31 July 2024 - those that seek find

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,

The Kingdom of heaven is not necessarily found by all. It is hidden in such a way that only those who are looking discover it. One must seek in order to find. It is entirely possible to look at the world in which the Kingdom is present and operative and see nothing of value. This was obviously the perspective of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But it is also possible to look at that same field and discover the Kingdom of God at work. This was the response of the disciples of Jesus. All humans have a hunger to find this treasure. But some have deadened that hope or sated it with inadequate substitutes. Many indeed have stopped looking and stopped hoping. This isn't all that surprising since human efforts at finding the treasure often meet with disappointment. We really need divine guidance, something like a spiritual metal detector, to hone in on the treasure. Only by a revelation from God are we likely to realize one particular spot in the field is different from a million other spots of similar appearance.

which a person finds and hides again,

and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Why did the person hide the treasure again? It was not to prevent others from finding it so much as to ensure he himself didn't lose it. It was too precious to leave it to chance that it would still be there once one had all the resources necessary to make the purchase. Hiding it again was his way of keeping it protected, of respecting the true value inherent in the treasure. He wasn't in a position right away to take it and run. The treasure required a price to be paid, and it wasn't to be had cheaply. Since he would need to offer all that had for the treasure he couldn't risk that treasure being used or exchanged as a means to some further goal, which might have happened if it was not hidden. He knew that to be able to receive the treasure at all, even in exchange for all that he had, was a deal to good to pass up. 

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant

searching for fine pearls.

When he finds a pearl of great price,

he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

The merchant was looking for something special. He wasn't content with pearls of merely average value. He knew that if he looked carefully enough he would eventually discover one whose value surpassed all others. He showed patience and discernment as he waited, not trading what he had for lesser things. Most of us would perhaps be inclined to jump at the first shiny sphere that came to our attention. But not all that glitters is gold, and not every pearl is of the same value. Indeed, though pearls might be of great value, one so great as to be worthy of all that we have and all that we are would require a special insight to recognize. It would in fact only be possible as a result of divine revelation. But we see that the merchant, by his posture of searching, was ready and waiting to cooperate with that revelation.

Have we found the true treasure of the Kingdom of heaven? If not, are we still looking, or have we instead given up or accepted substitutes? And if we claim to have found it, does it really hold the place in our lives that something of such inestimable value should hold? It is one thing to claim to have stored up treasure in heaven. It is another to actually live in freedom from the things of this world because that claim is true. It's easy to make statements or professions, to others, and even to ourselves. But to actually buy the treasure or to buy the pearl requires the aid of grace. This is not meant to be a one time event after which we set the treasure on a shelf, forget about it, and go back to our worldly pursuits. If we do not continue to value the treasure we may ultimately not continue to possess it. And so the grace we need at the beginning we also need the whole way through, the grace to surrender ourselves, and to receive what Jesus desires to give us as our greatest treasure: himself.

Dan Schutte - I Found The Treasure

30 July 2024 - field dynamics

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

Many explanations have been given for the parable by various interpreters to attempt to address difficult or unsettled questions. But we should not neglect the definitive answers Jesus provided. If some aspects of his answers make us uncomfortable it perhaps behooves us to dwell for a while in that discomfort. Only then should we consider attempts to ease it with our own clever solutions. 

He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,

the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.

It is important to see that the purpose of the Son of Man was entirely good. He was about the business of sowing good seed, desiring to produce children for the Kingdom of God. Yet we know that this process of producing children of God required something on the part of the recipients. Jesus came to many who did not receive him. Only those that did were made able to share in the divine life in this way.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (see John 1:11-12).

Are these good seeds destined to become children of God, or might they still fail in some way? From the point of view of God we may say that they are destined since "those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (see Romans 8:30). But God's absolute foreknowledge doesn't not preclude the necessity of choice on the part of individuals. Neither does God's knowledge provide any absolute assurance to those who hope to be justified. There can be moral certitude, since healthy plants are known by their fruits. But they are not so distinct from the weeds that human eyes could safely destroy the weeds and leave only the wheat. Hence Paul tells us to, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (see Philippians 2:12). In short, for God there will be no surprises on the last day. But for us here and now we have no cause to become complacent. Our true eternal identity is known to God. But the ultimate revelation of that identity will only be good news for us only if we cling to him by faith, hope, and love.

The weeds are the children of the Evil One,

and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.

Similarly, God knows who are the weeds, the ones who will be revealed to be children of the Evil One on the last day, and who will be thrown into the fiery furnace. But we don't know this for sure. The parable of the weeds and the wheat calls us to guard against the idea that we have absolute insight into the soul of anyone. It calls us to be cautious even against presumption or despair in ourselves. We are meant to learn to desire to be wheat and to fear the fate of the weeds in order to ensure that all of our energy is directed to healthy growth. 

Jesus attempted to explain to the Judeans that sin was keeping them bound as slaves, and preventing them from abiding in the house of God forever. They tried to claim that God was their father. But they were not children of the good seed, at least not yet. Jesus explained that they were children of the devil precisely because they reproduced the pattern of his own disobedience in their lives.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies (see John 8:44).

However, that they were, in that moment, sons and daughters of the Evil One did not seem to necessarily be an eternal condemnation. Jesus did not come only to give his stamp of approval to those who were already acceptable or to celebrate the freedom of those who were already free. Rather, he came to bring freedom and to set captives free.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (see John 8:36).

