His Word Today: Not from outside

Good morning everyone,

On many occasions during his public life, Jesus challenged the established authority in an attempt to show his hearers and followers that there is another way to live, a new way that is not based on power and prestige but rather on the simple joy of living.  Jesus used all kinds of examples, including the Jewish dietary laws, to make his point.

In today's gospel passage, Jesus explains to his hearers:  Nothing that enters someone from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile (Mk 7:15).  In this way, Jesus wanted to make a point, not by contradicting the Law of Moses which had defined the concept of living kosher (Lv 11), but by pointing out that it is attitudes and behaviours, what comes out of a man that defiles him (Mk 7:20).

Jesus' primary concern was that the children of God should recognize God's love for them and their primary innocence in His eyes ... and then that they should live in the light of this love by loving others.  Unfortunately, if they are allowed to run rampant, human tendencies alone will blind us to this fact and will focus our attention more and more on egocentric ends.  Jesus cautions us against becoming too focused on ourselves, lest we fall victim to the sins of murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly (Mk 7:21-22).

Every day, we have another chance to live our faith, so today, ask Jesus to help us all be aware of the traps that keep us focused on ourselves and our own desires.  Instead of being defiled by self-serving behaviour, ask Him to help us to be outward-focused so that we can identify the needs of others and be courageous enough to make a difference.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Japanese Martyrs

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and his companions, also known as the Martyrs of Japan.

Paul Miki was born (around 1562) into a wealthy Japanese family. He was educated by the Jesuits in Azuchi and Takatsuki. He joined the Society of Jesus and became a well known and successful preacher – gaining numerous converts to Catholicism. The local daimyō (feudal lord), Toyotomi Hideyoshi, began persecuting Catholics for fear of the Jesuits' influence and intentions, and possibly that of European visitors.

Miki was arrested and jailed with his fellow Catholics, who were later forced to march 966 kilometers (600 miles) from Kyoto to Nagasaki; all the while singing the Te Deum. On February 5, 1597, upon arriving in Nagasaki—which today has the largest Catholic population in Japan—Miki was tied to a cross and then his chest was pierced.

How often did Paul Miki repeat the words uttered by Solomon in today's first reading: Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below (1 Kings 8:23)?  These words may well have been on his lips as he preached his last sermon from the cross.  It is widely believed that like Jesus, he forgave his executioners, stating that he himself was Japanese.

Crucified alongside him were Joan Soan (de Gotó) and Santiago Kisai, also of the Society of Jesus.  Along with twenty-three other clergy and laity, all of whom were canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1862.

Today, let us ask Saint Paul Miki and his companions to intercede for us, so that we might have a deep desire to sincerely follow in the footsteps of Jesus, not merely honouring him with our lips, but with our hearts as well (cf Mk 7:6).

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Agatha

Saint Agatha
by Bernardino Luini, 1520

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Agatha.  It is believed that she was born in Catania or in Palermo (Sicily) in 231 AD.  It appears that when she was 15 years old, having dedicated her virginity to God, Agatha, who was from a rich and noble family, rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus who then persecuted her for her Christian faith.  He sent her to a brothel but the keeper of that establishment found her to be uncooperative so eventually, Quintianus sent for her, argued with her, threatened her and then finally had her put in prison.  There, she was tortured in many ways, including the cutting off of her breasts with pincers.

There were further confrontations between her and Quintianus and when she persisted in her denials, she was sentenced to be burned at the stake, however an earthquake saved her from that fate.  Instead she was sent back to prison and there, it is said that Saint Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds.  Agatha died in prison in the year of Our Lord two hundred and fifty three, during the reign of Decius, the emperor of Rome.

The Cathedral in Catania (Sicily) is dedicated to Saint Agatha.

Saint Agatha is one of a long line of saints venerated in the Catholic Church.  Have you ever wondered what degree of devotion she must have had in order to be so steadfast in her resolve to follow in the footsteps of the Lord that she was able to dedicate her virginity to God at such a tender age?

