30 June 2013 - past break
Today's readings are about discipleship. When we begin to follow the LORD our lives change radically. We have to be prepared to let go of even the goods from our old lives. We have to be ready to make a sudden break from all that came before.
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
It is not just the urgency of the proclamation that is at work here. Continuing to be surrounded by the things we've given up can be a liability. It gives rise to occasions where force of habit tries to draw us back from our newfound freedom to the old yolk of slavery.
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
We can't just guess at how to do this. We have to listen to Jesus. Our desire to be radical can be misplaced. Elisha heads and Elijah and, rather than abandoning everything immediately, is able to put it to use as food for his people.
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
He even kisses his mother and father goodbye. He does not demonstrate the same spirit of attachment that the man in Jesus's parable demonstrates when he asks to bury his mother and father. In other words, that man asks to become a disciple eventually, on his time, when it is convenient. This is why Jesus rebukes him.
We will only be able to let go of earthly goods to the degree that the LORD himself becomes our inheritance.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
He wants to be our source of joy in himself. Nowhere else can we find lasting peace.
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
In him is all of the fulness of blessing that we see hinted at in the lesser goods of this world with which we tend to content ourselves. Let us not be content with less than God for he is not content with less than our whole hearts.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
29 June 2013 - load bearing pillars
29 June 2013 - load bearing pillars
The Church celebrates her blessedness today in having the great saints Peter and Paul.
They know who Jesus is.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And will stop at nothing to let the whole world know.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
As great as they are, they are still supported by the prayers of the Church.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
These prayers allow Paul to stand fast in the face of possible martyrdom.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
These prayers send an angel to rescue Peter from prison.
“Get up quickly.”
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”
And if Peter and Paul need the prayers of the Church how much more do our bishops, priests, and religious today need them. In the face of the dark times toward which our country is diving headlong we must never neglect prayer for the clergy and religious. They support us by the proclamation of the truth and their dispensation of the sacraments. Prayer for them is the least we can do.
The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
If we truly fear the LORD we will make all of our needs known to him. Fearing him means trusting him more than we trust ourselves. If we find ourselves neglecting to bring our concerns to him it means we need to realize more and more who he is and how much he loves us.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The Church celebrates her blessedness today in having the great saints Peter and Paul.
They know who Jesus is.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And will stop at nothing to let the whole world know.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
As great as they are, they are still supported by the prayers of the Church.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
These prayers allow Paul to stand fast in the face of possible martyrdom.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
These prayers send an angel to rescue Peter from prison.
“Get up quickly.”
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”
And if Peter and Paul need the prayers of the Church how much more do our bishops, priests, and religious today need them. In the face of the dark times toward which our country is diving headlong we must never neglect prayer for the clergy and religious. They support us by the proclamation of the truth and their dispensation of the sacraments. Prayer for them is the least we can do.
The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
If we truly fear the LORD we will make all of our needs known to him. Fearing him means trusting him more than we trust ourselves. If we find ourselves neglecting to bring our concerns to him it means we need to realize more and more who he is and how much he loves us.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
Friday, June 28, 2013
28 June 2013 - in his will
28 June 2013 - in his will
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Even without a relationship to the LORD we may acknowledge his power. But he is not content to leave us this way. When we come into relationship with him we realize that he is for us, not against us, nor even indifferent (cf. Rom 8:31). We come to believe in his love for us (cf. 1 John 4:16).
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
It is true that this man has leprosy for years before he meets Jesus. But this doesn't mean that Jesus cares about him any less. The leper lives with his illness for so long that he comes to doubt that Jesus is concerned about it. This is a temptation we all face any time we suffer.
Abraham all but succumbs to this temptation when God's promise to him is delayed.
Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself,
“Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
And yet God heals the leper and blesses Abraham and Sarah with a child. What does the delay in answering mean? We does the God who can make us clean not always do so immediately? It is our opportunity to trust. It is our opportunity to love God for who he is even more than what he does.
If faith is the evidence of things unseen and the assurance of things hoped for (cf. Heb 11:1) then this is the only way we can express faith. Faith is the only way that God allows us to approach him in this world. Faith preserves the true integrity of our ability to choose to love him or not to love him. It gets past all of the mechanical factors of causation that would otherwise push us one way or the other. It ensures that loving God is never a Pavlovian response. With faith as the basis he is able to pour out blessings in the context of a loving relationship.
When God doesn't work like a vending machine we are tempted to insist on our own projects for securing the LORD's blessings as Abraham continues to do with Ishmael. But these are precisely the times when we must trust that he does will that we be made clean. If we continue to trust him we will one day experience all the blessings he promises (and yet regard him as more important to us than any of them). He is able to trust those who put him first with his blessings.
See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Even without a relationship to the LORD we may acknowledge his power. But he is not content to leave us this way. When we come into relationship with him we realize that he is for us, not against us, nor even indifferent (cf. Rom 8:31). We come to believe in his love for us (cf. 1 John 4:16).
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
It is true that this man has leprosy for years before he meets Jesus. But this doesn't mean that Jesus cares about him any less. The leper lives with his illness for so long that he comes to doubt that Jesus is concerned about it. This is a temptation we all face any time we suffer.
Abraham all but succumbs to this temptation when God's promise to him is delayed.
Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself,
“Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
And yet God heals the leper and blesses Abraham and Sarah with a child. What does the delay in answering mean? We does the God who can make us clean not always do so immediately? It is our opportunity to trust. It is our opportunity to love God for who he is even more than what he does.
If faith is the evidence of things unseen and the assurance of things hoped for (cf. Heb 11:1) then this is the only way we can express faith. Faith is the only way that God allows us to approach him in this world. Faith preserves the true integrity of our ability to choose to love him or not to love him. It gets past all of the mechanical factors of causation that would otherwise push us one way or the other. It ensures that loving God is never a Pavlovian response. With faith as the basis he is able to pour out blessings in the context of a loving relationship.
When God doesn't work like a vending machine we are tempted to insist on our own projects for securing the LORD's blessings as Abraham continues to do with Ishmael. But these are precisely the times when we must trust that he does will that we be made clean. If we continue to trust him we will one day experience all the blessings he promises (and yet regard him as more important to us than any of them). He is able to trust those who put him first with his blessings.
See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
27 June 2013 - aside projects
27 June 2013 - aside projects
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
Jesus is calling us to hear his words and act on them. If we want to hear him we must create a certain amount of silence in which he can speak. Our lives are busy so we tend to try to skip this step. We rush through prayers and instead we act on what we assume his words to be. Alternatively, if we listen to him and don't act we aren't further ahead. If we don't let his words have their full effect in transforming us we are still building on sand. The house will eventually be blown down.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
If we don't listen we can't act on his words. If we do listen but don't act we risk deluding ourselves. We may even think that because we listen to his words it justifies carrying out our own initiatives in his name even when they weren't his plan.
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
The LORD does want to use us to speak his word, to drive out demons, and to do mighty deeds. But listening to him must be the basis of it. If we don't move in response to his word we are assuredly moving in response to our own pride. What might build the kingdom instead becomes a vanity project. We become so prideful that we are doing these things. We append that we are doing them in the LORD's name as an afterthought.
This is more or less what goes wrong in the passage about Abram this morning. He and Sarai encounter setbacks which they believe are too severe for the LORD to overcome.
“The LORD has kept me from bearing children.
They use the promise of the LORD to justify their own project to produce offspring with Hagar.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her.”
How then do we ensure that we hear the LORD? How do we make sure we aren't wandering off into our own projects? We hear the words of Jesus and act on them. How do we make sure we aren't just hearing ourselves? The words of Jesus are not like other words. They are not like our internal monologue.
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
We must give Jesus the space to speak until we experience this difference for ourselves. If we give his words space (good soil) within us they will bear fruit in us. When they do we won't plead our worthiness to enter the kingdom on the basis of our amazing accomplishments. Counterintuitively, as we act on his words we realize more and more that absolutely everything depends on his mercy.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or proclaim all his praises?
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
Jesus is calling us to hear his words and act on them. If we want to hear him we must create a certain amount of silence in which he can speak. Our lives are busy so we tend to try to skip this step. We rush through prayers and instead we act on what we assume his words to be. Alternatively, if we listen to him and don't act we aren't further ahead. If we don't let his words have their full effect in transforming us we are still building on sand. The house will eventually be blown down.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
If we don't listen we can't act on his words. If we do listen but don't act we risk deluding ourselves. We may even think that because we listen to his words it justifies carrying out our own initiatives in his name even when they weren't his plan.
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
The LORD does want to use us to speak his word, to drive out demons, and to do mighty deeds. But listening to him must be the basis of it. If we don't move in response to his word we are assuredly moving in response to our own pride. What might build the kingdom instead becomes a vanity project. We become so prideful that we are doing these things. We append that we are doing them in the LORD's name as an afterthought.
This is more or less what goes wrong in the passage about Abram this morning. He and Sarai encounter setbacks which they believe are too severe for the LORD to overcome.
“The LORD has kept me from bearing children.
They use the promise of the LORD to justify their own project to produce offspring with Hagar.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her.”
How then do we ensure that we hear the LORD? How do we make sure we aren't wandering off into our own projects? We hear the words of Jesus and act on them. How do we make sure we aren't just hearing ourselves? The words of Jesus are not like other words. They are not like our internal monologue.
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
We must give Jesus the space to speak until we experience this difference for ourselves. If we give his words space (good soil) within us they will bear fruit in us. When they do we won't plead our worthiness to enter the kingdom on the basis of our amazing accomplishments. Counterintuitively, as we act on his words we realize more and more that absolutely everything depends on his mercy.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or proclaim all his praises?
