14 July 2024 - 2x2

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two

and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

The Twelve were not greater than their teacher. They went out two by two because none of them was intended to be self-sufficient. For it could not be assumed that Jesus would command what was superfluous. They would need, as he would make clear, to rely on the providence of God. But they would also need one another. They were not to go out and single-handedly create a new community of disciples wherever they went. They were already little examples of that community which those to whom they were sent could observe and perhaps aspire to join. Of the two sent to a given place, if one was discouraged, the other could encourage. If one was without a useful skill the other could supply it. If one was at a loss for what to do next the other could provide a suggestion. And their mutual prudence and discernment could help rein in anything to brash or call forth courage in the event if timidity became a problem. 

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey

but a walking stick—

no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

They were to seek first the Kingdom of God and in doing so learn to trust that all else, including the necessities of life, would be provided and arranged by divine providence. Jesus was not calling them to great acts of asceticism, or anything worthy of eliciting a prideful response. He did not prohibit that those things needed along the way be brought. But he insisted that on arrival they would need to depend on the hospitality of those to whom they came. They would, as missionaries, be entitled to such hospitality. But by not moving from place to place looking to improve their circumstances, and by not bringing a bag to collect excess, they proved that they weren't in it for the money. This also prevented rivalries from being stirred up in the village by people trying to court their favor.

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two

and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

They had seen Jesus preaching, healing, and acting with authority over unclean spirits. Now it was time to put into practice what they themselves had seen. We can imagine that in order to take such a great leap it would have been a great consolation to the help of another. Yet we can also see why Jesus did not permit much in the way of planning or provisioning for a journey of that sort. The only way to step into the shoes of Jesus was to rely on the Father for assistance. If they felt a great need to figure things out for themselves and plan ahead they would have had less mental bandwidth to listen for divine guidance. As it was, Jesus sent them in a way that made divine guidance paramount. Without it, they could not help but fall flat on their faces. 

So they went off and preached repentance.

The Twelve drove out many demons,

and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

The disciples were able to go out and do what Jesus did. Any mistakes of theirs, or a blooper real, was not recorded in the Gospel. But it still seems likely that they were not without mistakes when they relied to much on themselves and not enough on God. And yet, it does seem like, even if that was the case, they accomplished what they were meant to accomplish. This did not mean that everyone to whom they went heeded the message. No doubt they put into practice his command to shake off the dust at times. But those meant to hear the message were able to hear it. Those in need of healing were able to receive it. Those in the power of unclean spirits were set free.

This plan and purpose which began in the ministry of Jesus and continued in his Apostles and their successors still continues in our own day. God is still about the business of summing up "all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth". And even if we are like Amos and lack the background of a prophet we are still meant to be a part of this plan. If we feel we have nothing to contribute, well, that is in keeping with the call to bring nothing with us. But really, we have a lot because God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens", which ought to be plenty.

Maranatha! Music - Seek Ye First

Newsboys - The Mission

13 July 2024 - what you hear in darkness

Today's Readings

(Audio)

No disciple is above his teacher,

no slave above his master.

It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,

for the slave that he become like his master.

The goal of the disciple is not to himself become the one who is central, preeminent, and in charge. He is not meant to become master in his own right, but ever to remain in service of the master. He ought not seek to surpass the teacher such that he no longer has need of him, but always remain a disciple of the teacher. This cuts against the worldly current of desire for status and position, where we often merely use teachers as a means of self-advancement. When the master of the house was Beelzebul the household is bound to be marked by infighting and division as everyone struggles to get the most they can get and to attain the highest position they can attain. But for disciples of Jesus this ought not be the case. Everyone is meant to avoid "selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (see Philippians 2:3). Yet Christian disciples are not meant to indulge in a learned helplessness or a perpetual immaturity. They are in fact meant to become like their master. And this is to be no external or superficial resemblance. Rather, it is something that should be true at the deepest metaphysical level of being, as disciples become partakers of the same divine nature (see Second Peter 1:4) which Jesus himself possessed in fullness.

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (see First John 3:2).

