31 August 2013 - surrender in action
In the gospel today we encounter the parable of the talents once again.
Let's take note of a few interesting aspects of it.
‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
The first servant made the most.
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
The second servant made less.
Yet they both hear the LORD say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
This is because the the LORD expects much from the one who is given much (cf. Luk. 12:48). It is not from their own abilities that these servants bear fruit. They are given talents and it is only up to them whether or not to let these talents be used. They do not multiply the talents themselves, either. It is only to them to allow their use. Or, we might even say, to acquiesce to their use.
The only response which won't do is the response of fear:
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
It is a choice between trust in the master who gives us our talents or lack of trust (and therefore fear) in ourselves and our own lack of ability and consistency.
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
There is no servant in this parable who has not. The third servant acts as though he has not and so ends up having his talent taken away. But he was given a talent just as the others were. Let us take heed. Even if we feel like we have no talents we most assuredly do. Let us put them to use.
Also interesting in this parable is the reward for the response of the first two servants.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Yes! This is a beautiful statement. How we long to know the master's joy. Don't we? But wait- it is closely bound to the sentence that precedes it:
I will give you great responsibilities.
So, we share in his joy because of the responsibilities he gives us? This is difficult to fathom. But we must understand that the LORD is building us up. He is raising us from children to maturity. Responsibility in adulthood is not the opposite of joy but it's true locus. Only here can we find consistent and lasting joy.
What are we to do with our talents? Paul claims we already know:
for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
But he also tells us how to "progress even more":
and to aspire to live a tranquil life,
to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your own hands,
as we instructed you.
We need to set aside the many distractions that keep us from the simplicity of love to which the LORD calls us. This simplicity even includes things which we may feel are beneath us such as working with our own hands.
We do this because we long for his presence. The parable tells us that the master is "going on a journey". But the psalm assures us:
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
It is his "right hand" which "has won victory". His is the victory when we use our talents for him. And celebration of that victory prepares the way for his ultimate return.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
30 August 2013 - light up the darkness
30 August 2013 - light up the darkness
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
We must be ready. The LORD may come. He comes at the end, for judgment, it is true, but he also comes countless times to bless us.
It is reassuring to know that he recognizes our weakness. All of the virgins fall asleep by they are not thereby excluded. This is just as Peter, James, and John fall asleep in the garden of Gethsemane and are not excluded.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
But when we hear the cry go up we need to be able to shine for him. He comes at midnight. He comes into the darkness. He uses us to light his path! We light his path at the end by preparing the world to meet him. We also light up the specific situations where he blesses us. We need to have the oil for our lamps ready for any of these situations.. We can't go out and find it at the moment of his visitation. There is no time to do the work ourselves. Fortunately, the oil is the Holy Spirit, and he generously pours him out on those who believe (cf. Tit. 3:5-6).
The secret then is not to squander this oil on dissipation.
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this,
disregards not a human being but God,
who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
This oil is so precious. It makes the darkness of our own lives life. But if we spend longer than need be in the dark we may not have enough. Let us dwell in the light, therefore, as much as we may. Let us be asleep to the darkness except in the specific places he calls us to shine. And ultimately, we are to shine not for our own glory but for the glory of the bridegroom.
Light in the midst of darkness is a gift he gives. We do not have it within us save for what we receive. But he delights to pour it out. So let us shine brightly for him.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
We must be ready. The LORD may come. He comes at the end, for judgment, it is true, but he also comes countless times to bless us.
It is reassuring to know that he recognizes our weakness. All of the virgins fall asleep by they are not thereby excluded. This is just as Peter, James, and John fall asleep in the garden of Gethsemane and are not excluded.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
But when we hear the cry go up we need to be able to shine for him. He comes at midnight. He comes into the darkness. He uses us to light his path! We light his path at the end by preparing the world to meet him. We also light up the specific situations where he blesses us. We need to have the oil for our lamps ready for any of these situations.. We can't go out and find it at the moment of his visitation. There is no time to do the work ourselves. Fortunately, the oil is the Holy Spirit, and he generously pours him out on those who believe (cf. Tit. 3:5-6).
The secret then is not to squander this oil on dissipation.
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this,
disregards not a human being but God,
who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
This oil is so precious. It makes the darkness of our own lives life. But if we spend longer than need be in the dark we may not have enough. Let us dwell in the light, therefore, as much as we may. Let us be asleep to the darkness except in the specific places he calls us to shine. And ultimately, we are to shine not for our own glory but for the glory of the bridegroom.
Light in the midst of darkness is a gift he gives. We do not have it within us save for what we receive. But he delights to pour it out. So let us shine brightly for him.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
29 August 2013 - daytime drama
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
We need to stop living as if our eternity is here on earth. We never know when our journey here will come to an end.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
And ultimately this is good. We can only bear the weight of this imperfect world for so long. In our deepest hearts we long for the unveiled presence of God, even if we often misdirect this longing.
How then can we be "blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones"?
The psalmist informs us: "Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!"
Only being filled with his love will "strength our hearts" enough to live (and maybe die) heroically for the kingdom as John the Baptist does. Even in prison he does not hesitate to proclaim the truth.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
This ultimately results in his death, a martyrdom for the truth. It is therefore a martyrdom for Jesus who is the truth. He is able to do this rather than grasping at this passing world because the LORD fills him with love and strengths his heart. It is not on his own strength that can do this.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
We need to stop living as if our eternity is here on earth. We never know when our journey here will come to an end.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
And ultimately this is good. We can only bear the weight of this imperfect world for so long. In our deepest hearts we long for the unveiled presence of God, even if we often misdirect this longing.
How then can we be "blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones"?
The psalmist informs us: "Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!"
Only being filled with his love will "strength our hearts" enough to live (and maybe die) heroically for the kingdom as John the Baptist does. Even in prison he does not hesitate to proclaim the truth.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
This ultimately results in his death, a martyrdom for the truth. It is therefore a martyrdom for Jesus who is the truth. He is able to do this rather than grasping at this passing world because the LORD fills him with love and strengths his heart. It is not on his own strength that can do this.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Let us start each day with him. Their very recurrence points to their impermanence. The LORD gives us bread enough for each day. The LORD wants us to look past this to the eternal now where we meet him. This is why he tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Such worry tries to string time together into an eternity.
LORD, you are enough for us!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
28 August 2013 - you were with me
28 August 2013 - you were with me
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
We are called to live a life of harmony between appearance and substance. When we hear this we can scarcely imagine wanting anything else. Yet when we live aren't we a lot more worried about how things appear? Aren't we trying to please men rather than God? How we want to appear may differ. We may want to seem nice, cool, intelligent, or holy. It may be something else. But this motivation is assuredly within us, fighting our attempts to live selflessly the way of holiness. We can't imagine that we could shed the prophets blood.
‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Before the cross will we really speak up for Jesus, or will we fear the crowds as Pilate does? We want the image of someone who would speak up for Jesus. But when our appearance (and therefore the comfort it ensures) is on the line what will we choose?
So how can we "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom and glory"? Is it just too much for us, when everything is on the line?
The answer is in the word of God. We need to receive it "not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe." We have a tendency to hear divine words as if they are human and human words as if they are divine. Let us set aside are over abundance of human words and enter in to the God's word so that we may be purified by it. It does this itself. It is at work in we who believe. It pierces the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. It itself discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (cf. Heb 4:12).
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If we long for this presence we can find it truly in the Word of God. This may not be our typical experience at bible studies. Yet because the Scriptures are not a merely human word they actually makes present what they contain. And what is the content which God's work makes present? He himself is that content!
Let us heed the words of St. Augustine to meet God within rather than losing ourselves in appearances:
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
We are called to live a life of harmony between appearance and substance. When we hear this we can scarcely imagine wanting anything else. Yet when we live aren't we a lot more worried about how things appear? Aren't we trying to please men rather than God? How we want to appear may differ. We may want to seem nice, cool, intelligent, or holy. It may be something else. But this motivation is assuredly within us, fighting our attempts to live selflessly the way of holiness. We can't imagine that we could shed the prophets blood.
‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Before the cross will we really speak up for Jesus, or will we fear the crowds as Pilate does? We want the image of someone who would speak up for Jesus. But when our appearance (and therefore the comfort it ensures) is on the line what will we choose?
So how can we "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom and glory"? Is it just too much for us, when everything is on the line?
The answer is in the word of God. We need to receive it "not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe." We have a tendency to hear divine words as if they are human and human words as if they are divine. Let us set aside are over abundance of human words and enter in to the God's word so that we may be purified by it. It does this itself. It is at work in we who believe. It pierces the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. It itself discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (cf. Heb 4:12).
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If we long for this presence we can find it truly in the Word of God. This may not be our typical experience at bible studies. Yet because the Scriptures are not a merely human word they actually makes present what they contain. And what is the content which God's work makes present? He himself is that content!
Let us heed the words of St. Augustine to meet God within rather than losing ourselves in appearances:
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.And let us be confidence that he can even penetrate our deafness. Just as he enlightens the blindness of St. Augustine he can enlighten our blindness, too.
You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.The presence of God's word in us can make the darkness of our intentions into the brightness of holiness and integrity.
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
27 August 2013 - motivated speaking
27 August 2013 - motivated speaking
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Are we trying to please God in our speech, above all?
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
It is easy to speak with ulterior motives even if we are speaking about God. It might not immediately seem like flattery or greed. Yet we use him to make ourselves feel better or others feel better. We use the Almighty to build our own egos.
Similarly, the Pharisees focus on certain matters loosely connected to God to pad their own status.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But the LORD judges the heart, as we read above.
You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
We might even fool ourselves with such speech. The call today is to check our motives. We have to put God first. Even if we're talking about him and feeling good it doesn't necessarily mean it is serving his kingdom.
We will know that our speech is sincere when we have the heart of Paul.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
It is no longer just about words. It is about love. It is about giving all of ourselves for God and neighbor, not for status and appearance.
He is so close to us. Our relationship with him is prior to any words we utter. He knows our words before we even speak them. Let us therefore offer our words and, indeed, our whole being to him.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Are we trying to please God in our speech, above all?
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
It is easy to speak with ulterior motives even if we are speaking about God. It might not immediately seem like flattery or greed. Yet we use him to make ourselves feel better or others feel better. We use the Almighty to build our own egos.
Similarly, the Pharisees focus on certain matters loosely connected to God to pad their own status.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But the LORD judges the heart, as we read above.
You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
We might even fool ourselves with such speech. The call today is to check our motives. We have to put God first. Even if we're talking about him and feeling good it doesn't necessarily mean it is serving his kingdom.
We will know that our speech is sincere when we have the heart of Paul.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
It is no longer just about words. It is about love. It is about giving all of ourselves for God and neighbor, not for status and appearance.
He is so close to us. Our relationship with him is prior to any words we utter. He knows our words before we even speak them. Let us therefore offer our words and, indeed, our whole being to him.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Monday, August 26, 2013
26 August 2013 - spirit and power
26 August 2013 - spirit and power
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
Has the gospel come to us in this way? Is it something real to us, with the power to change us and the world? Or is it just an abstraction?
