31 January 2025 - sprout and branch

Today's Readings

(Audio)

This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Usually we take comfort in the hidden growth of the Kingdom of God, and rightfully so. We can comfortably assume that such growth is in fact occurring even if we can't see it. Or at least we can if we are in fact scattering seed. Because it is especially the case that, since we know not how it works, scattering seed is an act of trust. This parabe is not one of mere passivity. It is about cooperation with a process of which we are only a small part. It's worth noting that we probably ought not to become too precious about the grain we help produce. After all, it seems to be very much the case that we're preparing it for the sickle, preparing it for death. After all, "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (see John 12:24).

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.

The mustard seed doesn't seem start with the advantage it will have at the end, and appears to be the least likely thing to have such an advantage. We are therefore called to initially suspend our judgments based on preconceptions and appearances and trust what we know about the deeper worker of things. Because if what we want is something that can support all of the birds of the sky in its branches we will really have to trust these higher laws in order to begin with a mustard seed. Otherwise one would begin with nearly anything else. But such is the working of Jesus that if we cooperate with him and we trust him we can be confident of the results even when we can't yet see them.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; 

it will have great recompense.

You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

John B Miller - Speak Lord I'm Listening

30 January 2025 - all of the lights

Today's Readings

(Audio)

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;

nothing is secret except to come to light.

We have been illuminated with the light of Christ and yet for some reason we seem uncomfortable with letting it shine. And is Christ's light, not our own, that is at issue here. If we aren't dark as an air raid drill we nevertheless aren't bright as the sun. We hide that which is meant to be made visible because we fear the consequences. Yet the deeper consequences of the light coming into the world will eventually be made known to that world. That which we aren't comfortable speaking will eventually be declared by God to be the definitive truth.

Since we aren't perfectly adjusted to the light we ourselves may feel discomfort when we are illuminated in the presence of others. This is often a roadblock to sharing the light with them, as it would by necessity expose us as frauds and charlatans, at least to some degree. But if we and the rest of the world must all stand eventually before the light it is best to act as though we want to be ready for that. The more we desire to stand even here and now in the bright warm light of Christ the more we will desire that for our eternal destiny and the more easily we will be able to share that light with others. We were not made for darkness, fear, and hiding. We were made for higher things. It is easier to get over the desire to blend in sooner rather than later.

If we don't become conduits to light, to love, and to grace, than those things will not only not flow through us but will begin to dry up inside of us as well. Faith and trust lead to flourishing in a virtuous cycle. But not to advance is almost be definition to fall behind.

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,

for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Third Day - Jesus Light Of The World

29 January 2025 - new hearts

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When tribulation or persecution comes because of the word it turns out I do struggle and fall away, but not entirely. And that is key. Yet sometimes hope is hard to see, and Satan gives lie after lie in exchange for our hopes. With no roots it is difficult to press on when things don't seem like they will be better. In this time, one might say, 'Well I can't be blamed'. But all the while I, for my part, feel more strongly lure of riches and the craving for other things. I can quickly become a choke artist, turning aside from the prize for things quickly lost or ruined. It's really easy to plan the next little indulgence and really difficult to pray with sustained attention. But, as long as we don't fall away entirely we need not be lost. If we persevere Jesus can bring goodness even from an experience such as this.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:

This is the covenant I will establish with them

after those days, says the Lord:

“I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them upon their minds,”

The Holy Spirit does not say this only to those who were already good, nor only to a faithful remnant. He says it to the whole house of Israel, precisely because without his help thy did not and would not keep the law. If their old unfaithful hearts refused to be obey they needed more than discipline. They needed new hearts. And this was something God alone could provide. Yet it was not something that made them less than themselves, but more. More Godlike, closer to God's own heart.

he also says:

Their sins and their evildoing

I will remember no more.

Maverick City Music - Forever And Ever Amen

22 January 2025 - if I forget you Jerusalem

Today's Readings

(Audio)

They watched Jesus closely

to see if he would cure him on the sabbath

so that they might accuse him.

What was it about Jesus that was so polarizing? What was it that made people so intent on finding something against him as to ignore the overwhelming goodness of his miraculous deeds? Was it the fact that acknowledging his greatness necessarily meant acknowledging one's own smallness and inadequacy? Was it the way Jesus captivated the crowds, who hung on his every word, easily achieving the popularity which the Pharisees themselves desired to possess? How sad that a lack of humility and envy of the goodness of Jesus could close and harden people's hearts to the power of his love.

Then he said to the Pharisees,

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?”

The Pharisees claimed to be rigorists when it came to the law but had in fact lost sight of the point of the law itself. They were now using the law as a pretense to pursue hostility toward Jesus when it was designed rather to ensure freedom and to promote life. They sought to do evil to Jesus and to destroy his life, which was obviously as deeply contrary to the law as something could be.

