Matthew 5-9

Selected Lectio Reading:
Mt 7:1-5


Meditatio/Reflection:

Who am I to judge?  Don't judge me!  I cringe every time I hear these phrases, and I hear them all too often.  How often when we hear someone tell us to not judge them, it seems like they're looking to excuse a certain action, behavior, attitude, etc.?  Do we no longer have the capacity to discern right from wrong?

What is Jesus saying here?  Is he telling us to not recognize the true faults and failures of each other?  Hardly.  Otherwise, why would he tell us to "take the speck out of [our] neighbor's eye" once we can "see clearly" (Mt 7:5).  I think the emphasis here is twofold.  First, don't condemn your neighbor.  When we condemn others, we tend to reject any sort of relationship which could result in conversion.  Second, don't get all high and mighty and point out other people's faults and failures without considering your own.

But we must consider the good of others, even when it means that we have to confront their objectively harmful choices.  Would we want someone to leave us in an addiction to something detrimental to our physical, spiritual, or psychological health?  No, we'd want them to judge the thing as harmful and help us get out of it.  So too, we should care enough about each other to call each other out in charity.  We should also be open to this fraternal correction from others when we are at fault.

It can take a lot of courage and patience to do either.  And it's something that I know I need to work on.

Oratio/Thanksgiving:

Lord, thank you for your moral law and for those in my life who offer me fraternal correction in charity.

Oratio/Prayer Intentions:

Lord, help me to be open to those who authentically want what is best for me and who all me out of mediocrity to sanctity.

Mr. Crane's Song of the Day:

Matt Maher: Letting Go

Saint Quote of the Day:

"Don't neglect the practice of fraternal correction, which is a clear sign of supernatural virtue of charity.  You may find it hard, for it is easier to be inhibited.  It's easier to behave that way, but it's not supernatural.  And you will have to render an account to God for such omissions."
      - St. Josemaria Escriva

Matthew 1-4

Selected Lectio Reading:
Mt 3:7-12


Meditatio/Reflection:

"You brood of vipers!" John the Baptist says to the Sadducees and Pharisees (Mt 3:7).  As serpents are often associated with Satan, we might hear "You children of the devil!"  We often see in the Gospels, the Jewish leaders investigating a situation which may fall under their jurisdiction, and yet it's often from a position of skepticism or doubt.  How often did they try to impede Jesus in his public ministry?  No wonder John is so critical of them here.  He is trying to get the people ready for the coming of Christ through his baptism of repentance, and yet these people are potentially disrupting that by offering a different teaching.

But what about me?  How am I like the Sadducees and Pharisees?  I hear the admonition to bear good fruit.  I know I try to lead people to Christ, like John, but do I?  Am I more like the Sadducees and Pharisees in their sense of self-righteousness?  A frequent prayer of mine is may nothing that I do cause another to turn away from God.  I pray this especially with for my wife and kids.  I pray it most fervently when I've been harsh or uncharitable or selfish.  It has often led me to seek forgiveness for however I treated them and to mend the relationship.  If I don't, I am no better than the "brood of vipers" John condemns here.


Oratio/Thanksgiving:

Lord, thank you for inspiring me to lead people to you, especially my wife, my kids, and my students.

Oratio/Prayer Intentions:

Lord, may nothing I do today lead a single soul away from you.

Mr. Crane's Song of the Day:

Oh Hellos: Dear Wormwood

Saint Quote of the Day:

"Your faith should be for you a light which guides you in all things, and a shining light for those you instruct, to lead them on the path to heaven."
      -St. John Baptist de la Salle

John 13

Selected Lectio Reading:
John 13:1-8


Meditatio/Reflection:

I can just imagine the incredulous sound of Peter's question: "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" (Jn 13:6).  How many times have we seen Peter humbled by Jesus, either through a recognition of Jesus' greatness or a rebuke from Jesus when Peter didn't quite get it right.  To watch someone who I consider to be greater than myself lowering himself to do a task that in certain contexts not even slaves would have to do, I'm not sure how I would respond.  I feel like I can really relate to Peter's protest here.  I would feel uncomfortable having the Lord of the universe seemingly beneath me.

Yet, I know that is only my pride talking.  It's a false humility to say to another, "You're so great that you couldn't possibly deign to serve someone like me."  In rejecting the service of another, we are actually putting ourselves above them, judging who is and who is not capable of offering service.  Who are we to make that judgment?  Who are we to reject the charity of another?  We may even think that we don't need the service being offered.  How utterly arrogant!

When we can enter into a mutual submissiveness to serve one another, how great would that relationship become!  Jesus models for us the need to consider each person higher than ourselves, to be willing to enter into the most demeaning of circumstances to serve them.  When we do this ourselves, and allow others to do it for us, then we have a sense of what Jesus is trying to accomplish here.  For as he anoints them in their priesthood in these moments, he also shows what it means to be a priest, to lay down his life for his flock.  The question I need to ask myself is whether or not my pride gets in the way of all of this, or if in fact I am seeking to follow the example of Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

Oratio/Thanksgiving:

Thank you Lord for the model of service that you gave to us in the upper room.  Thank you for providing a standard which inspires me to lose my pride and open myself to what you offer me, to what others offer me, so that I can offer myself to you and them.

Oratio/Prayer Intentions:

Lord, humble me as you did St. Peter.  I'm scared to ask for this, so help me to trust in your provision and grace as you help me to recognize myself in truth.

Mr. Crane's Song of the Day:

Matt Maher: Love Comes Down

Saint Quote of the Day:

"Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ, doesn't seek the glory of Christ."
      - St. John of the Cross