30 April 2025 - God so loves [ your name here ]

Today's Readings
(Audio)

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.

This passage is popular for a reason. It has the potential to clear up so many misconceptions about Christianity. It is antithetical to the idea that Christianity is something we do to appease an imperious or angry God who is largely indifferent to our plight. It is not actually, primarily, about what we do for God at all, but rather, what he has done for us in Jesus Christ.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

Many people seem to think that Christians believe in an angry God who wants to condemn the world, only occasionally giving a pass to those who follow a list of arbitrary rules, worshiping him to stoke his ego, or provide some other benefit to him. The fact that one of the few things remembered in the religious history of our country is that Jonathan Edwards once wrote a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" probably doesn't help. But these presuppositions forget that God has always said, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (see Ezekiel 33:11). This is consistent in Saint Paul as well, who writes of "God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (see First Timothy 2:3-4). But if teaching wasn't enough to prove the sincerity of God's position, nothing could surpass the giving of his only Son for the salvation of the world. God's purpose was not condemnation and never was. It was always to save as many as possible. But why, someone may ask, not everyone? To which we give a three part answer. First, salvation means living in an exchange of love with God and all of those united to him for all eternity. Second, love cannot be forced. Third, we tend to prefer just about anything else over the demands of love.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

In our fallen world love is not the default position, but rather selfishness. This is why our default situation is not salvation, but condemnation. If we insist on pursuing that path to its end, if we insist on rejecting love, we will eventually find ourselves in the place that is the antithesis of love, which is hell itself. But we cannot rise to the level of God's kind of selfless agape love on our own. We are too much trapped by our own egos. And beyond that there are powerful forces working against us to make sure we stay confined in those pitiful little prisons. Thus it is all dependent on our response to God's rescue mission. The coming of Jesus into our world demands a response from all who come to know about him. Accepting Jesus is how we give our 'Yes' to God and all he desires for us. Rejecting the one sent to save us is like spitting in his face, just as some did during the trial of Jesus (see Mark 14:64-66). What could be more sad than hardening our hearts to the outstretched arms of love?

And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.

The difficulty with salvation is that it brings light to the dark places within our hearts. It is a trivial thing for us, and something we even tend to celebrate, to bring light to the dark places in our society and in the world around us. But we hate to admit there is anything wrong with us, even to ourselves. We're more cynical about it now, but we still tend to believe at least the first half of 'I'm OK - You're OK', just as much as anyone in 1967. We have internalized the part of it that conveniently reinforced the story we wanted to tell and to believe about ourselves.

What we need to realize is that the light doesn't shine to expose us, or to delight in our faults. It shines to illuminate, and to cast out the darkness. Basically all that is asked of us is that we don't run from it, that we too might find ourselves in light and no longer in darkness.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (see Colossians 1:13).

It's all about love. Sometimes love has to be tough love. But God himself bore what was most difficult, in order to help and to entice us to come to him. So let the light shine. And let us run into the outstretched arms of love.

 

DC Talk - In The Light

29 April 2025 - lifted up

Today's Readings
(Audio)

If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

Jesus tried to help Nicodemus to raise his mind to heavenly things by way of earthly analogies. But Nicodemus was still stuck at trying to figure out, not so much the spiritual realities, but what they implied about the earthly and empirical. "How can this happen?", may have been a sincere question. But the true answer to that question could not be understood at a merely earthly level of thinking. If Nicodemus could not avail himself of the analogy of the earthly to the heavenly, the bridge that Jesus was able to offer in his teaching, and this because he was himself that bridge in his person, Nicodemus would not be able to understand what exactly how baptism could produce the effect of new birth that Jesus described.

No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

Because of the divinity of Jesus, which came from the Father he was uniquely able to reveal heavenly truth. Because of the humanity of Jesus, which came from Mary his mother, he was able to speak that truth to other women and men of earth. He had full access to the answers, but also the ability to communicate those answer at a human level. But that level of communication required that the minds of the human receiving the communication be lifted up. Those walled off against spiritual and heavenly realities could not hope to understand.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

This response from Jesus may have seemed to Nicodemus to come out of left field. But it was in fact the answer to his question about precisely what made it possible for baptism to have its effect of regeneration, of new birth, for those who believed. The primary limitation of the old birth was that of sin. Sin darkened the mind, set one at enmity with God, and made him resistant to learning and following God's ways. It caused him to be limited by his ego, his life unable to rise to the level of consistent and genuine love. This in turn presented such a gulf between him and God that he was unable to live forever in his presence. But the lifting up of Christ was powerful precisely because it had the ability to reveal the true toxicity of the poison while at the same time offering a cure. In a way, it said, 'These are the consequences of keeping your mind at an earthly level. But here also is a new possibility to look higher'. It was an extreme indiction of the earthly while at the same time making the heavenly so inviting that "when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (see John 12:32).

We can tell that we have not fully realized this promise. The first disciples were much closer since, there "was no needy person among them", so fully had they given themselves over to lives of love. It seems we need Apostles in our own times to bear witness with great power to the resurrection of Jesus. It is from his rising that we receive great favor, as they did. Once we know this favor in our lives we too many become daughters and sons of encouragement.

Kari Jobe - Forever

28 April 2025 - born from above

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him.

Nicodemus knew that the signs performed by Jesus indicated that God was with him in some special way. He struggled to understand by means of the intellect, and thus asked Jesus for an explanation.

Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

Rather than directly responding, Jesus challenged Nicodemus, telling him that in his current state he could truly see or experience the Kingdom of God. He could, perhaps, infer much about it from the effects he witnessed. He could and did recognize that those effects implied a divine origin. But Jesus desired to raise him to a higher level, to life in the Spirit and not just the flesh. Only by experiencing life in the Spirit could Nicodemus truly see the Kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to him,
"How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"

Nicodemus was still thinking in earthly terms. He had no experience to provide an analogy for the reality of which Jesus spoke. Jesus used the word "born" because what he described was like a birth insofar as it made someone a new creation, opening them to new dimensions of reality. But it did not imply a mere reshuffling of the current physical reality, with all of the limitations that such a reality entailed. But still, the concept of birth pointed in the direction of the newness of the Kingdom. Just as one who was born experienced a completely new reality, so too would one born into the Kingdom. Nicodemus was trying to investigate facts. But Jesus was preparing him for an invitation, making him ready to hear his command, "You must be born from above".

It was one thing to account for all of facts about Christianity, to demonstrate its coherence with philosophy and with history and even with the deepest reading of human psychology. But none of this was enough to appreciate the radical newness of Kingdom life. It might all have amounted to a map pointing toward a goal, with words describing a treasure to be found, but without being able to convey a sense of the true power and value of the treasure. Apologetic facts could be provided through discourse. But the true value of the Kingdom could only be conveyed through the testimony of those who had experienced it.

Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

How does one experience this new birth from above? Through baptism, in which we are covered by water and filled with the Spirit. Baptism is our point of entry into the death (like submersion in water) and resurrection of Jesus himself. In it we become children of the Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus by adoption. We hear the words that Jesus himself heard at his own baptism, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (see Matthew 3:17). It is by means of baptism that we become new creations in Christ, and walk in "newness of life":

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (see Romans 6:4).

Of course, once we mention a sacrament we start to lose the attention and patience of others. It seems to them that sacraments are merely rituals and cannot deliver on so great a promise. Seeming to confirm their point are the vast number of baptized Christians, including, perhaps, ourselves, who do not always experience or live from this new reality. Yet we have in fact received it. And though the grace is given all it once, it is released throughout ones life in correspondence to faith. This is good news. It means that no matter we have or have not already experienced, there is always more. We can and should learn grow in our trust of Jesus and to lean more and more into the promise of our baptism. After all, the Lord is looking, not so much for academics or for scholars, as for witnesses to give testimony. And we cannot give what we haven't first received.

Concretely, how can we seek to release more of the baptismal gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives? The prayer of the disciples in our reading from Acts is as good a place to start as any.

And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness

Matt Maher - Overflow

27 April 2025 - mission out

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.

It may have been his own fault that he missed out on the first appearance of Jesus to the apostles. He may have been heading in the wrong direction at the time, like disciples heading away from Jerusalem. The others seemed to value the group to which they belonged, which Jesus had established, more than he. It is possible that he had reverted to a former definition of himself as an individual apart from that group, and that he was less able to face what had happened than the others. The others who gathered together seemed to be unable to entirely abandon who Jesus had been in there lives. But Thomas seemed to want only to forget. If this was so, it seemed that he could not forget, since he was only able to stay away for a week at most. Or, perhaps, he was running an errand, and only coincidence made him miss the first visit of Jesus. But whatever the reason Thomas missed out there was a deeper reason for which Jesus allowed it. Yes, he had to experience a deep degree of loneliness and abandonment, the feeling of missing out and being neglected. But from this deeper darkness there emerged greater faith.

So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Probably if Thomas had been there the first time he would not have pushed his skepticism so far. Returning to hear the testimony of the other disciples he found himself unwilling to believe them, unable to accept that Jesus would appear to them when he was not present. If it was true, it was something of which he would be envious. More likely, then, it was some kind of delusion that resulted from their despair. If Thomas, a cooler, more rational, and more empirical individual had been there, he could have prevented them from being carried away, as he thought they were. Thus, what he demanded as proof was not only for himself, but also to unsettle the belief of the others. Had they touched him? Could they? Wasn't it just a vision, or a flight of fancy? Had they really thought things through and made certain of what they thought they saw?

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Jesus once again appeared by surprise to reveal himself. Before this moment, Thomas no doubt assumed that if Jesus was going to appear to him he would not have appeared when he was absent. He thought that, if the others were in fact somehow telling the truth, he had missed his own opportunity. If they were right, it seemed, it meant that Jesus did not care. But by appearing to Thomas, Jesus demonstrated that he had not forgotten Thomas, had not been unaware of the struggle and the sadness he felt in his heart. From Thomas we can learn to never assume we missed out entirely just because we missed the obvious opportunity. When everyone around us is rejoicing because they received some blessing it does not mean we will never receive it. When we have to wait, it is often because God has something better for us. When he allows us to fall back upon ourselves, our sadness, our cold rational empiricism, our unwillingness to trust, it is so that we can more completely give ourselves over to faith in him when he does at last appear.

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Of all the people in all of the Gospels, it was doubting Thomas who most explicitly stated the divinity of Jesus himself. The Gospels were always explicit on this point, but the speech of the disciples recorded within them never said it clearly, except here in the case of Thomas. It seemed that it was finally the experience of being known by Jesus that did the trick for him, as when Mary Magdalene heard Jesus call her name, as when he saw into the heart of Nathanael under the fig tree. Jesus knew exactly the privation that Thomas felt, and submitted himself to the standard of proof Thomas demanded. Before this moment Thomas might have been afraid that Jesus did not care if he believed. But now that fear was banished. He knew Jesus was sincere when he said, "do not be unbelieving, but believe". Did he even need to touch the wounds of Jesus at this point? John doesn't tell us. But there is every indication that he was totally overwhelmed by faith in response to this encounter.

Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

We ourselves often prefer the mindset of Thomas the doubter. We want definitive empirical proof for all of our beliefs. We are reluctant to accept anything on the basis of trust. But the revelation of Jesus to Thomas was not only for Thomas, but us as well. The testimony of one who had all of our questions but responded to the invitation to faith with the utmost affirmation can help us to trust as well. And Jesus himself explained that this way of coming to faith was in nowise inferior to that of seeing his risen Body.

But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Since we couldn't hear the testimony of Thomas directly Jesus appointed evangelists to record that testimony in written form. He breathed his Spirit not only onto the Twelve but also onto the pages of the New Testament. The Spirit helped direct the people then to an encounter with Jesus through the ministry of the disciples. It helped them to receive his forgiveness and his gift of joy. In the pages of the Gospels this same Spirit is alive and guiding all who read them to that same encounter. Books about historical figures may be interesting. But the Word of God is living and active, precisely because Jesus lives and will never die again.

 Robin Mark - Lion Of Judah

26 April 2025 - passing the testimony

Today's Readings
(Audio)

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven seven demons.

The public testimony of Mary Magdalene may have been suspect, because she of who she had been, or even, in that time and place, because she was a woman. The disciples may have thought her emotions got the better of her, that she now believed what she wanted to believe in light of the absence of the one from whom she had received so much. Yet this was the person chosen by Jesus himself to be the first witness, who would testify to his resurrection. As usual, he reversed all expectations of the world around him, choosing "what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are" (see First Corinthians 1:27). He commissioned her to be his witness even though he knew well enough that the disciples would not believe her. How frustrating it must have been for one whose world had been so completely upended to be unable to convey that joy to others.

After this he appeared in another form
to two of them walking along on their way to the country.
They returned and told the others;
but they did not believe them either.

Jesus had opened the heart of these two disciples to the Scriptures and had made himself known in the breaking of the bread. But even all of this was not enough to make them persuasive to the Eleven at first. As with Mary Magdalene, what they told the others was so strange and seemingly impossible as to be practically incomprehensible. Since there was no precedent for the resurrection it was hard to even imagine the possibility that any of these witnesses were describing actual events.

The first witnesses chosen by Jesus did not meet with immediate success. But that was not to say that there was no purpose in that they were chosen or in what they did. The failure of their attempt at witness did not diminish what they themselves gained by recognizing the risen Lord. Giving testimony about that event, even if it was disbelieved, could strengthen them in their own faith, and prepare them for a world in which many would respond in the same way. Their testimony was not necessarily useless to the Eleven either. It might have been the first crack in hard soil, or a foot wedged in the door, that prepared the others for when Jesus himself would complete his good work in them (see Philippians 1:6).

But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart
because they had not believed those
who saw him after he had been raised.

The Eleven became witnesses while at the same time being made aware of their own limitations. Because they now knew the hardness of their own hearts they would be sympathetic when they met others who responded to them in the way that they themselves had first responded.

Once they had been brought from doubt to faith by their own encounter with the risen Lord they received the commission to go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel. They received this commission having already seen a pattern that was not immediate and perpetual success. Faith was required. Persistence was necessary to produce results. It was normal for people to have filters against things that seemed to good to be true. The spirit of so-called 'realism' that now pervades our world is nothing new. And God would not force anyone to believe. But this did not mean faith could not be shared. It did not mean that dialog was impossible. But it did mean that one would need to rely on the Spirit to bridge the gap between himself and other human hearts in order that the message he would communicate could be conveyed. This in turn meant that he would need to trust in God's timing, not his own. But it also meant that he could have confidence like that of Peter and John, unable to be silent no matter the response he encountered.

Whether it is right in the sight of God
for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges.
It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.

 

 Keith Green - Easter Song

25 April 2025 - net loss and net gain

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way

We might have assumed that Jesus would only need to reveal himself once, and that after that his disciples would live on the basis of this new relationship with him. One encounter seemed to be enough to make them his disciples in the first place. But one revelation was not enough for them to experience how the resurrection had changed everything. Previously they had known him according to their expectations and preconceptions. But now that his glory had been revealed it took time for them to acclimate to that glory. We should not, therefore, be surprised by our own need to grow in our understanding and experience of the presence of Jesus in our midst.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."

The decision to return to a familiar activity like fishing savored of the fact that they were now uncertain of what was expected of them in light of the resurrection of Jesus. Before the cross they had ideas about how they could contribute and what value they could add. These were the impulses that motivated them as disciples. But after the cross, what remained to do be done? And if there was something to be done, ought it not be done by others, people who had not betrayed their Lord in his hour of need? After failure, they returned to the familiar, rather than the walk of faith. They had tried to find the meaning of their lives in following Jesus but came up short because of their own weakness and human frailty. Rather than returning to him, they returned to what they knew. But the fact that now they knew Jesus and were witnesses to his resurrection did change everything, even if they weren't sure how, or even if they wanted the change. After encountering the risen Lord they were not able to find satisfaction by pursuing former ways.

So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.

Fishing resulted in a long night of failure. After the night of sorrow, the dawn brought the joy of the presence of Jesus. Again he surprised his disciples in order to reveal himself. Yet what he told them was not, 'Stop fishing. You should know better', but something more along the lines of 'Stop trying to do life without me'. In the future fishing would only fail to satisfy if it was done without reference to Jesus and to the mission he had for his followers.

So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.

