18 December 2020 - o Adonai

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly. 

There is something about the experience of Joseph that is paradigmatic. We see a circumstance that the world assumes to be one thing, in his case a woman conceiving out of wedlock, but are asked to trust that it is something else.

Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. 

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her. 

When we trust the angel, when we believe Jesus is more than the world believes him to be, we will still face the ridicule of the world. The world does not and cannot believe that a virgin could be with child. And so, like Joseph, we must be willing to sacrifice our reputation for the sake of this virgin and her son. 

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.

Joseph was receptive to the angel's message and chose to trust him. He found true strength in obeying the revelation he was given. We would probably second guess anything with such inauspicious beginnings. Wouldn't God make himself more manifest? Or if not, wouldn't he at least come in a hidden way that did would not be a cause of dishonor for those who would first receive him? But his ways, clearly, are not our ways.

God's plan never had much regard  for the expectations or interpretations that seemed obvious, that were the default ways of thinking for the world. He had already provided a word by which his people could understand and hope for what he would finally accomplish in the birth of Jesus.

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel

Why leave himself at the center of so much misunderstanding? He gave those who heard a choice about what they would believe. It was not a birth that merely went under the radar. But neither was it a birth that was obviously miraculous to bystanders. It was a birth the full significance of which could only be grasped by revelation. And the hope of that revelation had already been prepared. It was meant to be cherished by his people, to raise their hopes for what he would finally accomplish. 

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel

This prophecy can help us to raise our hopes this Christmas. We live in a world where Jesus is still misunderstood and ridiculed. Sometimes we ourselves are among those who take the worldly view of things and fail to trust. But our hearts nevertheless cry out for the one whose name means "God is with us". Nothing else will satisfy us. May he send angels to all of us to open our hearts and prepare us for Jesus whose very name reveals him as our savior.

We are called to welcome a king who still doesn't look all that much like a king to the world. We are called to trust that his governance is wise and right when the world may believe it to be hateful. Yet despite these appearances he is a king whose  reign is mercy and justice. May all hearts be given the grace of Joseph to welcome so great a gift.

when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;

As king he shall reign and govern wisely,

he shall do what is just and right in the land.

In his days Judah shall be saved,

Israel shall dwell in security.

This is the name they give him:

“The LORD our justice.”

Saint Meinrad Schola - O Adonai

Holy Redeemer Church - This is Jesus

17 December 2020 - o wisdom

Today's Readings

(Audio)

One curious aspect of the Hebrew Bible as opposed to other religious works of the ancient work is its fascination with genealogies (for example, Genesis 4:16-22 and Genesis 11:10-32). From this we see that the people of Israel did not think of what they were reading a mythology to which they had no real connection. They believed that they were reading the story of their people and therefore they were reading their own story. What we will see today is that we can learn from them to see Scripture as our story as well.

The scepter shall never depart from Judah,

or the mace from between his legs,

While tribute is brought to him,

and he receives the people’s homage.

The story of Israel was ongoing when Jesus appeared on the scene. They were they inheritors of promises yet to be fulfilled. God promised Abraham that all nations on earth would be blessed through his descendants. Judah's was promised that his descendents were meant to give rise to one who would rule the nations.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he comes to whom it belongs;

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

This promise saw its initial fulfillment in David and Solomon. But with that glory in the past, what was Israel to make of the promises of God? Had he forgotten his people? If he had, they might have suspected that they earned it. After all, they have forgotten him time and again. Time and again he had given them over to exile and the domination of foreign powers so that they might learn and understand what they were without him. But even though their situation under Roman rule was not what they desired, even after all that they had been through, they continued to hope. Perhaps their hope was even greater, even more urgent, because of all that they endured. The apparent absence of the Lord may really have made their hearts grow fonder for him.

Onto this scene of disappointment and expectation something unexpected broke forth. The genealogy that began with Adam, that ran through the promises of Abraham, that peaked at David and Solomon, was taken up again brought to the forefront. It was not, after all, to be an abortive attempt to bring a the consistent reign of an earthly king. It was to be much more. It was as if creation's path had stalled and was waiting and was now finally beginning to move once more.

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. 

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

What are we to take away from a long list of names? There is much for us, if we are patient. We see that the authors intend Jesus to be understood as no mere myth, no mere poetic archetype, but as the historic figure he was in a specific time and place. There is more. We also read in this that Jesus was the fulfillment of this genealogy. He was someone who could fulfill perfectly what no mere human could. He was from his people, but he was also the yes to all of the promises of God (see Second Corinthians 1:20).

