21 May 2026 - till all are one

Today's Readings
(Audio)

When we think of being in union with others we often have a thin or shallow conception of unity. We are typically content to act without interfering with one another, toward goals that are similar enough that we all benefit from our common effort. But it is not necessarily a deeply personal unity, unless we're talking about marriage or particularly strong friendships. And even these are often tactical, with each person pursuing the relationship for his own benefit, although also providing benefit for the other to enjoy.

so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.

The union that is possible and that is meant to characterize Christian relationships transforms the merely mercenary alliances that tend to define relationships outside the Body of Christ. It is built upon something more substantial than egos, and rooted in something deeper than individual neediness. It is a supernatural sort of unity, which is only possible because God allows us to share in the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit, that is properly his. This union is possible when being-for-self is replaced with being-for-the-other, as with the Father, who loves the Son completely, and the Son, who gives everything for his Father, and for the Spirit who is the manifestation of the love between them. They are not three pieces of a whole that together yield a result greater than the sum of its parts. Rather they are both a true unity, and yet also real distinction. Their relationships don't ultimately collapse into a bland and monotonous oneness. There is space, yes, even necessity, for individual identity in the Trinity, because only thus can the love that exists from all eternity be received, only by Persons.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,

The glory of Jesus is a consequence of the fact that his existence is a revelation of the Father himself, that he himself is a perfect image of the Father's glory. He gives this glory to his disciples and to us precisely by enabling us to enter into relationship with his Father and himself. He goes beyond the normal forms of self-introduction that contain information about one's past, family, or other interesting anecdotes, and reveals the luminous inner life that is at the very essence of the identity of the Triune God. When we receive this revelation we are transformed by it. We have to be. Only by being rewired for this higher level of life and participating in it can we know it in any meaningful sense. Love that only reaches the level of talk amounts to no more than idle words. But the love Jesus reveals is a force that is poured into us by the Spirit and it does not leave us unchanged.

I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.

In general it seems fair to say that we have been inadequate witnesses to the glory we've been given. We barely even manage a political or utilitarian unity, even in the bounds of the Church. And this political agreement to which we tenuously cling is not often polite. It is not the result of a unified and selfless pursuit of God. It is rather the compromise of many conflicting agendas when absolute victory for any one of them could not be achieved. We are surely meant for more than this. And indeed, it must be possible, since Jesus prayed that it would be so. 

It may be a deficiency on the part of we, the members of the Church, that has rendered Christianity impossible for the modern world to believe. Our unity is no more impressive than that of the Sadducees and Pharisees in today's reading from Acts. They were ultimately prevented from achieving their common purpose in opposing Paul by their lack of true union. But we miss out on something much greater when we don't allow the glory of the Father and the Son to be the source of our union, the strength of the Church, and her truest identity. We are meant to live that union now, and to know a foretaste of the glory to be revealed, because that glory is also where we are headed, and meant to abide for eternity.

Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

John Keating - Come Holy Spirit

20 May 2026 - that they may be one

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.

Jesus prayed that his disciples would remain spiritually united, precisely because he knew that the tendency of the Evil One was to separate and to scatter. His Church was meant to be a gathering force, drawing together women and men, Gentiles and Jews. It was to be compromised of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. It was to be a manifestation on earth of the love that united the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in heaven. The supernatural glue of love known as the Holy Spirit was to be its binding force. 

Unity was directly related to living out the commission of love. It was therefore to be the core identity of the Church. Obviously if the Church was to be the Body of Christ, severed limbs were antithetical to this identity. The Evil One sought to attack the unity of the Church precisely because he realized how essential unity was to its mission. If everyone was grounded in the same truth they would be, as a consequence, united. But if their unity was shattered so too would be their connection with the truth. They would be reduced to the postlapsarian state of Adam and Eve who lost their unity with God when they chose to decide for themselves about good and evil rather than consenting to the way things actually were in reality. 

In many ways that Evil One has been sadly successful in his efforts, both by causing heresies and schisms leading people away from the true Church, and even by the political divisions and personality cults dividing the Church from within. Yet the prayer of Jesus has not failed, nor has it ceased to be efficacious. It is still possible for us to enter and remain in the unity Christ desired for us. But to do so we must remain in the care of those consecrated to continue the unifying ministry of Jesus toward us. The bishops and priests who remain in communion with the ancient Church and the modern Magisterium are the ones who can protect us in Jesus name, and guard us, so that none might be lost.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.