Looking around at them with anger

and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus was moved to anger and grieved at their hardness of heart. He was moved by his anger to act, and his mercy to do so in a way that was directly provocative toward the Pharisees. He courageously acted immediately before their eyes even though it led to the Pharisees taking counsel with the Herodians about putting him to death. But he did it not merely in spite of them but also for them, for his death was a death that was for all humanity. If anything could crack the hardness of their hearts that would be it.

Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

The man with the withered hand was healed. But it was the Pharisees who had truly forgotten Jerusalem in a way that would make their right hand forget its skill (see Psalm 137:5-6). Thus Jesus healing the man with the withered hand was an invitation to them and to us to remember the works of the Lord and to be healed, to learn to once more set Jerusalem above our highest joy.

Matisyahu - Jerusalem

21 January 2025 - lord of the sabbath

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Have you never read what David did

In this instance Jesus, pursued by the constant criticism and hostility of the Pharisees and others, was like David, pursued by Saul. David was designated by God as the one to succeed Saul as King. And Jesus was the messianic Son of David. Because he and his men were fleeing, David didn't have adequate supplies of food. But because he was pursuing God's purpose in making him king it was fitting he be permitted to share in the bread of offering in the house of God. For Jesus and his disciples it was permissible that they too pursue their goal even on the sabbath, since it was God's own purpose that they desired to fulfill. David and his companions were granted a priestly privilege since they were about God's work. So too for Jesus and his disciples pursuing the mission of the Kingdom. 

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.

It was not merely that the mission of Jesus was a higher priority than the sabbath such that the sabbath should take a back seat. Rather, the sabbath itself could only be what it was truly meant to be with the completion of the mission of Jesus. We saw in recent readings from the letter to the Hebrews that the promise of rest was given but not fulfilled in the Old Testament.

Therefore, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God (see Hebrews 4:9).

It is only in Jesus Christ that the promise of the sabbath rest, intended from the creation of the world, is finally realized since it is "we who believed enter into [that] rest" (see Hebrews 4:3). The Pharisees recognized the importance of the sabbath but did not understand that it could not be attained merely by fastidious conformity to rules and regulations. They put the rules first and tried to fit individuals into that mold even if it crushed them. But Jesus recognized that the human heart needed healing in order to truly attain the promise. It was his priestly act of self-offering that would finally make this definitive sabbath rest an attainable reality for his people. This sacrifice was also what allowed his disciples and we ourselves to have the priestly privilege of eating something even better than the bread of offering, the bread of life itself.

The rest of God that still remains for us is meant to be a promise that gives us hope. But it is meant to be a hope so real as to serve as "an anchor of the soul". It is not an anchor that merely keeps us securely where we are now. It is rather planted firmly behind the veil, giving us a solid connection from the here and now to our ultimate destiny, "where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner". It is behind the veil in the presence of the eternal triune God where alone true rest can be found. Therefore, with together with the author of the letter to the Hebrews, we exhort ourselves:

We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness

for the fulfillment of hope until the end,

so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,

through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

Songs In His Presence - The House Of God

Phil Wickham - The House Of The Lord

20 January 2025 - not an optional feast

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

In yesterday's Gospel we saw a particular instance of the necessity of the wedding guests to feast in the presence of the bridegroom. In the wedding feast at Cana a human bridegroom was nearly embarrassed as his wine supply ran dry. But Jesus was the divine bridegroom who was about the business of espousing humanity to himself. And though the hour at not yet come from the consummation of that feast it was nevertheless a close enough parallel that he refused to let even the earthly image of the future heavenly feast fall short. Jesus the bridegroom was present and it was therefore appropriate and necessary to celebrate with superabundant joy. The amount of wine he provided was probably far more than enough for the guests over the remaining days of the celebration, just as when he later multiplied the loaves there were many baskets left over. Perhaps events like this are what led others to criticize Jesus for being "a glutton and a drunkard" (see Luke 7:34). But this apparent excess was predicted by the prophet Joel when he said, "in that day the mountains shall drip with sweet wine" (see Joel 3:18).

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

and then they will fast on that day.

Just as the presence of the bridegroom called for celebrations far surpassing anything of a natural order so too did his absence demand something deeper of his disciples than merely routine and ritualized fasting. Human celebrations, by being properly ordered to God, could take on greater characteristics than what they could possess naturally. But what would this mean in the absence of the bridegroom, when his presence, which, though never truly gone, became obscured? His Passion would be the first instance when he was taken from us. And suffering of all sorts is now meant to be a participation in his Passion. This means there are times when to indulge in extreme celebration would actually obscure the truth of redemption. We won't say that there are ever times when we ought to lose our peace or underlying joy. But we will say that sometimes our motives for indulgence are to be a distraction from something to which God would have us pay attention. We can't participate in redeeming the suffering of the world by ignoring it. But at such times we can take comfort knowing that God saves the best of the wine of his joy, peace, and presence for last.

No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.

If he does, its fullness pulls away,

the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.

