Jesus' mission is Church's mission: Preaching, teaching and healing. That's why we have churches, schools and hospitals. These ministries seem to be our primary mission. This might get us busy, tired, stressed and can get us out of our wits. That's when we need that space to recharge our spirits and bodies. That's what the Lord did. However, he doesn't seem to complain when "they" came to "disturb" him out of his "space". For Jesus the "action-contemplation" space was seamlessly woven into his mission-presence space. -Tony Kayala, c.s.c.Gospel reading: Mark 1:29-39
.Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
Today’s gospel passage is in three sections:
– verses 29 – 31: Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law;
– verses 32-34: a general statement on Jesus’ ministry of healing;
– verses 35 – 39: Jesus chooses to expand his ministry to neighboring towns.
We can take one section at a time, on its own; or we can try to discern a movement flowing through the entire passage – this is the approach I propose. The passage then reveals a new dimension of Jesus’ ministry, the general outlines of which are drawn in these first Sundays of Ordinary time.
On the Third Sunday, Jesus announced the overall goal of his ministry – the kingdom of God. The Fourth Sunday (Mark 1:21-28) showed that his ministry is a ministry of casting out unclean spirits with authority. On this Fifth Sunday, we get the further insight that Jesus will always be restless, he will never “have somewhere where he can lay his head.” He will always be on the lookout for new areas where his gospel needs to be preached.This has also been the mark of Jesus’ followers. In every age and culture, the Church has had its “missionaries”, men and women of generous spirit, happy and successful where they were, who realized that the gospel was not being preached among cultures, ethnic groups or social classes which were neglected by society and by the Church. They stepped out courageously and moved into these “neighboring country towns” so that the gospel of God’s love could be “preached there too.” Paul and Barnabas were the first. They left the prosperous community of Antioch to bring the good news to the Greek cities of Asia Minor. One thousand years later, St Francis of Assisi turned his back on his noble and wealthy family and lived as a brother among the poorest people of his area. In our time, Mother Teresa, comfortable and successful in a well established religious order, decided to move out and found a new community entirely dedicated to the dying on the streets of Calcutta.
In the secular world too, all great people come to the time when they must step out into an area their movement has neglected up to now. Nelson Mandela, for example, decided at some point in his life that he would work for reconciliation with his oppressors. People have given up successful careers in law, medicine, finance, education or management to work for the advancement of neglected communities.It happens to all of us, at one time or another, that we find the courage to break new ground, to be reconciled with someone who had hurt our family, to move into some field where our services are needed. This passage celebrates such moments of grace
– in the life of Jesus and in our lives.
In recent years, our Church has often made similar moves in many countries. It has given up its prestige and influence, risked loosing the patronage of the wealthy and the powerful, and stood at the side of the oppressed, “preaching there too.”
I
t would be good to spend some time with the expression “because that is why I came.” Like so many phrases in the Bible, it is brief and seemingly simple, but it can transform our consciousness radically. When the Church neglects the marginalized it is always because it has forgotten the reason “why it came”.The gospel passage reminds us that we will not take bold new decisions unless we are inwardly free, as Jesus was. It also teaches us the secret of his inner freedom – his regular, deep, personal prayer, the fact that he would “leave the house and go off to a lonely place to pray there” – another haunting little phrase.
Prayer Reflection
Lord, answering your call is often difficult.
Sometimes we are discouraged by our failures,
but at other times it is success that prevents us.
Like Jesus, we must go against those who admire us and the work we are doing.
They want us to continue where we are, they remind us of the good we do for people,as friends, teachers, doctors, nurses or counsellors,
how we take them by the hand and help them,
so that the fever leaves them and they can wait on us.
They point out the people bringing to us all who are sick,
and those who are possessed by devils, so that it feels as if the whole town is there crowding round the door or our house.We ourselves are pained to leave the many who are suffering from diseases
of one kind or another,
or who need devils to be cast out. Teach us to follow the example of Jesus; remind us that if we want to do your will we must learn to get up in the morning, long before dawn, and leave our house to go off to a lonely place and pray there, so that when others come in search of us saying, “Everybody is looking for you,”like Jesus, we will be free enough to choose what we know is right for us.
We will go to neighboring regions where no one else has gone,
relate to those we have been keeping at arm’s length,
so that we can bring the good news of your love there too, remembering that this is why we have come into the world.
Lord, forgive us, your church, that we have become complacent,
that we are content to congratulate ourselves at whole towns crowding round our doors.
We pray that we will never lose the missionary spirit of Jesus,
so that, just as he went through all Galilee,
the church too will go through all areas of society and all cultures,
preaching your love wherever people are gathered,
and casting out every kind of evil spirit.
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
Today we recall that Jesus ‘went all through Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out devils.’ We gather at his table now because we acknowledge him to be the One who brings us healing, who has conquered evil, and who gives us life and hope.
Comments on Gospel: Mk 1:29-39
In this passage we see the beginnings of the public itinerant ministry in Galilee. However, there are one or two points of interest. First, there is the combination of the public with the private. Jesus heals both in public, and in the private space of the house of Simon and Andrew. We hear of Jesus being in the public gaze of healing — ‘after sunset’ which we would express as ‘doing overtime’ — and then he is away in a private space in prayer and then back immediately to another public space to preach.Second, it is interesting that the first private healing is of someone with fever — fever brought a dread to people in the ancient world that we cannot grasp (Luke in his version of this story links fever with demonic possession), and so being able to cure fever, and do it quickly, is a sign of heavenly power. The theme of the speed of the healing is expressed by the fact that Peter’s wife’s mother was ill with fever one moment, and the next was able to be up and about serving them.
At the outset of the ministry Mark wants to present Jesus as the one who brings healing and deliverance; now in this passage comes the additional task of preaching. But all the time, only the demons know his true identity, but he has such power over them that he can even keep them from speaking and spreading this news. Here we are getting our first glimpses of the Messianic Secret that is such a key theme in Mark’s theology.
