Feb 3 Monday (St. Blasé (see page 2), St. Ansgar(https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-ansgar/) :
Mk 5: 1-20: 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the
country of Gerasenes. 2 And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out
of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who lived among the tombs; and no
one could bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been bound
with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he
broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day
among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out, and bruising
himself with stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped
him; 7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For
he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus
asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are
many.” 10 And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now
a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; 12 and they begged
him, “Send us to the swine, let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them leave. And
the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering
about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned
in the sea. 14 The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country.
And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to
Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the
man who had the legion; and they were afraid. 16 …20. USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/caHQZcQbtWM?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q
The context: Today’s Gospel episode demonstrates
Jesus’ power over the devil in a Gentile town of the Decapolis, east of the
Jordan, called Gadara (Matthew), or Gerasa (Mark and Luke). A
demon-possessed man (two men in Matthew), came out of a tomb-filled desolate
place. The demons, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, begged Him to send them
into a herd of swine. The possessed man’s demons named themselves Legion (ca
5000 men), indicating their number. Jesus did as the evil spirits requested,
and the now-possessed swine ran down the slope and drowned in the sea. The
frightened people of the city asked Jesus to leave their city. The people
considered their swine more precious than the liberation given to the possessed
man. If we have a selfish or materialistic outlook, we fail to appreciate the
value of Divine things, and we push God out of our lives, begging Him to go
away, as these people did.
Life messages: 1) We need to come out of
our tombs: Jesus is calling us to come out of the tombs. Our tombs are the
closed-in, sealed-off areas of our hearts where Life in the Spirit of God has
died because we haven’t let Jesus minister to us through others. Such ungodly
persons are lonely. They try to fill their inner emptiness by packing their
lives with money, promiscuity, addictions or workaholism.
2) Jesus the Liberator is ready to free us from
the tombs of our evil addictions and habits. Let us give Jesus a chance and
experience the joy and freedom of the children of God. Fr. Tony Kadavil
(http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 3: (In the U. S. St. Blaise, Bishop &
Martyr) and the blessing of throats): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-blaise/ &
Video https://youtu.be/qoqX63YaJYQ?list=PL58g24NgWPIzvBk2IQVES_xC4WTm6-CDI We
have only a few legends and no historical documents about St. Blaise and his
martyrdom. But some Eastern Churches observe his feast day as a day of
obligation. The British, German and Slavic people honor his memory. The U.S.
Catholics seek his intercession for the healing of throat diseases by the
ritual of blessing of throats. According to the Acts of St.
Blaise written in the eighth century, Bishop Blaise was martyred
in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. When the governor
of Cappadocia (in Modern Turkey) began to persecute the Christians,
St. Blaise was arrested. The governor of Cappadocia tried in vain to
persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols and finally ordered him to be
beheaded. As he was led to the place of execution a poor mother rushed up
to him, begging him to save her child who was choking to death on a fishbone.
The bishop gave him a blessing which enabled the child to cough up the
bone. Later Bishop Blaise was cruelly tortured and beheaded.
Life message: We all need some type of healing
in some parts of our body, mind, or soul. Let us ask the intercession of St.
Blaise with repentant hearts, so that Jesus the healer may place his healing
touch on us as we present ourselves for the ritual of the blessing of the
throats. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 4 Tuesday Mk 5: 21-43: about
him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the
synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought
him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your
hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman
who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much
under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but
rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind
him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his
garments, I shall be made well.”29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and
she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus,
perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned
about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples
said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who
touched me?'” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman,
knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down
before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter,
your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” 35
While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said,
“Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But
ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not
fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and
James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the
ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a tumult and
weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he
put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were
with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to
her, “Talitha cumi”; which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”42 And
immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they
were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that
no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/W2SbMINOdJA?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q
The context: Today’s Gospel is a beautiful
presentation of two miracles, a healing, and a revival and restoration of life.
These miracles were worked by Jesus as rewards for the trusting Faith of a
synagogue ruler and of a woman with a hemorrhage. Though the ruler trusted
Jesus out of desperation, and the woman’s Faith was a bit superstitious, even
their defective Faith was amply rewarded.
The ruler and the woman: The ruler of the synagogue
supported Jewish orthodoxy. He could have despised Jesus who befriended
sinners. But he bravely approached Jesus as a last resort when all the doctors
had failed, and his daughter was dying. Since the Jews believed that one was
not actually dead until three days had passed after he stopped breathing, when
word came that the child had died, the ruler showed courage and Faith in
staying with Jesus, ignoring the ridicule of fellow-Jews. In the same way, the
woman with the bleeding disease was ritually unclean, and she was not supposed
to appear in public. She had the courage and Faith to ignore a social and
religious taboo in order to approach and touch the garment of Jesus from
behind. Both the ruler’s child and the sick woman were brought back to life and
to the community.
