means more than not cringing when we hear it. It means being unafraid to think and even to speak it (which means knowing it and even having it memorized to some degree). It means that it can't just remain on the inside but needs to be fully expressed.

The Pharisees bear the fruit of that with which they are filled: plunder and evil. They, like the world, polish an exterior designed to look acceptable and impressive. They are not living lives based primarily on God's word. Instead it is secondary, used only to justify what they would do anyway.

The Pharisees need to confess God's word, saying that they love their neighbor as themselves. They need that word to change their minds, become true in them, and change their actions. They are told to give alms which will depend also on that inner change. With them we need to hear that God loves a cheerful giver. Yet we know that what he commands he empowers. By the grace of the Holy Spirit we can say, "I am a cheerful giver!" Yet we are ashamed. We think we ought to do it ourselves. Let us learn from Paul.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.

If we embrace the Gospel we can join in with the heavens in proclaiming God's glory.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

14 October 2019 - signed and delivered

Saint Callistus I

Today's Readings

(Audio)

and there is something greater than Solomon here.

and there is something greater than Jonah here.

There have been wise men and great preachers throughout history and across the world. To some extent we are willing to listen to such people. We even travel to the ends of the earth to seek their wisdom. We change our ways when confronted with their teacher. Jesus is greater than the greater preacher, wiser than the wisest that ever lived. He won't permit himself to be seen as just another prophet or teacher and because of this many prefer to simply ignore him entirely. Others disingenuously twist his teaching to fit the syncretist mold, as if Buddha, Mohammed, and Jesus were all actually saying basically the same thing. But while Buddha, Mohammed, and others pointed to their teaching, Jesus pointed toward himself.

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Jesus taught, it is true. But ultimately what he taught was himself, the way, the truth and the light. He taught the path to being united with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. He himself was that path. He didn't simply give a sign. His life was itself a sign that efficaciously conveyed grace.

established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,

There is no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Some of us have made our peace with this abstractly. But when it comes to the priority of Jesus in our lives and in our hearts we still treat him as one among many. Our solutions to the problems we face day to day tend to come from our minds, from our intuitions, from advice or even pressure from others. Less frequently do we consult Jesus. Yet he is certainly wiser than we are, wiser than our friends, more readily available than our intuition, and yet less insistent than the bullies of the pulpits of the world. He is meant to be greater not just among the figures of the world but within our hearts. He is meant to reign in us but he will not force himself. Let us invite him to sit upon the thrones within us, thrones always meant for him.

for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (see First John 4:4).

It is much better to not compete. Jesus is much better at running the universe generally and our lives in particular than are we.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.

13 October 2019 - change on the way

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As they were going they were cleansed.

The LORD wants us to have thankful hearts. He continues to do mighty things in us as we are going. He continues to cleanse us of our faults and sins. But since this cleansing is caught up with the rest of life we are often too distracted to return and give thanks. We are already on our way, no longer doing anything overtly spiritual, heading back to business as usual. When the LORD changes us in the midst of our daily grind do we notice enough to be thankful?

No wonder he the LORD wanted Naaman to be washed in the Jordan rather than any water in his home country. He wanted him to fully realize how special his healings was. And it worked.

please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD."

Even though the LORD does want us to recognize his healing hand at work he does not want to be confined only to the specifically spiritual. He wants to us to be able to offer our lives in thanksgiving whether we have the mule-loads of earth from a sacred place or whether we are simply on our way.

But the word of God is not chained.

It is the cross of Christ that unleashes the grace of God to transform us in every way, in every time, and in every place.

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him

Jesus died outside the city (see Hebrews 13:12) and tore the veil (see Matthew 27:51). Just as Jesus first offers himself in thanksgiving (as Eucharist) to the Father, so too can we now offer ourselves, wherever and whenever we remember to do so, in Spirit and in truth.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

12 October 2019 - observational studies

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

We can't be the son who says he is going to work in the field and then doesn't. Better to be the son who refuses initially but eventually goes to the field.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (see James 1:22-25)

The word God is supposed to give us our identity. It is supposed to reveal to us the new creations that we have each become in Christ. Yet if we don't let the word actually transform our actions it means we do in fact forget who we are whenever we look away from it. We see the truth of who we are in the word of God, sons, daughters, and heirs according to the promise. But then our lives in the world go on without reference to it, more or less as if this world is all that there is.

