Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
Daily Homilies
Showing posts with label Success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Success. Show all posts
March 22, 2014 - Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
January 22, 2014 - Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10
Mark 3:1-6
Today’s reading is a real David and Goliath story. That might be a cliché, but here it applies literally. There is a reason that people are always comparing various events to this story: it is one of the most powerful themes in the human soul. That the just though weak can beat the unjust though strong is our dearest hope. In our world it seems as if the powers of chaos and darkness are always just about to take over.
The story is reflected in the Gospel today. Jesus is like David fighting against Goliath. He is one man fighting against a culture of corruption, against the selfishness of the human heart. It seems like a useless battle. True, since he is God he is the strongest. That would be important if he was trying to destroy or kill his enemy. He could simply choose it, and all humanity would be instantly destroyed, but since he is trying to save us he appears weak.
He appears weak in the same way that goodness appears weak. How can we convince people to be chaste when the alternative is such a strong temptation? How can we convince people to be good when it is so much easier and more pleasurable to be bad? We seem weak because we are proposing something which no one wants. Satan seems strong because he is telling people to do that very thing they want to do anyway.
This is how God, though all-powerful, is in the place of David, and Satan, though nothing in comparison, is in the place of Goliath. In every human soul, God stands there with five stones ready to do battle against an enemy better armed. In every human soul, including your own, including my own. In your soul there is an enemy, a sin, a temptation, that right now seems like Goliath: giant, insurmountable, unconquerable.
Do not be deceived! Look at your Goliath with the eyes of David. When David saw Goliath he did not think “No one can beat that man” and he did not think “This is hopeless.” He thought that he could beat Goliath with the help of God. Know most confidently that whatever giants are preventing you from being a saint can, with the help of God, be conquered as easily as David conquered Goliath.
Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10
Mark 3:1-6
Today’s reading is a real David and Goliath story. That might be a cliché, but here it applies literally. There is a reason that people are always comparing various events to this story: it is one of the most powerful themes in the human soul. That the just though weak can beat the unjust though strong is our dearest hope. In our world it seems as if the powers of chaos and darkness are always just about to take over.
The story is reflected in the Gospel today. Jesus is like David fighting against Goliath. He is one man fighting against a culture of corruption, against the selfishness of the human heart. It seems like a useless battle. True, since he is God he is the strongest. That would be important if he was trying to destroy or kill his enemy. He could simply choose it, and all humanity would be instantly destroyed, but since he is trying to save us he appears weak.
He appears weak in the same way that goodness appears weak. How can we convince people to be chaste when the alternative is such a strong temptation? How can we convince people to be good when it is so much easier and more pleasurable to be bad? We seem weak because we are proposing something which no one wants. Satan seems strong because he is telling people to do that very thing they want to do anyway.
This is how God, though all-powerful, is in the place of David, and Satan, though nothing in comparison, is in the place of Goliath. In every human soul, God stands there with five stones ready to do battle against an enemy better armed. In every human soul, including your own, including my own. In your soul there is an enemy, a sin, a temptation, that right now seems like Goliath: giant, insurmountable, unconquerable.
Do not be deceived! Look at your Goliath with the eyes of David. When David saw Goliath he did not think “No one can beat that man” and he did not think “This is hopeless.” He thought that he could beat Goliath with the help of God. Know most confidently that whatever giants are preventing you from being a saint can, with the help of God, be conquered as easily as David conquered Goliath.
March 2, 2013 - Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
January 31, 2013 - Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 10:19-25
Psalm 24:1-6
Mark 4:21-25
Our first reading from Hebrews reminds us of our duty to our fellow Christians: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.” It is possible when trying to make progress in the spiritual life to confuse Christianity for one of those Eastern religions where a devoted person slowly achieves mastery and becomes very powerful, trying to become a Saint by mastering Christian spirituality. A Christian becomes a master only when they forget about themself.
When Hebrews tells us that “we should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another” a certain kind of selfishness is condemned, where a person thinks only of their own relationship with God and the progress they are making or failing to make. There may be a place for this kind of self-concern in the beginning stages of the Christian life, when the new Christian is actively converting bad habits of life. But just as an adolescent becomes an adult when they take responsibility for another, growing up in the faith means being less self-centered and more focused on others.
Eventually a serious Christian will reach a point where they have removed all attachment to sin and are ready to move on to the purpose of the Christian life: love of God and love of neighbor. This will not include the end of every sin or even the end of every tendency to sin. Though the Devil will always lie and call sin good, the attachment is broken when the lies are seen clearly and sins are committed with a sort of freedom which has all the potential for sanctity or for evil. It is a mistake when, upon reaching this point, the threshold of maturity, the Christian continues trying to root out every sin. This will never happen. We will be sinners until the day we rise.