Homily Notes
1. It is often the case that we perform actions in the liturgy while hardly ever thinking why we bother. Often when people are asked, for example, why we bring Communion to the sick, the only answer is that the priest wants it done, so because the minister likes to help out the priest, he or she does it. Even worse occurs, however, when people think up their own rationale for actions without recourse to the fundamental rationale of Christian liturgy. That process was, and still is, the great factor leading to deformities in the liturgy over time, such as the enormous deformities in the liturgy of the Eucharist that were corrected after Vatican II. People often wonder why there was need for such a radical break with the 1950s: the answer is that the extent of the surgery was adapted to the extent of the cancer! But such confusions do not just happen in the past, but all the time. Ask your Eucharistic Ministers why they bring Communion to the housebound, and you might get some theological surprises! I did so and got this morsel of confusion: if the sick can get Communion on the days they cannot get to Mass, but ideally should, they build up less ‘trouble’ with God. Unpicking this, it was clear that this well-educated minister was not confusing’ not being able to get to Mass’ with sin (or what old textbooks called ‘material sin’), but did think that God was running a merit / demerit system as a basis of salvation. Coupled with this was a notion that celebrations of the Eucharist were really there as a way of producing Holy Communion: so if the sick person could get the result without watching the preparation, then all was well! This is reminiscent of the eighteenth-century casuists’ question: why should bishops (presiding, not celebrating) be required by law to sit through long ceremonies when they had more important things to do, could they not just be given communion by their chaplains? Answer: Bishops and kings have to sit through the ceremonies on Sundays prior to receiving Communion as an act of penance! So the special minister I spoke to was the unwitting inheritor of a long tradition of teaching that we would all now rather forget.2. Hence, it is a good idea to use the homily sometimes to reflect on just why we are doing what we are doing, and today’s gospel with its links to Jesus entering houses, healing, and eating makes this a good day to reflect on the links between the celebration of the Eucharist and care of the sick in the community.
3. A simple explanation would include these elements:
• We gather each week to become one people as brothers and sisters in Christ• When we gather for the Eucharist we become the Body of Christ: Jesus is the head of this body, we are the trunk and arms and legs.• We show we are one body by having shares of one loaf and drinking from one cup.• The cup of blessing which we bless, is a participation in the blood of Christ.• The loaf which we break, is a participation in the body of Christ.• Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
• But we recall that there are sisters and brothers in this community who cannot gather with us because they are sick or housebound. • So we bring them a share of our one loaf, the portion carried to them by the Minister of the Eucharist.• Then through that sharing, they become one with the rest of us and with Christ.• The Ministers carrying portions of our loaf to the sick and housebound of the community are forming the links and sinews of the Christ’s body
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Sean Goan
Gospel NotesWe continue reading from the first chapter of Mark and its emphasis on Jesus as the one who inaugurates the kingdom of God. Now it is his healing ministry that highlights God’s triumph over the powers of darkness. This is dramatically symbolised in the fact that it is after sunset on the Sabbath that the people come crowding around the door. During the Sabbath they were not allowed to bring their loved ones to him as this would be considered work, but now they flock to him in search of his healing compassion. As before, Jesus does not permit the demons to speak and here an important theme of the gospel is being alluded to. People have definite expectations of what a Messiah should be, and what Jesus is offering will be different and so he refuses to allow a mistaken notion of his purpose to develop. Rather he commits himself to his task by taking time out to pray alone and then continuing his mission of proclaiming the kingdom.
Reflection
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Donal Neary SJ
Darkness and Light
The first reading is tough to hear and we admire Job. We talk of ‘the patience of Job’. Job is the example and the hero of depression. He just had it bad. All had gone wrong and he felt no good, no hope, no meaning. His family collapsed, his wealth disappeared and he cursed the day he was born. He went through all of the depressions people have, but somehow kept that glimmer of light alive. He never totally lost God, and God never lost him.
Depression is a huge illness. Many suffer; many are affected. Treatment can be of help, and the listening times of friends as well as therapy is healing.
A great priest wrote…. At the worst of the burn out I couldn’t say mass, never mind preach. Dry, empty, without light or life. Thanks again for the card you sent. It means a lot to me now. Funny, in the worst of my anxiety, nothing, no compliment, and no reassurance… meant anything to me.
There are many helps on the human level. There is the help also of faith and prayer at times. And the help of someone who, listens, sympathises, doesn’t judge nor give easy cures. Love from God never ends even though it may not appear near just now. This is the Jesus of the gospel – bringing the grace of healing, of freeing from any evil, of constant love.
****
Jesus works miracles not out of any need of his own for the adulation of the masses but out of an extraordinary sense of compassion, a deep love for his brothers and sisters, especially those in crisis or pain. The miracles he works are not to solicit acclaim for himself but to awaken faith and trust in the Word of God, to restore in humankind God's vision of a world united as brothers and sisters under his providence (“that is what I have come to do”). Jesus’ compassion for those who come to him breaks down stereotypes and defenses that divide, segregate and marginalize people; his ministry is not to restore bodies to health but to restore spirits to wholeness.
Like Jesus’ rising before dawn and going to a deserted place, we too need that “deserted,” “out of the way” place to re-connect with God, to rediscover God’s presence in our life, to find within ourselves again a sense of gratitude for the blessings of that presence.
Jesus does not perform miracles to dazzle the crowds and glory in their acclaim but to awaken his hearers’ faith and trust in the word of God, to restore all of humanity to God's vision of one world in which all men and women love and respect one another as brothers and sisters under the Father's loving providence.
That began to change with a bathrobe, one of the few things she took with her to the hospital for her cancer surgery. Every morning she would put it on and took comfort in how soft it was and enjoyed its beautiful color, its warmth, the way it moved around her when she moved.
She later told her doctor, “One morning as I was putting it on I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I know it sounds funny, but I felt so lucky just to have it. But the odd part is that it wasn’t new. I had owned it and worn it now and then for quite a few years. Possibly because it was one of five bathrobes in my closet, I had never really seen it before.”
