Category Archives: Martin Luther
Experiences beyond words……Where Theological and Exegetical Knowledge Fail
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to His cross…
3 But those who prophesy are speaking to people to give them strength, encouragement, and comfort…..5 Those who prophesy are greater than those who can only speak in different languages—unless someone is there who can explain what is said so that the whole church can be helped. 1 Co 14:3-5. NCV
19 I am teaching them to you now so that you will put your trust in the LORD. NCV Pr 22:19.
The Imitation of Christ admonishes us: “Even if you knew by heart the whole Bible and the sayings of all the philosophers, what would it profit you without the love of God and his grace?” “Everyone has a natural craving for knowledge, but of what avail is knowledge without the fear of God?” “An unlearned person who serves God is surely better than a learned one who proudly searches the heavens while neglecting himself.” “Give up your excessive desire for learning. Therein are to be found only illusion and inner emptiness.”
How a man is born again may easily be told in words. When, however, it is a matter of experience, as it was with Nicodemus, it is a hard matter to understand and it requires effort to attain the experience. To persevere in this, when it becomes a matter of experience and when we are really tested, requires pains and labor.
Nicodemus was a brilliant scholar among the Jewish leaders. Yet he had to approach Jesus by night, and then the simplest thing, the idea of being born again, befuddled him. (I like that word befuddled – I dont’ know why!) He was confused, as many were with Jesus’ simplest teachings.
There are some things in life that you do not learn with your mind, you can only experience them, and let them transform you. Paul the apostle talks about two things – God’s love and His peace in a manner that clearly states that they are beyond our ability to understand, but are easily experienced. The Holy Spirit causes us to do causes, in ways beyond words. And if we focus on trying to explain it, we lose track of the experience.
There is more to it than that, as Paul discusses above when the saints in Corinth. There is a purpose to our words that can easily get lost as we pursue any gift–the ability to use that as a tool to help people experience the love and peace of God. We are called to bring each other strength, encouragement and comfort we are called to help all those called together–all those God desires to save. And the pursuit of knowledge can distract from that.
This is why Solomon, the wisest man in history would write that the purpose of his scriptures was to help us put our trust in the Lord, not in Solomon! And Pope Benedict XVI ( aka Joseph Ratzinger) the brilliant theologian Scholar, would quote another saying the natural craving for knowledge is worthless, compared to an unlearned person in a relationship with God. Brilliant men, gifted with knowledge and wisdom, dialing it back–to know God.
Another brilliant pastor I know, had an advanced school of preaching – 5 courses…. an introduction then 4 deeper classes. the first deep class was 45 hours learning who we were in Christ – not pastors, but children of God, who God was forming. THe last class had “nothing” to do with scripture–at least directly. Instead, we were study our people, to know what they were going through. We were given ways to learn their hurts and pains, to get behind the walls they set up. to laugh and cry with them (as St. Paul advised) because then we could see the Holy Spirit using our words to reveal that comfort that only comes from experiencing God’s love, that comes as we dwell secure in His peace. I look at those two classes as being the most formative of my preaching, even though they taught me nothing about studying scripture, or Greek or Hebrew. Instead of that Schuler, made us live in the love and peace scripture revealed, and then encouraged us to understand how we would help reveal it to others.
One of my other mentors, a brilliant Hebrew scholar, is also such a man. His gift goes beyond languages. While a good preacher (except for his ubiquitous mentions of USC football), his primary ministry I will always see as how he helped his congregation experience God’s love and peace in the Lord’s Supper. It was visible to me, as I assisted him, that his people savored this moment of communion, as they experienced Christ’s Body and Blood, given and shed for them. Body’s relaxed– smiles broke out, tension faded in weary, anxious bodies, as peace settled over them–as they knew they were loved. This is what I hope I can do… far more than anything else…this is what is needed – and important!
