6 November 2024 - counting the cost

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Which of you wishing to construct a tower

does not first sit down and calculate the cost

to see if there is enough for its completion?

It is important to avoid presumption in the spiritual life. If we simply assume we are sufficiently prepared and have all the necessary resources without confirming it in advance we may find ourselves in the embarrassing situation of laying a foundation and then coming up short. Another way to say this is that we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, taking nothing for granted. The presumption that we already have enough has the unintended side effect of making us less ready to turn to Jesus for help. We need to renounce the things that give us confidence in ourselves because our confidence is not meant to be in ourselves, but rather in him, because, "God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work". A tower we build on our own will turn out no better than the Tower of Babel. But if we allow Jesus to use us as living stones in his temple we know that he himself will definitely complete the work.

If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, 

wife and children, brothers and sisters,

and even his own life,

he cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me

cannot be my disciple.

Even the best goods this world has to offer are not sufficient to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. It is true that we must honor our parents, love our children, and even love ourselves so that we are in a position to love others. But all of this will eventually crumble to dust unless it is unified into the one tower that can bridge heaven and earth, the cross of Christ. We read elsewhere that he is the true ladder that Joseph saw in his dream upon whom the angels ascended and descended (see John 1:51)

Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down

and decide whether with ten thousand troops

he can successfully oppose another king

advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 

Jesus is the one with the strength and the spiritual forces to defeat the evil one and all of the principalities and powers of this present darkness. Without him, in our fallen condition, we simply aren't a match for the strength of the enemy. And in fact, without him we will be in some way complicit in systems of darkness and sin. So let us seek terms of peace with the army of the heavenly hosts. We know, after all, that it is they who win in the end.

Songs In His Presence - The House Of God

5 November 2024 - come to the feast

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.

When the time for the dinner came,

he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,

‘Come, everything is now ready.’

We are invited by the Gospel to follow Christ and to participate in his Church, leading us to a great banquet at the end of time in the Kingdom of heaven. This call comes to some when their are baptized as infants, to others when they respond to the invitation to faith as adults. It is a call that is made to the whole world. Particularly in an age where Christianity is well known and where the resources to learn about it are ubiquitous we may certainly say that many have been invited. Why, then, do so few respond?

But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.

The first said to him,

‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;

I ask you, consider me excused.’

And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen

and am on my way to evaluate them;

I ask you, consider me excused.’

And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,

and therefore I cannot come.’

The issue for the individuals described in the parable was not that they did not believe that there was a banquet planned or that they had been invited. It was rather that a banquet in the invisible distance of the future could not displace their more pressing quotidian concerns. 

The one who was just married was certainly occupied with something good. But even family was not a greater good than Jesus. Why not go together to the feast? Why allow a significant other to pull one away from the Kingdom and into complicity with the fallen world?

The other two categories of rejection seemed to occur because they prioritized work more than the Kingdom. They had become subjects of jobs that were actually meant to be ordered toward freedom. But we do know, don't we, how we can become so tethered to the routine of work that interruptions become unwelcome? We forget about the good that leads us to pursue the work and begin to struggle as if the work itself is our greatest good.

There are in fact many reasons why we are not sufficiently sensitized to the possibility of the Kingdom banquet. Most of them involve being overly sated with lesser things. These are summed up in the categories of "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (see First John 2:16). In one way or another these are what drive us in pursuit of lesser goods when God awaits our response to his invitation.

Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town

and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.

Those less able to take satisfaction in the things of earth are typically more able to embrace the hope of the feast of the Kingdom. If we, though rich, become poor in spirit, and, though healthy, become humble, we too may make ourselves more ready to embrace the call of the master.

The master then ordered the servant,

‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows

and make people come in that my home may be filled.

The master was eager to fill his feast with as many individuals as would willing come. We ourselves have responded to this call in some measure. But even after receiving our RSVP of yes once he continues to invite us. He knows that as we are now we will not be able to fully appreciate what he longs to give. And so we are called, not just once, but daily, to make ourselves more and more ready to enter the feast. The Eucharist is given as a dress rehearsal for the feast on the last day. So let us celebrate it with all of our heart, mind, and strength, as much as we are able.

Dan Schuette - Table Of Plenty

4 November 2024 - guest list

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When you hold a lunch or a dinner,

do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters

or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,

in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.