The passage of Saint Mark's gospel which is read at today's Mass describes a crowd of people who come running in search of Jesus (cf Mk 6:53-54).  These people from the land of Geneseret must also have recognized something special in the person of Jesus, something that caused them to come scurrying about the surrounding countryside (Mk 6:55) in search of him.  Saint Agatha discovered this same level of dedication at a very tender age.  And what about us?  Have we fallen in love with Christ to the point that we would be willing to give our lives for him?

May the witness of Saint Agatha inspire us to delve deeper in our commitment to follow in the footsteps of Jesus today.

Have a great day.

Why so much suffering?

During the months of July and August last year, I remember hearing that while we were enjoying the summer weather, throughout the southern hemisphere, people were suffering terribly because there was a particularly virulent strain of the flu.  A few months later, it seems that the tables have turned.  There are reports all across North America of people who are suffering from the flu and this strain is particularly stubborn.  It seems to debilitate everyone, confining those who normally are fit and full of life to their beds ... and what about those who are elderly, fragile and already unwell?

At some point in life, young children and adults alike will ask: why is there so much suffering in the world?  Why are some people born into the lap of luxury while others know nothing but poverty?  Why do some people live well into their 90s and even past the age of 100 years while others die so young?  If God is all-powerful, and we are beloved children, why is there so much suffering in the world?

In the gospel passage we have just heard, Jesus meets Simon’s mother-in-law.  She is in bed with a fever (Mk 1:30).  Saint Mark tells us that they told Jesus about her at once.  After all, they had seen him cure so many others; why not ask him to cure someone who was known to them, close to them, loved by them?  Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; then the fever left her ... (Mk 1:31)  All they had to do was ask, and he immediately tended to the situation: he came to her, he took her by the hand and he lifted her up.  This is what our God does for all of us as well.  When we are feeling sick, when we are weak and have to rely on others, all we have to do is ask Jesus to help us.  He will always come to us, he will always hold us by the hand and he will always lift us up out of our suffering.

During his life on earth, the scriptures recount many occasions when Jesus encountered suffering: he never managed to put an end to suffering; he didn’t cure all the people who were sick; he didn’t take away the trials of every person who was poor; there are still people in our world who are misunderstood and there are still many who are cast aside, forgotten and abandoned.  No human being ever wants to admit that we are weak, but if we were constantly fit, able-bodied and strong, I think that we would be tempted to forget about Jesus; instead, we would be tempted to think that we don’t need God.

The stories of those who were cured by Jesus should inspire all of us to believe that he wants to cure all those who are suffering.  He wants to be close to us, he wants to take us by the hand, he wants to lift us up.  When we confined to bed because of illness, fragility or age, we can always call out to Jesus, and he will always come to our help.  When we are aware of others who are suffering, we can ask Jesus to be close to them.

There will always be questions for which we cannot find any suitable answers.  Whenever we do, we can always pray, share our concerns with our God.  He is always near.

His Word Today: Saint Blaise

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Blaise, a physician and Bishop of Sebastia (a city in ancient Armenia, located in modern-day Turkey) who was martyred in 316 AD.

According to the Grande Encyclopedie, Blaise, who had studied philosophy in his youth, was a doctor in Sebaste in Armenia, the city of his birth, who exercised his art with miraculous ability, good-will, and piety. When the bishop of the city died, he was chosen to succeed him, with the acclamation of all the people. His holiness was manifest through many miracles: from all around, people came to him to find cures for their spirits and their bodies; even wild animals came in herds to receive his blessing. In 316, Agricola, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, having arrived in Sebastia at the order of the emperor Licinius to kill the Christians, arrested the bishop. As he was being led to jail, a mother set her only son, choking to death of a fish-bone, at his feet, and the child was cured immediately. Regardless, the governor, unable to make Blaise renounce his faith, beat him with a stick, ripped his flesh with iron combs, and beheaded him.