The mature Christian instead ought to turn to those around them and love. They ought to forget themself and pay attention to others. This is the first way that a Christian becomes a shocking creature to the world. The world is not surprised by a person trying to make themself better. The world is astounded by someone who begins to truly encourage others. After all, we are lamps and Jesus did not light us in order to put us under a basket. After a lamp is lit, the lamp itself is forgotten and becomes useful.
Psalm 24:1-6
Mark 4:21-25
Our first reading from Hebrews reminds us of our duty to our fellow Christians: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.” It is possible when trying to make progress in the spiritual life to confuse Christianity for one of those Eastern religions where a devoted person slowly achieves mastery and becomes very powerful, trying to become a Saint by mastering Christian spirituality. A Christian becomes a master only when they forget about themself.
When Hebrews tells us that “we should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another” a certain kind of selfishness is condemned, where a person thinks only of their own relationship with God and the progress they are making or failing to make. There may be a place for this kind of self-concern in the beginning stages of the Christian life, when the new Christian is actively converting bad habits of life. But just as an adolescent becomes an adult when they take responsibility for another, growing up in the faith means being less self-centered and more focused on others.
Eventually a serious Christian will reach a point where they have removed all attachment to sin and are ready to move on to the purpose of the Christian life: love of God and love of neighbor. This will not include the end of every sin or even the end of every tendency to sin. Though the Devil will always lie and call sin good, the attachment is broken when the lies are seen clearly and sins are committed with a sort of freedom which has all the potential for sanctity or for evil. It is a mistake when, upon reaching this point, the threshold of maturity, the Christian continues trying to root out every sin. This will never happen. We will be sinners until the day we rise.
The mature Christian instead ought to turn to those around them and love. They ought to forget themself and pay attention to others. This is the first way that a Christian becomes a shocking creature to the world. The world is not surprised by a person trying to make themself better. The world is astounded by someone who begins to truly encourage others. After all, we are lamps and Jesus did not light us in order to put us under a basket. After a lamp is lit, the lamp itself is forgotten and becomes useful.
December 6, 2012 - Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah 26:1-6
Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
We could just nod along with our Lord’s analogy today, taking the general idea, not searching for the wisdom that our Lord wants to give us, but how much better it is to look deeper and understand the meaning of the image that our Lord gives us!
Both men in the analogy today see the storm coming. Both men are philosophers. The storm is inevitable, wherever you build your house. The wind, the waves, and the rain are on their way. Both men know this, which is why they are building their houses. We live in a stormy world. Jesus does not say that if we do as he says then the storms will not come. Christians do not suffer less in this world than other people. Christians have the same storms in their lives as anyone else does, but we have rock solid foundation that will stand up to the storm.
Both men in the analogy today build their houses against the storm. I have never built a house, but I can easily imagine that it is a complicated and arduous task. It is not the work of a single day. This fact stresses the foolishness of the fool; he has expended great effort and cost to no purpose. They both see the great destroyer, death, approaching, so they build. What house can be built against death? Many can be built but only one will stand. Every philosophy has tried to build something which cannot be conquered by death, whether meaning or pleasures or knowledge. Only the fullness of truth, however, will stand up to the storm when it comes. Every effort which is founded on partial truths and shifting opinions will show itself weak in the end.
It will be insufficient, when the storm arrives, to have built a great house unless it sits on the true foundation. It will be insufficient, when the waves come crashing, to fight them with whatever seemed right to me at the time. God has come to Earth and revealed what is required to stand, revealed a truth that can serve as a rock-solid foundation. Any effort on our part, even one combining all our skill, intelligence, being, strength, and every good intention, will be as useless as no effort, unless it is founded on the truth as revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
We could just nod along with our Lord’s analogy today, taking the general idea, not searching for the wisdom that our Lord wants to give us, but how much better it is to look deeper and understand the meaning of the image that our Lord gives us!
Both men in the analogy today see the storm coming. Both men are philosophers. The storm is inevitable, wherever you build your house. The wind, the waves, and the rain are on their way. Both men know this, which is why they are building their houses. We live in a stormy world. Jesus does not say that if we do as he says then the storms will not come. Christians do not suffer less in this world than other people. Christians have the same storms in their lives as anyone else does, but we have rock solid foundation that will stand up to the storm.
