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.

Holy Week 2021 - Monday - Lavish Charity in the House of Bethany

The Gospel for Monday of Holy Week presents two very different attitudes towards Jesus. One attitude symbolized by Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and another symbolized by Judas Iscariot on the other.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus recline with Jesus, they share intimacy with Him, serve Him and anoint Him. Lazarus is gratefully aware that the Master raised him from the dead and wants to share that joy with others as he invites friends to a banquet in his home to meet Jesus. Mary lavishly shows her love and affection for Jesus by anointing his holy feet with expensive perfumed oil and drying his feet with her hair.

But not Judas. Judas snickers, Judas sneers, Judas mocks. Judas envies. He covets. 

The Church, of course, is to embody the spirit of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary: serving Jesus, bringing people closer to Jesus that they may share with him in the banquet of life, lavishly pouring out our very best, our very selves to honor and love Jesus.

Very often, we encounter the spirit of Judas Iscariot, though, don’t we, sneering and snickering at the Church’s most holy expressions of love for Jesus—our liturgy, our care for the poor. The Church is mocked sometimes by her own members for if that unholy spirit can infiltrate the twelve, it can certainly infiltrate the Church. It is a whisper that even many devoted Catholics have heard in their own hearts—don’t serve Him, it’s too costly, you have more important things to do. The Spirit of Judas is always trying to turn people away from the lavish love of God.

What seems like an incredible waste of time, money, and effort to the world—our service, our worship, our prayers, are to be offered in a spirit of profound and lavish charity, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the Gospel today. Judas cries out that all this is a waste. But we know better.  Our lavish expressions of holy friendship with Him, our love of Him, our expressions of  gratitude for how he has blessed us, and for the immensity of what he suffers for us, are holy to God.

So, we must not be embarrassed in our lavishly loving Him, we must not hold back from lavishly serving him, and we must not be hesitant in inviting those who hunger for his goodness, his truth, and his beauty, to the table of the Lord. Yes, there are many Judas’ out there, but there are also many on the fringes, who are yearning to meet Him, know Him, and love Him. 

Each of us does well today to reflect upon how we can show our gratitude to the Lord, how we can serve the Lord, and how we can bring others to know the Lord, even perhaps to soften the hearts of the Judases of the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

 

Holy Week 2019 - Monday - His Holy Feet

What a beautiful, intimate, tender, moment, we’ve just heard described on this Monday of the Holiest Week of the year, when Mary anoints the feet of Jesus, and washes them with her hair.

In ancient Israel, anointing was usually used for rituals of elevating one's status, such as anointing the head of one becoming a priest, prophet, or king. Priests, prophets, and kings were anointed to show that they had a special task from God. The word ‘Christ’ is the Greek Word for anointed one. Jesus is the Christ, the one anointed for the ultimate mission of human redemption.

Anointing was also done at burial. Not just the head, but the entire body would be anointed with oil.
Here in Bethany, neither Jesus’ head nor his entire body was anointed, but only his feet. Why his feet? Perhaps simply as an act of devotion and love. Perhaps Mary falls at Jesus’ feet as one would fall at the feet of a King, to show her belief that he is Christ the King.

But perhaps also to draw our attention to his Holy Feet. So that we would watch where his feet trod this Holy Week. His feet which trod the Via Crucis, the way of the cross. His feet which trod the hot and dusty roads of the Holy Land to bring the Good News to the poor, now blaze a path for his disciples to follow. His feet are pierced for our offenses.

It is at his feet, the Mary chose the better portion. Rather, than becoming busy with the things of the world, like her sister Martha, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to him, to learn from him. And unlike her sister, Martha, who complained about the odor that would come from the tomb, Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet fills the house with the fragrance of love and devotion.

Through the Lord’s willingness to walk the path of obedience to his Father’s Will, It is his feet which will crush the head of the ancient serpent. Because of his faithfulness, St. Paul says “God put everything under His feet.”

Sometimes as Christians, we are called to walk down paths that are terrifying, the flesh often abhors the road of the spirit, our feet want to run away from sacrifice and penance, run away from the stranger calling out for help. But as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to walk where he walked, follow where he leads, and perhaps be the feet that crushes Satan still at work in the world.
This Holy Week may our adoration of His Holy Feet, help us to walk where he has walked, to follow Him all the way to the cross, in subjection of our whole lives to His Holy Rule for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.