8 March 2025 - called out

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

 He said to him, "Follow me."
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

We, as much as Matthew, have been called by Jesus. But Matthew was successful in making a break with his past life more profoundly than most of us. Was this all because he found his own situation so distasteful that it was easy to grasp at any sliver of hope? Was he so isolated that any acceptance would do? It couldn't have been that simple. He had become a tax collector for a reason in spite of it making him a pariah. He depended on that income, having been unable to find another way to live. There had to have been something more compelling about Jesus' offer than it being a mere unlikely chance. There must have been something more desirable about his acceptance than that of others, given that Matthew at least already had friends who were tax collectors. He must have heard the call of Jesus more clearly and more for what it really was than most of us seem to have done.

When we are called by Jesus it is not like being called by anyone else. In his call we experience being chosen in a way that no mere mortal could ever choose us. He sees all of our liabilities and is no less insistent because of them. He is far more certain of our potential than we are. If we came to Jesus on the basis of self-evaluation no one would come. We would either see ourselves as too sinful or too perfect. We could easily believe that we have too little potential or ability to benefit Jesus, that there would be literally millions that would be more effective disciples than ourselves. Or we our potential is  so great and our current work so important that we ignore the need that both we and the world have for salvation.

"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."

We have to understand how much we need Jesus in order to receive all that he has for us. And we also have to believe in his ability to heal us in order to entrust ourselves to him. This is why faith is the gateway to new life. As with Matthew it isn't really the case that we come to faith through rigorous preparation. Even those of us who start out as seekers don't find the answer merely as the result of searching it out. God was in fact already seeking us before we started. Therefore being found by him is always a surprise, because it is unearned, and even unimaginable. It is the gaze of Jesus that finds us at our own  customs posts where we have been frittering away the hours of our days and awakens faith in our hearts.

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.

Matthew probably wouldn't have predicted Jesus would want to have a banquet with his old friends, many of whom were tax collectors. Before being chosen he would have suspected that it was only on the basis of his conversion that Jesus would choose to fellowship with him. But Jesus demonstrated his love for people even before they were able to make any change on their own. Just his very presence was an invitation. Part of his call of Matthew, which Matthew would never have predicted, was precisely that he could be a way for Jesus to reach out to his friends, many of whom were in similar situations, and might respond in the same way as Matthew had.

When we hear the call of Jesus we recognize all of the promise and potential spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:

He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
""Repairer of the breach,"" they shall call you,
""Restorer of ruined homesteads.""

Matthew needed this renewal, but so do we. He had ruins that needed to be rebuilt. But so does our world, and so do we. Let us become more aware of the gaze of Jesus so that we too come to believe that this is possible and desirable. We tend to think it impossible because for humans it is. But not for God.

 

Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes - Holy Spirit

 

7 March 2025 - not fast company

Today's Readings

(Audio)

"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,

but your disciples do not fast?"

Along with the disciples of Jesus, the Pharisees and the disciples of John were competing visions for what it meant to be religious or devout. And the thing was, both the disciples of John and the Pharisees seemed to be expending more effort than those of Jesus. They appeared to be trying harder which seemed to indicate that they cared more. 

Can the wedding guests mourn

as long as the bridegroom is with them?

Jesus explained that the paradigm that explained his disciples' behavior was different from the one understood by the Pharisees and John's community. The one that guided the Pharisees and John's disciples was derived from the Old Law, and the one that guided the disciples of Jesus was from the New. And Aquinas mentions in his commentary on this passage that, "the Old Law had its beginning in fear; the New, in love". The interlocuters of Jesus thought of themselves as being more committed to God. But it was clear from their comparison and criticism of others that they saw this virtue as something originating from themselves rather than grace. And if it was from themselves they would always be desperate, always afraid it wouldn't be enough, or that that they would eventually give up or fail. But the New Law was given by one who was the bridegroom of those to whom the law was given. It was given out of love, not to insight fear but rather to elicit a loving response.

The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,

and then they will fast.

Everything in the new law was centered around the presence of Jesus, the nearness of God, the extreme extent of his love for his creation. It wasn't that fasting had no place. Rather, it had a different place. It couldn't be done apart from a proper disposition of the heart. That disposition was always meant to be a deep longing for more of Jesus himself. His physical, incarnate presence among the people made it unfitting to fast. It was, in fact, time to party. He was with them to teach them and to guide them. This called for celebration Fair enough. But what of the presence of his Spirit, of whom he said, "it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you" (see John 16:7)? It is true that the presence of the indwelling Trinity is even closer to us than the incarnate Lord was to those around him. But we ourselves are not always as close to him as he is to us. We couldn't, in fact, be quite so far away if he was in the same room, visible to us. But in this age there is both greater possibility and greater peril. He is nearer than ever, but also even easier to forget. That is why we fast. We desire his presence to remain with us and for us to be increasingly present to him.

Sharing your bread with the hungry,

sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;

Clothing the naked when you see them,

and not turning your back on your own.

Jesus is also present in the poor and the oppressed. But we are not always particularly attentive to this presence either. Fasting can also serve us in drawing near to him in this 'distressing disguise'. It not only frees us to share our resources with others but it draws us nearer to them in the love which is his own.

