June 11 - Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

June 11 - Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.18:41-46; Ps.65:2,10-13; Mt.5:20-26) "You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it." "There is the sound of a heavy rain." The Lord is speaking. The Lord is teaching. Jesus is revealing the strait path of holiness that leads to the Father, and His words and His Person come like a fruitful rain upon a drought-stricken land. O Lord, "thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield." By your speaking, by your teaching… by your bleeding on the cross for us "you have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest." But will we receive these rains? Will we accept His chastisements which lead to life, which are the only way to the kingdom of God? Here are the Lord's words, the commands of His mouth: "Everyone who grows angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; any man who uses abusive language toward his brother shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and if he holds him in contempt he risks the fires of Gehenna." To what extent has He increased the prescriptions of the law! For He calls us to a holiness that surpasses the holiness of the law. He calls us to the kingdom of God, and great rains are needed to foster its life. And so He demands that we "be reconciled with [our] brother"; and so He warns us to "settle with [our] opponent." For we are on our way to His holy court, and not even the smallest sin will stand there. The eyes of Elijah see but "a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." It is but the shadows the prophets knew as "the sky grew dark with clouds and wind." But it was enough to recognize the coming presence of the Lord that would relieve the drought upon the land, upon the nation of Israel. We, brothers and sisters, are those upon whom "a heavy rain fell," for now Christ has come; now He calls to us in Person from the cross and from His throne in heaven. If you wish to come to where He is, you must go where He has been: the cross is the heavy rain which brings the sweet smelling flower of heaven. "God's watercourses are filled" and "rejoicing clothes the hills." Listen to His words now. Be obedient to His command. It is the driving rain which breaks up the ground and prepares the soul for holiness. ******* O LORD, send your rain upon us to soften our hearts; let us be perfect as you by your chastising Word of love. YHWH, release us from judgment, we pray. Send upon us your driving rain, to cleanse our souls of all harsh words and anger. How shall we stand before your throne if here we cannot forgive, for how shall we ourselves be forgiven our grave sins if our hearts are hardened? O send your rain, LORD! Send your rain, and let our hearts be open to receive it well. Your Word is as a chastising rain to our souls, O LORD; it is the strong words from your mouth that serve to cleanse us from our sin and soften the ground of our hearts to receive your grace and blessings. If we have not your mercy within us, we are dead, for then there is no remedy for our sin. Speak to us; instruct us in your ways, and let us be obedient to your command, to your chastisement that brings new life from this poor land. O LORD, subject us not to the trial; lead us not before your tribunal. For we have nothing to pay our debt and so cannot stand before you. Only your mercy will save us on that day. Let us have your mercy within us now, and share it with others.

June 10 - Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.18:20-39; Ps.16:1-2,4-5,8,11; Mt.5:17-19) "If the Lord is God, follow Him; if Baal, follow him." Today "the only surviving prophet of the Lord" comes to reveal to the people that "the Lord is God!" Elijah seeks to open the Israelites' eyes to the presence of God, to bring them "back to their senses." And how evident it becomes that "they multiply their sorrows who court other gods," and that those "who set the Lord ever before" themselves are able to declare with David in faith: "With Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed." The great futility, the absolute emptiness of following false gods is shown in clear focus in the four hundred and fifty "prophets" who "hopped around the altar" and "called on Baal from morning to noon, saying, 'Answer us, Baal!'" How well our first reading summarizes the response of gods who are no gods: "But there was no sound, and no one answering." After "Elijah taunted them: 'Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened,'" they compounded their worship to utter absurdity as they "called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until blood gushed over them." From this exercise of futile worship Elijah calls the people, saying simply, "Come here to me." And they move from this macabre circus scene over to the altar of the Lord the prophet prepares. And here the power of the Lord is unveiled beyond doubt to open the wayward hearts of God's chosen ones. Water upon water is poured upon the evening sacrifice, but the Lord's fire comes at the word of Elijah and consumes all. "Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel." Let it be understood that your law must be followed and not the wicked contrivances of the human heart. Let be known the truth of your Son's words: "Whoever breaks the least significant of these commands and teaches others to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of God. Whoever fulfills and teaches these commands shall be great in the kingdom of God." For we shall only know the "fullness of joys in your presence" if we keep to your way, following Him who has come "to fulfill" "the law and the prophets." Let us never "court other gods" but with your humble king call out ever, "My Lord are you." ******* O LORD, all your Law is holy for you alone are holy and lead us only into your presence – praise you, O LORD our God! YHWH, you alone are God indeed; you alone should we worship – your NAME alone should we call upon to answer all our needs. And your Law we should keep with all our hearts if we hope to gain a hearing from you. We are so blind, O LORD, blind to your presence, blind to your power, blind to your love for us and the care you provide in your Word. We seek to make our own way, to worship a god of our own making, and so we fall away from you who hold our very lives in your hands. Send the fire of the Holy Spirit upon us to awaken us to your glory and your love here in our midst this day, that we might turn to true worship, worship of you who alone are worthy of our praise. O LORD, let your Word be fulfilled in us; let us keep your commands perfectly, following in the way of your only Son, who is the fulfillment of your Word. Yes, you alone are God and He alone is the way to you – let us live in your truth.