John Mark McMillan - Future / Past

16 December 2020 - the way of love

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 

John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod and it was from there that he sent his disciples with this question to Jesus. John already knew and proclaimed that Jesus was "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (see John 1:29). Did he begin to have second thoughts while in prison? We don't see any evidence that John changed his position on the lawfulness of Herod's marriage so that he could curry favor and possibly be released. We get the sense that it was exactly this sort of constancy and commitment that Herod couldn't overlook, and which caused him to hear John "gladly" (see Mark 6:20).

Though it is not likely that John was weakening in his convictions it is entirely possible that he really did not know the specifics of the way the life of the Messiah would play out. He may have been like much of the rest of Israel who expected something that looked a lot more like worldly victory against earthly enemies. Even after the resurrection the disciples still had this expectation.

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (see Acts 1:6).

Being imprisoned and not understanding how it fit into God's will may well have been difficult even for the greatest one to be born of women (see Matthew 11:11). But rather than giving in to doubt or despair he opened himself to the word of the one whom he knew was the lamb of God, the one on whom he himself saw the Holy Spirit descend. He did this not out of fear or doubt, but rather because he knew it would strengthen his faith, and not only his faith, but that of his disciples who asked the question as well.

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:

the blind regain their sight,

the lame walk,

lepers are cleansed,

the deaf hear, the dead are raised,

the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 

Jesus helped John and his disciples to recalibrate their expectations. The restoration that God was working through the Messiah was at a deeper level than the political. The Messianic path was not the obvious way of conquest and domination. The cross would conceal him from the wise and the learned of the world. The  identity of the Messiah would be a challenge before it would be evident or obvious.

And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.

Jesus said, in effect, that while you may not see the victory you expect now, you see the signs of a restoration that can be explained only by the Messiah, healing power being unleashed that could only come from the Son of God. Like those in his own time, we too see the power of Jesus at work in the world to heal and restore and yet we also see that prison and the cross are still ever present realities. We are asked, like John and his disciples, to realize that this is the shape that the fulfillment of the Messianic promises was meant to take. It was not to be a military victory, but an offering of love. But it is a love so evident that it can overcome our doubts just as it did for John and his disciples. It can inspire our own fidelity even unto death, just as it no doubt did for John.

It was because Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped that the exultation and reality of his own glory and divinity would be revealed. Justice descended, not as a storm, but as "gentle rain" and as "dew". Jesus, did not grasp glory like a storm, but instead emptied himself, taking the form of a slave being found in the likeness of men. How, then could the glory of God be made manifest through him? How could such a life bring about the Kingdom of God in the sense we read of in Isaiah?

To me every knee shall bend;

by me every tongue shall swear,

Saying, “Only in the LORD

are just deeds and power.

Jesus chose the humble path, the path of love, a gentle way that the Messiah was always meant to take. Precisely because he did, not in spite of it, his name was revealed to be that of the same LORD spoken of by Isaiah.

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:10).

It's probable that we ourselves have some expectations of the Messiah that need to be recalibrated. We may have been tempted to despair. If so he wants to reveal himself by showing us the power of his healing love at work in and around us. We may have been tempted to prefer a different path to the path of the cross. But he shows us the the cross is not merely a distraction or a difficulty along the way. It is itself the path of love, the path of living our lives as offerings, freely given for our friends.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.

Audrey Assad - Even Unto Death

15 December 2020 - not so fast

Today's Readings

(Audio)

He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 

When the Father asks something of us do we spend time reflecting, counting the cost, so that we can give an honest answer?

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (see Luke 14:28).

Quick obedience is desirable in a disciple. But a quick answer is not quick obedience, and may in fact turn out to be its opposite, as was the case for second son. When our 'yes' comes more from a sense of obligation, or from a desire to act consistently with our self-image as religious people, such a 'yes' may not end up being convertible into actual action when the time comes. Worse, in our 'yes' we sometimes imagine the whole work of obedience is already done. We barely notice that we never actually make it to the vineyard.

‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 

The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’

but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 

God would rather work with an honest 'no' than a prideful 'yes'. If we say that we will not go because we recognize our lack of desire to do so, or because we recognize how hard the task will be, or because we don't think that we have within ourselves the strength to complete it, all of these are good starting points. With them the possibility and the need for conversion is still left open and apparent, and not hidden over with the mere pretense of obedience. After all, what is it that Jesus calls us to if not repentance (see Matthew 3:2), metanoia, the changing of our minds?

But I will leave as a remnant in your midst

a people humble and lowly,

Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:

the remnant of Israel.

Only the humble and the lowly can discover the possibility of repentance leading to genuine transformation. The prideful may first discount it entirely, and then, when that fails, imagine that they have done it merely by saying they've done it. 'Wasn't that easy?' they think. And their pride is left more or less unchallenged.

When John came to you in the way of righteousness,

you did not believe him;

but tax collectors and prostitutes did. 

Yet even when you saw that,

you did not later change your minds and believe him.

When we see genuine transformation that changes someone inside out from top to bottom it is meant to inspire us and show us what is possible. The grace God pours out in others is meant to be a call to wake us from our complacency. It shows that more is possible than our half-hearted and mostly imagined 'yes' has yet claimed for ourselves. This is not a cause for grief on our parts. The beauty of this parable is that it is not too late. The vineyard awaits. The Father is patient and merciful. It is not too late to find his will for our lives.

The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;

no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.

Ingrid DuMosch - I Will Worship

Chris Tomlin - I Will Follow

14 December 2020 - by what authority

Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923), Star of Bethlehem, 1879–80 . 

Oil on canvas; 36 3/16 x 44 3/4 in. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Montgomery Sears, M1925.2.

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“By what authority are you doing these things? 

And who gave you this authority?” 

We can sometimes be like the chief priests and elders, unwilling to accept any authority but our own. We are willing to mistrust the wisdom of others, and even of experts, if it contradicts opinions we hold or makes us look less credible. Yet trusting authority in its proper sphere is a part of being humble. If we can't do it in one place it will also be hard in other areas of our lives, even believing what Jesus tells us based on his own supreme authority given to him by the Father.

“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,

then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 

Where was John’s baptism from?

When a question is asked of us, what are the criteria we use to determine truth? We ourselves need to be able to distinguish between thing so of heavenly and human origin. We need to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (see First John 4:1). The specific pitfall we are called to be on guard against this morning is formulating our convictions based on too great a concern for what other people think. The wisdom of the crowd is viable at times, but not always or even often. The wisdom of experts is a guide we should usually prefer when we ourselves are not experts. But our desire needs to be for the truth regardless of how it makes us feel, or how our reputations will be impacted by it.

“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,

‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 

But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,

for they all regard John as a prophet.” 

Discernment is a skill we are given ample opportunity to practice. The humility we are called to show even before truth in the secular realm helps to make us more able to receive the spiritual truth that Jesus came to make known.

you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (see John 8:32).

We are called to have humble hearts so that we will not only be able to receive this truth or that truth but the One who is truth himself, come in the flesh, this Christmas. There are still parts of our lives that are ruled by our pride, parts ruled by our concern for what others think. Neither of these parts can welcome the infant in the manger. The baptism that prepares our hearts for this coming is from heaven, and the Holy Spirit wants to renew it within us. May he do so.

Good and upright is the LORD;

thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice,

he teaches the humble his way.

Tran-Siberian Orchestra - A Star to Follow

13 December 2020 - rejoice always

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.

In all circumstances give thanks,

for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

For those of us who were struggling to figure out God's will for us we our struggle can end here. Paul tells us the answer and a surprisingly straightforward fashion. 

God asks us to seek his will and to do it. But it is not meant to be an elaborate puzzle. Whenever we are told what it actually entails there is always an elegant simplicity that almost seems like too little to go on.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (see Micah 6:8).

God assures us that it is in fact supposed to be simple and straightforward.

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it (see Deuteronomy 30:11-14).

God's answer is simple. But we tend to make things complicated. He tells us to pray, rejoice, and give thanks. Instead, we prefer to sorrow, look at circumstances, and complain. His Spirit is already within us with the gift of joy. All we need to do is not quench it, yet complaining will quickly do so. His voice speaks to us. All we need to do is not despise it, yet we consider it naive or impractical.

This triad of joy, prayer, and thanksgiving is a theme that occurs more than once in Paul. He does not mention them coincidentally, but rather because each of them is mutually necessary for the others. If we want joy, prayer and thanksgiving are necessary. Thanksgiving will quickly be emptied of content without joy and prayer. Our prayer will become dry and routine unless it is filled with thanksgiving and joy. We owe God more than grudging or routine thanksgiving and prayer. He wants to see his creatures filled with his joy.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:4-7).