We assume that one reason that the harvest is reserved for the end of the age is precisely because everything is not yet set in stone. Some who look good now but will yet fail to bear fruit have not been revealed. Neither have those ugly and off-putting plants shown definitively that they will not yet outproduce even those that now seem shiny and strong. The fact that the end of the age is coming, and is closer now than it has ever been, is meant to motivate us. That there are only two possible ultimate destinies available for us is told to us not in order that was resign ourselves to fate, but rather so that we surrender ourselves to the grace that will make us what Jesus wants us to be, rather than what we will inevitably become apart from him.

Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;

with your great power free those doomed to death.

ILP Music - Seed, Scattered, and Sown

29 July 2024 - if you had been here

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

This was most likely true. If Jesus had been there Lazarus would have been healed, a minor miracle performed, and a tragedy averted. But something greater would have been lost. Jesus' delay may have seemed inscrutable, but it was intentional. He told his disciples, "I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe" (see John 11:15). 

We can imagine how our own responses would be in a similar situation. Most likely we would suggest to Jesus that he could help us develop our faith some other times and without such traumatic events. Couldn't he keep our lives smooth and comfortable and still get us to the place of belief he desired? Or is there something in us, our perception of value and importance, that is only online and functioning when, as it were, life is truly on the line? Maybe Jesus sometimes allows us to face difficult situations so that our abstract and theoretical faith in him can become a concrete choice. This is what seemed to happen to Martha. She wasn't happy or satisfied that Lazarus had died. But she was still able to continue with "even now I know". And maybe there are situations that our own faith can't penetrate until such even now eventualities. Naturally we pray for our good and the good of all of our loved ones. But we are meant to recognize that God can bring good even from the most difficult of circumstances. We have to learn that Jesus himself is a greater good than life. And he will do what he needs to do and allow what he needs to allow to bring us to that place.

Jesus said to her,

"Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him,

"I know he will rise,

in the resurrection on the last day."

Martha may have thought Jesus was trying to comfort her with a fact about something that would happen at the end of the age, as though someone were to say to one of us that we would see a lost loved one again in heaven. Had Jesus been saying only that he might only have been a compassionate healer. But he was more. He possessed a centrality that was only evident precisely because Lazarus had died. The whole cosmic eventuality of the resurrection was not merely a reality distant and far removed. It was a reality that was present in Jesus himself. In some way, Jesus himself was the end of history. And he could bring the power of that resurrection to bear precisely in the "even now" of the most difficult of circumstances.

Jesus told her,

"I am the resurrection and the life;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,

and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

The resurrection was not merely some indifferent and impersonal reality reserved for the end of time. Many Jews of the time had an expectation of such a reality. And perhaps the messiah they imagined would have been closely associated with it as the one who announced it and brought the present age of history to a close. But it was shocking to hear that Jesus himself was the one who would give life to the dead, and that the eternal destiny of all people would be based on whether they chose to put their faith in him.

Belief in Jesus would result in a resurrection to life. And that resurrection was something even greater than what he was about to do for Lazarus. On that day those who lived and believed in Jesus would never die again. He was not only the way and the truth, but also the life. Only he was victorious over death, his life revealed to be indestructible (see Hebrews 7:16), as it was impossible for death to have any power over him (see Acts 2:24). But this life that was his alone he desired to share, giving it to those who believed in him through the faith they possessed. 

Even before Lazarus was raised Martha learned a greater lesson than one about a man who was dead returning to life for another few years or decades. She learned the true identity of her friend Jesus, coming to believe that he was "the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world". 

Although Martha came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God before Lazarus was raised Jesus did not for that reason decide his reason for coming was not so important after all and leave Lazarus in the grave. Lazarus was his own friend and it had saddened him to let him die. It was true that what he could offer to these friends of his was not yet true eternal life, but he could give them more years of joy together. And, the lesson having been taught and understood, he was free to do so.

Jesus had told them that if they believed they would see the glory of God. This was clearly not meant only to refer to some future time.  Rather even then and in that place Jesus decided to show his glory. He was the one who would give life at the end of time. But he longed to discover faith where he could bring that life to bear even then and there. He found it and Mary and Martha. May he find it in us as well.

Newsboys - Your Love Is Better Than Life

28 July 2024 - gather the fragments

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"

He said this to test him,

because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Jesus already had a plan, but he didn't explain it to Philip, Andrew, or the other disciples right away. Instead he asked them with the purpose of testing them. No doubt this led first to discomfort and uncertainty as one possibility after another proved untenable. If Jesus was so certain of his plan then why put his disciples through this test? There must have been a reason. Furthermore, Jesus still seems to do this with us, his modern disciples. He always knows the plan but still leaves us to struggle to find the answer. What did the disciples gain from this exercise, or how might we in turn grow as a result?

Philip answered him,

"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough

for each of them to have a little."

If Jesus had not asked as he did the disciples might never have paused to recognize their own insufficiency. If he had simply provided they might never have known the depth of their need. And if they had not known that, could they truly have valued the gift or expressed genuine thanksgiving?

One of his disciples,

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

but what good are these for so many?"