Songs In His Presence - Prayer Of Augustine

6 March 2025 - life, but not as we know it

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected

by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Those who heard him at the time did not understand because what he told them didn't fit into any pattern they understood. It was opposed to their usual ways of thinking. We fail to understand because we have heard it so many times that we have a difficult time realizing how utterly unexpected, unique, and terrifying was the prospect of the death of the Messiah. We sit at a safe and sanitized distance of two millennia from the events Jesus predicted. For us, the crucifix has become a static piece of art on our walls and our rosaries. It does not usually move us to wonder or ask why Jesus would go to such great lengths. Sadly, it does not often inspire us to love him.

If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

It must be that we have such difficulty following Jesus and taking up our own crosses precisely because we lack a sense of what he did for us. If we really knew the love that he poured out for us in his own blood how could we help but follow him, even at great cost to ourselves?

he must deny himself

Is the cross a fundamental denial of what makes what makes us unique individual members of the human race? Is it, as it may seem to be, a denial of the value of life in this world? We must answer, 'No'. It is a denial of the old sinful unrepentant self. But it is an affirmation of the new self, the new creation we become when we are baptized. It is death to sin and vice. But it is an affirmation of the life of the Spirit and the fruits the Spirit makes us able to bear.

The cross was not, however, just one good among many. It represented the primacy of God in our lives. It meant that they only way to truly save our lives or gain anything was by putting God before everything. It was a clarification of what Moses had already said:

If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,

which I enjoin on you today,

loving him, and walking in his ways,

and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,

you will live and grow numerous,

and the LORD, your God,

will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.

Obeying God would sometimes mean choosing his ways when would prefer to do otherwise. This was always a death to self, at least a little one. But it was not so because God desired us to suffer. Rather it was because he couldn't bear to see us settle for less than himself, the fullness of all he could give. It didn't mean losing one's personality and becoming some sort of Christian automaton. But it did mean that nothing could be as core to our identity as God, which is the same as saying that nothing could be more important to us than love. However we define ourselves, and whatever makes us unique, must still take a backseat to love. But surprisingly, when it does, we discover that we become more fully ourselves, all that we were meant to be. It is life in this sense, filled with love, and therefore with himself, that he desires for us.

Choose life, then,

that you and your descendants may live

Maranatha! Music - Here I Am To Worship

5 March 2025 - not feeling seen

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Take care not to perform righteous deeds

in order that people may see them;

otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.

Yesterday we read about Peter, who wondered what there would be for disciples who had given up everything to follow Jesus. Today, on Ash Wednesday, Jesus enumerated several possible wrong answers for his hearers. As his followers they should seek to give alms, making Jesus more important to them than their wealth. They should seek to pray, emulating the closeness of the relationship Jesus had with his Father. And they should fast, longing for the bridegroom in the ways and situations in which he felt absent from the world. But all of these ways of following Jesus could be done to seek rewards that were something less than Jesus intended to give his followers. They could be done for the praise and admiration of others. The trouble with this was if individuals received such a reward for their apparently pious practices they would not have room to receive the reward from the "Father who sees in secret". We can look to the world to repay us, or to God, but ultimately not both. If we are content with earthly sympathy we will not be open to the compassion of God. If we seek earthly vindication or revenge too aggressively we go against the command of God, who said, "Vengeance is mine, and recompense" (see Deuteronomy 32:35). Obviously we need justice in this world, but this is something that best when it is objective and impersonal. We are not meant to be entirely without recognition or sympathy. But this is more a matter of not excessively avoiding them than it is seeking them out ourselves. When situations or hard or when we are called to undertake difficult things, where, ultimately, do we look for our reward?

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

What is the point of this Lenten season in which we "proclaim a fast" and "call an assembly"? It is to plead for the mercy of God so that he can help us reestablish in our hearts his primacy over the things of this world that may have supplanted it. Jesus did what he did even though there was no immediate earthly gratification for doing so because of the knowledge that it was his Father's will. The sinless one, who need not have sacrificed at all, became an offering for the sin of the world. He did this so that we could be filled with God's own righteousness and therefore be empowered to love as he did. We receive this grace in our baptism by faith. But we are entirely capable of neglecting it to the degree that it is ineffective in us, that is, of receiving it in vain.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;

behold, now is the day of salvation.

Lent, in particular, is a graced time to reestablish the primacy of God in our hearts, and of letting his righteousness fill our lives. There is no more acceptable time. This is how we experience salvation.

Chris Tomlin - Jesus Messiah

4 March 2025 - what about me?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Peter began to say to Jesus,

'We have given up everything and followed you."

Peter was speaking on behalf of this disciples when he asked this question. He implied what all of them were wondering, "What then will we have?" (see Matthew 19:27). They were concerned since Jesus had told the young man that riches were more of a liability than an asset. They were sure that they themselves had been able to let go of much of what they had in a way that he had not. But it appears that even if they had given it up they were still attached to it to some degree, like the Israelites in the desert who still longed for the comforts of Egypt (see Numbers 11:5).  They seemed to hope that giving up wealth now would lead to wealth later, and they wanted to clarify how that would work.

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

Jesus did not rebuke Peter for his question or criticize the fact that there was still selfishness in his heart. Rather, he explained that, as Peter hoped, there would be a reward for sacrifices made. But it was not insofar as things were strategically surrendered for selfish ends that there would be a reward. Rather it was when things were surrendered for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of the Gospel that a true reward would be given. Giving up on earthly riches to obtain more earthly riches at some point in the future did not come a guarantee. It was only those exchanging worldly riches for heavenly wealth that were promised blessings.