Both men in the analogy today build their houses against the storm. I have never built a house, but I can easily imagine that it is a complicated and arduous task. It is not the work of a single day. This fact stresses the foolishness of the fool; he has expended great effort and cost to no purpose. They both see the great destroyer, death, approaching, so they build. What house can be built against death? Many can be built but only one will stand. Every philosophy has tried to build something which cannot be conquered by death, whether meaning or pleasures or knowledge. Only the fullness of truth, however, will stand up to the storm when it comes. Every effort which is founded on partial truths and shifting opinions will show itself weak in the end.
It will be insufficient, when the storm arrives, to have built a great house unless it sits on the true foundation. It will be insufficient, when the waves come crashing, to fight them with whatever seemed right to me at the time. God has come to Earth and revealed what is required to stand, revealed a truth that can serve as a rock-solid foundation. Any effort on our part, even one combining all our skill, intelligence, being, strength, and every good intention, will be as useless as no effort, unless it is founded on the truth as revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
April 26, 2012 - Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Today's Readings
This experience of Philip is the most ideal example of evangelization ever. Let us consider what elements produced it.
First, the man was prepared. He was reading from the prophet Isaiah, who is often prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ, his suffering, death, and resurrection. When Jesus read from the Scriptures to his own community in order to reveal himself, he chose a reading from Isaiah. So, when we preach the Gospel, any success is not our own. A successful conversion depends upon the preparation of the converted: preparation by others who have gone before us and by God in that moment. As Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.” God must be working in the heart of anyone who will come to believe in Jesus Christ. We can only be instruments of the love of God.
Second, Philip was prepared. He had to know Jesus Christ himself in order to preach. He also had to know the prophet Isaiah well in order to meaningfully interpret. He had to be listening to the Holy Spirit to hear, “Go and join up with that chariot.” He had to know how to talk in a friendly way, in a way that is attractive. If we want to convert the world, we need to study, especially the Scriptures. We need to pray, especially to listen in prayer. And we need to become attractive. Not Hollywood attractive, but Mother Theresa attractive. We should attract other people because they can see Christ in us. We need to know Jesus Christ, intellectually, spiritually, and personally, before we can effectively introduce him to others.
Preaching the Gospel is rarely as easy as in this story today. If we wait to preach until we are in such an ideal situation, we may never actually get around to it. We should preach when it is easy and when it is hard, but the more we are prepared the easier it will be, and a lot depends on the preparation of the other person. If we succeed, we are only harvesting what has been planted and watered by others. If we seem to fail despite doing well, we may just be planting for another person to harvest. Above all, no matter who plants or harvests, God causes the growth. It is God’s work, but we get to participate, so we should do our best without regard to our own success.
This experience of Philip is the most ideal example of evangelization ever. Let us consider what elements produced it.
First, the man was prepared. He was reading from the prophet Isaiah, who is often prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ, his suffering, death, and resurrection. When Jesus read from the Scriptures to his own community in order to reveal himself, he chose a reading from Isaiah. So, when we preach the Gospel, any success is not our own. A successful conversion depends upon the preparation of the converted: preparation by others who have gone before us and by God in that moment. As Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.” God must be working in the heart of anyone who will come to believe in Jesus Christ. We can only be instruments of the love of God.
Second, Philip was prepared. He had to know Jesus Christ himself in order to preach. He also had to know the prophet Isaiah well in order to meaningfully interpret. He had to be listening to the Holy Spirit to hear, “Go and join up with that chariot.” He had to know how to talk in a friendly way, in a way that is attractive. If we want to convert the world, we need to study, especially the Scriptures. We need to pray, especially to listen in prayer. And we need to become attractive. Not Hollywood attractive, but Mother Theresa attractive. We should attract other people because they can see Christ in us. We need to know Jesus Christ, intellectually, spiritually, and personally, before we can effectively introduce him to others.
Preaching the Gospel is rarely as easy as in this story today. If we wait to preach until we are in such an ideal situation, we may never actually get around to it. We should preach when it is easy and when it is hard, but the more we are prepared the easier it will be, and a lot depends on the preparation of the other person. If we succeed, we are only harvesting what has been planted and watered by others. If we seem to fail despite doing well, we may just be planting for another person to harvest. Above all, no matter who plants or harvests, God causes the growth. It is God’s work, but we get to participate, so we should do our best without regard to our own success.
April 3, 2012 - Tuesday of Holy Week
Today's Readings
From the prophet Isaiah today comes a prophecy about Jesus Christ. In this prophecy we are told that the savior of Israel will be the savior of the world. We are told that what will first seem like failure will turn out to be complete success. We are told that the savior will find his strength in God and will be glorified in his sight. We are also told that the savior was formed as God’s servant in his mother’s womb.
