30 September 2022 - call and response

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would long ago have repented

Jesus didn't provide the same level of mighty deeds for ever city that he visited. Indeed, because of the lack of faith in some places he did very little. It seems that in withholding these blessings Jesus was actually doing them a favor, for if he had blasted away with miracles, it is more than possible that it would have only hardened their hearts. We definitely see such a response among the Pharisees and the chief priests, such as after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus (see John 12:10-11).

Chorazin and Bethsaida had been cities privileged to behold the mighty deeds of Jesus but who either didn't respond at all or whose response was insufficient. Capernaum had been so fascinated by Jesus that they tried to prevent him from leaving (see Luke 4:42-44). Yet curiosity, fascination, or any other superficial interest was not enough if it left the person who experienced those feelings unchanged at a deeper level. What was needed was what John the Baptist had commanded when he said, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (see Luke 3:8). This was not going to be merely a matter of being swept up in enthusiasm, for that might carry someone for a few weeks or months, but not for the rest of his life. It was one thing to tell Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go" but another thing to follow him on the way of the cross in self-giving love for others. Feelings and fascination could not provide the fuel to walk that way. Only surrender, turning away from themselves and their own weakness and limitations, and toward Jesus, would provide the fuel that could burn even in the deep darkness of the cross: the Holy Spirit himself. In short, they needed to let Jesus and his word touch their lives at a deeper level. But this was easy to neglect in times of consolation and good feelings, for those feelings seemed themselves to be prize and the desired result. They were not of themselves a bad thing, but when mistaken for the destination they had the potential to be deeply disorienting.

Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Whoever rejects you rejects me.

And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

What of us? How do we respond to the mighty deeds done by Jesus in our midst? Have we somehow managed to categorize Jesus as just one extremely interesting and consoling part of our lives? Or have we made his word the basis and foundation of our lives? By the power of the sacraments the dead are brought to life again, the spiritually sick are healed, and the spiritually hungry are fed. This is to say nothing of the many miracles of a more tangible and physical sort that never cease to surround the proclamation of the word. Is Jesus merely a point of interest, and a single factor among many affecting our decisions? Or have we truly repented, truly changed our old stinking thinking for a new and spiritual way of thinking that we can only have as a gift of grace from God himself, but which he delights to give to anyone who truly surrenders to him?

Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;

though twice, I will do so no more.

Sometimes it takes a lot for us to abandon our old ways of thinking to learn instead to simply trust God. Job was not wrong or sinful in trying to figure out what offense of his had caused his suffering. Yet even in Job there seems to have been something of the desire to hold on to the right to vindicate himself against any charges of wrongdoing, or to say that God was unfair to subject him to such immense trials. It was only in laying down all rights and surrendering that things began to make sense and blessings were restored.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;

you knit me in my mother's womb.

The Lord knows us more deeply than we know ourselves. He knows how to help us struggle beyond any imperfect and partial responses to him to a deep conversion and repentance that bears all the fruits of the Spirit. Even when he pronounces woes or lets us suffer affliction it is always only that we might turn to him with renewed vigor and commitment. But our way is infinitely less dark than the way of Job, for it has been illuminated by he who is the light of the world. We have been given renewed minds ready to use for repentant lives. We must simply, moment to moment, avail ourselves of the grace to use them.

Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Sarah McLachlan - Sweet Surrender

29 September 2022 - the God of angel armies

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Here is a true child of Israel.

There is no duplicity in him.”

Nathanael was not a hypocrite like the Pharisees. He did not merely wear a mask or a persona of religiosity or devotion. Indeed, his question, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" bespoke one who was sincere, and said what he thought, rather that what he believed would be pleasing to others. 

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him,

“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Because Nathanael was sincere his desire for the Messianic age was not mere pretense. Sitting under a fig tree represented his prayerful and genuine desire for the coming of the Messiah, when, as Micah prophesied:

Everyone will sit under their own vine

and under their own fig tree,

and no one will make them afraid,

for the Lord Almighty has spoken (see Micah 4:4).

Jesus read this deep and sincere desire in the heart of Nathanael, who was surprised to find that his heart was an open book to Jesus. Perhaps too Jesus made Nathanael aware of the full magnitude of the Messianic desire in his heart. He had at least dimly desired the coming of the Messiah, to be sure. But now, in the presence of the fulfillment of that desire, Jesus, who was himself the answer to it, revealed to Nathanael a fulfillment that surpassed his expectations.

You will see greater things than this.

Lest he be content to merely bask in the presence of the savior Jesus invited Nathanael to not only maintain but elevate his expectations and hope for the work of salvation that he would accomplish.

And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will see heaven opened

and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus would himself unlock the gates of heaven and become the bridge between these realms which had been divided and isolated since the fall of our first parents. Much more than the ladder Jacob saw in a dream, Jesus himself, by means of his cross, would provide access to heaven for those who reached the end of their journey on earth, and access to heavenly aid for those still on the way.

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man (see John 3:13).