If it isn't real to us we can easily give in to the temptation of the Pharisees. They get so lost in the details of the law of God as to make it an idol. In doing so, they lose their true sense of sacredness. They lose their sense of the hierarchy of value that makes the gold, the temple, the gift, the altar, and all such things significant. It is as if the words give the value to the person who said them. Clearly nonsense if we can just realize it.
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
We all have idols to one extent or another. We need to turn from them or we'll face similar difficulties. Our hierarchy of what is important will be out of whack. Let us turn to the living God and cast our idols aside.
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,
who delivers us from the coming wrath.
We need to remember that "[t]he Lord takes delight in his people." This is why he gives us a law. He gives it out of love and a desire for relationship. The more we live this relationship, rather than needing more and more nuanced words to describe it, we need fewer.
so that we have no need to say anything.
Let us be glad in him! Let us rejoice in our king!
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
Has the gospel come to us in this way? Is it something real to us, with the power to change us and the world? Or is it just an abstraction?
If it isn't real to us we can easily give in to the temptation of the Pharisees. They get so lost in the details of the law of God as to make it an idol. In doing so, they lose their true sense of sacredness. They lose their sense of the hierarchy of value that makes the gold, the temple, the gift, the altar, and all such things significant. It is as if the words give the value to the person who said them. Clearly nonsense if we can just realize it.
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
We all have idols to one extent or another. We need to turn from them or we'll face similar difficulties. Our hierarchy of what is important will be out of whack. Let us turn to the living God and cast our idols aside.
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,
who delivers us from the coming wrath.
We need to remember that "[t]he Lord takes delight in his people." This is why he gives us a law. He gives it out of love and a desire for relationship. The more we live this relationship, rather than needing more and more nuanced words to describe it, we need fewer.
so that we have no need to say anything.
Let us be glad in him! Let us rejoice in our king!
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
25 August 2013 - open door
25 August 2013 - open door
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
The invitation of the LORD is time sensitive. This door is one which only Jesus can open. Once it is closed, either by the end of our lives or the second coming, it cannot be reopened for us. He doesn't do this to be arbitrary. He does it because he insists that we ultimately make a decision either for or against the salvation which he generously offers. We can choose to love him freely or not. But this choice carries eternal consequences.
We should not think it unfair. We have no right to the sacrifice of the cross. Do we really think to tell Jesus that he owes us all of his suffering? Of course he doesn't. He does it in freedom and love for us all. Delaying the cross indefinitely would have been the same thing as choosing against us. It is in the same freedom which he wants us to return his love. But time is running out. To not decide in the face of such a great love is the same as deciding against it.
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
If many will show up to the door to find it locked by the master it isn't because the master doesn't invite them.
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
He longs to be known by everyone. If it grieves us to know that not all will be saved it grieves him still more. He wants us to have a heart for the world like his heart.
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
The Good News is of Jesus's death and resurrection. He suffers the consequence that we cannot bear. He rises to the new life which we cannot attain. And he shares this with us by destroying sin in us. He brings us from death to eternal life and joy in the presence of the Father.
Sometimes we face challenges along the way. But they must not cause us to turn aside and delay until the door is locked. These challenges are meant to help us to grow in relationship with our Father in heaven.
For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
May we be strengthened to run headlong for the door while it remains open! May we bring as many within us as he enables us to bring!
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
The invitation of the LORD is time sensitive. This door is one which only Jesus can open. Once it is closed, either by the end of our lives or the second coming, it cannot be reopened for us. He doesn't do this to be arbitrary. He does it because he insists that we ultimately make a decision either for or against the salvation which he generously offers. We can choose to love him freely or not. But this choice carries eternal consequences.
We should not think it unfair. We have no right to the sacrifice of the cross. Do we really think to tell Jesus that he owes us all of his suffering? Of course he doesn't. He does it in freedom and love for us all. Delaying the cross indefinitely would have been the same thing as choosing against us. It is in the same freedom which he wants us to return his love. But time is running out. To not decide in the face of such a great love is the same as deciding against it.
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
If many will show up to the door to find it locked by the master it isn't because the master doesn't invite them.
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
He longs to be known by everyone. If it grieves us to know that not all will be saved it grieves him still more. He wants us to have a heart for the world like his heart.
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
The Good News is of Jesus's death and resurrection. He suffers the consequence that we cannot bear. He rises to the new life which we cannot attain. And he shares this with us by destroying sin in us. He brings us from death to eternal life and joy in the presence of the Father.
Sometimes we face challenges along the way. But they must not cause us to turn aside and delay until the door is locked. These challenges are meant to help us to grow in relationship with our Father in heaven.
For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
May we be strengthened to run headlong for the door while it remains open! May we bring as many within us as he enables us to bring!
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
24 August 2013 - understood
24 August 2013 - understood
Today Nathanael (St. Bartholomew) gives us a better perspective on what it means to be called by Jesus.
Firstly, Jesus uses Philip to invite Nathanael. Philip is not required to have a complex syllogism prepared to persuade Nathanael. Nathanael has his own preconceptions about Jesus just let everyone does today. But Philip does not engage these points. He simply says, "Come and see." This is something that we need to be prepared to say as well. We need to believe that there really is something to come and see. It isn't simply bringing someone to a service or a talk. It is bringing someone to a place where we are convinced they can encounter the power of God.
We can do this when we realize that Jesus knows and desires friendship with everyone we know since before we even meet them. Indeed, before we are formed in the womb he knows us through and through (cf. Jer. 1:15). We long to be understood. We long to be known as we truly are. But we cannot experience being fully understood until we meet Jesus. This encounter is so intimately personal that it transcends anything in our human relationships.
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
This is because Jesus is the place where heaven and earth meet. Angels ascend and descend on him just as on Jacob's ladder. Only God can know us to our very core as Jesus does. Once we experience this we can't help but proclaim it.
Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
St. Bartholomew is particularly exemplary in this regard.
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
He is pure of heart. He is singleminded. Once he knows Jesus proclaiming him becomes his one passion and joy. It is for this reason that he becomes one of the twelve gates into the heavenly Jerusalem. It is precisely this purity of heart that becomes the foundation for the heavenly city.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
Let us join this great saint in proclaiming the greatness of our God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
Today Nathanael (St. Bartholomew) gives us a better perspective on what it means to be called by Jesus.
Firstly, Jesus uses Philip to invite Nathanael. Philip is not required to have a complex syllogism prepared to persuade Nathanael. Nathanael has his own preconceptions about Jesus just let everyone does today. But Philip does not engage these points. He simply says, "Come and see." This is something that we need to be prepared to say as well. We need to believe that there really is something to come and see. It isn't simply bringing someone to a service or a talk. It is bringing someone to a place where we are convinced they can encounter the power of God.
We can do this when we realize that Jesus knows and desires friendship with everyone we know since before we even meet them. Indeed, before we are formed in the womb he knows us through and through (cf. Jer. 1:15). We long to be understood. We long to be known as we truly are. But we cannot experience being fully understood until we meet Jesus. This encounter is so intimately personal that it transcends anything in our human relationships.
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
This is because Jesus is the place where heaven and earth meet. Angels ascend and descend on him just as on Jacob's ladder. Only God can know us to our very core as Jesus does. Once we experience this we can't help but proclaim it.
Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
St. Bartholomew is particularly exemplary in this regard.
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
He is pure of heart. He is singleminded. Once he knows Jesus proclaiming him becomes his one passion and joy. It is for this reason that he becomes one of the twelve gates into the heavenly Jerusalem. It is precisely this purity of heart that becomes the foundation for the heavenly city.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
Let us join this great saint in proclaiming the greatness of our God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
Friday, August 23, 2013
23 August 2013 - truth is absolute, in laws are relative
23 August 2013 - truth is absolute, in laws are relative
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
Ruth comes to have some sense of the care the LORD has for widows. It is through her relationship with the People of God that she finds comfort and purpose. We can see this clearly when Ruth pleads to remain with Naomi even when ties of family and law no longer bind them.
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
It is as if she can hear the LORD say "I will never abandon you nor forsake you" (cf. Deu. 31:6) through Naomi.
If we are open to the God's presence in our own lives then our love can reveal him to widows, orphans, and all who stand in need of his love. We sense the deep desperation in Ruth's plea. She has a taste of the family for which she is truly meant: God's family. There is no turning back now.
They are in a world of famine. Bonds are breaking and people are going their own way to provide for themselves. But the people of God know that Bethlehem is "the house of bread." They hear "that the LORD had visited his people and given them food."
The LORD visits his people the most perfectly in Jesus Christ, the bread of life, born in the "house of bread" to satisfy the deep hunger of all mankind. Let our souls praise him for his tender care! How truly he "gives food to the hungry."
Therefore, nothing is more important than putting God first.
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
It is this love of God which empowers our love of neighbor. It is this love which enables us to love even our in laws as we love ourselves. We may be tempted to turn such obligations away. But when we hear the cry of desperation for God in their pleas let us be open to God loving them through us. He is the unchanging point in the changing world that we all desperately need.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
Ruth comes to have some sense of the care the LORD has for widows. It is through her relationship with the People of God that she finds comfort and purpose. We can see this clearly when Ruth pleads to remain with Naomi even when ties of family and law no longer bind them.
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
It is as if she can hear the LORD say "I will never abandon you nor forsake you" (cf. Deu. 31:6) through Naomi.
If we are open to the God's presence in our own lives then our love can reveal him to widows, orphans, and all who stand in need of his love. We sense the deep desperation in Ruth's plea. She has a taste of the family for which she is truly meant: God's family. There is no turning back now.
They are in a world of famine. Bonds are breaking and people are going their own way to provide for themselves. But the people of God know that Bethlehem is "the house of bread." They hear "that the LORD had visited his people and given them food."
The LORD visits his people the most perfectly in Jesus Christ, the bread of life, born in the "house of bread" to satisfy the deep hunger of all mankind. Let our souls praise him for his tender care! How truly he "gives food to the hungry."
Therefore, nothing is more important than putting God first.
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
It is this love of God which empowers our love of neighbor. It is this love which enables us to love even our in laws as we love ourselves. We may be tempted to turn such obligations away. But when we hear the cry of desperation for God in their pleas let us be open to God loving them through us. He is the unchanging point in the changing world that we all desperately need.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
22 August 2013 - dress code
22 August 2013 - dress code
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
How often do we ignore the LORD's many invitations to us. Hopefully we aren't openly hostile to them. Yet many of us still imagine our other priorities of life to be more pressing than this great wedding feast.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
None of us is worthy to come to the wedding feast of the lamb. Yet he considers us worthy if we just accept his invitation. He seeks us out in the very circumstances of our lives. He invites us right from the streets of our day to day existence. He invites us "bad and good alike" because he is so generous.
All he asks is that we wear a wedding garment. We know from the symbolism of the baptism robe that this is ultimately something he gives us rather than something that symbolizes our own efforts. It is to us to keep it unstained, as the rite of baptism enjoins on us. His grace is a fountain that whitens our garments just as we saw his own garments whitened in the transfiguration. Without it, our garments quickly become soiled with the dust of this life.
The LORD wants us to be present to him. He wants us to be open to him. He wants us to trust in him to preserve the grace of our baptism.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
He himself empowers the faith, hope, and charity, that this entails.
Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
This is a two part statement. Both are necessary. Do not lose the "[h]ere I am" to rush to the "do your will." Only in his presence, trusting in his strength, can we do his will. He invites, he clothes in righteousness, and he continues to renew us in grace. Apart from him we have nothing. Even once we begin with him, we must continue to say yes, lest we soil our baptismal grace.
When the daughter of Jephthah finds herself in a bad situation which the LORD does not intend she nevertheless displays profound trust in the goodness of God. Even facing death she puts the LORD's will as she understands it above her own.
Do with me as you have vowed,
because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you
on your enemies the Ammonites.”
Although we read the following:
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
She is to be a burnt offering because of a rash vow. Even in this situation which God does not actively will but which she cannot avoid she is still able to reply with inspiring trust in the words of the psalmist:
then said I, “Behold I come.”
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
How often do we ignore the LORD's many invitations to us. Hopefully we aren't openly hostile to them. Yet many of us still imagine our other priorities of life to be more pressing than this great wedding feast.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
None of us is worthy to come to the wedding feast of the lamb. Yet he considers us worthy if we just accept his invitation. He seeks us out in the very circumstances of our lives. He invites us right from the streets of our day to day existence. He invites us "bad and good alike" because he is so generous.
All he asks is that we wear a wedding garment. We know from the symbolism of the baptism robe that this is ultimately something he gives us rather than something that symbolizes our own efforts. It is to us to keep it unstained, as the rite of baptism enjoins on us. His grace is a fountain that whitens our garments just as we saw his own garments whitened in the transfiguration. Without it, our garments quickly become soiled with the dust of this life.
The LORD wants us to be present to him. He wants us to be open to him. He wants us to trust in him to preserve the grace of our baptism.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
He himself empowers the faith, hope, and charity, that this entails.
Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
This is a two part statement. Both are necessary. Do not lose the "[h]ere I am" to rush to the "do your will." Only in his presence, trusting in his strength, can we do his will. He invites, he clothes in righteousness, and he continues to renew us in grace. Apart from him we have nothing. Even once we begin with him, we must continue to say yes, lest we soil our baptismal grace.
When the daughter of Jephthah finds herself in a bad situation which the LORD does not intend she nevertheless displays profound trust in the goodness of God. Even facing death she puts the LORD's will as she understands it above her own.
Do with me as you have vowed,
because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you
on your enemies the Ammonites.”
Although we read the following:
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
She is to be a burnt offering because of a rash vow. Even in this situation which God does not actively will but which she cannot avoid she is still able to reply with inspiring trust in the words of the psalmist:
then said I, “Behold I come.”
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
21 August 2013 - trees a crowd
21 August 2013 - trees a crowd
We often try to appoint our own kings, in a sense, just as ancient Israel does. Rather than consulting with God, we use our own criteria to determine what should hold sway in our lives and in our nation. Kings can be anything from political figures all the way down to guiding ideas in our world view. Those that are halfway qualified to be leaders don't want the job. They know better, realizing that is at odds with their true purpose.
But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil,
whereby men and gods are honored,
and go to wave over the trees?’
Ideas that we try to make absolute without reference to God won't bear the weight even though they might contain some truth. For instance, if we try to build a society that bases itself on creating the maximum happiness for its citizens in this world but not acknowledging God we will quickly find it devouring them. The buckthorn tree in the parable was never meant to be the king of trees. In that position it quickly becomes a tyrant.
Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, ‘Come; you reign over us!’
But the buckthorn replied to the trees,
‘If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith,
come and take refuge in my shadow.
Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”
The only way is for reference to God to be our first principle, our absolute and non-negotiable core belief. How drastically different the results, when we put him first:
Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.
You made him a blessing forever,
you gladdened him with the joy of your face.
He is a blessing forever. Putting God first, we find the only true in lasting fulfillment in this world as well.
Jesus warns us an instance of making making the wrong idea our first principle. His parable warns against making fairness our unquestionable absolute. When we do, we narrow our view such that we lose concern for peoples and their needs for the sake of a principle that is supposed to promote exactly that. The land owner pays a wage that is fair.
‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
It is not fair because of some abstract proportionality. It is fair because it provides the worker with what they need, not what they earn on their own merit. But with fairness as absolute we are unable to see this.
Jesus displays this even more perfectly when he forgives the thief on the cross. The thief he literally no time or resources to earn the Kingdom. All he does is ask for it. The fairness is God is more generous than the fairness of men. The thief therefore hears the words "this day you will be with me in paradise" (cf. Luk 23:43). Without reference to God we will never understand grace and generosity so broad and wide as this. We will got stuck in the muck and mire of merely human ideas.
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Let us not be envious, but instead give thanks that we have such a generous king. Let us be glad in his strength rather than our own.
We often try to appoint our own kings, in a sense, just as ancient Israel does. Rather than consulting with God, we use our own criteria to determine what should hold sway in our lives and in our nation. Kings can be anything from political figures all the way down to guiding ideas in our world view. Those that are halfway qualified to be leaders don't want the job. They know better, realizing that is at odds with their true purpose.
But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil,
whereby men and gods are honored,
and go to wave over the trees?’
Ideas that we try to make absolute without reference to God won't bear the weight even though they might contain some truth. For instance, if we try to build a society that bases itself on creating the maximum happiness for its citizens in this world but not acknowledging God we will quickly find it devouring them. The buckthorn tree in the parable was never meant to be the king of trees. In that position it quickly becomes a tyrant.
Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, ‘Come; you reign over us!’
But the buckthorn replied to the trees,
‘If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith,
come and take refuge in my shadow.
Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”
The only way is for reference to God to be our first principle, our absolute and non-negotiable core belief. How drastically different the results, when we put him first:
Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.
You made him a blessing forever,
you gladdened him with the joy of your face.
He is a blessing forever. Putting God first, we find the only true in lasting fulfillment in this world as well.
Jesus warns us an instance of making making the wrong idea our first principle. His parable warns against making fairness our unquestionable absolute. When we do, we narrow our view such that we lose concern for peoples and their needs for the sake of a principle that is supposed to promote exactly that. The land owner pays a wage that is fair.
‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
It is not fair because of some abstract proportionality. It is fair because it provides the worker with what they need, not what they earn on their own merit. But with fairness as absolute we are unable to see this.
Jesus displays this even more perfectly when he forgives the thief on the cross. The thief he literally no time or resources to earn the Kingdom. All he does is ask for it. The fairness is God is more generous than the fairness of men. The thief therefore hears the words "this day you will be with me in paradise" (cf. Luk 23:43). Without reference to God we will never understand grace and generosity so broad and wide as this. We will got stuck in the muck and mire of merely human ideas.
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Let us not be envious, but instead give thanks that we have such a generous king. Let us be glad in his strength rather than our own.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
lumen fidei - 6 and 7
6 -
Vatican II is an important point of reference. It is about faith. The year of faith began on its fiftieth annniversary. Vatican II is a gift that needs to be reinforced and nourished in order to continue to guide the faithful.
7 -
Faith is a supernatural gift. It is not something we gain merely by our own effort. It is relational. It is a word spoken to us, offering us love: Jesus Christ. It has the power to transform us, light our future, and grow in joyful hope. Faith, hope, and charity and the driving forces of the Christian life. But where does it lead? From where does it come? We'll start to examine those questions in chapter one.
Vatican II is an important point of reference. It is about faith. The year of faith began on its fiftieth annniversary. Vatican II is a gift that needs to be reinforced and nourished in order to continue to guide the faithful.
7 -
Faith is a supernatural gift. It is not something we gain merely by our own effort. It is relational. It is a word spoken to us, offering us love: Jesus Christ. It has the power to transform us, light our future, and grow in joyful hope. Faith, hope, and charity and the driving forces of the Christian life. But where does it lead? From where does it come? We'll start to examine those questions in chapter one.
20 August 2013 - refined, redefined
20 August 2013 - refined, redefined
the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said,
“The LORD is with you, O champion!”
The LORD sees us differently than we see ourselves.
My family is the lowliest in Manasseh,
and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.”
We rank ourselves based on all of these transient earthly factors. We rank ourselves rather like incipient materialists. We assess all of the factors and events in the chain of causality that make us who we are. Whether we have an unduly high or low regard for ourselves this is still the problem. Our self-image doesn't allow for the possibility of anything from the outside this world's horizon affecting us. Yet we are more than genetics. We are more than a history of poor choices. We are more than imperfect relationships. Or at least, we can be.
“I shall be with you,” the LORD said to him,
“and you will cut down Midian to the last man.”
We certainly don't have it in us to be the champion of the LORD. There is no way for us to rearrange the material of this broken world to form such a champion. Yet, if the LORD is with us we will be that champion. We must hear him as he says, "[i]t is I who send you.” His sending is also an empowering. The angel first says that the "LORD is with you" and only after does he address Gideon as "champion." And even so Gideon has more to learn about relying on the LORD's strength and not his own.
Jesus brings the point home in his response to his disciples:
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Just like Gideon, we must all recognize the insufficiency of our own riches. But even in recognizing this we must not be defined by it. Precisely because we don't have to do it on our own we can be the champions the LORD is calling us to be.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace
To his people, and to his faithful ones,
and to those who put in him their hope.
Let us hear God proclaiming peace.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
It is a gift he gives. But it is not a gift he gives in an external way, outside of us. Peace begins with us, as the song goes. His presence in us, who depend utterly on him, allows us to be the champions of peace that he calls us to be.
It is precisely in this that we find the blessings which he wants to pour out on us.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
Relying on our own strength we cannot break free from the gravity that pulls us down. We can't escape the entropy of this materialist clock that is winding down. Trying to be first, we will find ourselves to be last.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
But this is not what the LORD wants for us. We have ears, so let us hear! Let us hear him speaking peace to us:
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said,
“The LORD is with you, O champion!”
The LORD sees us differently than we see ourselves.
My family is the lowliest in Manasseh,
and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.”
We rank ourselves based on all of these transient earthly factors. We rank ourselves rather like incipient materialists. We assess all of the factors and events in the chain of causality that make us who we are. Whether we have an unduly high or low regard for ourselves this is still the problem. Our self-image doesn't allow for the possibility of anything from the outside this world's horizon affecting us. Yet we are more than genetics. We are more than a history of poor choices. We are more than imperfect relationships. Or at least, we can be.
“I shall be with you,” the LORD said to him,
“and you will cut down Midian to the last man.”
We certainly don't have it in us to be the champion of the LORD. There is no way for us to rearrange the material of this broken world to form such a champion. Yet, if the LORD is with us we will be that champion. We must hear him as he says, "[i]t is I who send you.” His sending is also an empowering. The angel first says that the "LORD is with you" and only after does he address Gideon as "champion." And even so Gideon has more to learn about relying on the LORD's strength and not his own.
Jesus brings the point home in his response to his disciples:
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Just like Gideon, we must all recognize the insufficiency of our own riches. But even in recognizing this we must not be defined by it. Precisely because we don't have to do it on our own we can be the champions the LORD is calling us to be.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace
To his people, and to his faithful ones,
and to those who put in him their hope.