Don’t get me wrong, study is still a discipline I need, – but what is needed more, what we need to pray for, and focus our ministry on, is that God loves us, and calls us to Himself. Everything else must serve that purpose… for then the church is a place where broken people find healing, while helping others heal.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 223.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Augustana Book Concern, 1915, p. 247.
The Tournament of Theology–cannot be won.
Thoughts which draw me close to Jesus, and to His cross.
20 Then Isaiah is bold enough to say: “I was found by those who were not asking me for help. I made myself known to people who were not looking for me.” Romans 10:20 NCV
That is the humility that is required of the theologian.… Without the realism of the saints, without their contact with reality, which is what it is all about, theology becomes an empty intellectual game and loses its character as a science.
It seems to me that we shall have our hands full to keep these commandments, practicing gentleness, patience, love toward enemies, chastity, kindness, etc., and all that these virtues involve. But such works are not important or impressive in the eyes of the world. They are not unusual and pompous, restricted to special times, places, rites, and ceremonies, but are common, everyday domestic duties of one neighbor toward another, with no show about them.
How does one acquire love? The human heart is so false that it cannot love unless it first sees the benefit of loving. No man can bring this love into the heart. Therefore God gave us his Son, graciously poured out his greatest treasures and sunk and drowned all our sins and filth in the great ocean of his love, so that this great love and blessing must draw man to love and be ready to fulfil the divine commandments with a willing heart. In no other way can the heart love or have any love; it must be assured that it was first loved. Now man cannot do this; therefore Christ comes and takes the heart captive and says: Learn to know me. I am Christ, who placed myself in your misery to drown your sins in my righteousness. This knowledge softens your heart, so that you must turn to him.
Now that we are removed a few days from Celtics domination of the NBA, my twitter feed is returning to deluge of those who treat theology like the ultimate sports event – a tournament seems to seek out who wins, and who loses. I see those who claim to be Catholics trying to score on Protestants, those who are protests trying to slamdunk Catholics, and even the Orthodox are involved now, both on offense and defense. It is far more competitive, far more brutal, and too be honest, bad sports abound more in this game than any sport.
For the tournament cannot be won, the game cannot be won. It is a double elimination contest, with both sides losing, and often both sides brutally, if not terminally injured in their faith in God.
I’ve witnessed too many such injuries, even recently, as I’ve worked with a few whose view of the church becomes jandiced. And I must confess to my engaging in such games (for that is all they are) and being scarred and hurting others….some deliberately.
To this problem the Apostle Paul speaks, quoting Isaiah above. The proof for those who tried to compete with Him didn’t eventually matter, for God could work, and does work, drawing people to His side, brining people into His glory, whco weren’t looking for Him. In fact, many of them were running from Him, and ran smack dab into a relationship where God’s love overwhelmed them. This is what Pope Benedict wrote of while a cardinal – and the head of theology for the Catholic church–without seeing the impact of God’s love on those who went before, theology is empty. Not that these people were great theologians, but because God worked in their lives– He became their reality.
That is the point of the Large Catechism, in noting the struggle to keep the commandments. I don;t care how well you can translate the Hebrew, that will not help you obey them, and those studies will not offer you comfort when you realize you shattered them in theological combat. The only think that matters then is the prelude is experiencing what precedes them, “I am the Lord, your God, who rescued you…”
Luther notes the only hope, though I would include the soul and mind as well as the heart. Without the love of God invading my life, without Him drowning our sin and filth inthe great ocean of His love, we cannot be Theologians. We have to be Theophilians first! We have to love- something foreign to us if we don’t experience the incredible dimensions of God’s love for us, which was revealed in Christ Jesus. Christ must come and take our heart captive, it must give us the ability to trust Him, who came to share in our lives, shattered and murdered by our own sin, to redeem and save us.
That is the core of real Theology, as the Holy Spirit leads us to experience the love of God that draws us into Christ, His death, His resurrection, and His glory. Theology should serve, not as an academic debate, but rather to assist in communicating that news, so that people may know the love of God.
