15th Sunday: Called to be His Chosen to Preach

                                                 Called to be His Chosen to Preach

Amos 7:12-15; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13 (B 15)

“Open then your ears. Enjoy the fragrance of eternal life breathed on you” (DO)

 

Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus sent out the Twelve. These twelve were selected from among Jesus’ disciples and named them apostles. The word apostle means “one who is sent.” The number twelve is also a symbolic number, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. By naming twelve apostles, Jesus shows his mission to be in continuity with the mission of God’s people, Israel.

Jesus continues to send us into the world as his disciples. But like the first disciples, we are not sent alone. Jesus has given us the community of the Church, which strengthens our life of discipleship. The Christian message can only authentically be proclaimed in and through the community of faith that is the Church. In our work with others, we build this community of faith and can invite others to share it.

The news that our God the Father loves us with an infinite love and has brought us to life to make us happy for all eternity. This news is for everyone. No one should be left out of the liberating teaching of Jesus, no one is excluded from God’s Love. It is necessary to reach every corner of the world. We must proclaim the joy of full and universal salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man for us, who died and rose again and is actively present in the Church.

Why does Jesus tell the apostles to “travel light” with little or no provision? “Poverty of spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with our possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. He wishes to work in and through each of us for his glory. Are we ready to use the spiritual authority and power which God wishes you to exercise on his behalf? The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and talents. Are we eager to place ourselves at his service, to do whatever he bids us, and to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends us?

The Twelve brought the message and the mercy of the King all humanity, and that remains the Church’s task today and every day. They brought the King’s mercy. Not only did they bring this shattering demand upon men; they brought also help and healing. They brought liberation to poor, demon-possessed men and women. From the beginning Christianity has aimed to bring health to body and to soul. It has always aimed not only at soul salvation, but at whole salvation. It brought not only a hand to lift from moral wreckage, but a hand to lift from physical pain and suffering. We have been chosen by God to be prophets. We are valuable to the Lord. We are worthy in his sight. We are people he has called to live his Love and to spread his Love. May we be prophets of his Truth.

Recognizing the Power of God in Others: Ezk 2:2-5; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6 (B 14)

 Recognizing the Power of God in Others

Ezk 2:2-5; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6 (B 14)

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Alleluia (DO)

 

Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ ministry of teaching in the synagogue followed by acts of healing. In his hometown of Nazareth, the people are amazed by what they heard but they could not comprehend how someone they know might move them so powerfully. Jesus’ earthly foster father was Joseph the carpenter, an artisan who works in wood, stone, and metal. Jesus learned this trade from his father. The evangelist Mark describes Jesus as the son of Mary, which is an unusual designation. Adult males were more typically identified with the name of their fathers. It is unclear why Mark deviates from this custom.

Brothers and sisters of Jesus are also named in today’s Gospel. Scholars are divided on how to interpret this. As Catholics, we believe that Mary was and remained always a virgin, thus we do not believe that Mother Mary had other children. Some have suggested that these family members might be Joseph’s children from a previous marriage, but there is little evidence to support this. Others explain this reference by noting that the words “brother” and “sister” were often used to refer to other types of relatives, including cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Jesus was in Nazareth, the place where he grew up. The people who heard him preach were his neighbors. They had known him since he was small. They remember when he was a little boy learning a bit at a time how to become a carpenter like his foster father, Joseph. They remember him playing with their children. They remember when his voice changed and when he began to grow a beard. They were so little in their knowledge of Jesus’ humanity, that they refused to listen to the Word of God that he was proclaiming. They could not believe that God would work through Jesus. Their lack of faith resulted in Jesus not being able to perform any of the mighty deeds of God among them.

We often make the same mistake. Some people seem too ordinary to us to be vehicles of God’s truth. They may be our parents or our children, our neighbors or our companions at work or school. They might proclaim a reality that could change our lives, but we do not want to hear it from them. Paul realized that it was God working through him that brought so many people to the faith. Christ’s power also works through us. We really do not have the right to deny our responsibility to the Lord.

We may think that we are not good enough to talk about the Lord, but we are good enough. He makes us good enough. We must remember that the positive effects of what we say come from the Lord, not from us. His grace is sufficient for each of us to be the instrument to bring joy of salvation to our family members and our neighbors. His power will work through us in ways greater than we can ever realize. His power will be made perfect in our weakness too.

