Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/122510a.shtml
“No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land ‘Espoused.’ For the Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse…and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”
Today is the day of the celebration! The day when we, the Church, rejoice because we know who came to save us. We celebrate His coming, and mark this day to remember when defeated sin on our behalf. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
This is a day we spend with family; we exchange gifts, warm-hearted feelings, and try to think of only good things today. Today of all days throughout the year we try most to ignore or dispel the darkness in our lives. A lot of that is cultural habit, a tradition that has been reinforced through Christmas movies and music and tv, etc, etc. But some of that, especially for believers, is that this is the day God chose us once and for all, and not just a few chosen ones, but the whole world. Jesus died for the Israelites and the Gentiles, the ones who love Him and the ones who don’t. It is in honor of that generosity that we do our best to be our best on Christmas day, even if we don’t realize it.
In the second reading, Paul preaches to the Jews in their synagogue, and says “God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.” While on the surface this is such joyful news, it is in essence a challenge. We often don’t want our hopes realized, because we have to live up to what we hoped for. If we realize success, we must act appropriately and wear the burden of success in all our other actions. If our savior comes to us, we must act to give Him all honor and support, and live in the way we promised Him we would.
That day has come for us. It is always here, but today on Christmas we are faced with the fact that our Lord, Jesus Christ came to us. He comes to us now, knocking on our hearts. We cannot ignore Him, and we cannot ignore what He stands for. He stands for love, that He loves us so completely as to come to us out of Heaven. He stands for forgiveness, because our sins our wiped away by the suffering He would undertake. He stands for mercy, because we do not receive the punishment we deserve from our sins. He is our hope that has come, and because He has come, we must live up to that love, forgiveness, mercy, and hope.
It is scary to live up to goodness others show us. It is so much easier to be mean when others are mean. Can we bear such love as God’s, that can only be responded to with equally infinite love, that takes us to the finite limits of everything we have?
This is why we have the model of Joseph, who though a good man, was still just a man, whom God had need to tell “Do not be afraid.” So to us, He says “do not be afraid,” but with faith accept Christ, and rejoice in His coming, and love, love with a boundless heart because He did so to us first. Let us celebrate His love with love.
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/121910.shtml
What if we received everything we wanted?
Sometimes I think we ask for success, or love, or responsibility, and don’t know what it is we’re asking for. Sometimes we ask for a miracle, and when it comes we don’t know how to deal with a Power that can make it happen. God is powerful, and Christmas reminds us of that.
In the first reading, King Ahaz of Judah is about to be overrun by his enemies. God sends Isaiah to tell him this will not come to pass, and tells Ahaz to ask for a sign that he might be assured of what God has promised. But Ahaz is afraid, and says “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” What he means, is that he is afraid to acknowledge God.
It is the same when Jesus was born. The world was in the grip of sin, and crying out to God for deliverance. Israel was waiting for the messiah, and God delivered him. God gave John the Baptist to proclaim him, and had Jesus fulfill all the prophecies that spoke of him coming. But when Jesus came, he was rejected. The world was comfortable in their sin, and afraid to accept Jesus and what he represented; holiness and the kingdom of God established on earth.
But this is the power of God, that Jesus came. We asked for salvation, and here He is in all His power and glory. The readings this Sunday remind us of the power and inevitability of God. Next week we will celebrate the arrival of God on earth, foreshadowing the victory over death and the final return of the King of Heaven. By the promise of His birth, we know Jesus will come again.
The victory is here, and the celebration almost upon us. Now is the time for the obedience of faith, for us who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us of our obligation: we have called for Him, and He is here! Let us love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and all our minds.
What if we received everything we wanted?
Sometimes I think we ask for success, or love, or responsibility, and don’t know what it is we’re asking for. Sometimes we ask for a miracle, and when it comes we don’t know how to deal with a Power that can make it happen. God is powerful, and Christmas reminds us of that.
In the first reading, King Ahaz of Judah is about to be overrun by his enemies. God sends Isaiah to tell him this will not come to pass, and tells Ahaz to ask for a sign that he might be assured of what God has promised. But Ahaz is afraid, and says “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” What he means, is that he is afraid to acknowledge God.
It is the same when Jesus was born. The world was in the grip of sin, and crying out to God for deliverance. Israel was waiting for the messiah, and God delivered him. God gave John the Baptist to proclaim him, and had Jesus fulfill all the prophecies that spoke of him coming. But when Jesus came, he was rejected. The world was comfortable in their sin, and afraid to accept Jesus and what he represented; holiness and the kingdom of God established on earth.
But this is the power of God, that Jesus came. We asked for salvation, and here He is in all His power and glory. The readings this Sunday remind us of the power and inevitability of God. Next week we will celebrate the arrival of God on earth, foreshadowing the victory over death and the final return of the King of Heaven. By the promise of His birth, we know Jesus will come again.
The victory is here, and the celebration almost upon us. Now is the time for the obedience of faith, for us who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us of our obligation: we have called for Him, and He is here! Let us love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and all our minds.
Third Sunday in Advent
Link to the Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/121210.shtml
“Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.”
“Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you!”
“The Lord God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.”
“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
God is coming, and bringing salvation with Him. The readings today are full of the joy of what His coming means; and not just the birth of Christ, but the final coming. When Jesus comes in the end, when the dead are resurrected, then we shall see the new Heaven and earth. The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the death will be cleared; the lame will leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing.
While God will do all these things, they are also signs and symbols for an experience we have no words for. When God comes at the end of days, He will bring holy perfection. But those sterile words have no depth to describe the wonder at hand. We can only say that the world then, will be like a healthy body when compared to the sinful body of the world now. And it will be beautiful.
Today we should feel that. Not just the hope that He is coming, but the joy of what that means. The promise fulfilled, and justice established. Jesus is coming to do away with our suffering, and will raise those who are suffering up to new heights. So let us be patient, like the farmer waits for a precious fruit, and remain firm in what believe. Because the Lord is coming.
As we progress through Advent, and become closer and closer to Christmas, we remember that we become closer and closer to Second Coming. We will not have to wait forever, because He is on His way.
“Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.”
“Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you!”
“The Lord God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.”
“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
God is coming, and bringing salvation with Him. The readings today are full of the joy of what His coming means; and not just the birth of Christ, but the final coming. When Jesus comes in the end, when the dead are resurrected, then we shall see the new Heaven and earth. The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the death will be cleared; the lame will leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing.
While God will do all these things, they are also signs and symbols for an experience we have no words for. When God comes at the end of days, He will bring holy perfection. But those sterile words have no depth to describe the wonder at hand. We can only say that the world then, will be like a healthy body when compared to the sinful body of the world now. And it will be beautiful.
Today we should feel that. Not just the hope that He is coming, but the joy of what that means. The promise fulfilled, and justice established. Jesus is coming to do away with our suffering, and will raise those who are suffering up to new heights. So let us be patient, like the farmer waits for a precious fruit, and remain firm in what believe. Because the Lord is coming.
As we progress through Advent, and become closer and closer to Christmas, we remember that we become closer and closer to Second Coming. We will not have to wait forever, because He is on His way.
Second Sunday in Advent
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/120510.shtml
Christmas is inherently a sad time. There is a lot of effort during the commercial Christmas season to make everything happy and giddy simply because it’s Christmas. Nobody bothers to explain why it should be so happy, and as a result, it’s exhausting. Nothing is worse than someone telling you to be happy and not giving you a reason for it.
But it’s happy because the root of Christmas is in its sorrow. We celebrate Christmas during the darkest time of the year, when nature is at its ebb. While we celebrate family, many people will be alone; We proclaim “peace on earth, goodwill towards men” but crime increases. And when Christ was born, the world was enslaved to sin and desperately in need of a savior. There is a reason “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is sung so mournfully.