The victory of Jesus over the dragon and its angels has opened heaven and made the boundaries between the Kingdom of God on earth and those of the heavenly realm to be porous. Already in this life we enter heaven in the Spirit, in particular on the Lord's day at mass. It is then that we come before the Ancient One's throne, brought inside the veil by the Son of Man. Already in this life the full army of the hosts of heaven is helping us to fight our battle against the unseen enemy.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (see Ephesians 6:12).

The Feast of the Archangels calls us to remember that we are in an unseen battle, but that the final victory is already won for us by Jesus himself. Yet we too are called to conquer, to avail ourselves of the victory of the Lamb.

They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;

love for life did not deter them from death.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,

and you who dwell in them.

To that end, we can have no better help than the archangels whose power is from the Ancient of Days himself. What chance have we against the fearsome dragon on our own? But what chance does he have against this full power of the armies of God? 

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (see Colossians 2:15).

Let us make sure we understand our circumstances and align ourselves with the allies given to help us in the battle that, for us, still continues for yet a little while.

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Chris Tomlin - Whom Shall I Fear [God Of Angel Armies]

28 September 2022 - seek ye first

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding

on their journey, someone said to him,

"I will follow you wherever you go."

We can imagine that this person was impressed by and in awe of Jesus, overwhelmed by his teachings and mighty deeds, and ready to by swept up in this current of wonderful things. Jesus needed this person to more accurately count the cost in order before following him. He wanted a mature commitment and not the impulse of a moment.

Jesus answered him,

"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

He did not tell this person no, but he did advise him that to follow him wouldn't be always only be good times and sunshine. Perhaps the individual was thinking Jesus could lead him directly to a place of rest in an earthly Kingdom. But while Jesus would go on to remember people once he came into his Kingdom, to prepare places for them, and to bring them in to finally find true rest, this was not the plan for the near term. The Son of Man did not go toward a palace like that of Herod, "that fox" (see Luke 13:32), nor would he be welcomed to the altars of the temple of Jerusalem. Although "the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God" (see Psalm 84:5), Jesus would not be welcomed there. Jesus had only recently described the necessity of taking up one's cross in order to follow him (see Luke 9:23). Here he made explicit the practical consequences of such a decision.

And to another he said, "Follow me."

But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."

But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."

We don't know for sure how long this potential recruit desired to delay. It may have been that his father was still alive and so he was putting off the call to some indeterminate date in the future. Or the death may have been a recent occurrence and therefore much less of a time commitment. Either way we see in the response of Jesus the urgency of his call. Just as he himself set his face toward Jerusalem he desired followers whose priorities were not split, but who loved the Son of Man even more than father or mother. Any equivocating of the importance of the Kingdom with even the best of earthly goods was a limit and a liability, a potential excuse to not fully embrace everything the mission entailed. From the point of view of the Kingdom even one's friends and family who did not follow Jesus existed in a state of spiritual death. Merely burying bodies was all but to accept the present state of the reign of death. Jesus was the one who could give spiritual life, and to do so was what gave urgency to his mission.

And another said, "I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home."

There was greater urgency to the call of Jesus even that that of Elijah to Elisha, who had been plowing when Elijah called, but who was allowed to say farewell to his family (see First Kings 19:19-21). Jesus was one greater than Elijah. He did not need to call down fire as Elijah had done, but he insisted on a far greater urgency than had Elijah with Elisha. 

Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."

What we don't find as we look at all of the followers of Jesus in Scriptures are the part-time disciples or the hobbyists. Of course no one started with the sort of absolute commitment Jesus required, and for that reason many fled when the the hour of the cross came near. But even after that they continued to recognize that the greatest good and perfect rest could only be found in Jesus himself and so they were able to turn back to him who never in fact gave up on them. They were not perfect, but they persevered, rising again by grace when the shortcomings of their own commitments to follow Jesus were revealed.

Similarly, Jesus is calling us to outgrow identities where disciple is just one of the many things that defines us, to really put first things first so that everything else might find its proper place. Why is this so urgent? Precisely because he himself is the one of whom Job spoke with such holy fear.

He alone stretches out the heavens

and treads upon the crests of the sea.

He made the Bear and Orion,

the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;

He does great things past finding out,

marvelous things beyond reckoning.

Maranatha! Music - Seek Ye First

Newsboys - The Mission

27 September 2022 - setting his face like flint

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,

he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

Jesus was following his Father's plan and fulfilling his will. We see that even as Jerusalem became the focus he did not lose sight of the bigger picture that would entail not only ignominious suffering and death but also his glorious resurrection and his being taken up into heaven. It was that big picture which gave such urgency to his journey to Jerusalem. It was thus that he "set his face" toward Jerusalem as the text is literally translated.

But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame (see Isaiah 50:7).

This attitude was also referenced in the Letter to the Hebrews, telling us to "look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (see Hebrews 12:2).

