Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" — which means Sent —. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am."
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said,
"This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
MEDITATE
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
This means Jesus gave the blind man something he never had before, something he never knew of before: sight. I often think heaven must be like that. It’s something we’ve never had before, just as sight was something the blind man never had before Jesus gave it to him. We can’t possibly know what heaven is like. People say we get glimpses of it when we see something beautiful, or experience something good. We may get a taste of heaven when we meet someone who is striving for holiness, and their efforts shine for us as we relate to the common struggle. But in truth it is a constant struggle for any of us to see heaven in this life, and to help others see it. That is what we are called to do, however. Just as Jesus helped the blind man see, we are called to help others see heaven. Otherwise they may never see it, and may come to believe that it doesn’t exist.
What is more, the blind man never had sight, yet he knew of sight. He knew he was missing out on something. Heaven is the same way in this regard as well. When we don’t sense it, we at least sense that something is wrong. When we are deprived of experiencing good and beautiful things, when we are living in an environment where people are selfish and not charitable, it negatively affects us and we know something is not right. When our culture is deprived of good art, of powerful music, and especially of the Christian vision of the afterlife, we have much more difficulty seeing even the few glimpses of heaven we can catch this side of it. Then we look for things to replace it. We try to replace heaven with money, attention, success, and other things in this life that serve as poor substitutes. The more we pursue these substitutes for heaven, the harder it is to see our intended eternal end.
Jesus’ healing miracles always have this anagogical dimension. He is always looking to show us where we are meant to be: in heaven with him for eternity. He uses the physical world, and the ailments it tragically imposes upon us, to remind us that this fallen world is not the way it is supposed to be and we were made for something much better.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
In the same way, Jesus washed away our sins with his blood, and when our sins are washed away, we can more easily see God.
"This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath."
I recently saw a Jewish billboard that said “Keep holy the Sabbath, Saturday.” This points to the fact that, since Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday and Jews celebrate it on Saturday, the actual day is not as important as we may think. Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday to commemorate the Resurrection. Jesus is demonstrating the same lesson by performing a miracle on the Sabbath. He is capturing the spirit of the law rather than the letter of it, while the Pharisees were examining the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of it. The spirit of it is to do God’s will, and to imitate him every way we can. We cannot create a world in six days, but we can rest one day every seven days.
Also, God wants us to set aside the Sabbath to rest and to worship him. These two themes for the Sabbath are related. He wants us to rest when we worship him, because in him–and only in him–do we have our rest. We give him the Sabbath, and God provides the rest. It would make no sense for Jesus to rest from being our provider, because he is not drained of energy by providing. He wasn’t really drained of energy after creating the world in six days either. He rested on the seventh day because he was finished, and because it is his nature to simply be, not to do. God can do nothing and he would still be God; everything would continue to go on the way it already does because God is being, and if he stopped being God then everything would stop being. His message to us for the Sabbath is to just be, just as he is, and to not worry about doing anything.
Likewise, Jesus was not drained of any energy when he healed the blind man. In fact, one can even argue that it is Jesus’ nature–rather than his work–to heal, so he probably received fulfillment by healing others–in that he was doing the Father’s will and was fulfilled in doing so. Jesus couldn’t avoid being a healer when God’s will called for it, any more than he could avoid being the Son of God. So Jesus wasn’t working when he healed the blind man. He was just being who he is.
He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
This blind man did not even ask to be healed, but Jesus healed him “so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” This healing miracle then led the blind man to believe in Christ. Understandably, many people do need a miracle to show them God’s omnipotence in order to believe in God. However, it is the grace of God that leads people to believe. When Jesus called the disciples, the grace of God convinced them to leave their former life to follow them. God can use anything to communicate his truth to us. He can use art, the relationships in our lives, our desire to learn, or many other things. Everything can lead us to him, except sin. All we need is the will to find him and he will provide the grace, but if we do not want to find him he will respect our free will and remain hidden.
Who knows where the blind man was in his personal search for God. Wherever he was, he was in the right place to receive God’s grace, because God knew that by being the recipient of this miracle he would come to believe in Jesus.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
How many miracles have you performed in my life? Yet, I still struggle to believe. You haven’t broken your own laws of nature to perform the miracles I speak of, but you have done something even more miraculous: You have changed the hearts and minds of many people I know who said they would never believe in you, or never believe in the Catholic Faith. You answer my prayers, breaking the veil between heaven and earth. You perform miracles of many different varieties. Help me to see them so I can more effectively believe in you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
LISTEN
The disciples had a very different idea of those who suffered from things like blindness and leprosy before Christ taught them to see these people the way God sees them. This is the blessing God provides when we listen to him: He provides a fresh perspective of the world, a life-giving, hopeful perspective. If we’re ever discouraged by the way people around us think, remember the way God thinks, the way Jesus taught, and listen to what he has to say. His countercultural way of seeing everything will encourage us, and help us to see how we–as Chistians–are different, and offer a very unique vision for this world and of the next.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.” Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him. When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
MEDITATE
“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
What is this spring of water Jesus speaks of? I believe it is his blood, maybe not literally but at least allegorically. The waters of baptism cleanse us of original sin, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us of personal sin. Sin separates us from God, and the blood of Jesus reunites us with him. This reunion with our creator quenches a thirst that cannot be satisfied by anything in this world, and it is an eternal union in heaven.
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth”
Jesus is using a physical need, water, to awaken in the Samaritan woman her spiritual needs. He is using the natural world to invite her into the supernatural. It’s not that the physical world doesn’t matter at all. It just matters less than our souls. God gave us the seven sacraments because he knew we needed physical prompts to reveal to us spiritual realities. Writers use the same method to convey unseen truths. They may use sunshine in a story to symbolize a person’s happiness, or rain to metaphorically represent sadness. Or, in perhaps the most popular metaphor in all of literature, the one Ring represents sin in The Lord of the Rings. God is the author of existence, and he uses what we see in the world he created to help us understand what we don’t see.
In saying a time will come when worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, Jesus is also saying that he is offering his salvation to not only the Jews, but even the Samaritans and all Gentiles who do not worship in the Temple. With Jesus’ sacrifice, worship of God no longer needs to be limited to one place. His sacrifice can now reach the ends of the earth to offer salvation to all through the Mass. The Samaritans were separated from the people of God, but Jesus invites them back in. This is the core of the gospel message: mercy and forgiveness is now offered to all people.
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
There have been many times when I wanted quick solutions to my problems. Today it’s easy enough to get water, but what about money? How many times have we all been tempted by those who tell us they can give a monetary award so that we never have to worry about money again? We’re often in similar situations as the Samaritan woman, when we don’t want to bother with inconveniences anymore, so perhaps we can relate. Why do we have to work so hard for the essentials in life?
The Samaritan woman is in a situation we all are in before God. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he has something we desire more than we even know. He has something we desire so deeply within our hearts that we sometimes can’t even find the desire. We often can’t find the desire because we indulge in our physical needs instead, and neglect the need to quench our spiritual thirst. We were made for eternity, but it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and complain about our immediate needs. On the other hand, I have found that when I focus on my eternal home, it is easier to ignore my body’s needs. This is why we have Lent. The Church, in her wisdom, advises us to abstain from some ephemeral pleasure to help us remember the spiritual desire deeper inside us that can only be quenched by God.
“We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
This reminds me of St. Thomas when he doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Why is it that some of us are given indisputable truth about Jesus’ divinity and salvation, while others are left to lean heavily on faith or struggle with doubt, or both? I believe it is because if everyone were given evidence, no one would have to live as Christ’s witnesses themselves. If God made himself indisputably evident to everyone, no one would have to testify about what they saw. As a result, no one would have prove the saving power of the gospel through their actions. Christ invites us to participate in the salvation he offers by being the body of Christ, by being Christ to others. The apostles were given a special grace when they were shown all of the signs and wonders of Christ. We do not have that, but we do have centuries of witnesses, martyrs, and saints who testified before us, who did take that leap of faith.
PRAY
Lord Jesus,
I have strayed from you many times, and you always invite me back. Help me to accept your invitation. Reveal to me that eternal spring of water that gives eternal life. Show me how it is better than anything the world has to offer. In my frail physical human existence, I can only catch glimpses of your glory and truth very infrequently. I want to have access to the water you speak of every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
LISTEN
The Samaritan woman told the people in her village all that Jesus said, and then they listened to him to see if it were true, to see if he truly was the Messiah. They listened to him because the woman acted as a witness proclaiming Christ to be who he says he is. In our spiritual journey, it’s wise to not only live as Christ’s witnesses ourselves, but also to listen to other people who proclaim his divinity and salvation, and to believe them.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
]]>Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
MEDITATE
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
To be sacred is to be set apart, separated from society. Jesus led them up a high mountain, to a secluded place, to experience his sacred transfiguration. This is why everything about our Catholic faith must be set apart. The world corrupts, but God calls us to be different. He called the Israelites to be different, giving them laws no other nation had. In the same way, he calls the Church to be different. We are a city on a hill. Christians are the light of the world that point people to heaven. We are supposed to shine in the world as Jesus did at the Transfiguration, so as to lead the way.
His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
Jesus was literally shining during the Transfiguration because he is the truth, and the truth is illuminating. He is also pure, and purity also shines. He was pure of heart and free from sin. In art, saints are depicted with a halo for the same reason. Their holiness could be sensed by their presence alone. There was a light that accompanied them when they entered the room. While it may have been unseen physically, it was felt metaphysically. This is also why demons felt uncomfortable in Jesus’ presence. There was a light resonating from him they could not endure, like orcs in the sunlight.
Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.
This revelation is significant because it reveals the presence of the saints among us, even though we cannot see them. Peter, James and John saw two great saints who had been dead for centuries, but were now with them. The same grace is given to us when we go to Mass. We see statues and stained glass windows depicting the saints all around us, but they are much more than decorations. They are also more than simply reminders of the witnesses who came before us. The art is giving us windows into the spiritual reality that the saints are there with us, worshiping Christ at the Mass just as Moses and Elijah were with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
The Gospel says Moses and Elijah were conversing with Jesus. One could only wonder what they were saying. I imagine the words consisted of praise and worship.
"Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
True, it is good that Peter, James and John were there. Jesus needed them to see his glory. Peter isn’t wrong about that. But he was wrong in equating Jesus to Moses and Elijah. At the time, Peter probably didn’t yet know that Jesus was the Son of God. Showing Moses and Elijah the same amount of praise as Jesus was just a misunderstanding. That is probably, at least partially, why God the Father stepped in to make the clarification.
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
I find it fascinating that Jesus never directly calls himself the “Son of God”. He leaves that to others. Even when the Sanhedrin asks him “Are you the Son of God,” he says, “You say that I am.” He talks about the Son of God coming into the world to save it, but he never says that it is him.
There’s a good reason for that. What’s the point? Anyone could claim to be the son of God themselves. It holds no weight. But when Jesus proves it, and has others say it, now that’s significant. In doing so, he sets an example for us, to not just say we are Christian but to prove it through our actions and have others testify to the fact for us instead.
We can take this wisdom into other parts of life. When we use the Bible to try to prove the Bible, we are proving nothing. That’s circular reasoning. Of course the Bible is going to confirm its own claims. But when another source from outside of the Bible affirms that it is true, now we have real evidence.
Jesus knew that he could claim to be the Son of God all day long every day, and it wouldn’t make a difference. But at the Transfiguration, and at his baptism, God the Father himself says it. There is no one better to affirm such a truth.
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
I’m going to gather together the 365 verses where the Bible says “Do not be afraid” and read one each day. Isn’t that the main reason we hesitate to do the things we know we’re supposed to do? I can only speak for myself, but fear is what keeps me down. Fear is what keeps me from rising. There are so many kinds of fear. I have to admit, I fear what might happen if I do certain things. I become afraid when I’m in the presence of something I know can overpower me. I fear what other people think of me.
When God the Father spoke at the Transfiguration, I’m sure there were all kinds of different fears running through the apostles’ heads: fear of the unknown, fear of a power that was apparently much greater than they were, fear of being exposed and their sins being known by the Father’s omniscient presence, and maybe other fears. Am I saying fear too much? Perhaps, but perhaps it is necessary to put a spotlight on it and put fear on trial. It has thwarted so many of my plans, so many good things I intended to do.
Despite their fears, the apostles survived the Transfiguration unscathed. They were in the presence of the most powerful being and they were unharmed. It just goes to show, if God is for us, who can be against us? So do not be afraid, and rise to the occasion.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
You are the Son of God. Help me to believe it. I will always search for you, even if I search in the wrong places sometimes. I will follow you to the top of Mt. Tabor to see you in glory one day. My climb is my life here on earth, and your transfiguration will be heaven. Take over my life because that is the only way to have lasting joy in it, and to finally meet you in paradise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
God the Father said, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him.” So, we listen. It’s always good when the instructions on how to pray come from God himself. One of the best ways to listen to him is to go to a Eucharistic Adoration chapel and just sit in his efficacious presence. After all, at the Transfiguration, by simply being in Jesus’ presence Peter, James and John were led to the Father. Jesus will always lead us to his Father, just as Mary always leads us to Jesus.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
]]>Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
He said in reply, "It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve."
Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
MEDITATE
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
There is a striking resemblance between the devil’s statement, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread" and the critics of God who say, “If God is all-powerful why doesn’t he put an end to starvation in the world?” Jesus gives the answer. It is because man does not live by food alone. Evangelization is more important and must come first. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” Jesus says to the disciples, “I will make you fishers of men.” The correlation may seem like a stretch, but the concepts of evangelization and humanitarian efforts are as connected as bait and a hook. Seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else will fall in place, including daily sustenance. “Give us this day our daily bread”; this is the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray. We are fish in the waters of this sinful world, in this valley of death. God baits us with food for the body, but hooks us with the gospel. If he just tossed the bait in the water and went on his way, we would keep coming back for nothing but the food. I see this all of the time in soup kitchens and parish food pantries. People keep coming for the food, but they couldn’t become part of the church community that gives them the food. But who can blame them. No evangelization efforts are made. Just giving people food is not evangelization.
When we give bread alone without the word of God, lives do not change. The food is not enough. Many people think we only need to preach the gospel with our actions, not our words as well. But if we do not communicate the reason why we are acting with charity, how will other people know that the love within us comes from Christ? The word of God alone offers food for the soul, and the soul must be fed before any corporal work of mercy can take root. A person’s soul is their soil. If seeds aren’t sown on good soil, they will not bear fruit.
He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
May we never forget that the devil can quote Scripture too. That is why it is essential to use Scripture in context. The devil is quoting Psalm 91, which is poetry. In poetry, imagery is used to more concretely convey spiritual realities. In the same psalm, the psalmist says the Lord is “my fortress”, and God’s faithfulness is “your shield”. Clearly he does not literally mean that God is a fortress and faithfulness is an actual shield. The psalmist describes God as an eagle who “will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” This imagery helps to illustrate the role God and faithfulness play in the spiritual realm. The devil wants Jesus to believe that angels will literally hold him up if he jumps, which is simply using the verse out of context.
Now, let’s also not mistake Scripture for poetry when it is being literal, though. The Psalms are clearly poetry, but the historical books like Exodus are not. The plagues literally happened. The Red Sea literally parted. The language in Exodus conspicuously categorizes it as a historical book, and the language in the Psalms categorizes that book as poetic literature.
“You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
I’ve often asked, “Why not?” Why not put God to the test? If he is faithful, if he is Truth, shouldn’t he stand up against any scrutiny we show toward him trying to prove or disprove his existence? I have often challenged my faith to see if everything I believe is true. I do not say this to be prideful, but rather admitting the doubting Thomas in me. Oftentimes, I will not believe until I put my hand in the Lord’s side. And yet, even in that story, we see God passing Thomas’ test. So, why not put God to the test? I want to believe, but that’s the problem. We all believe what we want to believe. Sometimes it seems like the only way to validate our faith is to doubt it and see if it passes our tests.
Again, context here is key. Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, which says “Do not put the Lord, your God to the test, as you did at Massah.” At Massah, the Israelites complained about not having water in the desert. Moses struck a rock and water gushed out. So, even then God passed the test. When Elijah faced the prophets of Ba’al, he drenched the altar with water and called upon the Lord to set it ablaze. Again, he passed that test. Time and time again, God is passing our tests. And yet, we still put him to the test. So, Jesus is essentially saying, ‘Stop it already. How many times does the Lord, your God, have to prove that he is God? It is evident that you just don’t want to believe, because you keep testing him.’ The scribes and Pharisees would do the same to Jesus, constantly testing him to find a place where they could trap him. Those who don’t want to believe will always find a way to not believe, no matter how many of their tests God passes. On the other hand, those who do want to believe will always be given something to hang on to, and it will be just enough to keep the search for God intriguing.
PRAY
Lord God,
Your gospel is more than teachings. You led by example. You didn’t start your ministry until after you resisted the devil in the desert for 40 days. What a testimony to the power and truth of your saving message! Please give me the courage to prevail in denying myself this Lent so I can better see the way to the Kingdom of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
This week, as we start Lent, the Church calls us to observe the way Jesus resisted the devil. What better way to begin this penitential season! Jesus’ time in the desert is a clinic for prevailing in our Lenten sacrifice. When we are tempted, listen to Scripture. Pick up the Bible for strength. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to listen to God’s word in some way every day this Lent. That is how Jesus resisted the devil, by learning Scripture and thereby knowing how to respond to temptation.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
]]>Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
"You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
MEDITATE
“Offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well.”
Really? Are you sure about that, Jesus? So we’re just supposed to let those who do evil walk all over us?
No, that’s not what Jesus is saying. He is telling us to return evil with good, because good is the only thing that is strong enough to defeat evil. The complete openness in turning the other cheek reveals the fearlessness of the one who lives for righteousness. Turning the other cheek shows the one who does evil how formidable a person is when they are acting from a place of goodness and virtue in their hearts. The one who does evil will become worn out over time. The evil itself will defeat them, and so there is no need to fight back. When they are defeated by evil though, the strength of the one who resisted them will be attractive to them. The hope is that they will turn to that good influence to turn their life around, as they see the strength of righteousness.
“Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
The kingdom of heaven is veiled by our human nature. We are driven by justice and other needs, and it’s easy to lose sight of heaven among all of those needs. Jesus is telling us to forget all those other needs though, because heaven is more important. In this case though, he isn’t telling us to seek the kingdom of heaven ourselves, but to show it to someone else by being unconditionally charitable toward them. This is an investment in their soul. When good parents give to their children, they consider it an investment in their children’s future and expect nothing in return. It is also an investment in their eternity. If they are brought up well, the charity we show our children will teach them charity which will help their souls get to heaven. It is the same way when we give to anyone who asks something of us.
We may be concerned about not having enough for ourselves, but here we must have faith that whatever we give will return to us with interest. It may not always return in the same form, but God will not let a charitable soul suffer beyond what is necessary for him to attain the treasures of heaven in store for him or her. We may get absolutely nothing in return in this life, but our Father in heaven will see the good that we did and that is all that matters. Besides, consistently showing others charity will surely save at least one soul, and having a soul won for God is better than all the treasures this life can offer.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
I’ve tried the pacifist approach. It doesn’t work. More often than not it leads to me becoming an enabler. That is why it is essential to point out that Jesus is not expecting us to be pacifists. He is not telling us to let our enemies trample all over us while we simply pray for them. He is telling us to love them and to let that love saturate our prayers for them, because love and prayer are the most powerful forces in the universe. When we love our enemies, we are not letting them in. We are letting God in. We are allowing him to take over the situation, the relationship, and to fill us with the most effective means for defeating the evil in our enemy.
Or, as is often the case, when we let love in, it quells whatever negative emotions we have toward our enemies. Let’s be honest, sometimes they aren’t doing anything evil. Sometimes we just don’t like them for personal reasons. Or sometimes they may have done evil, but so have we, and there’s just this constant feud that goes back and forth because hatred just breeds more hatred. But love, and love alone, has the power to defeat hate. And prayer is God’s weapon given to us to defeat evil. The devil knows this, and that is why prayer–especially in public places–is under attack.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
I’ve reflected a great deal on this teaching without even knowing it, because it has far-reaching implications. In this week’s general audience, Pope Francis teaches us to bring the gospel to the world without becoming worldly. As a Catholic Church, it is easy for us to become content with our own audience. There are enough of us to just share the gospel among ourselves and form quite the community just among fellow Catholics. But what’s so unusual about that? In essence, we are no different than any other club or cult if we just talk to ourselves.
Christ is telling us to be unusual, to reach outside our comfort zone, cast into the deep, engage the wider culture. That is what it means to be Catholic. I’ve seen many Catholic ministries and companies reach out to just Catholics. In fact, their target audience is not only other Catholics but devoted Catholics. Granted, we do have to build up our base, provide a good foundation for them, and equip them with the necessary tools to be disciples and evangelizers. But it’s so easy to get caught up in doing just that, and to forget about the part where we love others–meaning non-Catholics. Yes, there are those who call themselves Catholics but are Catholic in name only. So let’s count them among the others because they are not participating in the life of the Church. But the problem is, we are participating in the life of the Church without bringing that life to the world. It’s easy to fill our lives with events involving other Catholics, to the point where there is no room to invite others in. This is true in parish life, but also in other parts of the Church like Catholic publications. Our beliefs are so at odds with that of secular culture that it’s just easier to close ourselves off from that culture, and just talk to other Catholics about Catholic stuff that only we care about and understand. My hope is that one day Catholic culture becomes so mainstream that it is indistinguishable from secular culture–not because we compromised and let secular culture into the Church, but because we brought the gospel to the world so effectively that it is simply the common way of life.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
We praise you for your cunning wisdom. We have our work cut out for us if we are going to follow your teachings. Even after two thousand years, we are still working on implementing the gospel. Maybe once we finally get it right, you’ll come back. The world is ripe for the gospel. It is what the world needs. Please imbue us with the courage and inspiration to bring it to everyone we meet, and to implement it into everything we do. In Jesus name, Amen.
LISTEN
There sure is a great deal to listen to in this Gospel. There are so many action items, we can fill our lives with trying to complete them. In fact, that is Jesus’ intent. Jesus leaves no room to live any other kind of life if we are going to live the gospel. Whenever we are confused about life or the truth, it’s good to listen to the teachings of Christ. The way of life he teaches is so distinct from the way our society says to live that there is no mistaking where our confusion comes from if we don’t live by his teachings. Secular society breeds confusion. That’s just the way it is. It is radically inclusive, ambiguous and complicated. The lines are all blurred, distinctions are unclear, words are poorly defined, and clarity is lacking. Jesus offers clarity if we listen to his teachings. At the heart of his gospel is love, which stands in stark contrast to the other voices around us. We have heard many other kinds of wisdom, but only the gospel of love offers the paradoxical solution to the biggest problems and conundrums in the world. Love is the only answer to the problem of evil. Love alone conquers greed, usury, hatred, anger, and injustice, and untruth. It conquers them by emptying itself, by letting go of everything we think matters in order to give God room to work his wonders.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
]]>Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
MT 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37
Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."
MEDITATE
"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus mentions righteousness yet again. A few weeks ago we read “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” He mentions the kingdom of heaven again as well. Concerning the kingdom of heaven in the Beatitudes, he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” So here we can begin to see the correlation between each Beatitude, how they are intertwined at certain key points. If Jesus is saying the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven, and then he says “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven,” then that must mean those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the poor in spirit.
While poverty is evil, the poor are blessed because they can set their eyes on things more important than worldly goods and wealth. They can set their eyes on righteousness. In a similar way, Jesus says to the crowd after speaking to the rich man, “How difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” All of these teachings are related. It is the poverty in spirit that makes us hunger and thirst for righteousness, and that hunger and thirst make us righteous because as we seek to be filled with righteousness we become righteous ourselves. God is righteousness. He is always right. To desire him and nothing else is to acquire him and everything else. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.” God does not love poverty, but he does love the poor in spirit who desire righteousness, because such people are open to being filled with him.
In this way, Jesus is also teaching us that wanting is at least as good as having. The more we pursue righteousness, the more we will receive. The more we pursue it, also, the humbler we will become as we see how much more we can always receive. This is why humility is the root of all virtues, because the moment we think we have enough virtue is the moment we stop pursuing it. Then pride sets in and replaces the virtue, the righteousness.
I use the two words interchangeably, but virtue and righteousness are slightly different. Virtue is a habit and righteousness is the desire to exercise the habit. The righteous man acts virtuously, and the virtuous man acts virtuously because he desires righteousness. So by calling the disciples to increase their righteousness, Jesus is teaching them to re-orient their desires. He is not telling them requirements for entering some exclusive club. He is ultimately telling them what will make them most happy, because the kingdom of heaven is where they were made to be.
“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. . . . everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Jesus judges the heart, which is where actions originate. This is also why he tells the disciples to desire righteousness; avoiding sin begins with avoiding the desire to sin. Desire righteousness instead, and that desire will replace our desire for sin. The Lord sees and knows when we have a guilty conscience and when we have a clean conscience. He will only fill us with his sweet gift of righteousness when he sees that our consciences are clean.
“Do not swear at all. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'”
As the Truth Incarnate, it makes sense that Jesus wants us to speak only the truth with our words. Our words have power, and Jesus wants us to know that. More often than not, when a person curses these days it is an empty word anyway. The curse adds no value to their statement. It’s like a crutch word, like “basically” or “you know” or “literally”. More often than not, when we use these words or phrases they add no meaning to what we are saying. All curses do, usually, is add an angry emphasis on what we are saying, which alludes to Christ’s earlier point to not be angry in the first place.
“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” is a refreshing teaching in our culture that is filled with ambiguous speech. Often we have to infer that someone’s ‘Maybe’ actually means ‘No’, and that their ‘Yes’ actually means ‘Maybe’. Sometimes our ‘No’ actually means “Maybe’ or, ‘Yes, just not at this time’ or ‘Yes, just not in the way you’re asking’. We play these mind tricks on people because we want them to better understand us and ask the right questions. For instance, whenever we see an ad on the internet, even if it is something we generally want, we will still ignore it or exit out of it. We’re saying ‘No’, but we actually mean “Maybe’.
This problem has seeped into morality, unfortunately. I will just use myself as an example. When I lack conviction, I often say “Yes” to things just to try them out, but then grievously only find out how much I don’t like what I tried only after it is too late. I was on the fence and paid the price. Or, I often say “No” to something in my heart because I know it’s wrong, but “Yes” when someone else is doing it because it’s none of my business. This approach to some of the most serious moral matters in my life often leads to grey areas I’d rather avoid. I know I’ve experienced times when I was stuck in the middle for lack of conviction. When someone offers me something I know is wrong, I say “No thanks”. It seems like a polite response, but in reality the “thanks” implies a superfluous sentiment. I am implying that I am thankful that someone tempted me. Is Jesus saying that I should have just said “No”. Most likely, the one offering the temptation would regard such a response as stringent and perhaps even judgmental. But perhaps this is what Jesus is teaching me to do. If I am saying “No” to something, there is a good reason. Therefore, “No” is enough. I don’t have to be thankful for something I’m saying ‘No’ to if it is a bad thing.
So, what wisdom can Jesus’ teaching offer here? Don’t be lukewarm. Don’t be on the fence about things. What do I really desire? When I desire righteousness, all of my other wants and needs fall into place. When I have my heart, mind, and soul set on the kingdom of heaven, all of my other goals in life, whether large or small, become clear. Thus, while Jesus’ teachings often seem strict and stoic, he is really offering us a philosophy of life that will bring more clarity to our lives.
PRAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are teaching us to filter out the evil in our lives so we can more clearly see you, so we can see what is really on our hearts, so we could see our most honest and pure desires. I don’t see your lessons as harsh. I see them as revealing. Please give me the courage to live by them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
LISTEN
Whenever I read Scripture, no matter how many times I’ve read the passage before, I always find new truths. It’s because I read it during different phases of life, different times of day, different moods, or different spiritual states. It’s always revealing if I take the time to listen to what God is saying to me in that moment. This time, in this passage, I saw that God was teaching me to seek righteousness. I was frustrated with my lack of direction in life. My many desires were sporadic and disconnected. Nothing connected them all together. Christ taught me today to remember righteousness, and to look at my own heart. By seeking righteousness and seeing where my own heart is, I saw that my desires were not oriented toward God, the kingdom of heaven, or righteousness. As a result, my whole direction in life was in disarray. Jesus instructs us to cut away all the chaff and get to the heart of what we really want. Even though we only get glimpses of heaven on this side of it, the more we focus our gaze on it and pursue it the clearer it will become.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
You are the salt of the earth.
We put salt on our food to give it flavor and to help it last longer. The call of Christians to be "the salt of the earth" is a call to bring goodness and righteousness to the world, because goodness and righteousness last for generations and are full of life, while evil is bland and fades. That may sound contrary to common beliefs. In our culture, it’s the righteous who are often called boring and bland. This unfortunately has led many young people away from the faith. They think the ones who do evil are the fun ones. But that is not the case. Evil deeds that seem like fun last for only a moment, while the one who does good has an enduring joy even in the midst of danger and adversity–which come quite often for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. As G.K. Chesterton wrote, "The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice.”
There may have been a time and place when and where doing the right thing kept one safe, since for some time and in some places at least, people lived in a society where virtues were normally practiced. But in our society today, that is not always the case. A person is often punished for standing up for what’s right. A person can take a middle road that avoids both vice and conflict. But if we are going to truly practice virtue and the Christian life, we are going to be in for quite the roller coaster ride. It certainly won’t be boring. There is no better way to spice up one’s life than by living for faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. In fact, I would say it is the lack of these virtues that makes a life of evil so bland. But, like a good chef knows, it is the perfect balance of just the right ingredients that makes the dish.
Too much salt will certainly overwhelm a dish. This quality reflects the need for a Christian to remain humble in all situations, and to complement the flavors of those he accompanies. Salt brings out the flavor of a dish. In the same way, Christians ought to excel in bringing out the good qualities in others. This takes great practice, and may even lead the faint-hearted to give up the attempt, but with the right dose of fortitude the Christian pushes on for the sake of righteousness.
You are the light of the world.
So much symbolism is in this line. One could say being the light of the world means living a life of poverty and simplicity, shunning the dark influences of the world, so as to serve as a shining example to others, showing them the love and compassion of God. It could also more generally mean we are called to live a life of holiness, promoting the good through our love of God. The holy saints of centuries past are often depicted in art with a halo because there was a certain kind of light in their very presence. Holiness brings a light with it, and people notice that light when it enters a room.
“You are the light of the world” could also mean the Christian is called to bring truth and wisdom to the world. We associate a light bulb over the head with having a great idea, because there is an ethereal connection between seeing light and seeing the truth. When we have a good idea, it’s like we are seeing the truth more clearly–as if someone shined a light on it for us. As Christians, we are called to be that kind of light to others, to reveal to them the truth. In this sense, Christians are called to be leaders, promoting the knowledge of God, and serving as a source of guidance for others.
Jesus's call to his disciples to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" is a call to live a life of service, humility, morality, truth, and wisdom. By living a life of poverty and simplicity, promoting the common good, and serving as leaders and sources of guidance, Christians can bring the love and compassion of God to the world.
“A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket.”
Yet, how often do we do just that? We say we don’t want to impose our faith on others. Or, faith is a personal matter so I shouldn’t force anyone to believe. But we are not forcing anyone to believe when we just shine the light of Christ. We do have to express our faith in some way in order for it to shine, though. We can’t just assume that people know we are Christian, and then claim that we’re just being modest by not telling anyone. If the good news of Jesus Christ really is living in us, it should be evident in everything we do and say. People should notice God living in us just like they notice a light in the darkness.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
If we are the light of the world, it is because you live within us. Come and open the hearts of all the members of the Church so she can shine with your light. If we are the salt of the earth, you are the flavor in that salt. If we lose you, we are nothing. Have faith in us as you always have, and forgive us for the times when we have failed to shine and share your truth, good, and beauty with the world. Fill our hearts with your light. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Light reveals what was in darkness. There is a great darkness all around us in our culture and society today. I believe the Kingdom of God is all around us, and it is our job as Christians to turn on the light to reveal it to others. Sometimes that requires silencing all the other voices around us to hear God’s. First, in order to do that, we Christians must quiet our own hearts though, so we can hear what God is saying to us and what he wants us to say to others.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
MEDITATE
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed are those whose treasure is not in this world, those who are poor in the eyes of others, and who notice their spiritual poverty if they can’t have God. They are blessed because they see the true worth in every human being, and pray for the ones who don’t have God in their lives. They are free to give of themselves, free to empty their hearts out of love in order to reveal the kingdom of heaven to others. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven because they bring that kingdom to earth.
“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Jesus is not for the comfortable. The life of someone who seriously follows Jesus will be full of conflict, hardships, persecution, tragedy, and mourning. Christianity is not for the lukewarm. There are many reasons to mourn, but Christian mourning is unlike any other kind because it cuts deeper. Christ calls these Christians blessed; blessed are those who suffer those deep cuts that come from conflicts and hardships residing deep in their hearts, those cuts that so many other people do not see—moral dilemmas, the troubled and lost souls of loved ones, the lack of holiness, righteousness and sacredness in our society—to those who suffer from these hidden conflicts and hardships, Christ brings comfort.
He also brings comfort to those who have experienced tragedy. By difficult means, he draws people close to himself. It is in tragedy that God reveals to us a place free of tragedy and mourning. When we lose what is precious to us in this world, we can more easily set our eyes on the next. When we lose a person we love, it’s comforting to be told that they returned to the source of all love.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."
Meekness is a difficult balance. It is not bashfulness and it is not quite the same as humility. It’s more like magnanimity, a quality that hides accomplishments when there is no point in touting them. Yet, humility and meekness also abide by the truth. So a meek person does not cower away from a challenge when they are the right person for the task. Meekness is pragmatic. A meek person sees the value in teamwork and does not look to increase the importance of his own role. Meekness is strength under control. A meek person is capable of violence and knows when to use it, but also when to resist the temptation to use it—which often requires the greatest kind of strength, that of self-control. So, Jesus says the meek will inherit the land because they are the most competent people to do so. They are accomplished, humble, gentle, pragmatic, wise and strong. The meek are not weak. They are quite the opposite.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied."
When? I think we all have a hunger and thirst for righteousness somewhere in our hearts, but perhaps we have given up on having it be satisfied. There is corruption, narcissism, heresy, and untruth spreading everywhere we turn. It’s a good thing, then, that Christ is not talking about finding righteousness in our surroundings. He began his ministry by saying, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repent, because we are the cause of the lack of righteousness all around us. But also rejoice, because the one who will lead us to heaven has shown us the way. We may only get small tastes of righteousness in this life, but gratitude is in store even for those moments because that righteousness has to come from somewhere.
But what does Christ mean by righteousness, exactly? That word could be misused, especially since we don’t use it that often, except perhaps when saying someone is being “self-righteous.” I contend that this use of the term “righteous” has turned us off from the concept of righteousness in general. How often do we hear someone say, “He is a righteous man” or “She is a righteous woman” in a positive context? If the word is ever used, it often borders on being a criticism if it isn’t one outright. In today’s parlance, it is extremely difficult to be meek and humble one moment, and then claim to be right in the next. It’s practically assumed that if I’m claiming to be humble, then I’m going to regard my values as just my opinions. But to be righteous is to be right. Make no mistake. Jesus preaches the Beatitude of meekness before that of righteousness for a reason. The meek person hungers for righteousness, knowing that he won’t completely obtain it in this life–yet he tries all along and gets small glimpses of it so he can know what is right. This pursuit of righteousness keeps him meek just as the vastness of a sea keeps the stones on the shore smooth. We cannot contain the sheer potency and immensity of righteousness within ourselves, but by remaining close to righteousness we can receive its humbling effect, and it can even become an attribute of who we are just as we become a part of it.
