31 August 2017 - while you were awway

Today's Readings

Jesus, help our hearts to be like your heart. Show us how to distribute the gifts you give to us at the proper time.

Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

Help make us good stewards of your gifts regardless of whether you seem distant or delayed. Often, when we feel distant from you, or like we've waited for you as long as we can we, begin to think more about ourselves and less about others. The project of spreading your love seems to overwhelming so we revert to building comfortable lives for ourselves. It is an overwhelming project alone. But you give us the gifts and graces we need to carry it out. And you are never far from us even if it sometimes feels like you are. Once again it comes down to motivation. Do we only act because we feel like we're being watched and must perform? That motivation won't last in times of desolation when we feel your absence. Instead we need to let love of you motivate us. We need to let you help us to love what you love so that can drive us on even in times when the feelings of consolation are less abundant.

This is how we "stand firm in the Lord". We ask and allow our hearts to be strengthened so that we can be blameless in holiness before our God and Father even until the coming of our Lord Jesus. This is the endurance to the end that can save us. It stems from being transformed by our faith. It is living in hope and in love by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is never turning back from the calling of God no matter what feelings tell us. This endurance is a gift you offer us today, Jesus. Let us receive it.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!

30 August 2017 - word powered

Today's Readings

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

What motivates us? Are we trying to look good or to actually be good? We all have a little Pharisee in us, concerned with appearing religious in the eyes of others. The question is what is going on in our hearts. Do we celebrate the teachings of the Church while failing to practice it? Of course we do, to one degree or another.

Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets

It is just way too easy to become satisfied with the outward show. We probably start off with better motivation but then become accustomed to the reward of how we are seen by other people. This motive comes to dominate until eventually we aren't particularly interested in the good acts themselves as long as we appear good before the world. This is why Jesus suggests that we often do our works secretly. He suggests we give and pray in secret so that we can cut ourselves off from dependence on this motivation. God is sufficient. He by himself can be sufficient to motivate us when we are willing to rely on him alone.

The genuine work of the Kingdom isn't always glamorous. It is sometimes the "toil and drudgery" of which Paul speaks. It is working "night in day" in order to not be a burden. It is constant effort at devout, just, and blameless behavior in all our relationships. We need to receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as the word of God that it really is. Then it has the power to make us overcome all this hypocrisy. Otherwise, if we treat it like any other word, we throw it out when it is inconvenient. We do not pursue it when the reward is not immediate. But if it is the word of God we surrender to it and thereby unleash its power in our lives. The LORD knows who we are. He knows about our mixed motives. This is exactly why he stands always ready to shine his light upon us and to cast the darkness from us.

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light"–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.

29 August 2017 - properly motivated

Today's Readings

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.

Why is it that John can say things like "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife" and yet Herod still wants to listen to him. It is because of his integrity. His motives are not selfish. Herod can sense this. John the Baptist isn't seeking his own interests. If he were his strategy for getting out of prison would be quite different. Paul is credible to his congregation for the same reason.

Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.

People can see through delusions, impure motives, deception, and especially greed. They can tell when someone is just looking to be praised, trying only to say the right things that he thinks the crowd wants to hear.

How do we avoid this pitfall? We are not without flaws. To some extent we all suffer from the depravity that makes our message less credible and more potentially self-serving. How we proclaim the truth of God. This is something we can learn from John the Baptist. 

He must increase, but I must decrease (see John 3:30)

When this is the motivation of our proclamation people can see it. It may perplex them. It may even infuriate them to some degree. But they will ultimately desire to hear it.

But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.

This sort of proclamation is the most likely to work. But when we use this approach we are the most likely to be strongly opposed because we are by definition unwilling to conceal any of the truth with those to whom the proclamation goes. Yet it is precisely in the logical conclusion of this opposition, martyrdom, that faith makes its strongest case. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, as Tertullian says. John the Baptist is the first one privileged to lay down his life for the Lamb of God he proclaims. Ever since then saints in every age have joined this irrefutable testimony. We may not be called to martyrdom. But let us at least speak fearlessly, desiring only that Jesus may increase. We need not fear for he is with us.

