30 November 2016 - come after me

 

 [ Today's Readings ]

Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.

LORD, we want to follow you. We are often too content to simply see you as you pass by. Your path intersects with ourselves and you keep moving but we make no changes. To follow you means to leave the other paths we might chose. To follow you means a life where we go one way and not another. This might sound limiting, but it is freeing. We no longer need to worry about choosing things which ultimately don't matter. We can be assured that in following you we find the fulfillment and joy we seek.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
The first step is to confess why we follow you Jesus. We follow you because we believe that you are LORD and that God raised you from the dead. You conquered that which no one else could conquer. Because you are true God you are able to do for us what no one else can. Dying you destroyed our death. Because you are true God you are able to make this salvation available to the entire world.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

To believe in you and to confess your name is the first step Jesus. But we cannot stop there. You have bigger plans for us than that. What we receive must be shared. All of the love, joy, and peace which you give are not meant only for ourselves but for everyone. If we truly know that you are LORD and if we truly believe that you are risen these things are hard to keep to ourselves. If we only tacitly acknowledge them, well, sharing them might not matter so much to us either.

Fortunately, anything we do is always a response to your invitation LORD Jesus. You ask us to follow and then lead us. Whether it is for the first time or for the hundredth time you continue to invite us onward. If we begin to take for granted what it means to say that you are LORD you give the grace to help us learn it again.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
You call us to follow you. To do so, we rely on your grace. Help us to trust you, Jesus, and to follow with reckless abandon.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!

 

29 November 2016 - new eyes

[ Today's Readings ]

although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike

You call us to be childlike, Jesus. No matter how old we are or how jaded we become you call us to become like children. You want to give us grace to see the world with new eyes. You want to teach us to hope and to love as if we have never been hurt before. You want to teach us to trust as if we have never been betrayed. You want to reveal the Father to us. His goodness and love seem impossible in a world as tainted as ours. He seems abstract, impractical, like a fairy-tale. But for the childlike he is very real even in this otherwise flawed world of ours.

At present the wolf and the lamb don't get along. The leopard and the kid do not lie down together. The lion and the calf do not browse together. And if a child comes anywhere near any of that, God bless him. We can't imagine a world so turned on its head. We are adulting at way to high of a level for that.

Jesus, you give us hope. This advent you can renew in us the sense of childlike wonder and trust in the power of God to really make all things new. We do this first but not taking for granted the wonder of your incarnation.

For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

How can it be that the eternal word takes on flesh? Yet you do. If this is true, then what is to prevent the restoration of all things? Jesus, you offer grace to witness your birth with new eyes. You want us to realize ever more deeply just how amazing it is. As you become a little child we all receive the grace to be childlike. And like children, we can trust you to restore even a world as dark as ours.

There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

Let us bless the name of Jesus forever. In him is our hope. In him is the fullness of peace for ever.

 

28 November 2016 - homecoming

 

[ Today's Readings ]

 Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.

Let us learn to trust in the healing power of Jesus. We need to believe that Jesus has authority to command disease to leave and that disease has no choice but to obey. We say it. But do we believe it? It is precisely the humility of the centurion that allows him to realize this. He knows something about authority. But he knows that his own authority is useless when it comes up against his servant's paralysis. His statement about being unworthy is true but it isn't self-pity. It says at least as much about who he believes Jesus to be than it says about himself.

Realizing we are not worthy is a starting place. Jesus wants to come and cure us. He wants to enter into our homes and have us receive him with joy just as Zecchaeus receives him. We are not worthy of Jesus doing so. But he himself transforms us.

He who remains in Zion
and he who is left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.
When the LORD washes away
the filth of the daughters of Zion,
And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midst
with a blast of searing judgment,

The LORD himself cleanses us. When we confess before his presence in the Eucharist that we are not worthy to receive him we profess a belief in his power to heal and to forgive. We say we are not worthy because we are not. Yet he calls us forward to receive him. And in the receiving of him our venial sins are washed away. If we need even deeper cleansing than that he calls us to his presence in the confessional. But it is always his presence that makes us holy. All we need to do is let him in.

Then will the LORD create,
over the whole site of Mount Zion
and over her place of assembly,
A smoking cloud by day
and a light of flaming fire by night.