In many places on this day, the blessing of Saint Blaise is given: two burning candles, blessed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (which was yesterday), are held in a crossed position by a priest over the heads of the faithful or the people are touched on the throat with them. At the same time the following blessing is given: Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may Almighty God preserve you from infections of the throat and from all other afflictions. Then the priest makes the sign of the cross over the faithful.

Jesus is always watching over his beloved people, caring for those of us who are sick.  When he sees us facing such trials, or when he sees us struggling in some way, his heart is moved with pity for us .. and he willingly begins to teach us many things (Mk 6:34).  Today, let us ask Saint Blaise to intercede on our behalf, to keep our families and loved ones safe from throat ailments and from whatever sicknesses they may be facing ... and let us also ask for the grace to look upon the world around us through his eyes, to see the struggles endured with others and to come quickly to their help.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: The Presentation of the Lord

Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
by Giotto di Bondone

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  It was the prophet Malachi who spoke of the events celebrated on this feast.  He said:  And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire (Mal 3:1).  Many years after Malachi had proclaimed these words, When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (Lk 2:22).

So it is that 40 days after the birth of the Lord (begin counting the days on December 25), the days prescribed for the purification of Joseph and Mary were complete, and they came to present him to the Lord.  By bringing their child to Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary were respecting the Torah - the law of the Lord which states:  Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord (cf Exodus 13:2).

While it is customary for Christians in some parts of the world to remove Christmas decorations on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), in other parts of the world, Christians have historically waited until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord to put away all signs of their Christmas celebrations.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord has also traditionally been known as Candlemas. On this day, many Christians (especially Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, Orthodox and Roman Catholics) bring candles to their local churches, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year.  For Christians, these blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who referred to himself as the Light of the World.

As we remember and celebrate the Presentation of the Lord today, ask the Holy Spirit to point out the ways in which you can share the light of your faith with others.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Sent out two by two

Good morning everyone,

The gospel passage for today's liturgy tells us that after having spent some time living with Jesus, listening to his teachings and learning from him, he put them to the test. He summoned the twelve and to send them out two by two (Mk 6:7).  What would it have been like to be one of those twelve?  It's one thing to listen to someone else sharing their wisdom with us, but when we ourselves are called upon to share our own wisdom with others, it can be a bit unsettling.

Any teacher who shares lessons with us offers us a gift.  That same teacher can also test us - sometimes with questioning or with an examination of some kind - in order to verify whether the information has found a place in our brains.  However the rest is up to us: each one of us needs to struggle with the lessons we have learned, to question its validity in our own hearts and in light of our own lived experience.  Then we need to fall on our knees and pray about what we have learned, allowing our God to see the truth of the lessons we have learned in the light of faith.  Only then will we be able to confidently teach what we have learned.

Jesus knew that the disciples had barely reached the first level of this approach to learning.  Undoubtedly, they would have had many occasions along the way for questioning him, for struggling within themselves, perhaps even for praying about what they had heard.  Still, as they set out to try teaching others about what they had learned, Jesus knew that they still needed help.  That's why he gave them specific instructions: Take nothing for the journey ... (Mk 6:8).  Anyone who has ever set out on a journey knows that any baggage we bring with us can sometimes weigh us down.  Jesus wanted to help his disciples to free themselves from every concern that would distract them from the mission of telling others about the joy of their own encounter with him, and the same is true for us.  Jesus sends us out every day - two by two.  We are never alone along this journey.  He is always with us, and he invites others to walk with us as well.

Can we identify the baggage we try to carry with us?  Each one of us is sometimes tempted to hold on to things that ultimately weigh us down and threaten to distract us from the mission of sharing the good news of the gospel.  Can we let go of such things and dare to set out in search of homes where others will welcome us and listen to the words we have to share?

Have a great day.