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.

28 August 2017 - were they not in you

Today's Readings

Are we blind guides? We are if speak mostly of rules and not enough of relationship. If we are telling people about their obligations to temple, to gold, and to altar, without telling them how to know the one who dwells in that temple and is worshipped on that altar and with that gold. The temple, gold, and altar have immense value when at the service of relationship. But this gospel proves that we can use any legitimate good to distance ourselves from God and excuse ourselves of our obligations toward him.

This is a sign that we have two much of the letter of the law. We need to receive more of the conviction of the Spirit.

For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

The conviction and power of the Holy Spirit keep the message safe from becoming a mere vanity project for us. It gives us a faith which works in labors of love. It gives us a hope that bestows endurance on us when we would otherwise be tempted to turn aside. 

We are going to worship something. It will either be God or the inconspicuous idols of modernity such as comfort and entertainment. Let us turn entirely from those idols. Rules are not enough to save us when we think about why we should change the way we actually spend our time day to day. Once we get into that sort of nitty-gritty we are at the peak of our readiness for talking ourselves out of and excusing ourselves from our obligations of faith, hope and love. If idols are first at such times we fragment. We can serve entertainment with part of our heart and God with the other, we think. But it is always false. We must serve God alone. We only find the blessings of legitimate lesser good's when they are given to us from his hand.

For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.

This is the secret that Saint Augustine writes of when he says:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

27 August 2017 - not off key

Today's Readings

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. 
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 

Flesh and blood could not reveal the answer. When we approach the mysteries of God we inevitably come up against our own limitations.

How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!

We reach a point where we understand what we are capable of understanding and then God leads us beyond that point to the truth he wants to reveal.

Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

It's possible that we think that we figure out who Jesus is without help. There are certainly good solid arguments that Jesus is who he says he is. But there is a level of understanding of that truth which can only come from the Holy Spirit (see First Corinthians 12:3).

This is why we should be so grateful for the certainty of divine revelation. Scriptures are inerrant. The Church speaking through it's teaching authority is infallible.

I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.

It is fixed, firm, and reliable. We know we ourselves have no such stability. We have no illusions about always completely understanding everything. But we live in God's family where he guarantees we will always have access to the truth. It is a place where we can always be open to the voice of the Father revealing his Son to us.

For from him and through him and for him are all things. 
To him be glory forever. Amen.

26 August 2017 - in the secret

Today's Readings

All their works are performed to be seen.

It's true, isn't it, that we want to be noticed for the good things we do? To be thankful to others who do good to us is not only commendable it is expected. The problem is not other people being thankful for our efforts. The problem is only if we are missing the motivation for the good deeds themselves. We can't allow our love to become tethered to recognition. We must love and do right whether or not anyone notices. We are free to enjoy those times when they do notice, so long as we don't come to depend on that to drive our efforts. Much of the Christian life is hidden. We give and pray and many who benefit never even know. Do we feel deprived? We need not. God sees what is hidden. He sees us in secret. We may not always get the usual thanks for something we do even when a person is aware of it. God never owes us anything. But he chooses to reward deeds of righteousness. He himself can be more than enough to motivate our every action.

In a way, we can be like Ruth, who doesn't even realize that anyone is aware of the good choices she makes and is surprised to see them rewarded.

Boaz answered her:
"I have had a complete account of what you have done
for your mother-in-law after your husband's death;
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth,
and have come to a people whom you did not know previously."

We don't need to be regarded as good, or as teachers, or as experts, as long as we choose to follow Jesus. We find in him a new birth that far exceeds any other reward we can imagine. This element of surprise is often a part of it because, although we tell ourselves at the time we are doing things for God when they go unrecognized, those things nevertheless still often full like effort and drudgery. Yet we really are opening ourselves to unexpected and unguessed blessings from the LORD.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.

