His word Today: Persistence

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage places us with Jesus amidst a crowd of people who had gathered.  Some of them had heard that he was back in town and had probably come to visit, others may have heard about his deep concern for those who are sick, so perhaps they had come hoping that he would grant them a cure as well.  I think that some of the crowd was probably also made up of people who were just curious.  Have you ever seen a crowd of people gathering somewhere, and stopped or slowed down as you pass by, hoping to catch a glimpse of the action?

In the midst of the crowd, we find a group of friends who perhaps had witnessed Jesus' miracles.  They came bringing a paralytic (Mk 2:3).  It must have been quite a struggle for them to get close to the place where Jesus was.  They would have had to make their way through the crowd, and I'm willing to bet that at least some in the crowd wouldn't have been too willing to allow them to pass by.  Nevertheless, they made their way toward the house.  Perhaps they recognized that it would have been impossible for them to get close to the door, but they were determined to get their friend to Jesus.  They were resourceful!  They climbed up on the roof and tore a hole so that they could lower their friend into the house where he could get close to Jesus (cf Mk 2:4-5).

Like those friends, we too come to the Lord in prayer.  We bring our own friends, family members and relations to the Lord in prayer, but sometimes it seems difficult for us to believe that God is truly listening to us, almost as though we have to fight through the obstacles that keep us at a distance from him.  It takes some creativity and a bit of patience for us to realize that the bonds of trust between us and Jesus are indeed intact, even if it might seem that our prayers are not answered right away.

Those friends had to be creative in order to get close to Jesus, to present their prayers to him, and so must we.  If we ourselves have doubts about whether Jesus will hear our prayers, let us ask him to strengthen our ability to persist.  With the gift of persistence in our prayer, we can be creative in our approaches when we come to Him, and we can find it within ourselves never to give up until we succeed in speaking with Him about our deepest desires.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: A striking encounter

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage (Mk 1:40-45) is a story of great courage and of the welcoming and loving heart of our God.  A leper came to Jesus and knelt before him (Mk 1:40).  This would have been an act of great courage on the part of the leper.  Notice that Mark does not give us the name of the leper.  Lepers were considered to be unclean, less than worthy of attention.  For this person to place himself before Jesus was to place himself under the watchful eyes of all those who were gathered around Jesus ... and they would have been watching with very judgemental presumptions.

Regardless of what others thought, the leper came to Jesus and made a declaration of faith: If you wish, you can make me clean.  What about us?  Have we known times when we have had questions we would have loved to ask ... either of God or of someone else, but questions which we are too afraid to ask?  Have we ever been so concerned about what others might think that we choose silence rather than to speak our own truth?

Jesus was moved with pity (Mk 1:41) for the condition of the leper and responded immediately by stretching out his hand, touching the leper and saying to him: 'I do will it, be made clean'.

If only we could muster the courage to come to the Lord, to kneel before him and to ask for what we truly desire, he would always welcome us with the same warmth and open heart.  He will always respond to us in the same way as he spoke with the leper that day: I do will it ... Jesus wants us to come to him.  He wants us to enjoy a trusting and loving relationship with him.  He wants us to ask our questions and he is always willing to give us that which will be good for us, that which will lead us to places and situations where he can use us to touch the hearts of those who are in need.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Walk and talk

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage (Mk 1:29-39) shows us that Jesus didn't just talk the talk; he also walked the walk.  He had taught the people in the synagogue with authority.  His words caught their attention, but even more than his words, his actions made them stop and pay attention.

Even when he left the synagogue after having addressed the crowd, he continued to teach, but this time through his actions: he went to visit the home of Simon and Andrew and healed Simon's mother-in-law who was there, suffering (cf Mk 1:30-31).  Later that day, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons and he cured many who were sick (Mk 1:32, 34).  Jesus shows us the importance not only of remaining focused on him, but allowing him to teach us - by his own words and example - how to put our faith into action.

How do we learn to follow in his footsteps?  The answer is to do as he did: Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed (Mk 1:35).  We too must find time every day for prayer.  It doesn't have to be a long time but it is important that we take time to be present to Jesus and to allow him to be present to us.  When we do, we will be more and more aware of the ways in which he wants to use us as his instruments so that through us, He can bring healing and restore peace.

Another sign that the work we do is not ours but His is the fact that Jesus never sought rewards or recognition from human beings in response to the miracles he performed.  We too should not seek after rewards or recognition in response to the acts of kindness that we offer to others.  Instead, we should always be willing to do as he did: to go to nearby villages - even to the peripheries of civilization - so that Christ's gospel can be preached there too (cf Mk 1:38).

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Always something new

Good morning everyone,

The gospel passage for today's liturgy tells us that Jesus came to Capernaum along with his disciples, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught (Mk 1:21).  Someone new had arrived.  I can just imagine that everyone who was gathered that day for prayers was eager to hear what he had to say.

Have you ever noticed that when someone new comes to visit there is excitement in the air and we want to listen to what that person has to say?  If the person is interesting, all the better.  In the case of Jesus, the people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority ... (Mk 1:22).  How fortunate those people were ... and how fortunate we are too.  The words of scripture are alive and because they are living words, they always have something new, something fresh to say.  That means that every time we read the words of scripture, we need to listen carefully and closely so that Jesus - who is speaking through them - can speak something fresh, something new to us.

