Faith

Do you want a miracle in your life? – Thursday, 1st Week in Ordinary time – Mark 1:40-45

This was Jesus’ third miracle in the Gospel of Mark. He has just concluded a preaching tour in Galilee (1:35-39) and is somewhere in the region of Galilee. He is where the people are (verse 38) God goes to the people. This is the Church we ought to be; a church that goes to where people are. He went to their synagogues and cast out demons….(1:39)

The miracle involves a leper. A leper who came to him ‘kneeling’ and ‘begging’. This disease had sucked the oxygen out of the leper’s lungs. He just needed this miracle today as perhaps some of you need a miracle this Sunday. He was tired of his physical condition but also of his spiritual ailment; so he asked for cleansing of his soul. The most painful wounds we carry with from the past are more wounds of the spirit than of the body.

For the Jew, physical suffering was a punishment by God for one’s sin. This man had rotting flesh due to leprosy but let us not exclude the possibility that he also had a rotten heart. The leper realized that both needed cleansing; not just a physical miracle, he needed a spiritual cleansing also. We need to ask the Lord to touch us too, touch the ugly bits of us that we do not like to look at.

But how do I approach the Lord in prayer? This leper was down on his knees, begging. Perhaps I need to do the same. I need to get off my high horse because I too am desperately in need of this miracle for myself. I am in need of cleansing; my sin is hanging on me like rotting flesh.

The law required that a leper stay away from others – a social and religious exclusion. The leper breaches this code by approaching Jesus, and Jesus breaches it by touching the leper. Interestingly the leper asked for cleansing not a ‘huggy moment’, he never imagined he would be touched. He wanted cleansing he got a brotherly hug and a healing. How sensitive and responsive Jesus is; he is “moved with pity” for the leper as he is with us.

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Gather at his door – Wednesday, 1st Week in Ordinary time – Mark 1:29-39

While I am not a big fan of the superscriptions added to the Gospel passages in the Bible, I quite like this one. The RSV Bible has the title as, ‘Jesus heals many at Simon’s house.’ When you read the passage, your eyes ought to naturally settle on the narrative of Simon’s mother-in-law. She lived a stone’s throw away from the synagogue in Capernaum but on this day, she was too ill to attend. She had missed the words of Jesus that had left every one amazed. His words were not the only thing that stirred Capernaum. There in the synagogue, was a resident evil. It is from this man that Jesus expels satan.

Simon’s mother-in-law was too sick to go to synagogue but Jesus was not too busy to visit her. He is told of her fever. Fevers at the time of Jesus was the Covid of today; it could swing any way and death was not uncommon. The response of Simons mother-in-law to this act of healing has been explained in a previous article I wrote called love without measure. (You can read it by clicking the link) https://www.pottypadre.com/love-beyond-measure/

What draws me in reflection today is the closing verses of today’s text. Jesus has healed Simon’s mother-in-law and cast out a demon from a man in the synagogue. Good news spread fast and Capernaum was in need of good news. Here was a Rabbi who spoke with authority and acted with authority. We are told that ALL who were sick or possessed with demons were brought to Simon’s doorstep. In fact, the whole city was gathered there (verse 33). They knew who had the power to heal, they knew where they had to go.

For the second time in a couple of verses Jesus casts out demons. From the first page to the last, the Gospel of Mark immerses us into the immediacy of Christ’s war against the forces of evil. The forces of evil lurk in the background throughout the whole Gospel of Mark, unmasked and cast out by Jesus at every turn. Emerging victorious from the first battle with satan during the temptation in the desert in Mark 1, Jesus continues his campaign against the Devil throughout Galilee, waging a war of words joined with mighty deeds.

In this and the previous text, Jesus does not permit the evil one to speak (verse 25 and 34). They know who Jesus is (verse 24 and 34). While the evil one may contemptuously address Our Lord by his human title, ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, he knew very well of his divinity, for he says ‘we know who you are, the Holy one of God,’ They know of his power to ‘destroy them.’

Think of it, we have the Holy one of God on our side. It is he who comes to defeat the evil one who has taken residence in so many lives. It is he who torments and tortures souls and sadly even numbs many to believe that Our Lord does not exist and religion is a hoax.

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From the abundance of the heart – Tuesday, 1st Week in ordinary time – Mark 1:21b-28

The Gospel of Mark tells us the Jesus enters Capernaum, an ancient fishing village, with his band of four disciples whom he had called to follow. We are told that Jesus entered the synagogue and he taught there. If you go to Capernaum today you will still see the Capernaum synagogue known also as the white Synagogue. This is a fourth century AD synagogue built on the remains of an earlier first century AD synagogue which Jesus taught in.

Synagogues or as they were called in Greek, ‘synagein’ translates as ‘to bring together’ or ‘a place of assembly.’ Synagogues were the result of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 596 BC. Since the temple was destroyed there was no place for sacrifice and worship. In order to meet a need, the community met in private homes for public worship and religious instructions. With this the synagogue was born.

A synagogue would a have a ruler who would plan the service. We know the name of the ruler in Capernaum even though it is not mentioned in today’s text. But further in Mark 5:22 we are told that the name of the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum was Jairus who pleaded with Jesus to lay his hands on his daughter. Synagogues did not have ordained ministers as we would have in a Church today. An attendant of the congregation would read the scriptures and someone would be called to interpret it.

Scripture simply tells us that on this occasion Jesus taught and the congregation was astounded. Clearly we are told that he taught them with authority and his teaching was not like the scribes.