Let us hear God proclaiming peace.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
It is a gift he gives. But it is not a gift he gives in an external way, outside of us. Peace begins with us, as the song goes. His presence in us, who depend utterly on him, allows us to be the champions of peace that he calls us to be.
It is precisely in this that we find the blessings which he wants to pour out on us.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
Relying on our own strength we cannot break free from the gravity that pulls us down. We can't escape the entropy of this materialist clock that is winding down. Trying to be first, we will find ourselves to be last.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
But this is not what the LORD wants for us. We have ears, so let us hear! Let us hear him speaking peace to us:
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
Monday, August 19, 2013
19 August 2013 - if you would be perfect
19 August 2013 - if you would be perfect
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
Jesus says this to everyone who, in accord with modern trends, acknowledges him as a so-called "good person" but not the unique and necessary savior of the world. When we look at the goodness of Jesus we can't help but acknowledge that it is supernatural in origin. Seeing such superior goodness we realize that we are incapable of such flawless integrity.
We get nervous when someone like this calls us to accountability.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
When we get nervous we try to mitigate the demands.
He asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus doesn't immediately scare the young man away with the impossible. He respects that growth is a process.
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus and the young man both know that he desires more. We all have the desire for holiness written into our DNA. We are not content with mere human levels of goodness. And yet we have such a hard time coming to terms with the prescriptions of the gospel for our condition.
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Not that we all have to give away our possessions. But holiness does mean prizing Jesus about all our joys. It does mean living in the world but not being of the world. It does mean surrendering our ego and pride. And that is not easy. It isn't even humanly possible. But what the LORD commands he also empowers.
We must cooperate with this grace. The LORD gives us the power to uproot sin in our lives. It is to us to use this power. If we do not do so we will not experience the freedom for which we long.
He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about
whom they were no longer able to withstand.
Try as we might, we won't find success or meaning in such a state.
Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them,
Just as we read yesterday, we must be willing to place God even before all our own family. We must cut ourselves off from anything in this life that takes us away from God.
They did not exterminate the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
But mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
This is not to say that we don't have fellowship with sinners. Jesus clearly does this. But when they are closed to the gospel and are a source of temptation for us it is may be necessary to distances ourselves from them. We know all too well our own weakness. We are all to ready to fall in the face of temptation.
But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,
Even though we fall again and again we rejoice that the LORD is always ready to hear our cry and forgive us.
Many times did he rescue them,
but they embittered him with their counsels.
Yet he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their cry.
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
Jesus says this to everyone who, in accord with modern trends, acknowledges him as a so-called "good person" but not the unique and necessary savior of the world. When we look at the goodness of Jesus we can't help but acknowledge that it is supernatural in origin. Seeing such superior goodness we realize that we are incapable of such flawless integrity.
We get nervous when someone like this calls us to accountability.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
When we get nervous we try to mitigate the demands.
He asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus doesn't immediately scare the young man away with the impossible. He respects that growth is a process.
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus and the young man both know that he desires more. We all have the desire for holiness written into our DNA. We are not content with mere human levels of goodness. And yet we have such a hard time coming to terms with the prescriptions of the gospel for our condition.
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Not that we all have to give away our possessions. But holiness does mean prizing Jesus about all our joys. It does mean living in the world but not being of the world. It does mean surrendering our ego and pride. And that is not easy. It isn't even humanly possible. But what the LORD commands he also empowers.
We must cooperate with this grace. The LORD gives us the power to uproot sin in our lives. It is to us to use this power. If we do not do so we will not experience the freedom for which we long.
He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about
whom they were no longer able to withstand.
Try as we might, we won't find success or meaning in such a state.
Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them,
Just as we read yesterday, we must be willing to place God even before all our own family. We must cut ourselves off from anything in this life that takes us away from God.
They did not exterminate the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
But mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
This is not to say that we don't have fellowship with sinners. Jesus clearly does this. But when they are closed to the gospel and are a source of temptation for us it is may be necessary to distances ourselves from them. We know all too well our own weakness. We are all to ready to fall in the face of temptation.
But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,
Even though we fall again and again we rejoice that the LORD is always ready to hear our cry and forgive us.
Many times did he rescue them,
but they embittered him with their counsels.
Yet he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their cry.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
18 August 2013 - clouded vision
18 August 2013 - clouded vision
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
We need to see our connection to the family of God and celebrate the deliverance he works throughout history. In other posts we have mentioned how we are connected to the people of Israel, our forefathers in faith. The cloud of witnesses includes not just the heroes of ancient Israel, but also those who live after Jesus in the holiness that his Spirit makes possible. The family of God used to be a hereditary condition. But Jesus expands it so that it can now include all people, as long as they put their faith in him. The cloud of witnesses is our family. They are not distant. They surround us. By their example and intercession they give us the strength to persevere in the race we run.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
The struggle of Jesus, embraced in the lives of all of his disciples, can inspire us and give us the strength in order that we may not grow weary and lose heart. We note especially the opposition which these saints face. We pay attention because we too will encounter opposition if we are faithfully living the gospel.
Few have encountered quite the opposition we see in the life of the prophet Jeremiah. We see that Jeremiah is tossed into a pit and we feel very sympathetic:
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
The opposition we face can make us feel like we're in a cistern out of which we cannot climb. We may feel like we are sinking in the mud of this life. Whether the manifestation of oppression is from a person, circumstances, or something else we are reminded that we do not contend against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil (cf. Eph 6:12). This is true of Jeremiah, too. Looking at him we can see one more example of the deliverance of God. Seeing this in Jeremiah and in the lives of the entire family of God we do not grow weary. We do not lose heart. Even if we are in sinking in the mud right now we know that we will one day join in the song of the LORD's salvation:
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
It is urgent that we realize this. The circumstances and challenges we are called to face are not trivial.
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
Not that he wants to divide. But by it's nature the truth separates itself from lies. And there are many lies in the world today. Those that do not turn to Jesus for salvation are all but helpless. They are easy pray to the lies that the spiritual forces of evil use to ensnare them. If we have relationships with people who keep such allegiances they may not survive.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
That is why it is so important to see ourselves first as members of the family of God. Our citizenship is ultimately in heaven (cf. Phi 3:20). We need keep focus on the one who is the source of all truth. He is therefore the source of the meaning of our lives.
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
Let us work, surrounded by the cloud of witnesses, to all be united in the truth. Our relationships, united in truth, are unbreakable. Together let us sing praise to God.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
We need to see our connection to the family of God and celebrate the deliverance he works throughout history. In other posts we have mentioned how we are connected to the people of Israel, our forefathers in faith. The cloud of witnesses includes not just the heroes of ancient Israel, but also those who live after Jesus in the holiness that his Spirit makes possible. The family of God used to be a hereditary condition. But Jesus expands it so that it can now include all people, as long as they put their faith in him. The cloud of witnesses is our family. They are not distant. They surround us. By their example and intercession they give us the strength to persevere in the race we run.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
The struggle of Jesus, embraced in the lives of all of his disciples, can inspire us and give us the strength in order that we may not grow weary and lose heart. We note especially the opposition which these saints face. We pay attention because we too will encounter opposition if we are faithfully living the gospel.
Few have encountered quite the opposition we see in the life of the prophet Jeremiah. We see that Jeremiah is tossed into a pit and we feel very sympathetic:
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
The opposition we face can make us feel like we're in a cistern out of which we cannot climb. We may feel like we are sinking in the mud of this life. Whether the manifestation of oppression is from a person, circumstances, or something else we are reminded that we do not contend against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil (cf. Eph 6:12). This is true of Jeremiah, too. Looking at him we can see one more example of the deliverance of God. Seeing this in Jeremiah and in the lives of the entire family of God we do not grow weary. We do not lose heart. Even if we are in sinking in the mud right now we know that we will one day join in the song of the LORD's salvation:
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
It is urgent that we realize this. The circumstances and challenges we are called to face are not trivial.
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
Not that he wants to divide. But by it's nature the truth separates itself from lies. And there are many lies in the world today. Those that do not turn to Jesus for salvation are all but helpless. They are easy pray to the lies that the spiritual forces of evil use to ensnare them. If we have relationships with people who keep such allegiances they may not survive.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
That is why it is so important to see ourselves first as members of the family of God. Our citizenship is ultimately in heaven (cf. Phi 3:20). We need keep focus on the one who is the source of all truth. He is therefore the source of the meaning of our lives.
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
Let us work, surrounded by the cloud of witnesses, to all be united in the truth. Our relationships, united in truth, are unbreakable. Together let us sing praise to God.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
17 August 2013 - mischaracterized
17 August 2013 - mischaracterized
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Yes, LORD, teach us to be children. Help us to lay aside all the duality in our souls in order to approach you with simple trust. We think that to mature is to learn to provide for ourselves. But that is an illusion. There is nothing we have that is not from you. You are the source of every good thing.
LORD, as we work so hard we tend to think ourselves self-sufficient. We tend to think that our control is what really separates us from catastrophic system failure. This is what happens when you are not are focus of our lives and our strivings. Yet even at such times the good character traits we gain come from your storehouse of grace.
Teach us to recognize that you are the true aim of all our pursuits.
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
Teach us to recognize that it is only through you that we find meaningful direction.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Teach us to recognize that only in you do we find true life.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
We have served many idols in the past. Every time we try to achieve something without reference to God we are making a God out of ourselves and our own abilities. When we don't recognize the source of our strength the only option is either to take credit for it ourselves or to find it in something that is not God.
There let us listen to the call of Joshua to the people of Israel:
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling.
Let us be childishly single-minded for you LORD, knowing that you are our inheritance. Teach us to come to you that you may lay your hands on us as you do all children who come to you. Knowing your touch we finally experience the peace and joy that are in you alone.
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Yes, LORD, teach us to be children. Help us to lay aside all the duality in our souls in order to approach you with simple trust. We think that to mature is to learn to provide for ourselves. But that is an illusion. There is nothing we have that is not from you. You are the source of every good thing.
LORD, as we work so hard we tend to think ourselves self-sufficient. We tend to think that our control is what really separates us from catastrophic system failure. This is what happens when you are not are focus of our lives and our strivings. Yet even at such times the good character traits we gain come from your storehouse of grace.
Teach us to recognize that you are the true aim of all our pursuits.
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
Teach us to recognize that it is only through you that we find meaningful direction.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Teach us to recognize that only in you do we find true life.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
We have served many idols in the past. Every time we try to achieve something without reference to God we are making a God out of ourselves and our own abilities. When we don't recognize the source of our strength the only option is either to take credit for it ourselves or to find it in something that is not God.
There let us listen to the call of Joshua to the people of Israel:
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling.
Let us be childishly single-minded for you LORD, knowing that you are our inheritance. Teach us to come to you that you may lay your hands on us as you do all children who come to you. Knowing your touch we finally experience the peace and joy that are in you alone.
Friday, August 16, 2013
16 August 2013 - family ties
16 August 2013 - family ties
We need to be able to make the connection between Salvation History- that is, the history of the people of God- and our own personal history. As Joshua gives the people a refresher course, note the transition from "they" to "you" for the people about whom he speaks.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
At one point he moves back and forth between "they" and "you" in order to make the connection for that generation. They, like us, hear stories of the past initially as stories to which they have no connection. And yet, the freedom and blessing that they enjoy is predicated on that history. Much of it comes by way of inheritance rather than based on anything they themselves do to earn it.
