31 May 2016 - visitation

[ Today's Readings ]

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit

Let's listen for Mary's greeting today. Just as she brings Jesus to Elizabeth so that Elizabeth can be filled with the Holy Spirit so too does she do for us. The Holy Spirit comes upon her and the power of the most high overshadows her at the conception of Jesus. But she continues to be the privileged place of encounter with her Son. And she is there at Pentecost. The Spirit continues to come to us through her.

Elizabeth doesn't have to have elaborate rituals of Marian devotion to reap this benefit. There isn't some thirty day consecration, great as something like can be. Indeed, all she does is listen. We expect that so much more than this is required of us to be filled with the grace and consolations of the Holy Spirit.

Attentiveness to Mary's presence is more than enough.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Mary wants to give us what she herself first receives. It is a promise that is not just to her but to all who fear the LORD in every generation.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

We look to the lowly whom he lifts and we ourselves are lifted.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

Mary is first hungry, but she is filled with good things. She is literally filled with the bread of life. The LORD wants to use those whom he first feeds with this bread to go and feed others.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

The proud are cast down because they can't look to a lowly virgin for their help or their food. So let us not be proud. She comes to visit us today. If we receive her message, the Word made flesh, and the Spirit who accompanies him, we have no further misfortune to fear.

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

By the Spirit who accompanies Mary we are empowered to live lives that are truly Christian.

Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.

We become confident and unafraid because the LORD himself becomes our strength and our courage. With sing his praises. We shout with exultation!

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst 
is the Holy One of Israel!

30 May 2016 - garden variety

[ Today's Readings ]

We have been leased a vineyard as tenants. It is an impressive one. It has a hedge and a tower for protection. It even has a wine press so that we can be not only safe but also joyful. What does the man who leases us this vineyard ask in return? Simply, "some of the produce of the vineyard." It seems fair. It is his, after all. We're just borrowing it.

The trouble comes when we forget that. We forget that Jesus "has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion". We forget and start trying to run the vineyard by our own strength and ability. Then, when the master wants the produce, we don't want to let go. After all, we struggle so hard for every piece of fruit that grows that we feel entitled to the entire harvest. Jesus sends his messengers to us to remind us whose vineyard it is. He does this with patience, mercy, and compassion.

But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.

He says to us, 'Look at the kindness I've placed in your soul, how about using it this way?' And we're ready to stone him at the very suggestion of it. But he keeps trying. He reveals his love for us more and more until, little by little, we loosen our grip on the fruits that are rightly his. We have to, because ultimately, he is the most essential part of the whole operation.

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Is the gardening getting tough? 

make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion,
devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.

These are gifts we are given along with the vineyard. We don't have to get them from Lowe's or Home Depot. In fact, the world only has cheap imitations. Trying to use them makes gardening not just a drudgery, but ultimately impossible. But in God we bear fruit.

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress.

29 May 2016 - all sweetness within

'

[ Today's Readings ]

He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."

But we say, "we are in a deserted place". We protest that we don't have enough to give. Our own resources are insufficient to buy enough to meet the need.

Jesus demands fruit from the fig tree when it is not time for figs. He insists that we "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" (see Second Timothy 4:2)

These demands might seem unreasonable. But Jesus himself first gives us what he asks us to give to others. We bring to him what we have, knowing that it is not enough, and he makes it enough. He gives it to us and we find so much leftover that we do somehow have enough for all who hunger.

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.

He fills one basket for each apostle. He provides for his Church down through the ages starting with the men who become the first bishops and priests.

I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you

It is ultimately from the passion and death of Our LORD Jesus Christ that this supernatural food comes. We can live beyond the limits of human weakness precisely because we are given the flesh of the one whom even death itself, the epitome of human weakness, could not contain. This is the priesthood of Melchizedek which will never pass away. This is the pure sacrifice of bread and wine offered in every nation from the rising of the sun to its setting (see Malachi 1:11).

