7 December 2014 - days of future present

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay,"

But as we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells it sometimes feels like a delay. This old earth feels especially old some days. It is the same old sad story. People preach repentance but hearts do not change. As we wait for the mightier one who baptizers with the Holy Spirit it can feel a lot like delay.

Patience and delay are very different. He is patient because he loves us, because he does not want anyone to perish. Delay might mean indifference. It might mean that he has better things to do. It is not that sort of delay.

With this perspective the LORD teaches us how to wait. This morning he wants to show us the right attitude to regard this time before the promise is fully fulfilled. This attitude can be summarized in the word comfort.

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.

We can have comfort even as we wait because we know the promise that lies on the far side of the waiting. The patriarchs of the Old Testament "saw it and greeted it from afar" (cf.Heb. 11:13) but we can see it approaching with even greater clarity. Let's use the eyes of our minds and hearts now and see:

Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.

We need to speak comfort into this space of waiting.

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.

The promise is real and the time of its fulfillment is drawing near. "The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed" (cf. Rom 13:11). The promise is that all wrongs are finally set right. Righteousness finally dwells on earth where now everything is tainted with depravity.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (cf. Rev. 21:4).

Can we see this vision? This promise? This hope? "Comfort", says the LORD! 

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.

If we fear him we draw nearer to the fulfillment of his salvation through our hope in him. Fear acknowledges both his power to keep his promise and his absolute steadfast fidelity to his plans. When we hope in this we we join those who rise from waiting unto "hastening the coming of the day of God". We pull the future into the present by our hope.

This is why we need to hear and proclaim comfort. This proclamation lies at the foundation of our hope. It raises us from the valleys of despair and draws us down from the mountains of our pride. It makes straight the path for the messiah. It is our hope that cries out, "Maranatha". Jesus says, "Yes, I am coming soon" and in this hope we respond "Amen, Come Lord Jesus" (cf. Rev. 22:20). Come mighty one! Come gather your lambs and lead us with care. Come with the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Come with righteousness, with justice and peace! 

6 December 2014 - a voice behind you

Do we sometimes feel that no one understands what we're going through? Do we lament that no one really seems to care? Certainly if they did care they would show us more compassion, wouldn't they? And we understand. They have their own problems.

Jesus cares! Jesus understands! And he is not trapped by his own problems. He wants to give us the compassion for which we long. In difficult times like these he wants to give us his love!

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.

Are we brokenhearted? "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Do we feel like things in life are unsustainable, careening toward disaster? "The LORD sustains the lowly".  All we need to do is wait for him because "Blessed are all who wait for the Lord." Even if we feel that we are already completely ruined, even if our efforts have been spent in a thousand directions without any real return, "The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel he gathers. "

He meets us with compassion and understanding in every Mass. 

The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.

He gives us the bread of his own flesh. He gives us the water of his own Spirit. Even in the midst of desolation the Spirit enables us to see in the appearance of bread the compassion and love we seek. The Spirit opens our eyes to see Jesus himself.

No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,

When we go forward to receive him we too hear "from behind, a voice" which says, "This is the way; walk in it," when distractions would turn us aside. When our own faith is too weak to perceive Jesus the Spirit teaches us to fix our eyes on the teacher. He centers us and impels us onward.

We feel a desert within. We experience desolation and sadness.  But look! We have rain for the soil, an abundant harvest, and spacious meadows. Streams of living water flow from every mountain. The Spirit is abundant wherever we are willing to drink. Let's jump in headlong. The Spirit descends on us and where once there was only our own weakness we now hear a voice testifying to Jesus, a voice guiding us into all truth (cf. Joh. 16:13). He speaks from behind us, guiding us along the path of life.

Jesus gives us the bread we need and the water for which we thirst. But if we see mere bread and only water which leaves us thirsty we need to cry out to him. If we just cry out to him he will be gracious and "as soon as he hears he will answer". He does not want to be hidden behind the appearance of bread and wine. He gives us the bread we need because of the compassion and love he has for us.  He wants us to see him. He wants to give us with which to gaze. He wants us to keep gazing until faith finally gives way to sight, until "with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,"

It is because of this compassion and love that Jesus gives the Twelve his own authority and sends them to preach and to heal. Jesus sends us as well. We are called to not only receive this comfort but to use it to in turn comfort others. He "comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" (2 Cor. 1:4). He gives it to us without asking for anything in return. Let us be generous, therefore, in sharing it.

Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.