When she completed her chemotherapy, she held a huge garage sale and sold more than half the things she owned. Her friends thought she had gone “chemo-crazy,” but getting rid of so many possessions brought a new joy and appreciation to her life. Until her illness, she had no idea what was in her closets or on her bookshelves, she didn't know half the people whose telephone numbers she had in her address book.
But the fewer things she has she now enjoys; she has fewer but much deeper friendships. Having and experiencing, she discovered, are very different.
****
1) “A Million Little Pieces:” This
controversial best seller (which was later proved to be a “fake-memoir” of the
recovering addict hero, James Frey), begins with a challenging anecdote as
its preface: The Young Man came to the Old Man seeking counsel. “I broke
something, Old Man.” “How badly is it broken?” “Into a million little pieces.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you.” “Why not?” “There is nothing I can do.”
“Why can’t it be fixed?” “Because it’s broken beyond repair. It’s in a
million little pieces.” Doesn’t that sound like what Job says in chapter 7:
1-4, 6-7 in today’s first reading when his life was broken into a million
little pieces? But today’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39), gives us the assurance and
proof that nothing in our lives is beyond repair for Jesus, the healing Savior.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2) Stop blaming others and start doing good: There is
an old and funny little anecdote that goes something like this. An elderly man
who was quite ill said to his wife, “You know, Sarah, you’ve always been with
me – through the good and the bad. Like the time I lost my job – you were
right there by my side. And when the war came, and I enlisted – you became a
nurse so that you could be with me. Then I was wounded, and you were there,
Sarah, right by my side. Then the Depression hit, and we had nothing – but you
were there with me. And now here I am, sick as a dog, and, as always, you’re
right beside me. You know something, Sarah — you’re a jinx! You always
bring me bad luck!” There is a part of us that is tempted to look for somebody
else to blame for all the things that go wrong in our lives. More often
than not, we blame the very people we once looked up to for an
answer. Today’s first reading from the book of Job is a futile
attempt to answer the perennial question, “Why do bad things happen
to good people?” The Gospel shows us how Jesus spent himself in
alleviating the pain and suffering around Galilee by his preaching and healing
ministry rather than by pondering on universal solutions for the problem of
worldwide evil. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3) Experience the healing touch of God. Most of
us are familiar with Lourdes, the Catholic shrine in southern France built at
the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl, St.
Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858. Pilgrims today continue to throng to our Blessed
Mother’s shrine, hoping to be cured of their ailments. Over the decades, thousands
have left behind their crutches and braces as silent witnesses to the Lord’s
power to make them well. This sort of thing is, of course, nothing new. Sites
of holy apparitions and miraculous healings ranging from Lourdes (France),
Fatima (Portugal), Guadalupe (Mexico) and Medjugorje (Yugoslavia; [not yet
authenticated by the Church]), to the holy sites in our own land, have drawn
pilgrims from all countries throughout the ages. These seekers have made their
way to sacred temples, grottoes, and hillsides in the hope of finding healing
and strength. Some dismiss such journeys of Faith as childish
piety, inappropriate in an age of therapeutic advances such as our own.
But healing is an essential element of the Gospel message. Surely, Jesus, whose
Sabbath day of preaching and healing ministry is described in today’s Gospel,
will not disappoint us today when we are assembled around the altar seeking his
power, healing, and favor in our own lives. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) Humor in our healing ministry: “Laugh and the
world laughs with you.” “Laughter is music of the spheres, language of the
gods.” And it’s fine medicine. Laughter exercises the face, shoulders,
diaphragm, and abdomen. The breathing deepens, the heart rate rises, and the
blood is more oxygenated. Endorphins are released, pain thresholds are raised,
and some studies suggest that even immune systems are boosted. Norman Cousins,
in Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient, tried
laughter therapy, and found that ten minutes of hearty laughter could give him
two hours of pain-free sleep. When you laugh, others laugh too. Laughter is a
contagious, highly effective, totally organic medicine. It has no side effects,
and no one is allergic to it. Did you have your dose of laughter today? Jesus
may have burst into hearty laughter when he watched Zacchaeus climb down
from the sycamore tree. Perhaps he also had at least a compassionate smile when
he reached out to grab Peter’s reaching hand as the Apostle began to sink in
his attempt to walk on water, forgetting the Master in his sudden fear. Then
why don’t we too have a hearty laugh in the worshipping community in the real
presence of our Lord?
5) Humor in the preaching ministry: After the Sunday
Mass a little boy told the pastor, “When I grow up, I’m going to give you some
money.” “Well, thank you,” the pastor replied, “but why?” “Because my daddy says
you’re one of the poorest preachers we’ve ever had.”
6) Humor at Sunday collection: During the last Sunday
service that the visiting pastor was to spend at the Church he had served for
some months, his hat was passed around for goodwill, farewell offering. When it
returned to the pastor, it was empty. The pastor didn’t flinch. He raised the
hat to Heaven. “I thank you, Lord, that I got my hat back from this
congregation.”
7) Humor at the liturgy: A very innovative liturgy
director, a young lady, danced the offertory procession in ‘attractive’
costumes and playing the banjo. The bishop was presiding on this occasion of
the pastor’s golden jubilee Mass. As the “dancer” approached the altar the
bishop whispered to the pastor: “If she asked for your head on a platter, she’d
have it!”
21 Additional anecdotes:
1) “It must be Peter’s mother in law!”: There is
the funny story about a woman listening to her pastor preach a Sunday morning
sermon about Simon Peter’s wife’s mother, ill with a fever. Since it was a
boring sermon the woman left the Church after the Mass, feeling somewhat
unfulfilled. Consequently, she decided to go to Church again that day, out in
the country where she had grown up. When she arrived, she discovered to her
dismay that her pastor had been invited to be the substitute priest and again
during the Mass he preached on the Gospel of the day about Peter’s
mother-in-law being ill with a fever. Believing that there was still time to
redeem the day, the woman decided to go to the hospital chapel in the evening.
