Accept. Trust. Obey. (readings for Sept. 6, 2018)

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

What these passages tell us not to do

Commentary

Hyperlink

Reading 1 1 COR 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters: Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.

Alleluia MT 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 5:1-11         

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them.  They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

1.    We must accept that God’s knowledge and plans are far greater, and far better, than anything we can conceive of (first reading, psalm, gospel). See Psalm 33:13-15, Hebrews 4:13,  and the other scriptures collected at  Wisdom Principles: God Sees and Understands All. See also Isaiah 55:8-9. 

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2.    We should therefore trust His direction. It is perfectly informed, it is always good, and it always works good for us, others, or both (gospel). We must trust Him even though we do not understand why He’s telling us to do something, even if it seems to be at odds with what we would have thought of. See Proverbs 3:5-8.

3.    We must obey Him by actually doing what God tells us to do. We and others will be blessed if we do (gospel).  See James 1:22-25. That is not changed by the fact that we have fears or do not understand why God is calling us to do what He’s calling us to do. See Fear does not equal Failure and Doubt does not equal Disqualification.  

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Living the Eucharist, Part 2 (readings from August 19, 2018)

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

What these passages tell us not to do

Commentary

Hyperlink

Reading 1 PRV 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: "Let whoever is simple turn in here; to the one who lacks understanding, she says, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!  Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."

Responsorial Psalm PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 EPH 5:15-20

Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.  And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Alleluia JN 6:56

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

In a previous post we looked at how these readings call us to do more than simply receive the Body and Blood at Mass, but instead call us to consume Jesus in all areas of our lives. This post looks at what these readings tell us about how to do that. They give us several specific instructions:

1.    We are to do so humbly. As the psalm tells us, “the lowly will hear” God.

2.    We are to do so intentionally. The first reading tells us to “turn” and “come” to Him. The psalm speaks of seeking God, looking to Him, calling out. The second reading tells us to “watch carefully how [we] live” and exhorts us to “try to understand what is the will of the Lord.” All those things involve intentional efforts to get closer to God. Similar instruction is found in the scriptures collected in Wisdom Principles: We Must Make Real Effort/Sacrifice to Receive All that God Offers, But It Is Well Worth It. 

3.    We are to do so persistently, over time.  The first reading’s statement about “advance[ing] in understanding” implies an ongoing progression.  A similar implication is made in the scriptures collected in Wisdom principles: We Grow in Godliness Over Time, Gradually. 

4.    We are to do so in all areas of our lives.  The first reading ‘s statement about wisdom calling out from “the heights out over the city” suggests us that God reaches out in the midst of the busy, seemingly secular, parts of our lives. That is reinforced by the second reading’s instruction to give thanks “always and for everything.”Similar statements are made in Proverbs 1:20-21, Proverbs 9:3, Ephesians 6:5-8, and Colossians 3:22-24. 

5.     We are to do so the exclusion of other things. The first reading tells us to “forsake foolishness.” The second reading tells us to “not continue in ignorance” and “not get drunk on wine.” We have to give some things up to receive the much better things Christ offers.

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6.    We are to do so joyfully, with enthusiasm. The second reading talks about “singing and playing to the Lord in [our] hearts,” and “giving thanks always and for everything.”

Prayer Request

Please pray for my 16-year-old daughter as she deals with an eating disorder. Please pray that she be healed and for help getting through the healing process. 

Please also pray for my wife and me, that we best support our daughter and each other as we go through this. 

Finally, please pray that this whole ordeal be turned to the good. 

Thank you.

Living the Eucharist, part 1(readings for August 19, 2018)

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

Reading 1 PRV 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: "Let whoever is simple turn in here; to the one who lacks understanding, she says, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."

Responsorial Psalm PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 EPH 5:15-20

Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.  And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Alleluia JN 6:56

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

This gospel reading speaks to something that goes beyond simply receiving the Body and Blood at Mass. That is true in several respects.

1.    Jesus’ statement that we must eat and drink His body and blood to “have life within” us tells us that we must make Him the consuming focus, the priority, the organizing principle of our lives. Jesus must be to us (at least) what sports, pop culture, or politics are to those who “eat and drink” sports, pop culture, or politics.

2.    Jesus’ statement that “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” communicates that that His nature and teaching, made the focus of our lives as discussed in point 1 above, are sufficient to sustain us in every aspect of our lives, just as ordinary food and drink sustain us in all areas of our lives.

3.      Jesus’ statements also imply that we must seek Him as consistently and regularly as we seek physical food and drink.

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4.      None of these directions in any way detract from the centrality or nature of the Eucharist at the Mass itself.