So we are not to desire the spotlight, or to usurp the glory of others, and especially not to desire to outgrow our need for Jesus himself. But we nevertheless need to grow, for our own sakes and for the fulfillment of our own deepest desires, and for the sake of others who need us to reflect the light of Jesus to a world in darkness.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

As disciples we are being trained to convey a message to the world. What we first hear and learn is not something that is meant to be concealed, not even if there are dire consequences for revealing it. But rather, what we learn in the darkness we are meant to speak to the world. What we learn from our master through his Church and through the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit needs to be amplified and proclaimed to the world. 

Evangelists are qualified not primarily because of our knowledge or skills or courage or confidence but because God himself supplies the qualifications we need. He provides the words that we need to speak, since he alone knows what others need to hear. He himself gives us the courage to do so even when their is a risk to ourselves, whether that risk is failure and hurt feelings, or even if it is the giving of our lives. Martyrdom is not something that is a skill or power of ours, but rather it is a grace given in the moment to those who are called to it. But while we may not be called to be martyrs we can still share in the confidence that made them bold.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?

Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.

Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

As we become more and more like our master we can become more like him in being secure in our Father's love for us. It was this certainty that Jesus himself possessed that allowed him to endure the cross out of love for his Father and for us. And it is similarly the confidence, which is his gift, that can allow us to truly live for him.

He touched my mouth with it and said,

“See, now that this has touched your lips,

your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Andy Park - I See The Lord

12 July 2024 - shrewd as serpents

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;

so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.

Serpents were known for all sorts of negative qualities, since the first serpent encountered in Scripture was a manipulative liar, seeking to harm God's creatures. But there was one quality sheep would need to study and appropriate from the image of the serpent, that being shrewdness. Shrewdness may seem to have a negative connotation but it actually only implies "clever discerning awareness" or "artful ways of dealing" according to Merriam-Webster. It is true that it is easy to employee shrewdness in the pursuit of self interest but it was not in this way that Jesus recommended it to the sheep. He was not commending any actions that would result in deceptiveness or lies or the harm of others. He only praised a shrewdness that was at the same time as simple as doves. He did not necessarily recommend the simplicity of doves as sufficient in itself however. He only spoke of it together with sufficiently sharp powers of judgment. It was a simplicity that was not naive but was rather fully engaged and single hearted.

The Lord unites these two things; because simplicity without wisdom might be easily deceived, and wisdom is dangerous unless it be tempered with simplicity that does no man hurt.

- Saint Regimus

Disciples were called to be attentive to the dangerous circumstances and situations they would encounter as they attempted to spread the Gospel message to the world. They were meant to be aware that many would regard them as hungry wolves may regard unguarded sheep. Shrewdness might well have been a skill that could have kept the disciples from any danger. But if they used it primarily as a means of escape they may also have been prevented from spreading the Gospel. No doubt Jesus did intend that it would prevent them from throwing their lives away wastefully. But it was not meant to prevent them from being witnesses, even if the cost of that be their lives.

When they hand you over,

do not worry about how you are to speak

or what you are to say.

The disciples weren't called to be overly clever about their words. Instead of shrewdness, the main thing that was meant to mark their speech was openness to the Holy Spirit. The words that were needed were not human words. For human words, however clever, were not sufficient to change hearts. It took divine revelation to do that. And human words could be a vessel for divine revelation, but human cleverness was not its origin. 

You will be given at that moment what you are to say.

For it will not be you who speak

but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

The primary thing to which the disciples were being called as they were sent on mission was dependence on God. God himself would provide what they needed when they needed it. They were to employ what we might call human skills such as shrewdness, but only in a secondary and contingent way, as they were guided by the dynamic leadership that Jesus himself promised would be provided for them.

You will be hated by all because of my name,

but whoever endures to the end will be saved.

Popularity was not the success criterion of missionary activity. If anything, it was the opposite. After all, James would later write that "friendship with the world is enmity with God" (see James 4:4). Not that one could try to insight hatred or antagonize the world as his missionary strategy, as though merely being provocative was equivalent with proclaiming the Gospel. But nevertheless, becoming too comfortable with the world or being too popular in the eyes of society ought at least to be viewed more as potential warning signs than indications that we necessarily did something right.