Let us look at who Jesus is compared with before we look at how he taught. For four hundred years before Christ, prophecy had ceased. Malachi was the last prophet and from that time on the prophetic voice was lost. In this time the scribes arose to prominence. The scribes were the ones who drew up legal documents and copied the Old Testament Scripture. They devoted themselves to the study of the law and the determination of its applications on daily life. Noted scribes had their own disciples and many of the scribes were members of the Jewish council.

Yet we know that these scribes who preached were only able to quote some other Rabbi or another authority when they taught the scriptures. Compare this with Jesus who taught with authority. To understand why the teaching of Jesus made a deep impact we need to look at this word authority. The Greek word for authority is ‘exousia’ and is related to the verb ‘exesti’, meaning “it is free” or “it is permitted.” In other words, ‘exousia’ is the “sovereign freedom” of one who acts without hindrance.

Jesus is the authority; he did not need to quote someone else. It is for this reason that his teaching came from the depth of his being. In today’s Gospel we are not told what Jesus taught but we are told the effect that his teaching had. We are not told of his diction and style but what happened to the people when they heard him. This inner authority, the power to speak surely and freely, true and unafraid, is straight from God. As such the purity and power of his word astonishes those who heard him on that ordinary morning in that small-town synagogue. This is not a one off incident for again in Mark 6:2, when Jesus enters the synagogue in Nazareth and preaches and once again the people are astonished at his teaching.

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The Baptism of Our Lord; John protests, Jesus presents– Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of our Lord in the Gospel of Matthew, sees Jesus speak his first words and make his entry into the Gospel narrative as an adult. Stepping out of obscurity, his first act is to travel from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized.

John was not the first to baptize people. Jews baptized proselytes into their faith, but did not baptize other Jews. Jews couldn’t imagine themselves as needing baptism because they were the chosen ones. Yet here is Jesus standing with sinful humanity asking for a Baptism being given to sinners as a mark or a sign of their repentance.

Jesus is the sinless one and standing in line with sinners seems to send the wrong signals to those around; or so it may seem. This was an act of humility. Jesus did not need to be baptized but he does this to identify with sinful humanity. This is not the first time he will be associated with sinners for the Gospels tell us that his detractors accuse him of keeping the company of tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. The Son of God, appears to the religious establishment of the day, out of place and out of step in such company.

But the Jews were not the only ones who would have been left puzzled by Jesus actions that day. We are told that John put up quite a resistance, preventing Jesus from going ahead with what could only seem to others as strange, if not scandalous action by one who was the lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the world.

It is clear that Jesus is emphatic on the role that John must play. Jesus imposes his authority with his demand for immediate baptism; “let it be so now.” The righteous will of God had to be fulfilled. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is not as if this one action of Baptism makes all things righteous. ‘Righteousness’ in the Gospel of Matthew is not an act but an attitude; it is in doing the will of God. The initial phase of that plan required Jesus to empty himself of his Godly majesty to be born in human likeness (Philippians 2:7). The final part of God’s plan will involve Jesus being “obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

To all of this that transpires at the Jordan, God agrees and his agreement is seen in the climax of this Gospel text. One would think that the Baptism of Jesus is the climax of this text. In reality it is the vision that Jesus encounters when he comes up from the water.

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If I do what I know – Saturday,Weekday in Christmas time – John 2:1-11

Christmas time has a surprise for us in this cycle of liturgical readings. We find ourselves listening to the first ‘sign’ that Jesus performed in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John does not have ‘miracles’ but rather speaks of signs. A sign points to a greater reality. A red signal indicates that if I do not stop there is a possibility of a dangerous accident. There is no danger in the signal light but it points to the consequences of my breaking the light.

In the Gospel of St John, what seems like a miracle narrative is but a setting for us to look for the greater reality. In the narrative of the wedding at Cana, the wedding feast and the turning of water into wine is but a background, a setting if you may, for the reality we are to look for.

The narrative of the wedding in Cana is found only in the Gospel of John. This is the first of the signs that Jesus performs and while it is used widely at wedding liturgies the theological significance focuses our attention to Jesus who is the bridegroom. The image of the bridegroom, used by Jesus himself in his parables was an image of the Messiah to come. Jesus, The Messiah is the bridegroom. Jesus is the bridegroom, the best wine that is served last as a fulfillment of God’s prophecies to send his only son.

Today, I would like to take on a few reflections based on this ever so popular narrative. Reflections that could help you pray and interiorize this text for your own spiritual life.

Life throws us all a curve ball from time to time. We find ourselves down and out or between a rock and hard place. Tough decisions have to be made with limited resource, a retirement plan has been interrupted by an incurable illness or hard work has been met with no success because the recession kicked in. The list is endless. In moments like this we may not know what to do but it would be a pity if we do not know whom to go to.

When Jesus’ mother realized the couple had no wine and realizing what an embarrassing situation this would be for the couple she decided to act. She may have not known what to do but she certainly knew who to go to. She went to her son, Jesus. She could have gone to the wedding planner or the caterer but chose the best problem solver. Who do I go when I find my back against the wall?

Perhaps we do go to Jesus. Life has taught some of us this even though we have made him our spare tire rather than our steering wheel. We know Jesus never fails. But oddly when we do go to him, we tend to give him our manual of instructions as to how we would like our problem solved.

When Mary went to Jesus, she did not tell him the solution she had in mind, she simply told him the need. She does have a word of advice for us and the stewards, (now)” do whatever he asks you.

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