But Christmas is a joyful time because we are given hope. In Advent we prepare for the coming of the Savior, who John the Baptist and the prophecies of Isaiah promise us is coming. And because God kept His promise with Christ’s birth, we believe God will come again. This is the hope that brings us joy: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel!”
It sounds obvious. But in Advent we remember that Christ is a light in the darkness, He is our hope against sin and death. We prepare ourselves to receive His coming, and have hope. Hope that He will fix us, that He will be what we are searching for, that God will be faithful.
It is easy to lose faith. But Paul tells us “that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This is the time to remember that. The Christmas spirit is the faithful reminding each other not to despair, that God is coming for His people. We remind each other that God remembers us in our pain, that He is faithful. We show each other love at this time of year especially because God once did, and we remember that God is good.
Take the time to read the passage from Isaiah for today. This is what God has promised, and it will come to pass.
Christmas is inherently a sad time. There is a lot of effort during the commercial Christmas season to make everything happy and giddy simply because it’s Christmas. Nobody bothers to explain why it should be so happy, and as a result, it’s exhausting. Nothing is worse than someone telling you to be happy and not giving you a reason for it.
But it’s happy because the root of Christmas is in its sorrow. We celebrate Christmas during the darkest time of the year, when nature is at its ebb. While we celebrate family, many people will be alone; We proclaim “peace on earth, goodwill towards men” but crime increases. And when Christ was born, the world was enslaved to sin and desperately in need of a savior. There is a reason “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is sung so mournfully.
But Christmas is a joyful time because we are given hope. In Advent we prepare for the coming of the Savior, who John the Baptist and the prophecies of Isaiah promise us is coming. And because God kept His promise with Christ’s birth, we believe God will come again. This is the hope that brings us joy: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel!”
It sounds obvious. But in Advent we remember that Christ is a light in the darkness, He is our hope against sin and death. We prepare ourselves to receive His coming, and have hope. Hope that He will fix us, that He will be what we are searching for, that God will be faithful.
It is easy to lose faith. But Paul tells us “that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This is the time to remember that. The Christmas spirit is the faithful reminding each other not to despair, that God is coming for His people. We remind each other that God remembers us in our pain, that He is faithful. We show each other love at this time of year especially because God once did, and we remember that God is good.
Take the time to read the passage from Isaiah for today. This is what God has promised, and it will come to pass.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
First Sunday in Advent
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/112810.shtml
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. This is the beginning of the Church’s calendar year, and a time specially dedicated to preparing for the arrival of Christ. It is also a time dedicated to new life. Converts wishing to enter the Church are formally accepted as catechumens (one receiving instruction from a catechist), and take their place alongside their new brothers and sisters.
We emphasize new life this time of year to prepare for Christ’s coming. Liturgically, this is symbolized by our preparation in Advent for Christ’s birth Christmas morning. But in our own lives, we emphasize new life to prepare for Christ’s coming at the end of days.
All Christian life is a call to repentance, so that Christ might recognize us as His own when He comes again. The readings today emphasize that our repentance and new life must begin now. There is no time, for our salvation is even nearer now than when we first believed.
Advent is a time to remind us that He is coming. These four weeks count down to Christmas like the days of the world count down to the Resurrection. We have no time to waste on lust or drunkenness, promiscuity or jealousy. If we were told we had to change our lives by Christmas, would we have enough time? If we only had tomorrow, what then? We do not know the day or the hour, and Advent reminds us that we need to be mindful that he is coming, whether we are ready or not. We must be prepared!
The new life we are called to live begins in the Church, in church. “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.” Here is where Jesus should find us, not only because He calls us here, but because it is where holy love and friendship are found. Advent also reminds us that Jesus came for our salvation, and His birth that we prepare for marks hope for us. We should go rejoicing to the house of the Lord; because of Him the nations will sue for peace, neither raise the sword against one another nor train for war again.
“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord, / Because of my brothers and friends/ I will say, “Peace by within you!”/ Because of the house of the Lord, our God,/ I will pray for your good.
God is the inspiration for every good thing within us, and it is His hands that heal us, His grace that blesses us. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord, to prepare for His arrival!
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. This is the beginning of the Church’s calendar year, and a time specially dedicated to preparing for the arrival of Christ. It is also a time dedicated to new life. Converts wishing to enter the Church are formally accepted as catechumens (one receiving instruction from a catechist), and take their place alongside their new brothers and sisters.
We emphasize new life this time of year to prepare for Christ’s coming. Liturgically, this is symbolized by our preparation in Advent for Christ’s birth Christmas morning. But in our own lives, we emphasize new life to prepare for Christ’s coming at the end of days.
All Christian life is a call to repentance, so that Christ might recognize us as His own when He comes again. The readings today emphasize that our repentance and new life must begin now. There is no time, for our salvation is even nearer now than when we first believed.
Advent is a time to remind us that He is coming. These four weeks count down to Christmas like the days of the world count down to the Resurrection. We have no time to waste on lust or drunkenness, promiscuity or jealousy. If we were told we had to change our lives by Christmas, would we have enough time? If we only had tomorrow, what then? We do not know the day or the hour, and Advent reminds us that we need to be mindful that he is coming, whether we are ready or not. We must be prepared!
The new life we are called to live begins in the Church, in church. “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.” Here is where Jesus should find us, not only because He calls us here, but because it is where holy love and friendship are found. Advent also reminds us that Jesus came for our salvation, and His birth that we prepare for marks hope for us. We should go rejoicing to the house of the Lord; because of Him the nations will sue for peace, neither raise the sword against one another nor train for war again.
“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord, / Because of my brothers and friends/ I will say, “Peace by within you!”/ Because of the house of the Lord, our God,/ I will pray for your good.
God is the inspiration for every good thing within us, and it is His hands that heal us, His grace that blesses us. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord, to prepare for His arrival!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Solemnity of Christ the King
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/112110.shtml
What does it mean to be king?
In the first reading, to be king is to bear responsibility for one’s people. The tribes of Israel are bone and flesh of David, and he is responsible for them because of his kinship with him, because he has saved their lives, and because God has commanded it of him. Thus David agrees to be their king because it is his responsibility.
In the second reading, to be king is to be worthy of worship. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth. He is head of the body, the church. All the superlatives are His, and in Him all fullness is pleased to dwell. Jesus is King because he deserves to be.
But what does it mean to be King on the cross? David ruled from the throne in Jerusalem, and all Israel paid him homage, listening to his words. When Paul writes of Jesus, He is King of Heaven and all creation rightly gives Him praise. But on the cross, in this moment of all the moments of His life, Jesus is the most Kingly. At the height of His sovereignty, Jesus allows Himself to suffer and die, and feel despair.
For Jesus, to be king is to have all the power in the world and beyond it, but to accept pain. It is to have authority over countless angels, but not to relieve the suffering even of the one man who offers Him worship in His humiliation. It is so strange that we wonder why we suffer, when Christ in all his glory suffered even unto death. We who chase after Him, chase Him to the cross.
When we pray, do we pray like the first thief? Do we say, “if you are God, then do such and such?” God can, of course, do such and such, but He has showed us that in authority there is humility. Jesus would not have been worthy of being King were it not for the cross, if not for the responsibility he bore to all the world: because He came to redeem his people from bondage, to claim victory over sin. Like David, He has won us to Himself.
Can we see our King in His humility? Will we worship Him in ours? The second thief saw Jesus suffering, and He believed in God. Who can watch God die and say “Remember me when you come into your kingdom?” To believe your King can command countless angels, but refuses to, requires a faith I marvel at.
Faith is proof of what is hoped for, and evidence of things unseen. It is faith to believe in a suffering King. It is faith, to talk about God having faith, to suffer and die as King for a people that betrayed you, who lived before you walked the earth, and who are still yet to be born.