Listening to the voice of Jesus, even before fully recognizing Jesus, was a gesture of faith by which they sought first his Kingdom. They responded to a call from outside of themselves to hope when the situation seemed hopeless. And because of this response they received not only the Kingdom but all else besides, even one hundred fifty-three large fish, which may have represented all species. The revelation came precisely in the moment when they remembered that Jesus himself was the only one who could give meaning to their lives. And it implied that their real purpose would still be found in the call of Jesus to be fishers of women and men. The real catch would include, not fish, but people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. It would be truly universal (that is, catholic). And it would be one, just as, even with so many fish, the net did not tear.

Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.

They were meant to be with Jesus, and to enjoy the feast found in the house of the Father, rather than trying to make the best of it on their own. Then, in that place, their own meager efforts would be taken up and transformed. The fish brought to that breakfast was a little like the offerings brought forward at mass, or the humble elements of bread and wine, supplied to be transformed, or the small individual sacrifices, that we unite with the one sacrifice Jesus himself offered to the Father. It was in this way that the world was sanctified, when all of the 'natural' and 'secular' world was taken up and transformed. This led for the disciples, as it does for us, into the call to mission. As we often hear, our call is to "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord".

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His mercy endures forever."

Matt Maher - Because He Lives (Amen)

24 April 2025 - he stood in their midst

Today's Readings
(Audio)

While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

It was only natural for them to be surprised because of, "the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews" (see John 20:19). Regardless of who it had been, that fact alone would have been startling. But, since it was Jesus, they were not just surprised, but "startled and terrified" because they "thought that they were seeing a ghost". Perhaps if he were a ghost it would explain how he could enter even when the door was still locked. They had heard that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that he had appeared to Simon. But now they had less certainty about what that meant. Had he been raised? Or had he instead returned as a vengeful spirit?

Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."

Jesus wanted them to understand what it meant to say he was risen from the dead. It was not simply the same kind of body one had before death. After all, such a body, like that of Lazarus, would go on to die again. But Jesus was raised from death and "will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him" (see Romans 6:9). It was a different sort of body, as Paul also taught, writing, "What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable" (see First Corinthians 15:42). But this new form of embodiment, while in some sense "spiritual" was also, in a real sense, still physical. It was the sort of body one could touch, to which one could even cling, as did Mary Magdalene. Unlike ghosts, the risen Jesus could even eat as he did here, or share a meal with his disciples, as he did on the Sea of Tiberius (see John 21:9-13). There was some discontinuity with his former mode of existence. But all that was left behind was weakness, limitation, and infirmity. He did not, however, abandon all physical aspects of reality. There remained what was truly important and necessary, empowering the continuity of relationships, and celebrating the goodness of creation. It wasn't that he became less embodied, or that physical reality was made for him more vague, ambiguous, and irrelevant, so much as that it now opened out to a new and higher dimension of being.

they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed

This was another instance of Jesus surprising his disciples with his presence. So what was the lesson of this particular surprise? No doubt it was what we saw, an understanding of what was meant by resurrection that they could not have attained from a merely verbal explanation. But there was more. He demonstrated precisely why the old ways that his disciples related to reality, were no longer appropriate. Fear and terror did not have the last word, because death had been defeated. Jesus himself had the last word, and that word was "Peace".

He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Only people that experienced the presence of the risen Christ, who felt the peace that came from hearing his word, and who had their minds opened to understand the big picture of his plan, were fully prepared to go and set the world on fire as his witnesses. This is not to say we need to be Old Testament scholars before we can tell people about Jesus. But at a minimum we need to understand, if not in detail, that all of history was leading up to Jesus, and in particular, for his death and resurrection. The corollary of that truth is that every individual human heart is made for him, and those who do not know him yet are awaiting him, even if they themselves are unaware. It is this confidence, that everyone is made to receive what we ourselves have found in the risen Lord, is what will give credibility to our witness, and allow God to persuade others through our testimony.

Maverick City Music - In The Room

23 April 2025 - made known to them in the breaking of the bread

Today's Readings
(Audio)

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

Jesus could have walked up and made himself known, telling them, 'Hey, it's me. The women were right. They really did see angels. And what they were told by the angels was true'. If we were writing the script for Jesus it is likely it would have been something like that. We would probably prefer the most straightforward option. But apparently there was something to be gained from the fact that he was not immediately recognized. Just as Mary Magdalene recognized him when he called her name so too was there a specific and intentional way that he had planned for Cleopas and his companion to recognize him. Apparently a straightforward approach would have led to a superficial result. But an intentional self-revelation at a precise moment could make a lasting impact on one's life.

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”

Why take the time to hear their jumbled interpretation of events? Why not set them straight immediately, if that was the plan? It seemed that only if they were forced to fully articulate their current understanding, if Jesus met them precisely at the level where they were, could they transcend it and move beyond it. This speaks to a general need for educators to not simply blast students with knowledge bombs, but to see where they are, and where, therefore, the next step ought to be.

And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”

It may not have been obvious to them, but after having it explained to them from the Scriptures by Jesus himself, the foretelling of the suffering of Christ by the prophets, as well as its necessity, would forever after be obvious. They had been foolish and slow of heart to believe. But in a way, this was because needed Jesus to first unlock the meaning of revelation, of "all the Scriptures", to them. Human wisdom was foolishness from the perspective of God (see First Corinthians 3:19). They needed the God-man himself to teach them the necessity of the divine folly of the cross.

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.

They were at what must have been the greatest bible study in history. But even still, even with the teacher and the subject matter, they did not yet recognize Jesus. They had progressed with him to what we might call the Liturgy of the Word but still did not recognized him. Their hearts did burn within them as he opened the Scriptures to them. But even so, he did not yet reveal himself fully. It was only in the breaking of the bread that his presence would be fully revealed.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.

