Ghost Writer, Holy

Sunday 1/1/23

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Readings: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21

Title: “Reflecting on Them in Her Heart”

Much of what we know about Mary, we learn from the infancy narrative at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke. Some of the things we learn about her here include that she was full of grace (Luke 1:28, 30), most blessed among women (Luke 1:42, 45), and conceived the Son of God by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Apart from these main facts, we also learn a bit more about Mary in terms of her tendencies and personality. In this passage from Luke 2 (Luke 2:16-21), we hear, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). This is all the more noteworthy because of the repetition of this aspect of Mary, as we also read in verse 51, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51).

And so, we begin to get the idea of Mary that Mary pondered; Mary contemplated, and reflected on the things of God in her heart. We often think of another Mary, in contrast with Martha (Luke 10:38-42), as being the ideal of contemplation, in contrast to the active life, but here we are shown a portrayal of Mary, Mother of God, as our ideal for contemplation and reflection upon God, and this is always as a shadow and reflection of the imago Dei (cf. Gen 1:26-27) who is Jesus, the true image of God. For as we hear twice that Mary reflected upon these things in her heart in Luke 2 (Luke 2:19, 51), we also hear twice of Jesus, that “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). As in verse 52 as well, we hear, “And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52).

These features of growth, wisdom, and favor in Jesus (Luke 2:40, 52) are what we can all reflect upon, as we strive to be more like Mary, both Mary the pillar of contemplation who desired the one thing necessary (Luke 10:42)—to hear the word of God and do it (Luke 11:28; cf. Luke 1:38)—and Mary, the pillar of contemplation and reflection upon God who brought forth the child Jesus from her womb; for she too was blessed because: “While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’ He replied, ‘Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it’” (Luke 11:27-28; cf. Matt 12:48-50; cf. Luke 1:38).

And so, just as Jesus is the image that Mary reflects upon, so too, the Blessed Mother Mary may be seen as the image reflected in that other Mary, who is our representation of contemplation, who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened (Luke 10:39). This aspect of reflecting—of listening, of being docile, teachable, and receptive to the imago Dei of Jesus and the instigation of the Holy Spirit—this aspect of reflecting is something that we should all strive to imitate in Mary, just as in her Immaculate Conception she is a form of imitation of God (cf. Eph 5:1-5).

We can only reflect and magnify (cf. Luke 1:46) what we perceive and intuit and observe of God (cf. John 5:19-30), and so a humble, quiet, listening heart (cf. 1 Kings 3:9-12) is truly necessary if we are to take in and absorb the one thing necessary (Luke 11:42), which is the teaching and word of God (cf. Matt 7:21-29; cf. Matt 12:48-50; cf. Luke 1:38; cf. Luke 10:38-42; cf. Luke 11:27-28). And so, let us slow down and quiet our hearts, like Mary, to rein in our souls (cf. James 1:26; cf. James 3) to a prayer of recollection, so that listening quietly at the very deepest level of our being, we may listen, and hear God (cf. 1 Sam 3; cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18; cf. Ps 46:11). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 1:26-27

²⁶Then God said: Let us make^[e] human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.
²⁷God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female^[f] he created them.

2. Numbers 6:22-27

²²The Lord said to Moses: ²³Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴The Lord bless you and keep you!
²⁵The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
²⁶The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

²⁷So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

3. 1 Samuel 3

¹During the time young Samuel was minister to the Lord under Eli, the word of the Lord was scarce and vision infrequent. ^2 [a]One day Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see. ³The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,^[b] and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. ⁴The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” ⁵He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. ⁶Again the Lord called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “You called me.” But he answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”

⁷Samuel did not yet recognize the Lord, since the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸The Lord called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the youth. ⁹So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” When Samuel went to sleep in his place, ¹⁰the Lord came and stood there, calling out as before: Samuel, Samuel! Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” ¹¹The Lord said to Samuel: I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears it ring. ¹²On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have said about his house, beginning to end. ¹³I announce to him that I am condemning his house once and for all, because of this crime: though he knew his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them. ¹⁴Therefore, I swear to Eli’s house: No sacrifice or offering will ever expiate its crime.^[c] ¹⁵Samuel then slept until morning, when he got up early and opened the doors of the temple of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶but Eli called to him, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” ¹⁷Then Eli asked, “What did he say to you? Hide nothing from me! May God do thus to you, and more,^[d] if you hide from me a single thing he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything, and held nothing back. Eli answered, “It is the Lord. What is pleasing in the Lord’s sight, the Lord will do.”

¹⁹Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to go unfulfilled. ²⁰Thus all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba came to know that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. ²¹The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, manifesting himself to Samuel at Shiloh through his word. Samuel’s word spread throughout Israel.

4. 1 Kings 3:4-15

⁴The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the great high place. Upon its altar Solomon sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings. ⁵In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said: Whatever you ask I shall give you. ⁶Solomon answered: “You have shown great kindness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you with fidelity, justice, and an upright heart; and you have continued this great kindness toward him today, giving him a son to sit upon his throne. ⁷Now, Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed David my father; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act— ⁸I, your servant, among the people you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. ⁹Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil. For who is able to give judgment for this vast people of yours?”

¹⁰The Lord was pleased by Solomon’s request. ¹¹So God said to him: Because you asked for this—you did not ask for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies—but you asked for discernment to know what is right— ¹²I now do as you request. I give you a heart so wise and discerning that there has never been anyone like you until now, nor after you will there be anyone to equal you. ¹³In addition, I give you what you have not asked for: I give you such riches and glory that among kings there will be no one like you all your days. ¹⁴And if you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments, as David your father did, I will give you a long life. ¹⁵Solomon awoke; it was a dream! He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings, and gave a feast for all his servants.

5. 1 Kings 19:9-18

⁹There he came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the Lord came to him: Why are you here, Elijah? ¹⁰He answered: “I have been most zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have destroyed your altars and murdered your prophets by the sword. I alone remain, and they seek to take my life.” ¹¹Then the Lord said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord;^[c] the Lord will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord—but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹²after the earthquake, fire—but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.

¹³When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, Why are you here, Elijah? ¹⁴He replied, “I have been most zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have destroyed your altars and murdered your prophets by the sword. I alone remain, and they seek to take my life.” ^15 [e]The Lord said to him: Go back! Take the desert road to Damascus. When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram. ¹⁶You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. ¹⁷Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. ¹⁸But I will spare seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bent to Baal, every mouth that has not kissed him.

6. Psalm 46:9-12

⁹Come and see the works of the Lord,
    who has done fearsome deeds on earth;
¹⁰Who stops wars to the ends of the earth,
    breaks the bow, splinters the spear,
    and burns the shields with fire;
¹¹“Be still and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    exalted on the earth.”
¹²The Lord of hosts is with us;
    our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Selah

7. Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8

²May God be gracious to us^[b] and bless us;
may his face shine upon us.
Selah
³So shall your way be known upon the earth,
your victory among all the nations.

⁵May the nations be glad and rejoice;
    for you judge the peoples with fairness,
    you guide the nations upon the earth.
Selah
⁶May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you!

⁸May God bless us still;
that the ends of the earth may revere him.

8. Matthew 7:21-29

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,^[j] but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ ²³Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you.^[k] Depart from me, you evildoers.’

^24 [l]“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. ²⁶And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

^28 [m]When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ^29 [n]for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

9. Matthew 12:46-50

⁴⁶While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. ⁴⁷[Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.”]^[ag] ⁴⁸But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

10. Luke 1:26-55

²⁶In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,^[k] and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, ³³and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”^[l] ³⁵And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. ³⁶And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived^[m] a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; ³⁷for nothing will be impossible for God.” ³⁸Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

³⁹During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, ⁴²cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord^[n] should come to me? ⁴⁴For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed are you who believed^[o] that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

⁴⁶And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
⁴⁷    my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
⁴⁸For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
    behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
⁴⁹The Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
⁵⁰His mercy is from age to age
    to those who fear him.
⁵¹He has shown might with his arm,
    dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
⁵²He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
    but lifted up the lowly.
⁵³The hungry he has filled with good things;
    the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped Israel his servant,
    remembering his mercy,
⁵⁵according to his promise to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

11. Luke 2:16-21, 39-52

¹⁶So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. ¹⁸All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

²¹When eight days were completed for his circumcision,^[g] he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

³⁹When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

⁴¹Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, ⁴²and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. ⁴³After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, ⁴⁷and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” ⁴⁹And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”^[m] ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

12. Luke 10:38-42

³⁸As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. ^39 [n]She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. ⁴⁰Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” ⁴¹The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. ^42 [o]There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

13. Luke 11:27-28

²⁷While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” ²⁸He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

14. John 5:19-30

^19 [h]Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. ²⁰For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. ²¹For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,^[i] so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. ²²Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment^[j] to his Son, ²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. ²⁵Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. ²⁷And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ^28 [k]Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

³⁰“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

15. Galatians 4:4-7

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. ⁶As proof that you are children,^[d] God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

16. Ephesians 5:1-5

¹So be imitators of God,^[a] as beloved children, ²and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. ³Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, ⁴no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. ⁵Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

17. James 1:26-27

^26 [m]If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue^[n] but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows^[o] in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

18. James 3

¹Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, ²for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. ³If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. ⁴It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. ⁵In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions.

Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. ⁶The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. ⁷For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers. ¹¹Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? ¹²Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.

¹³Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. ¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Monday 1/2/23

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Readings: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Jn 1:19-28

Title: “I Am Not…”

In this passage from John 1 (John 1:19-28), we hear the testimony of John the Baptist. John’s testimony is unique, because he was the one sent by God specifically for the purpose of testifying to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Not only was John the last in the tradition of Old Testament prophets who would foretell of the coming Christ, but he was also the only one to actually see and know the prophesied Christ, living, as he did, in Jesus’ own time. Based upon what we know of John from the Scriptures, he was an important and unusual character. We hear of his infancy narrative alongside that of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel, and in all four of the Gospels, he appears as a radical and ascetical character. We can get a rather full impression of him with this collection of sayings from him, interactions he had with others, and stories about him from others in many different places in the Gospels. And what is more, is that we can also learn about him from prophecy, as he both was a prophet and lived out God’s prophecy, for instance, as the voice he describes from Isaiah 40 (Matt 3:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23; cf. Isa 40:3-5).

John’s teachings were both unique and orthodox, despite his radical impression, as he teaches Jesus’ followers to repent (Matt 3:7-10), to act with justice (Luke 3:7-14), and to prepare for baptism with the Holy Spirit by the coming Christ, Jesus (Matt 3:11-12). He points Jesus out deliberately as “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36), and specifically states in John 1: “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God” (John 1:34). But all this pointing to Jesus is not all that John does. For in order to live holy lives, we must not only build Jesus up and increase in piety and virtue, but we must also efface and abnegate ourselves in self-abasement and mortification of the will, so that we may cut down ego and weed out sin at the same time, to help further cultivate virtue. For to grow in virtue is not enough if one is not also dying to sin (cf. Rom 6).

And so, this important teaching of John, “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30), is demonstrated by him here in John 1, as he repeatedly tells us not what he is, but what he isn’t (John 1:19-23). As we take this in conjunction with God’s name, “I AM” (Exo 3:14-15), this self-denial of John takes on even more meaning. John seeks to debase, lower, and negate himself, so that God can thereby be proportionally increased and exalted in his soul. This is how John prepares for Jesus, and this is how we can prepare and be ready for Jesus, too (cf. Matt 24:35-51). For we know that we must lose ourselves in order to gain ourselves, and lose our lives in order to live (Matt 10:37-39; Matt 16:24-28): “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10:39; cf. Matt 16:25); and John demonstrates this for us beautifully. It is by seeing what we are not that we can all the better see God for what He Is. For He is “over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:6; cf. Eph 4:1-10), and “all in all” (1 Cor 15:20). And so, let us take a pointer from John, and practice mortification of the will and self-abnegation, being the voice to herald Jesus in our own souls and lives, by living His life, and not our own (cf. Matt 10:37-39; cf. Matt 16:24-28; cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20; cf. Gal 2:19-21; cf. Col 3:1-4). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Exodus 3:14-15

¹⁴God replied to Moses: I am who I am.^[h] Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.

¹⁵God spoke further to Moses: This is what you will say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

This is my name forever;
this is my title for all generations.

2. Psalm 98:1-4

¹A psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
    for he has done marvelous deeds.
His right hand and holy arm
    have won the victory.^[b]
²The Lord has made his victory known;
    has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,
³He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
    toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the victory of our God.

⁴Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
break into song; sing praise.

3. Isaiah 40:3-5

³    A voice proclaims:^[d]
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord!
    Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
The rugged land shall be a plain,
    the rough country, a broad valley.
⁵Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together;
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

4. Matthew 3:1-12

¹In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea^[b] ²[and] saying, “Repent,^[c] for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” ^3 [d]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.’”

^4 [e]John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him ⁶and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

⁷When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees^[g] coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. ⁹And 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. ¹⁰Even 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. ¹¹I 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.^[h] ^12 [i]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.”

Matthew 10:37-39

³⁷“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and whoever does not take up his cross^[o] and follow after me is not worthy of me. ^39 [p]Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
5. Matthew 16:24-28

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,^[t] take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.^[u] ²⁶What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? ^27 [v]For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. ^28 [w]Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

6. Matthew 24:36-51

³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,^[v] but the Father alone. ^37 [w]For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. ³⁹They 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. ^40 [x]Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. ^42 [y]Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. ⁴³Be 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. ⁴⁴So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

⁴⁵“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?^[aa] ⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. ⁴⁷Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ^48 [ab]But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ ⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, ⁵⁰the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour ⁵¹and will punish him severely^[ac] and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

7. Luke 3:1-22

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,^[b] when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,^[c] the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. ^3 [d]He went throughout [the] whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ^4 [e]as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one crying out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make straight his paths.
⁵Every valley shall be filled
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
    and the rough ways made smooth,
⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

⁷He said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. ^16 [f]John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fan^[g] is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. ^19 [h]Now Herod the tetrarch, who had been censured by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds Herod had committed, ²⁰added still another to these by [also] putting John in prison.

²¹After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,^[j] heaven was opened ^22 [k]and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

8. John 1:19-36

^19 [m]And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews^[n] from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites [to him] to ask him, “Who are you?” ^20 [o]he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Messiah.” ²¹So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?”^[p] And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²²So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” ²³He said:

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’

as Isaiah the prophet said.” ²⁴Some Pharisees^[r] were also sent. ²⁵They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water;^[s] but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, ²⁷the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,^[t] where John was baptizing.

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,^[u] who takes away the sin of the world. ^30 [v]He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ³¹I did not know him,^[w] but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” ³²John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove^[x] from the sky and remain upon him. ³³I 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.’ ^34 [y]Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

9. John 3:22-30

^22 [j]After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. ²³John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,^[k] because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, ^24 [l]for John had not yet been imprisoned. ²⁵Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew^[m] about ceremonial washings. ²⁶So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” ²⁷John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. ²⁹The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man,^[n] who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. ³⁰He must increase; I must decrease.”

10. Romans 6

^1 [a]What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! ²How can we who died to sin yet live in it? ³Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

⁵For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. ⁷For a dead person has been absolved from sin. ⁸If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. ¹⁰As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. ¹¹Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

^12 [b]Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. ¹³And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. ¹⁴For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[c] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[d] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[e] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

11. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple^[i] of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

12. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

²⁰But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits^[h] of those who have fallen asleep. ^21 [i]For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. ²²For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, ²³but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; ²⁴then comes the end,^[j] when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ^26 [k]The last enemy to be destroyed is death, ^27 [l]for “he subjected everything under his feet.” But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him. ²⁸When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

13. Galatians 2:19-21

¹⁹For through the law I died to the law,^[s] that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; ²⁰yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

14. Ephesians 4:1-10

^1 [a]I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, ³striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: ^4 [b]one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore, it says:

“He ascended^[c] on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.”

⁹What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? ¹⁰The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

15. Colossians 3:1-4

¹If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. ³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

16. 1 John 2:22-28

^22 [l]Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. ²³No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

²⁴Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.^[m] ²⁵And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. ²⁶I write you these things about those who would deceive you. ²⁷As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him.

^28 [n]And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. ²⁹If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.

Tuesday 1/3/23

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Readings: 1 Jn 2:29-3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-4, 5-6; Jn 1:29-34

Title: “Behold, the Lamb of God”

John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus, to usher in the new age of the new covenant (cf. Luke 22:19-20; cf. Heb 9:15-22). Jesus’ relation to the old covenant is elucidated by John the Baptist’s title for Him, as John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; cf. John 1:36). We can look a bit more deeply into this title to see exactly what it means. That Jesus is the Lamb of God is not purely symbolic, but He is the meaning itself represented by the symbol of the lamb. In the Old Testament, we can see at least two important lambs. One being the paschal lamb, slaughtered on Passover (Exo 12:1-28, 43-5), and referenced in John 19: “For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: ‘Not a bone of it will be broken’” (John 19:36; cf. Exo 12:46). The other regards the lamb of sacrifice for sins, especially on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:1-19, 29-34). We can read about this custom in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, as in Hebrews, the purpose of the sacrifice is described, as well as how it relates to the new sacrifice of Christ (Heb 9-10). And so, when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; cf. John 1:36), Jesus is the true Lamb, of which the sacrificial Passover lamb was the prefiguration.

We can also find references to this lamb in Isaiah, in the Songs of the Suffering Servant: “Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth” (Isa 53:7). And in Revelation as well, we can find references to Jesus as the Lamb (Rev 5:6-8; Rev 14:1-5; Rev 21:22-27). Jesus under the title of the Lamb of God is a particularly Johannine theme, although it is not limited to Johannine literature (1 Pet 1:19-21). This shows us an emphasis on Hebraic culture—also alluding to the Hebrew apocalyptic lamb as a messianic figure, both tender and strong—as well as an emphasis on sacrifice.

This emphasis on sacrifice permeates all of Scripture, into the New Testament and well beyond its Hebrew roots, as Christ Himself is the final embodiment and ultimate realization of this ideal of sacrifice (cf. Rom 12:1-2). This sacrifice is, ultimately, an act of love, and not just any love, but God’s prefect, divine agapē love. As we read in John 15: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12-14). And what is more, is that just as Jesus is both the sacrifice and the Priest (cf. Heb 5:1-10), so too is He both the Lamb and the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18, 22-30), as we are all likewise called to follow Him, as sacrificial lambs of God (cf. John 21:15-19; cf. Rom 8:36-39), pouring out God’s love in our community, each as a part of God’s flock (John 10:14-18, 27-30).

And so, this title of Jesus, “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36), made known to us here in John 1 by John the Baptist, is a deeply meaningful, mystical, and significant title, which we can contemplate fruitfully with the help of the Scriptures, in both the Old Testament and the New. And as John says, “I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel” (John 1:31). And so, the reason, too, why Jesus is the Lamb of God, is so that the love of God in Jesus may be known to us, as it can be known more perfectly in no other way (cf. Isa 55:8-11; cf. John 14:6-7; cf. John 15:12-14; cf. Acts 4:12; cf. Rom 5:1-11; cf. 1 John 3:11-18). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Exodus 12:1-28, 43-51

¹The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ^2 [b]This month will stand at the head of your calendar; you will reckon it the first month of the year. ³Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every family must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. ⁴If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost^[c] in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes. ⁵Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. ⁶You will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole community of Israel assembled, it will be slaughtered during the evening twilight. ⁷They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸They will consume its meat that same night, eating it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹Do not eat any of it raw or even boiled in water, but roasted, with its head and shanks and inner organs. ¹⁰You must not keep any of it beyond the morning; whatever is left over in the morning must be burned up.

¹¹This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you will eat it in a hurry. It is the Lord’s Passover. ¹²For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the Lord! ¹³But for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.

¹⁴This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord; you will celebrate it as a statute forever. ¹⁵For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. From the very first day you will have your houses clear of all leaven. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh will be cut off^[d] from Israel. ¹⁶On the first day you will hold a sacred assembly, and likewise on the seventh. On these days no sort of work shall be done, except to prepare the food that everyone needs. ¹⁷Keep, then, the custom of the unleavened bread, since it was on this very day that I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a statute forever. ¹⁸From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of this month you will eat unleavened bread. ¹⁹For seven days no leaven may be found in your houses; for anyone, a resident alien or a native, who eats leavened food will be cut off from the community of Israel. ²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened; wherever you dwell you may eat only unleavened bread.

²¹Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter the Passover victims. ²²Then take a bunch of hyssop,^[e] and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, apply some of this blood to the lintel and the two doorposts. And none of you shall go outdoors until morning. ²³For when the Lord goes by to strike down the Egyptians, seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.

²⁴“You will keep this practice forever as a statute for yourselves and your descendants. ²⁵Thus, when you have entered the land which the Lord will give you as he promised, you must observe this rite. ²⁶When your children ask you, ‘What does this rite of yours mean?’ ²⁷you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice for the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when he struck down the Egyptians, he delivered our houses.’”

Then the people knelt and bowed down, ²⁸and the Israelites went and did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

⁴³The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the Passover statute. No foreigner may eat of it. ⁴⁴However, every slave bought for money you will circumcise; then he may eat of it. ⁴⁵But no tenant or hired worker may eat of it. ⁴⁶It must be eaten in one house; you may not take any of its meat outside the house. You shall not break any of its bones.^[i] ⁴⁷The whole community of Israel must celebrate this feast. ⁴⁸If any alien residing among you would celebrate the Passover for the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may join in its celebration just like the natives. But no one who is uncircumcised may eat of it. ⁴⁹There will be one law^[j] for the native and for the alien residing among you.

⁵⁰All the Israelites did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹On that same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt company by company.

2. Leviticus 16:1-19, 29-34

^1 [a]After the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died when they encroached on the Lord’s presence, the Lord spoke to Moses ²and said to him: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he pleases^[b] into the inner sanctuary, inside the veil, in front of the cover on the ark, lest he die, for I reveal myself in a cloud above the ark’s cover. ³Only in this way may Aaron enter the inner sanctuary. He shall bring a bull of the herd for a purification offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴He shall wear the sacred linen tunic, with the linen pants underneath, gird himself with the linen sash and put on the linen turban. But since these vestments are sacred, he shall not put them on until he has first bathed his body in water. ⁵From the Israelite community he shall receive two male goats for a purification offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

⁶Aaron shall offer the bull, his purification offering, to make atonement^[c] for himself and for his household. ⁷Taking the two male goats and setting them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, ⁸he shall cast lots to determine which one is for the Lord and which for Azazel.^[d] ⁹The goat that is determined by lot for the Lord, Aaron shall present and offer up as a purification offering. ¹⁰But the goat determined by lot for Azazel he shall place before the Lord alive, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert.

¹¹Thus shall Aaron offer his bull for the purification offering, to make atonement for himself and for his family. When he has slaughtered it, ¹²he shall take a censer full of glowing embers from the altar before the Lord, as well as a double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bringing them inside the veil, ¹³there before the Lord he shall put incense on the fire, so that a cloud of incense may shield the cover that is over the covenant, else he will die. ¹⁴Taking some of the bull’s blood, he shall sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the ark’s cover and likewise sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the cover.

¹⁵Then he shall slaughter the goat of the people’s purification offering, and bringing its blood inside the veil, he shall do with it as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on the ark’s cover and in front of it. ¹⁶Thus he shall purge the inner sanctuary^[e] of all the Israelites’ impurities and trespasses, including all their sins. He shall do the same for the tent of meeting, which is set up among them in the midst of their uncleanness. ¹⁷No one else may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters the inner sanctuary to make atonement until he departs. When he has made atonement for himself and his household, as well as for the whole Israelite assembly, ^18 [f]he shall come out to the altar before the Lord and purge it also. Taking some of the bull’s and the goat’s blood, he shall put it on the horns around the altar, ¹⁹and with his finger sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Thus he shall purify it and sanctify it from the impurities of the Israelites.

²⁹This shall be an everlasting statute for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month every one of you, whether a native or a resident alien, shall humble yourselves^[h] and shall do no work. ³⁰For on this day atonement is made for you to make you clean; of all your sins you will be cleansed before the Lord. ³¹It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, on which you must humble yourselves—an everlasting statute.

³²This atonement is to be made by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to the priesthood in succession to his father. He shall wear the linen garments, the sacred vestments, ³³and purge the most sacred part of the sanctuary, as well as the tent of meeting, and the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. ³⁴This, then, shall be an everlasting statute for you: once a year atonement shall be made on behalf of the Israelites for all their sins. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him.

3. Psalm 98:1, 3-6

¹A psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done marvelous deeds.
His right hand and holy arm
have won the victory.^[b]

³He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.

⁴Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
    break into song; sing praise.
⁵Sing praise to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and melodious song.
⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    shout with joy to the King, the Lord.

4. Isaiah 53:7-12

⁷Though harshly treated, he submitted
    and did not open his mouth;
Like a lamb led to slaughter
    or a sheep silent before shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
⁸Seized and condemned, he was taken away.
    Who would have thought any more of his destiny?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
    struck for the sins of his people.
⁹He was given a grave among the wicked,
    a burial place with evildoers,
Though he had done no wrong,
    nor was deceit found in his mouth.
¹⁰But it was the Lord’s will to crush him with pain.
By making his life as a reparation offering,^[d]
    he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days,
    and the Lord’s will shall be accomplished through him.
¹¹Because of his anguish he shall see the light;
    because of his knowledge he shall be content;
My servant, the just one, shall justify the many,
    their iniquity he shall bear.
¹²Therefore I will give him his portion among the many,
    and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death,
    was counted among the transgressors,
Bore the sins of many,
    and interceded for the transgressors.

5. Isaiah 55:8-11

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord.
⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways,
    my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

^10 [d]Yet just as from the heavens
    the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
    till they have watered the earth,
    making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
    and bread to the one who eats,
¹¹So shall my word be
    that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me empty,
    but shall do what pleases me,
    achieving the end for which I sent it.

6. Luke 22:14-20

¹⁴When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. ¹⁵He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover^[e] with you before I suffer, ¹⁶for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷Then he took a cup,^[f] gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ^19 [g]Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” ²⁰And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.

7. John 1:29-34

8. John 10:1-18, 22-30

^1 [a]“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold^[b] through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. ²But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ^4 [c]When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. ⁵But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” ⁶Although Jesus used this figure of speech,^[d] they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

^7 [e]So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. ^8 [f]All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. ¹¹I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. ¹³This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep^[g] that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.^[h] This command I have received from my Father.”

¹⁹Again there was a division among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰Many of them said, “He is possessed and out of his mind; why listen to him?” ²¹Others said, “These are not the words of one possessed; surely a demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

²²The feast of the Dedication^[i] was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. ^23 [j]And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. ²⁴So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?^[k] If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered them, “I told you^[l] and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. ²⁶But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,^[m] and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. ^30 [n]The Father and I are one.”

9. John 14:6-7

10. John 15:11-17

¹¹“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. ¹²This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. ^13 [e]No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,^[f] because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. ¹⁷This I command you: love one another.

11. John 19:31-37

³¹Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, ^34 [o]but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. ³⁵An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows^[p] that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe. ³⁶For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled:

“Not a bone of it will be broken.”

³⁷And again another passage says:

“They will look upon him whom they have pierced.”

12. John 21:15-19

¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,^[i] “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”^[j] He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep. ^18 [k]Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

13. Acts 4:12

^12 [c]There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

14. Romans 5:1-11

¹Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace^[b] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. ³Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, ⁴and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. ⁶For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. ⁷Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.^[c] ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. ⁹How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. ¹⁰Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

15. Romans 8:31-39

^31 [h]What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? ³³Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. ³⁴Who will condemn? It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. ³⁵What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? ³⁶As it is written:

“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,^[i] nor future things, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth,^[j] nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

16. Romans 12:1-2

^1 [b]I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. ²Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

17. Hebrews 5:1-11

^1 [a]Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.^[b] ²He is able to deal patiently^[c] with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness ³and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. ⁴No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. ⁵In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him:

“You are my son;
this day I have begotten you”;

⁶just as he says in another place:

“You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death,^[e] and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸Son though he was,^[f] he learned obedience from what he suffered; ⁹and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

18. Hebrews 9

¹Now [even] the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. ²For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one,^[b] in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. ^3 [c]Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, ⁴in which were the gold altar of incense^[d] and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant. ^5 [e]Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. Now is not the time to speak of these in detail.

⁶With these arrangements for worship, the priests, in performing their service,^[f] go into the outer tabernacle repeatedly, ⁷but the high priest alone goes into the inner one once a year, not without blood^[g] that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people. ⁸In this way the holy Spirit shows that the way into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer tabernacle still had its place. ⁹This is a symbol of the present time,^[h] in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience ¹⁰but only in matters of food and drink and various ritual washings: regulations concerning the flesh, imposed until the time of the new order.