25 August 2017 - two for one

Today's Readings

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

We might try to play the commandments against each other to say one is more important than another and to excuse ourselves from our obligations. Jesus precludes this entirely by his teaching. We might want to play the three commandments about duty toward God against the three commandments about duty toward neighbor. But Jesus precludes this too when he says "the second is like it". How is it like it? It is a duty of love. If we miss this we miss both commandments. If we get it, we get both.

This is why Ruth is able to become so attached to both Naomi and to God. The love which Naomi has for God is the same love (in a different proportion) to the love she has for Ruth.

But Ruth said, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

We often over complicate the idea of being witnesses to God, making elaborate plans and programs. We think of what we will say and do. But simply living out the most basic ideas of our faith is what matters most. To love in the way we are called to love is always a countercultural revolution. Unless we hide the light intentionally people notice and are drawn to it. We need to be open as Naomi is to them being drawn to us as well. If he wants to use us to bring others to him we need to let him. Our love isn't big enough for this. But by grace he gives us all that we need.

The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.

24 August 2017 - foundational calling

Today's Readings

The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

One of those twelve names is the name of Bartholomew, identified by tradition with Nathanael in today's gospel. He is part of the very foundation of the heavenly city where we all hope to live. But he did not start off the way. He started off with a shockingly modern cynicism.

But Nathanael said to him,
"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

Fortunately Philip pressed the matter. Do we press the matter when we encounter an initial doubt? It is a good thing Philip is courageous enough, not to argue, but to invite.

Philip said to him, "Come and see."

While Nathanael is still figuring this out Jesus already knows him. This is what is convincing to Nathanael. Being so completely understood and yet accepted is something he has never experienced before.

"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

Even back there, he thinks, while I was doubting the rumors about him, he was aware of me and waiting for me, waiting for Philip to bring me to him. The love of Jesus moves Nathanael to faith sufficient to become part of the very foundation of the Church where the angels are seen "ascending and descending on the Son of Man." This love drove him as far as India and Greater Armenia, where, tradition tells us, he was martyred.

Let us give thanks to the LORD for laying so firm a foundation for his Church so that we too might believe and encounter the love that transformed Nathanael. May that love send us forth so that we too might become supports for the Kingdom God is building in our midst.

23 August 2017 - not too late

Today's Readings

'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'

It is never too late. We need to hear Jesus call us out into his vineyard. In the light of eternity all time, whether the last hour, or the last few hours, is brief. The reward is beyond proportion. It is the master's to give and we never really earn it.

The calling is so important because all alternatives to the kingdom fall short. Those interested in worldly power often prove to be only those who are interested in pursuing that power. Good people are too busy with the goodnesf of the world and of their lives to care about power.

Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, 'Come; you reign over us!'
But the buckthorn replied to the trees,
'If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith,
come and take refuge in my shadow.

What does this have to do with the vineyard and the calling to go out? Everything. We are called to service! The calling to the vineyard is not the calling to pride and power, but it does minister to the world just as the world needs. The vineyard trains us to be servant leaders, not interested in pursuing our own rewards, but working instead for the sake of the Master and for his Kingdom.

Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.

The moral of the story remains simply. It is not too late! Let's get to work!

Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.
You made him a blessing forever,
you gladdened him with the joy of your face.

22 August 2017 - the battle belongs to the LORD

Today's Readings

Gideon said to him, "My Lord, if the LORD is with us,
why has all this happened to us?"

Here is a question we probably ask from time to time. It's interesting that the LORD doesn't spend much time answering it. Rather, he is interested in moving forward.

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you."

What was going on in the past? Fundamentally God was at work somehow in spite of whatever Gideon perceived. But figuring out just how that is true is beside the point. The LORD is with Gideon now. He is ready to move forward now. This is true with us as well. It matters less that we make sense of our past, discerning every moment that God was with us (though this allows us to be thankful) than it does to recognize that the LORD is with us right now calling us to victory.

Our past brings us to our present to be sure. There is much in it for which we must give thanks. Yet we are called to break from it.

"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"

We are called to not let us distract us from our goal.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 3:13-14).

