31 January 2015 - promise-cuous

We are called to have faith this morning. But why? Why do we need it? Does it make a real difference?

Yes, because like Abraham we are all on a journey to our promised inheritance. We all journey toward this city with foundations whose architect and maker is God. But like Abraham we don't really know where we are to go. We need faith to sojourn successfully.

Yes, because like the disciples we all find our boats tossed by violent squalls. The waves break and we seem to sink. Without enough faith we give in to fear. We let circumstances terrify us. We need faith to have peace even during the storms. We need faith to entrust our voyage to Jesus.

"Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?"
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"

We need faith because we see and greet the promise from afar before we receive it. We see a heavenly homeland in the distance. Faith guides us to that distant shore. Without faith as a beacon we risk being lost at sea.

Just as it does for Abraham, faith helps us to realize that even death can't stop God's promise for us.

He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, 
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

It is because of this that faith is able to make a genuine difference in our lives. Death no longer has the last word. We have something greater to guide us. By faith Jesus is able to "free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (cf. Heb. 2:15).

So let us trust in God's promise. May it bring us guidance. May it help us to fix our hearts on things which truly last. And as it does, may we receive the freedom it offers.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

30 January 2015 - in for the duration

You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

Endurance? What does this mean. It is not, we notice, a contest of strength, for we are not strong enough to succeed on our own. It is not a sprint but a marathon. "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved" (cf. Mat. 24:13). There may indeed be some heavy breathing. There may be lactic acid build up and soreness. We may grow hungry and thirsty. But we don't earn the victory by satiating these impulses. Indeed, the victory is ours only if we run to the end. To that end, the great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, encourages us, and cheers us on, so "let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (cf. Heb. 12:1).

If we just keep running toward Jesus we will be like the land that yields fruit of its own accord. We don't engineer and direct the growth of the kingdom inside. But if we keep running it grows. We can look to our own pasts. We can see that God is faithful in each of our lives. This should make us confident. We didn't have to create the fruit ourselves in those days of hardship.

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, 
you endured a great contest of suffering.

When we remember that he was faithful we are able to trust that he will continue to be so. We become confident that he will bring this good work to completion in us (cf. Phi. 1:6). Listen to Paul's confidence:

We are not among those who draw back and perish, 
but among those who have faith and will possess life.

We may not think of ourselves as marathoners. We may sometimes worry that enduring the challenges and hardships of life will overwhelm us. But the mustard seed of God's kingdom is within us. It seems small now but it grows, just given the time. The seed sprouts, just given the time. It is hidden and small and we don't direct it. But if we just give it time it will bear fruit, grow enormously, and carry us to victory. And this is the meaning of endurance. It is to give the fruit time to grow. So we commit our running of the race to the LORD. We rely on him and not ourselves.

Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. 

Even if we stumble in the race he will sustain us to the end.

By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm, 
and he approves his way.
Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate,
for the hand of the LORD sustains him.

Our salvation is from him. Our victory is from him. May our praises rise to him forever.

29 January 2015 - enlightened

Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?

We have light within us. We are meant to be lights of the world (cf. Mat. 5:14). But does the light have its proper place within us? Is it able to make a difference in our lives? Can those around us see this light? Can we even see it ourselves? Or is it under a bushel basket?

The word of God is meant to be "a lamp for my feet, a light for my path" (cf. Psa. 119:105). But if it is covered it cannot illuminate. And then we begin to trip and stumble. When it is not veiled and we keep our eyes on it it can have a profound effect.

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (cf. 1 Pet. 1:19).

Listen to the confidence this light can inspire. We don't create the light. We don't give it power. The only thing we need to do is to make sure we don't hinder it. We can't let ourselves cover it. We must not restrict or inhibit it. It is the nature of this light to shine. We can choose, if we wish, to dwell in darkness. We can continue to stumble and fall. But we are not meant to. It isn't who we are anymore. We are meant to be confident. Without the light we will stumble, but with it we can approach with absolute trust.

Without it we wonder...

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?

...but with it we "approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust". The darkness allows duplicity. But in the light we are sincere. In the darkness we are afraid. In the light we are able not just to trust but to trust absolutely. We see him, though dimly (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). We behold him, though not yet as he is (cf. 1 Joh. 3:2).. But it is enough because "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day" (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12).

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, 
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

We see enough to be convinced that he can bring the work he has begun in us to completion (cf. Phi. 1:6). We see enough to see that he is absolutely trustworthy. We see enough to have hope.

If we let it this light shine even a little it will make a big difference. 

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, 
and still more will be given to you.

Like Moses, we just need to spend time before him and our faces begin to shine. We are transformed from flickering candles to blazing lights. Let us simply let this light do what it does within us. Let us make no effort to control it or to limit the love which is designed to flow through us.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.
He also told them, Take care what you hear.

If we long to see his face we will!

28 January 2015 - angelic doctor

And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

May we be good soil.

May we allow the word deep with in us. It can't be superficial. It can't just impact on the surface. If it doesn't go deep and change who we are in the core of our inmost being the it will be eaten by the birds of worldly concerns. 

May we not be rocky soil. May we not have hard hearts when we hear his voice (cf. Psa. 95:7). May our stony hearts be replaced with hearts of flesh (cf. Eze. 36:26). Hearts that are hard don't let the word grow deeply. Hard hearts might allow the word to enter only piecemeal, only parts that suit them, that affirm them, or that require less of them.

May we not be scorched by the sun. We need to go deep to be nourished in a way that can sustain us no matter the weather and changing seasons of circumstance. Shallow growth may seem easier. But it cannot sustain us. The word of God can sustain us no matter the season, if we just give it room to grow within us.

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing (cf. Eze. 47:12).