Jesus invites us to move beyond doing what we can do for the sake of repayment at the human level. And although we may not be hosting banquets merely for the sake of getting ourselves invited by others at a later time we may still be seeking some reward on the natural level. We may desire to be thought well of specifically be the people about whom we care, friends or brothers, or sisters, or relatives, or wealthy neighbors, whereas we may be indifferent to the opinions of the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. We find a natural sweetness and savor when we see our ideal self-image reflected back in how we imagine those close to us think about us. And this isn't necessarily always a problem. The point is not that we should never invite relatives, friends, or neighbors over for a meal. The point is rather that our love and generosity should not be limited by our desire for a natural reward. We need to learn to let God's reward of treasure in heaven by the primary motivation for our actions.

Rather, when you hold a banquet,

invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;

blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.

For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

When we care about treasure in heaven we will be less concerned about the opinions of others, resulting in greater spiritual freedom. We will be concerned to do our best, but less about factors beyond our control, including about how our best is perceived by others. Then, when we give to others but do not receive appropriate gratitude in response we can still find solace in the certainty of God's reward. This reward comes in fullness at the resurrection of the righteous. But it begins even here and now in the joy of the experience of God's favor, the peace that comes when we move beyond selfishness and vainglory.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;

rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

each looking out not for his own interests,

but also everyone for those of others.

The result of all of this is encouragement in Christ, solace in love, participation in the Spirit, compassion and mercy, and the joy that Paul experienced. But he knew that even this joy was partial unless it was shared by others. So let us be of one mind, and, as we are able, invite others to this kind of banquet, the feast of the Kingdom.

Bob Hurd - Ubi Caritas

Matt Maher - Bigger Table

3 November 2024 - the first and greatest

Today's Readings

(Audio)

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?" 

The scribe seemed genuinely interested to hear the answer Jesus would give. He wasn't asking a question that he believed was impossible to answer in order to entrap Jesus as so many had done. Perhaps he was tired the various precepts of the law opposed to one another in whatever way was convenient to individuals at the moment they spoke. The Pharisees always seem to have the law ready at hand to justify they attitudes and actions. Yet their hearts seemed far removed from God. Perhaps there was a better way to understand morality, one that could not be abused by the ego for the sake of self-justification.

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, 

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

On the one hand, citing the Shema did not seem that surprising. It was, after all, literally the first commandment of the Decalogue. But was it enough to summarize everything about the Law? After all, the Pharisees were able to use the law as a convenient excuse to neglect even the love of their own parents (see Mark 7:11). They would be the first people to get all of the rituals right, to celebrate to the letter all of the appropriate liturgies, neglecting no sacrifice or burnt offering. Was the Shema a sufficient answer to the question of the scribe?

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these.

Jesus seemed to think that the only way to give a complete answer to the scribe's question was to cite both the Shema and this commandment. This was not so much because two separate and unrelated statements were needed to cover everything as because they were in fact two aspects of the same thing. Loving God necessarily implied also loving those whom he created in the way he himself wanted them to be loved. Loving neighbor necessarily implied loving them in reference to their ultimate origin and destiny in God. Loving God and hating one's neighbor was in fact a contradiction.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (see First John 4:20).

This must be the reason why the Matthean parallel says "the second is like it" (see Matthew 22:39). It was  not merely filling in pieces the first commandment missed. It was uniquely similar to it in a way surpassing all of the other commandments. Once this was  understood the whole hierarchy of the law follows naturally. This kind of love was worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices because those were meant to be based on a true love of God and neighbor. The most perfect sacrifice, that of Jesus on the cross, most perfectly embodied both of these aspects. Jesus was motivated both by a loving obedience to his Father as well as a loving desire to offer himself for the salvation of the world.

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,

he said to him,

"You are not far from the kingdom of God." 

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The scribe agreed with Jesus. But it was not enough to agree with Jesus to enter the kingdom of God. He would need to actually embody what Jesus said. He would actually need to apply his heart, soul, mind, and strength, all that he was, to putting it into practice. This, we know, is easier said than done. It was no doubt the reason why no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions. But it is interesting that there was something hidden in the answer of Jesus that actually made less unapproachable. The basis of love of neighbor was the fact that God loved them, rather than some arbitrary duty or decision on our part. This meant his love for us preceded any love we might show him or one another. "We love because he first loved us" (see John 4:19). And this meant we never need to imagine ourselves striving and struggling alone.

Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, 

since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

Bob Fitts - One God

2 November 2024 - the unstoppable love of God

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me

We need the Father to reveal his Son for us, just as he did for Peter. Mere flesh and blood understanding of Jesus is not enough. Rational understanding terminates at probable hypotheses about who Jesus might be, whether John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet. We need more than that. We need faith, which implies a relationship. This is why Jesus says we desires us to see him and believe in him. It is not facts or data that can make us live forever but rather the person of Jesus himself. The Father desires to make his Son known to us. And the Son desires to welcome into union with himself those whom the Father enlightens. 

and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

because I came down from heaven not to do my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.

By allowing the Father to reveal his Son to us we certify him as trustworthy (see John 3:33), allowing him to be the arbiter of reality, rather than opinions or speculation. When we know the Son by faith we are able to share the heart which made him always pleasing to his Father, always ready to do the will of the one who sent him. The will of the Son was in harmony with that of the Father, desiring to save any who would believe. Because he didn't have anything separate or self-focused added to the Father's will he became the ideal model of obedience for us. He came to a people who were selfish and self-centered, concerned more about their own will than anything else. These were the wounds of sin and the byproducts of living in a fallen world. But his own will and heart became the remedy for all of those who would be joined to him. His perfect trust in and obedience to the Father healed the wounds of sin, not merely legalistically, but actually, in the hearts of those who let the Father join them to his Son.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, 

we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.

No one will be forced to receive healing or be made capable of eternal life. Only those willing to receive the Father's revelation will see the Son, believe, have eternal life, and be raised on the last day. God wills all to be saved, but not so much that he will force those who obstinately refuse his invitation. But this should give us hope. It seems he wants to save us even more than we want it for ourselves. And if this is true, as long as we continue consent to his work in us, nothing, not even our own failings and imperfections, will stand in his way. This, after all, is what happens in Purgatory when the work of sanctification we failed to attain in this life is completed by God himself on the basis of the fact that we at least continued to say yes and desire that work. May all of those Holy Souls now undergoing that work quickly be purified so that they may behold the face of God.

Cory Asbury - Reckless Love

Damascus Worship Featuring Christian Quilon - Death Into Life

1 November 2024 - a cloud of witnesses

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those for whom the things of this world are not a hindrance to the pursuit of the things of God. These are the ones who store up treasure in heaven rather than building increasingly large storage facilities to hoard the goods of this life (see Luke 12:13-21). They are the ones who buy things but act as not owning, and who use the world as not using it fully (see First Corinthians 7:30-31). 

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

It is actually problematic to be too comfortable in a situation which is only temporary. It is better to recognize that things are meant to be better than they are now, to realize that we are not yet home. It is more comfortable, perhaps, to ignore the injustices that surround us, the darkness which is always a reality in this present life. But it is better to recognize that darkness, so that we can grow in our desire to see the triumph of the light.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

We may wonder how anyone can afford to be meek in a world where the strong flaunt their strength and appear to dominate. Even if to be meek means, as we have heard, to have strength under control, even this doesn't seem practical when others seem to employ strength without any such restraint. No doubt meekness would in fact be an ill advised strategy if everything came down to us and our ability and if victory was more important than goodness. But we are not meant to seek temporary victory at any cost. And we need not, because it is not in fact all about us. We may seem to suffer many defeats, but never ultimate defeat, as long as we are living in accord with God's plan. Defeats in this life are never more than temporary setbacks on the way to the victory of the Kingdom of God, since God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (see Romans 8:38-39).

The saints have demonstrated that the qualities described by Jesus in the beatitudes are actually not hopelessly naive or unrealistic. They have shown us the power of mercy, the attractiveness of pure hearts captivated by the vision of God. They have shown us the way to find true and lasting peace as children of God. They may, it is true, have been insulted and persecuted for the sake of the name of Jesus. But on this feast we celebrate that such opposition did not defeat them, but was in fact the gateway to their final triumph.

These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;

they have washed their robes

and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.

Elevation Worship Featuring Brandon Lake - There Is A King

Newsboys - He Reigns