Again, this revelation probably was probably different from anything we would expect. We would expect the Jesus drawing near, or at least his explanation of himself from his word, to be the moment he was revealed. But instead, it was through the Eucharist. Outsiders would see in the Eucharist only gestures, words, and rituals. But Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that the most deep and abiding form of presence he had to give was found under the appearance of bread and wine. The other forms in which Jesus was present to them, or in which he is present to us (in the community, in the priest, and in the Scriptures) are meant to culminate in our recognition of his presence in the breaking of the bread, "the source and summit of the Christian life" (see CCC 1324). Why wait until that moment to reveal himself? Precisely to give an experiential reality to the primacy of his presence there.

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Has Jesus been made known to us in the breaking of the bread? We may have what is sometimes called a testimony about how we came to know Jesus or to know him in a deeper way. But do we have a Eucharistic testimony? Do we have a soundbite or elevator pitch ready to help us to share our love of Jesus in the Eucharist with those who do not yet recognize him there? Let's ask God to help us to remember all he has been for us in the Eucharist and inspire us to share that truth with others.

 

Carey Landry - Known To Us

22 April 2025 - why are you weeping?

Today's Readings
(Audio)

And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

Mary Magdalene was so distraught that the presence of the angels barely registered. Unlike the guards, whose fear paralyzed them at the very sight of the angels, Mary was too engrossed in her grief to notice. She had a connection to Jesus that was so important to her that she simply did not know how to let it go, did not know what to do with herself in a world without him, and did not have attention to spare for such a world. This connection to Jesus kept her near the tomb, and positioned her to be the first witness of the resurrection. Her sorrow would, as Jesus had said, turn to joy (see John 16:20).

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.

It seemed that her grief was so great that she couldn't even recognize the return of the one whose loss she mourned. The fact that such a return was almost inconceivable could not have helped. And the Jesus who returned was in fact changed by the glory of his resurrection. But the main reason she didn't recognize Jesus was probably not her fault. Jesus was known to prevent people from recognizing him until a precisely planned moment of self-revelation. This was what happened when he was with the disciples at Emmaus, but he wasn't known to them until the breaking of the bread (see Luke 24:13-35). In fact, the presence of the risen Lord was always unpredictable. Once the rumors of the resurrection began to circulate, his followers started to investigate. But he seemed to delight in surprising them. He was never quite where they expected. And part of the reason for this was that their expectations were based on Jesus before his resurrection. He was different now. It was a relationship that could not be reestablished from the human side, but only from that of Jesus himself.

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.

She did not recognize him. But he would always know her. If she couldn't identify Jesus based on appearance, she at least remembered what it was like to be known by him. In speaking her name, it was as though Jesus was recreating her, establishing a new relationship with her in the light of his resurrection. She hadn't known who Jesus was. But more to it, she didn't even know who she herself was until she heard Jesus call her name. In hearing Jesus call her name in this way she experienced the power of his resurrection washing over her and transforming her.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it (see Revelation 2:17).

Even with all the newness of the Easter revelation of Jesus to Mary Magdalene she was still tempted to cling to older ways of thinking, acting, and relating to Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”

The power of sin and death over the world had been ended. But Jesus was not finished. His mission was ongoing, and, during the life of his disciples in the world, so too was theirs. Jesus was headed to his enthronement in heaven. And Mary was now meant to go and spread the good news of what she had seen. Her words would help to restore the relationship of the disciples with Jesus, helping them to realize that the resurrection of Jesus now made them his very brothers. His relationship with the Father was now something they could share.

Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.

We can't simply sit in the solace of the Easter festivities forever. But the joy of those festivities is meant to make a lasting change on our lives. Like Mary Magdalene we too are meant to be filled with the joy of knowing the risen Lord so much that we cannot help but say to others, "I have seen the Lord".

 

Newsboys - Your Love Never Fails

21 April 2025 - do not be afraid

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.

The two Mary's went away from the encounter with the angels, who told them that Jesus had been raised, feeling both fear and joy. But why, we may wonder, did they feel fear? This isn't part of the typical tone of an Easter Sunday service. At this distance in history we seem to have move past the fear. This is largely appropriate. Still, we may wonder why the women felt these mixed emotions rather than unadulterated joy. To be sure, the angel they had seen were had an imposing presence, to the degree that the "guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men". So maybe that was some of it. But they didn't feel that fear enough to find it paralyzing. They believed the angel, and were filled with joy at his message. Yet even after leaving him they couldn't shake the feeling of fear. Ought not the return of Jesus inspired only joy and confidence? Ah, but how was this risen Jesus different from the one whom they had known? They must have experienced a new level of awe at the fact that he had even overcome death itself. Their last memories of Jesus alive were of the trauma he endured? Had he now returned for vengeance? And what could stop him if he had?

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.

Even their initial encounter with the risen Jesus himself was timid and fearful at first, not knowing, it seemed, what to expect. They now had a greater sense of the glory that Jesus had always possessed, though previously it been more hidden, and glimpsed only infrequently. The level of awe to which they were moved was actually appropriate. But they did not know how this would affect their relationship. They had known him as a friend. Could he now no longer be their brother, but only their Lord? Could they be together as they had before, or did his exultation preclude it?

