30 September 2019 - unlimited

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" - Saint Jerome

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Even if this should seem impossible
in the eyes of the remnant of this people,
shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also,
says the LORD of hosts?

Nothing is impossible for God (see Luke 1:37). We judge possibility by circumstance. We assume that if things are set against an outcome the outcome will be less likely to occur and difficult to attain. But this is not the way things work with God. We must learn to stop limiting our expectations of his power based on how things are now or based on what has happened in the past. None of that has any bearing on what God can do here and now.

I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God,
with faithfulness and justice.

God often does use his power in proportion to the faith of his people. So it is utterly essential that we let him renew us in our inner self (see Second Corinthians 4:16) so that we can think with the mind of Christ (see First Corinthians 2:16). This is the mind that understands and lives in a world where all things are possibility. It is a mind of limitless hope in the promises of Christ.

One thing that often distracts us from this Godly mindset is concern with our own pride.

An argument arose among the disciples
about which of them was the greatest.

We may really want to be seen as first, best, and most useful. Or perhaps it is the inverse, where we are hurt when we aren't recognized. In all cases, self-centeredness makes us forget that all things are possible for God. We become so concerned with what we can do or have done that we forget that God's power is meant to be manifest in our weakness (see Second Corinthians 12:9).

When we are able to forget about ourselves we become more like children, able to welcome others, and able to allow ourselves to be fully welcomed.

Jesus said to him,
"Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you."

The LORD wants to unleash renewal in our world. He wants to manifest his glory. But he wants to do it through us. Although it is through us let us stop insisting that it be all about us. Instead, let God be magnified in us.

The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

29 September 2019 - a most distressing disguise

Today's Readings

(Audio)

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.

Who are the poor lying at our door? Whom do we step over on our way to things that we imagine to be more important? We have nice garments and dine well enough each day. We do have more in common with the rich man than with Lazarus in terms of possessions.

Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!

We are not poor. But, what we own is not the test. The question is, where are our hearts? Are we so attached to what we have and what we want that we miss those in need, those whom we must step over to even leave our houses? We are called to be poor enough in Spirit that our solidarity is with the literally poor and not distracted by selfish pursuits. 

We must not allow ourselves to believe that there is one way to follow Christ that involves alms giving and one that involves more spiritual means. If we miss the poor we miss Jesus.

Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ (see Matthew 25:45).

We must look for Jesus in his distressing disguise as one of the poor, as Saint Theresa of Calcutta reminds us. If we do not actively look and seek we will tend to gravitate toward selfishness and end up ignoring him, even stepping over him as we busy ourselves with daily life. If eternal life is life united to Jesus Christ, than there is a sense in which we cannot have eternal life without also being united with the poor.

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Jesus is invites us to let his own heart and the heart of the Father be in us as well.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

28 September 2019 - firewall

Today's Readings

(Audio)

But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them

The meaning was plain enough. But because it didn't meet with the expectations of the disciples they are unable to understand it. They want a messiah who is all glory and no suffering. It is for this reason that Peter said,  "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you" (see Matthew 16:22).

Was it any wonder? The messiah was for the disciples the fulfillment of their own hopes and aspirations for themselves and for their nation. He was, they thought, to conquer the Gentile nations and restore the prestige of Israel. It was a glory in which they hoped to share. The unexpected necessity of the cross was something they just couldn't handle.

We say the same thing in response to suffering in our own life all the time. Jesus is within us and he tells us that, within us, he must be handed over to men, to suffer, and on the third day to rise again. We, like the disciples, are hoping for a smooth road to glory that does not intersect with the cross or suffering. We rightly know that Jesus has already suffered for our sake. So what remains to be done?

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (see Colossians 1:24).

There is no path to glory that doesn't intersect with the cross. That is because our only path to glory is union with Jesus, with the whole Jesus, with the mysteries of his own life manifested in ours. This is the full meaning of his presence with us.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.

As we are joined to him we experience the glory for which we long. The LORD becomes for us an encircling wall of fire that even death can no longer penetrate.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.

27 September 2019 - when you know

St. Vincent de Paul

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The LORD does not want to leave us guessing about who he is. Flesh and blood can not reveal to us who he is. But he wants us to know just that beyond doubt.

Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God."

Why is it so important to know him?

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (see John 17:3).

There is something about the very knowing of Jesus that is transformative. When we know him in the way he wants to be know grace is unleashed in our lives.

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (see Romans 10:9).