Speak LORD, I'm Listening
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
26 June 2013 - fruitful discernment
26 June 2013 - fruitful discernment
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
Jesus is teaching us about discernment. Let's pay attention to these words. They seem obvious but they conceal deep meaning. Firstly, realize that trees can be any number of things. We probably think first of people. We look at their actions to see if they are advancing the kingdom or hindering it. But this doesn't help very much. It doesn't lead toward any concrete action. It is better to discern the tree of our relationship with another rather than the person himself. What fruit is that relationship bearing? Perhaps the individual is not living a kingdom lifestyle but our relationship with him is yielding the fruit of love and peacefulness in his life. This is a good tree which we probably don't want to tear down.
We can apply this method of discernment to the various entertainments in which indulge. If they bear fruits of anxiety, anger, or cynicism then they are probably worth more to us as lumber. On the other hand, there is entertainment which is inspiring and edifying which we should continue to water. The same method can apply to schools of thought in the world, movements in the Church, and just about anything. It isn't really about judging people at all. What would that gain us but a false sense of superiority?
Ultimately this fruit we're looking for isn't the result of our own efforts. Yes, we are watered by the agency of our brothers and sisters. But God gives the growth (cf. 1 Cor 3:6). Let us not grow prideful, as if we caused trees to grow and fruit to ripen. Even as we cooperate with God in planting and watering we must trust in him completely for growth. We can only water if the heavens don't hold back their rains. Even the soil in which we plant comes from the LORD.Abram shows us the fruit that this trust can bear.
“To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”
This is why our trust must be completely in God. Abram exemplifies this.
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
And we needn't fear that the LORD won't provide. He has joined us to himself as family by the promise of the New Covenant.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Rejoice, because he is faithful!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
Jesus is teaching us about discernment. Let's pay attention to these words. They seem obvious but they conceal deep meaning. Firstly, realize that trees can be any number of things. We probably think first of people. We look at their actions to see if they are advancing the kingdom or hindering it. But this doesn't help very much. It doesn't lead toward any concrete action. It is better to discern the tree of our relationship with another rather than the person himself. What fruit is that relationship bearing? Perhaps the individual is not living a kingdom lifestyle but our relationship with him is yielding the fruit of love and peacefulness in his life. This is a good tree which we probably don't want to tear down.
We can apply this method of discernment to the various entertainments in which indulge. If they bear fruits of anxiety, anger, or cynicism then they are probably worth more to us as lumber. On the other hand, there is entertainment which is inspiring and edifying which we should continue to water. The same method can apply to schools of thought in the world, movements in the Church, and just about anything. It isn't really about judging people at all. What would that gain us but a false sense of superiority?
Ultimately this fruit we're looking for isn't the result of our own efforts. Yes, we are watered by the agency of our brothers and sisters. But God gives the growth (cf. 1 Cor 3:6). Let us not grow prideful, as if we caused trees to grow and fruit to ripen. Even as we cooperate with God in planting and watering we must trust in him completely for growth. We can only water if the heavens don't hold back their rains. Even the soil in which we plant comes from the LORD.Abram shows us the fruit that this trust can bear.
“To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”
This is why our trust must be completely in God. Abram exemplifies this.
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
And we needn't fear that the LORD won't provide. He has joined us to himself as family by the promise of the New Covenant.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Rejoice, because he is faithful!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
I Will Delight
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
25 June 2013 - gated community
25 June 2013 - gated community
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”
Why is the gate to life narrow? God wants everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (cf 1 Tim 2:4). Why isn't it rather that the gate is wide? Why do we experience the road to the gate to life as constricted? Why is there a gate to destruction at all?
Jesus himself is the gate (cf John 10:7). It can be no wider nor more narrow than he. Light has nothing to do with darkness (cf. 2 Cor 6:14). Even Jesus can't turn falsehood and sin into a path to life. Life and sin are simply antithetical to one another. But Jesus wants as many people to enter through this narrow gate as possible. And while it says that those who find it are few perhaps those aren't the only one who enter. It says that "many" enter the gates of destruction, but not 'the rest.' Perhaps others are actually told about the gate and shown it rather than actively finding it. Perhaps they are called and led.
If so than we must be even more concerned about the many who are on the road to destruction. We who have found the gate to life must do all we can to lead others to it as well. But there is nuance here.
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
As we talk about Jesus to others we must do so in a way that makes him accessible, yes, but also in a way that clearly regards his all surpassing value. There is a certain hiddenness and propriety to the depths of the mystery of faith that needs to be preserved. This is why the early church had catechesis leading up to baptism and then mystagogue. To do otherwise would be like a wife sharing all of her husbands deepest secrets with strangers. She is married to a great man, to be sure. But to introduce others to him she ought to use a gradual revelation that shows her respect for him.
The narrow path sounds obvious when Jesus summarizes it.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.
But this is an aspect of what it means to not treat our faith lightly. These words get brandished about in every kindergarten class. We believe that we have heard them. Yet we often miss the depth and challenge that these words convey. It does not lessen the law and the prophets that they can be summarized in this way. It instead reveals how multifaceted true selfless concern for others is. It suggests that it something more than merely sharing our toys. It is, after all, the narrow path to life.
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Abram embodies this when he treats Lot as he wishes to be treated.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.”
Even though he ends up with the less desirable grazing lands the words of the psalmist apply to him.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
And indeed we see that the LORD immediately promises to bless Abram after he treats Lot as he does. The LORD can trust those who put him first with his blessings.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth;
if anyone could count the dust of the earth,
your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth,
for to you I will give it.”
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”
Why is the gate to life narrow? God wants everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (cf 1 Tim 2:4). Why isn't it rather that the gate is wide? Why do we experience the road to the gate to life as constricted? Why is there a gate to destruction at all?
Jesus himself is the gate (cf John 10:7). It can be no wider nor more narrow than he. Light has nothing to do with darkness (cf. 2 Cor 6:14). Even Jesus can't turn falsehood and sin into a path to life. Life and sin are simply antithetical to one another. But Jesus wants as many people to enter through this narrow gate as possible. And while it says that those who find it are few perhaps those aren't the only one who enter. It says that "many" enter the gates of destruction, but not 'the rest.' Perhaps others are actually told about the gate and shown it rather than actively finding it. Perhaps they are called and led.
If so than we must be even more concerned about the many who are on the road to destruction. We who have found the gate to life must do all we can to lead others to it as well. But there is nuance here.
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
As we talk about Jesus to others we must do so in a way that makes him accessible, yes, but also in a way that clearly regards his all surpassing value. There is a certain hiddenness and propriety to the depths of the mystery of faith that needs to be preserved. This is why the early church had catechesis leading up to baptism and then mystagogue. To do otherwise would be like a wife sharing all of her husbands deepest secrets with strangers. She is married to a great man, to be sure. But to introduce others to him she ought to use a gradual revelation that shows her respect for him.
The narrow path sounds obvious when Jesus summarizes it.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.
But this is an aspect of what it means to not treat our faith lightly. These words get brandished about in every kindergarten class. We believe that we have heard them. Yet we often miss the depth and challenge that these words convey. It does not lessen the law and the prophets that they can be summarized in this way. It instead reveals how multifaceted true selfless concern for others is. It suggests that it something more than merely sharing our toys. It is, after all, the narrow path to life.
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Abram embodies this when he treats Lot as he wishes to be treated.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.”
Even though he ends up with the less desirable grazing lands the words of the psalmist apply to him.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
And indeed we see that the LORD immediately promises to bless Abram after he treats Lot as he does. The LORD can trust those who put him first with his blessings.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth;
if anyone could count the dust of the earth,
your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth,
for to you I will give it.”
Monday, June 24, 2013
24 June 2013 - before i formed you
24 June 2013 - before i formed you
John the Baptist's birth shows two main themes: call and mission. And though most people don't have a mission as dramatic as John's he has a lot to teach all of us nonetheless.
God has plans for all of us that aren't like normal human plans. They are made from the vantage point of eternity. They take into account all circumstances and contingencies They are made with full knowledge of who we are, of our strengths and weaknesses, and what will bring us fulfillment. Worldly plans never have this depth. They are often spontaneous and utilitarian. They have neither sufficient knowledge of the circumstances nor even of what the end goal should truly be. This is why trusting the LORD's plans for us even more than the plans we make for ourselves is so vital.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
Even though God calls us, external observes will probably misunderstand. They will try to judge our situation on the basis of a much more narrow perspective than the one God sees. Even though Zechariah is struck dumb they still assess his situation through their stale old paradigms.
No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
Even as they begin to sense something unusual at work they are by no means clear that it is a good thing.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
Starting with Zechariah being struck dumb, continuing to John's ministry in the desert. and culimating in the martyrdom of John, people watching by no means see the full scope of God's plan for him. They disbelieve that John is fully living in the will of God for him. After all, in a cost benefit analysis, cost seems to be winning throughout his life.
But there is a deeper truth about John the Baptist and God's plan for him. His parents come to accept this truth after initially disbelieving. And holding fast to this truth is how John has the strength to fulfill his ministry until the end. Trusting in the plan God has for us gives us the strength to fulfill that plan too. These words apply to us all. They inspire us and call us on in trust.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
And the core truth of the mission that God has for all of us is the same. It is to proclaim Jesus the LORD. It is to decrease so that he can increase. This runs contrary to nearly any plan we try to make for ourselves. Only by trusting in God and the grace he gives can we fulfill his purpose for us. And only in doing so do we experience fulfillment.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’
John the Baptist's birth shows two main themes: call and mission. And though most people don't have a mission as dramatic as John's he has a lot to teach all of us nonetheless.
God has plans for all of us that aren't like normal human plans. They are made from the vantage point of eternity. They take into account all circumstances and contingencies They are made with full knowledge of who we are, of our strengths and weaknesses, and what will bring us fulfillment. Worldly plans never have this depth. They are often spontaneous and utilitarian. They have neither sufficient knowledge of the circumstances nor even of what the end goal should truly be. This is why trusting the LORD's plans for us even more than the plans we make for ourselves is so vital.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
Even though God calls us, external observes will probably misunderstand. They will try to judge our situation on the basis of a much more narrow perspective than the one God sees. Even though Zechariah is struck dumb they still assess his situation through their stale old paradigms.
