31 May 2024 - the lowly lifted

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Let us look at how God lifts up the lowly. He took what might have been a merely mundane trip and a simple act of service and elevated it. The Scriptures describing the visitation of Elizabeth by Mary make it clear that what was happening was actually a triumphal journey of the new ark of the covenant, Mary herself, bringing Elizabeth the presence of God in the form of the baby in Mary's womb.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb

John the Baptist leaped for joy in the womb of Elizabeth just as David danced with abandoned before the ark of the covenant (see Second Samuel 6:14-15). To modern ears this no doubt seems improbable. But who was to say a baby couldn't have the spiritual awareness to recognize the coming of his savior and jump for joy in his presence? For God all things were possible. Elizabeth and Mary weren't going to succumb to merely secular interpretations of events. Elizabeth became so filled with the Holy Spirit at the presence of the Mother of God that she was able to recognize the true spiritual nature of this visitation. A normal visit of assistance in preparing to bear a child might have merited heartfelt thanks, to be sure, but not the degree of ecstatic exultation with which we see Elizabeth knew to respond.

Most blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

There is much for us to learn from Mary and Elizabeth about the spiritual realities contained beneath the surface of apparently mundane events. We need to allow ourselves to become sensitive to this reality in the way that Elizabeth and John the Baptist were sensitive. We too ought to respond with joy to the greeting of Mary and to the presence of her son, even when this presence is hidden within the apparently ordinary things of daily life.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

It is when we begin to recognize the hidden presence of God that is a constant reality in our lives that we will begin to understand and resonate with Mary's Magnificat. In her Magnificat Mary sang of realities that would not have been obvious to the world rulers of this present darkness. No one had yet informed them that the mighty had been cast down from their thrones. And yet, with the presence of Jesus, their power had already begun to be shattered. At this point only those hungry souls who recognized Jesus as the bread from heaven (from Bethlehem, the house of bread!) would realize that God had already filled the hungry with good things. But this fulfillment of a promise was also a promise of an even more perfect fulfillment. Because God is certain to remember his promise for ever we can trust that the day will come when the hidden victory of God will be made manifest and every eye will see. 

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him (see Revelation 1:7).

A good way to begin to practice finding this hidden spiritual reality is to join in with Mary, the embodiment of daughter Zion, as we are invited to share in the joy that was first her own.

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

John Michael Talbot - Holy Is His Name

30 May 2024 - blind faith

Today's Readings

(Audio)

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

he began to cry out and say,

“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

Although Bartimaeus was blind he was able to perceive something in Jesus of Nazareth that many in the crowds did not yet know or about which they were at least uncertain. Bartimaeus called Jesus the son of David, a claim that recognized him as the messiah. His handicap may have made life difficult and many things challenging but it allowed him, somehow, to possess this keener spiritual sense. 

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”

There is often spiritual resistance when we try to come to Jesus. There are voices both internal and external that tell us why we ought not waste the master's time, how we are unworthy, and how our request is simply a nuisance beneath his concern. But at such times we must do what Bartimaeus did and stick with and insist on what we know. Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the son of David. This simple fact was enough to balance out all the rebukes of the crowd and give him courage to insist and shout to Jesus all the louder. Perhaps he also knew the prophecy of Isaiah about the messiah that Jesus had made his own.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (see Luke 4:18-19).

There was a wide awareness of the obvious reality that blindness was an almost intractable problem, even for workers of miracles. As read read in the Gospel of John, "Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind" (see John 9:32). Yet for the Son of David even this might not be impossible. With the Son of David near there might be hope, even where there was otherwise no hope.

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man, saying to him,

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

Jesus reached out to Bartimaeus through the disciples, perhaps to teach them that he wasn't a nuisance to be silenced. It was exactly to such as these that Jesus came and it was important that his followers realized this. Their job would often be to call out to those seeking Jesus and to guide them into his presence. They knew that to approach one so famous might take courage even or especially if he was in fact the Son of David. But when Jesus called someone it was time to move.

He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Bartimaeus did not have to be told twice. He responded with an enthusiasm that characterized many of those who heard the call of Jesus, whether Matthew, Zacchaeus, or many others. Jesus is still calling us as well, but we seem to only be able to muster a half-hearted response. Has our courage failed? Has our hope in the promise of the messiah grown cold? Have we failed to cling to the truth we know over and against the voices of the crowd and of our own doubts?

Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”

Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

Bartimaeus received what he desired because he held fast to the truth he had come to believe. He received physical sight as a testimony to the perceptiveness of his spiritual sight. It was confirmation for him and for the crowds that Jesus was the son of David. But not only that. It revealed that the son of David had a heart that was not primarily concerned freeing the nation from Roman oppression. Rather his heart was primarily concerned with restoring individual lives and hearts. This is exactly what Bartimaeus received. He didn't go off to start a business or to excitedly and independently practice some livelihood of which he was now capable. No. Rather he "followed him on the way". After all, he now realized that any other use of sight besides gazing on Jesus and his work could not compare.

Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings

but chosen and precious in the sight of God,

and, like living stones,

let yourselves be built into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Tom Booth - The Jesus Song

29 May 2024 - at your right and your left

Today's Readings

(Audio)

We recently learned from Jesus' interaction with the rich young man that the Kingdom of God was not about worldly riches, but rather the treasure one would have in heaven as a result of following Jesus. Peter then asked Jesus how he and the other disciples would be compensated for what they had given up to follow Jesus. There were certainly real benefits in the present life and eternal life in the age to come. But there were also, it was hard to ignore, persecutions as part of the package. No wonder "those who followed were afraid" at this point. Jesus had already predicted his own death twice before now and it really did begin to appear to he wasn't joking or using some kind of metaphorical teaching device.

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man

will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,

and they will condemn him to death

and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,

spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,

but after three days he will rise."

Even on this third prediction of the passion the disciples did not seem to come to grips with the reality Jesus was describing. Rather than taking note of the distress that their friend surely felt and trying to comfort him and support him they seemed to double down on the self-protective tactics of their egos. In the face of the cross their demands for what they could get or salvage from their commitment to Jesus became increasingly pronounced. 

"Grant that in your glory

we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

The Sons of Zebedee tried to ask for compensation in terms of earthly glory, like worldly rulers seated at the right and the left of an earthly king. But the throne of Jesus was otherwise from that paradigm. His reign began upon the cross, and the positions on his right and his left were not those envisioned by James and John. To share the glory of Jesus required that those who wished to share it must also share in his chalice and in his baptism, in other words to share in his cross. To follow Jesus was not to be exempted from a world of trial and suffering in order to receive blessings instead. It was rather to have a different experience of suffering, offering it for others, and being transformed thereby.

Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I drink

or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

They said to him, "We can."

They did not know what they were asking when they asked to reign with Jesus. And they did not know what they were answering when they responded with such gusto that they could obviously drink any drink and receive any baptism that Jesus offered them. And yet, the response of Jesus is heartening. He did not tell them that they had it all wrong and would need to start over from the beginning to have any hope of following him. He didn't upbraid them for their selfishness and their failure of compassion toward him. He seemingly might well have said, 'You've missed the point entirely', but did not. Rather, there was still something in the zeal of James and John that could be salvaged.

Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,

and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give

but is for those for whom it has been prepared.

This is good news for all of us. When talk of the cross arises most of us instinctively try to come up with ways where we can make this inevitable necessity work out in such a way that it is somehow entirely painless consolation. We imagine that we can take the cross out of the cross, receiving it only as a lovely symbol, defanged of all danger. But this is our ego resisting the necessity of dying to our old self. It is our reluctance to give our lives for the sake of others. But we need the cross, the real unvarnished cross, so that we too can experience the power of the resurrection. Yet even our avoidance behavior will not necessarily prevent Jesus from having his way in us and transforming us into who we were meant to be. His example will show us the way and the grace purchased by the ransom of his own blood will give us the power we need to imitate that example.

Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,

handed on by your ancestors,

not with perishable things like silver or gold

but with the precious Blood of Christ

as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.

The precious Blood of Christ can transform us so that we too can seek to use our lives to serve others and bring them freedom. When his Blood covers us we can get beyond the need to get what we can get for ourselves so that we can instead begin to consider what we can get for others. Then we will avoid such pitfalls as the jealousy demonstrated by the disciples as each desired to maximize their worldly return on their investment in Jesus. Instead of rivalry and envy we will begin to experience the supernatural reality promised by Jesus to those who gave up all they had to follow him and poignantly described by Peter in today's first reading.

Since you have purified yourselves

by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love,

love one another intensely from a pure heart.

Newsboys - Lead Me To The Cross

28 May 2024 - eternal life in the age to come

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Peter began to say to Jesus,

"We have given up everything and followed you."

They had done, Peter suggested, what the rich young man could not do. They had let go of their previous livelihoods, as Peter had literally left his net, in order to follow Jesus. Peter seemed to want to know what was in it for them, or to ensure that they were included among those who would receive eternal life. At that point in the ministry of Jesus they might have occasionally wondered if the sacrifice they made to follow him was worth it. After all, they hadn't been reaping any obvious material benefits at least as yet.

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,

there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters

or mother or father or children or lands

for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel

who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age

Jesus first broadened the scope of the surrender required to follow him. It wasn't just possessions or careers, necessarily, but even relationships and reputation. One could not even love father or mother more than Jesus and the Kingdom and still have sufficient freedom to follow him (see Matthew 10:37). 

Peter was so eager to tell Jesus what he had already done to follow him. Later, he was so certain he had the freedom to follow Jesus even unto death. But he had not yet surrendered so completely as he imagined, something he learned before the cock crowed three times. 

houses and brothers and sisters

and mothers and children and lands,

with persecutions

One gift given to those who surrendered to Jesus and followed him was a new spiritual family. They needn't be as concerned with those from their old lives who would no longer welcome them because there were now fellow members of the Kingdom community who would invite them into their homes, whose lands would now by their own lands. The goodness of this reality did very much some to depend on the degree of one's individual surrender to Jesus. Without that it might just be an occasion for jealousy and rivalry as we can see that it often was for the disciples. Further, this new reality, the reality of the Church, also entailed persecutions. If Jesus had omitted this detail it might have seemed like a perspective seen through rose colored glasses. But Jesus knew precisely what awaited those who would follow him. Yet in the Kingdom even the persecutions themselves were in some way a gift. On the one hand, if one sought Jesus for the sake of his benefits, the persecutions might seem to be so unbearable as to make the benefits not worth the effort. But on the other hand, if one sought first Jesus and his Kingdom than all things would be added to them (see Matthew 6:33) and all things would work together for their good (see Romans 8:28). Most of us would be reluctant to exchange our worldly wealth (think in terms of our financial security) for suffering. But what if we exchanged it for the promise that suffering would be transformative and make us ready to bear the weight of eternal glory?