Jesus is more than a mere update or addendum to the Old Testament. He is not merely one consideration among many. He is now the interpretive paradigm by which the whole thing must be understand. We see this borne out when these disciples of John and of the Pharisees try to understand Jesus and his relation to fasting without seeing him at the center of the question. It just leads them to confusion. Still, how wonderful that his creatures come to him with questions about how they ought to more perfectly practice penance and yet Jesus responds with an invitation to a wedding feast, a heavenly banquet, and a cup overflowing with joy (see Psalm 23:5).

Shane And Shane - Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy)

19 January 2025 - not yet / already

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

The hour of his Passion was when he would consecrate his spiritual marriage between God and man, earth and heaven. It was then above all that the Builder of creation would marry it, as a young man marries a virgin. For the celebration of that wedding feast he would give his own Precious Blood under the appearance of wine. At Cana, Mary appeared as faithful daughter Zion, requesting what was lacking for the people from the God whom she knew could provide it. Jesus responded, not so as to refuse outright, but so as to say 'Not yet in fullness'. He was the bridegroom and Mary was an archetypal figure of the perfection of Israel, the bride. But this miracle would only be a sign pointing forward, not the consummation of that celebration.

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Although it was not the time for consummation that didn't mean that there was nothing to be done or that the world and its needs ought to be entirely ignored and neglected. There was genuine validity to the good things of life in this world. There was a real continuity between normal marriage between a woman and a man and that of Jesus and his bride, the Church. The one was able to serve as a sign for the other. This did not mean that worldly marriage was only useful insofar as it pointed to something else. It really did have some participation in the goodness of the eschatological reality. The joy given by the gift of an excellent wine really did foreshadow, though dimly, the joy of the marriage between heaven and earth.

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Humans tend to do human things. We tend to try to take what we can get while we can get it. We don't often  to have the patience to begin with something inferior to work toward that which is best. We are all too aware that we don't control the future in a world that seems to be tending toward disintegration and nothingness. In the final analysis, only God can truly build toward a lasting goal. And this is the goal toward which every offering of the Eucharistic feast tends and in which each is already even now a participation. If we set our stakes lower than this we will tend to find ourselves intoxicated with lesser vintages until, as always happens, they run out. But when the wines of this world fail us it is then that the true bridegroom appears to help us to raise our minds and to fix our hearts on the good wine that he alone can give. 

Shane And Shane - Psalm 34 (Taste And See)

Dan Schuette - Table Of Plenty

Matt Maher - The End And The Beginning

18 January 2025 - feeling seen

Today's Readings

(Audio)

As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,

sitting at the customs post.

It was obvious that Matthew was a tax collector, a member of a class of society known to be sinners, who compromised their Jewish identity by colluding with the occupying Roman force. In choosing Matthew, Jesus made it clear that he was intentionally selecting such an individual. It wasn't just that he accidentally chose weak and compromised women and men, as might have been asserted of his other disciples. Rather, he called Matthew right from the customs post. For Matthew, the fact that someone could see everything wrong about him and yet choose him anyway appeared to be liberating. It appeared to be so freeing in fact that he was able to make an immediate and miraculous break with his previous way of life.

Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

And he got up and followed Jesus.

The choosing of Matthew served as a signal for those others like Matthew who might have been too afraid to approach Jesus, giving them courage. They had seen, whether they fully realized it or not, the word of God penetrating between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, discerning the reflections and thoughts of Matthew's heart, and yet choosing him anyway. He was not concealed and made no pretense at concealment. Yet the one to whom he and all of us must ultimately render an account chose him in spite of this spiritual nakedness. Because of this not only Matthew, but also those with similar backgrounds, were inspired with confidence to "approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help".

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners

and tax collectors and said to his disciples,

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

The scribes and Pharisees did not concede that Jesus was the one to whom they must render an account and did not wish to appear naked before him. They attempted to conceal their sin not only from Jesus but even from themselves. If they had seen themselves reflected in Matthew they could have been moved to confidence and hope. But because they refused to acknowledge their own sickness, making instead a pretense of righteousness, their hearts were hardened, and they closed themselves to the work of the divine physician.

Those of us who realize we are sinners in need of mercy are the ones Jesus desires to give the confidence to draw near to him. If we desire mercy he will certainly give it. If we look to him in our need we will find grace for, not just distant or otherworldly, but timely help.

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart

find favor before you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Relient K - For The Moments I Feel Faint

17 January 2025 - through the roof

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,

they opened up the roof above him.

Sometimes the straightforward paths to Jesus are blocked. The reason for this is sometimes attributable to his followers who fail to provide sufficient space for those in need. They were pressing in on Jesus, but perhaps inattentively, hindering rather than helping his mission. Or perhaps they did take note of the paralytic but felt that now was not the time to interrupt. In the course of his ministry the crowd was often an obstacle to Jesus. This is important for us to note since we often play the role of the crowd in relation to others who are seeking him. Might the crowd not at least have asked Jesus about what he desired to do about the paralytic? Perhaps they didn't know him well enough yet. They may not have been confident that he would respond favorably. But we, much more than they, have seen ample evidence of the compassion that fills the heart of Jesus. And so we should be ready to help to facilitate those in need being brought to him.