We aren't all priests of the ministerial order. But for all of us, this is the source of life. Normal food may keep us alive for a time, but not forever. It has no power in the face of death. This is different.

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (see John 6:54).

Let us receive and give thanks. In the face of a gift of such magnitude, even all that we are is not enough to offer back. But receiving God's gift with thanks is all he asks.

What shall I render to the LORD
for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD (see Psalm 116:12-13)

28 May 2016 - build yourselves

[ Today's Readings ]

Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.

These are connected.

The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church (see First Corinthians 14:4).

Edify, according to Merriam-Webster:

1. Archaic
a :  build
b :  establish

Prayer in the Spirit builds us in faith. Faith brings with it hope and the power to keep ourselves in the love of God while we wait for the mercy of Jesus that leads to eternal life.

Since we ourselves await and rely on mercy this love also makes us merciful. We no longer content to watch others waver or fall. Instead, in mercy we are ready to "save others by snatching them from the fire". We do not fear the consequences to ourselves or our reputation, only "the outer garment stained by the flesh", that is, the filth of sin.

Jesus has heavenly authority on his side. The world can't readily acknowledge this. But look, they are too PC to blatantly deny it and shut us up. So let's keep talking. It worked for Jesus with the Pharisees and it can work for us as well.

After all, we aren't trusting in ourselves. We're letting ourselves be built up in faith, hope, and love by the one who has the authority of heaven on his side.

To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.

It is him that we desire above all else, even when we don't realize it. Let's let him build us so that we can experience the fulfillment of this desire.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts 
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. 

27 May 2016 - the time for figs

[ Today's Readings ]

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.

We need to be ready to bear fruit when we find Jesus hungry. We need to be ready even if that is not normal or natural. Even if it is not the time for figs we should be ready to bear them if Jesus is hungry.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? (see Matthew 24:45)

How do we bear fruit when it isn't in season?

And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (see Ezekiel 47:12)

We need the water of life. From whence does it come?

But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water (see John 19:34).

It first comes from Jesus. But how do we become filled with this living water?

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ (see John 7:38).

We become like him in whom we put our faith.

This is why it is so important to be "serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray". Even at crunch time, even at "the end of all things" this is possible. The world doesn't think so. The world is ready to let itself be overwhelmed by circumstance. It can only produce figs at the time for figs. Not so with believers. Rivers of living water keep us ever green! These rivers not only keep our love alive but they allow it to be intense. The circumstances may amount to a trial by fire. But even if we do burn in the trial, it is the Holy Spirit purifying us, so there is a purpose.

But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.

Let's cast from our hearts those things which distract us. We need to be centered in prayer so that our faith in Jesus can make this difference in our lives. Let's not let the money changers and those selling doves distract us. Let's forgive those against whom we have a grievance so these can't distract us either.

Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.

If we just keep returning to prayer amazing things happen. Living waters flow. We bear fruit that lasts for eternal life.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.

26 May 2016 - cry out to Jesus

[ Today's Readings ]

“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

Let's cry out to Jesus today. The world will try to silence us. It doesn't believe that Jesus can help us. And even when it believes that he can it often doesn't believe that he cares. It sees him as interested in lofty goals. World peace, perhaps, but not in hearts. But Jesus's interest first and foremost in individual hearts! World peace can only be a consequence of what he does first in each one of us. Let's keep calling no matter what the world says.

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”

We need to do this because we are all blind. Like this blind man, like Paul, only faith can give us our sight. The one thing which is truly worth seeing, the desire that lays it the core of our desire to see it all, is God. And only the pure of heart shall see him. He is the one "who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

Like the blind man, we may experience rejection. Jesus understands.

Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,

Jesus calls us to himself. If we accept his invitation and embrace faith in him he takes the fragmented pieces of our lives and builds them into houses. He takes us from the sands of life apart from him and plants us on the solid rock of lives based on his word. We just have to let him do it.

like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Let's call upon him for healing. Let us allow ourselves to be built. Let's live the lives that this makes possible.