Paul too realized that attacks on the Body of Christ would come from within as well as without. He commended the presbyters to vigilance, ensuring that they remained faithful to "that gracious word of his". It was not just an abstract word, but had the power to build up, both individuals, and the Church as a whole. This word is conveyed to us through the Scriptures and Apostolic tradition as authentically interpreted by the Magisterium of the Bishop of Rome and those in communion with him. As long as we remain under the protection of that powerful word we will be safe from the Evil One's attempts to undermine us. The result of preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (see Ephesians 4:3) is not merely synchronicity of movement, as though we all become marionettes dancing in harmony. External conformity is not in itself union. True union, of the sort for which Jesus prayed, can be recognized because it results in the genuine joy that only love can give. It is what happens when we live for the purpose for which we were created.

I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.

So let's allow the mighty word of Jesus to build us together in union with one another, and to build, even a little more, his joy within our hearts.

 

Matt Maher - Hold Us Together

 

 

19 May 2026 - what it's all for

Today's Readings
(Audio)

In the high priestly prayer of Jesus he imitated the prayers made my the high priests, first for themselves, then for the priests, and then for the people. But it wasn't as though the people came last because they were the least important. The priesthood existed at the service of the people. The high priest had the most important role in ensuring the fidelity of the nation to the covenant, the most critical role in the ritual atonement for sin. It was, in a way, the cornerstone of the edifice. The priests were pillars. But the people were the ones who put the structure to its intended use. Thus, when Jesus prayed for himself, it was not because he had unmet wants or needs of his own. No, his prayer for himself was that he could be the one whom the Father meant him to be, "so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him".

Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

The kind of knowledge that conduces to eternal life is not conveyed through data, but rather through glory. It was glory that was made manifest in the cross and resurrection of Jesus himself, and opened up a vision of the divine life he shared with the Father. Glory was the love of the Father for Jesus, and the obedient outpouring of the life of Jesus to the Father. This glory captivates those who witness it, but does not stop there. It is the glory of Jesus lifted up from the earth, drawing all to himself, uniting all those who behold it to both his dying and his rising. In short, one cannot truly see this glory and remain unchanged. The full effect of the change is to become so like Jesus that we become able holy; able and desirous to share in his life with the Father and the Spirit forever.

Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.

Jesus prayed for his disciples who shared in his mission in a way that was unique. They were the ones who would ensure that the grace of Jesus, and thus his glory, would be available after he returned to the Father. Their successors, the bishops, would have the duty of preserving the availability of that grace in all subsequent generations. But, like him, they would do so in a world that was ultimately opposed to his mission, hostile to the idea that any kind of change from the status quo was necessary. The clergy of the Church does face this world own its own strength. It is not run primarily on its own power. Nor does it succeed on the basis of the skills possessed by its members. Rather it has run and is still running on the power of this prayer of Jesus, which was not terminated when he finished speaking, but is still pleading and efficacious before the Father's throne.

We can see the way the high priestly prayer of Jesus had immediate consequences for the first generation of his Apostles in the way it impacted Paul. In his own prayer at Ephesus about which we read in Acts this morning we see desires that transcend what fallen, wounded, and selfish human nature would seek.

Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace.

Jesus cared about nothing more than accomplishing the work the Father gave him to do. And now Paul, because he belonged to Jesus, also belonged to the Father, and cared about nothing more than completing the task given to him by Jesus, such that he too was among those who "have kept your word". He tasted the glory of the Lord and could no longer turn back to the world for satisfaction. The mission did indeed look dire. The Holy Spirit warned him again and again of the suffering that he had to endure. But the revelation of glory, given by Jesus himself, assured him it was worth it.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (see Second Corinthians 4:17-18).

Vertical Worship - Open Up The Heavens

 

18 May 2026 - living in victory

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?

There are different degrees of belief. It is one thing to acknowledge that Jesus is from God and knows everything. It is another to live on the basis of that knowledge. There are the facets of belief that we accept. But they prove whether or not they are real to us when we are tested. When the hour comes, do we flee? Are we scattered? Or does what we believe about Jesus cause us to hold our ground and remain near him? We remember his exhortation, "Remain in me", precisely here, when we considering doing otherwise. In the moment of testing everything in our flesh tells us it is unwise to continue trusting Jesus. It may seem that he is calling us to persist at a hopeless task or to win and unwinnable battle. It may seem like Jesus alone is not enough to face the very real problems of our lives. 

But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Jesus is not alone, because his Father is with him. It may seem as though Jesus is the one at a disadvantage, and if we believe this it will make us afraid. But if we believe that everything is in the hands of the Father, playing out according to their shared plan for the world, we can have peace. This is why Jesus tells us in advance that we will have trouble in the world. Not simply so that we can brace ourselves for it. But so that we can believe that his providence extends even so far as that. He is not surprised. The troubling circumstances of life do not put his plan at risk of failure. The victory is in fact already his. From the divine perspective he shares with the Father he already possesses it even before everything finishes playing out here on earth.

take courage, I have conquered the world.