It isn't easy. Sometimes if we spend too much time thinking about our past we begin to long for the cucumber, melon, leek, the onions and the garlic (see Numbers 11:5) of Egypt and forget about all the slavery that went along with it. It's hard to make a break with Egypt when our hearts are still there. But as with Gideon, the LORD reveals that he is with us now. He reveals this by his active and dynamic presence in our day to day. He leads us to victory.

Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.

Let us listen to what the LORD proclaims. There may be battles which we seem to have lost. There may be battles which seem impossible to win. But in the end the battle belongs to the LORD. He is victorious and brings peace to his people.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace
To his people, and to his faithful ones,
and to those who put in him their hope.

21 August 2017 - something missing

Today's Readings

"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"

The young man already knows that something is still missing. It isn't enough to simply follow the rules and be good. He's got that covered already and still there is this emptiness, this longing for the eternal in his heart. It draws him from those good behaviors to the source of goodness. But he only reaches the threshold. The invitation he receives at that threshold causes him to go away sad. He is called to move from various goods to the One who is good. To do so requires something more than mere keeping of rules. It means laying down his own life in surrender. It means no longer to be in the center of his own life. It requires a divesting of all ownership he has in his own life so that he can follow Jesus unreservedly.

Following the LORD means casting down our idols.

Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth,
the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,
and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them.

Even the best things can be idols. It means that, if we are being contaminated by them, prevented from following God as we should we may have to forego even legitimate goods.

They did not exterminate the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
But mingled with the nations
and learned their works.

To engage the culture with a goal of transforming and renewing it is admirable. But if we are being corrupted instead we need to cut ourselves off from its influence. That would mean we are serving it rather than putting it at the service of the gospel. There may be times, as with the rich man, that we can't actually hold onto our possessions without them preventing us from following Jesus. If possessions have this effect we need to get rid of them. We need to surrender everything to follow Jesus. It can be just a relationship between us and lesser things that needs to change. But if we find ourselves still ruled by lesser things in spite of our efforts at thinking more correctly about them it might be time to let them go. The invitation to follow Jesus always remains when we do. Freedom in pursuing that call is worth more than any treasure.

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."

20 August 2017 - come together

Today's Readings

There is a lesson in today's readings which is easy to miss. It is that one person being chosen, called, and gifted for one purpose does not take away from our diminish anyone else who was not so chosen. The Jewish people is chosen by God and yet that by that very action he brings salvation to the Gentiles.

so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy. 
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.

God choses Mary for a singular grace and yet the whole world benefits from the fruit of that grace. Jesus is sent specifically to the lost sheep of the house of Israel but all the nations are offered the salvation first offered to them.

"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." 

We need to approach this mystery with the same humility as the Canaanite woman. We need not insist on being chosen for one thing or another as long as the LORD will give us the thing we truly need.

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters." 

This is about learning to let go of our preferences and to take and even delight in what God wants to give us. Fortunately we know that there is no limit to his mercy or generosity. He desires all peoples to be saved (see First Timothy 2:4), Jew, Greek, slave, free, male or female (see Galatians 3:28). He longs to unite us in a single house of prayer and to make us joyful there.

them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.

He doesn't unite us by making us the cookie cutter saints. He unites us precisely through the unique callings each of has. We are many parts but one body in Christ (see Romans 12:5). So, therefore, let us join in one great chorus of praise.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

19 August 2017 - so new

Today's Readings

Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

We need to become like these children. We need to become small and simply and humble. We ourselves are complicated and prideful. We cannot remain this way and enter the Kingdom. To be childlike isn't simply an ideal. It's a requirement.

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 18:3).

It really should be the least burdensome requirement for entrance into the Kingdom. But we're all so into adulting that it is difficult for us to accept. We've survived in life by controlling things and running the show for ourselves. We need to make a break with the old and flawed ways of doing things that can never really make us happy.

Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the LORD.