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

What happened in their encounter with Jesus? Their belief in the resurrection gained solidity as they spoke with him and even embraced him. The fear they felt, the possibility that the had hallucinated the angel's message, the possibility that Jesus was utterly different now that he had returned from death, all of it was banished by the words of Jesus. The one they encountered was the one whom they had known before. Their relationship with him was not diminished or restricted by his newly revealed glory. In fact it was enhanced. The fact was, not the betrayal of his friends, nor death itself, could have the final word in that relationship. Even the men who had betrayed him he still addressed as "brothers". Much more did he still regard these women who stood with him during his time of trial as his sisters.

We tend to misread the sort of relationship Jesus desires to have with us. At times we keep him at a distance, because he is too exulted to approach. At times, we treat him too casually, as just one of the guys, without regard to the dignity befitting his divinity. We need to encounter the risen Lord to learn to hold in dynamic tension both his humanity and his divinity. Only this encounter can transform our fear to the true, supernatural joy that is his gift.

“You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

Even the enemies of the resurrection could not deny the fact of the empty tomb. And even their excuses exposed the fact that they could not account for it. It was clearly impossible for them to say what happened while they slept. All they could truly prove was that the grave was empty. But it was indeed true that someone had robbed the grave. But it was not the disciples. It was God himself.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

Elevation Worship - Resurrecting

20 April 2025 - Jesus Christ is risen!

Today's Readings
(Audio)

On the first day of the week

That is, on Sunday. Sunday was the first day of creation according to the account in Genesis. Now Sunday would be the first day of a new creation.

while it was still dark

The world did not know it yet, but the light had already arisen. He was the true light who came into the world, who shined on every man (see John 1:9). But hearts like that of Mary Magdalene were still formless and void, tohu va-bodu, after experiencing the horrific events of the crucifixion of Jesus. They were still in need of the Spirit to move upon the waters of their souls, to shine new light upon them, and raise up new and more permanent foundations within them.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary Magdalene clearly didn't yet comprehend what had happened. And yet her action, her insistent investigation, meant there was more taking shape in her heart than despair. Her desire to know what happened was at least not closed to the possibility of some unguessed hope. And this is what made her statement to the other disciples so impactful. Even her halting inarticulate hope was infectious. Imagine how it must have been once she encountered Jesus. The way she acted seemed to indicate that she simply couldn't entirely accept that fact that her Lord was dead. His presence was such that his disappearance seemed like a fundamental contradiction of the universal order. How could the one whose words would not pass away (see Matthew 24:35) himself be lost in death? This aspect of Mary Magdalene gives hope for all of those who, without understanding everything, nevertheless sense that death must not be the end. It is implicit faith that the goodness of God must ultimately triumph over the appearance of an indifferent universe.

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

Those who rush ahead on the wings of inspiration, contemplatives and prophets, may arrive sooner. But they are meant to defer to the authority instituted by Jesus, as John did. They might have ideas about the meaning of the burial clothes within the tomb. They might be quite eager to reach conclusions about them. But they know they should wait for Peter to enter first, and they only after. Their enthusiasm cannot guarantee that the conclusions they reach are correct. The need the stable solidity of Peter to make sure that their speed doesn't make them stumble.

When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

What they found in the tomb were clues that pointed away from natural hypotheses. But they did not, as yet, see Jesus himself. It was unlikely that grave robbers would have taken the time the roll up the burial clothes or be especially delicate with the cloth that had covered his head. If someone responsible for the tomb had moved the body for some reason, would not they have used those things when they reburied him? It even seemed to be a different scenario than that of Lazarus, which must in some way have been in the back of their minds, although it may not have reached a conscious level. Lazarus came out bound by his burial cloths and needed someone else to unbind him. Not so here. Whatever may have happened here, any explanation that required outside intervention seemed to fall short.

Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

They saw the evidence together and together they began to believe. But this was still an inchoate faith, and a hope they could not yet articulate. It was not sufficient to merely know the facts of the resurrection. They needed an encounter with Jesus himself, an encounter that was yet to come. Only by seeing the reality of the resurrection would they understand how the Scripture showed that he had to rise. This was precisely the sort of encounter that the disciples had at Emmaus (see Luke 24:32), and it is an encounter every disciple is meant to have.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Christ's resurrection was not merely an anomaly. Just as it happened to Jesus, so too will it happen to those in union with him. So too, in fact, has it already happened spiritually to all the baptized. But this reality is only apparent to us when we see it with a resurrection perspective, a perspective of faith. We need to encounter the risen Christ, not once, but continuously, in order live the new life he died to give us. As often as we lower our minds to the things of earth may Jesus himself, by the power of his resurrection, raise them up again.

Matt Maher - Christ Is Risen

19 April 2025 - something strange

 Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday from the Liturgy of the Hours Office of Readings
(Audio)

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

Ike Ndolo - Awake, O Sleeper

18 April 2025 - it is Good

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered. 

The beginning of the hour of our redemption was in a garden, just as had been the place of our fall. Where Adam was disobedient and chose himself rather than God, Jesus would demonstrate complete obedience. Adam would wickedly stretch out his hand to take food from a tree. Jesus would stretch out his hands on the tree of the cross to demonstrate his love and his mercy.

When he said to them, “I AM, “
they turned away and fell to the ground.

Jesus told us that his name is the name of God, the name that even the high priest could pronounce only once a year. It was because he shared this name, with his Father, and with the Spirit, that his self-offering had sufficient value to merit our salvation. No ordinary man could offer to God even the price of his own soul. He found himself already in an unpayable debt himself before he might hope to offer anything for another. And he would have nothing to offer save that which he first received. Nothing he could give would accrue to him because it was only his on loan as a steward.

Truly no man can ransom himself,
or give to God the price of his life (see Psalm 49:7).

