31 October 2017 - the hope we knead

To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.

The Kingdom of heaven starts small. It's growth is hidden.

Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour

The process is almost invisible to an observer until the results are seen. This can be frustrating. Even if we aren't control freaks we like to know that we're heading in the right direction. We like to see results as vindication of our choices. But the Kingdom is more about trust than trial and error. It is more about faith in the one who gives the growth than any special skill we ourselves possess. It seems to only become more true as we grow in holiness. God works within us in ways that is by necessity hidden from our awareness. But the thing that is not hidden, or should not be, is that God is indeed at work. He is with us because he promises to be.

When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.

We await the full grown bush and the leavened dough. We await the glorious freedom of the sons of God. A common pitfall for us is to use our suffering as an indication that we're doing something wrong. But it is not necessarily so. It might be. If we suffer because we fail to follow God then that is not a good thing. But rather than trying to change course as a response to our suffering let us instead try harder to follow God. The actual inner workings of the Kingdom are too hidden for any other approach to work. This is why we need hope.

For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. 
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

We know that the glorious freedom of the children of God awaits us even if right now we feel suffering. We don't have to get into competition with that suffering to bring about the kingdom ourselves. Instead we trust in God whole will one day set creation itself free from slavery to corruption and give us the freedom for which we long. We cling to him.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

30 October 2017 - by the Spirit

Today's Readings (Audio)

But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.

The crowd doesn't understand the purpose of these laws. If they truly respected the Sabbath they would come to an ever deeper relationship with God. That relationship would compel them to offering what mercy they were able to offer to those in need even on the Sabbath.

The crowd is thinking as "debtors to the flesh". We witness here what the flesh does to twist laws which are good and just. It all stems from fear and the need to protect oneself. Laws are then used as part of an aggressive campaign designed to protect our comfort. The Sabbath is not used for relationship as it is meant to be. It is rather used against love of neighbor. It is used to minimize our responsibilities. But this is not what the law is really about.

This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?

How do we prevent our flesh from twisting God's laws in this way? We live by the spirit instead. That means we put to death the deeds of the flesh by the supernatural power of God.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"

The power we need begins with the Spirit crying out Abba in our spirit. This cry enables us to live beyond the fears that constrain our flesh. It allows us to believe in God and to trust the plans he has for us no matter what circumstances bring.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

Let us allow the Spirit within us to convince us that we are children of a loving Father. Let that knowledge lead us beyond fear into selfless love.

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

29 October 2017 - the greatest

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 

In other words, how can we set one commandment against another? We want to say that we can't carry out the one because we must carry out the other. And it's hard to blame us. There are so many commandments that to do them all seems impossible. It seems like we always have to choose one thing at the expense of another. We want to feel OK with these omissions. We want to minimize that which is expected of us. But Jesus will have none of it.

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. 

Rather than giving us a flow chart of possible choices Jesus instead shows the motivation that must underlie every choice. Rather than allowing the commandments to be divided up and set in opposition he reveals the unifying principle of love that binds them all together. First comes the love of God, and from that we are called to love what he loves. There is no other choice that makes sense when it is put this way. We can choose to love God and to love what he loves or we can choose something less. This means we don't choose between loving aliens and the poor and loving God. These things are one and the same. That is why whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters we do to Jesus himself.

This love to which we are called is not a human love. We can't seem to love anything wholeheartedly, let alone follow God in that way. But Jesus wants to show us the way.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit

If we receive the word in this way we become evidence to the world that God is real. We reveal that his promises are solid and true.

but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything. 

The LORD invites us to love him today. He wants to be our strength. Let us respond with all that we are.

I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.

28 October 2017 - built together

Today's Readings (Audio)

We are members of the household of God. We are being built into a temple where the Spirit can dwell.

Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The Spirit dwells not only in individuals who are baptized but also in the Church as we come together and are united. We cannot come and go in the Church as ships passing in the night. We can't just sit together and remain strangers and sojourners. In Christ, we are not just built up. We are built together into this temple. The Spirit opens new possibilities of intimate friendship and fellowship. He us to minister to one another. If we try to do this on our own we are missing out on a lot of the grace that God offers to us.