Now, if this attitude of Jesus had been one merely of gritting his teeth and enduring, of being tough and pushing through, it might not have gone well for those along the way who appeared to be obstacles.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village

to prepare for his reception there,

but they would not welcome him

because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

Perhaps James and John saw something of this determination and thought their suggestion appropriate to the intensity they saw in Jesus. Should they not call down fire on the Samaritan enemies as Elijah had done (see Second Kings 1:9-12)? However, they Samaritans, though not yet allies, were not enemies of Jesus. It was in fact part of the larger plan that the Samaritans, would be regathered to Israel along with all of the lost tribes, and finally all the nations. The Samaritans did not welcome Jesus because of his destination. It wasn't personal. But his true enemies in Jerusalem opposed him as an individual, repudiating what he did and taught in their midst. Yet even upon them Jesus did not call down fire, nor did he someone legions of angels to his defense. Rather he embodied what he had taught in the sermon on the plain.

But 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. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic (see Luke 6:27-29).

Jesus did indeed pray for those who crucified him, and did not withhold even his tunic from them. He did this not merely by being tough and enduring, though certainly he must have been tough to endure what he endured. The reason why Jesus was able to retain his love and compassion even when he was pressed and persecuted was because he kept his Father's will before him, kept the promised joy of fulfilling the Father's plan ever in mind. That joy was not for himself alone. It was also to be shared by Samaritans, Jews, and Gentiles; by the very world that had made itself God's enemy. Jesus himself was doing what was necessary so that those very people could call God friend and Father. 

Jesus turned and rebuked them,

and they journeyed to another village.

Remembering the big picture helps us to brush the dirt off or our shoulder and keep going, unflustered, and able to continue to manifest the fruits of the Spirit, fruits that we sometimes lose under stress, including gentleness, patience, and kindness (see Galatians 5:22-23).

When Job collapsed in despair it was because he was unable to see the larger picture in play. Indeed, part of the lesson for Job was that he must learn to trust that there always was such a larger picture even if he could not know or see it. But we, unlike Job, have had that picture revealed to us, though we might not always see how it applies in a particular circumstance. Our hope is firm, but sometimes our hearts and minds are still weak. Let us ask the Lord teach us to set our faces firmly on the joy that is set before us, which is finally nothing other than God himself.

Israel Houghton - Friend Of God

26 September 2022 - GOAT

Today's Readings

(Audio)

An argument arose among the disciples

about which of them was the greatest. 

For a moment it might have seemed like Peter was the rising star of the group, as he had been praised by Jesus for his correct response to the question, "Who do you say that I am?" But then there was the whole business about dying on a cross that none of them were able to understand. Peter himself transitioned from standing out positively for a good answer to being told, "Get behind me Satan!" Perhaps the other disciples thought this was an ideal time to assert their superiority over Peter and over one another. But if Peter was the one chastised for trying to keep Jesus from the cross it was also the case the none of the disciples understood why the cross should be necessary any better than Peter did. 

The revelation of the fact of the coming crucifixion led to results that were predictable on a human level, for people thinking, like Peter, as human beings do and not as God does. The idea of suffering was inherently repulsive. They therefore turned to seek more immediate consolations rather than to allow the mystery of suffering to penetrate them in a way that would have made them more able to follow Jesus to the cross. We are reminded of the way James and John jockeyed for positions at the right hand and the left hand of Jesus without knowing what that would necessarily entail. But too much attention to the rewards that might one day accrue to them distracted them from what Jesus was trying to teach them in the present. It would be like a Christian using the idea of the eventual reality of their hope of heaven as an excuse to ignore the human sufferings of this present life.

Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child

and placed it by his side and said to them,

“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

For the one who is least among all of you

is the one who is the greatest.

Jesus therefore took the effort to diffuse his disciples' worldly conceptions of greatness. Greatness for Jesus was not necessarily opposed to suffering, nor simply something otherworldly and distant, opposed to and after the end of suffering. Greatness was precisely to be found in the one with nothing to claim for himself, no throne upon which to sit, no merits to proclaim, whom society regarded as almost nothing. This child who had done nothing to earn a place of greatness was for that very reason a model of greatness. But it was greatness according to a new formula. It involved receiving that which the world held to be worthless because it was valuable to Jesus himself, and therefore, in turn, to the Father who sent him. Only those who became like children themselves, and who could welcome children in turn, could come to terms with the reality of the cross. They would not be immunized to the suffering. But they would have, as Jesus did, an ever greater trust in the Father that allowed them to persist in hope no matter the circumstances. The response of Job to his ordeal was not far from this ideal of trust.

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,

and naked shall I go back again.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;

blessed be the name of the LORD!”

Those who are childlike are able to welcome others even if they do not follow in our company. They are able to see the genuine good done by others for what it is even if they do not belong to our tribe. It is vital that we learn to see the good that does exist outside of our denominations or political parties. But it is impossible when we are preoccupied with worldly ideas about who is the greatest.

Jesus said to him, 

“Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

We ought to be more concerned with the good we see than the reputation of our brand. Were there potential logistical issues from this person was casting out demons outside without collaborating directly with the disciples? Yes. And yet a child would delight to see it, whereas we adults would tend to worry more about ramifications. We are instead permitted to have a large and generous trust in God's ability to make all things work together for good, a trust so great as to be almost naïve, one which relies on God so intensely that we would immediately fall without his supporting hand.

