7 April 2016 - it's a free kingdom

[ Today's Readings ]

But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.

Why do we have trouble accepting what you have to tell us, Jesus? You speak the truth that sets us free. You speak the fullness of truth. Yet we plug our ears to it.

“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

We're afraid of what it means for us. We're afraid to admit responsibility for your blood Jesus. The problem is we can't just accept some of your truth. We have to accept all of it.

Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.

But you remind us that you are not here to condemn us, LORD. Even when we admit to being responsible for your blood it is only so that you can save us and give us eternal life. Because of this, you hold nothing back. You tell us the whole truth and not the sanitized or edited version.

For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.

You do this so that we can be filled with this truth and receive repentance, forgiveness of sins, and salvation. You refuse to compromise and pour out only some of you Spirit. You give us all you have.

We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.

Just as you hold nothing back, LORD, you command us to tell the world "everything about this life". Give us the grace to know the gift of the Spirit beyond measure. Give us the grace to share the gift.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

6 April 2016 - rescue mission

[ Today's Readings ]

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

Jesus, the Father gives you to us as to save us. This is a rescue operation. This is the beachhead landing in enemy controlled territory in order to free the world you love. You don't want to see us condemned. But condemnation is inevitable without you to rescue us.

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.

This isn't because you are mean or vengeful. It is because we refuse the rescue you offer. And we do this sometimes. We have a certain Stockholm syndrome where we come to love our captors.

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

We are like the Israelites fresh out of Egypt.

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic (see Numbers 11:5).

We forget the slavery and only remember the pleasure. We prefer the darkness to light. But you come into the darkness of the world. You are the light itself. You open the doors of our prisons and lead us out into freedom.

But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
“Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life.”

The chains of the world can't hold us unless we let them. You offer us freedom. You invite us out into the light. And once we get there you invite us to tell the people everything about this new life you give us.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

We hesitate at the threshold, LORD. There is still darkness in us, but you are only light. Send your angel to set us free and lead us out.

The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

Draw us to you, LORD, the great light of the world!

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (see First John 1:5).

5 Aprils 2016 - now fades all earthly splendor

[ Today's Readings ]

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

Help us to believe, LORD. Lift our eyes from the things of earth to the things of heaven. Take our minds through the signs (and not around them) to the things signified.

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

Our minds won't do this without your help LORD. Only you come from heaven. Only you can lift our minds to heavenly things.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (see Colossians 3:2).

Without you, we don't understand what it means to be born again from above. Without you, there seems to be no reality to such a new birth. It is your Spirit that gives us the new birth. And it is your Spirit that opens our minds to understand it.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (see Romans 8:5).

Without you we set our minds of the things of the flesh and live according to the flesh. Because without you what else can we do? But with you we can set this old way of life and thinking aside.

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (see Ephesians 4:22-24).

We do not renew ourselves but rather we let you renew us by your Spirit. Your word says, "be renewed"-- something we receive rather than something we do. Only this renewal allows us to put on the new self created in your own likeness Jesus. Only this Spirit can enable us to live according to the Spirit.  Only he can create the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (see Ephesians 4:3) among us. It is beautiful when this actually happens. It is obviously supernatural.

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.

Those who observe it wonder what these believers have that they don't. What is different about them? The renewal of their minds by your Spirit, Jesus, is what is different. Renew our minds as well. We're fixated and fascinated and ultimately frustrated by earthly things that do not satisfy. We struggle to make sense of our lives on that basis We try to renew ourselves using those methods. And it just doesn't work. Help us to leave our old selves at your feet, LORD, so that the whole world can experience the satisfaction and peace that only your supernatural love can bring.

There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.

Lift our gaze so that we can be united in worship of you, your Father, and the Holy Spirit.

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

Let earthly things become strangely dim..

4 April 2014 - asking rightly

[ Today's Readings ]

Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”

You tell us to ask, LORD. You have blessings you are waiting to unleash. You have abundance you want to give us.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (see Matthew 7:7).

So why are we afraid to ask? Ahaz is used to asking for things wrongly. He is so used to it he has forgotten that there is a right way to ask.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (see James 4:3).

This is the kind of sign for which is is wrong to ask. This is the sort of sign that Herod wants to see when Jesus is sent to him by Pilate.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him (see Luke 23:8).

These are the sorts of signs that put you to the test, LORD. But again, there is a right way to ask. There are things for which you want us to ask. And we are guilty of omission when you tell us what they are and we fail to ask.

Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!” 

Mary shows us how to ask for the blessings you have for us. Her yes to your will is what ultimately brings you to us as the Word made flesh, LORD. To ask for this if it wasn't in your will would be presumptuous and even blasphemous. But you make it clear that this is your plan.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.