So let us go rejoicing into the LORD's house. The thrones of judgment are ready to offer us, not judgment, but mercy. Let us go rejoicing to receive it.

27 November 2016 - shadows flee

[ Today's Readings ]

LORD, teach us to come to your mountain. Let us see it lifted up. Let us recognize that it is higher than all of the competing mountains. May the light of your Church draw us up and in.

“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”

We need to remain awake. The secret to staying awake is to remain in the light and in the day. If we allow ourselves to wander in darkness we cannot remain awake. As the night draws on we are unable to resist. But if we never live in the night we remain awake. We are, after all, children of the light and of day.

LORD, shine the light from your holy mountain. Shine the light that allows us to remain awake.

Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 

LORD, with your light shining on us we don't need to fear your coming. Only the night needs to fear. Sin and death have cause for concern. But not us if we are children of the light.

You teach us to cast off the works of darkness. To abide in your light we must leave them behind. You yourself are the source of the light which makes every shadow flee. Shine on us, LORD Jesus.

You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;

Show us the places where the darkness still reigns in us, LORD. Give us the grace to surrender those parts of ourselves to you. Call us up to your mountain, to your house, to receive this light and to dwell in it.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

26 November 2016 - coming soon

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus calls us to be vigilant, to be watchful, to be awake. Worldly cares and concerns can so fill our minds that we forget what matters most. We want to stand before the Son of Man. We can't let the anxieties of daily life make us forget about that. We can't just allow ourselves to forget and hope that we'll have time to remember later. Otherwise the day will catch us by surprise like a trap.

Jesus is coming soon. If by that we mean his presence in the Eucharist it is no less true than of his coming at the end of our lives or at the end of time. We need to be prepared. We need to be awake. We have access to the river of life-giving water that Jesus pours out in the Holy Spirit. We have access to the fruit of the tree of life in the Eucharist. We can't taken these things for granted or let them catch us by surprise. These are meant to "serve as medicine for the nations." Can't we see how much the nations need this medicine?

The way to make sure we don't take these heavenly graces for granted is to act like those who live there and see them in fullness. We see the way in which their focus on God is unbreakable. The night is no more precisely because they are ever awake to him.

They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,
for the Lord God shall give them light,
and they shall reign forever and ever.

When we are prepared we can pray "Come, Lord Jesus" without fear. We know that his name is on our foreheads. We are ready to welcome him.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

25 November 2016 - right focus

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus tells us that we should not prepare in advance what we are going to say in times of trial are persecution. He tells us not to prepare words. But he does tell us to be ready for things that are coming. He tells us to prepare our hearts. 

We are told to recognize the signs of the times not so that we can come up with a solution to the problems ourselves but rather so that we can keep our focus on the right things. When there are wars and rumors of war our perspective tends to become narrow and earthly at exactly the time it needs to be focused on the fact that the Kingdom of God is near.

in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.

We need to be prepared so that we don't accept the mark of the beast or its image. This mark represents the ultimately temptation to make a bargain with demonic powers to solve the problems of the earth. If we are watching for the signs of the times and recognize the coming kingdom in them we are not tempted to do whatever seems politically expedient to solve these problems. We must do instead only what Christ would have us do. Our flesh might feel this is insufficient. There might be the temptation to do more but means that aren't entirely moral. But Christ sees more broadly than we ever can. His plan is perfect. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on him.

My soul yearns and pines 
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.

We will eventually be judged by our works. The beast, whether Rome, or whatever modern variant of corrupt political power is in question, will pass away. We need to be on the watch for the eternal in the midst of the pressing temporary problems of our world. The solutions the beast offers are no solutions at all. They lead only, ultimately, to the pool of fire. But the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand. The kingdom solutions, the words of Jesus, are lasting solutions. They lead toward a new heaven and a new earth, to the holy city where night is no more and all suffering is ended.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

24 November 2016 - giving thanks

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 

Let us realize the gifts we have from God. Let us be the one who returns to give him thanks. Even when God answers our most desperate needs we are all to ready to go our way and get on with life after that. We can scarcely be bothered to pause for a moment.