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (see Second Corinthians 4:17).

We may not be called to actually part ways with our family and friends or to let go of any specific possession of ours. But we must be willing to let Jesus lead us and to have him, and nothing else, be our highest priority and our guiding light. Only with Jesus in the first place in our lives will we be safe from the manipulation of the enemy through our attachment to lesser things. This is what Peter enjoined on his readers in today's first reading.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,

and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Matt Maher - Lay It Down

27 May 2024 - treasure in heaven

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

The man had some sense of the goodness of Jesus, and an intuition that Jesus was qualified to answer this question about the requirements of eternal life. If we think about this we will realize that not just anyone would be qualified to answer such a question. It wasn't really a matter of interpretation of Scripture or of law since it wasn't even a matter addressed directly. Much less would one desire something that was merely the opinion of another on the matter, or his best guess. What one would desire is the answer of one who knew. And the one who knew would be the one whose gift it was to give. 

You know the commandments 

...

He replied and said to him,

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

The law did not seem to contain the answer in itself, even though the commandments themselves were obviously not optional. Even having kept all of the commandments from his youth the man, according to Jesus, was still "lacking in one thing". What was that thing? It was Jesus himself. The path to eternal life could be found exclusively in answering the invitation of Jesus to "come, follow me".

At that statement, his face fell,

and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The commandments were required but not sufficient for eternal life. Riches were not a de facto disqualification, but they made things much more difficult. In order to follow Jesus in freedom one would need to dispose their possessions, not according to their own desires, but as Jesus commanded. To prefer his possessions to Jesus was a choice for worldly treasure over and against heavenly treasure. He was meant to be in the world but not of the world, but it was clear that it was the world and not the Kingdom that was defining the course of his life.

"Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"For men it is impossible, but not for God.

All things are possible for God."

The man was able to keep the commandments. We don't want to say that even this was done without the aid of grace. But he may have still felt some sense of self-sufficiency and achievement in having done so. There may have been a bit of pride in his statement that "all of these I have observed from my youth". But there was no way to maintain such a sense of self-reliance while taking the next step to follow Jesus. Only surrender would make such a step possible. There was nothing in the rich man that could motivate or enable such a choice. But God could do so in him. Perhaps some day the man would become frustrated and dissatisfied with his wealth and turn to God for this grace.

Peter clearly understood the fact that eternal life was a gift of the Lord Jesus Christ who alone had "the words of eternal life" (see John 6:68). He knew where the gift was to be found, and he understood what a treasure it was. He expressed this by describing it in a way that would not apply to any earthly riches. It was "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you". Because the gift was so precious, the faith by which we open ourselves to receive it was itself "more precious than gold". The joy of knowing that we possess this treasure is something we are meant to experience even here and now. It was not yet heaven or the end of the age Peter described at the end of today's first reading. This was the state of the disciple as wayfarer, even while still on the journey home.

Although you have not seen him you love him;

even though you do not see him now yet you believe in him,

you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

as you attain the goal of faith, the salvation of your souls.

Songs In His Presence - Psalm 19: Lord, You Have The Words

Steffany Gretzinger - More Precious Than Silver

26 May 2024 - three in one

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,

to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

Before he died Jesus promised that he would see his disciples again when he went before them to Galilee. When he appeared to the women after his resurrection he commanded them to tell them disciples to go to Galilee where he himself would await them. And now, as a culmination of all the appearances of the risen Lord, the disciples met Jesus on the mountain in Galilee.

When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

They saw Jesus but did not yet draw near to him. There were still some among them who doubted, or some degree of doubt in all of their hearts. It was not doubt, seemingly, that Jesus had risen. They had seen ample evidence for that fact. But there was still much that was unclear. Just what did the resurrection mean for the identity of Jesus and his relationship to the world? And what did it mean for the disciples, their relationship to Jesus, and their mission? The resurrection of Jesus had to lead to something beyond the encounters of the disciples with the Lord. Indeed all the encounters seemed to point forward to something more, to a fulfillment now begun but not yet accomplished. Would Jesus stay with them as he was? What of the fact that he had said that he must go to the Father in order that the Holy Spirit might be sent? There was plenty of justification for confusion leading to hesitation. Similar lack of clarity sometimes causes us to offer only partial worship mixed with doubt to the risen Lord. But the response of Jesus that offered comfort and direction for the eleven disciples can do the same for us as well.

Then Jesus approached and said to them

Jesus did not wait for his disciples to draw near to him, to surmount all of their doubts, or to get their theology perfect before he himself drew near to them. Even this gesture was already the beginning of an answer to their doubts. How, they must of wondered, are we now to relate to the one who has defeated even death itself? This Jesus, with whom they walked in intimate friendship, now seemed to be unapproachably exulted. By approaching them Jesus expressed the fact that he would not stop calling them friends on account of this exultation. 