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

The rewards promised by Jesus, though they came from seeking treasure in heaven, were not restricted to heaven alone. It was precisely when disciples had hearts that were in the right place that Jesus was free to bless them, even here and now. Given wealth, they would use it for others. Given new family, they would respond with service and love rather than demands. Of course, in this world we see that these blessings the Lord promised are not analogous to those that the replace. The wealth he gives is primarily the wealth of grace and of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The family he gives are the other members of his body with whom we join together in worship of God. To an earthly mindset this might seem to be less than worldly wealth or even a copout. But seen rightly it is far more. This is wealth that cannot fail us, that will not pull us back down to earth, that can't pull against us in our desire to follow Jesus. Earthly well comes with all of these liabilities. But the wealth Jesus gives leads and draws us onward to "everlasting life in the age to come".

with persecutions, 

Jesus was clear. Life for the sake of the Gospel was not going to be a cakewalk. It did come with blessings that far outweighed what was given up. But it was never without persecutions while this life continued. Just as Jesus was persecuted for standing for the truth so would his followers be for standing up for him. Whether this was done by governments, by individuals, or even by the forces of the evil one trying to corrupt God's work in individual hearts, there was no avoiding the fact that all would face temptations and trials. All would need to take up their crosses to follow Jesus through this life if the life of the resurrection was really what they desired.

What about those of us who still have many goods of this world? The point is not necessarily that we all must abandon our lives in this world and become mendicant monks begging for our bread. Rather, the primary thing is our disposition toward what we do have and the way we make use of it in our lives. Sirach tells us that merely doing what we are called to do is a pleasing sacrifice before the Lord.

To keep the law is a great oblation,

and he who observes the

commandments sacrifices a peace offering.

This is reminiscent of the words of the prophet Micah: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (see Micah 6:8). But we must do so with a willing spirit and a positive attitude. As Sirach writes, "pay your tithes in a spirit of joy". Paul confirms this, writing, "God loves a cheerful giver" (see Second Corinthians 9:7).

We're not living as disciples for nothing. There is a great reward waiting for us, greater than anything the world can offer. In the truest sense the reward is ultimately the one thing that can satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts: God himself.

David Haas - We Are Called

3 March 2025 - what must we do?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

Jesus answered him, ""Why do you call me good?

No one is good but God alone.

This man was in the dark, looking for the light. He was blind, but sensed that Jesus could open his eyes. Jesus sought to help him clarify just what it was he was seeking. After all, a normal individual or even a wise teacher wouldn't be the ultimate authority on eternal life. No mere human could be so good as to be able to definitively answer where true goodness could be found. The man had a vague sense that, for some reason, Jesus was so good and so in contact with the truth as to be able to answer this question. What he saw only vaguely Jesus hoped to make lucid for him. It was emphatically true that no one but God alone was good, and therefore only he could provide the answer the man sought.

You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

you shall not defraud;

honor your father and your mother.

Jesus, as a teacher who was clear sighted, could make those who became his disciples like him. He often did this by clarifying what was already visible to an individual and in this way confirming his spiritual acuity, demonstrating his reliability to the one who was still walking in some degree of spiritual blindness. When the world transition from blurry outlines and shadows to something more solid, the individual who had been helped by Jesus would stumble less and therefore become living proof of the truth of his words.

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

In several things the young man was correct. He was right that Jesus was good and that he could answer his question. He understood the importance of keeping the commandments and had done so. But in every case Jesus led him to see how what he knew pointed beyond toward an answer which he did not yet possess, which Jesus alone could give.

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,

""You are lacking in one thing.

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.""

The young man had affirmed that he had followed the second tablet of the law regarding love of neighbor and Jesus had not contradicted him. But there was something incomplete in his love of God, something with which his possession of wealth interfered. He needed to empty himself, to remove himself from the center of his own life, put Jesus at the center, and follow him. In this way he could fulfill the first tablet of the law regarding love of God. He could divest himself of earthly treasure in favor of treasure in heaven. He could love the Lord God with all his heart, mind, and strength. He could do so precisely because, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him".

At that statement, his face fell,  

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

We now see how the man's wealth was an obstacle to his love of God. It prevented him from responding dynamically to God's call on his life. It was not just that he preferred his wealth over obedience. It was that he preferred it over drawing nearer to the one who had looked on him with a love so full he would never experience the like.

“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.”

Even the disciples didn't understand. If the rich, who had the most resources, and who held the highest positions in society could not be saved then who could? It was only those who had no illusions about saving themselves, who had given up trying to earn salvation through their own resources. For it was such as they whom God himself would save. As Gabriel had said to Mary, "nothing will be impossible with God" see (Luke 1:37).

To the penitent God provides a way back,

he encourages those who are losing hope

and has chosen for them the lot of truth.

Even our reading from Sirach, which speaks urgently about our own responsibility, doesn't go so far as to say repentance is entirely our own initiative. Rather it is God who provides a way back, not the penitent who creates one. It is finally the desire for God that can lead to him. Settling for anything else leads to follow the young man who "went away sad, for he had many possessions".

Matt Maher - Lay It Down

Matt Maher - Come To The Water/I Will Run To You

2 March 2025 - by their fruit

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Can a blind person guide a blind person?

Will not both fall into a pit?

No disciple is superior to the teacher;

but when fully trained,

every disciple will be like his teacher.

