30 November 2023 - come and see

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,

casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.

Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist, and had heard John identify Jesus as "the Lamb of God" (see John 1:36). Because of this, he left John in order to learn more about who this Jesus was. That he didn't know exactly what John meant was evident. He could not fully explain himself when Jesus asked him, "What are you seeking", but could only ask about where he was staying. In response he heard the invitation to "Come and see" (see John 1:39), loaded with the promise to learn much more than simply where Jesus was sleeping. He discovered that this "lamb of God" was also the long awaited Messiah of Israel. This was news which he couldn't keep to himself. His brother Peter would be among the first he told. Peter did not seem to respond with the same immediate acceptance as Andrew, but was at least persuaded to allow Jesus to use his boat as a platform for preaching. The more he saw of Jesus the harder it was to deny that there was something unique and compelling about him. When Jesus finally guided him to make a supernaturally large catch of fish any resistance he had was overcome. He said to Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man" (see Luke 5:8).

He said to them,

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

At once they left their nets and followed him.

They had been fishermen, but now they would be much more. Just as Jesus had guided them to where to find a large catch of fish so too would they now learn to live their lives under his supernatural guidance and protection. Something similar happens for all of us. When Jesus is at the center of our lives he reorganizes our powers and abilities as he draws us into the service of his Kingdom. Where before we perhaps met only with the frustration of empty nets we can find in Jesus true fulfillment and peace. We see the transformation of these fishermen as an example of grace perfecting nature. But we note that it did not happen in a way that could have been guessed before the grace arrived. Neither do we understand how our lives are a preparation for the way God may choose to use us in the future until the time arrives, and with it, the grace.

And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone to preach?

And how can people preach unless they are sent?

We celebrate Peter as the first bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church. But he was brought to Jesus because Andrew couldn't keep to himself what he first discovered. His invitation was not profound. His explanation of what he found was not elaborate. He did not fully understand himself all that Jesus was. But he didn't wait to be able to offer a perfect explanation or a pitch that would be one hundred percent compelling. He himself first heard the invitation to "Come and see" and was thus empowered to invite others to do the same. In this he is a model for us. When we tell people about Jesus we sometimes feel like we are putting ourselves on the spot as though we must be able to then explain everything about him. But we are not really inviting people to ourselves to learn about Jesus, but rather to encounter Jesus himself. He knows the doubts and difficulties of others better than we do. Just as with Peter, he knows precisely how to overcome them.

Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.

Hillsong United - Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

29 November 2023 - testify

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus said to the crowd:

"They will seize and persecute you,

they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,

and they will have you led before kings and governors

because of my name.

Jesus came to set fire on the earth. The initial ramification of this fire was not peace but division (see Luke 12:49, 51). Those who did choose to follow him would find the fire of which he spoke to be the purifying power of the Holy Spirit. But although he came to what was his own, his own people did not receive him (see John 1:11). These would be impacted by the fire which Jesus came to bring as well. But they would be set on fire in their opposition to both him and those who followed him. For those who did not follow Jesus his fire would eventually prove to be one of judgment. But his opponents were first motivated to do all the could to resist confronting that reality. 

A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you (see John 15:20).

Encountering opposition because we are followers is Jesus is not a sign that something has gone wrong, at least, not necessarily. True fidelity to the King of kings is going to of necessity make those still in the power of sin uncomfortable. Even in we who follow Jesus to some degree it is still possible to experience this discomfort in the presence of saints who follow him without reserve. But this means that we ought not to calculate how we will live our lives as disciples in order to avoid conflict. Of course, we aren't to seek conflict for conflict's sake either. What we are meant to do is to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit without trying to map out everything we might say and every possible response and counter response in advance.

It will lead to your giving testimony.

Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,

for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking

that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.

Without the help of the Spirit we will tend to give in to the extremes of merely human motivation. We will either conceal the fact of our love for Jesus or we will wield our faith like a bludgeon against imagined opponents rather than presenting it as the life raft on which we ourselves first found safety. 

You will even be handed over by parents,

brothers, relatives, and friends,

and they will put some of you to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name,

We should learn to take Jesus at his word when he says that opposition and even persecution is normal for Christians. Even if we are blessed such that we do not encounter such active hostility in our lives we should still be ready for it, mentally resolved to remain faithful if it comes. We should believe Jesus when he says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (see Matthew 5:11-12).

but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.

By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

Just as Jesus himself was not ultimately overcome by his opponents but was raised in glory so too will our perseverance secure, first our souls, and then our lives at the resurrection of the body, when every last hair of our head will be restored (from when we still had all of them, for those of us for whom that is no longer the case). This loving attention to detail on the part of Jesus should give us great confidence and help us to trust him no matter what we might face. It is this sort of confidence in God that made Daniel bold in the face of a corrupt king.

But the God in whose hand is your life breath

and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.

By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down.