As you may have guessed, her pastor was assigned to say the evening Mass there,
and he preached the same sermon on Peter’s wife’s mother and her fever. Next
morning, the woman was on a bus riding downtown and, wonder of wonders, her
pastor boarded that bus and sat down beside her. An ambulance raced by with
sirens roaring. In order to make conversation, the pastor said, “Well, I wonder
who it is?” “It must certainly be Peter’s mother-in-law,” she replied. “She was
sick all day yesterday.” (Millennium Edition of Preaching). Fr.
Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2) “I can’t handle it any more!”: There is a
story about a couple who had been married for more than thirty years. One
evening, when the husband returned from work, he found his wife packing. “What
in the world are you doing?” he asked. “I can’t handle it anymore,” she
replied. “I’m tired of all the bickering and arguing and complaining that’s
been going on between us all these years, I’m leaving.” Whereupon, the startled
husband suddenly dashed to the bedroom, pulled a suitcase out of the closet,
filled it with his belongings and ran after his wife, saying, “I can’t handle
it anymore either. I’m going with you!” Today’s first reading tells the story
of a man named Job who is at a point in his life where he can’t handle it
anymore. He expresses himself as a man without hope. In Chapter Seven he
complains that life is a “drudgery” … that his eyes “will never see joy again”
… he can but “lament the bitterness of his soul” (Jb. 7:1, 7, 11). (Millennium
edition of Preaching). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3) “You’re so kind.” A few years ago, in Sweden,
a nurse working in a government hospital was assigned to an elderly woman
patient. This patient was a tough case. She had not spoken a word in three
years. The other nurses disliked her and tried to avoid her as much as they
could. Basically, they ignored her. But the new nurse decided to try
“unconditional love.” The elderly woman patient rocked all day in a rocking
chair. So, one day the nurse pulled up a rocking chair beside the lady and just
rocked along with her and loved her. Occasionally, the nurse would reach over
and gently touch and pat the hand of the elderly woman. After just a few days
of this, the patient suddenly opened her eyes and turned and said to the nurse,
“You’re so kind.” The next day she talked some more and incredibly two weeks
later, the lady was well enough to leave the hospital and go home! Of
course, it doesn’t always work like that, but studies are accumulating which
show without question that love has healing power. Today’s Gospel describes how
Jesus demonstrated the love and mercy of God his Father for His children by his
teaching and healing ministry. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) Healing love of Jesus: Elizabeth Barrett
Browning (1806 – 1861) was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry
was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime.
Her 1844 volume Poems made her one of the most popular writers
in the country at the time and inspired Robert Browning to write to her,
telling her how much he loved her work. Elizabeth had become an invalid and had
suffered for many years, unable even to lift her head from her pillow. But then
one day she was visited by Robert Browning. It was love at first sight. In just
one visit, he brought her so much joy and happiness that she lifted her head.
On his second visit, she sat up in bed. On the third visit, they started dating
and soon got married! Love can heal us physically. No wonder, as today’s
Gospel tells us, people were healed by coming into physical contact with Jesus!
He was Love Incarnate… and that’s what he is calling us to be today: Love made
flesh; Love personified; Love lived out. This is the first point. Love can heal
our bodies. Love can heal physically. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
5) Crumbled and dirty $20 bill: A well-known
speaker started off his seminar by holding up a crisp new $20 bill. There were
200 people in the room. The speaker asked them, “How many of you would like to
have this $20 bill?” Hands went up all over the room. Then the speaker said,
“I’m going to give this $20 bill to one of you, but first let me do this.” He
proceeded to crumple the $20 bill up… and then he held it up and said, “Who
wants it now?” Hand went up everywhere. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do
this?” He dropped it on the ground and stepped on it and started to grind it
into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up and held it up for all to see. It
was crumpled and smudged and dirty, and he said, “Who wants it now?” Still
hands went up all over the place. Then the speaker said, “My friends, you have
just learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you
still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. No matter how smudged and
rumpled it became, it was still worth $20.” Many times, in our lives, we
get knocked around… dropped, crumpled, smudged, and ground into the dirt… by
the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. And sometimes we
feel as though we are worthless, and used up, and of no account. But no matter
what has happened… or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God’s
eyes. Do you feel spiritually sick this morning? Do you have a fevered soul
right now? The doctor is in the house! Jesus Christ is the Great Physician… and
just as His love healed Simon’s mother-in-law, even so, His love can heal you,
help you, cure you, redeem you, save you. In gratitude, you will want to serve,
to help others. You will want to pass that love on to everybody you
meet. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
6) Happiness begins with a touch — “a touch of the
Master’s hand.” W. E. Sangster was once asked if he would find time to
cheer up a young man who was recuperating from a nervous breakdown. Sangster
promised to do his best. He sought the young man out and began to try to help
him, but it was hard work. “This is a gray world,” the young man said. “I see
no purpose in it. It is dull, meaningless and evil. Its pleasures soon pass.
Its pains endure. I seriously ask myself the question: ‘Is life worth living?'”
Sangster saw him once or twice a week for nearly two months. Every conversation
was the same “nothing seemed to improve. Then something happened to that young
man. He fell in love. Head over heels in love! On the day his engagement was
announced he came to see Sangster and began the conversation with words
something like this: “This is a lovely world. Come out into the garden and
listen to that little bird singing fit to burst its heart. Isn’t it a glorious
morning? How good it is to be alive!” That young man did not will himself to
that change of attitude. It was not a choice he made. Something happened to him
within. He fell in love. So it is when we experience Christ’s presence in our
lives. The world seems to change. But it isn’t the world at all. We are changed
by a touch – the Master’s touch which healed people as described in today’s
Gospel. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
7) “What would you like for Christmas?” Today’s
Gospel tells us that Jesus put his priorities in order by starting every day in
prayer. Gorman Williams spent most of his life as a missionary to India. In
1945, he purchased his ticket for a long-awaited vacation back in the United
States. But a few days before he was to leave, he heard about some Jews who had
escaped the wrath of the Nazis. They had traveled by boat to India seeking
refuge. Since it was a time of global war, the Indian government denied their
request to immigrate. They were granted permission to stay for a short time in
the lofts of the buildings near the dock. Their living conditions were
wretched. But it was better than being sent to a concentration camp in Germany.