May we stay away from the thorns. Weeds and wheat grow together, it is true. They can't be separated without damaging both (cf. Mat. 13:29-30). But thorns are another story. If we are being torn down by the sin around us we need to be transplanted. We need to move more completely from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (cf. Col. 1:13). This can mean moving away from "thorny" people. We don't want to abandon anyone. But if people our putting our own spiritual life at risk this danger cannot be ignored. Thorns might make us think of annoyances, grievances, and other difficulties in getting along with people but they are not. Actually, thorns are temptations. These and these alone can put our spiritual life at risk. They often cut rather painlessly. But the damage the do is real. 

So let us be rich soil, as Thomas Aquinas is. May he be an example to us of just how deeply the word is meant to go. In Thomas, the word shades every aspect of how he views the world. It shapes his scientific and philosophical ideas as well as his theological ones. It shapes his concerns from the most practical to the most abstract.

He is consecrated by the one offering of Jesus just as we are meant to be. He is now perfected forever in heaven, just as we are meant to be. God writes his law on the heart of Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is now a testament to us. It shows us what he wants to do in each and every heart where he finds room.

This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
"I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,"

So then, let us give him room. That is the whole secret, today. It is the secret of Thomas who counts everything he writes as straw compared to knowing Jesus. We see it when God asks him how he wants to be rewarded for writing so well of him. He answers, "Nil nisi te, Domine": "Lord, nothing but yourself." May this be our answer, too.

The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."

We must start by sitting at his feet. Only then we can share in the victory his word is meant to bring us. When we give him room thorns and birds and shallow soil won't prevent our growth. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (cf. Rom. 8:37).

27 January 2015 - presence precedes action

Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.

But take notice, just what is the crowd doing? To what does Jesus refer when he says they are doing the will of God? As far as we can tell, they are simply "seated around him". Is this surprising? After all, it is there is only one thing necessary (cf. Luk. 10:42).  Thinking about doing the will of God often fills our minds with images of busying ourselves, running hither and thither, and generally doing things. But this is often pride. Can we simply sit at God's feet and understand that he can keep the universe running even while we aren't out actively helping?

He does not necessarily desire sacrifices and oblations. What he wants is our hearts. 

First he says, Sacrifices and offerings, 
burnt offerings and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.
These are offered according to the law.

Sacrifices and oblations can be merely law. They can be merely letter and not Spirit. They can be merely obligation and not self-giving. If they don't result from a deeper change within, a shift from being self-centered to being self-giving, they are not what they are meant to be. This is a shift we are unable to make on our own. But there is good news.

Then he says, Behold, I come to do your will.
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this "will," we have been consecrated 
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We see that Jesus not only offers himself in a way that is pleasing to the Father, but by that very offering he consecrates all of us as well. He makes us all pleasing to the Father.

"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing" (cf. 2 Cor. 2:15)

And since we are thus consecrated, we should not hesitate to offer ourselves.

"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship" (cf. Rom. 12:1)

It all begins at the feet of Jesus. This is where the Father's will for us starts. This is how we become brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Only in this relationship can any other action be consecrated. Only then are they a pleasing aroma of Christ. Only then are we a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Listen to the psalm today. "Here am I Lord; I come to do your will." Presence precedes action. It must be so. When it does it is so good that we can't shut up about it.

Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.

26 January 2015 - fire fight

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.

We receive the Holy Spirit first in baptism, normally. But we need him unleashed more and more in our lives.

We find ourselves in a battle. We have a real Enemy. He is not flesh and blood (cf. Eph. 6:12). But he is strong. He is strong enough that we are easily overcome when we try to face him alone. He is the highest of the angels, pure spirit, unmatched intellect, and great power, all directed at keeping captive hearts in bondage.

Praise God that the one who is in us is stronger than the one who is in the world (cf. 1 Joh. 4:4). Jesus Christ delivers us from this body of death and makes us temples of his Spirit (cf. Rom. 7:24-25). We are not strong enough because "no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man." But Jesus is more than strong enough. He himself ties up the strong man and pillages his possessions. And we ourselves are the prizes he wins: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people" (cf. Eph. 4:8). Satan cannot stand in the face of overwhelming Strong One of Israel. And this is the very one who lives in us. This power is not something we can take for granted. We must fan the flame. To neglect the gift of the Holy Spirit is the one thing can unsure we remain in unforgiveness and sin.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 
will never have forgiveness, 
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.

The Holy Spirit himself is the agent of mercy and deliverance. He is the only source of power that gives us victory. 

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord

But, assuming we are baptized, he does live in us. His power is here. No wonder, then, we are called to boldness. We are called to confidence. On our own, there is good reason to fear. In Jesus Christ perfect love casts out fear. How do we take advantage of this power? He do we fan it into flame and unleash it in our lives? How do we trade a spirit of cowardice for one of power and love and self-control?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (cf. Eph. 6:18).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (cf. Phi. 4:6-7).

When we are close to him and spend time with him (prayer) we grow in his fruit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (cf. Gal. 6:18). We can bear our share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. We can do it with boldness because when we come first to Jesus and receive his Spirit the yoke is easy and the burden is light.

We think to ourselves that we don't have time to grow any closer than we are. We think that the effort we make now is the best effort we can manage. But it is more about quality than quantity. Let us come before him with a renewed focus and with undivided hearts. He in turn wants to come with us in the busy parts of our lives. He wants to truly enable us to "pray always." When we do his life and power is fully unleashed in us. We now praise him with the boldness.

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.

25 January 2015 - better catch

Jesus says to us, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." He invites us to follow him. We are caught up in the world. We're caught up in weeping and rejoicing. We're caught up in buying the things of this world and using them. Jesus changes our relationship to these things because "the world in its present form is passing away."

The people of Nineveh are invested in something impermanent which has the potential to be even more impermanent than they expect. Nineveh itself is scheduled for destruction if the people do not repent. Fortunately, they do not take much convincing to realize that they need to change their ways. Jonah isn't even all the way through the city and already they proclaim a fast and put on sackcloth.

But there is something greater than Jonah here:

"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."

If we continue to pursue this world at the expense of God we end up with neither this world nor God. What good is it to gain the world and lose our souls (cf. Mat. 16:26)? If we repent and follow Jesus we get not only God but the world, now in its proper place, too. "For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God" (cf. 1 Cor. 3:21-23).