June 9 - Prayer to St. Ephrem

O harp of the Holy Spirit whose song rose up to Jesus and in honor of the Virgin Mary, whose heart was set on Heaven and the eternal light therein, and who served so well to defend the faith when from contemplation you came – pray we too shall have a song dedicated wholly to the Lord welling up in hearts set on His presence, on the kingdom that passes not away; and pray, too, the teaching of the Church shall always be true, shall always be rooted in the Spirit, expressive of the love of God. What is this world as it passes away, and who are we apart from God and His House? O how we long for Heaven! Pray, dear brother, with our Blessed Mother, that we shall come to dwell where you are.

June 9 - Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.17:7-16; Ps.4:2-5,7-8; Mt.5:13-16) "The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth." Again today we see in our readings that the Lord provides for His children's needs, that indeed He is with us until the end of the age – yes, "the Lord does wonders for His faithful one." As "the brook where Elijah was hiding ran dry," the Lord instructed him to go to Zarephath of Sidon, a pagan territory, saying, "I have designated a widow there to provide for you." Elijah is obedient and the Lord is faithful to His word, for just "as he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there." (Indeed, how wonderful it is to see the word of the Lord fulfilled!) Elijah does not hide the Lord's prophecy from his benefactress, and she, too, believes the word the Lord has spoken. And so she and her son and the prophet were "able to eat for a year" from a jar that was all but empty. Brothers and sisters, our psalmist David sings in joy to the Lord today, "O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!" And how certain it is that He gives light to those who seek Him, those who have faith in Him. For "when [we] call… [He] relieve[s] [us]… in distress… [and] put[s] gladness into [our] heart[s], more than when grain and wine abound." For the light of the Lord is greater than the bread we eat; it is His love alone which provides all and alone brings joy to our souls. And we are called to share in that light, to be "the light of the world." It is into us He places His light and then invites us to "set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house": "Your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father." As He is Light, we must be light; as He provides for the needs of all, we must provide for the needs of all. And we must believe that, as "the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah," just so the light He gives our lives shall not dim and the salt which draws it forth shall not lose its savor – we must believe that He indeed will provide for us, even to His second coming. And it shall be so. His love shall ever grow and this Bread be shared more and more with those He calls out of the world. Though famine be upon the land, He feeds us with the finest wheat, and calls us to feed others. ******* O LORD, let your light shine upon us and through us – let us have faith in you and see your work accomplished in our lives. YHWH, let the light of your countenance shine upon us, and let that same light shine through us to illumine the world, to give light to all who see us. You alone provide for us; you alone feed us; and you alone make our lives of worth – let it be you we bring to others. If our salt be not of you, O LORD, what good will it be and what good can it do? Apart from you and the light of your love, we are useless, fit for the trash. But if we keep our eyes fixed on you and your holy light, if we call to you in our distress and have faith in the care you take for the souls of those who love you, then we shall be made whole in your sight and ready to serve your will. What water can we find upon this earth, LORD, for it is dry and lifeless. Our spirits sag and the darkness threatens to overcome us. Let us not be of the darkness; let us not give in to its threats. Let us remember you and in you place our trust, and there shall be food and water in abundance, and we will see your hand at work even in our own lives. Praise you for your goodness!

June 8 - Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.17:1-6; Ps.121:1-8; Mt.5:1-12) "My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." It is He whom we seek when we "lift up [our] eyes toward the mountains." And what do we find but that "the Lord is [our] guardian; the Lord is [our] shade; He is beside [us] at [our] right hand." Does the Lord not watch over those who trust in Him? Take Elijah for your example. He is led into exile under the stars, separated far from his people, yet he finds "the sun shall not harm [him] by day, nor the moon by night." He finds, in fact, his needs are met in a most marvelous way, for "ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream." At the Lord's command even these birds of the air serve to provide the needs of those who take refuge in Him. And His refreshing waters are always at our side. Brothers and sisters, what do we see when we lift our eyes to the mountain? Do we not see the Lord sitting, teaching us His way? Are our hearts not nourished by His Word and our souls refreshed by His Bread? He speaks to us only truth, assuring us that "blest are the poor in spirit: the reign of God is theirs." He tells us what we indeed find as we live our lives under His wings. If our refuge were the world, how could sorrow and lowliness bring us blessing? Would our hunger and thirst not then be for the riches of this world, and we find ourselves fatted thereby for the day of slaughter? But being "single-hearted" and with a "hunger and thirst for holiness," we find ourselves more than satisfied; we find that we "shall see God." What more need has the devout soul than to dwell in the light of the Lord? "The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever"; He shall not "suffer your foot to slip," for "He neither slumbers nor sleeps" but is ever diligent in the protection He provides His holy ones. And so what should you do but "be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven." As long as you remain with Him, He shall watch over you; and to His blessings there is no end, for all is held in His sacred hands and His desire is always to shower His mercy upon your soul. ******* O LORD, as we give ourselves over to your Word and His way of the Cross, you bless us and bring us into your kingdom. YHWH, you watch over all our ways; you guard and guide and bless our days. Ever at our side you wait, to feed us with all we need. How blessed indeed we are to have you as our God. There is none who provides as you do. And so, let us continue on your way, LORD; lead us each day to the place we should be. In your will all is accomplished well – let us be ever at your side. Though we mourn and though we weep, though we hunger and thirst for your love… though we suffer in this world for holiness' sake, you answer all our desires, O LORD our God. And so, let us be as your prophets of old, trusting only in your hand, needing nothing but your presence with us and the promised reward of Heaven. For nothing can harm us if you are there, and with you we already taste the kingdom.