Jesus calls his disciples to form his Church. He calls them to himself but in doing so he calls them together as well. They are united around him who is the capstone. He is calling us as well. He wants us to be living stones. Stones need to be joined one to the other to fulfill their mission. To provide a place where the world can dwell, can rest and find shelter, we need to let ourselves be built.

Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.

27 October 2017 - signs of the times

Today's Readings (Audio)

The struggle with sin is real. Even Paul fights the battle against concupiscence of the flesh. He still has a force within him that fights against his knowledge of God's law. He's knows what is right but still finds himself sometimes choosing lesser things. But Paul also knows the answer to this conundrum.

Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Do we fight on our own or do we turn to Jesus for deliverance? Our own delight in God's law isn't enough without the saving help that only Jesus can give. The time to turn to him is now. We ought to recognize in our day many signs that the world is being called and urged to repent.

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Really, it is pretty obvious. Wars and rumors of war. That sort of thing. We need to turn to Jesus now and not later because later is not guaranteed.

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;

It is much better to live in the freedom Jesus died to give us now than to wait until some later day when we finally get ready. Waiting might make more sense if we thought we were going to have to work to achieve freedom. But as it is, we need to settle with our opponent. We need to accept the peace Jesus offers now. We don't have to stubbornly continue to walk the prison path. The signs of the times are trying to reveal this. Jesus is ready to acquit us of sin and to equip us to walk in freedom. All we need to do is "make an effort to settle the matter on the way". We need only ask.

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

26 October 2017 - love like fire

Today's Readings (Audio)

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

What is this fire that Jesus wants to set? It is the fire of his love. 

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.

How can we say that his message is about love if he comes to bring division? Well, in one way, love divides. It is an invitation which begs either a yes or a no. There is no room for grey. There is no room for lukewarmness. All else in our lives has to take second place. Even the very best of legitimate goods cannot be allowed to take precedence over following Jesus. These are the conditions under which Jesus is willing to tolerate division. He prefers that all be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. He would rather make one body from many parts. But we can choose to not be part of that. We must accept the invitation. The division that is inevitable isn't what Jesus ultimately desires. But he is not shy about seeing it happen. He does not let it make him hesitate to make the offer of love.

We have the choice to remain slaves to impurity and lawlessness or slaves to righteousness for sanctification toward eternal life. We can't just give up a little bit of some of our sin. We need to quit serving that master. We can't just take on a few good ideas from Jesus. We must serve him alone.

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.

25 October 2017 - why wait to wake

New Evangelization via Cat Photos. #inevitable

Today's Readings (Audio)

You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

This means we can't wait until the last second to turn from sin and embrace righteousness.

Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.

We don't know when the LORD. We need to be ready for him now. We should be prepared, not just for his final coming, but for all of the little ways he comes to us each day. On the one hand, this helps us to avoid painful purification.

That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly. 

In addition to the pain it helps us avoid it also helps us live a victorious life here and now, fully receiving and living from the grace Jesus died to give us.

And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness. 

Why wait for emancipation from slavery to sin when it is available right now? Why wait to embrace obedience that comes from the heart rather than lesser compulsions of the flesh?

But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

It's true that we can't turn from sin on our own. We can't simply shrug off that slavery. But thanks be to God, Jesus gives us the victory!

We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

24 October 2017 - worth waking for

Today's Readings (Audio)

Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.

Let's ask Jesus to help us to be attentive to all of the ways he comes to us in our lives. Let us ask him that we never miss an opportunity for grace. We need to keep the lamp of the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts. We need to gird our loins with the truth (see Ephesians 6:14). Darkness and error make sleeping easy. It becomes a question of 'Why not?' But if we remember the truth and if the Spirit is within us we might still not quite be "always on" but we are ready enough to not be taken completely by surprise.

It is sin and disobedience that we must avoid. When we sin our souls become less and less responsive to the light. We are less and less able to welcome Jesus. Yet we ourselves cannot solve this problem. We find the weight of sleep to great to resist. We need the light of the Holy Spirit to stay awake. And this light is freely given to us by Jesus Christ.

how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

Through the obedience of Jesus we are made righteous. The disciples falling asleep in Gethesemani were still living from their old man, still recapitulating the disobedience of Adam. Through Jesus we have the power to stay awake. 

For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.

We not only struggle on but even come to reign with him. It doesn't matter how tired we feel in our flesh. Jesus has conquered and he shares his victory with us. This is the coming for which we wait. It is worth it, no matter during which watch of the night he comes.

Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

23 October 2017 - peace, certainty, and faith

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'

This is the thing we secretly all desire for ourselves. We try our best to minimize the uncertainty of live. To the extent that we are unwilling to trust God this becomes a source of great anxiety because, ultimately, we can't minimize the uncertainty of life. Even when it seems to be working it is only an illusion.

We work so hard for love and peace and joy when these fruits of the Holy Spirit can only be given. We can ask and keep asking, we can open ourselves to receive them, we can even claim them and believe for them. But we cannot create them. Faith is the antidote to the modern plague of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.

We are now able to trust God. We know that he is faithful to his promises. We know that in him we always have all we need. Cognitive dissonance? Do lots of 'What if?' questions arise in our minds as soon as we try to think that thought? "I believe my lord; help the lack of my faith" (see Mark 9:24). This is how we become "rich in what matters to God."

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

22 October 2017 - before you know it

Today's Readings (Audio)

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.

We all belong to God both in life and in death (see Romans 14:8). We are made in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26). We owe everything that we have and everything that we are to God. This is true before we realize it. Even before we know him he already loves us and already calls us to be his own. It begins before we opt-in. We are already called and chosen long before we respond.

I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.

There is still some room for Caesar in this worldview. But his role is subservient to the one in whose image both us and Caesar and we ourselves are created. There is nothing excluding from the providence and the love of God. Because of this there is nothing which we can keep for ourselves. Everything is grace. And all must be offered back to God.

We cannot give God his due if we don't first remember who he is and what he has done for us. To undertake this "work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of Lord Jesus Christ" we need the Holy Spirit to bring power and much conviction about the gospel to our hearts. Word alone is not enough. It is not enough when it is time to act. When it is time to choose God rather than ourselves and to put him first before all our wants and desires only the Holy Spirit is enough. This is why society is so eager to separate Church and state. It isn't because the world disagrees with what is taught, although it claims to disagree. It is more a matter that what is taught is too difficult and so the world willfully rejects it. But it is only difficult when Caesar tries to do it all on his own. If we accept the invitation of God nothing is too difficult for us.

Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.

21 October 2017 - Spirit and life

Today's Readings (Audio)

Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.

It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to say "Jesus is LORD" (see First Corinthians 12:3). Even if we turn from that truth the Holy Spirit can guide us back. Even when we are pressured into denying it the Holy Spirit gives us words to help us stand firm.

When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say. 
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."

The Holy Spirit in the one who inspires faith in our hearts. He makes us children of the Father and enables us to cry out "Abba!" (see Romans 8:15). The Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and now gives us life as well.

He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.

We must learn to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit, to welcome him, and to let him have his way in our hearts. His guidance will protect us and bring us safely home, no matter what opposition or temptation we face.

And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.

20 October 2017 - gotta have faith

Today's Readings (Audio)

Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

There is a good way to help us to avoid this sort of hypocrisy. If we remember that all that we have and all that we are comes from God than there is no grounds for boasting. If we don't feel the need to boast, to appear important, or better than others, we avoid the temptation to hypocrisy. We don't need to lie to protect our self-image.

But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness. 

Trusting in God to justify us rather than our own work gives us freedom. It makes us blessed. Without God we come up short. We inevitably find a division between what we say and what we do. And we find that the division is not caused by our compassion for others but rather by our pride and our desire to be seen as moral authorities.This is an important thing to grasp for Christians because we are called to speak and proclaim a truth we can't always live up to.

Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Isn't this always going to be hypocrisy? It depends on our motivation. If we are doing it out of pride and self-seeking vainglory it is hypocrisy. But if we do it out of love for others and with the recognition justification comes through grace and not through our works it is not hypocrisy. There is no boasting in our proclamation. If anything, there is an embarrassment that we do not better embody it. Our motivation is desiring for others what we desire for ourselves.

The message of the gospel is that it isn't about earning or deserving. It is about a God who loves us before we can earn or deserve anything.

You are worth more than many sparrows.

19 October 2017 - what we all need now

Today's Readings (Audio)

For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.

We all need Jesus. Without him we don't have access to God. Heaven is closed to us. Fortunately his grace is freely available to us to expiate our sins and justify us. No one is any better off than anyone else. Whether we are born into a family that helps or whether we feel like we have to find the way on our own none of it happens without grace.