All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations

The human nature of Jesus had now received power equivalent to that of God himself, all in heaven and on earth, with nothing excluded. And yet this glorification of the human nature of Jesus was not a barrier between himself and the disciples. It was rather the basis for their mission, the source of their own authority, the reason for their right to command others to observe all that he had first taught to them. Obviously this was an intimidating commission. Going to all nations did not allow them to make use of the common ground and shared culture they had with other Jews. And yet, it made sense that this was now necessary. The defeat of death was not an event that pertained only to Judea or Galilee. It was something with immediate relevance to every human life. And the power given to Jesus was not a power that pertained only to those of his own nation. It was an authority that was universal, encompassing heaven and earth. Thus the mission of the disciples would also need to be a universal mission. But how would mere men live up to such a calling?

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Only with the constant assistance and presence of Jesus himself could the Church and her mission advance. In Mark's Gospel we read of how this worked in practice as "the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs" (see Mark 16:20). But this promise of Jesus went deeper than confidence for mission. It meant that the one who was promised to be Emmanuel would not cease to be with his Church. Even as the physical and visible presence of Jesus was taken from their sight and obscured by clouds the disciples had this promise as a firm foundation for all that would follow. Their relationship with him would not be broken. It would not even turn into something merely transactional that existed only to facilitate evangelization. He, their friend, would remain present and accessible to them. The love they shared would continue. The peace and the joy that originated in the heart of Jesus would continue to flow into them. 

These final words of Jesus are meant to reassure us as well, giving us direction, confidence, and above all reassurance that Jesus remains near to each one of us. We often recite this a theological datum or a fact of faith. But how different would our lives be if we truly practiced a living remembrance of the constant presence of the risen Lord? What, if we did so, could possibly steal his joy from us?

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,

upon those who hope for his kindness

25 May 2024 - high priorities?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,

but the disciples rebuked them.

Do we assume that we know the priorities of Jesus and perhaps somehow attempt to regulate what merits his attention on the basis of this judgment? These children that were being brought before him didn't have any obvious or immediate value for the Kingdom in the minds of the disciples. Moreover, it wasn't as though even they themselves really seemed to need anything. There was no obvious utilitarian benefit to any concerned. All there seemed to be was the possibility of relationship, of one being with another. Most of us tend to lean more toward the practical and the utilitarian when assessing value. We tend to ask, 'What good will it do?'. But it seems that Jesus had a different set of priorities.

When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,

for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

These children who could not provide obvious value in a way that the disciples could recognize were nevertheless paradigmatic examples of those to whom the Kingdom would belong. But really? What heroic things had they done to merit that distinction? And if we realize that they had done and could have done nothing to earn it, what then? What does that make of all of our striving for sanctity? It seems that if we are to truly find it we must begin from a starting place that is not what we can earn or what we can merit, but rather from the fact that Jesus is willing to embrace and welcome us precisely when we learn to come to him like children.

Amen, I say to you,

whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child

will not enter it.

We don't mean to imply that Jesus didn't have work to accomplish while he lived these three short years of public ministry on the earth. Yet, even with this narrow time horizon he did not feel so rushed that he would ignore those who came to him. Even if all he would do for them was to embrace and to bless he did not consider this a waste of time or something that delayed the truly important work. This was the important work. These were the ones he wanted to draw to himself, and those willing to become like them. And to be near him, to be embraced by him, was in some way the goal itself.

James can help us to understand that things such as prayer and leading others to the truth have much greater value than we would assume. The Kingdom is full of reversals such as these where seemingly small acts take on great significance and those things that seem great in the eyes of the world are relativized shown to be not so much after all. 

Let us learn to draw near to Jesus, becoming like little children, content with the small acts of love that he gives to us to do, which amount to not much more than returning his own embrace. Let us learn to welcome others in the same way, without need for a rigorous assessment of the skills or utility that they bring to the table. Then we will see more clearly the Kingdom in our midst.

Newsboys - Million Pieces

24 May 2024 - first principles

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Because of the hardness of your hearts

he wrote you this commandment.

The Pharisees predicated their arguments, not on first principles, not on God's purpose in creation, but on the facts as they found them in a world tainted by sin and marked by hardness of heart. The consequences of sin made it difficult to see why things were the way the were and therefore the purpose for which they were intended. Reasoning on the basis of how things appeared in a fallen world as though that state expressed God's ultimate intention for things risked enshrining things that were at best concessions as though they were entirely legitimate. 

But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh.

The only real way to understand God's plan for the world was to imagine how the world was before everything needed to be carefully protected against the ramifications of sin and the eventuality of death. After the fall it became necessary to erect barriers and create divisions. This began with clothing, which became necessary when one could no longer take it for granted that another could look upon her without the potential of the gaze using her for the other's own end, be it pleasure or insult or otherwise. But the barriers continued to multiple thereafter, including between Israel and the nations. 

They replied,

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce

and dismiss her."

As a consequence of sin Moses added legal protocol in the event that a divorce happened anyway in order to limit the harm. This is interesting because although he did not explicitly approve of divorce, neither did he condemn it outright at the time. It was as though the time was not yet right and that there was not grace sufficient enough to restore marriage to it's original purpose. This was the time when God waited patiently and looked with mercy upon his people as they awaited the coming of a savior who could deliver them at last.

