Archive for August, 2021

God shall likewise destroy thee for ever; He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] tent, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, [saying,] Behold the man that made not God his strength, but put confidence in the abundance of his riches, strengthened himself in his avarice. But as for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God: I will confide in the loving-kindness of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]; and I will wait on thy name, before thy godly ones, for it is good. Psalm 52:5-9

Bede says of Aidan: “He cultivated peace and love, self-discipline and humility. His heart had the mastery over anger and avarice, and was contemptuous of pride and vainglory. He spared no effort in carrying out and teaching the commands of heaven, and was diligent in his reading and keeping of vigils.”

The Venerable Bede of Aidan of Lindisfarne in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 674.

Either we place it in an abundance of riches, which in a word is avarice, or we place our hope in the loving-kindness of God. Aiden’s reputation was rooted in the latter.

Practices that strengthened this way of living included reading the word, prayer at the divine hours (vigils), teaching the commands of Christ and cultivating peace and love, self-discipline and humility.

What will be said about you and me? God make us like the green olive trees that bear fruit for years and flourish for the good of others and for your glory. Amen.

Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28

“Never be greedy, but always be generous — if not in money then in Spirit. Bede describes the lifesytle of Colman and His Community on Lindisfarne:

They owned no wealth apart from their livestock, since any money they received from the rich was at once given to the poor. They had no need to save money or provide accommodation in order to receive the rulers of the world, who only came to the church for the purpose of prayer and to hear the word of God.

King Oswy himself, whenever the opportunity allowed it, came with only five or six thanes [that is, fellow landowners], and went away after completing his prayers in the church. Even if it chanced that they had a meal there they were content with the simple daily fare of the brothers, and asked for nothing more.”

The Venerable Bede on Colman and His Community at Lindisfarne in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 672.

What would people say about your lifestyle and mine? Would they say were were never greedy and always generous?

The community rule that guided Colman and others at Lindisfarne focused on simple living, even when royalty visited. This is a good lesson for all of us. To treat the poor as Christ and to treat those with worldly status simply as brothers and sisters.

When we exhibit such a lifestyle, our actions speak louder than words and they show people a pathway for generosity in a greed-filled world.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23-26

“You are a Father, all powerful and infinitely wise and good and tender. You say to us as your children, so frail we are and hardly able to walk expect with our hands in Yours, ‘All that you ask I will give you if only you ask with confidence.’

If we ask You for dangerous playthings You refuse them in goodness for us, and you console us by giving us other things for our good. If we ask You to put us where it would be dangerous for us to be, You do not give us what is not for our good, but You give us something really for our welfare, something that we would ask for ourselves if our eyes were open.

You take us by the hand and lead us, not there where we would wish to go, but there where it is best for us to be.”

Richard Foster in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 652.

Today’s post resets our perspective on God’s goodness toward us, which when we focus on it, shapes our generosity toward others.

Notice that when we desire dangerous playthings or to go to dangerous places, He does not beat us up but gives us and guides us to goodness.

This is why the Psalmwriter elsewhere says that surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life because God pursues us with these traits.

So, what about us? Will we allow others to chase what is dangerous or will we pursue them with goodness? When we do the latter we imitate the goodness of God.

I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Isaiah 1:26

“If the faith that I was raised in had a fault, and it did, it was precisely that it did not allow for mistakes. It demanded that you get it right the first time. There was supposed to be no need for a second chance. If you made a mistake, you lived with it and, like the rich young man, were doomed to be sad, at least for the rest of your life. A serious misake was a permanent stigmatization, a mark that you wore like Cain.

I have seen that mark on all kinds of people: divorcees, ex-priests, ex-religious, people who have had abortions, married people who have had affairs, people who have made serious mistakes with their children, and countless others who have made serious mistakes. There is too little around to help them.

We need a theology of brokenness. We need a theology which teaches us that even though we cannot unscramble an egg, God’s grace let’s us live happily and with renewed innocence far beyond any egg we may have scrambled. We need a theology that teaches us that God does not just give us one chance, but that every time we close a door He opens another one for us.”

Ronald Rolheiser in “Forgotten Among the Lilies” in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 630-631. The new header photo is of my favorite lamppost in the new apartment complex.

I hope after reading this today you simply, in your mind, affirmed that we do need such a theology lived out as followers of Christ. And, as Rolheiser notes, it requires a generous measure of grace.

Got a sign for the apartment a few weeks ago. It reads: “Grace isn’t a little prayer you say before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.” What if we all adopted this approach for our living?

Here is a basic theology of brokenness: We are all marked by sin but the grace of Jesus removes the stigmatization and sets us free to a future marked by forgiveness, love, hope, and peace.

So, for our generosity, let’s soak in grace and share it widely. In so doing, we bring the restoration and righteousness that Isaiah envisioned so long ago.

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Psalm 100:2

“To worship God means to serve Him. There are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for Him that He needs to have done — run errands for Him, carry messages for Him, fight on His side, feed His lambs, and so on. The other way is to do things for Him that you need to do — sing songs for Him, create beautiful things for Him, give things up for Him, tell Him what is on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in Him and make a fool of yourself for Him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love.”

Frederick Buechner in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 630.

