3 May 2014 - of first importance
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Jesus, you are infinite. There is always more to know. But you are surprised that we don't know this. You are surprised because it is so fundamental to who you are. You show us the Father in your presence with us. You reveal him in your very being. You do not so much tell us about the Father. You do tell us that he is like the Father of the prodigal son, waiting for repentance, and then running to us with his forgiveness. But even more than this, you show us the Father. Your power and your love reveal him. Your mighty deeds reveal him. As you transform areas of our hearts which we thought were hopeless you reveal him.
LORD, Philip may not know this completely. But he does know you well enough to invite others to get to know you. He knows something about your goodness that eludes many of us. Help us to know this goodness which motivates him. Help us to say with the Apostles, "we can't help but speak the things we have seen and heard."
Philip has been with you Jesus. He invites people to know you. But there is still more he needs to see. So to with us. We've been through a lot. With Philip we see the face which reveals the Father die on the cross. LORD, we see the light leave your eyes. We begin to invest our hope in you but the reality of death quickly turns us aside. We know you, but we see the reality of the laws of the natural world, the laws of the flesh, and the law of sin. We can't really see the Father in you because these things press on us so strongly. They've defeated everyone before you who have challenged them. They can't defeat you if the Father is in you and you are in the Father. Yet it seems that they have. Circumstances don't just yield death once in our lives. Our hopes are often crushed. Death is the preeminent feature of our lives, placing any limits it wants on our hopes and dreams.
But Jesus, it does not end on the cross. This is the essential truth. This is what Philip needs to understand and what we need to understand.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
Reveal to us that you are risen indeed. The third day triumphs over our hopelessness and despair. Death is defeated. Where now is its sting? Appear to our hearts LORD Jesus. We pray the scriptures: "he was raised on the third day" and as we pray you appear to us. Let this be our mantra today. Let it strengthen us more and more each time we repeat it. You are raised on the third day. You reveal that the Father is really in you. We really can hope. Death has no say anymore. Death no longer reigns.
This is the truth at which creation only hints. Day and night suggest it subtly. The seasons whisper it. But you tear the veil which keeps us from seeing it. We can now believe with our entire heart, mind and strength. We can hope with all that we are. We can love from the very core of our being, as if we've never been hurt before.
So let us join Philip in inviting people to know the one who does this, LORD. Appear to us as the risen one. Fill us with the belief which, you tell us, will not just do the works that you do but "will do greater ones than these". The greatest of these works is to make you known.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
2 May 2014 - one thing i ask
2 May 2014 - one thing i ask
The world is hungry. As disciples, we see the needs of the people around us as Philip does. Like Philip, we hear Jesus asking us, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Do we give up? Look at the resources nearby. Practically speaking, loaves and fishes aren't going to cut it. Whether it is Zingerman's bread and sashimi grade fatty tuna or whether it is day old bread and canned tuna does not matter. Our resources just aren't enough. There are too many mouths. Why does Jesus even pose this question to us? Why do we even see it and have to respond? Jesus can feed everyone without our help. But he chooses to involve us. The first step is to get beyond our natural response which tells us that the problem is impossible.
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
The second step is to realize that our own resources are in no way sufficient but they are necessary.
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
The third step is to place everything in the hands of Jesus himself.
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
But there is a final step which we ought not to neglect.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
Jesus always gives in abundance, so let's not waste anything. Let's treasure these blessings in our hearts, learning from Mary. Let's give the LORD thanks for all he does. In this way we gather the LORD's abundance. It sustains our hearts for the continuing mission.
When we try to feed the crowds on our own resources we become quickly exhausted. The Apostles do not become exhausted even when it really appears that they should. They have gathered the LORD's abundance and now no deprivation of earthly circumstance can dissuade them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.We have to stop looking at the waves and the storm and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the only solution to the problems of the world. He is the only answer to the longings of our hearts.
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
The world is hungry. As disciples, we see the needs of the people around us as Philip does. Like Philip, we hear Jesus asking us, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Do we give up? Look at the resources nearby. Practically speaking, loaves and fishes aren't going to cut it. Whether it is Zingerman's bread and sashimi grade fatty tuna or whether it is day old bread and canned tuna does not matter. Our resources just aren't enough. There are too many mouths. Why does Jesus even pose this question to us? Why do we even see it and have to respond? Jesus can feed everyone without our help. But he chooses to involve us. The first step is to get beyond our natural response which tells us that the problem is impossible.