I tell you solemnly, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

Faith leads to Union with Christ: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43 (B 13)

 

Faith leads to Union with Christ

Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43 (B 13)

‘Take courage, daughter: your faith has saved you.’ Alleluia. 

Faith is personal response to God who invites us to recognize his salvation. Today’s gospel is a striking example of intercession. Jairus pleaded for his daughter. The faith of the sickly woman was hidden “within herself” and she touched the garment of Jesus”. Her faith was united with humility and truth.

When we are in trouble, Jesus shows compassionate heart. When Jairus requested Jesus to go with him to see his daughter, “He went with him”! in the same way he goes with us to the house of mourning, to the room of sickness, to the bed of death. His presence lightens the sufferer's load and soothes the heart. When we are in despair, he reassures us by saying “Fear not, only believe”. These are the words of comfort, fitted to soothe and to inspire desponding hearts with heavenly hope. Let us learn that, where Jesus is, there is no place for despair.

The woman for twelve long and weary years had suffered from a painful and weakening malady. Her disease did not bring herself to talk of it in public. It was a disease caused by ceremonial uncleanness. She conceived the thought of stealing a cure. She thought within herself, “If I touch but his clothes,” or his garment, or even the border of it, “I shall be whole.” And Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good comfort: your faith has made you whole; go in peace.”

Her faith was true faith, different from the multitude that thronged Jesus that touched him. Others touched him, but their touch was incidental; hers was intentional. Others touched him, not feeling any need for help but she touched him, conscious of her malady and convinced of his power to affect her cure. Faith is thus seen to be the means of union with Christ, and union not mechanical and physical, but union rational and spiritual. We may approach him by ceremonies, by profession, by lifeless prayers, and in none of these cases do we really touch him. Not coming into living contact with him, we cannot expect to be recognized by him.

The power of Christs raises the dead and heal the sick, so that we may sleep calmly in death till he bid us arise. In both instances we see Jesus' personal concern for the needs of others and his readiness to heal and restore life. In Jesus we see the infinite love of God extending to each individual as he gives freely and wholly of himself to each person he meets. Do you approach the Lord with confident expectation that he will hear your request and act?

We too should have more faith, that faith that does not doubt in the face of life's difficulties and trials, and that knows how to mature in pain through our union with Christ, as Pope Benedict XVI suggests in his encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope): “It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.”

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has broken the power of death and brought life” (DO)

“Fear not. For I am with you” Job 38:1,8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41 (B 12)

 

“Fear not. For I am with you”

                Job 38:1,8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41 (B 12)

“Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again”

 

The history of humanity has lived through tragedies in the violent waves in the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st. Sometimes we irrationally ask God: “Do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk 4,38); If you truly exist, if You are Father, why do these events occur? Confronting with the memory of the violence of the concentration camps of World War II, Pope Benedict asked himself: “Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter?” The Psalmist asked God: “Why do you sleep? … Why do you hide your face; why forget our pain and misery?” (Ps 44:24-25).

We cannot expect answer from God for these questions and we have no right to hold him accountable. In fact, God is present, and he speak but we are not able to hear his voice. Benedict XVI said: “We cannot peer into God’s mysterious plan - we see only piecemeal, and we would be wrong to set ourselves up as judges of God and history. Then we would not be defending man, but only contributing to his downfall.” Today's reading describes how Jesus calmed a storm at sea.

One of the messages of the storm story is that we have violent storms in the universal Church and in our life individually. The Lord is present to his fearful and faithless disciples. He may rebuke us as he rebuked those disciples in the boat. However, his presence to us in the storm is not just a rebuking presence. It is ultimately a creative and life-giving presence. Jesus brought calm out of the chaos. He controlled the storm and saw to it that the boat reached the other side safely. The Lord remains stronger than the storms that threaten the church, whether those storms are self-inflicted or brought on by others or a combination of both.

Like the apostles, we need to trust that our Lord works to bring his church to serenity in these times of storm. Today’s responsorial psalm assures us that if we cry to the Lord in our need, he will rescue us from our distress. Our need and distress can open us up more fully to the Lord’s life-giving presence among us. St Paul at the beginning of the second reading says, “the love of Christ overwhelms us.” It is that remarkable love of God in Christ urges us on, even when we are battling against a headwind. It urges us on until we reach “the other side”, the place where he wants us all to be.