So they are no longer two but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together,

no human being must separate."

Jesus was the only one who was truly qualified to speak to God's original intention in creation. There was no risk that he would get lost in the weeds of how things merely appeared because of the consequences of sin. Further, he himself was the one who would finally provide a remedy for those consequences. He was therefore qualified not only to explain what God meant in the beginning but also to empower those who heard him to actually begin to live in way that corresponded to that intention. Yet he also did something still greater. For the way that Jesus ultimately gave grace to humanity was by uniting humanity to himself in the great marriage feast of the Lamb. This was something of which even the wonderous reality of human marriage was merely a shadow.

We live in amidst a world still tainted by sin. But we ourselves have been made new creations in Christ, able to live lives that correspond to God's original good purpose in creating, and ordered to a destiny that is something even better than the paradise Adam and Eve chose to forfeit. This grace we have been given is more than enough to enable us to persevere with patience, we who have "seen the purpose of the Lord", as James wrote. We ought not be evasive in speech but to live as though entirely transparent, not as though erecting barriers, but as though tearing them down whenever feasible, that our "Yes" may mean "Yes" and our "No" mean "No".

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

Songs In His Presence - So Bless The Lord

23 May 2024 - reward program

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink

because you belong to Christ,

amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

There is immense value in belonging to Christ. He loves the Church as his own body to the extent that he gave up his life for her sake (see Ephesians 5:20). He takes personally any injury done to his body, as we can see when he asked, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" (see Acts 9:4). He receives those things done for his body as done for him. There is therefore nothing trivial even about giving a cup of water to someone because she belongs to Christ. This certainly also extends to things we do for the poor with whom Jesus has also closely identified himself. Acts that seem like too little to change things much in the grand scheme end up having immense value when we realize that Christ himself is the one who is served. This can give us a whole new paradigm for how we think about small acts of kindness and their value.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,

it would be better for him if a great millstone

were put around his neck

and he were thrown into the sea.

The very opposite of loving others for the sake of Christ is causing theme to sin, that is, causing scandal. Doing this has the real and terrifying potential of leading others away from Christ precisely because of the trust they placed in us. As disciples ourselves we have the obligation to represent Christ in a way that will not lead others to sin. However, since we ourselves are imperfect, our example will never be flawless. But this means that we must not pretend to be perfect but rather to be transparent about our own weaknesses and limitations so that others don't come to see them as a viable path or a reasonable excuse to do the same.

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter into life maimed

than with two hands to go into Gehenna,

into the unquenchable fire.

Nothing in this world is so valuable that is worth trading for entrance into the Kingdom of God. No vicious use of our hands, feet, or eyes, is worth the potential eternal consequences in the flames of Gehenna. We know this on one level. But on another it doesn't always seem to impact the magnitude or vigor of our response to sin in our lives. We tend to treat sin casually as a problem to be solved later and not as an illness that threatens the life of our very soul. Give us chastity, we pray, but not yet.

We need to maintain the flavor and preservative power of the salt of the Gospel in our lives. Even the fire of persecutions can actually help with this. The concern is that if we lose this element in the Church there is nowhere else in the world to find it. A lukewarm Church is a lifeless Church and it might require an intervention of God himself to restore the flavor of salt that is too far gone. Salt represents the vitality that remembers to see Jesus in small acts of kindness, that doesn't dally with dangerous sin and scandal, and the persists in the face of difficulty and persecution. When we live the Gospel with this intensity we have a flavor that is attractive and an ability to outlast the world's trajectory toward decomposition and decay. Then the condemnation of James toward those who kept their riches only for themselves will never apply to us.

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.

Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,

your gold and silver have corroded,

and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;

it will devour your flesh like a fire.

Jesus Culture - Set A Fire

22 May 2024 - follow who?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,

and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.

The disciples showed that they had something of the Pharisaical spirit within them. There was someone doing good, not evil, saving life and not destroying it. But the disciples were upset because it was done without their official seal of approval. Yes, they were one day going to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes. But at this stage we know they did not yet appreciate the true meaning of authority and honor. They wanted greatness for themselves. It was this desire which was being subverted by good deeds they had not officially ordered. The disciples didn't care so much that someone had discovered the name of Jesus as that they themselves were not included in the chain of honor. It was not their sense of propriety that was wounded but rather their pride. Later, in the early Church we read of better ways to handle a disciple that whose formation was still lacking.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (see Acts 18:25-26).

It seems the disciples would have prevented this man from driving out demons rather than explain more accurately the way of God to him, in order to avoid losing their own perceived entitlement to being honored by him. Jesus in fact had to tell them, "Do not prevent him". It was not as though the name of Jesus was a magical incantation that would work without any relation to the person of Jesus himself. If someone was able to perform a mighty deed in the name of Jesus it meant that there was some real and genuine connection to Jesus in the heart of that person. There was simply no way that they were hostile or opposed to him. And so the disciples were meant to avail themselves of the fact that the individual was in fact for them and not against them. Their task wasn't about themselves, or to ensure that the man ultimately followed them. They were instead, as leaders, meant to serve him, helping him to follow the way of Jesus more accurately. Their involvement in his life and ministry was supposed to be primarily a blessing for him and for Jesus rather than themselves.

For whoever is not against us is for us.