Our ability to respond should be far greater than that of the Ninevites. Jesus is greater than Jonah because, unlike Jonah, he isn't forced to come to us. He actually wants to come. Jonah is swallowed by the wale against his will. When Jesus is swallowed by the grave no one takes his life from him. He freely lays it down (cf. Joh. 10:18). No greater love has anyone than how Jesus lays down his life for his friends (cf. Joh. 15:13) and he calls us friends (cf. Joh. 15:15).

When we respond we get far more than the Ninevites. Yes, God "repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them". And they probably learn something. Their hearts might even change a little. But they are still living for the sake of that earthly city. They are still just trying to get as much time there as they can. Whether they know it or not Ninevah can't last forever.  When we follow Jesus we know that "here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (cf. Heb. 13:14).

This, as Jesus says, is the time of fulfillment. The shadows are passing. The world is now pointing beyond itself to the kingdom. Creation itself whispers that there is more than we can see. With every change, loss, and pain we receive the invitation. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (cf. 2 Cor. 4:18)

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice
and teaches the humble his way.

Let us fix our gaze on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2). We need to seek first the kingdom. When we do we get everything else besides (cf. Mat. 6:33). The way to seek the kingdom is to seek the king. Jesus says, "Come after me", so we come.

24 January 2015 - crowded out

When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, 
for they said, "He is out of his mind."

His relatives see how popular Jesus is. They see the movement around him become something huge and almost unmanageable. Jesus and his disciples just want to eat and there isn't room because of the crowds. That sure seems like a deal breaker to the relatives. Popularity is great. In fact, they're probably a little bit jealous of Jesus and his popularity. What makes him special? But they reassure themselves that it isn't worth the impact to their daily lives. It is as if these relatives are the original hipsters. They see something popular and disregard it by that very fact. They don't see beyond the gathering crowd to the reason the crowds gather. And yet, the crowds have a good reason to gather. Just as was the case earlier, he "had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him" (cf. Mar. 3:10). On the one hand, to not blindly follow a crowd is commendable. It is a necessary condition of sanity in the world. On the other, to ignore a thing because it popular can cause us to miss anything that deserves its popularity. What motives underlie this way of thinking? If we are too prideful we only want to discover things that are new, things which no one else knows, and things which we discover for ourselves unassisted. We don't want to learn them from others. We want the learning and the choice itself to say something about us and how good and smart we are. But no one comes before Jesus this way.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? 
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? 
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (cf. Rom. 10:14)

The point is that, however great the movement surrounding him, Jesus deserves it all and more. He casts out demons. He heals all who approach him. He does not merely sanctify those defiled in an external and ritual way. He heals the depths of our hearts. Only he can cleanse these dead works from our consciences so that we can worship the living God. He is looking for people to worship in Spirit and truth (cf. Joh. 4:24). In everything that was, is, and ever will be popular is something of the human desire for fulfillment. This desire, at its deepest, is a desire for God. No other movement, however popular can totally deliver on this promise. Maybe that's why we become skeptical about the popular. Maybe in that way it is understandable. But here at last we find the one who finally tears the veil that separates us from the one in whom alone mankind finds true fulfillment.

how much more will the Blood of Christ, 
who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

Jesus is the new and living way through this veil (cf. Heb. 10:20). When we turn to him in our hearts the veil is removed from us (cf. 2 Cor. 3:16). He does this definitively by his death on the cross when the temple veil is torn in two (cf. Mat. 27:51). We share in this blessing already. But today he invites us to grow in it more, to more fully enter into the presence of God. He invites us to discover the reason why his message goes out to all the earth. We are invited to celebrate the deserved popularity of the Gospel. In turn we are invited to spread it still further by our own enthusiasm and celebration.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.

Saint Francis de Sales reminds us that we are all called to holiness. He assures us that when we pursue holiness we don't lose our identity in the crowd. God has a path specially for us. But the destination is the same: the unveiled presence of God.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18).

23 January 2015 - nearly there

I will put my laws in their minds
and I will write them upon their hearts.

In the old covenant there is a problem. The problem is that even though the people know it they don't keep it. Even though there are great blessings promised if they do they still do not stand by it. It doesn't transform them. It doesn't impact them. Does this sound familiar?

The power of the new covenant is that it can transform us. This is the better promise. Rather than something outside of ourselves to which we respond, this new covenant promises that our hearts themselves can be changed. Our hearts transform from those that wander, those that do not stand by the covenant, to hearts that follow Jesus and cling to God.

I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

The fundamental core of this transformation is a personal knowledge of God at the deepest levels of who we are. This is what Jesus reveals in his love for us. He reveals it to each of us personally just as he does for all of us collectively in his cross and resurrection.

And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kin, saying,
"Know the Lord,"
for all shall know me, from least to greatest.

And all that has gone before, all our faults, and all our failures, are swept away so that there is nothing to hinder this new revelation of the Father's heart. "For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more."

It starts when Jesus calls us and we come to him, just as it does for the Apostles. We are not Apostles. We are not there successors, the bishops. And yet we do share in their mission to preach. We even share in their authority to drive our demons. Not in formal exorcisms do we drive them out. But in the small ways in which our love and compassion inspires hope we do drive back the darkness. Or we are meant to. But we have to be firmly grounded in the better covenant and the better promise. The law needs to be written not just on a page in our house, but in our minds and on our hearts. Just as the Apostles are first called "that they might be with him" and only then are sent out so too are we. Before mission makes sense he must be our God and we must be his people. Fortunately this is not lofty or far to seek. It is available for the asking.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.

22 January 2015 - learning to spell obedience

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

He is without limits. We tend to think how great it would be to be part of the "large number of people" who hear what he has done and follow him. Wouldn't it be great to be caught up in all of that excitement? Wouldn't it be great to see the many cures? To feel the thrill that even demons fall down before him?