Mary does not understand at first. But she does not allow her understanding to limit you the way that Zechariah does when he is struck dumb until he names John the Baptist. Her humility allows her to accept your will even when she doesn't understand. She and Ahaz and Zechariah are all afraid when you make your will known to them Jesus. But only the humility of Mary is able remain open in spite of her own frailty and fear. And her humility doesn't make her too meek to ask since it is what you want as well. This is holy boldness!

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”

Help us to sit at Mary's feet until her yes becomes our yes and all of the blessings you have for the world are unleashed!

3 April 2016 - seen and unseen

[ Today's Readings ]

“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.”

Do we recognize in ourselves the stubbornness of Thomas? We begrudge others the special favors they receive from God all the time. Any time things look easy for someone, any time it seems like they have more joy than we do in their faith, and especially if they receive miracles, we become jealous. But this is a roadblock. Rather than receiving what you have for us, LORD, we insist on receiving what you have for others.

Yet even this roadblock doesn't stop you. You want us all to believe in you, Jesus.  You want it so much that you will do what is necessary to reveal yourself to us. We could see the specificity of the demands of Thomas as putting you to the test. It seems like, if anything, it would only alienate you further, LORD. But you recognize in this request something sincere. It is not merely asking for what the others have received but for a level of encounter which Thomas really needs. And because he needs it, you give it.

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.”

Help us to only ask you for the good things you have for us. Don't let us begrudge others the favors you bestow on them.  All of these things are designed to achieve one thing. They are designed to help us recognize who you are beneath the surface. They point us from things we can see to things we can't. We may have to start with seeing to believe. But you want us to reach a place where we can not see but believe.

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

Only this level of sight allows us to see the truth of who you are, anyway. Only this shows you to be the Son of God concealed in flesh. Only this site lets us see what happens behind the scenes at mass.

Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me,
and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands
and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,
wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.

[ Side note: today is a six candle solemnity and the Paschal candle should be lit so it is a good time to notice this ]

When we recognize your presence in the Church you have power to move and change lives. 

Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets
and laid them on cots and mats
so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.

You are still present in your body in this way if we have the eyes to see and the faith to believe. Help us to believe! Cure our stubbornness. If we need to see, show us. 

By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.

But lead us beyond this to a faith which does not need to see, which insists on no earthly qualifiers, a faith, in other words, which is unshakable.

He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.
I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.

2 April 2016 - what we have seen and heard

[ Today's Readings ]

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.

Jesus, help us to become so convinced of what we have seen and heard that is impossible for us not to speak about it.  When your resurrection changes us others can't help but observe our boldness. Like Peter and John we may be "uneducated, ordinary men" without theology degrees but it doesn't matter. We know you, Jesus. And we can't stop talking about it.

You send many witnesses to tell us that the resurrection is real. We need to listen to them. But more than that, you yourself want us to have an encounter with you. You want us to know your rising from the dead by our direct experience of your risen life. We pray like Paul, "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection" (see Philippians 2:10). This is the only way we can be strong and bold in the face of suffering and persecution.

But my goodness, once we get it, we just can't shut-up about it. 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just.

No matter what is wrong right now, now matter how we suffer right now, it doesn't matter because you have the victory which gives it all meaning. Death is defeated. Whatever we feel right now that is a symptom of death will be swallowed up in victory

What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable (see First Corinthians 15:42).

You reveal yourself to us, Jesus. You connect us to your own imperishable, unconquerable, and unkillable life. How can we be silent? How can we do anything but rejoice?

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.

1 April 2016 - where we are

[ Today's Readings ]

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.

Are we already back to life as usual? LORD, the Octave of Easter isn't even over yet. This is still the day of your resurrection! Yet here we are, back fishing as if nothing is different. And not only that, it is going poorly. We're back to the daily grind of necessity and it is already a struggle. The good news is that you don't just let us wander off like this. You enter into our daily grind. You meet us where we are.

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”

Your mighty deeds are meant to do more than make us very efficient fishermen. They are meant to reveal who you are to us again and more deeply.

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.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

You do want your children to eat. One of the things that marks the early church is that they meet together for the breaking of bread, which is the Eucharist first and foremost...

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (see Acts 2:42)

but also other meals...

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people (see Acts 2:46-47).

You want us to do these things in your presence. You want us to have the glad and generous hearts that come from recognizing our risen LORD in our midst, in the brothers and sisters with whom we share meals, wherever two or more or gathered, in your word, and in the Eucharist.

This is how daily life is elevated for believers. It may still be a grind in some ways. But in other ways we hardly notice because of your presence with us. The fundamental thing is to know who you are. We have peace knowing that even when we forget you continue to reveal yourself.

If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.

It is only your name which can heal a broken world, LORD. This healing touches not just the extreme moments but all of life if we only let it. There is no other way. Other solutions are temporary and partial. Only in you is salvation.

There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved.

LORD, be the cornerstone of our lives. We give thanks to you for your goodness and for your mercy without end.

By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.