No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
Even as they begin to sense something unusual at work they are by no means clear that it is a good thing.
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
Starting with Zechariah being struck dumb, continuing to John's ministry in the desert. and culimating in the martyrdom of John, people watching by no means see the full scope of God's plan for him. They disbelieve that John is fully living in the will of God for him. After all, in a cost benefit analysis, cost seems to be winning throughout his life.
But there is a deeper truth about John the Baptist and God's plan for him. His parents come to accept this truth after initially disbelieving. And holding fast to this truth is how John has the strength to fulfill his ministry until the end. Trusting in the plan God has for us gives us the strength to fulfill that plan too. These words apply to us all. They inspire us and call us on in trust.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
And the core truth of the mission that God has for all of us is the same. It is to proclaim Jesus the LORD. It is to decrease so that he can increase. This runs contrary to nearly any plan we try to make for ourselves. Only by trusting in God and the grace he gives can we fulfill his purpose for us. And only in doing so do we experience fulfillment.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’
Sunday, June 23, 2013
23 June 2013 - facial recognition
23 June 2013 - facial recognition
Today's readings are about identity. Firstly, they are about the identity. Secondly, they are about our identity in him.
and they shall look on him whom they have pierced,
and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son,
and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.
Recognizing who he is and repenting for our sins are seen to be the same action. In the cross we see the severity of our sins. But we also see a love that transcends them. Even as we would be otherwise moved to despair we are instead brought to hope.
On that day there shall be open to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.
Jesus wants to make sure we understand who he really is. This is the central issue. If we get this wrong we'll be wrong about everything else too.
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
And this recognition can't be untangled from his saving work on the cross. That is his identity as love incarnate. But we also see that his identity becomes our identity when we recognize who he is.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
This is what it means to recognize that he is the face of love. We can't just see what he does for us and remain indifferent. The cross must take its full course. Through the cross Jesus transforms his people from selfish and inwardly focused to selfless and loving.
This new identity that we have in him is greater than any of the natural things on which foolishly base our identity apart from him.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Maybe we haven't fully realized his identity yet. Maybe our identity is still tied up in this world. Let us rejoice that he is at least causing us to recognize the thirst that is within us.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
Let us pray in confidence, knowing that he longs to fill that thirst!
Today's readings are about identity. Firstly, they are about the identity. Secondly, they are about our identity in him.
and they shall look on him whom they have pierced,
and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son,
and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.
Recognizing who he is and repenting for our sins are seen to be the same action. In the cross we see the severity of our sins. But we also see a love that transcends them. Even as we would be otherwise moved to despair we are instead brought to hope.
On that day there shall be open to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.
Jesus wants to make sure we understand who he really is. This is the central issue. If we get this wrong we'll be wrong about everything else too.
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
And this recognition can't be untangled from his saving work on the cross. That is his identity as love incarnate. But we also see that his identity becomes our identity when we recognize who he is.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
This is what it means to recognize that he is the face of love. We can't just see what he does for us and remain indifferent. The cross must take its full course. Through the cross Jesus transforms his people from selfish and inwardly focused to selfless and loving.
This new identity that we have in him is greater than any of the natural things on which foolishly base our identity apart from him.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Maybe we haven't fully realized his identity yet. Maybe our identity is still tied up in this world. Let us rejoice that he is at least causing us to recognize the thirst that is within us.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
Let us pray in confidence, knowing that he longs to fill that thirst!
Sanctus Real - The Face of Love
Saturday, June 22, 2013
22 June 2013 - unshaken
22 June 2013 - unshaken
Today's readings are all about having a proper perspective, a kingdom perspective. It begins by acknowledging who the LORD is and who we are. We have to do this again and again because our idea of the LORD is never as dynamic or awe-inspiring as he really is. And our ideas about ourselves are also imperfect. We occasionally think humble thoughts are therefore think ourselves to be humble. But in fact our trust is still mainly in ourselves. We trust in our own wills, thoughts, and feelings and we relegate the LORD to an idea we reference when we remember to do so.
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.
We must fear the living God! Our ideas will send no angels to camp around us but the LORD will. If we taste our ideas we will find ourselves biting into mirages but the goodness of the LORD satisfies more and more.
When we have this perspective we can tell because it changes our perspective on everything else. We may conceal our blessings to make sure that we don't obscure the God who gives them. We may even rejoice in our sufferings because it allows God's power to be revealed in us.
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
When we have this perspective we won't have to seek food, clothes, or long life. We will finally be able to trust in the LORD's plans for us. We intellectually acknowledge that God provides but we often turn aside at the very first sign of trouble. Long before we can't feed or clothe ourselves we are paralyzed with fear. This means that we are still depending on our own strength too much. But if we seek his kingdom these things be provided for us.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
And somehow then we will have the trust to truly not worry about tomorrow. We will live with Jesus in the hear and now. Circumstances will not turn us aside. We will taste and see how good he is. And we will not be shaken.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
Today's readings are all about having a proper perspective, a kingdom perspective. It begins by acknowledging who the LORD is and who we are. We have to do this again and again because our idea of the LORD is never as dynamic or awe-inspiring as he really is. And our ideas about ourselves are also imperfect. We occasionally think humble thoughts are therefore think ourselves to be humble. But in fact our trust is still mainly in ourselves. We trust in our own wills, thoughts, and feelings and we relegate the LORD to an idea we reference when we remember to do so.
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.
We must fear the living God! Our ideas will send no angels to camp around us but the LORD will. If we taste our ideas we will find ourselves biting into mirages but the goodness of the LORD satisfies more and more.
When we have this perspective we can tell because it changes our perspective on everything else. We may conceal our blessings to make sure that we don't obscure the God who gives them. We may even rejoice in our sufferings because it allows God's power to be revealed in us.
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
When we have this perspective we won't have to seek food, clothes, or long life. We will finally be able to trust in the LORD's plans for us. We intellectually acknowledge that God provides but we often turn aside at the very first sign of trouble. Long before we can't feed or clothe ourselves we are paralyzed with fear. This means that we are still depending on our own strength too much. But if we seek his kingdom these things be provided for us.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
And somehow then we will have the trust to truly not worry about tomorrow. We will live with Jesus in the hear and now. Circumstances will not turn us aside. We will taste and see how good he is. And we will not be shaken.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
Friday, June 21, 2013
21 June 2013 - restored in heaven
21 June 2013 - restored in heaven
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
We are all too willing to make great efforts for satisfaction and pleasure that quickly fades. The lasting joy of heaven seems to distant. It seems too far removed to strive after. And yet it is the only joy that lasts.
Jesus calls us to remember the impermanence of earthly pleasures. He doesn't necessarily cause us to abandon them all. Instead, he calls us to see them from an eternal perspective. If we can do this we will be able to enjoy them without clinging to them and expecting more from them than they can provide.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
We want our hearts to be in a place of permanence, peace, and joy rather than a place of transience, suffering, and loss. This place is with Jesus in heaven. It is indifferent with respect to the comforts of this world. Paul's heart is there. His joy is from his beloved savior. The things he values are now the opposite of worldly values.
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
He brags about all of the sufferings and hardships which he endures for his beloved. In these things he experiences the closeness of his savior and the grace he pours out. Paul brags about beatings, lashings, sleep deprivation, hunger, frustrated plans, and constant danger. Most of us only experience such things as evils. If our treasure is on earth we will have no way to reconcile such sufferings with it. But Paul's treasure is in heaven. He is able to find solace in the will of God no matter the circumstances.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Let us hear Paul glory in the LORD. May it teach us to be glad amidst difficult circumstances. May it teach us that the LORD is constant and that if our treasure is in him we will not want for joy.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
We find ourselves admitting that our treasure is mainly on earth the more we see from someone like Paul who is totally committed to the kingdom. What do we do? How do we lift our hearts to that lasting treasure? Jesus points the way.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
If our focus is on him he will enlighten us. If we keep bringing our attention back to his face we will push back the darkness in our hearts a little bit at a time. We will have confidence that even these circumstances will eventually give way to the kingdom wherein we find our last happiness.
From all their distress God rescues the just.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
We are all too willing to make great efforts for satisfaction and pleasure that quickly fades. The lasting joy of heaven seems to distant. It seems too far removed to strive after. And yet it is the only joy that lasts.
Jesus calls us to remember the impermanence of earthly pleasures. He doesn't necessarily cause us to abandon them all. Instead, he calls us to see them from an eternal perspective. If we can do this we will be able to enjoy them without clinging to them and expecting more from them than they can provide.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
We want our hearts to be in a place of permanence, peace, and joy rather than a place of transience, suffering, and loss. This place is with Jesus in heaven. It is indifferent with respect to the comforts of this world. Paul's heart is there. His joy is from his beloved savior. The things he values are now the opposite of worldly values.
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
He brags about all of the sufferings and hardships which he endures for his beloved. In these things he experiences the closeness of his savior and the grace he pours out. Paul brags about beatings, lashings, sleep deprivation, hunger, frustrated plans, and constant danger. Most of us only experience such things as evils. If our treasure is on earth we will have no way to reconcile such sufferings with it. But Paul's treasure is in heaven. He is able to find solace in the will of God no matter the circumstances.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Let us hear Paul glory in the LORD. May it teach us to be glad amidst difficult circumstances. May it teach us that the LORD is constant and that if our treasure is in him we will not want for joy.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
We find ourselves admitting that our treasure is mainly on earth the more we see from someone like Paul who is totally committed to the kingdom. What do we do? How do we lift our hearts to that lasting treasure? Jesus points the way.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
If our focus is on him he will enlighten us. If we keep bringing our attention back to his face we will push back the darkness in our hearts a little bit at a time. We will have confidence that even these circumstances will eventually give way to the kingdom wherein we find our last happiness.