Life message: 1) Jesus accepts us as we are.
Hence, we need not wait until we have the correct motive and strong Faith to
bring our problems before Jesus. Let us bring before him our bodily and mental
wounds and ask for his healing touch today. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 5 Wednesday (St. Agatha, Vigin, Martyr):
&video: https://youtu.be/BdAsCfBMwo0?list=PL58g24NgWPIzvBk2IQVES_xC4WTm6-CDI
Mk 6: 1-6: (Mt 13:54-58): USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/ogKru1zWoTg?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q The
context: Today’s Gospel passage describes the painful indifference
Jesus met in his audience and the jealous, hurtful comments Jesus heard when he
started preaching in the synagogue of his hometown, Nazareth, as a
carpenter-turned-Rabbi with a band of his own disciples.
A prophet without honor: The people of Nazareth literally
jammed the synagogue, eager to see their familiar
carpenter-turned-miracle-working preacher, Jesus, working miracles as he had
done in neighboring towns and villages. But they were jealous, incredulous and
critical, which prevented Jesus from doing miraculous healings. They were jealous
of the extraordinary ability of a former carpenter without formal education in
Mosaic Law to give a powerful and authoritative interpretation of their Holy
Scriptures. A carpenter’s profession was considered low in social
ranking. Besides, they could not accept a prophet coming from so low a
family background as Jesus’ was, nor could they accept his “blasphemous” claim
to be the promised Messiah. Jesus’ relatives, known to them, were equally
unimportant people. Over and above all, Jesus started pointing out to them
their unbelief, citing examples of the famous prophets Elijah and Elisha
favoring Faith-filled Gentiles over unbelieving Jews.
Brothers and sisters of Jesus: “Ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and
other languages had no special words for different degrees of relationship,
such as are found in more modern languages. In general, all those
belonging to the same family, clan, and even tribe, were brethren.
Jesus had different kinds of relatives, in two groups–some on his mother’s
side, others on St. Joseph’s. Matthew 13:55-56 mentions, as living in
Nazareth, “His brethren” James, Joses, Simon and Judas, and
elsewhere there is reference to Jesus’ sisters (cf. Matthew
6:3). But in Matthew 27:56 we are told that James and Joses were sons of
a Mary distinct from the Blessed Virgin, and that Simon and Judas were not
brothers of Ja, or St. Joseph’s children from a previous marriage. Jesus, on
the other hand, was known to everyone as the son of Mary (Mark
6:3) or the carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55). The Church
has always maintained as absolutely certain that Jesus had no brothers or
sisters in the full meaning of the term: it is a dogma that Mary was
ever-Virgin” (Navarre Bible Commentary)
Life messages: 1) Perhaps we have experienced
the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or
abuse from our own friends and relatives. On such occasions, let us face
rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. 2) Let us not, like
the people in Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our personal lives. 3) Our
country needs to hear God’s Truth from Spirit-filled Christians
with the prophetic courage of their convictions. 4) Trusting
Faith in the Divinity and goodness of Christ is essential, if Jesus
is to work miracles in our personal lives. In addition, we need to be
docile to the Holy Spirit living within us, so that He may work miracles
in our lives. 5) When we are challenged by the Gospel and by the Church,
we should be thankful and should not allow the prophetic voice of the
Church die in our hearts. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 6 Thursday (St. Paul Miki & companion
martyrs)
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-paul-miki-and-companions/
& video: https://youtu.be/i8AuKTLjkDs?list=PL58g24NgWPIzvBk2IQVES_xC4WTm6-CDI :
Mk 6: 7-13: 7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send
them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He
charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no
bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
10 And he said to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave
the place. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear
you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony
against them.” 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And
they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed
them. USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/VQWukKe87bE?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the
commissioning of the twelve Apostles. They were sent out in pairs with power
and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. They were to
preach to the people Jesus would visit the coming of the Kingdom of God, or
God’s rule in their lives, and show them how to prepare their hearts for God’s
rule by repenting of their sins and asking for God’s forgiveness and liberation
from their evil habits. The Apostles were also expected to follow Jesus’
detailed action plan.
Jesus’ instructions and travel tips. From his
instructions, it is clear that Jesus meant his disciples to take no supplies
for the road. They were simply to trust that God, the Provider, would open
the hearts of believers to take care of their needs. Jesus’ instructions also
suggest that his disciples should not be like the acquisitive priests of the
day, who were interested only in gaining riches. His disciples should be
walking examples of God’s love and providence. The Jews supported their rabbis
and judged doing so a privilege as well as an obligation, because hospitality
was an important religious tradition in Palestine. The Apostles should choose
temporary accommodation in a reputable household, should bless the residents
with God’s peace, should be satisfied with the food and accommodation they had
received, and should not search for better ones. They were to preach “’the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,
and cast out demons.”