^11 [i]But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,^[j] passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, ¹²he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes^[k] can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit^[l] offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

^15 [m]For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. ^16 [n]Now where there is a will, the death of the testator must be established. ¹⁷For a will takes effect only at death; it has no force while the testator is alive. ¹⁸Thus not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. ^19 [o]When every commandment had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves [and goats], together with water and crimson wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, “This is ‘the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined upon you.’” ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled also the tabernacle^[p] and all the vessels of worship with blood. ^22 [q]According to the law almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

^23 [r]Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified by these rites, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. ²⁵Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; ²⁶if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages^[s] to take away sin by his sacrifice. ²⁷Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, ²⁸so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,^[t] will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

19. Hebrews 10

^1 [a]Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come,^[b] and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. ²Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? ³But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, ⁴for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. ⁵For this reason, when he came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
⁶holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in.
⁷Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”

⁸First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings,^[d] you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. ⁹Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. ¹⁰By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

^11 [e]Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹²But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; ^13 [f]now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. ¹⁴For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. ^15 [g]The holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:

¹⁶“This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord:
‘I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,’”

¹⁷he also says:

“Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.”

¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary ^20 [j]by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, ^21 [k]and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” ²²let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience^[l] and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. ²⁴We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. ²⁵We should not stay away from our assembly,^[m] as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

^26 [n]If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins ²⁷but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. ²⁸Anyone who rejects the law of Moses^[o] is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace? ³⁰We know the one who said:

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³²Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,^[p] you endured a great contest of suffering. ³³At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. ³⁴You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. ³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. ³⁶You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

20. 1 Peter 1:17-21

¹⁷Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, ¹⁸realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.^[i] ²⁰He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, ²¹who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

21. 1 John 2:29-3:6

²⁹If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.

^1 [a]See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed^[b] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

22. 1 John 3:11-18

^11 [e]For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, ¹²unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous. ¹³Do not be amazed, [then,] brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. ¹⁵Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. ¹⁶The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? ¹⁸Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

23. Revelation 5:1-8

¹I saw a scroll^[b] in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. ²Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to examine it. ⁴I shed many tears because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. ⁵One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,^[c] has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb^[d] that seemed to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are the [seven] spirits of God sent out into the whole world. ⁷He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. ⁸When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

24. Revelation 14:1-5

¹Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,^[b] and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ²I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. ³They were singing [what seemed to be] a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the earth. ⁴These are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins^[c] and these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb. ⁵On their lips no deceit^[d] has been found; they are unblemished.

25. Revelation 21:22-27

^22 [q]I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. ^23 [r]The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light,^[s] and to it the kings of the earth will bring their treasure. ²⁵During the day its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there. ²⁶The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, ²⁷but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any[one] who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Wednesday 1/4/23

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

Readings: 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9; Jn 1:35-42

Title: “We Have Found the Messiah”

Today’s two readings (1 John 3:7-10; John 1:35-42) focus upon the act of following Jesus, and how this relates to belonging to God. In today’s Gospel reading from John (John 1:35-42), we see the first disciples begin to follow Jesus, after listening to John the Baptist point Him out as “the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). And as one of these disciples, Andrew, then tells Simon Peter, “’We have found the Messiah,’ which is translated Christ” (John 1:41). And immediately (cf. Matt 4:18-22) after stating this, what does he do? “Then he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:42). And this is what we should all do, with all the people and events in our lives. The best way to handle any situation or tackle any problem, or even to express joy or gratitude (cf. Luke 17:11-19), is to bring the issue directly to God. This is what Andrew did with Peter, this is what the disciples did in preaching the gospel, and this is what Jesus did with His own followers. This, too, is what we can do with our will, our heart, and our desires: bring them directly to Jesus, and direct them to God.

For in today’s first reading from 1 John 3 (1 John 3:7-10), we hear, “The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7); and, “In this way, the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10). We can see the insistence of the author upon acting in righteousness, and how this is what makes the difference between the children of God and those of the devil. And the way we can act in righteousness is by directing our hearts to the Lord, and turning our will over to God (cf. Ps 40:7-9; cf. Matt 6:10; cf. Matt 7:21-23; cf. Matt 12:50; cf. Matt 26:39, 42, 44; cf. Heb 10:5-10).

As we read in 1 John 5: “In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith” (1 John 5:2-4). And as we read in 1 John 2: “The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived” (1 John 2:3-6).

We do not know to do as we should if directed by self-will. It is only by following the commandments of God and striving to do God’s will that we may act in righteousness. And so, when we read about belonging to God, acting in righteousness, or following Jesus, this all goes back to the one constitutive element of doing God’s will. As we read in the Lord’s Prayer: “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven” (Matt 6:10). And as we read also in Romans 8: “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will” (Rom 8:26-27).

Not only do we not act in righteousness without seeking to do God’s will and not our own, but we cannot even pray rightly without the intercession of God’s Spirit. And so, when we make a discovery in our lives as important as that of John’s disciples here in this passage from John 1 (John 1:345-42)—as they said, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41)—we must do as they did, and immediately bring all parts of our lives to this truth of Jesus. For it is by giving our will and our lives to God that He can then direct and order them for us properly, and it is only by giving our hearts and souls to God in this way (cf. Deut 6:4-9; cf. Matt 22:26-40) that any of us can then act in righteousness, bear good fruit, and dwell in peace. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

⁴Hear, O Israel!^[b] The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! ⁵Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. ⁶Take to heart these words which I command you today. ⁷Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Bind them on your arm as a sign^[c] and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

2. Psalm 40:7-9

3. Psalm 98:1, 7-9

¹A psalm.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done marvelous deeds.
His right hand and holy arm
have won the victory.^[b]

⁷Let the sea and what fills it resound,
    the world and those who dwell there.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,
    the mountains shout with them for joy,
⁹Before the Lord who comes,
    who comes to govern the earth,
To govern the world with justice
    and the peoples with fairness.

4. Matthew 4:18-22

¹⁸As 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. ¹⁹He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ^20 [i]At once they left their nets and followed him. ²¹He 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, ²²and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

5. Matthew 6:9-13

^9 [e]“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father in heaven,^[f]
    hallowed be your name,
¹⁰    your kingdom come,^[g]
    your will be done,
        on earth as in heaven.
¹¹    ^[h]Give us today our daily bread;
¹²    and forgive us our debts,^[i]
        as we forgive our debtors;
¹³    and do not subject us to the final test,^[j]
        but deliver us from the evil one.

6. Matthew 7:21-23

7. Matthew 12:46-50

8. Matthew 22:34-40

³⁴When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵and one of them [a scholar of the law]^[t] tested him by asking, ³⁶“Teacher,^[u] which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷He said to him,^[v] “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the greatest and the first commandment. ³⁹The second is like it:^[w] You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ^40 [x]The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

9. Matthew 26:36-46

^36 [u]Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,^[v] and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,^[w] and began to feel sorrow and distress. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.^[x] Remain here and keep watch with me.” ³⁹He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father,^[y] if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? ⁴¹Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.^[z] The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ^42 [aa]Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” ⁴³Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open. ⁴⁴He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again. ⁴⁵Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. ⁴⁶Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is at hand.”

10. Luke 17:11-19

¹¹As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.^[d] ¹²As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him ¹³and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”^[e] As they were going they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; ¹⁶and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

11. John 1:35-42

³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”^[z] ³⁷The two disciples^[aa] heard what he said and followed Jesus. ³⁸Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.^[ab] ⁴⁰Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. ⁴¹He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”^[ac] (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John;^[ad] you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

12. Romans 8:26-27

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. ²⁷And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.

13. Hebrews 10:1-10

14. 1 John 2:1-6

¹My children,^[a] I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. ²He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. ³The way we may be sure^[b] that we know him is to keep his commandments. ⁴Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: ⁶whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived.

15. 1 John 3:7-10

⁷Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.^[d] ¹⁰In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

16. 1 John 5:1-5

^1 [a]Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves [also] the one begotten by him. ²In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. ³For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, ⁴for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. ⁵Who [indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Thursday 1/5/23

Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

Readings: 1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5; Jn 1:43-51

Title: “The Way We Came to Know Love”

“The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

The First Epistle of John contains some very important Christian teachings about love. This love, about which the sacred author teaches us, is not any normal or human sort of love. This love is the divine, paschal, sacrificial love of God. This is a type of love characterized by action, and it is called in Greek, agapē. This love is divine, as from God (cf. 1 John 4:10, 19), shown by deeds and not necessarily emotive experience, and characterized by sacrifice. This is a uniquely Christian type of love. This type of love was practically unknown outside the context of Christianity, and this passage from Romans 5 helps explain why: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:5-8).

This unique Christian love is the sacrificial love of God demonstrated by Christ on the cross. As Jesus says in John 15: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…. This I command you: love one another” (John 15:12-17). And we read an elaboration and edification of this love in the First Epistle of John. The meaning and significance of this uniquely Christian type of love cannot be explained or emphasized enough, because it is, at heart, the foundation of the entire Faith, and the deepest and most constitutive aspect of the nature of God. For as we also read in 1 John 4—and as we perhaps might have deduced from our own human experience—“God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).

There is no greater truth than this, and no more solid foundation upon which to base one’s entire lifestyle and beliefs. This is perhaps why we also read in 1 Corinthians 3: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:10-11). We also read in 1 John 3 about what love looks like in contrast to hatred, as we certainly can learn about what something is by looking at what it is not. We see here at least two types of hatred mentioned: an active hatred demonstrated by Cain’s murder of Abel (1 John 3:11-15), and a passive or apathetic form of hatred, exemplified by simply withholding “worldly means” (1 John 3:17) from another in need, and refusing that one compassion (1 John 3:17). Hatred can be active or passive, overt or indifferent, just as we recognize sins of both commission and omission (cf. 1 John 5:16-17).

The emphasis on the seriousness of passive sins in refusing another compassion is important, because if love is so strongly emphasized as an action (cf. 1 John 2:5-6; cf. 1 John 3:18; cf. 1 John 5:2-4), it is indeed inaction, or a sin of omission or “what we have failed to do,” that we must strive to guard most against, as an antithesis of God’s love. And this type of sin can also be far more insidious than active sins, because it is much easier to ignore, justify, or continue in sins of omission than sins of commission. Simply because we do not harbor the murderous hatred of Cain does not mean we know God’s love (cf. Matt 7:21-23; cf. Matt 12:48-50; cf. 1 John 1:5-2:6; cf. 1 John 3:4-10). For this love is an action, which seeks its origin in God’s own love (1 John 4:10, 19), and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (cf. John 15:12-13; cf. 1 John 3:16-18). And so, let us not miss either the origin or implications of our Christian Faith, and let us know what God’s love is, and how to actively live it in our own lives. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 100

¹A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
²    serve the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful song.
^3 [b]Know that the Lord is God,
    he made us, we belong to him,
    we are his people, the flock he shepherds.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;
⁵    good indeed is the Lord,
His mercy endures forever,
    his faithfulness lasts through every generation.

2. Matthew 7:21-23

3. Matthew 12:46-50

4. John 1:43-51

⁴³The next day he^[ae] decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite.^[af] There is no duplicity in him.” ^48 [ag]Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” ⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God;^[ah] you are the King of Israel.” ⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?^[ai] You will see greater things than this.” ⁵¹And he said to him, “Amen, amen,^[aj] I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

5. John 15:11-17

6. Romans 5:1-11

7. 1 Corinthians 3:10-17

^10 [f]According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, ¹¹for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. ¹²If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ¹³the work of each will come to light, for the Day^[g] will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. ¹⁴If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. ¹⁵But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved,^[h] but only as through fire. ¹⁶Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

8. 1 John 1:5-10

⁵Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light,^[b] and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves,^[c] and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. ¹⁰If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

9. 1 John 2:1-6

10. 1 John 3:4-24

⁴Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.^[c] ⁵You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. ⁷Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.^[d] ¹⁰In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

¹⁹[Now] this is how we shall know that we^[g] belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him ²⁰in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. ²¹Beloved, if [our] hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God ²²and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. ²⁴Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.

11. 1 John 4:7-21

^7 [c]Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. ⁸Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. ¹⁰In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

^13 [d]This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. ¹⁵Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. ¹⁶We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. ¹⁷In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God^[e] whom he has not seen. ²¹This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

12. 1 John 5:1-5, 13-17

¹³I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. ¹⁷All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.

Friday 1/6/23

Readings: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20; Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-38

Title: “The Spirit of Truth”

“And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13).

The emphasis on testimony, trial, and verdict is great in Johannine literature. In fact, the entire Gospel of John is set up as if recording the events in a trial. And the verdict is directly presented to us as a verdict, as well: “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 3:19-21). This adds dimensionality, texture, and depth to this sacred text, as we read it both as a trial, and in the context of Hebrew law.

The first Epistle of John also shares some important commonalities with John’s Gospel, and as we can see especially in this passage from 1 John 5 (1 John 5:5-13), one of these commonalities is an emphasis on testimony. Here we are given three sources of testimony: “So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater” (1 John 5:7-9). Surely, we can see the Spirit as the gift of the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

The water and the Blood we can see as references to baptism and the Eucharist. Also related to this pairing of the water and Blood is the water and blood that came from Christ’s side on the cross: “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe” (John 19:33-35). This could also refer to what John the Baptist said: “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” (Matt 3:11-12; cf. John 1:24-34). Christ was the perfection and fulfillment of all that preceded Him, offering the fullness of baptism (cf. Acts 19:1-7), of which John the Baptist offered only a part.

There is a great emphasis on truth here as well, as we hear, “The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6; cf. John 4:23-24; cf. John 7:37-39). In John’s Gospel, too, we hear the Spirit of holiness also referred to as the Spirit of truth: “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you” (John 14:25-26); and, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27). We also hear: “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16:13).

And Jesus, too, is referred to as the truth: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him’” (John 14:6-7). Indeed, we also hear, “Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, ‘If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). This freedom is none other than eternal life through the Son, and the freedom of grace, by which we have eternal life and avoid sin. This truth, given such preeminence in Johannine literature, runs right into the eternal life described as originating in belief in Jesus as the Son of God.

Truth, belief, eternal life, and the Person of Jesus Christ are all deeply connected and intertwined, as belief by grace and faith is our access to Jesus, who is truth, and who is also heaven (cf. Rev 21:22-27) and eternal life. As we read in 1 John 5: “I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). This is similar to what we have heard in John’s Gospel, as well: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3); and, “But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

And one more thing may be worth noting about this passage from 1 John 5, which is one verse known as the Johannine Comma, not occurring in most manuscripts and so not appearing in many translations. This verse reads: “And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one” (1 John 5:7 DRA). The Johannine Comma appears right before the verse, “And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one” (1 John 5:8 DRA). This shows us a connection between these Johannine themes of truth, belief, testimony, eternal life through Jesus, and “the Spirit, and the water, and the blood” (1 John 5:8), and the Holy Trinity, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. However far down the line of ages this connection may have appeared, it does still show a relationship between the testimony of truth and the Holy Trinity in heaven, and this relationship between life on earth and the Holy Trinity in heaven is one that we must foster and maintain in our own lives and understandings, whether it appears in certain Bible passages or not. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20

¹²Glorify the Lord, Jerusalem;
    Zion, offer praise to your God,
¹³For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
    blessed your children within you.
¹⁴He brings peace to your borders,
    and satisfies you with finest wheat.
^15 [d]He sends his command to earth;
    his word runs swiftly!
¹⁹He proclaims his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and laws to Israel.
²⁰He has not done this for any other nation;
    of such laws they know nothing.
Hallelujah!

2. Matthew 3:7-12

3. Mark 1:7-11

⁷And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. ^8 [e]I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit.”

⁹It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.^[f] ¹¹And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

4. Luke 3:23-38

²³When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,^[m] ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

5. John 1:24-34

²⁴Some Pharisees^[r] were also sent. ²⁵They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water;^[s] but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, ²⁷the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,^[t] where John was baptizing.

6. John 3:16-21

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave^[g] his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn^[h] the world, but that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Whoever 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 Son of God. ^19 [i]And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

7. John 4:21-26

²¹Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;^[i] and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. ²⁴God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” ^25 [j]The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he,^[k] the one who is speaking with you.”

8. John 7:37-39

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:

‘Rivers of living water^[n] will flow from within him.’”

³⁹He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet,^[o] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

9. John 8:31-32

³¹Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him,^[p] “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

10. John 14:6-7, 25-31

²⁵“I have told you this while I am with you. ²⁶The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you. ²⁷Peace^[l] I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. ^28 [m]You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. ³⁰I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world^[n] is coming. He has no power over me, ³¹but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go.

11. John 15:26-27

²⁶“When the Advocate comes whom I will send^[l] you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. ²⁷And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

12. John 16:12-15

¹²“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. ^13 [e]But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

13. John 17:1-5

¹When Jesus had said this, he raised his eyes to heaven^[b] and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, ^2 [c]just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him. ^3 [d]Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. ⁴I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

14. John 19:31-35

15. John 20:30-31

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

16. Acts 2:1-4

^1 [a]When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. ²And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind,^[b] and it filled the entire house in which they were. ³Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,^[c] which parted and came to rest on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues,^[d] as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

17. Acts 19:1-7

^1 [a]While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came [down] to Ephesus where he found some disciples. ²He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.” ³He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” ⁴Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶And when Paul laid [his] hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷Altogether there were about twelve men.

18. 1 John 5:5-13

⁵Who [indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶This is the one who came through water and blood,^[b] Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. ⁷So there are three that testify, ⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. ⁹If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. ¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.

¹³I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

19. 1 John 5:6-8

⁶This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which testifieth, that Christ is the truth.

⁷And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.

⁸And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one.

20. Revelation 21:22-27

Saturday 1/7/23

Readings: 1 John 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6a, 9b; Jn 2:1-11

Title: “The One Who Is True”

This passage from 1 John 5 (1 John 5:14-21) has quite a bit to unpack, so we can go through it line by line. As it begins, we hear, “Beloved: We have this confidence in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours” (1 John 5:14-15). This first section highlights two main ideas: one is that we must ask according to God’s will (cf. Matt 6:10; cf. Matt 7:21-23; cf. Matt 12:49-50; cf. Rom 8:26-27; cf. 1 John 2:17), and the second is that when we ask according to God’s will, we receive what we pray for (cf. Matt 7:7-11; cf. Luke 11:9-13; cf. James 1:2-8). This emphasizes the importance of faith in prayer (cf. Luke 18:1-8; cf. James 1:6-8), for we are encouraged to know that what we pray for is “ours” (1 John 5:15).

The fact, however, that we must ask “according to his will” (1 John 5:13; cf. Matt 6:10; cf. Matt 7:21-23; cf. Matt 12:49-50; cf. Rom 8:26-27; cf. 1 John 2:17), cannot be emphasized enough, for this should be the most important, consistent, and imperative feature of any of our prayers: that they are always that God’s will be done (cf. Matt 6:10). If this is not the main aspect of our prayers—that we be shown and helped to know and to do God’s will—then we must continue working on our prayer lives until this becomes our prayers’ defining feature.

As this passage continues, “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly” (1 John 5:16-17). We are given a set-up of praying according to God’s will and having confidence that what we ask for is ours (1 John 5:14-15), and then led into this passage about praying for each other, specifically if someone is sinning, so that they may receive life (1 John 5:16-17). This tell s us that one of the main things we should pray for is that we all be delivered and freed form sin, especially those engaged in a sin that is not deadly. Presumably, someone engaged in a sin that is deadly is acting openly as an adversary of the Church and of God’s will.

As this passage goes on, “We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him” (1 John 5:18; cf. 1 John 3:4-10). The main thing we desire is the freedom of God’s grace, to dwell in divine union in the presence of God, and to be free from sin (cf. Rom 6). The sacred author here tells us that God protects us and will help deliver us into this grace. Any time one chooses to sin, one necessarily—either directly or indirectly—also chooses to reject God (cf. 1 Sam 8:6-9; cf. John 1:11-13). God cannot and will not sin (cf. Heb 4:15-16), and so when humankind chooses to sin, we do so outside the will and presence of God. We can then, of course, return to God through repentance and contrition after the fact, but God’s presence does not participate in human acts of sin (cf. Wis 1:5, 11). It is in this way that, “no one begotten by God sins” (1 John 5:18; cf. 1 John 3:4-10).

As the sacred author continues, “We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One” (1 John 5:19). This alludes to John’s Gospel, as we know that we are chosen out of the world to be protected by God in the world because we hear His word and His presence remains in us (John 17:6-19; cf. John 15:18-25). As the sacred author goes on, “We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true” (1 John 5:20; cf. Matt 19:16-17; cf. John 8:31-32; cf. John 14:6-7, 15-17; cf. 1 John 5:6). This also calls to mind this passage from John 16: “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming” (John 16:13; cf. John 14:25-26; cf. John 15:26-27). This discernment (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. Heb 5:11-14) is a gift, but to be useful, it must be practiced, sharpened, and honed.

As the sacred author continues, “And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20; cf. Matt 19:16-17; cf. John 8:31-32; cf. John 14:6-7, 15-17; cf. 1 John 5:6). This calls to mind this passage from John 17, about the mutual indwelling: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me…. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them” (John 17:20-26). God, the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—“is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

And as the sacred author concludes, “Children, be on your guard against idols” (1 John 5:21). This is a warning against the world and sin more generally, as many forms of sin and worldliness (cf. John 14:30-31; cf. James 4:4; cf. 1 John 2:15-17) fall into the category of idol worship. In conclusion, this reminds us to place nothing before God (cf. Exo 20:1-6), to offer God our hearts directly (cf. Deut 6:4-9; cf. Matt 22:36-40), and this also brings us back to the beginning of this passage, where it is assumed that when we pray, we do so according to God’s will (1 John 5:14). For it is by placing God’s will first that we place God first, and “guard against idols” (1 John 5:21). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Exodus 20:1-6

¹Then God spoke all these words:

²I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ³You shall not have other gods beside me.^[b] ⁴You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything^[c] in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; ⁵you shall not bow down before them or serve them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation^[d]; ⁶but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

2. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

3. 1 Samuel 8:6-9

⁶Samuel was displeased when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” But he prayed to the Lord. ⁷The Lord said: Listen to whatever the people say. You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king. ⁸They are acting toward you just as they have acted from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this very day, deserting me to serve other gods. ⁹Now listen to them; but at the same time, give them a solemn warning and inform them of the rights of the king who will rule them.

4. Psalm 149:1-6, 9

¹Hallelujah!

Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
²Let Israel be glad in its maker,
    the people of Zion rejoice in their king.
³Let them praise his name in dance,
    make music with tambourine and lyre.^[b]
⁴For the Lord takes delight in his people,
    honors the poor with victory.
⁵Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
    cry out for joy on their couches,^[c]
⁶With the praise of God in their mouths,
    and a two-edged sword in their hands,
⁹To execute the judgments decreed for them—
    such is the glory^[d] of all God’s faithful.
Hallelujah!

5. Wisdom 1:1-11

¹Love righteousness,^[b] you who judge the earth;
    think of the Lord in goodness,
    and seek him in integrity of heart;
²Because he is found by those who do not test him,
    and manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him.
³For perverse counsels separate people from God,
    and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy;
^4 [c]Because into a soul that plots evil wisdom does not enter,
    nor does she dwell in a body under debt of sin.
⁵For the holy spirit of discipline^[d] flees deceit
    and withdraws from senseless counsels
    and is rebuked when unrighteousness occurs.

⁶For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
    yet she does not acquit blasphemous lips;
Because God is the witness of the inmost self
    and the sure observer of the heart
    and the listener to the tongue.
⁷For the spirit of the Lord fills the world,
    is all-embracing, and knows whatever is said.
⁸Therefore those who utter wicked things will not go unnoticed,
    nor will chastising condemnation pass them by.
⁹For the devices of the wicked shall be scrutinized,
    and the sound of their words shall reach the Lord,
    for the chastisement of their transgressions;
¹⁰Because a jealous ear hearkens to everything,
    and discordant grumblings are not secret.
¹¹Therefore guard against profitless grumbling,
    and from calumny^[e] withhold your tongues;
For a stealthy utterance will not go unpunished,
    and a lying mouth destroys the soul.

6. Matthew 6:9-13

^9 [e]“This is how you are to pray:

7. Matthew 7:7-11

⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread,^[e] ¹⁰or a snake when he asks for a fish? ¹¹If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

8. Matthew 12:46-50

9. Matthew 19:16-17

¹⁶Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”^[l] ¹⁷He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.^[m] If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

10. Matthew 22:34-40

11. Luke 11:9-13

⁹“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? ¹²Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? ¹³If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit^[e] to those who ask him?”

12. Luke 19:1-8

^1 [a]Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, ²“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. ³And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ ⁴For 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, ^5 [b]because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” ⁶The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. ⁷Will 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? ⁸I 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?”

13. John 1:10-13

¹⁰He was in the world,
    and the world came to be through him,
    but the world did not know him.
¹¹He came to what was his own,
    but his own people^[g] did not accept him.

¹²But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, ^13 [h]who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

14. John 2:1-11

^1 [a]On the third day there was a wedding^[b] in Cana^[c] in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. ³When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ^4 [d][And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” ^6 [e]Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. ⁸Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”^[f] So they took it. ⁹And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs^[g] in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

15. John 8:31-32

³¹Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him,^[p] “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

16. John 14:6-7, 15-17, 25-31

¹⁵“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate^[h] to be with you always, ¹⁷the Spirit of truth,^[i] which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

17. John 15:18-27

¹⁸“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word I spoke to you,^[h] ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,^[i] because they do not know the one who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken^[j] to them, they would have no sin; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin. ²³Whoever hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But in order that the word written in their law^[k] might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’

18. John 16:12-15

19. John 17:6-26

⁶“I revealed your name^[e] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, ⁸because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, ¹⁰and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are. ¹²When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. ¹⁴I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. ^15 [f]I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. ¹⁷Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. ¹⁹And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

²⁰“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. ²²And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am^[g] they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. ²⁶I made known to them your name and I will make it known,^[h] that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

20. Romans 6

21. Romans 8:26-27

22. Romans 12:1-2

23. Hebrews 4:14-16

^14 [a]Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. ¹⁶So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

24. Hebrews 5:11-14

^11 [g]About this we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, for you have become sluggish in hearing. ¹²Although you should be teachers by this time, you need to have someone teach you again the basic elements of the utterances of God. You need milk, [and] not solid food. ¹³Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a child. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties are trained by practice to discern good and evil.

25. James 1:2-8

²Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,^[b] ³for you know that the testing^[c] of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom,^[d] he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. ⁶But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. ⁷For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.

26. James 4:1-5

¹Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions^[b] that make war within your members? ²You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. ³You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴Adulterers!^[c] Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy”?

27. 1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things of the world.^[g] If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, sensual lust,^[h] enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

28. 1 John 3:4-10

29. 1 John 5:6, 14-21

⁶This is the one who came through water and blood,^[b] Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.

¹⁴And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. ¹⁷All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.

¹⁸We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. ¹⁹We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. ²⁰We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ²¹Children, be on your guard against idols.

Sunday 1/8/23

The Epiphany of the Lord

Readings: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Title: “The Stewardship of God’s Grace”

As we read in this passage from St. Paul in Ephesians 3, “Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6).

The mystery of God’s salvation was uniquely revealed to St. Paul, and more broadly speaking, it was uniquely revealed through Jesus as the very message of the gospel itself. We can hear a similar message about the uniqueness of God’s revelation in Christ in Hebrews 1: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word” (Heb 1:1-3).

Indeed, the importance and impact of this life-changing event of the Incarnation on the course of human history is monumental, and so perhaps we may ponder over the context and effects of this mystery, while meditating over today’s Bible readings (Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12). As today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, this is a fitting time to ponder over the uniqueness of God’s revelation in Christ. For this Solemnity commemorates the visit of the magi to worship the baby Jesus, and the word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, which means to “make known.” More generally, the Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the world. In times before Christ, the promise of His coming was made known through the prophets, and told notably to Moses (Deut 18:15-20) and David (2 Sam 7:8-29), among others.

But one thing about prophecy is that it is never understood perfectly in the fullness of God’s meaning until the time of its fruition (cf. Isa 55:10-11) comes to pass (cf. 1 Cor 13:9-10). Though the Christ was foretold for ages before the coming of Jesus, what this coming would look like specifically remained unknown. Indeed, many Israelites expected a powerful military leader as the Messiah, to usher in an earthly kingdom. However, Christ came as God in the flesh, and the Son of God, overturning many people’s expectations (cf. John 18:36-37). However, if one is to follow prophecy fruitfully, one does so with an open mind, as did the magi, who followed the star and landed upon the baby Jesus. Joseph, too, was known to follow God’s messages in his dreams to fruitful effect in his own life (Matt 1:18-25; Matt 2:13-23).