In looking at the problem from the angle of human solutions and what they could bring to the table they found some resources, although these were obviously insufficient. And yet without these the problem never would have been solved in the way that it was. These were the very loaves and fish that fed the crowds. But if Jesus had not tested his disciples these meager offerings might never have been brought forward.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed them to those who were reclining,

and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

It was important that the disciples learn what they were on their own, not so much so they might end in a learned helplessness, but rather so that they would learn to bring what they did have to Jesus. Their own insufficiency included a trivial number of loaves and fish that was definitely not enough for a massive crowd. But they weren't to be so entirely passive as to neglect these treasures. They were meant to learn to bring what they did have to Jesus himself. 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (see Second Corinthians 9:8).

If they hadn't cared enough to consider the problem or to bring forward the fact that a boy had a meager amount it isn't at all clear how Jesus would have fed the crowds. He didn't need a backup plan, of course, because he knew how his disciples would respond. But his way of proceeding was predicated on the fact that they did indeed bring the food the boy possessed as potential offering. They struggled to see a way forward, and could not in fact find one. But they brought all that they found and felt and thought to Jesus. And by doing so what was far too little became more than enough.

"Gather the fragments left over,

so that nothing will be wasted."

One might wonder why the fragments were so precious if Jesus was a magical bread multiplication machine. And so this too was to be a part of the lesson for the disciples, part of the revelation of his teaching that they received. When he did provide an excess he meant all of it to be appreciated. It was necessary to learn to treasure the leftovers even after one had eaten and was satisfied. Learning to remember the value of a gift even when the need was no longer urgent was no doubt part of the intended lesson. Leftovers were not given willy-nilly as an excuse to be reckless and wasteful. Rather, these were like the excess manna that fell before the Sabbath that was to be collected for the following day.

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each (see Exodus 16:22).

We know that the preciousness of these fragments hint at a deep Eucharistic theology that runs through the entire feeding of the five thousand as well as the Bread of Life Discourse. The short explanation of this is that when the gift is literally Jesus himself, body, blood, soul, and divinity, then every smallest crumb and every last drop is precious, sacred, and holy, deserving of utmost care and devotion.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,

"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off

to make him king,

he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Jesus was not always willing to satisfy the merely natural desires of those who came to him. He didn't want them to misunderstand him to be some kind of Santa like figure who came to attend to our list of wants. He knew that when he did do so we were all too likely to typecast him as precisely this type of figure and not leave room for him to be anything else. We would set him as an earthly king, to be sure, but not leave room for him to be messiah and redeemer. We would be entirely open to his help, but not often open to being changed by him. Jesus wouldn't allow himself to be captured and forced to play an overly simplified role like this. He insisted that when he did provide real physical food that it point toward something greater and more supernatural. There were really two ways an individual who experienced the multiplication of the loaves could respond. One was by remaining the center of their own existence but now trying to insist that Jesus stay on hand to supply the desires of the ego. And the other was to let go of the ego and its fear of scarcity and place Jesus himself at the center. From there, he, rather than the ego, could dictate priorities. And only by yielding to this second option could those who followed Jesus discover the true rest he desired to give them. Then they would truly be sheep, lying in green pastures, fed by the Good Shepherd himself.

BarlowGirl - Enough

John Michael Talbot - I Am The Bread Of Life

27 July 2024 - until harvest

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?

Where have the weeds come from?

The slaves asked a perennial question. If the master was good, whence the weeds? Surely if he was good he would have sown only good seed in his field. And could he not have had a vigilant watch kept to prevent enemies from coming to spread malice, even during the night? If God was good, whence evil? Surely the one who neither slept nor slumbered (see Psalm 121:4) could have prevented the coming of the enemy entirely. Yet, just as it appeared that Jesus had been asleep in the boat, insensible to the storm, so too hear did the master not appear to respond to the enemy by blocking him at his approach.

While everyone was asleep his enemy came

and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.

It cannot be said that the master desired weeds to grow in his field, or that his aspiration for the crop was anything other than the wheat he had planted. And yet we must come to terms with the fact that he didn't stop the enemies plan before it began. After all, he didn't seem entirely surprised by the report of the slaves. He seemed well enough aware of the fact that he had enemies who might attempt such a thing. But perhaps the reason he didn't stop the problem at the outset was similar to the reason he didn't decide to enforce perfection on the field after the fact. Maybe to completely oppose the enemy would have been such a devastating show of force that it would have interfered even with the intended growth of the good seed. It seemed that the intended environment of growth required some room for autonomy where not every variable was directly controlled. If there was no freedom for weeds to grow neither could the wheat grow to be what it was meant to be. However, this possibility to not upset the master. From his perspective even what the enemy meant for harm could be put to good use (see Genesis 50:20). And not only that, seed that appeared to be that of weeds, even in the mind of the enemy, might yet turn out to be wheat at the time of the harvest. The slaves attempts to be overly insistent that only wheat grow in the field would typically result in sabotaging some of the good seed along with the bad. The good seed was so intertwined with the bad that this was inevitable even if the slaves were perfectly able to discern the one from the other, which was in itself unlikely.

His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds

you might uproot the wheat along with them.

Let them grow together until harvest;

Many of us often express the preference that the stewards of God's field would uproot every weed and leave room only for the growth of perfect plants, failing to realize that in many cases we ourselves are so inextricably connected to the weeds that even we would not pass muster in such a judgment. This is not to say that heresies ought not be opposed within the Church. Clearly ta license to be freely taught in the Church. But the parable does seem to indicate that at an individual level we are not meant to insist on perfection only and immediately. We are meant to have patience until the harvest since God himself is patient. But this is good news. For if we are patient with others we may even become able to be patient and honest with ourselves as we continue to grow.