As we near the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was scourged and killed upon a cross, we, as a culture, should remember that this same Jesus was once a child, a fetus, an embryo, a zygote. In our culture no one is forced to undergo suffering such as the unborn undergo. We do not kill criminals so lightly as we kill small children, nor do we use such cruel methods.
If it is not enough for us to be opposed to killing small children because, as fellow humans, we were once just like them, let us remember also that Jesus too was once just like them. God became a man. In so doing he granted dignity to all humans which can never be taken away. The work of a carpenter will always be particularly dignified because Jesus did that work. The homeless deserve our particular interest and care, since our Lord was homeless. We cannot ignore the poor, since our Savior chose to be poor. The Holy Land is holy because God lived there, walking the streets of Jerusalem and the roads of Galilee.
Just so, as we are devoted to Jesus in every stage of his life, we should not ignore the first nine months. We have devotions in the Church to Jesus on the Cross, to Jesus as a man, to the child Jesus, to the infant Jesus. We should not ignore devotion to the unborn Jesus, to Jesus, formed as God’s servant in the womb. Where better could we direct our prayers against the slaughter of millions of unborn children, formed just as Jesus was and killed just as Jesus was? Who could be more sympathetic to their suffering?
Jesus, formed as God’s servant in the womb, you who are life itself, you who were greeted by John the Baptist before either of you were born, protect all the unborn from the evil intentions of those who would harm them. Grant an end to the massacre which is happening even now. We ask this in your name. Amen.
From the prophet Isaiah today comes a prophecy about Jesus Christ. In this prophecy we are told that the savior of Israel will be the savior of the world. We are told that what will first seem like failure will turn out to be complete success. We are told that the savior will find his strength in God and will be glorified in his sight. We are also told that the savior was formed as God’s servant in his mother’s womb.
As we near the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was scourged and killed upon a cross, we, as a culture, should remember that this same Jesus was once a child, a fetus, an embryo, a zygote. In our culture no one is forced to undergo suffering such as the unborn undergo. We do not kill criminals so lightly as we kill small children, nor do we use such cruel methods.
If it is not enough for us to be opposed to killing small children because, as fellow humans, we were once just like them, let us remember also that Jesus too was once just like them. God became a man. In so doing he granted dignity to all humans which can never be taken away. The work of a carpenter will always be particularly dignified because Jesus did that work. The homeless deserve our particular interest and care, since our Lord was homeless. We cannot ignore the poor, since our Savior chose to be poor. The Holy Land is holy because God lived there, walking the streets of Jerusalem and the roads of Galilee.
Just so, as we are devoted to Jesus in every stage of his life, we should not ignore the first nine months. We have devotions in the Church to Jesus on the Cross, to Jesus as a man, to the child Jesus, to the infant Jesus. We should not ignore devotion to the unborn Jesus, to Jesus, formed as God’s servant in the womb. Where better could we direct our prayers against the slaughter of millions of unborn children, formed just as Jesus was and killed just as Jesus was? Who could be more sympathetic to their suffering?
Jesus, formed as God’s servant in the womb, you who are life itself, you who were greeted by John the Baptist before either of you were born, protect all the unborn from the evil intentions of those who would harm them. Grant an end to the massacre which is happening even now. We ask this in your name. Amen.
March 9, 2012 - Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Today's Readings
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” This line is kind of funny, but it is an accurate depiction of how we try to bargain with God. If the father is running any kind of responsible household, he will immediately turn down this job application. Not that it is even an application. The son presumes that he is doing something very humble by saying, “treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers”, but it is a very arrogant statement. He is commanding the father to hire him.
The son cannot be hired as a servant. He can only be accepted back as a son. We can never earn our way with God. If he wants servants, he has the angels. We can only be accepted as children of God. A sinner trying to come back to the Father can never make up for their sins, but they will always be a child of God.
The other son is also thinking like a bad servant rather than a son. He has never accepted the mission of the father as his own. The joys of the father should be the joys of the son. The sorrows of the father should be the sorrows of the son. God’s family is different than human families: we are never going to grow up and move out on our own. We need to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Jesus became like us in all ways but sin, so we must become like him in all ways we can. We must become sharers in the divinity of him who shared in our humanity.
All our labors in this world will be useless if we have not first conformed our will to the Father’s will. If we are secretly working for ourselves, we will build up resentment at God. If we want to be saints (and we do want to be saints) then we must give up any idea of progress in this world, any expectation of young goats, and take on the mind of Christ. Accepting our role as sons and daughters of our Father means seeing as God sees and loving what God loves, without jealousy or ambition. We cannot be independent and we cannot be servants. We cannot be anything more or less than children of God.