Once you were no people
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.

We can now keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. We can now maintain good conduct among the gentiles so that they can observe our good works and glorify God.

With the psalmist, let us sing:

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.

25 May 2016 - imperishable seed

[ Today's Readings ]

“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”

We come to Jesus with mixed motives. Part of this request of James and John is actually good. They want to be near Jesus. But they don't understand the implications.

Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Part of this is James and John wondering what is in it for them. They want to be in first place, not in the world necessarily (and that's something), but among the disciples. They want validation from Jesus that they can then lord over their fellows. And we are like this. We want Jesus to tell us that we are doing well. But we want to know this so we can compare ourselves to those around us. We want to feel good about how well we are doing.

Jesus is willing to work with our impure motives. It is enough that we want to be near him. If we keep following him he gives us the grace to die to ourselves. He gives us such a sense of love and validation just for who we are that we no longer need to compare ourselves to others. And it is through his cross that we die to self and this sense of love comes to mean more to us than anything the world can offer.

Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

Now we are empowered to be true servants.

But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.

This is how obedience to the truth purifies us for the love of our brothers. It is the fruit which comes from the imperishable seed planted in our hearts by his word. Unlike the satisfactions of the flesh, this fruit lasts forever.

All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

And so we rejoice in knowing the secret which the world does not know but desperately desires.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

But if we rejoice in it we must share it!

24 May 2016 - a hundred times more

[ Daily Readings ]

It is easy to forget how good the Good News is. We start to take it for granted and get used to it. But this same truth to which we have access each day is something about which prophets prophesied, searched and investigated. It is something into which angels longed to look.

Listen to Peter.

“We have given up everything and followed you.”

Yet he says this, apparently, for reassurance. He feels a little bit empty because of the things he gives up. Perhaps he has a sense of what is coming.

that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated
when it testified in advance
to the sufferings destined for Christ

and needs to make sure about "the glories to follow them."

Jesus understands. He knows it is difficult for Peter to appreciate the eternal weight of glory in the midst of our light momentary afflictions (see Second Corinthians 4:17). He reassures him about the treasure he has found, a treasure worth more than the entire field in which it is found. That's why it is OK to exchange "mother or father or children or lands" for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of the Gospel. It is a hundred times more even "in this present age". In the age to come eye has not seen nor ear heard what awaits (see First Corinthians 2:9). Jesus is a realist. Persecutions are part of the package. But when we know how valuable the pearl of great price is we don't mind paying that price.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,
and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Our hopes are set on grace, but not completely. Today Jesus offers us grace to more completely hope in him, to put him first, and to let go of the things of this world that keep us from following him.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

23 May 2016 - lacking one thing

[ Today's Readings ]

“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

We are all lacking this to one degree or another. We all have areas where we put ourselves first, earth second, and Heaven third. We need to realize the massive value of heaven... 

an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you

and of our faith...

more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire

...in such a way that it actually affects how we live.

If we can we attain the goal of faith, the salvation of our souls. But how hard this is for those who have wealth. And we all have wealth. How hard to is for us to enter the Kingdom of God. How hard indeed. Not just hard, in fact, but impossible.

Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

The call to follow Jesus is impossible for us. We live in the world and make use of the world. But to use the world without being consumed and owned by it is not something we can do perfectly. We still lack that one thing. But even so, Jesus calls us.

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.

And he himself gives us the grace to follow. This is why not just heaven that is the treasure. Our faith which we possess right now is the treasure that relativizes all earthly treasure by grace. So let us give him thanks.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.

22 May 2016 - enter the mystery

[ Today's Readings ]

We celebrate the mystery of the Trinity today. The reason we do this so closely after Pentecost is because now that we have received the Holy Spirit we can better understand this mystery.