These wise men from the east followed prophecy, a star, and a dream in their journey to worship the newborn King, even when these divine sources directly contradicted the order of King Herod (Matt 2:1-12). In disobeying King Herod, they risked their lives, but as we know from St. Peter in Acts, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (cf. Acts 4:19-20); and, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In coming to know God’s revealed truth, we must listen to God and the teachings of the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:25-26; cf. John 16:12-15), over and above the word of man, and we must focus upon Christ as our aim and goal (cf. Phil 3:13-14; cf. Heb 12:1-4), over and above ourselves and our worldly lives (cf. Matt 10:37-39; cf. Matt 16:24-28).

For our souls are worth far more than our temporal lives (cf. Matt 10:26-33), and obedience to God is the source of all humble piety in our hearts. As we reflect upon God’s revelation in Jesus—who as a Person and God is the fullness of all revelation and the summit of God’s plan for humankind—do we act in wisdom as the magi, listening (cf. 1 Sam 3; cf. 1 Kings 3:9-12; cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18) to the message of God in Scripture, Church teaching, and our hearts? For right worship is an art we all must strive to master, no matter how long we have been practicing, and in contemplating the immensity of God’s revelation in Jesus, we find a divine mystery that never loses its ineffable gravity, magnitude, strength, eloquence (cf. Heb 12:24), or wonder, as we approach our God in reverence and awe (cf. Heb 12:18-29). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Deuteronomy 18:15-20

¹⁵A prophet like me^[c] will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; that is the one to whom you shall listen. ¹⁶This is exactly what you requested of the Lord, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let me not again hear the voice of the Lord, my God, nor see this great fire any more, or I will die.” ¹⁷And the Lord said to me, What they have said is good. ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command. ¹⁹Anyone who will not listen to my words which the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will hold accountable for it. ²⁰But if a prophet presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

2. 1 Samuel 3

3. 2 Samuel 7

¹After the king had taken up residence in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side, ²the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent!” ³Nathan answered the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the Lord is with you.” ⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: Is it you who would build me a house to dwell in? ⁶I have never dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up from Egypt to this day, but I have been going about in a tent or a tabernacle. ⁷As long as I have wandered about among the Israelites, did I ever say a word to any of the judges whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁸Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts:^[a] I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel. ⁹I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth. ¹⁰I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹and from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you: ¹²when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He it is^[b] who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments; ¹⁵but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from Saul who was before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever.^[c] ¹⁷In accordance with all these words and this whole vision Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat in the Lord’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far? ¹⁹And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord God! For you have made a promise regarding your servant’s house reaching into the future, and giving guidance to the people, Lord God! ²⁰What more can David say to you? You know^[d] your servant, Lord God! ²¹For your servant’s sake and as you have had at heart, you have brought about this whole magnificent disclosure to your servant. ²²Therefore, great are you, Lord God! There is no one like you, no God but you, as we have always heard. ²³What other nation on earth is there like your people Israel? What god has ever led a nation, redeeming it as his people and making a name by great and awesome deeds, as you drove out the nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt? ²⁴You have established for yourself your people Israel as your people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. ²⁵Now, Lord God, confirm the promise that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house forever. Bring about what you have promised ²⁶so that your name may be forever great. People will say: ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ when the house of your servant David is established in your presence. ²⁷Because you, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house,’ your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer before you. ²⁸Since you, Lord God, are truly God and your words are truth and you have made this generous promise to your servant, ²⁹do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord God, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever.”

4. 1 Kings 8:4-15

5. 1 Kings 19:9-18

6. Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

¹Of Solomon.

²O God, give your judgment to the king;
your justice to the king’s son;^[b]
That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment,

⁷That abundance may flourish in his days,
great bounty, till the moon be no more.

^8 [c]May he rule from sea to sea,
    from the river to the ends of the earth.
¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish and the islands^[d] bring tribute,
    the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
¹¹May all kings bow before him,
    all nations serve him.
¹²For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
    the oppressed who have no one to help.
¹³He shows pity to the needy and the poor
    and saves the lives of the poor.

7. Isaiah 55:10-11

8. Isaiah 60:1-6

^1 [a]Arise! Shine, for your light has come,
    the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
²Though darkness covers the earth,
    and thick clouds, the peoples,
Upon you the Lord will dawn,
    and over you his glory will be seen.
³Nations shall walk by your light,
    kings by the radiance of your dawning.

⁴Raise your eyes and look about;
    they all gather and come to you—
Your sons from afar,
    your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
⁵Then you shall see and be radiant,
    your heart shall throb and overflow.
For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you,
    the wealth of nations shall come to you.
⁶Caravans of camels shall cover you,
    dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All from Sheba shall come
    bearing gold and frankincense,
    and heralding the praises of the Lord.

9. Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,^[g] but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,^[h] yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. ²⁰Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord^[i] 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. ²¹She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,^[j] because he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

^23 [k]“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means “God is with us.” ²⁴When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. ²⁵He had no relations with her until she bore a son,^[l] and he named him Jesus.

10. Matthew 2

¹When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod,^[b] behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star^[c] at its rising and have come to do him homage.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.^[d] ⁵They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:

⁶‘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.’”

⁷Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. ⁸He 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.” ⁹After 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. ¹⁰They were overjoyed at seeing the star, ^11 [e]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. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

^13 [f]When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,^[g] and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” ¹⁴Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. ^15 [h]He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

^18 [i]“A voice was heard in Ramah,
    sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
    and she would not be consoled,
    since they were no more.”

¹⁹When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”^[j] ²¹He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod,^[k] he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. ^23 [l]He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

11. Matthew 10:26-33, 37-39

²⁶“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.^[m] ²⁷What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. ³⁰Even all the hairs of your head are counted. ³¹So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ^32 [n]Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. ³³But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

12. Matthew 16:24-28

13. John 14:25-31

14. John 16:12-15

15. John 18:36-37

³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” ³⁷So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king.^[p] For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

16. Acts 4:18-22

¹⁸So they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. ²⁰It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹After threatening them further, they released them, finding no way to punish them, on account of the people who were all praising God for what had happened. ²²For the man on whom this sign of healing had been done was over forty years old.

17. Acts 5:27-32

²⁷When they had brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, ²⁸“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.” ²⁹But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men. ^30 [d]The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand^[e] as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. ³²We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”

18. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

^8 [d]Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. ⁹For we know partially and we prophesy partially, ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. ¹²At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. ^13 [e]So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

19. Ephesians 3:1-6

¹Because of this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ^[b] [Jesus] for you Gentiles— ²if, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship^[c] of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, ³[namely, that] the mystery^[d] was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. ⁴When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, ⁶that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

20. Philippians 3:12-16

¹²It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity,^[i] but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]. ¹³Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let us, then, who are “perfectly mature” adopt this attitude. And if you have a different attitude, this too God will reveal to you. ¹⁶Only, with regard to what we have attained, continue on the same course.

21. Hebrews 1

¹In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; ²in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,

³who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
⁴as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say:

“You are my son; this day I have begotten you”?

Or again:

“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”?

⁶And again, when he leads^[c] the first-born into the world, he says:

“Let all the angels of God worship him.”

⁷Of the angels he says:

“He makes his angels winds
and his ministers a fiery flame”;

⁸but of the Son:

“Your throne, O God,^[d] stands forever and ever;
    and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹You loved justice and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, anointed you
    with the oil of gladness above your companions”;

¹⁰and:

“At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth,
    and the heavens are the works of your hands.
¹¹They will perish, but you remain;
    and they will all grow old like a garment.
¹²You will roll them up like a cloak,
    and like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

¹³But to which of the angels has he ever said:

“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool”?

¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

22. Hebrews 12:1-4, 18-29

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us^[b] and persevere in running the race that lies before us ²while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. ³Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. ⁴In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

^18 [d]You have not approached that which could be touched^[e] and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm ¹⁹and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them, ²⁰for they could not bear to hear the command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹Indeed, so fearful was the spectacle that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” ²²No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, ²³and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,^[f] and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, ²⁴and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently^[g] than that of Abel.

²⁵See that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much more in our case if we turn away from the one who warns from heaven. ²⁶His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only earth but heaven.” ²⁷That phrase, “once more,” points to [the] removal of shaken, created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore, we who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should have gratitude, with which we should offer worship pleasing to God in reverence and awe. ²⁹For our God is a consuming fire.

Monday 1/9/23

The Baptism of the Lord

Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Acts 10:34-38; Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10; Mt 3:13-17

Title: “To Fulfill All Righteousness”

The Baptism of the Lord by John the Baptist may seem a strange and unnecessary thing. Indeed, it seemed as such to John the Baptist as well, who exclaimed, “John tried to prevent him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?’” (Matt 3:14). But Jesus replied, “Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’” (Matt 3:15). And there are several important reasons for the Baptism of Jesus, entailed by this fulfillment of “all righteousness” (Matt 3:15).

First, we can find this explanation from Jesus in John 13, where He says, “You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it” (John 3:13-17). Everything Jesus did during His earthly ministry was something that everyone else would do welly to copy (cf. 1 Cor 4:16; cf. 1 Cor 11:1; cf. Eph 5:1-5; cf. Phil 3:17-21). Jesus did not sin (Heb 4:15), and Jesus fulfilled “all righteousness” (Matt 3:15), not only for His own sake, bur for ours, such that in addition to His gift of grace, we would have in Him a Shepherd (John 10:1-18) and model (John 13:14) to follow and imitate.

Next, there is a sense of symmetry and congruence in Jesus’ Baptism. For before the crucifixion, there was the Incarnation; before a body rises, it must first fall; and before a grain of wheat will grow, it must first die (cf. 1 Cor 15:36-44). Likewise, before Christ baptizes, He first is baptized, with the baptism of John. The baptism of John the Baptist was not with grace, or “the holy Spirit and fire” (Matt 3:11), but only with water (John 1:25-34), for repentance (Matt 3:4-12). But this was a necessary first step to prepare the hearts (cf. Sir 48:10; cf. Mal 3:23-24; cf. Luke 1:16-17, 76-79) of the faithful for the coming Lord, with repentance. All the righteous would participate in the baptism of John (cf. Luke 7:29-30), and so Jesus, too, though God in the flesh, would participate as well, to “fulfill all righteousness’ (Matt 3:15).

And we can read about the difference between Jesus’ baptism and John’s in Acts 19: “While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came [down] to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They answered him, ‘We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.’ He said, ‘How were you baptized?’ They replied, ‘With the baptism of John.’ Paul then said, ‘John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid [his] hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:1-6).

The baptism by Jesus, however, delivered to us grace and the Holy Spirit. As we read in John 7: “Jesus stood up and exclaimed, ‘Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: “Rivers of living water will flow from within him.”’ He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:37-39). It is this submersion of Jesus in the baptism of John that symbolizes that Jesus is the source of this cleansing water of God’s grace, as He is submerged into humanity’s death to be reborn in God.

For as we know from Romans 6: “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:3-11).

In John 1, it is John who sees the Spirit like a dove descend upon Jesus (John 1:31-34), while in Matthew 3, Jesus Himself has this vision (Matt 3:16-17). But in both Gospels, this fact remains, that “the heavens were opened for him” (Matt 3:16), and as Jesus says in John 1, “And he said to him, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’” (John 1:51). Jesus is born as man, so that we may be reborn in God; and Jesus is baptized as man, so that we may be baptized in God.

The congruence between baptism and the symbolism of death and life in the cross and resurrection (cf. Rom 6) is at the very heart of what baptism means in the Christian community, as it is the source of all grace and our new life in Christ (cf. John 3:3-8; cf. Rom 6; cf. 2 Cor 5:16-21; cf. Gal 2:19-21; cf. Col 3:1-4). And so, we can understand through this symbolism and the events of Christ’s life why it is fitting for Christ to also be baptized by John the Baptist, for as Jesus says, “for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15). And as we also know from 2 Corinthians 5: “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10

¹A psalm of David.

Give to the Lord, you sons of God,^[b]
give to the Lord glory and might;
²Give to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bow down before the Lord’s holy splendor!

³The voice of the Lord^[c] is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over the mighty waters.
⁴The voice of the Lord is power;
    the voice of the Lord is splendor.

^9 [e]The voice of the Lord makes the deer dance
and strips the forests bare.
All in his Temple say, “Glory!”

¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned above the flood!^[f]
The Lord reigns as king forever!

2. Sirach 48:1-11

¹Until like fire a prophet appeared,
    his words a flaming furnace.
²The staff of life, their bread, he shattered,
    and in his zeal he made them few in number.
³By God’s word he shut up the heavens
    and three times brought down fire.
⁴How awesome are you, Elijah!
    Whose glory is equal to yours?
⁵You brought a dead body back to life
    from Sheol, by the will of the Lord.
⁶You sent kings down to destruction,
    and nobles, from their beds of sickness.
⁷You heard threats at Sinai,
    at Horeb avenging judgments.
⁸You anointed the agent of these punishments,
    the prophet to succeed in your place.
⁹You were taken aloft in a whirlwind,
    in a chariot with fiery horses.
¹⁰You are destined, it is written, in time to come
    to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord,
To turn back the hearts of parents toward their children,
    and to re-establish the tribes of Israel.
¹¹Blessed is the one who shall have seen you before he dies!

3. Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

¹Here is my servant^[a] whom I uphold,
    my chosen one with whom I am pleased.
Upon him I have put my spirit;
    he shall bring forth justice to the nations.
²He will not cry out, nor shout,
    nor make his voice heard in the street.
³A bruised reed^[b] he will not break,
    and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.
    He will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴He will not grow dim or be bruised
    until he establishes justice on the earth;
    the coastlands^[c] will wait for his teaching.

⁶I, the Lord, have called you for justice,
    I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
    as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
⁷To open the eyes of the blind,
    to bring out prisoners from confinement,
    and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

4. Malachi 3:1-5, 22-24

¹Now I am sending my messenger—
    he will prepare the way before me;^[a]
And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple;
The messenger of the covenant whom you desire—
    see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts.
²But who can endure the day of his coming?
    Who can stand firm when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire,
    like fullers’ lye.
³He will sit refining and purifying silver,
    and he will purify the Levites,
Refining them like gold or silver,
    that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
    will please the Lord,
    as in ancient days, as in years gone by.
⁵I will draw near to you for judgment,
    and I will be swift to bear witness
Against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers,
    those who deprive a laborer of wages,
Oppress a widow or an orphan,
    or turn aside a resident alien,
    without fearing me, says the Lord of hosts.

²²Remember the law of Moses my servant,
    whom I charged at Horeb
With statutes and ordinances
    for all Israel.
²³Now I am sending to you
    Elijah^[g] the prophet,
Before the day of the Lord comes,
    the great and terrible day;
²⁴He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,
    and the heart of sons to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
    the land with utter destruction.

5. Matthew 3:4-17

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. ^14 [k]John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” ¹⁵Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. ^16 [l]After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. ¹⁷And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son,^[m] with whom I am well pleased.”

6. Luke 1:13-17, 67-79

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid,^[e] Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of [the] Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.^[f] He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, ¹⁶and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah^[g] to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”

⁶⁷Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

^68 [s]“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
^69 [t]He has raised up a horn for our salvation
    within the house of David his servant,
⁷⁰even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
⁷¹    salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷²to show mercy to our fathers
    and to be mindful of his holy covenant
⁷³and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
    and to grant us that, ⁷⁴rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness
    before him all our days.
⁷⁶And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord^[u] to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷to give his people knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God
    by which the daybreak from on high^[v] will visit us
⁷⁹to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
    to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

7. Luke 7:24-30

^24 [h]When the messengers of John had left, 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? ²⁵Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine garments? Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously are found in royal palaces. ²⁶Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷This is the one about whom scripture says:

‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
he will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹(All the people who listened, including the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowledged the righteousness of God; ³⁰but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves.)

8. John 1:19-34, 49-51

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’

⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God;^[ah] you are the King of Israel.” ⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?^[ai] You will see greater things than this.” ⁵¹And he said to him, “Amen, amen,^[aj] I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

9. John 3:3-8

³Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born^[c] from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind^[d] blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

10. John 7:37-39

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:

‘Rivers of living water^[n] will flow from within him.’”

³⁹He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet,^[o] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

11. John 10:1-18

12. John 13:12-20

¹²So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? ¹³You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. ¹⁴If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. ¹⁶Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger^[g] greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. ¹⁸I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.’ ¹⁹From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. ²⁰Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

13. Acts 10:34-38

³⁴Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,^[m] “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. ³⁵Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. ^36 [n]You know the word [that] he sent to the Israelites^[o] as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, ³⁷what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth^[p] with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses^[q] of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and [in] Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.

14. Acts 19:1-7

15. Romans 6

16. 1 Corinthians 4:114-17

¹⁴I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.^[e] ¹⁵Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶Therefore, I urge you, be imitators of me. ¹⁷For this reason I am sending you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord; he will remind you of my ways in Christ [Jesus], just as I teach them everywhere in every church.

17. 1 Corinthians 11:1

¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

18. 1 Corinthians 15:36-44

^36 [r]You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. ³⁷And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind; ³⁸but God gives it a body as he chooses, and to each of the seeds its own body. ^39 [s]Not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for human beings, another kind of flesh for animals, another kind of flesh for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another. ⁴¹The brightness of the sun is one kind, the brightness of the moon another, and the brightness of the stars another. For star differs from star in brightness.

^42 [t]So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. ⁴³It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. ⁴⁴It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

19. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

¹⁶Consequently,^[k] from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. ¹⁷So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. ^18 [l]And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ^21 [m]For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

20. Galatians 2:19-21

21. Ephesians 5:1-5

21. Philippians 3:17-21

¹⁷Join with others in being imitators of me,^[l] brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. ¹⁸For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship^[m] is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

23. Colossians 3:1-4

24. Hebrews 4:14-16

Tuesday 1/10/23

Readings: Heb 2:5-12; Ps 8:2ab, 5, 6-7, 8-9; Mk 1:21-28

Title: “Perfect Through Suffering”

“In ‘subjecting’ all things to him, he left nothing not ‘subject to him.’ Yet at present we do not see ‘all things subject to him,’ but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who ‘for a little while’ was made ‘lower than the angels,’ that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin” (Heb 2:8-11).

As we read in this passage from Hebrews 2 (Heb 2:5-12), God subjected all things to Jesus. As this passage begins, it explains how God made man “for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet” (Heb 2:7; cf. Ps 8:5-7). It was not any of the angels whom God ever called His Son—“For to which of the angels did God ever say: ‘You are my son; this day I have begotten you’? Or again: ‘I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me’?” (Heb 1:5)—and so, we can see how Jesus, the Son of God, though man, is deemed higher than the angels, and mankind, through participation in God through Christ’s Incarnation, shares in that elevation and glory as well, as adoptive sons and daughters and coheirs with Christ (cf. Rom 8:14-17; cf. Gal 4:1-7).

This subjection of all things to Christ is clarified to include even the heavenly beings of angels, such that we should not worship angels before the Son of God, but there are further details we must note about this subjection to Christ of all things, as well. We can read about this theme also in 1 Corinthians 15, where we hear, “For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for ‘he subjected everything under his feet.’ But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him. When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all” (1 Cor 15:22-28; cf. Ps 8:5-7).

And also in Ephesians 4, we find a similar theme expressed, about the lowering and exaltation of Christ, so that He may fill all things: “What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things” (Eph 4:9-10). This is an important concept, because it demonstrates and helps explain how Christ is in all (1 Cor 15:28; Eph 4:6, 10), it shows His humility and condescension to suffer even to the lowest point of humankind (cf. Phil 2:6-11), and it shows that there are no depths to which humankind can sink which God will not reach (cf. Rom 8:31-39); and not only because He is God, but because Christ has actually been there Himself, in suffering death on a cross (cf. Phil 2:7-8).

God not only knows death because He is God, but through the Incarnation of Christ, He knows it also through personally experiencing it Himself. This gives us confidence in Him and courage to approach Him, as we read in Hebrews 4: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:14-16). And as we also read in Hebrews 2: “by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb 2:9).

There is no depth, death, or darkness into which Christ has not reached, penetrated, filled with light and life, and redeemed from the power of sin (cf. Rom 8:31-39), and so we can look to Him upon the cross with hope, for our God loves us so much that He wills to suffer this for us (cf. Rom 5:1-11), to show us His victory and instill in us the faith in Him through which we are victors, too (Rom 8:37; 1 John 5:4-5). As we read in 1 Corinthians 15: “And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54-57). And as we also know from Song of Songs 8: “For Love is strong as Death, longing is fierce as Sheol. Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor rivers sweep it away. Were one to offer all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly despised” (Song 8:6-7).

And this line from Hebrews 2 is extremely important and worth pondering further: “For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering” (Heb 2:10; cf. Heb 5:8-9). It is through suffering that Christ is said to be made perfect (Heb 2:10; Heb 5:8-9). Furthermore, it is the crucifixion of Christ by which He is glorified—crowned “with glory and honor” (Heb 2:7; cf. Ps 8:6)—and enters into the resurrection.

And as Christ’s crucifixion culminates in the salvation which, through the suffering and cross of Christ, is extended to us, we too are expected to participate in this cross. As we read in Romans 8: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom 8:16-17). And as Jesus also says about perfection in Matthew 5: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48; cf. James 1:2-4). This we may do, through Christ and His cross. And so we shall, with our confidence renewed in Christ and our hope placed squarely in the promise given, by God the Father, through Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 8:2, 5-9

²O Lord, our Lord,
how awesome is your name through all the earth!

I will sing of your majesty above the heavens

^5 [d]What is man that you are mindful of him,
    and a son of man that you care for him?
⁶Yet you have made him little less than a god,^[e]
    crowned him with glory and honor.
⁷You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
    put all things at his feet:
⁸All sheep and oxen,
    even the beasts of the field,
⁹The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
    and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

2. Song of Songs 8:6-7

⁶Set me as a seal^[c] upon your heart,
    as a seal upon your arm;
For Love is strong as Death,
    longing is fierce as Sheol.
Its arrows are arrows of fire,
    flames of the divine.
⁷Deep waters^[d] cannot quench love,
    nor rivers sweep it away.
Were one to offer all the wealth of his house for love,
    he would be utterly despised.

3. Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that 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. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors^[ab] do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?^[ac] ⁴⁸So be perfect,^[ad] just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

4. Mark 1:21-28

^21 [j]Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. ²²The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. ^23 [k]In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; ^24 [l]he cried out, “What have you to do with us,^[m] Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” ²⁵Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” ²⁶The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. ²⁷All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

5. Romans 5:1-11

6. Romans 8:14-17, 31-39

¹⁴For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,^[c] Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”

7. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 50-58

^50 [w]This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption^[x] inherit incorruption. ^51 [y]Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵²in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. ^54 [z]And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
⁵⁵Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin,^[aa] and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

8. Galatians 4:1-7

¹I mean that as long as the heir is not of age,^[b] he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, ²but he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the date set by his father. ³In the same way we also, when we were not of age, were enslaved to the elemental powers of the world.^[c] ⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. ⁶As proof that you are children,^[d] God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

9. Ephesians 4:1-9

⁷But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore, it says:

“He ascended^[c] on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.”

10. Philippians 2:5-11

⁵Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

⁶Who,^[c] though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.^[d]
⁷    Rather, he emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    coming in human likeness;^[e]
    and found human in appearance,
⁸    he humbled himself,
        becoming obedient to death,
        even death on a cross.^[f]
⁹Because of this, God greatly exalted him
    and bestowed on him the name^[g]
    that is above every name,
¹⁰    that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,^[h]
    of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹    and every tongue confess that
    Jesus Christ is Lord,^[i]
    to the glory of God the Father.

11. Hebrews 1

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say:

“You are my son; this day I have begotten you”?

Or again:

“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”?

⁶And again, when he leads^[c] the first-born into the world, he says:

“Let all the angels of God worship him.”

⁷Of the angels he says:

“He makes his angels winds
and his ministers a fiery flame”;

⁸but of the Son:

¹⁰and:

¹³But to which of the angels has he ever said:

“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool”?

¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

12. Hebrews 2:5-12

⁵For it was not to angels that he subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶Instead, someone has testified somewhere:

“What is man that you are mindful of him,
    or the son of man that you care for him?
⁷You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
    you crowned him with glory and honor,
⁸    subjecting all things under his feet.”

In “subjecting” all things [to him], he left nothing not “subject to him.” Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,” ⁹but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

¹⁰For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers,” ¹²saying:

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you”;

13. Hebrews 4:14-16

14. Hebrews 5:7-10

15. James 1:2-8

16. 1 John 5:1-5

Wednesday 1/11/23

Readings: Heb 2:14-18; Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9; Mk 1:29-39

Title: “Tested Through What He Suffered”

“…Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested” (Heb 2:17-18).

The idea of being tested has a long history in the Bible. We can see a significant instance of being tested, as well as a prefiguration of Christ, in the story of the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac. And in addition to this passage from Hebrews 2 (Heb 2:114-18), we can find passages relating to this idea in Judith and James: “‘Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kindred. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us. Besides all this, let us give thanks to the Lord our God for putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother’s brother. He has not tested us with fire, as he did them, to try their hearts, nor is he taking vengeance on us. But the Lord chastises those who are close to him in order to admonish them’” (Jdt 8:24-27); and, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

We can also find in James 1 a reminder to distinguish between being tested and tempted: “Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, or when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death” (James 1:12-15).

In addition, we can find the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4 (Matt 4:1-11): “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Matt 4:1). In Matthew 6, 1 Corinthians 10, and 2 Corinthians 13, we can also find sayings related to this idea of testing or temptation: “and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one (Matt 6:13); and, “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:12-13); and, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement” (2 Cor 13:5-9).

As we read in this passage from Hebrews 2 (Heb 2:14-18), Jesus “was tested through what he suffered” (Heb 2:18), and this is not for no reason. It is so that “he is able to help those who are being tested” (Heb 2:18; cf. Heb 4:15-16). As we read earlier on in this passage, “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17). This gives us courage and confidence (cf. Heb 4:14-16) in God, to know that He knows personally, through sharing in our humanity, what it is like to experience struggle or suffering, and it helps us to feel closer to God through our hardships, rather than alienated or further away.

The idea of being tested through suffering is pivotal to Christ’s own experience and story, and it is also crucial to the Christian experience of any of God’s faithful. For any of us, the cross is the symbol of God’s unfailing and unquenchable love for us, proven to be stronger than death (cf. Song 8:6-7) by the resurrection. To be tested, one is given a hardship or struggle, which is a cross, as a way in which we can unite ourselves to God and grow more closely in divine union with Him. The cross, as a way of being tested in faith, is a doorway (cf. Matt 7:13-14) leading directly to the heart of God. It is only by being tested that anyone can be proven, and this testing can bear some semblance to the two dark nights of the soul—the night of sense and the night of the spirit—spoken of by St. John of the Cross.

This testing can also be seen as described in Malachi 3, as being the “refiner’s fire, like fullers’ lye” (Mal 3:2): “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like fullers’ lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, Refining them like gold or silver, that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness…. I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will be swift to bear witness… says the Lord of hosts” (Mal 3:2-6).

And so, what is perhaps the main takeaway of this passage from Hebrews 2 (Heb 2:14-18) about being tested, is that Jesus “was tested through what he suffered” (Heb 2:18), so that He could “help those who are being tested” (Heb 2:18; cf. Heb 4:14-16). Thus, we must see this verse as a reminder and an encouragement to seek the help of Jesus, in all things, but especially in times of suffering or testing. For the great gift of the cross is the ease (cf. Matt 11:28-30) with which it allows us to find God in the midst of our struggles. This testing is a great gift in addition to being a hardship. For apart from the cross, there is no other way to God. This is the surest and most direct way to divine union, and into the very heart of God: the cross. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Judith 8:24-27

²⁴“Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example^[i] for our kindred. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us. ²⁵Besides all this, let us give thanks to the Lord our God for putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. ²⁶Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother’s brother. ²⁷He has not tested us with fire, as he did them, to try their hearts, nor is he taking vengeance on us. But the Lord chastises those who are close to him in order to admonish them.”

2. Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9

¹Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;
    make known among the peoples his deeds!
²Sing praise to him, play music;
    proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
³Glory in his holy name;
    let hearts that seek the Lord rejoice!
⁴Seek out the Lord and his might;
    constantly seek his face.
⁶You descendants of Abraham his servant,
    offspring of Jacob the chosen one!

⁷He the Lord, is our God
    whose judgments reach through all the earth.
⁸He remembers forever his covenant,
    the word he commanded for a thousand generations,
⁹Which he made with Abraham,
    and swore to Isaac,

3. Song of Songs 8:6-7

4. Malachi 3:1-5

5. Matthew 4:1-11

^1 [a]Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted for forty days and forty nights,^[b] and afterwards he was hungry. ³The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” ^4 [c]He said in reply, “It is written:

‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”

^5 [d]Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, ⁶and 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.’”