It was Christmas Eve when Gorman Williams heard about the plight of these Jews.
Immediately he went to the dock, entered the first building and called out,
“Merry Christmas! What would you like for Christmas?” The response was slow.
“We’re Jewish,” someone called out. “I know,” Williams said, “but what would
you like for Christmas?” The weary Jews, fearful for their very lives, replied,
“We would like some German pastries.” At that point Gorman Williams sold his
ticket to the United States and purchased more German pastries than anyone had
ever seen. He brought lots and lots of them and carried them in large baskets.
Later he told this story to a group of students. One brash, judgmental young
man reprimanded him. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, “they were not
even Christians.” “No they weren’t,” the wise missionary quietly replied, “but
I am.” Gorman Williams had his priorities in order. [Nell W. Mohney, Don’t
Put a Period Where God Puts A Comma, (Nashville: Dimensions for
Living, 1993), pp. 21-22.]. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
8) Miraculous healing: One of my all-time
favorite Church magazine cartoons pictures a physician in his office, speaking
with his bookkeeper. The subject of their conversation is a patient’s bill,
which apparently had been in the accounts receivable file for a long, long
time. The bookkeeper said to the doctor, “He says that since you told him his
recovery was a miracle, he sent his check to the Church!” Today’s Gospel
passage from Mark touches on the subject of miraculous healing. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
9) Don’t forget your primary objective: Charles R.
Swindoll, in his book Dropping Your Guard, tells of Flight 401
bound for Miami from New York City with a load of holiday passengers. As the
huge aircraft approached the Miami Airport for its landing, a light that
indicates proper deployment of the landing gear failed to come on. The plane
flew in a large, looping circle over the swamps of the Everglades while the
cockpit crew checked out the light failure. Their question was this, had the
landing gear actually not deployed or was it just the light bulb that was
defective? To begin with, the flight engineer fiddled with the bulb. He tried
to remove it, but it wouldn’t budge. Another member of the crew tried to help
out…and then another. By and by, if you can believe it, all eyes were on the
little light bulb that refused to be dislodged from its socket. No one noticed
that the plane was losing altitude. Finally, it dropped right into a swamp.
Many were killed in that plane crash. While an experienced crew of highly paid,
seasoned pilots messed around with a seventy-five-cent light bulb, an entire
airplane and many of its passengers were lost. The crew momentarily forgot the
most basic of all rules of the air — “Don’t forget to fly the airplane!”
The same thing can happen to the local Church. The Church can have so many
activities, programs, projects, committee meetings, banquets, and community
involvements — so many wheels spinning without really accomplishing anything of
eternal significance — that the congregation forgets its primary objective.
So what is Jesus’ goal? Jesus says it is to preach. “That is why I have come,
to preach! There may be some healings along the way. Simon, I have come to
preach the kingdom of God and we must go elsewhere.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
10) “Every one is searching for you.” I
read recently about a woman named Laura. Laura first attended Mass at age five.
Her mom had recently become a Catholic. When Laura inquired about the Church,
her mom said, “This is where Jesus lives.” At the end of the service, Laura
said, “I want to see Jesus.” Her mom tried to explain that Jesus was there in
spirit not body, but the five‑year‑old didn’t get it. Finally, her mom said,
“That’s enough, Laura, let’s go home.” Laura resisted. Mom insisted. Then Laura
bolted across the aisle and bear‑hugged a marble post. She yelled out, for all
to hear, “I’m not leaving till I see Jesus!” Her mother was humiliated. The
more she asserted, the louder Laura protested. Finally, the priest came over,
bent down, took Laura by the hand, and gently led her to the tabernacle and
told her that Jesus is inside. After a couple of minutes Laura returned
happily to her mom, content to go home. That was twenty years ago. Today people
who know her call Laura by her proper name, Sister Laura. She became a nun! In
that role she has excelled in school and thrived as a servant to others. I
guess we’d have to concede that somehow in the Sacrament that day long ago,
little Laura “saw Jesus.” [Jim Cathcart, The Acorn Principle (NY:
St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998), pp. 153-154).] I personally believe that everyone
is looking for Jesus in his or her own way. We have what French mathematician,
physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal called a “God-shaped void” within our
souls. We try to fill it with all kinds of inappropriate and ineffective
substitutes –power, wealth, sex, drugs – but nothing on this earth can suffice.
As St. Augustine said so beautifully, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” All people, everywhere,
need what only Christ can offer them. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
11) Look at life through the eyes of Jesus. Pastor
Edward Markquart of Seattle tells about hearing a former NFL football coach,
Sam Ratigliano, speak one time at a banquet. Pastor Markquart assumed he was
going to hear one of those “jocks for Jesus,” banquet speeches in which he
would be told how Jesus had helped this NFL coach win so many victories.
Instead, Sam Ratigliano told how he and his wife were driving one evening with
their two-year-old daughter in the back seat. Suddenly a car was upon them;
there was an accident; their car rolled over; the child was thrown out; and was
pinned underneath the car. Markquart with his cynical attitude expected the NFL
coach to say something like, “I found enormous strength in myself, picked up
the back bumper of the car one inch, just enough for my wife to get her safely
out.” Ratigliano then went on to tell how he and his wife grieved so deeply for
so long over the death of their little girl. It was an awful time for them, the
most difficult time in their marriage. Time went on, and they got pregnant
again, finally, an answer to prayer, and that baby was about to be delivered .