From all their distress God rescues the just.
Daughtry - Home
Thursday, June 20, 2013
20 June 2013 - coming attractions
20 June 2013 - coming attractions
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We don't pray to earn anything. We don't have to multiply words because words somehow buy favors. So we must not breeze by any of the words of the prayer our LORD teaches us.
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
The prayer that Jesus teaches us begins in relationship. The whole orientation of this prayer is to our Father in heaven, Abba. We are addressing someone whom we love and whose love for us is beyond all telling. This is the vital context to the rest of the prayer. We pray the next verses very differently to a Father than we would to, say, a tyrannical king. We want to see our Father properly understood by all. We want to see his name respected and held in appropriate honor.
hallowed be thy name,
We pray for the coming of his kingdom knowing that it is not only good and well ordered but also that only there will we truly find a lasting home.
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
His kingdom comes to the degree that his will is done. And what is the will of the Father? That none be lost (cf. John 6:39). And where is the only place that the will of God might or might not happen? Yes, in our hearts, because of the gift of freedom. We see God's will at work in the heart of Paul:
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
We pray that the Father's will be done. If we mean it- if we aren't babbling like the pagans- we won't be complacent when it isn't done. Others may have to "put up with a little foolishness" from us because our hearts are set on seeing the Father's kingdom established in our daily lives.
We often see what frustrates Paul in today's reading.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
This is not the Father's will. He wants none to be lost. And there is no other name under heaven by which we may be saved except for the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 4:12). We can be absolutely sure that if we sincerely ask that his will be done in us it will be. This may set us at odds with the times in which we live. Yet when we see it we will join the psalmist in giving thanks for the mighty works of God.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We don't pray to earn anything. We don't have to multiply words because words somehow buy favors. So we must not breeze by any of the words of the prayer our LORD teaches us.
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
The prayer that Jesus teaches us begins in relationship. The whole orientation of this prayer is to our Father in heaven, Abba. We are addressing someone whom we love and whose love for us is beyond all telling. This is the vital context to the rest of the prayer. We pray the next verses very differently to a Father than we would to, say, a tyrannical king. We want to see our Father properly understood by all. We want to see his name respected and held in appropriate honor.
hallowed be thy name,
We pray for the coming of his kingdom knowing that it is not only good and well ordered but also that only there will we truly find a lasting home.
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
His kingdom comes to the degree that his will is done. And what is the will of the Father? That none be lost (cf. John 6:39). And where is the only place that the will of God might or might not happen? Yes, in our hearts, because of the gift of freedom. We see God's will at work in the heart of Paul:
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
We pray that the Father's will be done. If we mean it- if we aren't babbling like the pagans- we won't be complacent when it isn't done. Others may have to "put up with a little foolishness" from us because our hearts are set on seeing the Father's kingdom established in our daily lives.
We often see what frustrates Paul in today's reading.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
This is not the Father's will. He wants none to be lost. And there is no other name under heaven by which we may be saved except for the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 4:12). We can be absolutely sure that if we sincerely ask that his will be done in us it will be. This may set us at odds with the times in which we live. Yet when we see it we will join the psalmist in giving thanks for the mighty works of God.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
Matt Maher - As It Is In Heaven
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
19 June 2013 - sharing secrets
19 June 2013 - sharing secrets
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Three times Jesus repeats the promise that the Father will repay us for the good we do. However, this is only possible if we don't seek our reward in the here and now. He is calling us to store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth (cf Mat 6:20). There is little that is more fleeting than the approval of others. Yet we are often motivated in our good deeds by the desire to appear holy in the eyes of others. It becomes a self image thing rather than a love thing. If our hearts are turned inward when we do good deeds and we are just polishing our own prideful self-image we already have our reward. And it is a transient reward, gone before it is even enjoyed.
We are called to be good for the love of God who is good. To the degree that this is true God himself becomes our reward. And he is the only reward that truly lasts. Fortunately, God himself is the one who purifies us and gives us the grace to act selflessly for his sake.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
Everything begins with God's grace. He wants us to recognize that all we have is from him. Blessings we receive and good deeds we do where this is not acknowledged are actually harmful. They build up the lie of self-sufficiency within our hearts.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD
Blessings are safe for the one who fears him, who stands in awe before his power and love. They can be injurious to those of us who don't. Those who are lukewarm and take him for granted are at particular risk. If we fear him he can bless us and bless others through us.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Open our hearts to awe in your presence LORD. Teach us that all we have and all we give is from the grace which you make abundant for us. Made upright by your grace, let your light shine in the midst of our darkness.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Three times Jesus repeats the promise that the Father will repay us for the good we do. However, this is only possible if we don't seek our reward in the here and now. He is calling us to store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth (cf Mat 6:20). There is little that is more fleeting than the approval of others. Yet we are often motivated in our good deeds by the desire to appear holy in the eyes of others. It becomes a self image thing rather than a love thing. If our hearts are turned inward when we do good deeds and we are just polishing our own prideful self-image we already have our reward. And it is a transient reward, gone before it is even enjoyed.
We are called to be good for the love of God who is good. To the degree that this is true God himself becomes our reward. And he is the only reward that truly lasts. Fortunately, God himself is the one who purifies us and gives us the grace to act selflessly for his sake.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
Everything begins with God's grace. He wants us to recognize that all we have is from him. Blessings we receive and good deeds we do where this is not acknowledged are actually harmful. They build up the lie of self-sufficiency within our hearts.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD
Blessings are safe for the one who fears him, who stands in awe before his power and love. They can be injurious to those of us who don't. Those who are lukewarm and take him for granted are at particular risk. If we fear him he can bless us and bless others through us.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Open our hearts to awe in your presence LORD. Teach us that all we have and all we give is from the grace which you make abundant for us. Made upright by your grace, let your light shine in the midst of our darkness.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
18 June 2013 - preemptive love
18 June 2013 - preemptive love
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
Jesus is calling us to have hearts like his. He wants us to be like him so we can share in his relationship with the Father. We must by willing to surrender our prerogatives for the genuine good of others. When we are wronged we tend to become defensive and focus on ourselves and what justice dictates we deserve. Revenge is clearly wrong. But Jesus is not just calling us to tolerate our enemies. He is calling us to proactively love them. He isn't calling us to just love them when they are tolerable or when they aren't hurting us. He says that loving in such circumstances is exactly how he loves us. Loving in such circumstances is how we can share his relationship with the Father.
Paul knows that Jesus does "not regard equality with God something to be grasped" (cf Phi 2:6). He knows it is this self-surrender that allows the love of Jesus to be so superabundantly available.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Again, it isn't simply a passive action. Jesus humbles himself and takes the form of a slave. He does this for those who are, in a sense, his enemies (cf. Rom 5:8). He does this out of love to enrich us in our poverty with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (cf. Eph 1:3).
He is so good. There is no end to the blessings he pours out.
Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
There is nothing for him to gain by this. He is perfectly and eternally filled with the joy and happiness of his own triune being. There is nothing for him to gain, that is, but our love for him which he wants us to give freely. So let us love him with our whole hearts!
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
Jesus is calling us to have hearts like his. He wants us to be like him so we can share in his relationship with the Father. We must by willing to surrender our prerogatives for the genuine good of others. When we are wronged we tend to become defensive and focus on ourselves and what justice dictates we deserve. Revenge is clearly wrong. But Jesus is not just calling us to tolerate our enemies. He is calling us to proactively love them. He isn't calling us to just love them when they are tolerable or when they aren't hurting us. He says that loving in such circumstances is exactly how he loves us. Loving in such circumstances is how we can share his relationship with the Father.
Paul knows that Jesus does "not regard equality with God something to be grasped" (cf Phi 2:6). He knows it is this self-surrender that allows the love of Jesus to be so superabundantly available.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Again, it isn't simply a passive action. Jesus humbles himself and takes the form of a slave. He does this for those who are, in a sense, his enemies (cf. Rom 5:8). He does this out of love to enrich us in our poverty with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (cf. Eph 1:3).
He is so good. There is no end to the blessings he pours out.
Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
There is nothing for him to gain by this. He is perfectly and eternally filled with the joy and happiness of his own triune being. There is nothing for him to gain, that is, but our love for him which he wants us to give freely. So let us love him with our whole hearts!
Monday, June 17, 2013
17 June 2013 - the time is now
17 June 2013 - the time is now
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Jesus is calling us to forego our own rights and prerogatives for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
It isn't so much that he is calling us to suffer abuse without complaint. That would be easier. He is calling us to proactively give to others. It isn't just acquiescing to their requests. It is giving them what will be for their benefit even if they don't ask for enough. This is somewhat terrifying. Without trusting in God's help there is no way we can do this.
The world sees this in action and can only see what the people see in Paul.
We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful;
as unrecognized and yet acknowledged;
as dying and behold we live;
as chastised and yet not put to death;
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many;
as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
Our perceptions are like the rest of the world. We're afraid of chastisement, dying, sorrow, and poverty. We think this will be our lot if we don't put ourselves first and put our own interests ahead of our neighbors. Yet we actually rejoice, enrich many, and possess all things! If people take a closer look our lives will prove that God is at work:
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,
in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,
in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left;
But we aren't quite there yet, are we? If we're honest we're somewhere in between. Occasionally we can't say that we "cause no one to stumble in anything," even if it at other times we reveal the power of God in us.
These goals my seem so lofty that we want to put them off. It may seem like they aren't realistic for us now so we should leave them for later in life or even in purgatory after we are finally prepared. But that time will never quite come if we delay. It is now or never.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
The LORD's power working in us is the only thing that makes this possible! So let us allow him to do all that he wants within us so that we can join with the psalmist in praise:
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Jesus is calling us to forego our own rights and prerogatives for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
It isn't so much that he is calling us to suffer abuse without complaint. That would be easier. He is calling us to proactively give to others. It isn't just acquiescing to their requests. It is giving them what will be for their benefit even if they don't ask for enough. This is somewhat terrifying. Without trusting in God's help there is no way we can do this.