⁷Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” ⁸Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, ⁹and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”^[e] ¹⁰At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:

‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.’”

¹¹Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

6. Matthew 6:9-13

^9 [e]“This is how you are to pray:

7. Matthew 7:13-14

^13 [g]“Enter through the narrow gate;^[h] for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. ¹⁴How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

8. Matthew 11:28-30

^28 [o]“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,^[p] and I will give you rest. ^29 [q]Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

9. Mark 1:29-39

²⁹On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. ³⁰Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. ³¹He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

³²When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. ³³The whole town was gathered at the door. ³⁴He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

³⁵Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and those who were with him pursued him ³⁷and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” ³⁸He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” ³⁹So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

10. 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

^6 [c]These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. ⁷And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.” ⁸Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day. ⁹Let us not test Christ^[d] as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents. ¹⁰Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. ¹¹These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.^[e] ¹²Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.^[f] ¹³No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.

11. 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

^5 [d]Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test. ⁶I hope you will discover that we have not failed. ⁷But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement.

^10 [e]I am writing this while I am away, so that when I come I may not have to be severe in virtue of the authority that the Lord has given me to build up and not to tear down.

12. Hebrews 2:14-18

¹⁴Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. ¹⁶Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; ¹⁷therefore, he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

13. Hebrews 4:14-16

14. James 1:2-8, 12-15

¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,^[f] for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. ^13 [g]No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

Thursday 1/12/23

Readings: Heb 3:7-14; Ps 95:6-7c, 8-9, 10-11; Mk 1:40-45

Title: “Partners of Christ”

This passage from Hebrews 3 (Heb 3:7-14) contains some very important references. As it begins: “The Holy Spirit says: ‘Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert,where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, ‘They have always been of erring heart,and they do not know my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest’”’” (Heb 3:7-11; cf. Ps 95:7-11). This passage quoted from Psalm 95 here in Hebrews 3 is significant, as it reminds us to learn from the mistakes of the past (cf. 1 Cor 10:5-13), and be faithful where those before us erred.

The injunction to “harden not your hearts” (Heb 3:8; cf. Ps 95:8) is at the very crux of the message here, because in the rebelliousness of the early Israelites in the desert, they actually turned away from God in their hardness of heart, as they abandoned faith in the LORD. Of all the mistakes we could make, this is the one we are urged most not to do, and we are warned against this above all. The wrath of God is alluded to, and this wrath is not an active or retaliatory anger, it is merely the absence of God’s loving, providential care, and simply what it is like to experience the withdrawal of God’s protective and sustaining presence in our lives. To be clear, in this case, it was not God who forsook them, but it was they who forsook God, thus leading to this experience of anger or wrath—that is, God’s absence, as the absence of God’s love is wrath.

The rest described here is the rest of entry into the promised land, after sustained exile, hardship, and battle. This rest is also like the sabbath rest, or God’s rest on the seventh day of creation. As we can see from the commandments in Exodus 20 (Exo 20:8-11), this sort of rest is meant to be reserved for entering into deeper knowledge and peace of the Lord (cf. Phil 4:7; cf. Col 3:15), and this sort of religious rest must be honored in our lives and hearts.

As the author of Hebrews goes on, “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God” (Heb 3:12). We know that God is always faithful, and will never forsake us. As we read in 2 Timothy 2: “This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:11-13). And as we also read in Deuteronomy, “Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you” (Deut 31:6; cf. Deut 31:8; cf. Josh 1:1-9). God is the perfect, abiding, unforsaking, unmovable, and eternal presence of the divine. And so, any time God’s presence seems to disappear—aside from rare instances of potential testing, or a “dark night” of spiritual purgation, and God’s seeming withdrawal—this absence felt is not His absence from us, but our absence from Him, as we can turn away from Him in our hearts, by the power of free will (cf. Deut 11:26-32; cf. Deut 30:15-20; cf. Sir 15:14-17).

As the author continues, “Encourage yourselves daily while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin” (Heb 3:13). This phrase, “hardened by the deceit of sin” (Heb 3:13), is an excellent description of what it means for one to harden one’s heart, which we are urged not to do. And this hardness is not only “sin,” but is termed “the deceit of sin” (Heb 3:13), as it seems to make a false promise of some sort of satisfaction in sin, leading one to this forsaking of God. We can find an allegory for this “deceit of sin” (Heb 3:13) in the origin story in Genesis 3, as after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, we hear: “The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, ‘The snake tricked me, so I ate it’” (Gen 3:13).

And as the author goes on, “We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end” (Heb 3:14). Hebrews 10 and 12 (Heb 10:26-39; Heb 12) include a very stern warning not to fall away, and we can sense the beginnings of that warning even here, in Hebrews 3. It is not having a passing belief or acknowledgement of Christ by which we enter into the Kingdom, but it is holding that confession fast until the end (cf. Heb 10:23; cf. Heb 12:1-4) that earns us the endurance (cf. Rom 5:1-5; cf. James 1:2-8; cf. James 5:7-11; cf. Rev 14:12-13) of real faith and fidelity. To do something for a short time is of little difficulty or challenge. But to do something for a long time and extensively, requires real grit, discipline, and true religious endurance. As we read in Hebrews 10: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised” (Heb 10:36). It is sticking with Christ for the long run, through thick and thin, as true “partners of Christ” (Heb 3:14), that proves our hearts, and truly evidences our living faith in the living God. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 3:1-13

¹Now the snake was the most cunning^[a] of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” ²The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” ⁴But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! ⁵God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know^[b] good and evil.” ⁶The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

⁸When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day,^[c] the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? ¹⁰He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” ¹¹Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? ¹²The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” ¹³The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”

2. Exodus 20:8-11

⁸Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy.^[f] ⁹Six days you may labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your work animal, or the resident alien within your gates. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

3. Deuteronomy 11:26-32

²⁶See, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: ²⁷a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I give you today; ²⁸a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, but turn aside from the way I command you today, to go after other gods, whom you do not know. ²⁹When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land which you are to enter and possess, then on Mount Gerizim you shall pronounce the blessing, on Mount Ebal, the curse.^[f] ³⁰(These are beyond the Jordan, on the other side of the western road in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal beside the oak of Moreh.) ³¹Now you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you. When, therefore, you take possession of it and settle there, ³²be careful to observe all the statutes and ordinances that I set before you today.

4. Deuteronomy 30:15-20

¹⁵See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the Lord, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. ¹⁷If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, ¹⁸I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰by loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

5. Deuteronomy 31:1-8

¹When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, ²he said to them, I am now one hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to go out and come in; besides, the Lord has said to me, Do not cross this Jordan. ³It is the Lord, your God, who will cross before you; he will destroy these nations before you, that you may dispossess them. (It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the Lord promised.) ⁴The Lord will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and with their country, when he destroyed them. ⁵When, therefore, the Lord delivers them up to you, you shall deal with them according to the whole commandment which I have given you. ⁶Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.

⁷Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, “Be strong and steadfast, for you shall bring this people into the land which the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them; it is you who will give them possession of it. ⁸It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”

6. Joshua 1:1-9

After Moses, the servant of the Lord, had died, the Lord said to Moses’ aide Joshua, son of Nun: ^2 [a]Moses my servant is dead. So now, you and the whole people with you, prepare to cross the Jordan to the land that I will give the Israelites. ³Every place where you set foot I have given you, as I promised Moses. ^4 [b]All the land of the Hittites, from the wilderness and the Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea, will be your territory. ⁵No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not leave you nor forsake you. ⁶Be strong and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land I swore to their ancestors that I would give them. ⁷Only be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe the entire law which Moses my servant enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed. ⁹I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.

7. Psalm 95:6-11

⁶Enter, let us bow down in worship;
    let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
⁷For he is our God,
    we are the people he shepherds,
    the sheep in his hands.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
⁸    Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
    as on the day of Massah in the desert.^[b]
⁹There your ancestors tested me;
    they tried me though they had seen my works.
¹⁰Forty years I loathed that generation;
    I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;
    they do not know my ways.”
¹¹Therefore I swore in my anger:
    “They shall never enter my rest.”

8. Sirach 15:14-17

¹⁴God in the beginning created human beings
    and made them subject to their own free choice.
¹⁵If you choose, you can keep the commandments;
    loyalty is doing the will of God.
¹⁶Set before you are fire and water;
    to whatever you choose, stretch out your hand.
¹⁷Before everyone are life and death,
    whichever they choose will be given them.

9. Mark 1:40-45

⁴⁰A leper^[n] came to him [and kneeling down] begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” ⁴²The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. ⁴³Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. ⁴⁴Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” ⁴⁵The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

10. Romans 5:1-5

11. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

^1 [a]I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, ²and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³All ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,^[b] and the rock was the Christ. ⁵Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

12. Philippians 4:4-7

⁴Rejoice^[d] in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! ⁵Your kindness^[e] should be known to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. ⁷Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

13. Colossians 3:12-17

¹²Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, ¹³bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. ¹⁴And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

14. 2 Timothy 2:8-13

^8 [b]Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, ⁹for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. ¹¹This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him
    we shall also live with him;
¹²if we persevere
    we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
    he will deny us.
¹³If we are unfaithful
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot deny himself.

15. Hebrews 3:7-14

^7 [c]Therefore, as the holy Spirit says:

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
⁸    ‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
        in the day of testing in the desert,
⁹    where your ancestors tested and tried me
        and saw my works ¹⁰for forty years.
    Because of this I was provoked with that generation
        and I said, “They have always been of erring heart,
        and they do not know my ways.”
¹¹    As I swore in my wrath,
        “They shall not enter into my rest.”’”

¹²Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. ¹³Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. ¹⁴We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end, ¹⁵for it is said:

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion.’”

16. Hebrews 10:19-39

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

17. Hebrews 12

“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
⁶for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”

⁷Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards. ⁹Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness. ¹¹At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

¹²So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. ¹³Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

¹⁴Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ^15 [c]See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled, ¹⁶that no one be an immoral or profane person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit his father’s blessing, he was rejected because he found no opportunity to change his mind, even though he sought the blessing with tears.

18. James 1:2-8

19. James 5:7-11

^7 [c]Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.^[d] ⁸You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. ¹⁰Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because “the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

20. Revelation 14:12-13

¹²Here is what sustains the holy ones who keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus.

¹³I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.”

Friday 1/13/23

Saint Hilary

Readings: Heb 4:1-5, 11; Ps 78:3, 4bc, 6c-7, 8; Mk 2:1-12

Title: “Let Us Be on Our Guard”

This passage from the Book of Hebrews (Heb 4:1-5, 11) puts the experience of the ancient Israelites in the desert in the context of Christ’s gift of salvation. This particular passage is very helpful in explaining the concept of God’s rest in terms of sabbath rest, and then further explains sabbath rest in terms of faith (Heb 4:2). We are given the example of the ancient Hebrews wandering in the desert as an example not to follow. This is perhaps stated more precisely in this passage from 1 Corinthians 10: “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.’ Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day. Let us not test Christ as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:5-13).

As we can gather from the Book of Hebrews, the idea of disobedience is sternly warned against, and we can easily contrast this with the standard of obedience we know as a great virtue. In addition to mentioning disobedience and the sin of falling away so prominently (Heb 4:6, 11; Heb 10:19-39; Heb 12), the Book of Hebrews also mentions obedience specifically, as relating to Christ’s perfection, and how we attain salvation through Him: “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:8-10). This obedience is perhaps one of the greatest lost virtues of our modern age. The idea of rebelliousness, rule-breaking, unorthodoxy, non-conformity, individuality, and so-called liberty or independence has been so strongly valued—in some cases, for good reason, but in other cases, not—that the virtue of obedience has often been lost, shrugged off, and rejected, as an impingement upon our freedom which we must firmly rebel against.

While there have been great advancements in the modern age as a result of testing the boundaries and rejecting old, narrow-minded ways, in most cases, it is still true that obedience is, in fact, necessary for any smoothly functioning society, and the natural course of progress and advancement in all areas of human life and development. This has much to do with the quality of docility to the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 5:32), and humility before God and humankind. While we rightly should rebel against injustice and moral wrongs, this is only actually done properly while in obedience to goodness, justice, and moral goods (cf. Acts 5:28-29).

Rebellion for the sake of rebellion—despite what the modern age thinks is interesting or popular—is a great evil and a terrible human shortcoming within a person’s character, severely limiting their capacity for honesty, virtue, or growth, and the attainment of any sort of spiritual maturity (cf. Phil 3:12-21; cf. Heb 5:11-14). It is a very childish thing to value rebellion or disobedience for its own sake, and if, as a society, we cannot learn to value obedience again, as once it was honored as a real virtue, then this disobedience cannot but lead us to the imitation of the disobedience of the early Israelites in the desert, of whom God said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest’” (Heb 4:3; cf. Ps 95:11; cf. Heb 3:11; cf. Heb 4:5).

Crucial to understanding the value of obedience and the sin of disobedience, is understanding what true liberty actually is, and what things help or hurt our actual liberty, attained through the Spirit of God. True freedom (cf. Rom 6; cf. Rom 8:14-17; cf. Gal 5:13-26) is freedom from the compulsion and habits of sin (cf. Rom 7:13-25), and this great liberty is known through both the practice of obedience and virtue, and none other than the grace freely given by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 78:3-4, 6-8

³What we have heard and know;
    things our ancestors have recounted to us.
⁴We do not keep them from our children;
    we recount them to the next generation,
The praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and his strength,
    the wonders that he performed.
⁶That the next generation might come to know,
    children yet to be born.
In turn they were to recount them to their children,
⁷    that they too might put their confidence in God,
And not forget God’s deeds,
    but keep his commandments.
⁸They were not to be like their ancestors,
    a rebellious and defiant generation,
A generation whose heart was not constant,
    and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

2. Psalm 95:6-11

⁶Enter, let us bow down in worship;
    let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
⁷For he is our God,
    we are the people he shepherds,
    the sheep in his hands.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
⁸    Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
    as on the day of Massah in the desert.^[^b^]
⁹There your ancestors tested me;
    they tried me though they had seen my works.
¹⁰Forty years I loathed that generation;
    I said: “This people’s heart goes astray;
    they do not know my ways.”
¹¹Therefore I swore in my anger:
    “They shall never enter my rest.”

3. Mark 2:1-12

^1 [^a^]When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home.^[^b^] ²Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. ³They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. ^5 [^c^]When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” ^6 [^d^]Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, ⁷“Why does this man speak that way?^[^e^] He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” ⁸Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? ^10 [^f^]But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”— ¹¹he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” ¹²He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

4. Acts 5:27-32

5. Romans 6

^1 [^a^]What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! ²How can we who died to sin yet live in it? ³Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

^12 [^b^]Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. ¹³And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. ¹⁴For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[^c^] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[^d^] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[^e^] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

6. Romans 7:13-25

¹³Did the good, then, become death for me? Of course not! Sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, worked death in me through the good, so that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. ¹⁴We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin. ¹⁵What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. ²⁰Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. ²²For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, ²³but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.^[^e^] ²⁴Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.

7. Romans 8:14-17

¹⁴For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,^[^c^] Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

8. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

^1 [^a^]I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, ²and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³All ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,^[^b^] and the rock was the Christ. ⁵Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

^6 [^c^]These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. ⁷And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.” ⁸Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day. ⁹Let us not test Christ^[^d^] as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents. ¹⁰Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. ¹¹These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.^[^e^] ¹²Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.^[^f^] ¹³No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.

9. Galatians 5:13-26

¹³For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve^[^k^] one another through love. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^[^l^] ¹⁵But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.^[^m^] ¹⁷For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ^19 [ⁿ^]Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, ²¹occasions of envy,^[^o^] drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.

10. Philippians 3:12-21

¹⁷Join with others in being imitators of me,^[^l^] brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. ¹⁸For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship^[^m^] is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

11. Hebrews 3:7-12

^7 [^c^]Therefore, as the holy Spirit says:

¹²Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God.

12. Hebrews 4:1-11

¹Therefore, let us be on our guard while the promise of entering into his rest remains, that none of you seem to have failed. ²For in fact we have received the good news just as they did. But the word that they heard did not profit them, for they were not united in faith with those who listened. ³For we who believed enter into [that] rest, just as he has said:

“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter into my rest,’”

and yet his works were accomplished at the foundation of the world. ⁴For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works”; ⁵and again, in the previously mentioned place, “They shall not enter into my rest.”⁶Therefore, since it remains that some will enter into it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷he once more set a day, “today,” when long afterwards he spoke through David, as already quoted:

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
‘Harden not your hearts.’”

⁸Now if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterwards of another day. ⁹Therefore, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God. ¹⁰And whoever enters into God’s rest, rests from his own works as God did from his. ¹¹Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.

13. Hebrews 5:7-14

⁷In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death,^[^e^] and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸Son though he was,^[^f^] he learned obedience from what he suffered; ⁹and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

^11 [^g^]About this we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, for you have become sluggish in hearing. ¹²Although you should be teachers by this time, you need to have someone teach you again the basic elements of the utterances of God. You need milk, [and] not solid food. ¹³Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a child. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties are trained by practice to discern good and evil.

14. Hebrews 10:19-39

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary ^20 [^j^]by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, ^21 [^k^]and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” ²²let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience^[^l^] and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. ²⁴We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. ²⁵We should not stay away from our assembly,^[^m^] as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

^26 [ⁿ^]If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins ²⁷but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. ²⁸Anyone who rejects the law of Moses^[^o^] is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace? ³⁰We know the one who said:

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³²Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,^[^p^] you endured a great contest of suffering. ³³At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. ³⁴You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. ³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. ³⁶You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[^q^]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

15. Hebrews 12

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us^[^b^] and persevere in running the race that lies before us ²while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. ³Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. ⁴In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. ⁵You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:

“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
⁶for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”

¹²So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. ¹³Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

¹⁴Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ^15 [^c^]See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled, ¹⁶that no one be an immoral or profane person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit his father’s blessing, he was rejected because he found no opportunity to change his mind, even though he sought the blessing with tears.

^18 [^d^]You have not approached that which could be touched^[^e^] and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm ¹⁹and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them, ²⁰for they could not bear to hear the command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹Indeed, so fearful was the spectacle that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” ²²No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, ²³and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,^[^f^] and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, ²⁴and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently^[^g^] than that of Abel.

Saturday 1/14/23

Readings: Heb 4:12-16; Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15; Mk 2:13-17

Title: “Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword”

“The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account” (Heb 4:12-13).

This passage from Hebrews 4 (Heb 4:12-16) describing the word of God as a “two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12) describes with eloquence a core truth of our Faith. We also hear descriptions of the word of God as like a sword in Ephesians 6 and Revelation 1: “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17); and, “In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest” (Rev 1:16).

We also further know of this sword of the word of God that it is double-edged because it cuts both ways: both the one speaking the word and the one listening receive the impact of its blade as the force of its command. Whatever injunction is given by the preaching of God’s word is equally applicable to the messenger as it is to the recipient. No one is immune from the effects of God’s word, least of all the one delivering the gospel message. For as we know from James 3: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also” (James 3:1-2). The teacher or preacher of God’s word is the least immune of all to the requirements of its message.

This passage about the sword from Hebrews 4 (Heb 4:12-13), however, conveys another deeper meaning. It describes the penetrating ability of God’s omniscience and insight into the human spirit. For this word is described as a being, and we know from John 1 that Jesus Christ is the Logos, or Word of God 1 (John 1:1-5, 14). We know that only by the Spirit of God is anything spiritual about God known (1 Cor 2:10-16), and humankind may know certain things about God—including God Himself—through the gift of the Spirit. And so, humankind, to some extent, can share in this gift of knowledge of God.

However, we also know that only God knows the hearts of humankind, or is in a position to look into and even judge the souls of humankind. God judges not by outward appearance, but within the depths of the heart. As we know from 1 Samuel 16: “But the Lord said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). And as we also know from Jeremiah 17: “More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the Lord, explore the mind and test the heart, Giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds” (Jer 17:9-10). We know also from Matthew 10, “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matt 10:26-28).

As we hear in Matthew 10, “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed” (Matt 10:26), and we are encouraged to live in openness, honesty, and full transparency in the sight of God (cf. Eph 6:5-9; cf. Phil 2:12-15; cf. Col 3:22-25). For as we also know from Galatians 6, “Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith” (Gal 6:7-10).

And as we read in the next part of this passage from Hebrews 4, “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:14-16).

We are told about the depths of God’s knowledge of us, “penetrating even between soul and spirit” (Heb 4:12) as a “two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12), so that we may take our comfort in God’s great compassion. We can approach our great high priest, Jesus, with confidence, because not only does He know us intimately, but He can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb 4:15). We are urged to come to Him and “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:16). We confess many things in the Creed and in our confession of faith, and as we hold fast to these beliefs about God, we can thereby find ourselves within God—“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 16:25; cf. Matt 10:37-39)—dwelling through faith in the dark light of His unapproachable grace (cf. 1 Tim 6:16; cf. Heb 12:18-29).

God’s knowledge is made known to us in Christ, the Father is made visible to us in the Son (cf. Matt 11:27; cf. John 1:18; cf. John 14:6-11; cf. Col 1:15), and we are made alive to God through the Spirit (cf. John 1:3-5, 12-13; cf. John 3:3-8). In exposing our souls to God, we receive every healing for weakness and sin, and every tender mercy and “timely help” (Heb 4:16) to rest confidently, in our faith in God (cf. 2 Cor 5:6-10), reposing in His heart through offering Him our own (cf. 1 Sam 13:14; cf. Acts 13:22). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. 1 Samuel 13:10-14

¹⁰As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out toward him in order to greet him. ¹¹Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹²I said to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet sought the Lord’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt offering.” ¹³Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the Lord your God gave you, the Lord would now establish your kingship in Israel forever; ¹⁴but now your kingship shall not endure. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart^[e] to appoint as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the Lord commanded you.”

2. 1 Samuel 16:4-7

⁴Samuel did as the Lord had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?” ⁵He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. So purify yourselves and celebrate with me today.” He also had Jesse and his sons purify themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed is here before the Lord.” ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart.

3. Psalm 19:8-10, 15

⁸The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to the simple.
⁹The precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
    enlightening the eye.
¹⁰The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The statutes of the Lord are true,
    all of them just;

¹⁵Let the words of my mouth be acceptable,
the thoughts of my heart before you,
Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

4. Jeremiah 17:5-11

⁵    Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
    who makes flesh his strength,
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶He is like a barren bush in the wasteland
    that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in lava beds in the wilderness,
    a land, salty and uninhabited.
⁷Blessed are those who trust in the Lord;
    the Lord will be their trust.
⁸They are like a tree planted beside the waters
    that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
    its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
    but still produces fruit.
⁹More tortuous than anything is the human heart,
    beyond remedy; who can understand it?
¹⁰I, the Lord, explore the mind
    and test the heart,
Giving to all according to their ways,
    according to the fruit of their deeds.
¹¹A partridge that broods but does not hatch
    are those who acquire wealth unjustly:
In midlife it will desert them;
    in the end they are only fools.

5. Matthew 10:26-33, 37-39

6. Matthew 11:25-27

²⁵At that time Jesus said in reply,^[n] “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. ²⁶Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

7. Matthew 16:24-28

8. Mark 2:13-17

^13 [^g^]Once again he went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. ¹⁴As he passed by,^[^h^] he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. ¹⁵While he was at table in his house,^[i] many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. ^16 [^j^]Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷Jesus heard this and said to them [that], “Those who are well do not need a physician,^[^k^] but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

9. John 1:1-5, 12-18

¹In the beginning^[b] was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
²He was in the beginning with God.
^3 [c]All things came to be through him,
    and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be ⁴through him was life,
    and this life was the light of the human race;
^5 [d]the light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness has not overcome it.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh^[i]
    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.

^15 [j]John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,^[k] ¹⁷because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God,^[l] who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

10. John 3:3-8

11. John 14:6-11

⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth^[e] and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you know me, then you will also know my Father.^[f] From now on you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father,^[g] and that will be enough for us.” ⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.

12. Acts 13:22-25

²²Then he removed him and raised up David as their king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’ ²³From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. ²⁴John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; ²⁵and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’

13. 1 Corinthians 2

¹When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God,^[a] I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. ²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. ³I came to you in weakness^[b] and fear and much trembling, ⁴and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom,^[c] but with a demonstration of spirit and power, ⁵so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

⁶Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. ⁷Rather, we speak God’s wisdom,^[e] mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, ⁸and which none of the rulers of this age^[f] knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹But as it is written:

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him,”

¹⁰this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. ¹²We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. ¹³And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

¹⁴Now the natural person^[h] does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. ¹⁵The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment^[i] by anyone.

¹⁶For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

14. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

^6 [f]So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. ⁹Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. ¹⁰For we must all appear^[g] before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

15. Galatians 6:6-10

⁶One who is being instructed in the word should share all good things with his instructor.^[d] ⁷Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, ⁸because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. ⁹Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.

16. Ephesians 6:5-17

⁵Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, ⁶not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷willingly serving the Lord and not human beings, ⁸knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. ⁹Masters, act in the same way toward them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality.

^10 [a]Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. ¹³Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. ¹⁴So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, ¹⁵and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

17. Philippians 2:12-18

¹²So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.^[k] ¹³For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. ¹⁴Do everything without grumbling or questioning, ¹⁵that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,^[l] among whom you shine like lights in the world, ¹⁶as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷But, even if I am poured out as a libation^[m] upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. ¹⁸In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

18. Colossians 1:15-20

^15 [f]He is the image^[g] of the invisible God,
    the firstborn of all creation.
¹⁶For in him^[h] were created all things in heaven and on earth,
    the visible and the invisible,
    whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
    all things were created through him and for him.
¹⁷He is before all things,
    and in him all things hold together.
¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church.^[i]
    He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
    that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
¹⁹For in him all the fullness^[j] was pleased to dwell,
²⁰and through him to reconcile all things for him,
    making peace by the blood of his cross^[k]
    [through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven.

19. Colossians 3:22-25

²²Slaves,^[i] obey your human masters in everything, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, ²⁴knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. ²⁵For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality.

20. 1 Timothy 6:11-16

¹¹But you, man of God,^[f] avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. ¹²Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³I charge [you] before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, ¹⁴to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ ¹⁵that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

21. Hebrews 4:12-16

¹²Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. ¹³No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

^14 [^a^]Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. ¹⁶So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

22. Hebrews 12:18-29

23. James 3

24. Revelation 1:9-16

⁹I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos^[h] because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. ¹⁰I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day^[i] and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, ¹¹which said, “Write on a scroll^[j] what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” ^12 [k]Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands ¹³and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,^[l] wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. ¹⁴The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow,^[m] and his eyes were like a fiery flame. ¹⁵His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace,^[n] and his voice was like the sound of rushing water. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars.^[o] A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest.

Sunday 1/15/23

Readings: Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34

Title: “Like a Dove from Heaven”

The testimony of John the Baptist is very important to the story of Jesus, as he both paves the way and sets the stage as a way to frame and contextualize Jesus’ coming, as well as explains and elucidates Jesus’ own mission, as like a shining lamp or torch to a flame. As Jesus said of John, “He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light” (John 5:35). And as John said of Jesus, “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God” (John 1:34).

The fact that a recognized prophet (Matt 14:5; Matt 21:26), in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets (cf. Matt 23:29-36; cf. Acts 7:51-53), gave this testimony about Jesus is more than a little significant. It helps tie in the Old and New Testaments into one unified whole, with Christ Jesus Himself, especially under the title of “the Son of God” (John 1:34), as the interpretive key (cf. Luke 24:25-35; cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18) making sense of God’s whole plan. And the way in which this is made known to John the Baptist is also true to form for the Old Testament prophet tradition, as this revelation to John is steeped in mystery and meaning with the vision of the dove. We can look to the flood story from Genesis to see that this vision signifies Jesus as the true land, upon which the dove released from Noah’s ark alighted (Gen 8:6-12).

As John the Baptist says in John 1, “”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’” (John 1:32-33). We can see how this corresponds to the story of Noah and the flood from Genesis, as the dove there, too, remains upon the land: “He waited yet another seven days and then released the dove; but this time it did not come back” Gen 8:12). For we know of heaven, that it is not really a place so much as a Person, and that Person is God, made visible to us in Jesus Christ (cf. Rev 21:22-27), just as the Holy Spirit was made visible to John in the vision of the dove.