On this Solemnity, we should remember our King who is worthy to be praised, and we should pray for the faith to worship Him in our suffering, our suffering King.
What does it mean to be king?
In the first reading, to be king is to bear responsibility for one’s people. The tribes of Israel are bone and flesh of David, and he is responsible for them because of his kinship with him, because he has saved their lives, and because God has commanded it of him. Thus David agrees to be their king because it is his responsibility.
In the second reading, to be king is to be worthy of worship. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth. He is head of the body, the church. All the superlatives are His, and in Him all fullness is pleased to dwell. Jesus is King because he deserves to be.
But what does it mean to be King on the cross? David ruled from the throne in Jerusalem, and all Israel paid him homage, listening to his words. When Paul writes of Jesus, He is King of Heaven and all creation rightly gives Him praise. But on the cross, in this moment of all the moments of His life, Jesus is the most Kingly. At the height of His sovereignty, Jesus allows Himself to suffer and die, and feel despair.
For Jesus, to be king is to have all the power in the world and beyond it, but to accept pain. It is to have authority over countless angels, but not to relieve the suffering even of the one man who offers Him worship in His humiliation. It is so strange that we wonder why we suffer, when Christ in all his glory suffered even unto death. We who chase after Him, chase Him to the cross.
When we pray, do we pray like the first thief? Do we say, “if you are God, then do such and such?” God can, of course, do such and such, but He has showed us that in authority there is humility. Jesus would not have been worthy of being King were it not for the cross, if not for the responsibility he bore to all the world: because He came to redeem his people from bondage, to claim victory over sin. Like David, He has won us to Himself.
Can we see our King in His humility? Will we worship Him in ours? The second thief saw Jesus suffering, and He believed in God. Who can watch God die and say “Remember me when you come into your kingdom?” To believe your King can command countless angels, but refuses to, requires a faith I marvel at.
Faith is proof of what is hoped for, and evidence of things unseen. It is faith to believe in a suffering King. It is faith, to talk about God having faith, to suffer and die as King for a people that betrayed you, who lived before you walked the earth, and who are still yet to be born.
On this Solemnity, we should remember our King who is worthy to be praised, and we should pray for the faith to worship Him in our suffering, our suffering King.
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/111410.shtml
We are afraid of weakness. Everything in our culture encourages us to be the best, the prettiest, the strongest, the smartest…even in reality tv shows we watch people who are encouraged to be the most promiscuous, the most abrasive, and the loudest person they can be. Our culture believes in bullies, because only the person who can force their beliefs to be accepted is allowed to hold those beliefs. Might makes right, and it doesn’t matter whether that right is of God or man because it is the strength of the person or group advocating that counts.
And this is wrong.
Christianity is not about overcoming oppression through strength, but through love. It is ironic; we are commanded to be weak because behind us we have the greatest power in the world. Jesus is stronger than everything, than sin, than death, than all the kings of all the earth. We are called to be weak to let His strength shine through us.
This is why Jesus says to not prepare a defense of yourself beforehand. Because when we are persecuted for His sake, He will give us an eloquence to move the stony hearts of mountains. Sometimes He speaks with our suffering, and the death of His martyrs; but then their blood writes upon the hearts of those who witness them: God is Love. And a Love worth dying for is a powerful sermon to give.
Just the same when Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to work diligently and not mind the business of others. It is weakness to be obedient and take responsibility for yourself, not trying to rise above others. We who would try to give commands to other people seek to gather strength to ourselves, but we are called to be weak and give all our strength to God. That means trusting God to use our brothers and sisters in His Word better than we can.
Because our God is the God of justice. All power and glory are His, and when He comes to rule the world He will take it back upon Himself. We who claim power now will have it stripped from us; we who claim places of honor at the table will be sent down to places of dishonor. But those who fear God, who submit in their weakness to the strength of His love, will be raised up. To seek the power of authority is to seek sovereignty, and ruling over others is God’s province. If we can be weak, we can learn to move with the authority God gives us.
In weakness there is strength, because all the power of God and the Holy Spirit wells up within us. Serving Him in humility lets us act with Him. But to be strong and seek power is to rely upon yourself. If we try to accomplish things through our strength and not God’s, we are doomed to fail because His strength endures forever, not ours.
It is terrifying to be weak, and to give up the power we have. But let us let go, and pray that God moves within us. He can accomplish more than we can even understand.
We are afraid of weakness. Everything in our culture encourages us to be the best, the prettiest, the strongest, the smartest…even in reality tv shows we watch people who are encouraged to be the most promiscuous, the most abrasive, and the loudest person they can be. Our culture believes in bullies, because only the person who can force their beliefs to be accepted is allowed to hold those beliefs. Might makes right, and it doesn’t matter whether that right is of God or man because it is the strength of the person or group advocating that counts.
And this is wrong.
Christianity is not about overcoming oppression through strength, but through love. It is ironic; we are commanded to be weak because behind us we have the greatest power in the world. Jesus is stronger than everything, than sin, than death, than all the kings of all the earth. We are called to be weak to let His strength shine through us.
This is why Jesus says to not prepare a defense of yourself beforehand. Because when we are persecuted for His sake, He will give us an eloquence to move the stony hearts of mountains. Sometimes He speaks with our suffering, and the death of His martyrs; but then their blood writes upon the hearts of those who witness them: God is Love. And a Love worth dying for is a powerful sermon to give.
Just the same when Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to work diligently and not mind the business of others. It is weakness to be obedient and take responsibility for yourself, not trying to rise above others. We who would try to give commands to other people seek to gather strength to ourselves, but we are called to be weak and give all our strength to God. That means trusting God to use our brothers and sisters in His Word better than we can.
Because our God is the God of justice. All power and glory are His, and when He comes to rule the world He will take it back upon Himself. We who claim power now will have it stripped from us; we who claim places of honor at the table will be sent down to places of dishonor. But those who fear God, who submit in their weakness to the strength of His love, will be raised up. To seek the power of authority is to seek sovereignty, and ruling over others is God’s province. If we can be weak, we can learn to move with the authority God gives us.
In weakness there is strength, because all the power of God and the Holy Spirit wells up within us. Serving Him in humility lets us act with Him. But to be strong and seek power is to rely upon yourself. If we try to accomplish things through our strength and not God’s, we are doomed to fail because His strength endures forever, not ours.
It is terrifying to be weak, and to give up the power we have. But let us let go, and pray that God moves within us. He can accomplish more than we can even understand.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/110710.shtml
I love the books of Maccabees; their story is of a family that started a revolution for the Lord, that reclaimed Israel from pagan hands and held it as a whole nation again for several decades. The first reading comes from the beginning of their story, before the brothers have risen up against their Greek oppressors. The story of the brothers is meant to serve as both an example of injustices done to the people of Israel, and an example of Jewish bravery.
At the time, many Jews were letting go of the laws, and adopting Greek practices. The Temple in Jerusalem had a Greek idol placed upon the altar, and Jewish men were participating in Greek gymnasiums, letting themselves become indoctrinated. The story of the brothers at once reminds us that the laws of our ancestors are worth dying for, and God will reward our devotion.
Their story is an apt one for our time, if not all times. The people of the Church are constantly tempted to adopt the ways of the world. The Church is always old fashioned because it is centered in Tradition and the teachings of man whose story is 2,000 years old. We care so much about acceptance, and God demands that we offer up that desire on His altar. God told us that if the world hated him, it would hate us as well. If we are truly God’s we are counter to the world, and will at worst be considered weird; at best, dangerous.
The Resurrection is supposed to be comforting in the face of all this. God is not “God of the dead, but of the living;” in a way, I think this is the strangest of all the things we believe, but it is the center of our faith. Jesus rose from the dead, and we believe that because He did, we will too. We believe He has power over sin because death could not hold him. We follow God now, so that we might have everlasting life.