Jesus gives us the grace to live and be faithful. That grace is the Holy Spirit living in us. The Father and the Son love one another and they share that love with us. That love is the Holy Spirit. We experience his presence in our lives when we make the same cry that the Spirit makes in Jesus, 'Abba, Father!' This is why our obedience and our love are now linked. We want to please our Father.

The Spirit exists from the beginning and delights in God's creation. He plays on the surface of the earth at the beginning. He is the wisdom which penetrates all things. He is the Spirit who knows the mind of God. And he reveals this to us. It is not stuffy and static knowledge of academia. It is a playful and loving relationship with all that is.

The Holy Spirit is the gift of Pentecost.

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.

He comes to us as the love of the Father and the Son. He comes to us as wisdom. He manifests as obedience and love. Through him we come to know and give praise to the Trinity.

He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

The mystery of creation which the Spirit reveals is great.

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

But his delight in us is still greater than his delight in the rest of creation. He is pleased to unite us to the Son and reveal the Father.

then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.

The power of Pentecost is the reason we have this feast today. So let us pray, Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love!

21 May 2016 - like little ones

 [ Today's Readings ]

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”

We need to come to Jesus like children. One thing which children can do which is harder for jaded adults is to believe in the power of prayer.

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

Prayer itself brings us before Jesus like children so that he can embrace us and bless us. It can bring the people for whom we pray to Jesus like children so that he can embrace them. It takes many forms. If we are in good spirits we go to him to celebrate with songs of praise. If we are sick we go to him for healing. If we do something wrong we go to him for mercy.

Children don't have to make a big leap between their own parents whom they believe can fix almost any problem and the Father in heaven for whom no problem is too great. They trust not only in the power of Jesus but especially in his love. They are not yet so wounded by the world that they forget how to cry 'Abba, Father!'

This is the model that Jesus gives us. He sends his Spirit into our hearts to make us sons of the Father. He repairs the damage done by the world so that we can begin to trust again.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him (see Romans 8:15-17).

Our prayers are meant to rise before the LORD like sweet smelling incense. But we are so jaded that we don't really believe that he can help us. Even if we believe that he can we don't often believe that it is what he wants.

Let's ask Jesus to send his Spirit into our hearts to make us like children. And not just any children, but children of the Father who loves us more than words can describe. Then we discover that our prayer becomes powerful blessed by Jesus in his embrace.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (see First John 3:1)

20 May 2016 - using no limitation as limitation

[ Today's Readings ]

But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.

One of the great and terrible things about Jesus is that he doesn't base his expectations on what normal is for us. He doesn't say to himself that because our hearts are so hard he will only expect so much from us. Instead, he offers new hearts entirely.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:25-26).

Things we think of as impossible become the new normal in the economy of grace. We think we are too broken to walk in the love in which Jesus wants us to walk. But he himself provides the power.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (see Galatians 5:6).

This is good because the commandments which sound the most simple...

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.

...are often the most challenging.

In fact, it often seems like the better we do in other areas the more challenging it is not to judge others! We might even think it is impossible. But that is the attitude of an old heart. We need to stop living as our old selves and start living as new people in Christ.

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

After all, we are a new creation! (see Second Corinthians 5:17)

Now when we're told that marriage can only be to one person for the entire life of the spouses we can accept this and live it. Our society clearly thinks that this is impossible. They certainly act like it is impossible. This is a great witness we can give to the world. The limits of the flesh are not the limits of Christians who walk in the power of the Spirit! We all start off with the same brokenness. But the LORD can heal us!

He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

19 May 2016 - a salted people

[ Today's Readings ]

Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

The poor in Spirit are those who aren't so attached to their wealth, their clothing, and their cold and silver that they store it up at the expense of others who have a right to it.

You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;

It isn't wrong to have a spend money per say. Many people benefit from an active and robust economy. But that does not mean we can just spend recklessly and selfishly without regard for others. We are often in a position to be directly beneficial to the poor and needy. And we must not neglect such opportunities. Inaction here is culpable.

