His Word Today: Saint Catherine of Siena

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena (25 March 1347 to 29 April 1380).  Caterina Benincasa was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy.  She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her siblings did not survive childhood.  Caterina herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy.  Her mother was 40 years old when Caterina was born.

Catherine was 16 years old when her sister Bonaventura died, leaving her husband a widower.  Catherine's parents proposed that he marry Catherine, but she opposed the choice and began fasting; she also cut her hair short in order to mar her appearance.  Her parents tried repeatedly to convince her but they were ultimately unsuccessful.  Her fasting and her devotion to her family ultimately convinced them to allow her to live as she pleased.

Catherine was a religious woman but she chose not to enter a convent.  Instead, she joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic, which allowed her to be associated with a religious society while remaining at home.  Some of the Dominicans taught her how to read while she continued to live quietly, isolated within her family home.  Meanwhile, she developed a habit of giving things away: she continually gave away her family's food and clothing to people in need, never asking permission to do so.  When she was criticized for doing such things, she remained quiet.

At the age of 21, she described an experience she encountered which she referred to as a mystical marriage to Christ.  Such mystical experiences change people.  In Catherine's case, she was told to re-enter public life and to help the poor and the sick.  She responded immediately. She often visited hospitals and homes where the poor and sick were found. Her activities quickly attracted followers who helped her in her mission to serve others.

Saint Catherine was drawn further into the world as she worked, and eventually she began to travel, calling for reform of the Church and for people to confess and to love God totally. She became involved in politics, and was key in working to keep city states (independent regions of current day Italy) loyal to the Pope.

By 1380, the 33-year-old Catherine had become ill, possibly because of her habit of extreme fasting. Her confessor, Raymond, ordered her to eat, but she replied that she found it difficult to do so, and that possibly she was ill.  She died on 29 April of that year, following a stroke that she had suffered just a week before.

May Saint Catherine, who was born during a plague and is patroness against illness, intercede for us and for all those who are suffering and ill at this time.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Show

Good morning everyone,

In today's gospel passage, the crowd calls out to Jesus: What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?  What can you do? (Jn 6: 30).  Even after they had witnessed the multiplication of the loaves and fish, even after Jesus had walked on water, even after he had spent the entire day teaching them further lessons, they were not satisfied!  They wanted more!

Are we not the same as those people?  How many times has Jesus shown us his face: in the person who comes to visit us, in the stranger who asks for our help, in the elderly who are isolated and worried about their family members at this time when we must all practice social distancing ... Even though we may have seen the loving and merciful face of Jesus on many occasions, we are always thirsting for more ... What sign can you do, that we may see and believe ...?

In the case of the crowds who were asking this question on that day, Jesus told them that they already had everything that they needed: My Father gives you the true bread from heaven (Jn 6: 32) and I am the bread of life ... whoever comes to me will never hunger ... (Jn 6: 35).  The people were asking for signs, but they really didn't understand what they were seeking, nor did they understand what they were asking for.

It was later on, after the Spirit had descended upon the Apostles, that they fully understood and were filled with the confidence to tell others about what they had witnessed.  We see evidence of this in the witness of Saint Stephen (Acts 7: 51-53) who was martyred because the people who heard his words were not able to accept them.

What of our time?  Even today, perhaps today more than ever before, people need to hear about Jesus:  people need to hear that God loves us, with tender love; people need to witness this tender love for themselves, and that begins with our words and our gestures; people need to be shown the signs that will bring their faith to life ... and those people include us.  Where will we look, to whom shall we go?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Hunger

Good morning everyone,

The gospel passage for today describes a moment after Jesus has multiplied the loaves and fish and fed the crowd of more than five thousand (cf Jn 6: 1-10 ff).  It is the next day and the crowds have come in search of Jesus.  It is interesting to note that the gospel writer pays particular attention to some of the details: Jesus had not gone along with this disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left (Jn 6: 22), yet as the sun rose that day, the crowds saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there ... so they got into the boats and came ... looking for Jesus (Jn 6: 24).

What were the crowds looking for when they came looking for Jesus?  What do we seek when we come to Jesus?  Perhaps we have heard the stories that are recounted in the gospels.  Perhaps we have heard them many times, but how often have we actually thought that we are the people who are in the crowds: we are the people who come looking for Jesus?  What are we seeking?