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
Pages, even entire books, could be written and have been written on each Beatitude. Unfortunately, I could only give reflections on the first few. Thankfully, Jesus summed up the lesson quite succinctly: Their reward will be great in heaven. Am I among them? Will Jesus remember me? Will he know me when I come knocking on heaven’s door? Or will he say, “Depart from me, you evildoer”? The answer to that question is up to me. If I hunger and thirst for righteousness, my focus will remain keen. Righteousness and holiness, or the desire to do what is good despite outside pressure and the willpower to live my life to its fullest, are what God wants from me. The Beatitudes are the perfect mindsets for keeping our eyes on heaven and–as Christ notes–heaven will be the reward if we live by them.
PRAY
Dear Lord Jesus,
Heaven can seem so far in this life, in this world, but you teach us the attitudes we should have in order to bring it closer. The Beatitudes are encouragements because they show how you empathize with our human struggle. You understand how difficult it can be to believe, and you say we are blessed when we persevere in the face of the struggle. Thank you for believing in us, for believing we can make it and for not giving up on us. Thank you for showing the way with the gospel message and the Beatitudes. In your blessed name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
There really isn’t much more to say because Jesus said it all so perfectly. My only intention in this last section of lectio divina is to provide a little bit of a boost as you continue your day, by giving you a reason to listen more carefully to God speaking and working in your life, or perhaps by showing you a place or a way to listen and look for him that you may not have thought of in the past. Christ says those who live by the Beatitudes are blessed. They are blessed because these virtues bring us closer to him, and to be close to him is to be blessed. Just as a plant receives nourishment by leaning into the sun, we receive nourishment by leaning into God; and we lean into God by living the Beatitudes.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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]]>Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
MEDITATE
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
Why is Jesus filled with such determination to go to Galilee after the arrest of John the Baptist? There seems to be great immediacy to his actions, almost as if he is following a script and the arrest of John the Baptist was his cue to begin his own ministry. Indeed, I believe that is the case and the script is the Father’s will. While Jesus does have free will, in his free will he always chooses to do the will of the Father. The plan of salvation was set in place long before he entered the earth, and he is now fulfilling it just as the prophecies foretold.
“The way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light”
This prophecy is a reference to the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. Jesus, who is the "great light" is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament who will bring salvation to the Gentiles, specifically those living in the region of Galilee. The region of Galilee was considered by the Jews to be a place of spiritual darkness because it had many Gentiles, it was an impoverished rural community, and–due to the large Gentile population–was heavily influenced by Roman culture. The prophecy also implies that Jesus' ministry will extend beyond the boundaries of Israel, to the "way of the sea" and "beyond the Jordan," indicating the universality of his message.
So from the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus preached and ministered to the Gentiles–and it was even prophesied that he would do so. In last week’s first reading, we read in Isaiah:
“It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
So from the very beginning God intended for the Jewish people to be the ones through whom he would bring salvation to the world. Peter and the apostles would not get the message until much later on, even after spending years in ministry with Jesus. When Peter had the vision with the animals Jews regarded as unclean–which he rightly understood to mean that Jews should not regard Gentiles as unclean–Peter finally realized that the salvation Jesus offered was meant for the Gentiles as well, and not just the Jews. It took Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit for the first pope to make the connection, but God was forwarding the plan all along through his prophets and his son, Jesus.
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
There is a certain authority about Jesus calling the disciples to leave their profession and follow him. There is no record of him trying to persuade them to follow him. He didn’t have to build rapport or garner their respect. Or at least there is no indication here that he did. He just called them and they just followed him. It was that simple. It’s a bit reminiscent of God’s six days of creation, when God said “Let there be . . .” and then it was so. God called the disciples to follow him and it was so: They followed him. Just like that. God willed it, so it just happened. When God wills something, nothing in the universe can stop it from happening. Imagine what we could accomplish, then, if we lived within his will. Just as Jesus said, anything we ask for would then be granted to us.
He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
Isaiah’s prophecy states “Galilee of the Gentiles” which seems to indicate that Galilee was predominantly filled with Gentiles. But Matthew is saying Jesus went teaching in the synagogues there, which means there must have also been a significant number of Jews in the region. It is therefore possible that God chose Galilee as the starting point of Jesus’ ministry because it was a land of coexistence. Both Jews and Gentiles lived there. Since Jesus would have to bring salvation to the Gentiles through the Jews, as was God’s plan from the beginning, it makes sense to choose a place where the two cultures already lived together.
The decision to go to Galilee first is also significant because Galilee was on the fringes of society for the Jews in many ways. It was a very rural and poor area and there was probably a much smaller population of Jews there than in the rest of Judea. Jesus was calling the Jews out of their comfort zone, expecting them to cast into the deep from the very beginning. Jesus tells the disciples that they will now be fishers of men because the goal of the gospel is to call out from the seashore, proclaiming the gospel, and bring in those who are in the deep sea–namely, the Gentiles.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Where do you want me to go? Where are the deep seas in today’s world where you want me to cast my net and bring more people into your kingdom? It’s intimidating to expect so much from others: The decision to follow Christ requires great sacrifice, and to call people to make that sacrifice is not easy. But it is worth it, because that is what we were all created to do. We were all made to do your will, and only you know exactly how to catch people in the deep seas. I am just the fishing net that gets drenched and tangled as you wield me to do your will. Make me an instrument of your evangelization. I will go where you lead me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
LISTEN
When Jesus called the disciples, they dropped everything and followed him. Am I that obedient when God calls me to do something? I say I don’t know if it’s really God’s will, but there’s an easy way to find out if something is his will: Pray more. The most important part of prayer is the listening part, when we quiet our hearts, minds, and souls to contemplate what God is saying to us. This contemplation almost always leads to God giving us some concrete action plan, just like when he called his disciples.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
John 1:29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’
I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
MEDITATE
He existed before me.
Jesus, the Word of God, existed before the world was made. John the Apostle mentioned this at the beginning of his Gospel, saying, “Before him nothing was made that has been made.” John the Baptist sets the tone for the Gospel of John. He is a prophet who can prophesy of what is to come because he understands how everything began. It began with Jesus, the Word of God and the Lamb of God who has now been born into this world.
He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
When priests baptize they are acting in the person of Christ, while baptizing with the Holy Spirit and reconciling the baptized person with the Father. The Trinitarian formula is built into the sacrament. That is why it is essential for the priest to say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” John baptized you with water, and said now that Jesus has come he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. But we still baptize with water. The difference is that now the water is the sacrament and not just a symbol. God could have chosen any means to cleanse us from our sins. He chose holy water because we are physical beings, and water is probably the best thing in the physical world for representing what is happening spiritually at a baptism. Water not only cleanses but it is also essential for life, just as baptism is essential in order for us to receive eternal life.
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.
It’s significant that John said this because no one else would say it until Peter does a few years later. And to our knowledge, no one before John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Son of God, unless we count the angel who appeared to Mary. John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Son of God before any of Jesus’ apostles knew. The magi knew that he was the king of the Jews and probably sent from heaven, since there was a sign of his birth in the heavens, but did they testify that he was the Son of God? The shepherds to whom the angel came may have testified, but we don’t know for certain. The angel said “He is the Messiah”, and when the angel left they gave glory to God, but there is no record of them testifying that Jesus was the Son of God.
One can argue that Elizabeth knew, since she said, “How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Still then though, Elizabeth says “Lord” and not “Son of God”. There is a significant difference. “Lord” simply meant master in biblical times. Slaves had lords. Some world leaders and landowners were called “lord”. In today’s parlance, the word holds much more sovereignty (unless we’re talking about a landlord), but in biblical times it simply meant to have dominion of some kind over subjects. It was meaningful for Elizabeth to consider the baby in Mary’s womb to be her Lord, and this demonstrated great faith. To some degree, it was even a testimony affirming the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. But still, she did not say “Son of God”, and this is paramount. The shepherds, the magi, and Elizabeth might have known. In fact Mary certainly knew that her son was the Son of God, since the angel appeared to her telling her that he is the “Son of the Most High.” Still though, even after the incident in the Temple at age 12, Mary didn’t understand what her son was saying to him. This is why it’s a mystery. These are all pieces of the puzzle in the big picture of God’s salvific plan.
So John the Baptist was very likely the first human to testify that Jesus was the Son of God, unless we consider Jesus himself. He said to his mother when he was 12, “Didn’t you know I would be in my father’s house,” speaking of the Temple where he was found after three days. It is likely that John was the only human to testify as much because that would explain why Jesus says “no one who has ever been born to a woman is greater than John the Baptist”. He says this, quite possibly, because John the Baptist alone testified that Jesus was the Son of God before anyone else did. Jesus was apparently even considering John greater than himself at that point, which is interesting. It’s probably a form of hyperbole, but hyperbole is designed to emphasize a point. I think Jesus’ point is that those who testify that he is the Son of God are doing the greatest thing a person can possibly do. After all, this is why Jesus came to earth: to reveal the will of the Father. To perceive that will and to give testimony to it is indeed the greatest thing we can do.
I speculate that there is a good reason for why no one but John testified that Jesus is the Son of God. When he did, he was killed shortly thereafter. There was great consequence for declaring such news. At times in the Gospel, Jesus would even warn others not to spread the word that he was the Son of God. This would only expedite his own execution, and he still had work to finish in his ministry. The timing of it all is precise and profound.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Thank you for revealing to me the truth that you are the Son of God. Thank you for my baptism, and let me never forget how important it is to be a child of God. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Listen for the voices crying out in the desert, those who are shunned by society or who left on their own. Some of them are actually crazy, sure, but quite often God speaks most lucidly through them since they are not as connected to worldly affairs as we are, and therefore can see God’s will more clearly as John the Baptist did.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
MEDITATE
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?”
The magi refer to Jesus as “the king of the Jews” and their visit to pay him homage is a recognition of his royal status. This is significant because it shows that even foreigners recognized Jesus as more than just another human being, in fact as a king, even before he performed any miracles or did any preaching, and long before his disciples recognized his divinity or kingship. There is a mystery to Jesus’ kingship. He is a divine figure who has been chosen by God to rule over his chosen people. No other king was prophesied about with such accuracy. Ironically, King Herod and the chief priests and scribes were troubled by the news of Jesus’ birth–not so much because he was the Son of God–but because he had a powerful claim to the throne and was therefore a legitimate threat to their own power. This story emphasizes the way heaven meets earth with Jesus’ birth. Earthly men are concerned about Jesus’ claim to an earthly throne, but those who see past that and see that he is divine and sent from heaven–they see Jesus’ birth as hope and salvation for all human beings.
“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”
The Magi were drawn to Jesus by the appearance of a star, a sign from God. This demonstrates that God is actively involved in the world and that he reveals himself to us through signs and wonders. Also, the magi’s journey to pay Jesus homage shows their willingness to follow God’s guidance, no matter how difficult or inconvenient it may be. The star that God gave as a sign is a powerful symbol of God’s love shining in the darkness, in our times of confusion and doubt. In addition, the magi respond to that love with great devotion. Their diehard commitment to follow the star is a beautiful example of seeking and following God’s will with perseverance. A wise prayer would be to follow God’s plan with the kind of devotion the wise men showed in following the Star of Bethlehem which shined as a symbol of God’s plan for salvation.
On entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.
The magi found Jesus in a house with his mother. First, it’s important to indicate that the Gospel passage does not say “manger” or “stable”. Even though our Nativity scenes have the magi visiting Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the manger, that probably is not historically accurate. The magi probably came a few years later once the Holy Family had established themselves in a house in Bethlehem. There is no need to get caught up in that detail though, because the main theme of the Nativity is still true: This passage and Nativity sets highlight the central role that family played in the life of Jesus. Mary is the one who gives birth to Jesus; Mary and Joseph are the ones who raise him. This passage reminds us that family is a source of love, support, and nurture.
Also, the reading indicates that the magi “saw the child with Mary and his mother”, highlighting that they not only paid homage to Jesus, but also recognized and respected his mother. Mary is the only true blood relation to Jesus. She is his mother. Joseph is not his father; God the Father is his father. This is why it is important to maintain that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life. Jesus had no biological human family other than Mary. If he did, there probably would have been a long-lasting kingdom founded by his brothers and sisters lasting to this day. Instead, Jesus established a spiritual kingdom where his brothers and sisters are those who do the will of his Father in heaven. Clearly, Mary is also a member of that family and kingdom.
PRAY
Dear Lord and King,
You are the promised savior of the world and my life. Every day I need to be saved. Every day I need you to be born in my heart, and every day I need to have the epiphany that you are the Lord and savior who has come to save me from myself and my sins. With the dawning of a new year, remind me each dawn that I can start anew and live for you because of the newborn child who came to give hope for the world and every one of us. I don’t need to despair whenever I fail because you, Lord Jesus, have come into the world as God incarnate. Anything is possible because you have shown the way. All I need to do is follow your light as the magi did. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
The listening or contemplation part of lectio divina is like the commissioning part of Mass. At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon says, in some form or another, ‘Go forth and proclaim the gospel’. At the end of lectio divina, we are advised to go forth and listen for God. We ought to spend time listening to him after we meditate, but we also ought to continue listening for him throughout the day. Think of his will like the Star of Bethlehem. The magi most likely struggled, first to decipher what kind of sign it was. This is akin to us contemplating the Scripture after we read. They probably also struggled to follow the star once they started their journey. This is akin to our going forth after we read Scripture, starting the journey of our day, seeking God’s will. Every story of Scripture can be seen in this way. If we listen close enough, we will see how each story–especially in the Gospels–provides a valuable lesson for how we ought to seek God’s will in our own lives.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
MEDITATION
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph.
Why did the angel appear to the shepherds? I believe it’s to show that Jesus’ birth was not an isolated event or story. It wasn’t just something that Joseph and Mary would tell people, hoping they would believe. Heaven went out of its way to show that this is no ordinary story. As many people as possible need to tell it. And to know for sure that what the angel said to them was true, the shepherds went to see for themselves. In fact, they made it a priority. This shows how important such tidings would be if it were indeed true, if the Messiah truly had been born in Bethlehem. This is something they had to verify and then tell others about, so they could say ‘This is not just a rumor. We saw the baby ourselves, right where the angel said he would be.’
Readers throughout history can know that the story of Jesus’ birth is not folklore, legend, or myth because of the way the narrations anchor the events upon real-world people and places, genealogies and rulers. There would have been many chances for these people to dispute the story’s claims. But thanks to the shepherds and all others who testified about Jesus, we can know that this is a story like no other.
Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Many of us are proud of our children for their accomplishments, gifts, talents, and skills. This may cause us to reflect upon who they may become when they grow up. I’m sure Mary had similar reflections, while knowing that her son was the Messiah. While she most likely did know that her son was the savior of the world, there were probably still many unanswered questions she had. ‘How will he accomplish his mission exactly?’, and ‘What role am I supposed to play?’ were probably among them. She must have pondered these things, while reflecting upon stories like the one the shepherds told her, stories that indicated that this child is indeed the Son of God, just like the Angel Gabriel announced at the Annunciation. Just as Jesus would do in his ministry, not only did the angel speak the truth. Reality also backed up what he said. Mary knew the truth, and she knew that she would have to endure great suffering just like Jesus, but meditating on what her reflections may have been is an opportunity to walk with her in faith. Let’s have faith that God knows best even when we are uncertain of his plans, like Mary did.
Glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.
Do I glorify and praise God for all that he has revealed to me? Despite all the answers to prayers and verifications of God’s word that I’ve seen and heard in my life, I still doubt. This is a good time to reflect on what God has shown me to strengthen my faith, especially when I ask him to strengthen it. He has not let me down. He has sent me messengers just like he sent the angel to the shepherds. He has advised me to go and see for myself if all he says is true. Each day is an opportunity to give praise to the wonders and mysteries of his love. Am I paying enough attention to see and hear them?
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
This last sentence in this week’s Gospel passage is yet another affirmation of all that has occurred. Mary named him Jesus to affirm that this is indeed the boy the angel told her about, the Son of the Most High. She did indeed bear a son despite having no relations with a man. If she did have relations with a man, she wouldn’t have named the child the name that the angel told her to give him.
But there is another fascinating reality that can be easily overlooked. Gabriel told Mary the name the child is to be given “before he was conceived in the womb”. This means the moment of conception did not occur yet. It occurred when Mary gave her consent, her “Fiat”. Despite the perfection of God’s will and plan for our salvation, he still waited for Mary’s “yes” before he brought Jesus into the world.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
The shepherds in the field went to see Jesus, and gave you glory afterwards. What a beautiful testimony to the power of your presence. By simply going and seeing Jesus, they were filled with praises on their lips. Lord, if I would just be as ready as they were to give you praise, with every encounter I have with you, my faith would be so much stronger. Instead of trying to figure it out all the time–instead of doubting–if I would just give you praise, I would probably find more answers than I do by constantly second-guessing every gift and proof that you give me. Please give me the boldness to believe in you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
The shepherds were just minding their flocks when the angel came. Sometimes heaven intervenes in our lives when we are just going about our daily routine. These are the moments when we need to be attentive, then. As good as it is to set aside time to pray and listen to God, it is even wiser to keep our eyes and ears open for him throughout the day, every day. The shepherds had no idea that they would encounter an angel that day. May we receive similar blessings when we simply remain faithful while living our own daily lives.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
MEDITATE
In the beginning was the Word.