January 18, 2012 - Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
Today’s reading is a real David and Goliath story. That might be a cliché, but here it applies literally. There is a reason that people are always comparing various events to this story: it is one of the most powerful themes in the human soul. That the just though weak can beat the unjust though strong is our dearest hope. In our world it seems as if the powers of chaos and darkness are always just about to take over.
The story is reflected in the Gospel today. Jesus is like David fighting against Goliath. He is one man fighting against a culture of corruption, against the selfishness of the human heart. It seems like a useless battle. True, since he is God he is the strongest. That would be important if he was trying to destroy or kill his enemy. He could simply choose it, and all humanity would be instantly destroyed, but since he is trying to save us he appears weak.
He appears weak in the same way that goodness appears weak. How can we convince people to be chaste when the alternative is such a strong temptation? How can we convince people to be good what is so much easier and more pleasurable to be bad? We seem weak because we are proposing something which no one wants. Satan seems strong because he is telling people to do that very thing they want to do anyway.
This is how God, though all-powerful, is in the place of David, and Satan, though nothing in comparison, is in the place of Goliath. In every human soul, God stands there with five stones ready to do battle against an enemy better armed. In every human soul, including your own, including my own. In your soul there is an enemy, a sin, a temptation, that right now seems like Goliath: giant, insurmountable, unconquerable.
Do not be deceived! Look at your Goliath with the eyes of David. When David saw Goliath he did not think “No one can beat that man” and he did not think “This is hopeless.” He thought that he could beat Goliath with the help of God. Know most confidently that whatever giants are preventing you from being a saint can, with the help of God, be conquered as easily as David conquered Goliath.
Today’s reading is a real David and Goliath story. That might be a cliché, but here it applies literally. There is a reason that people are always comparing various events to this story: it is one of the most powerful themes in the human soul. That the just though weak can beat the unjust though strong is our dearest hope. In our world it seems as if the powers of chaos and darkness are always just about to take over.
The story is reflected in the Gospel today. Jesus is like David fighting against Goliath. He is one man fighting against a culture of corruption, against the selfishness of the human heart. It seems like a useless battle. True, since he is God he is the strongest. That would be important if he was trying to destroy or kill his enemy. He could simply choose it, and all humanity would be instantly destroyed, but since he is trying to save us he appears weak.
He appears weak in the same way that goodness appears weak. How can we convince people to be chaste when the alternative is such a strong temptation? How can we convince people to be good what is so much easier and more pleasurable to be bad? We seem weak because we are proposing something which no one wants. Satan seems strong because he is telling people to do that very thing they want to do anyway.
This is how God, though all-powerful, is in the place of David, and Satan, though nothing in comparison, is in the place of Goliath. In every human soul, God stands there with five stones ready to do battle against an enemy better armed. In every human soul, including your own, including my own. In your soul there is an enemy, a sin, a temptation, that right now seems like Goliath: giant, insurmountable, unconquerable.
Do not be deceived! Look at your Goliath with the eyes of David. When David saw Goliath he did not think “No one can beat that man” and he did not think “This is hopeless.” He thought that he could beat Goliath with the help of God. Know most confidently that whatever giants are preventing you from being a saint can, with the help of God, be conquered as easily as David conquered Goliath.
December 1st, 2011 - Thursday, 1st week of Advent
Today's Readings
We could just nod along with our Lord’s analogy today, taking the general idea, not searching for the wisdom that our Lord wants to give us, but how much better it is to look deeper and understand the meaning of the image that our Lord gives us!
Both men in the analogy today see the storm coming. Both men are philosophers. The storm is inevitable, wherever you build your house. The wind, the waves, and the rain are on their way. Both men know this, which is why they are building their houses. We live in a stormy world. Jesus does not say that if we do as he says then the storms will not come. Christians do not suffer less in this world than other people. Christians have the same storms in their lives as anyone else does, but we have rock solid foundation that will stand up to the storm.
Both men in the analogy today build their houses against the storm. I have never built a house, but I can easily imagine that it is a complicated and arduous task. It is not the work of a single day. This fact stresses the foolishness of the fool; he has expended great effort and cost to no purpose. They both see the great destroyer, death, approaching, so they build. What house can be built against death? Many can be built but only one will stand. Every philosophy has tried to build something which cannot be conquered by death, whether meaning or pleasures or knowledge. Only the fullness of truth, however, will stand up to the storm when it comes. Every effort which is founded on partial truths and shifting opinions will show itself weak in the end.