What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.
On what principle, that of works?
No, rather on the principle of faith.

We don't succeed at salvation by working hard. It is only by receiving grace freely given that we taste the grace of God. This is true in baptism, which we cannot earn, and in all of the other sacraments as well. This means that there is no one too lost to be saved. There is no one who doesn't qualify.

Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.

This knowledge helps us avoid the problem of the scholars of the law. They know the law so well but use it to prove their superiority to others.

You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.

Nothing we have makes us better than anyone. There is only grace freely given to all who will accept it. Even the acceptance itself is a mystery of grace and free will cooperating. We cannot boast at how well we have accepted the invitation. Each further degree of progress is a response to love drawing us onward and upward. 

The LORD isn't interested in building up our pride. He is interested in showing us mercy and the fullness of redemption. He is not interested in giving us wedges to separate ourselves from others. He is interested in making us one in Christ.

I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

18 October 2017 - Luke warm > lukewarm

Today's Readings (Audio)

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.

Jesus wants laborers who know how to depend on him for all they need. 

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.

Only laborers who trust Jesus are able to do everything he wants them to do. Only they are able to be faithful when times are difficult. They can preach the gospel in season and out of season (see Second Timothy 4:2). They are not only faithful to Jesus but to his people and to those to whom they are called to preach.

Luke is the only one with me.

Luke is able to stay by Paul's side no matter how tough things get. Paul's persecution at the hands of his enemies has caused many of his so-called friends to desert him. But not Luke. Luke and Paul are able to persist because of their trust in Jesus. We end up so interested in ensuring not only the bare essentials of clothing and food but even of highly superfluous levels of comfort that we often choose these over following Jesus. Let us pray to the master of the harvest for more disciples like Luke. Let us pray that we ourselves may become such disciples. 

Luke has something to teach us. He tells us how to trust God when everything else fails.

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Luke tells us that we need to have the LORD's proclamation as our purpose. We need to defend on him for strength. Paul speaks these lines, of course, but Luke writes them. At the time Luke experiences this suffering with Paul it may not even be evident what it is for. But now, because he persists, because he trusts in God, he is able to write his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Now, because he is faithful, his words re-echo throughout the ages.

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.

17 October 2017 - the truth is out there

Today's Readings (Audio)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.

The gospel is power to transform us inside and out. For example, the gospel turns the giving of alms from a potential act of vanity into a genuine act of love.


Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.

God is knowable. His truth makes sense.

For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.

Although the truth is out there we convince ourselves of falsehoods in order to justify the plunder and evil inside the cup and dish of our hearts.

The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.

The gospel comes to us from outside of ourselves and us to ourselves, just as Jesus does to the Pharisees. It does not let us simply cover over problems with the appearance of piety. It contains the full truth about God and his righteousness. If we can accept the power of the gospel we no longer live balancing faith with other priorities. We live from faith to faith.

For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live."

Then we can truly join with the heavens and the firmament to proclaim the glory of God.

16 October 2017 - like no one else

Today's Readings (Audio)

This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.

The wisdom and teaching of Jesus is not like human wisdom or human teaching. His words are the words of God and not merely the words of man. His wisdom is greater than Solomon. His preaching is better than that of Jonah. Yet aren't we always asking for signs? Isn't it often the case that his wisdom isn't enough for us even when we know it is true. Why don't we let enough be enough? Why do we make Jesus go to such lengths to convince us when we really know in our hearts that he is correct?

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, 
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles

Maybe we don't take Jesus at his word because we'd like to avoid the "obedience of faith". If we could simply have the feel good aspects of religion without the inner transformation this would be easier to accept. But Jesus did not come to entertain us. He came to change us from the inside out. He came to make us holy. That said, the message of Jesus today isn't so much to try harder as to believe him. It is his words that have power to change us, not our own efforts. We need not be afraid of what he asks of us. He always gives the grace to make possible whatever he asks.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we just learn to trust in him, to not try and avoid the truth of his word, we do see his salvation. We begin to sing a new song to him.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

15 October 2017 - you have one invitation pending

Today's Readings (Audio)

The banquet is prepared. It is "a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure choice wines." It is even more than that. This feast is the antidote to death and the medicine of immortality.

On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.