The world sees this in action and can only see what the people see in Paul.
We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful;
as unrecognized and yet acknowledged;
as dying and behold we live;
as chastised and yet not put to death;
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many;
as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
Our perceptions are like the rest of the world. We're afraid of chastisement, dying, sorrow, and poverty. We think this will be our lot if we don't put ourselves first and put our own interests ahead of our neighbors. Yet we actually rejoice, enrich many, and possess all things! If people take a closer look our lives will prove that God is at work:
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,
in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,
in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left;
But we aren't quite there yet, are we? If we're honest we're somewhere in between. Occasionally we can't say that we "cause no one to stumble in anything," even if it at other times we reveal the power of God in us.
These goals my seem so lofty that we want to put them off. It may seem like they aren't realistic for us now so we should leave them for later in life or even in purgatory after we are finally prepared. But that time will never quite come if we delay. It is now or never.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
The LORD's power working in us is the only thing that makes this possible! So let us allow him to do all that he wants within us so that we can join with the psalmist in praise:
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
16 June 2013 - given for forgiveness
16 June 2013 - given for forgiveness
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
We have all been forgiven a debt so large we could never pay it back. It is good for us to realize just how great this debt is so that we can love more.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
It's true enough that people have sinned to different degrees. Yet there is not one of us for whom Jesus did not die. Ours individual sins are to great enough to require the cross. In other words, we need to realize that the cross is given specifically for each one of us. If we don't realize this we will only be able to love a little.
Paul knows this. He considers himself chief among sinners (cf. 1 Tim 1:15). The fact that his own individual sins persecute Jesus is something he knows by experience (cf. Acts 9:5). And he knows what Jesus has done for him specifically in spite of this.
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
Like David, we all receive blessing upon blessing from the LORD. Like David we still betray the LORD at times in spite of these blessings. But David is quick to turn to the LORD and repent. He doesn't spend time trying to cover up his sins. He doesn't try and mitigate them or explain them away.
Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
And the LORD is just as quick to forgive him.
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.”
Perhaps David is thinking of this incident as he writes the psalm we read this week.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
If we turn to the LORD and trust in him for forgiveness we will find in him the shelter that will preserve us. Only in this way can we know true freedom.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
We have all been forgiven a debt so large we could never pay it back. It is good for us to realize just how great this debt is so that we can love more.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
It's true enough that people have sinned to different degrees. Yet there is not one of us for whom Jesus did not die. Ours individual sins are to great enough to require the cross. In other words, we need to realize that the cross is given specifically for each one of us. If we don't realize this we will only be able to love a little.
Paul knows this. He considers himself chief among sinners (cf. 1 Tim 1:15). The fact that his own individual sins persecute Jesus is something he knows by experience (cf. Acts 9:5). And he knows what Jesus has done for him specifically in spite of this.
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
Like David, we all receive blessing upon blessing from the LORD. Like David we still betray the LORD at times in spite of these blessings. But David is quick to turn to the LORD and repent. He doesn't spend time trying to cover up his sins. He doesn't try and mitigate them or explain them away.
Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
And the LORD is just as quick to forgive him.
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.”
Perhaps David is thinking of this incident as he writes the psalm we read this week.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
If we turn to the LORD and trust in him for forgiveness we will find in him the shelter that will preserve us. Only in this way can we know true freedom.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
15 June 2013 - being, honest
15 June 2013 - being, honest
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
New in what way? We still look like the same old creation. We still get old and get sick. We still eventually die. But something is indeed new here.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him
It is his death that enables us to no longer live for ourselves. Without his death we are trapped within ourselves. We are set free from that prison. The brokenness that still exists in the external world even after we are in Christ is an opportunity to live a life of unselfish love. There is a cost to love in a world like this. But it isn't a cost way pay through our own efforts.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus provides the bridge between our sinfulness and God's righteousness. Jesus destroys our sinfulness by nailing it to a cross. God's righteousness prevails as he does not turn aside from the Father's will. We need to understand that this death is not for his own sake. Nor is it even a substitution wherein we don't have to die because he does. We die to sin to the degree which we are united to him on the cross. Hence Paul says:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
[emphasis mine]
Sin has been put to death. It no longer has any place in our lives.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
One transgression that we must keep far from us is dishonesty. Lies and half-truths belong to the darkness of sin. Christians are called to a straightforward and simple truthfulness. Truth befits children of the God who says of himself: "I am who am" (cf. Ex 3:14). Lies are things which, by definition, are not. Half-truths are little better. Nor indeed is the truth to be hidden since this covers up what does exist making it as though it does not. All such hidden things must eventually be revealed (cf Luke 12:3). Since we are called to intimate relationship with this God who is existence par excellence we must let him nurture honesty deep within our hearts.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
The cross puts our sinful and darkened pasts as far from us as can be. And yet the choice is always ours. Now we can live for others rather than just for ourselves. But that doesn't mean we must. And it certainly doesn't mean that we can do it on our own. Little is more difficult than true Christian honesty. We must turn to God. We aren't creatures who have existence within ourselves. We have existence on loan from the God who is. It is therefore only he who can make us truly honest. He stands willing to heal us of our dishonesty and crown us with a compassionate truthfulness.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
New in what way? We still look like the same old creation. We still get old and get sick. We still eventually die. But something is indeed new here.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him
It is his death that enables us to no longer live for ourselves. Without his death we are trapped within ourselves. We are set free from that prison. The brokenness that still exists in the external world even after we are in Christ is an opportunity to live a life of unselfish love. There is a cost to love in a world like this. But it isn't a cost way pay through our own efforts.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus provides the bridge between our sinfulness and God's righteousness. Jesus destroys our sinfulness by nailing it to a cross. God's righteousness prevails as he does not turn aside from the Father's will. We need to understand that this death is not for his own sake. Nor is it even a substitution wherein we don't have to die because he does. We die to sin to the degree which we are united to him on the cross. Hence Paul says:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
[emphasis mine]
Sin has been put to death. It no longer has any place in our lives.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
One transgression that we must keep far from us is dishonesty. Lies and half-truths belong to the darkness of sin. Christians are called to a straightforward and simple truthfulness. Truth befits children of the God who says of himself: "I am who am" (cf. Ex 3:14). Lies are things which, by definition, are not. Half-truths are little better. Nor indeed is the truth to be hidden since this covers up what does exist making it as though it does not. All such hidden things must eventually be revealed (cf Luke 12:3). Since we are called to intimate relationship with this God who is existence par excellence we must let him nurture honesty deep within our hearts.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
The cross puts our sinful and darkened pasts as far from us as can be. And yet the choice is always ours. Now we can live for others rather than just for ourselves. But that doesn't mean we must. And it certainly doesn't mean that we can do it on our own. Little is more difficult than true Christian honesty. We must turn to God. We aren't creatures who have existence within ourselves. We have existence on loan from the God who is. It is therefore only he who can make us truly honest. He stands willing to heal us of our dishonesty and crown us with a compassionate truthfulness.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
John Reuben - No Be Nah
Friday, June 14, 2013
14 June 2013 - raising the stakes
14 June 2013 - raising the stakes
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Jesus is callings us once again to get our hearts right. He is raising the standard to a level that is humanly impossible. He is not content with the merely external acts of obedience. He wants our entire hearts. Only his power in us can rise to the standard to which we are called.
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
If, then, we truly are different as followers of Jesus, let us make obvious the source of the surpassing power at work in us. The basis of this power and of this inner transformation is the cross and the resurrection.
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
The obedience Jesus shows in dying for us is what gives us the power to resist temptation. His resurrected life gives us the power to live as new creations with hearts that serve God and one another.
Circumstances may still be really bad. But Jesus has already faced the worst of it for us. It is his power within us that meets every challenge.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
If we feel constrained, drive to despair, abandoned, or even destroyed we should take heart. The power of Jesus delivers us from all of these challenges. Afflictions would constrain us if death was the end. The things in life which are hard to understand would drive us to despair if we were left on our own. Persecutions and being struck down would be irreversible evils. But none of these things has the last say in the life of a Christian!
We must be like the psalmist:
I believed, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
He is afflicted, but ultimately he is not constrained because the power of God delivers him. It does not deliver him as immediately as he would like. Perhaps it is not in the way he would have liked. But as a result, he glorifies the LORD:
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
The power of the resurrection changes everything. We have to remember this hope that is before us if we really want to rise above the circumstances which assail us. Only if we know this by being united with Jesus will we see everything else in its proper perspective.
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Jesus is callings us once again to get our hearts right. He is raising the standard to a level that is humanly impossible. He is not content with the merely external acts of obedience. He wants our entire hearts. Only his power in us can rise to the standard to which we are called.
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
If, then, we truly are different as followers of Jesus, let us make obvious the source of the surpassing power at work in us. The basis of this power and of this inner transformation is the cross and the resurrection.
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
The obedience Jesus shows in dying for us is what gives us the power to resist temptation. His resurrected life gives us the power to live as new creations with hearts that serve God and one another.
Circumstances may still be really bad. But Jesus has already faced the worst of it for us. It is his power within us that meets every challenge.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
If we feel constrained, drive to despair, abandoned, or even destroyed we should take heart. The power of Jesus delivers us from all of these challenges. Afflictions would constrain us if death was the end. The things in life which are hard to understand would drive us to despair if we were left on our own. Persecutions and being struck down would be irreversible evils. But none of these things has the last say in the life of a Christian!
We must be like the psalmist:
I believed, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
He is afflicted, but ultimately he is not constrained because the power of God delivers him. It does not deliver him as immediately as he would like. Perhaps it is not in the way he would have liked. But as a result, he glorifies the LORD:
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
The power of the resurrection changes everything. We have to remember this hope that is before us if we really want to rise above the circumstances which assail us. Only if we know this by being united with Jesus will we see everything else in its proper perspective.