Any other use is… worthless, empty, and leads to elimination of life.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, pp. 198–99.
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism, Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, p. 407.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Augustana Book Concern, 1915, p. 221.
We Need to Talk About the Lord’s Supper With This in Mind
Thoughts which call me to Jesus, and to the Cross and Altar
Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1–2. ncv
In addition to the ministry of the Gospel—or rather included in it—there is also the ministry of the sacraments, of those signs in which today the Lord, as it were, not only still touches our senses and speaks to our intellect and thoughts, to the innermost depths of our hearts, but shows himself as well in the sensuous beauty of the things of this world so that they become places in which we touch his life.
19 9. We believe, teach, and confess that no genuine believer, no matter how weak he may be, as long as he retains a living faith, will receive the Holy Supper to his condemnation, for Christ instituted this Supper particularly for Christians who are weak in faith but repentant, to comfort them and to strengthen their weak faith.
Far to often, I see and hear discussions between Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists and Evangelicals that focus on the systematic theology involved. Arguments fly back and forth like missiles and artillery shells in a war zone–with each side more concerned about firing than listening–creating a defenses that will not listen, only counterattack.
Been there, done that, in fact, argued from the Catholic position and the Evangelical position for years. It wasn’t pretty, and it left me feeling empty, even if I “won” the debate. Oddly enough, after I entered the Lutheran Church, I found others in both of my former “associations” that saw what Luther saw, and what the early church treasured.
And that is where I think we need to start the discussion. What does communion, what does the Lord’s Supper, what does the Eucharist benefit those who commune with the Body and Blood of Christ?
Luther and Melancthon were sure that this sweet moment in life had a purpose – to comfort the people of God. That was the chief purpose of worship– to give people Christ–that which they need! Later Lutherans confessed what you see above, that the Sacrament was instituted for the purpose of comforting the weak but repentant, that is those being transformed, in their faith. Even the weakest faith will not be condemned–but strengthened in their ability to depend on God.
This is Pope Benedict’s point as well. as he talks about things that are common become a place where the innermost parts of our hearts are touched by the presence of God. This is how we find healing and comfort in the sacraments, this is how we find peace, because God is tactilely there – simply because He promises to be in His word.
This is where we need to start the discussion about the sacrament, any sacrament. What is God’s purpose, according to scriptural promises, that the sacrament was commissioned to achieve? The assurance of communion, the assurance of the blessings, the assurance that we are loved, and are being healed, and have a home.
Yeah–we need to deal with the theology–what it means to recognize the Body and Blood of Jesus…but part of that recognition is what happens when we realize the promises He pours out on us… that is the primary thing we need to recognie and cling to…
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 192.
The Formula of Concord: Epitome: Article 7, Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, p. 484.
You Need a Better Way to Complain!
Thoughts which guide me to Jesus, and to the Cross
With praise and thanksgiving, they sang to the LORD:
“He is good;
his love for Israel continues forever.”
And then all the people shouted loudly, “Praise the LORD! The foundation of his Temple has been laid.” 12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders who had seen the first Temple cried when they saw the foundation of this Temple. Most of the other people were shouting with joy. 13 The people made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying. Ezra 3:11–13. NCV
No heathen, philosopher or jurist, if he have not God’s Word, can throw his care and complaint upon God. When trouble arises, he begins to murmur and argue against God and his government, as though God’s rule merited criticism. But such men receive their deserts when God permits their calculations and hopes to fail and lets the reverse prevail. They spend their lives in many vain, useless cares and projects and in the course of their experience must learn and confess that many a time the very opposite of their judgment is the truth.
Faith is a part of theology and so is thought. The absence of one or other of these would be the end of theology. In other words, theology presupposes a new beginning for thought that is not the product of our own reflection, but comes from the encounter with a Word that always precedes us. The embracing of this new beginning is what we call “conversion”.
Some of us (ok, many) have a talent that needs to be developed.
Not that we don’t use it enough, oh my gosh, it is something we do so often, we should be experts at it!