“I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant.”
Realizing this we can't help but be thankful. We realize that all we have is a gift. We realize that our existence and place in history is very intentional even if it doesn't seem thus during particular battles we face. We come to hope that just as he delivers his people throughout history he will deliver us and lead us ultimately to the Promised Land.
There is a profound consistency in how God deals with his people. We tend to segment off the generations mentioned in scripture as unique cases. But they are our forefathers in faith (cf. Gal 3:7). We can't understand ourselves apart from their story. We contrast our struggles with their triumphs, not realizing that they first face the same struggles and need the same deliverance from God.
This consistency is why we see Jesus calling Israel to a standard of living that will actually allow them to thrive.
but from the beginning it was not so.
He calls them to a way of life that is his intention from the beginning. Rather than fleeing from the battle of a difficult relationship he wants his people to rely on him for deliverance. If past generations have not done so it does not mean that he does not will this victory for all mankind.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
When we face such challenges in our daily lives let us remember that God is leading us. He has a plan for us. It is consistent with his character, which is love itself. Just as it has throughout salvation history this too will show forth his eternal goodness and mercy.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
May this inspire us to answer fully God's call, knowing that nothing is impossible for those who love him.
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
We need to be able to make the connection between Salvation History- that is, the history of the people of God- and our own personal history. As Joshua gives the people a refresher course, note the transition from "they" to "you" for the people about whom he speaks.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
At one point he moves back and forth between "they" and "you" in order to make the connection for that generation. They, like us, hear stories of the past initially as stories to which they have no connection. And yet, the freedom and blessing that they enjoy is predicated on that history. Much of it comes by way of inheritance rather than based on anything they themselves do to earn it.
“I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant.”
Realizing this we can't help but be thankful. We realize that all we have is a gift. We realize that our existence and place in history is very intentional even if it doesn't seem thus during particular battles we face. We come to hope that just as he delivers his people throughout history he will deliver us and lead us ultimately to the Promised Land.
There is a profound consistency in how God deals with his people. We tend to segment off the generations mentioned in scripture as unique cases. But they are our forefathers in faith (cf. Gal 3:7). We can't understand ourselves apart from their story. We contrast our struggles with their triumphs, not realizing that they first face the same struggles and need the same deliverance from God.
This consistency is why we see Jesus calling Israel to a standard of living that will actually allow them to thrive.
but from the beginning it was not so.
He calls them to a way of life that is his intention from the beginning. Rather than fleeing from the battle of a difficult relationship he wants his people to rely on him for deliverance. If past generations have not done so it does not mean that he does not will this victory for all mankind.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
When we face such challenges in our daily lives let us remember that God is leading us. He has a plan for us. It is consistent with his character, which is love itself. Just as it has throughout salvation history this too will show forth his eternal goodness and mercy.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
May this inspire us to answer fully God's call, knowing that nothing is impossible for those who love him.
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
15 August 2013 - friends in high places
15 August 2013 - friends in high places
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
Today we celebrated that Mary is the queen who now stands before us at the right hand of God. We need not be envious that such a great blessing was afforded to a creature. Through her all find blessings. If we try to minimize her blessings to make God seem more fair from a human perspective we find that we diminish the blessings not just to Mary, but to ourselves as well.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
Jesus is the new Adam restoring what was lost in the Fall. Mary is the new Eve. With her "fiat" she restores the obedience which the old Eve fails to render to God. She is the first to share in the blessings of this restored humanity. She does so as "the mother of all the living" that Eve was meant to be (cf. Gen 3:20). But her offspring are "those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus."
We need to appreciate the significance of the fact that God does not choose to give the world salvation apart from Mary.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
She is his chosen vessel, clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars. She is the ark of the new covenant that brings the presence of God to us.
Yet even as she acknowledges her unique blessings...
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
...she goes on to say that she is simply an example of how God deals with mankind.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He shows the extent of his blessings perfectly in Mary. But he does this with her as an example of how he longs to be brought to birth in each one of us. He longs to tabernacle in each of our souls no less than he does in Mary.
Just as God does not permit Uzzah to touch the old ark even when the oxen stumble...
Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
...so too does he not permit death to touch Mary. He does this because she is the new ark bringing his presence perfectly and completely to mankind. The old ark only foreshadowed this.
Seeing this we have great confidence that his presence in us can bring us safely home. But she doesn't just go before us to show the way. She becomes the great fount of all blessings. She is Co-redemptrix and Co-mediatrix of all grace. Not apart from her do we hear:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”
Let us not be afraid to entrust all of our cares to the one to whom the Father entrusted our salvation. Even though Mary is so blessed she does not hesitate to give God the praise for everything she receives. Let us join her in his praise!
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
Today we celebrated that Mary is the queen who now stands before us at the right hand of God. We need not be envious that such a great blessing was afforded to a creature. Through her all find blessings. If we try to minimize her blessings to make God seem more fair from a human perspective we find that we diminish the blessings not just to Mary, but to ourselves as well.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
Jesus is the new Adam restoring what was lost in the Fall. Mary is the new Eve. With her "fiat" she restores the obedience which the old Eve fails to render to God. She is the first to share in the blessings of this restored humanity. She does so as "the mother of all the living" that Eve was meant to be (cf. Gen 3:20). But her offspring are "those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus."
We need to appreciate the significance of the fact that God does not choose to give the world salvation apart from Mary.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
She is his chosen vessel, clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars. She is the ark of the new covenant that brings the presence of God to us.
Yet even as she acknowledges her unique blessings...
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
...she goes on to say that she is simply an example of how God deals with mankind.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He shows the extent of his blessings perfectly in Mary. But he does this with her as an example of how he longs to be brought to birth in each one of us. He longs to tabernacle in each of our souls no less than he does in Mary.
Just as God does not permit Uzzah to touch the old ark even when the oxen stumble...
Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
...so too does he not permit death to touch Mary. He does this because she is the new ark bringing his presence perfectly and completely to mankind. The old ark only foreshadowed this.
Seeing this we have great confidence that his presence in us can bring us safely home. But she doesn't just go before us to show the way. She becomes the great fount of all blessings. She is Co-redemptrix and Co-mediatrix of all grace. Not apart from her do we hear:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”
Let us not be afraid to entrust all of our cares to the one to whom the Father entrusted our salvation. Even though Mary is so blessed she does not hesitate to give God the praise for everything she receives. Let us join her in his praise!
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
14 August 2013 - distanced yearning
14 August 2013 - distanced yearning
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
Even this promised land is only a sign prefiguring greater things to come. The Church is the "Israel of God" (cf. 6:16) and none fully posses it until Jesus establishes it in fullness through his cross and resurrection.
These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth (Heb 11:13).
Since the time of Moses the LORD has been building our hopes for this "better country" which is "a heavenly one" (cf Heb 11:16). Our Church is this very heavenly homeland manifested on earth. It takes faith to recognize heaven in the Church. Moses only sees the promised land from afar but there is a certain sense in which he does attain it by faith in God's promise. We see heaven from a distance through the lens of the Church but by our faith we become fully present in the mysteries celebrated before the throne of God.
If this is so then we must recognize the authority he sets over us in this homeland even more so than the people of Israel do for Moses and Joshua in their turn.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
This is a precondition for harmony and order in our life together as the family of God. That is why Jesus insists that we submit to the authority of the Church, not as our first recourse in misunderstandings and disputes, but as the ultimate authority.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
But when we listen to the Church we are able to gather together and agree about the things for which we are to pray. When we are able to have such unity in our prayer we can claim the promise:
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
This is the goal toward which God leads his people through history. Jesus is at the very center of it, meeting all of our needs in his name. He is in our midst and in his presence every desire is fulfilled.
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
Even this promised land is only a sign prefiguring greater things to come. The Church is the "Israel of God" (cf. 6:16) and none fully posses it until Jesus establishes it in fullness through his cross and resurrection.
These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth (Heb 11:13).
Since the time of Moses the LORD has been building our hopes for this "better country" which is "a heavenly one" (cf Heb 11:16). Our Church is this very heavenly homeland manifested on earth. It takes faith to recognize heaven in the Church. Moses only sees the promised land from afar but there is a certain sense in which he does attain it by faith in God's promise. We see heaven from a distance through the lens of the Church but by our faith we become fully present in the mysteries celebrated before the throne of God.
If this is so then we must recognize the authority he sets over us in this homeland even more so than the people of Israel do for Moses and Joshua in their turn.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
This is a precondition for harmony and order in our life together as the family of God. That is why Jesus insists that we submit to the authority of the Church, not as our first recourse in misunderstandings and disputes, but as the ultimate authority.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
But when we listen to the Church we are able to gather together and agree about the things for which we are to pray. When we are able to have such unity in our prayer we can claim the promise:
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
This is the goal toward which God leads his people through history. Jesus is at the very center of it, meeting all of our needs in his name. He is in our midst and in his presence every desire is fulfilled.
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
13 August 2013 - kingdom criteria
13 August 2013 - kingdom criteria
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
But Jesus doesn't answer their question immediately.
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
He tells the disciples they must "turn" (repent) and become like children. If they do not do this they will not be able to even enter the kingdom of heaven, let alone worry about who is greatest.
To be childlike is the only true source of greatness sin the kingdom. And, paradoxically, children are unaware of such greatness and unconcerned about it.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
Our motivation can't be greatness. The quality of the child which we are called to imitate is his humility. Children are humble in that they don't rely on themselves and their own strength. They are like Jesus, relying on his Father for everything. This is why Jesus identifies with them so strongly.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
Children instinctively have the trust in their parents that Moses calls Israel to have in the LORD.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you.”
Our Father marches with us. What is there for us to fear? And so we come to a good test of the depth of our faith. What causes us anxiety? What day to day things make us worry? These can only be things which we haven't surrendered to the LORD yet. We look at them from too narrowly. If we have anxiety and fear about getting something done or doing it successfully it must be because we're not looking beyond the short term view to God's ultimate plan for us. We must be coming to see only the individual battles and forgetting that the LORD is leading us to the promised land.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
The only good way to see how our present circumstances fit into our larger pilgrimage toward heaven is to reflect on how God has worked in our past.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
We will see how much the LORD treasures us. He will leave the ninety-nine in the hills to search us out and bring us back. And when he finds us he rejoices over us! Imagine, God rejoicing over us! Yet that is what we read.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD doesn't lead us around the battles of life but he does lead us through them. It is the he who marches with us. We will never be abandoned!
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
But Jesus doesn't answer their question immediately.
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
He tells the disciples they must "turn" (repent) and become like children. If they do not do this they will not be able to even enter the kingdom of heaven, let alone worry about who is greatest.
To be childlike is the only true source of greatness sin the kingdom. And, paradoxically, children are unaware of such greatness and unconcerned about it.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
Our motivation can't be greatness. The quality of the child which we are called to imitate is his humility. Children are humble in that they don't rely on themselves and their own strength. They are like Jesus, relying on his Father for everything. This is why Jesus identifies with them so strongly.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
Children instinctively have the trust in their parents that Moses calls Israel to have in the LORD.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you.”