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Darrell Evans - Trading My Sorrows
Thursday, June 13, 2013
13 June 2013 - inside out
13 June 2013 - inside out
For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.
The same God who is the ordering principle behind all of creation desires to bring that same light and order into our inner lives. Jesus is the word through whom God made the universe (cf. Heb 1:2). This is the word that created the light in the beginning. It is the same word we need as an antidote to the darkness and chaos within our hearts.
The careful ordering of the universe, both within and without, is distorted by sin. The LORD does not leave us in this state. In fact, by his Spirit he makes us a new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15). Even though people throughout history are able to more or less put on a good front and get our external actions in order we are all but unable to change our hearts on our own. But this is exactly the change that matters the most to Jesus. This is the change that truly makes us a new creation.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
We don't recreate ourselves any more the the universe created itself in the beginning. But the LORD who created the universe is near to us with the salvation we need.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
His glory dwells in our land. Glorious light shines forth from the face of Christ. This light can change the darkness within and make us new. He dwells most perfectly in our land by his presence in the Eucharist as well as in his word and in his people gathered in prayer. We need to draw as close to him as we can to be filled with this light. Transformed by the light of Christ we will be able to give the first place in our hearts to God and the second to our brothers and sisters. This is how all things are made new! This is what the new creation means!
For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
A good litmus test for this reading is how off-putting we find the phrase "your slaves for the sake of Jesus." As he changes our hearts this comes to be a source of joy for us although it may now even seem repugnant. The freedom to give ourselves away is the freedom which the LORD wants for us. This is the freedom which only comes from the Holy Spirit.
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
The LORD meets us where we surrender to him and happily pours out this freedom upon us.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.
The same God who is the ordering principle behind all of creation desires to bring that same light and order into our inner lives. Jesus is the word through whom God made the universe (cf. Heb 1:2). This is the word that created the light in the beginning. It is the same word we need as an antidote to the darkness and chaos within our hearts.
The careful ordering of the universe, both within and without, is distorted by sin. The LORD does not leave us in this state. In fact, by his Spirit he makes us a new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15). Even though people throughout history are able to more or less put on a good front and get our external actions in order we are all but unable to change our hearts on our own. But this is exactly the change that matters the most to Jesus. This is the change that truly makes us a new creation.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
We don't recreate ourselves any more the the universe created itself in the beginning. But the LORD who created the universe is near to us with the salvation we need.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
His glory dwells in our land. Glorious light shines forth from the face of Christ. This light can change the darkness within and make us new. He dwells most perfectly in our land by his presence in the Eucharist as well as in his word and in his people gathered in prayer. We need to draw as close to him as we can to be filled with this light. Transformed by the light of Christ we will be able to give the first place in our hearts to God and the second to our brothers and sisters. This is how all things are made new! This is what the new creation means!
For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
A good litmus test for this reading is how off-putting we find the phrase "your slaves for the sake of Jesus." As he changes our hearts this comes to be a source of joy for us although it may now even seem repugnant. The freedom to give ourselves away is the freedom which the LORD wants for us. This is the freedom which only comes from the Holy Spirit.
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
The LORD meets us where we surrender to him and happily pours out this freedom upon us.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
Darrell Evans - Freedom
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
12 June 2013 - law abiding citizens
12 June 2013 - law abiding citizens
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
The law is fulfilled by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals the the lasting meaning of the moral law. This is the law which points the way to the goodness and life of God. Therefore we can leave the temporary ceremonies of rituals of the Jewish law in the past. But that is just one way the temptation to look at the law from a human and earthly point of view can ensnare us.
for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
Because the Spirit is now here the moral commandments of the law can now give us life provided that we read them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are indeed ordered to our eternal destiny. They prepare and enlarge our souls for the life of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
The law is not an abstract idea. Thinking of it that way is a reading that only looks at the letter of the law. The law is eminently personal. It is ordered to relationship. The LORD tells us to be holy as he is holy. Therefore, the law is a revelation about who God is and how we can grow to be more like him.
Holy is the Lord our God.
Without the Spirit, the letter of the law shows us only that this is completely beyond our ability. It reveals the holiness of God and our depravity as well. Now that God intervenes by sending his Spirit we see that we are entirely dependent on him. Those who proclaim this law must be like Paul and recognize that neither the origin nor the goal of the ministry has an earthly origin.
Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit
for anything as coming from us;
It starts with God.
our qualification comes from God,
It is directed toward the life he wants to pour out.
but the Spirit gives life.
It is so good that we don't have to rely on our own resources. We are so lost without the grace of God. But we do not want for grace! He stands always ready to pour this grace into our hearts. Let us praise him for his mercy and grace. Let us praise him at his holy mountain. It is not at a specific literal mountain on the earth, but at the spiritual Mount Zion which we approach at every Mass (cf. Heb 12:22).
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
The law is fulfilled by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals the the lasting meaning of the moral law. This is the law which points the way to the goodness and life of God. Therefore we can leave the temporary ceremonies of rituals of the Jewish law in the past. But that is just one way the temptation to look at the law from a human and earthly point of view can ensnare us.
for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
Because the Spirit is now here the moral commandments of the law can now give us life provided that we read them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are indeed ordered to our eternal destiny. They prepare and enlarge our souls for the life of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
The law is not an abstract idea. Thinking of it that way is a reading that only looks at the letter of the law. The law is eminently personal. It is ordered to relationship. The LORD tells us to be holy as he is holy. Therefore, the law is a revelation about who God is and how we can grow to be more like him.
Holy is the Lord our God.
Without the Spirit, the letter of the law shows us only that this is completely beyond our ability. It reveals the holiness of God and our depravity as well. Now that God intervenes by sending his Spirit we see that we are entirely dependent on him. Those who proclaim this law must be like Paul and recognize that neither the origin nor the goal of the ministry has an earthly origin.
Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit
for anything as coming from us;
It starts with God.
our qualification comes from God,
It is directed toward the life he wants to pour out.
but the Spirit gives life.
It is so good that we don't have to rely on our own resources. We are so lost without the grace of God. But we do not want for grace! He stands always ready to pour this grace into our hearts. Let us praise him for his mercy and grace. Let us praise him at his holy mountain. It is not at a specific literal mountain on the earth, but at the spiritual Mount Zion which we approach at every Mass (cf. Heb 12:22).
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
Praised be the Spirit who lifts us up!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
11 June 2013 - lighten the load
11 June 2013 - lighten the load
Today we see in action what Paul enjoined on the Corinthians yesterday. We see Barnabas encouraging the brethren with the same encouragement which he himself has received. The word here is for encourage is 'parekalei,' hinting again that this kind of encouragement is made possible by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
Barnabas uses all of the gifts at his disposal to strengthen the church in Antioch. But he is also wise enough and humble to know when the LORD wants to work through others. And so he brings Paul in to assist to him. The people of Antioch are hugely blessed by this team. How do we know this? A large number of people are added to the LORD even before Paul arrives, after all. The text gives us a clue.
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
The identities of the disciples here in Antioch are refined to such a point of precision that they are now so recognizable by the outside world that the world has to give them a label. This is no small thing. How many of us, living our lives day to day, are this recognizable, this conspicuous? Do people that see us indeed know to call us Christians? Or are we perhaps hiding the light we have been given? Jesus warns us about this. That must be because it is a temptation we face.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
There are so many who stumble in darkness. They stub their toes and they trip and fall. Yet we are too embarrassed to flip on the light switch so they can see the obstacles in their paths. If we have indeed experienced this light then we must share it. And if we are still stumbling ourselves we have less excuse because we know about the light switch. We must draw near to Jesus to be in the light ourselves and in turn to share it with everyone we can.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”
This might make us a little nervous because we don't want to take pride in our good deeds. We certainly don't want to show off our good deeds before others, right? Indeed. But all that is actually good in us is given to us by God. When we truly understand this even the good deeds we do will inspire thanksgiving and praise for the God who empowers them. If we are truly in the light of the LORD's presence the LORD's power will be manifest with no risk of pride. Like Barnabas we will be able to defer to the LORD at work in others when appropriate.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
His arm wins the victory. This is so whether he uses us, or Paul, or Barnabas. We must let his light shine through us just as Barnabas does. This encouragement from the Holy Spirit reveals God's power and love at work within us and indeed within all who will allow his action. And what could be more encouraging than that?
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Today we see in action what Paul enjoined on the Corinthians yesterday. We see Barnabas encouraging the brethren with the same encouragement which he himself has received. The word here is for encourage is 'parekalei,' hinting again that this kind of encouragement is made possible by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
Barnabas uses all of the gifts at his disposal to strengthen the church in Antioch. But he is also wise enough and humble to know when the LORD wants to work through others. And so he brings Paul in to assist to him. The people of Antioch are hugely blessed by this team. How do we know this? A large number of people are added to the LORD even before Paul arrives, after all. The text gives us a clue.
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
The identities of the disciples here in Antioch are refined to such a point of precision that they are now so recognizable by the outside world that the world has to give them a label. This is no small thing. How many of us, living our lives day to day, are this recognizable, this conspicuous? Do people that see us indeed know to call us Christians? Or are we perhaps hiding the light we have been given? Jesus warns us about this. That must be because it is a temptation we face.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
There are so many who stumble in darkness. They stub their toes and they trip and fall. Yet we are too embarrassed to flip on the light switch so they can see the obstacles in their paths. If we have indeed experienced this light then we must share it. And if we are still stumbling ourselves we have less excuse because we know about the light switch. We must draw near to Jesus to be in the light ourselves and in turn to share it with everyone we can.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”
This might make us a little nervous because we don't want to take pride in our good deeds. We certainly don't want to show off our good deeds before others, right? Indeed. But all that is actually good in us is given to us by God. When we truly understand this even the good deeds we do will inspire thanksgiving and praise for the God who empowers them. If we are truly in the light of the LORD's presence the LORD's power will be manifest with no risk of pride. Like Barnabas we will be able to defer to the LORD at work in others when appropriate.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
His arm wins the victory. This is so whether he uses us, or Paul, or Barnabas. We must let his light shine through us just as Barnabas does. This encouragement from the Holy Spirit reveals God's power and love at work within us and indeed within all who will allow his action. And what could be more encouraging than that?