And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation (see Second Peter 3:15).

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (see Romans 2:4)?

Brandon Lake - Praise You Anywhere

26 July 2024 - seed care

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom

without understanding it,

and the Evil One comes and steals away

what was sown in his heart.

The world is full of such paths. We can't say that there are many people in modern society or contemporary society who haven't heard anything about the word of God. But there are very few who understand what they hear. The seed remains at too shallow of a level to begin the process of growth. Since it remains on the path this happens both accidentally, when people kick and crush the seed without understanding its value, and intentionally, as when the Evil One comes and intentionally targets the seed. What might have just been misunderstandings that could have been cleared up instead become flash points in the culture war as he makes Christianity appear to be a religion of hatred and cultural imperialism.

On one hand, we would want to consider how we can state the central message of Christianity more succinctly, in order to be clear that what is on offer is not what people think they already heard and categorized as backward. As Fulton Sheen once said, "There are not even 100 people in this country who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they think the Catholic Church to be". And this is certainly so. And yet, another implication of the parable is that some of this misunderstanding is inevitable. If the seed is going where it is supposed to go, which is all over the place and everywhere, then there are some places it will land that will only have superficial results. This means that we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good by only doing our own sowing where the results are guaranteed. We can be content to do our best and expect that at least some of the results will be like seed on the path.

The seed sown on rocky ground

is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.

But he has no root and lasts only for a time.

When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,

he immediately falls away.

Why don't people put down the roots that they will need to sustain them in trial? Is it because doing so is an investment that requires commitment and effort? It certainly would be easier to simply enjoy the above ground experience but without changing one's life so as to go all in. This sort of seed is like one who is happy to enjoy well preached sermons and solid worship but never quite makes it to the point of making the changes she knows the word of God would require of her. She would prefer to keep her options open, to be able to move at any moment to something more suited to her preferences. But it is the very roots that grow from conversion and transformation of life that also sustain in times of tribulation and persecution. The process of growth is difficult and requires endurance. But it makes future and greater endurance possible. If one doesn't want to be blown around by every wind of doctrine she needs something that holds her in one place, commitment to one truth and one creed. And a corollary of this being a genuine commitment is a transformation of life to coincide with her beliefs. Any other kind of commitment remains merely at the level of imagination, is not a real root, and cannot actually nourish.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,

but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word

and it bears no fruit.

We don't generally imagine ourselves to be fixated on riches. Yet what is our anxiety all about if not worldly things? There is never any need to be anxious about the treasures of the Kingdom, for those cannot be stolen from us. But our anxieties tend to be expressions of fear about whether we will be able to retain a consistent level of comfort in this life. Even when we mask such fears by describing them as concern about nations and peoples and even family we are still expressing an attachment to our own control over such situations that we are not intended to have. We aren't good enough at playing God to be so insistent on doing so. We are meant to make all such requests known to God (because we are supposed to care about such things) but then to trust him and to allow his own peace to guard our hearts.

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

But the seed sown on rich soil

is the one who hears the word and understands it,

who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

There really is a place beneath the soil where the seed can be safely nourished, where the enemy can't steal it, and where thorns can't choke the life from it. But this level of depth is an engagement that does not happen by accident. It calls us to be intentional about focused attention toward the things of God, consciously choosing to regard them as more important than anything else in the world. This is what adult faith is meant to be. It can't be done entirely for us without our involvement. God himself provides all that is needed, a grace that is meant to make us grow. But we, for our part, must embrace it.

The Demeans - Speak, Lord

Matt Maher - The Heart Of Worship

25 July 2024 - you do not know what you are asking

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"What do you wish?"

She answered him,

"Command that these two sons of mine sit,

one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom."

The third prediction of the Passion of Jesus caused James, John, and their mother to apparently engage in damage control. They didn't want to deal with the fact that Jesus said who was going to die. What could that mean but the end of his whole project and mission? They knew, and knew correctly, that Jesus was the Messiah, meant to be the true king of Israel. But how could his death possibly square with this destiny? It almost seemed as though they put on blinders so as to focus on the royal throne rather than acknowledge the barren cross. How else could they make this request immediately on the heels of a prediction of his Passion? 

Jesus said in reply,

"You do not know what you are asking.

The request of the sons of Zebedee contained a good impulse in that their faith in Jesus did not allow them to entertain the possibility that he would not eventually achieve his messianic destiny. But it was limited in that both the way by which he would achieve it and the way that he would conduct his eventual reign would be quite different from earthly models. He was more than King David, greater than Solomon, and his Kingdom was more (though not less) than the unified Israel they had governed. 

Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"

They said to him, "We can."

He replied,

"My chalice you will indeed drink,

Jesus did want to give royal responsibility to his disciples. But the only way to achieve these positions was to share in the self-offering of Jesus himself. The positions of honor in his Kingdom were not those from which they would lord it over others. Rather, they were the positions were the greater service, sacrifice, and self-gift was required. 

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.

Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served

but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

James and John and the others needed to learn the lesson that no slave was greater than his master, first by actually accepting what that master said about his own cross, and then by sharing it. The fact that the master himself chose the cross for the sake of all was meant to reveal the absurdity in the posturing for worldly position that all of the disciples seemed to indulge. Rather than the cross provoking them to figure out what they could still salvage for themselves it was meant to draw them to desire to give themselves together with Jesus.