After they had broken through,

they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

Jesus was delighted at the display of faith. He could, no doubt, have told the crowd to bring the paralytic in without all of this hassle. His omniscience  meant he was certainly aware of his presence. But it was a greater good that they go to these greater lengths to seek him. He gave every indication of expecting it. He was not surprised or upset as the house was damaged but knowingly welcomed these new guests. Impressively, Peter, whose house it was, was not noted as protesting either. Jesus knew that the crowd would often be an obstacle so he wanted to demonstrate a special love for those like the friends of this paralytic and like Zacchaeus (see Luke 19:1-10) who found ways to circumvent the crowd and come into his presence.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (see Jeremiah 29:13).

These friends of the paralytic were truly good friends. It is hard to imagine many of us going to such lengths for the sake of a friend. We would probably just try to wait for a later, easier opportunity. But these friends knew Jesus was near, and knew that he had a recent history of healing others who asked. They knew this was an opportunity that might not come again and so they seized it. In many ways it was reckless and seemingly imprudent. But there was no negative judgment about this from Jesus. Rather, they seemed to be affirmed for seeking first the Kingdom.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,

“Child, your sins are forgiven.”

After all of that effort the friends might have been disappointed to receive only this invisible token affirming their effort. They certainly desired a physical healing first and foremost. But Jesus knew of a deeper need. And, as usual, the physical healing would serve as a secondary sign. The paralytic already received what he needed the most even before Jesus made his divine authority obvious by means of a miracle. True freedom was freedom of spirit which the paralytic was given even before he was able to rise and pick up his mat.

Who but God alone can forgive sins?

These protesting voices weren't wrong. God alone could forgive sins. In order to demonstrate that Jesus did possess this authority he performed an act which, while of less magnitude than divine forgiveness, was more difficult to falsify. By his authority over the physical realm of time and space, and by the goodness he infused into it, he validated his claim of spiritual authority.

They were all astounded

and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Elevation Worship - O Come To The Altar

16 January 2025 - the remake

Today's Readings

(Audio)

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

The leper must have already had a fairly good sense that Jesus would in fact wish it, since he already did the unthinkable and approached him. He must have somehow known or sensed that his own ritual impurity was less powerful than the healing touch of Jesus. Jesus had already demonstrated ample power over demons and disease, and the even the leper must have heard of this and gained hope. Though perhaps it was also true that he was simply so desperate for help that he could not help but go to Jesus in whom he saw his only hope. 

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,

touched the leper, and said to him,

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

In every healing and exorcism we see Jesus refashioning man into the image of God he was always meant to be. Man, who was poetically said to be molded from the dust of the ground, was now being remolded in a way that the original design anticipated but which the gift surpassed. Dust might eventually return to dust. But the supernatural life of which faith was the beginning would never end.

He spread the report abroad

so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.

When the leper came to Jesus it was he who was not free to enter any town openly. But now, because of the compassion of Jesus, he had freely taken this burden on himself instead. He was not contaminated by impurity as the leper had been. Instead he took upon himself the consequences of this suffering, just as he would do for all the sin and suffering of the world during his passion. The leper was reintegrated into the worshipping community of Israel but he may never have known at what cost this gift was given. Though, if he completed Jesus' command to offer what was prescribed he would have had at least a hint:

"The prescribed rite was to take two clean birds, one to be sacrificed and the other, dipped in the blood of the first, to fly away free (Lev 14:3-7)." ¹

We who have been freed of the spiritual leprosy of sin ought to encourage one another "daily while it is still "today,"" lest we forget what has been done for us and allow our hearts to "grow hardened by the deceit of sin". Our own healing too has come at a great cost. It is is simply a choice we make once and then forget. It is a reality which we must hold firm until the end.

1) Healy, Mary. Gospel of Mark, The (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) (p. 54). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition. 

Maranatha! Music - Here I Am To Worship

Newsboys - You Are My King

15 January 2025 - home visit

Today's Readings

(Audio)

On leaving the synagogue

Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.

Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.

Now that Simon, Andrew, James, and John were disciples Jesus would not remain on the peripheries of their lives. He would not be a figure whom they would only hear preach in the synagogues on the Sabbath. Instead, to great consequence, he implicated himself in the details of their daily lives. He entered the home of Simon and Andrew and that home would not remain unchanged. Once he was present there they couldn't help but mention the difficulties facing that household. In explaining that Simon's mother-in-law was sick they may have been excusing the limited hospitality they were able to provide without her aid. But bringing their problems to Jesus changed things, as indeed it always does.

He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.

Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

Jesus raised up this women in a quasi-resurrection event. She was restored to the fullness of health. But she too found that where Jesus was present things could not remain unchanged. Now her hospitality included Jesus and was thereby in service of his mission. What she was unable to do before because of illness she was now able to do in a new a greater way, ordered more perfectly to the glory of God.