Our Father marches with us. What is there for us to fear? And so we come to a good test of the depth of our faith. What causes us anxiety? What day to day things make us worry? These can only be things which we haven't surrendered to the LORD yet. We look at them from too narrowly. If we have anxiety and fear about getting something done or doing it successfully it must be because we're not looking beyond the short term view to God's ultimate plan for us. We must be coming to see only the individual battles and forgetting that the LORD is leading us to the promised land.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
The only good way to see how our present circumstances fit into our larger pilgrimage toward heaven is to reflect on how God has worked in our past.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
We will see how much the LORD treasures us. He will leave the ninety-nine in the hills to search us out and bring us back. And when he finds us he rejoices over us! Imagine, God rejoicing over us! Yet that is what we read.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD doesn't lead us around the battles of life but he does lead us through them. It is the he who marches with us. We will never be abandoned!
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
Monday, August 12, 2013
12 August 2013 - all in
12 August 2013 - all in
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you
but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?
Is that all? Our hearts are stubborn and fickle and it is difficult to do anything with complete commitment. So to what does the author allude? What else could be asked that is not asked? He could command things which are elaborate, complicated, elusive, and hard to understand. What he actually asks is simple and easy to understand. And although it isn't easy to do, we long for it. We desire deeply to be able to give him our entire hearts and souls. We see how preferentially he treats us and we long to reciprocate.
Yet in his love for your fathers the LORD was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.
His laws and decrees are a blessing not a limitation. They are the sine qua non for life in the family of God. They are the house rules, as it were. They reveal the truth of healthy relationships. We turn from them at our peril. We rejoice that the LORD loves us enough to reveal these laws to us.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
At the extreme of all in committed relationships we find Jesus. He holds nothing back in his love for us.
"The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
Jesus is the one person not obliged to pay the penalty of sin. Yet he is the one person that truly is able to pay it. We see this on a smaller scale when he pays the temple tax. He is not obliged to do this either. The passage is especially clear in the RSV:
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
Yet in order "not to give offense to them" Jesus takes this small cross as well. He pays the toll not only for himself, but for Peter as well, hinting at his primacy in the Church. He pays it not from money he works to earn but from his supernatural abundance.
go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”
Jesus teaches us the way to truly fulfilled relationships. He is all in for us. He takes on the big crosses and the small ones in order to allow us a harmonious and peaceful life in his family. Let us learn from his example and be all in for him, too.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you
but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?
Is that all? Our hearts are stubborn and fickle and it is difficult to do anything with complete commitment. So to what does the author allude? What else could be asked that is not asked? He could command things which are elaborate, complicated, elusive, and hard to understand. What he actually asks is simple and easy to understand. And although it isn't easy to do, we long for it. We desire deeply to be able to give him our entire hearts and souls. We see how preferentially he treats us and we long to reciprocate.
Yet in his love for your fathers the LORD was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.
His laws and decrees are a blessing not a limitation. They are the sine qua non for life in the family of God. They are the house rules, as it were. They reveal the truth of healthy relationships. We turn from them at our peril. We rejoice that the LORD loves us enough to reveal these laws to us.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
At the extreme of all in committed relationships we find Jesus. He holds nothing back in his love for us.
"The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
Jesus is the one person not obliged to pay the penalty of sin. Yet he is the one person that truly is able to pay it. We see this on a smaller scale when he pays the temple tax. He is not obliged to do this either. The passage is especially clear in the RSV:
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
Yet in order "not to give offense to them" Jesus takes this small cross as well. He pays the toll not only for himself, but for Peter as well, hinting at his primacy in the Church. He pays it not from money he works to earn but from his supernatural abundance.
go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”
Jesus teaches us the way to truly fulfilled relationships. He is all in for us. He takes on the big crosses and the small ones in order to allow us a harmonious and peaceful life in his family. Let us learn from his example and be all in for him, too.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
Sunday, August 11, 2013
11 August 2013 - promised
11 August 2013 - promised
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Today the readings are trying to help us realize what faith is and what it means for us. We tend to think too abstractly about faith as if it were some lofty condition of the soul. But faith is actually a very practical thing, day to day. Faith is trust in one who is worthy of trust. When we have it we have courage
The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,
they might have courage.
What does it mean to trust God? What exactly is it that we are trusting. We trust that his word is true. We believe that what he says about who we are and where we come from is true. And, importantly, we believe in his promises.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
More specifically, the readings today are about the posture we should have with regard to the promises God makes that he does not yet fulfill.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
We are called to be attentive, actively waiting for the promises to be fulfilled. This is how people who really believe in promises live. To forget them and go our own way is to just give lip service to his promises.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
The promise we wait for is meant to give us peace and courage. Without this promise we are dominated by fear.
Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Without this promise there is no lasting place on which we can set our hope. This is what it means to seek the city with foundations, since here we have no lasting city (cf. Heb. 14).
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
To actively trust his promises is what it means to hope. When we hope in the LORD we are assured of his very personal care.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
We must remember that the LORD holds us accountable for our response to this promise.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
He does so because he choses us to be his own people. It is so important to him because of how much he wants to see his promises fulfilled in us. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let us put all our faith in him.
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Today the readings are trying to help us realize what faith is and what it means for us. We tend to think too abstractly about faith as if it were some lofty condition of the soul. But faith is actually a very practical thing, day to day. Faith is trust in one who is worthy of trust. When we have it we have courage
The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,
they might have courage.
What does it mean to trust God? What exactly is it that we are trusting. We trust that his word is true. We believe that what he says about who we are and where we come from is true. And, importantly, we believe in his promises.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
More specifically, the readings today are about the posture we should have with regard to the promises God makes that he does not yet fulfill.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
We are called to be attentive, actively waiting for the promises to be fulfilled. This is how people who really believe in promises live. To forget them and go our own way is to just give lip service to his promises.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
The promise we wait for is meant to give us peace and courage. Without this promise we are dominated by fear.
Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Without this promise there is no lasting place on which we can set our hope. This is what it means to seek the city with foundations, since here we have no lasting city (cf. Heb. 14).
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
To actively trust his promises is what it means to hope. When we hope in the LORD we are assured of his very personal care.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
We must remember that the LORD holds us accountable for our response to this promise.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
He does so because he choses us to be his own people. It is so important to him because of how much he wants to see his promises fulfilled in us. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let us put all our faith in him.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
10 August 2013 - service with a smile
10 August 2013 - service with a smile
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.
We don't often feel like every grace is abundant for us. We sometimes feel that this grace or that grace is present. But they seem to come and go. There never seems to be the abundance described here. They never seem to be abundant enough for us to rely on them. We learn not to take chances, assuming they will be there to help us. They are sufficiently rare that they take us by surprise.
God can make all grace not just present but abundant for us. But he does so to empower us to do every good works. As a consequence we have all we need. But having all we need isn't the main point. He wants to "increase the harvest of your righteousness." We may not even be fully aware that we are farming righteousness, not only in ourselves, but in all with whom we interact.
Jesus wants us to have hearts like his heart. That is his ultimate gift to us. More than any other blessings, he wants to empower us to love selflessly with his own love.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
Jesus is on the cross. Let us be with him here, hidden in his wounds. Here with him we offer all that we are in love. Sometimes we do it simply by sharing a smile with a stranger and thereby sharing the gospel. Sometimes we are called to do it by winning the martyr's crown through testimony and suffering. Jesus stands risen. Let us stand with him here in his glory. Here in his indestructible life we find the power and the hope that let us get beyond ourselves. His death destroys all obstacles to selflessness. His resurrection is our power to love as we are meant to love.
Like the man described in today's psalm we have nothing to fear. The cross and resurrection have paved the way. The peace of the Kingdom of God is now available to us, unshaken by worldly circumstance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
Let us be rid of all hesitation "for God loves a cheerful giver."
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.
We don't often feel like every grace is abundant for us. We sometimes feel that this grace or that grace is present. But they seem to come and go. There never seems to be the abundance described here. They never seem to be abundant enough for us to rely on them. We learn not to take chances, assuming they will be there to help us. They are sufficiently rare that they take us by surprise.
God can make all grace not just present but abundant for us. But he does so to empower us to do every good works. As a consequence we have all we need. But having all we need isn't the main point. He wants to "increase the harvest of your righteousness." We may not even be fully aware that we are farming righteousness, not only in ourselves, but in all with whom we interact.
Jesus wants us to have hearts like his heart. That is his ultimate gift to us. More than any other blessings, he wants to empower us to love selflessly with his own love.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
Jesus is on the cross. Let us be with him here, hidden in his wounds. Here with him we offer all that we are in love. Sometimes we do it simply by sharing a smile with a stranger and thereby sharing the gospel. Sometimes we are called to do it by winning the martyr's crown through testimony and suffering. Jesus stands risen. Let us stand with him here in his glory. Here in his indestructible life we find the power and the hope that let us get beyond ourselves. His death destroys all obstacles to selflessness. His resurrection is our power to love as we are meant to love.
Like the man described in today's psalm we have nothing to fear. The cross and resurrection have paved the way. The peace of the Kingdom of God is now available to us, unshaken by worldly circumstance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
Let us be rid of all hesitation "for God loves a cheerful giver."
Friday, August 9, 2013
9 August 2013 - power of the cross
9 August 2013 - power of the cross
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Seeking our own lives for any reason will result in losing them. But even losing them for the wrong reason isn't enough. The world gives us plenty of reasons to throw our lives away. But we will only find life if we live for his sake.
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
What he asks of us is humanly impossible. The ego, the I, the very self must choose against itself- against its own self-preservation- in favor of love. It must lose itself for the sake of Jesus.
How do we respond, then, if it is completely beyond our power? "With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God" (cf. Mar. 20:27).
First, we must realize exactly who it is we are choosing. He is utterly unique, transcendent, and exalted. Only this one deserves all that we have, all that we are, and all that we ever become.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
Knowing that, we can be reassured that the trail we walk has already been blazed by none other than the LORD of heaven and earth. Jesus goes to the cross first to enable all men to follow him. When we feel overwhelmed by our call let us remember his own journey to the cross.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
In doing so we will gain strength. Just as the angel appears to Jesus in the garden to strengthen him (cf. Luk. 22:43), so will the strength of Jesus be made present to us by his word. Dwelling on the passion of the LORD is not morbid. It should not be wearisome. It is meant to be the source of strength for our own crosses. It is Jesus embracing the world on the cross which loves it through death to the resurrection. Jesus is sustained along this way of suffering by strength from his Father but also by the loving gaze of his mother. She gazes on us all with the same love. She wants to comfort us in our sufferings as she does for Jesus. She wants to stand by us and let us experience love even when we feel totally forsaken by the world. Mother of the Son of God, pray for us!
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Seeking our own lives for any reason will result in losing them. But even losing them for the wrong reason isn't enough. The world gives us plenty of reasons to throw our lives away. But we will only find life if we live for his sake.
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
What he asks of us is humanly impossible. The ego, the I, the very self must choose against itself- against its own self-preservation- in favor of love. It must lose itself for the sake of Jesus.
How do we respond, then, if it is completely beyond our power? "With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God" (cf. Mar. 20:27).