We need to make a clean break with all ways of doing things that don't depend on the LORD as the origin and guide. Even those of us who have been Christian our entire lives have areas of our lives where we haven't let God in as much as he desires. We all have places where idols rule instead of him. The invitation to become children means that we can do more than simply change. We can be so new that it is as if the past sins and vicious habits belonged to someone else. We are born again in baptism. But this new birth is something we grow into as we learn to trust in the LORD.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

18 August 2017 - living the victory

Today's Readings

His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,

it is better not to marry."

God is calling us to a life which is humanly speaking impossible. We should remember that without grace it is impossible to live up to the calling of God, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (see Romans 3:23).

Facing such a challenge we have no alternative but to reach out to God for help.

Because they cried out to the LORD
he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them.

This is what the law teaches. Apart from grace it points toward the need for grace. It condemns, but so that we might seek life.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (see Romans 7:24-25).

It is good to remember our dependence on the LORD. We are meant to live victoriously, but our victory is never from our own strength or abilities, "not your sword or your bow." Rather, "God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do" (see Romans 8:3). We need to remember this. The reason is not so that we feel bad about our condition but so that we feel thankful for God's great gift of mercy and so that we remember to continue to depend on him rather than reverting to doing things on our own. We are meant not only to enter this land of victory by God's help, but to continue to live by his gifts even after we arrive.

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant."

The fruit of the Spirit is available to us. We don't need to plant anything else. Let us receive the gifts the LORD gives us with thankful hearts. Let us live as the new creations we are intended to be.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.

17 August 2017 - dryshod

Today's Readings

Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.

We have a debt to Jesus that we can never repay. We experience the unearned gift of existence before anything else. There is creation and the wonder of our own being. Then in order to reconcile us to himself God sends Jesus Christ to be born of a human woman, to live among us, to suffer, and to die. Though God, he does not cling to his equality with God. The immortal and impassible, he suffers death for all mankind. This because he sees our sorry plight and is moved with compassion. He has compassion because we are like sheep without a shepherd, because we are sick with sin, because we are hungry for the bread which will last unto eternity. It is much more that we are given than merely forgetting some monetary debt. And so we are obliged to show the same mercy to others. We should be moved with compassion for the crowds just as Jesus is.

Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.

This is why we can't let unforgiveness stand between us and our brothers and sisters. If they wrong us we are called to forgive them. If we wrong them we are called to seek forgiveness. Even if they only perceive a wrong we must still try to make things right. The one thing we cannot do is let the debt stand. We must not insist on this debt between ourselves and others as a fixed part of how we relate to one another. We must reconcile. We must reach a forgiveness that comes from the heart.

In our efforts to live in harmony with one another we often encounter barriers. We encounter unforgiveness as seemingly impassable as the Jordan river. But if we allow the presence of God to come with us as we enter those waters we will be able to pass through.

No sooner had these priestly bearers of the ark
waded into the waters at the edge of the Jordan,
which overflows all its banks
during the entire season of the harvest,
than the waters flowing from upstream halted,
backing up in a solid mass for a very great distance indeed,
from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan;
while those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah 
disappeared entirely.

The secret that the priests carrying the ark reveal to us is there stillness in the presence of God. They don't try to make things work. They let God work.

While all Israel crossed over on dry ground,
the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD
remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan
until the whole nation had completed the passage.

So if we feel like we are only mucking things up in the strained relationships we face let us remain more still. Let us give God more room. He is first moved with compassion before we are. He wants this reconciliation more than we do. He will see us through to the other side.

The sea beheld and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like the lambs of the flock.

16 August 207 - indivisible

Today's Readings

The LORD is calling us to reconciliation and unity. This is true whether we are the one who sinned or someone else is.

If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

The LORD gives his Church the ministry of reconciliation.

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation (see Second Corinthians 5:19).

This ministry of reconciliation is not between God and an individual alone it is a ministry that reconciles us with each other.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (see Ephesians 2:14).

There is no longer anything that divides us more than the unity of the Spirit has the power to unite us.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slaveg nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 3:28).