Before Jesus, earthly priests offer imperfect sacrifices in a a place that is only a pattern of the heavenly sanctuary. They have to keep offering and offering and offering and it is never enough. Before the resurrection there are even limits to our access to Jesus. We press in with the crowds and he withdraws.

There are all these limits on our access to God that come from our fallen human nature. These limits are obliterated by the resurrection.  Now, we actually have more access to Jesus than do the crowds who follow him. He gets into a boat because of the crowd so that they do not crush him. He never withdraws from the place where he makes intercession for us. He is always able to save us from his place in the true heavenly sanctuary.

This is his more excellent ministry. This is the better covenant that is built on a better promise.

Only Jesus is able to say with complete sincerity of heart, "Here am I Lord; I come to do your will." Only this obedience unlocks all the blessings the Father wants to give us. So Jesus makes the blessings of this obedience to all who turn to him in their hearts. He does this by making his own obedience present within us.

May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."

Before the resurrection the demons must be silenced. Disobedient hearts always distort the truth of who Jesus is and who the Father is. They cannot speak the full truth of God's love because they refuse to abide in that love. But now, filled with resurrection power, we can and must proclaim, "You are the Son of God."

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. 

21 January 2015 - a life that cannot be destroyed

Jesus is a priest forever. He lives forever to make intercession to God on our behalf. He is not one among many. He is the truth of priesthood that all before point toward and to which all after refer back. The truth of priesthood is offering for the sake of others. But aside from Jesus all others are distracted by their own sin. Aside from Jesus their capacity to offer is limited because they are finite. Only Jesus truly "remains forever" and is "without beginning of days or end of life." Only Jesus is a priest "by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed." Death reveals the limitations of the human race. The resurrection reveals that Jesus transcends these limits. Because Jesus is risen and has conquered death he is able to offer the world a permanent hope, an unshakable promise.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Only the truly risen one can be the priest we need. In turn, he asks us to open our hearts. He gives us the very love that enables him to offer himself so that we can love our neighbors with all that we are. He empowers us to transcend the limits of human love. He enables us to love with supernatural power. The Pharisees don't let themselves receive this. Their capacity to love remains limited. It remains temporary and partial. It can't embrace all who are in need.

Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

Our hands are too withered to love. But Jesus wants to heal us. He says, "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirmt he feeble knees" (cf. Isa. 35:3). He invites us to stretch our weakness toward his strength that he might empower us. Let us not make excuses like the Pharisees. Jesus gives us the power to love. Let us use it. He makes us to share in his princely power. He is the one begotten by the Father. But he delights to call us brothers. Let us hear the words of the psalmist spoken about us and be renewed in strength and confidence:

Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.

20 January 2015 - no slug-fest

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

We tend to get things flipped. We think that we're made for the sabbath. We don't understand that the sabbath, along with all of God's laws, are given to us for our good. They are given to us so that we can flourish and prosper. The Office of Readings help us to remember this today with a reading from Deuteronomy 6.

The LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes in fear of the LORD, our God, that we may always have as good a life as we have today.

The LORD gives us his laws because he loves us. It isn't as though it adds anything to his greatness or perfect happiness when we keep it or disobey it. We have the twisted pride which puts obedience first so that our own efforts seem more important. But we need to understand that love comes first. This is why "God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name". We don't earn his attention by success. But he delights to see our efforts at loving him. And these efforts delight him precisely because they make for our own blessedness and prosperity.

This helps us to better appreciate and be eager for the "fulfillment of hope until the end". It helps us "not become sluggish". When we are working hard to on our own strength we quickly become sluggish. In the first place we are not strong enough and our strength quickly runs dry. Not only that, we lose sight of the reason for our hope. We begin to think of ourselves as employees of a strict boss rather than children of a loving father. How great can our hope be if this is the case? At best, we might be promoted. But do we even want that in a situation of cold business relationships? It is much easier to give all that we are for God as Father than for God as a mean and arbitrary employer.

God really wants us to understand and base our lives on the hope he has in store for us.

God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose

He desires that "we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us." He does all he can to shake us from our sluggishness. He doesn't want us to get bogged down in details like picking and eating grain on the sabbath. He gives us a firm anchor so that when we think through smaller issues like this we are unshaken:

This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner

The love of Jesus "on our behalf" is permanently behind the veil in the presence of the Father. His love for us is exulted. It is enthroned where it cannot be shaken, cannot be questioned, and cannot be destroyed. When our doubts make us exult our own effort let us remember this encouragement. When we are too worried about our own efforts let us look to this anchor of the soul. When we are caught up in minutia and forget that all God does for us is out of love let us look to the unalterable evidence of that love.

He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.

Paradoxically, when we are anchored here with Jesus we are not sluggish!

19 January 2015 - compassion

Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

The bridegroom is, in one sense, with us always, even unto the end of the age (cf. Mat. 28:20). The wedding feast, the banquet of the lamb, is in progress. We do drink the new wine even now. We are clothed with the new baptismal robes of righteousness and salvation even now.

Yet we hear Jesus say, "the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day." He is talking about his days in the flesh when "he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence."

Simply a historical reality, then? Something we no longer need to bother about? Yet fasting is practiced in the Acts of the Apostles, after the cries and tears of Jesus cease. He reigns enthroned in heaven and is with us always by his Spirit within us. Yet fasting continues. In fact, the reality of the cross, the reality of the bridegroom being taken from us, is not entirely in the past.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes (cf 1 Cor. 11:26).

We are not yet perfect. We still need to enter into his suffering. He learns obedience from what he suffers so that he can teach it to us in our suffering.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

And to be honest, there is no shortage of suffering. This is not yet heaven. When it reveals this to us we should not close our eyes and pretend. When we find that we are still old wine skins in one way or another we shouldn't insist that we are other than what we are. Since this isn't heaven we find that we can't be filled with only new wine. We find clothing still patched and tattered. Fortunately, there is still much this suffering can do both to make us perfect and to let us become sources of the salvation of Jesus for others. 