The Pharisees were spiritually blind and yet they styled themselves as teachers. This was perilous for others who had not yet had their spiritual sight healed. They might easily careen after anyone claiming to be a teacher all the way into a ditch. They needed to be wary of whether or not the teacher was the model they wanted to emulate, someone whom they wanted to become. When they were fully trained they would become like their teacher, for better or for worse. If their teacher was spiritually blind they would become more so themselves. If their teacher had clear vision eventually they might hope to become so as well.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,

but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

Obstructions in one's spiritual vision would have the necessary result of preventing one from acting in accord with reality. One's decisions would be based on the phantoms and illusions created by the ego rather than on what was real. This was the case with the Pharisees who noticed splinters in the eyes of others without noticing the wooden beams in their own. This meant they would be unable to help anyone else have clearer vision since they had already trained themselves to overlook massive problems for the sake of trivial infractions. For them, blindness was a skill which they had spent their careers practicing.

Jesus was able to remove the splinters and beams from the eyes of others because he alone saw with perfect clarity. Unlike the Pharisees, he was not a hypocrite putting on a show, but always acted with sincerity and integrity. His goal when he criticized others was never to benefit himself but rather the ones who heard him. Disciples of Jesus could one day hope to be clear sighted as he was precisely because he, more than anyone, saw well enough to help. 

A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,

nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.

For every tree is known by its own fruit.

Seeking out a teacher, especially since one's own spiritual vision was not yet healed, was a tricky endeavor. An individual probably wouldn't be able to choose simply on the basis of superficial external appearances. One could, however, avoid corrupt teachers on the basis of the rotten fruit they produced. Their words and deeds would ultimately give them away if they were closely scrutinized. Teachers with rotten fruit might have words with the pretense of truth, but they would be ordered toward evil ends, such as the condemnation of others, or their own pride and vanity. They might have arguments that seemed persuasive, but to what end were they trying to persuade? Words had an inherent direction to them which might at first appear to be some kind of fruit but under a closer inspection would be revealed as rotten.

We are trees the fruit of which is still potentially corruptible. But we are being infused with life by the source of life. And his resurrection will one day clothe us in incorruptibility. Now sin is a risk of which we must be ever on guard. But the more we are in Christ Jesus the less we are under the law. And if we hold fast to the grace he gives we will one day have the fullness of victory. So even though our efforts here below are halting and imperfect they are not necessarily in vain, if they are ordered toward the resurrection life of the Kingdom, as fruit is made to grow by water and sun.

Elevation Worship - There Is A King

1 March 2025 - to such as these

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

but the disciples rebuked them.

The disciples repeatedly demonstrated that they didn't understand what the Kingdom of God was intended to be. They assumed that it was about prestige and power. When Jesus predicted his passion Peter rebuked him because dying seemed to be as far from success as a kingdom could be. This was forgivable since it was promised of Jesus that, "he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end" (see Luke 1:33). It's unclear the degree to which the disciples were familiar with such promises. But if the general conversation and expectation of Jesus's ministry had this aspect it was unsurprising that his disciples had trouble holding it in dynamic tension with the fact that he was also going to fulfill the prophecies of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah. But there was more. The disciples were further from the mark than merely objecting to Jesus's plan. In the wake of what seemed to be promised failure they argued amongst themselves about who was the greatest. They were still thinking of the Kingdom in worldly terms. If they had continued in this direction they would have become like, "the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them" (see Matthew 20:25) when they were supposed to be growing more and more similar to Jesus who "did not come to be served, but to serve" (see Matthew 20:28).

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

for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

The only time in the Gospels Jesus was said to be indignant was in response to his disciples trying to prevent people from bringing children to him so he could bless them. No doubt the disciples thought that this was a meaningless waste of time. They still felt, along with the society around them, that children were a burden and of no particular value except insofar as they would eventually become adults who could work and perhaps carry on a family legacy. Children were basically seen to be deficient because they had nothing about them that was particularly useful. And the disciples assumed the the Kingdom only had time to deal with that which was useful.

Amen, I say to you,

whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child

will not enter it.

We take this statement for granted, having heard it so many times. But the disciples must have been shocked. Wouldn't the Kingdom belong to them, the ones who had done the work of evangelization, and who would be leaders and judges within it? But Jesus completely reversed their expectations by stating that a child was the paradigmatic case of what it meant to be within the Kingdom. They, more than bickering disciples, were the ones to whom the Kingdom belonged. The disciples would need to become like these children to enter the Kingdom, not the other way around. But this was a real possibility and a genuine invitation. They need not remain trapped in patterns of thinking only concerned with efficiency, those which equated power with value. It required a surrender of merely human ways of thinking. After all, from a human perspective, how could any sort of Kingdom flourish if it was filled only with children and the childlike? They would need to transcend such thinking.

Then he embraced the children and blessed them,

placing his hands on them.

Children could not provide for themselves, could not achieve great things. But it was not their capabilities that made them suitable for the Kingdom. It was their very openness to being blessed by Jesus that made them fit for Kingdom life. Children were good candidates for the Kingdom because the lived by depending on others. But the degree to which they were aware of this dependance could vary widely. An advantage of an adult being born again as a child of the Kingdom is that this perspective would not be lost on them. It would typically be even more pronounced than even those children that had some sense of it since for adults it would only come by surrendering more of the things that constituted their sense of identity.

The call to us this morning is to understand the value Jesus placed on children, to do what we can for children, the greatest of which is to bring them to Jesus himself. At the same time, we are called to divest ourselves of ways of thinking that make us unable to value children. We do this by becoming childlike ourselves. This does not mean we become infantile. But it does mean recognizing our dependence on Jesus, and realizing that all that is of true value comes from him and not from ourselves.