Newsboys - Step Up To The Microphone

28 November 2023 - an eternal Kingdom

Today's Readings

(Audio)

While some people were speaking about

how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,

Jesus said, "All that you see here–

the days will come when there will not be left

a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Even the temple, however grand and beautiful, was only a shadow of a deeper heavenly reality, made according to a heavenly blueprint (see Hebrews 8:5). It was thus still among those things that could be shaken, things that would be removed "in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain" (see Hebrews 12:27). Jesus had promised the Samaritan woman at the well that the hour was coming when worship would cease on the mountain where her people worshipped and in Jerusalem to and instead be offered in Spirit and truth (see John 4:21, 23).

Jesus himself was the one thing which could not be shaken, the foundation of a Kingdom that "shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever". This heavenly Kingdom was made "without a hand being put to it", and Jesus was himself "a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)" (see Hebrews 9:11).

The things that can be seen, those made by hand, those which can be shaken, are so manifest to us as to be hard to ignore. They are in our face and seem to demand our complete attention. But we must be diligent not to put our trust in these things overmuch. We must listen to Jesus telling us, "See that you not be deceived", because temptations to accept people promising a secular salvation according to human means are abundant. We must listen to Jesus telling us "do not be terrified", for if we give in to fear we will make ourselves easy prey for those false messiahs and their false promises. 

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues

from place to place;

and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

Let us pray that we learn to trust Jesus even when the shakable things are in complete upheaval. It should give us confidence, not fear, that he said these things will come to pass, as it means they are all allowed as part of his providential plan. We are meant to be the recipients of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. But we will only be as firmly joined to this Kingdom as our faith in Christ is firm. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief (see Mark 9:24).

Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Passion - One Thing Remains

27 November 2023 - a mite-y gift

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people

putting their offerings into the treasury

We tend to be among the wealthy who give only what is comfortable and convenient to give. Such gifts are important and make a real difference. But as they do not cause us any great difficulty they don't necessarily do much to help us grow in the Kingdom. We don't necessarily have to be poor or even poor in spirit to make such contributions. That said, let us continue to give such gifts, motivated by generosity, by concern for the Church and whatever over things we support with our charity.

and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.

He said, "I tell you truly,

this poor widow put in more than all the rest;

We celebrate the Little Way of Therese, making little acts of great love. But what we don't always realize is that these little acts can draw more from us than some large gifts that are easily given. Because little acts seem to have little impact we become less willing to perform them, especially when the cost to us individually seems so great. What we discover is that God is not so much asking for all of our money, but rather, all of our hearts. He doesn't seek our livelihood so that we will be left with nothing. He seeks it so that we can be fully given over to his Kingdom. 

for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."

What we are meant to realize is that in the economy of the Kingdom it isn't the size of the gift that matters. It is the faith, hope, and love that underlies the gift that has the power to transform the world. For worldly means to solving problems eventually breaks against the massive and intractable scale of the problems. But love never fails. Let us ask God to allow us to trust him enough that we are able to give of ourselves, not just our surplus. We may be tempted to compare our offering with that of others. So let us learn to see things through the eyes of Jesus who recognized in the gift of the widow "more than all the rest".

Please test your servants for ten days.

Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

This was the sort of self-offering that probably seemed so trivial as to not matter that much. But Daniel and the others fully invested themselves in it, sensing that God had called them to do so. And since they sought God's will above all they received all else besides.

He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;

after ten days they looked healthier and better fed

...

To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency

in all literature and science,

and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.

John Foley - Take Lord Receive

26 November 2023 - the last judgment

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,

and all the angels with him,

he will sit upon his glorious throne,

and all the nations will be assembled before him.

We believe that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Today we see a preview of that judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the accursed. Those who have kept the flame of charity burning in their hearts will be recognized by Jesus, just as the five wise virgins were recognized by the light of the oil of their lamps. 

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

a stranger and you welcomed me,

naked and you clothed me,

ill and you cared for me,

in prison and you visited me.

We know that we cannot love God whom we cannot say if we fail to love our neighbor whom we can see (see First John 4:20). But the love with which we are called to love our neighbors is not a natural love. Jesus said, "as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (see John 13:34). It is impossible to love as we are called to love until we first know that we ourselves are loved by God, that "God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (see Romans 5:5). Unless we know this we will exert ourselves trying to earn what we can never earn but also what we need not earn because it has been freely given as a gift. We will then feel frustrated and overwhelmed by the scope of the problem and our lack of ability to respond. It takes faith to trust that our mustard seed will amount to anything or that our small batch of leaven will make any difference. Saints were able to do great things in the first place because they were faithful in small things. And they were faithful in small things because their trust in God convinced them that small things mattered.

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,

or naked and clothe you?

When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'

And the king will say to them in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

It isn't always going to be obvious to us that our charity is as valuable as it may turn out to be. Rather than give in to the temptation to do less or nothing because effort seems futile we should learn to recognize the presence of Jesus in everyone that he himself places in our path. Then we won't need to believe that we are solving all of the worlds problems by our actions. We won't be paralyzed and unable to do anything because we can't do everything. We will see the infinite value of one act of love to one person in need. This is true even if that act doesn't make an obvious and lasting difference. Nothing of love is ever truly lost, no matter how it appears to be.