We ought to reflect on all that the LORD does for us. It is more than we can ever keep in our minds at any one time. There is the incarnation, the cross and resurrection, the Church and the Sacraments, and more, before we even get to the specifics of the individual favors, blessings, and protection God provides us.

If we really look we find that we "are not lacking any spiritual gift". We often feel like we're lacking but according to God we are not. We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavens (see Ephesians 1:3). God says it so it must be true. Why don't we perceive it? Are we too busy thinking about the things we don't have to celebrate the blessings we do have? Are we so focused on what we want to be thankful for the blessings we are given?

Thankfulness is a skill. When practiced well it leads to contentment. This is because it shows us how we already have everything we need. It makes us learn that we can count on God for whatever we might need in the future. We are already "enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge". Thankfulness helps us to recognize this.

Thankfulness reveals that God's gifts aren't given because of our efforts. His gifts are given because he loves us. He fosters our growth from our mother's womb before we can do a single thing to please him.

It is a simple message today. We need to give thanks. But the payoff, as it always is with God, is surprisingly disproportionate. Just thanking him for what he does for us has the power to transform our entire lives.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.

23 November 2016 - there for us

[ Today's Readings ]

Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.

Isn't this difficult advice? We typically either prepare at length or we are afraid to face a given situation at all. How hard it is to simply trust that the LORD will be there to take care of us. If we prepare more by spending time in relationship with him through prayer and less time trying to solve all possible problems in advance through our own thought and effort we can learn that he really is always there for us. We can learn to trust him now so that we can also trust him at crunch time. The good news is that we already have the time we take worrying as part of our schedules. Let's give that time to Jesus instead.

You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

The victory doesn't come from us winning. Being right or successful may be part of the LORD's plan. It may not. Our ideas about success and failure are too narrow to be trusted. Who would have guessed that the apparent failure of God's plan when Jesus was crucified was actually his greatest success? This is why it is so essential to trust in God and the wisdom he gives and not in ourselves. If we do we can be assured that we too will join the song of the victorious.

On the sea of glass were standing those
who had won the victory over the beast
and its image and the number that signified its name.
They were holding God’s harps,
and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb

This is the new song of the LORD. Let us join in singing!

22 November 2016 - for he comes

[ Today's Readings ]

We are called to be ready to meet our judge. Meeting him can be terrifying if we are headed for the wine press of his fury. But it is not meant to be terrifying. It is meant to be so good that the heavens and earth themselves rejoice, that the sea and what fills it resound, that the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Even the trees of the forest exult.

Do we want to be a part of the party? Do we want want to celebrate when one like a son of man comes riding on the clouds wearing a golden crown? If we do we need to come to Jesus and stay with him. But it can't be imaginary. We need to be close enough to him that we aren't deceived when other people come in his name "saying 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'" Our relationship with Jesus needs to be real enough that we don't follow fakes. We need to be able to tell his voice from those of false prophets.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (see John 10:27).

This is absolutely essential. We need to get this down when times are good so that when there are wars and insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and plagues, we are not shaken. Our willingness to cling to Jesus will be tested. But if we know his voice and stay close to him he will shield and protect us.

We would rather know when these things will happen so that we can be sure we're ready at the last minute. But that doesn't work. We have to live it consistently. We have to respond to the invitation of Jesus day in and day out. If we do, we are unmovable no matter how we are tested.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.

21 November 2016 - claimed as his own

 

[ Today's Readings ]  

 

 Let us learn to follow the lamb wherever he goes. He wants us to trust him so completely that we can offer him our whole livelihood. We are content, indeed impressed with ourselves, when we give from our surplus. Giving is always good. But when it is from our surplus we still believe we are in control. It doesn't require a profound act of trust or surrender.

He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

We need to learn to value the things of heaven more than those in earth so that we can use the things of earth rightly. Playing harps and singing a new song before the throne is worth more than any treasure. But it is reserved for those without deceit on their lips who are unblemished by the world. Only they have the freedom of heart to truly follow the lamb wherever he goes.