We should read the command of Jesus to endure to the end as indicating that there will be temptations to give up along the way. But while he does not necessarily promise it will be easy, he does assure us that he himself will always arrive in time to save us.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

DC Talk - Fearless

11 July 2024 - mission in dependence

St. Benedict

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“As you go, make this proclamation:

‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

There was something appearing on the scene that was dynamic, active, and alive. This Kingdom was not merely a theoretical construct, which could be seen because its power over the kingdom of darkness was evident. The best weapons of the dark powers, sick and death were being reversed, and the powers themselves were being cast out. This was categorically different from religion is it had existed until that point. Occasionally a prophet would work a mighty deed. But this Kingdom was of an entirely different scale. There seemed to be no limits, as though everything negative on earth would eventually be reversed. 

Cure the sick, raise the dead,

cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.

Even into the Apostolic age following Pentecost there was still this sense that, with the Gospel proclamation, healing and transformation also came as well. People just beginning to listen experienced undeniable and visible manifestations of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10:44). So one might wonder, what happened?  Or, where did this Kingdom taper off and become what today might not be strikingly or obviously different from any other religion to an external observer? Where did the power go? To this we suggest two answers. 

One is that there really was meant to be a unique burst at the beginning to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom in an undeniable way and to provide a foreshadowing of the eventual goal. The ultimate culmination of the Kingdom was, it turned out, only to come after a period of history whose length we still cannot guess. That means we can look back to the beginning of the Church to see signs of how the great restoration and reversal at the end of time might look. But it also means that much patient endurance is necessary along the way. There is more waiting required of us than a superficial reading of the Gospels and Acts might suggest.

The second answer is that the Church going above ground and mainstream resulted in many joining her ranks for the social and political advantages that accrued from doing so. This, rather than faith, being their motive, led to increasingly large percentages of Church membership that were not good atmospheres of faith and in which the Holy Spirit was free to work in power. But this second answer is in some ways more hopeful. This is because it is less common for people to join the Church for reasons aside from genuine faith these days. And there has never been anything to act as a barrier between those with faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that a change of attitude and perspective, or we might say, a change of heart, might result in a Church that looks more like the Church from Acts, even if there are many years until Jesus comes again in glory.

Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.

Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;

no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,

or sandals, or walking stick.

The Apostles were sent out in a way that made it necessary for them to depend on providence and on the Holy Spirit. They were not able to rely on their wealth, or even their words. They were sent on missions that could only succeed if they responded to the dynamic leadership of the Spirit. This sort of mission could never become a repetitious routine that might eventually be drained of spiritual life. No wonder, then, that monasteries have often been the places where the faith has been most vibrantly kept in tact. But without suggesting that we should all give away all that we have and live in total dependence on God, what can we suggest? How about that even for those things which we would prefer to have but cannot acquire, the additional assurances about life in the world we would desire, or the guarantees about the future that would let us sleep more easily, that when we are forced to do without them, we remember to rely on God and on his divine guidance? We may not feel up to making many sacrifices ourselves. So we should at least let the ones we are forced to make profit for our salvation.

As you enter a house, wish it peace.

If the house is worthy,

let your peace come upon it;

if not, let your peace return to you.

One reason, it seems, that we find ourselves unable to rely on God as much as we might is because of failure, either actual or potential. But for the original Apostles this was not the case. If they went to a town and were rejected it did not necessarily mean they did something wrong. In fact Jesus himself preached to many who did not accept him but only hardened their hearts. The point is that the guidance of the Spirit is not something we can test or validate merely based on worldly perceptions of success. Apparent failures can have hidden results behind the scenes clearing ground for greater successes down the road. The important thing for us to learn to trust in the guidance of God, whether or not the results of the guidance are always what we assume they should be.

Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable

for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment

than for that town.

Sodom and Gomorrah didn't really have enviable situations. But their punishment, though severe, may have resulted in the repentance of some, turning to God in their last moments, and therefore making the day of judgment more tolerable for them than for those who rejected the Gospel offer of salvation. We ought to infer from this comparison that being prepared for the day of judgment ought to be our number one priority, and not merely an afterthought.

Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.

Bob Baker - Bring Your Kingdom

10 July 2024 - learning on the job

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples

and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out

and to cure every disease and every illness.

What Jesus had just been doing he now gave power to the Twelve to do as well. He had not only preaching and healing, but also demonstrating and setting an example for the Apostles. Thus they were privileged to be able to ask him for questions and clarification when a parable was confusing. They were permitted to be witnesses to mighty deeds about which Jesus prohibited the recipients thereof from speaking. And now they were to go out and try it on their own. 