Even though most of us aren't in leadership roles we sometimes still act like the disciples and dismiss those who don't do things our way, who use different methods, or who prefer different saints or devotions. We tend to imagine that our ways are so good that everyone should use them. But this implies a lot about how we think other people ought to submit to our judgment. We should instead allow a wide freedom for the legitimate ways others might wish to follow Jesus even if we don't immediately understand them. Obviously there are things which are genuinely not helpful, which really cannot be reconciled with following Jesus. And in these cases it does help to intervene to ensure, not to ensure that others follow us, but that they follow him. For our part, we should maintain the humility recommended by James.

You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.

Instead you should say,

"If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that."

Don Moen - Jesus, We Enthrone You

21 May 2024 - listening apprehension

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men

and they will kill him,

and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.

The idea that the Son of Man would die wasn't part of what anyone imagined when they signed on as his disciples. They weren't really interested in fleshing out the details of this teaching because if the teacher and master and Lord was going to die what then of the students? It did not appear to bode well for them either. It is uncertain whether they were even still listening at the end of the sentence when Jesus said he would rise but in any event it did not seem to register with them that he wasn't describing a hopeless scenario or a permanent defeat.

But they did not understand the saying,

and they were afraid to question him.

Could Jesus have explained the cross in a way that made it palatable to them? He could certainly have insisted on the necessity of such a measure as the most perfect way by which he could show his love for the world, by laying down his life for his friends (see John 15:13). He could have emphasized that it was not the end of hope and that the resurrection would more than compensate for a brief momentary affliction (see Second Corinthians 4:17). But the disciples were most likely not yet sufficiently mature to learn of the cross in greater depth. Instead they resorted to an argument about who was the greatest among them. This greatness they imagined for themselves was in stark contrast to the ignominy of the path Jesus said would be his. The disciples seemed to harden their hearts toward Jesus here and try to imagine how they could salvage something of value for themselves. Perhaps they didn't say it this way but they may have subconsciously been trying to determine which of them could replace the failed messiah after his death.

If anyone wishes to be first,   

he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.

Jesus did not tell them to entirely destroy their desires for greatness. But if they listened to him those desires would be flipped on their head. Jesus was himself was truly and properly first and yet he chose to be the last of all and the servant of all. He did not use the prerogative of his place to insist on privilege. Rather he gave all of himself for the sake of the world. He, before asking it of others, received ones such as ourselves with no more to offer him than children. In turn he asked that we not count out and measure what others could do for us but to receive them solely on the basis of the fact that they were made in the image of the Father.

Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;

and whoever receives me,

receives not me but the One who sent me.

Jesus made our own ability to receive him contingent on our humility. The only way to receive all was to require nothing as payment, to insist on no terms, and to seek no reward but the beloved himself. This is why James so strongly insisted "that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God". He didn't want the love of the world to interfere with our receptivity to heavenly things. And for this reason James also recommended humility as the antidote.

Humble yourselves before the Lord

and he will exalt you.

Hillsong United - Lead Me To The Cross

20 May 2024 - Mother of the Church

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

Jesus loved and honored his mother to the maximal extent possible, from beginning, when she was created in abundant grace and free from sin, to the dark hour of his cross, and beyond. He also loved his disciples to the end, giving all that he had, up to and including his own life, for their sakes. In this particular moment where we read of him speaking to John the beloved disciple and to his mother Mary we see the coming together of these two great streams of his love. There was no one who loved Jesus better than his mother, no other love so unselfish and totally given over to Jesus than was hers. And yet Jesus desired to share this love, first with the beloved disciple, and then with all beloved disciples in turn. 

Jesus did not tell John merely to take care of Mary in his absence but rather to take her to be his own mother. Mary, in turn, was to share the love she had as the mother of Jesus with John and all the beloved disciples who would follow after him. She did not love them in precisely the same way as Jesus because only Jesus was the God man. But she loved them all unto her Son, knowing him as the greatest of all possible goods, the best of the good things she could will for anyone. 

Jesus addressed his mother as "Woman" because in this hour she became the New Eve, mother of all the living. We know from Genesis that Adam's wife Eve was intended to be the "mother of all the living". And in some sense she was that. But in another sense the fall had made it the case that none were truly and fully spiritually alive in the way God intended. It was to restore this gift of life that caused the true thirst of Jesus on the cross, a thirst he would only satisfy by pouring out his own life for the world.

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

Once Jesus had unleashed the flood of new life upon the world it became the preoccupation of his mother to help the world to drink it. She had prefigured this role of hers in the wedding feast at Cana where she interceded with her Son to give wine to those in attendance and instructed those charged with serving to "Do whatever he tells you" (see John 2:25). We can see that she was again playing this role at Pentecost as the Apostles gathered around her and sought the gift of the Spirit by prayer in one accord. Mary was a stabilizing and unifying element, the hub of the wheel that joined them together. She was acting as New Eve, and in a particular way as Mother of the Church, the title under which we celebrate her today.

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,

together with some women,

and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

We, like John, are called to take Mary into our homes and into our hearts. As she did for him and the first disciples she is meant to play a special role in our own lives, drawing us ever closer to her Son as the source of the living water for which we thirst. We must truly become, as we are meant to be, "her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17).