It is hard to take comfort in that belief though, because death can be so terrifying. Even pain is scary, and we all seek to avoid suffering like the plague. Paul knows this, that’s why he always instructs the churches to pray for him, and let them know he prays for them as well. And this is where the story of the brothers can inspire us: in the community of faith, we encourage each other to persevere towards the end.
Those who are strong in faith uplift those who are struggling; as we each experience doubts, the roles reverse. Together, like the brothers, we stand firm in what has been passed down to us, persevere until the end of the race. We remind each other that God is faithful, and in our suffering on His behalf there is merit, and hope in death.
Just as God does not abandon us when we hurt, He will not abandon us when we die. This is the hope Jesus offered us, that our life in pain and suffering would have its reward. What He has given us is worth dying for, but also it is worth living for. We should take from these readings a determination to live a life more openly of Christ, for we have our faith, our brethren, and our hope of rising again.
I love the books of Maccabees; their story is of a family that started a revolution for the Lord, that reclaimed Israel from pagan hands and held it as a whole nation again for several decades. The first reading comes from the beginning of their story, before the brothers have risen up against their Greek oppressors. The story of the brothers is meant to serve as both an example of injustices done to the people of Israel, and an example of Jewish bravery.
At the time, many Jews were letting go of the laws, and adopting Greek practices. The Temple in Jerusalem had a Greek idol placed upon the altar, and Jewish men were participating in Greek gymnasiums, letting themselves become indoctrinated. The story of the brothers at once reminds us that the laws of our ancestors are worth dying for, and God will reward our devotion.
Their story is an apt one for our time, if not all times. The people of the Church are constantly tempted to adopt the ways of the world. The Church is always old fashioned because it is centered in Tradition and the teachings of man whose story is 2,000 years old. We care so much about acceptance, and God demands that we offer up that desire on His altar. God told us that if the world hated him, it would hate us as well. If we are truly God’s we are counter to the world, and will at worst be considered weird; at best, dangerous.
The Resurrection is supposed to be comforting in the face of all this. God is not “God of the dead, but of the living;” in a way, I think this is the strangest of all the things we believe, but it is the center of our faith. Jesus rose from the dead, and we believe that because He did, we will too. We believe He has power over sin because death could not hold him. We follow God now, so that we might have everlasting life.
It is hard to take comfort in that belief though, because death can be so terrifying. Even pain is scary, and we all seek to avoid suffering like the plague. Paul knows this, that’s why he always instructs the churches to pray for him, and let them know he prays for them as well. And this is where the story of the brothers can inspire us: in the community of faith, we encourage each other to persevere towards the end.
Those who are strong in faith uplift those who are struggling; as we each experience doubts, the roles reverse. Together, like the brothers, we stand firm in what has been passed down to us, persevere until the end of the race. We remind each other that God is faithful, and in our suffering on His behalf there is merit, and hope in death.
Just as God does not abandon us when we hurt, He will not abandon us when we die. This is the hope Jesus offered us, that our life in pain and suffering would have its reward. What He has given us is worth dying for, but also it is worth living for. We should take from these readings a determination to live a life more openly of Christ, for we have our faith, our brethren, and our hope of rising again.
Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/103110.shtml
There are all kinds of faith between people and God. Some people are all in their heads with God, worshipping Him out of a love for the theology and idea of Grace. Some people have a very personal relationship with God, because He saved them from their dark place. Others love God as a friend who walks with them always, hand in hand fingers entwined. All of these are ok, we all see God through different prisms. But I bring it up because while there is variety between believers, there is also variety in how God presents Himself to us. Sometimes we read about Him as the just judge, and other times the loving shepherd. Sometimes He is the God of smiting, and other times He is the God of forgiveness. So much of a minister or theologians’ time is taken up trying to reconcile these different aspects of God.
To an extent, they cannot be reconciled. God is both the just judge and the merciful forgiver. There is a Heaven and a Hell, whatever that means. The tension between salvation and damnation is the genesis of the phrase “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Today we read about the love of God. Though He can do all things, He has mercy on us because of His total power. The passage from Wisdom is beautiful because it brings the love of God, which extends to infinity, to us small, sinful people. This is why people fall in love with God, because of the mystery behind why a God would love us like this.
Zacchaeus is the man who falls in love with God because he is curious. Is there really a god who loves us so extravagantly? Is there really a god who loves me like that? My favorite part about the story of Zacchaeus is how ridiculous it is. Here is a man, who is wealthy and important, who perhaps out of pride does not order the crowd to part so he can see Jesus, but instead climbs a tree too see him; in effect standing out more in the tree than he would ordering the crowd to part. I think this is where God finds us so often, in those moments where we cannot help but search for Jesus in spite of our pride, and so become fools for Christ.
We cannot find Christ without being fools. Only fools believe in proof of what is hoped for, and evidence of things unseen. Only fools could believe an all powerful God loves us despite everything. Only we would let ourselves be weak, and love someone who lets us know pain and sorrow so closely.
There is a joy to abandonment, to being foolish. How else could we explain a man who gives away half of everything he owns, and repays his injuries four times over? There is such a joy to letting go, to believing something this good really exists, that God has and will come into us.
“For you love all things that are and loath nothing that you have made; for what you hated you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?”
Rejoice and be glad, I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
There are all kinds of faith between people and God. Some people are all in their heads with God, worshipping Him out of a love for the theology and idea of Grace. Some people have a very personal relationship with God, because He saved them from their dark place. Others love God as a friend who walks with them always, hand in hand fingers entwined. All of these are ok, we all see God through different prisms. But I bring it up because while there is variety between believers, there is also variety in how God presents Himself to us. Sometimes we read about Him as the just judge, and other times the loving shepherd. Sometimes He is the God of smiting, and other times He is the God of forgiveness. So much of a minister or theologians’ time is taken up trying to reconcile these different aspects of God.
To an extent, they cannot be reconciled. God is both the just judge and the merciful forgiver. There is a Heaven and a Hell, whatever that means. The tension between salvation and damnation is the genesis of the phrase “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Today we read about the love of God. Though He can do all things, He has mercy on us because of His total power. The passage from Wisdom is beautiful because it brings the love of God, which extends to infinity, to us small, sinful people. This is why people fall in love with God, because of the mystery behind why a God would love us like this.
Zacchaeus is the man who falls in love with God because he is curious. Is there really a god who loves us so extravagantly? Is there really a god who loves me like that? My favorite part about the story of Zacchaeus is how ridiculous it is. Here is a man, who is wealthy and important, who perhaps out of pride does not order the crowd to part so he can see Jesus, but instead climbs a tree too see him; in effect standing out more in the tree than he would ordering the crowd to part. I think this is where God finds us so often, in those moments where we cannot help but search for Jesus in spite of our pride, and so become fools for Christ.
We cannot find Christ without being fools. Only fools believe in proof of what is hoped for, and evidence of things unseen. Only fools could believe an all powerful God loves us despite everything. Only we would let ourselves be weak, and love someone who lets us know pain and sorrow so closely.
There is a joy to abandonment, to being foolish. How else could we explain a man who gives away half of everything he owns, and repays his injuries four times over? There is such a joy to letting go, to believing something this good really exists, that God has and will come into us.
“For you love all things that are and loath nothing that you have made; for what you hated you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?”
Rejoice and be glad, I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Reading: http://www.usccb.org/nab/102410.shtml
The Lord will rescue those who are just and faithful to Him. In persecution do not despair; doubt not God nor the victory of salvation He has placed within you. Though we sin, sin cannot prevail against the strength of the Holy Spirit. In pain, we need to look to humility, to let ourselves be weak enough to need God.
The Lord will rescue those who are just and faithful to Him. In persecution do not despair; doubt not God nor the victory of salvation He has placed within you. Though we sin, sin cannot prevail against the strength of the Holy Spirit. In pain, we need to look to humility, to let ourselves be weak enough to need God.
Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/101710.shtml
When Jesus relates the parable about the unjust judge and the widow who nags him, he notes that the judge renders a decision in favor of the widow “lest she come and strike me.” Another translation reads: “yet because this widow bother me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.” And Jesus does not need to interpret this any further, but says that if the unjust judge will respond to the widow through fear or annoyance, then so God will. It is interesting because the chosen who call out to God day and night, are held up as justified in seeking their rights from God.
We as Christians emphasize always our duty to God, and talk about prayer as something that changes the “pray-er,” if not necessarily God’s mind. We remind ourselves to expect suffering, because all of God’s followers suffer on account of God. That’s how we know we are his. But we shy away from the idea that we have rights towards God, because He is God and we are not. But we do. God is King; we are His Body, building His Kingdom; we have rights for Him to support us in that.
When Israel is threatened by Amelak, Moses does not hesitate to tell Joshua to defend Israel. And Go preserves the, because they are on the path He set before them. Paul exhorts Timothy to stay faithful to what he has learned and believed from his youth, because it is true; to help Timothy, Paul refers him to the Scriptures, which are God’s and useful for “teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” We have a right to expect Scripture, to have a guide for us in spreading the word.
The point is that God is with us, that “The Lord will guard you from all evil,/ The Lord will guard your life./ The Lord will guard your coming and going,/ both now and forever.” Our God is with us. His name is Emmanuel, “God with us.” It is clichéd to say that God does not give us more than we can handle, but it is more accurate to say that He gives us everything we need to continue the mission. There is a subtle difference, because the first assumes we have everything we need to handle what happens to us, because God has given it to us. But the second is different, because we do not always recognize our gifts.
Let us not forget what we have been given. We have been given the Word of God in Scripture, to guide us and succor us in our distress. We have been given salvation, and the Holy Spirit welling up in our hearts. We have been given the Church, to lean on and hold us when we are struggling. We have the charisms that God has given us, and the family and friends our lives our intertwined with. All these things are here for us, and God has prepared all these things to accompany our prayers.
We are not alone, and God holds all of our prayers in His heart. His love is overflowing for us, and we should never hesitate to ask for help in our distress. Our God hears our just plea, and will respond. We must make sure then, to recognize when He comes.
When Jesus relates the parable about the unjust judge and the widow who nags him, he notes that the judge renders a decision in favor of the widow “lest she come and strike me.” Another translation reads: “yet because this widow bother me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.” And Jesus does not need to interpret this any further, but says that if the unjust judge will respond to the widow through fear or annoyance, then so God will. It is interesting because the chosen who call out to God day and night, are held up as justified in seeking their rights from God.
We as Christians emphasize always our duty to God, and talk about prayer as something that changes the “pray-er,” if not necessarily God’s mind. We remind ourselves to expect suffering, because all of God’s followers suffer on account of God. That’s how we know we are his. But we shy away from the idea that we have rights towards God, because He is God and we are not. But we do. God is King; we are His Body, building His Kingdom; we have rights for Him to support us in that.
When Israel is threatened by Amelak, Moses does not hesitate to tell Joshua to defend Israel. And Go preserves the, because they are on the path He set before them. Paul exhorts Timothy to stay faithful to what he has learned and believed from his youth, because it is true; to help Timothy, Paul refers him to the Scriptures, which are God’s and useful for “teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” We have a right to expect Scripture, to have a guide for us in spreading the word.
The point is that God is with us, that “The Lord will guard you from all evil,/ The Lord will guard your life./ The Lord will guard your coming and going,/ both now and forever.” Our God is with us. His name is Emmanuel, “God with us.” It is clichéd to say that God does not give us more than we can handle, but it is more accurate to say that He gives us everything we need to continue the mission. There is a subtle difference, because the first assumes we have everything we need to handle what happens to us, because God has given it to us. But the second is different, because we do not always recognize our gifts.
Let us not forget what we have been given. We have been given the Word of God in Scripture, to guide us and succor us in our distress. We have been given salvation, and the Holy Spirit welling up in our hearts. We have been given the Church, to lean on and hold us when we are struggling. We have the charisms that God has given us, and the family and friends our lives our intertwined with. All these things are here for us, and God has prepared all these things to accompany our prayers.
We are not alone, and God holds all of our prayers in His heart. His love is overflowing for us, and we should never hesitate to ask for help in our distress. Our God hears our just plea, and will respond. We must make sure then, to recognize when He comes.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
2010, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/092610.shtml
Scholars like to talk about religion as a normative function of society. As in, religion teaches children how to behave, and conform to cultural norms. Schoolbooks describe religion as social control, and for the most part they are correct. Religion is often a mirror of what the people attending church already think and feel.
But that isn’t what we read today.
“Woe to the complacent in Zion!” cries Amos. Shame to the people of God who drink wine and perfume themselves, but are not made sick at the suffering of their brother! They shall be first ones exiled, and their self-absorbed celebrating be done away with.
In his parable Jesus condemns those who aren’t aware of the suffering of the poor, who are content in their own blessings. We aren’t told that the rich man was especially wicked; we are only told that in life he received what was good, while Lazarus received what was bad. Now in Hell the rich man advocates mercy. But it is interesting that while we know Lazarus by name, we don’t know the name of the rich man. And this is the sin: the rich man did not know Lazarus.
We are not called to be the normal of society. Christian writers spend a lot of time making distinction between religion as the organization and the spirituality we follow. They replace Christian with Christ follower, trying to call back to a more simple Gospel, untainted by church politics or bickering creeds.
But this is our religion: to be passionately in love with Jesus, and passionate in our support of the poor. “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness…I charge you before God…to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What is the commandment? Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. We are Catholic and we believe.
We should not be normal, Jesus isn’t normal. Jesus was the Son of God, and we want to be like that we can hardly help raising eyebrows. We should be weird, because people will think we are strange, talking to and touching the poor. Our friends will think we are going overboard when we volunteer all weekend, or wasting money when we tithe away our income to the St. Vincent de Paul. At best, they will say what a good thing we are doing, and box us away as “Saint Mary” or “Saint Tim.” It will be something that we do because we are strange and our goodness will become a fault that our friends overlook because they can’t understand that we give our lives to everything but ourselves. But every one who loses their life will gain it.
We are Catholic and we remember who we follow, a man who spent his ministry among the poor and rejected, who did not come to found churches but disciples who would follow God.
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/092610.shtml
Scholars like to talk about religion as a normative function of society. As in, religion teaches children how to behave, and conform to cultural norms. Schoolbooks describe religion as social control, and for the most part they are correct. Religion is often a mirror of what the people attending church already think and feel.
But that isn’t what we read today.
“Woe to the complacent in Zion!” cries Amos. Shame to the people of God who drink wine and perfume themselves, but are not made sick at the suffering of their brother! They shall be first ones exiled, and their self-absorbed celebrating be done away with.
In his parable Jesus condemns those who aren’t aware of the suffering of the poor, who are content in their own blessings. We aren’t told that the rich man was especially wicked; we are only told that in life he received what was good, while Lazarus received what was bad. Now in Hell the rich man advocates mercy. But it is interesting that while we know Lazarus by name, we don’t know the name of the rich man. And this is the sin: the rich man did not know Lazarus.
We are not called to be the normal of society. Christian writers spend a lot of time making distinction between religion as the organization and the spirituality we follow. They replace Christian with Christ follower, trying to call back to a more simple Gospel, untainted by church politics or bickering creeds.
But this is our religion: to be passionately in love with Jesus, and passionate in our support of the poor. “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness…I charge you before God…to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What is the commandment? Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. We are Catholic and we believe.
