1st Week: Jan 10-15:
Jan 10 Monday:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry and the call of the apostles who were to continue that ministry.
Jesus started public ministry immediately after John the Baptist was arrested. Following John’s pattern, Jesus, too, invited the listeners to repent as a preparation for believing in the Gospel, or the Good News, of the Kingdom of God. Repentance means an about-face turn to God resulting in a change of mind, heart, behavior, and life. It also means sorrow for having refused God’s love and a resolution to make amends. Believing in the Gospel demands from the hearers a resolution to take Jesus’ words seriously, to translate them into action, and to put trust in Jesus’ authority. Jesus preached the Gospel, or Good News, that God is a loving, forgiving, caring, and merciful Father Who wants to liberate us and save us from our sins through His Son, Jesus. According to Mark, Jesus selected four fishermen, Andrew and his brother Simon (later named Peter by Jesus), with James and his brother John, right from their fishing boats. Jesus wanted these ordinary, hard-working people as assistants in ministry because they would be very responsive instruments in the hands of God.Life messages: 1) In order to be effective
instruments in the hands of God and to continue Jesus’ preaching, healing and
saving ministry, we, too, need to repent of our sins on a daily basis and to
renew our lives by cooperating with God’s grace, relying on the power of God.
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 11 Tuesday:
The context: Jesus made the city of Capernaum on the
shore of the Sea of Galilee, the center of the fishing business, headquarters
for a preaching, teaching, and healing Messianic ministry. The people were
impressed by the authority of Jesus’ teaching. The Old Testament prophets had
taught using God’s delegated authority, and the scribes and Pharisees taught
quoting Moses, the prophets and the great rabbis, but Jesus taught using Divine
authority and knowledge. Perfect knowledge of God, perfect accomplishment of
God’s will, and absolute confidence in God were the sources of Jesus’
authority.
The second part of today’s Gospel describes a healing by
exorcism which Jesus performed in the synagogue. We are told how Jesus, using
Divine authority, cast out the devil by just one command: “Be silent, and
come out of him!” In first-century Palestine, most sicknesses,
especially mental illness,
were considered to be the result of demonic possession, and both Jewish and
pagan exorcists used lengthy procedures and physical force in their exorcisms.
When Jesus commanded the Evil One to depart, the evil one did so at once, and
in its rush to depart, convulsed the man. Thus, Jesus demonstrated Divinity as
God’s Messiah, the Savior more powerful than the demon.
Life messages: 1) Our Faith is based on the Divinity
of Christ, which is proved by miracles; these, in turn, give authority and
validity to what Jesus teaches and promises. Hence, let us accept Jesus’
teachings even if some of them are mysteries beyond our reach. Let us read the
authoritative word of God every day and assimilate it into our lives. 2) In our
illnesses, let us confidently approach Jesus, the Healer, with trusting Faith,
then go to the doctors who serve as the current instruments of Jesus’ healing
ministry in our midst. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 13 Wednesday:
The context: Today’s Gospel tells us that
preaching the Good News of God’s love, mercy, and salvation and healing the
sick were the means Jesus used to enable the listeners to do the will of God
and thus to build up the Kingdom of God, allowing God to take control of their
lives. We are also told that talking with and listening to Jesus’ Heavenly
Father recharged Jesus’ spiritual batteries. Thus, preaching, healing, and
recharging spiritual power by prayer were the three key points of Jesus’ public
ministry.
Healing mission: Jesus was never tired of healing the sick,
thus demonstrating the Heavenly Father’s mercy and compassion to every sick
person who approached with trusting Faith. On finishing the day’s preaching in
the synagogue on one Sabbath, Jesus went to Simon’s home and healed Simon’s
mother-in-law of a fever. In the evening when the Sabbath rest was over, people
brought all their sick dear ones to Jesus for healing and exorcism, and they
were all healed. Jesus began the next day very early, spending time in prayer
in a lonely place.
Life messages: 1) We are called to continue
Jesus’ preaching mission primarily by bearing witness to Christ through our
day-to-day lives, as we radiate Christ’s mercy, love, forgiveness, and spirit
of humble service to all around us. 2) We can participate in Jesus’ healing
mission by praying for the sick, by visiting them, and by helping and
encouraging the sick and shut-ins. 3) But in order to continue Jesus’ preaching
and healing mission, we, too, need to have our spiritual batteries recharged
every day by prayer, as Jesus did. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/22
Jan 14 Thursday (St. Hilary, Bishop, Doctor of the
Church):
The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus
touching a man sick with a severe case of leprosy and healing him instantly. In
this miracle we have all the essentials for any miracle, says, Rev. Dr. L.
Parker. We have a) a leper; b) a disease, leprosy; c) recognition of the
disease by the man who has it; d) the presence of Jesus; e) Faith; f) trust,
and g) humility enough for the sick man to ask for help from Jesus. Biblical
“leprosy” rarely indicated Hansen’s disease (leprosy proper). Mostly, the term
referred to skin diseases like ringworm, psoriasis, leukoderma,
skin cancer, and vitiligo. The suffering of lepers in Biblical
times was chiefly due to the way they were treated by the religious society of
the day (Interpreter’s Bible). They were deemed unclean, unfit to be
counted among a people who considered themselves “a kingdom of priests, a holy
nation” (Ex 19:6). In addition, lepers were treated as sinners who were being
punished by God with this contagious disease. The leprosy given by God as
punishment to Miriam, the complaining sister of Moses (Nm 12: 1-3, 9-13) , to
Gehazi, the greedy servant of the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 5:22-27), and to the
proud king Uzziah of Judah, also called Azariah (2 Kgs 15:3-5), supported the
Jewish belief that leprosy was God’s punishment for sins. Finally, “leprosy”
was considered a contagious disease, and, hence,its victims were separated from
their families and society. The Mosaic Law, as given in Leviticus, demanded
that the priest declare the leper unclean and that the leper a) keep his
garments rent and his head bare, b) muffle his beard, c) cry out, “Unclean,
unclean,” and d) dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp. As a general
rule, when a Jewish leper was healed, he had to go to the local priest for
confirmation that he was now clean and was permitted to mix with the general
public. Here, the healed leper started evangelizing, sharing the Good News of
God’s activity in his life and, so, allowing the Holy Spirit to touch the lives
of others.
Life Messages: 1) The strong Faith of the sick
man prompted him to violate the Mosaic Law prohibiting him from joining a crowd
and approaching Jesus. The sympathy and mercy of Jesus prompted Jesus to
violate the Mosaic Law which forbade anyone to touch an untouchable leper.
Thus, Jesus teaches the lesson that the essence of Christianity is to touch the
untouchable, to love the unlovable, and to forgive the unforgivable. Fr.
Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/22
Jan 15 Friday:
The context: Today’s Gospel presents the last in
a series of five healing stories. This one demonstrates the power of Faith, and
in this particular case we learn what others can do for us if they are persons
of Faith. As soon as Jesus got back to Capernaum after a preaching tour of
Galilee, the crowds gathered in and around the house, so that there was no room
to get in or out. Four men, carrying their paralyzed friend, tried in vain to
get to the house through the crowd. Here is the wonderful picture of a man who was
saved by the Faith of his friends. His friends weremen who had trusting Faith
in the healing power of Jesus, and they were men with initiative, tenacity, and
creativity. So they carried their friend to the roof of the house, made a hole
in the roof, and lowered the man on his mat, placing him right in front of
Jesus. Luke tells us that there were in the crowd Pharisees and Doctors of the
Law from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem sent to check out Jesus, the new
preacher, and to report back to the Sanhedrin.
The sick man’s paralysis was seen by the people around as a
punishment for some serious sin in his own life or the lives of his parents. It
was a common belief that no major sickness could be cured until sin was
forgiven. For that reason, Jesus began the young man’s healing by audibly
forgiving his sins, so that he might feel no longer estranged from God. Then
the young man was able to receive the physical healing he and his friends
desired for him. But the Pharisees thought that, in forgiving sin, Jesus had
insulted God by blasphemy, because forgiving sin is the exclusive prerogative
of God. Jesus asked them whether it was more difficult to command, [and be
obeyed], “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Rise and walk.”
Jesus posed the question so that when Jesus commanded the man to rise, take up
his bed and walk, the man, his enemies must recognize that both Jesus’
authority to forgive sin, and Jesus’ healing power were from God. Getting no
response, Jesus commanded the paralytic to rise and he did so, but we do not
know whether any of the objectors believed in Jesus.
Life message: We are called to intercede for others
and to bring them to Christ. 1) In the Old Testament, it is Moses who
constantly begs God’s mercy and forgiveness for the Israelites’ sins. Later, we
find the prophets interceding for the unfaithful Israelites. 2) In the New
Testament, the dramatic role played by the friends of the paralyzed man in the
healing story reminds us of the continuing need for, and power of, intercession
for/by others. The text gives us encouragement to intercede for those who are
ill or in special need. When we pray and invite God into the situation, healing
takes place. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
Jan 16 Saturday: Mk 2:13-17:
The context: Today’s Gospel episode, telling of
Matthew’s call as Jesus’ Apostle, reminds us of God’s love and mercy for
sinners and challenges us to practice this same love and mercy in our relations
with others.
The call and the response: Jesus went to the tax collector’s
station to invite Matthew to become his disciple. Since tax collectors worked
for a foreign power and extorted more tax money from the people than the area
owed, they were hated and despised as traitors by the Jewish people and
considered public sinners by the Pharisees. Jesus could see in Matthew a person
who needed Divine love and grace. While everyone hated Matthew, Jesus was ready
to offer him undeserved love, mercy, and forgiveness. Hence, Matthew abandoned
his lucrative job, because for Matthew, Christ’s call to follow Him was a
promise of salvation, fellowship, guidance, and protection.
Scandalous partying with sinners. It was altogether natural
for Matthew to celebrate his new calling by holding a feast for his friends.
But Jesus’ dining with outcasts in the house of a “traitor” scandalized the
Pharisees for whom ritual purity and table fellowship were important religious
practices. But instead of asking Jesus directly, they asked the disciples, “Why
does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In answer to their
question, Jesus stressed his ministry as healer: “Those who are well do
not need a physician; the sick do.” Then, in Matthew’s own account of
his conversion, Jesus challenged the Pharisees, quoting Hosea, “Go and learn
the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6).” Finally,
Jesus clarified his position, “I did not come to call the righteous,
but sinners.”
Life messages: 1) Jesus calls you and me for a purpose: Jesus has called us through our Baptism, forgiven our sins, and welcomed us as members of the Kingdom. In fact, He calls us daily through the Word and through His Church, to be His disciples, and to turn away from all the things that distract us and draw us away from God. Just as Jesus did for us and for Matthew, we are to reach out to the unwanted and the marginalized in society with God’s own love, mercy and compassion. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