DC Talk - Mind's Eye

28 January 2025 - friends for life

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Pharisees approached him and asked,

"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"

They were testing him.

As was typical for them the Pharisees did not care about the answer Jesus would give except insofar as they anticipated he would say something problematic. Perhaps he would condemn divorce and then upset King Herod in the same way that led to the eventual death of John the Baptist. Perhaps they felt the views of Jesus as they understood them were inconsistent with the apparent allowance of divorce in the law of Moses. It is this point that Jesus addressed first.

He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"

They replied,

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce

and dismiss her."

In fact Moses had issued no command allowing for divorce. He had issued commandments regulating divorce as an already existing practice. But Jesus observed that this was less than ideal. It was necessary for divorce to be regulated, saying, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment". Without grace divorce was going to happen and it was best to provide for the women who would suffer as a consequence with legal provisions.

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.

Jesus then gave a direct answer to the question of the morality of divorce in an absolute sense. In order to understand divorce one must first understand the purpose of marriage and the implicit intention of God in creating humanity in his image as male and female. The point of marriage was not to be merely a contract of convenience. It was rather to facilitate a one flesh union between women and men in which the image of God would be fully reflected. The sort of union to which marriage led was something too existentially real to exit on a whim. Doing so was an affront, not just to either or both of the parties of a divorce, but to God himself, whose image was thereby disrespected. Marriage was apt for monotheism, in which God himself was one. And it was particularly apt for Trinitarian belief in which he himself was a union of persons. Divorce was, perhaps, apt to polytheistic societies where the gods themselves were constantly fighting and in competition with one another. But polytheism was false and so divorce did not accurately represent reality.

He said to them,

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another

commits adultery against her;

and if she divorces her husband and marries another,

she commits adultery.”

It was part of the new teaching of Jesus that adultery could be committed against a woman, as previously it had only been men, whose wives were viewed somewhat as property, who could accuse women of adultery. The Jewish law did not in fact allow women to initiate divorce but the Roman law that was dominant at the time did allow it. Jesus condemned divorce no matter who initiated it and taught that it was a grave offense against the single human being in the world most deserving of the love of which they were then denied.

The book of Sirach praises friendship. But marriage ought to be the most perfect form possible of friendship. Unlike in other cases, spouses are not permitted to be fairweather friends. They are to be present in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, just as God is always unwavering in his presence to us. When this reality is realized it attains most perfectly what Sirach praised in good friendships generally.

 faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;

he who finds one finds a treasure.

A faithful friend is beyond price,

no sum can balance his worth.

A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,

such as he who fears God finds;

Bob Fitts - One God

Matt Maher - Unwavering

27 January 2025 - not getting millstoned

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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.

Jesus rewards those who do good not only to himself, but also to those who love him. The person casting out demons, who was not one of the disciples, loved him and so the jealousy and hostility of the disciples toward him was not the appropriate response. But the disciples also loved Jesus. There was no competition. He would reward all of those who blessed them. He identified himself personally with those who followed him. Doing something for a disciple, even a little thing, was doing it for him. This meant that even things that seemed insignificant when done for another human being took on great significance when they were done as unto the God-man. No doubt the sacristan that fetched a water bottle for a priest on a hot day wasn't thinking in these terms. But Jesus nevertheless received that as done for his sake. This is how frighteningly close Jesus chose to associate himself with those acting in his name on his behalf. 

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.

We see from this passage that Jesus also takes seriously the well-being of others who are outcasts, little ones, those on the peripheries of society, and of children. We also see something of the reverse of the principle from the previous passage. Jesus blesses those who bless his little ones. But he is also protective and even vindictive against those who harm them. Above all it is their spiritual well-being about which he is the most concerned. From this we can see that morality and the spiritual life is something that is not entirely in the purview of the individual but can be influenced by others as well. The possibility of scandal is real. We can't just assert that others are responsible for themselves and then do whatever we like. As Paul said, "Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats" (see Romans 14:21). Even things that are objectively morally neutral can still become sinful if they lead another person astray.

The consequence of the need to set a good example is that we need to make a maximal effort in taking sin seriously. We must take it seriously as individuals before we can be good examples to others. We must vigorously uproot from our lives, not only sins themselves, but those things that lead us to sin. This means we must avoid the near occasions of sin to such a degree that we would prefer to not have legs than to be able to attend to them. We must have such custody of the eyes that we would prefer to be blind that let ourselves view something with a lustful or otherwise evil gaze. It is of course true that almost none of us care this much or can be bothered to take sin this seriously. This unfortunate fact does not mean we need to set about amputating various body parts. But it does mean we need to pray more and then work harder. The possibility of hell is real for those who presume on God's mercy. As Sirach reminds us, "Say not: 'Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive'". His mercy is great. He will forgive our many sins. But he will not do this if we take it for granted to such a degree that we have given up all desire to make progress, if we have ignored the grace he constantly gives us to change and become holy.

Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.

All of what we are called to do requires perseverance of the kind that only God can give. It all goes back to our love of the Lord Jesus and our willingness to follow him and keep following him no matter the difficult circumstances or temptations we face. It is nothing we have of ourselves that helps keep the flavor of the world from being spoiled. Just as we are the light of the world because we have the light of Christ so too are we salt because the love of him within us makes us so.