We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.

To be fair to the disciples they were being called to something that was beyond merely human capabilities or natural powers. They thought they had to adorn their earth vessels to the maximum in order to outshine all others. But what actually mattered was what they allowed to fill those vessels. And that was meant to be from God. Jesus revealed how a life entirely directed by the Spirit of God was to be lived. His disciples were then meant to share in that Spirit.

Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,

according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,

we too believe and therefore speak,

knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus

will raise us also with Jesus

and place us with you in his presence.

Darrell Evans - Trading My Sorrows

24 July 2024 - say not I am too young (or old, or..)

Today's Readings

(Audio)

A sower went out to sow.

We can see that the sower was generous to the point of being reckless with his seed. It must have been fairly obvious that some of the seed was falling on parts of the ground that were unsuitable for growth. He didn't target only areas where a response was certain. And we see this in the ministry of Jesus himself who came and spoke to many who did not receive him, even though he knew that would be the result. He even made Judas one of the Twelve even though he knew he would be betrayed by him (see John 13:11). Whether or not people were willing to respond, his way of spreading the seed was proof that he desired all people to be saved.

And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,

and birds came and ate it up.

The seed the never makes it into the soil at all probably describes the result of ninety percent of our efforts at evangelization. The Gospel is heard but the world has become very efficient at targeting it with soundbites that seem to contradict it. The world prevents the Gospel from coming under the sustained attention of interested women and men. Instead, such individuals only ever hear the Gospel in fragmentary and stereotypical caricatures. These are easily dismissed by the the smug wisdom of the world. This feeds the birds of pride whose consuming of the seed tends to result in a feeling of superiority. They believe that their bird's eye view reveals that the seed's only possible use is as their food. They cannot see any seed beneath the soil and so they are unaware of the other possibilities it contains.

Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.

It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,

and when the sun rose it was scorched,

and it withered for lack of roots.

We will only be aware of this second possibility when some seeds spring up around us. In the Catholic Church this possibility may seem uncommon. But is it uncommon because the soil is so good? Or is it instead the case that there isn't much breaking through the soil at all? It's true that in our experience we may not see dramatic and rapid conversions that eventually sputter out and collapse. But perhaps it is also true that we do not see many conversions deeply rooted in good soil that sustain themselves over time. This leads us to wonder how we've managed to seal the soil in such a way that both of these phenomena are uncommon. Why is the Church so uninviting that those people who feel the need to suddenly go all in on the Gospel promise tend to do so elsewhere? However, seen in another way, there is a positive here. The Church has been around for so long and is laden was such cultural baggage that it is all but impossible to be unaware of it or to not take it into account during one's conversion. When such conversions do come about they tend to be automatically more mature than other environments that seem pristine on the surface but which mask their own rocks in the soil.

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.

The other types of soil tend to be risks for targets of our efforts at evangelization. But the risk that chiefly affects ourselves is that of thorns choking off the fruit we ourselves are meant to bear. This is a risk that is hard to talk about or even consider since even now the thorns are probably pressing into us. By the discomfort and anxiety they cause they make us not only reluctant to bear fruit but reluctant to even think about bearing fruit or about the thorns themselves. Any analysis reveals that we must become more uncomfortable before we can do anything to remediate the issue. If we have become too cozy with thorns it isn't likely we'll be able to remove them or to relocate ourselves and remain entirely unscathed. But isn't it kind of terrible to live as a prisoner in this way? Maybe the frustration of being trapped and hemmed in can motivate us to do what is necessary to break free. But to do so we most first discern the problem, not in the abstract and in general, but in ourselves. What are the thorns that threaten us when we try to do good or make positive change? 

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,

a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Why bear fruit? What's the point? Isn't that just someone else trying to use us for motives which we don't share? Absolutely not. It is called fruit because it is what we are intended to produce. It is the result of us being fully alive as creatures of God. If we, like Jeremiah, come to understand God's good plans for us we will learn to trust him. Jeremiah seemed to have thorns of his own that attempted to prevent his growth. But he listened to God and learned to trust him, giving the seed of his word room to grow inside him. May we do so as well.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I dedicated you,

a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,

"I know not how to speak; I am too young.”

But the LORD answered me,

Say not, “I am too young.”

To whomever I send you, you shall go;

whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Have no fear before them,

because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Elevation Worship - See A Victory

23 July 2024 - here and my mother and my brothers

Today's Readings

(Audio)

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,

his mother and his brothers appeared outside,

wishing to speak with him.

It seemed as though his mother and cousins may have been content to wait patiently for an opportune time. It appeared that they did not attempt to interrupt but rather that it was an anonymous someone who was uncomfortable to see them wait while Jesus was speaking to the crowds.

Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,

asking to speak with you.”

This person needed to learn that the crowd was receiving the one thing necessary and that perhaps what the relatives of Jesus desired was something of lesser importance and that could wait until a more convenient time. 