Damascus Worship featuring Seph Schlueter - Hail O Queen

19 May 2024 - don't fight this fire

Today's Readings - Mass during the day.

(Audio)

On the evening of that first day of the week,

when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,

for fear of the Jews

Before the coming of the Holy Spirit the disciples were still controlled by their fears. They were still locked away from the world. The message of the resurrection remained sealed, because they feared the consequences of proclaiming it.. They did not yet have the Spirit within them leading them to testify. They did not yet have the clarity of purpose that would later come when the Spirit of Truth was guiding them into all truth. 

Jesus came and stood in their midst

and said to them, "Peace be with you."

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus bid them peace to calm their fears and to begin to build joy within them. But they were not yet ready to go out to the world, nor did he wish them to go prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit. They were still in a transitional state, instructed to remain in the city until they received power from on high. 

As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

"Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them, giving them new and spiritual life in a way similar to how God breathed life into Adam in the beginning. But this new creation was not fully manifest until the driving wind of Pentecost swept through their hearts and until tongues of fire descended on them. It was this event that changed them from fearful and uncertain men to people who were so filled with the testimony of the Spirit that they too could not help but testify.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in different tongues,

as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

The Holy Spirit manifests differently in each individual, but he works in each producing a manifestation from some benefit. The diversity of gifts ensures that we can together form the many parts of the body of Christ. Unlike like worldly differences which tend to cause division the diversity of gifts in the Spirit actually serve to make us more effectively united in one body. The Spirit unites us in the testimony of Jesus, even as the variety he produces in us makes that testimony available to the greatest possible diversity of people. 

He will glorify me,

because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

Everything that the Father has is mine;

for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine

and declare it to you.

There are a diversity of manifestations of Spirit, but in all of us he desires to overcome our fear, to convict us of the truth, and to motivate our testimony to Jesus by writing in so deeply within our hearts that we can't help but proclaim it. The Spirit himself is the power at work within us that enables us to live the life of the resurrection even here and now. He is the one who makes us to be truly sons and daughters of the Father, taking from what belongs by nature to Jesus and giving it to us as a gift.

We should in fact desire spiritual gifts, because this is what Paul said we should do (see First Corinthians 14:1). But more than the specific manifestations, we need to ensure that we open ourselves to the operation of his power within us. In short, we need not be like the disciples who remain locked away and afraid, because the Holy Spirit himself desires to empower us just as he did the disciples at the first Pentecost. They didn't spend any time comparing and contrasting the gifts they received to make sure they had all completed the full checklist or to ensure that no one had more or less than another. These were not their concerns. They were too entirely consumed with the need to proclaim the testimony of Jesus and reveal the truth of the resurrection to the world. The same desire is meant to be in us as well, consuming us as it did them, because "our God is a consuming fire" (see Hebrews 12:29).

When you send forth your spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

DC Talk - Consume Me

18 May 2024 - can't compare

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come?

Peter had just been called to follow Jesus on the way of the cross, and been told that he would give his life for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. Naturally, this wasn't an easy thing to accept, although now, for love of Jesus he would in fact accept it. But he still couldn't help but ask and wonder about the fate of John, the beloved disciple and the one who had accompanied him to investigate the empty tomb. Peter may have wondered why it seemed that he was being singled out for such a difficult path. Why him and not another? John seemed in some ways to be favored as the beloved disciple. Was this just another arbitrary privilege? Humanly speaking, it would be easy to envy the one who did not have to endure martyrdom. 

What concern is it of yours?

You follow me.

It isn't helpful to try to compare the path appointed for ourselves with that of others, especially when this doesn't encourage us to become more sympathetic and supportive of others. Comparison makes it too easy for us to get caught up in the individual difficult elements of our own path while obscuring the different but equally real challenges faced by others. Moreover, it draws us out of the present moment where grace is found and makes us think only of the challenges of the future for which grace has not yet been given. This makes those challenges seem as though we will face them alone and unaided even though we know by faith that when they finally come Jesus himself will give us the grace to face them as his followers. The important point is that we ought to focus on our own path. This doesn't mean to ignore others or to be unsympathetic toward them, but rather to follow our own specific calling. There is a unique contribution Jesus is asking from each of us, a unique way in which we are called to use our gifts, a unique place in which he is asking us to sow the seed of our lives. If everyone tried to live out the Gospel in precisely the same way the wondrous diversity of the Kingdom would be lost and the manifold ways that it was meant to spread would not be realized.

This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you

and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel

that I wear these chains.

Leaning too hard into our own expectations can prevent us from receiving the grace Jesus wants to give us for a specific situation. If Paul's expectation of martyrdom in Rome had been too strong he wouldn't have been ready to use his situation to proclaim the Gospel. Yet he was sufficiently flexible that even the chains of his house arrest were no hindrance from him proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither circumstance nor expectation would prevent Paul from proclaiming Jesus in any way that he could, because he realized, "the word of God is not bound!" (see Second Timothy 2:9).