Then they will answer and say,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,

and not minister to your needs?'

The presence of Jesus may not be immediately obvious to us. It is even possible to go about our lives ignoring his presence in those around us, yet still imagining ourselves to be faithful to him. But this is not a way that truly faithful hearts can be content to live. Faithful ones will desire to see Jesus wherever he can be seen and to serve him wherever he can be served. It is not so much on the basis of fear that we avoid sins of omission, but rather on the basis of love. We need solid foundations in Christ in order to be able to love him well in the least brothers of his. This was the reason that Mother Teresa of Calcutta insisted on a holy hour each day for her sisters, so they could recognize Jesus in his "distressing disguise".

And these will go off to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life.

The choices we make here and now have eternal consequences. But we cannot save ourselves. If we could, there would have been no need for God himself to come and "look after and tend" his sheep. But he, the Good Shepherd, did come. He sought, not the sleek and the strong , but those who would entrust themselves to him and rely on him. This, ultimately, is the only way we will be able to respond to the call to love as we are meant to love, secure in the love of our shepherd, fearing no evil, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

Phil King - Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone)

Robin Mark - You're The Lion Of Judah

25 November 2023 - God of the living

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,

"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,

If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,

his brother must take the wife

and raise up descendants for his brother.

This would seem to be a real problem if resurrection was nothing but a continuation of this present life. The premise of the argument demonstrates that the resurrection anticipated was not any nonspecific and spiritual life after death but a physical and corporeal resurrection of the body. But what of someone who had been married more than once, as the law in some cases demanded? Jesus had a high view of marriage, and had said that divorce had only been permitted by Moses because of the hardness of people's hearts. He had said that what was joined by God must not be separated by man. Given that he also seemed to be in favor of the idea of resurrection the Sadducees must have thought they found the perfect trap.

The children of this age marry and remarry;

but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age

and to the resurrection of the dead

neither marry nor are given in marriage.

The resurrection of the dead was indeed to be of the physical bodies of those deceased and not a mere transmigration of souls, nor some entirely spiritual and otherworldly heaven. Yet it was not merely more of the same, not simply a continuation or a restarting of life as it had gone on before. The age to come was to be something more, not less than this present world. There was to be, not an emptying out of creation, but a greater fullness, such as could not be guessed beforehand. There was to be a life, not less real, but more, with such fullness that those destined to share it "can no longer die". They are like angels, not in the sense of having become purely spiritual creatures, but in the sense of fully embodying their identities as children of God, drawing their life from him to such a degree that the flow of that life could not be interrupted. They took on their own perfection by participating in the changeless nature of God. 

What of the meaning of marriage, and the great regard in which Jesus held it? It was held so highly precisely because of the way it pointed toward and prepared the way for the marriage feast of the Lamb, the great Bridegroom, with his bride, the Church. But after the resurrection, when that truest marriage feast was consummated, there was no longer need for the sign. This is not to say that people specially united in love during this present life would not maintain a connection in heaven. Nothing of love is really ever lost, no matter how it appears to be. It is only the specific shape of that love that would change as sign and symbol gave way the fullness of vision.

That the dead will rise

even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,

when he called 'Lord'

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;

and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,

for to him all are alive.

Taking a passage from a book of Scripture of which the Sadduccees would not dispute the canonicity Jesus quoted and explained a passage that, although it did not directly speak to the resurrection of the body, nevertheless pointed toward it. The fact that to God, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were still in some sense alive pointed forward to the time when they would have the fullness of life. They were his creations, and they had not been abandoned to death. That they were alive in the presence of God made it all but necessary that they would one day experience the resurrection of the body. But it would not be to the broken state in which we experience bodies, but something more like Eden, in keeping with the fullness of life which had always been his plan.

David Ruis - We Will Dance

Matt Maher - Resurrection Day

24 November 2023 - a house of prayer

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out

those who were selling things, saying to them,

"It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,

but you have made it a den of thieves."

Jesus returned to the place which, as a child, he had called "my Father's house" (see Luke 2:49). He therefore took it personally when that house was subverted from its true purpose as "a house of prayer" but made instead "a dan of thieves". Now, the temple was not holy in virtue of the stones which comprised it. It was the fact of God's presence that mattered. People coming to the temple were meant to have a different attitude from when they were undertaking business in the world. They were not to act like it was a market, much less a den of thieves. It was the place where they had, in some measure, access to the presence of God.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him (see John 4:23).

Jesus predicted that the hour was coming, and had arrived in him, when there would be a new and more perfect way to worship and to have access to the Father. It had arrived because Jesus himself was in the world, revealing the Father. He himself was thus "something greater than the temple" (see Mattthew 12:6). That was a breathtaking claim. 

