But it was not for him alone that it was written...
Romans 4:23
It's been virtually forever since I have posted. Most of that is due to changing schedules and online courses.
To get back to it...
Today we read of Abraham's faith. We are told by Paul that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (v. 3). But in this verse he points out that it was not written for Abraham's benefit alone. It was written for all who would read and believe. In other words, it was written with us in mind.
I wonder if we typically approach the Scripture with that kind of anticipation. Do we see the Bible as something written a long time ago to ancient peoples that we can learn something from? Or, do we understand that the Scriptures were written just as much to us as to the original audience? Is the Bible a book of history, stories, and poetry, or is it God's word to us today?
The answers are telling. If we look at it as something written to others, we come to it as something merely beneficial and inspirational. It's like reading greeting cards or Chicken Soup for the Soul, or something. But if it's God's word to us today, then we approach it with the expectation that we will hear something fresh, something new and relevant for our lives today.
Over the last couple of weeks I have had more than a few encounters with those who believe that much of the Bible is not to be taken literally, but rather that we are to glean the primary lesson from the passage and apply it to our lives. It seems to me that they are essentially in the first category. This may not be intentional and they may even deny it, but I cannot imagine that the impact of the Scriptures can be as great when you are telling yourself things like "this didn't really happen." On the other hand, when we come to the Scriptures with the simplicity of a child (Mt. 18:3), and take God at His word, and expect that He will speak to us through it as surely as He spoke to those of whom we read, then we will, indeed, hear the Spirit speaking and be able to follow what He is saying.
Abraham believed God, hoping against hope, and was rewarded for his faith. He did not earn anything from God, but he believed God, and, therefore, obeyed. There's a lot to learn from that. But there's even more to be applied as we hear God calling us to faith and obedience.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Family of Christ
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."
Luke 8:21
It would seem that if anyone had an inside track to eternal life it was the members of Jesus' own family. Yet, in this passage we see that this was not the case. They had to come like everyone else. In fact, maybe being related to Jesus was actually a hindrance. They watched Him grow up. They knew Him in ways that others didn't. To them, He was no one special. For this very reason their eyes were often blind to the revelation of who He truly is.
But the bigger issue, for us, is where do we find ourselves? We are not related to Jesus. Yet, can we find a place in His family? The answer is yes. When we listen to His word and obey it, we are His relatives. But pay careful attention to what is being said. It is not enough to hear the word of God, or know the word of God. We must be doing the word of God. We must obey! And we must obey daily, not just sporadically. If this was the case for Jesus' own mother and brothers, then how much more must it be the case for us. There are no exceptions; obedience equals relationship.
Isn't that rather legalistic? No, it's not. We all operate the same way. The only real relationships we have are those in which we love the other person enough to be committed to them no matter what. This is really what Jesus is saying. We can't have a relationship with Him if we will only be committed to Him when we want something from Him. That's not a relationship, it's prostitution.
Now this also raises an issue about the place of Mary, our Lord' s mother. Doesn't this passage show that she really didn't get it and couldn't possibly be all the things Catholics say she is? No, not really. Mary didn't understand everything that was going on. Episodes like this one in which she was concerned for the welfare of our Lord indicate that she simply didn't have some of the insight that she gained after hearing His words. But this doesn't mean she was sinning. In fact, we may look at this passage and understand that in the eternal perspective, Mary does not receive all the attention she gets merely because she gave birth to our Lord, but also because she truly was an exemplary disciple. She obeyed the word of God from the heart every time she was given the opportunity to do so. Would that we could say the same!
To live as one of Jesus' own we must continually be humbly seeking Him in prayer and in the Word. As we meditate on the Word, we must be sure that we are looking for the ways this is practically lived out in our lives. As we do, we show that we really are members of Christ's family. What a great privilege! What a tremendous joy!
Luke 8:21
It would seem that if anyone had an inside track to eternal life it was the members of Jesus' own family. Yet, in this passage we see that this was not the case. They had to come like everyone else. In fact, maybe being related to Jesus was actually a hindrance. They watched Him grow up. They knew Him in ways that others didn't. To them, He was no one special. For this very reason their eyes were often blind to the revelation of who He truly is.
But the bigger issue, for us, is where do we find ourselves? We are not related to Jesus. Yet, can we find a place in His family? The answer is yes. When we listen to His word and obey it, we are His relatives. But pay careful attention to what is being said. It is not enough to hear the word of God, or know the word of God. We must be doing the word of God. We must obey! And we must obey daily, not just sporadically. If this was the case for Jesus' own mother and brothers, then how much more must it be the case for us. There are no exceptions; obedience equals relationship.