Jesus warned the crowds not to be satisfied with physical food: do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life (Jn 6: 27).  How often do we seek this kind of food, or are we content to receive that which will satisfy our curiosity in the moment?  In fact, Jesus helped the crowds that day by pointing the way to at least the first step toward a deeper understanding.  When they asked: What can we do ...? he told them: ... believe in the one he has sent (Jn 6: 28-29).

We too can take the first steps along this journey by simply inviting Jesus to help us.  Ask him today to help us to grow in our belief, to develop a sense of hunger for him in our hearts.  It worked for the disciples and it can work for us.

Have a great day.

Lessons on the way

As we continue our journey through the Season of Easter, today we encounter the two disciples on the road to the village of Emmaus.  Saint Luke tells us that it was still the first day of the week (Lk 24: 13), presumably sometime in the afternoon.  Two of the disciples - not necessarily the Apostles - were going to ... Emmaus, about eleven kilometres from Jerusalem.  They had heard news about the women who had witnessed the apparitions that morning, and they had heard about Peter and John who had also gone to the tomb (cf Lk 24: 22-24).  At some point later on that day, these disciples were walking along and talking with each other about all the things that had happened (Lk 24: 14).  While they were talking, ... Jesus came near and walked with them but their eyes were kept from recognizing him (Lk 24: 15-16).

Are we not like these two disciples?  Has it ever happened that we had made great plans for a family gathering, or for a birthday party to celebrate a major milestone in the life of someone we love ... and then, at the last moment, the plans had to be changed?  In these weeks and months of quarantine, some of us may be keenly aware of such celebrations that had been planned: for weddings, for parties, for holidays or for family reunions ... or for any of a number of other reasons, and now these plans have been put on hold or even cancelled because we cannot travel, because we must stay home, because we must keep our distance.  Even if we have managed to postpone and not to cancel our plans altogether, there is still an element of disappointment when we have to change them.

The discussions that were taking place between these two disciples were filled with disappointment.  They were Jesus' followers.  They had come to trust him.  They believed that he was the Messiah, and now he was dead.  He had suffered greatly, in a way that could not have been possible for an all-powerful leader.  He had died on the cross and they had buried his body.  In the image of these two disciples on the road, on their way back home, we see all our disappointments too.  Their hopes were not only put on hold; it seemed as though they had hoped in vain ... then a stranger came along and walked with them.  He was going in the same direction and he joined in with their conversation.

This is what Jesus does with each one of us: he meets us where we are, on the road.  He begins by asking us to tell the story: to tell him what's going on in our lives, who we are, what worries us, what we're excited about ... In the case of these disciples, they stood still, looking sad ... then one of them said: 'Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days? (Lk 24: 18).  It was as though this man had just woken up and realized that this stranger who was walking with them appeared to have no idea about the tragedy that had occurred.  When we are saddened, when we are grieving, it is difficult if not impossible for us to think that anyone could exist that does not know our pain, but this was Jesus' way of gently inviting these two disciples to open their hearts.  He invited them to begin by telling their story, explaining their grief in their own words ... and that is exactly what they did.

As the journey went on, Jesus helped them to understand the truth about what had happened.  Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures (Lk 24: 27).  Jesus is always infinitely patient with us.  No matter how long it takes us to wake up from our grief, he is always ready to console us, he is always ready to help us to understand what's really going on.  As he spoke with them on the road that day, their hearts burned within them (cf Lk 24: 32).  They became excited again, but this excitement was not confirmed until their eyes were opened and they recognized him at the table in the evening hours of that day (Lk 24: 31).

