There are mornings when courage looks like noise.
We imagine courage as the raised voice, the clenched fist, the dramatic refusal to retreat. Yet Christ in today’s Gospel does something stranger. He is warned that Herod wants to kill him, and he simply continues with the work before him.
Today. Tomorrow. And the day following.
There is no panic in him. But neither is there bravado. Christ does not pretend that Herod is harmless. He calls him a fox. He sees the danger clearly—and then refuses to let the danger decide what he will do.
And after this extraordinary display of courage comes an image of almost embarrassing tenderness: a bird gathering her young beneath her wings.
Perhaps Christian courage is not the opposite of tenderness after all.
Perhaps it is what tenderness looks like when it refuses to run away.
OPENING VERSE
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
INVITATORY
Antiphon: Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Psalm 94 (95)
Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth: and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
To day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart.
And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
PSALMODY
Psalm 79 (80)
Antiphon: Stir up thy might, O Lord, and come to save us.
Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest upon the cherubims, shine forth
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. Stir up thy might, and come to save us.
Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy servant?
How long wilt thou feed us with the bread of tears: and give us for our drink tears in measure?
Thou hast made us to be a contradiction to our neighbours: and our enemies have scoffed at us.
O God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.
Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the Gentiles and planted it.
Thou wast the guide of its journey in its sight: thou plantedst the roots thereof, and it filled the land.
The shadow of it covered the hills: and the branches thereof the cedars of God.
It stretched forth its branches unto the sea, and its boughs unto the river.
Why hast thou broken down the hedge thereof, so that all they who pass by the way do pluck it?
The boar out of the wood hath laid it waste: and a singular wild beast hath devoured it.
Turn again, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vineyard:
And perfect the same which thy right hand hath planted: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.
Things set on fire and dug down shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.
And we depart not from thee, thou shalt quicken us: and we will call upon thy name.
O Lord God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Stir up thy might, O Lord, and come to save us.
Canticle — Isaiah 12
Antiphon: Great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
And thou shalt say in that day: I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, for thou wast angry with me: thy wrath is turned away, and thou hast comforted me.
Behold, God is my saviour, I will deal confidently, and will not fear: because the Lord is my strength, and my praise, and he is become my salvation.
You shall draw waters with joy out of the saviour’s fountains:
And you shall say in that day: Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name: make his works known among the people: remember that his name is high.
Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath done great things: shew this forth in all the earth.
Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion: for great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 80 (81)
Antiphon: Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp.
Blow up the trumpet on the new moon, on the noted day of your solemnity.
For it is a commandment in Israel, and a judgment to the God of Jacob.
He ordained it for a testimony in Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt: he heard a tongue which he knew not.
He removed his back from the burdens: his hands had served in baskets.
Thou calledst upon me in affliction, and I delivered thee: I heard thee in the secret place of tempest: I proved thee at the waters of contradiction.
Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,
There shall be no new god in thee: neither shalt thou adore a strange god.
For I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.
So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.
If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:
I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.
The enemies of the Lord have lied to him: and their time shall be for ever.
And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
SHORT READING
Romans 14:17–19
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
For he that in this serveth Christ, pleaseth God, and is approved of men.
Therefore let us follow after the things that are of peace; and keep the things that are of edification one towards another.
SHORT RESPONSORY
Early in the morning I will remember thee, O Lord.
For thou hast been my helper.
Early in the morning I will remember thee, O Lord.
Guide our thoughts, our words, and our works in the way of peace.
And keep us beneath thy protecting hand.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
Luke 13:31–35
The same day, there came some of the Pharisees, saying to him: Depart, and get thee hence, for Herod hath a mind to kill thee.
And he said to them: Go and tell that fox: Behold, I cast out devils and do cures, to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am consummated.
Nevertheless, I must walk to-day and to-morrow and the day following, because it cannot be that a prophet perish, out of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets; and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under her wings, and thou wouldest not?
Behold your house shall be left to you desolate. And I say to you that you shall not see me till the time come when you shall say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
BENEDICTUS
Antiphon: Give thy people knowledge of salvation, O Lord, and direct our feet into the way of peace.
Canticle of Zachary — Luke 1:68–79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Give thy people knowledge of salvation, O Lord, and direct our feet into the way of peace.
INTERCESSIONS
Christ desired to gather Jerusalem beneath his wings. Trusting in that same merciful love, let us pray:
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For the Church: that she may proclaim the truth without fear and offer the mercy of Christ without weariness.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For bishops, priests, deacons, religious, missionaries, and all who carry the Gospel into difficult places: give them courage without bitterness and steadfastness without pride.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For rulers and all entrusted with public authority: preserve them from cruelty, vanity, fear, and the temptation to treat power as possession.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For our work today: when responsibilities are difficult, interruptions numerous, or outcomes uncertain, keep us faithful to the duty immediately before us.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For our homes and families: make them places of refuge, forgiveness, laughter, patience, and peace.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For those who begin this morning afraid—of illness, unemployment, conflict, loneliness, debt, failure, or loss: let them know that fear need not command the day.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For those who suffer persecution, violence, war, displacement, or imprisonment: protect the vulnerable and strengthen all who work for peace.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
For those who have died: receive them into the eternal home prepared for thy children.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
And for ourselves: give us grace to hear thy voice, follow thy way, and accomplish faithfully the work thou hast given us today.
Lord, gather us beneath thy wings.
OUR FATHER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Almighty and merciful God, thou hast called us from darkness into the light of thy Son. Grant that neither fear nor distraction may turn us from the work thou hast given us to do. Make us steadfast in truth, joyful in hope, gentle toward the weak, and courageous before evil. Gather us beneath the protecting wings of thy mercy, and guide our feet into the way of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
BLESSING
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us unto everlasting life.
Amen.
THE PARADOX OF THE DAY
The safest place is not always where danger cannot reach us, but where fear cannot command us.
CHESTERTON FOR THE MORNING
“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there.”
— G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man, Introduction, “The Plan of This Book”
A CHESTERTONIAN MEDITATION
The Fox and the Hen
A fox and a hen enter today’s Gospel.
This is not the beginning of a joke, although Chesterton might have appreciated the arrangement.
The fox is Herod.
The hen is Christ.
At first sight, the casting seems backwards.
Herod possesses soldiers, wealth, political influence, palaces, informers, prisons, and the authority to kill. Christ is walking from town to town with a handful of disciples.
Yet Jesus calls Herod a fox and compares himself to a bird sheltering her brood.
We know which animal normally wins that encounter.
That is precisely why the image matters.
Christianity has a peculiar habit of turning our ideas of strength upside down. We expect God to present himself as something invulnerable. Instead he comes as an infant. We expect the Messiah to conquer from a throne. Instead he reigns from a Cross. We expect divine strength to look like the ability to crush one’s enemies. Instead Christ looks upon Jerusalem—the city that will reject him—and says that he wanted to gather its children beneath his wings.
There is nothing sentimental about this.
A hen protecting her chicks is gentle toward the chicks and decidedly less gentle toward whatever threatens them. Tenderness is not weakness. Sometimes tenderness is the reason courage exists at all.
And this may explain Christ’s astonishing calm before Herod.
The Pharisees bring him alarming news: Herod wants to kill you.
Most of us understand the instinct that follows such a sentence. Stop. Recalculate. Find another road. Cancel tomorrow. Perhaps disappear for a while.
Jesus does none of these things.
He says, in effect: tell Herod that I have work to do.
Today.
Tomorrow.
And the day following.
There is something wonderfully solid about those words.
They sound almost like a carpenter looking at his workbench.
Christ does not deny the danger. He does not say Herod is harmless. Indeed, calling the ruler a fox suggests quite the opposite. A fox is dangerous precisely because it is clever, stealthy, and predatory.
But Christ refuses to organize his life around the fox.
That distinction matters.
There are dangers we must prudently avoid. Christianity has never taught that recklessness is a virtue. Locking the door is not cowardice. Wearing a seat belt is not a failure of faith. Taking medicine is not distrust of Providence.
But prudence and fear are not the same thing.
Prudence asks, “What should I do?”
Fear too easily asks, “What must I abandon?”
Christ knows exactly what he must do.
And so he keeps walking.
This is where Chesterton’s strange sentence about home becomes useful: “There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there.”
Chesterton’s joke conceals a serious truth. Sometimes we travel enormous distances in order to discover what was near us all along.
The same may be true of courage.
We imagine that courage is somewhere else.
It belongs to martyrs in ancient Rome, soldiers in battle, missionaries in hostile countries, explorers crossing oceans, saints confronting kings.
But most mornings our courage is much nearer.
It may be sitting on the kitchen table beside the coffee.
It may be the telephone call we have postponed.
The apology we owe.
The doctor’s appointment we dread.
The difficult meeting on today’s calendar.
The child who needs patience when patience is precisely what we have run out of.
The work that must be finished when no one is applauding.
The decision to tell the truth when a convenient half-truth would be easier.
The decision to be charitable toward someone who has given us excellent reasons not to feel charitable.
Today.
Tomorrow.
And the day following.
There is a profoundly Christian dignity in simply continuing the good work before us.
Our age admires dramatic gestures. Christ often asks for fidelity.
And fidelity is wonderfully undramatic.
The alarm rings.
We get up.
Someone makes breakfast.
Someone goes to work.
Someone changes a bandage.
Someone teaches a class.
Someone fixes a machine.
Someone answers an email honestly.
Someone visits a parent.
Someone says a Rosary beside a hospital bed.
Someone forgives again.
The world rarely reports these things because they do not look like history.
But perhaps heaven reports almost nothing else.
The Gospel then turns from courage to sorrow.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem.”
Christ’s words are not the complaint of a defeated politician. They are the lament of rejected love.
“How often would I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under her wings, and thou wouldest not?”
Those last words may be among the saddest in Scripture:
Thou wouldest not.
God wills to gather.
Man refuses to be gathered.
Here we encounter one of the terrible dignities of human freedom. God does not save us by turning us into furniture. He calls. He warns. He heals. He teaches. He forgives. He stands at the door.
But love does not abolish freedom.
Jerusalem can say no.
So can we.
And perhaps that is why Psalm 80 is so fitting this morning:
“Hear, O my people.”
God’s complaint is not that he has refused to speak.
It is that his people have refused to listen.
Yet even there, the Psalm contains an extraordinary promise:
“Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
That is almost comic in its generosity.
We arrive before God worried about scarcity, danger, schedules, bills, enemies, failures, and tomorrow.
God replies: open wider.
We bring a teaspoon and he offers a river.
We bring a cracked cup and he speaks of fountains of salvation.
We bring our little plans for surviving the fox, and Christ offers his wings.
Perhaps the great mistake is believing that safety means arranging the world so that nothing frightening can happen.
We cannot do that.
Herod exists.
Jerusalem exists.
The Cross exists.
Illness exists. Loss exists. Failure exists. Death exists.
Christian hope is not the claim that the fox has disappeared.
It is the discovery that the fox is not God.
Herod can threaten Christ’s life but cannot determine Christ’s mission.
That is the freedom offered to us this morning.
We may not control everything that happens today.
Almost certainly we will not.
But we can decide whom we will follow through it.
There is work to be done.
There are people to love.
There are truths to tell.
There are wounds to bind.
There are prayers to say.
There is bread to break.
There may even be a fox somewhere beyond the hedge.
Let him be a fox.
We have spent enough mornings imagining all the things that might come through the hedge.
Christ gives us something better to look at:
the road ahead,
the work before us,
and, above everything,
the wings of God spread wide enough to gather us home.
Lord Jesus Christ, gather us beneath thy wings, make us faithful in the work of this day, and teach us to walk without fear.
Chesterton Radio