We should not be normal, Jesus isn’t normal. Jesus was the Son of God, and we want to be like that we can hardly help raising eyebrows. We should be weird, because people will think we are strange, talking to and touching the poor. Our friends will think we are going overboard when we volunteer all weekend, or wasting money when we tithe away our income to the St. Vincent de Paul. At best, they will say what a good thing we are doing, and box us away as “Saint Mary” or “Saint Tim.” It will be something that we do because we are strange and our goodness will become a fault that our friends overlook because they can’t understand that we give our lives to everything but ourselves. But every one who loses their life will gain it.
We are Catholic and we remember who we follow, a man who spent his ministry among the poor and rejected, who did not come to found churches but disciples who would follow God.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/091910.shtml
Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor! Praise Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all!
These are not separate ideas, though we tend to think so. We come to church and learn about salvation, that Christ died for sinners so all might be saved. But whom do we see when we look around in church? Where are the poor who stand equal with us in salvation? It is shameful that so often our churches are divided not by geography, but by economics.
Time after time Jesus exhorts his disciples to take care of the poor. Feed my sheep. What you have not done for the least of my brothers, you have not done for me. Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor. As Christians, we have a special obligation to minister to the poor as the vanguard of our faith. Without works our faith is dead.
The Gospel seems strange because Jesus lifts up the dishonest steward. But the point is that the steward knew his wealth and status would not last, so he acted prudently with the wealth he possessed at the time, forgiving his master’s debts ensuring he would be welcomed by his master’s debtors. We are in the same position. We know that we will die and lose the wealth and status we enjoy on earth. But if we were prudent like the steward, we would use our wealth to take care of the poor, and earn favor with God so that we are welcomed into eternal life.
Not to say that God works that way, but it would be the prudent thing to do. True wealth is one of the themes of Luke. There is no honesty or glory in earthly splendor, for how can there be glory when fellow Christians are oppressed and marginalized? Wealth creates injustice, and we worship a God who “raises up the lowly from the dust;/ from the dunghill he lifts up the poor/ to seat them with princes,/ with the princes of his own people.” This isn’t prophecy for the end times, but a mission we are called to partner with God in now.
Those in power have a special responsibility to those who are not. The first reading condemns the vendors who use their power to cheat the poor, and the second reading asks us to pray for those in authority that they may keep the peace. This thing, to keep the vulnerable from exploitation and violence, is our responsibility.
The early Christians were not capitalists, nor even socialists. They lived in a small community and shared everything between themselves. They were a community. The disciples knew and taught that to follow Christ meant placing ourselves on an equal footing with all other believers, even seeking to be the servant of everyone else. The concept of nations, democracy, politics, democrats, kings, patriotism, laws…these are not sacred to God.
In God, there is one nation set apart, the priesthood of all believers. There is only one King, one set of laws which He did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.
We are called to be in this world and not of it, and our allegiance is given to none but God first and the people He has given to us to care for. Our politics are those of the poor, and we should defend neither corporation, nor country, nor authority before we defend the exploited, the downtrodden, and the vulnerable.
Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor! Praise Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all!
These are not separate ideas, though we tend to think so. We come to church and learn about salvation, that Christ died for sinners so all might be saved. But whom do we see when we look around in church? Where are the poor who stand equal with us in salvation? It is shameful that so often our churches are divided not by geography, but by economics.
Time after time Jesus exhorts his disciples to take care of the poor. Feed my sheep. What you have not done for the least of my brothers, you have not done for me. Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor. As Christians, we have a special obligation to minister to the poor as the vanguard of our faith. Without works our faith is dead.
The Gospel seems strange because Jesus lifts up the dishonest steward. But the point is that the steward knew his wealth and status would not last, so he acted prudently with the wealth he possessed at the time, forgiving his master’s debts ensuring he would be welcomed by his master’s debtors. We are in the same position. We know that we will die and lose the wealth and status we enjoy on earth. But if we were prudent like the steward, we would use our wealth to take care of the poor, and earn favor with God so that we are welcomed into eternal life.
Not to say that God works that way, but it would be the prudent thing to do. True wealth is one of the themes of Luke. There is no honesty or glory in earthly splendor, for how can there be glory when fellow Christians are oppressed and marginalized? Wealth creates injustice, and we worship a God who “raises up the lowly from the dust;/ from the dunghill he lifts up the poor/ to seat them with princes,/ with the princes of his own people.” This isn’t prophecy for the end times, but a mission we are called to partner with God in now.
Those in power have a special responsibility to those who are not. The first reading condemns the vendors who use their power to cheat the poor, and the second reading asks us to pray for those in authority that they may keep the peace. This thing, to keep the vulnerable from exploitation and violence, is our responsibility.
The early Christians were not capitalists, nor even socialists. They lived in a small community and shared everything between themselves. They were a community. The disciples knew and taught that to follow Christ meant placing ourselves on an equal footing with all other believers, even seeking to be the servant of everyone else. The concept of nations, democracy, politics, democrats, kings, patriotism, laws…these are not sacred to God.
In God, there is one nation set apart, the priesthood of all believers. There is only one King, one set of laws which He did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.
We are called to be in this world and not of it, and our allegiance is given to none but God first and the people He has given to us to care for. Our politics are those of the poor, and we should defend neither corporation, nor country, nor authority before we defend the exploited, the downtrodden, and the vulnerable.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/091210.shtml
God will forgive us.
Incredible but true, no matter how much we can’t believe it, His mercy is ours for the asking. The story of the prodigal son is one of the most familiar Gospel readings, and because of that it is one of the easiest to dismiss. We know the son is sinful, and is forgiven because the father is so happy to see him return. We understand that God’s love is infinite, that His forgiveness is there for the asking, etc, etc.
But God really will forgive us.
The story of the prodigal son is always relevant to our hearts. Sometimes we feel like the older son, and want rewards for being “good Christians.” But much, much more often we feel like the younger son sitting in the mud, hungry and wanting to come home. The hardest part is having to ask for forgiveness, whether it is due to pride, shame, fear, or despair.
But God forgives us.
The Lord has made us a promise, that those who believe in him will inherit eternal life. In return He has demanded everything and every day we try to hold something back; but He has created us for salvation. God did not destroy the Israelites because of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and just so He will not destroy us.
This is the Good News: that our sins can be washed away. “A clean heart create for me, O God,/ and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” There are new beginnings. We cannot believe in a God who will always forgive us, because we cannot always forgive others. But here is the victory of salvation, that we will become like the God we worship, and become the city on the hill where the Lord “forgives us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”
This week, let us acknowledge who we are. We are sinners, but also sons and daughters who have a home where forgiveness is cheap, because the love between us and our Father is priceless. Our God is He who rejoices during the Sacrament of Reconciliation because that is what is! We as Catholics have learned that confession is serious, and penance must be made with a reverence both severe and respectful to God. But if we truly listened to the gospel, instead of confessing that we had gotten drunk “partying” the night before, we would leave the confessional with a new resolve for jubilee!
We are a backwards and stiff-necked people. We worship the God who turned water into wine, who transforms our earthly lives into ones of Heaven. Let us not fear but anticipate confessing our sins, and be transformed from a sinner in mud to a child feasting at our Lord’s table.
God will forgive us.
Incredible but true, no matter how much we can’t believe it, His mercy is ours for the asking. The story of the prodigal son is one of the most familiar Gospel readings, and because of that it is one of the easiest to dismiss. We know the son is sinful, and is forgiven because the father is so happy to see him return. We understand that God’s love is infinite, that His forgiveness is there for the asking, etc, etc.
But God really will forgive us.
The story of the prodigal son is always relevant to our hearts. Sometimes we feel like the older son, and want rewards for being “good Christians.” But much, much more often we feel like the younger son sitting in the mud, hungry and wanting to come home. The hardest part is having to ask for forgiveness, whether it is due to pride, shame, fear, or despair.