. . and it was stillborn. So here they were at this banquet, says Ed Markquart,
and Sam Ratigliano went on to say: “God has called me to be his servant in my
turf, the National Football League. He rules over all aspects of my life, when
winning or losing, in triumphs and tragedies. How about you? Where is your
turf? Does God rule you there in your turf, in your situation? Not just when
you’re winning, but when you are losing? Not just during the triumphs but during
the tragedies of your life? Does God rule you then?”
(http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_christ_the_king.htm.) Here was a
professional football coach who had learned to look at life through the eyes of
Jesus. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
12) The best organized, but the least efficient: A
German soldier was wounded. He was given leave for two weeks and ordered to go
to the military hospital in his hometown for treatment. When he arrived at the
large and imposing building, he saw two doors, one marked, “For the slightly
wounded,” and the other, “For the seriously wounded.” He entered through the
first door and found himself going down a long hall. At the end of it were two
more doors, one marked, “For wounded officers” and the other, “For wounded
enlisted men.” He entered through the latter and found himself going down
another long hall. At the end of it were two more doors, one marked, “For party
members” and the other, “For non-party members.” He took the second door, and
when he opened it he found himself out on the street. When the soldier returned
home after getting his wounds bandaged in a private hospital, his mother asked
him, “How did you get along at the hospital?” “Well, mom,” he replied, “to tell
the truth, the people there didn’t do anything for me — but you ought to see
the tremendous organization they have!” The soldier’s comment describes many
Churches in our day: well-organized but accomplishing little. Today’s
Gospel tells us how Jesus and his disciples were not “organized,” but were able
to accomplish great things. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
13) Saving the broken pieces: At the Royal
Palace of Tehran in Iran, you can see one of the most beautiful mosaic works in
the world. The ceilings and walls flash like diamonds with multifaceted
reflections. Originally, when the palace was designed, the architect specified
huge sheets of mirrors on the walls. When the first shipment arrived from
Paris, they found to their horror that the mirrors were shattered. The
contractor threw them in the trash and brought the sad news to the architect.
Amazingly, the architect ordered all of the broken pieces collected, then
smashed them into tiny pieces and glued them to the walls to become a mosaic of
silvery, shimmering, mirrored bits of glass. Broken to become beautiful! It’s
possible to turn your scars into stars. It’s possible to be better because of
the brokenness. Never underestimate God’s power to repair and restore. Today’s
Gospel describes how Jesus brought healing to so many broken-hearted people.
(Robert Schuller; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
14) Make lives beautiful: At the end of the
Second World War, Rabbi Rubenstein, confronted with the realization that
6,000,000 of his fellow Jews had been exterminated as useless parasites by
Hitler, came to the conclusion that there is no God. But to blame God for all
the ills in the world is not the answer. The first place to look is within
every human being – one person’s inhumanity to another. Wars are started by
human beings; food shortages are deliberately caused to keep the world prices
up; millions are abused, exploited and manipulated by their own fellow human
beings. We can make life ugly or beautiful! Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus
made lives of so many in Galilee meaningful and beautiful by his preaching and
healing ministry. (Vima Dasan in His Word Lives; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr.
Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
15) The healing in giving: He stood on a
bridge, fifty feet above the swirling river. He lit his last cigarette –before
making his escape. There was no other way out. He had tried everything: orgies
of sensuality, travel, excitement, drink, and drugs. And now the last failure:
marriage. No woman could stand him after a few months. He demanded too much and
gave nothing. He was too much a brute to be treated like a man. The river was
the best place for him. A shabby man passed by, saw him standing in the shadow
and said, “Got a dime for a cup of coffee, Mister?” The other smiled in the
darkness. A dime! What difference would a dime make now? “Sure, I’ve got a
dime, buddy. I’ve got more than a dime.” He took out a wallet. “Here take it
all.” There was about $100 in the wallet, he took it out and thrust it towards
the tramp. “What’s the idea?” asked the tramp. “It’s all right. I won’t need it
where I am going.” He glanced down towards the river. The tramp took the bills
and stood holding them uncertainly for a moment. Then he said, “No, you don’t
mister. I may be a beggar, but I’m no coward; and I won’t take money from one
either. Take your filthy money with you –into the river. He threw the bills
over the rails and they fluttered and scattered as they drifted slowly down
towards the dark river. “So long, coward.” said the tramp and he walked off.
The ‘coward’ gasped. Suddenly, he wanted the tramp to have the money he had
thrown away. He wanted to give – and couldn’t! To give! That was it! He never
had tried that before. To give –and be happy… He took one last look at the
river and turned from it and followed the tramp….Today’s Gospel describes how
Jesus gave himself to the people of Galilee. (Christopher Notes; quoted by Fr.
Botelho). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
16) The Black Death, the most severe epidemic in
human history, ravaged Europe from 1347-1351. It is thought that as many as 25
million people (one-third of Europe’s population at the time) were killed
during this short period. Thousands of people died each week. This plague killed
entire families at a time and destroyed at least 1,000 villages. Once a family
member had contracted the disease, the entire household was doomed to die.
Parents abandoned their children, and parent-less children roamed the streets
in search for food. Boccaccio said it best: “… brother was forsaken by brother,
nephew by uncle, brother by sister and often husband by wife, and fathers and
mothers were found to abandon their own children…” If the people weren’t dead,
they ran away in vain attempts to save themselves. Victims, delirious with
pain, often lost their sanity. Life was in total chaos. The Black Death struck
the European people with very little warning. Physicians and philosophers
harmed rather than helped. They did not understand the causes of infectious
diseases, or how they spread. It is no wonder that the people looked to priests
and storytellers for answers, rather than doctors. They did not know where this
sudden cruel death had come from. And they did not know whether it would ever
go away. The Plague was a disaster without a parallel. Why man has to suffer,
get sick, and die are the problems that continue to nag people today just as
they did humanity from the beginning. The first reading tells the story of
Job’s vain search for an answer, and the Gospel explains how healing was one of
Jesus’ main ministries. (Fr. Bobby Jose).