Our beliefs may remain at the level of mere data, without practical consequences in our lives, without the Holy Spirit connecting our heads to our hearts by deeper revelation. We can be like the disciples in Ephesus who had done all of the proper preparation that could be expected of them, but had not yet experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been baptized with a baptism of a different order from that of John. But even so, the full power of that baptism has probably not been fully unleashed in us, or, for that matter, in anymore. It is basically an infinite power source. There is always more. That is why the infilling of these disciples in Ephesus through the laying on of Paul's hands is supposed to be more than a pleasant reminder of our own experience of sacramental confirmation. Rather, we are meant to see how the Holy Spirit filled them in a way that clearly transformed them. And, we are meant to hunger and thirst for more of that transformation in our own lives. As we approach Pentecost there is no better time to seek it. The great feasts make the grace of the events on which they are based present again in a special way. Not that the Holy Spirit is limited to one weekend a year. But there is one weekend a year when he characteristically goes out of his way to make himself as available as possible to us. This is what we've been leading up to all Easter. Let's brace ourselves for his coming and expect to be changed by the wake of his drawing near.

Rend Collective - More Than Conquerors

 

17 May 2026 - up, up, and away?

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

Jesus ascended to heaven and the Father seated him "at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come". This was an enthronement of the glorified humanity of Jesus, about which we read in today's psalm: "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord". But was this mere pomp and circumstance, or was there really a reason for Jesus to say, "it is to your advantage that I go away" (see John 16:7)? 

The reason Jesus gave to explain his going was not immediately intuitive. Why did the coming of the Counselor (or Helper) depend upon it? Could Jesus not stay and still send the Spirit? Yes, perhaps, it was a prerequisite for Jesus to be glorified and enthroned in his humanity in order to connect our own humanity to the circuit of divine power. But we still might imagine that he could have done this well enough while his body remained with us, perhaps on sitting upon a physical throne that corresponded to and represented the heavenly one. But the physical presence of Jesus in the world suggested a certain way of being in relationship with him. It meant that he was to be sought specifically in one place and not others. As God he was of course always present everywhere. But when people wanted to talk to him they went to where they could see his face and hear his voice. With such a mode of presence he was always going to be the primary actor with others approaching him and then deferring to him as he acted through his own human nature. But he wanted to change that relationship so that the human nature which he acted through was our own. The head wanted to henceforth move in the world by moving his body, the Church.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations

We tend to look longing after Jesus, transfixed by his departure, hoping that he will come and establish the kingdom himself, but not moving forward ourselves as much as we ought. We need to heed the words of the angels to the apostles and stop standing and looking up at the sky. We need to set about the work entrusted to us, and allow the Spirit Jesus has given us to animate his body. We can do this fearlessly since we do so in union with the one to whom all "power in heaven and on earth has been given". But in order to ensure this connection to him is as robust as possible we must first heed his words wait for the fulfillment "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak". We have received the Holy Spirit in our baptism. But we may have never truly opened ourselves to the power he is meant to unleash in our lives. With only a week until Pentecost we are invited to prepare ourselves once more and open ourselves anew to the coming of the Spirit, falling on our hearts and giving us life like the sweet dew of the morning.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Though we can no longer see him with our physical eyes Jesus is nevertheless more present than ever to the eyes of faith. No doubt this was why Paul prayed for the Ephesian that, "the eyes of your hearts be enlightened that you may know what is the hope". It was not only about their hope in the hereafter that he wanted them to know, but even the "surpassing greatness of his power" not only for those who were dead and saw him face to face, but "for us who believe". The Ascension is therefore not the end of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, but rather a new beginning. He remains present among us through Word, Sacrament, and community. But these all conduce to where he truly desires to be present: within us. And when he is present there our chief priority will be to secure that experience for as many others as possible. We too must do our part "and make disciples". We are the arms and legs of Jesus that are moving and reaching to gather all nations into union with him.

Songs In His Presence - The House Of God

Maranatha! Music - Lord I Lift Your Name On High

 

16 May 2026 - full clearance

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Jesus was commending to his disciples a new way of praying. It was not like in previous stages of the covenant where, to be sure, people prayed to the Father, but where the truly important matters were handled through chosen mediators. There were different degrees of closeness to God that were possible based on one's status, with the high priest having the highest clearance to access the presence of God. Jesus was not suggesting that his disciples forego the direct route and rely on him to make their requests instead of them. It was not so much "that I will ask the Father for you" as  that "you will ask in my name". It was as though the disciples were given permission to use the access which Jesus himself had to the Father in order to appear before him and make their petitions. 

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.

