31 August 2023 - live ready

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Be sure of this: if the master of the house

had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,

he would have stayed awake

and not let his house be broken into.

The coming of the Lord is unpredictable by design. A thief would not send a memo saying he was coming. Neither do we know the day or the hour of the Lord's return. He does not wish us to be able to time our conversion precisely to be at the last possible opportunity. This means our strategy must be different than that of one who knew the precise time of his coming. We can't plan on living sinful lives and then making a last minute conversion. For it is precisely sin that dulls our awareness and lulls us into spiritual sleep. 

Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,

whom the master has put in charge of his household

to distribute to them their food at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.

Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

The faithful and prudent servant isn't necessarily the one who spends all of her time staring at the door waiting for the master. Rather, she is the one who lives as though the master was already present. She lives as he would have her live so that whenever he might return she experiences it, not a threat, but a blessing. It is not as though her awareness is constantly focused, or that natural tiredness and distraction don't occur. But she is the one who doesn't forget about the master, doesn't allow the thought of his delay to significantly alter her motivation, and doesn't allow forgetfulness of him to lead to a lifestyle where sin becomes the chief reward.

But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'

and begins to beat his fellow servants,

and eat and drink with drunkards,

the servant's master will come on an unexpected day

and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely

and assign him a place with the hypocrites,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

This idea that the master is long delayed is a dangerous idea. It is a failure of the servant to trust in the master, both that he will return, and also that he is in some way present already. It is as though the inability of the servant to find and enjoy and celebrate the goods of the master entrusted to him, and his part in the masters plan, makes him sorrowful and despair of the master's interest in him and his love for him. 

For us there is even less cause to be forgetful of the master, because our master, Jesus himself, promised to be with us always even unto the end of the age. Yet even this can cease to motivate us, and seem less and less like a reality if we do not treasure it and draw upon it (through prayer, Scriptures, and the Sacraments). If we begin to be sorrowful about spiritual things the natural next step often seems to be doubting the master's plan and intention. At such times we risk beginning to develop a life that we would prefer the master not to see, a hidden life, although nothing can be hidden from him. 

We must stay spiritually awake. We do this by living in such a way as to please God, remembering his presence now, celebrating his loving providence that we experience daily, even as we await his final coming. We will do well if, more and more, the work we do in this world is done ultimately for God who has entrusted it to us as a stewardship. When we maintain this connection his return will be that of a familiar friend rather than the terror of a thief at night.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men (see Colossians 3:23).

With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men (see Ephesians 6:7)

This we do because he is not truly absent, even here, even now. 

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (see Matthew 28:20).

Vineyard Music - Bring Your Kingdom

30 August 2023 - one foundation

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,

but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.

The scribes and the Pharisees were concerned with self-image and with the way others thought of them. But they cultivated a self-image that was in contrast to what was happening in their hearts. We too tend to want others to think well of us. But do we care so much about appearances that we neglect that which is actual? It is one thing if we aren't perfect but are still trying to remain open to the Lord and his mercy. It is another thing if we aren't even worried about what is going on within as long as we can look good on the outside. But is it really so great to have the world convinced that we are wonderful when everything within us is in a state of collapse?

it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person (see Matthew 15:11).

Or, along these lines, we might say that it is not how others see us that truly defiles us. The value of external actions can only truly be measured by internal intentions. And our intentions tend to be a mixed bag. Sometimes we really are motivated by love of God and love of neighbor. But oftentimes disordered love of self gets in the way. But loving ourselves in such a way is akin to dead men's bones, it isn't going to lead us anywhere that lasts, like filling up our barns with grain only to find our lives suddenly demanded of us (see Luke 12:16-21).

Jesus came in order that our hearts could be healed, our intentions rightly directed, our wills strengthened, and our minds enlightened and renewed. He knew that only by starting from the inside could there be lasting and meaningful change. 

Only by being established in something greater than ourselves can we hope to avoid the fate of the Pharisees. On our own we will only get some things right some of the time, usually when it is easy and the pressure is low. This is because on our own we lack the gift of grace Jesus came to give us that can truly change our hearts, making us not only want to look as though we are pleasing him, but making us desire to do so in truth. This transformation is not a one time event, but God's work in us over the course of our lives. Our part is to be patient with his process, with ourselves, and to remain open in order to continue to give him room to work. He who was himself raised from death can fill our hearts with life as well.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (see John 10:10).

Building a facade is easy. It is well within our power to create attractive tombs. Building a foundation is more difficult. But a foundation is more necessary. There is only one foundation that can truly last, and Jesus has told us what it is.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock (see Matthew 7:24).

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (see First Corinthians 3:11).

Let's not waste time on building monuments meant only to misdirect ourselves and others from the healing we still need. How then can we find this healing, or allow Jesus to continue it within us? We can receive his word like the Thessalonians did. 

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.