It will be insufficient, when the storm arrives, to have built a great house unless it sits on the true foundation. It will be insufficient, when the waves come crashing, to fight them with whatever seemed right to me at the time. God has come to Earth and revealed what is required to stand, revealed a truth that can serve as a rock-solid foundation. Any effort on our part, even one combining all our skill, intelligence, being, strength, and every good intention, will be as useless as no effort, unless it is founded on the truth as revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
We could just nod along with our Lord’s analogy today, taking the general idea, not searching for the wisdom that our Lord wants to give us, but how much better it is to look deeper and understand the meaning of the image that our Lord gives us!
Both men in the analogy today see the storm coming. Both men are philosophers. The storm is inevitable, wherever you build your house. The wind, the waves, and the rain are on their way. Both men know this, which is why they are building their houses. We live in a stormy world. Jesus does not say that if we do as he says then the storms will not come. Christians do not suffer less in this world than other people. Christians have the same storms in their lives as anyone else does, but we have rock solid foundation that will stand up to the storm.
Both men in the analogy today build their houses against the storm. I have never built a house, but I can easily imagine that it is a complicated and arduous task. It is not the work of a single day. This fact stresses the foolishness of the fool; he has expended great effort and cost to no purpose. They both see the great destroyer, death, approaching, so they build. What house can be built against death? Many can be built but only one will stand. Every philosophy has tried to build something which cannot be conquered by death, whether meaning or pleasures or knowledge. Only the fullness of truth, however, will stand up to the storm when it comes. Every effort which is founded on partial truths and shifting opinions will show itself weak in the end.
It will be insufficient, when the storm arrives, to have built a great house unless it sits on the true foundation. It will be insufficient, when the waves come crashing, to fight them with whatever seemed right to me at the time. God has come to Earth and revealed what is required to stand, revealed a truth that can serve as a rock-solid foundation. Any effort on our part, even one combining all our skill, intelligence, being, strength, and every good intention, will be as useless as no effort, unless it is founded on the truth as revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
August 4, 2011 - Memorial of Saint John Mary Vianney, priest
Today's Readings
The readings today both feature a mistake made by someone close to God. In both cases the mistake seems to us so minor that it is not even clear what exactly the problem is, but God reacts very strongly in both cases. Moses’ mistake might have been the words he spoke or the fact that he hit the rock twice when he should have hit it once or both of these things. Moses’ punishment was that he was never able to enter the Promised Land. Peter’s mistake was rebuking Jesus, but his rebuke sounds more like pleading with Jesus, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” For this statement, surely said with tears, Peter was called “Satan” by Jesus.
God seems to be especially harsh to those closest to him. As St. Theresa of Avila once said to God, “If this is how you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few.” We expect, thinking in worldly terms, that God would treat us who try to follow him better than those who do not, yet often the opposite is true: those who follow God suffer while people who ignore God have it easy. The standard that God sets for those close to him is higher than for those far away. If someone other than Peter had expressed such a desire that Jesus would not die, it might have been looked on favorably. If one of the other Israelites had so much faith that they struck a rock and expected water to come out, God might have overlooked that they struck the rock twice.
God wants us all to be perfect, and that is a very high standard. We would be crushed under failure if we had to begin there. Instead, God holds a lower standard for each of us, one that is just slightly out of our reach. As we progress in the spiritual life, we will find that God’s standard is always just a little higher than where we are: never more than we can do but more than we are currently doing. God is perfect, and he wants us to be with him. Through his ever higher standards, he is leading us to himself.
The readings today both feature a mistake made by someone close to God. In both cases the mistake seems to us so minor that it is not even clear what exactly the problem is, but God reacts very strongly in both cases. Moses’ mistake might have been the words he spoke or the fact that he hit the rock twice when he should have hit it once or both of these things. Moses’ punishment was that he was never able to enter the Promised Land. Peter’s mistake was rebuking Jesus, but his rebuke sounds more like pleading with Jesus, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” For this statement, surely said with tears, Peter was called “Satan” by Jesus.
God seems to be especially harsh to those closest to him. As St. Theresa of Avila once said to God, “If this is how you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few.” We expect, thinking in worldly terms, that God would treat us who try to follow him better than those who do not, yet often the opposite is true: those who follow God suffer while people who ignore God have it easy. The standard that God sets for those close to him is higher than for those far away. If someone other than Peter had expressed such a desire that Jesus would not die, it might have been looked on favorably. If one of the other Israelites had so much faith that they struck a rock and expected water to come out, God might have overlooked that they struck the rock twice.