We, in turn, by being united to Jesus become living stones in the new temple. We become in some sense temples of God ourselves in virtue of the Trinity coming to dwell in our hearts in baptism. Jesus was unwilling to allow even the old physical temple, only a sign and a shadow of the reality found in him, to be given over to corruption. How much less will he tolerate the subversion of our hearts to lesser things, the giving over of our lives to lower purposes than that for which we were made. As the old temple was made to give access to the presence of God so it is now meant to be the purpose of our lives to be united to him. But this is something with which we must concern ourselves, not only when we are in the courts of physical buildings, but rather at all times. God's presence in us does not cease when we leave church buildings. We must remain open to reality and aware of that great dignity at all times, so that our lives might reveal that presence to the world, and not merely commerce, much less corruption.

The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,

were seeking to put him to death,

but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose

because all the people were hanging on his words.

It is right to hang on every word of Jesus. But we need more than a merely emotional resonance with those words. We need to build our lives on them as a foundation of rock. Otherwise we will be all too easy to sway by every wind of doctrine. We will then be like the crowds, praising him and singing hosanna on one day, and shouting crucify him on the next. If we enthrone Jesus in the central place in our hearts, and if our lives are ordered to worshipping him, we find ourselves made solid because of the solidity of our foundation in him. 

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar

and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices

of deliverance and praise.

Judas and his brothers rededicated the altar after a period of corruption when the temple had been given over to false gods and pagan worship. Similarly, if our hearts have been given over to the service of something less than God himself, we ought to rededicate them. Doing so can be a cause of even greater joy than that which the people experienced when the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.

"You have dominion over all,

In your hand are power and might;

it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."

Kutless - Better Is One Day

23 November 2023 - the things that make for peace

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,

he saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–

but now it is hidden from your eyes.

What truly makes for peace? People in the time of Jesus probably thought that expedient political arrangements, bargaining, and negotiation were strategies that could help to ensure peace. In our own day we tend to think on similar terms. From children fighting amongst themselves to nations at war, our approach tends to treat the symptoms of the problem since getting at the heart of it is much harder and more elusive. We can't readily make children grow in maturity or nations's leaders in virtue. All we seem to be able to accomplish is to balance once disordered desire against another in the hopes of accomplishing a stalemate. By contrast, Jesus knew what made for true peace and had the power to accomplish it. 

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ...

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father (see Ephesians 2:14, 17-18).

The dividing wall of hostility that we could not overcome was broken by Jesus himself. It was broken on the cross along with his body, his life, and the entire old order of the cosmos. What we could not endure or accomplish for ourselves Jesus endured and accomplished for us on our behalf. And he made that peace, at last, available to the world, just as the angels sang at his birth. 

For the days are coming upon you

when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;

they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.

They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,

and they will not leave one stone upon another within you

because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

It was and continues to be the case that the peace to be found in Christ is not recognized and is even maligned. It remains hidden from the proud and the strong. Since these tend to be the ones in power we might worry that the peace brought by Jesus was an insubstantial ideal, something more imaginary than concrete in the world. But the peace of Jesus is part of the weakness of God which is stronger than the strength of men. Even in the midst of trials and during periods of persecution this peace remains available. For those who possess it it can be a greater and more compelling reality than the external forces allied against them.

If we are zealous for the Kingdom of God as we read that Mattathias was zealous for the law, if we are willing to leave behind ties and compromises with the world around us, we may hope to discover, together with those others "who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom" a peace that the world cannot give (see John 14:27) or take away, because the one who gives it has already conquered the world (see John 16:33).

We must make our choice. Will we insist on a flimsy and fragile worldly peace to satisfy us? Or will we find our peace and Christ, and allow that peace to spread through us, mysteriously, to the changing world around us?

Then call upon me in time of distress;

I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.

The Maranatha Singers 

22 November 2023 - bank shot

Today's Readings

(Audio)

and they thought that the Kingdom of God

would appear there immediately.

The context of this parable is an explanation for those who were expecting the Kingdom of God to come immediately. The point is that it wouldn't come in fullness until after a period of hostility and the opposition of those who said "We do not want this man to be our king". It described how the faithful should conduct themselves until the Father himself put all of the enemies of Jesus under his feet.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (see First Corinthians 1:25-26).

We are servants of the Jesus, and have been entrusted with his gifts. These are not so much the natural wealth which is often an obstacle to spiritual growth. But they can refer to the natural talents and spiritual gifts that we have been given by God. In the parable we can see that all ten of the servants received ten coins. Along with these they received a command, "Engage in trade". We only see the results (or the lack thereof) from three of these ten. One made ten additional coins, one made five, and one failed to heed the command of the nobleman to trade and made nothing. From the results we see that what the nobleman truly desired to see was faithfulness to his command. It might seem that it was the success or skill of the man who made ten more that caused the nobleman to make him a ruler of ten cities. But it is more likely that these three examples represent a spectrum, not of skill, but of obedience. We may speculate that the man who made ten more went all in whereas the man who made five had a less than full commitment. Perhaps he hesitated or held back some that with which he had been entrusted. Nevertheless, he wasn't punished for this. He was instead rewarded less. And perhaps this was necessary. Perhaps only by going all in did one prepare and enlarge himself in order to make himself fitting for the mission of governing more cities. 