But we are not, not even close!
Why? Well, look at the results of our artistic use of words, as we complain about the world, injustice, our workplaces, our families, even our own actions and thoughts. As I said – the frequency of our complains is significant! BUt it is most often ineffective. For we complain to those who might listen, and if they do, they commiserate, as it has been said, “misery loves company!” Because we complain to those who have no power to change the situation (or change us) the complaint has no positive effect on our lives!
Luther notes something similar as he talks of those without God’s word, and their inability to throw their cares and complaints on God. The sad thing is that this method has a cost, they will receive their just deserts. Just like a friend of mine who was complaining to another friend of his wife’s cooking, not realizing he didn’t “hang up” the phone.
But to complain to God, (see Jeremiah 20:7 for an example!) we need to be aware of the relationship we have with Him! We have to know we can depend on Him, and that He loves us! This is Pope Benedict’s point, that we can’t be theologians, we can’t find the answer to “what does this mean?” without having encountered God first, without the Spirit converting us, (2 Cor 3:16ff) little by little into the image of Christ.
We see this in the passage from Ezra, as they work on the Temple. Those who look at it, remembering the old Temple – weep loudly–they aren’t seeing the promises of grace that will be received, the work of God as He reveals HIs love and the relationship they are in with Him. The others, hearing of the remarkable grace, are so exuberant, so ready to receive the forgiveness, and the clear identity as the people of God, they are ecstatic–because the relationship is so important!
For secure in that relationship with God, we can complain, confident that His answer will be a blessing, and we will eventually see how it is! This is the way to complain, even bitterly – to a God who sees you, who knows you, and who has dedicated Himself to do what is best for you!
SO go to it! Whine, complain and throw the tantrum of all tantrums. God can handle it…and you! And then, worship the Lord who is with you!
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Augustana Book Concern, 1915, p. 210.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 189.
Make Room For God’s Comfort in “your” Worship!
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross
28 After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.
15 Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, “Rabboni.” John 19:28-30,20:15-16 NCV
It is right, and even necessary, that there exist today a radical call for a simplicity that will purify the liturgy of all aesthetic embellishments so that we may experience once again the original force of the word and the reality that we encounter there. The Church must return again and again to the simplicity of her origins if she is to experience and mediate the reality that underlies all appearances. She must nevertheless not forget that the celebration of the Lord’s Last Supper means, by its very nature, the celebration of a feast, and that festive embellishments are an integral part of any feast.
Now God is present here,
Then let us all adore;
Before Him bow with humble fear,
And praise Him evermore:
Let every worldly thought be gone,
And meekly bow before His throne.
I love the pageantry of a very formal liturgy. There is something special–especially at an ordination, or a high feast, of a full and rich liturgy, coming across gloriously with Hosannas and Amens, the full choirs sustaining the church’s praises.
But that cannot be, in my opinion, the main form and style of worship.
I am not alone in this – Pope Benedict XVI’s quote shows a necessity for the church to follow a KISS principle – (Keep it Simple- stu..err silly one!) We need to experience the original force of the word and the sacraments we encounter! We need to focus, not on the golden threads and astonishing voices….but on God–present in our lives together. We need to let His glory wash over us, stripping us of all the things of the world, including all our attempts to impress Him, by creating what we think heaven might be like.
We just celebrated the harsh realities of Good Friday and Easter, but with all the embellishments that occur, sometimes we miss the story of His brutal death, and His incredible resurrection, and our being there, through the miracle of baptism. We need to get this – church is not about all the glory we can muster, it has to be God’s glorious presence, and His glorious work in us.
That is why we have to keep things simple at times, so that we can realize the feast is more than the potluck, it is that simple bread and wine which is the Body and Blood of Christ – given and shed for us, to free us, to comfort us, to empower us, as God comes to us!
This is what generates worship – the presence of God.
May we never obscure it!
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 175.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, pp. 129–30.
What if I am “one of THEM?”