When it was evening, after sunset,

they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.

The whole town was gathered at the door.

The crowds had heard Jesus preaching with authority and now realized that he had authority over demons and the power to heal disease. Jesus' preaching prepared the way for the outward expansion of the Kingdom through the physical signs of exorcism and healing. His words drew people to seek out his power. And the people who benefited from that power did not benefit merely for their own sakes but became living witnesses drawing more and more other people to seek him out.

Rising very early before dawn, 

he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.

Jesus demonstrated that his top priority was not preaching or healing, much less seeking fame or adulation, or even resting comfortably on his laurels. Instead, above all else, he privileged his relationship with his Father in heaven. Disciples in every age would be tempted to allow one aspect of the Christian life or another to take priority over their relationship with God. But from the first Jesus left an example that demonstrated that even the best aspects of the life of discipleship were nothing if they weren't connected to God as by a spiritual lifeline.

Simon and those who were with him pursued him

and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages

that I may preach there also.

For this purpose have I come.”

Jesus did not apparently come to heal every possible individual there and then, although all who followed him would indeed eventually be fully restored and more. But first, and more importantly, his desire was to be known by them. The condition he desired in that town had been met in virtue of the fact that everyone was looking for him. So it was time to go and preach in other places to start this same cascade there.

that through death he might destroy the one

who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,

and free those who through fear of death

had been subject to slavery all their life.

Even those who were not themselves healed immediately could still experience the freedom from the fear of death that Jesus provided. No longer would they desperately need to protect their physical lives or do all in the power to calm and numb their egos against the inevitability of disintegration. A higher power had arrived on the seen, relativizing those old and very human fears. He demonstrated again and again that darkness, though it might persist for a little while, would not have the last word.

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up

Ike Ndolo - Awake O Sleeper

14 January 2025 - as one having authority

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The people were astonished at his teaching,

for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

Jesus spoke in the synagogue about the meaning of Scripture. People were used to hearing opinions about possible interpretations of God's word. Even in those cases most people weren't experts explicating their own theories. They would have felt the need to substantiate their own points by pointing to correspondence in the interpretive tradition. But Jesus could say definitively what was the intended meaning of the word of God because he was himself the divine Word. He could correct when one part of the word had been overemphasized in a way that obscured the overarching meaning. He could point to what was intended "from the beginning" (see Matthew 19:8) and even broaden and deepen the content of the Scriptures as he did in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:17-48). It was clear this was a highly polarizing style of teaching. One could be enthusiastic about it or hostile to it, but little room was left for middle ground.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;

he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

The preaching of Jesus was triggering for demons because they were only too aware of the authority contained therein. They knew what that meant for the own timebound and limited scope of authority. The power of the preaching of Jesus meant that the Kingdom of God was truly at hand. And that, in turn, meant that the kingdom of darkness was on its way out. In this case this demon thought to turn the tables by his knowledge about who Jesus was. Maybe this would allow him to retain some sense of authority, which he could then twist to his benefit. But Jesus was having none of it.

I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” 

Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet!  Come out of him!”

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

Just as the words of Jesus about the Scriptures were the definitive word about what they meant so too was his word of command to this demon definitive. His word was truth, and accomplished what it signified. The crowds who saw Jesus preach discerned this connection between what he said and what he did, a connection so profound that there was never before anything like it.

In “subjecting” all things to him,

he left nothing not “subject to him.”

Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,” 

but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”

We do not yet see all things subjected to Jesus in every circumstance of the world around us in the way that we do see, by faith, that this demon was so subjected. We do not yet individually attain the full truth into which he promised to lead us by his Spirit. But by faith we know that Jesus does possess all authority and all truth. And, in his Church, through our faith, we do already share in it. We recognize Jesus as "crowned with glory and honor" by faith. But it is a faith that welcomes his authority into the here and now even as it draws us onward toward the world to come.

Darrell Evans - Trading My Sorrows

13 January 2025 - now or never

Today's Readings

(Audio)

This is the time of fulfillment.

The Kingdom of God is at hand.

The Kingdom of God was at hand because Jesus himself had come and begun his ministry. The Kingdom of God was, by definition, the place where God reigned. This Kingdom existed from all eternity in heaven but was now breaking through on earth. In the Our Father Jesus taught his disciples to pray that it would come as fully on earth as it was in heaven (see Matthew 6:10), such that God's will was as perfectly accomplished here as it is there. So there was a not yet to the Kingdom ideal. But in Jesus there was also an already, since God fully reigned in the heart of Jesus. Anyone who believed in him and got onboard with his mission was already beginning to live within the Kingdom of God, even surrounded by a fallen world. The whole premise of the promise of Jesus was that this reign of God in the world was the answer to all of promises of all of the ancient prophets, and the possibility of experiencing the true fulfillment intended by God for his creatures. To repent, then, was to live in conformity with this Kingdom. It was to think, speak, and act in a way governed by God's paradigm rather than previous merely human ideas.

