W orship does not always have to be loud and include shouts but praise has a way of breaking through the ordinary humdrum of even solid spiritual practices.  

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Psalm 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17

M atthew 18:15-20 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and  him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (16) But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. (17) If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (18) Truly, 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) Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

M editation by George Butterfield

T oday is Wednesday of the nineteenth week in ordinary time. Think about that: ordinary time. We know what that means liturgically but I think that it describes how many of us live our lives spiritually. Anyone who sets out on the journey of becoming like Jesus embraces certain spiritual practices. Service, prayer, worship, meditation on Scripture, and other disciplines become important to us. At first, many of these practices are exciting and life-changing. We eat up the scriptures. We cannot get enough time for prayer. We are filled with love for the Spirit who works through these practices and shapes us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Then something happens: our disciplines become ordinary. They become such a part of who we are that we can do them in our sleep. The holy fire that used to fill our hearts becomes a distant memory. We don’t really expect much to happen. We just do them. I once heard a story about two of the desert fathers. Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?” Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, “If you will, you can become all flame."

The first reading is about Moses’ final days. Although he could not enter the promised land because of sin, the Lord knew Moses face to face. He was a man of terrifying power and might, yet a man who also had a spirit of wisdom. He lived to be a hundred and twenty yet “his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.” He had become all flame. In fact, his relationship with God was so intense that he had to cover his face so that the people could look at him. The holy fire made his face glow.

The psalmist blesses the God who fills his soul with fire. How does God do that? There is a time to say one’s little prayers and do one’s little disciplines but there is also a time to stand in the midst of the congregation and shout joyfully to God, sing praise to his name, and loudly sound his praise. The Holy Spirit does as he pleases but is it any surprise that he uses periods of intense praise and worship to set our souls on fire? When was the last time you “shouted” joyfully to God and “loudly” sounded his praise? Worship does not always have to be loud and include shouts but praise has a way of breaking through the ordinary humdrum of even solid spiritual practices. Every now and then we need to be filled with fire.

The gospel reading envisions a time when brothers and sisters in the Church do not listen to each other and will not receive correction. Jesus sets forth a process for winning them back. The Church receives the power to bind and loose in heaven and on earth. She can pray to God and know that God will listen. How can this be? Why can two or three agree in prayer and expect the heavens to open and the earth to move beneath their feet? Because Jesus is in the midst of them. The fire of God is the soul of the Church and through Jesus, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church becomes all flame.

S upplementary Reading

BlESSING ACCouNT

The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. – Psalm 67:7

I magine if one day I ask for your bank account number and tell you, “I’ve deposited one million dollars in your bank account.” Naturally, you’d laugh and say, “Sure, Bo. Thanks. That’s a good one.” Of course, you don’t believe I can give you a million bucks.

But let’s just say I really did put a million dollars in your account. Would you benefit from it?

No, you wouldn’t. Unless you believe that I really gave you a million dollars and withdrew it.

I believe God has deposited zillions of heaven’s resources to your Blessing Account. You’ve got all the love, joy, peace, wisdom, holiness and, yes — finances — that you need in this world to serve Him and live a happy life.

But much of these zillions of blessings are unclaimed because you say to yourself, “There are no blessings. God won’t bless me.”

Believe that your Blessing Account is full and withdraw from your account.

God created the entire universe for you — a universe of blessings that are only waiting to be claimed. Bo Sanchez (Kerygma)