But God forgives us.
The Lord has made us a promise, that those who believe in him will inherit eternal life. In return He has demanded everything and every day we try to hold something back; but He has created us for salvation. God did not destroy the Israelites because of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and just so He will not destroy us.
This is the Good News: that our sins can be washed away. “A clean heart create for me, O God,/ and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” There are new beginnings. We cannot believe in a God who will always forgive us, because we cannot always forgive others. But here is the victory of salvation, that we will become like the God we worship, and become the city on the hill where the Lord “forgives us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”
This week, let us acknowledge who we are. We are sinners, but also sons and daughters who have a home where forgiveness is cheap, because the love between us and our Father is priceless. Our God is He who rejoices during the Sacrament of Reconciliation because that is what is! We as Catholics have learned that confession is serious, and penance must be made with a reverence both severe and respectful to God. But if we truly listened to the gospel, instead of confessing that we had gotten drunk “partying” the night before, we would leave the confessional with a new resolve for jubilee!
We are a backwards and stiff-necked people. We worship the God who turned water into wine, who transforms our earthly lives into ones of Heaven. Let us not fear but anticipate confessing our sins, and be transformed from a sinner in mud to a child feasting at our Lord’s table.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/071810.shtml
This week’s readings present that hardest of ideas: that the good man is rewarded. It is the hardest, because it is what we are taught from childhood, and it’s what we want to believe the most. It’s what we think Christianity is. But it is also the idea we see the most betrayed, the one that hurts the most when we feel God is not living up to His bargain.
The first reading and the psalm reinforce this idea. Abraham is rewarded for being a good host to God with a son despite his old age, and the psalm intones “He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” If we are good, and we do everything we are supposed to, follow all the rules, things will turn out well for us.
But this isn’t the message of the Church. In the second reading Paul rejoices in his sufferings, filling up in his own body what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions. He rejoices in pain, not for any personal reward, but because it is “in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me,” as part of bringing the mystery of God fully to those he is teaching. And the mystery is odd, because it is that Christ is in us, the Church, and that we should better ourselves so that we are more perfect in Christ, that we should work towards perfection when perfection is already inside of us.
In the Gospel, Martha wants what every good person wants: consolation that she is doing what is right. But Jesus gives that to Mary who is only sitting with Him. The psalm we read lists action after action that one must do to live in the presence of the Lord: slander not with the tongue, harm not your fellow man, accept no bribe against the innocent. But it is not Martha, who is doing everything right who is in the presence of God, but Mary who is uplifted. Of all God’s teachings, this is sometimes the hardest one to accept. It is not about what we are doing, but why we are doing it.
The gospel reading is rich, and many things can be learned from it. But this is one: we should not miss God where He is. We must do justice, work to build His kingdom, and do everything we see in the example of Abraham, the psalmist, and Martha. But we are not jumping hoops for God to give us treats. Abraham is uplifted because he saw God in the stranger. The psalmist treats others with the dignity given to them by God. Paul admonishes his brothers and sisters because they hold Christ within themselves. Martha is humbled because in all her good works she misses the Messiah when He is right before her eyes.
The goodness of Abraham and the psalmist come from love of God, while Martha looked for a reward. In the psalm, the just may be in the presence of the Lord but even the Lord suffered agony on the cross. Goodness is rewarded by God, yes, but goodness also involves suffering and usually much of it. Our consolation is that Christ is in us, always with us, and before us in the faces of those we serve. We must sit with Mary while we serve with Martha.
We are anxious about many things. But there is need of only one thing. To love God first, and to act from that love in the world, doing what God has commanded and Christ has shown us.
This week’s readings present that hardest of ideas: that the good man is rewarded. It is the hardest, because it is what we are taught from childhood, and it’s what we want to believe the most. It’s what we think Christianity is. But it is also the idea we see the most betrayed, the one that hurts the most when we feel God is not living up to His bargain.
The first reading and the psalm reinforce this idea. Abraham is rewarded for being a good host to God with a son despite his old age, and the psalm intones “He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” If we are good, and we do everything we are supposed to, follow all the rules, things will turn out well for us.
But this isn’t the message of the Church. In the second reading Paul rejoices in his sufferings, filling up in his own body what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions. He rejoices in pain, not for any personal reward, but because it is “in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me,” as part of bringing the mystery of God fully to those he is teaching. And the mystery is odd, because it is that Christ is in us, the Church, and that we should better ourselves so that we are more perfect in Christ, that we should work towards perfection when perfection is already inside of us.
In the Gospel, Martha wants what every good person wants: consolation that she is doing what is right. But Jesus gives that to Mary who is only sitting with Him. The psalm we read lists action after action that one must do to live in the presence of the Lord: slander not with the tongue, harm not your fellow man, accept no bribe against the innocent. But it is not Martha, who is doing everything right who is in the presence of God, but Mary who is uplifted. Of all God’s teachings, this is sometimes the hardest one to accept. It is not about what we are doing, but why we are doing it.
The gospel reading is rich, and many things can be learned from it. But this is one: we should not miss God where He is. We must do justice, work to build His kingdom, and do everything we see in the example of Abraham, the psalmist, and Martha. But we are not jumping hoops for God to give us treats. Abraham is uplifted because he saw God in the stranger. The psalmist treats others with the dignity given to them by God. Paul admonishes his brothers and sisters because they hold Christ within themselves. Martha is humbled because in all her good works she misses the Messiah when He is right before her eyes.
The goodness of Abraham and the psalmist come from love of God, while Martha looked for a reward. In the psalm, the just may be in the presence of the Lord but even the Lord suffered agony on the cross. Goodness is rewarded by God, yes, but goodness also involves suffering and usually much of it. Our consolation is that Christ is in us, always with us, and before us in the faces of those we serve. We must sit with Mary while we serve with Martha.
We are anxious about many things. But there is need of only one thing. To love God first, and to act from that love in the world, doing what God has commanded and Christ has shown us.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristSolemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Link to Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060610.shtml
Today is the day we celebrate the Eucharist, that Jesus Christ gave us his body and his blood forever in the Mass. We believe that the Eucharist is the Real Presence, that Jesus is fully present in the bread and fully present in the wine. We believe that even though the appearance of the bread and wine stay the same (the species), when the priest says the words of consecration (what we hear in the 2nd reading) the substance of the bread and wine change into the literal body and blood of Christ. A little morbid, but a powerful way that we take Christ into ourselves, and renew our covenant with him.
The readings today focus on the priest’s role in the Eucharist. We believe that the priest stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) during the consecration, which means that during the consecration it is Christ through the priest who is offering his body and blood on the altar. In the Mass, it is always a reenactment of the Last Supper.
The first reading and the psalm today make explicit Christ’s role as the priest. He is the one who intercedes between us and God, who offers the sacrifice of his body and blood as expiation for our sins on the altar at Mass, because he is “a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.” In the Gospel reading of the feeding of five thousand we see a parallel in the way the Church celebrates Mass. Jesus has the multitude split into groups of fifty (churches), and has the disciples feed them with food they brought (the species of bread and wine) which he blesses (the priest acting in persona Christi).
The powerful reminder of what this Solemnity means to us is found in this phrase: “They all ate and were satisfied.” We are hungry for God, and for love, and it is in Jesus we are fed. The Eucharist is a rich symbol and literal way for us to eat and be satisfied. It is there we are fed, and it is there we find more than we can ever want. When Jesus was done feeding the five thousand there were twelve wicker baskets filled with leftover loaves and fish. We believe that Jesus has all we need and more. He is abundant in love, and when we open ourselves to him we are filled to overflowing with it. God has more love than we have sin, much, much more.