Show your wondrous mercies,

O savior of those who flee

from their foes to refuge at your right hand.

Newsboys - Blessed Be Your Name

25 September 2022 - at our door

Today's Readings

(Audio)

There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen

and dined sumptuously each day.

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.

We tend to look down on proponents of the so-called health and wealth Gospel, the idea that wealth is a sure sign of God's favor and blessing. And this rich man clearly demonstrates that, at least sometimes, the very opposite can be true. Certainly the wealth of the rich man could have been a blessing, but only if it was used to bless. But wealth that is only used to insulate one's comfortable lifestyle and causes blindness to the needs of others can only be regarded as a curse. This wealth did no good for the soul of the rich man, and was not used for the potential good of Lazarus.

Brothers and sisters, we return to the uncomfortable truth that most of us have a lifestyle that would seem to those in the time of Jesus as fabulously rich, like that of kings and queens. And yet, all around us, on our very doorsteps are countless numbers of the poor. It is one thing, perhaps, to not spend all of our money investing in the myriad causes and charities around the world which the internet now makes available to us. But whom are we ignoring, all but stepping over as we go on our way? What of the suffering that is so close to home, suffering which we could do something to ameliorate or at least mitigate somewhat? Are we terrified because we recognize anything we might do is vastly insufficient to the need that surrounds us? Let us not on that account do nothing. Let us at least begin, so that we, like the early Christians can become known for our love (see John 13:35). Will the poor always be with us? Jesus said they would (see Matthew 26:11), implying that his followers would have always the opportunity to help them, and that they would in fact take this opportunity. It is not required of us that we discern how to definitively and forever solve the problem. What is asked of us is that we stop ignoring Lazarus at our door.

When the poor man died,

he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried,

and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,

he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off

and Lazarus at his side.

How interesting that this most transient and inconsequential figure of poor Lazarus is the one whose name was preserved and the rich man was known only according to the category to which he belonged. He who seemed like nothing in the eyes of the world was revealed to be precious to God at his death. God himself was more than able to comfort Lazarus far in excess of whatever he endured, which, in the grand scheme of things was a brief momentarily affliction (see Second Corinthians 4:17). 

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.

Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,

for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

The rich man, by contrast, had solidified a character of selfishness, and even from his place of torment he could still only act in accord with the character he had developed throughout his life. Now that he was finally forced to recon with Lazarus he still seemed to think that Lazarus ought to serve him. Even though he had clearly been judged and found wanting and Lazarus had been judged and shown mercy he could only assume that those Lazarus was somehow obligated to him in a way in which he had chosen never to be obligated to Lazarus. It was not that those in the bosom of Father Abraham would not share their current blessings if they could. It was rather that there was a great chasm, a chasm that the rich man ultimately chose for himself, that was now fixed and final and could not be breached.

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established

to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go

from our side to yours or from your side to ours.

Let us learn the lesson Jesus was teaching, for we have not only the testimony of Moses and the prophets, but someone has indeed risen from the dead. We see that even the reality of this resurrection is no guarantee. We must use our blessings to bless, and the mercy we have received to show mercy, or we ourselves will be accountable.

Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called

when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

We have been entrusted with immense wealth, beyond even whatever material prosperity we enjoy, in that we have given our own noble confession to the testimony of Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the life. The world is even more starved for this testimony than by the poverty the afflicts it. And it is indeed only by the power of this testimony to change hearts that we can hope to scale our attempts to address physical poverty to the size of the demand. We must therefore also consider, whom are we stepping over on our way without feeding them with this precious bread of truth with which we have been entrusted. For the Gospel is indeed true wealth, but to truly be so for us we must share it.

Blessed is he who keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

David W. Morris - Let Us Exult His Name

Elevation Worship ft Brandon Lake - There Is A King

24 September 2022 - let us hear

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Pay attention to what I am telling you.

Literally, "Put my words in your ears". Jesus often advised that hearing itself was not enough, but that it mattered how one heard. He would often say "He that has ears, let him hear" (for example, see Matthew 11:15) because ears of themselves were insufficient. One would need to be an active recipient of the words of Jesus for those words to avail for them. If the words of Jesus were to have an effect they would need to find the good soil of a listening heart. 

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.

The need for active reception is especially necessary for the hard sayings of Jesus, when he says something that goes against the grain of our human preferences and prejudices. The disciples in the Gospel did not respond with the sort of attention that could receive words of this sort. Understanding this, Jesus would repeat what he said as though to gradually wear away a gap in the defenses of their egos, that he might be heard. Jesus here alluded to the suffering servant of Isaiah, who would be handed over on account of the sins of the people. But this was emphatically not what the disciples were expecting of their Messiah. They could not yet imagine that the triumphant Son of David would first be the one who was offered "for the guilt of us all" (see Isaiah 53:6), or that both threads of Old Testament prophecy could refer to a single fulfillment in Christ.