5 December 2014 - break through my deafness

On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;

We want to hear Jesus speak to us. He wants to be real to each of us personally. He wants to engage us as individuals. But in our prayer we feel deaf. We feel unable to open ourselves to listen to these words. We can't imagine hearing from God with the specificity that is the constant experience of the disciples records in the Acts of the Apostles.  For instance, God says to Philip, "Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route", and then "Go and join up with that chariot" (cf. Act. 8:26, 29). God gives similarly concrete instructions to Ananias.  "The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him, that he may regain his sight" (cf. Act. 9: 11-12). This is so different from the common experience today. We read Acts with a disconnect because it is beyond what we typically experience.

But Jesus wants to speak to us. And it is important that he be able to do so for the same reason it is for Ananias and Philip. He wants to use us to bring others to himself just as with the Ethiopian and with Paul himself. The best part, however, is that it isn't all about our listening skills. Jesus speaks words that can penetrate our hearts. The "words of a book" have the power to break through our deafness.  In this book we read:

"Let it be done for you according to your faith.""
And their eyes were opened. 

These words have power. They inspire in our hearts the faith to trust in the power of Jesus. These words are no mere human words. They open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. The are not spoken once, written, and now lifeless. They are spoken to us here and now by Jesus himself in the power of his Holy Spirit. This is how he leads us into "all truth" (cf. Joh. 16:13). It is precisely in this sense that we have no need of teachers (cf. 1 Joh. 2:27). No matter how good the teacher, his words don't have the power of these words. If a teacher asks, "Do you believe that I can do this?" we answer no. But the word of Jesus inspires us to say, "Yes, Lord" from the depths of our hearts.

In the deepest places of our hearts we long to see God.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

Only he himself makes this possible. He is the vision and the light that illuminates the vision. In his light, we see light (cf. Psa. 36:9).

He tells us how we ought to listen. We are called to be poor and lowly enough to find joy in the LORD. This is exactly what Mary does. We are called to avoid tyranny and arrogance. The LORD casts down the mighty and lifts up the lowly (cf. Luk. 1:52). Those who do evil are cut off, but the childlike rejoice in the splendor of the Holy One.

When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.

Are we deaf to the words of the LORD? It isn't too late! No matter how long this has been our 'normal' the LORD wants to guide us to a new normal, a better normal.

Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

We need to let him guide us so that we too may say:

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

4 December 2014 - word gateway

And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them

When we listen to the words of Jesus and act on them we become a "nation of firm purpose" which the LORD keeps in peace. We notice that America isn't really such a nation these days. But we may hope to be once more. James exhorts us, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. (cf. Jam. 1:22-23). John reminds us, "If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth" (cf. 1 Joh. 1:6). He goes on to tell us that the "way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments." When we cry "Lord, Lord," are we sure that we know him? If we just listen but don't act he will say, "I never knew you" and the house of our soul will collapse and be completely ruined.

His words are living and active. They are sharper than any two-edged sword (cf. Heb. 4:12). It isn't just a matter of reading rules and commands which can be divided into a nicely ordered list.  This is because "the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life" (cf. 2 Cor. 3:6). The words of Jesus aren't valuable as an abstraction. Words of law can only condemn us. The words of Jesus are valuable because they put us directly in touch with Jesus in the power of his Spirit. We need to hear the message "with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God" (cf. 1 Cor 2:4-5).

It is precisely because this is the word of Jesus that building our lives on it is possible. Because it is no mere human word (1 The. 2:13) it can provide the only firm foundation on which we can whether the storms of human deceit (cf. Eph. 4:14). His words are a rock because he himself is rock solid, "For the LORD is an eternal Rock."

To act on his word is to allow it to unleash its power in us. When we act on his word it is his word itself that makes us just. This is seen most profoundly in the sacrament of confession. We appear before him in obedience. He speaks the word of absolution over us and we are made just. His word itself makes us pure. But it is only through the obedience of showing up that this happens. It is only by attentiveness to his word that it can set us free. It is only by being present to his word that it can have its way in us.

We prefer to listen and run off before we can be changed. We accumulate listening but avoid any hint of doing. But his invitation does not change. We are invited to draw ever closer. We are invited to chose the best part and to listen at his feet (cf. Luk. 10:42). We are called to be like Mary who believed that God's word to her would be fulfilled (cf. Luk. 1:45).

This is how the gates of justice open before us. This is how we enter more fully into God's presence wherein we find the fulfillment of every longing and desire.

Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.

They open because we pray:

O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!

They open because he is our salvation:

The LORD is God, and he has given us light.

3 December 2014 - end food deserts

The journey toward Bethlehem is a journey toward the "house of bread". That is what Bethlehem means. Jesus takes human likeness and enters our world. He comes to find a people who are hungry.

My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat. 
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.

This morning we probably have enough food to fill our bellies. But we are still hungry for that which truly satisfies. We may be only dimly aware of this desire but it is there. Augustine reminds us that God makes us for himself and that we are restless until we rest in him. We are hungry until we join the feast he prepares.