First, we must realize exactly who it is we are choosing. He is utterly unique, transcendent, and exalted. Only this one deserves all that we have, all that we are, and all that we ever become.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
Knowing that, we can be reassured that the trail we walk has already been blazed by none other than the LORD of heaven and earth. Jesus goes to the cross first to enable all men to follow him. When we feel overwhelmed by our call let us remember his own journey to the cross.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
In doing so we will gain strength. Just as the angel appears to Jesus in the garden to strengthen him (cf. Luk. 22:43), so will the strength of Jesus be made present to us by his word. Dwelling on the passion of the LORD is not morbid. It should not be wearisome. It is meant to be the source of strength for our own crosses. It is Jesus embracing the world on the cross which loves it through death to the resurrection. Jesus is sustained along this way of suffering by strength from his Father but also by the loving gaze of his mother. She gazes on us all with the same love. She wants to comfort us in our sufferings as she does for Jesus. She wants to stand by us and let us experience love even when we feel totally forsaken by the world. Mother of the Son of God, pray for us!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
8 August 2013 - hear here
8 August 2013 - hear here
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
We are all thirsty. This world can be a really desert. The springs of water which nourish us are frustratingly uncommon.
Why did you lead us out of Egypt,
only to bring us to this wretched place
which has neither grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates?
Here there is not even water to drink!”
God is always speaking to us, telling us that he cares for us. He is always reminding us to trust in him. But because we live in a desert there is always the temptation to let circumstances harden our hearts. Hearing "trust me" and experiencing dryness can result in cognitive dissonance. The enemy uses this to temp us to rebel. Ultimately if we let our flesh and blood have the last word we will find ourselves rebelling too.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Peter is an example for us in this. The Father reveals the truth of who Jesus is through faith. Flesh and blood will not reveal it to us. But through faith we may know that he is the living water for whom we thirst (cf. Joh 4:10).
We have to listen in stillness and in faith to receive this revelation. The world will tell us a lot about who Jesus is and what true fulfillment is. But the world is consistently wrong about these things. It displays its error readily in its lack of fulfillment and joy. It a desert, unable the quench its own thirst.
Even Peter stops listening when circumstances become too much for him.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
Seeing Peter make mistakes like this is reassuring. Jesus is quick to rebuke him, but only to set him straight. He wants him at his side so he must make him aware when he turns away from the voice of the Father. He wants him to know that he hardens his heart so that it may again be softened.
Jesus listens to the voice of the Father perfectly. He does not turn aside no matter what he faces. The cross is not an option. It is precisely from the cross that these streams of living water pour fourth (19:34). This is the true water from the rock (cf 1 Cor 10:4). Let our thirst be quenched in him.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
We are all thirsty. This world can be a really desert. The springs of water which nourish us are frustratingly uncommon.
Why did you lead us out of Egypt,
only to bring us to this wretched place
which has neither grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates?
Here there is not even water to drink!”
God is always speaking to us, telling us that he cares for us. He is always reminding us to trust in him. But because we live in a desert there is always the temptation to let circumstances harden our hearts. Hearing "trust me" and experiencing dryness can result in cognitive dissonance. The enemy uses this to temp us to rebel. Ultimately if we let our flesh and blood have the last word we will find ourselves rebelling too.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Peter is an example for us in this. The Father reveals the truth of who Jesus is through faith. Flesh and blood will not reveal it to us. But through faith we may know that he is the living water for whom we thirst (cf. Joh 4:10).
We have to listen in stillness and in faith to receive this revelation. The world will tell us a lot about who Jesus is and what true fulfillment is. But the world is consistently wrong about these things. It displays its error readily in its lack of fulfillment and joy. It a desert, unable the quench its own thirst.
Even Peter stops listening when circumstances become too much for him.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
Seeing Peter make mistakes like this is reassuring. Jesus is quick to rebuke him, but only to set him straight. He wants him at his side so he must make him aware when he turns away from the voice of the Father. He wants him to know that he hardens his heart so that it may again be softened.
Jesus listens to the voice of the Father perfectly. He does not turn aside no matter what he faces. The cross is not an option. It is precisely from the cross that these streams of living water pour fourth (19:34). This is the true water from the rock (cf 1 Cor 10:4). Let our thirst be quenched in him.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
7 August 2013 - family faith
7 August 2013 - family faith
They told Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
The LORD sometimes allows us to see the power of what we're up against. We realize that our own resources are insufficient.
“We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.”
The Canaanite woman knows that she is powerless to help her daughter.
My daughter is tormented by a demon.
But the responses of Israel and the Canaanite woman provide an important contrast. The Israelites surrender themselves to despair:
At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.
In giving up on their trust in the LORD they surrender their claim on his fatherly protection. It is like in the Golden Calf incident when the LORD starts referring to the children of Israel as the people of Moses rather than calling them 'my people.' This breaks the LORD's heart. But if they won't trust in him for protection he won't force them.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man.”
This is very different from the response of the Canaanite woman. She knows she has no power to heal her daughter. When she meets the One whom she believes has that power he discourages her. But she does not let this stop her.
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He challenges both Israel and this woman precisely because he wants them to take their faith to the next level. Israel doesn't succeed, and is only saved by Moses.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
But this woman does not back down with her faith.
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Israel slips and nearly loses the protection that comes from being the people of their God. And this woman gains that very protection even though she is a Canaanite. Faith is paramount!
Let us cry out in complete trust, knowing that we share that same fatherly protection:
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They told Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
The LORD sometimes allows us to see the power of what we're up against. We realize that our own resources are insufficient.
“We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.”
The Canaanite woman knows that she is powerless to help her daughter.
My daughter is tormented by a demon.
But the responses of Israel and the Canaanite woman provide an important contrast. The Israelites surrender themselves to despair:
At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.
In giving up on their trust in the LORD they surrender their claim on his fatherly protection. It is like in the Golden Calf incident when the LORD starts referring to the children of Israel as the people of Moses rather than calling them 'my people.' This breaks the LORD's heart. But if they won't trust in him for protection he won't force them.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man.”
This is very different from the response of the Canaanite woman. She knows she has no power to heal her daughter. When she meets the One whom she believes has that power he discourages her. But she does not let this stop her.
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He challenges both Israel and this woman precisely because he wants them to take their faith to the next level. Israel doesn't succeed, and is only saved by Moses.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
But this woman does not back down with her faith.
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Israel slips and nearly loses the protection that comes from being the people of their God. And this woman gains that very protection even though she is a Canaanite. Faith is paramount!
Let us cry out in complete trust, knowing that we share that same fatherly protection:
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
2013 August 6 - light up the darkness
2013 August 6 - light up the darkness
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
The face of Christ reveals the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor 4:6). No one can see God's face and live (cf. Exo. 33:20). No one, that is, except his only Son who makes him known (cf. Joh. 1:18). We see just how he makes him known in the transfiguration.
He doesn't come to bring head knowledge about God. He is fairly indifferent to that intellectual scene. He participates in it when we see him as a twelve year old discussing with the teachers who are "amazed at his understanding and his answers." But ultimately he rejoices that the Father hides his revelation from the "wise and learned" and reveals them to children (cf. Mat 11:25).
He comes to reveal the Father's face, not so much his facts. It is so personal! A fact is something you must think about. But you can gaze on a face and the person is revealed. It is relational. Only once we enter into this personal revelation does knowledge have a place. And such a revelation can only come through the face of Jesus revealing the Father's face. It can't come through discourse or ideas. That is why Jesus tells Philip that anyone who has seen him "has seen the Father" (cf. Joh 14:9).
The Son shares in the Father's glory. It is for this reason that he is able to reveal the Father to us.
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
In selflessly revealing his Father's glory his very fittingness to do so reveals his own divinity and consubstantiality with the Father.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
And the Father verifies this by speaking from Heaven. It is a real and audible declaration that his apostles hear and to which they cling.
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
They know from it the full reality of the good news Jesus brings. They know from the light which they see with their own eyes that only this good news can cast out the darkness of sin and death.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
The face of Christ reveals the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor 4:6). No one can see God's face and live (cf. Exo. 33:20). No one, that is, except his only Son who makes him known (cf. Joh. 1:18). We see just how he makes him known in the transfiguration.
He doesn't come to bring head knowledge about God. He is fairly indifferent to that intellectual scene. He participates in it when we see him as a twelve year old discussing with the teachers who are "amazed at his understanding and his answers." But ultimately he rejoices that the Father hides his revelation from the "wise and learned" and reveals them to children (cf. Mat 11:25).
He comes to reveal the Father's face, not so much his facts. It is so personal! A fact is something you must think about. But you can gaze on a face and the person is revealed. It is relational. Only once we enter into this personal revelation does knowledge have a place. And such a revelation can only come through the face of Jesus revealing the Father's face. It can't come through discourse or ideas. That is why Jesus tells Philip that anyone who has seen him "has seen the Father" (cf. Joh 14:9).
The Son shares in the Father's glory. It is for this reason that he is able to reveal the Father to us.
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
In selflessly revealing his Father's glory his very fittingness to do so reveals his own divinity and consubstantiality with the Father.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
And the Father verifies this by speaking from Heaven. It is a real and audible declaration that his apostles hear and to which they cling.
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
They know from it the full reality of the good news Jesus brings. They know from the light which they see with their own eyes that only this good news can cast out the darkness of sin and death.
Monday, August 5, 2013
5 August 2013 - hungry for god
5 August 2013 - hungry for god
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.”
It is understandable that Moses gets frustrated with his people. He sees them delivered and cared for with such providence. Yet they aren't even grateful. They wistfully think very selectively of the good things they left behind while completely forgetting about the misery of their former slavery.
We know that we can be like that. We value the manna of the Eucharist so much less than fleeting worldly pleasures. It isn't the highpoint of our week or day as we know it should be. And when we are like this we expect the response of God to be like the human response of Moses.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”
But this is not the response of Jesus. He sees the needs of the crowd, both bodily and spiritual. And he meets those needs, even in spite of his own need to grieve and rest.
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Jesus wants space to grieve for his friend John. But looking on this crowd we see the heart of a true shepherd. He sees that the crowd is troubled and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd. His compassion for us wins out over his own needs.
We see Jesus raising his apostles to deal with situations like that which Moses faced. The question of Moses is certainly on their lips:
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
But Jesus insists that they respond with compassion and selflessness instead of complaining and turning inward.
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
Since he is so full of compassion let us sing to him who is our help. There is no need for us to go away! We needn't wander off on our own to meet our needs. We need not be separated from the LORD in any aspect of our lives. Let us acknowledge that in him is the fulfillment of all our needs.
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.”
It is understandable that Moses gets frustrated with his people. He sees them delivered and cared for with such providence. Yet they aren't even grateful. They wistfully think very selectively of the good things they left behind while completely forgetting about the misery of their former slavery.
We know that we can be like that. We value the manna of the Eucharist so much less than fleeting worldly pleasures. It isn't the highpoint of our week or day as we know it should be. And when we are like this we expect the response of God to be like the human response of Moses.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”
But this is not the response of Jesus. He sees the needs of the crowd, both bodily and spiritual. And he meets those needs, even in spite of his own need to grieve and rest.