You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.

May God help us to be poor in Spirit. Let's ask him the teach us the value of using the blessings that he gives to us for the sake of others.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

Even more than material blessings, we are blessed to know Jesus Christ in whom we have immeasurable and unsearchable riches (see Ephesians 2:7 and 3:8). Paul himself says that what he previously considered gain is now loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ (see Philippians 3:7). We know the one who gives life not only to the body but to the soul as well. He teaches the way of righteousness and gives us grace to empower us to live it. Even more than our material blessings this is what we need to share. And this is very difficult if we ourselves are the cause of scandal. If by what we say or by our example we cause others to sin we do something worse than not sharing the riches we have from Christ. We actually make it harder for others to find those riches than otherwise would be. This is serious.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.

And so we must take whatever steps are reasonable to avoid sins ourselves. Even drastic steps to avoid the near occasion of sin are often appropriate.

It is better for you to enter into life maimed 
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.

This is an exaggeration. Maiming oneself is itself sinful. But the point is clear. Even at expense to ourselves we must avoid the occasion of sin. If not our form is quickly consumed and the nether world is our resting place. But if we instead turn to God and the righteousness he gives us in Jesus Christ we find the answer.

But God will redeem me
from the power of the nether world by receiving me.

Even the temptations which assault us become the seasoning which give us flavor. 

“Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

The sufferings we bear when we give to others at our own expense, when we faithfully endure temptations, and when we give a good example to others no matter the cost to ourselves, refine and purify us and make us more like Christ himself.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (see First Peter 1:6-7).

18 May 2016 - control freaks

[ Today's Readings ]

We have such a need to be in control, don't we? We aren't yet perfected in grace which means we still have fear in our hearts, fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of hurt, and ultimately fear of death. We try to push this fear out of mind by control. But this never works out as well as we hope because our control is never perfect. It can't be.

“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”–
you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,
“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

God offers us an adventure. We have peace to the degree that we leave things in his hands and don't try to control them. We cast our cares on him who cares for us (see First Peter 5:7).. With prayer and supplications we make our intentions known to God and the peace of Christ guards our hearts (see Philippians 4:6). Now we don't need to be overcome by comparison and jealousy.

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.

It isn't supposed to matter if someone follows us, our ways, and our plans, as long as they are working in the name of Jesus. He is the one they should follow. Our wisdom ultimately gets us nowhere.

For he can see that wise men die,
and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
leaving to others their wealth.

But those who trust in the LORD have peace.

Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?

17 May 2016 - the greatest

[ Today's Readings ]

“What were you arguing about on the way?” 
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest. 

We are more eager to be the greatest than we like to admit. This doesn't necessarily mean that we want to be in the most powerful and prestigious roles of leadership. Instead there are many more subtle ways in which we compare ourselves to others. We want to be and do good. But there is a lot of vanity wrapped up in that motivation. If it is all about us and our abilities there is no way around this. When we try to force things with our own strength we are frustrated.

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.

Wars, conflicts, coveting and killing, are all symptoms of attempting to solve problems by relying on ourselves. These sorts of efforts, when they do succeed, tend toward pride. That is the hindsight that shows us our motives were mixed in the first place. Thanksgiving is the hindsight that shows us that our motives were pure. 

God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

So let us embrace the humility which does not compare or compete. Let us become like little children.

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, 
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

This transforms the whole Christian life from something that is mostly a struggle to something that is all gift. Even though there is still a struggle, we do not struggle alone. We do not succeed alone. 

So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

God is ready at every moment to draw near to us. He just asks that we become like little children. He asks that we not insist on doing things on our own apart from him. He asks us to trust in his mercy.

Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. 

Never? It is written!

16 May 2016 - heal my unbelief

[ Today's Readings ]

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.

How often do we come to Jesus with prayers like this. It is one thing to not presume upon God's mercy. It is another to doubt his power.

Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

We must not doubt his power.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (see James 1:5-8).

And we must come to believe in the love he has for us.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us (see First John 4:16).

Yet we have such trouble believing this. God sometimes doesn't do things we wish he'd do. Perhaps we asked something that was not according to his will. Or perhaps we asked for something that was in his will but were full of doubt when we asked. And perhaps we did not receive. Faith points us toward a more full appreciation of his power and willingness to act in the world. It also points us toward a more complete surrender to the will of the one who loved us first. It shows us the ulterior motives we have even for the good things we ask. How does it do this? We try to pray for those things which God also wants. But we find out how poorly we do this. We find out how selfish we actually are.

Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.

But as we continue to come back to God and to prayer he gives us his wisdom. He helps us to know what his will truly is. He helps us to ask for that in prayer believing completely that he will bring it about.

Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

May we come to believe as well. May we realize and bring our unbelief before the LORD so that he can give us the faith and the wisdom to heal it.

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

15 May 2016 - pentecost

[ Today's Readings ]

Come Holy Spirit! Fill our hearts!

Convict us of our sins so that we can find the forgiveness you offer through the disciples.

Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.

Remind us of the words of Jesus so that we can keep them.

Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Teach us everything, Spirit of wisdom. Remind us of all that Jesus teaches. Guide us into all truth!

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.

Enable us to say "Jesus is Lord". We can say the words and still hear "I never knew you." But if you empower these words, Spirit, we truly mean them and they have power when we witness to you. 

Give life to our mortal bodies, creator Spirit! Just as Adam receives life when you breath upon him so too give life to us. This is the only solution to bodies which are dead because of sin. This is the only way to not live as debtors to the flesh, who can't avoid living according to the flesh, and eventually die. Only in you do we find life, Holy Spirit, LORD and giver of life.

Send down tongues as of fire upon us. Unite us in one body and give us to drink of one Spirit. Give us all the gifts, fruits, and charisms, of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are given as forces unifying all of mankind in one body. It turns out that we need supernatural power from God to achieve this goal. Human strength and ability is not enough.

Come Holy Spirit!

When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

14 May 2016 - made witnesses

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus, you want our joy to be complete! That is why you give us your commandments and your teachings. All of these show us how to love one another as you love us by even laying down your life for us.

The world believes that such love is futile. You make us witnesses to the fact that it is not. Far from being futile, true and lasting victory is only found in love like this. That is why you call us to be witnesses to the resurrection.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men 
who accompanied us the whole time 
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.

Yesterday we saw that Paul is so focused on the resurrection that even Festus couldn't help being aware of his main point.

Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus who had died
but who Paul claimed was alive.

This is an earth-shattering claim. But it isn't such a complicated complain that any of us need be afraid to make it. With this claim as a starting point we can tell the world all that you did while you were here on earth.

We tend to think that we choose you. We think that our analysis results in our Christianity. But in fact, you choose us. You propose. You invite. And our analysis, if it is anything, is part of our response. This should make us bold in sharing what you teach us with others. It means that what we are doing is much bigger than a personal agenda.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

It isn't a matter of preference. It's your plan for the world. That is why you want us to bear fruit and why the Father will give anything we need toward this goal.

It is for this same reason that Matthias is chosen to join the the apostles.

May another take his office.

The Greek for office is "episkopēn" from which we derive, Episcopal, or bishopric. In other words, we see here the first ordination of a bishop. You provide apostolic succession for your Church to guarantee the witness to the resurrection and to your whole life. You want to tell the whole world "what his master is doing." You want to call all the people of the world friends. Raise up witnesses more and more to the resurrection!

He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.

13 May 2016 - draw us after you

[ Today's Readings ]

And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

LORD, we love you. You know that we love you. Draw this love from us that we may truly go wherever you lead us. Even if we once denied you draw the act of love from our hearts which draws us after you. You forgive our betrayals. But you go beyond that. You even heal our memories of betraying you.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.