Isn't that rather legalistic? No, it's not. We all operate the same way. The only real relationships we have are those in which we love the other person enough to be committed to them no matter what. This is really what Jesus is saying. We can't have a relationship with Him if we will only be committed to Him when we want something from Him. That's not a relationship, it's prostitution.
Now this also raises an issue about the place of Mary, our Lord' s mother. Doesn't this passage show that she really didn't get it and couldn't possibly be all the things Catholics say she is? No, not really. Mary didn't understand everything that was going on. Episodes like this one in which she was concerned for the welfare of our Lord indicate that she simply didn't have some of the insight that she gained after hearing His words. But this doesn't mean she was sinning. In fact, we may look at this passage and understand that in the eternal perspective, Mary does not receive all the attention she gets merely because she gave birth to our Lord, but also because she truly was an exemplary disciple. She obeyed the word of God from the heart every time she was given the opportunity to do so. Would that we could say the same!
To live as one of Jesus' own we must continually be humbly seeking Him in prayer and in the Word. As we meditate on the Word, we must be sure that we are looking for the ways this is practically lived out in our lives. As we do, we show that we really are members of Christ's family. What a great privilege! What a tremendous joy!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Pilgrim Journey
Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:10
I love the phraseology of Paul. He paints such great pictures with his words. Today we hear him tell us to walk. Walking has the idea that we are in continuous motion. We are on pilgrimage. We have a destination and we are traveling there. It refers to our continuous lifestyle. Our faith is about how we live day be day. It is not a conglomeration of "experiences". We may feel things in a dramatic fashion from time to time. But these are not really the defining moments of our lives. It is how we live in the press of day to day living that truly determines who we are.
We are told not only to walk, but to walk in manner worthy of the Lord. Christ came to live the perfect life as well as die the redeeming death. As His disciples, we are to embrace His example as much as His teaching. It is the life of Christ that is to be lived out through us. Therefore, if we are to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord we must imitate His example. In this way we will be fully pleasing to Him.
Our lives are called to bear fruit; not necessarily the fruit of conversions, but rather the fruit of good works. These good works serve to glorify God. They demonstrate His presence in our lives and testify to the world around us of the life that we are called to live.
We are called to grow in the knowledge of our Lord. Our God yearns to be known. He is not hidden, as He seems. Rather, He is constantly revealing Himself to those who have eyes of faith and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. We who know Him are not to content ourselves with that fact, but rather we are to hunger to know Him more. For He hungers to know us more. It is not that He doesn't already know everything about us. He does. But that is trivial. He wants to know us in the depths of our hearts. This requires that we open our hearts to Him. Then He will come to know us and we will come to know Him.
This phrase is part of a longer one in which St. Paul informs the Colossian Church of his continuous prayers on their behalf. What a wonderful thing to pray: that they will continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and grow in the knowledge of Him. May we follow his example in living this life and praying for others to join us.
Colossians 1:10
I love the phraseology of Paul. He paints such great pictures with his words. Today we hear him tell us to walk. Walking has the idea that we are in continuous motion. We are on pilgrimage. We have a destination and we are traveling there. It refers to our continuous lifestyle. Our faith is about how we live day be day. It is not a conglomeration of "experiences". We may feel things in a dramatic fashion from time to time. But these are not really the defining moments of our lives. It is how we live in the press of day to day living that truly determines who we are.
We are told not only to walk, but to walk in manner worthy of the Lord. Christ came to live the perfect life as well as die the redeeming death. As His disciples, we are to embrace His example as much as His teaching. It is the life of Christ that is to be lived out through us. Therefore, if we are to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord we must imitate His example. In this way we will be fully pleasing to Him.
Our lives are called to bear fruit; not necessarily the fruit of conversions, but rather the fruit of good works. These good works serve to glorify God. They demonstrate His presence in our lives and testify to the world around us of the life that we are called to live.
We are called to grow in the knowledge of our Lord. Our God yearns to be known. He is not hidden, as He seems. Rather, He is constantly revealing Himself to those who have eyes of faith and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. We who know Him are not to content ourselves with that fact, but rather we are to hunger to know Him more. For He hungers to know us more. It is not that He doesn't already know everything about us. He does. But that is trivial. He wants to know us in the depths of our hearts. This requires that we open our hearts to Him. Then He will come to know us and we will come to know Him.