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
17) Healing touch: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
(1806-1861) was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her
poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her
lifetime. Her 1844 volume, Poems, made her one of the most
popular writers in the country at the time and inspired Robert Browning to
write to her, telling her how much he loved her work. Elizabeth had become an
invalid and had suffered for many years, unable even to lift her head from her
pillow. But then one day she was visited by Robert Browning. It was love at
first sight. In just one visit, he brought her so much joy and happiness that
she lifted her head. On his second visit, she sat up in bed. On the third
visit, they started dating and soon got married! Love can heal us physically.
No wonder, as today’s Gospel tells us, people were healed by coming into
physical contact with Jesus. (Fr. Bobby Jose).
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
18) “You must find the artichokes in your life.” The
musician Andre Kostelanetz once visited the French artist Henri Matisse. When
Kostelanetz got to Matisse’s home, his nerves were frayed, and he was
exhausted. Matisse noticed this and said to him good-humoredly, “My friend you
must find the artichokes in your life.” With that he took Kostelanetz outside
to his garden. When they came to a patch of artichokes, Matisse stopped. He
told Kostelanetz that every morning after he had worked for a while, he would
come out to his patch of artichokes to pause and be still. He would just stand
there looking at the artichokes. Matisse then added: “Though I have painted
over 200 canvasses, I always find new combination of colors and fantastic
patterns. No one is allowed to disturb me in this ritual. It gives me fresh
inspiration, relaxation, and a new perspective towards my work.” (Mark Link in
Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
19) The slave of all: The Christian nations of
Europe brought many good things to the world. They also brought many bad
things. One of them was black slavery. In some respects, slavery and the
African slave trade were less brutal in Latin America than in Anglo-Saxon
America. But the story was basically the same. Cartagena, in the present
Republic of Colombia, was one of the most notorious of the South American
slave-trade ports. As many as 10,000 slaves from Africa reached there each
year. Hundreds of others died on route. Those who arrived were usually
frightened, sick, or dying. Spanish slave-dealers were willing to let them be
baptized, but they would permit little more. Spanish missionaries protested
against this mistreatment, but their complaints were ignored. One Spanish
Jesuit, St. Peter Claver, decided that at least something could be done for
these poor folks to show that God loved them. So he wrote out his vow to God,
“I shall b the slave of the slaves forever,” and then devoted himself to
serving them for years. He met them in their crowded “corrals,” repulsive
though they were in their sickness and neglect, and he brought them medicines
and food and little gifts. He rounded up the blacks to interpret his
instructions on God and his love, and thus he was eventually able to catechize
and baptize over 300,000 slaves. He warned this poor folk against exploitation and
the occasions of sin that they would encounter. He sought constantly to remind
them of their own human dignity, despite their social degradation. This was his
principal missionary work for thirty-five years. Then in 1650 he was stricken
with a terminal illness that incapacitated him for four years. Peter bore all
his trials with great patience – including the young black man assigned to take
care of him who often neglected him for days on end. Only in his last hours
when they learned he was dying, did the people of Cartagena recall what Father
Claver had done among them! He had fulfilled his vow to be “the slave of the
slaves forever.” “…I made myself the slave of all so as to win over as many as
possible. (I Cor 9,19. Today’s second reading.). -Father Robert F. McNamara.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
20) Dilemma of PhD. doctors: In many African
villages, those holders of PhD are causing confusion. We address them as
doctors and when simple village folks in Africa hear it, they flock to them
with all their health problems. These “doctors” find themselves in a serious
predicament as they try to explain that even though they are called doctors
they do not cure the sick. Nobody seems to give a satisfactory answer to the
question of the village folks: “If they do not cure the sick, why do people
call them doctors?” Jesus finds Himself in a similar predicament in today’s
Gospel. He comes as the Savior of the world and yet He does miraculous physical
healings. For example, in the synagogue he heals a man with an unclean spirit.
And then He goes to Peter’s house and heals Peter’s mother in-law who has a
fever. They bring to Him all who were sick or possessed with demons and He
cures many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
21) Strengthening power of God: When we take our pain to our hearts, when we honestly admit our weaknesses and helplessness, as Job does in today’s first reading, God can finally begin to fill us with strength. Why? Because it is only when we are brought to our knees in utter helplessness, only when we finally give up on our own strength, that God can send an angel to strengthen us, as God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus during his agony in the garden. One night, some months before his death, Martin Luther King received a death-threat on the phone. It had happened before but, on this particular night, it left him frightened and weakened to the core. All his fears came down on him at once. Here are his words as to what happened next: “I got out of bed and began to walk the floor. Finally, I went to the kitchen and heated a pot of coffee. I was ready to give up. With my cup of coffee sitting untouched before me, I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing a coward. In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God. With my head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud. The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory. ‘I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I have come to the point where I can’t face it alone.’ At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before.” (Fr. Ron Rolheiser). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
The healing in giving
He stood on the steel bridge-fifty feet above the swirling river. He lit his last cigarette –before making his escape. There was no other way out. He had tried everything: orgies of sensuality, travel excitement, drink and drugs. And now the last failure: marriage. No woman could stand him after a few months. He demanded too much and gave nothing. The river was the best place for him. A shabby man passed by, saw him standing in the shadow and said, “Got a dime for a cup of coffee, Mister?” The other smiled in the darkness. A dime! “Sure, I’ve got a dime, buddy. I’ve got more than a dime.” He took out a wallet. “Here take it all.” There was about $100 in the wallet, he took it out and thrust it towards the tramp. “What’s the idea?” asked the tramp. “It’s all right. I won’t need it where I am going.” He glanced down towards the river. The tramp took the bills, and stood holding them uncertainly for a moment. Then he said, “No, you don’t mister. I may be a beggar, but I’m no coward; and I won’t take money from one either. Take your filthy money with you –into the river. He threw the bills over the rails and they fluttered and scattered as they drifted slowly down towards the dark river. “So long, coward.” said the tramp and he walked off. The ‘coward’ gasped. Suddenly, he wanted the tramp to have the money he had thrown away. He wanted to give – and couldn’t! To give! That was it! He never had tried that before. To give –and be happy… He took one last look at the river and turned from it and followed the tramp….