Mark Schultz - Give Us Clean Hands

29 August 2023 - curiosity vs commitment

Today's Readings

(Audio)

John had said to Herod,

"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

John was a man who would speak the truth regardless of the potential consequences. It was as though the possible repercussions were only further incentives that motivated him, and the pushback itself an indication of what did in fact need to be said. He was a man who, in the vein of the prophets who were his predecessors, was committed to the truth. Just as earlier prophets held Israel's leaders to account for their sin so too would John. This was an important part of his role because the brokenness and compromise of the earthly kingdom was definitely a part of the problem which it was hoped that the messiah would solve. Perhaps addressing the righteousness of the earthly kingdom of Israel would help prepare for the way for the messiah. And perhaps in a way it did, as the earthly kingdom doubled down on earthly ways, setting the stage for the conflict with Jesus himself. This is somewhat speculative. But what is not speculation is that Herod's response was such as to negate any benefit from the words of the Baptist.

Herodias harbored a grudge against him

and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.

Those who speak the truth when it needs to be spoken will often find that the world pushes back, holds a grudge, and in fact desires to silence them. But they will also often find those who, while perplexed, like to listen. There must be in these individuals some sort of grudging respect for the courage needed to speak the truth no matter what, and the consistency to never compromise for anything.

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.

We know that Herod's curiosity was not enough to motivate him to make any changes to his life. Knowing John was in fact righteous and holy did not make him set him free. Perhaps in a situation where there was no outside pressures whatsoever he would have so done. But he wasn't going to risk the wrath of Herodias. Curiosity that knows the next step and won't take it is a dangerous form of lukewarmness. Hearing the truth but not responding can only have the effect of ending in the hardening of one's heart. When this happens, the mere novelty and nicety of the once interesting stimulus will not be enough to change our course in the face of temptation.

Herodias' own daughter came in

and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.

The king said to the girl,

"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."

He even swore many things to her,

"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,

even to half of my kingdom."

In the face of temptation, without a firm commitment to the truth, we risk giving away our self-possession surrendering something that is ultimately greater than half a kingdom. We may even make the choice through distress and sadness but we will have no firm place from which to resist and choose otherwise. Wasn't the dance of the girl intoxicating, and after all, we made oaths, and what would others think now if we altered course? We know what John would say, "It is not lawful" but that criticism long since ceased to have much effect on our conscience. We vaguely sense the problem with putting a righteous man to death for the sake of a dance but we can no longer even put into words precisely what is wrong. 

When his disciples heard about it,

they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

John's life was motivated by something more than curiosity, more even than truth in the abstract. He was a prophet committed to making the ways of God known upon the earth, in order that the messiah, the lamb of God might be recognized and heralded when he stepped unto the scene. Not even death could truly prevent such a life purpose from achieving its target. His death was in fact his greatest witness, that even then he did not back down, renege, and attempt to compromise. 

It is too easy for those in modern times, especially those who never experience any real resistance to their faith, to have a relationship with the truth that is more like curiosity than commitment. As long as we have the truth imprisoned and find it entertaining we assume that we are in fact, 'doing the thing'. But what happens at crunch time? Does the truth truly have a hold on our hearts, and can it really set our direction when temptations arise? John encountered the truth as a prophet who received it from God. But we encounter the truth as a person with whom we are invited to have relationship: Jesus Christ. The potential of this truth and this relationship to transform us far transcends even the witness of John the Baptist. But we must move beyond the stage of curiosity about him. We must surrender our lives, our kingdoms, not to sin, but to him. This will not bring us sadness, but joy, for only in this way can they be truly ours.

Newsboys - Step Up To The Microphone

28 August 2023 - unlocked

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.

You do not enter yourselves,

nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

The Pharisees example and teaching made it difficult for others to recognize and enter the Kingdom of heaven. They used their positions of privilege to build up their pride, and their knowledge of spiritual things they used to justify the choices they had already made. 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You traverse sea and land to make one convert,

and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna

twice as much as yourselves.

They were interested in making a convert only insofar he would come to depend on them and to treat them with honor. The convert was even worse off than the Pharisee in such a case because he would assume that religion was meant to be a pyramid scheme where those greatest sat at the top and enjoyed the esteem of others, doing little themselves, yet dictating to others what they must do.

Jesus came to open the Kingdom of heaven to others. He held a key that opened the Kingdom in a way that prevented the Pharisees from ever again locking it. He entrusted this key to Peter and, in a lesser way, to the other apostles. He made clear that the purpose of this key was to open doors whenever possible, to close them only when necessary. He taught his followers that they must not make hard demands of their followers and then do nothing to help, must not only not become barriers to entry, but must help others to bear their burdens. Jesus himself was the chief example of this, since he came into this world as a servant, and himself offered to help share the weight of his yoke.

Woe to you, blind guides

The Pharisees were blind because they relied on their own lights rather than seeking the enlightenment that God could provide. Because of this, their supposed light was actually darkness.

Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains (see John 9:40-41).

They were blind because they intentionally and obstinately did not look to Jesus who was himself the light of the world. They were afraid that what had been secretly kept in the darkness of their hearts would be exposed and made known. But only if the light was allowed to shine upon it could it be healed and only in this way could they be converted. 

And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,

but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'

You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,

or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

The Pharisees had what amounted to an elaborate system of excuses, clever ways to escape  responsibility, novel means of setting aside obligations in favor of more immediate convenience and comfort. They had imagined that they had found a delicate balance in the laws of God that allowed their own desires to take the first place. But in doing so they inevitably confused the purpose of the laws, reading them by some other rubric than the divine purpose at work within them. Without divine enlightenment they had only their human wisdom on which to assess value, and such wisdom inevitably missed the marked, choosing, not what mattered to God, but rather to themselves.