The first came forward and said,

'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.'

He replied, 'Well done, good servant!

You have been faithful in this very small matter;

take charge of ten cities.'

Then the second came and reported,

'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.'

And to this servant too he said,

'You, take charge of five cities.'

Any fidelity to Jesus is rewarded and reciprocated in a way that causes us to increase in virtuous cycle. A little faithfulness is rewarded with an increase of responsibility allowing us to grow and show still greater faithfulness. This is encouraging because even very small acts of faithfulness take on great value. The one thing, however, that must be avoided at all cost is disobedience.

'Sir, here is your gold coin;

I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,

for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;

you take up what you did not lay down

and you harvest what you did not plant.'

This third servant seemed to suspect that his master was out to get him, looking for an excuse or a pretense to condemn him. This incorrect image of the master was the very thing that led to the negative outcome he experienced. The master was looking for the barest and most meager of efforts and would have rewarded them, even simply putting the money in a bank. But the fear of this servant caused him to close down, hide, and fail to act. He saw the master's demand as a threat to himself whereas he might have viewed his command as a guarantee of what was in fact possible and exerted himself accordingly in some measure. Thus his interpretation of his master became something like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And to those standing by he said,

'Take the gold coin from him

and give it to the servant who has ten.'

Jesus himself has given us our gifts in order that they might be used for the building up of the body of Christ. When we do so we experience the blessings that come when we seek first the Kingdom. But if we sit on our hands, or try to keep his gifts merely for our own amusement, he will look instead for others who will make a more faithful response. But it is not an all or nothing arrangement. Even a little faithful obedience is a powerful force in the spiritual economy. Jesus himself, our coming king, delights to make those who are faithful to him grow in ever increasing spiritual riches.

Brandon Lake - Son Of Heaven

21 November 2023 - not a tall tale

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Now a man there named Zacchaeus,

who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,

was seeking to see who Jesus was;

but he could not see him because of the crowd,

for he was short in stature.

Zacchaeus was wealthy, like the rich young ruler who approached Jesus but went away sad. And he was a tax collector, considered a sinner in virtue of his collaboration with the Romans. Like the ruler he wanted to see who Jesus was. But he was initially frustrated because he couldn't see him over the crowds. 

Like the blind beggar whom Jesus healed Zacchaeus did not give up because of the crowd. The beggar found a way to reach Jesus by crying out to him even when the crowd tried to silence him. Zacchaeus overcame the barrier of the crowd by climbing a sycamore tree. But just as the blind beggar already had the seed of faith drawing him to the Son of David, so too had providence already been at work behind the scenes in the case of Zacchaeus.

When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,

"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,

for today I must stay at your house."

And he came down quickly and received him with joy.

What seemed to Zacchaeus to be his own plan to see Jesus was actually the plan of Jesus to see him, "to seek and to save what was lost". Moreover, Zacchaeus demonstrated a commitment and resolve that the rich young ruler lacked. Zacchaeus made a quick response of hospitality. And he showed that even the rich need not go away sad but can indeed be saved, saying, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over". The rich ruler was similarly invited to use his riches for the sake of the Kingdom and then to follow Jesus. But his attachment to his wealth led him to hesitate rather than respond quickly, and he ultimately chose to prefer his possessions to Jesus' invitation. 

What made the difference for Zacchaeus and allowed him to respond in a way that the rich young ruler could not? We can only speculate. No doubt being labeled a sinner in virtue of his being a tax collector made it more difficult for him to be comfortable and satisfied with his life as it was. The barriers that might have prevented him from having to access to Jesus seemed only to increase his desire to see him. And when he was finally found by Jesus he responded quickly and with joy. The ruler, by contrast, apparently wandered up to Jesus unhindered and considered his invitation but hesitated and ultimately went away sad. We see in Zacchaeus the mysterious workings of grace. At every stage things that seemed to be obstacles were transformed in order to serve the purpose of leading him to meet and receive Jesus. In the ruler we see one who seemed to have everything, who kept the commandments, but who found all of this to be insufficient. 

The message is that there is no barrier, not riches, not our status as sinners, much less our physical stature that can keep Jesus from finding and saving us. But the rich young ruler is a reminder that there is nothing we have and no natural ability within us that can avail us. We need to respond to grace. If we remember that it isn't all about us and our efforts will can be bold enough to spare no effort on our part. Because we are responding to the one who loved us first we can do so quickly and with joy.

Responding to grace is not a one time affair. If we wish to respond well to the challenges of a hostile and secular world we will need to continue to depend on grace, just as Eleazar obviously did. He overcame what was a natural revulsion to suffering and death because of a greater trust in the Almighty.

Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,

I shall never, whether alive or dead,

escape the hands of the Almighty.

Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,

I will prove myself worthy of my old age,

and I will leave to the young a noble example

of how to die willingly and generously

for the revered and holy laws.

Newsboys - Joy

20 November 2023 - believing is seeing

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As Jesus approached Jericho

a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,

and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.

We can't understand that Jesus is passing by unless we are first told. As Paul wrote, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (See Romans 10:14). But although that is true, the preaching heard is often limited, and marred by the examples of the followers of Jesus.

They told him,

"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"

The people walking in front rebuked him

We must not let the example of the followers of Jesus to prevent us from drawing near to him. We are those blind individuals who need Jesus himself to open the eyes our hearts. Yet even before we make it through the barrier of the crowds and come before him it is already he who, by his grace, is drawing us to himself. Who else but the Spirit of God could have revealed to this blind man that the one passing by was the Son of David, the long awaited messiah? Although it is true that God himself planted the seed in the heart of the man it was also true that he had to respond to that seed by refusing to allow the crowd to become an obstacle. There wasn't much that he could do. But he did do what was in his power to do, and Jesus himself saw to it that that was enough.

but he kept calling out all the more,

"Son of David, have pity on me!"

When we get the attention of Jesus it helps to have a certainty about what we desire and a unity of purpose to receive that desire. The blind man had no doubt desired to see as long as he had been blind. But that desire now seemed to culminate in a desire to see Jesus himself, not just physically, but spiritually. He already saw, in some measure, by faith. But he desired to see still more, the saving vision of Jesus, rich with enough detail that he would be able, not only to identify him, but to follow him.

He replied, "Lord, please let me see."

Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."

He immediately received his sight

and followed him, giving glory to God.

Jesus came to bring light to those dwelling in darkness. We too live in a time of much darkness when the true faith is hated and seen as an obstacle to social progress, as in the time of Antiochus. Fortunately, the royal decrees have not yet condemned the followers of Jesus to death. But it is certainly the case that we are being 'gentle encouraged' to abandon our particular customs, those unique and distinctive things that make us Christians. Stop insisting, they tell us, that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Stop insisting, we hear, that humans have a particular and God given purpose and destiny. Allow us, they insist, to define meaning on our own terms and as we like. They say, "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life". And this is madness that can yield no lasting results, and which finally cannot hold water. The fact of all of this darkness, that it seems so pervasive as to be intractable, ought not give the followers of Jesus cause to fear. For no matter the darkness, the light is always greater. No matter our blindness, individually, or as a society, Jesus himself can heal us. 

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (see John 1:4-5).

Sonicflood - Open The Eyes Of My Heart

19 November 2023 - investment strategy

Today's Readings

(Audio)

A man going on a journey

called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--

to each according to his ability.

The man leaving on a journey would no longer be present to put his possessions into use directly, as he had done while he was there. He thus desired to raise up servants who could act in his name, receive his talents as gifts, so that they continue to be at work in the world, and he through them.. In short, his interest was in more than monetary value. He desired servants who would be stewards of what was his, who would act in his stead during the period of his absence. We too, each in a measure unique to us, receive from God things that are properly "his possessions", graces that we are meant to use to act on his behalf in the world. In doing so we make him present during his the absence of his visible presence. In failing to do so, in burying our gifts, we deprive the world of the benefit of his power, power that was meant to continue to work through us while he was away.

Then he went away.

Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,

and made another five.

The servants who made a return on the master's investment seemed to go out boldly, without fear of failure. It was as though they trusted the master's assessment of their ability, knowing that he himself foresaw what they could do with his gift. Because the master believed in them they did not see themselves as alone or relying only on their own skill. Rather, because they were participating in the plan of a provident master they were courageous. It was the master's story and they had found their roles.

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground

and buried his master's money.

The man who failed to make a profit likewise did so not only because a lack of self-confidence but also because of how he saw his master.

Master, I knew you were a demanding person,

harvesting where you did not plant

and gathering where you did not scatter;

so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.

Fear of punishment was not a sufficient motive to allow him to act in the way he was meant to act. In fact, such fear paralyzed him, and caused him to bury the talent, and to hide the light he was given under a wicker basket. If his fear had been something more like awe then it might have been the holy fear which is said to be the beginning of wisdom. Then the fact that the master harvested where he did not plant and gathered where he did not scatter would have been a cause for confidence. It would have given him the additional assurance of what was possible when the master's possessions were put to use with trust. As the master explained, virtually any effort would reap results and that the only real failure was not to try.

Should you not then have put my money in the bank

so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?

How is our view of the master impacting our investment strategy for the gifts we have been given? Do we hesitate and hide because of fear that the master is impossible to please? Or do we instead trust him in his judgment about us? The man who received one talent might have seen this to have been a negative judgment, that he was less gifted than the other two, and therefore of less value in his master's eyes. But this was not how the master saw things. To those who chose to share in his work by investing what they were given he gave identical rewards, regardless of size of the return. The real thing the master sought was servants who would share his work, who ultimately would share his heart. The precise measure of increase was not the measure of a servant's value.