With these six words, John begins his Gospel. And on the Sixth Day he created man. If there ever was a verse in the Bible that was suitable for meditation, this is it. There is symmetry and poetry throughout John’s Gospel, but especially in the first chapter. I remember memorizing the chapter along with the Nicene Creed and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, as some of the most beautiful and most important literature ever written. The whole chapter, but especially the first six words, are so significant because they declare the most pivotal moment in human history: the Incarnation of the God who created everything. When we think of Christmas, we may think of a cute and innocent baby lying in a manger, but the mystery lies in the profundity of that simple moment. That baby is the Word of God who existed from the beginning.
John was fully aware of the significance of Jesus’ birth, and emphasized that significance with more than just a historical narrative, which Matthew, Mark and Luke already provided. To understand the beginning of something is to understand what it is. So John takes us to the beginning of everything. He doesn’t bother specifying what beginning he is talking about. Just as the author of Genesis wrote, he simply wrote “In the beginning” because that’s where the story of the Bible starts, so that’s where his Gospel needs to start. John wrote his Gospel after the other three. The story of Jesus had been told for the Jews, the Gentiles, and the common man. A new perspective was needed, one that provided a bit of a prequel, one that looked a little more closely into what was happening in the spiritual realm.
And the Word was God.
God gave man language so that man could better understand him, because language--in a way--is him. The Word is the Second Person of the Trinity. Language is one of God's distinct marks on humanity. The other animals do not have this mark. This is why Aristotle distinguished us as "rational animals". The word for "word" in Greek is "logos", which also means "reason" in Greek. Our ability to reason and speak, to have discourse, debate, converse, write poetry, write stories, write computer code, do math equations, etcetera, these are all traits from God. Our ability to use words to communicate truth makes us co-creators with God the Creator.
Over time, this gift from God, the gift of the Word, was taken for granted by man. After Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, Christians spent hundreds of years meditating on the mysteries they just experienced: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us! These centuries of faith and wonder flowered into a Golden Age of the Church when Scholastic philosophy reigned and gave birth to universities, along with many of the sciences. All of this, I believe, came from the deep and saintly meditation on the Word of God becoming flesh, the incarnate act of the Creator.
Scholastic philosophy came into the mainstream of the Church in the Middle Ages, and it gave us many good things, but many claim that it also had the seeds of modern philosophy germinating in its depths. William of Ockham, a philosopher of the 14th century, is known for being the father of nominalism, a philosophy that taught that our words are nothing more than our personal interpretation of truth. From this philosophy arose relativism, subjectivism, and modern epistemology, not to mention the popular Cartesian thought that the only validation of my existence is my ability to think ("I think, therefore I am”).
So, from a lack of appreciation for the God-given gift of the Word Incarnate came many of the ailments of modernity. Lack of Faith in the Word has led to a universal skepticism. Today many of us believe we can believe whatever we want, and act whatever way we want because truth–and by extension all our actions–are considered to be relative by so many people. Lack of reverence for the Word of God has led to our lack of appreciation for truth, and this has led to the widespread belief that nothing is true, nothing matters, and that we humans–not God– are the arbiters of right and wrong. All of this has come from not loving Jesus, the Word Incarnate.
All things came to be through him.
This makes sense since God spoke everything into being. He used his words. Whatever he speaks becomes reality. That is why, by extension, Jesus–the Word of God–can say he is the Truth.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Let me just end my meditation on those words. This Gospel passage is jam-packed with more than the biggest zip file you ever downloaded. But John sums up the reality of it all as well as any human can with these words, which we wisely put at the heart of the Angelus while appropriately kneeling. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. All praise and glory be to his holy name.
PRAY
Word Incarnate,
I must pause in awe of your magnificent creation and your plan. I could go on and on about how miraculous and perfect your will is, but in the end the most important thing is to just stop and praise you. Thank you for becoming flesh to dwell among us, so we can make the connections between you and your creation, your love, your mercy, your salvation. This Christmas, help me to see the truth more clearly so I can recognize your light shining in the dark winter night. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
LISTEN
In the beginning was the Word. That Word speaks all around us, from the stars to the Scripture and everywhere in between. Can we listen close enough to hear him on that silent night? Jesus didn’t come with a bang or a crash. With all the chaos that was happening around him, he came quietly. Are we paying close enough attention to hear and appreciate the significance of this holy event, the arrival of the Word Incarnate, the Son of God?
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Mt 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
MEDITATE
He was a righteous man
Words like “righteous” aren’t just placed in the Bible as crutch words. It’s not like Matthew was simply saying Joseph was a “good person” like we would use the term today. St. Joseph is the Noble Offspring of David, Light of the Patriarchs, Spouse of the Mother of God, to mention just a few of his titles. Sometimes Scripture condenses realities so much that it’s easy to gloss over them. St. Joseph was a righteous man, which means he was too wise, too virtuous, and too humble to bring Mary to shame. He was the ideal spouse for the Blessed Mother, as any other man would have disowned her while not believing the unbelievable story that she “was found with child through the Holy Spirit” and not through another man.
Do not be afraid.
It has been popularly stated that the phrase “do not be afraid” appears in the Bible 365 times, one time for every day of the year. That alludes to an interesting point. Many times I hesitate to do what I’m supposed to do, but I don’t admit that it’s fear that’s preventing me from doing it. Perhaps the same was true for Joseph. Was he afraid to bring Mary into his house? I’m not sure if he would have believed as much. He might have been confused, even frustrated and upset at the news that Mary was pregnant. But afraid? It doesn’t seem to be an accurate emotion to be feeling in such a situation. So, what was the angel talking about? Why did the angel say “do not be afraid to bring Mary into your house.” Was it because he feared partaking in a scandal, if the neighbors should find out that Mary was with child? But they probably would have just assumed that Joseph was the father. So why would Joseph have been afraid to bring Mary into her house?
I believe the reason would be jealousy. If Joseph thought some other man got Mary pregnant, Joseph would have been tempted to be jealous of that man. (This is not to say that he was jealous, but that the temptation was there, and he needed some reassurance for it to be quelled.) He might have been tempted to fear that Mary loved another man, perhaps even more than him. It is for this reason, I believe, that the angel came to him and said, “Do not be afraid” because if she truly conceived by the Holy Spirit, then it was no mere man who won Mary’s love, but God himself. Going back now to the term “righteous man”, it is clear to see that Joseph would have been not only relieved by this dream of his, but overjoyed to learn that the God of his fathers chose her spouse to be the mother of the Son of God.
It is also clear that this Gospel passage is about Joseph almost as much as it is about Jesus. It’s about Joseph’s part of the story. It fills in the gaps that readers may have been wondering concerning him. It is important to highlight Joseph’s role in the story, because he is the Head of the Holy Family.
He will save his people from their sins.
This line is so jam-packed with truth we have to break it down phrase by phrase.
“He will”: The angel prophecies, indicating that he knows at least a portion of God’s plan.
“Save”: God’s promise of salvation came shortly after the fall, when he said to the serpent “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed” (Genesis 3:15), the first gospel or “protoevangelium”. The coming of Jesus is the fulfillment of a prophecy given thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden.
“His people”: The angel is not just referring to the Jews. Up to this point in the Bible, the Jews were God’s people, but with the coming of Christ “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven” are his people (Matthew 12:50). The Jews were awaiting their Messiah, but the Gospel is clear that Jesus offered salvation to all people. This is signified by the Wise Men coming from a foreign culture–a culture that hardly even knew the Hebrew Scriptures–to give homage to the newborn king.
“From their sins”: In order to truly value the gospel, we have to care about being saved from our sins. The gospel is not popular today because many people don’t think their sins are causing any problems in their lives, or they don’t believe sins are sins at all. As a result, the gospel is just another story to them and the Bible is just another book. But the one who has remorse for his sins, and sees the damage they do, wholeheartedly thanks God for the gift of salvation, and for the book through which its story is told.
PRAY
Lord,
The moment I acknowledge my sinfulness, I see the arrival of Jesus for what it is: a Godsend. I am doomed without the salvation your son offers. Thank you for leading me through this Advent to recognize the gravity of my sins and to seek reconciliation with you. Help me to finish this last week of Advent strong, focusing on Jesus coming into this world as a vulnerable, lovable infant in a stable. You are the greatest gift to us all this Christmas. Help me to cherish you above everything else. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
LISTEN
If we are quiet enough and if we quiet our hearts, we can picture Joseph receiving the dream that made him take Mary into his home. So many thoughts were probably swirling around in his head before the angel came to him. The angel brought the truth, and with it he also brought peace. We can learn a great deal from this. God and our own guardian angel can speak to us as well, if we simply quiet our own thoughts and pray instead. Let’s listen to God and his angels as Joseph did. Let’s never forget the listening part of prayer.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
MEDITATE
"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
Is Jesus the answer to all my deepest questions? Or should I look elsewhere? Is his way the one true religion, or is there another way? Are all the things they say about him true? Is he the Messiah, the one sent by God, the son of God? If it is so, then I need to change my life drastically and follow him. But such imperative questions will not and cannot go quietly. Other people saying it is all true is not enough. My own experiences and movements in my heart, which are subject to my experiences, are not enough. There is only one thing that makes the truth the truth. Jesus said it: He is the truth. In saying such, as C.S. Lewis has said, he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
To answer the followers of John, Jesus does not simply say that it is all true, that he is the one who is to come. He references his great works and miracles as proof. How do we know that all we believe is true? It’s not just because it’s in the Bible. God speaks to us through the Bible, but he also speaks to us through reality. Life is his language.
I was doubting my faith recently and started wondering if it all were true. I was starting a new endeavor where I would meet many new people, and I wondered if I should share my faith with them. I was driving home from church, doubting my faith upbringing, which is such a large part of my identity. I said a quick prayer to ask for God’s help. Just then, on the highway, I saw a billboard that read “Keep giving God praise.” Then underneath, it said, “Jesus, I trust in you” and an image of the Divine Mercy was placed under the words. Now I’m not the kind of person who thinks everyone sign about God is a sign from God, but this wasn’t just a random billboard about faith in God. It was a Catholic one. “Give praise to God” would have been generic enough for me to think little of the billboard’s message. But “Keep giving praise to God” seemed to speak directly to my situation. It was as if God was saying, “All you have been believing for all this time is true.” Not only did God affirm my faith in him, but he affirmed my Catholic faith in him, encouraging me to trust in him right then when I was reaching out to him.
God speaks with reality when he deems it to be the right time and place to do so. My experience was not a miracle, but it was akin to Jesus’ answers to John’s followers: Don’t just trust what you’ve been told. Look at the wide world around you that also affirms everything that I say and that John the Baptist says. The lame walk, leper are cleansed, etcetera. Miracles like this continue to this day. That is why the Church requires miracles before proclaiming someone a saint. When the Congregation for the Cause of Saints investigates a potential saint’s life, it’s as if they are asking our Lord, “Is this person holy, or should we look for another?” Then the Lord responds in the same way, essentially saying, “Look at the miracles. Go and tell others what you have heard and seen. Don’t just take my word for it, or that of others.”
God never leaves us alone in our search for truth. He never lets us search alone, he is always giving us a helping hand if we seek with a genuine heart. He does not leave us alone, and his constant in-your-face proof cannot be denied. That is what love does. It gives the beloved what he needs, whether the person likes it or not.
Then why did you go out?
Jesus is persistent with his questioning to invoke the crowds’ curiosity. He wants to remind them of the thirst that sent them into the desert to find John the Baptist. That thirst is what will lead them to him, the truth. It’s time for them to turn from their search for John the Baptist, because the one he spoke of has come. The true answer to their curiosity is standing in front of them.
In a similar way, we may pursue good things and find glimpses of them. We may read a book or watch a movie, and realize how good and beautiful they are. Jesus asks us as well, “Why did you watch that movie? Why did you read that book?” It’s because we wanted to experience something good and beautiful and were told we might if we watched that movie or read that book. But now, Jesus stands in front of us. We no longer have to seek out the longings of our hearts, because he is the answer to them all. Now we can take enjoyment in seeing Jesus in the things we once sought after to try and cure our longings.
PRAY
Lord,
You give great credit to John the Baptist for leading us to you, and you give credit to all things in this world that do the same. I thank you for these gifts, because without them life would be very dull. But please help me to remember that they are not ends in themselves. You gave to us all that is true, good, and beautiful in this world to help us find you. Now that I have found you, help me to be content in your presence and in your will, and to not regress back to the mere ephemeral enjoyment that comes from all these lesser things. You are the greatest gift of the Christmas season. Help me to see Advent as the anticipation of receiving such a great gift. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Listening to John the Baptist led his followers to Jesus. Let us seek out the things and people in this world that do the same, but also remember that they are a means to reaching him, not an end in themselves. Let’s seek out beautiful music, stories, artwork, and books, and listen for the voice of John the Baptist in them, the voice of one crying out in the desert that our Savior has come. It’s not as strange as it may seem. If we listen close enough to true, good, and beautiful things, we can hear Christ whispering “I love you and I’ll never leave you alone.”
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'
For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
MEDITATE
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Repentance is the gospel. It is good news that there is a chance for us to reconcile with God by simply repenting of our sins. It is good news that God is opening himself up to us and offering this opportunity. The bad news is that, in our fallen nature, we will often see this offer as an insult. Why should I repent of who I am? I am proud of who I am. Sure, I have my faults, but all in all I like the life I’ve made for myself. Popular culture encourages that idea: When everyone else doubts you, when no one else will accept the way you are, forget them. You don’t need them. Believe in yourself because the only person you need is yourself.
But loved ones love us too much to let us remain the way we are. That tough love comes from the gospel, which is rooted in a call to repentance. Advent is a time of change. As fall turns into winter, we are called to acknowledge our fallen nature and brace ourselves for a cold awakening–where our old self can die away to prepare the way for our own rebirth as we wait for the birth of our Lord.
Prepare the way of the Lord
How can I prepare for the Lord’s coming in my heart and in my life? I can set aside more time to read Scripture and the saints’ writings. I can frequent the sacrament of confession more often. I can give alms more often. Advent is a mini-Lent. We prepare for Christ, the Light of the World, in the same way we prepare to be reborn at Easter. The birth of our Savior into this world parallels his death and resurrection. By coming to earth, he descended to our level and subjected himself to human frailty. By dying on a cross he also subjected himself, only this time to death. By being born into this world on Christmas, Christ invited us to be born again as Christians. Similarly, by dying and rising again, he invited us to rise to new life in him. Both Christmas and Easter are about birth and new life. Christmas occurs in winter to remind us of how the old must first be stripped and raked away like the leaves, to make way for the new.
make straight his paths.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, getting nowhere, because they were not committed to serving the Lord. Now that it is time for Christ to come down to earth, their time is up. God’s people won’t be given 40 years to make a straight path to the Promised Land anymore. In 33 years or so, the Son of God will be tried and condemned, and they will have to choose a side. Thankfully, there were many who chose to repent and follow John the Baptist. There were also many who chose to follow Christ in his straight and narrow way. Even to this day, we are all given a chance to choose to follow him.
I admit that I struggle with the “straight path” analogy because I like to wander. “The one who wanders is not lost”, Gandalf’s famous line to Frodo describing Strider, is somewhat of a mantra for my life. I find truth by wandering off the beaten bath, by taking the road less-traveled. Why is the gospel so insistent upon us taking a straight path when there is so much to discover, when there are so many other paths that can reveal such great truth and beauty? When I travel to Texas from New Jersey to see my mother, brother, and sister, I like taking different routes so I can experience different parts of the country. I feel like this awakens a part of my soul that wouldn’t be awakened if I took the same path each time.
However, upon further observation I notice that I do not get much accomplished unless I’m given a step-by-step system. As much as I like to fight the fact, the best way to finish something is to follow someone’s instructions or to let someone guide you. Students pay tens of thousands of dollars to learn a trade. Online courses are taking off because people are discovering the value of learning processes and systems for reaching their goals. Why should reaching the goal of eternal life be any different? John is leading us to the one who is the Way to eternal life. We don’t have to pay tuition to learn the way. It’s right there in the gospel for free.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
The liturgical year begins with teachings about the end, but that end is also a beginning. Just like winter, the old is raked away and pruned to make way for the new. It’s time to put away the summer clothes of our youth, and pull out the sweaters because the weather is going to get rough. As St. Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things” 1 Corinthians 13:11). Advent is a good time to assess our year and see what worked and what didn’t work. Come Christmas, when everyone is giving and receiving gifts, we will know exactly what to get rid of in our lives to make room for the new graces we received and start afresh with the New Year.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Grant me the humility to make my paths straight, and to see that your way is the best way. This Advent season, please give me the gift of commitment and resolve to keep a true course to you. Help me to not waste time wavering to the left or to the right. The straight and narrow way is the only way. Give me also a heart of repentance, because I cannot see the light of truth if my sins are in the way. I look forward to being prepared for your coming on Christmas Day and the last day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
A voice still cries out in the desert. It is the voice of those who have renounced this world, those who refuse to be influenced by the news and trends of our society. It’s the voice of those who put the quest for God before everything else, and as a result offer straight advice that many others are afraid to share. But the more society tries to silence them, the more people seek them out, just like they sought out John the Baptist, because they hunger for truth. If we listen for the truth, we will find the John the Baptists of our time.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
]]>
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Jesus said to his disciples: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
MEDITATE
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man
The people in the days of Noah did not know the Flood was coming, even though Noah told them it was coming. They could have known, if they simply believed Noah. But who would believe such an outlandish thing? The world will be immersed in water after a great flood and all who do not get on the ark will die? I would have probably laughed at such a crazy prediction as well. Perhaps if they had radar in Noah’s time, more people would have seen the storm coming, but they didn’t and so they had no reason to believe him.
What if a neighbor said the greatest hurricanes the world has ever seen are about to destroy all of the world’s biggest cities, leaving them all in rubble? And what if there were no signs that such hurricanes were coming, nothing in the weather reports, nothing in the skies? I would say, “Sure, whatever, crazy man.” In other words, I probably would have been among those who refused to listen to Noah, despite his persistence. The number of times he said it wouldn’t have changed my position. I would just start telling him to shut up, probably. I also would have had no reason to believe him.