But they did not understand this saying;

its meaning was hidden from them

so that they should not understand it

The meaning of this saying was still hidden in the disciples' hearts, waiting to be unlocked, waiting for them to relax their guard that it might be revealed to them. It was something that was initially difficulty, yet that would satisfy hidden longings in ways that were beyond what they could ask or imagine. It was something so heartbreakingly beautiful that they were afraid to face it directly, lest they be shattered.

and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Instead of allowing Jesus to reveal himself at once, they allowed themselves to be distracted by vanities, as we see when they next argued about who was the greatest among them. Jesus was trying to help them to remember their Creator in these early days before the coming of the evil days. But as they themselves were not ready he remained patient and, importantly, persistent. He did not give up on them or abandon or reject them because of failures of this sort. Rather, he knew in advance how they would hear, and yet continued to speak, planting seeds which would bear fruit later, watered by the Holy Spirit poured forth from the cross, revealed in the resurrection, and finally given at Pentecost. 

May the Lord give us ears that hear, and help us to listen with active attention to what he says. Yet we recognize our limits and our fallibility, so we are grateful that he foresees even our mistakes and our hardheartedness. He has a plan to overcome this hardness of our hearts. But it is better for us if we cooperate, and allow him to do so sooner rather than later, that we might more quickly and fully share in the beauty of his own heart that his words reveal.

Songs In His Presence - Surely He Has Borne Our Griefs

23 September 2022 - But who do you say that I am?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Who do the crowds say that I am?”

They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;

still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”

It was clear what the crowds thought. The disciples and Herod both represented popular opinion in the same way. But even Herod had a sense that this popular impression was insufficient although he himself never sought sincerely enough to find the true answer.

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

The disciples were aware that Jesus was someone greater than John the Baptist, someone whose sandals John was not worthy to untie. They had heard him speak with an authority with which no one else ever spoke. They saw mighty deeds that were greater than those of Elijah or one of the prophets. But as to who he was, if not one among those options, they were left to wonder. Jesus himself did not simply spell it out and shut the mouths of demons who were too free in identifying him. The truth of Jesus's identity was not merely data, not merely words that could be recited as the correct answer. To that end Jesus tried to shield people from a premature and superficial knowledge of who he was.

He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

His disciples were not to answer on the basis of what they had heard. In their every moment with Jesus they were potentially receiving the revelation from the Father in heaven about the identity of his Son. In everything Jesus said and did the Holy Spirit was present and potentially opening them to the mystery. If they were to ignore that process because they decided they already had the answer, even a correct one, that Jesus was the Messiah, they would be prevented from going deeper in the way that Jesus intended.

Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

Peter did not answer on the basis of what flesh and blood had revealed, neither his own, nor that of the disciples, nor the crowds. It was rather the Father of Jesus in heaven that revealed that Jesus was his anointed Son (see Matthew 16:17). The dynamic of this true revelation could only be brought about in this Trinitarian fashion. The Father drew people to the Son even as the Son revealed the Father. This was a manifestation of the love between them, the love who is the Holy Spirit.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him (see Ephesians 1:17).

We know that shortly after making the good confession of his faith Peter fumbled when he was forced to reckon with the plan of Jesus to undergo suffering and death. He couldn't even hear that sentence clearly enough to take much comfort from the incomprehensible idea of a resurrection on the third day. Peter was mistaken in his response in spite of the revelation that had just preceded it. The purpose of that revelation at that moment was no doubt to give him the strength to grapple with the difficult news that followed. And even if he didn't immediately succeed it was a part of the long-term plan of Jesus for Peter, by which he was planting in him a knowledge and a trust of who he was that was deeper than any mistake Peter could ever make.

For Peter too there was an appointed time for everything, even for mistakes and learning the hard way. But none of it was without purpose, though humanly it would look like there was no advantage to the worker for such toil. 

He has made everything appropriate to its time,

and has put the timeless into their hearts,

without man’s ever discovering,

from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Man indeed can never discover this eternity that God has hidden in his heart. But the purpose of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is to reveal it to us, to show us the deepest places within us, that only they can fulfill.

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,

my mercy and my fortress,

my stronghold, my deliverer,

My shield, in whom I trust.

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!

22 September 2022 - teach us to number our days

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening

Herod heard about the activities of Jesus and his followers from the crowds who witnessed them. He was given to curiosity about such matters. We remember that for a time he enjoyed listening to John the Baptist speak while he held him in prison. John represented for Herod a physical manifestation of his own conscience. Herod recognized that he was righteous and holy and couldn't help being drawn to him, even while he refused to accept John's diagnosis of Herod's sin.

“John has been raised from the dead”;

How frightening for Herod, who had killed John by beheading him, that some suggested Jesus was this very voice of conscience back to haunt him. Herod himself seems to have giving at least passing consideration to the possibility. He realized on some level that no matter whose voice he silenced, he remained condemned for his sin in the depths of his heart by a voice he could not kill. 

others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;

still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

The crowds were not then and are not now a good source of information about the identity of Jesus. The crowds can only speak of externals and what they see on the surface. This is not entirely their fault, for the truly deep truths of life resist being easily put into words. They therefore inevitably seek to place Jesus in a category by comparing and contrasting him to apparently similar figures. 