You show us that we no longer have to be subject to the same weakness that once caused us to fall. We love you, LORD. It is you who draw this supernatural love from us. 

It worries us when you keep asking.

Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

But you only do so to draw a deeper and deeper commitment from us. You want us to mean it more and more. It is in this way that you make us followers who can even follow you to the cross.

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; 
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

You do not make us fit for beatitude all in one step. You keep asking. And it is not so much our part to try harder as it is to simply keep listening. If we do, your words, like Sacraments, have their effect in our hearts.

Then if you want us to go to Jerusalem to stand trial we have no problem with that. If you want us to remain in Rome and appeal to Caesar we have no problem with that. Our concern is not what is safest, but rather what does the most to witness to your love.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

12 May 2016 - that the world may know

[ Today's Readings ]

I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.

Jesus, you pray to unite us. It's easy to miss just how important this is. Division and sin are interrelated in ways we don't fully appreciate. There is the threefold divide between God and man, man and his fellow man, and man and himself. Thus we see that you once walked in the garden together with man, but no longer. And we see that man and woman must now were clothes because they can no longer be as united to one another as they were. They risk using the other for their own ends. Even within ourselves we find division between who we want to be and who we actually are.

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members (see Romans 7:22).

We can't risk being like the Pharisees and Sadducees who really should have more in common than not. Yet they are easily turned aside from their joint purpose and made to fight against one another instead. How often Christians appear this way before the world!

When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.

There is more at stake for us than for them. 

that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.

This is what is at stake. This is what our unity with one another shows to the world. But it is not something we can create through clever political strategies. Rather it is given to us.

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

Give us this glory, Jesus. Make known the name of the Father to us so that his love for us may be in us. Dwell in us, LORD, that we may know the Father's love. This union and presence is a gift. It is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit who makes us all one body.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call (see Epheisians 4:4).

Come, O Holy Spirit. Unite us in the fire of your love.

11 May 2016 - consecrated in truth

[ Today's Readings ]

Holy Father, keep us united in the name of Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit make us one just as you are one with your Son and the Holy Spirit. You call us to this unity, the same unity of the disciples gathered in the upper room at Pentecost, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (see Ephesians 4:3), because it is in profound union with you, with the divine nature (see Second Peter 1:4), that we find joy.

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

Jesus, you want us to be so consecrated in this truth and marked by it that it distinguishes us more than our life in the world. The world, in fact, hates us. It does so precisely because we do not belong to the world. We give the lie to its pretenses and misplaced priorities. But when the truth unites us and marks our lives, when we know your name and who you are, we overcome the world (First John 5:5). This is because you first consecrate yourself for us. You dedicate yourself to us. You make you life about revealing to us the truth the sets us free (see John 8:32).

When we are consecrated in your truth savage wolves who will not spare the flock cannot harm us. This is the power of God and "that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you inheritance among all who are consecrated." This is the power whereby we need never want anyone's silver or gold, the power whereby we may work for the kingdom with our own hands, the power whereby we may truly love one another.

and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

It is the power whereby we can go to Jerusalem even if it means following you to the cross. If we follow you to the cross we know for sure that we follow you all the way to the resurrection.

You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”

10 May 2016 - to know the only true God

[ Today's Readings ]

And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God

Holy Spirit, give us the courage to be the same as Paul. Allow us to proclaim the entire plan of God. Give us the wisdom, the words, the discernment and the strength to do so. We are responsible for our brothers and sisters, LORD. Stir in our hearts a greater sense of this responsibility. Stir in our hearts greater love for the lost. Enkindle in us the power to go to Jerusalem even when imprisonment and hardships await if it is for the purpose of bearing witness to the Gospel of God's grace.

After all, eternal life is to know the only true God and the one whom he has sent, Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus glorifies the Father and reveals him to the world, and just us the Father gives glory to the Son we need to dedicate our lives to giving glory to God. We need to help the world to know the glory that Jesus had before the world even began. 