We do not believe in likely things. Our hope is not based on things that probably will happen. That is why faith and hope are necessary in order to accept the Catholic faith. For some people it may be different, but I did not arrive at my faith through reason. I did not reason my way into believing the Catholic faith. I had to scrutinize what I was taught. I had to challenge my faith and seek a deeper understanding of it. This is the journey for most cradle Catholics who care and dare to hold onto the faith system in which they were brought up.
So this portent by Jesus is a reminder that Christianity, and Catholicism even moreso, calls us to believe in crazy stuff just like Noah urged people to believe him that the Flood was coming. So many unexpected catastrophes have happened throughout history that we owe it to ourselves to give credence to even the most preposterous claims, until reason proves them to be false. Just because something has never happened before doesn’t mean it will never happen.
In the Gospel for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus tells us, “There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” Does this mean that these disasters will happen more frequently when the End Times are near, or was he just providing a general reminder that we do not know when our own lives will end? When he says we will also be persecuted before all these disasters, was he saying the End Times will see greater persecution of Christians than ever before, or was he just telling us that if we follow him properly we will be persecuted before we die–and that our death will quite possibly occur at a time we do not expect? Much ink has been spilled on this topic, but we must remember that Jesus said not even the Son of Man knows when the end will come. To try and predict it will keep us from observing the truth of God’s word. The key is to always be ready. The end will surely come some day. Jesus will definitely return. We are living in a linear history, not a cyclical one, so it has a destination. There will be an ending to this story.
at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
At an hour I least expected, God renewed my faith. At an hour when my faith was at its lowest, he intervened and strengthened it. I believe God does this for a reason. It’s to wake me up and remind me that it will be similar when Jesus comes back. He has given me all the chances I need to acknowledge his truth and his presence, so the burden of proof is on me if I claim to have faith but slack off in believing when he returns on the last day, the day of judgment. He has lived up to his end of the bargain, even though he didn’t have to. He doesn’t have to prove himself to us. Truth remains true whether we are convinced of it or not, and thank God for that. Otherwise our stubbornness would get in the way.
Yet we live in an age where we believe the truth can be catered to our own wills. Relativism has become so prevalent that it has become acceptable to believe that we can control what the truth is. Jesus’ keen advice strikes at the very core of relativism. He is saying no matter what we choose to believe, no matter what we say the truth is, at the end of time truth will have the last word. Universal truth cannot be defeated, no matter how powerful I think my own personal truth is. In the end, all of the chaff will burn down to the core and the truth established by God will prevail. The story will end with his will being fulfilled. This is true for my own life and the world.
PRAY
Lord,
I am grateful that you have revealed to me and all Christians the plot of the story we are in. Thank you for telling us to get ready for the end. Help us to prepare with every word and deed in our daily lives. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
I can see in my own life the foreshadowing of the way it’s going to end. There have been times when I had to let go of a loved one, a habit, a favorite possession, or something else. These occasions reminded me that everything is ephemeral. While it always hurts, it also always resonates with truth because I know it can be no other way, since everything in this world is just passing us by. So it is wise to learn from these occasions, when I lose something, or when something I love ends, or when something I cherish is taken from me. It is in these occasions when God is teaching me to prepare for the very end of everything. And hopefully I was listening enough so it doesn’t hit too hard. Everything in this world was designed to fade away, so we can learn to disconnect ourselves from it all and fix our eyes on heaven.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
MEDITATE
"This is the King of the Jews."
In the First Reading from 2 Samuel, we read about the appointing of David as king of Israel. The kingdom divided under his grandson Rehoboam, creating the Kingdoms of Judea and Israel, later called Samaria. About 1,000 years later, Herod the Great claimed to be king of Judea. But who was the real king? Herod was a Roman citizen and was not a descendent of David. The Jews were waiting for their real king, who would be a “Son of David” or a true descendent, not like Herod. Joseph was a descendent of David, and therefore Jesus–raised in Joseph’s house–was seen by many to be the rightful king.
Many people would disagree though, especially those who favored Roman rule. Of all the supposed blasphemies Jesus spoke, and despite the whole reason the religious leaders brought Jesus to trial, the crime that would lead to Jesus’ crucifixion was the claim that he was a king. This was a challenge to Roman authorities, so they had to make an example of him.
We must not forget, King Herod also had a formidable claim to the throne. He started the reconstruction of the Second Temple, and completed several other massive construction projects throughout Judea. He was favored by Julius Caesar due to his family’s good standing in Roman society. Moreover, even though he was a Roman citizen, his ancestors had converted to Judaism. Those Jews who liked the structure and power provided by Roman civilization probably would have supported Herod as commander of Judea, and may have even been angry when people claimed that Jesus was the rightful king.
However, there is an element missing in Herod’s reign. The ancient texts of the Jewish people, his people, had prophecies that provided specifics about the coming of the Messiah. The Old Testament’s prophets said where the Messiah would be born, Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), what house he would be born to–the House of David–and how he would be born–of a virgin (Isaiah 7). It’s kind of tough to argue with that.
"Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."
These words are partly a rebuke of the other criminal, and partly a confession. The Good Thief is admitting his guilt. When he says he has been “condemned justly” he is admitting that he was wrong in being a thief. It’s easy to think that merely defending Jesus is enough for Jesus to grant his request to enter the kingdom of heaven, but his penitent heart is just as important. It’s not enough to call Jesus “Lord”.
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
One of my favorite church hymns is the one that just repeats this line of the Good Thief. He may have been a criminal, but his petition is common. When we come to Jesus, this should be all we want; for him to remember his love for us despite all we have done and to welcome us. Repentance is vital, though. If the thief had not repented the moment before, Jesus’ answer would have been very different. “Remember me”, then, is the Good Thief’s petition for Jesus to remember the good he has done, to remember the parts of him that are still innocent and pure. If God counted our guilt, and weighed it against our goodness, none of us would stand a chance when it comes to getting to heaven. But we all have that desire, that initial seed that still longs for God and for goodness. We all still want to be remembered for that. We all desire good. We want to be seen as good people, and we want good to be done for us. The problem is, despite the universal desire for goodness, none of us truly are good. Ultimately, this serves as evidence for the existence of God because we cannot desire something that does not exist. We all desire pure goodness, but cannot find it anywhere in this world. This is because only God is purely God and he exists outside of this world.
today you will be with me in Paradise
But shouldn’t he go through purgatory first? That thought comes to mind. Yes, he confessed his sin and proclaimed Jesus as king of heaven. But he is a thief.
The Good Thief’s story is one that shows the purifying mercy of God. There was no time for him to sin again. He received forgiveness with his last breaths, so he did indeed go straight to paradise. The Church’s teaching about the afterlife is consistent with Jesus’ words, as it should be.
PRAY
Jesus,
Remember me when you come into your kingdom. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
I will listen to Jesus’ words of mercy and forgiveness. I will move on from my sinful past and into my future with him where paradise is in store.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
David Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
"Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
MEDITATE
the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone
How true this is of all things. I worry about how much money, how many relationships, how much influence I could lose in the decisions I make. But in the end all of it will fade and the only thing that will be left is God. All on earth is vanity, and Jesus is urging us to look to heaven–the everlasting kingdom “where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
What time is Jesus talking about here? The history of humanity since his ascension to heaven has surely been filled with wars, earthquakes, famines, and even–one can argue–awesome sights and mighty signs from the sky. The dancing sun at Fatima comes to mind for the latter. If he is talking about the current age of history, then he may come any day. We are taught to keep this in mind and be ready. But how? We are told to persevere in faith. If that is the case, then every sign from God is like a breath of oxygen. In these times, when faith in God is so faint, we need to believe in order to see. We need to see everything as a sign, because that is how often we need to be reminded that Christ is coming back.
I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
If only I could receive this wisdom always, not just when I face my adversaries. Solomon asked for wisdom from God and received it. Perhaps we can too. Scripture says wisdom cries out, and no one hears her voice:
Wisdom cries aloud in the street;
in the markets she raises her voice;
on the top of the walls she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
Give heed to my reproof;
behold, I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused to listen.
(Proverbs 1:20-24)
If only we chose to listen to wisdom on a daily basis, rather than the superficial advice of the world that prefers profit over the prophets. Jesus is prophesying in this week’s gospel. He is telling us of things to come, of the coming age when he will return, when the faithful will be prosecuted. He was right. All that he said has come to pass, and he may come back any day. Will we heed his portent?
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.
Shortly before saying this, Jesus says, “Some of you will be put to death.” So, is he contradicting himself? How can he promise that by perseverance we will secure our lives if some of us may be put to death if we follow him?
The implication is that he is talking about eternal life. We will secure eternal life if we persevere in faith. For us, life and death seem like opposites. But to Jesus, death leads to life when we persevere in faith in him. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives”, then, is a conviction to persevere even in the face of death. This can be taken to mean physical death or spiritual death. We are also called to die to ourselves, to let go of our past lives and anything we hold dear that is keeping us from God. This kind of death is a way of shedding our burdens so we can take up Jesus’ yoke with him, a yoke that is easy because he gives us inner peace.
PRAY
Lord,
Even when you walked the earth, people hoped for your return. Our hope for heaven is palpable and insatiable in this life. The hereafter and the here-beyond are mysteries to us, but it is the mystery that sustains us. Your mysteries are more intriguing, more truthful, more inspiring than the answers of men that tend to just beg the questions. The mystery of what will happen, when you’ll return, how you’ll return, keeps us searching. And oh, the search–dear Lord–how sweet and rewarding it is even in this life! I can only imagine how sweet that revelation will be when we finally do reach heaven and see you face to face. Help prepare me for the day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
It’s been said that heaven is just like here, the only difference being that God’s presence is more perceivable. That is what is missing here on earth, after all: God’s perceivable presence. It is his presence that gives us hope. Even if we don’t believe God exists, we need to believe because without him there is no hope. If we do perceive his presence, it is our duty to share that faith with others, to give them reasons to believe. Some of our reasons could be arrived at by reason itself. Other reasons will be of the heart. As Blaise Pascal said, “The heart has reasons that reason knows not.” Sometimes Jesus’ words don’t make sense. His prophecy today may leave us scratching our heads at times. But our heart knows he is right. Our heart knows that this world and this life are not the only thing God has in store for us. We are waiting. The more we listen to God and for God, the more he will sustain our hope and the easier the waiting will become.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
David Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward.
Jesus said to them,
"The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out 'Lord, '
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."
MEDITATE
The children of this age marry and remarry; those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die.
My initial thought is that he is talking about religious people; priests, religious sisters and brothers, and those who choose a life of celibacy. But that would mean that those who do marry would not be resurrected after they die. I think Jesus is calling us to become a new creation, to be born of the coming age. We may marry in this age to help guide us along the path, but in the coming age we will be so close to God that we will not need a spouse. The connection between marriage, death, and life then makes a little more sense. Marriage and our bodies are necessary in this age to help connect us with God. We need physical connections in the real world in order to sustain our faith. We need relationships, sacraments, sacramentals. In the coming age, we will not need these things because we will be in the very presence of God and his presence will fulfill those needs.
But that begs the question, will we ever again have bodies in the coming age? Jesus answers that as well, implying that our bodies will be resurrected at the resurrection of the dead. But why would we need them anymore? In this life, our bodies drag us down more than anything. They get fatigued, ill, they can be injured, they age. Why bother even having them in the coming age?
Well, we also experience many pleasures through them. Will our bodies in the coming age be nothing more than conduits of pleasure, then? If we will already be in the presence of God, and the main purpose of our bodies is to connect with God through his creation here on earth, why will we need them?
Because God’s original plan for us was to be body and spirit. We are not angels, who are pure spirit. God has existed as three persons for all of eternity. The Second Person of the Trinity is the Word, God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. God created us to manifest the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Second Person of the Trinity–not because Christ cannot do it himself, but because he wanted to diffuse his love throughout all of his creation in a unique way. We are his Body. Upon establishing the Church, we became the Second Person of the Trinity in this world. We will have bodies in the coming age so he can continue to spread his love throughout his creation, but in an even more perfect way in the new heaven and the new earth.
he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive
In this month of November, the Church advises us to think of death. So, these words are encouraging because they remind us that death is not the end. Our bodies are just a superficial representation of our true selves. Yes, we are our bodies while we live in them. Therefore, we ought to treat them with dignity, and treat the bodies of other people with dignity. But if we were just our bodies, we wouldn’t have much to look forward to. Our bodies die. Everybody will end up as a corpse or ashes. So even though we are our bodies, we also are not just our bodies.
Our bodies are like an avatar in a video game. Or, more appropriately, an avatar in a video game is like our bodies on earth. If you’re a gamer, or know a gamer, you know that gamers will refer to their avatar in the game as themselves. They’ll say things like, “Let me just finish this level. I just have to defeat this boss.” If you’re watching them play, you may tell them, “You have to go through that building and up the ladder to find the way out. Then you’ll reach the next level.” It’s not really them, but the players refer to their avatar as if it were them. Some people even suggest that we are just living in a video game, and when we die we just lose the game and subsequently wake up in the 24th century–realizing that our whole life was just an extremely realistic virtual simulation. I won’t go that far, but you may be surprised to find out how popular that theory is becoming. In the absence of the true and correct view of the afterlife, people can come up with some crazy theories. Nonetheless, as an analogy, this works: The spiritual world is to the real world as the real world is to a virtual world.
Going back to what Jesus said, I notice there’s a great deal packed into his words, as usual. He is not God of the dead. Keep in mind, the ancients did have a “god of the dead”; it was Hades for the Greeks and Pluto for the Romans. Jesus spoke about death quite a bit. He foreshadowed his own death throughout his ministry. He said his disciples must die to themselves in order to follow him. He spoke a great deal about the afterlife, and for many people the afterlife was in direct correlation to death. But he also preached about eternal life, and said those who follow him will inherit it. We know Christ’s teachings from ages of tradition and saints. To us, his message of eternal life beyond death seems obvious. Of course God is not the God of the dead. But the first followers of Christ may have benefited from Christ’s clarification that he is the God of the living, not the dead. By talking about the afterlife, and saying God is the God of the living–not the dead–Jesus is pointing out that true life is on the other side of death. Indeed, we are living in the world of the dying and the next is the land of the living.
for to him all are alive
Despite the fact that the Church is advising us to think about death this time of year, this Sunday the Church leaves us with a word of hope. All are alive. We should think about our death because that’s the best way to access heaven–after all, we have to experience death to get there. Yes, they say the saints experienced heaven on earth, but not in its fullness. And they still had to at least die to themselves in this life to experience heaven on earth. The saints, whom we celebrated this week, paved the way and showed what we can all experience in not only the coming age, but in this age as well–where and when we can get a little taste of heaven.
PRAY
Lord,
You are the God of the living. Help me to not fear death. Help me to see it as the passageway to eternal life. At my death, a variety of choices will be set before me. My greatest temptations will be within my reach. Please, in Jesus’ name, give me the faith and strength to choose you now and at the moment of my death. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for me–a sinner–now and at the hour of death. Amen.
LISTEN
The teachings of Christ are real stingers. He does not shy away from talking about the very thing that most of us fear the most. But he only talks about death to lead us to true life–which exists beyond death. How can we listen for the truth of this teaching when we read the rest of the Bible, when we experience life, and when we interact with others? We can look for a sign of hope in every dire situation. The Bible, with all of its stories of turmoil, trial, loss, and defeat, always gives us the hope of something better and life-giving beyond what the characters endure. We can take that truth into our own lives and notice that, no matter how dark things get, it is not the end. There is always something better waiting just beyond the hardest parts. That is the hope Christ gives us by saying he is the God of the living, not the dead, and by leading us to the eternal life that comes after death.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
David Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.""
MEDITATE
Zacchaeus … was seeking to see who Jesus was
Who is Jesus? We could say he is a great moral teacher, a miracle worker, a religious leader, the founder of Christianity, or many other things. We could say he is all those things and still not say he is Lord and God. Thomas needed to see the nail marks in his hands before he could believe. Many who are ready to believe still have doubts. Zacchaus wanted to believe, and Jesus sensed that desire. Do I have a desire to believe? Do I want to know Jesus better as Zacchaeus did?
today I must stay at your house.
It is a bit strange to essentially demand an invitation to stay at one’s house, but think of what Jesus is doing here. Jesus must stay at Zacchaeus’ house because Zacchaeus is genuinely seeking God and Jesus promises that he who seeks will find. Jesus must stay at Zacchaeus’ house to fulfill his promise to those who seek him. His obligation is based on Zacchaeus’ request and the quest for Jesus. Do I seek Jesus with such eagerness? If he is all that he says he is–if he is the way, the truth, and the life–then yes, I do. But do I believe that he is all of these things? My heart seeks with the same urgency as Zacchaeus, but would I open my house and my heart up to Jesus if I had the chance to meet him? I can only hope that Jesus would help my unbelief in such a moment.
And he came down quickly and received him with joy
Many times God has responded to me, I believe. When he does, I receive his answers with joy. Then the joy fades and I forget. For this reason I try to keep a prayer journal to record the responses God gives to my prayers.
How do we receive the Lord? When we go up to receive him in Communion, we are taught to have humility. But what about having joy? Zacchaus also received an answer to his prayer, in a way, when he sought to see who Jesus was and Jesus gave him the chance to get to know him by arranging a stay at Zacchaeus’ house. Jesus is always giving us chances to know him better. Are we open to those opportunities?
Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.
It is difficult to tithe, and yet Zacchaeus vows to give not only a tenth of his income, but half to the poor. He understands the gospel message. Jesus sees his willing and generous heart and rewards him, but that is besides the point. Jesus must have known that Zacchaeus would have been generous even without the guarantee of a reward, because without a purely selfless heart Jesus would not have granted him salvation.