For to everyone who has,

more will be given and he will grow rich;

but from the one who has not,

even what he has will be taken away.

We have a choice. We have been entrusted with much. Will we trust the master and grow rich? Or will we instead trust the fear of our ego, bury our talents, and lose the master's gift? The master's perspective is the light that gives us the confidence to stay alert and sober. The world may seem dark and full of risk. But we even in that darkness we have been made children of the light.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,

for that day to overtake you like a thief.

For all of you are children of the light

and children of the day.

We are not of the night or of darkness.

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,

but let us stay alert and sober.

Dan Schutte - City Of God

18 November 2023 - dreadful judge?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

He said, “There was a judge in a certain town

who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 

Jesus knows the hearts of human beings. He knows that in the secret places of our hearts we sometimes suspect that God is like this dishonest judge, largely indifferent to the pleas of his people. Even those most in need, who, as it were, keep bothering him, seem to go unvindicated. In this parable Jesus does not admit that God is actually like this but rather demonstrates with good humor that even in such a case it would still be worthwhile to pray without becoming weary or losing heart.

For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,

‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 

because this widow keeps bothering me

I shall deliver a just decision for her

lest she finally come and strike me.’” 

If even the judge who is unjust fears the thirst for justice shown by this harmless widow how much more will the father of orphans and the protector widows (see Psalm 68:5) respond to the cries of his people who persist in crying out to him day and night? 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (see Matthew 5:6).

Our temptation when we face a delayed response is gradually give in to the misperception of God as aloof and indifferent. Instead we should respond by increasing in our own passionate desire for justice. It seemed the the widow was not just going through the motions when she came before the judge. It really seemed to the judge like things were escalating, and as though he might actually be in danger if he didn't concede. So too with us, then. We are not meant to say prayers in a perfunctory fashion, but rather to actually desire and to grow in desire for justice, for the good things that God desires to give us.

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones

who call out to him day and night? 

Will he be slow to answer them? 

I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. 

The response of God may seem slow to us, but he does not actually hesitate or delay. When nothing seems to be happening we know that God is at work behind the scenes, both in the world, and in our hearts. He will, without fail, secure the rights of his chosen ones, those who do not give up or lose heart. Our Father in heaven desires to give us good things, not only more than a corrupt earthly judge, but even more than earthly parents desire to bless their own children.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (see Luke 11:13).

Let us not grow cold and give up on prayer when responses seem to be delayed. Let us overcome our faulty images of God by pressing harder into prayer and growing in desire for the righteousness that only he can secure for us. He is, this very moment, about to move, to bring vindication to his people.

For he remembered his holy word

to his servant Abraham.

And he led forth his people with joy;

with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.

Joy Williams - Hungry (Falling On My Knees)

17 November 2023 - rescue mission

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As it was in the days of Noah,

so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;

they were eating and drinking,

marrying and giving in marriage up to the day

that Noah entered the ark,

and the flood came and destroyed them all.

It is possible, and a risk we all face, that we get so caught up in the rhythms and routines of daily life that we forget that there is anything else, anything higher or transcendent. We may begin to live forgetful of the fact that we need to be rescued from an impending catastrophe, and that Jesus did in fact come to save us. Jesus himself is our ark, saving us from the deluge by uniting himself with us in our baptism. His Spirit then descends like a dove bringing us the olive branch of peace with God. But if we forget about this vessel of salvation is is still entirely possible to be swept away with the waters of the flood. Moreover, it is all too possible that we show a lack of concern for others still outside of the ark, who seem to be enjoying things just fine thank you, although the rain is beginning to fall. While the doors of the ark remain open we must do what is in our power to help others enter and to ensure that we ourselves are found within when the waters of our death or of the end of all things sweep across our world.

Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:

they were eating, drinking, buying,

selling, planting, building;

on the day when Lot left Sodom,

fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.

We ought not try to wait until the last minute to leave Sodom, the city of sin. We will not  succeed in making a definitive break with it if we insist on looking back at what was left behind every few steps. We must plan our escape, that of our families, and that of our friends, before fire and brimstone begin to fall. If we have not made some distance from Sodom before destruction comes we risk being swept away together with it. The longer we hesitate the harder it becomes to cut our ties with the city. Similarly, the longer we wait to attempt to rescue others the less likely, humanly speaking, such a rescue becomes.

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,

but whoever loses it will save it.

Another way of stating the risk is that if we insist so much on saving the life we have known and preserving the status quo we may be doing the very thing that will most likely make us lose it. We are called to be ready to come out from the world and into the saving presence of our Lord. This is something we may rehearse throughout life as we choose him over and above even the highest goods of the created world. But it is something for which we all must prepare at the hour of our death or when Jesus comes in glory. May all of us be found in him, as he himself desires. May the things of this life not distract us but rather point us toward him, as they are meant to do.