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
Monday, June 10, 2013
10 June 2013 - consolation prize
10 June 2013 - consolation prize
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement,
who encourages us in our every affliction,
Other translations have consolation instead of encouragement. The temptation is to think of a mundane and indeed powerless earthly encouragement. But the Father is the source of this kind of encouragement and it is not merely a word, no matter how well chosen, or a pat on the back. The word in Greek gives us the clue we need to understand. Encouragement is paraklēsis. The encouragement that comes from the Father is the Paraclete, the Consoler, the Holy Spirit himself.
This helps to explain the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
We are blessed when
- we are pour in spirit.
- we mourn
- we long for righteousness
- we show mercy
- we have clean hearts
- we act as peacemakers
- we are persecuted for Jesus
None of these is a particularly pleasant or "comfortable" circumstance. But they all free us to find our comfort and encouragement in God more than in the transient things of the world. They call us to rely on the Holy Spirit rather than ourselves.
The purpose of this isn't even primarily to make us feel better about bad circumstances. The purpose is to free us to love others in spite of the drive toward selfishness which we all feel.
so that we may be able to encourage
those who are in any affliction
with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
All that God allows in our lives has the purpose of freeing us to love in this way.
If we are afflicted,
it is for your encouragement and salvation;
if we are encouraged,
it is for your encouragement,
As Vatican II teaches, man "cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself" (GS 24). It almost sounds possible and then they have to throw in the word sincere. Praised be the LORD who sets us free and empowers us to give this gift. But, again, it isn't mainly something natural that we are called to give. We are called to share the Holy Spirit himself.
The psalmist does this by exultant praise, calling us to rejoice the LORD who delivers us from all of our fears. Let us all glorify the LORD together so that the whole world may know the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
David Crowder Band - Intoxicating
Sunday, June 9, 2013
9 June 2013 - renewed
9 June 2013 - renewed
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
The LORD wants the world to understand that he has power even over death. Even the most inevitable and permanent of circumstances is neither inevitable nor permanent to our God. By his cross and resurrection Jesus has power over death. And since he has power over death he has power over all sickness and affliction unto death.
He frees us from the slavery to fear that death brings about (cf Heb 2:15). It is precisely this fear which is so opposed to love. It is this fear which turns inward and claws and scrapes for individual existence in the face of the certainty of death. He does not free us from this by calling us to some purely spiritual state where death is no longer relevant. It is still relevant. It is still painful. It is a cause for weeping and sorrow. The LORD does not ask us to simply deny this. Instead he conquers it. In this victory, the victory of the cross, we find our hope.
With Elijah the LORD begins to reveal that he has power even over death.
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Jesus raises several who are dead to reveal God's power over the grave.
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
It is much easier in one sense to see the suffering of the world and to grow to hate the world. There is the temptation to focus on the purely spiritual, on souls, on some disembodied heaven. When we have inappropriate desires we no longer fault the desires but instead fault the world for not being correctly aligned to our passions. The disregard of many for the concept of gender is an example of this.
There is a certain longing for heaven which is born of suffering that isn't entirely good because it rejects the goodness of the LORD's creation. But the world is the LORD's. He made it. Although it is wounded by sin he does not give up on it. By showing us his power over death God plants in our hearts the desire, not to escape from this world, but to see it renewed.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
Of course the solution to our troubles cannot be found within creation. Scientists won't find it by eventually achieving the singularity. They won't find the true antidote to death within our biology. Entropy is a law that we can't circumvent on our own. The answer comes to us from outside of creation's resources.
I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
We are so blessed and fortunate that God does not leave us to struggle on our own. The fear of death causes us on our own resources to either lose faith in the creation or to expect more of it than it can provide. There is no other path we can find on our own. Fortunately God comes to us to show us the way.
“God has visited his people.”
And in so doing he puts to flight all that opposes us and shows us the way to true and lasting joy.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
The LORD wants the world to understand that he has power even over death. Even the most inevitable and permanent of circumstances is neither inevitable nor permanent to our God. By his cross and resurrection Jesus has power over death. And since he has power over death he has power over all sickness and affliction unto death.
He frees us from the slavery to fear that death brings about (cf Heb 2:15). It is precisely this fear which is so opposed to love. It is this fear which turns inward and claws and scrapes for individual existence in the face of the certainty of death. He does not free us from this by calling us to some purely spiritual state where death is no longer relevant. It is still relevant. It is still painful. It is a cause for weeping and sorrow. The LORD does not ask us to simply deny this. Instead he conquers it. In this victory, the victory of the cross, we find our hope.
With Elijah the LORD begins to reveal that he has power even over death.
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Jesus raises several who are dead to reveal God's power over the grave.
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
It is much easier in one sense to see the suffering of the world and to grow to hate the world. There is the temptation to focus on the purely spiritual, on souls, on some disembodied heaven. When we have inappropriate desires we no longer fault the desires but instead fault the world for not being correctly aligned to our passions. The disregard of many for the concept of gender is an example of this.
There is a certain longing for heaven which is born of suffering that isn't entirely good because it rejects the goodness of the LORD's creation. But the world is the LORD's. He made it. Although it is wounded by sin he does not give up on it. By showing us his power over death God plants in our hearts the desire, not to escape from this world, but to see it renewed.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
Of course the solution to our troubles cannot be found within creation. Scientists won't find it by eventually achieving the singularity. They won't find the true antidote to death within our biology. Entropy is a law that we can't circumvent on our own. The answer comes to us from outside of creation's resources.
I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
We are so blessed and fortunate that God does not leave us to struggle on our own. The fear of death causes us on our own resources to either lose faith in the creation or to expect more of it than it can provide. There is no other path we can find on our own. Fortunately God comes to us to show us the way.
“God has visited his people.”
And in so doing he puts to flight all that opposes us and shows us the way to true and lasting joy.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
Hillsong - This is How We Overcome
Saturday, June 8, 2013
8 July 2013 - proclaim his ways
8 July 2013 - proclaim his ways
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Not all of these experiences are wonderful consolations. She tells us that she and Joseph worry because they do not know where Jesus is. It isn't that they don't trust him. But the plan of salvation is not yet fully revealed to them. Perhaps they have a sense that he will be taken from them for three days just as he is here. After all, burial oil is among the gifts they receive at his birth. But then instead of three days teaching the teachers in the temple it will be three days preaching to the souls in purgatory. Mary doesn't fully know this yet but she moves forward with trust keeping everything that Jesus does in her heart. No doubt part of the LORD's intention here is to prepare Mary for his cross and resurrection. She cooperates by keeping in her heart the way the LORD works with her. The patterns of his loving plan instruct her and help her to recognize the apex of this plan when it comes.
This is one reason why it is so important to give thanks to God for all he does in us.
Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.
When we are so richly blessed we must keep such things in our hearts. The enemy wants to take memories like this from us and make us only remember trials. He wants us to be disheartened and to give up. But if we proclaim his praises then his deeds will be further cemented in our memory. We will come to have greater trust that he is working in our lives even in the shadow of the cross when such consolations are far from us.
Jesus is always working to bring the Father's plan to fulfillment. But at times we don't understand and seem to be alone. We are not.
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
Even amidst our trials let us praise him. Let that praise increase our trust in him so that he is free to bless us and bring us home to the Father's house.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Not all of these experiences are wonderful consolations. She tells us that she and Joseph worry because they do not know where Jesus is. It isn't that they don't trust him. But the plan of salvation is not yet fully revealed to them. Perhaps they have a sense that he will be taken from them for three days just as he is here. After all, burial oil is among the gifts they receive at his birth. But then instead of three days teaching the teachers in the temple it will be three days preaching to the souls in purgatory. Mary doesn't fully know this yet but she moves forward with trust keeping everything that Jesus does in her heart. No doubt part of the LORD's intention here is to prepare Mary for his cross and resurrection. She cooperates by keeping in her heart the way the LORD works with her. The patterns of his loving plan instruct her and help her to recognize the apex of this plan when it comes.
This is one reason why it is so important to give thanks to God for all he does in us.
Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.
When we are so richly blessed we must keep such things in our hearts. The enemy wants to take memories like this from us and make us only remember trials. He wants us to be disheartened and to give up. But if we proclaim his praises then his deeds will be further cemented in our memory. We will come to have greater trust that he is working in our lives even in the shadow of the cross when such consolations are far from us.
Jesus is always working to bring the Father's plan to fulfillment. But at times we don't understand and seem to be alone. We are not.
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
Even amidst our trials let us praise him. Let that praise increase our trust in him so that he is free to bless us and bring us home to the Father's house.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
Friday, June 7, 2013
7 June 2013 - toward his voice
7 June 2013 - toward his voice
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
The LORD loves us recklessly. He can't sit by while we wander lost. Fortunately, he is omnipresent so no sheep is ever abandon. But what is expressed here is the priority of his heart. Above all else he wants to "seek and save the lost" (cf. Luke 19:10). This is amazing when we consider what it means to be lost. It means to be at enmity with God. It means to be enemies of the shepherd. How prideful sheep must be to think they can be enemies of a shepherd. And yet his heart for us is unwavering. It does not swell with anger or the desire to destroy us.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
We need our shepherd lest we continue to wander lost. We have no way to get our bearings amidst the darkness of this world except the voice of the shepherd calling us. The world, which includes us to one degree or another, spurns this voice. We neglect the one voice that can keep us from the wolves which want to devour. But he proves his love for us and seeks us in spite of protests and neglect.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
The only thing which can keep us from him is the pride which refuses to be shepherded.