A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.

There is so much around us that would seem to satisfy this hunger. There is so much that appears to be feasting. Yet it is quickly consumed and gone, leaving us more empty than before. This is the experience of the prodigal son who spends his inheritance on dissipation. We only find satisfaction when we allow Jesus himself to feed us.

They all ate and were satisfied. 

Only then is there such an abundance that there are left overs to share.

They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

We can't "get enough bread in this deserted place". But Jesus can.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

He can do it because he himself is the living bread come down from heaven (cf. Joh. 6:51). He gives us his own flesh to eat (ibid. 6:52). He himself is the sacrificial lamb of Passover who is slain for us. Paul tells us, "Keep the feast (1 Cor 5:8)!" He wants us to consume the Passover lamb which is at the same time "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

From Bethlehem he comes. And now we see why. The one who is the paschal lamb lifts bread before our eyes and says to us, "Take and eat; this is my body" (cf. Mat. 26:26).

The food and the wine cannot be more rich than this. The one who lifts up flesh to God by joining himself to it gives us that very divinized flesh on which to feast. And we become what we receive. We become partakers of the very divine nature of God himself (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4).

No wonder it is so important to receive this gift with an undivided heart.

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 11:27).

This is a heart which we cannot create for ourselves. It is a disposition which we cannot attain with effort. Instead, we must turn to the LORD. There is no way to deserve a gift like this. But he gives it anyway. We can be confident his love will make us able to receive it.

The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.

On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

2 December 2014 - a child to guide them

“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. 

The coming of the Divine Child calls us all to embrace the call to childlike simplicity. We need to be like the calf and the lion and learn to browse together. We need to embrace the peacefulness of children. We need to follow in the procession of the infant Prince of Peace.

Jesus shows us that true peace is more than just neutrality. It is not simply dividing the lion and the calf into separate grazing areas. Just as children would, these two browse together without any apparent concern for their own self-preservation. The lion foregoes a meal and the calf accepts what would otherwise be a significant danger. 

No one insists on his own rights. Adult ideas about fairness are forgotten. The forgetful forgiveness of children is embraced. This is only possible because Jesus himself guides us and makes it possible. When we are tempted to eat like the lion or run like the calf we instead follow Jesus into green pastures and beside restful waters. 

Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

We need to trust in him like children trust their parents. Let us surrender ourselves into his arms. Only in this embrace do we have the peace we need to live the self-abandonment to which we are called.

He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. 

When we are poor and childlike he rescues us from anything the world can throw at us. No wonder he tells the disciples how blessed they are. This is the peace that the angels announce at his birth. It is not peace as the world gives it or even understands it. It is peace that only the childlike can share. This is what the world has been waiting for since the time of Adam.

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

1 December 2014 - only say the word

Rather than our own worth...

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;

...we need to trust the power of Jesus:

only say the word and my servant will be healed.

We need to trust the authority of his words. What if we don't feel like we can bring Jesus into the home of our hearts? If we are honest, our hearts are not the pure temples which the LORD deserves. Jesus readily says to us, "I will come and cure him." He is willing to enter the depths of our darkness and sickness with healing for us. But we are afraid. Our hearts are not fully his. If he enters our hearts, surely he will see all of the little idols we worship instead of him.  Surely he will see the stains of our past sinfulness covering walls, floor, and ceiling. Jesus is happy to come regardless. And even if we aren't ready for that his word itself is enough. He will not force his way into our hearts. Yet he is willing to bring healing with a word if we trust him to do so.

Trust in the power of the word of Jesus is fundamental.  We "should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord" (cf. Jam. 1:6-7). Jesus tells us that, "whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (cf. Mar. 11:24). We know that our prayers are just wishful thinking with no power apart from the God who hears and answers. We need to believe in the power of Jesus to answer our prayers. We need to believe that he listens. We need not be worthy. We need to believe that he delights to answer him when we cry out. He says to us, "I am willing". To our impure hearts he says, "Be clean!" And this word does not return to him empty (cf. Isa. 55:11).

Many of us are at times like centurions in the service of the occupying forces of evil. We receive the orders from the top and impose them on those below. We accept temptation ourselves and cause little ones to sin. Today we are offered hope that the LORD can change us.

He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

We are offered hope that he wants to change us. He wants to do more than we are prepared to accept. We might not be ready to give him full access. But we rejoice that he responds to even the slightest invitation of faith. 

We are offered the invitation to leave our own homes behind in favor of the house of God.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD."

He allows us to forget our lack of worth and shameful pasts by rejoicing in his word and in his presence. Maybe we can't let him come to us. Let us go to him, leaving behind all that hinders us!

“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”