What could be better than coming to this feast on the holy mountain of the LORD? Nothing could be better. Yet we become so distracted with just about anything else. Somehow we take offense at the suggestion that there could even be more.

Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business. 
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them. 

The kingdom is a threat to business as usual. We ourselves have more at stake in business as usual than we realize. It is largely built on our work and what we have done and created for ourselves. To acknowledge the kingdom means coming to terms with our own insufficiency. The feasts we ourselves prepare are less than nothing compared to the feast to which we are invited.

It is only in Christ that life takes on its true meaning. We work for food which ultimately leaves us hungry. Jesus gives the bread that satisfies.

I can do all things in him who strengthens me. 
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

14 October 2017 - an observation about observing

Today's Readings (Audio)

Jesus is calling us to hear the word of God. He himself is the word of God and when he speaks we have the opportunity to hear. Yet so often we don't really listen. The words are spoken but we don't observe them. They enter and exit our consciousness quickly without having any transformative effect on us. Yet the words Jesus speaks have power. They are able to cut to the heart. They can transform us if we observe them. We observe them like signposts guiding us toward the right path. We observe them by keeping them in mind, by remembering them, speaking them, and doing whatever we can to keep them in our mind's eye. Only observance within can allow us to be faithful in external observance.

Mary is doubly blessed. Hers is the womb that carries Jesus. Hers is the breast at which he is nursed. And she, more than any other human, hears the word of God and observes it. She is able to welcome the word so fully that she is the one in whom he takes on flesh. She treasures the word in her heart and so she lives a life of utter fidelity to that word. From beginning to end her secret is a humble acceptance of God's word to her.

The LORD tells us that he is a refuge for his people. We can hear that, think it is nice imagery, and forget it. Or we can actually take refuge in him. It is actually an invitation. There is power here to respond to the storms of life. But to unleash it we must hear and observe it.

The Holy Spirit is the fountain that flows from the house of the LORD. Let us drink from this stream so that we may abide forever. We drink from this fountain in both word, sacrament, community, and prayer. Most of us are almost dying of thirst. Fortunately there is no absence of water. We just need to listen.

Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.

13 October 2017 - kingdom come

Today's Readings (Audio)

The LORD Jesus and his Kingdom are among us. We see his finger out work. The sick are healed. Souls are set free. These fruits are so genuine as to bear out the claims of the one who works them. Crazy people can't do things like this. The lies of liars don't bring others to experience more authentic love joy and peace. But the LORD's power at work in the world does do this. What we see him do is something which we are not strong enough to do without him. We see him solving otherwise unsolvable problems. The problems go deeper than we tend to think. The enemy is actually holding many hearts in bondage. Only Jesus is strong enough to set us free.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.

In fact, without Jesus we just tend to make problems worse. We may help to get out the first demon but we leave a vacuum behind us that pulls in seven more. We have nothing with which to fill others in the absence of the pain and bondage that they currently experience. Only Jesus has the grace and spoils of the Holy Spirit to us. He fills us so full that there is no room for the enemy. He himself comes to dwell in us and he has overcome the world (See John 16:33).

With Jesus within us we need not fear the coming day of the LORD. He and he alone can make us ready.

Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.

With the demons cast out, with Jesus living inside of us through his Spirit, we need not fear the day of judgment. We already welcome the kingdom by welcoming Jesus, even before the great and terrible day when it comes in fullness.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.

12 October 2017 - keep asking

Today's Readings (Audio)

he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

We need persistence. This means that for those things that really matter we can't just throw prayers at the wall to see if they stick. When we are convicted about something we need to pray relentlessly. We need to ask and keep asking. This is one thing which the Amplified Bible renders better:

So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you

This verse about asking follows the parable about persistence for a reason. It is only if we ask with persistence that we receive. Who goes up to someone's door and knocks only a single time? Yet this is what we do with prayer. And then we run away, afraid, ultimately, that we're going to suffer the wrath of the one inside. But the one inside is not full of wrath. He wants us to come in. He wants us to really make up our minds about it and will not force us. In fact, he is knocking continuously on the doors of our hearts before we ever come to him. He loves us even while we are yet sinners. We ourselves know how to give good things to our children even though we are wicked. How much more does the Father want to pour out in abundance on us.

If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?

The day is really coming when persistence will be rewarded and when those who seek more short term strategies for fulfillment will be disappointed.