Scott Underwood - Take My Life

26 February 2025 - an outside job

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 were especially sensitive to the success of this other exorcist in light of their own recent failure to cast the mute spirit from the boy. It sounded as though the problem wasn't so much that the exorcist wasn't a follower of Jesus as that he wasn't a follower of theirs. The disciples, were, after all, being prepared to be leaders in the Church. Rogues operating outside of their authority would seem to be a problem. The disciples seemed not to be jealous for the sake of Jesus but rather because it was a blow to their own pride. In this way worse than when Eldad and Medad were able to prophesy even though they were outside the camp. At that time it seemed that Joshua was at least jealous for the sake of Moses. But the thing that both Joshua and the disciples got wrong was basically the same even if they got it wrong for different reasons.

Moses had said, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets" (see Numbers 11:29). Similarly, Jesus said, "Do not prevent him". He had come to fulfill the prophecy of Joel which stated that God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh (see Joel 2:28). He created the conditions in which Paul could say, "Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy" (see First Corinthians 14:5) with the belief that it was possible. The point of leadership and of hierarchy was not one that was primarily focused on narrowness and restriction but rather on making the abundance of Jesus available to as many as possible. 

There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name

who can at the same time speak ill of me.

The role of the disciples was indeed to oppose those who could speak ill of Jesus, whose supposed prophetic gifts were a sham or a con. But the fact that a prophet wasn't within the physical boundaries of the Church did not necessarily mean that he didn't love Jesus or that he was acting disingenuously. Those who were not for Jesus, not operating out of faith, hope, and love in Jesus, could only act against him. But even those who followed him imperfectly and confusedly were still for him. This was the abundance of Christ. Only those who set themselves against him and could speak ill of him were excluded. By contrast, there were no limits to what Jesus could do through those who were for him, no matter what their personal limitations may have been.

Wisdom breathes life into her children

and admonishes those who seek her.

He who loves her loves life;

those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.

Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God (see First Corinthians 1:24) for all peoples. It is not a wisdom that comes from the world. It is not a wisdom that comes from textbooks. It is a wisdom that comes from loving Jesus. It is in this sense that John taught, "you have no need that anyone should teach you" (see First John 2:27) because Jesus himself would teach them.

Pat Barrett - By The Spirit

25 February 2025 - the greatest and the least

Today's Readings

(Audio)

He was teaching his disciples and telling them,

"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."

But they did not understand the saying,

and they were afraid to question him.

The disciples were sure that Jesus must not have meant what it sounded like he meant. Perhaps this death was merely another parable that they hadn't yet fully grasped. They just couldn't square the idea with their preconceived notions about what the messiah would be. By the definition they understood he would meet with victory, not defeat. And yet the conditions that would allow for such a victory became increasingly unlikely and Jesus didn't seem to be bothered. The disciples seemed increasingly aware that such a victory was unlikely and that  his prediction of his death was not merely metaphorical, as they showed by their unwillingness to ask him any questions. They were afraid of the answers, afraid that his meaning was exactly what they feared it was.

"What were you arguing about on the way?"

But they remained silent.

For they had been discussing among themselves on the way

who was the greatest.

They had hitched their wagon to Jesus and it now seemed to them that they were careening together toward a ditch. In such situations the selfish ego has survival strategies as we see with the argument among the disciples about who was the greatest. Was this outright willful blindness of the reality of the death of Jesus? Or even worse, was it fighting over the scraps that would be leftover in his absence? In either case we see that their focus was not on Jesus, their friend and their leader, as he shared difficult and distressing news. It was rather myopically upon themselves, on their own power and prestige. But make no mistake, we do this too when we are called to a new level of dying to self and living for others. It is especially then that we try to get what we can for ourselves, to demand, if not power or wealth, at least recognition. The moments when we are invited to think of others it is often difficult to think of anything but ourselves.

"If anyone wishes to be first,   

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

Jesus was only calling them to imitate himself, who came not to be served but to serve (see Mark 10:45). He would later demonstrate this profoundly by washing his disciples feet, which in turn was an interpretive key for understanding both the Eucharist and his Passion. There was no way to true life that didn't involve this path of self-forgetful service. There was no resurrection without first embracing the cross. Jesus not only performed this service for our sakes, but desires to live in us so that he can reproduce it on our lives.

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

Receiving and embracing children was the epitome of thankless service at that time. Children were not valued by society in the way that they later came to be in the Christian west. They were seen as a drain of resources until they could be put to work and made productive. The child itself could offer nothing in return for the affection Jesus demonstrated. Neither would society praise him for it. Instead, society in general would probably have responded as the disciples did when people were bringing children to him and having him touch them and they rebuked them (see Matthew 19:13). For all of these reasons, the way Jesus embraced children was both a demonstration of his love for the lowest and the least and also a demonstration of his love for us. Like children, there is nothing we can give to Jesus that he does not already possess. From all eternity he was fully content in the heavenly exchanged of Triune love. And yet, as he did with the child so too does he choose to embrace each of us. We must not be too proud to reject him on the pretense that we can't pay him back. We can't, but he doesn't ask us to do so. He only asks our love.

and whoever receives me,

receives not me but the One who sent me."

Because he and the Father were one, receiving Jesus meant receiving also the Father who sent him into the world. Rejecting him therefore meant a rejection of God, of goodness, of truth, and of beauty. But in becoming a child himself and welcoming children Jesus sought to make his divinity as approachable and nonthreatening as possible, as proof of his love for us and his desire for our love.