This apprenticeship model of learning to be a disciple made a lot of sense if the one to whom one was apprenticed was Jesus himself. But we're surprised we don't see more of this model in our modern Church. Though perhaps through the practice of discipling some Protestant denominations do it better. But we can imagine that being present and watching one who is experienced at evangelism, or healing or teaching, do their work before attempting it oneself would make a lot of sense. Yet from the more formal to the less formal ministries in the Church we do see as much of it as could perhaps be useful. Perhaps those of us who lack experience might take the initiative if we know others who have it by asking to come along and observe occasionally. This is just a thought, but it could certainly help us overcome the learned helplessness so common to the majority of pew sitters such as ourselves.

The names of the Twelve Apostles are these

If Jesus had had a human resources department he never would have arrived at this list of disciples. This ragtag band would never have met the hiring criteria or survived the background check. In measurements that were quantifiable there were a near infinite number of preferable individuals to these, whether in terms of knowledge of Scripture, public speaking experience, leadership skills, or anything else. Nor did those chosen go on to be always and everywhere successful. Those given the most responsibility were often also the most public failures. But the thing we ought to realize, and from which we should take comfort, is that Jesus knew all of this in advance and chose them anyway. It was precisely on these flawed and human men that Jesus deigned to build his Church. He was not looking for unapproachable perfection. Rather even his leaders would need to learn from their mistakes and undergo a constant process of growth. One reason he chose individuals like this was no doubt to signal that he had not come only to call those who were already perfect. He also headed off the expectation that the call to discipleship would result in perfection immediately. Often times accepting the call would actually expose a lot of darkness before the light of Jesus was truly able to shine through a disciple. In short, he made it clear that we have no excuses not to follow him, nor even any liabilities that prevent him from using us to build his Kingdom.

Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

While our own call to evangelize is more likely to be a Gentile focused ministry, like that of Paul, there are still plenty of lost sheep among that fold, specifically Catholics and other Christians who have ceased to practice. In some ways this is the low hanging fruit of evangelism since we already share a common dialect and some measure of common understanding. We don't have to, as it were, reinvent the wheel, in order to help such as these find their way back to the shepherd. Rather, it is more likely that there are specific obstacles that need to be removed before the sheep will return of their own accord. And while we may not have been discipled to have experience in this regard there must still be ways that our limited understanding can avail, and if not that, at least our prayers.

“Sow for yourselves justice,

reap the fruit of piety;

break up for yourselves a new field,

for it is time to seek the LORD,

till he come and rain down justice upon you.”

Brian Blum - Rise, O People, Called To Worship

9 July 2024 - his heart was moved with pity

Today's Readings

(Audio)

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,

and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.

Jesus, when he was in the synagogue at Nazareth claimed that he himself was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, anointed "to proclaim good news to the poor" and sent "to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor" (see Luke 4:18-19). In his teaching, proclaiming, and curing, Jesus did all of this and more. He proclaimed that the poor in spirit where blessed, healed the blind and the lame, indeed, "every disease and illness" and set at liberty those who were captives to sin and Satan. So too here in the case of this demoniac, he gave freedom to a man who was oppressed. The man, whom the demon had previously prevented from speaking was then able to speak, his tongue now free to give praise to God.

The crowds were amazed and said,

“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

The crowds intuitively understood the goodness that Jesus himself had unleashed in his ministry. They saw that he was like previous prophets in some ways but somehow importantly more and greater. The Pharisees on the other hand, who could only lament that the popularity of Jesus diminished the attention they received, responded with envy.

But the Pharisees said,

“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

The priority of the Pharisees was obviously not the sheep. If it was they would have been delighted to see the ways in which Jesus himself was blessing the flock. And it seems there was no one that truly had the interests of the sheep at heart, only leaders using and manipulating them to sustain their own position, power, and influence. Imagine if one company invented a drug that would cure cancer and planned to give it away for free. This scenario with the religious leadership was as though all the other pharmaceutical companies allied in secret to prevent such a drug from ever becoming publicly available, precisely because they did not make it and could not profit from it. Jesus, however, came to cure an even more intractable disease than cancer, and no amount of collusion among the religious leaders would be able to stop him from doing so.