Fear does not need to cripple us from taking right action or rob us of our trust and reliance on God. In fact, the problem is not that God does not exist or that he is not here, but that we live as if God does not exist. Here is God’s answer: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mk 4:40). This is what Jesus said to the Apostles, and he said the same thing to St. Faustina Kowalska: “My daughter, fear nothing. I am always with you, even if it seems to you that I am not.”

Save us, Lord, we are in danger; O God, give the command, and there will be peace (DO)

 

 

Little Seeds of the Kingdom: Ezk 17:22–24; 2 Cor 5:6–10; Mk 4:26–34 (B 11)

 

Little Seeds of the Kingdom

Ezk 17:22–24; 2 Cor 5:6–10; Mk 4:26–34 (B 11)

The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia. 

Children keep on asking questions. They ask more probing questions as they grow into adolescence seeking for some light to their doubt in life. They also realize that certain questions cannot be answered in life and have to reconcile with many unanswered questions in practical life as they grow in adulthood. And the searching will continue in the mysteries of life’s journey.

Jesus teaches us about the mystery of kingdom of God through the parable of mustard seed. The tiny mustard seed sown in the soil by the farmer, literally grows to be a tree which attracts numerous birds because they love the little black mustard seed it produces. God's kingdom works in a similar way. The seed grows unseen and causes a transformation from within. Just as a seed has no power to change itself until it is planted in the ground, so we cannot change our lives to be like God until God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit.

The Jewish author of the book of Qoheleth expresses it well, “Just as you do not know how the breath comes into the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.” With the parable of the seed growing secretly Jesus says that the kingdom of God can be growing among us in ways that we do not fully understand.

There is a reassuring, hopeful message here for all of us who may be tempted to discouragement by the slow progress that the ways of God appear to be making in the world. The spreading of God’s reign is ultimately God’s work and that work is always under way, even when we do not see it or understand it. Our various efforts can seem to bear very insignificant results. The parable assures us that the Lord will see to it that the final harvest from those efforts will be abundant.

Sometimes we have to learn to be content with the small seeds that we can sow, trusting them to bear fruit in ways that will surprise us. The kingdom of God is something very humble and modest in its origins. We need to learn to appreciate little things and small gestures. There are little seeds of the kingdom that all of us can sow, a friendly gesture towards someone in trouble, a welcoming smile for someone who is alone, a sign of closeness for someone who is in despair, a little ray of joy for a heart full of distress. God’s reign comes in power through the seemingly insignificant actions of each of one us. 

‘Neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.’

Brethren in His Kinship Gen 3:9–15 2; 2 Cor 4:13—5:1; Mk 3:20–35 (B 10)

Brethren in His Kinship

Gen 3:9–15 2; 2 Cor 4:13—5:1; Mk 3:20–35 (B 10)

In you is the source of life; we drink from the stream of your goodness (DO)

The evangelist Mark brings Jesus’ family into the picture. Jesus loved and respected his mother and relatives. His love was unquestionable for them. His mother and relatives wanted to see Jesus one day. And the evangelist Markan text seems to be presenting Jesus as if ignoring his mother when she and her relatives wanted to see him. There is an essential meaning in this type of presentation. Jesus focuses on the family that is not based on blood relation. He lays down the conditions for his true kinship. His kinship is not solely a matter of flesh and blood but very spiritual. Earthly relationships were admitted and honored by Jesus. God never intend us to be alone rather desire us to be in family. He helps us to develop relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Int this way, through today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sets a lesson and truth about the true kinship in the kingdom of God.

In the kingdom of God, we are all his children. Jesus, in his glory, calls us his brethren. Jesus helps us to do his Father's will. He teaches us to be true followers. His teaching is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship - a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection that bind us all together in mutual love and unity. Further, his teaching nurtures the union of heart, mind, and spirit within each individual disciple (1 John 4:8,16).

Jesus teaches us the devotion of the heart, expressed in the active service. Obedience proceeds from hearty confidence and sincere love. We are made to act in his righteous kingdom, and it helps us to carry out the Divine commands in life. It is the privilege of the Christian voluntarily to fulfil the Divine will. Mother Mary obeyed the divine will to save the mankind. And Jesus sees her as the best example in cooperating to the divine plan of God. By telling “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mk 3:35), Jesus tells us to be like his mother to do the will of God from the heart.