This is the time of fulfillment.

It is still the time of fulfillment. We might not realize this, imagining that there was a narrow window during the life and ministry of Jesus on earth when this was true. But Jesus did not leave us orphans when he ascended. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us and now reigns over us from heaven. This means that ever since this initial proclamation the time of fulfillment is a reality which is ever new and available to those with faith. This is why Paul wrote, "now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (see Second Corinthians 6:2). Therefore, not just when Jesus spoke, or when Paul wrote, but even now in this moment the fulfillment of Kingdom life is available to us.

Jesus said to them,

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

The consequence of the inbreaking of the Kingdom into the world is that it totally relativizes normal human concerns. Even paradigms such as work and family take on a secondary importance compared to the expansion of the scope of the reign of the Kingdom of God on earth. After all, these things all find their own fulfillment only when properly ordered to the reign of God. And this means that sometimes they must take a backseat to the furthering of the establishment of that reign.

Then they left their nets and followed him.

If we truly understand what Jesus offers in his proclamation of the Kingdom we will experience the same lack of delay in following him as did these first disciples. Nothing the world offers will seem remotely worthy of preferring to the Kingdom. May Jesus help us to understand what he desires to do for this world and for us so that we would get over our own hesitation and go all in for him.

Matt Maher - Love Has Come

Paul Wilbur - Days Of Elijah Kadosh

12 January 2025 - the bath of rebirth

Today's Readings

(Audio)

I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist desired to point out the Messiah to his audience. At every step he was careful in his preaching to let them know that he was not the one, but there was another, mightier who was coming. He saw his own popularity as a risk insofar as people who came to him might become so fixated on him as to not be able to transfer their attention to the one who was to come, the one John desired to make known. In his mission he carefully embraced humility and led all of his disciples to do so in his baptism of repentance. Seemingly this would keep him and his followers on one side and the Messiah, when he eventually came, on another, separated, exulted, and identifiable. But then Jesus actually did appear and for some reason insisted on being baptized himself. He refused to stay on the other side of a line of separation, even if that would have allowed him to more closely match the expectations of those who looked to his coming. No wonder, then, that John didn't want to do it. He understood that Jesus was not in need of repentance and that he was not one greater than Jesus who ought to be in a position over him, as it would seem that the one who baptized would be over the one who received baptism. But Jesus insisted. He would not be kept at a distance. It was in this way that all righteousness would be fulfilled.

After all the people had been baptized 

and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, 

heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him

in bodily form like a dove. 

It was never in seeking to exult himself that Jesus was made known. It was always precisely in his obedience, in his self-giving, his life as a servant, and his choosing to take the lowest place that he would be revealed. Jesus chose to share our lot and to take our sins upon himself. But the Father made it clear who he was. Here at the baptism of Jesus the Father declared that he was his beloved son in whom he was well pleased. The presence of the Holy Spirit who was always with Jesus was revealed to the world. The crowds were not left confused. Jesus chose to be with them and like them, but was in another way quite different. It was similar at his Passion, when what he chose to do and what he allowed to happen to him made him seem to be a sinner among sinners and a failure. But there too the Father vindicated Jesus by raising him to life in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was again in his humility and obedience that he was made known. And it could not be otherwise for one who desired to be as close to us as Jesus desired to be. From his incarnation onward he demonstrated that he didn't want to heal the human race from a distance. He came as close as he could conceivably come. He lived among us and would even live within us.

He saved us through the bath of rebirth

and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

whom he richly poured out on us

through Jesus Christ our savior

The baptism of Jesus transformed, not Jesus, but the waters themselves, to make out own baptism possible. By sharing in the symbolic death of baptism with us he gave the waters the power to bring us new life by the Holy Spirit. Just as he rose from the waters and heard the Father declare him to be a beloved Son so too does baptism make us into adopted daughters and sons of the Father. Just as he rose from the waters to experience the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him so too does the bath of rebirth infuse us with the Holy Spirit in order that we might begin to live a new life by his power.

A bruised reed he shall not break,

and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,

until he establishes justice on the earth;

the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

We see in Jesus a gentle Messiah who was always careful with the brokenness and limitations of his creatures. Since he knew that many would push back against a show of power because of their own prideful egos he instead chose to humble himself so that he could draw near without us trying to push him away and injuring ourselves in the process. Yet it is really easy for us, at this distance, after this many years of living as baptized Christians, to take this for granted. For most of us it is fair to say that we have hardly begun to avail ourselves of the graces given to us in baptism. But rather than receive this as a condemnation, let us instead discover opportunity and potential. There is a new seed of life within us that has only just begun to grow. Let us turn toward the Son, the source of grace, so that we can allow this promise to unfold in our lives.