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the cross…
One of the men there was Caiaphas, the high priest that year. He said, “You people know nothing! 50 You don’t realize that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 Caiaphas did not think of this himself. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for their nation 52 and for God’s scattered children to bring them all together and make them one.
53 That day they started planning to kill Jesus. 54 So Jesus no longer traveled openly among the people. He left there and went to a place near the desert, to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers. John 11:49-54 NCV
Let’s not deceive ourselves: in our life we will find vigor and victory and depression and defeat. This has always been true of the earthly pilgrimage of Christians, even of those we venerate on the altars. Don’t you remember Peter, Augustine, Francis? I have never liked biographies of saints which naïvely—but also with a lack of sound doctrine—present their deeds as if they had been confirmed in grace from birth. No. The true life stories of Christian heroes resemble our own experience: they fought and won; they fought and lost. And then, repentant, they returned to the fray.
We should not be surprised to find ourselves defeated relatively often, usually or even always in things of little importance which we tend to take seriously. If we love God and are humble, if we persevere relentlessly in our struggle, the defeats will never be very important. There will also be abundant victories which bring joy to God’s eyes. There is no such thing as failure if you act with a right intention, wanting to fulfill God’s will and counting always on his grace and your own nothingness.
There’s One, in feebleness extreme,
That can a helpless worm redeem;
And now I put my trust in Him,
Nor shall my trust be vain.
There is no doubt the high priest spoke for God as he prophesied about the necessity of Christ’s death. THere is also no doubt that he didn’t realize the importance and power in the words he said about the sacrifice. He would be one of those that called for and encouraged the people to cry our “Crucify Him!”
A religious leader doing something that was so evil, while at the same time speaking for God.
It boggles my mind, to consider the paradox that while Caiaphas was doing something so holy, he was contemplating evil, along with most of the priests and religious leaders. I have to think this through and realize that we haven’t changed that much these days. There are still religious leaders that are willing to sacrifice others, there are still those, who get to speak for Jesus, and do, while not living a life reflective of what they preach.
The i contemplate this the more names and faces come to mind until I am left with only one image, the one I see in the mirror every morning. Could I be a modern Caiaphas? Could I have been one of those crying out to crucify Jesus? I tell you, the gospel reading my devotions really hit me hard this morning….
for I know I have spoken for God, and yet…I struggle with sin, and I struggle with the same kind of attitude that put Jesus on the cross.
I know this is why Jesus came, and why Christ died…and yet, as Paul described in Romans 7, this is a wretched life at times.
As I read the res of the materials I used for my devotions, on sites my favorite writer/pastor priest was cited in another book, So I went to the source and saw the words of St. Josemaria above, the words about saints not being perfect either, The words of “counting always on His grace and your own nothingness ” This has to be my focus to let the sin that Chirst died to remove from my heart and soul. God did this for the saints that lived before me, and hopefully, I can help the next generation know this as well.
Luther and Escriva both, talk about our faith, our dependence on Jesus and the promises of His redeeming us and making us His own are so critical. Sure we will fight temptations and sin and demonic forces pulling us from God, but He will pick us up, the Spirit will draw us back to the cross, to see His love ofr us, to receive His healing, That is the victory that erases the defeats, that is the hope that overwhelms the despair, that is the love of God for us….His own. AMEN!
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 159.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Christ is Passing By . Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition. #76
In times of despair… there is the greatest hope
The Good Shepherd, carrying His own.
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus, and to the Cross
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd who owns them. When the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker and does not really care about the sheep. Jn 10:27–28 NCV
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never die, and no one can steal them out of my hand. Jn 10:11–13. NCV
A friend of mine, who depended for years on kidney dialysis and who realized that his life was slipping away from him moment by moment, once told me that as a child, and later as an adult, he had had a special devotion to the Way of the Cross and had often prayed it. When he heard the frightening diagnosis of his illness, he was at first stunned; then suddenly the thought came to him: what you have prayed so often has now become a reality in your life; now you can really accompany Jesus; you have been joined to him in his Way of the Cross. In this way, my friend recovered his serenity, which thereafter illumined his countenance to the end of his days and made visible the light of faith that was in him.