The good news is that the hundred and forty-four thousand don't achieve this on their end. Even the widow gives what she gives in response to grace that empowers her to do it. The Father writes his name on their foreheads, claiming them as his own, and sealing them for the day of redemption. He writes his name on our foreheads as well. This same grace, to follow the lamb, is available to us right now. Let us respond to it.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

20 November 2016 - the king of love

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus is King. He is LORD. He exists before all things. All things are created for him. But because of sin there are problems. There is division. He means for us all to be united in him but our sinful rebellion frustrates this desire of his. David is meant to be the shepherd and king of Israel because he is bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh. Jesus wants to be our shepherd and king but when he comes he finds that we have all gone astray like sheep. He finds that we have taken the Father's inheritance and left for a life of dissipation.

The Good News is that Jesus does not let our rebellious hearts stop him from bringing us into the Kingdom of God. Because of our rebellion there is now a price to be paid. But he himself pays it.

For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

All that is within us that fights against the Fatherhood of God and unity with all of his children is put to death by Jesus Christ on the cross. If we have eyes to see it his cross reveals his kingdom to us.

Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”

We see a king who is not a tyrant. He is not arbitrary in his rule. In fact all of his rule is because he loves us. All he does as king is to bring us from the kingdom of darkness into his own Kingdom so that we can share the inheritance of the saints in light. We have a hard time with earthly authority. We've seen it abused so much. And even when it is just our hearts are reluctant to submit. But this morning we see that there is nothing better or more wonderful for us than to make Jesus the LORD and king of our hearts. Let us rejoice in him!

I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

19 November 2016 - to him all are alive

[ Today's Readings ]

The Sadducees can't accept the resurrection because it is too different from their current perspective. They really just imagine a prolonging of life as they now know it. But the resurrection is quite different.

those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise. 

The resurrection reveals that much of our earthly life is temporary. It leads us toward our final destiny. But it itself is not that destiny. Marriage is an image, a map, and grace to propel us on in the direction of that destiny. It is a wonderful way to learn to live in selfless love. But we learn it so that we can ultimately consummate the still greater marriage between the Lamb and his Bride.

Jesus tells us that we have to be willing to lose this mortal life to gain eternal life. This is the thing with which the Sadducees, and indeed we ourselves have trouble. This is why the witnesses of the LORD can be so difficult to endure. It gets to a point that the "inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts" when the LORD's witnesses are silenced.

Ultimately, though, the message cannot be silenced. For the LORD is the Living God, eternally alive, and wants to reveal himself to the world.

he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive.

His witnesses may even be killed. This silences them at the time. But in God's design it makes their message all the more potent and effective. Let us learn from them that we have nothing to fear. Let us learn to trust in the LORD.

My mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.

18 November 2016 - sweetening the deal

 [ Today's Readings ]

all the people were hanging on his words.

They were hanging on his words because his promises are so good.

How sweet to my taste is your promise!

Did the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people not sense this? Or was it rather that they had some sense that these promises would turn sour in their stomach? Jesus promises the Kingdom but the leaders of the people are already invested in their own kingdoms. They sense the threat in the words of Jesus. He promises life, joy, and peace in fullness. But only those willing to die to self and live for him can receive it.

There is a sourness to the promises of Jesus insofar as we live in the flesh. That earthly part of us rebels against the idea of surrendering our pride and our egos. But the initial sweetness of the promise is what we need to trust.  The sourness is temporary. The sweetness is but a glimpse of how good the fulfillment will be. In some ways, the initial sweetness is the sugar the helps us to take the medicine. The actual healing process has its pain. But the eventual result is better than the condition from which we started. It is better even than the initial sweetness of the medicine would suggest.

Let us allow Jesus to drive from our hearts all of the things we choose instead of God. Then his house can be a house of prayer for us. We can come and receive the healing medicine he has for us. If we do we begin to taste the fullness of life, joy, and peace that he has for us even now. We become steadfast, able to share this promise with others even in tough times like ours.

Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

17 November 2016 - what makes for peace

 [ Today's Readings ]

Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to examine it.

What is this scroll that is locked away? At this point there are many very noble scrolls containing all of the Old Testament. They contain knowledge of God and his promises. What remains concealed?

I shed many tears because no one was found worthy
to open the scroll or to examine it.