When Jesus proclaims his divine name let our knees bow willingly before him. His name has the power to compel obedience, and before him one day every knee will bow (see Philippians 2:10-11). But let us recognize that the greatest treasure, as the song says, belongs to those of us who gladly choose him now.

there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by people,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom people hide their faces,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Though he was divine, Jesus emptied himself. Though he was Beauty, Truth, and Goodness, incarnate, he did not force himself on anyone. In fact, he handed himself over to those who forced themselves on him. It was, from a human perspective, tragic. And for anyone other than the Son of God it might have remained a tragedy. But even all of the sorrow and hardship that Jesus endured was foreknown to him. He was not bested, but handed himself over deliberately. His enemies had one plan constrained by the narrow horizon of their perspective. But he had another plan, that of his Father, a plan that would result in salvation for all mankind. If he had been trying to establish an earthly kingdom he could have summoned armies of angels to enforce his will. But his was a heavenly Kingdom, predicated on truth and not on violence.

You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

May we recognize the truth in the voice of Jesus. This is not always easy when the hour is dark and things look hopeless. But circumstances can only be truly hopeless if we abandon Jesus and do not return. Even Peter was unable to trust Jesus during his hour. This was the man who he received the revelation of Jesus' divine identity from the heavenly Father, and who had witnessed his glory on the mount of Transfiguration. Maybe what he did was not as heinous as selling Jesus for silver. But he had been given more than Judas and more was therefore expected of him. But even for Peter such a betrayal did not mean he was a lost cause. Jesus knew in advance not only his sufferings but also how all of his friends (at the time, and throughout history) would fail to live up to such a wondrous gift. And yet he gave it anyway. He gave it knowing that only such a gift could ultimately heal wounded souls like that of Peter and give them power to live as they were meant to, in fidelity to Jesus.

Rather than criticizing God for showing weakness let us stand before the cross with Mary, his mother and our mother, in awe of the love he demonstrated for us. Let us not lose ourselves in sadness, for even Jesus himself did not view these events as a tragedy. To be sure, he experienced crushing sorrow, not only from physical pain, or mockery from his enemies, but especially from the infidelity of his friends. But he had set his face like flint, and endured it all for the joy set before him (see Hebrews 12:2). Jesus did not get stuck in sorrow, but pressed on to joy. Because he did so we need not shrink back out of fear of reprisal for our own infidelity to him. Rather, as the book of Hebrews, we can trust him because he knows and sympathizes with our weakness. We can have confidence.

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

 Bethel Music - Goodness of God

 Brian Doerksen Featuring Wendy Whitehead - Come, Now Is The Time To Worship

17 April 2025 - he loved them to the end

 Today's Readings - Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
(Audio)

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

We might imagine many things that Jesus would have done in his last moments with his disciples, many different ways he could have demonstrated that he loved them to the end. But who could have guessed what he actually went on to do? We tend to read the washing of the feet on a superficial level, as a demonstration, if somewhat extreme, of the principle of humility that he always taught and practiced. Had it been merely that Jesus would not have needed to say, "What I am doing, you do not understand now". It was indeed a display of humility. But it was humility on a cosmic scale. It was a demonstration on a cosmic scale of the inner meaning of the incarnation and the Passion and therefore also the Eucharist. It was probably for this reason that John the Evangelist included this story precisely when he knew his readers would have been expecting the institution narrative, based on their familiarity with the accounts of the life of Jesus recorded in the Synoptics. The disciples were witnessing the reality of what was written in Paul's letter to the Philippians:

Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (see Philippians 2:5-8).

On Holy Thursday, Jesus took upon himself the work of a slave in order to cleanse, not their whole bodies, but specifically the places that were rendered dirtiest and most unseemly by their walk of life in the world. It was a metaphor for what he would do for them by dying on the cross, at which time too he would be stripped of his clothing, and would cleanse, not only his disciples, but the world, not with ordinary water, but with the blood and living water that flowed from his wounded side. It explained the self-gift that was also present in the Eucharist, where the extreme humility and self-offering of Jesus was perfectly manifest and made available throughout the ages. This was too much for the disciples to take at the time. But once they had received the Holy Spirit they would understand that what had been done for them was not merely a nice theatrical gesture, but a life-changing gift. As extreme as was the humility he showed in washing their feet, it was insignificant next to that of the incarnation, the Passion, and the gift of himself in the Eucharist. But if it was less extreme it touched their hearts more directly, giving them a key of understanding to appreciate the meaning of the deeper mysteries. Those mysteries might have remained mere abstractions without the level of proximate direct experience.

Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’  and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.

This calling to imitate the master meant one thing when they had only a limited understanding of the gesture. But later they would realize the depth of the self-gift that Jesus had given, and therefore what they too were called to imitate. They were called to give their very lives for others as Jesus had done for them, to become, as far as possible, food that gave life to the world. They had been loved to the end by Jesus. And now this was the model that they were to follow.

We too have been loved by Jesus to the end, but do not always fully understand or appreciate what was done for us. This is a perfect time to pray to the Holy Spirit for a greater gift of understanding. If we are privileged to witness the Mass of the Lord's Supper may the washing of the feet actually touch our hearts, not, as it may do at times, try our patience. The Spirit wants to move over the waters to bring about something in our hearts which is nothing less than a new creation. 

Matt Maher - Come To The Water

16 April 2025 - exchange rated

Today's Readings
(Audio)

"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

Unlike the woman who anointed Jesus with costly perfume, Judas valued Jesus at the price of a slave (see Exodus 21:32). It was the low amount that the Lord's shepherd was valued by merchants in the book of Zechariah (see Zechariah 11:12-13)¹. Just as the brothers of Joseph sold him to Ishmaelites for a paltry amount of silver (see Genesis 37:28), so too did one of the band of brothers gathered around Jesus betray him for a trivial amount.

