6 February 2016 - as much as all riches

[ Today's Readings ]

Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.

We think of wisdom when we think of Solomon. But do we think of this sort of wisdom? Probably not. We imagine him as clever, able to achieve and be successful. We think of wise leaders as leaders who know first and foremost how to get things done to ensure the happiness and safety of the people. Solomon asks for something which is prior in importance to that sort of ability. He asks for a wisdom of discernment to know right from wrong. 

Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.

The wisdom that knows how to please God and act in conformity with his will is more important than wisdom which which allows one to get things done. Other wisdom might bring worldly success. But only in conformity with this wisdom do we bear fruit which lasts.

In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.

Solomon starts off on the right track but he eventually abandons this commitment to pursue the good. He leaves his people like sheep without a shepherd.  Fortunately Jesus is moved with pity for us and wants to teach us this wisdom himself. He wants to inscribe it more deeply in us than it was in Solomon. He wants to write his law on our hearts.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people (see Jeremiah 31:33).

We may not have all the time away with Jesus that we want. But he will teach us even when we're among the crowd. If we are able to come by ourselves to him in a deserted place let us take a while there to rest with him. Even when we aren't able, though, his heart is still so moved with compassion for us that he will teach us many things. He will fill us with wisdom which is greater than all riches.

5 February 2016 - peering past the pressure

If we know what we ought to do than we must do it regardless of what others think.

John the Baptist tells Herod what he needs to hear even though it results in his death.

It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.

Whereas Herod knows that he ought not put John to death but does so for the sake of appearances.

The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.

Herod knows that John is a righteous and holy man. He likes listening to him speak even though John sometimes says things that are hard to here. He knows that he does not deserve death. But his reputation is on the line.

Do we do bad things because others expect it? Do we omit good things because they are watching?

We should be more like David. Opposition does not stop him. Even when he faces giants he doesn't back down from his duty.

When his hand let fly the slingstone
that crushed the pride of Goliath.

David isn't like this because he spends his time focusing on the enemy, on how strong or how numerous the enemy is. He is like this because his heart is set on God.

With his whole being he loved his Maker
and daily had his praises sung;

There is a certain place for prudence.

Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (see Luke 14:31).

But ultimately if we don't learn to trust in the LORD we cannot be the disciples he intends us to be.

We don't overcome giants by carefully measuring them. We don't walk on water by fixating on the waves. We don't even do the right thing in hard situations by caring too much about what people will think. But we need Jesus to fill the vacuum these thoughts leave in their absence. We need his praise to fill our hearts

The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
and I will sing praise to your name.

4 January 2016 - better hands

[ Today's Readings ]

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

Do we trust Jesus enough to go where he calls us to go even if we don't feel prepared? 

The journey may be long. We may need food and money by the time we're done. We may really want a second tunic before this one starts to smell. We may really want a walking stick before our legs get tired.

If we don't trust Jesus enough we may spend so much time getting ready that we never answer his call to spread the good news. We may spend so much time getting our own house in order, learning the things we need to learn, or waiting until our relationships with others are just so that we never actually go out to confront the unclean spirits of our day.

We are given authority. And the world needs this authority. There are genuine demons in the world. And they require an exorcist to banish. But there are also lesser demons which we can command by virtue of the Holy Spirit who lives in us by our baptism. There lust, pride, and anger and all of the vices are all places where we can bring the healing power of Jesus to bear.

The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

But we can only do this if we trust him enough to rely on him. If we're fixated on what we need to get the job done we won't get it done. It's ultimately beyond our power. Even the prudential element of preparedness is something which God might call us to forego.

This is how we fulfill the mission. We acknowledge regardless of what we do or how we try it is ultimately only about what God does. We learn to commend all of our work into his hands.

I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.

We can't be the center because we can't be the change the world needs. Our human efforts eventually fade with time. We aren't even called to be successful ourselves. We are just called to be faithful.

Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.

When we can entrust our progeny, our projects, and all of our works to the LORD we can rest assured that they are in better hands than ours.

In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.

3 February 2016 - beautiful repentance

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, 
accompanied by his disciples. 

In our day his native place is in the Church. He is present in the word proclaimed, in the gathering of the faithful, and especially in the Eucharist. And yet we often hear, "Where did this man get all this?" from our fellow Catholics when his truth is proclaimed.

And they took offense at him. 

Even we ourselves often say, "Where did this man get all this?" when we are called by Jesus to deeper conversion. When he tells us about newer and greater possibilities in our life of faith we don't listen with open hearts but instead take offense at him.

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

Is this how our Church seems today? Do we see cures which are few and far between but no real mighty deeds? It could be our lack of faith. We accept things as they are but we aren't really open to anything we aren't used to. We are suspicious of change and there is some value in that. But we mustn't be suspicious of the change which Jesus wants to make in our hearts to bring us closer to him.

When David numbers the people he does a very human thing according to a very human paradigm. Do I have the resources, he thinks, for my role in the world? But God is calling him deeper into faith. He is calling him to truth him more completely.

