4th Week of Ordinary Time 2025 - Tuesday - Fall at the feet of Jesus

 Throughout the Gospels, we read of many different reactions to Jesus:

Some, like the apostles, left everything to follow him. Some, drew near to him for miracles, but walked away when it came time to abide by his teachings. Some reacted with downright vehemence, tearing their garments in anger.

In today’s Gospel, St. Mark describes a number of reactions to Jesus. 

Jairus, a man of considerable eminence, approached Jesus and fell at His feet, asking in faith for him to heal his daughter. In the incident that followed, when Jesus asked who had touched him, the hemorrhaging woman also approached and fell at his feet, her faith a conduit for healing. Then we heard of the he servants of Jairus’ household. They approached with little faith, doubting Jesus possessed the power necessary to save the little girl. 

In highlighting these different reactions to Jesus, we are challenged to consider how we are reacting to him. Maybe there were points in our life when we’ve reacted like the people in Nazareth, wanting to silence Him by all means necessary. Maybe, now, after coming to faith, we fluctuate. There are moments where we fall down at his feet in worship like Jairus, when we reach out to the hem of his garment to be healed like the woman with the hemorrhage, but sometimes, even after encountering him over and over, working miracles, delivering souls from evil, we still doubt he has the power to save us. Our faith fluctuates. Why?

Our faith fluctuates for many reasons—perhaps because we rely too heavily on our own strength, or we fear entrusting certain areas of our lives to the Lord. But the stories of Jairus and the hemorrhaging woman show us that we do not need perfect faith to encounter Jesus; what we need is the humility and courage to turn to Him, however uncertain we may feel.

Notice that He does not scold or reject anyone who approaches Him, even with faltering faith—He responds with compassion and healing. 

Like Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage, or task is to recognize our need for Jesus, and to fall at his feet asking for help. So often, we continue to commit the same sins over and over, or we fail to see real spiritual growth because we do not ask for help. It’s okay to admit even that you are unfilled in life. Ask God for help to find fulfillment. Maybe it’s your routine that needs to change, maybe simply your outlook. But the Lord will help you find fulfillment, if you turn and ask for help.

Today, let us commit ourselves anew to drawing near to Christ, trusting that He can do what we cannot do for ourselves, and allowing His power to transform our lives for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Confident that Jesus meets us with compassion when we turn to Him in faith, let us bring our needs and the needs of the world before our loving Father:

For the Church – that all believers may draw near to Christ with humble and courageous faith, trusting in His power to guide and heal us.

For world leaders and those in authority – that they may look to the Gospel for wisdom in fulfilling their duties and serving the common good

For those struggling with doubt or wavering faith – that they may, like Jairus and the hemorrhaging woman, find the grace to place their trust in Jesus’ transforming love.

For the sick and those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit – that, by approaching the Lord in prayer, they may experience His healing presence and compassionate care.

For all who have died, especially N. that they may be welcomed into the fullness of life and peace in God’s kingdom.

Heavenly Father, receive the prayers we offer this day. May each of us, with humble hearts, draw close to Your Son for healing and deliverance. Grant us the faith to trust in His power to save us, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

February 3 2025 - St. Blaise - May the Lord deliver you

 

I remember one year, a school teacher joking that every after the annual St Blaise throat blessing she would get some sort of sore throat. And I would joke back, just think how bad the sore throat would have been without the blessing! And consider this: do you have a sore throat right now?” “No” she answered. “Then God delivered you from the illness, just as we prayed”.

“Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may the Lord deliver you from every disease of the throat.” 

Deliverance is a common message in scripture. In the Book of Exodus, God delivers his people from slavery. Through his chosen instrument, the young shepherd boy, David, God delivered his people from the Philistines, when David slew Goliath. God delivered Daniel from the Lion’s Den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from the fiery furnace. 

In his own public ministry, the Lord Jesus delivered countless people from illness and demon possession. He rescued the apostles from the terrible storm on the sea of Galilee, and the multitude of people from hunger when he multiplied the fish and loaves. God delivered Paul and Silas from prison, and sent an angel to deliver Peter and the apostles from prison as well. 

Notice, that in each case God’s people are already suffering: Daniel is in the lion’s den, the paralytic is already paralyzed, Peter is already in prison. 

Rather than shielding us from all suffering, God chooses to deliver us from our suffering to help us draw closer to him, to recognize that He is our salvation. 

This is most evident in our salvation in Christ. In our sinful state, we are to recognize that Jesus Christ alone is our salvation. The life of faith begins when we recognize that. We are lost without him. Lord, deliver us. 

He even taught us to pray, “deliver us from evil”. In the course of this life, we will continue to experience many forms of suffering and evil. But we learn to turn to God in those times to deliver us, to provide the help that can only come from Him. In this way, God has transformed our suffering into an avenue of grace, growth, and salvation.