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.” (see Ephesians 5:13-14).

We have been enlightened by the light of Christ, the light that we celebrate in a special way at the beginning of the Easter vigil, the 'lumen Christi' that casts out the darkness. We have seen the light of the world and have allowed him, in some measure, to shine in our own hearts, exposing the darkness and transforming it into light.

We must not become too comfortable simply because the light shone on us in the past. We are called to abide in the light that is found only in the presence of Jesus himself. Otherwise it is all too easy to succumb to each and every temptation that made the Pharisees the target of the woes of Jesus. We can quickly find our purpose subverted from those trying to open the Kingdom to others and find ourselves functioning as roadblocks instead. We can easily find ourselves using our religious knowledge for excuses and justification rather than truly seeking the will of God for us. 

Hopefully we have experienced the Gospel not in word alone "but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction". But let us pray that conviction does not become a mere memory, but something that sustains our own "work and faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ". Having seen his light, may we abide in it.

Ike Ndolo - Awake, O Sleeper

Songs In His Presence - Prayer Of Augustine

27 August 2023 - school of this rock

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

Jesus asked what others said about him to demonstrate that such indirect knowledge of him was prone to confusion and error. There was something accurate in making him out to be a prophet like others. But he was much more. And this more could not be found out indirectly. To discover it one would need to put the question to oneself directly. It would not be enough to mimic the opinion of another no matter what that opinion might be.

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

The key thing he was doing in lives of his apostles was making himself known to them. It was self-revelation from the beginning. They had even confessed already, "Truly you are the Son of God" (see Matthew 14:33), and that he was the Christ (see John 1:41). But did they get it? Did they understand what they were saying or did the rush to make exulted confessions in moments of enthusiasm? If they were later asked, 'What did you mean by son of God?' would they have answered, 'You know, like Solomon' (see Second Samuel 7:14). Their confessions of the Christ could have been emptied out enough to be in line with that of the crowds, merely a prophet or a human king. The true answer went beyond anything flesh and blood could reveal, but it was something which those disciples who had accompanied him thus far were meant to be able to answer, because he himself, more than mere flesh and blood, had been working to reveal it to them.

Simon Peter said in reply,

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

This answer was not found in the wisdom of the masses, nor the knowledge of the learned, but was only available by revelation. The leap from one who was merely son of God by analogy to the confession of the one who was one substance with God was not something that could be taken whole cloth from their Jewish background. The hints about the exultation of the Son of Man and the preeminence of the messiah had to be balanced against a strict monotheistic creed. No one could have deduced the Trinity on the basis of the existing Jewish revelation or from natural philosophy. But it was nevertheless precisely this Jesus had been instilling into the hearts of his followers, building to precisely this moment went it could give birth to the revelation of the truth.

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

As if to emphasize the qualitative difference between the way Jesus was the Son of the Father and the normal patrilineal descent of others Jesus called attention to Simon's own ancestry. It was as if he said, 'You who descend from flesh and blood have rightly seen that I am more than flesh and blood, that, though born of Mary, my true origin is from the Father alone'.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my church

The Church could thus not be built upon popular opinion, nor consensus, but only revelation rightly received. Peter was therefore made to be the solid rock, the guarantee that such revelation would always be available to the people of God, the promise that the Church could never collapse into the netherworld. He would take the role of bishop of Rome and his successors would share in the promised gift of the keys and the power of loosing and binding. But this gift, great as it is, cannot become a substitute for our own confession of Jesus as God and Christ. The promise assures us that the Church will not fail but it does not make our own salvation automatic. It is not enough to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We must live by the faith we receive.

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (see John 20:31).

We know that in many ways the revelation of God is so transcendent as to be utterly beyond us, that his judgments are "inscrutable" and his ways "unsearchable". After all, no one has "known the mind of the Lord" or "been his counselor". And if it all devolved to our efforts and intellect alone this would be true. But as Scripture says elsewhere after quoting this passage, "we have the mind of Christ" (see First Corinthians 2:16).

We celebrate the gift of the Church and her deposit of faith best by taking the deepest questions of faith to heart so that we can make the answers safeguarded to her our own and build our lives upon them.

Skillet - Jesus, Jesus (Holy And Anointed One)

God Alone

26 August 2023 - not to be served but to serve

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

The Pharisees had legitimate religious authority that had been passed down to them from previous generations. This authority was known as the chair of Moses just as we today speak of the authority of the bishop of Rome as the chair of Peter. The Pharisees were, however, often and unfortunately an example of how not to wield such authority. They happily preached a very difficult path but did not themselves set an example of following it. They easily sent others off bearing heavy burdens and felt no concern to ease them or to assist. They weren't in the game because they desired to please God or help their neighbor so much as to build up their own pride, doing everything, not for the sake of others, but so that others could see and applaud.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

All their works are performed to be seen.

This made things difficult for those who genuinely wanted to follow the way of God. The Pharisees were among those who were qualified to explain that way to them. But it would be all to easy to confuse the example of the Pharisees with their teaching. Others might come to assume that the more they ticked all of the boxes of following the law that as the Pharisees described it the more they too could indulgently and pridefully enjoy the esteem of others and the less they would need to do for them. They could come to imagine that they were moving toward the top of a pyramid of pride and ease that was built on the foundations of the efforts of others.

The example of such Pharisees was actually the opposite of the way of God, as demonstrated and perfectly lived out by Jesus himself. He preached humility and was himself humble. He preached a burden that was easy and light and promised that he himself would help his followers to carry it. He preached against doing religious works to be seen and himself concealed much of his own ministry from the public eye, and even what was seen was not done for the sake of being seen. He did not come to earth to simply sit and enjoy the adoration of the crowds but rather to serve them, even to the point of laying down his life for them.

the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (see Matthew 20:28).

As the followers of Jesus we can safely follow his example and are called to do so. Therefore we must not become Pharisees who simply use religious knowledge to assert our superiority over others. We must not simply dispense our knowledge to tick a box and fulfill an obligation so that we can then sit back and enjoy life. As Paul instructs us we should bear "one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (see Galatians 6:2). Progress is religion should mean progress in becoming the servant of others. Teacher and master are tempting and appealing titles but these roles come with the risk of making us into prideful Pharisees. We are called to share the Good News and in this sense we must teach. There is even a sense in which, since the law of God is absolute, we must command. But we must always strive to do this as the servants of others striving, not to dump burdens upon them, but to share them together, just as Jesus first does for us.

How much of our Christian life is done merely to cultivate self-image? We are called to shed our need to look good in favor of our duty to do good, and to share the burden of others. But this is not any generic burden with which we are called to help. It is the Gospel, which is the cross, yes, but which is preparing all of us for a weight of glory beyond compare.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (see Second Corinthians 4:17).

Newsboys - Love One Another

25 August 2023 - the second is like it

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

In a way the answer to the question seemed obvious. The Shema that Jesus would recite was so drilled into the people of Israel as to seem to leave no room for doubt. But the Pharisees were known for subtlety and the one who asked was a scholar of the law. He probably had a plan for anything he thought Jesus might say, to then ask what any answer would mean in certain cases when balanced against certain other laws. The Pharisees themselves obviously had such a system of balance, one which put relating to love of neighbor in a distant second place to ostensibly focus on the love of God. This scholar probably also thought that Jesus must have something unique and novel to say, something that made his teaching so popular with the crowds, something that could be shot down with his detailed scholarly knowledge.

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.

If Jesus had left it here it would have been hard to argue. But it would also seem to have been the same thing that everyone else was teaching as well. But it was and it wasn't. Everyone said this commandment was first but many used it to justify the neglect and abuse of their neighbor. Rather than letting the law dictate the terms of their obedience they used the law as was convenient to bolster their pride. Jesus made clear that he wasn't saying exactly the same thing as the Pharisees by what he went on to say.

The second is like it:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.

If Jesus had simply said that the second most important was to love one's neighbor as oneself it would have been less impactful. Then it could still be ignored and neglected anytime God could be brought in as an excuse. But by introducing it saying that the "second is like it" and that the "whole law" "depends" on both he made it clear that there was no room for the sort of maneuvering the Pharisees utilized to make the law mean whatever was convenient for them.

Love of neighbor was like love of God because it was meant to stem from the same love. Self and other were meant to be loved for God's sake, since God himself made and loved both oneself and one's neighbor. One could not truly claim to love the God who was invisible while at the same time neglecting his beloved creatures. Nor could one love self or neighbor truly while ignoring God, for self and neighbor were made to find true fulfillment only in God alone.

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).

The answer of Jesus provides a very practical measure for our love of God, in that we should see it reflected in our love for our neighbors. It remain at only at the level of ritual or abstraction. But neither can it be merely humanitarian, tending only to the bodies of others while neglecting their spirits. It calls us to build a civilization founded on something greater than mere toleration and balance of competing interests. It calls us to strive more and more for unity of hearts and minds in the worship of God that alone can give us true fulfillment. It was no doubt exactly such love as this that Ruth perceived in Naomi. May we too become such persuasive witnesses to the love that we have first received from God.

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."

Wherever You Go (Song Of Ruth) - Performed by Irish Wedding Singer

24 August 2023 - feeling seen

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Philip found Nathanael and told him,

"We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,

and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

We have found the one we've been waiting for, the one who can fulfill all of our hopes. But how ready are we to share this good news with others? It's true he hailed from Nazareth. There was much about him that made others assume he was merely human. He seemed to hail from an insignificant town that had no particular connection to the promises of the Scriptures. But Philip didn't hold back because of this messiness. He was convinced in spite of it and it couldn't make him stay silent. There are plenty of reasons why Jesus may still seem to the world to be an unlikely candidate to be its messiah. Yet we too are convinced that he is and we too are called to share that fact with others. 

But Nathanael said to him,

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

Philip said to him, "Come and see."

What can overcome all of the messiness inherent in telling others that someone who lived in a distant land in the distant past is the one who can answer the deepest questions of their lives? The answer that Philip proposed still holds: "Come and see". Jesus came from Nazareth but he was not confined there. He lived two-thousand years ago but is not stuck in the past. He is still present to us today. And it is therefore possible for anyone to have an experience of Jesus like Nathanael did.

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."

It wasn't so much the case that Nathanael saw Jesus and immediately recognized him as the messiah. It was rather the case that in being known and seen and comprehended by Jesus he came to believe. Jesus shined a light on a point in the life of Nathanael when he believed he had been alone, perhaps feeling abandoned, perhaps dreaming a private dream about the dawning of the messianic age too private to put into words. But he came to understand that he had not been alone, that Jesus had been present to him even before he was present to Jesus. 

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

- C.S. Lewis.

Jesus somehow cast light on the whole life of Nathanael to that point, giving it meaning, bringing him to faith. And with that faith born from being seen under the fig tree Jesus would raise up a great disciple, the one whom we celebrate today as Bartholomew. 

What Nathanael had experienced that resulted in such a profound conviction was only a preview of coming attractions. Jesus himself was going to bridge not only the distance between his heart and that of another, but also going to himself become the bridge uniting heaven and earth.

And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will see heaven opened and the angels of God

ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Since Jesus did forever unite heaven and earth by his incarnation, death, and resurrection Bartholomew is celebrated not only here on earth, but also by the angels and saints in heaven. May we join in the chorus of so great a cloud of witnesses in thanking Jesus for the gifts of his witnesses, praying that we too may become witnesses like them and one day join in their company.

The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,

on which were inscribed the twelve names

of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Dan Schutte - You Are Near

23 August 2023 - late to the party

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

The landowner was driven to spend much of his day searching in the marketplace for those who were idle. He seemed to be motivated, not so much by his own need for workers, but by his desire to see such individuals be given purpose. He went at nine, at noon, and even at five when there was only about an hour of work remaining. 

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,

he sent them into his vineyard.

Have we experienced feeling idle in the marketplace, directionless and unfulfilled? The landowner is seeking such people, has plan, purpose, and direction he wishes to bestow (see Jeremiah 29:11). He does know what our needs, and thus he agrees to the daily wage, no matter whether we start toward the beginning of the day and bear its heat, or whether we start almost at the end make a much lesser contribution in terms of our effort. But we are not called because the landowner needs us, but rather because he sees our need and desires to utilize us, desires to see us fully alive in a way that those left idle in the marketplace are not.

It is no ordinary landowner who is so concerned to share the labor of his vineyard with as many others as possible. This landowner is deeply convinced that those who become laborers in this harvest are elevated to be, in a small way, like the landowner himself. They are no longer unemployed, perhaps even destitute but, because he himself provides for them, experience something of his own self-sufficiency. It thus ought never devolve into being only about what can be earned through human effort. Yet those who bear the heat of the day sometimes forget that they stand just as in dependent on the generosity of the landowner as those who come later.

'These last ones worked only one hour,

and you have made them equal to us,

who bore the day's burden and the heat.'

The ones who started work early are like the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son, convinced that those who are late too work should receive less than themselves, and in the case of the prodigal, certainly not a party and a fattened cafe. But this envy at the good of others stems from a lack of understanding about what the individual had already been generously given. 

And he said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours" (see Luke 15:7).

Those who worked longer received the privilege of sharing more in the life of the landowner himself, but a faulty perspective made them see it only as a burden they were forced to do to earn the daily wage. This parable is good news for those like the good thief who repented during his last hour on the cross next to Christ. And it also means that it is never too late (while this life lasts) for anyone to partake in the joy of the Kingdom. But what about those of us who have been in the vineyard for longer? Do we begrudge the work given to us by the landowner, not realizing that in it he is sharing his very self with us?

What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

When we seek first the Kingdom all the rest that we need will be ours. But if we start comparing Kingdom benefits with others, blessings, consolations, gifts, and strengths, we may find ourselves becoming dissatisfied. We should trust that what the landowner gives is not a judgment on our lack of worth, but rather a sign his compassion and generosity toward all mankind.

God knows how to draw from every tree the fruit it is meant to bear. Olive trees will produce rich oil to anoint priests, prophets, and kings. The fig trees will produce fruit fitting for the messianic age. The vine will produce wine that will gladden the hearts of those who drink. We must follow his guidance in order to avoid attracting weeds like buckthorn and the prospect of consuming fire. We already see such weeds in the hearts of those who grumble against the landowner, and in the prodigal's elder brother. Only the Lord himself can unite his people in harmony, making us one body, one spirit in Christ (see Ephesians 4:4).

Newsboys - Go (Remix)

22 August 2023 - breaking the scale

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich

to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

This is not what the disciples were expecting to hear, to the extent that they were "greatly astonished". They expected the rich to be in a privileged place to enter the Kingdom, blessed with the resources to enable such an entrance. But Jesus told them that these riches were not really resources but rather encumbrances. They probably remembered Solomon, he who was son of David, during whose rule Israel flourished with worldly wealth. They still seemed to be thinking of the Kingdom  about which Jesus spoke as though it were on the same terms as an earthly kingdom like that of Solomon, and as if Jesus himself was only another son of David like Solomon, destined to lead Israel to freedom and prosperity. But although there was some continuity with this earthly kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of heaven that Jesus came to announce and inaugurate was on an earthly paradigm.

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.

A needle is made for a thread whereas a camel passing through creates a comical image. Those who are attached to their wealth, like the rich young ruler, find themselves with great difficulty when presented with the narrow way of the Kingdom. The Kingdom calls for us to make a precise and directed commitment of our lives but riches make us too concerned with a myriad of other things and pull us in too many different directions toward too many other options to be able to successfully thread this needle. This is an important meditation for us, since our modern world is more well-to-do by far than the world of the Gospels. Our wealth is no doubt greater even than that of the rich young ruler. If that wealth made him to be a camel surely ours has made us elephants.

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,

"Who then can be saved?"

Though we are rich we may yet learn to become poor in spirit. We may yet learn the secret of being among "those who buy" and yet live "as though they had no goods" and among "those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it" (see First Corinthians 7:30). In short, we can have possessions without them taking possession of us. But we often flatter ourselves to believe that this is possible through our own effort. But Jesus reminds us that for "men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible". If we don't want our 'ego footprint' to balloon well beyond camel scale we must depend on grace. Only grace can so change our relationship to the things of this world that they will no longer hinder us. We can't simply continue to hold our riches and repeat to ourselves that we are not attached to them as though speaking a mantra. We must become genuinely free to follow Jesus. The nicer our couches the hard it is to leave them. But he himself can show us the promise of a much greater reward for those willing to do so.

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.

Jesus can show us that the deepest desires of our hearts can be realized in him alone, and demonstrate that the spiritual rewards he promises can more than outweigh the temporary wealth of this world. But if this is not revealed to us we tend to quickly find ourselves weighted down to the earth but the gravity of wealth and other attachments. May he himself perform the miracle of making us small enough to fit through the eye of the needle so that, on the other side, we may discover a much larger world.

Damascus Worship featuring Seph Schlueter - Hail O Queen

21 August 2023 - only One who is good

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

This rich young man was a seeker, one who had tried to faithfully live out the commandments of Judaism and yet was still unsatisfied. He sensed that Jesus might have a unique perspective on this question, though he probably did not have a good sense of why this should be so.

He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?

There is only One who is good.

If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

In a sense this response from Jesus threw the young man back on what he knew and what he was already attempting. But it still left the door open. If the young man could come to understand why Jesus was qualified to explain the good and the way to eternal life he would by that fact be ready to receive it. 

He asked him, “Which ones?”

He did not leave immediately, sensing that Jesus still did in fact have something to say about the good. Somewhere deep down he sensed the goodness inherent in Jesus but had not yet realized that what he was seeking was not merely an answer or an explanation but Jesus himself. In asking which commandments it was as though the man hoped that Jesus would mention something he had overlooked, something he could embrace more or do better in order to experience the fulfillment he desired. He was still looking for a formula for religious success, an idea, or a framework. But what he needed was a relationship.

The young man said to him,

“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”

Jesus did not offer anything new in his response about which commandments to keep. He did not provide the man with some distractingly novel perspective in which his invested effort would eventually yield only more disappointment. Instead Jesus insisted that what the man had already done thus far was in fact the way. But in what the man had been doing, though he was confident that he had in fact sincerely observed the commandments, he knew that there was still something missing. In this man we see the archetype of the person who is more or less good and morally upright, but realizes that his efforts are insufficient, that something is lacking, and that there must, in fact, be more.

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.”

Perhaps in pursuing the commandments and even without selling his riches he might one day have come to eternal life. But even if so it would have been only after years of experiencing the fact that there was indeed still something he lacked. The commandments probably seemed to pull him at one time toward one thing and at another time toward something else. They all tended toward the good but in such different ways that they did make him feel as though he was heading in a single direction or that he was on one path toward eternal life. What he needed was to realize that Jesus himself was the One who is good, and to follow him, making him the unifying force in his life, the direction to all of the disparate goods he pursued.

If the man desired to pursue the true good and to follow Jesus himself there would be less leeway for riches in his life. After his call by Jesus the riches could no longer even provide the pretense of producing happiness. They could instead only serve to hold him back from investing fully in Jesus as the one alone in whom he could find what he sought. Those who most fully embody this call of Jesus are of course the professed religious. But his call to follow him and to rid ourselves of anything opposed to that goal is for us all. And the more we want lasting joy in God the less we can try to pursue it in lesser things. We must not be like ancient Israel under the judges, always ready to turn back to our idols the moment we sense that the judge is absent or not paying attention.

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.

We have Baals in our own times as well, and we too naturally succumb to following them. They seem like answers when God is slow to answer. They make us raise temporary this-worldly solutions to the status of absolute paths that have every appearance of being religious. We can easily imagine how the good of combating climate change could easily transform into something cult like and quasi-religious as just one example. And we can easily imagine how such goods, severed from the source of goodness, quickly come into conflict with one another. Instead of seeking this or that good as absolute, or trying balance one against another, we must seek first the one who is good, the true judge of the living and the dead. In following him the lesser goods will not be neglected any more than following him means that we neglect the commandments he advised the young man to follow. Rather it means that they will all come into a harmonious whole as we make following Jesus our highest priority.

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,

for he had many possessions.

This, no doubt, is among the sader lines in the Gospels. He was so close, and yet his attachments held him back. He chose things of this world that could never truly satisfy the lack he felt over the one thing necessary, him who alone is good, and who could alone fill that void in his heart. But in this choice do we not often see ourselves as well, when Jesus calls us to follow him more closely? How many opportunities to draw near to Jesus have we neglected because of our own "many possessions", physical or metaphorical? We too, even we who follow Jesus somewhat and to some degree already, experience that something is still lacking. And it will always be so to some degree until we come fully into the Kingdom. But the invitation is that, in following Jesus, we can already experience life in the Kingdom even here and now to the degree that we take him up on this invitation, divest ourselves of this world, and follow him.

Matt Maher - Lay It Down

20 August 2023 - great is your faith!

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!

My daughter is tormented by a demon."

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.

This woman was the living embodiment of Jesus' teaching on prayer. She asked and kept asking in order that she might received. She knocked and kept on knocking in order that the door might be opened to her (see Matthew 7:7, Amplified). She was like the importunate widow who harassed the unjust judge until he saw justice done for her (see Luke 18:1-8). If Jesus would not give her what she requested because of friendship nevertheless he would because of her persistence, as with the friend who came at midnight (see Luke 11:5-13).

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.

We all at least occasionally experience this lack of response to our own prayers. We know that we are meant to persist but we often show less commitment than the Canaanite woman. We are wont to give up if the answer doesn't come immediately. And if we do manage to persist we often do so only out of routine, not with the increasingly insistent spirit of the woman. She was not merely reciting a litany that was pleasant to hear. Instead her petition was enough to annoy the disciples who for that reason wanted to send her away.

He said in reply,

"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Jesus knew that if he didn't simply answer immediately he would draw even greater faith from the woman. He knew that if he confronted her even with the stark reality of present circumstances, with all of the barriers that appeared to stand between her and her desire, he would awaken a faith that could transcend them all. For Jesus was indeed sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, in order that those blessings could then be broken open for the world. From a theological point of view it was only after the tearing of his own flesh and the corresponding tear of the temple veil that Gentiles and Jews would come to God on equal terms. 

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations (see Ephesians 2:14).

If we heard Jesus say he was sent only to someone other than ourselves we would probably be all too ready to believe it. Many of us are the sort of people who, if we heard that there was one person in the room whom Jesus did not desire to bless, would assume it was ourselves. But not this Canaanite woman. She was convinced this if she could simply convey her need to Jesus his compassionate heart would have no choice but to help her. If there were apparent barriers it simply meant she needed to demonstrate to an even greater degree the depth of her need.

He said in reply,

"It is not right to take the food of the children

and throw it to the dogs."

Jesus stated the reality of the current separation between Jews and Gentiles in stark terms. He was even willing to use the epithet like dogs to press the point. But again here, he did this not in order to demean this woman but because he himself knew she could her faith could reach beyond this division and beyond this apparent insult.

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps

that fall from the table of their masters."

What might not be obvious is that the only true child was Jesus himself, and by comparison to God's only begotten Son the distance between ourselves and the heavenly Father is greater than between that of men and dogs. It was nevertheless precisely the intention of Jesus to bring what was properly his own inheritance from the Father and to share it with us, to allow his own mercy to overflow such that all we able to have their fill even from the scraps that fell from the table. We see that God himself was powerful enough to overcome this apparent barrier because, "God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham" (see Matthew 3:9). Then finally we see that it was precisely this that he accomplished since "you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"" (see Romans 8:15).

When the Canaanite woman came to Jesus no one, Jew or Gentile, was a son or daughter of God in the way Paul described. It was the gift of the Holy Spirit that allowed both groups to share in God's own divine life. And yet the faith of the woman allowed her access to these blessings even there and then. Her faith allowed her to experience what was yet a future promise as a present reality. She truly had the faith that "is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (see Hebrews 11:1). 

No doubt this woman experienced suffering and discouragement when she didn't meet with immediate success. But had Jesus not delayed her gratification it never could have been so great. She was able to experience in advance something which even for us is still not a fully realized promise.

them I will bring to my holy mountain

and make joyful in my house of prayer;

We experience something of this joy in the fellowship of the Church. But it will be completely and perfectly realized only in the Kingdom. Yet, our faith can bring that future reality into the here and now. And in many ways, this is precisely what we are meant to experience in the mass, the wedding feast of the lamb, the marriage of heaven and earth, the union of all peoples united in Christ.

Paul too teaches us not to interpret an apparent 'no' to our requests as definitive. Perhaps it is simply setting the stage for a greater 'yes'.

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,

what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

God's desire is that "He might have mercy upon all". May our faith not waver in seeking that mercy, even until "all the peoples praise" him and "all the ends of the earth fear him".

Matt Maher - Bigger Table

Matt Maher - The End And The Beginning

19 August 2023 - let them come

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Children were brought to Jesus

that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

It is noteworthy that this incident is told immediately after Jesus restored marriage to its original dignity and permanence. Just after speaking of how the two who were married were to become one flesh in an indissoluble union the fruit of such unions was brought to him. We can gather from the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees and the fear of the disciples in regard to the prospect of permanent marriage that they would not be well disposed to such fruit either. Had they really seen how the heart of God was revealed in marriage they would have been ready to welcome these children. 

The disciples rebuked them

No doubt the disciples thought Jesus had more important things to do, useful things, things with tangible results and obvious and apparent success. Children, from such a point of view, seemed useless and burdensome, not only unable to contribute themselves, but even tying up the resources of potential contributions of others. From the point of view that measured others by what they could do and achieve children were certainly never going to measure up. But such an attitude that prioritized doing over being would also be a problem in marriage and even for intimate friendship. The inevitable failures of others would always make one wonder if there wasn't somewhere a more perfect individual who might replace them. The inevitable failures of the individual himself would naturally make him insecure and concerned that others might feel the same way about him, ready to replace him when his next mistake finally became too much to tolerate. In short, this perspective produced a world that was equivalent to walking on eggshells, a world in which children could provide no value, and in which marriage was such a fearful enterprise as to not be worth undertaking.

"Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

It must be hard for us to understand that degree to which a statement like this might have turned the world upside down. When we see art based on this passage we see Jesus embracing the children and perhaps enjoy it or find it to saccharine or sentimental. But nevertheless it feels to us as though Jesus himself has been sidetracked. Or perhaps we think how nice it was for him to be able to take a break from his mission. What we miss is that his mission was in fact being accomplished at that very moment, that being to reveal the love of God for us, to reestablish the broken relationship between God and man. These children, obviously unable to earn any merit through their efforts, were the perfect examples for the love Jesus wanted everyone, even we jaded adults, to learn to receive. Their moment of being with Jesus was not to be taken from them, since they had found the one thing necessary.

By giving the privileged place to children Jesus in fact "made foolish the wisdom of the world" (see First Corinthians 1:20). It was by such means that things that were hidden from the wise and the learned were revealed to little children (see Matthew 11:25), not in philosophical discourse, but in the experience of the primacy of relationship, of being over doing, of the love that created and sustained their existence over their ability to earn or merit. The cynic within us might ask, 'Can a world really be built on that premise? Don't we need our desperation, our need for validation, in order to keep things moving, to keep the train of progress from going off the rails?' It is interesting to imagine what might happen if we were all able to rest securely in the knowledge of God's love for us. The Kingdom is more like that world than this one, hard as that may be for us to believe.

"Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you

and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

We too must put away the strange gods we serve and embrace the living God. The strange gods are in fact too small, too needy, too much made in our own image and afflicted with our own disordered desires. The true God is jealous of these false idols because of how they keep us from the blessedness that he desires for us. The enslave us to work for that which we can never achieve on our own and prevent us from turning to God to receive what he would freely give. 

"We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice."

The premise for this statement is the recognition of how much God has already done for us, how much he has already demonstrated his love and compassion for his people. Thus we respond not to earn such love, but rather to repay love with love, as faithful children should.

All Sons & Daughters - Great Are You Love

18 August 2023 - in the beginning it was not so

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,

"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"

The Pharisees seemed to be hoping that Jesus would expound an opinion about divorce that wasn't grounded in what they considered to be Biblical tradition. They seemed prepared to hear him say that divorce could never be permitted, whether it was limited to specific grounds or even "for any cause whatever". They were ready to jump on what he said with their, "why did Moses command" retort. This leads us to believe that Jesus was already becoming known for teaching and celebrating the sanctity of marriage. We think of the Sermon on the Mount when he taught that looking at another with lust was equivalent to adultery. And we think too of the joy that he brought to the wedding feast at Cana. These are hints of the how important marriage was to Jesus. And no doubt there were others as well that made his perspective impossible even for the Pharisees to ignore.

He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning

the Creator made them male and female and said,

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."

Jesus, perhaps sensing they would appeal to the teaching of Moses, preempted them with what Moses said (as was thought) in the book of Genesis. But, as was typical of the Pharisees, they let minutia distract them from original intent and purpose. Just as they tithed on mint, cumin, and dill, but neglected the weightier matters of the law (see Matthew 23:23), so too here. They used a small statement from Moses to justify what they already wanted to believe. Their intention directed their study rather than God's intention. Jesus did what he was wont to do and brought things back to first principles, to the overriding intention of God. And for marriage that intention was that it would be indissoluble. This was because the marriage of a man and a woman was meant to symbolize the covenant fidelity of God to his people. This is why we so often see marriage used as an analogy in the Old Testament.

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD (see Hosea 2:19-20).

Yet in the Old Covenant there was a problem, both for the covenant between God and Israel, and for marriage covenants between men and women, that being "the hardness of your hearts". For this reason Moses allowed divorce. He did not create a new permission for divorce so much as give regulation for what was happening and would continue to happen regardless. But Jesus brought marriage back to its original purpose. By bringing to pass the words of Hosea and establishing a new and everlasting covenant with mankind he made other kinds of covenant fidelity possible as well. By teaching that divorce was now equivalent to adultery he implied that there must now be some possibility to overcome that Old Testament hardness of heart that made divorce inevitable. Such new hearts had been promised. And in Jesus the promise had arrived.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:26).

Jesus espoused himself to his Church, his pure and spotless bride (see Ephesians 5:27) in a way that was unbreakable. His union with the Church, stemming from his complete fidelity to the Father and his steadfast love for his bride, could not be undone.

if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (see Second Timothy 2:13).

Christian marriage thus participates in the reality of the union of Christ and his Church and acts as a sign for us in the world of that fidelity. We are immensely thankful for all those marriages that have been lived out so faithfully as wonderful witnesses to the world that true and lasting love is possible.

The disciples were worried because they knew all too well the potential problems that could make marriage difficult. Every marriage has its own spiritual opposition, its own "Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites". But every marriage can nevertheless prosper if it is based on God's on faithfulness and his gift of grace. Just as he led Israel to victory, so too will he give victory to every relationship that that relies on him for strength.

"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."

Chris Tomlin - Forever