Jesus had always asserted that the Kingdom should be the first priority, even before family. Anyone who preferred father or mother to him was not worthy of him. He did not permit would-be disciples to go back and bury their deceased relatives but insisted that they follow him immediately. His relatives appeared to get this already, and to already by committed to the Kingdom project. But this individual thought he saw important priorities of filial piety enshrined in the law of Moses being neglected and was made uncomfortable. Or at least that is the positive evaluation. He may have actually been trying to make Jesus look bad by this critique. But either way, there is perhaps us in how it would be difficult to answer such a one. We too as may be called to set other priorities to one side for the sake of the Kingdom. It may never be an entirely comfortable proposition at least until it becomes a virtuous habit. 

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.

These individuals who were with Jesus were also entitled to his love because of the fact that they were his spiritual family. It appeared that for the moment their supernatural needs for truth and life superseded the natural needs of his biological relatives. But this was no slight to his brothers or especially to his mother. The fact that they apparently had less need of him could only be because they had already put into practice doing the will of his heavenly Father. They, then, were already spiritually related to Jesus in addition to their blood connection. But this someone who spoke up and the rest of the crowd did not yet understand the possibility of being connected to Jesus in this way. And so the number one priority of the moment for Jesus was to teach them. No doubt Mary who brought Jesus himself into the world was actually delighted that he should have additional spiritual brothers and sisters. Her purpose was certainly, as ever, one with that of her son.

For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father

is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Owl City - In Christ Alone (I Stand)

22 July 2024 - while it was still dark

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,

while it was still dark,

and saw the stone removed from the tomb.

Something continued to draw Mary Magdalene toward Jesus even after all earthly hope had failed, even when no rational explanation could provide solace. When she saw that the tomb had been opened her mind didn't immediately jump to credulous hope. She couldn't help but supply conventional explanations. Someone must have taken the body from the tomb. Yet there was something deeper going on within Mary that even her own rational explanations could not entirely sabotage. She gave answers as if to explain everything. But her heart somehow made her remain. Her mind was in darkness. But the love in her will somehow kept her in the place where she was meant to be.

And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting there,

one at the head and one at the feet

where the Body of Jesus had been.

And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,

and I don't know where they laid him."

Mary's heart was too deeply in sorrow to have any capacity left to be impressed by the angels in the tomb. They were there to mark the place of the resurrection and perhaps to provide answers to those who asked. But Mary's thoughts were too obscured to ask them what there business was in the tomb. Instead she repeated her explanation for what, in her mind, must have happened. And yet Mary, by her love, was still seeking Jesus, just as the Bride in Song of Songs sought him whom her heart loved during the darkness of night.

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,

but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?

Mary had been so crushed by the events of the death of Jesus that she couldn't recognize the angels in the tomb as angels, or even Jesus himself. In some ways the sights may have been so impossible that her rational mind rejected them outright. As with others her eyes may have been prevented from recognizing Jesus until the moment he himself had precisely chosen. All of these appearances only struck her as obstacles to her most important goal, that of finding the body of her Lord. On her own this desire was not enough to recognize the new day that had dawned in the resurrection and to identify the risen Lord in her midst. But it was precisely this desire that placed her in exactly the position to be the first to receive the good news.

Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

She turned and said to him in Hebrew,

"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.

What the dazzling appearance of the risen Jesus could not convey to Mary was communicated by his speaking her name. Jesus had promised that he knew his sheep, that he called them by name, and that they recognized his voice.

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (see John 10:3).

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (see John 10:27).

Even when faith leads us into a dark night where no hope is readily apparent Jesus is more than able to speak a word to our hearts that changes everything in an instant. A world that formerly seemed dark and without hope, even worse then than the one we found when we started our journey, can be revealed to be entirely renewed by the light of the resurrection. Jesus had previously called the name of Lazarus to summon him from death and from the tomb. In a way it was as if he did the same thing here for Mary Magdalene who seemed to have mystically participated in the death of Jesus and who now needed to be called forth into new life.

A time is coming and is here now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will live (see John 5:25).

Because of the great love Mary Magdalene had for her Lord she was hardly willing to let him go a second time now that she had found him at last. But this sort of prolonged repose with Jesus was not yet to be. There was still a mission for his disciples and for the Church. And it was a mission that would begin and be inaugurated by Mary's own mission to the disciples. By all that she had gone through she became an ideal first witness to the resurrection. By speaking her name Jesus freed her from darkness, gave her new life as his own brother, and therefore as a daughter of God, and made her the apostle to the Apostles.

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

"I have seen the Lord,"

and then reported what he told her.

So the sin of mankind is buried in the very place whence it came forth. For whereas in Paradise the woman gave the man the deadly fruit, a woman from the sepulchre announced life to men; a woman delivers the message of Him who raises us from the dead, as a woman had delivered the words of the serpent who slew us.

- Saint Gregory

Today let us thank Mary Magdalene for her witness, since it has at last made its way through generations and years to us. And let us in turn be elevated from whatever darkness threatens to overwhelm us to become, like her, witnesses to the risen Christ.

Red Rock Worship - Good Plans

21 July 2024 - come away

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The apostles gathered together with Jesus

and reported all they had done and taught.

The disciples had been given authority and sent off to preach, to heal, and to drive out demons. After watching Jesus they went and put into practice what they had seen. Now the disciples returned and reported back, almost incredulous at all of the powerful work that Jesus had accomplished through them. We imagine them all but tripping over themselves to express "all they had done and taught". In such a state they might not have even realized that they were tired. 

He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

People were coming and going in great numbers,

and they had no opportunity even to eat.

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.