None of these gifts can be attained on our own. We must let the Spirit within us be the source of joy, of prayer, and of thanksgiving. But we can be confident that he will, because he "is faithful, and he will also accomplish it."

John the Baptist was a surprisingly joyful man, considering where he lived, how he ate, that even his ministry was designed to be supplanted and replaced by the Lamb of God whom he welcomed. Yet it was precisely in this, in fidelity to what he knew to be God's call, while ignoring the complexities of it that he did not yet understand, that he found joy.

The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (see John 3:29-30).

John was faithful to the simple word that defined his mission. He was "the voice of one crying out" even when it didn't make sense. In prison John certainly would have been tempted to doubt that the Messianic Kingdom was imminent. At such a time he could have chosen to complain and to quench the Spirit. But instead he acted prayerfully, asking the answer from Jesus. He could have given in to his own despair, placed his own lingering doubts ahead of what he knew to be God's word. But he remained open. He did not quench the Spirit. Because of this, the message from Jesus gave him the opportunity to receive joy even amidst his sufferings.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (see Matthew 11:2-6).

The One on whom the Spirit of the Lord rests upon has come. The wedding of the bride and the bridegroom is already beginning.  Let us make use of the gifts of prayer, joy, and thanksgiving, given to us by the Spirit for purpose of being able to join and enter fully into this celebration. We must not attempt to clothe ourselves for this celebration. The Lord knows better than we in what attire we what will look the best.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,

in my God is the joy of my soul;

for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation

and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,

like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,

like a bride bedecked with her jewels.

Matt Maher - O Come O Come Emmanuel

Matt Maher - Isaiah 61

12 December 2020 - blessed are you

Virgin of Guadalupe(Spanish Virgen de Guadalupe), oil on canvas by Antonio de Torres, c. 1720; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.

Today's Readings

(Audio)

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

Mary appeared to Elizabeth and John the Baptist leapt for joy. He was already the "friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice" (see John 3:29). Mary was the one who spoke, but the baby in the womb of Elizabeth perceived something more than the greeting of a relative. Why was this? What did he hear? Jesus received his human nature from his mother, and learned language from hearing her speak. There was a sense in which his voice, the voice of the bridegroom, was the voice he chose to receive from his mother. This voice was the first contact of Elizabeth and John with the promised Messiah. It pointed beyond itself to the source contained within. 

Mary continues to visit her peoples throughout the ages just as she visited Juan Diego at Tepeyac. She visits us spiritually as well, when we are willing to hear her greeting and welcome her. Her greeting is meant to be a source of joy for us as well, not because of anything she is in herself, but because of the One whose presence she brings.

Mary came to Elizabeth as the ark once came to David. David asked, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?" (see Second Samuel 6:9) just as did Elizabeth wondered at the visitation of Mary. The whole house of Israel celebrated before the ark with songs and instruments. Nothing unholy was permitted to touch it. Mary's presence inspired wonder which was the same but greater. This is what John perceived. This is the invitation to us, the joy that is set before us, if we will receive it.

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Elizabeth showed us how we ought to receive Mary ourselves. This response was characterized by joy, by wonder, and by holy fear. She did not make the mistake of Uzzah who reached out casually to touch the ark. She recognized the elevated position of Mary, the privilege it was to be able to welcome her.

If we receive Mary as Elizabeth did we ourselves will experience the presence of the One whose presence Mary continues to bring to us. Mary doesn't present to us an obstacle to Jesus, since we realize that it is because of Jesus that she brings us joy. Mary herself is the one was the most open to the presence of God, and so God came to the world through her. In our openness to the mother we learn the way to be open to the Son.

Elizabeth learned to welcome the Son because she was able to perceive that Mary was able to be made the mother of the Son by believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord, that it would be fulfilled. Faith was the doorway of which Mary was a living embodiment. It is a doorway she made present to the peoples of Mexico.

See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.

Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,

and they shall be his people,

and he will dwell among you

Mary invites us to listen to the voice of her greeting, to learn to share the song of joy she teaches us, and to embrace her Son with the same faith with which she was the first to embrace him.

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

John Michael Talbot - Holy Is His Name

Matt Maher - Great Things