Insecure people tend to take all criticism as a form of persecution–as a threat, a personal attack–but seldom as a call to refine or amend behavior. Thus it is St Josemaria’s priority, because he is a good father and coach, to secure his spiritual children in the love of God. And you can only find your security there in the Pauline paradox.: by felling weak and humble and yet simultaneously and wholeheartedly being totally dependent oon the power that comes from God. (see 2 Cor. 12:1-10)
I see the beams of endless day,
All radiant in yon world afar;
I long—I long to fly away,
And be where saints and seraphs are;
To join the everlasting song,
And mingle with yon ransomed throng.
I resonate a lot with Luther’s hymn, and the desire to flee this world in order to be in the presence of God. I will freely admit part of this is because of the burdens and pains of this life, There are some days those burdens, and the evil in the world combines and comes close to crushing me, somedays it seems like it does. The option of standing, perfected, holy, pure, righteous in the glory of God, to see Him as He is, and to be welcomed there… that sounds so much better than what we have here.
I resonate a lot as well with Pope Benedict XVI’s friend, who found that in the process of severe health challenges–almost I know the Way of the Cross, and I know we are united with Christ’s death and resurrection, it is a deeper thought to consider our suffering is part of His, that His included ours, and the depth of despair we know and endure, is because the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is sustaining us. When I am thinking clearly, I remember this – for instance when our church responds with “and also with you”, or I am feeding them the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is where this peace comes from, finding the strength of Christ, finding the power involved in His death and resurrection, to be at work in us, for that God has promised.
That is why St Josemaria had, as every pastor should, the drive to secure his spiritual children, his parishioners and others he disciples, in the love of God. That is the only place we can find security, it is the only place we can find peace. It is why one friend will park his car in front of church on the way home from a bad day at work, and why another, dealing with the deepest struggles, found they could rest better than any other place, in front of the altar at their church. St Josemaria’s correct, only by being at our weakest, can we find the strength–again , for me, that comes at the altar, and looking forward to it, when I get to say only a few words, “the body of Christ, given for you…” and I see the most incredible bring healing to those who are broken. (the same as I baptize, or tell someone God has forgiven them!)
This is because in those moments we realize He is our Shepherd, that we have life, both now and eternally, when we are hearing His voice, because He walks with us. We can trust Him, and those He calls as shepherds, who are willing to suffer and sacrifice for the sheep. that takes a lot of pastors, as it took a lot out of Jesus–the sufferings and sacrifices he made prior ot the cross.
Our hope is found there… depending on Him, and His presence. It is our life… with our Shepherd….
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, pp. 110–11.
Hanson, Dr. John Henry, Coached by Josemaria Escriva, Scepter, NY, 20204
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 156.
Eat up! There is a Long Journey Ahead! (some thoughts on the Eucharist for Holy Week)
Thoughts that pull me closer to Jesus, and to the Cross… (and the altar)
29 Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: Believe the One he sent.”
30 So the people asked, “What miracle will you do? If we see a miracle, we will believe you. What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the desert. This is written in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven; it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 God’s bread is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jn 6:29–33 NCV
Believers go from place to place,
With cares and griefs oppressed;
But when they’ve run their earthly race,
They’ll find a glorious rest.
When from the things of time they cease,
God brings them to the port of peace;
The seed is sown with hopes and fears,
But soon the precious fruit appears.
How happy when our race is o’er—
Our journey at an end;
Our spirits, bound to earth no more,
To glory shall ascend!