There is something about seeing him as he is that makes us more like him.

but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (see First John 3:2-3).

We need this grace, this transformation, this eternal life within us, if we are to follow God's call for us. The temple in our day is in a sorry state. Renewal might seem impossible. But assuredly it is not impossible if we know the one who is with us in the work.

And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.

When we know Jesus things no longer depend on our own strength and ability. We don't need to worry because it isn't ultimately about what we can do.

whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ (see First Peter 4:11).

The work to which we are called is tied up in the mystery of the Cross. Only when we trust in Jesus can the Cross manifest its power in our own lives, changing sorrow to joy, and death to life.

 

26 September 2019 - beyond curiosity

Saints Cosmas and Damian

Today's Readings

(Audio)

And he kept trying to see him.

This mere curiosity is insufficient. Herod is greatly perplexed about the identity of Jesus, as are many in our world today. We hear all that is happening, reports of the miraculous, of lives transformed and we try to see what is at the source of these stories. At the center of the stories we find not a what but a who. To understand this individual we must move beyond curiosity because understanding him means confronting ourselves.

But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”

If we choose, we can double down on our belief in our own righteousness. We can refuse to reevaluate our lives in the presence of the one who is at the center of all of the stories we have heard. But if we do we will never really understand Jesus. Curiosity can point us in a direction but it isn't going to motivate repentance and a change of life. Choosing to take the invitation to turn toward Jesus means by definition turning from much of the way we lived without him. But every degree more we turn toward him we receive more grace to turn. He offers the grace and invites. May we respond.

Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?

We are too concerned with ourselves. This inward focus makes it hard to perceive Jesus as anything more than a wonder worker provided for entertainment and distraction. We believe that other things can bring us happiness and that Jesus is at best one among many. But in his light we are invited to reevaluate our strategies for happiness and satisfaction.

Now thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it.

The LORD is telling us that the time has come to rebuild his house. We ourselves are meant to be the dwelling places of God in the Spirit. We ourselves are meant to be living stones built together into a spiritual house. We're preoccupied with repair projects in our own spirits. We manage to plug one leak and another springs out at once. Let us instead commit our efforts to something that can truly last.

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

25 September 2019 - restored

Today's Readings

(Audio)

For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us;
rather, he has turned the good will
of the kings of Persia toward us.

We can rely on God more than we believe we can. He has not abandoned us though we may feel abandoned. We may well feel like Israel, captive to hostile powers, slaves to governments with no interest in justice or in mercy. We may feel captive to consumerism and the desire for entertainment that leaves no place in our lives for the worship of God. But no matter our captivity, the LORD can give us freedom. The circumstances lead us to believe that we are too far gone. But we are a house that God can restore from the ruins. He can brighten our eyes and give us new life.

He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.

We want to try to plan the spread of the Kingdom of God ourselves. In our own hearts and in our missions in the world we are too obsessed with preparation and not enough about the actual doing. Part of this is because we are too insistent that someone is there to cater to our fine-grained preferences that might us go from house to house looking for just the right place.

Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.

Part of our problem is that we are too afraid of rejection.

And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.

We do want our eyes brightened. We do want new life again. So we need to trust in the ability of the LORD to act even in our exile and our captivity. We need to trust his plan is good and that he himself will provide for it. We need to pursue it recklessly, throwing concern for our preferences and our own fears of rejection to the wayside. This is how the restoration happens. This is how the Kingdom is built.

Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

What is a small step we can take toward this goal today? Let's ask Jesus to reveal that to us.

Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.

24 September 2019 - those who hear and act

Today's Readings

(Audio)

He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

We can't prefer our own mother or father, brother or sister to Jesus and be his disciple (see Matthew 10:37). But this is only so that we can become like Jesus who prefers nothing to the will of his Father. Once this priority is first in our lives we discover a new relationship with Jesus and through him not only to the Father but also to all others who are in him.

Mary is the one who heard the word of God and acted on it more so than anyone else in the world. For this reason she is the mother of Jesus in both senses, natural and by faith. This is why Jesus wants to share her in a special way with us. 

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (see Revelation 12:17)

Relationships of blood are not unimportant, but they are relativized by the priorities of the Kingdom. Those who are close to us naturally may help our spiritual progress if we are so blessed but they may also hinder us if not. The relationships of the Kingdom are about one thing and have only one purpose. Our mother and brothers in the Kingdom will never slow us down or hold us back from following God. 