This is where the true core of faith is tested. A true man of faith knows that even if he ends up being wrong about what he believes in, he has still served a good greater than his own self interests. The fulfillment of the hope connected to his faith–in this case, salvation–is not the only reason for his generosity. Zacchaeus also knows that his faith in Christ serves all that is good in the world–and the universe–and his hope of salvation is second to serving the poor. His reason for donating to the poor is essential. A student can serve at a soup kitchen to garner community service hours, while having no other reason for serving the poor. But garnering salvation is not like fulfilling community service hour requirements. In fact, it’s not right to say we’ve won or garnered salvation at all. To receive salvation our hearts and Jesus’ hearts have to be the same. We have to be in communion with him, to be part of his body. Jesus granted Zacchaeus salvation, not because he earned it by donating to the poor, but because his heart for the poor was like God’s. Second to that desire to help the poor was his desire to be with the Lord for eternity. This is the only way Jesus would have granted him salvation. We do not receive salvation through good works. If that were the case then we could just do the good works while having selfish intentions, and that is not aligning our hearts with God’s heart.
Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
We receive salvation when we become one with the Lord, when our desires match his desires. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son to do the will of God. God sacrificed his own son, while knowing that there will still be many people who do not accept his offer of salvation. In the same way, we have to do the will of God while not expecting anything in return. We can hope for eternal life, but even that hope must be secondary to the hope of fulfilling God’s will. God is just and merciful, and he will reward everyone according to their good deeds, but that cannot be why we do the good deeds. It is a difficult paradox, but the truth of it resounds in real life the more we think about it. We can sense someone’s intentions when they do a good deed. We ask ourselves, are they doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, or will they expect something in return? God is the same way. Not until he sees the purity of our hearts, not until he sees that we do good for no reason other than to do good, will salvation be ours. Our faith and hope of heaven are just that–faith and hope. Let’s not take heaven for granted. Let’s not mistake hope for expectation.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.
Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus just as he was seeking Jesus. As a tax collector, perhaps he became lost in his concern for money in the not-so-distant past. Jesus came to save him, but he also came to save all of us who are lost. Zacchaeus’s story is a microcosm of a conversion story many of us have experienced. We sought truth and we found Jesus, received him with joy, devoted our lives to serving him and others, and received salvation.
PRAY
Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
If we want to seek and find Jesus we have to listen for him. Where is he in today’s world? He is in the tabernacle, in his word (the Bible), in his creation, and he lives in baptized Christians as the Holy Spirit. Will we be like Zacchaeus when he comes our way, and climb a sycamore tree (metaphorically speaking) just to catch a better glimpse as he passes by? Will we receive him with joy when we get the chance? In all of these ways, we can strengthen our relationship with him, if we are just willing to invite him into our hearts–and our house. Have we blessed our homes? Do we set aside time daily to pray, to invite him in like Zacchaeus invited him? Is he a part of our lives? I can’t expect to find him or hear him if I am not embracing the opportunities to do so that he presents.
Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Dear Lord,
Thank you for showing me that I am like the Pharisee, and also like the tax collector. Thank you for revealing that I have good in me, but I must be cleansed from my sin to fulfill the purpose you made me to fulfill. Jesus, your wisdom humbles me. The Gospel always has something to teach me, even if I have read the passage hundreds of times. I praise you for your infinite truth and goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
MEDITATE
those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else
Forgive me, I could not resist mentioning the projecting going on here–but it’s only because I can so easily relate. Unwilling to face the flaws in myself, I project them onto everyone else. I do not like the way the world is, but the problems I see in the world are most prevalent in myself. Jesus wants to get to our hearts. He cares more about us being honest with ourselves than he does about our judgmentalism. Quite often, our judgments are correct. Sin prevails, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. We would be right to despise everyone else, if it were not for our own sinfulness. God, on the other hand–being completely good and righteous–is the only who has a right to despise everyone, as he sees all of the evil we do and our failure to do good. And yet he chooses not to despise us. He chooses to show mercy.
I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity
We are all a composite of good and evil, unless we are actual saints. Even the saints, many of them at least, had their moments of sinfulness. If you say you do not sin, then you are a liar. But what we tend to stress is the sinful part, and not the good part. Yes, we are all sinners–but we are all good as well. How is that so? How can we be two things that are opposite? In truth, opposites are combined all of the time. Hot and cold make warm. Male and female make a marriage. Good and evil make us human.
So the Pharisee in the parable is not all evil. The way he prides himself in his own righteousness is evil, but he may actually be a very righteous man otherwise–and that is good. It’s so easy to read this parable and claim we are nothing like the Pharisee, but if we are saying to ourselves, “Thank God I am not stuck-up, prideful, and self-righteous like this Pharisee”, then we are just like him.
Make no mistake. God wants us to be all-good with no evil in us. He tells us to avoid being lukewarm. I am challenged, everytime I write this lectio divina, to not preach because I am in no position to be a preacher of God’s word. I try only to reflect and share what I have learned from the passage. But my attempts to do good are mingled with the evil of hypocrisy, because I do not always live up to the words I share. God wants me to be a man of my word, which would make these words thoroughly good. But even as I write them I know they are not fully good because I have not successfully integrated them into my life.
Jesus says no one is good but God alone, yet he challenges us to be holy. There is a mystery to that. Are the two any different, goodness and holiness? The Lord weighs the heart, not our good deeds, not how many prayers we pray. To be holy is to have a pure heart, and this pure heart is what leads us to do good for the sake of goodness–not for recognition or some form of self-gain.
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
Nothing is said of the tax collector, except that he is a tax collector and that he has a contrite, penitent heart. No other specifications are given regarding what he did, what may have led him to repentance, or even how he proceeded after repenting. Jesus said he was forgiven. He was forgiven because he had pureness of heart at least in that moment. In that moment, he saw the truth of who he was. He saw his own evil and his own goodness. He saw the evil he had done, but must have also seen the good in himself, otherwise he would not have seen how he fell short of living up to it.
Both the Pharisee and the tax collector are good and evil. The difference is in the tax collector’s plea for forgiveness. An appeal to God’s mercy is what tips the scale in favor of good. Perhaps, goodness would not win in the world if not for God’s mercy. Goodness and evil pretty much balance each other out without mercy. God’s mercy ends the struggle. Someone had to put an end to the constant battle between good and evil. Someone had to say, “Enough is enough.” Jesus did that by laying down his life, ending the constant cycle of revenge.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Thank you for showing me that I am like the Pharisee, and also like the tax collector. Thank you for revealing that I have good in me, but I must be cleansed from my sin to fulfill the purpose you made me to fulfill. Jesus, your wisdom humbles me. The Gospel always has something to teach me, even if I have read the passage hundreds of times. I praise you for your infinite truth and goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
When I am struggling to hear God, I search for him in the truths of life itself. His words are not just in the Bible. If we are being truthful with ourselves, we begin to see how his wisdom is always the subtext to the lives we live. They just make sense. They’re like the code that keep a program together. His teachings in the Gospel are like the abstract of the lessons we would learn in life by being honest with ourselves, and listening to others whose words resonate with a wisdom akin to the words of Christ. I speak mainly of the last line in this passage: “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” It ‘s better to leave you with those words of Christ, because this is a truth familiar to us all–it’s familiar because it is reminiscent of the realizations we come to on our own after our own honest observations of life.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Dear Lord,
In doing this lectio divina, I’ve learned that I need to be more persistent in my prayers–not because you are an unjust and dishonest judge–but because you are just and honest. You want me to be honest with myself. Do I really want what I am asking for? Is what I’m asking for really what is best? You gently advise me to take the time to meditate on these questions. Only then will I find your will. I find your will when I draw close to you and learn more about who you are. Thank you for bringing me closer to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
MEDITATE
There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
When someone has power, they are often tempted to consider themselves above those over whom they have power. The man in this parable does not care about any human being’s preferences, or even about God’s. He thinks he is above those he actually serves. This common misconception among authorities, in ancient society and in our own, has led to widespread corruption and misuse of power. Ever since there have been judges, kings, or any kind of ruler, there have been those in these positions of power who believe they can disregard the very rules that made them rulers. There’s an old expression, “laws are for the lawless,” but it often seems like those who are supposed to implement the laws are the ones who fail to practice them the most. It’s because they think the laws do not apply to them. They believe that, since they understand the law so well and have been put in a position to implement it how and when they see fit, they are therefore most eligible to determine when the law does not have to be implemented. They think it is up to them to decide who can be exempt.
All of this is to say that the law means nothing if it is not above the ones entrusted to enforce it. No one is above the law. Now, this judge in the parable did not fear God and did not respect people. The question is, did he at least respect the law he was entrusted to enforce and interpret? It’s an interesting question, because one does not have to respect people or fear God in order to respect the law. Such a person would then be following the law for the wrong reasons, but he could still follow the law. He could be legalistic without being friendly or religious. I suspect that this is exactly the kind of judge we have in this parable. Thus we have two extremes when it comes to authorities. We have those who think they are above the law and think they don’t need to observe it themselves, and we have those who observe and implement the law with scrupulosity; but by not having compassion or fear of God they miss the main reasons for having laws in the first place.
Many of us have been raised to think the law is there to curtail our freedom and make life more difficult. Living in the land of the free, that’s just how Americans often think. But for an ancient Jew, the law was a gift from God given to bring order out of chaos. Unfortunately, by Jesus’ time, many Jews had become so obsessed with the law God gave them that they lost the heart of it and followed only the letter. Jesus therefore had to bring them back to the heart and true purpose of the law–fear of God and love of neighbor.
because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me
The judge’s reasons for acting justly are selfish, but he still acts justly. This goes to show that we can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. It’s almost as if God designed the universe in such a way that, even if the world is full of selfish people, eventually justice will be served because even selfish people will eventually see how justice serves their interest.
What is good and right is good and right for many reasons, from many angles and perspectives. Let’s take another scenario to demonstrate this. An avaricious businessman may choose to support a virtuous campaign if the campaigners give him money. Just because he has the wrong motivations doesn’t mean the campaigners should simply look elsewhere. The businessman may have all of the right tools and avenues to promote the virtuous campaign, more so than the campaigners can on their own. If money is his motivation, it is not unjust to give him money to promote a good cause.
Here’s another scenario similar to the one the judge in this parable is in. A criminal may want to rob a bank, but may be deterred by the security guards guarding it. If fear of getting caught is what deters him from doing the wrong thing, then that fear is serving justice’s purposes even though the potential robber is not acting justly himself.
In all of these instances, those who want what is right–the widow, the campaigners, and the guards–are using the selfish person’s own selfishness to compel them to do the right thing. The businessman wants more money, the robber doesn’t want to get caught, and the judge doesn’t want the widow to strike him. If the desire for self-preservation is what gets someone to do the right thing, they themselves may not be acting justly but at least justice was served. Justice can be implemented in many ways, and sometimes the best ways are overlooked.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?
For a moment this parable does not make sense. It seems like Jesus is saying that God acts like this dishonest judge, because right after telling the parable he starts talking about how God acts. Does he secure their rights of his chosen ones simply because they keep bothering him, then? No, he does not answer our prayers simply because we are persistent in them. After all, they have to also be according to his will in order for him to answer them. But think of it like this: A child may say he wants to be an astronaut. The parent says, “Are you sure? You’re young. Your dreams may change as you get older.” Years pass, and the now young man says, “I still want to be an astronaut, as I’ve been telling you all these years.” Then the parent helps pay for his studies to become one. In our stubbornness, we often just don’t get our prayers right. We ask for things we don’t really want. God wants us to be sure we really want it before he grants it. So that’s something to think about. If God isn’t answering my prayers, maybe it’s because I don’t want them granted badly enough.
Now, this is all said with the stipulation that God is a good and honest judge, not a dishonest one like the one in the parable. Jesus’ point is that even a dishonest judge who doesn’t care about his constituents will grant what they ask if they are persistent in prayer. How much more so, then, will God answer our prayers when we are persistent?
PRAY
Dear Lord,
In doing this lectio divina, I’ve learned that I need to be more persistent in my prayers–not because you are an unjust and dishonest judge–but because you are just and honest. You want me to be honest with myself. Do I really want what I am asking for? Is what I’m asking for really what is best? You gently advise me to take the time to meditate on these questions. Only then will I find your will. I find your will when I draw close to you and learn more about who you are. Thank you for bringing me closer to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
LISTEN
It’s amazing what we can learn when we take the time to read Scripture more closely. This is why the Rosary is so powerful. It gives us the tools we need to focus on the story of salvation, to hone in on the mysteries, to listen as we persistently pray. In this month of the Rosary, let’s try to be more persistent in our prayer through the heavenly prayer that Our Lady gave us.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Where are the other nine?
Gratitude goes a long way. In fact, it goes so far that Jesus does not give salvation to the ungrateful lepers. Perhaps they showed their gratitude later on and were saved, but Jesus’ message is clear: Gratitude for God’s blessings are just as important as the blessings themselves.
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
Even my gratitude is a gift from you, but it is a gift I need to accept. I can easily take credit for whatever wisdom or inspiration, or any other blessing, you give me. But if I’m being honest, I know that such things do not come from me. Teach me to be thankful all of the time for everything I receive in good times and in bad times, so you can grant me the gift that matters most: eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."
MEDITATE
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
Even when he walked the earth, Jesus respected the religious structure his Father had established. It makes sense that this tradition would continue today with the priests of the Catholic Church. We go to them to receive the sacraments, just as the lepers went to the priests to be cured.
The lepers are asking Jesus to do something for them. It is natural for Jesus to expect something in return. That something is not a typical exchange for services, but obedience to God the Father. In a sense, obedience to the Father is like currency in the economy of heaven. God wants to do everything for us, but he can’t do it for free. We see this same reasoning in his granting of indulgences, or graces given through novenas. It’s almost silly how simple his requirements are, considering the immense graces we receive in return: Pray a novena for nine days and your prayer will be answered, or pray at a cemetery in November to receive indulgences. The exchange is not about equal value. God wants us to be in an active relationship with him, which means both sides have to give something if only to acknowledge that we aren’t simply using him. But what we must give to receive his graces is so miniscule compared to what he gives in return. The lepers simply had to go to a priest to be healed. In fact, they were healed before they even got to the priests. There hardly could have been a simpler requirement, but he did require something. We may think the things God requires of us are insignificant, but the insignificance of the act is not what matters. What matters is our obedience. As Christ said a few weeks ago, “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).
Where are the other nine?
Gratitude goes a long way. In fact, it goes so far that Jesus does not give salvation to the ungrateful lepers. Perhaps they showed their gratitude later on and were saved, but Jesus’ message is clear: Gratitude for God’s blessings are just as important as the blessings themselves.
I’m not much of a gardener, so forgive me if there is an obvious answer for my following observation. I water all of my plants the same amount. They each have the same amount of sunlight. As far as I can observe, all factors affecting their well-being are the same. And yet, some blossom and others wither. I almost want to say to the one shrub that survived in my yard, “Ten shrubs were watered. What happened to the other nine?” Christ’s parable of the seeds apparently applies here. In this Sunday’s story though, the differentiating factor is gratitude. It’s gratitude that opens up the path to salvation for the one leper.
"Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Wait a minute. Didn’t the leper come to Jesus to be healed? Then why does Jesus say to him that he has been saved. OK, he was also healed, but why was this even a concern? Why was salvation even in the conversation? The lepers didn’t come to be saved. They came to be healed, but only one was saved because of his gratitude. There is so much to be said about this. First, while I’m sure the condition of the lepers was a concern to Jesus, his main concern was for their souls apparently. He hoped that by healing them, they would show gratitude which would lead them to salvation.
That leads to a second point. Was it not enough that the lepers came to Jesus, believing he could heal them? Why wasn’t that faith enough to save them? That is the implication: Even though they were healed, their souls weren’t saved because they were ungrateful. This must apply to our own lives as well. It’s not enough to simply believe that God can get me through hard times, and heal me in whatever affliction I may have. I should also be grateful for all the ways he has already healed me, for all the times he has carried me and pulled me through those hard times. Gratitude is like a balm for faith, because in remembering what God has done for us in the past and being grateful, we are given strength to believe in him through whatever hardships we have to endure in the present and the future.
Thirdly, this last line of this Sunday’s passage points to the fact that Jesus performs two miracles: He heals the ten lepers and saves the soul of the grateful one. The key point is that the more powerful miracle is the way Jesus can save souls, not the way he can heal bodies. Healing bodies is a power he possesses over the physical realm, but by saving souls he is proving he has dominion over the spiritual realm as well.
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
Even my gratitude is a gift from you, but it is a gift I need to accept. I can easily take credit for whatever wisdom or inspiration, or any other blessing, you give me. But if I’m being honest, I know that such things do not come from me. Teach me to be thankful all of the time for everything I receive in good times and in bad times, so you can grant me the gift that matters most: eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
I’ve often wondered about the life of trees. They just stand there, receiving the nourishment the earth and sun give them. They do not worry about where their next paycheck will come from. They just lean into the sun, drink up the rain, and dig their roots into the soil. In a way, one could say they listen to God better than any person, because they are quiet, and yet they stand as testimonies to God’s nourishment. As God’s children, we have been blessed with even more. We show our gratitude by praising God. There is one God, and he is the font of all blessings. Let’s be grateful. As trees give back to the earth by nourishing it just as God nourishes them, let’s give back to God’s creation by praising him for all his blessings. In this way, those who listen for God will more frequently hear about his handiwork. If our prayers of gratitude outnumber our prayers of petition, maybe everyone will be able to better recognize God among us.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Before we can understand the role faith plays, we have to get our own role in this parable right. When the disciples said, “Increase our faith,” they were not the servants. They were making a request, and Jesus is now telling them how to have it granted. The only way to increase our faith is to conform ourselves to God’s will, so we become one with him and become heirs of his power. Jesus is describing the proper relation between the creator and his creation. The creator does not have to be grateful to his creation for simply doing what the creator commanded. In the same way, the one who has faith does not doubt the creator’s abilities. So all this time, in asking for faith, I have been doubting what God can do. Jesus is inviting me to flip the script to see that all of creation is at his command, and when a miracle happens–the person of faith expects nothing less from God, because that’s just nature doing what it is obliged to do, which is to obey its creator.