Mary is blessed because hers are the breasts at which Jesus nursed. But she is more blessed because she hears the word of God and observes it. She not only hears the words of the archangel but is able to respond, "Be it done unto me according to thy word." She not only sees the living word of God as he grows in age and favor, she treasures in her heart all that she sees. She doesn't just store all of her experiences as data. She treasures and responds with her whole being.

The promises of God are many and they are real. We need to start living our lives based on those promises.

Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain;
Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall pass through her no more.

There will be no more strangers because "you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (see Ephesians 2:19-21). The word of God promises and gives grace before it asks anything of us. In order to respond we need to believe those promises and rely on that grace. If we try compliance of any sort apart from that which faith enables it cannot succeed.

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.

11 October 2019 - sharing the spoils

Saint John XXIII

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'

Do we sometimes feel like we are playing spiritual wack-a-mole? Do we get some temporary freedom only to find the same problems resurfacing later on? We need Jesus to help us if we want durable change. Jesus drives out demons by the finger of God. He is able to free us from captivity to sin and Satan. He is able bring us into the palace of his love, to guard us, and to keep us safe. There is no one greater who can challenge him.

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (see First John 4:4).

We imagine we have been turning to Jesus for help, but have we really? Do we honestly bring our hearts before him or do we just nod tacitly in his direction? We need to do more than rubber stamp our own efforts with a semi-conscious prayer in his direction.

Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

We need to be with Jesus, to be fully on board with him, to be all in, in order to share in his victory. Sometimes we need to take drastic action to signify this, provided such action reflects what is happening in our hearts.

Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!

Jesus wants to reach out his hand to us, the hand which has on it the finger of God that conquers sin. He is in fact reaching toward us right now. But we stand at a distance. We are thankful for the concern, happy that he is looking, but still intent on going our own way. Yet our sin and addictions are like demons at our door. Without the victory of Christ we can't keep them at bay. Let us receive the healing touch of Jesus and invite him inside to fortify us with his strength.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.

10 October 2019 - there will arise the sun of justice

Today's Readings

(Audio)

You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."

Can one ignore God and have a good life? It often seems like it is possible, doesn't it? We see many in the world whose choices defy not only God but even basic moral decency. Yet they seem to succeed. We're are forced to retract the boundaries of our definitions of blessedness until it is so purely spiritual as to lose meaning.

What evildoers and the proud have, that which they seem to enjoy, is something which they cannot keep. They chose to take for their treasures the temporary things of this world that will eventually be taken from them.

For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.

The blessedness of the just may seem fragile, but it is really being built on a rock. It seems fragile, perhaps, because we allow it to be refined again and again, loosening our grips and that which doesn't matter. But that which remains is what remains forever.

But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

We can experience more of the blessedness of the just here and now. We don't have to be people who secretly envy those with money and power. We can rejoice in heavenly blessings. But in order to do so we need to ask and keep asking.

And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

When we keep asking our desires our refined by the purifying fire of God's love. We find ourselves more and more asking for the one thing necessary. And God himself is delighted to provide.

how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"

9 October 2019 - thy name

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Father, hallowed be your name

Is God truly hallowed in us? Is his name held to be holy in our hearts? Are we moved by reverential fear when he enters our thoughts? We should want these to be the case. He is our Father, to whom we cry, "Abba!" We should in fact desire to revere our Father and be delighted to discover just how worthy is reverence he is.

your Kingdom come.

Only if we begin with fear of the LORD, the first stage of wisdom, can we move on to truly asking for his Kingdom to come. This means we ask for the Kingdom not just in the ways that suit our preferences, ways, that would be most convenient for us, but also and especially in the ways in which we ourselves are not open to the Kingdom and need conversion. We ask for the Kingdom to come in our hearts.

Give us each day our daily bread

We turn to God again and again. We aren't laying up an abundance where, once obtained, we no longer need him. We plan to keep coming back to him for every thirst and every need.

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

God wants us to be people of forgiveness who forgive just as he first forgives us. We have to let that forgiveness flow through us to others in order to abide in it ourselves. We can't cherish a grudge against Nineveh as does Jonah, nor of anyone.

Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.

We often manage to conceal those places where our hearts are hard, where we withhold forgiveness, even from ourselves. But the LORD will not allow them to remain hidden. He will teach us a genuine concern for our neighbors and even our enemies.

“You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?”

God will help us learn. He will guide us from the lesser things in which we put greater value to those things truly worthy of our concern. He will take from us our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:26).

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.