Let us continue to make progress in the building of the temple in our hearts and in the world, supported by this family, supported by the message of the prophets, according to the command of the God of Israel. We succeed and finish because we are ultimately about the one thing that matters. No lesser realities, however good, can interfere.

The children of Israel–priests, Levites,
and the other returned exiles–
celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

We have the "compact unity" described by the psalmist. We have God as Father (as Abba!) and Jesus as our brother. Mary is not only the mother of Jesus but of all Christians. She wants to help us be good brothers and sisters of Jesus in this household. She teaches us just how to respond to the word of God. "Be it unto me according to thy word" (see Luke 1:38).

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

23 September 2019 - no more hiding

St. Padre Pio

Today's Readings

(Audio)

No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.

Why do we hide the light Jesus has lit within our hearts? Why do we conceal it and not let it shine as it was meant to shine? Perhaps we're afraid of what will become visible if we do. We may fear that it will reveal us in our own weakness and inadequacy. And indeed it will. But this is nothing to fear! Jesus is able to work precisely through the weak, the lowly, and the humble who are willing to let Jesus be seen as strong in his power manifested in them.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (see Second Corinthians 12:10).


No matter which path we choose, we will eventually be revealed. It is better to begin sooner rather than later.

For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.

We can't wait until we are perfect to start. We have to begin letting this light shine now. It may, yes, it almost certainly will reveal us as frauds and hypocrites. But it will also transform us as we honestly confront those parts of ourselves in the light shining from Jesus and his Spirit within us. If we refuse the little light we do have will flicker and waver. If we smother it we risk extinguishing it.

To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.

We ourselves are meant to adorn the temple God is building. So let us bring all that we have and all that we are. We can shine as part of this structure because God himself gives us light.

Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt,
be assisted by the people of that place
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with free-will offerings
for the house of God in Jerusalem.'

We may begin with weeping as see ourselves in his light. We may feel sorry that we are unworthy to by part of such a beautiful temple. But when we do offer ourselves we find the joy of transformation in Christ.

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

22 September 2019 - friends of mercy

Today's Readings

(Audio)

I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.'
He called in his master's debtors one by one.

We have no wealth of our own to pay off our debt to our master. And not only that, we squander many blessings of the stewardship entrusted to us. We should be embarrassed to offer a full account. Yet we can accumulate the lasting benefits of love by sharing the master's wealth with others who are in debt to him.

He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.

The LORD has plenty. His mercy is limitless and so there ought to be no limits on our sharing it. What we have and what we do of ourselves is not enough to make a difference. But when we let mercy flow through us we do find a way to ensure we are welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

- Closing prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet

 
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!

We must not mistake this lesson. The LORD isn't giving us permission to cheat or to lie. He demands that we be faithful in matters small and large. He wants to teach us how to use the wealth of mercy, given freely as a gift, so that he can entrust to us the true riches of eternal life in union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can't be just like the dishonest steward. But because our master's wealth is limitless and because he desires all to share in it, we can imitate the way the steward puts his master's wealth to use.

This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.

How do we share this wealth of mercy? We practice the corporeal and spiritual works of mercy. We tell people about Jesus. We pray.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

Even when the motive begins from a desire to ensure our own everlasting dwellings the LORD is willing to work with that as a starting point as long as it overflows into mercy. For when this happens it inevitably draws us out from ourselves and into love.

Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

21 September 2019 - he got up and followed him

 

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

None of us are well. But some of us are more aware of our need than others. Some of us have come to the point that we no longer believe our old ways of doing things are suddenly going to provide new, different, and ultimately satisfying results. Many of us will continue to repeat our behavior anyway, even though we know better. We are all called to make the choice Matthew did in one way or another.

He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.

Even if we've allowed Jesus to lead us and to shape some aspects of our lives it is likely that we haven't made as complete a break with being in control as Matthew did. Yet we are called to be every bit as radical in following Jesus as he.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

We have all received gifts from Jesus. Are we letting him lead us in how we use those gifts?

to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

Why may well wonder why the Church doesn't display more of the love, peace, and unity that ought to mark it. It seems that we aren't all pursuing the one hope of our call as Matthew did. It seems like we are hedging our bets. We are choosing those with whom we want to share our gifting, choosing when we feel like sharing, and generally keeping control in our own hands.  Matthew shows us that even today we can leave our old ways and follow Jesus radically. Even though we've heard his story before, even though in the past we have heard appeals to follow Jesus more closely, Matthew shows us that it really is possible. It is possible here, now, today. When Jesus calls let us follow him.