Even though Jesus is not sinful like us he still endures all that we endure. He teaches us by his example to suffer together with a world that suffers. This is the literal meaning of the word compassion.

This is our shared priesthood with Jesus, the priesthood of all believers.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship (cf. Rom. 12:1).

This is how we share in the sufferings of Jesus for the sake of the Church.

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church (cf. Col 1:24).

We enter into this suffering at every mass.  This is why we also fast, however briefly, beforehand. It isn't masochist. It is an exulted anointing to enter into suffering for the sake of the Church and the world. We do not create new suffering, but we do join our own suffering with that of Jesus as an offering. We do not create new suffering, but we do join the suffering of others by using fasting to remove distractions. This is how suffering is transformed into love and the enemies of sin and death are made our footstool. There is cause for rejoicing here, even in our sufferings.

The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."

18 January 2015 - trained, unrestrained

John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”

Sometimes we need help to recognize the One whom God sends to us. We need a John the Baptist to point out Jesus to us.  We need an Eli to point out the voice of God when he speaks to us. If we aren't prepared to see or hear him we can miss him. Sometimes he is a quiet voice in the night that is hard to recognize. And when he comes as Messiah for Israel he doesn't fulfill that expectation in a way that the general public expects. But he doesn't do this to be covert or elusive. He wants to be heard. He wants to be found. To that end he sends help like John and Eli to point him out even in spite of our expectations. When his presence is apparently too humble, human, and personal, let us learn that even so, here is the Lamb of God. Let us listen to the voices God gives us to help us recognize him.

Our part is to wait for the LORD. We should wait not only with patience but with confidence that he always comes to help those who wait for him. Have we ever had the experience of the LORD putting a new song into our mouth, a hymn to our God? He wants to give us joyful experiences of his presence like this. Wait for him! Have we heard him speaking to us? He wants to speak to us. Wait for him! Sometimes it means spending so much time in his presence that we are even sleeping in the temple like Samuel is. Samuel is waiting day and night even if he doesn't know precisely for what. His life is dedicated to the LORD so the time he spends in the temple is waiting on the LORD by definition. We have trouble with waiting that doesn't yield results fairly quickly. The LORD is worth the wait. But we may find, like Samuel, that the LORD is speaking to us before we even realize that it is him. Even though Samuel's life is lived in the temple dedicated to the LORD he still needs help to learn to hear the voice of the LORD. He needs Eli to tell him that the voice he hears sounds like what Eli knows of the voice of the LORD. God places people in our lives to do the same thing. In turn, our response should be the same.

When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel does listen. And the reward for it is more than he can even imagine.

Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

We need to follow Samuel's example and learn to wait on the LORD. We need to follow his example of discernment when the LORD does come and verify his revelation with those whom we know to be spiritual. Eventually we will need less and less help. But God gives us these voices for a reason.

Jesus is calling us to follow him. He is calling us to put away immorality and be united with him. He himself pays the price so that we can have this unity. He himself takes the initiative. We are purchased at a price. We need to respond, saying, "Hear I am LORD. I come to do your will". We need to glorify him in all that we are, that we say, and that we do. Samuel lives in the temple and hears a voice from outside of himself calling him. We ourselves are made temples by the Holy Spirit and the invitation now comes from within our own hearts. This adds nuiance to the process of learning to listen. But it is something far more profoundly personal than that which Samuel hears. We are purchased by God. The debt of our sin is paid. We are made temples and hear him calling us from the depths of our hearts to come and follow Jesus. The promise he gives is that if we do follow Jesus God will raise us up in the same we he raises him. So let us glorify him with this new song he places on our lips.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

17 January 2015 - exposed

No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

We might be afraid to come before someone like this. He sees all that we are. There is nothing we can hide from him. He knows all of our mixed motives and impure desires. He knows all of our hidden imperfect choices. We can cover these things up before others. We can dress our faults and make ourselves presentable. But not before him. We are naked and exposed before him. We are just as naked as Adam is in the garden.

We should not do what Adam does. We should not run away. We have more grounds for confidence than Adam has. Adam knows he is naked and expects death because he knows that he shouldn't know that. He tries to cover himself so that he doesn't have to know it. He runs from God so that he can't see it. He assumes that if God does find him it will only be to deliver the promised punishment.

He does not try to approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and timely help. But we should. We should approach with a confidence that Adam cannot have because, we have a high priest who is able "to sympathize with our weaknesses", one who faces all the same tests we face "yet without sin". He is not out to get us. He isn't looking for an excuse to condemn. He knows what it is like. He knows how hard it is. And because he knows, he wants to give us the grace and mercy we need.

"The word of God is living and effective". But do we experience it this way? Do we experience the profound vulnerability we read about above when we read his word? We should. It should be hitting us on a level as deep as that. Do we actually experience mercy and grace for timely help when we approach Jesus present in his word? We are meant to experience them. Let us confidently approach! We have ought to have more confidence than Adam. The Word of God is not spoken to condemn us. If we allow it to expose us we can be confident that mercy will not be far behind.

We hear the word spoken, "Follow me." It leads us to a place of vulnerability. Jesus leads us to a banquet with tax collectors and sinners. His word leads to fellowship with people like Levi at his customs post. It leads us to realize that we are no better than any of these with whom we dine. We belong here. We are not well. We are sick and need a physician. We are sinners and need a savior. And we have found him.

Let us not run from his words. Let us not engage them on a level that is superficial, abstract, or artificial. May we engage them on the deepest and must intimate level. May we celebrate and rejoice in them.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

16 January 2015 - no man is an island

But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.

Because they were not united in faith they didn't enter into the rest which God had for them. He swore in his anger, "They shall not enter into my rest". We don't want to hear the same thing. That is why we try not to harden our hearts. We try to remain open to the faith. We try to keep the faith. We are often very concerned with doctrinal precision, with wording, with formulations, and with ideas. And this is laudable. But the author of Hebrews envisions something more. He warns us that the Good News might not profit us if we aren't united in the faith with those who listen. It isn't all about individualism. We are to be united by the Holy Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:3). Are we our brother's keeper? The implicit answer is yes, we are (cf. Gen. 4:9).