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
The second step is to realize that our own resources are in no way sufficient but they are necessary.
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
The third step is to place everything in the hands of Jesus himself.
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
But there is a final step which we ought not to neglect.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
Jesus always gives in abundance, so let's not waste anything. Let's treasure these blessings in our hearts, learning from Mary. Let's give the LORD thanks for all he does. In this way we gather the LORD's abundance. It sustains our hearts for the continuing mission.
When we try to feed the crowds on our own resources we become quickly exhausted. The Apostles do not become exhausted even when it really appears that they should. They have gathered the LORD's abundance and now no deprivation of earthly circumstance can dissuade them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.We have to stop looking at the waves and the storm and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the only solution to the problems of the world. He is the only answer to the longings of our hearts.
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
1 May 2014 - certification test
1 May 2014 - certification test
God is trustworthy! Let us "certify" it by accepting which Jesus says. Let us accept everything he tells us, without picking and choosing. Jesus speaks God's words but he himself is God's Word. If we pick and choose we say we only want a part of him. We try to remake God according to our own preferences.
We are always called to accept Jesus more and more completely. We hear the testimony of the Apostles. They "want to bring this man's blood upon us". They tell us this hard truth, that we are the ones who kill Jesus, so that we may repent. They tell us this so that, whether our sins are big or small, we may change the things in our lives which do violence to Jesus. If we hear the truth of the Apostles and it is inspiring and wonderful let us accept it. If we hear their testimony and it is hard, if it calls us to a new standard, if it insists we leave old patterns of behavior behind, nevertheless let us still accept it and not become "infuriated". It isn't just the Apostles who testify, it is the Holy Spirit himself.
If we harden our hearts when we hear the Apostles and the Holy Spirit call us onward and upward let us not despair. We all do this at times. There are always hard words yet to be heard. But Jesus "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" nor does the Father. They don't give us a little and then stop if we don't respond. They pour him out on us more and more in order to overcome and wash away every barrier in our hearts.
If we are having a hard time listening to God, if we can't hear him, if we don't want to hear him, let us cry out to him from our poverty, because "The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
And he stands ready to hear us. Right now, he is bent down listening. We say, "LORD I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word". And he does say the word. He wants to fill our mouths with his praise. He does this first by filling it with his own goodness, with his very self.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
God is trustworthy! Let us "certify" it by accepting which Jesus says. Let us accept everything he tells us, without picking and choosing. Jesus speaks God's words but he himself is God's Word. If we pick and choose we say we only want a part of him. We try to remake God according to our own preferences.
We are always called to accept Jesus more and more completely. We hear the testimony of the Apostles. They "want to bring this man's blood upon us". They tell us this hard truth, that we are the ones who kill Jesus, so that we may repent. They tell us this so that, whether our sins are big or small, we may change the things in our lives which do violence to Jesus. If we hear the truth of the Apostles and it is inspiring and wonderful let us accept it. If we hear their testimony and it is hard, if it calls us to a new standard, if it insists we leave old patterns of behavior behind, nevertheless let us still accept it and not become "infuriated". It isn't just the Apostles who testify, it is the Holy Spirit himself.
If we harden our hearts when we hear the Apostles and the Holy Spirit call us onward and upward let us not despair. We all do this at times. There are always hard words yet to be heard. But Jesus "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" nor does the Father. They don't give us a little and then stop if we don't respond. They pour him out on us more and more in order to overcome and wash away every barrier in our hearts.
If we are having a hard time listening to God, if we can't hear him, if we don't want to hear him, let us cry out to him from our poverty, because "The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
And he stands ready to hear us. Right now, he is bent down listening. We say, "LORD I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word". And he does say the word. He wants to fill our mouths with his praise. He does this first by filling it with his own goodness, with his very self.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
30 April 2014 - can't hold me
30 April 2014 - can't hold me
the party of the Sadducees,
... filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
We're all in one sort of prison or another. It may feel like house arrest. Or it may feel like Guantanamo Bay. But either way, it is keeping us from telling "people everything about this life." There is darkness. There are chains. We just don't feel the freedom or the magnanimity to go out and direct our lives toward others. We are too busy trying to survive.