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Today is the day we celebrate the Eucharist, that Jesus Christ gave us his body and his blood forever in the Mass. We believe that the Eucharist is the Real Presence, that Jesus is fully present in the bread and fully present in the wine. We believe that even though the appearance of the bread and wine stay the same (the species), when the priest says the words of consecration (what we hear in the 2nd reading) the substance of the bread and wine change into the literal body and blood of Christ. A little morbid, but a powerful way that we take Christ into ourselves, and renew our covenant with him.
The readings today focus on the priest’s role in the Eucharist. We believe that the priest stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) during the consecration, which means that during the consecration it is Christ through the priest who is offering his body and blood on the altar. In the Mass, it is always a reenactment of the Last Supper.
The first reading and the psalm today make explicit Christ’s role as the priest. He is the one who intercedes between us and God, who offers the sacrifice of his body and blood as expiation for our sins on the altar at Mass, because he is “a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.” In the Gospel reading of the feeding of five thousand we see a parallel in the way the Church celebrates Mass. Jesus has the multitude split into groups of fifty (churches), and has the disciples feed them with food they brought (the species of bread and wine) which he blesses (the priest acting in persona Christi).
The powerful reminder of what this Solemnity means to us is found in this phrase: “They all ate and were satisfied.” We are hungry for God, and for love, and it is in Jesus we are fed. The Eucharist is a rich symbol and literal way for us to eat and be satisfied. It is there we are fed, and it is there we find more than we can ever want. When Jesus was done feeding the five thousand there were twelve wicker baskets filled with leftover loaves and fish. We believe that Jesus has all we need and more. He is abundant in love, and when we open ourselves to him we are filled to overflowing with it. God has more love than we have sin, much, much more.
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Ascension of the Lord
5/16 Ascension of the Lord
link to today’s readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/051610a.shtml
In the readings today we read about the Ascension of the Lord. The 1st reading and the Gospel are both by Luke, and offer slightly different descriptions of the same event. The 2nd reading dwells deaper into the theology of what it means for us that Jesus ascended into Heaven.
For those who don’t know, Theophilus means “Lover of God,” or “Friend of God.” The Acts of the Apostles is addressed to someone already a follower of Christ, but also someone who came to belief the generation after the Apostles. The stories that Luke relates happened in his father’s or grandfather’s time, so recent, but Christians are now relying on the tradition handed down to them by teachers who are not the Apostles. The readings we have as our 1st reading and the Gospel are letters set down so that Christians would not forget and would believe this incredible event.
Luke emphasizes that “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” Jesus will come again and restore Israel (the Church), but we will not know when. And that isn’t the point of His Ascension; the point is that now he is leaving the world, and it falls to the disciples to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And so on, through the apostolic tradition to today, we are still called to the Great Commission to be the witnesses of Christ. When the men in white appear at the end of the reading and admonish the apostles for staring at the sky, we also hear that admonishment. It is not for us to wait around for Jesus to come back doing nothing, but to go out into the world in His stead.
But the Ascension is a cause for celebration as well! “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;/The Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise;/ sing praise to our king, sing praise.” Because the Ascension is the completion of the sacrifice of the cross. When the Israelites sacrificed under the old covenant, the high priest made the sacrifice and then entered the sanctuary in the temple, where only he could go, and only once a year. The sanctuary is where they kept the Ark of the Covenant, which held the stone tablets Moses carved, manna from the desert, and Aarron’s staff. The high priest sacrificed to purify the people of their sin, but Jesus sacrificed himself to take away sin once and for all. And his Ascension into Heaven as the sacrifice allows our entry into heaven, because the temple sanctuary was a copy of the true sanctuary; and now, covered in the blood of the Lamb, we may enter into Heaven.
This is our confession of faith. That Jesus came to die for our sins, and by his death and resurrection he has set us free. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We have through the testimony of those who came before us that all this is true, and we trust their word. So “let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.”
The Gospel reads just like that profession of faith. So let us now be like the disciples, who “did him homage, and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.”
link to today’s readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/051610a.shtml
In the readings today we read about the Ascension of the Lord. The 1st reading and the Gospel are both by Luke, and offer slightly different descriptions of the same event. The 2nd reading dwells deaper into the theology of what it means for us that Jesus ascended into Heaven.
For those who don’t know, Theophilus means “Lover of God,” or “Friend of God.” The Acts of the Apostles is addressed to someone already a follower of Christ, but also someone who came to belief the generation after the Apostles. The stories that Luke relates happened in his father’s or grandfather’s time, so recent, but Christians are now relying on the tradition handed down to them by teachers who are not the Apostles. The readings we have as our 1st reading and the Gospel are letters set down so that Christians would not forget and would believe this incredible event.
Luke emphasizes that “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” Jesus will come again and restore Israel (the Church), but we will not know when. And that isn’t the point of His Ascension; the point is that now he is leaving the world, and it falls to the disciples to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And so on, through the apostolic tradition to today, we are still called to the Great Commission to be the witnesses of Christ. When the men in white appear at the end of the reading and admonish the apostles for staring at the sky, we also hear that admonishment. It is not for us to wait around for Jesus to come back doing nothing, but to go out into the world in His stead.
But the Ascension is a cause for celebration as well! “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;/The Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise;/ sing praise to our king, sing praise.” Because the Ascension is the completion of the sacrifice of the cross. When the Israelites sacrificed under the old covenant, the high priest made the sacrifice and then entered the sanctuary in the temple, where only he could go, and only once a year. The sanctuary is where they kept the Ark of the Covenant, which held the stone tablets Moses carved, manna from the desert, and Aarron’s staff. The high priest sacrificed to purify the people of their sin, but Jesus sacrificed himself to take away sin once and for all. And his Ascension into Heaven as the sacrifice allows our entry into heaven, because the temple sanctuary was a copy of the true sanctuary; and now, covered in the blood of the Lamb, we may enter into Heaven.
This is our confession of faith. That Jesus came to die for our sins, and by his death and resurrection he has set us free. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We have through the testimony of those who came before us that all this is true, and we trust their word. So “let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.”
The Gospel reads just like that profession of faith. So let us now be like the disciples, who “did him homage, and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.”
Sunday, May 9, 2010
6th Sunday of Easter
The readings today spoke of the true essential way to follow Christ. So often in our desire to give proper respect to God, we turn worship into ritual. We ritualize giving money, require women to cover their heads in church, fast on these days, come to Mass on those day. In the first reading we see this, with some teachers converted from the old covenant requiring circumcision to be saved, confusing ritual with salvation. The elders of the church saw this, and reconfirmed that it is devotion, and not sacrifice that God requires: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.”
It is not ritual which brings you into communion with God, but true service. Ritual is like training wheels, it is there to train us in the proper way of doing things, but it is not the final step, or all there is. We should not put the trappings of our faith before the faith itself. The second reading brings this to light, because it describes the Church, the Body of Christ. The Church is the holy city of Jerusalem, with the apostles as its’ foundation. One the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, symbolizing the whole Church. And the key is that there is no temple in the city, no place of worship where it is required to pray and offer sacrifice. Because the temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. We carry our place of worship with us because “when two or more are gathered He is present.” The glory of God shines in us because Christ shines in us, and wherever we are there we worship God.
So if it is not ritual which saves us, nor our place of worship which makes us followers of Christ, then what is? In the Gospel Jesus tells us “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” We are Christ’s because we do the things he tells us, to feed the hungry and heal the sick, visit those in prison and clothe the naked. Our churches and altars and stained glass and beautiful choirs are good, and help us to pray better and feel closer as a Church, but it is not what makes us a Church, nor just the Creed we pronounce each week. What makes us the Church of Christ is to follow Him. And we are united in the Body of Christ if we do so.
Note: this is not to undermine the Sacraments, but to clarify that the Sacraments are not sufficient. They are outward signs of God’s grace, and one can partake of them without being assured of salvation. To be Catholic, to follow Christ, is to choose the narrow way as he did.
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