Jeremy Camp - You're Worthy Of My Praise

17 May 2024 - getting Agrippa

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"

Simon had previously been so certain of his love for Jesus, so certain that he would be willing even to die for him. When push came to shove he was capable of acting violent in defense of Jesus but he was not capable of standing with Jesus peacefully and without violence. He was not capable of surrendering with Jesus or to allow himself to be handed over as Jesus himself handed himself over. For Simon, without the distracting rush of violence, the whole darkness of the dark hour was too much to bear and he fled from Jesus. For the rest of that evening he refused to be identified with his Lord, fearing that if he was he might be forced to share in the fate of Jesus. He could not accept being rendered powerless as Jesus had allowed himself to be. He had proven to be anything but a rock and so it is appropriate that in restoring him Jesus began by calling him Simon. He did this not to demean him so much as to reestablish him. He wanted Peter to realize that his solidity was always going to come from Jesus himself.

Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,

"Do you love me?" and he said to him,

"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

Just as Peter had denied Jesus around a charcoal fire so too here on the shore at breakfast near a charcoal fire did he affirm him. Was Peter too broken to repent? Clearly not. He had fallen far, but he had not abandoned himself to despair as had Judas. He still bore a love for Jesus in his heart that gave him hope and that was more compelling than any self-doubt he may have felt. Jesus, for his part, did not tell Peter that he would now need to sit in the sidelines and watch since he had proven himself too flawed to be a disciple. Indeed, Jesus asked Peter to prove the depths of his contrition precisely by the way in which he would take on the role of leadership in the Church and as shepherd of the sheep. This was clearly not something one would ask of another if they were defective beyond repair. Yet we can see that in this penance given by Jesus there was something more than the mere verbal undoing of his denial. There was the requirement that he begin to do now what he could not do during the Passion, that being to lay down his life for the sheep. 

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,

you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;

but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,

and someone else will dress you

and lead you where you do not want to go."

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

Peter got away with remaining dressed and going where he chose as Jesus had his clothing stripped and was led to the cross. But it was only a temporary reprieve during which he was to learn of his own weakness and the necessity to rely on Jesus for strength. He could not then go to the cross alongside Jesus. But he could follow after him.

And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

The good news about the restoration of Peter is that it implies that there is no one who is too broken to be restored, none too lost to be found, or too far gone to be saved. It means that even our egregious failures can be made to serve a larger purpose in the narrative being woven out of worldly events by divine providence. We can and must learn our own limits and our inherent weakness so that we can more and more come to rely on Jesus for strength. It is not simply a binary switch where we move from flawed to perfect once and for all. Rather there is a continual back and forth, but with increasingly more forward progress and less backsliding since "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (see Romans 5:20).

Our confidence is not meant to be in ourselves. It comes rather from knowing what Paul knew and proclaimed so clearly that none who heard was able to misunderstand.

Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion

and about a certain Jesus who had died

but who Paul claimed was alive.

Newsboys - In Christ Alone

16 May 2024 - that they may all be one

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

"I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

Having prayed for himself and for his disciples Jesus continued his high priestly prayer by praying for those who would come to believe through the word of the disciples, the entirety of the new spiritual Israel of God (see Galatians 6:16).

so that they may all be one

Jesus did not pray primarily that his followers would be successful. His chief concern was not so much that they win arguments, persuade, and achieve power and influence. He asked not for the largest possible number of disciples but rather that those who did believe would be one. This oneness was a unity that was not a matter of mere consensus, not simply an alliance of shared interest. It was rather a supernatural unity with its basis in the oneness of the Triune God.

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

The oneness Jesus desired for the Church was to be rooted in something more the human convenience. Rooted in the union of the Father and the Son, the love who is the Holy Spirit, the union of the Church would give evidence of the truth of what Jesus said about himself. This would seem to be a problem for us in the Church, wouldn't it, since we can't seem to agree about anything? And yet the oneness of the Church herself exists in spite of members not being correct on every point of theology, even in spite of the fact that we don't always get along with each other any better than random individuals in the world. There is nevertheless a spiritual oneness which the Church has maintained through her two thousand year history. It becomes apparent only when we step back and look at her persistence through history in spite of so many forces of opposition arrayed against her. Without the supernatural grace keeping the Church in tact she doubtlessly would have found herself torn by disputes just as Paul was almost "torn to pieces" by the argument of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. But the Church bore out the validity of the wisdom of the rabbi Gamaliel, who said, "if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men" (see Acts 5:38-39).

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus poured out the glory he himself received from the Father on the Church. He did this not because everyone in the Church was already perfect and deserving of such glory. Rather the glory of gave was that they might "be brought to perfection as one". This ought to be reassuring when we look at the Church in see, humanly speaking, something less than perfect. The oneness for which Jesus prayed is a supernatural reality that will always exist. But individuals are not automatically and immediately perfected and unified as a consequence. Rather, they work out their salvation by coming ever more deeply into the hidden spiritual reality that ensures the oneness of the Church. They are brought to perfection by the love of Jesus poured out for them, which is the same love he himself received from the Father.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them.

It is not simply a cheap spiritual maxim to say that the Church is one. The oneness if the Church ensures us of our access to the inner life of God and the inner life of God is the basis of the guarantee of the oneness of the Church. Even though in history this oneness is not immediately apparent it nevertheless reveals itself in the lives of Christians who strive to embody it. Even when they fail those failures are taken up into a larger narrative and plan of God himself, preserving his rock solid promise. Even problems so difficult that they would seem to undermine our hope are not so great that they can't be used by God to reveal his glory.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage.

For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,

so you must also bear witness in Rome."

Jars Of Clay - They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love