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
But even if we refuse he will not give up on us. He will hold out the opportunity for mercy to the very end. His heart is to reconcile all who were once enemies of his and enemies of one another around his table.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
Enemies are reconciled at this feast. The LORD does this by giving us his heart toward all our brothers and sisters. He wants us to have the same heart for the lost that he does. He wants us to love ourselves and them through his eyes and not through the lens of our own selfish pride. He wants us to find our joy at this table in unity and reconciliation just as he does.
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
We can trust completely in our shepherd. We don't have to waste time or effort trying to protect our own interests once we come to fully trust that our shepherd has our best interest in mind.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Let us by heartened by the promises of the Sacred Heart which the LORD holds out to us.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
The LORD loves us recklessly. He can't sit by while we wander lost. Fortunately, he is omnipresent so no sheep is ever abandon. But what is expressed here is the priority of his heart. Above all else he wants to "seek and save the lost" (cf. Luke 19:10). This is amazing when we consider what it means to be lost. It means to be at enmity with God. It means to be enemies of the shepherd. How prideful sheep must be to think they can be enemies of a shepherd. And yet his heart for us is unwavering. It does not swell with anger or the desire to destroy us.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
We need our shepherd lest we continue to wander lost. We have no way to get our bearings amidst the darkness of this world except the voice of the shepherd calling us. The world, which includes us to one degree or another, spurns this voice. We neglect the one voice that can keep us from the wolves which want to devour. But he proves his love for us and seeks us in spite of protests and neglect.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
The only thing which can keep us from him is the pride which refuses to be shepherded.
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
But even if we refuse he will not give up on us. He will hold out the opportunity for mercy to the very end. His heart is to reconcile all who were once enemies of his and enemies of one another around his table.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
Enemies are reconciled at this feast. The LORD does this by giving us his heart toward all our brothers and sisters. He wants us to have the same heart for the lost that he does. He wants us to love ourselves and them through his eyes and not through the lens of our own selfish pride. He wants us to find our joy at this table in unity and reconciliation just as he does.
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
We can trust completely in our shepherd. We don't have to waste time or effort trying to protect our own interests once we come to fully trust that our shepherd has our best interest in mind.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Let us by heartened by the promises of the Sacred Heart which the LORD holds out to us.
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will comfort them in their trials.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.
5. I will shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings
6. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.
9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. The names of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
6 June 2013 - ordinary day
6 June 2013 - ordinary day
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
Blessed shall you be, and favored.
This isn't how we usually think of it. Or at least it isn't how we usually act, as we don't really stop to reflect. We would more readily appreciate a verse that said
Blessed are you who work hard on your handiwork,
for the LORD isn't involved!
Work and control everything as much as you can
since that's the only way you'll be happy.
And it is in this that we get in to trouble. Our lives have a de facto segregation where the LORD only reigns over spiritual things. But he wants to be the LORD of our whole life. We know this but the limited skip of our prayer keeps these spheres separate. There is nothing we do about which the LORD isn't concerned. We need to ask for his blessing and involvement on our entire day and on the entire range of our activities.
For example, I'm going to help plan a menu for a week of meals today. It seems somewhat trivial. But it will be way better if I ask the LORD to help. He can use things like that to bring a growth in unity and virtue if we let him be involved. He can make the food taste better and come together more smoothly, too.
Tobiah and Sarah get this. They don't allow their marital union to be something merely natural. It would be really easy for them to do after the history of hardship and suffering that Sarah in particular experienced. We would excuse her for thinking that if God was interested in her relationships he wouldn't have allowed the seven previous husbands to die. Instead of being deflected by circumstance they both entrust this relationship to the LORD in order to fully open it to his blessings.
“My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us
and to grant us deliverance.”
Did it take seven times facing disappointment for her to attempt this prayer? Or perhaps only on the seventh did a husband finally join in. Or again she might have come together in prayer with her husband before each relationship and still suffered his death. The point is that God has a plan and by clinging to him and putting him first she experiences his blessings. There is certainly a message here for all of us who have had many relationships which haven't worked out. Cling to God! He has a plan!
Putting the LORD first and calling upon him elevates all we do from the merely natural.
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
We are so scattered and fragmented that it is difficult to give the LORD each and every thing we do. The morning offering can help:
O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.
This helps us to keep God in first place throughout the day. It helps us put concretely into practice the words of Jesus as to what is important and what our priorities should be:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
Blessed shall you be, and favored.
This isn't how we usually think of it. Or at least it isn't how we usually act, as we don't really stop to reflect. We would more readily appreciate a verse that said
And it is in this that we get in to trouble. Our lives have a de facto segregation where the LORD only reigns over spiritual things. But he wants to be the LORD of our whole life. We know this but the limited skip of our prayer keeps these spheres separate. There is nothing we do about which the LORD isn't concerned. We need to ask for his blessing and involvement on our entire day and on the entire range of our activities.
For example, I'm going to help plan a menu for a week of meals today. It seems somewhat trivial. But it will be way better if I ask the LORD to help. He can use things like that to bring a growth in unity and virtue if we let him be involved. He can make the food taste better and come together more smoothly, too.
Tobiah and Sarah get this. They don't allow their marital union to be something merely natural. It would be really easy for them to do after the history of hardship and suffering that Sarah in particular experienced. We would excuse her for thinking that if God was interested in her relationships he wouldn't have allowed the seven previous husbands to die. Instead of being deflected by circumstance they both entrust this relationship to the LORD in order to fully open it to his blessings.
“My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us
and to grant us deliverance.”
Did it take seven times facing disappointment for her to attempt this prayer? Or perhaps only on the seventh did a husband finally join in. Or again she might have come together in prayer with her husband before each relationship and still suffered his death. The point is that God has a plan and by clinging to him and putting him first she experiences his blessings. There is certainly a message here for all of us who have had many relationships which haven't worked out. Cling to God! He has a plan!
Putting the LORD first and calling upon him elevates all we do from the merely natural.
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
We are so scattered and fragmented that it is difficult to give the LORD each and every thing we do. The morning offering can help:
O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.
This helps us to keep God in first place throughout the day. It helps us put concretely into practice the words of Jesus as to what is important and what our priorities should be:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
5 June 2013 - hear now
5 June 2013 - hear now
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
We can avoid error by heeding the words of Jesus. We need to make his word our home. We need it to dwell in us richly as we admonish one another (cf. Col 3:16). We need to know the power of God in the institutional and charismatic aspects of the Church. This power and wisdom is living and active (cf. Heb 4:12). It thereby prevents us from twisting the message to suit ourselves. Dead static truths do not do this. This is why we see the Sadducees twisting their knowledge of the law to their own ends. They are blinded from the great hope of resurrection by this dead knowledge and static understanding.
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”
God speaks now in his word. It was not simply at one time and place that he said:
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob
To hear the word of God as living and active is to hear God speak his words to us even right now at this very moment. This keeps us from the errors of pride and renews us in the hope of the resurrection.
It is a living trust in God that enables Sarah and Tobit to persevere in their circumstances until they experience the full healing power of God.
At that very time,
the prayer of these two suppliants
was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God.
They are saved in spite of abandoning all hope in themselves and the world. Platitude and legalism do not save. Only surrendering everything to the living God allows them to persevere amidst trials so difficult. They all but abandon life. They do abandon their own terms and efforts. They can't even cling to their own static understanding of Scripture. They must let God speak to them anew in the very heart of their suffering. It is as though the solution doesn't exist yet in this fallen world but comes into being as the word of the LORD is heard in power. This word ultimately triumphs over the circumstances they face.
So Raphael was sent to heal them both:
to remove the cataracts from Tobit’s eyes,
so that he might again see God’s sunlight;
and to marry Raguel’s daughter Sarah to Tobit’s son Tobiah,
and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.
The word of the LORD is trustworthy. It never changes. But our understanding of it always admits improvement. And it is never through our own effort that this is achieved. We must be open in every moment to the guidance he longs to give us.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
4 June 2013 - vision test
4 June 2013 - vision test
“Whose image and inscription is this?”
They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”
And whose image and likeness is Caesar? He is made in the image and likeness of God, of course. There are not separate religious and social spheres with different sets of obligations. The LORD is the LORD of all. Yet Caesar does have a God-given role to play.
"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
Because Caesar is providing order to society by his government it is appropriate to give him stewardship over God's gift of money. This is true even though he doesn't use it perfectly. Even though some of the money may go to pay for pagan temples, sacrifices, and such, it is still a more important thing to support the social order.
These muddy situations can be difficult to navigate. That is why we must trust in the LORD rather than ourselves. We can't hold every variable in mind and weigh them accurately. We must recognize the good to which the LORD calls us and act. If we hold fast to him he will use our efforts for his glory.
The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
One problem that can arise from trusting in ourselves is getting used to a certain presence or absence of blessings. Once Tobit begins to suffer he has trouble accepting any blessings from the LORD. He doesn't completely fail. His heart is set on giving. But it is set on it so much as to exclude receiving from the LORD.
I called to my wife and said: “Where did this goat come from?
Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners;
we have no right to eat stolen food!”
The LORD wants much more trust from Tobit. Even though the LORD permits Tobit to suffer cataracts he still wants to provide for him. Tobit's real blindness isn't from the cataracts, but rather from a failure to see the image of God in his wife as God uses her to provide for him in his time of trial. Like the Pharisees he can only see the temporal aspect of things and so has trouble accepting that the larger purpose of God is at work.
They were utterly amazed at him.
May the words of Jesus shake us out of our old ways of looking at things. May we see that they all belong to God. May we accept the myriad ways in which he uses them to build his kingdom. Whether for blessing or apparent curse, even if he works through the abilities of pagans, the LORD can build his kingdom if we just make room and allow him to do so. So let us trust him more since we believe him when he tells us that he will work all things for our good.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
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