This is a great responsibility of course. But it can also be a great blessing in our weakness.

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

In each and every heart there is paralysis that keeps us from God. The kingdom is designed in such a way that our brothers and sisters can carry us to Jesus to be healed when we cannot or will not move on our own. We are not islands of strength. We are not sufficient onto ourselves. We all have different roles to play. We don't have to have every sort of strength to make it through.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4)

The body is not one member, but many (cf. 1 Cor. 12:14). But this only functions as intended when we are united by the Spirit. But we are united in the Spirit by virtue of our baptism. We need to live this unity!

We need to strive to enter in the rest God has prepared for us. We need to do this together. When we realize that forgiveness and healing aren't simply heavenly abstractions, when we realize "that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth", we come to him with our earthly brothers and sisters. It is no longer purely spiritual because we aren't purely spiritual beings.

Jesus wants us to know and trust his authority. He wants us to come to him united and with malleable hearts so that he can guide us to the rest he intends us "at the foundation of the world". Let us declare his authority to one another. Let us declare his love to one another. Let us make firm our hope in him.

That they too may rise and declare to their sons
that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God
but keep his commands.

15 January 2015 - heart disease risk assessment

The Holy Spirit says:
Oh, that today you would hear his voice,

What does the Spirit say to us this morning? It is the first thing. It is the prerequisite. Without it nothing else is heard. Without it we place ourselves beyond God's saving help. What does he say? "Harden not your hearts".

We've all been there and done that. We have all had our own rebellion on days of testing in the desert. There are times in all of our lives when we hear God's call and choose to ignore it. The ignorance we live in from this ignoring is a culpable one. It is our own fault. The invitation is before us and we know it is right but we reject it.

After a rejection this intentional we might wonder if the LORD even wants to heal us. We know he can heal us, certainly. But does he wish it? Yes! No matter how many times before now we've asked to be made clean he does not grow tired of mercy. His mercy is new each morning (cf. Lam. 3:23). There is more joy over the sinner that repents than the one who has no need of repentance. This is true the first time they repent and every time thereafter. There is rejoicing. There is celebration. God always delights to welcome the prodigal home. When we ask for mercy Jesus always says "I do will it. Be made clean." This is true if we are sincere. If we understand that our sin is more ugly than leprosy we are sincere. If we harden our hearts and ask forgiveness as a pretext to keep sinning our hearts only grow harder. Jesus heals us if we come before him. But if we keep up that sort of thing we eventually grow so hard that we stop asking.

How do we ensure that we remain soft and malleable? How do we keep our hearts from growing hard?

Encourage yourselves daily while it is still "today,"
so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.

Do we encourage one another? Do we actually help to build one another up in our faith? The promises that we have are so great. There is a time coming when every tear will be wiped from our eyes (cf. Rev. 21:4). There is a rest that remains for God's people (cf. Heb. 4:9). So if we're tired and the way seems hard let us at least be excited that one day we will rest. If we don't talk about this, if we are too embarrassed to be excited about it, it gradually loses its power. To not encourage one another is in fact a hardening of our hearts. How so? We are invited to do it and we don't. Encourage one another. It isn't hard! There's a lot to be excited about.

We need to hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end. God gives us the grace to do so. Let us not harden our hearts to that grace. Let us encourage one another in that grace. Let us make Jesus the center of our lives that he wants to be.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

14 January 2015 - to destroy the works of the devil

For this purpose have I come.

For which purpose? Not just to go, not just to to preach, but "to destroy the works of the devil" (cf. 1 Joh. 3:8).

Fevers, illness, and demonic possessions are just examples of these works. These things afflict those who "share in blood and Flesh". They are symptoms of the thing that is common to all the children of blood and Flesh. They are symptoms of death.

This is the purpose for which Jesus comes. It is not to help angels who do not share in blood and Flesh. It is to help us. We are the ones who are slaves. If we are honest we don't try to say along with the Pharisees that we have never been slaves to anyone. If we are honest we find ourselves choosing things we don't want and not choosing things we do want. "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (cf. Rom. 7:15). This isn't freedom. This is the slavery to which the fear of death subjects us. Death makes shortsighted selfishness our master and a harsh master it is. We are those "who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life."

The purpose for which Jesus comes is freedom. It is why he shares in blood and Flesh. It is why he lets us share his Sonship. He shows a path beyond fear. He shows a path where death is not the end. He gives us hope.

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (cf. Joh. 8:35-36).

He shares our blood and Flesh so that he can help us in the most personal and loving way imaginable. He unites himself so closely with us because he loves us too much to leave us as slaves.

Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

How are we slaves this morning? What bad things are we choosing that we don't want to choose? They might feel hopeless and beyond our power to control. They are beyond our power, indeed, but they are not hopeless. Jesus wants to set us free. What good things do we feel unable to choose? Jesus wants to set us free. And in him we are free indeed.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (cf. Gal. 5:1).

He never forgets us. He remembers his covenant for ever, for a thousand generations. So let us praise him for the freedom he constantly makes available.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

13 January 2015 - the author's authority

The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

It is no ordinary teaching because the teacher is not ordinary. This teacher is the one crowned with glory and honor. This teacher has all things subjected under his feet. What difference does it make if a teaching has authority or not? Aren't we all so rational that we just weigh arguments on their own merits and except or reject them? Nope. And we know it, don't we? If that were the case the truth, as Aquinas tells us, would be known "only by a few, after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors". We are just like everyone else who "became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened" (cf. Rom. 1:21). Since we faileto use our minds as they are intended they no longer work as perfectly as we'd like. We suffer concupiscence, "an inclination to evil" (cf. CCC 406) that affects both mind and will.

So we need a teacher who can, with his very teaching, cast the darkness from our minds and shine his own light.

Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

Let him speak this word to us this morning. This is why only the word of Jesus is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword (cf. Heb. 4:12). This is why he is the only one who teaches with authority. This is why no other words have the power of his words. It is why no one speaks as he does (cf. Joh. 7:46).

You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

This is wonderful. But the scary part is that we are invited to share in this authority. 

in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them "brothers"

He tastes death for us so that he can lift us up. He gives us the rule over the works of his hand that he intends us to have since the fall of Adam and Eve. We squander it then so he wins it for us in a new way in more perfect way. So, since he is mindful of mortal man and cares for us, since he makes us little less than gods and crowns us with glory and honor, since he puts all of creation at our feet, we must use this authority to do one thing. There is only one proclamation that truly matter. There is only one truth that sets free. It is his name.

I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

12 January 2015 - fulfillment time

Ordinary time? It just sounds so ordinary, so boring. Maybe the name is poorly chosen.

This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.

How about fulfillment time? How about the time when all the promises of God are ours for the taking?

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways 
to our ancestors through the prophets; 

What is ordinary for us? It is not the partial and incomplete like it is in times past.

in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son, 
whom he made heir of all things 
and through whom he created the universe,

This is the time of fulfillment. God's plan is revealed. The "mystery hidden from ages past" is now so fully known and revealed on earth that the Church makes it known "to the principalities and authorities in the heavens" (cf. Eph. 3:9-11). That is the reverse of what anyone would guess. And what is made known? What do we teach angels? We reveal "the inscrutable riches of Christ" (cf. Eph 3:8).

who is the refulgence of his glory, 
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.

He is Emmanuel. He is the Word become flesh. And the angels can only understand this nearness by watching our worship as we return the love God shows us. This is the love which surpasses knowledge (cf. Eph. 3:19). We receive bread from heaven, the body and blood of the LORD, which pure spirits cannot receive. Angels certainly have some idea what is happening in the abstract. But the depths of love which we are shown is something which we must convey.

The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
Let all his angels worship him.

In these days of fulfillment Jesus is closer to us than we would ever dare to hope. The sacraments stand ready as unfailing means of grace. He waits for us in the Blessed Sacrament. He longs to answer our prayers by pouring out his Holy Spirit on us. He teaches us through Scripture and the Magesterium. It is a good thing the angels are perfected already lest they be jealous of all these blessings.

When we realize that Jesus is the fulfillment of every one of God's promises we hear his invitation and respond:

Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

When we know that Jesus is God's yes to every promise we don't need to sit and analyze (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20). We know that he is exactly the fulfillment on which we wait. This is the chance that is promised throughout history. But it is just a hint and a rumor before now. We, unlike all who come before, are invited to stand, to move, and to follow Jesus.

11 January 2015 - introduced, invited, empowered

Jesus is revealed to us this morning. Before now he is seen only by a privileged few shepherds and Magi. This morning he is revealed as the beloved Son of the Father. He is the one with whom the Father is well pleased. He is the LORD's servant whom he upholds, with whom he is pleased, and on whom he has put his spirit. He will bring justice to the nations at long last. He does not do it by the old ways. Shouting and violence are not to be his solution. And yet the coastlands wait for his teaching. Shouting conceals lack of content and violence imposes that too which people refuse to be invited. But the invitation is Jesus, justice for the nations, is the desire of nations.

All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!

We don't need to have this forced upon us. He has far more to the world than any of the old paradigms. All of the old systems only offer that which "fails to satisfy". It promises bread. But even if we do eat we quickly hunger again. It promises water but we quickly thirst again. Only Jesus offers the bread which satisfies. 

In Jesus we draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. His voice is over the waters of baptism. His voice is mighty and majestic. It is the word which comes down from heaven, like rain and snow. Like rain and snow, it does not return until the earth is watered. What was dead and lifeless because of sin is made "fertile and fruitful" through the waters of baptism.

Jesus descends into the water the water is baptized. On the water which cannot satisfy or heal the Spirit descends. Now we descend into the waters united to the one on whom the Spirit descends and we are filled with the same Spirit. We too hear the Father say we are his sons and daughters. The dove lands. The flood in the times of Noah is ended with the coming of a dove. The flood of sin and death is ended with the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Jesus is anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the world. We receive this anointing in baptism, too, but there is always more. We are called to let the sinful flesh die in the waters of the flood and to emerge in the power of the Hoy Spirit. We are blind beneath the waters but we arise and our eyes our opened. We are trapped in the waters and we are drowning. Jesus is the ark and in him we are borne unto the eternal shore. This same Holy Spirit invites us and empowers us to enter the mission of Jesus, the mission to bring healing and life to the world. Will we say yes?

10 January 2015 - the voice

So they came to John and said to him,
"Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him."

John faces a real challenge when Jesus comes to his turf and starts doing his thing. John is anointed to prepare the way of Jesus. But it is fair to wonder if this is what he expects. John's one special role is to proclaim his baptism of repentance and tell the world about the one who is coming. But here is Jesus. He isn't doing much more than John is, apparently. But the crowds are going to Jesus, now, and not John. This is a moment of truth for him. This sort of challenge can only be met be one who is truly surrendered to God. It proves to be an occasion of profound humility for John.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. 
So this joy of mine has been made complete. 
He must increase; I must decrease.

If God is going to take "his thing" from him and not even show him the benefits he hopes to see, John can still rejoice. He rejoices because this very surrender of his plan to God means that God is close. He hears the bridegroom's voice. John is able to rejoice even though he does not see the promise fulfilled. He tells us, "we know that what we have asked him for is ours." John knows it but we need to be reminded. We are too busy holding onto "our thing" to rejoice in the bridegroom's voice. We insist on being involved in the fulfillment and so we miss the one on whom the fulfillment of the promise entirely depends.