There was indeed much of John present in the mission of Jesus, with his call to repentance and baptism. There was indeed much of the spirit and power of Elijah in Jesus, able, like him, even to raise the dead. Yet no combination of John, Elijah, or the other ancient prophets could begin to explain Jesus. They were similar to him because it was God's own power that was at work in them. But, precisely because of that, the difference between them was still greater.

"Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"

And he kept trying to see him.

Herod experienced the a draw to see Jesus, to sort out for himself the truth behind all of the extraordinary things that were being said about him. He seems to have been drawn by Jesus, as he had been by John, to the beauty of goodness and truth. But, unlike Matthew, he did not allow the pull of Jesus to move him in any significant way. It seems that he was still caught up in the vanity of all things, spoken of in the first reading. He had already demonstrated that he was unable to judge well between short and long-term goods, as when he offered up to half of his Kingdom for a dance. He was similarly unable to value the things of eternity over the things of the moment. He tried to cling to things that were merely temporary, still convinced that his labor under the sun might accomplish his every desire. Had he a bit more wisdom he might have been able to recognize in Jesus a greater good than those that distracted him, and that prevented him from sincerely seeking him. Had he sought him sincerely we know that he would have been able to see him, for all who seek shall find (see Matthew 7:7).

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Matthew seemed to understand better than Herod about the vanity of all things, that they could not satisfy in an ultimate way the deepest desires of the human heart. Life had perhaps demonstrated to him that all things were finally temporary and unreliable in ways that Herod's power had shielded him from having to realize. We too need to number our days aright, lest we attempt to find eternal fulfillment in things that "are like the changing grass". It is then we can recognize more clearly the beauty and the goodness of Jesus, who "is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (see Hebrews 13:8). We can then seek and find in him the fulfillment of our hearts desire. Then the things of creation, which are otherwise so frustratingly temporary, can be used without the risks of sadness and addiction they otherwise carry, by using them for the sake of him for whom they were made.

For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen. (see Romans 11:36).

Robin Mark - Be Unto Your Name

21 September 2022 - mercy not sacrifice

Today's Readings

(Audio)

He said to him, “Follow me.”

He says to everyone, "Follow me." But most of us don't respond as readily as Matthew. We all have our own lists of reasons for why we cannot make a complete and wholehearted response.

But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business (see Matthew 22:5).

Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (see Matthew 8:21).

When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (see Matthew 19:22).

Is the reason for our half-hearted response something like this? Are the concerns of daily life choking the seed of the word of God? Or are we like the Pharisees in whom the word finds no room at all? Maybe we responded once but we now see ourselves as so spiritually healthy as to no longer sincerely seek the divine physician.

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

One definitive difference between Matthew and his tax collector friends and the Pharisees and ourselves was that they were deeply aware of their need and we are often numb or deceived in regard to ours. Society did not permit those in the class of tax collectors and sinners to rest easily and peacefully in those positions. They were seen as dishonorable and shameful. But the position of the Pharisees gave them the feedback from those around them that made it easy for them to believe the story they told themselves about being already righteous, about being self-made, and standing in no need of help from anyone.

They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin (see John 8:33-34).

What stories do we believe about ourselves? The point is not to beat ourselves up with a destructive and false humility. The point is simply to remove the lies that prevent us from realizing our need. What if we could really hear what Matthew heard when Jesus invited him to follow? What if all of our distractions even momentarily lost their grip on us, if we were finally able to see the false promises of fulfillment in this life as empty? If we were so emptied of self-preoccupation might we not recognize in Jesus whatever it was that Matthew saw, something so profound as to be worthy of the gift of one's entire life in response?

Go and learn the meaning of the words,

I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

To some extent we tend to desire sacrifice because it seems to be in some measure under our control and subject to our performance. But that is a misunderstanding of the purpose of sacrifice which was meant to remind us of our need for a savior. We are not meant to ever be so "righteous" that we can live the Christian life on our own apart from the Spirit's gift of grace. If we are in a state of grace now, it is because of mercy. If we persist in one even a moment longer, that too is mercy. But Jesus desires us to trust that his mercy and his grace are sufficient for us, and that to rely on him moment to moment is a privilege.

“How happy I am to see myself as imperfect and to be in need of God’s mercy.”

- Saint Therese of Lisieux

Saints tend to realize more deeply their need for Jesus, but it does not make them depressed or dour. It is rather for them a blessing and a benefit that they have at every moment a reason to turn to Jesus, because they have an assurance that he delights to respond.

Once we begin to enter into God's heart of mercy for us we begin to live differently. Provided we continue to live in response to his invitation we will not become cold or closed like Pharisees but will grow instead ever closer to God and to each other.