God wants us all to be perfect, and that is a very high standard. We would be crushed under failure if we had to begin there. Instead, God holds a lower standard for each of us, one that is just slightly out of our reach. As we progress in the spiritual life, we will find that God’s standard is always just a little higher than where we are: never more than we can do but more than we are currently doing. God is perfect, and he wants us to be with him. Through his ever higher standards, he is leading us to himself.
July 22, 2011 - Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene
Today's Readings
Mary Magdalene is called the “apostle to the Apostles”. An apostle is someone sent, particularly someone sent by Jesus to preach the Gospel. Mary is called the apostle to the Apostles because she was the one who told the Apostles that the tomb was empty. She was the first person in the entire world to preach the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This makes her a pretty important person.
There is good reason to suppose that Mary Magdalene is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Reading into the Gospels we find a kind of prodigal daughter. She left her family and became a prostitute. Not a low class prostitute by any means, perhaps even the mistress of a rich Roman official. She converted when Jesus came to her and cast out 7 demons who had possession of her. She went back to live with her sister and brother. We remember the story of Martha’s resentment toward her, not unlike the resentment of the elder brother to the prodigal son. We remember how she wept at the death of her brother Lazarus, she was even angry with Jesus. We see her pouring perfume on Jesus before his death; an entire jar of perfume worth over $10,000. She helps prepare the body of Jesus after he is taken down from the Cross, and she is the first person in the whole world to preach the Gospel.
Without a doubt, that story requires reading into the Gospel, between the lines, and there are many today who contradict this traditional reading. Some people say that Mary has been falsely accused, that there is no reason to suppose she was a prostitute or a mistress. A woman from a poor family might have had a $10,000 jar of perfume for any number of reasons. This story is not the only way to read the Scriptures, although it does all fit together nicely.
But those who say that Mary has been falsely accused of sexual immorality and try to liberate her from this unfair charge, it seems to me, are missing the point. It does not matter anymore. It does not matter anymore what Mary did before she met Jesus. What matters is what Mary did after she met Jesus. She was the first person in the whole world to preach the Gospel; she is the apostle to the Apostles, and today she is living happily in heaven. Wherever you were before does not matter. What matters is what you are going to do from now on. This is true for you, and it is true for me, and it is true for every prostitute and sinner you ever meet. Everyone is a potential Saint.
Mary Magdalene is called the “apostle to the Apostles”. An apostle is someone sent, particularly someone sent by Jesus to preach the Gospel. Mary is called the apostle to the Apostles because she was the one who told the Apostles that the tomb was empty. She was the first person in the entire world to preach the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This makes her a pretty important person.
There is good reason to suppose that Mary Magdalene is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Reading into the Gospels we find a kind of prodigal daughter. She left her family and became a prostitute. Not a low class prostitute by any means, perhaps even the mistress of a rich Roman official. She converted when Jesus came to her and cast out 7 demons who had possession of her. She went back to live with her sister and brother. We remember the story of Martha’s resentment toward her, not unlike the resentment of the elder brother to the prodigal son. We remember how she wept at the death of her brother Lazarus, she was even angry with Jesus. We see her pouring perfume on Jesus before his death; an entire jar of perfume worth over $10,000. She helps prepare the body of Jesus after he is taken down from the Cross, and she is the first person in the whole world to preach the Gospel.
Without a doubt, that story requires reading into the Gospel, between the lines, and there are many today who contradict this traditional reading. Some people say that Mary has been falsely accused, that there is no reason to suppose she was a prostitute or a mistress. A woman from a poor family might have had a $10,000 jar of perfume for any number of reasons. This story is not the only way to read the Scriptures, although it does all fit together nicely.
But those who say that Mary has been falsely accused of sexual immorality and try to liberate her from this unfair charge, it seems to me, are missing the point. It does not matter anymore. It does not matter anymore what Mary did before she met Jesus. What matters is what Mary did after she met Jesus. She was the first person in the whole world to preach the Gospel; she is the apostle to the Apostles, and today she is living happily in heaven. Wherever you were before does not matter. What matters is what you are going to do from now on. This is true for you, and it is true for me, and it is true for every prostitute and sinner you ever meet. Everyone is a potential Saint.
April 4, 2011 - Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Today's Readings
Jesus leaves Samaria for Galilee, “for Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place.” From this line alone, we would almost think that Samaria was Jesus’ native place, but it was not. Galilee was his native place. Jesus goes today to seek a place where he was “without honor.”
