Free Lunch

First Reading: Acts 6:8-15
Psalm: Ps 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
Gospel: Jn 6:22-29

Friends,

A good friend likes to remind me that the center of the Catholic Church can be found in the sixth chapter of John. Since the rest of the readings this week deal with just that chapter, we will focus there. I do highly recommend reading them and reflecting on your own.

Let's set the scene: Jesus has just multiplied the loaves for five thousand people. They were astonished and sought to make him king (mighty useful to have a guy who can make bread from nothing). Jesus draws away and that evening, he comes to the apostles, walking on water. In the morning, the crowd discovers that Jesus isn't there anymore, so they go looking for him. When they find him, Jesus has this to say:

Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life" - John 6:26-27

He says this to stop them from focusing on the short-term results of the miracle. They come looking for Jesus because their physical hunger was satisfied, not because of his message.

We get caught up sometimes with the idea of the free lunch. The idea of getting something for nothing is very compelling. We like sales that tell us we're getting half-off, or a trip with the office that we can write off as a business lunch. Buy one get one (or a thousand, in this case) free. We use the tactic all the time to draw people in for short-term satisfaction of some form or another.

In our walk of faith, we sometimes want things to come to us free. We ask God for favors, then sit and wait. We ask for our faith to be strengthened, but do not take the time to pray. We might demand a healing, but do not attend Mass or receive the Eucharist. A few insist that they will not believe unless they can do as St. Thomas did and touch Christ themselves, but make no effort to see Him in the poor and needy.

Jesus here is steering us away from all of that. He wants us to focus on the long-term and the long-term is never free or easy. An education, a family, a career, a solid faith life. All of these things take hard work and sacrifice. There are no shortcuts, there aren't any coupons.
The long-term goals require a consistent belief that even though things are tough now, it must be done so that something of worth can be gained.

So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." - John 6:28-29

Belief in Jesus sounds like an easy enough task, but as we will see in the later readings this week, it's no free lunch.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of this day. We are grateful for the many gifts that You have given to us. We pray that we might not seek the easy path, but the true path that leads to You. We pray for fortitude for the times when the path is not easy to walk and the temptations of a smooth road are great. We pray also for our brothers and sisters that have accepted the lie of an easier way, that they might be stirred back to seeking You. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Favor for the Humble

First Reading: 1 Pt 5:5b-14
Psalm: Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Gospel: Mk 16:15-20

The Feast Day of St. Mark

Friends,

Today's reading is a bit different from those of late. It is less of a direct testimony to the miracle of the Resurrection and more of a warning for those who already accept Jesus as Lord.

Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:

God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. - 1 Peter 5:5b-6

Our reminder here is that we must be cautious in our thoughts and our words. When someone is brought back to the faith, it is not because of the superior intellect of his Christian friends. When a miracle is performed, or an apparition to a seer, it is not because of the power of the seer or mystic. Those that begin to see the mighty works done through them as their own begin down a very dangerous path, into pride.

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. - 1 Peter 8-9

The devil has power in this world, though he does not have authority. He can speak truths, scattered among his many lies. His skill to manipulate words and twist their meanings is very powerful, but his end goal is always our separation from God. He seeks to do this little by little, with a little sin here, and a dose of pride there. Pride is his own favorite sin and arguably his chief tool against us. As the demon Screwtape said in the works of C. S. Lewis:

He must be made to feel 'how different we Christians are'; and by 'we Christians' he must really, but unknowingly, mean 'my set'; and by 'my set' he must mean not 'The people who, in their charity and humility, have accepted me', but "The people with whom I associate by right'. - The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

We must remain humbled in our salvation, remembering that our acceptance into the family of God is not because of some great work of ours. Our sins are not less numerous than those of many who do not follow Christ. The moral difference between any Christian and the lowest sinner on earth is that the Christian turns to God and humbly admits his sin and asks for mercy; something that the sinner could (and we pray would) do in a moment. We cannot demand salvation because of our own goodness or works, but God gives it freely to those who ask with a humble heart.

The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen. - 1 Peter 5:10-11

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of this day. We thank You for the example of Jesus, whom You sent to us in the most humble of ways. We pray that we will follow His example, not turning away sinners, but welcoming them. Grant us the virtue of meekness, that we might remember that we ourselves were once lost in sin, but through Your almighty love, we are rescued. We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Resilience

First Reading: Acts 5:34-42
Psalm: Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
Gospel: Jn 6:1-15

Friends,

We have such beautiful readings today, all three of them.

In today's reading, we hear the words of Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin, as to what should be done about the apostles. He presents two examples of recent figures that quickly rose to prominence among the people, but were just as quickly forgotten once they were gone.