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things

their original author, by analogy, is seen.

Jars Of Clay - Flood

16 November 2023 - the rise of wisdom

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,

Jesus said in reply,

"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,

and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

The Kingdom of God is of a different kind than earthly kingdoms. Such earthly kingdoms are highly visible and easy to observe. Rulers make laws and exercise authority. If one does not see the leader himself one is still impacted by the infrastructure and bureaucracy setup to support him. One may not meet Caesar but one must still pay his taxes or be counted by his order in his censuses. People had every reason to expect that the Kingdom of God would be a kingdom like this. After all, how could it compete on equal terms if it was anything else?

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.

The Kingdom of God was not, in the first place, a perfected political order, or a system in which all corruption had been eradicated. Those old an earthly authorities where still in place when Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is among you". Many who heard probably felt that to be something of a cop out. But those who had faith were able to recognize how what Jesus described was something more, not less, than earthly kingdoms. It did not compete with them on their own terms but was still able to transform the world from the inside out, turning things upside down. It did not go to war with Caesar. It did however outlast him. It didn't conquer through force of arms. But it did conquer hearts. 

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.

The Kingdom of God is among us because Jesus himself is among us and he is, in some sense, the Kingdom in person. Wherever Jesus is present his Kingdom is in our midst. As people come to believe in him and join themselves to him in baptism this Kingdom spreads and its power, though invisible on the scale of global politics, is multiplied, transforming everything just as a little leaven makes a whole batch of dough rise (see Matthew 13:33).

The Kingdom of God will someday come in fullness, in a way that no one will be able to miss, "just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other". But during the period of history before that the Kingdom will continue to be marked by hiddenness, and perceptible only to eyes of faith. We will "long to see one of the days of the Son of Man" but we will not see him as physically, concretely, and definitively as we would prefer. But we are meant to know that the hidden Kingdom is still present and therefore keep our peace and not lose our heads. 

There will be those who will say to you,

'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'

Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.

If we allow the visible absence of Jesus to upset us we will become easy prey to the world. The world will then manipulate and exploit our fear, and we will risk becoming ensnared by this or that political movement or figurehead. We will desperately avail ourselves of whatever savior seems to be on offer if we forget that we already have Jesus, and that the reign of his Kingdom is already progressing according to his plan and on his schedule.

We would often prefer to have earthly power to solve what seem to be immediate and pressing problems. But what we really need is wisdom. We need wisdom as a first priority because if we have power without it we will do little good and mostly make of things an even bigger mess than how we find them. 

Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily

and governs all things well.

Newsboys - Secret Kingdom

15 November 2023 - in all circumstances, give thanks

Today's Readings

(Audio)

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,

"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"

And when he saw them, he said,

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

They all came to him with faith that he could heal them. And for all of them it was strong enough that they were willing to head off in the direction of the priests even before any miracle occurred. It wasn't until they were going, responding to the word of Jesus in faith, that they were cured.

As they were going they were cleansed.

And one of them, realizing he had been healed,

returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;

and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

Presumably they all realized they had been healed eventually. But this man must have realized something deeper. He must have realized that the priests could wait, that returning to say thanks took precedence over the command to have the perfunctory liturgical ceremony performed. Most probably he would get around to that eventually. Returning to the priest would allow the lepers be reintegrated into the communal worship of Israel. But that was only a shadow of what was going to be accomplished in Jesus himself. For Jesus himself was truly the great high priest, not from the priesthood of Aaron but rather of Melchizedek. And only in him would the barriers separating humanity from God and Jew from Gentile be removed.

Where are the other nine?

Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"

Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;

your faith has saved you."

A foreigner returned, perhaps in part because he knew that he could not be fully reintegrated into the communal worship by the Levitical priesthood, and intuited that somehow Jesus was the one who could accomplish that. No doubt he didn't think these things explicitly but rather was moved by his overwhelming faith in Jesus to trust him, not just for healing, but for all good things.

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,

“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,

and to be his servants,

everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant—

these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

(see Isaiah 56:3,6-7)¹

We receive many blessings from the Lord but we don't often realize the full degree of their meaning in the way that this Samaritan did. We continue on our way with the other nine, not realizing fully all that we owe to Jesus and all that his interventions reveal about who he is. There was something formulaic about the relationship of the other nine to Jesus. But the Samaritan rose to a more dynamic and personal relationship with him, and was guided by his heart, not against the command of Jesus but in addition, as revealing something more central than the words themselves conveyed.

May we too realize that we have been cleansed, and therefore all that we owe to Jesus, and realize along with that some sense of his majesty and Lordship. Thanksgiving is meant to define the very substance of our lives as Christians. It isn't just an act, or even an attitude. It is something more like a worldview, something that changes the way we look at everything else. 

In all circumstances, give thanks,

for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

1) Gadenz, Pablo T.. The Gospel of Luke (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): (A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS) (p. 296). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Maranatha! Music - Give Thanks