The people were astonished at his teaching, and so can we, every time we hear his words!  Today, let us pray for the grace to listen afresh to the words that Jesus speaks, through the scriptures and in our prayer.  Let us dare to allow ourselves to be surprised by what we hear, and always ready to say yes to whatever he should ask of us.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: the Baptism of the Lord

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church in Canada and the United States are observing the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  The gospel passage proposed for today's liturgy places us with John on the shores of the river Jordan.  Try to picture the scene: John is standing in the river and one by one, people are coming to him, asking to be baptized, as a sign of repentance for their sins, a new beginning.  John knew that there was one mightier than he who was coming  ... that he was not worthy even to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals (Mk 1:7).

The story gets even more intriguing: It happened in those days that Jesus came ... and was baptized in the Jordan by John (Mk 1:9).  What a humbling thought: Jesus - who was without sin - stood in line and waited his turn so that he could be baptized by John as a sign of repentance for sin ... and as he came out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open, the Spirit - like a dove - descending upon him, and heard a voice from heaven say 'You are my son, my beloved' (Mk 7:10-11).

In his Angelus address yesterday, the Holy Father reminded us that this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is an invitation for all of us to remember our own Baptism.  Perhaps we are fortunate enough to remember that day, but if we were children at the time, perhaps we can only remember the date when it happened.  it is important for us to keep this memory alive for it was on that day that we were first blessed by God, the day when we became part of the family of faith.  This was the day when the Father gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit and it is the Holy Spirit that spurs us on every day, helping us to live our faith in the world.  May the Holy Spirit continue to help us always to share the gift of our faith with those we meet.

Have a great day.

A time for gifts

In various parts of the world, different days are designated during the months of December and January for the giving of gifts.  December 6: the Feast day of Saint Nicholas, December 25: Christmas day and January 6: the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord are the most well-known among them.  Each has developed this tradition for a variety of historical reasons.  Today, I want to focus on the third one: the Epiphany.

Tradition teaches us that the Magi were most probably members of the Persian priestly caste of Zoroastraianism from the lands of Persia located East of Judea and Syria.  Known especially for their aptitude with astrology, they came in search of the child who was born king of the Jews ... for they had observed his star at its rising and had come to pay him homage (Mt 2:2).  In fact, Saint Matthew says that they followed that star and it led them to the place where the child was (Mt 2:9).  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy (Mt 2:10) and entered the place where they found the infant Jesus, knelt before him and presented him with treasures that they had brought with them from the Orient.  Saint Matthew tells us that these treasures were gold, frankincense and myrrh (cf Mt 2:11).

Like the visit of the shepherds, this visit too can teach us a few things about the person of Jesus and how we can do him homage.  First, when they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy (Mt 2:10).  Joy is one of the gifts that we receive when we too visit the manger and gaze upon the face of the infant Jesus.  This is a divine gift that fills our hearts with elation.

Second, the Magi entered the place and knelt before the newborn king.  The act of kneeling has long been recognized as an act of recognition of kingship.  This is the reason why even today when we come into the presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we kneel or genuflect.

Third, they presented him with treasures.  The prophet Isaiah says: they will bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord (Is 60:6).  Gold was a gift traditionally presented to kings; frankincense, which is high-quality incense derived from tree resin, has traditionally been burned as a symbol of the Divine name of God (cf Malachi 1:11); and Saint Matthew adds a third gift – myrrh (Mt 2:11). Oil extracted from myrrh was among the spices used to prepare Jesus crucified body for burial (cf Jn 19:39).

The gifts offered that day were of exceeding value, gifts fit for a king, gifts worthy of God himself, gifts that foretold his self-giving sacrifice.  The Magi brought these highly significant gifts and laid them at the feet of the child and his parents.  Even though they may not have understood their significance at the time, Mary and Joseph pondered these truths as well.  What they perceived that day as mystery has been made known to us as well (cf Eph 2:3), and for this reason we too have learned the joyous news of Christ’s birth.  We celebrate it by bringing our own gifts and talents to the newborn child, laying them at his feet and allowing him to use them each day so that his will and not ours is accomplished.

Learn to ponder

Another new year is upon us and once again, this new beginning brings with it an opportunity for us to start afresh.  As we look backward over the past year, can we identify occasions or circumstances for which we are thankful?  If we dare to look ahead, what hopes and dreams appear on the horizon?

New Year’s Day is celebrated in the Church as the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.  Our divine mother can help us to set out on the right foot as we begin the next leg of our journey in faith.

In the stable, where she had just given birth, Mary received some curious visitors.  These were not the kings and established rulers of the day; instead these were shepherds, people who were often seen from afar but people with whom few others would dare to associate.  What did she think when she heard them knocking?  She probably didn’t have the strength to turn them away.  And as they recounted their experience of meeting the angelic choirs, perhaps on the outside she smiled politely, but on the inside, Saint Luke tells us that all those who heard the shepherds speak were amazed at what they said (Lk 2:18).

Perhaps we have known what it’s like to be amazed by news that is shared by someone else, but how often do we actually choose to treasure these words and ponder them in our hearts (Lk 2:19)?  This is the wisdom that Mary shares with us today.

Life does not just happen around us.  If we look through the lens of faith, we will soon see that God is all around us, using the events of every day life to reach out to us and to speak to us about his plan for us.  In fact, we have gathered here today because when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son (Gal 4:4) into the world so that we might all realize the fact that we are sons and daughters of God (cf Gal 4:6).  This truth too is worth pondering in the depths of our hearts.

If we were to learn how to ponder the significance of life’s events in our hearts like Mary did, perhaps we too might see life in a different way.  In fact, we might even look to God at the beginning of this new year and ask him to bless us and keep us, to make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us in the coming months, to look lovingly upon us and to grant us the gift of his peace (cf Num 6:24-27).