This message should be easy for us to recognize nowadays. For example, who was number one on the radio at this time last year? Can you name the valedictorian of your high-school class? Who was president before Abraham Lincoln? Can you name three former U.S. Supreme Court Justices? Our world is filled with people who led or inspired us and then disappeared. The culture today focuses on one issue or person until they are completely exhausted, then moves on to another rising star. The common phrase for the phenomenon is "fifteen minutes of fame."

The leaders that Gamaliel mentions were great political leaders, protesting Roman rule and Roman taxes. Judas founded a sect of Judaism known as the zealots, who sought to violently overthrow the Romans and all those who allied with them, proclaiming God as the leader of the independent nation of Israel. For those seeking a messiah who would lead them against their hated rulers, Judas fit the description. He was most likely killed by the Romans for inciting rebellion. His followers continued on (we know his sons were crucified), but their sect did not last long after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

Theudas took a different approach. He convinced people that he was the messiah; that he would divide the Jordan River and lead them into the wilderness, away from Roman rule. He was also captured and killed on orders from the Roman governor. His followers were either killed or captured; no one followed his teachings after his death.

In this light, the counsel of Gamaliel is very true:

So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God. -Acts 5:38-39

If Jesus had simply been another would-be messiah, a political upstart or spiritual leader, his followers would soon disappear. Either they would kill themselves with the effort to maintain belief in their leader, or they would lose hope, then interest and finally forget. But Jesus was not just claiming to be a messiah, he is The Messiah. His message has not faded from history, it has made history. Even now, after two-thousand years, his teachings are still spread among every nation, despite the countless attempts to discredit or destroy them. Jesus himself promised us that nothing can destroy His Church or His message (Mt 16:18). His teachings cannot die, because He is alive and still with us, leading us on.

I encourage you to take some time on your own to delve into the gospel reading today. It is very deep and there is a lot that can be learned from it, so read it a few times if you can.

Heavenly Father, You are truly awesome. Your promises that you made to the apostles have been tested and found true. We thank you for the gift of this day. Lord, bless those who continue to spread the good news in our day, be they priest or layperson, great saint and humble servant. We beg pardon for those who seek to discredit Your Holy Church, especially for those of our brethren who have turned away from Your mercy. Grant that their hearts be open to hear Your word anew. We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Authority

First Reading: Acts 5:27-33
Psalm: Ps 34:2, 9, 17-20
Gospel: Jn 3:31-36

Friends,

There is a phrase in today's reading that immediately stands out:

"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men." -Acts 5:28-29

He is referring to their earlier conversation, in which he told them that they should judge as they must, but the apostles would continue their message (Acts 4:19-20). He was leaving open the door for them to understand that the Sanhedrin could not repeal what God had commanded of the apostles. Peter makes it clear again today that God is the authority.

Oftentimes today, people want to make other things have more authority than God. Politicians make laws contrary to Church doctrine and demand that people respect their law above their conscience. Others proclaim that Christians should be more tolerant of this group or that and that God never meant those parts of the bible anyway. Some places in our world still insist that Christians renounce Jesus or be imprisoned or killed.

In the gospel reading, we are reminded of this theme again:

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all. -John 3:31

Jesus is above all, meaning that he is the judge, the final authority, of all. While we are on this earth, we have leaders positioned over us, be they religious, political or parent. We trust that they will use their authority wisely. However, they (and we) sometimes get caught up in details of life. We focus on the here and now and speak of how something is "compassionate" or "justifiable under the circumstances." In short, reasons are invented as to why the authority of our earthly leaders should trump all others. However, the gospel makes it very clear who we should obey when our earthly laws conflict with our heavenly orders.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. -John 3:36

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for the gift of this day. We pray that You will guide our leaders and bless them with the virtue of justice. Protect them from the draw of temptation, which promises them a way that will appease everyone. We also pray for those who follow, that they might encourage their leaders in righteousness and redirect those leaders who would lead them astray. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Deus Caritas Est

First Reading: Acts 5:17-26
Psalm: Ps 34:2-9
Gospel: Jn 3:16-21

Friends,

Today's gospel reading is arguably the best known passage in the New Testament (though 1 Cor 13 might be a contender). Rather than comment on today's gospel, I feel it best to let the message speak for itself:

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. - John 3:16-21

This is the core of all Christian teaching. God loves us. He loves us to a level that we cannot imagine. Our hope, our faith and even our very existence rest on this solid rock of truth. It is a universal constant older than the universe itself. Nothing we ever do will stop God from loving us.