Ascribe To The Lord

11 January 2025 - what has been given

Today's Readings

(Audio)

No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 

They tried to provoke John by asking why both he and Jesus were both baptizing. If the one to whom John gave testimony was going to have his disciples perform baptisms ought not John himself step aside from that ministry? Or should not the one who was to come have had something new and different to offer? To the later we can answer that John had already promised that the one who was to come would in fact also baptize, albeit with the Holy Spirit and fire. But if that was beginning to take place ought not John have found a new role and reinvented his ministry in some way? Maybe even he felt this way to some extent. But listen to the humility in what he replied: "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven". Maybe he would have preferred to do something different, just as he would have not baptized Jesus if left to his own devices. But he knew enough to stick with what had been given him from heaven. If he tried to invent something on its own it would have been without value. As it was, his continued baptizing, even in the vicinity where the disciples of Jesus were also baptizing, led to opportunities such as this where he could testify to Jesus and direct others to follow Jesus rather than John. What a humble ministry it was, where John claimed nothing as his own, but was glad to decrease as he saw his friend the bridegroom increase.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;

the best man, who stands and listens for him,

rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. 

So this joy of mine has been made complete. 

He must increase; I must decrease.

John might have thought that at least the ministry of baptism could be something uniquely his own. And when it was no longer such he might have insisted that he have something by which he could be known or stand out. But he was wise and humble enough not to be more clever or creative than the God who had revealed his plan to him. What he desired was not to be famous or renowned himself, but rather to make known Jesus, and to point him out as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But where did John find joy if not in fame or success? He found it where we are all meant to find it, in "bridegroom's voice". As long as he was permitted to hear that voice, and to help others to hear it, it was enough for him.

The joy of John the Baptist in the voice of the bridegroom was related to the confidence expressed by John the Evangelist in our first reading. They were both based on knowing and Jesus and listening to him. For the John the Evangelist, being rooted in God through Jesus Christ was a power even greater than temptation and sin, a power that, when fully realized was itself eternal life.

We also know that the Son of God has come

and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. 

And we are in the one who is true,

in his Son Jesus Christ. 

He is the true God and eternal life. 

Damascus Worship Featuring Seph Schlueter - Glory To God

Matt Maher - Canticle Of Zechariah

10 January 2025 - that you may know

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 

While it was true that Elisha gave Naaman instructions by which he was able to receive healing for his leprosy, it was only the Lord who truly had the power to heal, and the discretion to wish it or not wish it. Jesus was the Son of God, and by believing this at least implicitly the leper was able to experience a measure of victory over the world. Again we see that faith is not merely about information. It opens expansive vistas of possibility where Jesus is free to work. It sees in Jesus the pattern by which the world was made, the Word that sustains the universe, and the one who can refashion it according to his will. Given that faith is in Jesus as a person, not just data, it has implications for the entirety of the actual daily life of any who believe.

Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,

“I do will it.  Be made clean.” 

Those who possess the Son of God have life. But how can this be if we are impure, mired in sin, and therefore unclean? How can we receive Jesus under such roofs as ours? We can see from the leper that it is not in the first place about our ability to prepare ourselves in advance to receive him. It is rather his coming to us that is the thing that is ultimately transformative. We know this to some extent about the Eucharist. But what about confession? How do we think about that? Do we consider it as something we do to make ourselves, if not worthy, then at least not unworthy, to receive him? Yet the paradigm of the leper is an even closer match for what Jesus does for us in confession than when we receive the Eucharist? It is he who touches us, and it is his touch, not our effort, that cleanses us. There is nothing we could ever do, no amount of contrition we could ever muster, that would accomplish what Jesus does for us in confession because of his grace and his mercy.

“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing

what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” 

Once Jesus touches us we are not only healed within but are also brought back into proper integration with the community of believers. Our spiritual leprosy always keeps us from full communion, not only with Jesus, but also with his body the Church. And this is true even if we're still in a church building going through the motions. It is only when we are properly connected to Jesus, the head, that we can function properly as parts of his body.

The report about him spread all the more,

and great crowds assembled to listen to him

and to be cured of their ailments,

but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

Jesus did not desire fame. In fact he shunned it as much as possible, both because he didn't need it, and to provide an example for his disciples to follow. He would withdraw to deserted places to both live out and demonstrate the priority of his relationship with the heavenly Father. Thus even Jesus, the Son of God in whom we put our faith, never existed outside of dependence on his relationship with the Father. We are called to possess the Son of God and have life and victory. But it is a victory which is also always paradoxically a surrender.

I write these things to you so that you may know

that you have eternal life,

you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Jesus Culture - When You Walk Into The Room

9 January 2025 - victory in Christ

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

The Spirit of the Lord was revealed to be upon Jesus at his baptism when it descended upon him like a dove. He was then revealed to be the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one. But he had been this since even before his birth, since the moment he was conceived. This anointing not merely an interesting fact or an identifying characteristic. Instead the anointing gave direction to his life, as we can see when, for instance, the Spirit drove him into the desert to be tempted (see Mark 1:12).