I, a prisoner for the Lord,

urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another through love,

striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit

through the bond of peace

Huron Hills Church - Mea Culpa

Chris Tomlin - I Will Follow

20 September 2022 - the family plan

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.”

Jesus pointed to his disciples as he said this, suggesting that they were among those who heard the word of God and acted on it. They were among those who did the will of the Father of Jesus in heaven and were therefore his brothers and sisters and mother. But Jesus was not simply saying that he liked how his disciples were acting and so decided to welcome them into the family.

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (see Matthew 12:48-50).

After all, how could we ever behave in such a way as to be worthy to be brothers and sisters of Jesus? How could we act so well as to deserve to call God our Father and not merely a Father? And, in any case, were the disciples themselves really living up to such a standard? 

Even the disciples demonstrated that of themselves they were all to able to act in ways that were not in keeping with the word of God. We think of Peter who tried to stand in the way of the Father's will for Jesus when Jesus began to explain that he would be crucified. The disciples all still had much in them that was not conformed to Jesus, much in them that the Father would not yet be able to recognize as the image of his Son. 

The privilege of being brothers and sisters of Jesus was not something even the disciples could produce for themselves. And yet Jesus saw more in them than their failures. He saw that although they may have failed in responding to God's will in many ways they were in fact among those who heard the word of God and responded precisely by making Jesus himself the center of their lives. On their own they had fumbled and failed, but with Jesus they began to learn that what was impossible on their own was possible for God to do in them.

“Who then can be saved?” 

But Jesus looked at them and said, 

“With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible.” (see Matthew 19:25-26).

In the end, the only way that we can become brothers and sisters of Jesus is by God's own gift of grace. It was to this gift that the disciples responded, and this gift that was even then making them grow, albeit gradually, into the image of Jesus. Jesus himself was guiding them to make a response to the offer of grace by becoming, like him, faithful sons and daughters of the Father in heaven. 

you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (see Romans 8:15-16).

It is properly speaking only the Spirit who makes us sons of daughters in the Son. He himself is the one who teaches us to respond to God as Father, and to do his will and keep his word. By the Spirit's gift the fidelity of the only begotten Son is something in which we are made able to share. We don't earn our way into his family. It is something that can only be freely given. Yet it requires us to make a response, not of perfection, but of faith, just as the disciples did. It requires that we place Jesus himself at the center of our lives and that we make following him our most important priority. When we do so we will be guided by Jesus, just as the disciples were, to let the gift we have been given bear fruit.

Mary was the mother of Jesus in the natural sense, but also in that she heard the word of God and acted on it. We have seen that she could have only made this perfect response in virtue the grace that she had already received, the grace by which the angel named her, "Hail, full of grace" (see Luke 1:28). Mary was privileged to make this response first and perfectly in order that she could be a model and teacher for those who would become her sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters of her son. We too can be so united to her that we can in some sense share in her own motherhood of Jesus. Imagine if the grace that allowed Mary to bring Jesus to the world was allowed to manifest in each of us! Imagine if we gave birth and nourished and guided the formation of the image of Jesus all around us in our own day and age. This would be something quite different from mere apologetics, however true, or doctrine, however correct. It would be something irresistibly life-giving. 

May the Holy Spirit himself guide us to learn to respond to the God who has made us his Father, to be conformed more and more to the image of the Son. May Mary show us the way to open ourselves to the full possibilities for our own response of faith to the word of God, that we too might help bring Jesus more fully into our world today.

Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD;

wherever it pleases him, he directs it.

All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,

but it is the LORD who proves hearts.

John Michael Talbot - Holy Is His Name

19 September 2022 - the light of Christ

Today's Readings

(Audio)

No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel

or sets it under a bed;

The parables about the hiddenness of the Kingdom must be understood alongside the parables about its visible aspect. Before teaching the parable of the lamp Jesus had just given the parable about the sower and the need for good soil. The focus of that parable was the conditions required for growth of the seed, which needed to be safeguarded from undo exposure to the challenges of the world, the flesh, and the devil, allowing God himself time and space to give the growth (see First Corinthians 3:6) in ways that are hidden and mysterious even to ourselves (see Mark 4:27). We are living out the insight of the parable of the sower when we go to our inner room to pray, when we don't let our left hand know what our right hand is doing in the giving of alms, not blowing a trumpet to draw attention to ourselves (see Matthew 6:1-4). But with all of this as background, what are we to make of the lamp and its light? If we were really insistent on remaining hidden we might well cover our lamp as though in the event of an air raid siren, making it less likely that we would be targeted by opposing forces. But this is not the expectation of Jesus. 

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.

God's word itself is the lamp, "a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (see Psalm 119:105), just as the seed also represented his word. But as the seed was in fact meant to burst the soil and bear fruit so too was the light meant to shine forth not just for us but for others, "so that those who enter may see the light". The light is meant to shine, not for the sake of making us look good, for it may in fact expose our flaws, but for the sake of glorifying God. We conceal the light with a vessel anytime we try to make it shine on us rather than shine forth from us. We are the light of the world, but we are not the source of the light. God himself is the source. We are meant to be so transparent to him that we remain safely hidden while he himself is glorified for his power at work in us. 