We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;

As we realize that we are caught up in our selfishness we have a hard time seeing ourselves as begotten by God if that means we do not sin. Yet this is not a condemnation. It is an invitation. We can enter more into sonship and daughterhood this morning. We can rely more and more on the Fatherhood of God. This trust and surrender transforms us and makes holiness possible. It is this relationship of surrender that allows John to rejoice at the bridegroom's voice. It allows us to rejoice as well. It allows us to rejoice even while we have to lay down our entire lives and purposes as we understand them. It protects us from the Evil One and allows us to know the one who is true and to remain in him. It keeps us from falling for the false promises of idolatry. It allows us to decrease while he increases. It shows that this is, in fact, the only source of true joy.

Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

9 January 2015 - biggest loser

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (cf. Joh. 20:31).

Anything less than eternal life isn't enough. The world is not enough. Victory can be nothing less than eternal life. When death has the last word we lose. It isn't just one loss among many endeavors. It is total defeat. It is utter failure. We strive after many things in this life. We put our effort into many things. But if death is ultimately the last word than none of these things matter. The things we build are scattered to the wind, never to be heard from again. Death renders every effort meaningless. It mocks the fervor of relationships as it ends them.

This is why John is so insistent that we realize what we have. He wants us to know how much of a game-changer eternal life should be for us.

I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Paul knows the difference that it should make to know this. We should not be like those for whom death has the last word, those who have no hope.

so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died (cf. 1 The. 4:13-14).

This is victory over the world and the win condition is simple: "Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" When we think about sharing the good news but don't because we don't feel qualified we should reflect on this. When we think we don't understand it well enough to explain it we should reflect on this. The world need to believe in Jesus, to believe that he is the Son of God.  When we do we have life in his name. It isn't a doctoral thesis. We can proclaim it!

On the other hand, it isn't the sort of belief that demons have. James tells us that demons have some sort of intellectual knowledge of the truth of all this. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder" (cf. Jam. 2:19). It is the sort of belief that comes from surrender. It comes from surrendering our rights to decide good and evil for ourselves like Adam and Eve want to do. It comes from surrendering to God's own testimony about who Jesus is instead of trying to figure it out for ourselves.

If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater. 
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son. 

This is the testimony that makes us understand that Jesus can not only heal us, but that he wants to heal us.

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.” 

Eternal life is not a distant abstraction, it is a person, a person who wants to be in relationship with us.

God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son. 

This is the Father's testimony. It is John's testimony. When we surrender to it we give it the power to shape our lives from the top down. We come into a relationship with a personal and loving God where before there was an impersonal force or an abstract idea. How can we help but praise him?

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.

8 January 2015 - close to home

If anyone says, “I love God,”
but hates his brother, he is a liar;
for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen 
cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

God is not simply abstraction. Love is easy when it is distant and theoretical. It is free from the nitty gritty of daily life. We can be "amazed at the gracious words" of God. Yet we can choke on these same words when they are spoken too close to home. "They also asked, 'Isn’t this the son of Joseph?'" We have similar filters to this. We exempt the common and apparently mundane from our attention. We say, "I love God" but we all have ways that we keep his message at a distance. We all have ways that we keep our brother whom we can see at arm's length. The people in Nazareth like the message but they don't like it coming so close to home. We excuse ourselves from loving in little ways because we imagine that there are more important things to worry about.

We are happy to hear about glad tidings for the poor and liberty to the captives. But when we are called to be a part of it? That's a different story. Often it something as small as a smile that proclaims that glad tidings. Often it is something as small as a kind word that releases prisoners of anxiety and self-doubt. But there is so much vulnerability when we enter into this mission. We are afraid to hurt and be hurt and so we hold ourselves aloof.

If we actually listen to the message of God we do not hear an abstraction. We hear a message with concrete implications.

In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments. 

His message gives us a measure to see if his love is truly at work in us. It is not simply a set of rules. He wants us to be his children which means living as his children. He shows us just what this means when he insists that we live in love in the small things as well as the big. We cannot do this on our own strength. By this measure which he gives us he shows us what we are capable of when we live in him. He gives us the power to live this life and when we do it we do not find burdensome commandments. We actually find victory.

And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. 
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

When we do live this we find, contrary to all expectations, that we are living in a year acceptable to the Lord.

May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

7 January 2015 - ain't afraid of no ghost

There are times when we feel like Jesus calls us to go off ahead. At such times we seem to have to fend for ourselves.

Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd. 

He and his disciples are separated for a while. Or so they think. He goes off to the mountain to pray and his disciples are out on the sea. There is distance between them. And Jesus is spending time in prayerful communion with the Father. The disciples must think that they are not even on his mind as he does this. They must think themselves too insignificant to be in his prayers. This is why they don't expect him when he comes. They seldom expect him. They are always more ready to discover a fearful ghost than a God of love.

But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 

Yet it is Jesus. He says, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" It seems, moreover, that he has been thinking of them all along. Even from his vantage point on the land "he saw that they were tossed about while rowing for the wind was against them." From the mountain top with the Father he sees them better, not worse. They are always in his heart. These are the ones whom the Father gives him. These are the ones whom he wills not be lost (cf. Joh. 6:39). They are the shared love of Father and Son and are therefore not forgotten even in their most intimate communion. And somehow, so are we.

But we too are afraid. We are so ready to attribute everything we experience to chaos and chance, if not to ghosts and aliens. We are ready to believe that we are forgotten out on the waves of life. Jesus tells us this morning, "Take courage". He comes to us amidst the apparent chaos and chance. He does not abandon us. He does see and know our circumstances. He wants to get into our boats and to calm the storms that surround us. This is the perfect love which drives out fear.  Fear has to do with punishment. But when we learn that we are loved and not forgotten we know that we aren't suffering at the hands of a vindictive God. He allows the storms of life for our sakes. He is guiding us to experience and share a love that cannot be shaken by wind or waves. He himself is this love. But even when he does allow the storms he remembers us. Even the storms are a chance to cling to a peace which is unshakable. This is the peace that is found in Jesus alone.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.

Let us, with every nation on earth, adore him!