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

 

20 September 2019 - for this purpose

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Let's follow Jesus wherever he leads us. We tend to resist following him because he has refuses to simply settle down in one place and get comfortable. He is the Son of Man with nowhere to lay his head. There are always other towns to which he is called because it is for this purpose he has come. We want to build routine and familiarity. Or else we want to set the direction for the journey. Either would give us some measure of control. But following Jesus affords us none of that.

There is gain to be found in religion with contentment. But our desires do not lead us to this gain. They lead us instead to pursue things which we believe will make us happy, rather than following Jesus to the Kingdom where true joy can be found.

But you, man of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life

Timothy is not called to stasis or stagnation. But neither is he called to pursue arguments and verbal disputes, envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth. Such things often feel like motion and simulate progress. Timothy is called to avoid all of these. Yet he can't just remain where he is.  He is called to a pursuit, but not of any path. Rather, he is called to follow Jesus ever more closely.

Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.

Riches can't save us. Neither can mere arguments. Neither can we be content to rest on our laurels. The only path to salvation is in the company of Jesus.

 

19 September 2019 - jarring experience

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."

It is important to realize how much Jesus has done for us. There are aspects of our faith that we might seek out of interest or desire for entertainment. But if we let the love of Jesus penetrate us we are shaken to our cores. The results often leave us humbled and undignified.

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

This woman wouldn't normally want to be seen in such a condition. But she wouldn't trade the closeness she was experiencing with Jesus for the sake of how others see her. Those tears were tears she wouldn't trade for joy apart from Jesus. There is something better about knowing our own brokenness in the light of the love of Jesus than happiness or joy apart from him.

We have been given a great gift. We are called to put it to use and fan it into flame.

Do not neglect the gift you have,
which was conferred on you through the prophetic word
with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.

The sinful woman turned the gift of her reception of forgiveness into love and intimacy with Jesus. Timothy was called to turn the sacramental gift of the imposition of hands into an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, attentive to reading, exhortation, and teaching. We ourselves have received so much. Let us not neglect it.

Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,
so that your progress may be evident to everyone.

Let us be absorbed in the love we ourselves have received so that it transforms us and flows outward to those around us.

Attend to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in both tasks,
for by doing so you will save
both yourself and those who listen to you.

Our sense of need and our sense of how abundantly the LORD meets that need beyond all expectation is important to having a healthy fear of the LORD, the beginning of wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.

18 September 2019 - house music

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Why are we in the world so often unsatisfied with the heavenly music which is meant to give order and meaning to our lives?

'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.'

Why can't we believe Jesus when he tells us what things that deserve our tears? We put lesser things first and so why have trouble finding sincerity in contrition and repentance. What's more, we don't want to rejoice in the things of heaven because we're so insistent that our joy come from the things of earth, that moth and rust destroy. In short, unless we seek first the kingdom this music is always going to be dissonant with our lives.


But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.

The children of wisdom are the ones who are seen to dance with the flute and to mourn with the dirge. Their lives are in tune with the rhythms and the music of heaven. They have the freedom that comes from not trying to force their own realities unto the world.

If we are unsure what deserves dance and what deserves sorrow we should be attentive to the household of God in which we live. This household helps us to know the seasons of this life, both of mourning and of rejoicing. The larger rhythms of the liturgical seasons help us learn how to live in the seasons of our own individual lives. The joy and even the sorrow to which we are called are not natural but supernatural. They are gifts that are only found in this household. Only in this household do we learn how and when to avail ourselves of them.

But if I should be delayed,
you should know how to behave in the household of God,
which is the Church of the living God,
the pillar and foundation of truth.

The Church teaches us that for every forty days of fasting there is a longer period of feasting waiting for us. She teaches us to keep our eyes fixed on the resurrection, on heaven, on life with Christ forever.

Who was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.

Let us listen to the music the LORD is playing. We can trust that he has our good always in mind. His music will give sanity to the inevitable highs and lows of life.

Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.

17 September 2019 - I tell you, arise!

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”

Jesus probably foresaw his own mother's sadness. In this woman Jesus had compassion on all women who would ever lose a son, and on all widows left alone. The motivation for Jesus was not to show off, nor to prove his messianic credentials. It all came from the pity he had her for her, a more specific, intense, and focused version of the compassion that moved him when he saw the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd. We see here that Jesus' family was no mere accident of circumstance. He was both fully divine and fully human. His human love was perfectly expressed in his own family with his own mother and was therefore able to embrace the whole world. This is why Paul is so insistent that bishops and deacons are responsible heads of their own households.