Clearly God had commanded the fathers concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices, but what Jeremiah is condemning is an idea of sacrifices that did not come from God, namely, that such worship pleased him ex opere operato. He adds that God had commanded faith. “Obey me,” that is, “Believe that I am your God and that this is the way I want you to know me when I show mercy and help you, for I do not need your sacrifices. Believe that I want to be God, the one who justifies and saves, because of my Word and promise, not because of works. Truly and wholeheartedly seek and expect help from me.”
We have just barely begun Holy Week, aka Basic Training for Disciples. and I am tired. My faith, my ability to trust in and depend on God should be strengthened.
And yet the journey of this week is barely a speck in the journey we take, that Luther describes with so much passion–a journey into the glory of God, where He has the place for us,
The journey’s difficulty is compounded when we think the effort, physical, mental and spiritual, needs to be our responsibility. That we have to understand everything, sacrifice all the right things, at the right times, that we have to do this to earn the grace, to be worthy of it, otherwise it isn’t ours.
We then project these standards onto others, and except them to do what we cannot. This disappointment divides us from them, rather than unites us in a desire to journey in God’s grace together. All our sacrifices together are not enough, they cannot please God, they cannot erase our sins, and therefore they cannot sustain us during this Holy Week, anymore than the sacrifices of Jesus day meant anything–they had no power on their own, and because they weren’t done hearing God’s direction – they were meaningless.
There is one thing that isn’t worthless, the Bread of Heaven Himself. Jesus is our Bread Of Life. It is from Him we can expect help, it is from His His body and His blood that the promises of His sustaining presence are revealed. Jesus is the sacrifices that God the Father ordered, the one He finds acceptable, the one that eliminates our sin and saves us.
The Lord’s Supper is not merely some practice we do, as if we have to make it meaningful, as if we have to come suitably prepared. It is the meal for pilgrims, for those without resources, for those who need it provided for them, for us.
It is all that Jesus promises, all that He would give us, and what we need to be sustained on the journey. Not because it works on its own, but because of the promise that God gives us through it.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for providing Your conduits of grace, found in scripture and the sacraments. Help us depend on You and the promises You pour out on us through these conduits of grace. AMEN!
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 146.
“Apology of the Augsburg Confession: Article XXIV The Mass” Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, p. 254.
Lord, Don’t Ask Me That….
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross
6 When Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been sick for such a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be well?”
7 The sick man answered, “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water starts moving. While I am coming to the water, someone else always gets in before me.”
8 Then Jesus said, “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was well; he picked up his mat and began to walk. John 5:6–9. NCV
He fills our souls with hope,
That we shall yet arise
To dwell with Him in realms of bliss—
In mansions of the skies;
There through eternity to raise
The sacrifice of endless praise.
828 Have you ever thought how you would prepare yourself to receive Our Lord if you could go to Communion only once in your life? We must be thankful to God that he makes it so easy for us to come to him: but we should show our gratitude by preparing ourselves very well to receive him.
I have heard many a sermon, and more than a few lectures in pastoral theology about the question Jesus asks the man poolside in Siloam. Most of the time it is to make the point that “most” people are comfortable in their brokenness. It doesn’t matter if the issue is physical or spiritual–the point the preacher/professor is trying to make is that all people don’t want it, that all people will not have the desire to resolve the issue.
As someone who has battled physical and spiritual issues all my life, I am revolted by that kind of talk. For the despair that steals desire puts that desire often beyond my reach–sometimes far beyond my reach. If I mention that, some doubt my faith, some doubt my prognosis, and some simply discount me and treat me like I am worthless, already dead. Make no mistake, Jesus knew the answer – as he knew the man’s capabilities, and the stage of burnout he was in at the time.
I am willing to write this because I have also preached those sermons, I have given those lectures, and I regret it.
St. Josemaria’s words I read this morning, made me think of the one thing I can do – I can celebrate God’s presence in the Eucharist, in the Lord’s Supper. For there, just as in life, He comes to us, He nourishes us, He forgives and comforts us. And it is not only once, it can be weekly, even daily! While I appreciate St Josemaria’s words on how we come, with reverent expectation, it is He who comes to us there, to minister to us. That is the preparation we need – to realize how much we need Him–and to go tto the sanctuary, to go to the altar, expecting His work to be done there… in our lives.