In the Old Testament by itself something is still missing. Something is still locked away. Promises of wealth and long life in the land aren't enough to satisfy the human heart. The sacrifices offered for sin aren't enough to change the heart. Even the hints at eternal life are just mysterious fragments that can't make sense of suffering. Only in the light of the New Testament does the Old take on true meaning. Only in Jesus Christ do we see the true fulfillment of all of God's promises in a way we could never have guessed.

One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep.
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”

This is heavenly equivalent of the proclamation of the Gospel at mass. The celebration in heaven is the true reality we attempt to reecho with are chorus of alleluias.
He came and received the scroll from the right hand
of the one who sat on the throne.
When he took it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.

The Good News is revealed in the resurrection of Jesus. He is the lamb who appears slain but who lives again. Every partial promise is answered in him. Death itself makes sense. Every problem finds its solution in him. His own blood is the final remedy for sin. This scroll was locked prior to Easter Sunday. But by his resurrection Jesus reveals it to us.  This Good News is so good that it is worth singing alleluia even when it seems bad on the surface.

If this day you only knew what makes for peace–

This is still good because we can hear it and learn what makes for peace. The Gospel itself contains the solutions for the problems it mentions. The Word of God is living and effective and conveys the grace to learn what makes for peace.

They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.
The Word gives grace to endure, understand, and be transformed by suffering. It reveals that we sometimes miss the time of our visitation only so that we can recognize it next time. The Word is a healing word! Let's remember this the next time we sing alleluia at mass and try lift our hearts and voices a little higher.

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.

 

16 November 2016 - plan and purpose

[ Today's Readings ]

Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created.

Everything and are we have we receive from God. Because of that we must use it all for him.

He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’

Every gift we are given is given for a purpose. Nothing can be buried, ignored, hidden, or forgotten.

Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;

These are the good works which God prepared in advance for us.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2:1).

The thing that should reassure us about this is that nothing is by accident. Even if the king seems to be far away in a distant country and it feels like we're on our own with these gifts he has a plan for them because he has a plan for us.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (see Jeremiah 29:11).

What do we do while the king feels distant and we have gifts that we know we need to use? We stand on his word. If he tells us, "Engage in trade with these until I return" then we know what we must do. There is some freedom as to how to do it. But hiding the coins is obviously not according to the plan.

When the king feels distant we must remember that he is actually with us always even unto the end of the age. We experience the truth of his nearness more when we begin to stand on his word no matter the circumstance. This experience can transform our worship which seems all to earthly into something whereby we enter the door to heaven.

Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”
We are able to join this chorus when we learn to believe he invites us to do so. At the beginning of every mass Jesus says to us, "Come up here" and stands ready to reveal all of heaven to us. Let's trust his word and stand on it.

Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.

15 November 2016 - whenever we listen

[ Today's Readings ]

I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.

Indifference is not enough. We cannot drift into the kingdom. The current, in fact, flows the other way. We need to be like Zacchaeus, willing to climb a tree to see Jesus when he is passing by.

And perhaps we were on fire like that at one point.

Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,
for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.

The good news is that we can have that zeal again. It might not come with the same feelings that accompanied it when we were just discovering the faith. But precisely because of that it can be even more steadfast and unwavering. This is true because the source of our zeal and perseverance is meant to be God more than our feelings. We think that we are rich, able to produce all of this motivation from within. It is rather that we need the gold refined by fire that is the grace that God gives us. We think we're already presentable, well dressed, ready to be seen at the feast, but we need to again receive the white garments that Jesus first gives in baptism and makes new for us in confession.
We climb the tree to see Jesus only to realize that he first places the desire to see him in our hearts. Everything we do is a response to his grace. This is why he already knows our names. This is why he already has plans for us.

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”

Jesus is always standing at the door and knocking. He is always just waiting for us to let him in. Learning to hear the knock is how we gain the true zeal and fire we are meant to have. When we learn to hear it we receive Jesus with joy not just once but every time we listen.
And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 

14 November 2016 - not blinded by love

 

   

 [ Today's Readings ]

He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”
Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”

We need Jesus to give us sight. Only faith in him can do it. Only his Spirit is the lampstand in our midst by which we truly see.