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Jesus wants space to grieve for his friend John. But looking on this crowd we see the heart of a true shepherd. He sees that the crowd is troubled and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd. His compassion for us wins out over his own needs.
We see Jesus raising his apostles to deal with situations like that which Moses faced. The question of Moses is certainly on their lips:
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
But Jesus insists that they respond with compassion and selflessness instead of complaining and turning inward.
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
Since he is so full of compassion let us sing to him who is our help. There is no need for us to go away! We needn't wander off on our own to meet our needs. We need not be separated from the LORD in any aspect of our lives. Let us acknowledge that in him is the fulfillment of all our needs.
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
Sunday, August 4, 2013
4 August 2013 - return on investment
4 August 2013 - return on investment
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Ever since the garden of Eden this entire universe is like a clock that is winding down. Nothing here is permanent. Entropy is the only law. Everything is breaking down and falling apart.
But this isn't what the universe is meant for. And Jesus comes to set it right. In his rising from death he does set it right. He begins the process of making all things new in himself. The matter of his risen body is literally the only thing in the physical universe not subject to the laws of death and decay. What a great joy and blessing, then, that we are united to him!
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
We still live in an unredeemed physical universe. Even our bodies don't yet participate in the glory of the resurrection. But our spirits can and do. There are old tendencies even here, but they belong to the old order. Let us be rid of them.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly
There are so many opportunities to be distracted here. Everything clamors for our attention promising an immortality that only God can provide. The world tells us that for a small promise it can provide products and experiences that can give us the perfect feelings that we long for. And they imply that we can dwell in these feelings forever. But even if they can offer fleeting pleasures they cannot offer lasting joy. There is always in undercurrent of anxiety and fear when we pursue this path.
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Even laboring "with wisdom, knowledge, and skill" won't endure beyond the grave unless it is done in Jesus for the building of his kingdom.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
The "anxiety of heart" in such toil is because we know deep down that it is fleeting. We know that we are racing to build sandcastles before the tide sweeps in.
Let us try to be "rich in what matters to God." Such riches endure forever. We can pursue them without anxiety and with peaceful hearts because their source is beyond these shifting sands and his permanence is made present even within our own hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Ever since the garden of Eden this entire universe is like a clock that is winding down. Nothing here is permanent. Entropy is the only law. Everything is breaking down and falling apart.
But this isn't what the universe is meant for. And Jesus comes to set it right. In his rising from death he does set it right. He begins the process of making all things new in himself. The matter of his risen body is literally the only thing in the physical universe not subject to the laws of death and decay. What a great joy and blessing, then, that we are united to him!
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
We still live in an unredeemed physical universe. Even our bodies don't yet participate in the glory of the resurrection. But our spirits can and do. There are old tendencies even here, but they belong to the old order. Let us be rid of them.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly
There are so many opportunities to be distracted here. Everything clamors for our attention promising an immortality that only God can provide. The world tells us that for a small promise it can provide products and experiences that can give us the perfect feelings that we long for. And they imply that we can dwell in these feelings forever. But even if they can offer fleeting pleasures they cannot offer lasting joy. There is always in undercurrent of anxiety and fear when we pursue this path.
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Even laboring "with wisdom, knowledge, and skill" won't endure beyond the grave unless it is done in Jesus for the building of his kingdom.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
The "anxiety of heart" in such toil is because we know deep down that it is fleeting. We know that we are racing to build sandcastles before the tide sweeps in.
Let us try to be "rich in what matters to God." Such riches endure forever. We can pursue them without anxiety and with peaceful hearts because their source is beyond these shifting sands and his permanence is made present even within our own hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
3 August 2013 - jubilee
3 August 2013 - jubilee
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
This is no a God who can be relegated to merely subjectivity and feelings. He is a God who matters in the affairs of nations. The heart of every ruler is before him. They each hear his call on their conscience, no matter how dull or acute it is for them. Even Herod vaguely hears it in his guilt over the death of John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
That is why even the so-called secular ordered must be sanctified by the gospel. There is no part of society which doesn't need to be treated from a gospel worldview. This is why the LORD establishes jubilee years in the Old Testament. They reveal the priority of the sacred even in the very heart of the secular.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Therefore let us pray for our leaders. Let us not be Christians only in the subjective areas of our lives but in all things, with unity and integrity. When we see this unity may we proclaim with the psalmist:
The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
This is no a God who can be relegated to merely subjectivity and feelings. He is a God who matters in the affairs of nations. The heart of every ruler is before him. They each hear his call on their conscience, no matter how dull or acute it is for them. Even Herod vaguely hears it in his guilt over the death of John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
That is why even the so-called secular ordered must be sanctified by the gospel. There is no part of society which doesn't need to be treated from a gospel worldview. This is why the LORD establishes jubilee years in the Old Testament. They reveal the priority of the sacred even in the very heart of the secular.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Therefore let us pray for our leaders. Let us not be Christians only in the subjective areas of our lives but in all things, with unity and integrity. When we see this unity may we proclaim with the psalmist:
The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
Friday, August 2, 2013
2 August 2013 - expect the unexpected
2 August 2013 - expect the unexpected
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
We get used to Jesus. The danger is that we can set limitations on our expectations of him. Jesus is always ready to surprise us. But he can't surprise us if we're stuck looking at a past version of him that exists only in our memory. The real Jesus is always moving. He is doing something new (cf. Is 43:19).
In his home town we hear:
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
Let us be open to the Living God. Just because Jesus doesn't demonstrate his wisdom and mighty deeds in his native place when he is growing up doesn't mean he doesn't want to display them there now that his mission is begun. But even though the people get a sense that what he teaches is in fact wisdom and that the deeds he does are in fact mighty deeds they are still all to ready to dismiss them in favor of their expectations based on the past.
We are acutely aware of this danger. Every time we pray and, apparently, are not answered our expectations are (wrongly) lowered. How are we to fight against this temptation? God provides a way. The feasts he establishes for us to celebrate purify our memories. They reveal God's saving hand at work throughout history. They show that the small sufferings of his people are taken up into greater victories. They open us to anticipate even greater victories to come until, finally, even death is defeated (1 Cor. 15:26).
“These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
We often find ourselves taking more joy in the passing things of this world than the eternal things which endure. These feasts are meant to be a graced occasion for us to experience joy in the things which more truly deserve joyousness.
Sing with joy to God our help.
Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,
the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
We get used to Jesus. The danger is that we can set limitations on our expectations of him. Jesus is always ready to surprise us. But he can't surprise us if we're stuck looking at a past version of him that exists only in our memory. The real Jesus is always moving. He is doing something new (cf. Is 43:19).
In his home town we hear:
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
Let us be open to the Living God. Just because Jesus doesn't demonstrate his wisdom and mighty deeds in his native place when he is growing up doesn't mean he doesn't want to display them there now that his mission is begun. But even though the people get a sense that what he teaches is in fact wisdom and that the deeds he does are in fact mighty deeds they are still all to ready to dismiss them in favor of their expectations based on the past.
We are acutely aware of this danger. Every time we pray and, apparently, are not answered our expectations are (wrongly) lowered. How are we to fight against this temptation? God provides a way. The feasts he establishes for us to celebrate purify our memories. They reveal God's saving hand at work throughout history. They show that the small sufferings of his people are taken up into greater victories. They open us to anticipate even greater victories to come until, finally, even death is defeated (1 Cor. 15:26).
“These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
We often find ourselves taking more joy in the passing things of this world than the eternal things which endure. These feasts are meant to be a graced occasion for us to experience joy in the things which more truly deserve joyousness.
Sing with joy to God our help.
Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,
the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
lumen fidei - 5
lumen fidei - 5
Benedict XVI proclaims the Year of Faith so that we can be empowered to proclaim the faith in it's fullness. The grace that enables us to do this is the experience of "the great joy of believing" and the "wonder at the vast horizons which faith opens up."
Do we have any more joy in our lives because we are believers than we otherwise would?
Do we have any sense at all of wonder at the horizon faith opens up?
We can see how this infuses both purpose and fulfillment into life when we look at the early Christian martyrs. Life for them is so transformed by faith that they really recognize it as the new birth that it is. We can see just how real this vision is to them in their willingness to die in peaceful witness to it.
Benedict XVI proclaims the Year of Faith so that we can be empowered to proclaim the faith in it's fullness. The grace that enables us to do this is the experience of "the great joy of believing" and the "wonder at the vast horizons which faith opens up."
Do we have any more joy in our lives because we are believers than we otherwise would?
Do we have any sense at all of wonder at the horizon faith opens up?
We can see how this infuses both purpose and fulfillment into life when we look at the early Christian martyrs. Life for them is so transformed by faith that they really recognize it as the new birth that it is. We can see just how real this vision is to them in their willingness to die in peaceful witness to it.
1 Aug 2013 - fishing license
1 Aug 2013 - fishing license
The thing about fishing with a net is that we don't succeed by trying to be overly selective. We need to cast our nets as widely as we can.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
We want fish of every kind. Some may not be suitable for eating. They can be thrown back later if necessary. But we often try to cast a narrow net that only catches the perfect fish. This is wrongheaded. We are not to evangelize only those whom we feel are pefect candidates for being Christian. Jesus certainly welcomes fish of every kind as his disciples and even as his apostles. Even if Judas is "thrown away" ultimately, it isn't because Jesus doesn't cast his net that widely. It is because of his own free will as it plays it in the context of his relationship with Jesus. Our criteria about good fish and bad fish don't factor in to our efforts at evangelism. The point, again, is to be generous about casting are nets as widely as we can.
One reason we don't do this is because we aren't really hungry for the feast which we are supposed to be helping to prepare. It is the feast of the Father's house. It is the feast of the kingdom. And if we don't long for it it must be because we don't realize how good it is. If we do, than we say with the psalmist:
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
So let us open our hearts a little wider. Let us try to realize that in the Eucharist we have been invited inside the veil of the tent that even Moses is not privileged to enter.
Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
That glory is meant to dwell in our hearts! Then we will truly say:
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
The thing about fishing with a net is that we don't succeed by trying to be overly selective. We need to cast our nets as widely as we can.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
We want fish of every kind. Some may not be suitable for eating. They can be thrown back later if necessary. But we often try to cast a narrow net that only catches the perfect fish. This is wrongheaded. We are not to evangelize only those whom we feel are pefect candidates for being Christian. Jesus certainly welcomes fish of every kind as his disciples and even as his apostles. Even if Judas is "thrown away" ultimately, it isn't because Jesus doesn't cast his net that widely. It is because of his own free will as it plays it in the context of his relationship with Jesus. Our criteria about good fish and bad fish don't factor in to our efforts at evangelism. The point, again, is to be generous about casting are nets as widely as we can.
One reason we don't do this is because we aren't really hungry for the feast which we are supposed to be helping to prepare. It is the feast of the Father's house. It is the feast of the kingdom. And if we don't long for it it must be because we don't realize how good it is. If we do, than we say with the psalmist:
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
So let us open our hearts a little wider. Let us try to realize that in the Eucharist we have been invited inside the veil of the tent that even Moses is not privileged to enter.
Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
That glory is meant to dwell in our hearts! Then we will truly say:
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)