“…He appointed twelve; they were to be His companions and to be sent out to proclaim the message,with power to drive out devils.” (Mk 3:14-15)
“He appointed twelve.” And a very simple program for them, including only three elements: “to be His companions, to proclaim the message and to drive out devils”. One “to be” and two “to do”s. How often we concentrate on tasks, on those “to do”, forgetting the most important element – to be, “to be His companions.” This sequence is not accidental. The ancient Romans used to say: “Agere sequitur ease” (action follows being). To be His companions is the foundation for the other activity. As close we are to Him as His “companions” – so fruitful is our proclaiming of the message and our fight against the devil.
“It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” (Communion Antiphon)
“…all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch Him.” (Mk 3:10)
To touch Him.
God has become a man. For nine month He was hidden in His Mother’s womb to appear later as a child. He discovered the beauty of the touch. Parental touch, full of love. His innocent Mother and the best father in the world, chosen by God to represent Him.
Today He is curing people with His touch. “All who were afflicted in any way.”
When we take the Bible into our hands, we can also touch Him. It is not only a book, it is He Himself. And in the Sacraments, too. And especially when we receive the Holy Communion. To touch Him. If you go a little bit deeper into the Liturgy of the Mass, you will be surprised how many beautiful gestures we use to celebrate the Mystery of His love. All kneeling down, kisses of the altar, inclinations… And everything is connected with “to touch Him”. He is exactly the same: “Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.” (Hbr 13:8).
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel” (Alleluia verse).
“And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath day, hoping for something to charge him with”. (Mk 3:2)
How awful. “Hoping for something to charge him with”. Again and again the same situation: they can use anybody for their purpose. Even an ill person, who needs help, who needs to be cured. Who needs compassion.
How often are we surrounded by the people who are used by other people: at work, in family, in daily life. Unfortunately sometimes it happens also to us. How sad.
But we have a protector. He has come to save us, to cure us, and to make us part of His family as His brothers and sisters.
He knew their heart. He knew what would happen: “ The Pharisees went out and began at once to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him” (Mk 3:6). And He let His emotions show: “He looked angrily round at them, grieved to find them so obstinate, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was restored” (Mk 3:5).
He is our protector. He will defend us and restore our dignity. The dignity the others sometimes fail to see.
“God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb, grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life.” (Collect)
“The LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7).
Wonderful message. But… on the other hand – huge responsibility. What is in my heart? Is it a nice place to look?
How often is my heart tidied up? When was my last confession? Do I remember to examine my conscience regularly? MY conscience, not my spouse’s.
I know. So many questions… Difficult. But HE “looks at the heart”. So it is important what He will see there.
My solution?
Simple. Minimum once a month – confession, the same priest if possible. Keep your heart away from anything which is not pleasurable for Him and offer you heart to Our Lady. She will take care of your heart. And when God looks again at your heart, He will see also Her.
“May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our heart, that we may know what is hope that belongs to our call” (Alleluia versus)
“But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast.” (Mk 2:20)
It happens from time to time that we lose our contact with God. Prayer is difficult, as if nobody was listening, words sound strange, there is no consolation or joy. We have no idea what to do to change that.
And here is the advice for this particular moment. Fast. A strange word. Who fasts these days? Is it that we fast only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?
Fast has a very long tradition and is a great help in our relation with God. Fast helps us to rearrange our priorities. It is not simply a not-eating action. Fast is to remind us of the main purpose of my life. Such as food helps you go on living physically, fast helps you live spiritually. The same role – helps to live. But with the fast, it is easier to remember about our final destination. To live for eternity.
It could be the fast from food or television or sweets, or many other things. To fast is to open my eyes to the mystery, the hidden presence of God in my life. It is an act of solidarity with my Lord fasting for 40 days. I helps me understand once again my vocation, my identity, my priorities. Prayer connected with fasting shows you other layers. And brings Him back to you.
“I am a true vine and you are branches, says the Lord. Whoever reminds in me, and I in him, bears fruit in plenty.” (Cf. Jn 15:1.5)
“…formed me in the womb…” (Iz 49:5)
This is about me. This is about my spouse. This is about our children, friends, parents, neighbors. This is also about Him and our relations.
“Formed me…”. This is not an automatic creation. This is personal. This is about how important I am for Him. My existence is a proof of God’s love. The experience of Eve was: ‘I have acquired a man with the help of Yahweh,’ (Gen 4:1). And of so many women who become mothers.