You who fear the LORD, hope for good things,

for lasting joy and mercy.

You who fear the LORD, love him,

and your hearts will be enlightened.

Andy Park - The River Is Here

24 February 2025 - faith and prayer

Today's Readings

(Audio)

I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.

The disciples had previously been entrusted with the authority of Jesus and gone out to proclaim the Gospel and cast out evil spirits. Clearly things seemed to go better that time. But now there was something missing.

O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?

The father's belief in the ability of the disciples to cast out the demons seems to have probably been insufficient. Even his belief in the ability of Jesus himself was limited, asking "If you can" rather than 'If you will it'. The disciples, for their part, were also not living up to the responsibility entrusted to them by Jesus. They failed to use prayer to create an atmosphere of faith. Maybe they tried to do what had worked in the past as though it were a formula. But this case seemed to have been more difficult than those they had encountered previously. They needed to spend more time and attention, perhaps, than they had before. But instead things devolved into an argument. Were they trying to rationalize their own failure or to exonerate their teacher of responsibility for it? Whether it was either of those or something else argument was not a good environment for healing. Whatever faith the father had in Jesus was becoming increasingly fragile in the face of apparent failure.

Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Jesus led this man beyond his tentative faith. Even though he couldn't muster up more on his own he was at least persuaded to ask Jesus for help, or in other words, to pray. If the demon in question was one that could only come out through prayer perhaps this, and not only that of the disciples, was part of the prayer in question. The disciples seemed to have tried to repeat a formula and the father didn't seem to have much faith. But Jesus explained that for all involved in something so serious both faith and prayer were necessary. It could not degenerate into mere routine and maintain its effectiveness. 

“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:

come out of him and never enter him again!”

Jesus not only commanded the spirit to leave, he commanded him never to return. Perhaps his disciples didn't realize that in this case that command was going to be an important component in the freeing of one who had been afflicted since birth. We could even speculate that perhaps the disciples were able to have some short-term success but failed to prevent recurrences. It may have been like the demon Jesus described elsewhere that went out from a person only to find the house swept clean and invite seven spirits worse than itself to return with it (see Luke 11:24-26).

Jesus was never practicing a formula and was never merely partially convinced of his own power and authority, precisely because he trusted his Father from whom they came. Today's Gospel directs to be on guard against routine and to engage each situation with prayerful attention. It encourages us to realize the importance of faith so that, to the degree that we are lacking in it, we continually come to Jesus for more.

Rita Springer - AMEN!

23 February 2025 - opposing forces

Today's Readings

(Audio)

To you who hear I say,

love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

A few decades ago we had people with whom we disagreed, to be sure, but few we would admit to be our enemies. These days it is harder to avoid the fact that we all seemingly have more enemies. It is the nature of discourse in our modern society to amplify the angriest and most radical voices. Even those who began as moderates become polarized. In trying to reject one thing they know to be wrong they reach to the opposite extreme for ammunition. There is one way to ensure that this situation remains unchanged. That is by continuing to treat our enemies as enemies, and to engage with aggression and the desire to be proven right rather than with compassion and the desire for dialog. 

To the person who strikes you on one cheek,

offer the other one as well,

and from the person who takes your cloak,

do not withhold even your tunic.

It is of course true that as soon as we show compassion it is mistaken for weakness. When we try to conciliate through dialog we are shouted down rather than heard. The temptation is to push back even harder, and to shout even louder. But while this might be helpful to ensure that we don't lose entirely it is unlikely to lead to anything other than retaliatory escalation. By contrast with the ways of the world we can't accept the ways of Jesus because they seem impractical. It seems that turning the other cheek and giving more than is asked of us will be nice gestures, certainly, but ones which will be lost in the great sea of conflict in the world. Maybe Gandhi could change a whole nation in that way. Maybe MLK Jr. could. But wouldn't it be mere unhelpful theatrics for us, especially those of us who aren't committed to politics full-time? But while it is true that for us the path of nonviolence is unlikely to make an impact or even register at the national level it may do something even more profound. It may change individual hearts. It may begin at a grassroots level that is almost invisible at first but which is a necessary precondition of opposing sides learning to hear one another again at all levels of society.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

We don't want people to meet us with an unwillingness to discuss our issues or an active hostile toward us. And so we must continue to try to engage others in the way that we ourselves would want to be engaged. How would we want to be corrected by others when we were wrong? By shouting and belittling? Doubtful. We must always be ready to make the first move of kindness. If we always insist on some token of sincerity by the other side we may be asking something of them that we wouldn't want them to ask of us in a similar situation.

Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give, and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,

will be poured into your lap.

We are called to act more and more in the way that God himself acts toward us, to be merciful as our Father is merciful. Even when we are ungrateful and wicked his love for us does not waver. This means that we are no position to judge anyone else as unworthy of love or beyond the possibility of salvation. In fact, it is impossible to receive God's mercy ourselves if we are unwilling to show that mercy to others. But great promises attend to those who heed the teaching of Jesus. If we try our best to hold nothing back then God will be free to hold nothing back from us. In return for our meager efforts we will receive a supernatural abundance of spiritual gifts.

David Crowder Band - How He Loves

22 February 2025 - not bored of the Chair

Today's Readings

(Audio)

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

There is no avoiding this question for anyone in the modern world. Jesus is such a unique and compelling figure that it is all but impossible to entirely ignore him or to have no opinion about the claims he seems to have made. And it is finally a question no one can answer for us, one which we must each come to terms with on our own. 