By inviting disciples to rest Jesus expressed the importance of not getting so caught up in anything, even the enthusiasm of ministry going well, that one would forget about the more basic needs of the body. They needed time of decreased activity to recover from their successful active period, no matter how supernatural it may have been. They hadn't even had time to eat because of the constant demand being placed on them now that they were seen by the masses to be conduits of the same power that Jesus himself possessed. His popularity was now their problem as well. But here again, they were to be attentive to their needs, and to take the time to eat, even at the expense of other possible engagements. Starved and burnt out disciples would be useful to no one. 

The bodies of the disciples needed rest and food. But their minds and spirits had perhaps even more pressing needs. The needed time to process what had happened to them and been accomplished through them. They needed the space to reflect and to ponder them in their hearts as Mary had done (see Luke 2:19). There was much value that would be missed if they simply let these experiences of mission fade into the past and into forgetfulness. They contained lessons and possible paths for potential growth. Proper thanksgiving for all of the blessings Jesus unleashed was meant to be a slow a meditative movement rather than a burst of speech in which they tried to express everything all at once. 

Above all, the rest that the disciples needed after their mission was time with Jesus himself. Just as Jesus himself was dependent on the Father and spent the time necessary with him so too did his disciples need to constantly return to Jesus as their source. The world was full of cacophonous voices and competing claims, alternative priorities, and different narratives about truth. The disciples needed to commit to quality time with Jesus in order to remain grounded in his way and his truth. Moreover, Jesus was the vine who was the source of their life. If they didn't return and receive the life giving sap of this vine again and again they would eventually dry up.

People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.

They hastened there on foot from all the towns

and arrived at the place before them.

The crowds prevented the disciples from having the full rest that Jesus intended to provide, at least for the moment. Nevertheless, Jesus saw such genuine need in the these people who had come to him that he could not turn away. These sheep had been so long without a shepherd who put their needs first that now that they had tasted such care and concern they couldn't get enough. This experience of Jesus as shepherd was the one that had always been intended for them by God. They were experiencing the promise made by God through Jeremiah that the sheep that had been scattered and neglected would be regathered by God himself and brought back to their meadow.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them,

for they were like sheep without a shepherd;

and he began to teach them many things.

If, for the moment, the disciples were prevented a little longer from eating, they were still able to feed on the bread of divine wisdom contained in the teachings of Jesus. Being close to him as he showed compassion to his sheep, as his own love flowed forth, must have in some way also renewed the strength of the disciples who witnessed it. It was not to say that physical needs were of such lesser importance that they would never need to attention. It was rather that the crowds chose the one thing necessary and it would not be taken from them. We see in the verses after this Gospel that physical needs were a part of Jesus' plan. He fed the crowds himself through the miraculous multiplication of the loaves, and he did this precisely because of his concern that people would collapse along the way if they were forced to fend for themselves. But for now, Jesus and his word was enough.

Peter Furler - Psalm 23

The King Of Love My Shepherd Is

20 July 2024 - he withdrew

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus

to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.

Jesus was always in control of his own life and death. When he handed himself over it would not be because the Pharisees had chosen to take him, but rather because himself knew that his hour had arrived. He might well have ignored the Pharisees and continued to provoke a greater and greater popular response until his ministry was cut short before it was meant to be. A mere human, with his ego on the line, might have done this to avoid the way withdrawing might be seen as running away, as a loss, or at least a lack of overwhelming success. But the good that could be gained and the negative press that could be avoided if he stayed were not important to Jesus. Not all positive popular acclaim was worth seeking in his eyes. Nor was all negative public judgment worth avoiding. In short, he was entirely self-determined in his actions, not at all conditions by a need to be a people pleaser or to appear a certain way in the sight of others.

Many people followed him, and he cured them all,

but he warned them not to make him known.

People that had more than a superficial interest in Jesus would continue to follow him anyway, and did so. Among them were those who hoped he would cure them. Jesus was not going to stop his healing ministry to please others. It did seem to be a way that genuine faith in him was kindled. But this was the case only when there was a direct connection between himself and those who sought healing. It didn't serve Jesus at that time in this context to have such healings be the basis for ever increasing fame. As such fame spread out in concentric circles it became more and more of a generic fascination and less and less about Jesus himself. It served only to provoke his enemies and did not do enough to bring to him those who would put genuine faith in him. Those whom it drew were seeking more of a show than a savior. Jesus desired mercy above all, and his ministry never devolved into a performance.

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved in whom I delight;

I shall place my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

We saw at his baptism that Jesus was this chosen servant, the beloved Son in whom the Father was well pleased. He was the one on whom, rising from the waters of the baptism of John, the Spirit descended in the form of a dove. He was in fact the Messiah who would extend the blessings promised in the covenant to Abraham to all nations. But the way he would accomplish this cut against many of the expectations of his day. He was not going to succeed by overwhelming military force, nor even overwhelming success by any obvious measure. He was, as he himself had said, "gentle and lowly in heart" (see Matthew 11:29).

He will not contend or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,

a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Jesus didn't have to fight in order to win, or at least not in the traditional sense. His victory was not going to come about by shouting down opponents, much less by physical violence. He knew that the only true victory was the victory of the cross, which was opposed to every form of egotism. He was all but the opposite of politicians who court favor by any means necessary. His arrest, the abuse heaped on him, and finally his death appeared to be the end of his story in the eyes of the world. They may well have asked what a Messiah could do for them from the cross? What indeed. 