The more I meditate on Scripture, the more layers of wisdom I see. The first layer is: Be grateful for the blessings God has already given us and don’t expect more. But underneath that is God’s invitation to be like him, to have creation under our command by doing his will. That is the only way we can be granted such a command, but God still offers it to those who are humble enough to know that all power has been given to us through him–and through him alone.
PRAY
Lord,
I now see how I do in fact have faith smaller than a mustard seed, but I hear you calling me and offering me more faith. It’s there for the taking. I just have to take the leap. I have seen enough proof, yet I still hesitate. The time is now. Enough with the tests. It’s time to take the graces you have already given me and put my faith to the test, and to stop putting you to the test. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Lk 17: 5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
MEDITATE
"Increase our faith."
This Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm ends with the verse, “they tested me though they had seen my works." Last week, Jesus told a parable that ended with, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” In both instances, Scripture is saying, “If all God has done for you up to this point is not enough to increase your faith, then nothing will.” So that theme runs through this week’s Gospel and last week’s. Still, I say “I have not seen wonders or miracles, Lord”. In this way I am like a spoiled child who has been given many gifts, but fails to appreciate their value because I’ve always received them. God could perform a miracle everyday, and I would only grow accustomed to them, and expect more from him–saying those miracles prove nothing because they are commonplace. In fact, the way the celestial bodies dance in sync, the way life springs from the ground, these are all wonders. But because the sun rises and sets every day, it is not enough for many of us.
Is it too much to ask for something out of the ordinary, though? God knows what kinds of things would increase my faith–and they’re not the common things. Faith is a gift from God, and yet I try to make God earn it from me. How does that make sense? When I ask for faith, it should be because I love it so much and can’t get enough, not because I lack it and want to test God to see if he is even worthy of it.
"and it would obey you.
Who is obeying whom in this parable? The tree obeys the one who commands it. You see but, who is commanding who in the statement before? The disciples are, in a way, commanding Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus has to correct them. The tree does not command the person of faith to cast himself into the sea. The person of faith commands the tree. It’s easy to forget the relation between the one commanding and the one expected to follow the command in these two verses.
If the disciples are telling Jesus to do something by saying, “Increase our faith,” then they are expecting Jesus to obey them. The perception of the disciples is backwards though. The creation does not command the creator. The creator commands the creation. If the disciples had faith, they would be in God’s will, and they would therefore have the power to command the creation–they would be able to say to the tree “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey them. Is this hyperbole? No. But no one has enough faith to do what he is saying. So does no one have faith even the size of a mustard seed? I would say the saints did, and perhaps some people on earth today do. But no one with faith has a need to uproot mulberry trees. Those who have faith are in God’s will, and are accomplishing much more fruitful works through their faith. So the mulberry tree is not so much a hyperbole as it is a metaphor for the great deeds we are capable of accomplishing when we have faith and live in God’s will.
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
It sounds like the master in this parable is ungrateful to his servant. But remember what Jesus said in the paragraph just before this one, and what he has alluded to elsewhere: If you have faith, whatever you ask will be granted. It may sound like Jesus is saying ‘Just do what you’re told, and be thankful for what God has already given you.’ In fact, that’s often what I get out of this passage when I read it. But I decided to meditate on it a little more this time, and I now see that God is telling us about the power of faith. This makes sense because he is thus continuing on the same theme as the paragraph above. Look at all he has to offer if I simply have faith. And yet still, I demand more proof. Jesus stands before us, showing us that all of creation is at the command of the one who has faith.
Before we can understand the role faith plays, we have to get our own role in this parable right. When the disciples said, “Increase our faith,” they were not the servants. They were making a request, and Jesus is now telling them how to have it granted. The only way to increase our faith is to conform ourselves to God’s will, so we become one with him and become heirs of his power. Jesus is describing the proper relation between the creator and his creation. The creator does not have to be grateful to his creation for simply doing what the creator commanded. In the same way, the one who has faith does not doubt the creator’s abilities. So all this time, in asking for faith, I have been doubting what God can do. Jesus is inviting me to flip the script to see that all of creation is at his command, and when a miracle happens–the person of faith expects nothing less from God, because that’s just nature doing what it is obliged to do, which is to obey its creator.
The more I meditate on Scripture, the more layers of wisdom I see. The first layer is: Be grateful for the blessings God has already given us and don’t expect more. But underneath that is God’s invitation to be like him, to have creation under our command by doing his will. That is the only way we can be granted such a command, but God still offers it to those who are humble enough to know that all power has been given to us through him–and through him alone.
PRAY
Lord,
I now see how I do in fact have faith smaller than a mustard seed, but I hear you calling me and offering me more faith. It’s there for the taking. I just have to take the leap. I have seen enough proof, yet I still hesitate. The time is now. Enough with the tests. It’s time to take the graces you have already given me and put my faith to the test, and to stop putting you to the test. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
When I do not listen, I often completely misinterpret what Jesus is saying. That then leads to me growing spiteful toward his message. But when I take the time to really meditate on what he is saying, and when I take the time to really contemplate, I often discover that what Jesus is really saying is there is more to what he was saying. This is a helpful lesson not only for reading Scripture, but also for improving other relationships in our lives. When I am angry at someone, it’s often because I simply misunderstand where they are coming from. It takes patience to really get to the root of their motivations and reasoning, but when I am patient I begin to see their point of view and that quells my anger toward them. So let’s take the time to listen more closely, not just to Scripture, but also to what other people are saying. In these ways, we may just discover some pearls of truth that can enrich our lives.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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“have pity on me”
The moral of this parable is to not wait until it’s too late. When I lack faith, I doubt the consequences of my sin. It’s easier to live a life that way, I say. But there’s always a dead end. Sin does not possess the same infinite qualities that goodness possesses. This is something we can recognize in this life. We don’t have to wait for the afterlife to see sin as a dead end. When the rich man says, “have pity on me”, he missed his chance. Justice is like gravity. Sooner or later, the scales have to balance. We can’t cheat justice or the truth. Eventually, they catch up to us. If I slip and fall off a cliff, God is not going to suspend the laws of nature that govern his entire universe simply because I shout “have pity on me!” as I’m falling. By then it’s too late. But perhaps we think Father Abraham is being harsh when he says, “They have Moses and the prophets”
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
Through prayer, I can discover your will while here on earth, and avoid the torments described in this Sunday’s Gospel. Thank you for the wisdom you teach me. Help me to recognize the truth as I live on earth before it’s too late. Spare my loved ones from the torments of hell, and teach me to be a witness to them to help lead them to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Lk 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
MEDITATE
“And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). Jesus wasn’t talking about Abraham when he said this, even though Abraham is in heaven. Yet, here Scripture mentions Abraham as being called ‘Father’. Was the rich man wrong in calling Abraham ‘Father?’ No, because we have many other instances where holy men and women use the phrase. For instance, in his canticle in the first chapter of Luke, Zechariah mentioned, “the oath which [God] swore to our father Abraham”. One may argue that it’s different with Abraham because he is the father of Israel and God told him he will be the father of many nations. But David is also given the title “father” in the New Testament in Mark 11:10 and Luke 4:24. One may still think since David was the first king of Israel and Jesus’ ancestor that the title “father” could still apply. OK, but then St. Paul says to the Corinthians “For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:16).
I don’t want to get carried away with Scripture references, because even the devil can use Scripture and we could make the Bible say almost anything if we choose enough verses out of context. The truth I want to highlight is the way Jesus presents seemingly contradictory teachings that cause us to search for the common thread and true meaning between them, so we see the paradox. It is a paradox that Jesus would tell us to call no man on earth “father”, while Scripture uses the word regularly to refer to other people on earth, and people other than God the Father. In this Sunday’s parable, the rich man only calls Abraham “father” because he wants something from Abraham. The rich man is acknowledging Abraham’s providential character, but still, Abraham does not provide because it is not the Father’s will. A father must know the right time to provide and the right time to punish his children. God the Father is merciful, but he is also just. He cannot condone sin, and providing mercy to those who have no remorse would contradict his nature. So when the rich man says, “Father Abraham”, he is addressing one who represents the fatherhood and fatherly nature of God the Father. It is very possible that the rich man did not recognize this distinction and saw only his ancestor Abraham, and not the God of Abraham when he came to the afterlife. It is possible that the rich man lived his entire life not seeing or fearing God the Father, who sees the good deeds done in secret and raises up the lowly. In an indirect way, we see in this parable how God the Father works vicariously through his faithful ones as he works through Abraham here.
“have pity on me”
The moral of this parable is to not wait until it’s too late. When I lack faith, I doubt the consequences of my sin. It’s easier to live a life that way, I say. But there’s always a dead end. Sin does not possess the same infinite qualities that goodness possesses. This is something we can recognize in this life. We don’t have to wait for the afterlife to see sin as a dead end. When the rich man says, “have pity on me”, he missed his chance. Justice is like gravity. Sooner or later, the scales have to balance. We can’t cheat justice or the truth. Eventually, they catch up to us. If I slip and fall off a cliff, God is not going to suspend the laws of nature that govern his entire universe simply because I shout “have pity on me!” as I’m falling. By then it’s too late. But perhaps we think Father Abraham is being harsh when he says,
“They have Moses and the prophets”
But this is the same as saying, “They’ve known about gravity all their lives. They should know to not stand so close to the ledge.” Why should God change the rules just for this one man’s family? God may suspend the laws of his creation at times, but he always has a higher reason than the reasons the rich man had. The rich man was asking for a miracle when he asked Abraham if Lazarus could rise from the dead to warn his family. For a person who is seeking the truth, a miracle may persuade them to believe. But for those who are living in sin, not even a miracle will convince them. In our times, we have stories of miracles. Not many of us have experienced one outright. By a miracle, I mean an event where the laws of nature were apparently suspended–not just a coincidence and not just an inexplicable phenomenon. Like the paradoxes in Scripture highlighted earlier, miracles point to a deeper truth that often eludes us. A miracle explains itself. It leaves no room for doubt. It is the answer. Meanwhile, coincidences and phenomena leave us wondering. When God decides to perform a miracle, it’s already part of his plan. He is not going to alter reality just to comply with our own will.
Through it all though, we still have a prayer. When we pray, when we take out time here on earth to improve our relationship with God by dialoguing with him, we become part of his will. His will becomes our own. There is no limit to what we can do when we are in God’s will. We may think we have more freedom when we do things our way, but it doesn’t take long to discover the limitations of that kind of freedom.
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
Through prayer, I can discover your will while here on earth, and avoid the torments described in this Sunday’s Gospel. Thank you for the wisdom you teach me. Help me to recognize the truth as I live on earth before it’s too late. Spare my loved ones from the torments of hell, and teach me to be a witness to them to help lead them to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
When we take a test, afterward we learn if we passed or failed. Today’s Gospel is about what happens if we do not pass the test of life. Life is class, and Jesus is our teacher. Did we listen to him while we were in class? We listen by reading Scripture, heeding its advice, and applying it to our lives. We don’t have to get everything right to pass, but obedience and diligence go a long way. It turns out that the concept of “father” is very appropriate when seeking to do the Lord’s will because we are like children who simply need to listen to our Father in heaven in order to get there.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Humility is a theme that runs through many of Jesus’ teachings. We may think we know what humility is, but as soon as we try to exemplify it we run the risk of being insincere in our attempts. Who doesn’t want to be considered trustworthy in great matters? Perhaps someone who has true humility. Someone who has true humility will know that he has to start out small and work his way up. In considering himself unworthy to take on larger responsibilities, in Jesus’ eyes, he is actually exactly the right candidate to be entrusted with more. Humility has many attributes, but one of its most important attributes is austerity or simplicity. Humility is okay with having just a little, and in valuing the treasures of heaven over the treasures of the earth. Trustworthiness is a treasure of heaven. Greed, on the other hand, gets in the way of one’s attempt to be trustworthy, because greed tends to chip away at our desire to earn someone’s trust, as we value some earthly treasure over that someone’s trust.
Jesus’ calling to be humble highlights the value of desiring a small part over desiring a large one. His advice complements the passage about the banquet gathering we heard a few weeks ago, when he said to take a lowly seat rather than seeking an esteemed seat. In both instances, Jesus is calling us to be humble enough to claim a lowly position in our lives, to not assume we are important. Then, when others see that we value more than our own esteem, more opportunities will present themselves.
Lord Jesus,
I call you my master because you love me. You are the only one who has truly given me all that I seek. Why I so often go away and look elsewhere, I do not know. I’ve tried serving other things, I’ve tried living a life of autonomy. None of it compares to the joy of just being in communion with you, under your command. Your command is gentle, clever, inspiring. It doesn’t even really feel like you’re commanding me when I do your will. It just feels right. In Jesus’ name I pray.
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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus said to his disciples: "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."
MEDITATE
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones
Humility is a theme that runs through many of Jesus’ teachings. We may think we know what humility is, but as soon as we try to exemplify it we run the risk of being insincere in our attempts. Who doesn’t want to be considered trustworthy in great matters? Perhaps someone who has true humility. Someone who has true humility will know that he has to start out small and work his way up. In considering himself unworthy to take on larger responsibilities, in Jesus’ eyes, he is actually exactly the right candidate to be entrusted with more. Humility has many attributes, but one of its most important attributes is austerity or simplicity. Humility is okay with having just a little, and in valuing the treasures of heaven over the treasures of the earth. Trustworthiness is a treasure of heaven. Greed, on the other hand, gets in the way of one’s attempt to be trustworthy, because greed tends to chip away at our desire to earn someone’s trust, as we value some earthly treasure over that someone’s trust.
Jesus’ calling to be humble highlights the value of desiring a small part over desiring a large one. His advice complements the passage about the banquet gathering we heard a few weeks ago, when he said to take a lowly seat rather than seeking an esteemed seat. In both instances, Jesus is calling us to be humble enough to claim a lowly position in our lives, to not assume we are important. Then, when others see that we value more than our own esteem, more opportunities will present themselves.
In our attempts to be humble, we should avoid being timid and bashful. The one who proves trustworthy in small matters, and the one who refrains from taking a seat of honor, has higher thoughts on his mind than those who seek to highlight their own importance. He is not concerned about what seat or what role is assigned to him, because he has his eyes on the virtues. To him, making the world a better place can be done from any position because it requires–before anything else–personal sanctity, which can be achieved from anywhere.
If our attempts to be humble make us lethargic, if they make us say “I’m in no position to make this change that’s needed”, then we are mistaken. If we play a minor role somewhere, whether in our parish, organization, company, or whatever, and we see that something needs to be done, it is still our duty to do all that we can to make that positive change. Our small role is no excuse. We can still make large contributions even when we are only entrusted with small matters. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” And it’s those small acts of kindness that are treasured by heaven. Those who matter most see them, and those small acts of love are what make a real change. That is what Jesus means by being trustworthy in small matters.
No servant can serve two masters.
But why would I want to serve any masters? In our autonomy-driven culture, where most people strive to be as independent as possible, having any master sounds like an archaic idea. Some people may say we all have a master, because if we don’t serve someone then we are serving ourselves and, therefore, we are our own master. But I don’t buy that argument. The person who is “his own master” can refuse to do the very thing he expects of himself, and then proceed to give himself no punishment. That is, in fact, how many of us live today. Why would anyone do something simply because someone told them to do it, even if that someone is themselves? There has to be some motive. Even when we follow the law, we do so only because we fear the consequences, whether they be the real danger of breaking the law (like speeding and getting in an accident) or the punishment (getting a ticket). So the idea of having a master is foreign in modern society, just as having a lord is foreign. We don’t call anyone master, and we don’t do whatever someone tells us until we’ve weighed the benefits of obeying and the consequences of disobeying. Either way, our obedience is value-based. We decide to be obedient because we are being practical, not simply because the one we are obeying is our master. The concept of sheer obedience, as one would show to a master, is nearly unthinkable. A child may be purely obedient to a parent, guardian, or teacher, but even that is rare.
So what is Jesus talking about here? Clearly we live in very different times, and it’s hard to apply the concept of having even one master to today’s standards of living–let alone two! Who would want to have two masters anyway? Yes, we would be divided. But on top of that we would be inundated with twice as many obligations as we would if we had just one master. But the way Jesus is talking makes it seem like it’s good to have a master, so long as it is only one.
And it is good if that master is the Lord our God. But that’s it. No one else is worthy enough to be our master. When we put the Lord first in our lives, all other relationships fall in their right place. We then do not have to worry about disobeying anyone else, because by obeying the Lord we are already conforming to all that matters: justice, goodness, truth, the virtues, and everything else our master represents.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.
