“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” (Mk 8: 2-3)
Our Lord takes care of so many things in our lives: not only when we are sick, or alone, or abandoned, but also when we are “on the way” or when “some of us have come a great distance.” At that time it was bread and fish, but now it is He Himself with His word. His word is an answer for all our needs. Let Him come to our hearts and make miracles.
“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’). And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” (Mk 7: 32-35)
All of us have some “speech impediment.” Sometimes it is closed ears, not being able to listen to the requests or needs of my neighbors; sometimes it is using the tongue all the time with sarcasm or seeing only “my point of view,” and at other times, it is incessant groaning that nobody takes care of us. It is very good if we have friends who will beg “Our Lord to lay his hands on us.” Our Lord, so respectful and very delicate, will take us “by himself away from the crowd and will say to us, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’).” It is so good when we can speak plainly: with gentleness, respect, freedom, creativity, and joy, having time not only to speak but also to listen… Speak plainly.
“Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.”
God, who is Trinity, when He created us “in His divine image, after His likeness,” knows perfectly that “it is not good for the man to be alone,” so He created “a suitable partner for him.” When we are in relationship, sometimes we are focused on our differences, which can make us from time to time even angry, forgetting that “suitable partner” is first of all an answer for our loneliness and doesn’t mean: someone like me.
“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” (Gospel acclamation)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mk 7: 20-23)
Our beautiful hearts, meeting points with God himself, sources of so many good thoughts and prayers, unfortunately, are also the places where so many evil thoughts can reside. How often our mistaken patterns of interpretation in our inner dialog have their roots in this list. But there is hope; we can always ask: Make my heart like Yours. And we know—Our Lord can do it.
“Your word, O Lord, is truth: consecrate us in the truth.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Then God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.’ God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” (GN 1: 26-27)
We received incredible dignity— “created in His divine image, after His likeness,” and great responsibility “to have dominion over… all the creatures,” not in order to abuse them but to remember Who created them, Who gave us this responsibility. We are created in His image, and we are committed to show it in our lives–not as owners of the world, but as servers–not to rule but to love.
“Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favored me with your law.” (Gospel Acclamation)
Homily, 9th of February 2015
Touch only the tassel on His cloak
“Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.” (Mk 6: 56)
How happy we are when we have daily access not only to “the tassel on his cloak” but also to He Himself personally through the sacraments, and especially the Eucharist. We remember that in His wounds we are healed. When we go the Mass, we can be touched by His love and His Body and Blood—“and as many as touched Him were healed.”
“Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.” (Gospel Acclamation)
Homily, 8th of February 2015
Very early before dawn
“Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” (Mk 1: 34)
The Bible is full of precise descriptions about timing: “when it was evening, after sunset,” “very early before dawn.” For the Evangelists this was so important, so we can enter into Our Lord’s life more fully. It is not only about prayer—“he prayed,” but also about place—“a deserted place” and time—“very early before dawn.” It helps us to imitate His life and connect with Him at the right time knowing how important it was for Him. For Our Lord evening was for serving others, but morning was for God. Sometimes we give to God what remains of our day, but Jesus gave the beginning of the day to prayer.
“Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Gospel Acclamation)
Homily, 7th of February 2015
The Great Shepherd of the sheep
“May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13: 20-21)
Our Lord, the “Great Shepherd of the sheep,” helps “furnish [us] with all that is good,” helps us “to do His will” and carries “out in us what is pleasing to God.” Our role is to keep our eyes on Him, to follow Him, and to listen to His voice. He knows how to furnish us with good, how to do God’s will and how to bring glory to God.
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13: 20-21)
Our Lord, the “Great Shepherd of the sheep,” helps “furnish [us] with all that is good,” helps us “to do His will” and carries “out in us what is pleasing to God.” Our role is to keep our eyes on Him, to follow Him, and to listen to His voice. He knows how to furnish us with good, how to do God’s will and how to bring glory to God.
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you. Thus we may say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’” (Heb 13: 5-6)
Our Lord’s protection and presence with us is unlimited: “I will never forsake or abandon you.” It is about all the aspects of our lives, including when we are afraid about our financial situation. When He is the center of our lives and when we pray to understand His will and to follow His commandments, He will take care of us. When we put our trust in money, not in Him, we could be in danger, especially because of “love of money.” So He reminds us: “be free from love of money… I will never forsake you.”
“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart, and yield a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)