This phrase is part of a longer one in which St. Paul informs the Colossian Church of his continuous prayers on their behalf. What a wonderful thing to pray: that they will continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and grow in the knowledge of Him. May we follow his example in living this life and praying for others to join us.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Be Alert!
We are not of the night or of darkness. So let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:5,6
St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians about being ready for the return of our Lord in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. He warns that this day will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. It will take many by surprise. But not us.
How can we have an inside tip on when the Lord will return? As our Lord Himself said, no one knows the day or the hour. It isn't that we will have the inside scoop. Rather, since we will live our lives ready for the return of the Lord, it won't matter when He comes. We'll be ready.
Paul describes this as keeping awake and sober. Both describe a lifestyle of being constantly on the alert. What are we watching for? The coming of the Lord, of course. But how does that play out for us?
It means we are guarding our hearts against sin. We are on the watch for the enemy of temptation from whichever quarter it may come. We are alert to his sneak attacks. We maintain such diligence so that we will not be overcome by sin and chance that Christ will return while we are astray from Him.
We are also awake to the fact that we have a job to do. We have been called to bring His Gospel to the world. When the Master of the House returns, will He find us about our duty? Will He find us faithful? It has been said that idleness is the devil's workshop. It is true. When we leave our duties and resort to amusing ourselves, we often find ourselves in the midst of sin. God has not called us to a playground, but a battleground. Our lives here are to be dedicated to His service. Our rewards await us. This does not mean, of course, that we cannot enjoy this life. But it does mean that happiness and pleasure are not the goals.
To be awake and sober is to keep an eye on eternity. We are not guaranteed another minute, much less another day. How will we use the time given to us?
How do we make an impact in our generation? By giving up our lives completely to our Lord Jesus. It is only then that our lives can be used in ways that will truly make an impact. The thing to remember is that it is His choice how He will use us, not ours. When we make loving and serving Him the goal, everything else we could ever really desire will be ours as well.
Be awake and sober, my friends, and watch to see the great things God will do!
1 Thessalonians 5:5,6
St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians about being ready for the return of our Lord in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. He warns that this day will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. It will take many by surprise. But not us.
How can we have an inside tip on when the Lord will return? As our Lord Himself said, no one knows the day or the hour. It isn't that we will have the inside scoop. Rather, since we will live our lives ready for the return of the Lord, it won't matter when He comes. We'll be ready.
Paul describes this as keeping awake and sober. Both describe a lifestyle of being constantly on the alert. What are we watching for? The coming of the Lord, of course. But how does that play out for us?
It means we are guarding our hearts against sin. We are on the watch for the enemy of temptation from whichever quarter it may come. We are alert to his sneak attacks. We maintain such diligence so that we will not be overcome by sin and chance that Christ will return while we are astray from Him.
We are also awake to the fact that we have a job to do. We have been called to bring His Gospel to the world. When the Master of the House returns, will He find us about our duty? Will He find us faithful? It has been said that idleness is the devil's workshop. It is true. When we leave our duties and resort to amusing ourselves, we often find ourselves in the midst of sin. God has not called us to a playground, but a battleground. Our lives here are to be dedicated to His service. Our rewards await us. This does not mean, of course, that we cannot enjoy this life. But it does mean that happiness and pleasure are not the goals.
To be awake and sober is to keep an eye on eternity. We are not guaranteed another minute, much less another day. How will we use the time given to us?
How do we make an impact in our generation? By giving up our lives completely to our Lord Jesus. It is only then that our lives can be used in ways that will truly make an impact. The thing to remember is that it is His choice how He will use us, not ours. When we make loving and serving Him the goal, everything else we could ever really desire will be ours as well.
Be awake and sober, my friends, and watch to see the great things God will do!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Heart of the Matter
"This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
Mark 7:6
In today's Gospel we have another classic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees are upset because Jesus' disciples don't keep their tradition. Jesus is upset because the Pharisees have replaced God's Word with their tradition.
Tradition is big in Catholic circles; bigger than in most non-Catholic ones. But to us, there is a big difference between the Apostolic Tradition (spelled with an upper case T) and various traditions (spelled with the lower case t). It is the latter that are our focus today.
Sometimes we allow our various customs to become our doctrines. We have canonized things like styles of music, dress codes, where we sit in church, and what the church should look like. Any number of these things may be good, but they are simply our traditions, not necessarily God's. They can be changed. In some cases they should be changed. If we're not careful our religion devolves into who agrees with us on these issues. This was what happened to the Pharisees and its how we become Pharisees in our modern context.