He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?

Paul doesn't seem to ask that much of these leaders beyond that. He asks for temperate, self-controlled, decent folk, but above all he desires fathers for the household of faith. He desires those people who can embody the passion that Jesus shows. This is because whether bishop, priest, or deacon, all have the task of bringing the dead to life in baptism.

“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”

Mary mourns all the dead of the world, those whose souls cannot truly live, who are smothered by sin and held in the chains of addiction. She pleads with Jesus to restore us to life. Those of us who have taken this gift for granted can ask God to fully unleash in us the new life he has given. Every time we sign ourselves with holy water, every time we hear the words of absolution, every time we receive the Eucharist are all great opportunities to realize and accept the new life Jesus never ceases to offer us.

16 September 2019 - say the word

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."

The centurion knew that he did  not in fact deserve that which he asked of Jesus. In spite of those around him assuring him about his entitlement he knew that he was not worthy to have Jesus come under his roof. He had a sense of the holiness which made John the Baptist unworthy to untie even the sandals. No accumulation of merit and good works changed this. However, his lack of worthiness didn't devolve into a paralyzing self-pity. Even though he knew himself not to be worthy he also understood the power and authority of Jesus.

but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority

The centurion knew that what he asked of Jesus would not be difficult for him. He had a sense too that Jesus would will to do it. He had no doubt heard of all the healings in miracles that occurred in the wake of the travels of Jesus. This combination of power and generous abundance gave the centurion the courage to pursue the petition he desired.

who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.

Jesus wants to help not only the centurion but all of us. He wants us to make supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings for everyone, especially those in authority. We are not worthy to have him enter under our roofs but he nevertheless desires to save us. He is indeed the only one to whom we can turn. 

For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.

We are not able to put Jesus into our debt so as to require of him that he grant our requests. We must instead trust the generosity he never ceases to show. In our own lives, when prayers aren't answered exactly as we ask and when we ask, we lose this trust that the centurion displayed. Yet we need not. The power of Christ at work today is no less than then. His desire to pour out his love is no less. Let us trust in his love for us.

The LORD is my strength and my shield.
In him my heart trusts, and I find help;
then my heart exults, and with my song I give him thanks.

15 September 2019 - coming home

Today's Readings

(Audio)

‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

We have a God who takes joy in finding the lost. He wants all 100 sheep to be accounted for. His joy is not full until each lost coin is accounted for, no matter how little or great the value of that coin seems to us. He runs out to meet the prodigal even after having been so thoroughly disrespected by him.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Our God won't stand idly by while we choose to exclude ourselves and while we choose not to fully participate in his feast of joy. His heart desires that the table be full, surrounded by his children.

He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply

This heart which God has for us is the same heart which he helped to form and was delighted to see in Moses, who stood in the breach between the people of Israel and God's righteous anger. He was angry but he was glad to see Moses leading the people to the other side of that anger. The anger was more about the fact that Israel was choosing lesser feasts with false idols that could not bring them joy. He was truly glad to see Moses mediate their return to his fold.

But Moses implored the LORD, his God,

The heart of the Father is the same heart we are also called to have. It is a heart which will suffer none to be lost, which desires all to be saved, which longs to sit around the table and share life with brothers and sisters. To have this heart formed in us we need to learn the lesson of Paul in today's second reading.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.

Our own culpability shatters any illusions we have of entitlement. Knowing it helps us to appreciate and be thankful for the grace and mercy of God. It prevents us from excluding ourselves like the prodigal's older brother who did not appreciate all that he had from the father, and who in fact harbored secret dreams to spend the wealth apart from his father with his friends.

When we know how much God loves us, indeed how far beyond all reason he is willing to go to save us, we cannot help but praise.

To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

New Matt Maher:

14 September 2019 - crossing over

Today's Readings

(Audio)

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

When the seraph serpent was mounted on a pole there was a sense in which sin and the consequences of sin were put on public display.

if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.

We can appreciate the value of recognizing where we went wrong and acknowledging it. This is repentance. The consequences of sin are difficult to fathom and easy to excuse when we see them in ourselves. They are worse even than the deaths caused by the serpents, worse assuredly than any figurative representation on a poll could be sufficient to convey. Even so, who would have guessed that Jesus himself would be lifted up, bear the full consequences of sin, and make true repentance possible?