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

Flesh and blood, merely human thinking, or purely natural reasoning isn't enough to determine the true identity of Jesus. Philosophical reasoning can go so far as to realize that Jesus, in virtue of his life, his teaching, and his miracles, requires an explanation that it cannot supply. History may discover much about his life and even assert the likelihood of the resurrection. But it can never go so far as to say what these different pieces mean or how they fit together. The only context that makes sense of Jesus is divine revelation. In turn, divine revelation only makes sense when viewed through the paradigm of Jesus himself.

Peter was the first to peer so deeply into the identity of Jesus. But he also learned that however much we know Jesus there is always a still greater amount which we do not know because this always necessarily obtains between creature and creator.

For between creator and creature there can be noted no similarity so great that a greater dissimilarity cannot be seen between them (see Fourth Lateran Council, Second Constitution).

Even with this new level of understanding Peter still couldn't grasp why the anointed Son of the living God would need to suffer and die. He couldn't hold in dynamic tension the concept of Godhood and the fullness of humanity. He couldn't see the need for one who was all powerful to undergo torment and death. But he kept working on it, frequently failing, but never giving up. He acted wrongly early on, such as trying to turn Jesus aside from his cross. But he remained open to being led by Jesus, even when he didn't understand. And even when he failed spectacularly he was able to make an equally impressive repentance. 

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

Could a Church really be built on anything so human and prone to failure? Could Jesus really transfer power from the seat of Moses on which the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23:2) sat to the Chair of Peter to preserve faithfully and without error the truth entrusted to him by Jesus and his Holy Spirit? The answer to all of these is yes, and for the same reason that God was able to use mere humans, with their unique perspectives and abilities, to write inerrant Scriptures. The guarantee came, not from anything they were in themselves, but from God and the role he desired them to play. All that was necessary from them was their cooperation. In the case of Peter, entrusting him with Jesus' own authority as a steward by giving him the keys to the Kingdom, implied that he and his successors would never be in error when they taught formally on matters of faith and morals. After all, what would the Church be without truth? Or what would the netherworld want to prevail against if not the proclamation of the Gospel?

The role of Peter, and indeed of all the presbyters of the Church, was not like that of abusive secular authority. They were rather to imitate Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. They were to imitate his own compassion on peoples who were often like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus was the Good Shepherd, and Peter was called to feed his lambs. He seemed to take some time to adjust to this idea. But we can see from today's first reading that eventually he understood it deeply.

Tend the flock of God in your midst,

overseeing not by constraint but willingly,

as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.

As Catholics we ought to be grateful for the shepherds we have been given, even if their personalities aren't perfect and their preaching leaves something to be desired. Their primary purpose isn't to entertain or to be popular, but to care for our souls. It is a task that is mundane and humble to watch from the outside. It entails patiently serving those in line for confession, those who desire  baptism, couples joining in marriage, and attending to the dying, among many other responsibilities. But however humble it might seem to observers it is actually much more exalted and beneficial to those who are its recipients.

Elevation Worship - Here As In Heaven

21 February 2025 - what truly lasts?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

There is an idea in some spheres of Christianity that implies that because Jesus did what he did that it doesn't matter what his followers do. But this Gospel passage would seem to contradict that. This is not to say that his disciples were merely meant to imitate him. They were to follow him. They were being led somewhere which, apart from grace, they could never and would never go. We can see this in the way that Peter was unable to stay close to Jesus during his trial but eventually was able to give his life for him.

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” (see John 13:36).

Jesus' death made it possible for his disciples to die to self and to escape the narrow confinement of their egos. United to him, and acting for his sake rather than their own, they could make their lives into offerings of love, just as his own had first been. It was not enough to merely wish to escape selfishness and sin and to try to reproduce what Jesus had done. Rather, it was necessary for him to reproduce his own death and resurrection in each of his followers. Disciples, for their part, would only endure such a death to self for the sake of Jesus, since the ego would protest that such a path could lead only to extinction.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

What could one give in exchange for his life?

Jesus helped by these words to silence the ego's excuses and protests. He demonstrated that all of the promises for self-created happiness in this world, even if they could temporarily succeed, came with an expiration date. They have no more hope for ultimate success than did the Tower of Babel. The only way to true life was in the transformed life of the resurrection offered by Jesus himself.

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words

in this faithless and sinful generation,

the Son of Man will be ashamed of

when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.

The temptation to prefer self over Jesus and happiness in this life over the life to come would eventually result in compromise where the cost of discipleship would be too high and Christians would deny Jesus. As a consequence, respecting their freedom, he would in turn be ashamed of them at his coming. Fortunately, though, even most denials aren't definitive. Just as Peter was able to return and strengthen his brethren (see Luke 22:32) so too does exposure to our own weakness sometimes lead to greater strength.

He also said to them,

"Amen, I say to you,

there are some standing here who will not taste death

until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power."

Though the power of the Kingdom of God is concealed from the eyes of the world it is revealed to those with eyes of faith, those who remain close to Jesus, and who are willing to hope again even after all hope seems lost. They are the ones who love him even as he undergoes agony for him. Even though none is perfect they become witnesses to his resurrection. They don't discover the power of this Kingdom on their own, nor do they earn or deserve it. It is a gift.

Kristian Stanfill - One Thing Remains