Take some time out today to ponder God's love for you. Go to a quiet place by yourself for about fifteen minutes and think about God's love for you and your love for God. If you don't believe in God, or are having a particularly difficult time with faith, think about what it means for you if the message of John 3:16 is true.

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for the gift of this day. The universe and all of creation is subject to Your almighty power. Yet You chose to love us, though we did nothing to earn Your favor. Help us to always remember that Your love for us is more powerful than anything else. We pray especially for our brothers and sisters who do not believe or who are lukewarm in their belief. May their hearts be softened through the knowledge of Your goodness and the power of Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Seeking to Understand

First Reading: Acts 4:32-37
Psalm: Ps 93:1-2, 5
Gospel: Jn 3:7b-15

Friends,

In today's readings, we see the early Church, bringing gifts to the apostles to be distributed to the needy and in the gospel, we continue Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.

It was today's gospel that struck me particularly. A common complaint that non-Christians have is that Jesus is not clear in His teachings. "If He meant something, why didn't He just come out and say it?" It is hard to explain sometimes, all the more because of the many different interpretations that Christians have of the same passage. The simple answer is that we would have a very difficult time understanding a word He said if He did not use visual aids.

Last night, I was reading an explanation on basic theology and it emphasized over and over again that the concepts relating to the spiritual world were difficult to grasp. To aid the explanation, they used a number of analogies to help the reader understand little bits at a time. It took an hour of reading and reflecting before I understood what was being said, but eventually I could just grasp it. However, I know that, without a knowledgeable and trusted guide, it would have been almost impossible.

Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? - John 3:11-12

Jesus is instructing Nicodemus (and all of us) in a similar fashion. Yesterday, He used the analogy of being born to try to explain the life one enters in the Holy Spirit. The change of perspective and life when one is filled with the Holy Spirit is similar to the radical change one undergoes when being physically born. Our whole world is shaken, everything we know is overturned, but it has to happen if we are to live and come to a better understanding of reality.

Likewise, when describing the Holy Spirit, Jesus likens it to the wind (in Hebrew, and in Greek, the word for wind is also the word for spirit, making a great play on words). We cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we can recognize it by how it affects other things that we can see, just as we don't see the wind, but we see the trees swaying. We do not control the comings and goings of the winds, nor can we control whom the Spirit will speak to or what gifts it might bestow on one person or another. If He were to state that the Spirit is an invisible, intangible, supernatural force that lives within us to help us communicate with God, would that have been more helpful?

Oftentimes, I have to describe a very technical problem to someone who does not have the years of training that I am blessed with. It usually takes a long time, several analogies and a great deal of patience to make them understand. Jesus must have felt that way a lot (see Mark 4:13). On the other side, imagine what it would be like listening to a quantum physicist describe the details of his latest discovery if you want to understand what it must have been like for the apostles.

Heavenly Father, we praise you for greatness. You have given us a world that is understandable and minds with which to understand it. Aid us in our quest to understand Your Will for us. Grant us patience, that in teaching we do not become discouraged and in learning that we are not disheartened. Guide our teachers to truth, that we are not led astray. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Questions in the Dark

First Reading: Acts 4:23-31
Psalm: Ps 2:1-9
Gospel: Jn 3:1-8

Friends,

In today's gospel, we meet Nicodemus, a Pharisee and possibly a member of the council. He acknowledges Jesus as a man of God and has many questions, but does not understand Jesus' teaching.

The opening of the reading, with Nicodemus confiding in Jesus what is known of him in the Sanhedrin, particularly struck me today:

He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." - John 3:2

This is a very important statement, because we hear an echo of it later in John's gospel, in the story of the man born blind:

[The Pharisees] ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." - John 9:28-29

Later, Nicodemus counsels that Jewish law should not condemn Jesus before it gives Him a chance to speak and determine the truth; he is ridiculed for this defense of Jesus.

In our lives, are we like pharisees, condemning others before we have heard their testimony? Or are we like Nicodemus, defending those who are being easily dismissed and seeking truth? Jesus does not condemn Nicodemus for coming to him in secret. He answers the questions posed to Him and lets Nicodemus make his own decision. When others approach us as Christians to ask questions or pose concerns about the faith, do we answer their questions, or do we dismiss their viewpoints without a serious thought? In imitating Christ, we must remember to not condemn, but to teach.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. We pray that we might be faithful witnesses to Your goodness. Grant that we might approach others that hold differing viewpoints with Your love. Help us to teach them the truth and let Your Spirit work within them, that they might be blessed by the Truth. We pray especially for those who attack our Christian faith, that their fears and injuries be healed, according to Thy will. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.