Life messages: 1) We have a witnessing
mission: Each Christian is called, not only to be a
disciple, but also to be an apostle, bearing witness to Christ. As apostles, we
have to evangelize the world by sharing with others not just words, or ideas or
doctrines, but our experience of God and His Son, Jesus. It is through our
transparent Christian lives that we must show Jesus, whom we have experienced,
to others as unconditional love, overflowing mercy, forgiveness, and concern
for the people around us. 2) We also have a liberating mission. There
are many demons which can control the lives of people around us making them
helpless slaves —the demon of nicotine, the demon of alcohol or drugs, the
demon of gambling, the demon of pornography and promiscuous sex, the demons of
materialism, secularism, and consumerism. We need the help of Jesus to liberate
ourselves and others from these demons. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 7 Friday: Mk 6:14-29: 14
King Herod heard of it; for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the
baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at
work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a
prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it he
said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For Herod had sent and
seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother
Philip’s wife; because he had married her. 18 For John said to Herod, “It
is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a
grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod
feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe.
When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. 21
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his
courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’
daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king
said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.” 23
And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my
kingdom.” 24 And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And
she said, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 And she came in immediately with
haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head
of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but
because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to
her….29 USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/T5B7hP4A8yQ?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q
The context: Today’s Gospel presents the last
scene of a tragic drama with three main characters, Herod, Herodias and John
the Baptist. Herod was a jealous, weak, puppet-king with a guilty
conscience. He feared the prophet John, because John had publicly scolded him
for divorcing his legal wife without adequate cause and for marrying his
sister-in-law Herodias, thus committing a double violation of Mosaic
Law. Herodias was an immoral and greedy woman, stained by a triple
guilt and publicly criticized by John. 1) She was an unfaithful woman of
loose morals. 2) She was a greedy and vengeful woman. 3) She was an evil mother
who used her teenage daughter for the evil purposes of murder and revenge by
encouraging her to dance in public in the royal palace against the royal
etiquette of the day. John the Baptist was a fiery preacher and the
herald of the Promised Messiah. He was also a Spirit-filled prophet with
the courage of his prophetic convictions who dared to criticize and scold an
Oriental monarch and his proud wife in public.
God’s punishment: After the martyrdom of John, Herod
was defeated by Aretas, the father of his first wife. Later, both Herod and
Herodias were sent into exile by Caligula, the Roman emperor.
Life messages: 1) Our sins will haunt us,
ruining our mental peace, as happened to Herod and Herodias. 2) Brutal sins
against others will not go unpunished. 3) We need to stand up for truth
and justice in the spirit of John the Baptist. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
Feb 8 Saturday (St. Jerome Emiliani: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-jerome-emiliani/
https://youtu.be/ugXuaDBdGtU?list=PL58g24NgWPIzvBk2IQVES_xC4WTm6-CDI
; & St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin:
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-josephine-bakhita/ ): Mk
6: 30-34: 30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that
they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a
lonely place, and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had
no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by
themselves. 33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on
foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore he
saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep
without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/Ex8YrfZ_EA4?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCtgpPT22G8NClHeoKpWu5Q
The context: Today’s Gospel passage presents the
sympathetic and merciful heart of Jesus who lovingly invites his Apostles to a
desolate place for some rest. Jesus realized that the Apostles he had
sent on a preaching and healing mission to be neighboring towns and villages
needed some rest on their return. He was eager to hear about their missionary
adventures as they proudly shared their experiences. In no time, however, they
were surrounded by the crowd, and Jesus resumed his preaching and teaching
because he saw the crowd as sheep without shepherd.
Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus became a Good Shepherd.
The Old Testament describes God as shepherd of His people, Israel. The
Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). The prophet
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would feed his flock like a
shepherd, he would gather the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11). Jesus
told his disciples that he was the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down
his life for his sheep. In his epistle, Peter calls Jesus the Shepherd and
Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).
Life messages: 1) Let us show the mercy,
compassion, care and concern of Jesus the Good Shepherd to those entrusted to
our care. 2) Let us become good sheep of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, by leading
pure, innocent, humble, selfless lives, obeying Christ’s commandment of love
and gaining daily spiritual strength from the Body and Blood of Jesus, the Good
Shepherd, in Holy Communion. Fr. Tony Kadavil (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