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them

because they were troubled and abandoned,

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Jesus was moved with compassion for the sheep, so much so that he was not too invested in his position as to forego involving others. The Pharisees selfishly hoarded their authority. But Jesus desired to work through his disciples. He knew that his physical presence was limited, circumscribed in time and space. But in inviting other laborers to work for the harvest there would be no limits to where his love could reach. We can see from this that the foundations of the Church upon the apostles did not derive from any desire for oppression or authoritarianism, but rather from compassion, from a heart moved with pity for those who were troubled and abandoned.

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Jesus wanted to solve the problems plaguing the crowds whom he loved. But in order to do so was he invited the cooperation of the disciples. It wasn't just that he himself prayed and the disciples were sent, though his prayers would certainly have been power enough. Rather, desiring their cooperation, he invited them to pray themselves in order to ensure there were adequate laborers for the task at hand. Had they understood that they themselves would be the first and primary answer to this prayer they might have hesitated to do so. But only after did Jesus confirm that he desired them to be precisely the laborers for whom they asked, giving them his own mission and authority. And so the Church was built on the compassion of Jesus, but it was also built through the prayers of the members of the Church herself. In an age where saying the Church seems understaffed and underequipped seems to be an understatement we ought to make sure that we really are continuing to pray for laborers for the harvest. And even if we are, are we open to being, ourselves, the answer to this prayer in some way? For it is certain that in some way, large or small, Jesus desires to share his authority and mission with us as well, for the sake of the other sheep who need him.

Curtis Stephan - Go Out, Go Out

8 July 2024 - while we wait

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The official sought the healing power of Jesus and continued to seek it even after his daughter had died. He did not give up, but pursued his request, knowing that if Jesus laid his hand on her she could still be saved. The suffering women believed in Jesus for her own healing in spite of twelve years in which she had apparently tried everything else and only grown worse.

Can it be that we give up too easily? It's not easy for us to say why Jesus couldn't have met the official before his daughter had died or arranged the order of world events so that he could have healed the woman before she had to suffer much, or even prevented any of these problems in advance. The fact that such suffering was allowed in the first place might make us think that it was endorsed. It might lead us to believe that there was no sense in trying to change something that was a part of God's will to begin with. And yet, mysteriously, what was allowed for a time was not destined to remain true forever. Clearly it might have gone unchallenged. The official might have given up on a cure for his daughter once he had heard she was dead. The women might have given up after one year of suffering or ten. But she persisted and he continued to seek. These individuals were real life models of what Jesus taught through the story of the importunate widow who came back again and again to the unjust judge seeking justice for her cause (see Luke 18:1-8).

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily (see Luke 18:7-8).

We read this summary of Jesus to his parable and recognize that speedily from God's perspective obviously does not always feel fast to us. Especially in the throes of suffering when there time seems some kind of time dilation drawing out minutes and hours, let alone years, the response of God to our suffering feels so delayed as to tempt us to give up in despair. Perhaps it was for this reason that the next verse after mentioning justice for the elect was, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (see Luke 18:8). Who, he might have meant, will be patient enough to still be waiting? Who will continue to trust a God who allows suffering even though he actually hates anything that interferes with human flourishing? Who of us will surrender our judgments about how we would run the universe and trust in the God, whom we know to be always good, even if in a particular case we can't account for his choices?

She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”

Even in the midst of our own struggles and the delay of realizing our own desires we can nevertheless grow in faith about the power of Jesus. We can realize that if we weren't healed yesterday, and aren't healed today, then it is increasingly likely that it will be tomorrow. Our hope can spring ever new drawing us like an anchor of our soul (see Hebrews 6:19) to Jesus himself, where he dwells in eternity, having already, from his perspective, made all things new. Years and years, from a secular perspective, become not only bearable when we experience them with hope, but even joyously so.

Do we believe that there is power in the touch of Jesus? If we do how do this affect our lives, especially our reception of his flesh, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist? Do we assume that our next communion will be exactly the same as our last? Do we really realize that him whom we receive truly lives? Repetition tempts us to take him for granted. Ongoing suffering sometimes leads us to doubt his providence. When he returns to us in our next communion will he find faith in our hearts? It would seem that the longer we suffer the more difficult it must become and the more likely we will succumb to despair. But the examples of faith found in the official and the hemorrhaging woman demonstrate that it need not be so. Even if it has been many years, or even if we are already all but spiritually dead, it is never too late for Jesus.

When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,

and the little girl arose.

Chris Tomlin - Everlasting God