The only condition of this unity is truth. We do not have anything lasting or important enough within ourselves, within our ideas, or within our institutions to produce a durable unity. Only with God as our Father can we find it. Only trusting in those whom he gives to lead us do we experience it.

Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses.

The Chair of Moses (see Matthew 23:2) gives way to the Chair of Peter. The leadership of Moses is amazing, but even that cannot compare to the Spirit which guides the Church into all truth. This is why we can trust the Church to settle disputes that even our best efforts cannot settle.

If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Yet the unity and reconciliation to which we are called is not meant to be distant or abstract. It is meant to be the very basis of our life together.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.

Let us work to achieve this reconciliation of nations and groups and peoples. Let us all joyfully enter God's house.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"

If we have place ourselves inside of the ministry of reconciliations, as both ministers and recipients we end our days like Moses,  whose "eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated."

15 August 2017 - the assumption

Today's Readings

God has a history of blessing people and groups for the sake of others. Mary has a unique role in the history of salvation. This is undeniable. After all, only she is the mother of God. But this role and privilege is not given to her simply for her own sake, but also for all the future generations who do indeed call her blessed.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.

Mary desires to bring Jesus not only to Elizabeth but to us as well.

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,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Because she is uniquely privileged to be "full of Grace" (see Luke 1:28) as the angel Gabriel says, to be born without original sin, she is the perfect one to take on the role of being the new ark of the covenant. Just as the old ark was set apart from the corruption so too is Mary born without sin. In order to reveal most perfectly the presence of her son she is preserved from corruption. Even in her death corruption does not touch her, not because of who she is herself, but because of the child she bears, so that she can reveal to us just who he is.

For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order

The Fathers of the Church speak of Mary as the New Eve, whose obedience undoes the curse of the disobedience of the old Eve. So in the proper order Mary is part of the firstfruits of Christ. Raised to heaven in body and soul even before, "at his coming, those who belong to Christ". We know she reigns in heaven even now because Scripture tells us so.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She is the woman who gives birth "to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod." We are not wrong to believe this describes Jesus. Listen to the prophecy of Isaiah which Jesus claims to be written about him.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked (see Isaiah 11:2-4, emphasis mine)

But Mary is not only the mother of Jesus. Just as Jesus gives Mary as the mother of John on the cross, so too is she our mother. The mother indeed, of all of "those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17).

The reign of our King in Heaven begins with the resurrection and Ascension. Today we celebrate the role of Mary in this heavenly reign. She is brought into the throneroom of heaven. She is crowned with the stars. And again, we realize that this privilege is not given her for her sake alone, but for us, her children, so that we may follow ever more closely her son.

 The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

14 August 2017 - offensive strategy

Today's Readings

Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up. 

This is an expression of the freedom of children of God (see Romans 8:21). They are free from a customary tax. After all, Jesus is the true temple. He should most properly receive any such tax. But it is an interesting freedom. It is not something which they are absolutely speaking obliged to do but something which they nevertheless choose to do to avoid giving offense. 

There are two questions for us in the gospel reading today. Do we appreciate our freedom as sons and daughters of God? We answer to a higher authority than those in the world. This should have implications for how we choose to live. Sometimes we may even be called to disobey a lower authority to remain faithful to the Most High. One thinks of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the HHS Mandate. Yet it is a freedom that is durable enough that we can at times forego our rights for the sake of others. We can choose not to give offense in order to live peacably with others, to keep open communication channels so that we can witness to as many as possible.When should we insist on our rights and when should we strive to avoid offense? The only way to know this is to truly put God first.

And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you
but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?

When we live for the King we take on the King's priorities. 

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods,
the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.