May we form that habit of turning to the Lord for help in all of our troubles, especially our sinfulness, opening our minds and hearts to his grace, and experiencing the transformation he desires for us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church: That she may faithfully proclaim Christ as our Deliverer, leading all people to trust in His power to set us free from sin and every form of spiritual bondage. Let us pray to the Lord…

For all who hold public office: That they may follow God’s example of deliverance by working tirelessly to liberate the oppressed, promote justice, and protect the vulnerable in society. Let us pray to the Lord…

For those enduring trials and hardships: That they may never lose hope but turn to the Lord in their suffering, trusting in His saving hand to deliver, strengthen, and transform them. Let us pray to the Lord…

For our members of our parish: That we may be instruments of God’s mercy, offering prayers and support for those who suffer, and bearing witness to the power of God to deliver and save. Let us pray to the Lord…

For the sick and suffering, especially those with ailments of the throat: Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, may the Lord grant them healing, relief from pain, and renewed strength of body and spirit. Let us pray to the Lord…

For the faithful departed: That they may be delivered from every bond of sin and welcomed into the fullness of life and peace in God’s eternal kingdom, especially N. Let us pray to the Lord…

God our Deliverer, You have shown Your mighty power throughout history, rescuing Your people from danger, sickness, and sin. Hear our prayers this day. Help us to turn to You with unwavering faith in times of trial, that we may always experience Your transforming grace. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

February 2 2025 - Feast of the Presentation - 5 years after COVID and the Light of Faith

 As I began preparing to write my homily this weekend, I was trying to recall the last time we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation—Candlemas--at the weekend masses. Eventually, I had to look it up, and realized why I was having a hard time remembering. The year was 2020, when February 2 fell on a Sunday, and a lot was on our mind that year. Already in February 2020, news of COVID deaths were being reported in Asia, the middle East, and Europe, though, I think at that time, we were still calling it “the China-Virus”. On February 2, 2020 there were only 11 COVID cases reported in the United States. The first COVID death in the US wouldn’t be reported until February 29, 2020, but anxiety was certainly growing among us, and conflicting news reports. Theories of the virus’ origin were already starting to circulate, and speculations of how our government would handle things, but we were still some time away from “fifteen days to slow the spread”. 

So, the last time we celebrated this particular feast together, at the weekend masses, we were bracing ourselves for facing the unknown. We gathered in the light of Christ, lighting our Candlemas candles, facing a dark horizon, an incoming storm—having no real knowledge how the global pandemic would unfold. 

Yet, we gathered. And that light, the light our Candlemas candles symbolize—was so important, wasn’t it?

Now, maybe, for some, the light of faith flickered in those ensuing months, as church doors were locked. Perhaps, for some, the light of faith was extinguished.  After all, for many parishes, weekend mass attendance has still not recovered.

To some people, church leaders seemed to fail us precisely when we desperately desired access to the sacraments. 

For some, the flame of faith flickered due to the convenience of live streamed masses, leading them to question the need to return to physical attendance. Some, out of caution for their own health or for other vulnerable persons, the risk of gathering for mass continued to be a deterrent. Some continued to exercise great caution, even after the bishops encouraged us to return to Mass. 

Some, sadly, began questioning the value of even gathering for Mass, and simply haven’t returned.

But here we. And the Lord has seen through the darkness of that particular point in history, to light our candles once again, thanks be to God.

And now, our task, once again, is to consider, how the Lord calls us to bear the light of faith brightly and spread that light to others. 

Sharing the light of faith with others is an act of love and concern for their souls. It is an act of love and it is our Christian duty. 

We are to be so faithful to this task of sharing the light of faith, that at the end of the day when our head hits the pillow, we are able to echo the words of Simeon in the Gospel today, “Now you let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled”. In other words, I can sleep in peace, knowing that I have done what I could today to bear the light of faith and share the light of faith to those I encountered, to those I have been called by God to seek out.

The very first encyclical of our Holy Father Pope Francis, all the way back in 2013 was about the light of faith.  Its opening line, “The light of Faith: this is how the Church’s tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus.”  The light of faith helps us to avoid the dark errors of sin and to walk the path of righteousness.  But also, by the light of Faith we come to know about God and we come to know about ourselves.  

The Pope writes, “The light of faith is unique, since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence.” Faith helps us to understand the confusing matters of our life, by helping us see from the perspective of God. Even our human suffering is made comprehensible by faith. 

I don’t know about you, but, my faith really wasn’t shaken during that whole COVID mess. Because faith, being a follower of Jesus, isn’t about not having to face darkness, rather it’s about knowing how to continue walking toward God despite the darkness. 

With the light of faith diminishing in many corners of the world, the Pope writes “There is an urgent need,” “to see once again that faith is a light, for once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to dim.” The urgent need to spread the light of faith, means to help others understand the importance of faith—the importance of walking a Christ’s disciples, of recognizing him, again as Simeon says, as “the Lumen ad revelationem gentium---the light of revelation to the nations of the world. Because if that light dies out, we’re all in trouble. Francis says, the Church “depends on the fidelity of witnesses chosen by the Lord for this task.”

And you and I, brothers and sisters, have been chosen for this task, to be like Simeon, and Anna in the Gospel today, who is bursting with joy in speaking to people about the Christ child. So this feast is a reminder and an opportunity to renew our commitment to share the light of Christ with those whose candles may be flickering or unlit. Every act of Christian charity, every time we encourage someone to pray, better yet, every time we pray with someone who is struggling, encouraging them in their suffering with words of faith, is an act of faithfulness to God that helps spread faith.

At every Mass too the Lord desires to strengthen our Faith, when encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, in which Pope Francis writes, “faith finds its highest expression”. “The Eucharist is a precious nourishment for faith: an encounter with Christ truly present in the supreme act of his love, the life-giving gift of himself.”

May our faithful encounter with the Lord’s self-giving act of love, help us to carry from this place the joyful certainty that our faith not only sustains us but also has the power to transform lives—as we seek the fulfillment of our lives through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.