By faith and love the disciples of Jesus had become so united with him that the Father recognized Jesus in them. It wasn't so much that they were going straight to the Father and leaving Jesus behind, as if in answer to Philip asking, "Lord, show us the Father" (see John 14:7), Jesus pointed him out and stepped aside. No, it was precisely in their union with Jesus himself that they had access to the Father. Jesus revealed him because the more they were united to Jesus the more they experienced his own relationship of mutual love with the Father. This was indeed the only way to have such access. When Jesus said, "I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you" he meant to imply, not that he wouldn't be involved, but rather that the disciples themselves would be involved, much more than they imagined. It was not Jesus on their behalf alone. Nor was it them without further need of Jesus. It was the union of both before the throne of the Father that would be efficacious in prayer.

Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

We tend to interpret "in my name" to be a caveat that means that prayer doesn't actually relate to things that we desire or that are relevant to us. It seems to mean we have to impose on our wills that of another if prayer is to yield results. And we tend to assume that prayer isn't really that meaningful if it can't get us what we want. And yet, if it does not result in the things we want, or even necessarily in those things that we think are necessary for others or ourselves, it does fulfill us in a different way. It does not necessarily immediate transform the circumstances of our lives or the world. But it is meant to tend to ever increasing joy.

Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

True joy is found in being united to Jesus and preferring the Father's will to anything else. When we, together with Jesus, ask that his will and not ours be done, and when we mean it, we are never disappointed. And if we trust the Father with trust like Jesus has in him we are not cynical about what he wills or even how he wills it to happen. This means that no matter how things seem in the world we can be routed in peace and in joy. But this requires an active posture of not just tolerating God's will, but desiring it, as Jesus does. He wants to share his joy with us, and does so in the only way he knows how, by bringing us with him to the Father.

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.

If we want to know the Father we need to open ourselves to Jesus revealing him. We no longer live in the ages of where he speaks in figures, where we might imagine that we have to solve the mystery ourselves. Rather, this is the age when the Spirit himself speaks within our hearts.

The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.

We ought not avoid the Father as though he is too distant or unapproachable, much less because of suspicion on our part. We should ask the Spirit of Jesus to help us to know the Father as Jesus knows him, so clearly that asking him for what we need in the name of Jesus feels real to us, rather than like a mere ritual or pretend. When this happens his promise of joy will be realized in us. It is not only not wrong to seek that joy, but it is meant to be a guiding star for our lives.

 

Matt Maher - Run To The Father

 

15 May 2026 - she no longer remembers the pain

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;

The world rejoices in the absence of Jesus because it believes this means it is off the hook and can continue business as usual, that no drastic changes of behavior are necessary, and that the usual trifecta of pride, pleasure, and power can still be endlessly pursued. Such joy is not really worthy of the word, and is always short lived. A party of this kind can't go on forever. The longer it is forced to do so the more diminishing are the returns it offers.

The disciples were grieved during the hour of Jesus because he was taken from them, because it was painful, and because they didn't understand why it was necessary or what good could come from it. But there was a process of growth and transformation happening that was leading to a result so great that it made all of the pain negligible by comparison. 

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.

During our walk of discipleship we often experience grief because of these same reasons. Jesus sometimes seems distant and unavailable, or disinterested, or powerless. We don't understand why we have unmet needs or what good can come from our suffering. We fail to understand the big picture, the way that our hour of pain is truly leading to the coming of new life into the world. 

Eventually, however, the child is born, and sorrow gives way to joy. This ought to inspire us to follow Jesus ever more closely, and teach us to trust him even during the dark and difficult hours that we will always have to face. After all, the life that resulted was much greater than the death that preceded it. The death was temporary, transitional. The life is increasingly lasting and eventually eternal. The wrong attitude is remembering only the pain and deciding on that basis to never have another of these metaphorical children. Instead we are meant to be defined by the joy that results, the truly lasting change, rather than the momentary difficulty. Joy is something in which we can grow, and can mark our lives more and more as we connect ever more deeply with the risen Lord Jesus himself. But we don't typically grow when we avoid the process of growth for fear of the pain that is often entailed. We should celebrate what Jesus has done in our lives and treasure it in our hearts so that we can remember that trusting him is worth it. Then, the next time that trust seems to be all we have, we will cling to it.

But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

We are shakable because we are not yet fully spiritually mature. But the joy of the risen Lord is unshakable. The more we experience the risen Lord, the more our lives are defined by encountering the fullness of life he offers, the more joy will predominant over sorrow in our lives. This is true even if, for a little while longer, there is more suffering that we must endure. As we grow increasingly united to Jesus himself, our wills become so conformed to his own that we are no longer ever disappointed in not receiving what we want from the Father, since all we want is his will.

Rend Collective - Joy Of The Lord