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

Jesus was obviously not led into the desert to be tempted for the sake of exposing himself to danger. He did not go so that he could merely gloat over a victory. Instead, it was a part of his plan to refashion broken humanity. By being first victorious in all of the ways that sin made people prone to fail, Jesus made it possible for those in union with him by faith to share in his victory.

for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. 

And the victory that conquers the world is our faith

The Spirit therefore drove him not only into the desert but also toward his mission to proclaim the good news to the poor, as he did in the beatitudes. He came also to give sight to the blind, especially to those who were spiritually blind and new they were. He was driven to overthrow any power the enemy had over the creatures he had made. Ultimately, nothing, not even death itself could stand in the way of this victory.

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

It was not obvious to all who heard that the passage had been fulfilled in their hearing. They thought Jesus was one of them and that they knew everything there was to know about him. In that moment it required faith to recognize the fulfillment. So too for us, who have by now grown accustomed to our relationship with Jesus. He invites us to share in his victory. But it must first be by faith before it can be by sight.

Graham Kendrick - For This Purpose

8 January 2025 - there is no fear in love

Today's Readings

(Audio)

But when they saw him walking on the sea,

they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 

Since perfect love drives out fear we can see that they had not yet been perfected in love. This was in fact what the miracle of the loaves was meant to accomplish. They were to recognize in Jesus the God who desired to be himself the shepherd of his people Israel. He intended to lead them not only through the valley of the shadow of death but also to keep the safe during storms, whether during the first watch of the night or the fourth. 

They were completely astounded. 

They had not understood the incident of the loaves. 

On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

The miracle of the loaves had not had the desired effect on the disciples themselves. More than anyone else who witnessed it they should have recognized that in Jesus there was a sufficient abundance to meet every need. Perhaps at a distance it might have been possible to ignore this reality. But they themselves were so involved, both by bringing the five loaves and two wish, and by providing the multiplied results to the people. They were not only seeing an impressive miracle. Jesus himself was demonstrating his love and compassion for the crowd through them. It was one thing to ignore a miracle. It was another to harden oneself against this kind of participation in the divine love. We are led to wonder if there are ever times when Jesus uses us to express his love, perhaps even literally involving us in miracles, and yet we harden our hearts. Perhaps it is too different from our expectations or too distinct from our more selfish desires. Perhaps we mostly feel relief that its over rather than thankfulness that we were privileged to participate. How might we allow Jesus to help us have a better attitude?

But at once he spoke with them,

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 

He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. 

The hour seems more late and the storms seem more terrifying when we believe that we are facing them alone. When our hearts are hardened even the presence of Jesus can at times feel like a hostile external force. But Jesus does not wish to leave us in this condition. If the initial theophany of 'passing by' is insufficient he is willing to get into the little boat of our soul and speak words of peace. This helps us learn to see things correctly. It is not the circumstances of the storm that have the last word. It is rather Jesus himself, whose word can calm even the fiercest wind. He wants us all to be able to testify together with John the Evangelist, "We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us".

Peter Furler - Psalm 23

7 January 2025 - God is love. But what kind?

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Beloved, let us love one another,

because love is of God;

God, John tells us, is love. But is this love in some abstract, philosophical sense? Is he merely using poetic license to make God seem more relatable when he is really still distant and unapproachable? It would have been hard to tell for sure except that, "God sent his only-begotten Son into the world". In Jesus we see the Father's heart revealed. And this revelation makes it clear. We are not merely projecting human terminology on God. The love of God is related to human love as its source and origin. Thus the main thing is "not that we have loved God, but that he loved us".

Of course our human understanding of love is imperfect. We call some things love that are closer to categories of use and even exploitation. But this does not mean that we can't recognize true love when we see it in action. It does mean that we need to allow God's kind of love to purify our ideas of love. It was difficult to do this when there was still the immense difference between humanity and God that preceded the incarnation. But once Jesus became flesh his own life became the perfect example of love, a love greater than which no one ever had.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (see John 15:13).

Because God is love and Jesus is God all of the individual episodes from the life of Jesus take on rich meaning as the love of God is revealed in the shape of a human life.

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,

for they were like sheep without a shepherd;

Jesus possessed a love that was not merely an indifferent altruism. Rather he saw the deepest needs of the crowds and longed to fulfill those needs. He was sympathetic with their hunger for bread, but especially for their hunger for him. He knew that the crowds possessed a desire that he alone could satisfy, that they were in fact made to find fulfillment in him. This was not merely a curious fact that he addressed because, as God, it was easy for him to do so. Rather it was something that deeply mattered to him, so much so that he gave all that he was, his very life, to satisfy them. 

They all ate and were satisfied.

The crowds that ate and were satisfied pointed to the future when Jesus would far surpass the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves with the gift of himself in the bread of the Eucharist. His love for his people would stop at nothing less than giving his very life as a sacrificial lamb so that his Church could forever keep the feast (see First Corinthians 5:7-9) and experience satisfaction, a peace the world could not give or take away.

Damascus Worship Featuring Seph Schlueter - No Distance / Emmanuel