The import of this allusion to the flood narrative must not go unrecognized, as this is the fodder for further meaningful contemplation into the mysteries of God and His plan for our salvation. And this dove of the Holy Spirit, does it just stop with Jesus, as it comes down from heaven and remains upon Him (John 1:32-33)? No. As John says, “…he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). This Spirit is given to Jesus, so that Jesus may then give this Spirit to us, as this giving is representative of the workings and motion of love—God’s divine love—within the Holy Trinity.

This ongoing act of giving, receiving, sacrifice, love, and reciprocity, as a real mutual relationship based upon giving, selfless love—epitomized by Christ’s gift of self to the Father upon the cross (cf. John 3:16; cf. John 15:12-13, 17; cf. Rom 5:5-11; cf. John 3:16-18)—this gift is further given to us, humankind, so that we may participate in the divine life of God and trinitarian love, as through baptism we are welcomed into and included in God’s own family (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:1-7).

We are born again (cf. John 3:3-8; cf. Rom 6) into our true life in God, just as the Holy Spirit, symbolized by Noah’s dove (Gen 8:6-12), alighted upon the true promised land who is Jesus. Let us all accept this gift of the Holy Spirit, and live out our baptism (cf. Acts 2:37-47) in fidelity to God, as we, too, like that dove, remain upon Jesus, and dwell in God’s holy, humble, selfless, sacrificial trinitarian love (cf. Phil 2:5-11). Our true life rests in our relationship with God, realized through this gift to the Father, of Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 8:6-12

⁶At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch of the ark that he had made, ^7 [b]and he released a raven. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth. ⁸Then he released a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. ⁹But the dove could find no place to perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water over all the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark. ¹⁰He waited yet seven days more and again released the dove from the ark. ¹¹In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had diminished on the earth. ¹²He waited yet another seven days and then released the dove; but this time it did not come back.

2. Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10

²Surely, I wait for the Lord;
    who bends down to me and hears my cry,
⁴And puts a new song^[b] in my mouth,
    a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in fear
    and they shall trust in the Lord.
^7 [c]Sacrifice and offering you do not want;
    you opened my ears.
Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request;
⁸    so I said, “See; I come
    with an inscribed scroll written upon me.
⁹I delight to do your will, my God;
    your law is in my inner being!”
¹⁰When I sing of your righteousness
    in a great assembly,
See, I do not restrain my lips;
    as you, Lord, know.

3. Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

³He said to me, You are my servant,
in you, Israel,^[c] I show my glory.

⁵For now the Lord has spoken
    who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
    and Israel gathered to him;
I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
    and my God is now my strength!
⁶It is too little, he 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.^[d]

4. Matthew 14:3-12

³Now Herod had arrested John, bound [him], and put him in prison on account of Herodias,^[c] the wife of his brother Philip, ⁴for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. ⁶But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod ⁷so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. ⁸Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, ¹⁰and he had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. ¹²His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

5. Matthew 21:23-27

²³When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things?^[s] And who gave you this authority?” ²⁴Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question,^[t] and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ^26 [u]But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.

6. Matthew 23:29-36

^29 [p]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,^[q] you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, ³⁰and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ ³¹Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; ³²now fill up what your ancestors measured out! ³³You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna? ^34 [r]Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, ³⁵so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

7. Luke 24:25-35

²⁵And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer^[h] these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. ²⁹But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. ³²Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” ³³So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them ³⁴who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

8. John 1:12-13, 29-34

9. John 3:3-8, 16-20

10. John 5:31-40

³¹“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony cannot be verified. ³²But there is another^[l] who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. ³³You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. ³⁴I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. ³⁵He was a burning and shining lamp,^[m] and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. ³⁶But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. ³⁷Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. ³⁹You search^[n] the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. ⁴⁰But you do not want to come to me to have life.

11. John 15:12-17

12. Acts 2:37-47

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” ³⁸Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptized,^[g] every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

⁴²They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. ⁴³Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. ⁴⁶Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

13. Acts 7:51-53

⁵¹“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. ⁵²Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. ⁵³You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it.”

14. Romans 5:1-11

15. Romans 6

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[^c^] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[^d^] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[^e^] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

16. Romans 8:14-17

17. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

¹Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^[b] and Sosthenes our brother, ²to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

18. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

¹²Therefore, since we have such hope,^[i] we act very boldly ¹³and not like Moses,^[j] who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading. ¹⁴Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day^[k] the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant, because through Christ it is taken away. ¹⁵To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, ¹⁶but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit,^[l] and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ^18 [m]All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

19. Galatians 4:1-7

20. Philippians 2:5-11

⁵Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

21. 1 John 3:11-18

22. Revelation 21:22-27

Monday 1/16/23

Readings: Heb 5:1-10; Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4; Mk 2:18-22

Title: “Only When Called by God”

We can find in this passage from Hebrews 5 (Heb 5:1-10) the significance of the new covenant (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-32; Heb 8:6-13; Heb 9:11-28) of Christ’s Blood set forth and elucidated in the context of the old covenant, including the priesthood of Aaron. Some things are consistent across these two covenantal traditions, while some things seem to change, as if a veil is taken off of the old way, which is fully revealed in the new (cf. 2 Cor 3:7-18). We hear of this priest in the old tradition of the Levites: “Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people” (Heb 5:1-3).

There are some important points worth looking into here, as we contrast the priesthood of this tradition with our great high priest, Jesus Christ (Heb 4:14; Heb 7:11-28). Both types of priests “deal patiently with the ignorant and erring” (Heb 5:2), but with the old covenant tradition, this is because, “for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people” (Heb 5:2-3). With Christ, however, He is not patient because He Himself is also beset by sin and weakness, so as to seem hypocritical and uncompassionate if not patient. Rather, as we also know from Hebrews 4, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).

Christ acts patiently with the weaknesses of others not because He Himself has the same sins and shortcomings, but rather, because in his divine nature, He possesses perfect compassion and grace, and so from His divine mercy He acts with patience. This is an important distinction. For the Levite priest offers sin offerings for Himself as well as for his people, and this sacrifice never ends, because it can never be made perfectly, as from a human with the stain of original sin (Heb 9:23-10:18). Christ’s sacrifice, on the other hand, which Aaron’s sacrifice prefigured, was made perfect, because it was made by God and the Son of God, once for all (Heb 9:28; Heb 10:12, 14).

With Christ’s sacrifice, the gates of heaven are opened, and the things we see only imperfectly (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-13), as only shadows of God’s reality (Heb 9:11-10:7), are now made known in a more perfect way. As we see these earthly things as mere shadows of heavenly things, and we can see in the earthly temple the image of the divine dwelling of which our earthly dwelling (cf. 2 Cor 5:1-5) is only a copy.

And as we read on in Hebrews, “No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: ‘You are my Son: this day I have begotten you’; just as he says in another place, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’” (Heb 5:4-6). Christ fulfilled God’s calling and God’s will for Him with perfection, seeking not His own glory but that of God (John 8:50; cf. John 5:41-47).

As we read on, “In the days when he was in the Flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Heb 5:7). Jesus Christ lived in the flesh the way humankind in all the fullness and perfection of its being only could if it were also God. For this reason, the life and sacrifice of Christ, and His participation in suffering, is wholly unique and special, and to be revered as a perfection unlike any other: for Jesus, our Christ, is God.

And as we read on, “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb 5:8-9; cf. Heb 2:10-12). Christ learned obedience from suffering, and He became perfect in God’s eyes as a result of this suffering. And just as Christ did this for us (cf. Rom 5:1-11), we must accept it with unspeakable gratitude (cf. 1 John 3:11-18)—the gift of grace, the Holy Spirit, and His divine life from the cross—and seek to live as He did (1 John 2:6). We live as shadows and imitations, in the image of the image of God (Gen 1:26-27; Col 1:15), all in order to glorify Him, Christ, the image of God in humankind. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 1:26-27

²⁷God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female^[f] he created them.

2. Psalm 110:1-4

¹A psalm of David.

The Lord says to my lord:^[b]
    “Sit at my right hand,
    while I make your enemies your footstool.”
²The scepter of your might:
    the Lord extends your strong scepter from Zion.
    Have dominion over your enemies!
³Yours is princely power from the day of your birth.
    In holy splendor before the daystar,
    like dew I begot you.
⁴The Lord has sworn and will not waver:
    “You are a priest forever in the manner of Melchizedek.”

3. Mark 2:18-22

¹⁸The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast^[m] while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. ²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. ²²Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

4. Luke 22:14-20

5. John 5:41-47

⁴¹“I do not accept human praise;^[o] ⁴²moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. ⁴⁶For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. ⁴⁷But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

6. John 8:48-59

⁴⁸The Jews answered and said to him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan^[u] and are possessed?” ⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I am not possessed; I honor my Father, but you dishonor me. ⁵⁰I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the one who judges. ⁵¹Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” ⁵²[So] the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham,^[v] who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it^[w] and was glad. ⁵⁷So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”^[x] ^58 [y]Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” ⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

7. Romans 5:1-11

8. 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

^23 [k]For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, ²⁴and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

²⁷Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.^[l] ²⁸A person should examine himself,^[m] and so eat the bread and drink the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment^[n] on himself. ³⁰That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. ³¹If we discerned ourselves, we would not be under judgment; ³²but since we are judged by [the] Lord, we are being disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

³³Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that your meetings may not result in judgment. The other matters I shall set in order when I come.

9. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

10. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

^7 [f]Now if the ministry of death,^[g] carved in letters on stone, was so glorious that the Israelites could not look intently at the face of Moses because of its glory that was going to fade, ⁸how much more^[h] will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious? ⁹For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory. ¹⁰Indeed, what was endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious.

11. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

¹For we know that if our earthly dwelling,^[a] a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven. ^2 [b]For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation ³if indeed, when we have taken it off,^[c] we shall not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent we groan and are weighed down, because we do not wish to be unclothed^[d] but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a first installment.

12. Colossians 1:15-20

13. Hebrews 2:10-12

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you”;

14. Hebrews 4:14-16

15. Hebrews 5:1-10

“You are my son;
this day I have begotten you”;

⁶just as he says in another place:

“You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

16. Hebrews 7:11-28

^1 [h]If, then, perfection came through the levitical priesthood, on the basis of which the people received the law, what need would there still have been for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not reckoned according to the order of Aaron? ¹²When there is a change of priesthood, there is necessarily a change of law as well. ¹³Now he of whom these things are said^[i] belonged to a different tribe, of which no member ever officiated at the altar. ¹⁴It is clear that our Lord arose from Judah,^[j] and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. ^15 [k]It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.^[l] ¹⁷For it is testified:

“You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁸On the one hand, a former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness, ¹⁹for the law brought nothing to perfection; on the other hand, a better hope^[m] is introduced, through which we draw near to God. ^20 [n]And to the degree that this happened not without the taking of an oath^[o]—for others became priests without an oath, ²¹but he with an oath, through the one who said to him:

“The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
‘You are a priest forever’”—

²²to that same degree has Jesus [also] become the guarantee of an [even] better covenant.^[p] ²³Those priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, ²⁴but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. ^25 [q]Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

²⁶It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:^[r] holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.^[s] ²⁷He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day,^[t] first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.

17. Hebrews 8

¹The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ²a minister of the sanctuary^[b] and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. ³Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer. ⁴If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are those who offer gifts according to the law. ⁵They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.

⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one. ⁸But he finds fault with them and says:

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
    when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
⁹It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
    the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they did not stand by my covenant
    and I ignored them, says the Lord.
¹⁰But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel
    after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
    and I will write them upon their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
¹¹And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen
    and kinsman, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for all shall know me,
    from least to greatest.
¹²For I will forgive their evildoing
    and remember their sins no more.”

^13 [e]When he speaks of a “new” covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.

18. Hebrews 9

¹Now [even] the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. ²For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one,^[^b^] in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. ^3 [^c^]Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, ⁴in which were the gold altar of incense^[^d^] and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant. ^5 [^e^]Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. Now is not the time to speak of these in detail.

⁶With these arrangements for worship, the priests, in performing their service,^[^f^] go into the outer tabernacle repeatedly, ⁷but the high priest alone goes into the inner one once a year, not without blood^[^g^] that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people. ⁸In this way the holy Spirit shows that the way into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer tabernacle still had its place. ⁹This is a symbol of the present time,^[^h^] in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience ¹⁰but only in matters of food and drink and various ritual washings: regulations concerning the flesh, imposed until the time of the new order.

^11 [i]But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,^[^j^] passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, ¹²he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes^[^k^] can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit^[^l^] offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

^15 [^m^]For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. ^16 [ⁿ^]Now where there is a will, the death of the testator must be established. ¹⁷For a will takes effect only at death; it has no force while the testator is alive. ¹⁸Thus not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. ^19 [^o^]When every commandment had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves [and goats], together with water and crimson wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, “This is ‘the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined upon you.’” ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled also the tabernacle^[^p^] and all the vessels of worship with blood. ^22 [^q^]According to the law almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

^23 [^r^]Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified by these rites, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. ²⁵Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; ²⁶if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages^[^s^] to take away sin by his sacrifice. ²⁷Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, ²⁸so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,^[^t^] will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

19. Hebrews 10

^1 [^a^]Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come,^[^b^] and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. ²Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? ³But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, ⁴for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. ⁵For this reason, when he came into the world, he said:

⁸First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings,^[^d^] you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. ⁹Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. ¹⁰By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

^11 [^e^]Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹²But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; ^13 [^f^]now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. ¹⁴For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. ^15 [^g^]The holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:

¹⁶“This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord:
‘I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,’”

¹⁷he also says:

“Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.”

¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

20. 1 John 2:1-6

21. 1 John 3:11-18

Tuesday 1/17/23

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbott

Readings: Heb 6:10-20; Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c; Mk 2:23-28

Title: “Having Served and Continuing to Serve”

“Brothers and sisters: God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises” (Heb 6:10-12).

In this passage from Hebrews 6 (Heb 6:10-12), we are encouraged to show our love in outward action, in the service of our fellow humankind. This is the hallmark of Christian agapē love: it is an action. We can find a similar emphasis on action notably here in Matthew 7, 1 John 2, and 1 John 3: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock” (Matt 7:24); and, “The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived” (1 John 2:3-6); and, “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

And as we also know from James 2 and 1 Peter 4: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 1:14-17; cf. James 1:26-27; cf. James 2:18-26); and, “Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Indeed, this outward act of love and giving is at the very foundation of the Christian Faith, and has much to do with why alms and charity are so characteristic of our religion.

There are two contrasting words that stand out in this passage from Hebrews 6: “eagerness” (Heb 6:11), and “sluggish” (Heb 6:12). In the act of service and the doing of good works, we are urged to maintain “the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish…” (Heb 6:10-12). This may seem like a passing comment, but it is actually deeply important. As we read of the rebuke to the angel of the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2: “Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” (Rev 2:4-5).

If Christian love is shown by action—“in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18)—then the way in which our love could grow woefully and reprehensibly cold is not through a waning of affection. For agapē love is an action more than a feeling, at the core of its definition, as we can see from Christ on the cross in His display of love. Although to be sure, a definite and distinct divine feeling may accompany agapē, but by the same token, it may not. This is to ensure that we do God’s will (cf. Matt 7:21-23) through virtue, and not merely selfish pleasure. But, as agapē love is an action, the way this love grows cold is not only through a feeling of indifference, or even hatred, or hardness of heart, but through inaction. And inaction, sloth, or laziness is both the greatest foothold for the devil to work in our hearts, whittling away our piety—”Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32)—and it is the way in which our love could slowly disappear.

This sin of sloth begins not with total inactivity, but with sluggishness, and a slowness of movement. And so, this warning to demonstrate eagerness (Heb 6:11-12), is not some small, cursory statement, but it is a real and helpful warning, which when heeded, will enable us to keep the fire of God’s divine love burning brightly and white-hot within our hearts. For as we read in 2 Timothy 1: “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:6-7). Let us fan God’s Spirit into flame thorough performing our duties and actions with eagerness, so that our momentum may not die down, the Spirit may not be quenched (1 Thess 5:19), and our love may not grow cold (Matt 24:12-14; cf. Rev 3:15-19).

And as we also read in Philippians 2: “So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life…” (Phil 2:12-16). And this we may do, as we enkindle that flame of God’s love with eagerness (Heb 6:11-12), for this soul is eternal (cf. 2 Macc 12:43-46; cf. Wis 3:1-12), and as we cling to God’s will (cf. Matt 7:21-27), His love in our hearts shall not die out. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. 2 Maccabees 12:38-46

³⁸Judas rallied his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was approaching, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the sabbath there. ³⁹On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. ⁴⁰But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. ⁴¹They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. ^42 [g]Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. ⁴³He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; ⁴⁴for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. ⁴⁵But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. ⁴⁶Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.

2. Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9-10

¹Hallelujah!

I will praise the Lord with all my heart
    in the assembled congregation of the upright.^[b]
²Great are the works of the Lord,
    studied by all who delight in them.
⁴He won renown for his wondrous deeds;
    gracious and merciful is the Lord.
⁵He gives food to those who fear him,^[c]
    he remembers his covenant forever.

⁹He sent release to his people,
    decreed his covenant forever;
    holy and fearsome is his name.
^10 [d]The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    prudent are all who practice it.
    His praise endures forever.

3. Wisdom 3:1-12

¹The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
    and no torment shall touch them.
²They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
    and their passing away was thought an affliction
³    and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
⁴For if to others, indeed, they seem punished,
    yet is their hope full of immortality;
⁵Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
    because God tried them
    and found them worthy of himself.
⁶As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
    and as sacrificial offerings^[c] he took them to himself.
⁷In the time of their judgment^[d] they shall shine
    and dart about as sparks through stubble;
⁸They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
    and the Lord shall be their King forever.
⁹Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
    and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
    and his care is with the elect.
¹⁰But the wicked shall receive a punishment to match their thoughts,^[e]
    since they neglected righteousness and forsook the Lord.
¹¹For those who despise wisdom and instruction are doomed.
Vain is their hope, fruitless their labors,
    and worthless their works.
¹²Their wives are foolish and their children wicked,
    accursed their brood.

4. Matthew 7:21-27

5. Matthew 24:3-13

³As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives,^[c] the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?” ^4 [d]Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars^[e] and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. ^8 [f]All these are the beginning of the labor pains. ^9 [g]Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. ¹¹Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; ¹²and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations,^[h] and then the end will come.

6. Mark 2:23-28

²³As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. ²⁴At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” ²⁵He said to them, “Have you never read what David did^[o] when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? ²⁶How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” ²⁷Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man,^[p] not man for the sabbath. ^28 [q]That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

7. Luke 22:31-34

^31 [j]“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you^[k] like wheat, ³²but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” ³³He said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” ³⁴But he replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.”

8. Philippians 2:12-18

9. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

¹⁴We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. ¹⁵See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good [both] for each other and for all. ¹⁶Rejoice always. ¹⁷Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. ^19 [c]Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophetic utterances. ²¹Test everything; retain what is good. ²²Refrain from every kind of evi.

10. 2 Timothy 1:6-8

⁶For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God^[e] that you have through the imposition of my hands. ⁷For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. ⁸So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,^[f] nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

11. Hebrews 6:10-20

¹⁰For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. ¹¹We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, ¹²so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

^13 [f]When God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, “he swore by himself,” ¹⁴and said, “I will indeed bless you and multiply” you. ¹⁵And so, after patient waiting, he obtained the promise.^[g] ¹⁶Human beings swear by someone greater than themselves; for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two immutable things,^[h] in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. ¹⁹This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,^[i] ²⁰where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

12. James 1:26-27

13. James 2:14-26

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? ¹⁷So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. ¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. ²⁰Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? ²²You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. ²³Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” ²⁴See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? ²⁶For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

14. 1 Peter 4:7-11

⁷The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. ⁸Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.^[d] ⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. ¹¹Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

15. 1 John 2:1-6

16. 1 John 3:11-18

17. Revelation 2:1-6

^1 [a]“To the angel of the church^[b] in Ephesus,^[c] write this:

“‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this: ²“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors.^[d] ³Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. ⁴Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. ⁵Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans,^[e] which I also hate.

18. Revelation 3:14-19

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea,^[j] write this:

“‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: ¹⁵“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.^[k] I wish you were either cold or hot. ^16 [l]So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ^17 [m]For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire^[n] so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.

Wednesday 1/18/23

Readings: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4; Mk 3:1-6

Title: “But They Remained Silent”

Just as we know that a way in which a lack of love is demonstrated is through inaction, so too a lack of love can also be similarly demonstrated through remaining silent when it is inappropriate to do so. As we can see in this passage from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 3:1-6), what came after the deliberate and inappropriate silence of the Pharisees was an even worse sin, as we hear of what proceeded: “Then he said to the Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?’ But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mark 3:4-6).

We can see silence used as a form of loveless inaction also by the chief priests and elders in this passage from Matthew 21: “Jesus said to them in reply, ‘I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?’ They discussed this among themselves and said, ‘If we say “Of heavenly origin,” he will say to us, “Then why did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin,” we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.’ So they said to Jesus in reply, ‘We do not know.’ He himself said to them, ‘Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things’” (Matt 21:24-27).

The way a person uses their words and language skills can be either a source of virtue or a source of vice. As we read in this passage from Matthew 12: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt 12:36-37). And as it says in James 1 and James 3: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain” (James 1:26); and, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh” (James 3:1-12; cf. Matt 7:15-20).

The way we speak to each other and the way we talk is often the place where we are most likely to sin, either through gratuitous excess or a withholding of words. As with any practice of virtue, there is no erring on the side of caution. Rather, virtue is the middle road (cf. Matt 7:13-14) of prudence, discretion, discernment, and moderation, whereupon one must be careful not to fall into either privation or excess. It is in the extremes wherein sin is found, whereas it is in moderation that one attains to virtue. Similarly, with speech, it takes carefulness and prudence to know when to speak, and when not to, in addition to knowing what to say. Far more often than not, we sin by speaking when we should not, and saying things we ought not to: errors both in quantity and content. However, this does not mean that it would be better to only stay silent all the time. To the contrary, great harm can also be committed by a malicious silence. Some may even display passive aggressive behavior in using the silent treatment malevolently or as revenge.

And so, we must not fall into either excess or privation in our speech, because the way we act and the way we speak has an effect on the quality and condition of our hearts and souls. For one of the easiest things one can do that constitutes sin is to say or do nothing when one should say something (cf. Col 3:16-17; cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17; cf. 2 Tim 4:1-5; cf. James 2:14-26; cf. 1 John 3:11-18), in the very least, to bring to light the thoughts of our hearts, so that one may be corrected, or a misunderstanding may be clarified, and one may learn from this sharing and be instructed in what is right. We must have an openness of heart and express this (cf. Matt 12:33-37; cf. Matt 15:10-20) through prudent, but open and honest, and kind speech (cf. James 3:13-18; cf. 1 Pet 3:15-17), so that we may grow in truth and trust, and not wither away in dishonesty, hardness of heart, and an unwillingness to disclose our hearts’ secrets. And then, from this openness, we may be made ready to learn from God. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 110:1-4

¹A psalm of David.

2. Matthew 7:13-14

¹⁵“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰So by their fruits you will know them.

3. Matthew 12:33-37

³³“Either declare^[w] the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. ^34 [x]You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. ^36 [y]I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. ³⁷By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

4. Matthew 15:10-20

¹⁰He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. ¹¹It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” ¹²Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ¹³He said in reply,^[f] “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵Then Peter^[g] said to him in reply, “Explain [this] parable to us.” ¹⁶He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. ^19 [h]For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. ²⁰These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

5. Matthew 21:23-27

6. Mark 3:1-6

^1 [a]Again he entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. ²They watched him closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. ³He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” ⁴Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. ⁵Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. ^6 [b]The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

7. Colossians 3:12-17

8. 2 Timothy 3:16-18

¹⁰You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me. ¹²In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. ¹⁴But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ^16 [c]All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,^[d] ¹⁷so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

9. 2 Timothy 4:1-5

¹I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: ²proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. ³For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,^[b] will accumulate teachers ⁴and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. ⁵But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

10. Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17

^1 [a]This “Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,”^[b] “met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings” and “blessed him.” ^2 [c]And Abraham apportioned to him “a tenth of everything.” His name first means righteous king, and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. ³Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life,^[d] thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

^15 [k]It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.^[l] ¹⁷For it is testified:

“You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

11. James 1:26-27

12. James 2:14-26

13. James 3

14. 1 Peter 3:13-17

¹³Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, ¹⁵but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, ¹⁶but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

15. 1 John 3:11-18

Thursday 1/19/23

Readings: Heb 7:25-8:6; Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17; Mk 3:7-12

Title: “Once for All”

“It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever” (Heb 7:26-28).

As it says in this passage from Hebrews 7, “He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself” (Heb 7:27). This is a very important truth of the Faith, that Christ absolved all sin through the one sacrifice (cf. Heb 10:10-18) that He made of Himself, on the cross. This goes to show how the priestly sacrifices before Christ were merely preparations and prefigurations in anticipation of Christ. For everything is held together by Christ (cf. Col 1:15-20), and the center and linchpin of all of existence is the crucifixion of Christ. And so, it makes sense that all of human history carries with it ripples and reflections of our God on the cross. Since God exists in eternity outside the scope of time, His crucifixion is not bound by the chronology of time either, and so, His coming influenced creation since the very foundations of the world, just as His coming sent shock waves and ripples into history after His coming.

Just as we also hear in Hebrews 8: “They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle” (Heb 8:5; cf. Heb 9:23-10:10). We can find in all of earthly history, all created things, and most profoundly in the law, copies and shadows of God’s heavenly reality. It is as if the created world naturally carries with it reverberations of the divine, just as the body carries with it reverberations of the soul. And so, how could God’s work not culminate in His participation in humanity, with the Incarnation of Christ? The Son, “who has been made perfect forever” (Heb 7:28), completes the union between humankind and God, and earth and heaven, through His taking on of our humanity as He fills all things (cf. Eph 1:22-23; cf. Eph 4:1-10; cf. Col 1:15-20; cf. Col 2:9-10) with and in Himself. He brings the divine to the earth, and brings us from the earthly tabernacle to the heavenly one (cf. 2 Cor 5:1-10; cf. Heb 9:23-28), showing us through our own human form just how God operates with us and upon us, bestowing meaning and understanding upon our humanity and our comprehension of His creation.

As we read in Romans 1: ‘For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes” (Rom 1:19-24).

All that God has made points to His existence as the Creator, and what was only alluded to or shown in part (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-13) through the created world—and even the divinely-given law—was made perfectly transparent and clear (cf. Luke 24:25-35; cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18) in the coming and gift of Christ, through His cross and Incarnation. By the gift of the Holy Spirit we can understand all things too lofty for our human intellect (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-31; cf. 1 Cor 2, cf. Eph 3:18-21), as “For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith” (1 Cor 1:21), “so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:5).

As we read in Scripture, all shall know God: “They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, ‘Know the Lord!’ Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the Lord—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin” (Jer 31:34; cf. Heb 8:8-12); and in John 6, “It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God’” (John 6:45). And so, as we open our hearts and minds to the gift of Christ, we shall surpass our earthly understandings and knowledge, and “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 40:7-10, 17

^7 [c]Sacrifice and offering you do not want;
    you opened my ears.
Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request;
⁸    so I said, “See; I come
    with an inscribed scroll written upon me.
⁹I delight to do your will, my God;
    your law is in my inner being!”
¹⁰When I sing of your righteousness
    in a great assembly,
See, I do not restrain my lips;
    as you, Lord, know.

¹⁷While those who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
May those who long for your salvation
always say, “The Lord is great.”

2. Jeremiah 31:31-34

³¹See, days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³²It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, though I was their master—oracle of the Lord. ³³But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days—oracle of the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the Lord!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the Lord—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.

3. Mark 3:7-12

^7 [c]Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people [followed] from Galilee and from Judea. ⁸Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. ⁹He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. ¹⁰He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. ^11 [d]And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” ¹²He warned them sternly not to make him known.

4. Luke 24:25-35

5. John 6:45-51

⁴⁵It is written in the prophets:

‘They shall all be taught by God.’

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; ⁵⁰this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. ⁵¹I 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.”

6. Romans 1:18-32

^18 [l]The wrath^[m] of God^[n] is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. ²⁰Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; ²¹for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. ²²While claiming to be wise, they became fools ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.

²⁴Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts^[o] for the mutual degradation of their bodies. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ²⁶Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, ²⁷and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. ²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. ²⁹They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips ³⁰and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. ³¹They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

7. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

¹⁸The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

²⁰Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? ^21 [i]For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. ²²For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, ²⁸and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, ²⁹so that no human being might boast^[k] before God. ³⁰It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, ³¹so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”

8. 1 Corinthians 2

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him.”

¹⁰this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

¹⁶For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

9. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

10. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

11. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

12. Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵Therefore, I, too, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love^[j] for all the holy ones, ¹⁶do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. ¹⁸May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, ¹⁹and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, ²⁰which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, ²¹far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³which is his body,^[k] the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

13. Ephesians 3:18-21

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family^[h] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, ¹⁷and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

14. Ephesians 4:1-10

⁷But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore, it says:

“He ascended^[c] on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.”