David realizes that he sins in numbering the people. But his repentance is beautiful. He does not initially rely on the LORD. But he chooses the punishment that is most directly from the LORD. He relies on the LORD because even punishment is better when it is from him. He reestablishes his trust in the LORD. With the psalmist he says:

I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

Perhaps the LORD wants us to depend on him more. Perhaps he is calling us deeper. Maybe we've been numbering the people when we need to trust in him. Let's not take offense when he calls us deeper. Let's repent of the times when we rely on ourselves. When we do we experience his deliverance.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

2 February 2016 - don't miss it

[ Today's Readings ]

Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?

Jesus comes to the temple today. But not as we expect. He is revealed. But only to those with eyes to see it. Simeon is one such person.

This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

He is righteous. He upholds the law. In doing so he prevents his mind from being darkened, weighted down, or distracted by the things of this world. He is devout, faithful to his relationship with the LORD. He allows the LORD to be present in his life. Because he is not distracted by the world and because his focus is on the LORD he is able to receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit "that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord."

We can learn from the focus of Simeon how to not miss the LORD when he is revealed to us. This is essential because this revelation often comes in unexpected ways. Even if he is a child in his mother's arms the LORD can enable us to see the king of glory revealed. His presence comes to us in various ways today, in the poor, in the sick, and in the sorrowful. He comes in the Scriptures and in prayer. If we have the opportunity to behold the Eucharist we see him. We can say with Simeon:

Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.

But beyond what even Simeon says we can receive him in Holy Communion. This should fill us with the joy of Anna the prophetess.

And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

Giving thanks is really understating what she does. She goes a little crazy with joy just to see Jesus. How much more, than, should we who can receive him by joyful. We need to start with the devotion and attentiveness of Anna and Simeon so that his coming to us can affect us in the same way. They don't have any special skills that make them different from us. They just give the LORD the time and space he needs to reveal himself.

We have a sympathetic high priest who enters the temple. It is for this reason that his entry is hard to recognize. He looks so much like one of us. 

he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.

But we must not miss him! Only in him is the freedom and joy we seek.

that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.

He looks like us. But if we give the LORD space he will show us the one who is the "LORD of hosts" and "the king of glory." And we know this we have peace.

1 February 2016 - the lord will look upon our affliction

Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;
who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’”

David learns humility from his failure. He no longer regards himself as deserving. He no longer sees the world around him as something which he has the right to use however he wants. Old David would be ready to agree with Abishai when he asks "Let me go over, please, and lop off his head." Old David is all to ready to trample over anyone who gets in his way. But that way of living ultimately fails him. It leaves him empty and enables his heart to repent.

But there is something equally important here that we might miss. We might interpret this whole affair as divine sanction for feeling sorry for ourselves. But this is not the point.

Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day.

The point is that we need to continue to trust in the LORD even when all else is stripped from us. When life humbles us our own powers and abilities fail us the LORD is still there. He may allow us to fall if we need to be humbled but he does not wish to leave us in the dirt.

When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.

If we fall let us look to the LORD to lift up our heads. If we don't look to Jesus what started off as a valuable lesson in humility might become an affliction which we endure that he does not will.

The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

Jesus lets us learn lessons. But he doesn't leave us chained to affliction if we just turn to him for freedom.

And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.

We are often like this demoniac, beating ourselves up beyond what the LORD intends, beyond any value as a lesson. But Jesus has the power to set us free from these demons and to restore us to our "right mind."

As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.

So let us have the humility of David which never forgets the LORD. Let us learn the lessons of humility and turn to Jesus so that we can come into the newer and greater freedom he intends for us.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (see Galatians 5:1).

31 January 2016 - the greatest of thse

[ Today's Readings ]

They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

They people of Nazareth want to see mighty deeds. But they can't see beyond their own expectations. They think they know Jesus. Isn't he really just one of them, not even the greatest of them? How can he make such a claim to fame? The people feel that he at least owes it to them to show off his power just as they have heard he did elsewhere. If you're going to convince us that you are more than just one of us you're going to need to prove it by showing off, they think. This attitude is one we share. We think we know what is usual, what we can expect. If we're going to accept anything beyond that, well, the burden of proof is on the one challenging those expectations and we ourselves in our limited human rationality are the judges.

The LORD does the unexpected all the time. He prefers to work through the unlikely precisely so that his own power is evident.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

So rather than opposing his messengers we need to figure out a better way to know if they come from God. Otherwise we may find ourselves fighting against a "fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass".

for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God! (see Acts 5:38-39).

How can we know if something is from God when our expectations are so limited and our paradigms are so insufficient? There is a way. It doesn't even more than tongues, knowledge, prophecy, faith, and mighty deeds it is love which reveals that God is present. These other special effects are partial at best. Separated from love they lose all value. But love never fails. It transforms all other deeds and works and makes them point toward God. But it is love at the core of them all that truly allows us to recognize him.

 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (see 1st John 4:7).

Knowing this we can discern the true signs from the noise of a world filled with competing spiritualities marked with varied special effects. Our own expectations which heretofore have saved us from following false prophets in the world no longer need keep us from coming closer to God and deeper into his love.

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.