When it comes to sight as a metaphor one might think it sufficient to know true things. We should not be fooled by wickedness nor even tolerate at. We should test false Apostles and discover that they are imposters. We should in fact cling to the truth. We may even suffer for it. But the true source of our sight is more than mere truth. It is love.

Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.

It's easier to imagine how truth helps us see. Even goodness keeps us from falling in pits so that metaphor makes sense. But all of this is like a map with no compass or no north star. There is no ultimate source of direction. Love is the force that points the needles of our hearts toward heaven. Without it we wander. Without it our lampstands are eventually removed and we stumble blindly.

We need Jesus to give us this sight. It is sight that beholds him and in beholding him loves him.

He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

These are the eyes, not of our minds, but of our hearts. We need Jesus to open them. We need our love to be a genuine response to the vision he himself reveals to us. Jesus becomes for us the running water that keeps us alive in every season and enables us to bear fruit.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

13 November 2016 - until that day

[ Today's Readings ]

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,

Jesus is coming soon and we must be prepared. Whether it is his coming at our death, at the end of the world, he will come at a time we do not expect. But he also comes when we're ready for him. He comes in every Eucharist. Let us bring with us the fear of his name the next time we receive him. If we do us there will arise for us the sun of justice with its healing rays. If we practice receiving him now we wont be worried about being set on fire later.

Preparing for the coming of the LORD does not mean being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. It does not mean getting lost in Kingdom gossip while the world keeps on spinning without us.

In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.

We need to do the work set before us for the LORD.

Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.

There might be a lot going on in the world that could cause distraction from living the simple and holy life to which Jesus calls us. The crazy events of the news can sometimes seem more pressing than our own individual lives day to day. After all, such events can even make us fear for our own safety. They might well even spell persecution for us. But in Jesus Christ we need not fear.

You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death. 
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

So let's not worry about those things that are beyond our control. Let us pray for the world and get to work on the task at hand. Let us not fear evildoers, for the LORD will protect us. He will eventually set all things right.

He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.

12 November 2016 - persistence living

[ Today's Readings ]

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? 

God will secure the rights of his chosen ones who call it to him day and night. Are we calling out to him? Or do we give up when we encounter a judge who seems unwilling to help? It is likely that we all occasionally feel like our prayers are bouncing off the walls and ceiling and not reaching anyone. We think of God as the all powerful judge who is too smart to really care what we have to say.

We need to remember that God is not indifferent or aloof. This is a God who comes down to experience the pain that we experience and suffer for our sakes. He does not gratify us instantly nor always in the way we think we want. But he does take our cares and concerns to heart. Through a psalm he tells us:

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us (see Psalm 62:8)

Persistence even persuades the unjust judge eventually. Persistence is what God wants from us. We must not only desire the good but be genuinely committed to it. When we show this persistence in prayer God does answer.

Will he be slow to answer them? 
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. 

It is easy to start thinking of God as an unjust judge. Let's encourage one another with our own love and prayers so that we can all support one another in the truth.

Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.
For they have set out for the sake of the Name
and are accepting nothing from the pagans.

We can remind one another of the importance and power of prayer. We can help one another remember the true heart of the God who loves us. Together we remain steadfast and prayer. Together we receive God's answer.

Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

11 November 2016 - no backup plans

[ Today's Readings ]

When we face trials the temptation is to turn back. The harder things get the more tempted we are to look at those around us who are not following Jesus and to envy their lives which seem filled with the earthly pleasures they seek. We ought not be fooled and we must not turn back!

On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.

The days of the world, the flesh, and the devil are numbered. To turn back is to choose to share in their fate. Business as usual seems great until the floods come or fire and brimstone rain from the sky. We are on a pilgrimage out of Egypt. Even though the meat pots, melons, garlic and leeks sound appealing in the desert we were slaves their. We move from slavery to freedom. Even though life without Jesus sometimes seems easier we are in fact dead without him.

Let's not chase after any antichrists that deny Jesus. They may say that he has not come in the flesh and so the flesh doesn't matter. Sin away, but be spiritual and it's fine, says this antichrist. Let us in nowise run from the teaching we receive from Jesus. It is not complicated.