Buechner shows his brilliance here. We do things for God that shape the world around us, and we do things for us in our service that shape us into the people God wants us to be and become.

Notice one of the acts we need to do is to “give things up” for Him. When we do this, our hands are free to take hold of Him, which is the posture we need to have to be conduits of generosity.

On this Saturday, ask yourself two questions: What do I need to do for God that He needs to have done today? And, what do I need to do for God that I need to do?

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

“The monk is not defined by his task, his usefulness; in a certain sense, he is supposed to be useless, because his mission is not to do this or that job but to be a man of God.”

Thomas Merton in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 628.

Why are we on this round ball called earth? Good question for a Friday morning. It’s not for all the fun we may want to pursue this weekend.

In Eccleasiastes, Solomon sums up this purpose as fearing God and keeping His commandments. I love how this intersects with the thought from Merton today.

In a way, we are all called to be monks, to be set apart unto God and for God.

We don’t need to try to make ourselves useful. God takes care of that. So, to be useless is to get ourselves out of the way and aim at honoring God and keeping His commandments.

If this sounds too lofty, just think about it this way.

Fearing God and keeping His ways transforms us into different people, or as Merton put it, into men and women of God.

Generosity flows from useless people made useful by God. There is no generosity apart from God, and yet He has chosen to dispense it through those that keep His ways.

He can do His best work through those the world deems useless.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. Proverbs 27:9

“The House by the Side of the Road

There are hermit
souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house
by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I see from my house
by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears-
Both parts of an infinite plan;-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I know there are brook-gladdened
meadows ahead
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.

Let me live in my
house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish- so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 610-611.

Sold the townhouse. Living in an apartment. Where is the next place to live or is this it for now? I think I found the answer, it is a to live in a “house by the side of the road” with access to be a friend to others.

Notice, in the thinking of Sam Walter Foss, this requires me to see people differently and generously. Some need hope and help. Others need not be judged, even as we ourselves are far from perfect. All need friendship.

In the times in which we find ourselves, and as many like me regain strength post-Covid (went to the gym yesterday for the first time and I am sore today), perhaps let’s focus on how we can be a friend an bring pleasantness wherever we go.

This will be a stretch for me. Perhaps you too? God help us.

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

“Brigid was famous not only for the perpetual fire that burned at her monastery in Kildare, but for her hospitality and welcome.

Brigid’s Feast

I should like a great lake of finest ale
for the King of kings.
I should like a table of the choicest food
for the family of heaven.
Let the ale be made from the fruits of faith
and the food be forgiving love.

I should welcome the poor to my feast,
for they are God’s children.
I should welcome the sick to my feast,
for they are God’s joy.
Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place,
and the sick dance with the angels.

God bless the poor,
God bless the sick,
and bless our human race.
God bless our food,
God bless our drink;
all homes, O God, embrace.”

Brigid’s Feast in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 608.

As we have recovered from Covid, I have a fresh appreciation for those who provide food or care for the sick and helpless who cannot repay those who do them good.

When I read this beautiful poem I smiled because the sick and poor are not treated as second class people but shown the highest levels of hospitality and love.

Know anyone you could assist with warm welcome like this today?

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Ephesians 6:6

“Outward esteem, the praises of those round about us, their flattery and compliments, soon prove hollow, if they are all we have to feed upon. Looking good, looking clever, looking busy can consume much of our energy as we compete for medals in people-pleasing. We judge strangers by the clothes they wear. In some circles cleverness and intellectual ability are regarded highly. Being busy attracts praise. But are we doing what God wants us to be doing? Whose approval do we really want? The answer to that question will determine the values we live by. Listen to the comment from a devout Hebridean soul: Though we prospered little, yet we were rich in faith and unfearingness.”

Excerpt from the Hebridean Altars in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 601-602.

Our generous service must not aim to please people but God. In so doing, we may or may not attain wealth or praise but we will undoubtedly grow in faith and unfearingness.

Yesterday related to my GTP work, I launched my third CIM cohort of “Biblical Understanding of Management” with 36 students from across India and Nepal. We talked about this in light of the world in which we are managing. We may desire fruitful outcomes in the roles in which we serve, but our focus must be to execute the tasks God has given us to do and trust Him to give us the fruits He’s prepared for us.

Fear often comes into play when we try to control outcomes and results. Why take this approach? We must because we are slaves or servants of Christ.

When we focus on faithful work, God takes care of the outcomes or results. Remember in Acts when the first disciples devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of break, and prayer? Then the Lord added to their number daily those that are being saved. Numbers matter, but not in a way that draws praise to us. They must glorify God.

So, in the end, when we follow God’s design for our generous service, the result is faith and also unfearingness. We are fearless regardless of the times because our trust is in God alone.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

“God made the world out of nothing, and it is only when we become nothing that God can make anything of us.”

Martin Luther in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 599.

Notice the counterintuitive way in which God works. Luther puts his finger on it.

When we follow the instructions of Paul and the example of Jesus, and humble ourselves, God will make something of us. We don’t ordinarily think that the pathway for having the greatest impact is to “become nothing” but that’s the way in God’s economy.

What would it look like for you to become nothing?