Our hearts become like his heart. With hearts like his we can know when the world needs the witness of our disobedience to earthly powers and when to keep the peace so that we can witness in other ways. This is such a very common theme in the lives of so many. We keep relationships open in order that we may love others as they allow us to love them. We don't always lay down the hammer of God's law when to do so would not be helpful. But at the same time, we need to be cautious to avoid taking the easy way out if we are being called to speak difficult truths. The only way to know this for sure is for us to have hearts that care more about others than our own comfort. Hearts like this can only come from putting the LORD first and truly living as his children.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

13 August 2017 - stillness to listen

Today's Readings

We expect God to be in the wind and the waves. We expect to find him in the fire and the earthquake. Yet he is rather to be found in the still small voice amidst such noise and chaos. It takes faith to recognize him.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. 
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

We are called to listen for the voice of the LORD. We are called to watch for his gentle presence amidst the storms. Whether sleeping in our boat or walking placidly above the waves he is there to find. Even if he seems frustratingly unaffected by our circumstances we still see that he is close to us. He draws near. Finding him is possible if we can take our eyes from the noisy and loud things that surround us and give him room to reveal himself.

"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. 
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." 

Once God reveals himself to us there is no limit to his ability to change us. We desire to draw near to him become willing to take risks to do so.

"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 
He said, "Come."

There is no limit to what God can do within our hearts if we just let him speak with us. We move from doing good works from a sense of obligation to actually beginning to have true compassion and genuine love for others.

I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.

The voice and the presence of God is how the message that we know in our heads makes it's way to our hearts. Normally we are so threatened by the chaos around us that we don't even really have time to care. But when the voice of the one who has overcome the world speaks his peace to us amidst that chaos we are strengthened and made firm.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.

12 August 2018 - knowing the drill

Today's Readings

Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,
"Why could we not drive it out?"
He said to them, "Because of your little faith.

There are so many mountains that aren't moving. There are so many demons in the culture and the world that need to be driven out. We are offered the power to do so, but we fail to take it. Why do we fail when we run up against these obstacles? Isn't it because we don't really take the promises of Jesus to heart? Faith comes from hearing (see Romans 10:17). Isn't it because we don't fill our ears, our minds, and even our lips with the words that have the power to save souls (see James 1:21).

It isn't something broken within us that prevents us from having faith. It is a failure to respond to the invitation to take the Word of God to heart.

Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.

This should encourage us if our faith is weak. If we don't live lives filled with the miraculous power of God then the starting place is the Word. We need to soak in it, to fill ourselves with it, to become completely saturated by it. It has the power to change our thoughts, to renew our minds, and ultimately to strengthen our faith, our hope, and our love. Having little faith is in eminently correctable problem. Let's look around ourselves. Don't we see the mountains that need to move and the demons that need to leave? Let's begin in the Word! This is how we end in victory.

The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior!
You who gave great victories to your king,
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.

11 August 2017 - you are loved

Today's Readings

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?

Aren't we trying to gain the world, though? And how might today look if we really choose to take up our crosses and to lose our lives for the sake of Jesus? What might it be like to live for him and not just for our own goals and aspirations? We can't easily believe it. But if we respond to the invitation of Jesus we actually find peace, joy, and freedom.

One reason the things of this world can compete in our hearts for position with God and his Kingdom is because the things of this world give us some limited satisfaction. We want to be loved. The world does not love us, but it does distract us from that need. In order to be able to live for the Kingdom we have to know that we are loved. Otherwise we'll be doing it on our own. We'll be all too ready to accept any substitute for love that comes along.

Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?

We are given life before we give it away. This is how we know that we are loved first. There is nothing that can be earned. There is nothing we have which we did not first receive (see First Corinthians 4:7).

We are called to first remember who God is.

This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.

Second, we are called to remember who we are to him. We are chosen. We are loved.

Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

We are called to remember that this love is so great that while we are yet sinners Christ lays down his life for us (see Romans 5:8). Only after this are we ourselves called to give ourselves away. It no longer sounds threatening. It is an invitation to join in the very love of the one who first loved us.

O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.

10 August 2018 - blessed, broken, shared

Today's Readings

We are called to give ourselves away.

Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.