This raises a question: just what is it that is at the heart of our religion anyway? Why do we do what we do? To borrow a line from Matt Redman: "It's all about You (Jesus)". We are called Christians because we follow Christ. We seek to imitate Him. We have come to know Him, and so we have a relationship with Him. It's really all about this. The other stuff has varying degrees of importance, but this is at the heart of the issue. Before we can deal with the rest, we need to know that our heart is right with our Lord.
Too many of us make it all about the rules. It's not. It's about the relationship. The Gospel is the divine love story. It is that God created us for Himself, but we were lost to Him through sin. Because of His great love He has redeemed us. We are a mess when He finds us, but He loves us so much that He was truly willing to die rather than live without us. When we begin to grasp some of this love and respond in kind, then we are beginning the road to eternal life. There's more, of course, but it starts here.
The tendency can easily be that the longer we go on, we drift from this core. Now we're caught up in rules and traditions and before we know it, the life has been sucked out of us and we're asking, "What's it all about?" This is why so many have been burned by religion. They either never understood this concept, or they forgot it.
Today, hear Jesus' words afresh. What traditions are keeping us from realizing the intimacy He longs to bring us? Leave the traditions of men, even if they're your own. Renew the first love you had for Him. Then let Him lead you the rest of the way!
Mark 7:6
In today's Gospel we have another classic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees are upset because Jesus' disciples don't keep their tradition. Jesus is upset because the Pharisees have replaced God's Word with their tradition.
Tradition is big in Catholic circles; bigger than in most non-Catholic ones. But to us, there is a big difference between the Apostolic Tradition (spelled with an upper case T) and various traditions (spelled with the lower case t). It is the latter that are our focus today.
Sometimes we allow our various customs to become our doctrines. We have canonized things like styles of music, dress codes, where we sit in church, and what the church should look like. Any number of these things may be good, but they are simply our traditions, not necessarily God's. They can be changed. In some cases they should be changed. If we're not careful our religion devolves into who agrees with us on these issues. This was what happened to the Pharisees and its how we become Pharisees in our modern context.
This raises a question: just what is it that is at the heart of our religion anyway? Why do we do what we do? To borrow a line from Matt Redman: "It's all about You (Jesus)". We are called Christians because we follow Christ. We seek to imitate Him. We have come to know Him, and so we have a relationship with Him. It's really all about this. The other stuff has varying degrees of importance, but this is at the heart of the issue. Before we can deal with the rest, we need to know that our heart is right with our Lord.
Too many of us make it all about the rules. It's not. It's about the relationship. The Gospel is the divine love story. It is that God created us for Himself, but we were lost to Him through sin. Because of His great love He has redeemed us. We are a mess when He finds us, but He loves us so much that He was truly willing to die rather than live without us. When we begin to grasp some of this love and respond in kind, then we are beginning the road to eternal life. There's more, of course, but it starts here.
The tendency can easily be that the longer we go on, we drift from this core. Now we're caught up in rules and traditions and before we know it, the life has been sucked out of us and we're asking, "What's it all about?" This is why so many have been burned by religion. They either never understood this concept, or they forgot it.
Today, hear Jesus' words afresh. What traditions are keeping us from realizing the intimacy He longs to bring us? Leave the traditions of men, even if they're your own. Renew the first love you had for Him. Then let Him lead you the rest of the way!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Power of a Praying Mother
As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
Luke 7:12
Today is the Memorial for St. Monica, who was the mother of St. Augustine. She is best known for her persevering prayer for his conversion. She is known as the patron saint of all mothers.
In his early days, St. Augustine was a very sinful man. It grieved the heart of his devout mother and she stormed heaven with her prayers continually. After many years her prayers were answered. Augustine finally repented of his evil ways and submitted to baptism. St. Monica died content that her son was in the hands of God.
In today's Gospel a widow receives her son back to life. It is a literal rendering of what St. Monica experienced in the spiritual. Her son who was dead was now alive. How can we who have children gone astray experience the same?
First of all, we must acknowledge that each person has his/her own free will. God will not force Himself on anyone regardless of how hard we plead. But He does continue to pour out His Spirit upon these wayward souls, urging them to come to Him. There really is something to be said for such prayer. St. John tells us if any one sees his brother committing what is not a deadly sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not deadly, (1 Jn. 5:16). St. James tells us the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects, (Jms. 5:16). Our Lord promised us that if we continue to ask, seek, and knock, we will receive the thing we are asking for.