“Formed me…” The source of my dignity. I can be the weakest person in the world and He will never stop loving me. I will never stop being His son, His likeness. I can’t lose it, no one can take it away from me.
And this is the perfect gift I can offer to my spouse, to our children, friends… Myself as a child of God. When I am giving myself to others, God is always included. Without Him I do not exists. With Him I can fulfill my life.
“Formed me…” and loves me in every moment in my life.
“We have come to know and to believe in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).
“Follow Me” (Mk 2:14)
He said to Matthew. I am so happy that He looks at us in a totally different way than other people do. ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mk 2:16).
I think Heaven is full of people who, if it had depended on us, would have received the permission to be accepted to purgatory at the most.
He invited tax collectors and sinners to accompany Him. He has also invited us. He has invited you to be a husband or wife, not because you are faultless, but because He loves you and knows your potential. And He gave you the best person in the world to help you to be that kind of person.
“Follow me” is to join Him in our daily life. With prayer we are able to be more focused on our vocation. With Him we are able to see the others in a different perspective. Like He sees us. He saw Mathew’s heart, not his profession. He saw his future, not the past. His saw in him an apostle, God’s child and evangelist.
How do you look at your husband or wife – do you see their past or their potential?
The only way to learn how to look at the other people is to look at Our Lord and ask Him for His eyes and His heart to see the others properly. We all need to follow Him.
“Let us have a king to judge us.” (1 Sam 8:6)
and that’s it. No other option. Deaf to arguments, blind to the truth. 10 arguments about prospective negative consequences – simply rejected: “No! We are determined to have a king” (1 Sam 8:19). God knew: “It is not you they have rejected” (1 Sam 8:7). It is Me.
But God in His love “… said to Samuel, ‘Do as they ask and give them a king’.” (1 Sam 8:22). Now we know whom God had in mind. There is only one king: Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. Our plans and perspective – and God’s plan and perspective. Not a king of one nation, the King of the Universe.
He takes care of our whole life.“Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk? But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth’ – He said to the paralytic-‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’” (Mk 2: 9-11).
They expected that He would heal him. He not only healed him, but also forgave his sins.
“Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord, may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed” (Prayer after Communion).
“God has come into the camp.” (1 Sam 4:7)
“For nothing like this has ever happened before.” (1 Sam 4:7).
The reason? “Let us fetch the ark of our God from Shiloh so that, when it goes with us, it may save us from the clutches of our enemies” (1 Sam 4:3).
God, who is the most holy Person, used as a weapon. A tool for victory.
Unfortunately, it is also our problem. To use God for our purpose. Not to listen to Him, but to use Him.
Because… we know better. “Mind you tell no one anything…The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere” (Mk 1:44-45). God – used for our own satisfaction. And even worse: “so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places” (Mk 1:45). It could be me. Instead bringing Him closer to people, I could keep Him “outside in deserted places”.
God came to us in the Holy Family. And stayed with Mary and Joseph for thirty years. Giving us the lesson about God’s presence in the family. He is there not to change the husband according to his wife’s vision, and not to change the wife according to her husband’s vision, but to stay with them as God who is love. To show them that the people who love always do good things, even if the other person is not totally honest. Like the lepper from today’s Gospel. God always does good, not because we deserve it or buy it, or should receive it, but because He is love. And love – loves to share: Bonum est deffusivum sui (Latin).
“Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good. In this sense, several sayings of Saint Paul will not surprise us: “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 9)
“Samuel…did not let a single word fall to the ground of all that He had told him”. (1 Sam 3:19)
One of my favorite sentences in the Bible. The dream of my whole priestly life. Unfortunately, many today’s translations have made this sentence more practical than poetical, loosing the beauty of the original version.
Protecting His “single word” from falling to the ground. What an important mission. Especially for us, believers. Especially today, when the modern world prefers to choose only some of His words.
I found that the best place to protect His words is my memory united with my heart. When I put His word into my heart with care and love, it stays there forever.
It is so important at the beginning of our prayer to prepare our heart to receive His words. “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10).
God never tires of calling us. He had called Samuel three times until he was ready to answer properly. So He called again – for the fourth time. Without any reproach. With the same love as for the first time.
“Samuel grew up. Yahweh was with him and did not let a single word fall to the ground of all that he had told him”. (1 Sam 3:19)