15. Philippians 4:4-7

16. Colossians 1:15-20

17. Colossians 2:9-15

⁹For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity^[d] bodily, ¹⁰and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power. ¹¹In him^[e] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. ¹²You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³And even when you were dead [in] transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; ^14 [f]obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; ¹⁵despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it.

18. Hebrews 7:25-8:6

^25 [q]Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

19. Hebrews 8:7-13

⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one. ⁸But he finds fault with them and says:

^13 [e]When he speaks of a “new” covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.

20. Hebrews 9:23-28

21. Hebrews 10:1-18

¹⁶“This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord:
‘I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,’”

¹⁷he also says:

“Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.”

¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

Friday 1/20/23

Saint Fabian; Saint Sebastian

Readings: Heb 8:6-13; Ps 85:8, 10, 11-12, 13-14; Mk 3:13-19

Title: “Know the Lord”

“’But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God,and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kin, saying, “Know the Lord,” for all shall know me, from least to greatest. For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more.’ When he speaks of a ‘new’ covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing” (Heb 8:10-13).

The Book of Hebrews speaks notably of two covenants, as the first covenant with Israel is contrasted with the new covenant, foretold by the prophets, made by the Blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-34). We know that God does not go back on His word (cf. Num 23:19-20), and “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29): “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not become wise [in] your own estimation: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come out of Zion, he will turn away godlessness from Jacob; and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’ In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may [now] receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all” (Rom 11:25-32).

God does, however, act according to His plan and His will of goodness, which was made known in part (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-13) before it was made known in full. The new covenant was the fulfillment of the old, and as we also know from Galatians 3, the old covenant was only put in place as a teacher or disciplinarian, until God would establish the new covenant: “Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:23-29).

The old covenant was, in fact, a divinely instituted covenant between God and humankind, and a part of divine revelation. However, the old covenant can only be properly understood in the context of the new covenant, of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (cf. Luke 24:25-35; cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18). The law was a divinely revealed truth, meant to prepare God’s people for the coming of our Messiah, Jesus. The law is a taste and a shadow (cf. Heb 10:1) of the teaching of Christ, and so, we respect the law, but accept it only in light of the truth of Christ, as we do not mistake the means for the ends, or the preparation for the main event. The law is neither inconsequential, nor is it the last word from God. It is neither of these things, but instead, it is a part and prefiguration of the teaching of Christ, never to be taken in isolation from Christ, but which in the context of Christ, can lead to a greater understanding of Christ Himself. We must see the old covenant and the law for what it is according to God’s plan in our Christian truth, and not more, and not less.

And so, as the Book of Hebrews and other passages of Scripture help us to understand the meaning of the law and how it ties in to the coming of Christ, one thing that will help us to understand God’s salvific plan is the idea of Jesus as both the fulfilment of the law (Matt 5:17-18), and our true and long-awaited Master (Matt 23:10), and our true Teacher (Matt 23:8; cf. Isa 30:20-21; cf. Jer 31:33-34; cf. John 6:45; cf. Heb 8:10-12) within, as the voice of God in our consciences by the gift of the Holy Spirit from the cross. This passage from Jeremiah 31 (Jer 31:31-34) quoted in Hebrews 8 (Heb 8:8-12) is very helpful in explaining how Christ fulfills God’s promise, especially when taken in conjunction with certain passages from Ezekiel and Joel.

As it states in Ezekiel and Joel: “I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your impurities…” (Ezek 36:25-29); and, “It shall come to pass I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even upon your male and female servants, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. I will set signs in the heavens and on the earth… Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will escape harm…” (Joel 3:1-5; cf. Acts 2:16-21).

And as we seek from Jesus His understanding of the law, we find in John 13: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). This is also echoed in 1 John 2: “Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you, for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:7-8).

And as Jesus also clarifies in Matthew 5: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place” (Matt 5:17-18; cf. Matt 5:19-20; cf. Matt 24:34-35; cf. 1 John 2:17).

And as Jesus also explains in Matthew 22: “‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments’” (Matt 22:36-40). This meaning is also echoed in Matthew 7 and Romans 13: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets” (Matt 7:12); and, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, [namely] ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:8-10; cf. John 15:10-17; cf. 1 John 2:1-6; cf. 1 John 5:1-5).

This love—the love of God which enables us to love our neighbor as ourselves—is the goal and meaning of God’s plan and God’s law, and this perfect, divine love is shown better in no other way than Christ on the cross (cf. John 15:11-17; cf. 1 John 3:16-18). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Numbers 23:19-20

¹⁹God is not a human being who speaks falsely,
    nor a mortal, who feels regret.
Is God one to speak and not act,
    to decree and not bring it to pass?
²⁰I was summoned to bless;
    I will bless; I cannot revoke it!

2. Psalm 85:8, 10-14

⁸Show us, Lord, your mercy;
grant us your salvation.

¹⁰Near indeed is his salvation for those who fear him;
    glory will dwell in our land.
^11 [c]Love and truth will meet;
    justice and peace will kiss.
¹²Truth will spring from the earth;
    justice will look down from heaven.
¹³Yes, the Lord will grant his bounty;
    our land will yield its produce.
¹⁴Justice will march before him,
    and make a way for his footsteps.

3. Isaiah 30:18-21

¹⁸Truly, the Lord is waiting to be gracious to you,
    truly, he shall rise to show you mercy;
For the Lord is a God of justice:
    happy are all who wait for him!
¹⁹Yes, people of Zion, dwelling in Jerusalem,
    you shall no longer weep;
He will be most gracious to you when you cry out;
    as soon as he hears he will answer you.
²⁰The Lord will give you bread in adversity
    and water in affliction.
No longer will your Teacher^[h] hide himself,
    but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
²¹And your ears shall hear a word behind you:
    “This is the way; walk in it,”
    when you would turn to the right or the left.

4. Jeremiah 31:31-34

5. Ezekiel 36:23-32

²³But I will show the holiness of my great name, desecrated among the nations, in whose midst you desecrated it. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord—oracle of the Lord God—when through you I show my holiness before their very eyes. ²⁴I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you back to your own soil. ^25 [c]I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. ²⁶I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. ²⁸You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹I will deliver you from all your impurities. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful; I will not send famine against you. ³⁰I will increase the fruit on your trees and the crops in your fields so that you no longer endure reproach from the nations because of famine. ³¹Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds that were not good; you will loathe yourselves for your sins and your abominations. ³²Not for your sake do I act—oracle of the Lord God. Let this be known to you! Be ashamed and humbled because of your behavior, house of Israel.

6. Joel 3

^1 [a]It shall come to pass
    I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
²Even upon your male and female servants,
    in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
³I will set signs in the heavens and on the earth,
    blood, fire, and columns of smoke;
⁴The sun will darken,
    the moon turn blood-red,
Before the day of the Lord arrives,
    that great and terrible day.
⁵Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
    will escape harm.
For on Mount Zion there will be a remnant,
    as the Lord has said,
And in Jerusalem survivors
    whom the Lord will summon.

7. Matthew 5:17-20

^17 [m]“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^[n] ²⁰I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

8. Matthew 7:12

^12 [f]“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.

9. Matthew 22:34-40

10. Matthew 23:1-12

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 [b]saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. ³Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens^[c] [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. ^5 [d]All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. ^6 [e]They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, ⁷greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ ^8 [f]As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. ¹⁰Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you must be your servant. ¹²Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

11. Matthew 24:32-34

³²“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates. ³⁴Amen, I say to you, this generation^[t] will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

12. Mark 3:13-19

¹³He went up the mountain^[e] and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. ¹⁴He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might be with him^[f] and he might send them forth to preach ¹⁵and to have authority to drive out demons: ^16 [g][he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter; ¹⁷James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; ¹⁸Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

13. Luke 22:14-20

14. Luke 24:25-35

15. John 6:45-51

⁴⁵It is written in the prophets:

‘They shall all be taught by God.’

16. John 13:31-35

^31 [j]When he had left, Jesus said,^[k] “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³²[If God is glorified in him,] God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. ³³My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. ³⁴I give you a new commandment:^[l] love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. ³⁵This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

17. John 15:10-17

¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

18. Acts 2:14-21

^14 [e]Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. ¹⁵These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says,
    ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit
    upon all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your young men shall see visions,
    your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids
    I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days,
        and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will work wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below:
        blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness,
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,
²¹and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.’

19. Romans 11:25-36

²⁵I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not become wise [in] your own estimation: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, ²⁶and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The deliverer will come out of Zion,
he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
²⁷and this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”

²⁸In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs. ²⁹For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

^30 [e]Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may [now] receive mercy. ³²For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

^33 [f]Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!

³⁴“For who has known the mind of the Lord^[g]
or who has been his counselor?”
^35 [h]“Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid?”

³⁶For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

20. Romans 13:8-10

⁸Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, [namely] “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

21. 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

22. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

23. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

24. Galatians 3:23-29

²³Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. ²⁴Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian^[p] for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. ²⁶For through faith you are all children of God^[q] in Christ Jesus. ^27 [r]For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.^[s] ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.

25. Hebrews 8:6-13

⁶Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.

⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one. ⁸But he finds fault with them and says:

^13 [e]When he speaks of a “new” covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.

26. Hebrews 10:1-10

27. 1 John 2:1-11, 15-17

⁷Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you,^[d] for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. ⁹Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. ¹¹Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

28. 1 John 3:16-18

¹⁶The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? ¹⁸Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

29. 1 John 5:1-5

Saturday 1/21/23

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Readings: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Mk 3:20-21

Title: “Cleanse Our Consciences”

“A tabernacle was constructed, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies. But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own Blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God” (Heb 9:2-3, 11-14).

This passage from Hebrews 9 is one of the most elucidating New Testament passages explaining the expiation of sin and eternal redemption through Christ’s Blood and His sacrifice on the cross. It describes the old practice of the forgiveness of sins, atonement, and even bodily healing, and then directly connects those practices to Christ’s sacrifice as the true Lamb, as His Blood heals not merely the body, but the eternal soul. As we read in Matthew 9, “‘Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Rise and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic, ‘Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’ He rose and went home” (Matt 9:5-7). And as we also read in Matthew 10, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matt 10:28).

What we ought to be thinking about are the heavenly things (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. 1 Cor 7:29-35; cf. 2 Cor 4:16-18; cf. Gal 2:19-21; cf. Col 3:1-3) to which this earthly reality points (cf. Heb 9:23-10:10), because heaven is a higher reality than this one, which will last on into eternity as our true home of our true God (cf. Rev 21:22-22:5). As we read in the last line of this passage from Hebrews 9 (Heb 9:2-3, 11-14), “how much more will the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God” (Heb 9:14). The idea of cleanness of conscience (cf. Heb 10:22; cf. 1 Pet 3:16) is a fruit at the heart of doing God’s will. But we cannot simply do God’s will just as we are, stained by original sin, without the gift of God’s grace through baptism. It is this cleansing by Christ’s Blood that we receive in baptism, which offers us both absolution from sin, and the ability, by a gift of God’s grace, to do God’s will (cf. Heb 10:5-10).

Both being forgiven for sin and being given the ability to do God’s will are essential features of what is required to have a clean conscience, which results in a joy beyond the reach of any suffering (cf. John 15:11-17). The Blood of Christ is directly related to a clean conscience, and the dynamics of this relationship are best understood through the lens of Old Testament tradition, in rituals of sacrifice for atonement for sins (Lev 16:1-19, 29-34). For Christ is our Paschal Lamb (1 Cor 5:7), and our “lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers…. By making his life as a reparation offering, he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days, and the Lord’s will shall be accomplished through him. Because of his anguish he shall see the light; because of his knowledge he shall be content; My servant, the just one, shall justify the many, their iniquity he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors” (Isa 53:7-12). Christ is our Lamb, slain for the forgiveness of sins.

This, in fact, is one of the most basic and fundamental understandings of Jesus, as we hear this statement by John the Baptist at the very beginning of the Gospel of John: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God. who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; cf. John 1:35; cf. Rev 5:6-8; cf. Rev 21:23). And as Jesus gives us also His parable of the lost sheep (Matt 18:10-14; Luke 15:1-7), and the parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-30), this gives us confidence to find life and shelter in His fold, by being as lambs, too (cf. Isa 53:6; cf. Rom 8:35-39). We are also referred to such in John 21, as Jesus tells Peter: “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15); “Tend my sheep” (John 21:16); and “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17); “And when he had said this, he said to him, ‘Follow me’” (John 21:19).

Christ suffered and became perfect (Heb 2:10-11; Heb 5:8-9), and He suffered so that we can, too. For we have a far deeper consolation than earthly comfort. For we have the deep inner peace (Phil 4:7) and consolation that is knowledge of God (cf. Eph 3:14-21), and the sanctity (cf. John 17:15-19) of a clean conscience (cf. Heb 9:13-14; cf. Heb 10:22; cf. 1 Pet 3:16), as we receive our true life eternally, through oneness with God (cf. John 17:20-26), sharing divine union with the Holy Trinity, in a world without end. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Leviticus 16:1-19, 29-34

2. Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9

²All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with joyful cries.
³For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
the great king over all the earth,

^6 [c]God has gone up with a shout;
the Lord, amid trumpet blasts.
⁷Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

⁸For God is king over all the earth;
sing hymns of praise.
⁹God rules over the nations;
God sits upon his holy throne.

3. Isaiah 53:6-12

⁴Yet it was our pain that he bore,
    our sufferings he endured.
We thought of him as stricken,
    struck down by God^[b] and afflicted,
⁵But he was pierced for our sins,
    crushed for our iniquity.
He bore the punishment that makes us whole,
    by his wounds we were healed.
⁶We had all gone astray like sheep,
    all following our own way;
But the Lord laid upon him^[c]
    the guilt of us all.

4. Matthew 9:1-7

^1 [a]He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. ²And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” ³At that, some of the scribes^[b] said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? ⁵Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ^6 [c]But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” ⁷He rose and went home. ^8 [d]When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.

5. Matthew 10:26-33

6. Matthew 18:10-14

¹⁰“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,^[i] for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. [¹¹]^[j] ¹²What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? ¹³And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. ¹⁴In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

7. Mark 3:20-21

^20 [h]He came home.^[i] Again [the] crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. ²¹When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

8. Luke 15:1-7

^[a]The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, ²but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So to them he addressed this parable. ⁴“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? ⁵And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy ⁶and, 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.’ ⁷I 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.

9. John 1:29-42

10. John 10:1-30

11. John 15:1-17

12. John 17:17-26

¹⁷Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. ¹⁹And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

13. John 21:15-19

14. Romans 8:31-39

“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”

15. Romans 12:1-2

16. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

⁶Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast^[e] leavens all the dough? ^7 [f]Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. ⁸Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

17. 1 Corinthians 7:29-35

^29 [l]I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, ³⁰those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, ³¹those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

³²I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. ³³But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, ³⁴and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. ³⁵I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

18. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

^16 [k]Therefore, we are not discouraged;^[l] rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

19. Galatians 2:19-25

20. Ephesians 3:14-21

21. Philippians 4:4-7

22. Colossians 3:1-3

23. Hebrews 2:10-11

24. Hebrews 5:7-10

25. Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14, 23-28

²For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one,^[b] in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. ^3 [c]Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies,^11 [i]But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,^[j] passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, ¹²he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes^[k] can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit^[l] offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

26. Hebrews 10:1-10, 19-25

27. 1 Peter 3:13-17

28. Revelation 5:6-8

29. Revelation 21:22-27

30. Revelation 22:1-5

¹Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water,^[a] sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life^[b] that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. ³Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴They will look upon his face,^[c] and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.

Sunday 1/22/23

Readings: Is 8:23-9:3; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23

Title: “The Cross of Christ”

This passage from 1 Corinthians 1 (1 Cor 1:10-13, 17) contains some useful and important information that we would do well to go over line by line. As this passage beings, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (1 Cor 1:10). This insistence of St. Paul upon unity among Christians (cf. Eph 4:1-6; cf. Col 3:12-17) is one of the most fundamental characteristics of the bond of love and the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 4:3; cf. Col 3:14). For God tends toward unity, while it is the devil that divides. It is true that we are urged towards unity with prudence, as we know particularly from Matthew 18 and First and Second Corinthians.

As it says in Matthew 18: “If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt 18:15-18).

And as it says in 1 Corinthians 6, and 2 Corinthians 6: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not! [Or] do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For ‘the two,’ it says, ‘will become one flesh.’ But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:15-20; cf. 1 Cor 5); and, “Do not be yoked with those who are different, with unbelievers. For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What accord has Christ with Beliar? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God…” (2 Cor 6:14-16).

But the main point is that whether some choose to fall away or not (cf. Heb 10:26-39), our goal is aways towards unity, universality, and inclusiveness in the Holy Spirit, after the image of the oneness of God in three Persons in the Holy Trinity (cf. Gen 1:26-27). As St. Paul continues, “For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor 1:11-13).

We can hear a similar rebuke in 1 Corinthians 3: “Whenever someone says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ and another, ‘I belong to Apollos,’ are you not merely human? What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth” (1 Cor 3:4-7). And as we read in Galatians 3: “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:26-29).

We are urged not to create divisions based on human leadership or by whom we were baptized, for all baptism is of Christ: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3:27). This encourages us not to cling to non-divine streams of transitory human tradition within the Faith, but to hold fast to the true steam of the living waters (cf. John 3:3-8; cf. John 4:10-15; cf. John 7:37-39; cf. Rom 5:5; cf. Titus 3:4-7) welling up within us through baptism, as the one God who is unmovable, unchanging (cf. James 1:17), and eternal. We are all baptized in the name of Christ, who is God, and not in the name of any particular person apart from God.

The more effectively we can clear our hearts and minds of any such particulars of attachments, the better we can thereby cling quickly and with precision to the one true God, the Creator beyond His creatures and creation. We must intuit the divine at work behind the visible parts of creation, and hold fast to what matters at its deepest level, which is unseen (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. 2 Cor 4:16-18; cf. Col 3:1-4; cf. 1 Tim 6:11-16). We love and value all creatures and God’s material creation, but we do not mistake these things for God, value them ahead of God, or cling to them as if they were God. They are goods that are lesser than God, in a good, well-ordered hierarchy of priorities within the soul, pertaining to God and His creation.

And as St. Paul goes on, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning” (1 Cor 1:17). St. Paul’s mission was to spread the word of Christ and “preach the gospel” (1 Cor 1:17). He rejects the so-called wisdom of the sophists which relies on eloquence devoid of meaning as a frivolous display of public speechifying and peacocking. St. Paul wants his message to convey not only the weight of actual meaning—beyond merely poetically strung-together, flowery-sounding words—but beyond mere logical meaning, he wishes his words to carry the weight of God. St. Paul was sent by God to preach the gospel of God.

As St. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2, “When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:1-5).

And as St. Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 1: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18); and, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:22-24). St. Paul wants to transmit to his listeners God’s meaning, and not his own, so that he may be a truly effective preacher, relaying not that which is human, but that which is divine—that which is God (cf. 1 Cor 2:6-16; cf. Gal 1:11-12; cf. 1 Thess 2:13). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 1:26-27

²⁷God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female^[f] he created them.

2. Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

¹Of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

⁴One thing I ask of the Lord;
    this I seek:
To dwell in the Lord’s house
    all the days of my life,
To gaze on the Lord’s beauty,
    to visit his temple.

¹³I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.^[d]
¹⁴Wait for the Lord, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!

3. Isaiah 8:23-9:3

²³There is no gloom where there had been distress. Where once he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, now he has glorified the way of the Sea, the land across the Jordan, Galilee of the Nations.

¹The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
Upon those who lived in a land of gloom
    a light has shone.
²You have brought them abundant joy
    and great rejoicing;
They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest,
    as they exult when dividing the spoils.
³For the yoke that burdened them,
    the pole on their shoulder,
The rod of their taskmaster,
    you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.^[a]

4. Matthew 4:12-23

¹²When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:

¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles,
¹⁶the people who sit in darkness
    have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
    light has arisen.”

^17 [g]From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

²³He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,^[k] proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

5. Matthew 18:15-20

¹⁵“If your brother^[l] sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. ^16 [m]If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.^[n] If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. ^18 [o]Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ^19 [p]Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. ^20 [q]For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

6. John 3:3-8

7. John 4:10-15

^10 [f]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.” ¹¹[The woman] said to him, “Sir,^[g] you do not even have a bucket and the well is deep; where then can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” ¹³Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; ¹⁴but 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.” ¹⁵The 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.”

8. John 7:37-39

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:

‘Rivers of living water^[n] will flow from within him.’”

³⁹He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet,^[o] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

9. Romans 5:3-5

³Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, ⁴and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.

10. Romans 12:1-2

11. 1 Corinthians 1:10-31

¹⁰I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. ¹¹For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. ¹²I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to^[e] Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” ^13 [f]Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I give thanks [to God] that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(I baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) ^17 [g]For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,^[h] so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

¹⁸The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

12. 1 Corinthians 2

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him,”

¹⁰this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

¹⁶For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

13. 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

^1 [a]Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people,^[b] as infants in Christ. ²I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now, ³for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,^[c] are you not of the flesh and behaving in an ordinary human way? ⁴Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?

⁵What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers^[e] through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. ⁷Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. ⁹For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

14. 1 Corinthians 5

¹It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans—a man living with his father’s wife. ²And you are inflated with pride.^[c] Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. ³I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, ⁴in the name of [our] Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, ⁵you are to deliver this man to Satan^[d] for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

^9 [g]I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people, ¹⁰not at all referring to the immoral of this world or the greedy and robbers or idolaters; for you would then have to leave the world. ¹¹But I now write to you not to associate with anyone named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a person. ¹²For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your business to judge those within? ¹³God will judge those outside. “Purge the evil person from your midst.”

15. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them the members of a prostitute?^[g] Of course not! ¹⁶[Or] do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For “the two,” it says, “will become one flesh.” ¹⁷But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body.^[h] ¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple^[i] of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

16. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

17. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

^14 [j]Do not be yoked with those who are different, with unbelievers.^[k] For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵What accord has Christ with Beliar? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said:

“I will live with them and move among them,^[l]
    and I will be their God
    and they shall be my people.
¹⁷Therefore, come forth from them
    and be separate,” says the Lord,
“and touch nothing unclean;
    then I will receive you
¹⁸and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

18. Galatians 1:11-12

¹¹Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. ¹²For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

19. Galatians 3:23-29

20. Ephesians 4:1-6

21. Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

22. 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

¹³And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe. ^14 [c]For you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same things from your compatriots as they did from the Jews, ^15 [d]who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they do not please God, and are opposed to everyone, ¹⁶trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, thus constantly filling up the measure of their sins. But the wrath of God has finally begun to come upon them.

23. 1 Timothy 6:11-16

24. Titus 3:4-8

⁴But when the kindness and generous love
    of God our savior appeared,
⁵not because of any righteous deeds we had done
    but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
    and renewal by the holy Spirit,
⁶whom he richly poured out on us
    through Jesus Christ our savior,
⁷so that we might be justified by his grace
    and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

⁸This saying is trustworthy.

25. Hebrews 10:26-39

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

26. James 1:16-18

^16 [h]Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: ¹⁷all good giving and every perfect gift^[i] is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. ¹⁸He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Monday 1/23/23

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Readings: Heb 9:15, 24-28; Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6; Mk 3:22-30

Title: “To Bring Salvation”

This passage from Hebrews 9 (Heb 9:24-28) is one of the meatier passages from Hebrews, as here we find several key facts of our Faith all interwoven into one. We can go through it line by line. As it begins, “For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf” (Heb 9:24). This describes for us heaven and its relation to the tabernacle and temple on earth. For Christ did not enter into the Holy of Holies as did the priests of Aaron, but Christ entered into that which the Holy of Holies is seen to represent (Heb 9:24-10:10): the inner sanctuary of God Himself. And Christ approaches the Father to make intercession for us, for the forgiveness of sins for the redemption of the eternal soul. There is the temple, and the eternal heaven; there is the body, and the soul; there is the sacrifice for sin, and there is the true Lamb, Christ. In this way, we see how with earthly ritual, we can participate in heavenly realities, provided that we understand the meaning of these things spiritually, and not merely corporeally or legalistically, thereby missing the point.

As this passage proceeds, “Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world” (Heb 9:25-26). This shows us a key feature of how Christ’s sacrifice fundamentally differs from those of the first covenant (cf. Heb 9:15). For the levitical priests made sacrifice daily, because they were humanly unable to make eternal atonement (cf. Heb 5:1-10; cf. Heb 9:6-15; cf. Heb 10:1-18). God in the flesh, however, in the Person of Jesus Christ, was, indeed, able to make an eternal sacrifice of Himself, due to His divine and eternal nature. Christ only had to act once in His offering for sin (Heb 9:12, 27-28; Heb 10:11-12), in the sacrifice of His life upon the cross, and we get to commemorate this Sacrament with the Liturgy of the Mass, as we celebrate Christ’s deed with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. Christ acted only once, but the effects of that action carry on forever, with the divine ripples of His holy and eternal nature.

As this passage continues, “But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice” (Heb 9:26). This is a major point of our Faith. Christ came to expiate sin (cf. John 1:29; cf. Heb 9:5, 11-14, 22; cf. 1 John 2:2), and it was by the sacrifice of His life that He did so. There is no more fitting or appropriate way in which He could have done this, and this act gives us an awe-inspiring event to contemplate in wonder—indeed, for all eternity. This is a gift that can be pondered and unfolded, to reveal new fruits of wisdom and gifts for our spirit, for all ages.

And as this passage goes on, “Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him” (Heb 9:27-28). This, too, is a very important and fundamental fact of our Faith: that we expect Christ in the Second Coming (cf. Matt 24:29-44; cf. 1 Thess 4:13-18; cf. 2 Tim 4:8). We accept the fact of both death and judgment, and we can see here how this truth of our own mortality, clothed with immortality (cf. 1 Cor 15:50-58; cf. Gal 3:27), directly relates to Christ, and His death, gift of salvation, and Second Coming.

Let us not forget the direct correspondence between our death and the new life of salvation in Christ (cf. Rom 6; cf. Heb 9:27-28), as we look forward to the day of His return more than anything else, and eagerly await the resurrection of the body after we have completed a life of God’s love and good deeds (cf. Matt 16:24-28; cf. Gal 6:6-10) here on earth. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 98:1-6

¹A psalm.

2. Matthew 16:24-28

3. Matthew 24:29-44

^29 [p]“Immediately after the tribulation of those days,

the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰And then the sign of the Son of Man^[q] will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels^[r] with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

4. Mark 3:22-30

²²The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”^[j] and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

²³Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. ²⁸Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. ²⁹But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit^[k] will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” ³⁰For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

5. John 1:29-36

³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

6. Romans 6

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[^c^] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[^d^] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[^e^] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
⁵⁵Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin,^[aa] and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

8. Galatians 3:23-29

9. Galatians 6:6-10

10. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

¹³We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,^[c] will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together^[d] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore, console one another with these words.

11. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

^6 [c]For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. ^7 [d]I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. ^8 [e]From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

12. Hebrews 5:1-10

“You are my son;
this day I have begotten you”;

⁶just as he says in another place:

“You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

13. Hebrews 9

²⁴For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. ²⁵Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; ²⁶if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages^[s] to take away sin by his sacrifice. ²⁷Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, ²⁸so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,^[t] will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

14. Hebrews 10:1-18

“This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord:
‘I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,’”

¹⁷he also says:

“Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.”

¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

15. 1 John 2:1-6

Tuesday 1/24/23

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Readings: Heb 10:1-10; Ps 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11; Mk 3:31-35

Title: “Does the Will of God”

What lies at the very crux of the goal of Christian life is union with God, and this union is established in only one way: by doing the will of God (cf. Matt 7:21-23). All of the practices of virtue and mortification of the will, penances and contrition, right belief and right action—all of these are put in place so that we may learn to do the will of God (cf. Ps 40:7-9; cf. Matt 6:9-10; cf. Matt 12:46-50; cf. Matt 26:39, 42, 44; cf. Mark 3:31-34; cf. Luke 11:28; cf. Rom 8:26-27; cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. Heb 10:1-10). What we wish is for divine union with the Holy Trinity, and the way in which we get there is by doing God’s will (cf. Matt 7:13-14). There is no way around this, and without this basic orientation, we will have completely missed the point of our Faith. The act, and desire, and practice of doing the will of God cannot be underscored enough. What this means is that we have to bend and mortify our own will, and get used to not getting what we want, letting go of selfish desires, and grow accustomed to not getting our own way, or even giving into wants at all. In fact, after a certain point, what we “want” will not be what we would “want” according to our lower, baser, selfish nature, but what we “want” will be closer to what we should “want” according to our higher spiritual nature (cf. Rom 7:13-25) and the will of God (cf. Rom 8:26-27).