You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,

taking them in your hands.

On you the unfortunate man depends;

of the fatherless you are the helper.

Brandon Lake - Son Of Heaven

19 July 2024 - lord of the sabbath

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Have you not read what David did

when he and his companions were hungry

David and his companions were fleeing from King Saul who was trying to kill David, similar to the way the religious authorities were pursuing and looking to ensnare Jesus and his disciples. 

how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,

which neither he nor his companions

but only the priests could lawfully eat?

The importance of the kingship of the true king was of such magnitude that David and his men were allowed to share in the priestly privileges of those who worked in the temple. The disciples' service of Jesus was worthy of a similar exemption from the normal rules because of the importance of his mission, which itself issued from the greatness of his identity. He was something greater than the temple, and so service of him was a true priestly ministry. 

Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath

the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath

and are innocent?

Priests were permitted to work on the sabbath because the sabbath and the work of priests were ordered to God. Similarly, service of the mission of God in Jesus Christ was not opposed to God's intentions for the sabbath. In fact, the even the sabbath could not be fully what it was meant to be without the success of that mission. The reign of the true priest and true king Jesus himself was the necessary condition for the fullness of sabbath rest that God intended for his people. Thus all work done on the sabbath in service of that mission was priestly, royal, and necessary. 

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.

It wasn't that the Pharisees were entirely wrong about the importance of the sabbath. It was rather that by misunderstanding the still greater importance of Jesus himself they set a lesser good over a greater one and ended up in contradiction and error. They tried to honor the sabbath over and against the one who made the sabbath, the one who was its Lord. They respected those things done in the service of the temple but failed to offer due worship to him who was the temple's Lord.

If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,

you would not have condemned these innocent men.

Jesus desired to show mercy on all of humanity. The Pharisees seemed to rather seek sacrifice in a way the was oppressive, hostile, and opposed to mercy. God's mercy on David took precedence over the normal temple regulations, which themselves took precedence over the sabbath regulations. How much more ought the mercy God wanted to bestow on the world through Jesus himself take precedence? 

One would be surprised if the disciples had worked out these finer points or if they could have offered an adequate defense of what they did if they were asked. It was most likely rather their proximity to Jesus and their confidence in him that gave them the sense of freedom they enjoyed. They didn't understand the intricacies of the law, but they did understand the central importance of Jesus himself. They knew that Jesus would not hesitate to chastise them if they were heading in the wrong direction. And they understood that for those who sought his Kingdom first all else would be provided.

Michelle Swift - God And Man At Table Are Sat Down

18 July 2024 - all you who labor and are burdened

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

The first thing that stands out about today's readings is that Jesus himself is the answer. He did not direct his hearers to a new philosophical or theological outlook so much as he directed them toward himself. He wasn't a Buddha figure who claimed that his teaching stood alone apart from himself as a person. He wasn't a prophet like Mohammed who pointed away from himself and toward the one God. Instead, the name of Jesus was the only name given under heaven by which humanity could be saved. He was, as we read yesterday, the only one capable of revealing the Father. Jesus was the answer in a way that no other person could be, because of his union with the Father, as the Father's own Word who became flesh. He would remain the same yesterday, today, and forever, utterly reliable, always able to deliver on every promise he made.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

The yoke of the Pharisees consisted of heavy burdens that were hard to bear. And the law itself, without grace, proved to be a yoke that had been impossible to bear. It is true that in times past followers of God were called to embrace the divine wisdom of the Torah as a yoke, as we read in Sirach:

Put your neck under the yoke,

and let your souls receive instruction;

it is to be found close by.

See with your eyes that I have labored little

and found for myself much rest (see Sirach 51:26-27).

But it was clear that this promise remained mostly unrealized until Jesus, who was himself the wisdom of God, appeared on earth as man. The Torah contained true wisdom, wisdom capable of giving rest, but only Jesus himself revealed and unlocked this promise. Without him the law remained a burdensome thing, something that could not by itself give the rest it promised. The experience of attempting to carry the yoke of the law by one's own power would yield a result like what Isaiah described:

We conceived and writhed in pain,

giving birth to wind;

Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,

the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.

Without the Spirit even law remained a dead letter, incapable of giving salvation. This was revealed in the extreme case of the Pharisees who were fastidious adherents of the law and yet managed to twist and abuse it to their own destruction. This wasn't a shortcoming of the law itself. It was rather the brokenness of human nature that made this result all but inevitable. Only Jesus healing humanity by the gift of his Spirit could unlock the peace God had always promised. 

O LORD, you mete out peace to us,

for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.

Isaiah himself realized that unaided human effort yielded frustration but surrender to divine grace brought peace. But he also seemed to foresee that something further was needed to allow egotistical and selfish humans to fully surrender enough to be able to receive that peace. What he seemed to see was the gift of new life, which Jesus himself made available when he rose from the dead.

But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;

awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.

For your dew is a dew of light,

and the land of shades gives birth.

Although we may only hope to receive the fullness of peace when we rise again on the last day it is nevertheless also true that the peace promised by Jesus is meant to be something we begin to experience here and now. The more we exchange our own self-direction for the Lordship of Jesus the less the frustrations of this life will be able to affect us. The more we come to him, even here and now, the more his peace will fill our hearts.

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake - There Is A King