If you've been praying for a son or daughter who has been straying from the Lord, don't give up. With St. Monica as your example, continue to pray. You may even ask St. Monica to intercede on your behalf since we know she has such power in prayer. As we continue in prayer, let us trust that we, too, will see the glory of God!
Luke 7:12
Today is the Memorial for St. Monica, who was the mother of St. Augustine. She is best known for her persevering prayer for his conversion. She is known as the patron saint of all mothers.
In his early days, St. Augustine was a very sinful man. It grieved the heart of his devout mother and she stormed heaven with her prayers continually. After many years her prayers were answered. Augustine finally repented of his evil ways and submitted to baptism. St. Monica died content that her son was in the hands of God.
In today's Gospel a widow receives her son back to life. It is a literal rendering of what St. Monica experienced in the spiritual. Her son who was dead was now alive. How can we who have children gone astray experience the same?
First of all, we must acknowledge that each person has his/her own free will. God will not force Himself on anyone regardless of how hard we plead. But He does continue to pour out His Spirit upon these wayward souls, urging them to come to Him. There really is something to be said for such prayer. St. John tells us if any one sees his brother committing what is not a deadly sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not deadly, (1 Jn. 5:16). St. James tells us the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects, (Jms. 5:16). Our Lord promised us that if we continue to ask, seek, and knock, we will receive the thing we are asking for.
If you've been praying for a son or daughter who has been straying from the Lord, don't give up. With St. Monica as your example, continue to pray. You may even ask St. Monica to intercede on your behalf since we know she has such power in prayer. As we continue in prayer, let us trust that we, too, will see the glory of God!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
From The Inside Out
Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
1 Thessalonians 2:12
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
Matthew 23:27,28
St. Paul tells us in our first reading that we are called to walk worthy of our God. The distinctive mark of a Christian is our lifestyle. We are to imitate Jesus. We are to reflect His love. Our faith is not merely theoretical, but practical. We practice what we preach. But lest someone think it's all about how we appear, we also have our Lord's exhortation in Matthew's Gospel. It's not sufficient to look good on the outside. Our inside must look just as good to God. The two are related.
We are inwardly pure when we maintain a constant vigilance over our own hearts. We guard ourselves against sin. We fill our hearts and minds with praise and thanksgiving to God. We are continually in prayer. We meditate on God's Word and we receive of the Sacraments. In this way we are made into the image of Christ. We truly have fellowship with God. This inward purity then spills over into a life of outward purity as well. If we are truly pure in heart, then it will inevitably show to others around us. However, the reverse is not necessarily true. People can look good on the outside but be a mess inside. This was the situation our Lord was addressing.
The problem is that if we look good on the outside it is easy to be deceived. We have others fooled and we may even be fooling ourselves. Outward obedience alone is never sufficient. It must be the overflow of a vibrant relationship with God. Only then does it carry the power necessary to be life-changing for us and others around us.
Where do we stand today? Are we even maintaining an outward appearance of holiness? If so, is that the result of inward holiness? The readings call us to carefully examine our state, inside and out. Let us be diligent to do so. Let us be pure in heart and walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls us!
1 Thessalonians 2:12
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
Matthew 23:27,28
St. Paul tells us in our first reading that we are called to walk worthy of our God. The distinctive mark of a Christian is our lifestyle. We are to imitate Jesus. We are to reflect His love. Our faith is not merely theoretical, but practical. We practice what we preach. But lest someone think it's all about how we appear, we also have our Lord's exhortation in Matthew's Gospel. It's not sufficient to look good on the outside. Our inside must look just as good to God. The two are related.
We are inwardly pure when we maintain a constant vigilance over our own hearts. We guard ourselves against sin. We fill our hearts and minds with praise and thanksgiving to God. We are continually in prayer. We meditate on God's Word and we receive of the Sacraments. In this way we are made into the image of Christ. We truly have fellowship with God. This inward purity then spills over into a life of outward purity as well. If we are truly pure in heart, then it will inevitably show to others around us. However, the reverse is not necessarily true. People can look good on the outside but be a mess inside. This was the situation our Lord was addressing.
The problem is that if we look good on the outside it is easy to be deceived. We have others fooled and we may even be fooling ourselves. Outward obedience alone is never sufficient. It must be the overflow of a vibrant relationship with God. Only then does it carry the power necessary to be life-changing for us and others around us.
Where do we stand today? Are we even maintaining an outward appearance of holiness? If so, is that the result of inward holiness? The readings call us to carefully examine our state, inside and out. Let us be diligent to do so. Let us be pure in heart and walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)