Along this path of spiritual maturity (cf. Matt 18:1-5; cf. 1 Cor 3:1-4; cf. Phil 3:12-21; cf. Heb 5:11-14), what we use to guide our judgments should not be what we “want” at all, but only what we “should” do. In fact, selfish desires and wants should not factor in at all to our decision-making processes. For this is how people open the door of their hearts to sin. If something is perceived as an option, it can be chosen. But if we desire to do God’s will and not to sin (cf. Rom 6), we should not allow ourselves to consider acts of “sin,” or less perfect choices, as options. To illustrate, if the less healthy choice is not on the menu, then we cannot choose it. If the television time or bad habit is not on the schedule, then there is not the time nor the option to do it. If certain modes of speech or thought are not deemed permissible, then eventually we will not transgress into them. It is by perceiving these things as valid options and allowing ourselves the room to choose them that these mistakes, faults, sins, or imperfections happen. Conversely, if we do not allow room for mistakes, we will find—perhaps even to our surprise—that such mistakes then do not happen.

It is like putting bumper guards in a bowling lane. If we block off the option of falling into the alley, then the bowling ball certainly cannot go there, and we stand a much better chance of knocking down pins. We may not get a perfect strike, but at the very least, we shall not “fall away” (cf. John 16:1-4; cf. Heb 10:26-39). What we give ourselves permission to do, and what we think of as valid choices, have a significant effect on the choices we actually do make, the exercise of good judgment, and the goodness and health of our lifestyle practices. Having such guards of permissibility or impermissibility in our minds will not be enough to guarantee that we do God’s will perfectly, but it will, in the very least, help us along to stay on track. And after a while, with much study and practice, as a result of both our own effort and experience combined with God’s grace, we may find that we do know and do God’s will, and by His grace, “God’s will is done” (cf. Matt 6:9-10; cf. Matt 26:39, 42, 44). This is how we enjoin our souls to God in divine union, and become a part of God’s true family (cf. Matt 12:46-50; cf. Mark 3:31-34; cf. Rom 8:14-17; cf. Gal 4:1-7; cf. Eph 2:19-22), as one (cf. John 17:20-27). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-811

²Surely, I wait for the Lord;
    who bends down to me and hears my cry,
⁴And puts a new song^[b] in my mouth,
    a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in fear
    and they shall trust in the Lord.

^7 [c]Sacrifice and offering you do not want;
    you opened my ears.
Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request;
⁸    so I said, “See; I come
    with an inscribed scroll written upon me.

⁹I delight to do your will, my God;
    your law is in my inner being!”
¹⁰When I sing of your righteousness
    in a great assembly,
See, I do not restrain my lips;
    as you, Lord, know.
¹¹I do not conceal your righteousness
    within my heart;
I speak of your loyalty and your salvation.
    I do not hide your mercy or faithfulness from a great assembly.

2. Matthew 6:9-13

^9 [e]“This is how you are to pray:

3. Matthew 7:13-14, 21-27

4. Matthew 12:46-50

5. Matthew 18:1-5

¹At that time the disciples^[b] approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a child over, placed it in their midst, ³and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,^[c] you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ^5 [d]And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

6. Matthew 26:36-46

7. Mark 3:31-35

³¹His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. ³²A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers^[l] [and your sisters] are outside asking for you.” ³³But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?” ³⁴And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵[For] whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

8. Luke 11:27-28

9. John 16:1-4

¹“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. ²They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour^[a] is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. ³They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. ⁴I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.

10. John 17:20-26

11. Romans 6

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[^c^] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[^d^] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[^e^] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12. Romans 7:13-25

¹³Did the good, then, become death for me? Of course not! Sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, worked death in me through the good, so that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. ¹⁴We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin. ¹⁵What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. ²⁰Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. ²²For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, ²³but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.^[e] ²⁴Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.

13. Romans 8:14-17, 26-27

14. Romans 12:1-2

15. 1 Corinthians 3:1-4

16. Galatians 4:1-7

17. Ephesians 2:19-22

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.^[j] ²¹Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; ²²in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

18. Philippians 3:12-21

¹³Did the good, then, become death for me? Of course not! Sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, worked death in me through the good, so that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. ¹⁴We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin. ¹⁵What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. ²⁰Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. ²²For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, ²³but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.^[e] ²⁴Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin

19. Hebrews 5:11-14

20. Hebrews 10:1-10, 26-39

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay,”

and again:

“The Lord will judge his people.”

³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

Wednesday 1/25/23

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Readings: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18

Title: “Saw the Light”

St. Paul’s conversion story appears in the Book of Acts three separate times (Acts 9:1-22; Acts 22:3-16; Acts 26:12-18). As we examine these passages, we can find certain important points and main ideas based upon how the similarities and differences direct our attention. Two stark similarities that stand out in all three accounts are that Jesus identifies Himself by name as the one whom Paul is persecuting, and Paul is given a direct order from Jesus that He will be told what to do (Acts 9:5-6; Acts 22:8-10; Acts 26:15-18). This second point is interesting, in that it reveals not only Jesus’ identity, but His purposes for Paul as related to Jesus’ identity. This is significant, because it demonstrates the implications of humankind’s encounter with God. For we are told that we must lose our lives and ourselves to find our true life and true self in God (Matt 10:37-39; Matt 16:24-28). This mission given to Paul by Jesus Christ is one such demonstration of how exactly we go about finding our true lives in Christ.

This finding of self, through the loss of self and imitation of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 4:16; cf. 1 Cor 11:1; cf. Eph 5:1-5; cf. Phil 3:17), involves mission. St. Paul is sent out and given a job and a task to do, for the service of the Lord according to God’s will. As it says in Acts 9, Ananias tells Paul, “The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:14-15). And as it says in Acts 9, “But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ” (Acts 9:22). And as it says in even more detail in Acts 26: “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown. I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me’” (Acts 26:15-18).

We hear of Paul in Acts 9, that Jesus says, “‘Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name’” (Acts 9:15-16). This message is at the core of how we find our true lives in Christ. We should be vessels of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Cor 4:7-11; cf. 2 Tim 2:20-26) and members of the body of Christ (2 Cor 12:4-31; Eph 4:11-16). Every person is an instrument or appendage performing a given service for the proper functioning of the body of Christ, and the Kingdom of God (Eph 4:12-16). We should be acting as witnesses and demonstrating the power of Christ in our lives, by word or deed, in whatever way that best “speaks” to those around us. For the voice or vehicle is less important than the Word (cf. 1 John 1:1-5, 14) or message, who is Christ.

And this brings us to another point. Whatever the original rendering in Greek may be, whether Paul’s companions saw or heard the vision of Jesus is beside the point. For in Acts 9, it says, “The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one” (Acts 9:7). While in Acts 22, it says, “My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me” (Acts 22:9). This controversy can possibly be cleared up with a language examination of the original meanings of the Greek words, as the translation leaves some room for different word choices, which can be selected to form an agreement in the messages conveyed in both passages. However, the main point is that whichever part of this vision is known to Paul’s companions, it is only known in part.

This also ties in to what we know about earthly knowledge of God, before heavenly knowledge of God, in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:8-13).

The point is that God appeared to Paul, and commissioned (cf. Matt 28:16-20; cf. Mark 16:15-18; cf. 1 Cor 15:1-11) Him with a divine mission of preaching the gospel to build up the body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:12-13). We must have the humility to accept the things we only know in part as such—as only partial knowledge—to be open in readiness and teachability to learn what is the fullness of God’s message from God Himself. As our true Teacher within (cf. Isa 30:8-21; cf. Jer 31:31-34; cf. Ezek 36:25-28; cf. Matt 23:8-12; cf. John 6:45-51; cf. John 14:26; cf. John 16:13-15), He will instruct us in all things and lead us “to all truth” (John 16:13), as it serves His will and mission for us, and we fix both the ears and eyes of our souls attentively upon God. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 117

¹Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!
²His mercy for us is strong;
the faithfulness of the Lord is forever.
Hallelujah!

2. Isaiah 30:18-21

3. Jeremiah 31:31-34

4. Ezekiel 36:25-28

^25 [c]I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. ²⁶I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. ²⁸You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

5. Matthew 10:37-39

6. Matthew 16:24-28

7. Matthew 23:8-12

^8 [f]As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. ¹⁰Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you must be your servant. ¹²Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

8. Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶The eleven^[i] disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. ^17 [j]When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. ^18 [k]Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go, therefore,^[l] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.^[m] And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

9. Mark 16:15-18

¹⁵He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. ¹⁸They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

10. John 1:1-5, 14

¹⁴And the Word became flesh^[i]
    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.

11. John 6:45-51

⁴⁵It is written in the prophets:

‘They shall all be taught by God.’

12. John 14:25-31

13. John 16:12-15

14. Acts 9:1-22

^1 [a]Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,^[b] he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. ³On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;^[c] so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. ⁹For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, ¹²and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” ¹³But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones^[d] in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, ¹⁶and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” ¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.

He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.^[f] ²¹All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” ²²But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.

15. Acts 22:3-16

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. ⁴I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. ⁵Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well.

⁶“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. ¹⁰I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.

¹²“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’ And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. ¹⁴Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; ¹⁵for you will be his witness^[b] before all to what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.’

16. Acts 26:12-18

¹²“On one such occasion I was traveling to Damascus with the authorization and commission of the chief priests. ¹³At midday, along the way, O king, I saw a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’^[c] ¹⁵And I said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.^[d] ¹⁷I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, ¹⁸to open their eyes^[e] that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me.’

17. 1 Corinthians 4:14-17

18. 1 Corinthians 11:1

¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

19. 1 Corinthians 12:4-31

^4 [c]There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; ⁵there are different forms of service but the same Lord; ⁶there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. ⁷To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; ¹⁰to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. ¹¹But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

¹²As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. ¹³For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴Now the body is not a single part, but many. ¹⁵If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. ¹⁶Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” ²²Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, ²³and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, ²⁴whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, ²⁵so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. ²⁶If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

²⁷Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. ²⁸Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles;^[f] second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

20. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

21. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

¹Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. ²Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ^3 [c]For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; ⁴that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; ⁵that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. ⁶After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. ⁹For I am the least^[d] of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me. ¹¹Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

22. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

^7 [e]But we hold this treasure^[f] in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. ^8 [g]We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; ^10 [h]always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. ¹¹For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

23. Ephesians 4:11-16

^11 [d]And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,^[e] for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,^[f] to the extent of the full stature of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,^[g] ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.

24. Ephesians 5:1-5

25. Philippians 3:17-21

26. 2 Timothy 2:20-26

²⁰In a large household there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and others for humble use. ²¹If anyone cleanses himself of these things, he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, beneficial to the master of the house, ready for every good work. ²²So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord^[e] with purity of heart. ²³Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, ²⁵correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, ^26 [f]and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.

Thursday 1/26/23

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Readings: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10; Mk 4:21-25

Title: “Sir into Flame the Gift of God”

“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Tim 1:6-8).

In this short passage from 2 Timothy 1 (2 Tim 1:6-8), we can find a few key facts upon which we can focus for the fuller development of our faith. As this passage beings, “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands” (2 Tim 1:6). This likely refers to Timothy’s ordination, but we can all relate to the gift of grace and the Holy Spirit through the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The Holy Spirit of God given to us through sacramental grace—as our hearts are likewise open, willing, and receptive to this gift (cf. Rom 5:4-5)—the Holy Spirit is this flame, and we are reminded that we must stir it and fan it into lively burning embers and plumes, through internal adherence to devotion, and the necessary legwork and evidence of outward deeds (cf. Matt 7:15-27; cf. John 15:1-17; cf. James 2:14-26; cf. 1 John 2:1-6; cf. 1 John 3:16-18; cf. 1 John 5:1-5).

For let us not forget, holy, divine Christian love is not only a sense or feeling of love, faith, and devotion, but it is furthermore an action. God has given us a calling in our own lives individually, and rules and commandments which apply to us more universally as Christ’s unified body. It is not merely by prayer that we must fan into flame (2 Tim 1:6) the divine, eternal fire of God (Isa 33:14-17; Heb 12:29), but it is also through the necessary good works, as of course we know from both Scripture (cf. Matt 7:15-27; cf. John 15:1-17; cf. James 2:14-26; cf. 1 John 2:1-6; cf. 1 John 3:16-18; cf. 1 John 5:1-5) and personal experience. For when our works die down, so too does our fiery and zealous devotion, while lukewarmness in action corresponds to lukewarmness of soul (cf. Rev 2:2-5; cf. Rev 3:15-19).

As this passage continues, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7). The Holy Spirit gives us courage, which is both a virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa 11:2-3), as a perfection of that virtue. We must remember, that while it is natural to experience fear, it is a sin to act according to that fear, for cowardice is indeed a sin, which works in opposition to courage. Let us avoid cowardice and foolhardiness or recklessness equally, and tread the path of true Christian courage and confidence by our faith in Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:6-10) and our adherence to the commandments (cf. John 15:1-17; cf. 1 John 2:1-6; cf. 1 John 5:1-5), as we follow the instigation and lead of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:25-31; cf. John 16:13-15).

The “power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7; cf. Gal 5:22-23) St. Paul mentions, are all gifts we have from God and not ourselves (cf. John 3:27-30; cf. 1 Cor 4:7; cf. James 1:16-18). So, as we recognize that all three of these qualities are extremely important for a good, happy, successful life, we must acknowledge as a consequence the corresponding importance of clinging to God, through whom alone we have these things. A path of virtue cannot be trod without God, and these are a few of the specific things God gives us (2 Tim 1:7), so that we may follow His path and do His will, through cooperation with Him and His grace.

And as this passage continues, “So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Tim 1:8). Again, it is reiterated that our strength comes from God. We can read similar messages in Philippians 4, 1 Corinthians 1, and 2 Corinthians 12: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Phil 4:13); and, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength…. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God” (1 Cor 1:22-29); and, “but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9-10).

And as we also know of God’s gifts from other parts of Scripture (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-31; cf. Eph 4:11-16), God’s gifts are not given to us for our own pleasure or for no reason. God’s gifts are given to us so that we may ably fulfill His purposes for us, specifically in building up the Kingdom and body of Christ (Eph 4:12-13). Fulfilling God’s will for us, through using His gifts, and not burying our “talents,” like the useless servant (Matt 25:30) from the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30; cf. Luke 19:11-27), means not only suffering, not only doing God’s will and not our own (cf. Matt 7:15-27), and not only building up the Church with the message of the gospel and works of mercy from God, but it furthermore means hard work (cf. 1 Thess 4:9-12; cf. 2 Thess 3:6-16). Let us not shirk from our duties, either the lighter ones or the weightier ones (cf. Matt 10:37-39; cf. Matt 11:28-30), but in great things and small—for it is often in the little, “trivial” things that we allow laziness (Luke 16:10-12; cf. Matt 25:21, 23; cf. Luke 19:17)—let us all “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Tim 1:8). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10

¹Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
³Tell his glory among the nations;
    among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.

⁷Give to the Lord, you families of nations,
    give to the Lord glory and might;
⁸    give to the Lord the glory due his name!
Bring gifts and enter his courts;
¹⁰    declare among the nations: The Lord is king.
The world will surely stand fast, never to be shaken.
    He rules the peoples with fairness.

2. Isaiah 11:1-5

¹But a shoot shall sprout from the stump^[c] of Jesse,
    and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
^2 [d]The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
    a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
    a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
³    and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
    nor by hearsay shall he decide,
⁴But he shall judge the poor with justice,
    and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
⁵Justice shall be the band around his waist,
    and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

3. Isaiah 33:14-17

¹⁴In Zion sinners are in dread,
    trembling grips the impious:
“Who of us can live with consuming fire?
    who of us can live with everlasting flames?”
¹⁵Whoever walks righteously and speaks honestly,
    who spurns what is gained by oppression,
Who waves off contact with a bribe,
    who stops his ears so as not to hear of bloodshed,
    who closes his eyes so as not to look on evil—
¹⁶That one shall dwell on the heights,
    with fortresses of rock for stronghold,
    food and drink in steady supply.
¹⁷Your eyes will see a king^[d] in his splendor,
    they will look upon a vast land.

4. Matthew 7:15-27

5. Matthew 10:37-39

6. Matthew 11:28-30

7. Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey^[g] called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents;^[h] to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately ¹⁶the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. ¹⁷Likewise, the one who received two made another two. ^18 [i]But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.^[j] He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ ²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ ²²[Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ ²³His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; ²⁵so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ ²⁶His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!^[k] So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? ²⁸Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. ^29 [l]For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ^30 [m]And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

8. Mark 4:21-25

2 Timothy 1:1-8

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,^[b] ²to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,^[c] as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. ^4 [d]I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, ⁵as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you.

9. Luke 16:8-13

⁸And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.^[e] ⁹I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,^[f] so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. ^10 [g]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. ¹¹If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? ¹²If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? ¹³No servant can serve two masters.^[h] He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

10. Luke 19:11-27

¹¹While they were listening to him speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. ¹²So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. ¹³He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins^[e] and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ ¹⁴His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ ¹⁵But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. ¹⁶The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ ¹⁷He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ ¹⁸Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ ¹⁹And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ ²⁰Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, ²¹for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ ²²He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; ²³why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ ²⁴And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ ²⁵But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ ²⁶‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”

11. John 3:27-30

²⁷John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. ²⁹The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man,^[n] who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. ³⁰He must increase; I must decrease.”

12. John 14:25-31

13. John 15:1-17

^1 [a]“I am the true vine,^[b] and my Father is the vine grower. ²He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes^[c] so that it bears more fruit. ³You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. ⁴Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ^6 [d]Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. ⁹As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

14. John 16:12-15

15. Romans 5:1-11

16. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

¹⁸The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

17. 1 Corinthians 4:6-7

⁶I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written,^[b] so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another. ⁷Who confers distinction upon you? What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it? ⁸You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich; you have become kings^[c] without us! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we also might become kings with you.

18. 1 Corinthians 12:4-31

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

19. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

20. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated,^[c] a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. ⁸Three times^[d] I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, ^9 [e]but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,^[f] in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. ¹⁰Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

21. Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.^[m] ¹⁷For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ^19 [n]Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, ²¹occasions of envy,^[o] drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.

22. Ephesians 4:11-16

23. Philippians 4:10-14

¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last you revived your concern for me. You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity. ¹¹Not that I say this because of need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. ¹²I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. ¹³I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. ¹⁴Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

⁹On the subject of mutual charity you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. ¹⁰Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Nevertheless we urge you, brothers, to progress even more, ¹¹and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your [own] hands, as we instructed you, ¹²that you may conduct yourselves properly toward outsiders and not depend on anyone.

24. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-16

⁶We instruct you, brothers, in the name of [our] Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us.^[b] ⁷For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, ⁸nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. ⁹Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. ¹⁰In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. ¹¹We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. ¹²Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food. ¹³But you, brothers, do not be remiss in doing good. ¹⁴If anyone does not obey our word as expressed in this letter, take note of this person not to associate with him, that he may be put to shame. ¹⁵Do not regard him as an enemy but admonish him as a brother. ¹⁶May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

25. Titus 1:1-5

¹Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth, ²in the hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before time began, ³who indeed at the proper time revealed his word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted by the command of God our savior, ⁴to Titus, my true child in our common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.

^5 [b]For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you,

26. Hebrews 12:25-29

27. James 1:16-18

28. James 2:14-26

29. 1 John 2:1-6

30. 1 John 3:16-18

31. 1 John 5:1-5

32. Revelation 2:1-6

^1 [a]“To the angel of the church^[b] in Ephesus,^[c] write this:

33. Revelation 3:14-19

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea,^[j] write this:

Friday 1/27/23

Saint Angela Merici

Readings: Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4:26-34

Title: “My Just One Shall Live by Faith”

Today’s two readings from Hebrews 10 and Mark 4 (Heb 10:32-39; Mark 4:26-34) tie together nicely with the common thread of faith. This theme of faith can certainly be found all throughout Scripture, for the most part; however, in these two passages in particular, the idea of faith is more specifically linked to growth and life. As we ponder the parable of the mustard seed here in Mark 4 (Mark 4:30-34), this passage from Hebrews 10 helps to shed some light of understanding upon it, to help us to arrive upon deeper possible meanings. We can certainly deduce that the mustard seed, as the Kingdom of God, is related to faith. But just how this works and how this is so can be clarified by this passage from Habakkuk quoted and explained in Hebrews 10: “But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.’ We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life” (Heb 10:38-39; cf. Hab 2:4; cf. Rom 1:17; cf. Gal 3:11).

In order to understand what something is, it helps us to know also what something isn’t. Living by faith can be contrasted with living by sight, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5: “So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord” (2 Cor 5:6-8, emphasis added). Indeed, we can also contrast life in the spirit with life in the flesh (cf. Rom 6; cf. Rom 8:1-17; cf. Gal 5:13-26), or distinguish between serving God versus serving mammon (cf. Matt 6:24).

And so, we can see how dependence upon nature can be contrasted with dependence upon grace to demonstrate how we live by faith. For do we depend upon God, and rest in our love shared by union with Him? Or do we rely upon self, the natural world, and things which are, generally speaking, non-spiritual, and merely material or corporeal (cf. James 4:4; cf. 1 John 2:15-17)? And so, in this way, this life of faith likened to the mustard seed comes as a second sort of life—the spiritual and divine life of grace and faith given to us by God—which comes after the natural life which all creatures share in common.

Jesus explains the second birth of baptism in John 3: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’” (John 3:3-8).

And in John 1, we are also told about becoming God’s children, over and above being children of our natural, biological parents: “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” (John 1:12-13; cf. Rom 8:14-17; cf. Gal 4:1-7). We can understand the planting of this mustard seed of the Kingdom of God by faith as being initially small, trivial, and inconsequential, or at best, unsubstantiated and open to question or doubt, by all worldly standards. But as our life of faith progresses, and we become more spiritual and less empirically-driven and worldly, we come to realize that our faith lives are the true ones (cf. Matt 10:37-39; cf. Matt 16:24-28; cf. Rom 6:6-11; cf. 2 Cor 4:16-118; cf. 2 Cor 5:16-17; cf. Gal 2:19-21; cf. Gal 6:14-15; cf. Phil 2:20-26; cf. Phil 3:7-11; cf. Col 3:1-4), and the material plane exists secondarily to the realm of the spirit, and the Kingdom of God.

Before long, that little seed of faith becomes the largest growth of all, as only the true vine (John 15:1-17) provides lasting fruit (cf. John 15:8, 16), and what once seemed like murky speculation now becomes a firm foundation (cf. 1 Cor 3:9-17) upon which to build, grow, and cultivate eternal life. As we read in Hebrews 10: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised” (Heb 10:36). And this is true for all sorts of growth, but particularly for spiritual growth by doing the will of God (cf. John 4:34; cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. Heb 10:5-10), endurance is especially necessary.

As we read in Galatians 6: “Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith” (Gal 6:7-10).

And so also in James 4, we read: “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace” (James 3:17-18). And as it says in Hebrews 11: “But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb 11:6). And so, let us nourish our faith lives with prayer, grace, love, and devotion, and allow God to leave us awe-struck with loving wonder at the root (cf. Rev 22:16), the life (cf. John 14:6-7), the growth, and the Harvester of life cf. Matt 13:18-23, 36-43; cf. Mark 4:26-29; cf. John 4:30-38; cf. 1 Cor 3:5-9; cf. Rev 14:14-20) for us that He has become, as we understand the eternal life of faith in the Kingdom of God (cf. Matt 8:10-13) in this parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:30-34). Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40

³Trust in the Lord and do good
that you may dwell in the land^[b] and live secure.
⁴Find your delight in the Lord
who will give you your heart’s desire.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will act
⁶And make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like noonday.

²³The valiant one whose steps are guided by the Lord,
who will delight in his way,
²⁴May stumble, but he will never fall,
for the Lord holds his hand.

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
    their refuge in a time of distress.
⁴⁰The Lord helps and rescues them,
    rescues and saves them from the wicked,
    because they take refuge in him.

2. Habakkuk 2:2-4

²Then the Lord answered me and said:
    Write down the vision;^[a]
Make it plain upon tablets,
    so that the one who reads it may run.
³For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
    a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
    it will surely come, it will not be late.
⁴See, the rash have no integrity;
    but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live.

3. Matthew 6:24

^24 [o]“No one 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 God and mammon.

4. Matthew 8:5-13

⁵When he entered Capernaum,^[e] a centurion approached him and appealed to him, ⁶saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” ⁷He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” ⁸The centurion said in reply,^[f] “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel^[g] have I found such faith. ¹¹I say to you,^[h] many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, ¹²but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” ¹³And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed.

5. Matthew 10:37-39

6. Matthew 13:18-23, 36-43

¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. ²⁰The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. ²¹But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. ²²The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. ²³But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

³⁶Then, dismissing the crowds,^[q] he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” ^37 [r]He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸the field is the world,^[s] the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age,^[t] and the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom^[u] all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. ^43 [v]Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

7. Matthew 16:24-28

8. Mark 4:26-34

²⁶He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God;^[f] it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land ²⁷and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. ²⁸Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

³⁰He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. ^32 [g]But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” ³³With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. ³⁴Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

9. John 1:12-13

10. John 3:3-8

11. John 4:30-38

³⁰They went out of the town and came to him. ³¹Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” ³²But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” ³³So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵Do you not say, ‘In four months^[m] the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. ³⁶The reaper is already^[n] receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. ³⁷For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

12. John 14:6-7

13. John 15:1-17

14. Romans 1:16-17

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. ¹⁷For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;^[k] as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”

15. Romans 6

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.^[^c^] ¹⁸Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.^[^d^] ²¹But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,^[^e^] and its end is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

16. Romans 8:1-17

¹Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. ⁶The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. ⁷For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; ⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. ¹²Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

17. Romans 12:1-2

18. 1 Corinthians 3:5-17

19. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

20. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 16-21

21. Galatians 2:19-21

22. Galatians 3:7-14

^7 [g]Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. ⁸Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, “Through you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. ^10 [h]For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.” ¹¹And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for “the one who is righteous by faith will live.” ¹²But the law does not depend on faith; rather, “the one who does these things will live by them.” ¹³Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,” ¹⁴that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

23. Galatians 4:1-7

24. Galatians 5:13-26

¹³For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve^[k] one another through love. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^[l] ¹⁵But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

25. Galatians 6:6-16

¹¹See with what large letters^[g] I am writing to you in my own hand! ^12 [h]It is those who want to make a good appearance in the flesh who are trying to compel you to have yourselves circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³Not even those having themselves circumcised^[i] observe the law themselves; they only want you to be circumcised so that they may boast of your flesh. ¹⁴But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which^[j] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation.^[k] ¹⁶Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule^[l] and to the Israel of God.

26. Philippians 1:19-26

^19 [j]for I know that this will result in deliverance for me^[k] through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. ²⁰My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. ²²If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. ²³I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better. ²⁴Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. ²⁵And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.

27. Philippians 3:7-11

⁷[But] whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss^[g] because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith ¹⁰to know him and the power of his resurrection and [the] sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, ¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

28. Colossians 3:1-4

29. Hebrews 10:5-10, 32-39

⁵For this reason, when he came into the world, he said:

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

³⁹We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

30. Hebrews 11:1-7

¹Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence^[b] of things not seen. ²Because of it the ancients were well attested. ³By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God,^[c] so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. ^4 [d]By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. ^6 [e]But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

31. James 3:13-18

32. James 4:1-5

33. 1 John 2:15-17

34. Revelation 14:14-20

¹⁴Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” ¹⁶So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven who also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸Then another angel [came] from the altar,^[l] [who] was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines, for its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury. ²⁰The wine press was trodden outside the city and blood poured out of the wine press to the height of a horse’s bridle for two hundred miles.

35. Revelation 22:16

¹⁶“I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David,^[j] the bright morning star.”

Saturday 1/28/23

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Readings: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75; Mk 4:35-41

Title: “By Faith”

This passage from Hebrews 11 (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19) is part of a long chapter elucidating the importance of faith, and its role in the long history of the lives of the patriarchs. As this section begins, we hear, “Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested” (Heb 11:1-2). This is a clear-cut, yet mysterious definition of faith, relating it to hope, to the unseen, and to the ancients. As this chapter reiterates the story of Abraham through the lens of Christ and the promises delivered through Jesus, as explained in the New Testament, we see that all that Abraham did, through which his righteousness came (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:3, 20-22; Gal 3:6; James 2:23), was “by faith” (Heb 11:8, 9, 11, 17).