For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,

and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.

That which grows in the hidden darkness of humility and prayer is meant to become manifest in the words and deeds by which we share the light of Jesus with others. We sometimes fear that we ourselves will be exposed as frauds in the process of this revelation. But we must not allow fear to become an excuse to hide the light we have been given. May we even be willing to be seen as seen as failures, as long as God himself is glorified. 

Take care, then, how you hear.

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.

When the light of the Gospel itself is our concern we will shine so that others will see the deeds that we do and glorify our Father in heaven (see Matthew 5:16). Let us not try to keep the seed from breaking through the soil once it is ready to bear fruit. The world needs this fruit and this light which do not have their source in us, or in our efforts, but in the word of God. We are meant to remain profoundly humble about our own contributions to the process and yet we are meant to be bold in the fruit we bear and in showing forth the light of God.

Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim

when it is in your power to do it for him.

Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,

tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once.

Vineyard Music - Shine Jesus Shine

18 September 2022 - dear prudence

Today's Readings

(Audio)

A rich man had a steward

who was reported to him for squandering his property.

This man was a "dishonest steward" and there was not much about him that was worthy of imitation. He was entrusted with property that was his master's and not his own and was not faithful in his discharge of that property but squandered it as though it were his own to do with as he pleased.

'What is this I hear about you?

It seems that his use of his master's property was so egregious that it caught the attention of others to the degree that they were the ones who reported him to the master. It may have been that he used his stewardship in ways that were unjust to others, such as those we read about in the prophet Amos.

We will diminish the ephah,

add to the shekel,

and fix our scales for cheating!

Perhaps the steward was simply squandering his master's resources on himself, putting them to use for a life of dissipation or even simply one entirely focused on personal comfort.  It might not have been the case that he was directly interfering in the lives of others. But even this would have had an effect on those around him, depriving them of opportunities they might have had if the steward hadn't hoarded his master's resources for himself. Who knows what ventures might have come about and what new opportunities there might have been for many in the region if those resources had been used more industriously.

The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,

now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?

There was, as we said, not much about the conduct of the steward for us to recommend. But one aspect of this disaster stands out as prudent in its context in a way that we are often not as prudent in our own. Once the steward saw his actions against the horizon of the judgment of his master he realized the finitude of merely borrowed wealth, realized too that he had no other skills or assets by which he might offset the consequences of this judgment.

I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.

I know what I shall do so that,

when I am removed from the stewardship,

they may welcome me into their homes.

The steward came up with a new plan for the use of his master's wealth. It would no longer be put to use for his own whims, pleasure or comfort. It would rather be used for others. He did not immediately become selfless. He was rather led to this choice by a view toward his own long term self-interest whereas before he had only considered the immediate.

He called in his master's debtors one by one.

To the first he said,

'How much do you owe my master?'

He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'

However it may have come about, whatever the reason for beginning, what he was doing was using this wealth which could not itself help him in the long term to invest in friendships that could, that would still be there for him even after his stewardship was judged and found wanting.

'How much do you owe my master?'

He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'

He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.

Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'

Was this wealth really his to put to use this way? No, most likely not. Most likely he was cutting in on the master's margins. But the master in the parable himself couldn't help but commend, if not the actions themselves, at least the farsighted prudence that motivated them.

And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

We too are stewards in that there is nothing that we possess that is strictly our own. The wealth that we been lent by the master has a tendency in this fallen world to become dishonest, and seem to us as though it were our own. When we succumb to this temptation we tend to squander that with which we have been entrusted much as did the dishonest steward. But we too will one day hear the fearful words, "Prepare a full account of your stewardship". Let us learn the prudence of the dishonest steward to consider this long term perspective, and to discharge our duties with a view toward securing eternal dwellings. This perspective calls us to invest in that which lasts, in relationships, rather than things, which are destined to "fail" in the end. Unlike the dishonest steward's master, our master is not slighted when we use his gifts for the sake of others. It is not that he will grudgingly commend us for doing so. He will rather delight to see that we were trustworthy with what belongs to another and give us the one thing that can truly be ours forever, himself.

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 meant to be more concerned about relationships than things, more concerned about saving truth than expedient appearances. Jesus himself came to bridge the infinite gap between a planet of dishonest stewards and our true master in heaven. As true man he was able to represent mankind. As true God he alone was able to faultlessly appear before God, alone able to perfectly discharge the stewardship of his human life. Now Jesus has bridged that gap and himself intercedes for us in heaven, just as Paul asked his hearers to intercede for others. We have been united with the perfect steward by virtue of our baptism. The Holy Spirit who fills desires to help us become more and more honest stewards, and as participants in the one mediation of Christ, mediators for the sake of others, for the sake of eternal dwellings, so that everyone will be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.

He raises up the lowly from the dust;

 from the dunghill he lifts up the poor

to seat them with princes,

 with the princes of his own people.

Jesus, Name Above All Names

WLP Choir - Make Us True Servants