We should marvel at the humility of Jesus who emptied himself to take the form of a slave, who, found human in appearance, humbled himself to an obedient death on the cross.

Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.

Now we do something so strange than only the force of time and familiarity can diminish the terrible strangeness of it. We venerate the cross, an instrument of torture, and a device of execution. We do so not for what it is in itself but rather for how it was transformed by Jesus. This tree which was meant for death was transformed into the new and irremovable tree of life from which we need never lose access again.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

The cross shows us our sin in a way that allows us to realize the full horror of our rebellion against God's good order. Because it is fully visible we can repent sincerely. But the cross is more than simply turning away from one path. Because and only because Jesus, who did not deserve the cross embraced it for our sakes he transformed it into the very ladder connecting heaven and earth. Death became the gateway, for those united to Jesus and his cross, unto everlasting life.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Hard to find this version on YouTube, but I found it.

Stumbled across this one, too:

13 September 2019 - clear vision

St. John Chyrsostom

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?

Although it probably isn't a good idea to allow our brother to go around with a splinter in his eye we should make sure we are in a position to help him before we make the attempt. If we are still blind we are not in a position to offer guidance to others who are also blind. But Jesus promises that "when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher." 

Our teacher is Jesus who gives sight to the blind and guides them in the path to life. We, on the other hand, pull back from any responsibility for our brothers because we are commanded not to judge. But what that really means is that we are not use judgment as a weapon of ego against other people. We are supposed to have compassion that makes us want to help people get free from sin and error just as Jesus had too much compassion to leave us similarly trapped.

We should know that our own worthiness has nothing to do with whether or not Jesus can use us. Our own willingness has everything to do with it.

I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.

We have to get the plank removed from our eyes just as Paul needed the scales to fall from his. We need Jesus to restore our sight. Only then can we share the grace of our LORD, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. But this is just what we are meant to do. Paul was blinded precisely so that he would learn to see in a new and more perfect way. He did not hesitate to call out sin when he witnessed it. Now it was no longer done for misguided zeal that trampled over the hearts and lives of others. Instead it was done precisely for the sake of those given over to such behaviors, that they might be restored.

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

12 September 2019 - let peace control us

Today's Readings

(Audio)

To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.

In order to love even our enemies we need to listen to Paul, "let the peace of Christ control your hearts". Our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience will be tested. People will take from us and abuse us and ask much of us without so much as being thankful. Peace does not simply shield us. It controls us and enables and empowers us to act even in duress.

Often we do have much to give. God often asks that which seems difficult and sometimes even impossible from a human perspective.

Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.

It is true that there are priorities we should respect when it comes to giving. Family, friends, and local communities typically take priority. But there is no one who is necessarily excluded. There is no claim on us that we can simply reject out of hand. 

But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

God himself did not restrict his love to the deserving. Rather, he sought out precisely the undeserving and ungrateful. It was in this that he most displayed his compassion and humility. Jesus was able to turn the other cheek and love and forgive his enemies because the peace of his relationship with the Father and the Spirit held him steady and gave him strength. In calling us to love our enemies and to give beyond our limits God is calling us only to something that he first did for us. As he calls us he empowers us to do it. For the gifts we need a precisely the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The peace of Christ assures us that when we give as we are called we will always have more than enough, even when we seem to be running out or coming up short.

Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.

God knows what we need. When we seek the Kingdom first he ensures we have it. This is why we can have peace when and to the degree that we offer our needs into the hands of God.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:6-7).

This gift of peace and love frees our lips for praise.

Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.

"God knows what I need."

11 September 2019 - hidden with Christ in God

Today's Readings

(Audio)

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Now we are poor and hungry, but hidden with Christ in his kingdom we are satisfied.

Now we mourn here as we still live out our own death in the valley of death. But at this same moment our life is hidden with Christ where we laugh together with him.

If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

Hidden with Christ in God we do not need to strive after those things which do not last and cannot provide happiness. Riches and worldly delights can be relinquished for the sake of Jesus. Laughing and satisfaction anywhere except our hiding place in Christ is destined to give way to weeping and sorrow.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is idolatry.

We put to death what is earthly not so much as a condition of coming before Christ but more so because we are already hidden with him and secure enough in his love to do without those things which we once needed, the ways in which we once conducted ourselves, in which we once lived.

Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for knowledge,
in the image of its creator.

Our knowledge is being renewed. We are learning to think from the perspective of creatures hidden with Christ in God. We are learning to act and live as if his promises are true, because, of course, they are. When we find ourselves slipping back into old ways, lying, being immoral, or giving into evil desires or greed, let us say, 'My life is hidden with Christ in God.' When our mind is renewed with this powerful truth we can go forward in poverty, in hunger, in weeping, facing insults, and yet knowing all the while a blessing which transcends every sorrow.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.

"my hiding place, my safe refuge.."

10 September 2019 - the fullness of deity bodily

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

The reason they sought to touch him was not because he captivated them with a seductive philosophy. It wasn't merely empty traditions that appealed to the crowds with their familiarity. It was totally different from the elemental powers of the world that drive people to seek pleasure and become addicted. Rather, they sought to touch the one on whom "dwells the whole fullness of deity bodily". They desired to "share in this fullness in him".

We too should seek to touch Jesus. Our spirits should reach out toward his, longing to experience his healing power. We can be even more confident than the crowds in the gospel that we will experience that power.

And even when you were dead in transgressions
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him

Jesus is not content to let sickness and sin keep his sheep apart from him. He doesn't just remove the bond against us. As the first reading says, he obliterates it. He doesn't just free us from principalities and powers that held us captive. He despoils them. He leads the newly free and the profoundly defeated in his triumphant victory procession.

The way the power of Jesus expresses itself when he touches us may be in physical healings. Or it may not. But we can be absolutely certain that it does change and transform us anytime there is genuine contact between our spirits. Especially at mass when we do touch the flesh and blood of the savior in the intimacy of the Eucharist do we have the opportunity to receive this power. However, "Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur" ("Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver"). If we want his power in our lives we must open ourselves to that power.

You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.

The resurrection power of Jesus is virtually unlimited. Even the greatest saints have scarcely begun to tap into it. Our lives our meant to be processes of unleashing it more and more.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you

9 September 2019 - Christ in us

Today's Readings

(Audio)

it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.

This is the fullness of the riches of the glory of the mystery of Christianity. Paul wants the Colossians to know it because he realizes that only by knowing it will the people by able to presented perfect in Christ.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out (see Romans 7:18).

Apart from Christ we struggle. We suffer but gain nothing thereby. We know we should become saints. In a sense we even desire it. But we can't see the reach that goal on our own. Paul knows the problem. Whenever he reflects on it he always reaches the same conclusion.

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 as if we are trying to do this work with a withered hand. Even the good things we try to grasp slip through our fingers. But Jesus works on us not only from the outside but also and especially from within. He makes our withered hands strong to build the kingdom.

Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
"Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored.

Jesus within us transforms even our suffering so that it has meaning.

I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his Body, which is the Church,

Indeed our lives only find the fullness of their intended meaning and purpose when we experience Christ in us, the hope of glory. If our hand is withered today, if we find ourselves without the strength we need, let us know and welcome God's power within us. He is already inside by virtue of our baptisms. We need only know enough to invite him to act and to rely on him to do so.

Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.

8 September 2019 - cost benefit

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?

The cost is all that we have and all that we are. To be a disciple means putting Jesus before not only all that we have, not only all our friends and relations, but even before our very selves. We must sell all that we have to purchase the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price. 

When Jesus is first we don't lose everything else. Rather, those relationships are brought into right order. There is no one that gives up anything for Jesus' sake that won't receive it back. We can't hold that to which we cling. But Jesus is never outdone in generosity.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life (see Mark 10:29-30).

We see this principle of non-attachment and rightly ordered relationships at work in Paul's letter to Philemon for Onesimus. We see that he himself is unwilling to insist on his own rights for the sake of love. He allows this to be an example for Philemon so that he too may come to a new and rightly ordered relationship with his former slave.

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

This principle of transformation can renew all of our relationships. We aren't aware of how much we treat others on the basis of what they can do for us. We tend to use people and love things. Jesus can put this in proper order for us as well.

We may be tempted to try to resolve our issues of priority on our own. It would be tempting to make lists or diagrams to see what matters now and what ought to matter. But our own wisdom tends to deceive us. We need the Holy Spirit from on high.

Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.

If we want our paths made straight our course is clear. We put Jesus before all else and let his Holy Spirit control our hearts and minds.

And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.

The psalmist has done this and can therefore sing, "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge."