“Joachim and Ann, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him. And so rejoice, Ann, that you were sterile and have not borne children; break forth into shouts, you who have not given birth. Rejoice, Joachim, because from your daughter a child is born for us, a son is given us, whose name is Messenger of great counsel and universal salvation, mighty God. For this child is God.” St. John Damascene

They cooperated with God without knowing their role in the plan of Salvation. They waited upon the Lord for his timing in giving birth to a child, whom they saw as ordinary, but in heaven learned the truth of their daughter. How could they know that Mary would be the Mother of the long awaited Savior, promised by God? How could they know that the child born of Mary will be their Savior? They were simple, unknown, faithful, lowly followers of God. Yet, they are remembered and honored, because of what God did through them. We may never see the fruit of our labors, but all done in and for God will resound into eternity.

 

"O God, let me know you and love you so that I may find joy in you; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love and joy come to me in all their plenitude. While I am here on earth let me know you fully; let my love for you grow deeper here, so that there I may love you fully. On earth then I shall have great joy in hope, and in heaven complete joy in the fulfillment of my hope. " St. Adrian of Canterbury (+710)

 

Where will that joy come from that so many people are searching for? He says it comes from knowing the Lord and in loving the Lord. The more we know the Lord, not only intellectually but more importantly relationally, the more I am intimately alive in him. The more my knowledge is a heart knowledge, the more I want to love him with my whole being. It is in this graced relationship that I will find the joy that is not superficial but lasting.  Isn’t this the message of Jesus to us? “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11) His joy comes from knowing, loving and serving him.

Homily Seventeenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: Elisha was a prophet of the Lord. God chose him to succeed Elijah at the end of his mission on earth. As Elijah performed miracles at the command of God, so Elisha has the same power. Elijah asked a widow during the long draught in the land to make him a hearth cake and give him a drink of water. The widow said she had enough flour and oil to bake something for herself and her son before they die. Elijah said do what he asked and she would have flour and oil as long as necessary. She did and the little she had never ran out.

 

Elisha accepted the gift of 20 barley loaves and told his attendants to feed a hundred people. Elisha prophesied in the name of God: “They shall eat and there shall be some left over.”

 

What is key here is the faith of Elisha in the power of God; the obedience of Elisha at the word of God; the obedience and trust of the servants; the faithfulness and compassion of God. Elisha saw a need and turned to the Lord for his guidance. What does that say to us? Where there is a need that is beyond our capacity to take care of, do we turn to the Lord for his direction? And if God tells us something that is beyond us and is confirmed in the word of the Lord, do we in faith act on the word of God, even though humanly it looks impossible? And when we see the power of God manifested, do we give God the glory and tell others about what God did?

 

Gospel: We have been following the Gospel of Mark for the last few Sundays. Last Sunday, we read that Jesus saw the vast crowd seeking him. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He taught and healed them. Today and the next few Sundays, we will read from the Gospel of John.

 

Our reading begins with Jesus looking at the vast crowd and realizing that they have been with him all day and have not eaten. He has compassion on them and chooses to feed them rather than send them away on their own.

 

The connection with the first reading is obvious. Just as Elisha fed the 100 with 20 barley loaves and there was a sizable left over, so Jesus, the new prophet feeds the 5,000 with five barley loaves and two fish with twelve large baskets of fragments remaining.

 

What can we learn from this message of the Scriptures?  1) Like Elisha and Jesus we need to be attentive to the Divine Appointments God gives us. 2) We need to be attentive to and act on the lead of the Holy Spirit in our daily life. 3)Nothing is impossible to God. 4) Jesus gave the Apostles an opportunity to participate in the miracle through obedience and trust.

 

Reading 2: Paul gives us a glimpse of the life of a true disciple of Jesus. A disciple belongs to the Lord.  A disciple lives a life worthy of one’s call from God, received and initiated in Baptism, affirmed and empowered in Confirmation. As a disciple, I am who I am in the eyes of God, nothing more, nothing less.

 

The virtues and qualities Paul talks about are at the heart of being a disciple. These lead to unity and peace. It is not easy to preserve this unity. It is a choice and decision. We are called to speak the truth in love.

 

Hearing these virtues how do we rate ourselves?  Do we bear with one another through love? How humble, gentle and patient are we in our daily interactions with others?  Do I embrace the truth that all this is possible because I belong to the Body of Christ, that Jesus is the Lord of my life and that by God’s grace I am filled with the Holy Spirit and am a son or daughter of the Father of all?

 

As you reflect on the Word of God, what is God saying to you? 

“Begin nothing on earth unless it has its end in heaven; do not walk on a path that does not lead to heaven.” St. Charbel Makhlouf  

 

Basically, a good rule of thumb is to view all things in the light of our eternal destination. If what we are doing does not lead us to fulfill our God-given destiny, then it is of no lasting value. We are only wasting our time and energy on what will die with us. But if what we are doing benefits us in our relationship with God, then it will go with us into eternity. This is what motivated St. Paul. “Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

 

 Seventeenth Sunday Gospel B

After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias). A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 

· It was significant for John to recall that it was near the Feast of the Passover that the multiplication of the loaves and fish took place. Feeding the crowd in this manner reminded the people how God provided a meal for them at Passover and fed them in the desert with Manna. This miracle also anticipated the Last Supper transformation of bread and wine into his Body and Blood.

When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 

· How did he know this in his humanity? Is it the presence of the Spirit?

Last Sunday we heard that Jesus had compassion on the people for they were like sheep without a Shepherd. He will express his compassion in this miracle.

Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit)." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" 

· That they were barley loaves indicated they were the food of the poor. This may also be an allusion to the miracle that Elisha did in the OT.

Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. 

· Since it is near the Feast of Passover it is springtime.

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 

· Indicating the number underlies the magnanimity of the miracle.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." 

· The OT had spoken of one who would come who would be like Moses.

In the OT the prophets spoke of the abundant banquet in the new Messianic kingdom.

· This was the fourth sign Jesus performed according to John; the first was the changing of water into wine at Cana.

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. 

· This event is told in each of the four Gospels, indicating its significance to the early Church.

· What does this passage say to you? Where has God shown his abundant love to you?

· Knowing what the people wanted to do, what is your response to God’s love in your life?

 

“The source of justice is not vengeance but charity.” St. Bridget of Sweden

 

What we call justice sometimes is a guise for vengeance. It is a trap of the devil to make us feel powerful and haughty. Even then, when we have our vengeance, we will not be satisfied. Why? The evil is not only in the perpetrator but also in us, where there is festering anger and non-forgiveness. God shows us mercy and love when we sin against him countless times. He has become our justice by giving his life for our salvation. He calls us to forgive the offender and to show the person the same love and mercy that we have received from God. Justice belongs to God. The offender and we are both sinners, deserving punishment in justice, but instead receive love and mercy. Remove vengeance from the heart, so that when we stand before the judgment throne of God, he will not exact vengeance on us.

 On this the Feast of St. Mary Madalene we reflect on the experience of her encounter with the Risen Lord. When Mary saw the empty tomb, she ran to tell the Apostles. When they came, saw and left, "Mary went and remained standing outside the tomb." She remained because she was still seeking the Lord out of the great love she had for the One who had transformed her life through forgiveness and acceptance. Initially, she sought but did not find, because she was seeking the body of a dead person, not the person alive and risen. But, even so, her love and perseverance was rewarded. The Lord reveals himself to her, though, at first, she thought it was the person who removed the body. As soon as the risen Lord calls her by name, "Mary" the eyes of faith opened her to the reality of the risen Jesus. Immediately, she clung to his feet with joyful tears. But Jesus tells her not to cling to the past, but go and proclaim to the Apostles that he was risen from the dead, as he predicted.  What lessons can we learn? Never stop searching for the Lord. Each new experience will be different from the past ones. But these encounters are not to satisfy us, but to proclaim to others of Jesus' great love and plan for each person, who seek him with their whole hearts.

 

 "You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself." St. Athanasius of Alexandria

To cover up our own faults we try to throw a spotlight on another’s faults. This is a deliberate distraction. Jesus said: “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 5:7) Our first responsibility is to uproot our own sins, so that we can help others to deal with their sins. In that way, we can become an example of how it can be done, and at the same time encourage the other in love rather than in judgment and self-righteousness.

 

“I don't put a penny's value on this life if only our Lord will give me a tiny corner in Paradise.” St. Camillus de Lellis

 

So many people spend their fortune on extending their life on earth and fail to prepare for eternity. Jesus said it well. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life”? (Matthew 16:26) Do we have our values and priorities in right order according to God’s plan for us? Or have we bought into the values of a passing world at the risk of our eternal salvation? When I die, all material things are left behind. Only the spiritual things will go with me before the Lord. Will my account be in the red or in the black?

 

Homily Sixteenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: Jeremiah reminds the people of his day why they would be sent into exile. At the same time, he tells them that God will bring them back to the Promised Land

The reason they are being overcome by their enemies and sent into exile is because they have had unfaithful shepherds and leaders, whom they have followed into being unfaithful to their covenant with God. Their leaders did not care for God’s people, but only for themselves.

Therefore, God will become their shepherd. He will punish the false shepherds and unfaithful leaders. But he will bring back his exiled people to the land of milk and honey. God will appoint shepherds who will be faithful and true to their call. 

Then Jeremiah prophetically reminds the people of God’s constant promise of a Savior. Jeremiah speaks of a righteous shoot of David, one who would do what is just and right; one who will save the people—the Lord our Justice.

The people at the time were thinking “we have had wicked kings, now God will give us a good and faithful king, who will lead us according to the law of God.”  From the time of the early Church, Jesus has been seen to be the one who was spoken of by Jeremiah: the just and holy One of the house of David, who has save, not only the Israelites but all mankind. Jesus is the Lord, our justice.

Reading 2: The theme of salvation through Jesus is picked up in this reading. Paul recognizes that Jesus, not only save the Jews, but he also saved the Gentiles. All of us were far away—separated from God—because of our sins. Earlier in the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul said that we deserved the wrath of God. But God, rich in mercy, has forgiven our sins through the blood of Christ.

Before then, there was not only a great divide between humanity and God, but a great divide between Jews and Gentiles. But Christ, as our Lord of Justice, has destroyed the cause of that divide. He has reconciled us back to God and has united as through his death in the waters of baptism as brothers and sisters, no longer Jews or Gentiles.

Those who were near were the Jews. Those far off were the Gentiles. Now, no longer separated from the Father because of sin, we have access in the Holy Spirit through Jesus to the Father. Is there division between ourselves and someone else? How can we remain divided and separated after what Jesus has done?

Gospel: What is the connection with the first reading? Jesus saw the desperate state of affairs expressed in the desire of the people who sought his ministry. They were like sheep without a shepherd. In the first reading God chastised those who failed to shepherd his people. He said he would shepherd them and send a shepherd to provide for them in his name.

As Jesus taught them and healed them, he was providing the nourishment they were desperately seeking. Jesus desires to do the same for us. But only if we are truly hungering and thirsting for him, seeking him no matter the cost. The people hastened on foot to where they thought Jesus would be. Jesus himself said “I am the good shepherd, leading my sheep and proving for them.”

The second point in the Gospel is seen in the way Jesus shepherds the shepherds, his apostles. They had been ministering with him and he could see that they were drained. They didn’t have time to eat in peace without being disturbed with the needs of the people.  Jesus shepherds them by trying to provide respite, some down time to be refreshed and be restored.

When do we take some spiritual downtime for ourselves from the business of our daily life? When was the last time we took a day or a half a day to be still and alone with the Lord? When was the last time we took a few days for a silent retreat? I know we can all say we don’t have time, we have too much to do. But are those excuses to prevent us from facing ourselves with God, from being alone with God, who wants to refresh us.

Hear again the words of Jesus. “Come to me all who are heavily burden and I will refresh you. Take upon you my yoke which is easy and light.” What are our priorities? Even each day, how much time alone with God do we make happen? It is in those times that Jesus can better minister to us.

 

“I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks 

 

We belong to God by virtue of creation, sustainability, redemption, adoption and call. Our response is one of acknowledgment, acceptance, surrender and love. The more I fall in love with God, the more I am who I truly am and meant to be. It’s when I fail to love God and others, then I am rejecting the existential truth of my being and destiny. The more I love God, the more my life is in order. It is when I fail to love God that my life is in disorder, which is the effect of sin. Surrendering in love is real victory.

 

 Sixteenth Sunday Gospel B

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. 

· He had sent them on mission two by two to prepare for and to share in his ministry. Do you see the importance of sharing with others what God has done through you?

He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. 

· Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that they must have a balanced life: ministry (action) and prayer (contemplation).

· How much time do we take in our daily, weekly life for quality prayer time? We can’t always do it with a lot of people around.

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. 

· Do you have that “deserted place” in your life?

People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. 

· Sometimes people may not always understand our need for aloneness with God. How do we deal with that?

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 

· Do we sometimes become angry with people who seem to need so much of our time? Reflect on Jesus’ attitude.

· Notice Jesus ministered to the crowd, while allowing the disciples their space to recoup. What does that say to you?

· What does this passage say to you? What resolution will you make and hopefully follow up on?

 "Let us live as the Blessed Virgin lived: loving God only, desiring God only, trying to please God only in all that we do.” St. John Vianney (1786-1854)

 Mary was chosen by Jesus as our model for this reason, so that like her in our humanity we can learn how to make God the center of our lives. Mary’s way is the perfect way, yet it is not ostentatious. Her life is simple but focused. Her passion was the will of God, because she saw herself his handmaid. As our Mother, she invites us to imitate her devotion and love of God, so that, as her children, we will be with God eternally. It begins here on earth.

 

 

"In all your deeds and words you should look upon Jesus as your model. Do so whether you are walking or keeping silence, or speaking, whether you are alone or with others. He is perfect, and thus you will be not only irreprehensible, but praiseworthy." St. Bonaventure

If we could develop this practice, how our day and life would be different. Many years ago a popular saying was “What would Jesus do”? (WWJD)This is a way of making all things in our life center around Jesus and determined by Jesus. What matters in my spiritual life is that Jesus is the reason of all I say and do! This is not easy. But that is what separates the ordinary person from the saint.

 

 “We must dispose ourselves to accept generously the will of God, whatever that may be, since that is always what is best for us.” St. Maria-Azelie Guerin Martin (1831-1877)

 

This is the consistent message of many of the saints. It is the fundamental road to holiness and union with God. For what God wills for us is that we fulfill our destiny, being forever with him. His will in our life is the narrow road to eternal life. There is a rebellion within us as a result of Original sin. The rebellion is to seek our will over the will of God, as if we know what is best for us. This, like Adam and Eve, will lead us to separation from God. Living in his will, as difficult as that may be, is the purification of our inner rebellion. If we focus on God’s love, we will seek to unite our wills to his.

 

“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.” St. Benedict

If the heart is a symbol of love, then when we listen intently to another, we are conveying a message to him. The Saint is giving a teaching on prayer. Not only is prayer addressed to God, but it is also God addressing us. Only in love can the voice of the Lord be detected and followed. At the same time, when our interaction is with others, we need not only to share but to listen with our heart to what the other is conveying. The contact point is love.

 

Homily Fifteenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: Background. Because of the sins of the Kings of Israel beginning with Solomon, the unified Kingdom of David was divided into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Juda.

Amos was called by God to go to the Northern Kingdom and prophesy. A prophet speaks the word of God. His message is strong, calling them to repentance, to return to the God of their fathers, and to forsake their foreign gods and immoral ways. If they did not, God said he would wreck disaster upon them at the hands of their enemies.

Amaziah was a priest of the Northern Kingdom, who spoke the feelings of the religious leaders of the day. He chastised Amos for his harsh words and told him to go back to Juda. Amos’ response was that it was God who sent him and therefore Amaziah has no authority over him and his ministry.

Each of us is a prophet by virtue of our baptismal commitment. This was confirmed and renewed in the Sacrament of Confirmation. In Baptism we were told when we were anointed with the oil of Chrism, “You share in the ministry of Jesus as priest, prophet and king.” In Confirmation we were told we were witnesses for Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us, is prophecy.

How conscious have we been of this calling in our life, to be a prophet, a spokesperson for Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit? Are our lives prophetic proclamation of the truths revealed by God? Or do we give in to the voice of the world, telling us to step out of the public arena and do not speak the truth that has been forgotten?

Reading 2: This reading gives us the foundation for our calling as prophet. We have been blessed by God--not due to anything we have done—with every spiritual blessing that we will ever need. This is because of God’s grace and love.

The plan of God is simple. He has chosen us in Christ Jesus before the world began to be holy, blameless in his sight, to be full of love. He has adopted us as his sons and daughters to share in his divine life and to be with him forever in glory. Wow! What went wrong? Sin came into the world. As a result of sin, we deserved God’s wrath. Instead, he showed us mercy, redeeming us by the blood of Jesus.

Now, our purpose in life is to exist for the praise of his glory. For this reason he has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us so that we may be able to fulfill our calling, to be holy, blameless in his sight and full of love, proclaiming the truth as prophets in praise of his name.

Gospel: What Jesus did for the Apostles, he does for us. Having formed them, he chose them. Then he empowered them to do what he did, namely to bring the message of the truth to others, to cleanse and heal them in his name. He reminded them of the urgency of the times. People will perish, if they do not repent. They were to depend upon God for everything

In trust they went two by two and did what Jesus told them to do. As a result, they saw the power of God manifested in the lives of those who heard their message and opened themselves to the power of God.

The twelve serve as a model for us. It is not a story of the past but a message to be lived and experienced today. We are his disciples, prophets of today. The urgency is of greater need. The prophetic voice of truth is needed more than ever. The moral degradation of our culture of death is becoming worse and more infectious. There is no moral objectivity. Everything is relative, based not on truth, but on feelings and popularity.

Who, if not each of us, will begin to break the chain that is pulling us down the pit of death? Who will be the prophets of today both in word and in action? Our world needs a healing. If we do not take a stand, our silence will be our judge.

 

“Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honor and glory.” St. Angela Merici

 

Do we pray for the Church on a regular basis? The Church is made up of saints and

sinners. As such the Church is always in need of reformation. We are the Church.

We are in need of renewal and restoration. This is the new life we are called to

live. But it is only by the grace of God can we live the life God desires of us, his

Church. So, the need to intercede for God’s Church to be spotless and full of love.

 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gospel B

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 

· Up to this point, Jesus had invited them to follow him as disciples. Later they would be fishers of men. (Mk 1:16-20)  Then he selected twelve of the many disciples who followed him and gave them authority. (Mk 3:13-19) Now, as fishers of men, while still in formation, he missions them to act in his name and power.

· Why do you think he sent them out two by two? Could it be for support and companionship, for intercessory prayer? Could this be a model for us?

· What has our journey with Jesus been like since we first followed him?

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick--no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. 

· Why these instructions? They were to be totally dependent on God to provide for them since they were doing the work of the Lord.

· How comfortable are we to totally dependent on the Lord to provide everything for us as we do the work he calls us to do?

·

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. 

· This was to avoid seeking better accommodations with more comfort.

· This was to avoid focus on self and not on the ministry.

·

Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." 

· This was a public sign that those who were rejecting the Word and ministry of God will themselves be rejected by God.

·

So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. 

· Here is the foundation of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick with the oil blessed by the Bishop.

· What do we take from reflections on this reading?

· How comfortable are we in sharing our faith with others and exercising the gifts of the Spirit?

 "Be humble. Trust always and a great deal in divine Providence; never must you let yourselves be discouraged, despite contrary winds. I say it again: trust in God and Mary Immaculate; be faithful and forge ahead!" St. Paulina of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (1865-1912)

 

One of the consistent messages of the saints is that of perseverance in the midst of trials and difficulties, setbacks and misunderstanding from others. This was the message of Jesus himself in his own life and ministry. He remained true to the work the Father had given him, even if he had to suffer in doing it. Instead of being discouraged, he would turn to the Father for the strength to move forward. So too the Saints. So too we, saints in progress. “Be faithful and forge ahead.”

 “We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.” St. Teresa of Avila

 

These trials, at times, are in our lives to purify us and bring us into a deeper union with the sufferings of Jesus for our sake. We don’t have to ask for trials, but be willing to accept and embrace the trials that come. Listen to the words of St. Peter. “In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7) Stand firm and keep your eyes on the suffering of Jesus.

 “Let them keep in mind, therefore, that there can be no humility without reproaches and mockery and anyone who feels ashamed of them …may as well abandon all hope, of being able to achieve perfection.” St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

How often we seek to be humble, but complain about the opportunities in our path that enables us to grow in humility! We don't have to seek humility, it will find us. A word, an affront, a slight, being passed over, and many other ways contribute to our growth or decline in humility. Ask for the grace to recognize the situation and to embrace  it in silence in imitation of the suffering Lord.  He was innocent. We are not. He humbly embraced the will of the Father even death by crucifixion for our sake. We are asked to do much less.

 “Jesus is with me. I have nothing to fear.” Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

How often does Jesus tells the disciples and us, "Fear not, for I am with y0u till the end of the ages."? How often does Jesus connect fear with lack of faith? If we truly put our faith and trust in Jesus, then fear is useless. It saps our strength. But if faith is our foundation, then we know that we can do all things in Jesus. Fear (we are not talking about natural fear) is from the devil, who wants us to take our eyes off Jesus and put it on ourselves. In this way, fear is a bondage. But if we believe that we  have been set free by the death and resurrection of Jesus, then, by putting our eyes on him, we can move forward in life.

 

Homily Fourteenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: Ezekiel was given a difficult task by God. He was called to be a prophet, a spokesperson, for God’s words. He was sent to speak this word to the Chosen People in exile for their infidelity to their covenant with God. God called them rebels like their ancestors. The difficult task was to speak God’s word to a people, who will reject the message because of the hardness of their hearts.

 

The role of the prophet is to speak God’s words, not to force them to accept or act on that word. Many of the prophets of the Old Testament suffered because they faithfully relayed God’s message but were rejected, persecuted and even killed, because the people did not want to hear the message of the Lord. It is only afterwards, when the message was fulfilled, that later generations would acknowledge the person as truly a prophet of God.

 

Like those in Ezekiel’s time, we don’t always like to hear the words spoken prophetically to us. At times, they are encouraging. But at other times they are words calling us to repent and return to the Lord. Even though God knows we may reject his word, God will still speak his word to us. The power of the word of God was expressed by Jesus. He said that he would not judge us, but his word would. Did we hear it, received it and acted on it or did we reject it? Even Isaiah reflected the same message about the power of God’s word. He said, it is like rain. It falls on the good and the bad. But it will not return to me empty.

 

Gospel: Last Sunday we reflected on the faith of the woman, who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. We followed that with the faith of Jairus, who heard the testimony of the woman and put his trust in Jesus in spite of the message about the death of his daughter.  Because of this trust and faith, he witnessed the restoration to life in his daughter.

 

Today, we heard the lack of faith of the people of Nazareth in the person of Jesus. Like Ezekiel, Jesus is also a prophet. He had been sent by God to proclaim a message of forgiveness of sins and salvation to the world. As he said, he came to set captives free, preach Glad tidings to the poor and heal the sick.

When Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth, maybe for some R & R with his disciples, he was asked to share a word in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He shared what God had done for him at the time of his baptism and what God was doing through him in signs and wonders.

 

Their first response was a sense of wonder. “Where did he get all this?” Then they turned to question his identity, which is a theme in Mark’s Gospel: Who is Jesus? They knew him growing up; they knew his family; they knew him as a carpenter.  Their questions led to doubt and rejection. They could not and would not accept that he was anything other than their past knowledge of him. They could not accept that God had chosen him to speak his words. As a result, they refused to believe in him or to be open to any ministry, even when a few people were healed. Their minds were made up and closed. This saddened Jesus, because of their lack of faith and openness.

 

How open are we to the Word of God? Do we box God in by accepting what we want to hear and reject what we don’t want to hear?  Have we settled into a comfort zone in our relationship with God? Is our faith in Jesus active or static?

 

Reading 2: Paul was a prophet, who also was rejected, persecuted and eventually killed, because he spoke God’s message to a people, who did not want to hear it. Here, Paul is dealing with a personal issue which affects his mission as a prophet. Though he had received many spiritual experiences, revelations and visions, he suffered from what he calls a thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what it was. He indicated he had a speech impediment; he had other physical ailments as well.

 

It could be he was haunted by his past persecution of the followers of the Way. But whatever it was, it seemed to hamper his work as a prophet. Yet God used this situation to teach Paul a valuable lesson. In his weakness and imperfections, God can still work. His grace is sufficient, transforming weaknesses into power. Paul came to the point of embracing his weaknesses and circumstances and use them for the sake of Christ and the furthering of the Kingdom.

 

 “In ancient times before the divine sojourn of the Savior took place, even to the saints death was terrible; all wept for the dead as though they perished. But now that the Savior has raised his body, death is no longer terrible; for all who believe in Christ trample on it as it were nothing and choose rather to die than deny their faith in Christ. And that devil that once maliciously exulted in death, now that its pains were loosed, remained the only one truly dead.” St. Athanasius of Alexandria

Before Christ, dead seemed final, at least that was what the devil convinced people.  Since Christ, for those who believe in him, death is a passageway to a new life. The only ones truly dead are those who die away from Christ, like the devil. Though they live, they live in alienation from God, which is the eternal second death. But those who die in Christ, continue to live eternally with God, sharing his glorious, eternal life. Given these two states after death, which do you choose?

 Fourteenth Sunday Gospel Year B

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 

Jesus retuned to Nazareth, possibly to visit him mother Mary.

 When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.  

Being a faithful observant of the Covenant, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. People had heard about him and so he was asked to teach after the readings from the scriptures.

We don’t know from Mark what he taught, but whatever he said, astonished the people. No one has taught like this before. He taught with authority not quoting other Rabbis. 

They said, “Where did this man get all this?  What kind of wisdom has been given him?   What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!  Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?  And are not his sisters here with us?”  And they took offense at him. 

Their astonishment turned quickly to questioning, doubting and taking offense at a home town son having spoken so well.

They could not accept that he was of God. They knew him as one like them. They knew his background and his extended family. Was he not merely a carpenter by trade?  Calling him the son of Mary and not of Joseph may have been a slur against him? 

When they indicate his “brothers and sisters” these were probably cousins in his extended family. For we believe Mary had no other children.

They were trying to box him in and, in a sense, to try to control and harness him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

It saddened Jesus to feel the rejection by his own townspeople and extended family. But he knew historically that this was the life of a prophet.

What saddened most was that, though he wanted to minister God’s love to them through signs and wonders, he could not because of their lack of faith. Only a few were open to his ministry. But seeing this did not change the closed mindset of the people.

Do we at times have a lack of faith in the person of Jesus Christ?

Do we sometimes put him in a box of our own making? 

 "I have no desire for the honors of this world but solely for the glory of God and the salvation of my soul." Saint Bernardino Realino

Is this our thought? Is our life directed to the glory of God, so that one day we may share in his glory? The honors of this world, as we know, pass away like dust in the wind. What lasts beyond the grave is our relationship with God, not the accolades of the world. Many people spend their whole life chasing the honors of the world, rather than seeking to become saints, only to find to their eternal despair, their hands are empty in the moment of judgment. Don't waste your time on what is frivolous, but invest yourself in becoming a saint.

 "The greatest gift we can give is forgiveness, for it sets free both the giver and the receiver." St. Junipero Serra

The power of non-forgiveness is bondage for both the offender and the offended. It is another lie of the Evil One that says the other person does not deserve forgiveness and you have a right to harbor anger and resentment for what was done to you. But the irony of our actions is that while we choose to refuse forgiveness to the other, we cry out for God in his mercy to forgive us. While God's forgiveness is unconditional, we block it by our refusal to forgive another. Recall the words of Jesus. "If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." (Mt 6:14-15) Forgiveness is not a one-way street. For you to be free, you must first free the other.

 

“For the glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man consists in beholding God. For if the manifestation of God which is made by means of the creation, affords life to all living in the earth, much more does that revelation of the Father which comes through the Word, give life to those who see God.” St. Ireneaus

 

When are we fully alive? When we are in union with God, reflecting his image and likeness. And when we will be fully alive, we will, by God’s grace, be able to behold God in all his glory. A mirror covered with slime cannot reflect the sun. But a mirror wiped cleaned captures and reflects the brightness of the sun. God created us in his own image and likeness. We sinned. Jesus through his death and resurrection wiped us cleaned. It was then in baptism that our life reflected the life of God, as it was meant to. We need not only to keep our life clean but to polish it so that one day the glory of God will be perfectly reflected in us forever.

 

“He who receives Communion is made holy and Divinized in soul and body in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling... Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough so that it leavens the whole mass; ...Just as by melting two candles together you get one piece of wax, so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus is fused together with Him by this Communion, and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.” St. Cyril of Alexandria

 

This is a mystery of our faith. That is why we call it Communion. By God’s power and our receiving of the Body and Blood of Jesus in faith we become one with God and God with us. As St. Paul expressed it: “I live; yet now, it is not I, but truly Christ, who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20) We worship in awe and thanksgiving the real presence of God in this broken vessel. Unworthy as a struggling sinner, but made worthy by calling and grace, we surrender to the plan of God, by which we have a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

 

 

Homily: Thirteenth Sunday Year B

Reading 1: God created life; he didn’t make death. He created us in his own image and likeness to live forever. When he breathed life into man and woman he gave them of his spirit, the immortal soul.  As a result, we will live forever. We are meant by God’s design to live forever with him in praise of his glory.

 

All that God created was good.  But as the reading said, “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”  Because the devil by his own choice was separated from God, so he wanted to separate man and woman from God. Death came from sin. The death the writer is reflecting on is not so much as physical death but spiritual death. Because of sin we will all physically die.

 

But God’s plan was not to be thwarted by the entrance of sin into creation. God in his mercy promised a Savior who would crushed the head of the evil one. That promised was fulfilled by the Son of God becoming Man. In faith we believe that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the lasting power of sin has been destroyed. We have been redeemed and reconciled. To die in sin means to be eternally separated from God and to experience the second death which is permanent. To die in Christ is to live with him forever in eternal peace.

 

Gospel: Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, life to the fullest.” Extended illness is debilitating to life to the fullest. Physical death ends physical life. Jesus restores both the woman with this particular illness and the young girl to a more satisfying experience of physical life in anticipation of the fullness of life he desires for them and us.

 

Both Jairus and the woman saw Jesus as one who is empowered by God to heal the sick.  Initially, Jairus did not see Jesus as one who could restore physical life after death occurs. His daughter was dying. He sought her healing. The woman believed that Jesus could heal her, if she merely touched his robe. But her healing in not just for her. Jesus calls her to publicly attest to the power of God, restoring her to a fuller experience of life. This public witness was for the sake of Jairus.

 

When Jairus is told his daughter has died and it was no longer necessary for Jesus to do anything, Jesus challenged him to believe and trust in God’s plan. Her death was to serve a greater purpose than her healing would.

 

Jesus goes with Jairus, whose level of faith is being tested. The woman believed that if she would touch his garment, she would be healed. As Jairus trusted in the words of Jesus, he was about to see a greater manifestation of the power of God. Jesus raised his daughter back to physical life. Jesus is the Lord of life. But the physical healing of the woman and the physical restoration of the girl both pointed to the greater mystery of life with God forever in glory. The bondage of the woman and the loss of life of the girl, served the purpose of evil one.  Their restoration served the purpose of God.

 

Both experiences occur to draw us to the person who is the source of life. The greater miracle and sign of God’s love is our eternal salvation and eternal union with God in the fullness of life.

 

Reading 2: To be a disciple of Jesus, accepting him as Lord of one’s life and empowered and led through the anointing of the Spirit, one sees things differently. We see that all belongs to God and that we are stewards of the gifts God has blessed us with. One who is filled with the Spirit is a generous person.

 

We have become rich in Christ, whether we have much or little.  Trusting in the word of God that he is a generous giver, a disciple seeks what does God want him/her to do when an opportunity to financially help anther presents itself. The person does not give beyond one’s means, but ingratitude to God for what he/she has be given, knowing that God will care for the person in turn.

 

The faith community in Jerusalem was undergoing economic difficulties. Paul is asking the Gentile believers to take up a collection to help them. They are to do so not out of obligation but out of gratitude to what God has done for them.

 

“Don't say, ‘That person bothers me.’ Think: ‘That person sanctifies me’. St. Josemaria Escriva

 

When a grain of sand gets into the shell of an oyster, it secretes a substance to coat the intruder. Over time, this process results in the formation of a pearl. The same is true with the irritation that we experience from others. Instead of letting it become something negative, we can, with God’s grace, transform the situation as a means of our sanctification. That was the way of St. Therese of Liseux. When one of the nuns irritated her, she chose to transform the situation into a stepping stone to holiness. There is a pearl in formation in each of us.

 Thirteenth Sunday Gospel B

When Jesus had crossed again (in the boat) to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." 

· It is obvious the girl is dying and to Jairus Jesus is his last hope. He must have heard or seen the power of Jesus already.  Do we sometimes wait until the last moment before calling upon Jesus?

He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. 

· Mark often times interrupts one story and inserts another that is connected.

· Her hemorrhage made her ritually unclean according to the belief of the Jewish people who followed the Law. That meant she could not go into the Temple without first be ritually washed.

She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." 

                   She too had “heard” about Jesus. In her unworthiness she sought just  

                   to touch his garments            

Even the act of touching Jesus’ garment would technically make Jesus ritually unclean.

It is not enough to be in the presence of Jesus or even to touch him. The faith of the woman made the difference.

Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to him, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." 

Why did Jesus make a such a scene? Was it because he wanted the woman to publicly attest to the healing she had received from God? Do we give such a witness when Jesus moves in our lives? The healing was not for the woman only, but as will see, for the crowd but especially for Jairus.

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" 

        Imagine that you were the father of the girl and received such a message, what would you feel at the moment?

Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." 

      In other words, recall the healing of the woman and have the same faith.

      Where and when has Jesus said the same thing to you?

He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 

Why do you think Jesus did this? He is not looking for the approval of the crowd. He only wants to do the work of his Father.

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. 

Here Mark contrasts the faith of the woman who was healed and the people pressing upon Jesus as well as the faith of Jairus against the lack of faith of the weeping crowd.

He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. (At that) they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat. 

It was not the faith of the child that brought the healing but the faith of the parents. What does this say to you?

How strong is your faith in the person and power of Jesus in times of difficulties?

What is God asking of you as you reflect on this passage?

 ‘Why, words, did I let you get out? I have often been sorry that I have spoken, never that I have been silent.” Arsenius, a desert father

How often have we spoken harmful words and regretted for having spoken them? But it was too late, the damage was done. We can apologize and repent, but the effects of our words are still there. What is needed is to think before we speak, something hard for many of us. Is what we are about to say said in love; is it the truth; will it build up the person; does it need to be said? We all know how it feels when others speak to us unkind words. We all know the hurt it causes in us.  This should be enough to give us pause before we speak unkindly to others.

 

"We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.” St. Clair of Assisi

If we love wealth, we will be slave of wealth. If we love to look good, so others can admire us, our body will one day die. Then who will we be? But if we love Jesus, we will become more like him. In that love we learn to surrender ourselves to him, who in turn truly recreates us into the new creation. Then when we die, who will we be and whose will we be?

 

Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies forever, and enjoy eternal happiness. When he takes away what he once lent us, his purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere more safely and bestow on us those very blessings that we ourselves would most choose to have. St. Aloysius

What a beautiful way to look at and approach death!  Would that each of us can have the same attitude before we die and at the death of loved one. The dead are still living, though gone from our sight. Our faith tells us that we will see and be with each other, if we died in Christ. While we feel their absence, we should celebrate their union on Christ. May each time we encounter the death of another, we may realize our time is short and continue to remain at one with God. We belong to the Lord whether we live or die. Run as to gain the prize on high.

 

“God speaks in the silence of the heart.”  St Teresa of Calcutta

 

When the prophet Elijah waited to hear God’s plan for him, it was in the quiet whisper in silence that he received his message. In that silence God’s quiet voice is heard. It is hard for us to enter into the quiet of silence because our mind is all over the place. Yet, that is the place and time God reveals his plan for us. There is no audible voice, but an inner awareness that brings peace to us. God himself gives us this direction in the Scriptures. “Be still and know that I am God.” Should we not follow it?

 

Homily: Twelfth Sunday Year B

Reading: Job was once rich, comfortable, respected, blessed. Then he lost everything, became an object of mockery, afflicted with physical problems.  His friends said it was because of some sin of Job. But Job maintained his innocence. He wanted to know why God had done all this to him, since he was innocent. He wanted God to give an account of himself to Job. The creature confronting the Creator, the pot it’s maker, the finite against the infinite.

God’s response was profound and simple. Remember who I am and who you are. Where were you, God says, when I created the universe and calmed the power of the stormy sea? In all the questions God put before Job, Job had no answers. He finally realizes that God is God and that in his humanity he understood so little of all reality.

Have we been so arrogant or audacious before God? Have we ever been angry with God and demanded to know why such and such was happening in our life? Have we ever reversed roles, thinking we had a right to demand from God answers? Sometimes we forget who we really are in relationship to God and who God is to us.

At the end Job repents of his arrogance and lack of understanding. He submitted to the will of God without the need of further understanding.

Gospel: Though the apostles heard Jesus’ teachings and saw the many signs and wonders, they still did not know who Jesus really was. They were committed to him as disciples. They followed and learned from him, but they could walk away at any time, as some did. Up to that point he was not the Lord of their life, the center of their existence.

So when they experienced a moment of test, they showed they were more concerned about their own safety rather than him; they did not believe that as long as he was with them, he would care for them in all circumstances. They panic as the storm worsened. “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Their focus was on themselves, not on Jesus. 

How many times have we experienced various storms in our lives and have felt that Jesus was asleep or that he was not concerned? Like the Apostles, we fail to remember that God is always with us for a purpose. God is always aware of what is happening in our lives. In those difficult moments, we are called to trust that God has a plan that we don’t understand. It is a time to entrust our lives to God, who is the source of all things.  

Reading 2: Paul provides us with the central mystery of our faith and its consequences in our lives. Christ died for all to remove our alienation from God as a result of sin. Because of his death and resurrection, we are a new creation. The old things—that which led us into sin—have passed away and the new life of relationship with Christ is present in us. As a result, love of Christ for what he has done for us should motivate all we do and are.

The way we look at things should have changed.  In other words, a conversion of heart and mind and way of life should have taken place. Before I may have seen and known Jesus as an historical figure, as someone others have told me about, as one among many.  Now, after all he has done for and in me, do I know him as the Lord and Savior of my life? Do I live for myself or do I live for Christ, who gave his life that I may live? Are we compelled by the love of God for us to respond with love?

God never forces his love upon us. He loves us and waits for our response. We can receive as little or as much of his love as we are open to him.

 

“Were you to ask,
‘what are the means
of overcoming temptations’,
I would answer:
The first means is prayer;
the second is prayer;
the third is prayer;
and should you ask me,
a thousand times,
I would repeat the same.”

St Alphonsus Liguori

Why would this saint emphasize prayer as the greatest tool to overcome temptations? What is the purpose of temptations? The Devil wants to separate us from God? What is the purpose of prayer? It focuses us on the Lord. If our focus is on the Lord, who loves us, then our attention is not on us, which is what temptations try to do. If our heart is directed on praising and thanking the Lord, where then is the power of the temptation?