It’s very difficult to serve the Lord with money. Many of us have tried, but get sucked into the money side of things. We then claim that the money is a means to serving the Lord, because without it we can’t serve him nearly as well. But is that true? It’s one or the other. Jesus is right. Let me use an example. A Christian company starts a marketing campaign to raise money for its next project. In that campaign, they use popular strategies like trending keywords, tracking links and click funnels. None of these strategies are bad in themselves, but what if that company started changing their message in order to conform to those popular trends in order to make more money? For instance, noticing that Christian concepts are not common search topics, the Christian company changes the topics of their campaigns and blog posts–abandoning many those Christian concepts–while hoping to get more views and clicks. When we compromise the Gospel message for reasons like this, we are trying to serve two masters. It’s difficult enough to serve God. Let’s not complicate things by trying to do so by serving money as well. In trying to serve both, we won’t succeed at either. But if we serve money, we will wind up empty-handed in the end. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
PRAY
Lord Jesus,
I call you my master because you love me. You are the only one who has truly given me all that I seek. Why I so often go away and look elsewhere, I do not know. I’ve tried serving other things, I’ve tried living a life of autonomy. None of it compares to the joy of just being in communion with you, under your command. Your command is gentle, clever, inspiring. It doesn’t even really feel like you’re commanding me when I do your will. It just feels right. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
To be obedient is to listen and do as we are told. That is difficult when we do not trust that the one commanding us knows what is best. But that is why we must listen. When we learn to listen and listen well, we begin to realize the reasons our master is telling us to do what he is telling us to do. With faith comes understanding. I know, we want to know beforehand. And how can we be certain that we aren’t just training our minds to conform to the master’s way of seeing things? The answer is in this part of lectio divina. When we listen, we aren’t just reflecting on the words we read. We aren’t just taking in the Scriptures. We’re taking in everything around us: the air, the four walls, the people we are with, everything that happened today, everything we see, think and feel. We cannot hide from God, and God is not hiding in Scripture alone. He is hiding everywhere, but we have to listen to find him. Then we see why he should be our master. It’s because he is already the master of everything else.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep
God desires for everyone to come back to him, even those who were never part of the Body of Christ, the Church. In today’s culture, there is a crisis of fallen away Catholics. They are lost sheep, but so are those who never believed. Rejoice, Christ says, not only when a fallen away Catholic comes home but also rejoice when someone who never believed comes to the Church, since they also were lost and now are found. A nonbeliever may have never had a home in the Church, but Jesus still calls nonbelievers his lost sheep as well. We all are his sheep and we all belong to him. We all belong to the one true shepherd, who wills for all of us to be saved.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
As I aim to be a good witness for you and your kingdom for others, keep me humble. We all need you. My goal in sharing you with others is to simply show them the great nourishment and blessings I’ve received from you, so they can share in them. Like a sheep who has found greener pastures, inspire and teach me how to show people the way to those pastures. Thank you for all you have given me, and show me how to share it with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Lk 15: 1-10
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”
MEDITATE
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The Pharisees and scribes overlooked something important. Jesus did not love only sinners. He loved everyone in the specific way they needed to be loved, and still does, because that’s what love does. We have to know someone in order to love them, and it’s the getting to know part that bothered the scribes and Pharisees. For Jesus, perhaps he already did know them since he is God and knows everything (although we should not forget the mystery of his human nature when it comes to getting to know people.) Evenso, these “sinners” did not know him, and that is perhaps the harder part when it comes to loving someone. They have to let us into their hearts, and to do that we have to let them get to know us. That may be what Jesus is doing here, when he sits with those who are apparently of ill repute in his community. Other people kept their distance, but Jesus came close to them because he knew how the human heart works. Confiding in someone isn’t just about being comfortable opening up to them. To reach that level of trust, they have to open up to you too. What words did Jesus share as he sat with those shunned by his society? Did he share what was on his mind, his concerns, his interests, his humanity? Sometimes it seems inappropriate to meditate on Jesus’ humanity, but I think we have to in order to understand what he is doing in this scene. He had to show them that he is like them in all ways but sin, otherwise his effort to reach them would not have succeeded. We do not believe in a God who only lives in a world outside of our own, who simply looks down upon us and pities our state. Jesus was one of us. While he was the holiest man who ever lived, this did not infringe upon his ability to relate to sinners. In fact, it may have made his ways of relating even more effective because he was probably able to see exactly what these people really needed, since he was in such perfect conformity with the divine will. And those he spoke to probably saw in him everything they longed to be. In seeing this desire in them, Jesus saw that these sheep are simply lost, and he knew exactly how to find them.
Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep
God desires for everyone to come back to him, even those who were never part of the Body of Christ, the Church. In today’s culture, there is a crisis of fallen away Catholics. They are lost sheep, but so are those who never believed. Rejoice, Christ says, not only when a fallen away Catholic comes home but also rejoice when someone who never believed comes to the Church, since they also were lost and now are found. A nonbeliever may have never had a home in the Church, but Jesus still calls nonbelievers his lost sheep as well. We all are his sheep and we all belong to him. We all belong to the one true shepherd, who wills for all of us to be saved.
Light a lamp
After reading this passage dozens of times, only now am I seeing what the lamp symbolizes, and what it means to light it. The lamp’s light is the light of truth. You may be thinking, this little parable relates to finding our lost brethren and bringing them back to God, and doesn’t have much to do with light. But won’t searching for truth help bring lost sheep back to God? In fact, that’s the only way to help lead them home. If we are not truthful with them, if we are not earnest and honest in our search for the truth of their situation and what’s in the way of them finding the truth, the lost sheep will sense that we are not genuine. It’s the search for truth that should make us search for lost sheep, as we ask ourselves, “Where are they?”, “What’s keeping them from seeing it?” So often when I try to evangelize, I admit, I assume I know where the nonbeliever is coming from. I assume that I know where they are in their life journey. But evangelization is a search for the person to whom we are evangelizing. It’s a mystery that challenges us to find out what’s going to reach them, what’s going to help them see the truth. Until then, we are just as much in the dark as they are. We need to use the lamp to find them. What is the lamp? It’s God’s word, the Bible, it’s Jesus himself–who is the Truth and the Word of God. Jesus is the Light we light to find the lost coin, the lost sheep. Without him, we will be just as lost as anyone else when we try to reach others and help bring them home.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
As I aim to be a good witness for you and your kingdom for others, keep me humble. We all need you. My goal in sharing you with others is to simply show them the great nourishment and blessings I’ve received from you, so they can share in them. Like a sheep who has found greener pastures, inspire and teach me how to show people the way to those pastures. Thank you for all you have given me, and show me how to share it with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
Sheep are not very smart, but they do have one thing going for them at least. They are relatively obedient. They go where they are led. They listen. Jesus said his sheep know him and hear his voice. They recognize him. In order to discern God’s voice, we have to listen for it and familiarize ourselves with it. It’s in moments like this, after reading his Word, when it’s best to stop and listen to what he may be saying to us now.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Holding onto things has become our way of life. Storage unit facilities are being built more than ever before. We have savings accounts, trust accounts, broker accounts, and the list goes on. None of these things are wrong or bad or evil, but there is something better. We can give up all of these things and still be okay. Excessive concern for our possessions will make us lose sight of what is infinite and eternal. Ultimately, renunciation of the treasures of this world is at the heart of the Gospel. Earlier, Jesus used a short analogy of a king going into battle. Whenever a king (or these days, a general) went (or goes) into battle, he knows there is great risk involved. He has to calculate and mitigate the risk the best he can. History has proven though, that “fortune favors the bold”, and if you take no risk you receive no reward–and in fact taking no risk is the greatest risk of all. Okay, I’m done with my litany of cliches. My point is, that living the Gospel is the ultimate risk. It is the ultimate high-stakes game. It’s the boldest wager we can bet because we are putting all we have on the line for a reward we’ve never even really seen. In the end, we don’t even know if the reward will really come to us. But this is the condition for following Jesus. Are you all in?
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
Your message is clear: unless we love you above all else we will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Oh, how I struggle to put you first. I cannot pray enough to ask for your help in this matter. Through your blessed angels and saints, please grant me the grace I need to pursue only what is true, good, and beautiful; and to stop running from you. You know my heart’s truest and deepest desires better than I do, so it makes the most sense to love you more than I love myself or anyone else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Lk 14: 25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
MEDITATE
If anyone comes to me without hating … even his own life
I can’t count the number of times I’ve said to myself “I hate my life”. We’ve all probably thought that at some point. In those moments, I’m not sure if I hated my life the same way Jesus is expecting me to, but it’s amazing how Jesus makes sense of even the most drastic desires for reckless abandonment. He even says to hate our own family, if we want to follow him. But immediately upon reading the word “hate”, many readers run into a problem. Jesus can’t be telling us to hate other people, can he? Hate ourselves, maybe. But other people, even our own family?
The problem here is not in Jesus’ use of the word “hate”, but rather our culture’s interpretation of the word. Today we take the word to mean “loathe” or “despise”, but that was not necessarily how the people of Jesus’ time would have interpreted it. They may have still interpreted hate as the opposite of love, but not in the same way we think of opposites. We often interpret love and hate in terms of emotion–loathing and despising are emotions. But in ancient societies where hierarchies were prominent the opposite of love would have been to love less than. So love is the opposite of hate in the same way that before is the opposite of after. We see this in Scripture. The apostle John often referred to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved”. This does not mean that Jesus did not love his other disciples, but he did love John more. John was part of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples with Peter and James. Jesus invited only John, Peter, and James to his Transfiguration. He entrusted his mother to him. So, in relation to John, it could be said that Jesus hated the other disciples because he loved them less than John.
Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, loved Jacob more than Esau and ensured that Jacob received Isaac’s blessing. It sounds harsh to say a mother loved one son more than the other, but Scripture proves it. Esau willingly gave up his birthright, and–as a discerning mother–Rebecca decided he is not worthy o Isaac’s blessing. She was putting God before her own son and chose Jacob because Jacob chose God. When we read something in Scripture, we have to give it the benefit of the doubt and put our own understandings aside. We have to trust Scripture as we trust Jesus because they both are the word of God. In Rebecca’s case, she had the future of God’s kingdom in mind. Jesus has the same thing on his mind. To follow Jesus and reach heaven, we must love God more than our family and ourselves.
We are so caught up in our society’s warped idea of equality that we think to love one person more than another person is bad. It’s not. In fact, it is good to love someone who is close to God more than someone who is not. Someone who is not close to God still needs love, but we will learn how to love them by drawing closer to the holy people in our lives. When we love someone who is stuck in sin more than the Christ-like people in our lives, we put our own souls at risk. But when we love God more than anyone else, he correctly orders all the other relationships in our lives.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
This instruction is interesting because Jesus had not yet carried his own cross. In that sense, it is a foreshadowing, but think of what his listeners may have been thinking. The cross was a common symbol of suffering and death. The one who was carrying a cross was going to be crucified. Not knowing that Jesus would be crucified, his followers may have considered Jesus’ instruction here to be quite a tall order. Dying to myself is understandable. I need to put aside my own desires and aspirations and pursue the will of God. But when Jesus asked them to carry their own cross, I can imagine many of them walking away, thinking that’s too much. In the Roman Empire, being executed for crimes was too real. Many people would have taken his words literally. If it wasn’t a cross, it may have been something else that would lead to their martyrdom. Jesus wouldn’t have said this if he didn’t mean it in a much more literal sense than we mean it today. Today, carrying my cross means enduring the daily struggles of life with grace. When Jesus said it though, it meant enduring great suffering as you are led to your execution. We have it much easier than the first Christians had it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still live an authentic Christian life.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion
Whenever I read this passage, it seems to me like some of Christ's words was left out. It could be hard to connect the dots here. What is the connection between carrying our cross and planning ahead? I have to admit, this took me some time to figure out. Jesus is advising us to look further ahead. In the tower analogy, he says to think ahead to the completion of the project. By saying we need to carry our crosses, he is advising us to think ahead to the completion of our lives. At that point, would we have stored up enough treasures in heaven to build our eternal dwelling? Jesus is advising us to have greater foresight, to look beyond this life, and make a decision about what to do based on what we see from that vantage point. We all have a vision of the afterlife. What are we going to do now to prepare for it?
Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Holding onto things has become our way of life. Storage unit facilities are being built more than ever before. We have savings accounts, trust accounts, broker accounts, and the list goes on. None of these things are wrong or bad or evil, but there is something better. We can give up all of these things and still be okay. Excessive concern for our possessions will make us lose sight of what is infinite and eternal. Ultimately, renunciation of the treasures of this world is at the heart of the Gospel. Earlier, Jesus used a short analogy of a king going into battle. Whenever a king (or these days, a general) went (or goes) into battle, he knows there is great risk involved. He has to calculate and mitigate the risk the best he can. History has proven though, that “fortune favors the bold”, and if you take no risk you receive no reward–and in fact taking no risk is the greatest risk of all. Okay, I’m done with my litany of cliches. My point is, that living the Gospel is the ultimate risk. It is the ultimate high-stakes game. It’s the boldest wager we can bet because we are putting all we have on the line for a reward we’ve never even really seen. In the end, we don’t even know if the reward will really come to us. But this is the condition for following Jesus. Are you all in?
PRAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your message is clear: unless we love you above all else we will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Oh, how I struggle to put you first. I cannot pray enough to ask for your help in this matter. Through your blessed angels and saints, please grant me the grace I need to pursue only what is true, good, and beautiful; and to stop running from you. You know my heart’s truest and deepest desires better than I do, so it makes the most sense to love you more than I love myself or anyone else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
Christ hears our prayers. Am I willing to listen to his answers? They are often difficult to accept, like this Sunday’s Gospel reading, but the reward for obeying is always greater than the sacrifice we make.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
When bombarded by the pressures of the world to be successful in the eyes of my peers and colleagues, it’s easy to lose sight of heaven and the values you cherish. Help me to focus on you and see that you are the only reward worth pursuing in the end. Everything else I pursue should only be a means to you. Then I will learn true humility, as I live for the one in whose presence I must always be humble. Teach me to be humble, because I believe that is the key to happiness in life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
]]>Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Lk 14:1, 7-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
'Give your place to this man,'
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
'My friend, move up to a higher position.'
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then he said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
MEDITATE
The people there were observing him carefully
Why were they observing him carefully? Some may have been doing so in an attempt to catch him doing or saying something with which they could accuse him. Others may have honestly been trying to learn from him. Still, others may have been on the fence. Nicodemus, for example, even though he was under the influence of the scribes and Pharisees quite often, was still open to the teachings of Christ. It helps to really consider each word in Scripture before jumping to conclusions. It also helps to put ourselves in the shoes of the Pharisees sometimes. Were they always judging him? Did they give him a chance? How often am I also critical of Jesus’ teachings, trying to find loopholes? Sometimes my questions about his teachings are justified. The main question to ask myself is “Am I honestly seeking to increase my faith and understanding of truth, or am I just trying to wiggle my way out of living a Christian life?”
Go and take the lowest place
Jesus’ counterintuitive advice actually makes more and more sense the more I think about it. It’s similar to the way we may save the best for last, knowing full well that delayed gratification makes the reward all the sweeter. Spock from Star Trek once said, “After a time, you may find that ‘having’ is not so pleasing a thing after all as ‘wanting.’ It is not logical, but it is often true.” Jesus would agree. He is teaching us to not want what we want so badly that we absolutely have to have it. He distinguishes between desire and greed. It is good to have desires, but it is not good to be greedy. The guest who takes the lowest place still wants a higher place. The same could be said of a poor man. It’s not that he doesn’t want riches, but he is content with simply wanting them. His desire does not become excessive to the point where it turns into greed. In this way, he learns to cherish even the smallest gifts, if only because he didn’t have them before. If the guest who takes a lowly place actually wanted that lowly place, he would not care for a seat of higher honor. He would then perhaps refuse a higher seat if given one, and then dishonor the host. So Jesus, believe it or not, isn’t telling us to simply renounce places of honor. He is telling us not to seek them out because doing so is vain and prideful. It is prideful to think I am worthy of a seat of honor, and that pride actually disqualifies me from deserving the honor.
The same could be said about positions of power and leadership. In today’s society, we have many career politicians who spend their lives pursuing positions of power because they think they are the best ones for the job. This is precisely the kind of attitude Jesus tells us not to have. In the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) asks Maximus (Russell Crowe) to succeed him as emperor. “Won't you accept this great honor that I have offered you?” Marcus Aurelius says to him. Maximus responds, “With all my heart, no.” And the emperor tells him, “Maximus, that is why it must be you.” His humility is what makes Maximus a worthy leader. Jesus wants leaders like this in his kingdom.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Again, Jesus' paradoxical wisdom actually makes perfect sense. In many areas of life, we obtain what we’re after by going against common trends. Ironically, common sense often recommends going against common trends, but because we usually have a natural inclination to just do what everyone else is doing, we often lose sight of common sense. Common sense is what a person would commonly do when free from the influence of others. It is the logic that is inherent in our minds and not contingent upon the thoughts of our peers. Humility and common sense, then, go together because both comply with the truth. A humble person knows his place in the big picture, and therefore logically concludes that he probably shouldn’t assume a seat of honor. Not only is it humble to assume a lowly place, but it is also truthful and logical. Jesus’ advice is obvious. Who in their right mind would expect to be exalted by others after exalting themselves? Jesus, the Word of God who is reason himself, is pointing out the logic that is inherent within humility. It’s common sense that I am more likely to be exalted if I exhibit humility than if I exalt myself, but human pride often gets in the way of common sense.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
This is the essence of hope: to live for something we cannot know we will even receive, but we believe we will. Our reasons for hoping may vary, but essentially hope is sustained by the belief that there is something more. We can live our entire lives pursuing a pure desire and never reach it until we reach heaven. In fact, many saints lived this way. Because of this, justice demands that they receive some reward. The selfless sacrifice of their lives–through living, or dying, or sometimes living and dying, for Christ–is proof that heaven exists because a just God would never let such a sacrifice go unrewarded.
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
When bombarded by the pressures of the world to be successful in the eyes of my peers and colleagues, it’s easy to lose sight of heaven and the values you cherish. Help me to focus on you and see that you are the only reward worth pursuing in the end. Everything else I pursue should only be a means to you. Then I will learn true humility, as I live for the one in whose presence I must always be humble. Teach me to be humble, because I believe that is the key to happiness in life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
When we listen to God, we remember how small we are. Sometimes I take a drive just to remember how big the world is, and how insignificant I am in the large scheme of things. This doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want and it won’t matter, because I have my own soul to tend to. In fact, when I see how big my Father’s world is, my task becomes clear. I then notice that he only expects me to get my own life in order. As St Teresa of Calcutta said, “Sanctify yourself, and you will sanctify the world.”
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
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