So how do we escape? It isn't by figuring out the locks ourselves. It isn't by forcing the doors open. They are "securely locked" even after the apostles are gone. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can experience this freedom. An angel setting the apostles free sounds too miraculous and too extraordinary to relate to us. Yet God wants us to know the same freedom that the apostles know. He wants us to proclaim everything about the Christian life we've been given just as much as he wants it of them. Our guardian angels stand ready to open impossibly secured prisons so that we may escape. We just need be willing to let go of the darkness and venture out into the light.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
When the apostles find the prison doors open the leave at once. Why are they fearless about venturing into the light while we hesitate in the darkness? Does our fear of the prison guards outweigh our trust in the angels God sends? Hopefully not. God gives us so many ways to receive his grace and these can all set us free. The sacraments and the Scriptures are obvious, but prayer for deliverance from our brothers and sisters should not be underestimated. Do we realize this is a more powerful force than the chains of sin and suffering which hold us?
Even if we do realize that freedom is possible we may still hesitate in fear if we aren't motivated to go forth. The purpose that drives the apostles can fill us and make us courageous. We will insist on freedom because we need freedom to proclaim the kingdom of God. This is why, once they are free, the apostles immediately resume the proclamation that landed them in prison in the first place.
“The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people.”
This proclamation is now even more persuasive because there is now one more example of God's deliverance, of his fidelity, and of his love.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
The angel, we must remember, does not encamp only around the apostles. He encamps around all those who fear the LORD.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
In these prisons we experience the feeling of condemnation. But Jesus does not come to condemn us. This is a sign that there is another prison from which we need deliverance. Let us be confident of his love for us and his desire to deliver us. If we know this love and trust it no prison will hold us.
the party of the Sadducees,
... filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
We're all in one sort of prison or another. It may feel like house arrest. Or it may feel like Guantanamo Bay. But either way, it is keeping us from telling "people everything about this life." There is darkness. There are chains. We just don't feel the freedom or the magnanimity to go out and direct our lives toward others. We are too busy trying to survive.
So how do we escape? It isn't by figuring out the locks ourselves. It isn't by forcing the doors open. They are "securely locked" even after the apostles are gone. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can experience this freedom. An angel setting the apostles free sounds too miraculous and too extraordinary to relate to us. Yet God wants us to know the same freedom that the apostles know. He wants us to proclaim everything about the Christian life we've been given just as much as he wants it of them. Our guardian angels stand ready to open impossibly secured prisons so that we may escape. We just need be willing to let go of the darkness and venture out into the light.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
When the apostles find the prison doors open the leave at once. Why are they fearless about venturing into the light while we hesitate in the darkness? Does our fear of the prison guards outweigh our trust in the angels God sends? Hopefully not. God gives us so many ways to receive his grace and these can all set us free. The sacraments and the Scriptures are obvious, but prayer for deliverance from our brothers and sisters should not be underestimated. Do we realize this is a more powerful force than the chains of sin and suffering which hold us?
Even if we do realize that freedom is possible we may still hesitate in fear if we aren't motivated to go forth. The purpose that drives the apostles can fill us and make us courageous. We will insist on freedom because we need freedom to proclaim the kingdom of God. This is why, once they are free, the apostles immediately resume the proclamation that landed them in prison in the first place.
“The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people.”
This proclamation is now even more persuasive because there is now one more example of God's deliverance, of his fidelity, and of his love.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
The angel, we must remember, does not encamp only around the apostles. He encamps around all those who fear the LORD.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
In these prisons we experience the feeling of condemnation. But Jesus does not come to condemn us. This is a sign that there is another prison from which we need deliverance. Let us be confident of his love for us and his desire to deliver us. If we know this love and trust it no prison will hold us.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
29 April 2014 - heavenly things
29 April 2014 - heavenly things
Yesterday Jesus invited us to share in his relationship with his Father. Our intellects are too limited for Jesus to explain who he is. Instead, he invites us to unite ourselves to him by virtue of our new birth, the power of our baptism. Then we experience, to the degree that we are open, who he is, beloved Son of the Father, for we too are made beloved children of our Father in heaven.
Today again Jesus explains why he is the only one who can reveal heavenly things to us. Jesus tells us that we won't even believe earthly things, that is, the truth about who we are, let alone heavenly things. What heavenly things? The truth about who God is and who Jesus is in him and all that truth means for us. But Jesus is here to reveal himself to us. He says we won't even believe the earthly things but fortunately for us Jesus comes "down from heaven" to reveal who God is. He tells us that if we have seen him we have seen the Father (cf. Joh. 14:9). The fact that he reveals himself makes us realize that God is for us, and that no one can stand again us (cf. Rom 8:31). In the light of this revelation we finally begin to believe the earthly things. We believe the truth about who we are, sinners who fall short of the glory of God (cf. Rom. 3:23). But even more so we believe the truth of who we are invited to become.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed* we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (cf. 1 Joh. 3:2).
The more we gaze upon Jesus the more he reveals us to ourselves. He does this by revealing to us the deepest truth of our potential the destiny which he intends for us.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)
It is only in the light of this revelation that we can understand the idyllic conditions enjoyed by the "community of believers" in Acts. How can it be that "no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own"? Only the selflessness of Jesus himself, manifested in his followers, can explain this. How can the community of believers be "of one heart and mind"? It is only possible in the "unity of the Spirit" (cf. Eph 4:3) which Jesus makes possible.
So let us look to the one who comes down to us from heaven. Let us behold more and more the truth of who he is.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
Yesterday Jesus invited us to share in his relationship with his Father. Our intellects are too limited for Jesus to explain who he is. Instead, he invites us to unite ourselves to him by virtue of our new birth, the power of our baptism. Then we experience, to the degree that we are open, who he is, beloved Son of the Father, for we too are made beloved children of our Father in heaven.
Today again Jesus explains why he is the only one who can reveal heavenly things to us. Jesus tells us that we won't even believe earthly things, that is, the truth about who we are, let alone heavenly things. What heavenly things? The truth about who God is and who Jesus is in him and all that truth means for us. But Jesus is here to reveal himself to us. He says we won't even believe the earthly things but fortunately for us Jesus comes "down from heaven" to reveal who God is. He tells us that if we have seen him we have seen the Father (cf. Joh. 14:9). The fact that he reveals himself makes us realize that God is for us, and that no one can stand again us (cf. Rom 8:31). In the light of this revelation we finally begin to believe the earthly things. We believe the truth about who we are, sinners who fall short of the glory of God (cf. Rom. 3:23). But even more so we believe the truth of who we are invited to become.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed* we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (cf. 1 Joh. 3:2).
The more we gaze upon Jesus the more he reveals us to ourselves. He does this by revealing to us the deepest truth of our potential the destiny which he intends for us.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)
It is only in the light of this revelation that we can understand the idyllic conditions enjoyed by the "community of believers" in Acts. How can it be that "no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own"? Only the selflessness of Jesus himself, manifested in his followers, can explain this. How can the community of believers be "of one heart and mind"? It is only possible in the "unity of the Spirit" (cf. Eph 4:3) which Jesus makes possible.
So let us look to the one who comes down to us from heaven. Let us behold more and more the truth of who he is.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
Monday, April 28, 2014
28 April 2014 - the spirit and the bride say come
28 April 2014 - the spirit and the bride say come
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus is prompting Jesus to explain his connection to God. Nicodemus perceives that it is supernatural, enabling Jesus to do signs no one else can do, but doesn't quite get it. But Jesus doesn't directly enter this question. He tells us Nicodemus and ourselves that we must be born again to see God's kingdom. Why does he apparently change the subject to baptism? It is because rather than just explaining his own relationship to the Father he would rather that we experience that relationship ourselves. It is the only way to truly understand the relationship, because "What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit."
The apostles in Acts walk by this Spirit. They are closely united in the family bond it creates which is why they raise "their voices to God with one accord". Is this action charismatic? Is it liturgical? Perhaps it is both. The communal recitation of Scripture definitely sounds like it has the potential to be liturgical.
“Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand
and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.
But the way that this action is a response to the life experience of the community hints that it is also charismatic. The fact that Scripture directly speaks to that life experience hints that it is charismatic. And it feeds back in to their own lives and plans in a way that is definitely charismatic.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
But these dimensions aren't meant to be separate. In the early Church they are not. The apostles go forth to spread the kingdom and proclaim the good news. They bring their prayer intentions and thanksgiving back to the communal life of the Spirit. It feeds, we speculate, into the early liturgy. In this liturgy they are filled with the Spirit and enabled to venture out again. We don't often imagine the liturgy even having an effect. It is something we just check off of our list of chores. At best, it is a beautiful meditation into which we enter but from which we make a too definitive break when we leave. Not so for the apostles:
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
So the nations may rage and the peoples may utter folly. The kings of the earth may rise up and the princes may conspire. Where do we find solace in the midst of the darkness of the world? When we enter into the liturgy in the power of the Holy Spirit we can hear the one throned in heaven laugh. We can feel the earth quake with the power that also renews our confidence.
Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus is prompting Jesus to explain his connection to God. Nicodemus perceives that it is supernatural, enabling Jesus to do signs no one else can do, but doesn't quite get it. But Jesus doesn't directly enter this question. He tells us Nicodemus and ourselves that we must be born again to see God's kingdom. Why does he apparently change the subject to baptism? It is because rather than just explaining his own relationship to the Father he would rather that we experience that relationship ourselves. It is the only way to truly understand the relationship, because "What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit."
The apostles in Acts walk by this Spirit. They are closely united in the family bond it creates which is why they raise "their voices to God with one accord". Is this action charismatic? Is it liturgical? Perhaps it is both. The communal recitation of Scripture definitely sounds like it has the potential to be liturgical.
“Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand
and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.
But the way that this action is a response to the life experience of the community hints that it is also charismatic. The fact that Scripture directly speaks to that life experience hints that it is charismatic. And it feeds back in to their own lives and plans in a way that is definitely charismatic.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
But these dimensions aren't meant to be separate. In the early Church they are not. The apostles go forth to spread the kingdom and proclaim the good news. They bring their prayer intentions and thanksgiving back to the communal life of the Spirit. It feeds, we speculate, into the early liturgy. In this liturgy they are filled with the Spirit and enabled to venture out again. We don't often imagine the liturgy even having an effect. It is something we just check off of our list of chores. At best, it is a beautiful meditation into which we enter but from which we make a too definitive break when we leave. Not so for the apostles:
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
So the nations may rage and the peoples may utter folly. The kings of the earth may rise up and the princes may conspire. Where do we find solace in the midst of the darkness of the world? When we enter into the liturgy in the power of the Holy Spirit we can hear the one throned in heaven laugh. We can feel the earth quake with the power that also renews our confidence.
Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
27 April 2014 - encounter
27 April 2014 - encounter
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
His love is indeed everlasting and yet we often find ourselves sympathizing with Thomas. People tell us that suffering and circumstance has a deeper meaning. People tell us that things are totally changed from how they were before. But why have we been excluded? We wonder if his love is really everlasting or if it applies more to those who see and believe. And Thomas does eventually see and believe. But Jesus tells us that his love is everlasting toward those who do not see but believe as well. He wants those of us who don't see to believe just as much so that we may be blessed. He wants all of us to say with Thomas, "My Lord and my God!" We are told these things so that we may believe in Jesus, believe he is raised, and believe that everything is different now. He wants us to be blessed, and "have life in his name". Even our suffering is not without meaning.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So how do we actualize this blessing? Just as Jesus comes to Thomas so too does he come to all of us. We meet him in his Word, in his Mystical Body, and in the Eucharist. This is the risen LORD!
They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
If we truly enter in to these we experience what the community of Acts experiences.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
We experience a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ risen from the dead which can have no other explanation.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
And when we fail, when we doubt, he is ready to meet us there as well. He meets Thomas in his doubt in order to establish a faith that he been tested and which now is strong enough to endure. Through his presence in the Church he meets us in our doubts and failures to make us new again.
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
So let our houses say, "His mercy endures forever."
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
His love is indeed everlasting and yet we often find ourselves sympathizing with Thomas. People tell us that suffering and circumstance has a deeper meaning. People tell us that things are totally changed from how they were before. But why have we been excluded? We wonder if his love is really everlasting or if it applies more to those who see and believe. And Thomas does eventually see and believe. But Jesus tells us that his love is everlasting toward those who do not see but believe as well. He wants those of us who don't see to believe just as much so that we may be blessed. He wants all of us to say with Thomas, "My Lord and my God!" We are told these things so that we may believe in Jesus, believe he is raised, and believe that everything is different now. He wants us to be blessed, and "have life in his name". Even our suffering is not without meaning.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So how do we actualize this blessing? Just as Jesus comes to Thomas so too does he come to all of us. We meet him in his Word, in his Mystical Body, and in the Eucharist. This is the risen LORD!
They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
If we truly enter in to these we experience what the community of Acts experiences.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
We experience a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ risen from the dead which can have no other explanation.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
And when we fail, when we doubt, he is ready to meet us there as well. He meets Thomas in his doubt in order to establish a faith that he been tested and which now is strong enough to endure. Through his presence in the Church he meets us in our doubts and failures to make us new again.
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
So let our houses say, "His mercy endures forever."
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