Holy Spirit, help us reveal to the world that Jesus is from the Father. Help us to glorify you, the Father, and the Son together so that the world may have eternal life, safe in your hands.

who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.

9 May 2016 - overcome the world

[ Today's Readings ]

Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.

LORD, don't let us leave you. It doesn't hurt you because the Father is with you. But it does hurt us. It keeps us immersed in the troubles of the world and far from you who have conquered it. Still, you know that at times we allow ourselves to be scattered. You even tell us this in advance. You don't tell us so that we can presume upon your mercy and just not care. You tell us so that when we realize what happened we aren't afraid to return to you. You see it coming and although you yourself have already conquered the world you still don't want us to be separated from you. It is bad for us to be apart from you and you love us too much to allow it without protest. We can have peace in you only when we stay near to you and realize the "breadth and length and height and depth" of your love for us (see Ephesians 3:14). If we mistakenly believe it is about our own performance we will eventually feel unworthy to return to you. But if we just realize that you always call us back to repentance than we can even have peace with our process.

There is an antidote to being scattered. It is the gathering, unifying power of your Holy Spirit. We who have received the baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus and the laying on of hands can't live like those who only know the baptism of John. This is a maturity check which Paul gives the disciples in Ephesus. It isn't an ambiguous question for them, either. Their lives change immediately in a remarkable way.

When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

Now, Jesus, you are free to direct the community at Ephesus yourself. They don't have to rely on their own efforts. They can experience the profound peace of knowing that their lives are in the hands of the one who has overcome the world. Even though they will have trouble in the world it need rob them neither of their peace nor their effectiveness for the kingdom. Come Holy Spirit, make us "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (see Ephesians 4:3). You are the only truly unifying principle that can be found in the universe because you yourself are the love which unites us (see First John 4:8).

God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire. 

It isn't so much that you want your enemies scattered. It is that they choose it. Come Holy Spirit, let us bring everyone together into unity in your kingdom. No matter how alone and isolated we feel, no matter how scattered we've let ourselves become, you always welcome us back. The root of division, sin, is conquered. Peace that the world cannot give is now ours for the asking.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

8 May 2016 - the ascension

[ Today's Readings ]

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.

LORD, you mount your throne today. Help us to join in the shouts of joy!

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

You are taken from our sight but not from our presence. This is counter-intuitive because you become more present to the human race at the incarnation when you are first made visible. But the ascension is not a reversal of the incarnation. It is not a reversion to something old but rather the inauguration of something entirely new. You yourself are and remain the Word made flesh. You yourself are the union of the human and the divine. And you now bring this union to the throne of heaven and to the Father's breast. You are not more distant from us. You are even closer.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (see Matthew 28:20).

You enter the sanctuary not made by hands to offer yourself crucified and risen before the Father. You take the offering of perfect obedience which only you could make and you bring it behind the veil and into the sanctuary. We are united with you. You are the head of the body. And so we also now enter heaven.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus 
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, 
that is, his flesh

Hence it is said that our citizenship is in heaven (see Philippians 3:20). The truth of the Ascension is that although our bodies remain bound to the earth our souls now achieve a proximity to God closer than anything ever possible before. The union they achieve need not experience the variance caused by the trials and circumstance of time. This is what we celebrate!

Jesus you know that we need help to live from this point of view.

And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.

Only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit do we truly take full advantage of the promise of the Ascension.

While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Paul prays that our hearts may be enlightened to know the full hope of this call, the immense riches of glory, and the unspeakably great inheritance among the holy ones which we receive.

Jesus you are seated the right hand of the Father. You are now far above all principalities, authorities, powers, and dominions. And you bring us with you in the power of your Spirit. You make this reign available to us in prayer and sacrament and fellowship by the Spirit at work in the world. Far from an un-incarnation, this is the incarnation made superabundant!

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.