Hence, we believe and say that Jesus did not disrespect his own faithful mother who faithfully heard the Word of God and gave her total obedience to him. Jesus emphasizes that those who believe in him and do the will of God will also become his brother and sister and mother of his family. This is his true kinship. What are we the kinship of God, expected in his kingdom? God is patient and full of love, and he wants us all to come back to Him, repenting from all of our sins. Jesus Himself had truly emptied himself of all glory and embraced all of us with his most perfect and selfless love. We are called to empty all our pessimistic ideas and approaches towards our brethren that makes us uncomfortable. Through His Most Sacred Heart, pierced and wounded for us, we are reminded of every single wound that we ourselves have caused upon the Lord who has loved us all so selflessly and tenderly.

 Let us all then, in the best example of Mother Mary, renew our commitment to the Lord and his word. By recalling his love for us and remembering everything that he has done for us, let us continue to place our trust and give our total obedience to the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Receiving his divine grace let us do our best to augment our respect and dignity to the lives of fellow brethren in the true kinship of Jesus – the kingdom of God, here on earth.

 “This blood, which flowed from its source in the secret recesses of his heart, gave the sacraments of the Church power to confer the life of grace…”

 

 

 

Arise and Eat, else the Journey Will be too Much for You: Ex 24:3-8; Hb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16,22-26 (B)

Arise and Eat, else the Journey Will be too Much for You

Ex 24:3-8; Hb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16,22-26 (B)

See in this bread the body of Christ which hung upon the cross, and in this cup the blood which flowed from his side (DO) 

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also known as Corpus Christi, meaning “the Body of Christ.” The celebration of the Body of Christ was promoted in the 13^th c. by the pope, Urban IV. It’s background lies in Jesus’ Last Supper on the day of Jewish feast of Passover. It reflects God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Secondly, it speaks of sacrificing a young bull to seal the covenant between God and people. As a sign of the people’s acceptance, the people were sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificed bull. As a result, the people were to be intimately involved in the covenant. But, Jesus instituted the new covenant replacing the old covenant intended by the Father. St Paul says that Jesus became the high priest to sacrifice and the perennial sacrificial blood (Hb 10) in the place of animal sacrifice.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it with his disciples. Similar words and actions are followed in each Mass by an ordained priest. We believe that by the power of the power of the Holy Spirit the bread is transformed into the body and wine is transformed into the blood of Jesus. This doctrine is called transubstantiation. This Eucharist is a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We believe that Jesus is truly present in the elements of bread and wine. That’s why we eat his body and drink his blood. When priest says “this is the body of Christ” we answer, “Amen”. This is to reaffirm our acceptance of the New Covenant with God in Christ. This is more than just saying, “I agree.” This Communion is an intimate sharing of the presence of Christ conquering evil on the Cross. This is our deliverance by the very immanent presence of Jesus.

Most often we refer to the Eucharist as “communion”. The communal aspect of the Eucharist is far more than a common meal. It is the union of those who share the Body of Christ into the Kingdom of God. When we receive communion, we are recommitting ourselves to be active members of that wider community that spreads the Kingdom of God to innumerable nationalities through our sacrificial love. We thank God for uniting us to the greater community of salvation. The Greek word eucharisto in English eucharist means “thanksgiving”. We thank God for his deliverance, protection, care. What do we still benefit when we receive the Eucharist? We thank God for the many ways that we experience his love in every aspect of our lives.

The Eucharist is also the mystery of strength. The strength that we need for the greater communal quest of sharing is the very presence of Jesus within us through the Eucharist. We are not alone in this battle. We carry the Lord, our strength. Do we have a difficult decision to make? We ask Jesus within us for guidance after we receive the Eucharist. Do we feel that our lives are falling apart? We ask Jesus to keep us together. Are we searching for a way to bring justice to the people? We give ourselves over to the Lord within us. Are we sick? We ask Jesus within us how we can use our sickness to fulfill our part in the plan of God’s creation like St Teresa D’Avila. Do we feel alone? That’s why God says, “Arise and eat, else the journey will be too much for you” (1Kgs 19:7). Let us realize that we are never alone when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. He is our rock, and our fortress, and our deliverer, in whom we take refuge, our shield, and our stronghold (Ps 18:2). Let us receive him in worthy manner as St Paul demands.

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink from an inexhaustible spring (DO)