We know from Scripture that, “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (Rom 1:17; cf. Hab 2:4; cf. Gal 3:11; cf. Heb 10:38), and we know too of Abraham, that, “‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Rom 4:3; cf. Gen 15:6; cf. Rom 4:20-22; cf. Gal 3:6; cf. James 2:23). As we hear retold the story of Abraham to whom God’s promise was made, which would be fulfilled in his descendent Jesus (Gal 3:7-29; cf. Rom 4:13-25), the author of Hebrews frames this narrative in the context of the promised land, and the ultimate destination and true meaning of that promise that God first made to Abraham.

As we read further along in Hebrews 11: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God” (Heb 11:8-10).

We can hear in 2 Corinthians 5 also: “For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation if indeed, when we have taken it off, we shall not be found naked. For while we are in this tent we groan and are weighed down, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a first installment” (2 Cor 5:1-5).

And as we also read in Ephesians 2: “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:19-22). Galatians 4 also refers to a Jerusalem from above, as contrasted with the present Jerusalem (Gal 4:21-31). And we read in Hebrews 13, as well: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come” (Heb 13:14).

What all these passages illustrate is how the promised land to which Abraham looked was not an earthly city, but a heavenly one, which he knew through faith. Abraham received a promise to be delivered not to himself, but in a time after his own life had ended, through the generation and regeneration (cf. Titus 3:4-7) of his progeny and descendants in Christ after him (cf. Rom 4:13-25; cf. Gal 3:7-29). For God promised to Abraham not a multitude of offspring in Abraham’s own day, but after he had passed on, he was promised would live on after him, “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore” (Heb 11:12).

And as we read on in this passage from Hebrews 11: “All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Heb 11:13-16).

This city we can also hear referred to in Revelation 21 and 22 (Rev 21:1-22:5). The meaning of this hope and expectation of a heavenly city and not an earthly one encourages us to set our hopes upon the unseen, and fix the eyes of the soul (cf. Eph 1:18) upon Jesus (cf. Phil 3:12-16), “the leader and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2). This emphasis on the unseen, specifically regarding the promised land as the unseen and yet-to-be-revealed future city of God in eternal life, helps us to forge out a pathway on earth of spirituality and a virtue-driven focus, so that our pathway to get there may correspond to our final destination (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. 2 Cor 4:16-5:10; cf. Col 3:1-4), which city is a Person, who is God (cf. Rev 21:22-27). For as Jesus says in John 14: “‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him’” (John 14:6-7).

We are reminded by the author of Hebrews that our earthly city is not our true home, but our true home is still yet to be found, in the eternal city of God. And thus, we can live our lives as sojourners, pilgrims, and strangers (cf. Exo 18:3), resisting attachments to earthly life and things of this world (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. 1 Cor 7:29-31; cf. James 4:4; cf. 1 John 2:15-17), holding out hope for a better inheritance, to be received through faith in the life and world yet to come. And yet, we still receive a foretaste of the heaven that shall be given us, through glimpses of the divine tasted through divine union with God through the Holy Spirit He has given us (cf. Rom 5:5; cf. 1 John 3:19-24; cf. 1 John 4:13-21). And so, this passage from Hebrews 11 helps us both to understand our final goal and destiny of eternal life in God, and understand how better to live our lives here on earth, in the hope of what is expected by faith, in glorious union and the beatific vision in the world to come. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 15:2-6

²But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, if I die childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?” ³Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir.” ⁴Then the word of the Lord came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir. ⁵He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. ⁶Abram put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.

2. Exodus 18:1-6

¹Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel: how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ²So his father-in-law Jethro took along Zipporah, Moses’ wife—now this was after Moses had sent her back—^[a] ³and her two sons. One of these was named Gershom; for he said, “I am a resident alien in a foreign land.” ⁴The other was named Eliezer; for he said, “The God of my father is my help; he has rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.” ⁵Together with Moses’ wife and sons, then, his father-in-law Jethro came to him in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God,^[b] ⁶and he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.”

3. Habakkuk 2:2-4

4. Mark 4:35-41

^35 [h]On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.” ³⁶Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”^[i] The wind ceased and there was great calm. ⁴⁰Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” ^41 [j]They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

5. Luke 1:69-75

^69 [t]He has raised up a horn for our salvation
    within the house of David his servant,
⁷⁰even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
⁷¹    salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷²to show mercy to our fathers
    and to be mindful of his holy covenant
⁷³and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
    and to grant us that, ⁷⁴rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness
    before him all our days.

6. John 14:6-7

7. Romans 1:16-17

8. Romans 4:1-5, 13-22

¹³It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. ¹⁴For if those who adhere to the law are the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law produces wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.^[e] ¹⁶For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, ¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. ¹⁸He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “Thus shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body as [already] dead (for he was almost a hundred years old) and the dead womb of Sarah. ²⁰He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief;^[f] rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God ²¹and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. ²²That is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³But it was not for him alone that it was written that “it was credited to him”; ²⁴it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.

9. Romans 5:1-5

10. Romans 12:1-2

11. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

12. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

13. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

14. Galatians 3

¹O stupid^[b] Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ²I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?^[c] ³Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?^[d] ⁴Did you experience so many things^[e] in vain?—if indeed it was in vain. ⁵Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard? ⁶Thus Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

^15 [i]Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can annul or amend even a human will once ratified. ¹⁶Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant.^[j] It does not say, “And to descendants,” as referring to many, but as referring to one, “And to your descendant,” who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward,^[k] does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise; but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise.

^19 [m]Why, then, the law? It was added for transgressions, until the descendant^[n] came to whom the promise had been made; it was promulgated by angels at the hand of a mediator. ²⁰Now there is no mediator when only one party is involved, and God is one. ²¹Is the law then opposed to the promises [of God]? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law. ²²But scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.

15. Galatians 4:21-31

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman. ²³The son of the slave woman was born naturally, the son of the freeborn through a promise. ²⁴Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. ²⁵Hagar represents Sinai,^[o] a mountain in Arabia; it corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery along with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written:

“Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.”

²⁸Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise. ²⁹But just as then the child of the flesh persecuted the child of the spirit, it is the same now. ³⁰But what does the scripture say?

“Drive out the slave woman and her son!
For the son of the slave woman shall not share the inheritance with the son”

of the freeborn. ³¹Therefore, brothers, we are children not of the slave woman but of the freeborn woman.

16. Ephesians 1:15-23

17. Ephesians 2:19-22

18. Philippians 3:12-15

19. Colossians 3:1-4

20. Titus 3:4-7

21. Hebrews 10:37-38

³⁷“For, after just a brief moment,^[q]
    he who is to come shall come;
    he shall not delay.
³⁸But my just one shall live by faith,
    and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.”

22. Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

¹Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence^[b] of things not seen. ²Because of it the ancients were well attested.

⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. ⁹By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. ¹¹By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age—and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. ¹²So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

¹³All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, ¹⁴for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, ¹⁸of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” ^19 [f]He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

23. Hebrews 12:1-4

24. Hebrews 13:9-16

⁹Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching.^[b] It is good to have our hearts strengthened by grace and not by foods, which do not benefit those who live by them. ¹⁰We have an altar^[c] from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹The bodies of the animals whose blood the high priest brings into the sanctuary as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. ¹²Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, to consecrate the people by his own blood. ¹³Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore. ¹⁴For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. ¹⁵Through him [then] let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.

25. James 2:18-26

26. James 4:1-5

27. 1 John 2:15-17

28. 1 John 3:19-24

29. 1 John 4:13-21

30. Revelation 21

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.^[b] ²I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,^[c] coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people^[d] and God himself will always be with them [as their God].^[e] ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.”

⁵The one who sat on the throne^[f] said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.” ⁶He said to me, “They are accomplished.^[g] I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. ⁷The victor^[h] will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son. ⁸But as for cowards,^[i] the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

⁹One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”^[k] ¹⁰He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, [the names] of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. ¹³There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles^[l] of the Lamb.

^15 [m]The one who spoke to me held a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶The city was square, its length the same as [also] its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it fifteen hundred miles^[n] in length and width and height. ¹⁷He also measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits^[o] according to the standard unit of measurement the angel used. ^18 [p]The wall was constructed of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass.

31. Revelation 22:1-5

Sunday 1/29/23

Readings: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a

Title: “Blessed”

The Beatitudes are one of the most beatiful and important passages about Christianity in the Bible. We can go through this monumental passage line by line. The first beatitude states: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3). This beatitude is about humility. In the Sermon on the Plane in Luke 6, it simply says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” (Luke 6:20). And so, this passage from Matthew is helpful in getting to the heart of this message. As the first beatitude, the promise is the Kingdom of heaven, and the last beatitude also carries with it this promise of the Kingdom (Matt 5:10), and so, this sandwiching or bookending highlights this theme, and helps us to see how important and pivotal this reward is. All of God’s promises or rewards begin and end with the Kingdom of heaven. This may also call to mind how God Himself is the beginning and the end, as we read in Revelation 22: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13; cf. Rev 1:8). God and His Kingdom are one, as heaven is a Person, and that one is God (cf. Rev 21:22-22:5).

And as the second beatitude states: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt 5:4). This calls to mind the common Bible theme: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12; cf. Prov 3:34; cf. James 4:6; cf. 1 Pet 5:5-7). When we are at a loss (cf. Phil 3:7-11) with earth’s joys and find only mourning, loss, or sadness, this places us in a prime position to be comforted not by worldly pleasures, but by God Himself. In fact, we can derive our spiritual connectedness from earthly ills far more effectively than from the midst of worldly joys, for the contrast between pain and consolation helps us to discern all the more vividly the difference between God’s comfort and the world’s joys, so that we can thereby better know God. And knowledge of God is the only true consolation and joy we can ever find, so this hard-won knowledge is well worth it.

The third beatitude states: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” (Matt 5:5). This may call to mind St. Paul’s lesson from 2 Corinthians 12, as well as Philippians 4: “but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9-10; cf. 1 Cor 1:26-31); and, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Phil 4:13). Just as with the story of Gideon (cf. Judg 7:1-8), it is God’s power that will conquer for us and not our own, by which we will inherit the promised land.

The fourth beatitude states: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matt 5:6). God is righteous, and He is the only one who is righteous (cf. Matt 19:17). As we seek God, we will find Him (cf. Matt 7:7-11), and our thirst for His goodness will be filled. The fifth beatitude says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt 5:7). We know also from Matthew 6: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions” (Matt 6:14-15; cf. Matt 18:21-35). God’s mercy is perhaps His most important and godly trait, for it is the most poignant expression of His divine love, epitomized by Christ on the cross.

The sixth beatitude states: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8; cf. John 14:6-7). This may call to mind 1 John 3, as well as 1 Corinthians 13: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3); and, “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:12-13). This alludes to the beatific vision we are promised in heaven.

The seventh beatitude reads: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt 5:9). This reminds us to make peace with God, by doing the will of God and not our own. For as Jesus says in John 16, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33; cf. Rom 5:1-2). The eighth beatitude states: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:10). This reminds us of the martyrs (cf. Heb 12:1-4), and their crown of glory in heaven.

1 Peter 2 and 1 Peter 3 also impart a similar message: “For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps” (1 Pet 2:19-21); and, “Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil” (1 Pet 3:13-17).

Romans 12, as well, states: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer…. Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them….Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ Rather, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good” (Rom 12:12-21). We also read in Romans 5: “Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5).

We can merit greater rewards in heaven by greater trials on earth. And so, as this passage ends, “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” (Matt 5:11-12). This gives us hope to persevere, and this hope shall not fail (cf. Rom 5:1-5), for it is rightly placed in God. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Judges 7:1-8

¹Early the next morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) encamped by the spring of Harod with all his soldiers. The camp of Midian was north of him, beside the hill of Moreh in the valley. ²The Lord said to Gideon: You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, “My own power saved me.”^[a] ³So announce in the hearing of the soldiers, “If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave! Let him depart from Mount Gilead!”^[b] Twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained. ⁴The Lord said to Gideon: There are still too many soldiers. Lead them down to the water and I will test them for you there. If I tell you that a certain man is to go with you, he must go with you. But no one is to go if I tell you he must not. ^5 [c]When Gideon led the soldiers down to the water, the Lord said to him: Everyone who laps up the water as a dog does with its tongue you shall set aside by himself; and everyone who kneels down to drink raising his hand to his mouth you shall set aside by himself. ⁶Those who lapped up the water with their tongues numbered three hundred, but all the rest of the soldiers knelt down to drink the water. ⁷The Lord said to Gideon: By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you and deliver Midian into your power. So let all the other soldiers go home. ⁸They took up such supplies as the soldiers had with them, as well as their horns, and Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents, but kept the three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

2. Psalm 146:6-10

⁶The maker of heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that is in them,
Who keeps faith forever,
⁷    secures justice for the oppressed,
    who gives bread to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free;
⁸    the Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord protects the resident alien,
    comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow,
    but thwarts the way of the wicked.
¹⁰The Lord shall reign forever,
    your God, Zion, through all generations!
Hallelujah!

3. Proverbs 3:34-35

³⁴Those who scoff, he scoffs at,
but the lowly he favors.
³⁵The wise will possess glory,
but fools will bear shame.

4. Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

³Seek the Lord,
    all you humble of the land,
    who have observed his law;
Seek justice,
    seek humility;
Perhaps you will be sheltered
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

¹²But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
    a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord—
¹³    the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
    and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
    a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and lie down
    with none to disturb them.

5. Matthew 5:1-12

^1 [a]When he saw the crowds,^[b] he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. ²He began to teach them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,^[d]
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
^4 [e]Blessed are they who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
^5 [f]Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the land.
⁶Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,^[g]
    for they will be satisfied.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
^8 [h]Blessed are the clean of heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,^[i]
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. ^12 [j]Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

6. Matthew 6:14-15

^14 [k]If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

7. Matthew 7:7-11

8. Matthew 18:21-35

²¹Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ^22 [s]Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. ²³That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. ^24 [t]When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. ²⁵Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. ^26 [u]At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ ²⁷Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. ²⁸When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount.^[v] He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ²⁹Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. ³¹Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. ³²His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. ³³Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.^[w] ^35 [x]So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

9. Matthew 19:16-17

10. Matthew 23:8-12

11. Luke 6:20-26

^20 [j]And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,^[k]
    for the kingdom of God is yours.
²¹Blessed are you who are now hungry,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
    for you will laugh.
²²Blessed are you when people hate you,
    and when they exclude and insult you,
    and denounce your name as evil
    on account of the Son of Man.

²³Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

²⁴But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
²⁵But woe to you who are filled now,
    for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will grieve and weep.
²⁶Woe to you when all speak well of you,
    for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

12. John 14:6-7

13. John 16:25-33

^25 [f]“I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. ²⁶On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. ²⁷For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. ²⁸I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” ²⁹His disciples said, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. ³⁰Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.”^[g] ³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? ³²Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered^[h] to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. ³³I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

14. Romans 5:1-11

15. Romans 12:9-21

⁹Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; ¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. ^14 [f]Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. ¹⁹Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” ²¹Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.

16. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

17. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

18. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

⁸Three times^[d] I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, ^9 [e]but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,^[f] in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. ¹⁰Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

19. Philippians 3:7-11

20. Philippians 4:13-14

¹³I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. ¹⁴Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

21. Hebrews 12:1-4

22. James 4:6

⁶But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:

“God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”

23. 1 Peter 2:18-21

^18 [i]Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse. ¹⁹For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. ²⁰But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. ²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered^[j] for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

24. 1 Peter 3:13-17

³Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, ¹⁵but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, ¹⁶but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

25. 1 Peter 5:5-7

⁵Likewise, you younger members,^[e] be subject to the presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:

“God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.”

⁶So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. ⁷Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

26. 1 John 3:1-3

27. Revelation 1:8

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”^[f] says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

28. Revelation 21:22-27

29. Revelation 22:1-5, 12-13

¹²“Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Monday 1/30/23

Readings: Heb 11:32-40; Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24; Mk 5:1-20

Title: “The World Was Not Worthy”

This passage from Hebrews 11 (Heb 11:32-40) sums up some very consequential truths of the faith in the context of the Old Testament patriarchs. We hear of them, that by faith they “conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword;” (Heb 11:33-34). This describes how by faith and God’s grace, all throughout history, those who trust in God may be used as His instruments to become victorious in worldly battle. For as King David has said, “All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, who shall deliver you into our hands” (1 Sam 17:47).

And yet, despite past victories, we must look to the Lord, and keep our eyes fixed on Christ (Heb 12:2; cf. Phil 3:12-16), to find that, as the author of Hebrews points out, “Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect” (Heb 11:39-40). These past victories all left something to be desired, and had not yet been made perfect. They were prefigurations of the perfection (cf. Heb 2:10-11; cf. Heb 5:8-9) which would be known in the coming Christ, Jesus.

As Hebrews goes on, “out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders” (Heb 11:34). We can see how this is true, as we read in Judges 7, 2 Corinthians 12, and Philippians 4: “The Lord said to Gideon: You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, ‘My own power saved me’” (Judg 7:2); and, “Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:8-10); and, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Phil 4:13).

And, as St. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength…. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor 1:25-30).

Our weakness is our strength, because through faith, humility, courage, and trust, we can rely upon God to show us what true strength is, which puts to shame all natural human weakness, which we mistakenly believe to be strength, when we know not the power of God. By grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, given through Christ, we may become as but instruments of God’s goodness and divine love, glorifying the Lord to achieve the fullness of the humanity destined in God’s plan for us, through Christ, rather than merely glorifying human nature in the frailty of sin. We were made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27) to glorify God (Eph 1:3-12; cf. Rev 4:11) as His beloved children, and it is only through Christ that we may find this imago Dei in our souls, and grasp upon the contemplation of the perfection and strength that is of God, and not of humankind.

As Hebrews continues, “Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented” (Heb 11:35-37). God’s people, trusted children, friends (cf. James 2:23), and prophets have always suffered for God’s honor and for God’s name (cf. Matt 23:29-36; cf. Acts 7:51-53; cf. Rom 8:31-39) at the hands of the world’s sin, and there is a long history of faithful martyrs and early saints who stayed true to God, even before the arrival of Jesus, and who through Jesus, will receive the promise of eternal life in heaven.

As Hebrews explains, “The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth” (Heb 11:38). This especially calls to mind Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 19:1-18), but the point is, that, just as Jesus so thoroughly explains in the Gospel of John (John 15:18-25; John 16:33; John 17:9-19), and as we read in the Epistles of John (cf. 1 John 2:15-17), the Kingdom of God is at odds with the world (cf. James 4:4), and those who truly seek goodness can find it only in the truth of God (cf. John 17:20-26).

And as the author of Hebrews further clarifies, “Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect” (Heb 11:39-40). All those before Christ, “though approved because of their faith” (Heb 12:39), would not be made perfect without Christ, and would be early precedents and prefigurations of the fullness of God’s plan for His people, in the unity of the body of Christ, His holy Church. The perfection of God (cf. Matt 5:48) we shall receive in heaven, in “one body and one Spirit” (Eph 4:1-6), in the unity of the Holy Trinity, one divine heaven of the holy people of God. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Genesis 1:26-27

²⁷God created mankind in his image;
in the image of God he created them;
male and female^[f] he created them.

2. Judges 7:1-8

3. 1 Samuel 17:41-47

^41 [d]With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David. ⁴²When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him. ⁴³He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods ⁴⁴and said to him, “Come here to me, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.” ⁴⁵David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted. ⁴⁶Today the Lord shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will feed your dead body and the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God. ⁴⁷All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, who shall deliver you into our hands.”

4. 1 Kings 9:1-18

¹Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done—that he had murdered all the prophets by the sword. ²Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said, “May the gods do thus to me and more, if by this time tomorrow I have not done with your life what was done to each of them.” ³Elijah was afraid and fled for his life, going to Beer-sheba of Judah. He left his servant there ⁴and went a day’s journey into the wilderness, until he came to a solitary broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death: “Enough, Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger^[b] touched him and said, “Get up and eat!” ⁶He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, ⁷but the angel of the Lord came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” ⁸He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

5. Psalm 31:20-24

²⁰How great is your goodness, Lord,
    stored up for those who fear you.
You display it for those who trust you,
    in the sight of the children of Adam.
²¹You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
    safe from scheming enemies.
You conceal them in your tent,
    away from the strife of tongues.
²²Blessed be the Lord,
    marvelously he showed to me
    his mercy in a fortified city.
²³Though I had said in my alarm,
    “I am cut off from your eyes.”
Yet you heard my voice, my cry for mercy,
    when I pleaded with you for help.
²⁴Love the Lord, all you who are faithful to him.
    The Lord protects the loyal,
    but repays the arrogant in full.

6. Matthew 5:43-48

7. Matthew 23:29-36

8. Mark 5:1-20

^1 [a]They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. ²When he got out of the boat, at once a man^[b] from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. ³The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. ⁴In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. ⁶Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, ⁷crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me,^[c] Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” ⁸(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) ^9 [d]He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” ¹⁰And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

¹¹Now a large herd of swine^[e] was feeding there on the hillside. ¹²And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” ¹³And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. ¹⁴The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. ¹⁵As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. ¹⁶Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. ¹⁷Then they began to beg him to leave their district. ¹⁸As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. ¹⁹But he would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home^[f] to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” ²⁰Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

9. John 15:18-25

10. John 16:33

³³I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

11. John 17:6-26

12. Acts 7:51-53

13. Romans 8:31-39

“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”

14. 1 Corinthians 1:24-31

²⁴but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

15. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

16. Ephesians 1:3-14

^3 [c]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,^[d] ⁴as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love ⁵he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, ⁶for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

⁷In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace ⁸that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, ⁹he has made known to us the mystery^[e] of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

¹¹In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, ¹²so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped^[f] in Christ. ¹³In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed^[g] with the promised holy Spirit, ¹⁴which is the first installment^[h] of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.

17. Ephesians 4:1-6

18. Philippians 3:12-16

19. Philippians 4:13-14

¹³I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. ¹⁴Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

20. Hebrews 2:10-11

21. Hebrews 5:8-9

22. Hebrews 11:32-40

³²What more shall I say? I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, ³⁴put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders. ³⁵Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented. ³⁸The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth.

³⁹Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.

23. Hebrews 12:1-4

24. James 2:18-23

25. James 4:4-5

⁴Adulterers!^[c] Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy”?

26. 1 John 2:15-17

27. Revelation 4:11

¹¹“Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created.”

Tuesday 1/31/23

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Readings: Heb 12:1-4; Ps 22:26b-27, 38, 30, 31-32; Mk 5:21-43

Title: “Eyes Fixed on Jesus”

This passage from Hebrews 12 (Heb 12:1-4) describes the endurance of Jesus, and puts it into context by explaining how this is relevant for us in our own lives. What we hear described in this opening passage from Hebrews 12 (Heb 12:1-2) is the experience of the martyrs, which we can pick up on more easily with the use of the word “witnesses” (Heb 12:1), as “martyr” means in Greek, “witness.” We hear an allusion to “running the race” (Heb 12:1), as we have also elsewhere in Scripture and the Church Fathers heard the spiritual life described in terms of an athletic competition (cf. 1 Cor 9:24-27; cf. Gal 2:2; cf. Eph 6:10-17; cf. 1 Tim 4:6-10; cf. 1 Tim 6:11-16; cf. 2 Tim 2:1-7; cf. 2 Tim 4:6-8), as we compete not for a perishable crown, but for “an imperishable one” (1 Cor 9:25) in heaven.

We are urged to “rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us” (Heb 12:1), which is an excellent way to describe ridding ourselves of inordinate attachments through penance, with mortification of the will and self-abnegation, to clear our hearts out from what would clutter them with distractions (cf. Matt 23:25-26; cf. 1 John 4:18), keeping us from a perfect and undiluted attachment to doing the will of God. For there should be no desire or pull upon our hearts in a direction conflicting with the pull of our desire to conform perfectly to the will of God (cf. Rom 12:1-2; cf. Phil 3:17-21). If ever a competing desire creeps into our hearts which could potentially keep us from doing God’s will, this must be weeded out immediately, and cleansed through acts of self-denial, to help us to fix our eyes upon Jesus (Heb 12:2; cf. Phil 3:12-16), and our wills upon God’s will.

As this passage describes the Lord, “Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2), this contextualizes His role in terms of this framework of a race, and lets us know that He is the first and the last (cf. Rev 1:8; cf. Rev 22:12-13), without whom, by the design of God, there is no perfection (cf. Matt 5:48; cf. Heb 2:10-11; cf. Heb 5:8-9; cf. Heb 12:2). Jesus both leads us to faith, and finishes and perfects it, as in our lives, this gift of His grace plays a primary role in all stages, from start to finish. For we must begin with grace, proceed with grace, and finish with grace, as we cling fast to Christ (cf. Rev 3:10-11) with final perseverance into eternal life in heaven.

We understand how Jesus “endured the cross” (Heb 12:2) not for its own sake, but for the sake of God, and the joy that awaited Him as a result of that cross in heaven (cf. Luke 15:7). And not only for God did Jesus endure the cross, “despising its shame” (Heb 12:2), but for the sake of all of us (cf. Rom 5:1-11), as well, as God’s adoptive children (cf. Rom 8:14-17), so that we may all be as one (cf. John 17:20-26) and made perfect in Christ. For, as Jesus says, the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment” (Matt 22:37-38). And as Jesus also says, “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matt 22:39-40). And so, Jesus is now and forever seated “at the right of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).

And as this passage continues, “Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood” (Heb 12:3-4). Indeed, this statement is made to encourage us in steadfast hope, love, endurance, and devotion. For Christ did not only suffer for our sins. He endured the cross, so that through Him, we can too. For as we read in Romans 8: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom 8:16-17). Let us all find the joy of God that comes through the cross of Christ, in divine union with the Holy Trinity. Amen.

List of Bible Passages Cited, Compiled for Referencing Convenience (New American Bible Revised Edition, Unless Otherwise Noted):

1. Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32

²⁶I will offer praise in the great assembly;
    my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.
²⁷The poor^[h] will eat their fill;
    those who seek the Lord will offer praise.
    May your hearts enjoy life forever!”

²⁸All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord;
All the families of nations
    will bow low before him.
^30 [i]All who sleep in the earth
    will bow low before God;
All who have gone down into the dust
    will kneel in homage.
³¹And I will live for the Lord;
    my descendants will serve you.
³²The generation to come will be told of the Lord,
    that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn
    the deliverance you have brought.

2. Matthew 5:43-48

3. Matthew 22:34-40

4. Matthew 23:25-26

^25 [n]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.

5. Mark 5:21-43

²¹When Jesus had crossed again [in the boat] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. ²²One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet ²³and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her^[h] that she may get well and live.” ²⁴He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

²⁵There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. ^28 [i]She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” ²⁹Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” ³¹But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” ³²And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

^35 [j]While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” ³⁶Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” ³⁷He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ^39 [k]So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. ^41 [l]He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” ⁴²The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. ⁴³He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

6. Luke 15:1-7

^1 [a]The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, ²but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So to them he addressed this parable. ⁴“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? ⁵And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy ⁶and, 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.’ ⁷I 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.

7. John 17:20-26

8. Romans 5:1-11

9. Romans 8:14-17

10. Romans 12:1-2

11. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

^24 [h]Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. ²⁵Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. ²⁶Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. ²⁷No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

12. Galatians 2:1-2

¹Then after fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,^[b] taking Titus along also. ²I went up in accord with a revelation,^[c] and I presented to them the gospel that I preach to the Gentiles—but privately to those of repute—so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.

13. Ephesians 6:10-17

14. Philippians 3:12-21

15. 1 Timothy 4:6-10

^6 [c]If you will give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching you have followed. ⁷Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself for devotion, ⁸for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future. ⁹This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰For this we toil and struggle,^[d] because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the savior of all, especially of those who believe.

16. 1 Timothy 6:11-16

17. 2 Timothy 2:1-7

^1 [a]So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ²And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well. ³Bear your share of hardship along with me like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴To satisfy the one who recruited him, a soldier does not become entangled in the business affairs of life. ⁵Similarly, an athlete cannot receive the winner’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶The hardworking farmer ought to have the first share of the crop. ⁷Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

18. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

19. Hebrews 2:10-11

20. Hebrews 5:8-9

21. Hebrews 12:1-4

22. 1 John 4:17-21

¹⁷In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God^[e] whom he has not seen. ²¹This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

23. Revelation 1:8

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”^[f] says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

24. Revelation 3:8-11

⁸“‘“I know your works (behold, I have left an open door^[f] before you, which no one can close). You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹Behold, I will make those of the assembly of Satan who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying, behold I will make them come and fall prostrate at your feet, and they will realize that I love you. ¹⁰Because you have kept my message of endurance,^[g] I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is going to come to the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.

25. Revelation 22:12-13

¹²“Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”