The Samaritans had come to believe because of the testimony of the woman at the well and because of what they themselves saw. Indeed, Jesus’ ministry to the Samaritans goes perfectly. He comes, preaches a little bit, converts a sinner, and the whole town came to believe in him over the course of two days. Jesus says elsewhere that if he had gone to any of the pagan cities, the results would have been the same. Samaritans and Pagans heard Jesus and honored him.
Nevertheless, Jesus returns to his native place and his own people so that he will not be honored. Jesus did not come to earth in order to be honored or to be successful in human terms, but to suffer and to die. If Jesus had gone away to Athens or Rome, he would have been greatly honored; he would have been very successful. Instead, he chose to stay with his own people, who would reject him.
When he returns to Galilee, we see a familiar image: a parent persistent in prayer. The royal official sought out Jesus and asked him to come heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus’ response is very harsh. The official simply asks again, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” We do not know if there was something wrong with how he asked the first time, since he is not quoted. He seems to have asked the same way twice.
He does fulfill Jesus words though: it is not until he sees the sign that he converts. Jesus worked no miracles in Samaria, that we are told of, except the miracle of telling a woman about her 5½ husbands, yet the town converted. In Galilee, the people will not believe unless they see signs and wonders. It is not that Jesus did not want to heal the child (he came to give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, and the mute speak), but the honor ought to come first. We should believe in Jesus and, then, expect great things, not insist he do great things if he expects us to believe in him.
February 18, 2011 - Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
The teaching of Jesus today is for those who have already decided to follow him. He is explaining the cost of discipleship. We have to deny ourselves and take up our cross. Jesus sets the denial as a prerequisite to discipleship. Of course, as we grow in our faith, we will have a deeper understanding of what this denial means; as we grow in grace, we will be better equipped to deny ourselves. At the beginning, however, we have to make a positive decision to deny ourselves.
Some people try to follow Jesus without denying themselves. They may be very enthusiastic; they often mean well. They are not trying to disobey Jesus; they merely never learned that denial was the cost of discipleship. They would not commit a sin if it involved hurting somebody, but they are confused by the other side of morality. How many times I have heard someone say, “What good does fasting do? I am going to do something useful instead.”! This is like saying, “What good does bathing do? I am going to eat something instead.” A Christian life that consisted only of doing useful things would be rather pointless. There would be no growth. A Christian should do good things, but they should deny themself also.
Jesus asks, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” It is possible and popular to interpret this verse to say that no success in this world is worth sinning for. This is true, but this understanding does not fit in with the surrounding verses. Taken as a whole, Jesus is telling us what Socrates told the Athenians, what any good philosopher teaches: the remarkable man is not the one who commands 10,000 other men; the truly remarkable man commands himself. Jesus is not telling us that in pursuit of success we should use lawful means; he is questioning success as the world sees it. What do I want with the whole world? What would I do with it if I had it? My soul, however, I would like to be in control of. I would like to truly be master of myself. Death, which leads to new life, means the death of pride, the death of greed, the death of lust, the death of laziness, the death of envy, the death of gluttony, the death of wrath. Self-denial is the weapon. Employ it mercilessly.
January 27, 2011 - Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Our first reading from Hebrews reminds us of our duty to our fellow Christians: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.” It is possible when trying to make progress in the spiritual life to confuse Christianity for one of those Eastern religions where a devoted person slowly achieves mastery and becomes very powerful, trying to become a Saint by mastering Christian spirituality. A Christian becomes a master only when they forget about themself.
When Hebrews tells us that “we should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another” a certain kind of selfishness is condemned, where a person thinks only of their own relationship with God and the progress they are making or failing to make. There may be a place for this kind of self-concern in the beginning stages of the Christian life, when the new Christian is actively converting bad habits of life. But just as an adolescent becomes an adult when they take responsibility for another, growing up in the faith means being less self-centered and more focused on others.
Eventually a serious Christian will reach a point where they have removed all attachment to sin and are ready to move on to the purpose of the Christian life: love of God and love of neighbor. This will not include the end of every sin or even the end of every tendency to sin. Though the Devil will always lie and call sin good, the attachment is broken when the lies are seen clearly and sins are committed with a sort of freedom which has all the potential for sanctity or for evil. It is a mistake when, upon reaching this point, the threshold of maturity, the Christian continues trying to root out every sin. This will never happen. We will be sinners until the day we rise.
The mature Christian instead ought to turn to those around them and love. They ought to forget themself and pay attention to others. This is the first way that a Christian becomes a shocking creature to the world. The world is not surprised by a person trying to make themself better. The world is astounded by someone who begins to truly encourage others. After all, we are lamps and Jesus did not light us in order to put us under a basket. After a lamp is lit, the lamp is forgotten and becomes useful.
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