But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Prayer is meant to reshape our will and conform it to God. It cannot achieve this end if it is just a weak and momentary thought. God is the one who teaches us to pray. It is his grace that gives us persistence and allows our hearts to be conformed to his. We have but to enter in.

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.

11 October 2017 - and mercy for all

Today's Readings (Audio)

It is so important that we learn to forgive. Jesus comes to us before we deserve it. He offers forgiveness before we ask for it. We must be willing to do the same for others. After having been shown so great a mercy, how can we possibly hold anything against anyone else?

and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us

We cannot be like Jonah. He is so fixated on what he thinks the people of Nineveh deserve that he can't appreciate it when they receive God's mercy.

Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.

We tell ourselves we're pursuing justice. We tell ourselves we're protecting our rights. And those are valid motivations. But that isn't really what we're doing. We aren't interested in justice so much as in condemnation for those who wrong us. We want more the mere balance restored. We want them to suffer for the wrongs they have done. It is a good thing that God does not feel the same way about us.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.

The LORD is rich in mercy. The paradigm of his kingdom is one of mercy and forgiveness. In order for us to truly hallow the name of the Father and to welcome his kingdom we must be willing to welcome his mercy, not just for ourselves, but for all. This is the only way we ourselves can walk in his mercy. It is only by this mercy that we escape the final test.

All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.

10 October 2017 - at your feet

Today's Readings (Audio)

The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 
There is need of only one thing. 
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.

It is not too late. Let us go to the feet of Jesus, let us sit at his feet and listen to him speak.

"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, 
put on sackcloth.

It is not too late. Let us turn aside from our evil way and from the violence we have in hand. God will relent and forgive and withhold his blazing wrath so that we shall not perish.

In patient mercy the LORD waits for us to come to him. He invites us ever nearer and nearer. 

Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. (see Second Peter 3:14-15)

The invitation is constant.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (see Revelation 3:20).

God invites us to turn aside from everything that is less than him. First we put aside evil and mortal sin. But even the legitimate goods of our lives must eventually take second place to him. For him it would be worth it to trade all consolation. The more we can put Jesus first in our lives, to simply be content to sit at his feet, the less that the world can take from us, and the more we will know the joy that only he can give.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (see John 14:27)

He waits patiently for us. Let us in turn learn to wait for him.

Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.

9 October 2017 - mass transit

Today's Readings (Audio)

"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.

God sends us to those in need. The people of Ninevah need to hear his message.

"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.

The victim of the robbers is in need of help. Let us not flee from the call of the LORD nor cross to the road on the other side. The LORD asks us to widen our hearts to care about people and situations about which we are by nature indifferent or worse. This comes as a challenge to us. We feel like we have enough concerns already. We think we have to preserve our own purity and don't have time for these others. But Jesus leads by example. When we are half-dead from sin Jesus heals us by bearing our burden himself, by bandaging our wounds, by pouring the Eucharistic wine over us to heal us, and by entrusting us to his Church. We are much more profoundly unclean than the victim of the robbers. Jesus is much more pure than the priest and the Levite. Yet he does not hesitate to help us. 

It is best to heed God the first time he calls. But even if we do not he does not give up on us. He will do amazing and sometimes frightening things to set us on the path he intends for us. The lengths to which he will go to keep us on the right path should ultimately comfort us.

But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;
and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.

God helps Jonah to let go of his own control over his life so that he can obey him and live inside of his will. If we cling too rigidly to our own control we may well find ourselves in the belly of a whale, brought back to the LORD's purpose for us, a purpose from which we all, at one time or another, try to run. This is a mercy, even though it can be severe. It is because the LORD refuses to leave anyone half dead on the side of the road. He doesn't want to allow us to be such people either. Let's help the first time. Let's cross to the victims of sin and violence and hate. Let us love them from our own resources. And if we find ourselves fleeing from such love, let us allow the LORD to bring us back.

Then I said, "I am banished from your sight!
yet would I again look upon your holy temple."

8 October 2017 - due season

Today's Readings (Audio)

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. 
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 

What are we doing with our vineyard? We have much entrusted to us by the landowner. Do we remember that is where we get it from? Or do we use the vineyard for our own purposes and keep the produce to ourselves? The LORD gives gifts of time, talent, and treasure to us. He designates people in our lives for whom we have special responsibility. He sets us to tasks to which we are uniquely well suited. But we quickly seem to forget the why behind the what. It isn't just a matter of having and using God's gifts. We must use them as designed for them to function as intended. In other words, we can't just use them to build our personal happiness and comfort. We must use them for the sake of the kingdom.

He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.

The Church on earth isn't meant, necessarily, to be the must comfortable Church. Nor is it meant to be the most entertaining. More than these, the Church is called to be fruitful. We are called to bear fruit in due season.

God gives us all we need for the task to which he calls us. The ground is fertile, cleared of stones, the vines are choice, there is a watchtower and a wine press. Yet, in spite of all of this, we can still end up with wild grapes if we don't apply due care and attention. Let's not try to do it alone. The landowner may be on a journey but the LORD is with us always and he is ready to help.

Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.

The more it seems like the landowner is away the more we need to remember that the vineyard is his and what his purpose is for it. We need to be able to entrust everything to him no matter whether he seems distant or near. 

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When we work in accord with his purpose we do not cling too tightly to the fruit. We are able to offer back to God what he allows us to grow, knowing we will always have enough.

7 October 2017 - victorious trust

Today's Readings (Audio)

Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you 
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.

Let us be childlike enough to turn back to God and to seek him in our times of need. Whether we are overwhelmed by the trials of life or whether we ourselves have made mistakes we now regret we need to have the childlike trust that God wants to restore us and make us new.

When we trust in Jesus nothing can harm us, neither serpent, nor scorpion, nor the full force of the enemy. Only children can have trust to this degree. Adults are too jaded. Trust like this, in spite of what we see, in spite of our own limitations, makes sense because of the victory of Jesus.

Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. 

We can walk this way boldly, realizing that the enemy has no power over the most important thing in our lives.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

We are very poor when our own resources are measured. But "the LORD hears, the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."

Let us repent and trust God like little children trusting their parents. Let us walk boldly like children alongside their mother and father, knowing that no harm can come to us.

6 October 2017 - our own devices

Today's Readings (Audio)

For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God,
in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off
after the devices of his own wicked heart,
served other gods,
and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.

This is us. It isn't a word spoken in condemnation. God does not delight in the death of the sinner. He rejoices when the sinner returns to him so he can give him life. He runs out to embrace the returning prodigal. We are called to recognize the idolatry in our lives so that we can turn from it. We are Chorazin. We are Bethsaida. Part of our problem is a willful ignorance is the depths of our need for God. But the more we grow in holiness the more we find that we stand in need of the grace of God.

How do we avoid the fate of Tyre and Side, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? When our idols seem to be working well we may feel like we're being exalted to heaven. But they are inconsistent. They ultimately fail. Even if things seem relatively good in our lives right now we must continue to listen, to hear, and to heed the voice of the LORD.

Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. 
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

When we find idols in our hearts and sin in our lives let us not wallow there, bemoaning our weakness and imperfection. Let us instead turn to the LORD. Let us approach his throne of grace where we receive mercy in our time of need (see Hebrews 4:16).

He is ready and waiting to deliver us. He actually longs to set us free. He hates idols not because they harm him but because they harm us. If we cry out to him he will come quickly to help us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.

5 October 2017 - life in the feast lane

Francis Xavier Seelos

Today's Readings (Audio)

'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'

All we need is the gospel. The good news is enough for any journey and any mission to which we are called.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.

The absence of the word of God is a great tragedy such that we don't even fully realize or comprehend it. We get used to having access to the word. It is only in the eyes of converts that we sometimes glimpse something which we know that we ourselves should feel more deeply.

Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"–
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

We see the effect the word of God can have when someone surrenders his life to Jesus. We see the ability of the word to cut to the heart. We see both tears and joy as people welcome and receive the word.

Then all the people went to eat and drink,
to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,
for they understood the words that had been expounded to them.

We rightly wonder why our own hearts become so complacent. Let us remember how precious the word of God truly is.

The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.

The word of God is precious. From this thought we can form a pattern of thinking. And from this pattern of think we can form a pattern of speech and action that truly is in conformity with belief that the word of God is this good. After all, if it is this good, how are we possibly content with so little of it? How can we be so reluctant to share it if it is really as good as this? The laborers are few! How can we fail to ask the master of the harvest for more?