God knows our weakness, our brokenness, the level of burnout and hopeless that paralyzes us… and He comes and asks – knowing the answer. He then brings healing into our lives…as He takes our burdens on himself.
It is there we rise from the lives were we thought we had no assistance. It is from there, burnt out, broken, without hope we are able to rise and take up our mat. Oddly enough, the man will try and minister to those who think they are well! (that is just a seed being planted – don’t assume it a failure!)
It is there – as Christ comes to us…that we find healing. If you can’t make it to church, let the leaders of the church bring the church to you. Jesus will be there… ready for you…even if you think you aren’t ready for His healing.
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 144.
Escrivá, Josemaría. The Forge . Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Value of Church (Buildings) (and why you need to be in one-regularly!)
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus, and to His cross (and therefore to church)
When this happened, the followers remembered what was written in the Scriptures: “My strong love for your Temple completely controls me.” 18 Some of his people said to Jesus, “Show us a miracle to prove you have the right to do these things.” Jn 2:17–18. NCV
The sacrament was instituted to console and strengthen terrified hearts when they believe that Christ’s flesh, given for the life of the world, is their food and that they come to life by being joined to Christ.
They’ll see Him face to face,
And with Him ever dwell;
And praise the wonders of His grace
Beyond what tongue can tell:
Eternal weight of glory theirs,
A blest exchange for earthly cares!
When he shut the world behind him and entered the disciplined life of contemplation, he stepped into the reality that mattered to him most—God Alone. The cares of the world were replaced with caring for one thing only, to be in the presence of God in silence and solitude. Henri Nouwen, reflecting on his encounter with Merton, observed that this new desert transformed the monk into a fierce advocate of silence in the life of others.
People often attack “organized religion” (as if we are all that organized!) by saying the church is the people, not the building. They often use this, not as a theological support for people to work together, but just the opposite–to justify NOT gathering together with other sinners, to receive the grace God intends ofr His people, His body to receive together.
I get it, church building are filled with people who are sinners, hypocrites, some are legalists, some struggle with narcissism, or doubt or anxiety. All, everyone of them is broken, and therefore interacting with them, means getting hurt at times, and realizing that we have hurt others at times. Churches can be places where we get hurt, definitely be disappointed as they are not utopia’s–but places to prepare and help prepare others for death, and what comes after.
That’s what Luther’s hymn looks forward to, that day when the weight of God’s glorious love is fully revealed, and we are capable of receiving it! For no more will we be haunted by brokenness. We will exchange our earthly cares for something far more splendid, dwelling with Christ!
It was this that Merton sought, and while one may think his solitary and search for God was somewhat self-serving, it made him an advocate for something more – to help other’s find that Presence and love. That’s the thing about finding God’s peace, it cannot remain a solo event. This is why the early Lutheran pastors were so adamant about people receiving the Lord’s Supper–not in part, not once a year, but often – because of the comfort it gives! It is to prolong moments of such communion that drove Merton into a monastery an Nouwen to simplify his life–only to find the need to share that intimacy with God with others!
This is why as well, that Jesus was so adamant about the Temple being a place of prayer, u n constrained, unhindered by the trappings of business. Not because he treasured the building, as many Jewish people did, (and some protestants want to !) but because of the communion, the time of prayer where people interact with God, remembering they are His people. It is that the building is set apart for such sweet times that makes it a critical place in our lives. It is the restoration that happens within those doors, in those sanctuaries that makes it more valuable than any other peace of land. It doesn’t matter whether it sears 25 or 25,000, as long as people know this…
God wants to spend time with His people, and care for them, and heal them together.
“Article XXII The Lord’s Supper Under Both Kinds” Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, pp. 237–38.
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 140.
Nolasco, Rolf, Jr. The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being. Fortress Press, 2011, p. 97.