But now, Lady, I ask you,
not as though I were writing a new commandment
but the one we have had from the beginning:
let us love one another.
For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;
this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
in which you should walk.
We are called to live a new life of love. Sometimes turning back seems easier. Sometimes sitting on the couch with a bear seems preferable. But that is not love. Let us abide and live in love.

Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.

 

10 November 2016 - hidden in plain sight

[ Today's Readings ]

“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

The Kingdom is already present among us. It is clear that the way it is present is somewhat hidden. People wouldn't be looking for it if it were entirely obvious. But it can be found by those with eyes to see it. The Kingdom transforms relationships based on selfishness and control to ones which are based on love. It sets free captives and slaves. It unites us as brothers and sisters. The Kingdom hidden in the world is found in renewed relationships.

Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.

We see that Philemon has no incentive to free Onesimus. His old self might even desire to exact payment from him for past injustices. We see the hidden Kingdom in Paul's willingness to pay the price for Onesimus. If, being roused to greater love by Paul, Philemon sets Onesimus free, we see the Kingdom here too.

The Kingdom turns slave and master into brothers in the LORD.

Because the Kingdom is among us we need not run off chasing supernatural distractions.

There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.

Even if it is a day when we really long to see the Son of Man, we should still keep our eyes open for the hidden Kingdom in our midst rather than allowing our desperation to drive us to follow after false prophets or teachings, fake miracles, or promises of occult superstitions. The Kingdom is in our midst! The grand finale, the coming of Christ will be something which we can't be hidden, something, too, which we do not have to chase. All that is left to us is to be prepared.

For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.

9 November 2016 - you are God's temple

 

[ Today's Readings ]

The temple is meant to be a place of encounter with the Father. It is meant to be a place where we come into the presence of God. The more evident that purpose is the better. That means there is no room for greed. There is no room for anything that distracts us from that encounter. There is only room for beauty and light in order to elevate our minds and hearts. There is only room for that which will inspire us with zeal for the temple and therefore for the one who dwells within. This is true in Church buildings like the Lateran Basilica. But it is equally true about our hearts.

Brothers and sisters:
You are God’s building.

In fact it is even more true about our hearts. The Spirit of God wells in us in a way that is more profound an intimate than he dwells in any building.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
This means that we should try to make our hearts fit dwelling places for the Spirit of God. We should ask Jesus himself to cleanse them even if it requires a whip of cords and causes some pain. After all, our hearts are meant to be the dwelling places of God. All too often we let them become marketplaces of worldly values. Jesus can bring us back to the true purpose for which he creates us.

The more we allow the Spirit to have the central place in our lives and our hearts the more we see his fruits.

Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.
This is the stream that gives us true gladness and joy. It is the stream of God's very presence.

There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.

8 November 2016 - a people as his own

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus Christ gave himself "to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good." This means that we need to live consistently with sound doctrine. We need to show the world self-control so much so that we can't be criticized and we don't scandalize our opponents. We can't  proclaim the gospel on the one hand and live in a way that is no better than the world on the other. We need to have so much integrity and dignity that even those who oppose us won't be able to find anything bad to say about us. Difficult? Perhaps. Impossible? Absolutely not. Jesus Christ gave himself for this. He himself cleanses us and prepares us for it. He is the one who inspires in us the desire. 

Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.

We are unprofitable servants when it comes down to it. We don't ever work so as to put the master in our debt. Rather even the work itself is his gift. Even our self-control doesn't come from self. Jesus gives us this gift so that we can actually be the people he intends us to be, his own people, eager to do what is good.

When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’

Let's embrace the call to live consistently with the truth. The truth is that Jesus is offering us the grace to live in a way that pleases to him. So let us live in that way. Let us be eager for it. The hope of the appearance of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ can inspire us and draw us toward the salvation of the just that comes from only from the LORD.

7 November 2016 - not milling about

[ Today's Readings ]

We need to be a people of faith, who follow Jesus, and long for his face above all else. It is possible, even imperfect as we are, to follow Jesus closely enough that we don't cause the little ones to sin.

We can be so close to Jesus that even though things that cause sin inevitably occur we ourselves never cause scandal to the weak and the small, even to those who are all to easily led astray. The secret is not in ourselves for we do fail from time to time. This is why Jesus gives us the sacrament of reconciliation. But if we are close enough to Jesus our own weakness and repentance will be testimony to the truth of his word. It is quite different from indulging in sinfulness. The world might see that even Christians have broken relationships. This is OK as long as they also see forgiveness at work.

Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day 
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”

It isn't perfection that prevents the little ones from being led astray. It is our persistence, empowered by the mercy of Jesus himself. So with the Apostles we pray, "Increase our faith." We don't have as much faith yet as we are called to have. If we can only receive such faith then miracles around us are multiplied and more people can come to believe.

for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life 
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior

This faith and recognition in the hope of eternal life is what it is all about. It is why Paul is so concerned about who becomes a bishop. He doesn't want us, as little ones, to be led astray. He wants faith at least the size of a mustard seed at work in building the kingdom. He wants to ensure that the hope of eternal life is proclaimed to anyone who will listen.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

6 November 2016 - beyond this age

[ Today's Readings ]

Our bodies are destined rise again. But it will not be business as usual.

“The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise. 
That the dead will rise.

We are not raised only to resume the life we have.  We are raised like angels who are unable to die. We are God's children even now. When we are raised this reality finally manifests completely. All of our family characteristics are fully developed. We love and have life as does the Father himself. When we are raised we finally share in this divine life completely. We no longer need images like marriage to help us to understand the true union of love for which all of us are made. At the resurrection we finally live that union perfectly.

It is this knowledge that lets us endure temporary hardships and misfortunes. We see who a genuine marriage can weather any storm and we learn about the amazing union that awaits us at the resurrection. No matter what comes our way there is a stronger love to which we can cling. Even if it comes down to martyrdom we can endure it because our ultimate hope is not in this world only but in the resurrection.

“It is my choice to die at the hands of men
with the hope God gives of being raised up by him;
but for you, there will be no resurrection to life.”

We see that no configuration of circumstance will bring us the joy for which we truly long. Instead our joy will only be full when the glory of the LORD appears to us. This is the good hope we have through the grace of Jesus Christ. This morning he wants to encourage our hearts with this hope and to strengthen them in every good deed and word. He will guard us from the evil one, give us his own endurance, and bring us safely home, if we trust him.

Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking I shall be content in your presence.

5 November 2016 - when enough is enough

[ Today's Readings ]

If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.

We need to be stewards who can be trusted with the wealth of this world. And we need to be able to be trusted without it. This means that we need to be able to live both in humble circumstances and also with abundance. We need to be trustworthy whether we are well fed or hungry. We should not let the push and pull of this world master us. There is only one way to not serve the world as master. Let us instead choose to serve Jesus with love and devotion. When we do so we learn the secret of being sufficient no matter the circumstance. 

I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.

Serving Jesus as master, we don't fear poverty, and we don't fear wealth. Like Paul we can receive a gift from others, to allow them to exercise charity and to love us. We don't have to worry that such gifts will master us. We don't worry, for example, that we will come to depend on them so much as to fear their absence. Whether we have much or little, if we serve Jesus first, we have enough.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

When we serve Jesus as master we learn not to esteem what is an abomination in the sight of God. We learn that it is the man who fears the LORD who is blessed. Esteeming what God esteems we find freedom and joy.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

4 November 2016 - citizenship in heaven

[ Today's Readings ]

Their minds are occupied with earthly things.

Are our minds occupied with earthly things? Are we so attached to them that we can't let them go even when to do so is the easiest way to have a place for us when our stewardship is at an end?

I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.

We take profit from this life over and above what God gives us. We consider as gain that which is temporary and will ultimately be lost. God allows us to do so. But we must not cling to gain like this because, ultimately, we cannot. It is ultimately all part of the stewardship with which God entrusts us. At some point we answer for all of it. Trying to cling to the extra measures of olive oil and wheat which we take for ourselves above what the master demands is finally impossible. It is much better to put all surplus to good use.

Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ 
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’

It is much better to use what we receive to lighten the load of others. We can't hold onto the excess anyway. Let's get value from it while we can! We need to remember our true identities so that our minds do not become occupied with earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven, 
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified Body 
by the power that enables him also 
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

This is stewardship which we now possess is temporary. Let us spend any wealth we gain with a view toward our eternal homes.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”