At some point Judas became disillusioned with Jesus. And even in our own day we see similar patterns playing out. Someone becomes a disciple with a burst of initial fervor. But over time he discovers that not all is roses and sunshine. Discouragingly, Jesus keeps pointing him to the necessary destiny of the cross. This makes it easy to forgot all that the disciple has in fact received from Jesus and to focus only on whatever present hardships he is facing. Since he did not treasure in his heart the difference Jesus made in his life, since he did not frequently return to him to offer thanks, the enemy was able to remove or at least de-emphasize the memories of his goodness. He becomes more and more forgetful that Jesus makes any difference in his life besides one of unrewarded effort. At this point he may simply walk away. Or he might try various selfish strategies to profit from Jesus, seeking entertainment, or miracles, or even (as scandals sometimes demonstrate) money. But the point is that whatever it was that set Judas on this path is something from which none of us are necessarily exempt. Only if we "praise the name of God in song" and "glorify him in thanksgiving" will we remain safe from the enemy stealing our joy, our peace, and the trust we have in Jesus.

Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"

Only if we really realize that we are each capable of betraying Jesus will we rely on him for the stability and strength to remain with him. If it never occurs to us, or if we never bother to ask ourselves, if there is some price, something we can get, for Jesus for which we might hand him over, we may find ourselves doing so almost without realizing it. It might even seem to be the natural choice, better for us, and perhaps even better for Jesus himself. Maybe it will force his hand, making him do what we feel he should be doing but is not. But the betrayal of Judas did not provoke Jesus into taking military action against the Romans. And he won't be manipulated by us either. But if we are willing to realize our own weakness we become able to avail ourselves of the Lord's strength.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

A dire end, even condemnation in hell, can start from what appears to be a good beginning. This means we ought take nothing for granted, that we should heed Saint Paul and, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling", not as though it all depended on us, which would only increase the likelihood that we turn traitor, but rather remembering that "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (see Philippians 2:12-13)  

1) Mitch, Curtis; Sri, Edward. The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): (A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS) (p. 333). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

 

Matt Maher - Lord, I Need You

15 April 2025 - morsel code

Today's Readings
(Audio)

"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

Jesus was well aware of what Judas was planning. It was not a surprise to him. Even such evil as the betrayal of a friend could work for the good of one who loved God and was called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28). Being too direct about it too soon might well prevent that betrayal. As discreet and clever as Judas thought he was, it was only because it was part of the plan of God and foreseen by him that it was allowed to happen. There had been other attempts to take Jesus before his hour came, and none of these was successful. But here, at the intended time, he would offer no resistance. Judas betrayed Jesus for his own reasons. Perhaps he was frustrated with the way Jesus was carrying out his mission or perhaps it was something else. Whatever his purpose was, however he rationalized it, it was in fact evil. But Jesus took up his evil purpose into the higher purpose of human salvation.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

Because Jesus was ambiguous about the identity of the traitor it forced the other disciples to introspection. They all asked, "Is it I, Lord?" (see Matthew 26:22). This effect was not unintended by Jesus. He knew the hearts of men and what they contained. He knew that the same treacherous impulses of Judas lurked in the hearts of all, though each had a different trigger. Did the disciples really look deeply within themselves though, or was it more that they were worried that Jesus might believe it to be them, and that they wanted to exonerate themselves? Did they only ask if it was them as a way to insist that it was them? Certainly that is what Judas meant when he gave that same answer. Thus piety can actually become pretense which blinds us to what is lurking in the depths of our hearts. We act as though we could not be the traitor, and even our own introspection is designed to show that we are innocent. But if even Peter could still betray Jesus after all that had happened between them, how can any of us feel so smugly certain that we will not?

Jesus answered,
"It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it."

Was Jesus being indirect about the answer only to ensure that his Passion happened on schedule? Certainly that was one reason. But we see also that he was willing to fellowship with Judas until the very last, until Judas himself disappeared into the night. Perhaps Jesus was giving Judas every possible opportunity to repent even all the while knowing he would not. If this was true it was heartbreaking. It seemed that this last gesture of friendship from Jesus, handing the morsel to Judas, was for Judas the moment when he fully resolved to do as he had determined. Jesus held out a hand of fellowship, but in feigning to receive it, Judas committed to his plan of betrayal.

Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

Jesus said that the Son of Man was glorified precisely, "Now", and not only at the resurrection. It was on Good Friday that he demonstrated the greatest possible love, for us, and for his Father. His trusting obedience to the plan of the Father, when he might simply have called in an army of angels, glorified the Father and affirmed the goodness of his plan. But because Jesus glorified the Father in this way it was inevitable that his Father would return the favor, and that at once. He gave his life to the Father and in return the Father would glorify him in his resurrection.

Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"
Jesus answered him,
"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later."

We can only follow the path after Jesus has opened it to us. We cannot go alongside him to the cross. We can only go where he has first gone. When we try to imitate Jesus out of self-will and imagined self-sufficiency we quickly find ourselves tempted to betray Jesus, when our strength runs out, and our lives, or at least our reputations, are at risk. But where Jesus has gone he gives us the power to follow. This is especially true during this Holy Week, in which we are meant not only to watch what Jesus did for us, but are in fact given the grace to enter into it, following him all the way to Calvary and beyond.

Newsboys - You Are My King (Amazing Love)