Christopher Notes
The gospel story begins with Jesus going with his disciples James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. He has barely entered when they confide to him their worries and concerns, petty though they may seem. Simon’s mother-in-law has gone to bed with a fever. Jesus did not hesitate, he went straight away to her bed, took her by the hand and the fever left her and she began to wait on them. Jesus’ present healing involves only a gesture – he grasped her hand and helped her up. That healing action of Jesus was enough to set the town on fire, and by evening everyone who was sick or afflicted in any way was at Simon’s doorstep. Whenever people hear of a healer there are hordes of people who seek the magical touch. What’s wrong in seeking a miracle? If we can get instant relief from our misery why not try the charm, the magical ritual, the holy sanctuary? After all does not God want us to be healed? The Gospel tells us the crowds kept increasing, they wanted more miracles. By morning there were crowds milling around waiting for Jesus but he was nowhere to be found, he disappeared. The apostles could not understand. This was the moment Jesus should have capitalized on his popularity, yet he disappeared and when they found him, he was alone by himself praying. By refusing to be what the people wanted him to be: a magical Saviour, Jesus was making a point, that good health does not necessarily enhance the quality of life, and ill-health does not necessarily detract from it. Rather than carry on with the healing, Jesus insisted on leaving the crowds and heading off to other places to preach the good news. We can imagine it was hard for Jesus to leave the people yet that was the Father’s will revealed to him in prayer, and that is what he did. He had come not to do what the people wanted him to do but to do the Father’s will. Suffering, a deep part of human existence, and essential part of estrangement from God, was also a means of purification and return to God. Jesus did not ignore pain, but did not seek to avoid it either.
Broken to become beautiful!
At the Royal Palace of Tehran in Iran, you can see one of the most beautiful mosaic works in the world. The ceilings and walls flash like diamonds with multifaceted reflections. Originally, when the palace was designed, the architect specified huge sheets of mirrors on the walls. When the first shipment arrived from Paris, they found to their horror that the mirrors were shattered. The contractor threw them in the trash and brought the sad news to the architect. Amazingly, the architect ordered all of the broken pieces collected, then smashed them into tiny pieces and glued them to the walls to become a mosaic of silvery, shimmering, mirrored bits of glass. Broken to become beautiful! It's possible to turn your scars into stars. It's possible to be better because of brokenness. Never underestimate God's power to repair and restore.
Robert Schuller
Pause and be still
The musician Andre Kostelanetz once visited the French artist Henri Matisse. When Kostelanetz got to Matisse’s home, his nerves were frayed and he was exhausted. Matisse noticed this and said to him good-humouredly, “My friend you must find the artichokes in your life.” With that he took Kostelanetz outside to his garden. When they came to a patch of artichokes, Matisse stopped. He told Kostelanetz that every morning after he has worked for a while, he comes out to his patch of artichokes to pause and be still. He just stands there looking at the artichokes. Matisse then added: “Though I have painted over 200 canvasses, I always find new combination of colours and fantastic patterns. No one is allowed to disturb me in this ritual. It gives me fresh inspiration, relaxation, and a new perspective towards my work.”
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
Finding our strength and power in God
There was a man who was in the habit of going off by himself into a remote wood. One day a friend curious to know what he was up to, followed him. When he caught up with him, he found him sitting quietly on a log. “What are you doing?” he asked the man. “I’m praying,” came the reply. “But why come to this remote spot to pray?” “Because I feel close to God here.” “But isn’t God to be found everywhere, and isn’t God the same everywhere? “God is, but I am not.” – While it is true that we can find God and pray to God anywhere and everywhere –in the kitchen, in the street, in the car, in the farmland, in the workshop –still, it’s a good idea to have a special place to which we can withdraw from time to time – the shore, the park, the mountains, the church, or whatever. In such places God seems to be nearer and more friendly. The whole atmosphere seems to be more pervaded with the divine presence. And in such places we are different too. We are calmer, quieter, more relaxed, and thus more open to what God is offering us at all times and in all places.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies
"And then one day I'll cross the river;
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened and thought about the young woman in that room -- a thirty-five year old mother of two with cancer, with only a week to live, perhaps days. Sarah stood there, with tears in her eyes, remembering how this young terminal woman had such peace. The patient would speak to everyone who came into her room and she would smile even in her pain and took the time to share her faith and let people know the reason for her peace was a faith in God. All the nurses who had been around her commented on her strength and how they had felt peace and calm after talking with this exceptional young woman.
"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know who holds the future,
Life is worth all the living, just because He lives."
Sarah started down the hall to answer the call light, but she was no longer going to check on some pestering old woman. She was going to the room of a patient, a person, a fellow human in need. Sarah left work with a new outlook on life. She had a rekindling of the spirit of service that had motivated her to become a nurse. Those fires had almost died, but for a young terminal woman who had the desire to be of service to her fellow man even unto death. This is a reminder to us that the reason that we are on this earth at all is to be of service to each other. Christ said it best when He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his brother." Author unknown
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Sermons.com
3. Always have your briefcase with you when not at your desk. This provides an opportunity to review completely all the troubles and worries of the day.
4. Never say "no" to a request. Always say "yes."
5. Accept all invitations to meetings, banquets, committees, etc.
6. All forms of recreation are a waste of time.
7. Never delegate responsibility to others; carry the entire load yourself.
8. If your work calls for traveling, work all day and travel at night to keep that appointment you made for eight the next morning.
9. No matter how many jobs you already are doing, remember you always can take on more.
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