When they recognized what had happened, they got up and immediately returned to Jerusalem, found the apostles and their companions ... and told them what had happened on the road (Jn 24: 33, 35).  Jesus encouraged their hearts that day.  He taught them some valuable lessons and he confirmed them in their faith.  Jesus is ready to do that for us too.  When we are surrounded by doubts, he is waiting on the side of the road, ready to walk with us, to talk with us, to listen to us and to remind us that he did suffer and die for us: these were horrific realities, but he also rose to new life.  This is the cause of our great joy.  Each year, during this season of Easter, we celebrate Christ's victory over death.  Let us ask Him to encourage our hearts, to help us to understand and to grant us the grace of experiencing our hearts burning within us so that we too will get up immediately and go out to others so that we can tell them the good news; we have met the risen Lord!  We have recognized him in the breaking of the bread! (cf Lk 24: 35)

His Word Today: Test

Good morning everyone,

A wise teacher once explained to his students that there are different stages to the process of learning.  At some point, a student has to receive information, then that student can question the validity of the data that has been received before the teacher tests the student to determine whether the information has entered into the pupil's brain.

Jesus was and is a Master teacher.  He is constantly giving us new information, providing new lessons for us to learn.  The current state of pandemic is one of those.  Scientists have already discovered that our commitment to physical distancing and isolation has borne fruit: the curve of new infections is being flattened and there is evidence that pollution levels in the air are on the decrease.  These practices have been a challenge - a test - for us, but already there are lessons and great wisdom that we can draw from this experience ... if we choose.

There is also evidence of learnings and testing in the interactions Jesus had with his disciples.  In today's gospel.  When Jesus realized that there was a great crowd of people approaching, he asked a question - one of those questions to which the teacher already knows the answer -; he asked Philip: Where can we buy enough food for them to eat? (Jn 6:5)  Philip's reaction was panic.  Perhaps we too would have panicked if we had been in his shoes, but God never asks us a question, nor does He put us in a situation without already knowing what wisdom He wants to impart.  In this case, Andrew, who had heard the conversation, proposed a possible solution, although he was aware of its limitations (Jn 6:7).  Jesus always knows our limitations, but he invites us to be creative about finding possible solutions to the tests ... and he is always willing to work with us, to take our ideas and to find a way to multiply our efforts.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Testify

Good morning everyone,

As the days of stay-at-home and work-from-home realities continue for many of us, some of us are getting used to a new normal, but others are also finding this time very challenging.  Not all homes are safe places: in some cases, these are dangerous times, but what is true for all of us is that this time is giving us a chance to re-discover what is truly important.

From a faith perspective, this time is giving many of us an opportunity to testify to the truth of what we believe.  In the light of safety concerns that have required us to be physically distanced from one another, some of us are re-discovering opportunities to celebrate Easter: the miracle of Christ's resurrection which speaks loudly to the fact that no matter what situation of challenge we may find ourselves facing, we are never alone and there will always be an end to our trials.

This is the truth that Jesus taught to Nicodemus.  The one who comes from heaven ... testifies to what he has seen and heard (Jn 3: 31-32).  As we see in the Acts of the Apostles, all disciples are invited to bear witness to our relationship with Jesus.  In our interactions with others, in the words we speak and in the attitudes we bear toward others, we have many opportunities to testify to our faith.  In the case of the disciples, the words they shared, even if it meant endangering their own lives, was to explain the reason for their joy and their faith by explaining: The God of our ancestors raised Jesus ...
God exalted him at his right hand ... We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him (Acts 5: 30-32).

Today, let us look for opportunities to testify, and like the Apostles, let us find ways to share the joy of our faith with others.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Tell

Good morning everyone,

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles that is proclaimed during today's Mass speaks of the high priests and the Sadducees who were filled with jealousy, arrested the Apostles and put them in jail (cf Acts 5: 17-18) ... but then the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out and told them to go and to tell people everything about this life (Acts 5: 19-20).

We can imagine that as they returned to the Temple, the Apostles were filled with joy but probably, they were also cautious, on the lookout for those who had imprisoned them in the first place.  In the meanwhile, the work of telling people about Jesus continued.  If we try to picture what those proclamations were like, they would most probably be very similar to the words we find in today's gospel account: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (Jn 3: 16).

If we have experienced this truth in our own lives, we understand how joyous they must have been as they shared this good news with others ... as they supported these words with the testimonies of their own lives, their own experiences of faith and their own encounters with the risen Jesus.  Ever since that time, the same has been true for all other disciples who are called upon to share this good news.

Have we discovered the truth of these words for ourselves?  Have we experienced the miraculous work of Jesus?  How can we share this joyful news with others?

Have a great day.