It isn't that we are called to hate this life in the flesh as that we are called to love and long for the life of heaven so much that our love for this life seems like hate by comparison. There are things which need last and things which do not. We tend to value temporary things more. We often let these drive our actions day to day. In a way, this makes sense. Temporary means that the consequences of our relationship to these things is more immediate than our relationship to eternal things. But this means we neglect eternal things all too often. We begin to care more about our own comfort and become complacent in relation to God and neighbor.

Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

Jesus never takes his eyes off of the prize. He never forgets the eternal to settle for what is merely temporary.

We must never stop "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (See Hebrews 12:2).

One might assume that because Jesus came to serve and not be served that he himself would be less fulfilled, less peaceful, and less joyful. But there has never been anyone so filled with the fruits of the Spirit as he. This is the example followed by Saint Lawrence and all of the martyrs. The realize that true joy comes not from what we can get for ourselves but from what we can give away. We ourselves don't have much to give. We know this all too well. But the Spirit is able to produce a bountiful harvest even working through such as us.

Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.

So we are without excuse. We know we are meant to give ourselves away and that in doing so we find life. We have the grace to do it. What are we waiting for?

Lavishly he gives to the poor, 
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

Bonus related rap tracks:

9 August 2017 - she persists

Today's Readings

However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,
and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan.

It is all too easy to focus on the myriad enemies arrayed against us. It is too easy to focus on the wind and the waves. But if we need to lift our eyes up to the LORD from whom comes our help and salvation. If we only look at the enemy armies we do not avail ourselves of the divine help we need. Worse, we snub the LORD who always offers us his protection and aid.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
"How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?

Instead, let us imitate the faith of the Canaanite woman who allows no circumstance distract her from her focus on Jesus.

His disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."

People try to turn her away but she persists.

He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Wouldn't we turn around and go home when we heard something like this? But the woman knows something deeper than understanding of that sentence can yield. She senses the healing power in the hand of Jesus and the love that is in his eye. Even when she is called a dog she persists.

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."

It is her humility that allows her to receive from Jesus. The people of Israel are just prideful enough to insist on measuring the enemy against themselves. If the woman focused more on the circumstances or her own pride or even her own understanding she would not continue to pursue Jesus. But looking at him with faith she persists.

Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that hour.

This is the example and challenge for us. When things seem impossible we can still come to Jesus and plead for the scraps that fall from the table. We may think we've heard no. But have we? Did we understand a negative where there was still room for faith to find a way?

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

8 August 2017 - upon the waters

Today's Readings

At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

Before we look at Peter's lack of faith and sinking in the waves let us first see this. Jesus says, "it is I". Peter receives this word and responds. He asks Jesus to call him out of the boat, out away from the shelter it provides, out toward the chaos of the waters, out as long as it is toward Jesus himself. Most of us never get this far. Most of us are content to stay in our boats, not really sure about the voice we hear out over the waters. Some of us may simply jump overboard in frustration with the storm. Some might see someone walking on the waters, assume we can do it too, and then promptly sink like stones. Either fear paralyzes us or pride makes us overly bold. Peter gets this right. It may seem presumptuous to ask to walk on water. But that is not so much what Peter wants. What he wants is to be with Jesus, even if that means not being in the boat.

The second lesson Peter teaches us is that even once we follow such a dramatic invitation from Jesus we are not free to go back to our normal way of looking at things or assessing our circumstances. The waves are tall and the wind rages. If these are our focus we become paralyzed and begin to sink. Even if we were standing on the water once if we focus on the storm for too long we are completely submerged. It is noteworthy that being close to Jesus means we are also closer to these waves. In some ways they are harder to ignore. We rely completely on Jesus once we step out of the boat.

So let us keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2). Let us not look to circumstance. Let us ask him to call us and follow where he leads. When we fix our gaze thusly we do not need to compare or compete.

They complained, "Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?"

When our limitations are revealed and our faith is shown to be so small even then we are not in danger. When we do look away from Jesus all we need to do is look back again, cry out, and take his hand.

But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

We begin to experience safety and peace even amidst the storms of life knowing that Jesus is always there to save us. The distractions of circumstance matter less and less. We look to Jesus and trust in him.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.