Author: admin

We have all had the experience of being caught in a crowd. Whether we’re pushing our way out of a concert, or inching our way into the subway, we know what it feels like to be scrunched like sardines in a can.

Imagine how frightened this man in today’s Gospel must have felt. He was surrounded by hundreds of people who were sick, wounded, or possessed.

Some of them were screaming, others were pleading. All them were trying to make their way to Jesus, the miracle worker.

They wanted his attention; they wanted to be healed.

But it’s this man who catches his attention. Perhaps it was his desperate face,  or the faith of his friends who never gave up.

When Jesus stops, he pulls this blessed man aside, and gives him his undivided attention.

Imagine that – having the undivided attention of God…

***

Though Jesus can heal this man’s deafness with a single word, he deliberately puts his finger into his ear, touching the most wounded part his life, a sign that Jesus understands the pain his deafness has caused.

The years of isolation – of being unable to hear or to speak – of feeling trapped within the walls of his own body, Jesus understands.

And as he touches him, Jesus  “groans,” feeling his pain, crying out to the heavens on his behalf, “Ephphatha! Be opened!”

Be healed!

Instantly, this man runs off to tell everyone he knows about Jesus of Nazareth, the one who changed his life.

***

Part of the pain of deafness is the fact that it isn’t instantly visible to others. It takes time before we realize someone cannot hear us – to see they are deaf.

That, really, is a symbol of the wounds many of us carry – often they’re hidden, tucked away from the outside world.

It takes time before others see we are wounded.

If we opened our hearts to Jesus right now, what part of us would need to be touched or healed?

Where have we become cold, or deafened to his voice?

***

Like that man in the Gospel, Jesus wants to pull us away from the crowds and the distractions of life; he wants to give us his undivided attention.

“Ephphatha!”

That is his prayer for us this morning, that we “be opened!” to his voice… that we be opened to new ways of living…new ways of thinking… that we be opened to an ever deeper sense of God’s presence in our lives.

***

And not only us — but everyone around us.

***

Remember the crowds in the Gospel. They were scrunched like sardines in a can, all trying to inch their way to Jesus. They all wanted to be healed.

Our world and our families are no different. People still want to be healed. But like the deaf man in the Gospel, often they need a friend to lead them to Jesus.

We can be that friend.

How many people have asked us, for example, why we are Catholic, or why we go to Mass on Sundays, especially in this current climate?

***

What an opportunity to share the Gospel with them! People are looking for answers – and ultimately for the Truth. We can bring them to Jesus.

As Saint Peter says, “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter3:15).

***

We’re being challenged to think about our faith, about why Jesus matters to us, and to share that faith openly with others.

How might we do that this week?

 

 

There are few events in our world that change the course of history.

D-Day was one of them.

On June 6, 1944, … 156,000 Allied Troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. This operation would mark the beginning of the end of World War Two.

For three days, tens of thousands of young men – many barely 18 years of age – fought along the beaches of northern France, eventually pushing their way towards Paris.

Together, they would bring an end to Hitler and Nazi Germany, effectively changing the course of human history.

Though there are many lessons we can learn from their example, there is one, in particular, that applies to us today: Never give up.

***

In the Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples a haunting question, “Do you also want to leave?” (John 6:66).

We might say, “Do you also want to give up?”

In a single day, Jesus’ swelling community of believers drops from 5,000 to 12, all because of his teachings.

We are now at the end of John’s Bread of Life discourse, in which Jesus describes himselfas the Bread of Life. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood,” he says, “has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54).

Scandalized by this idea of consuming Christ’s flesh, many walk away in disbelief.

4,988 disciples to be exact.

***

A similar phenomenon is happening in our Church today. People are leaving in droves.

But what makes our situation starkly different from the Gospel is the fact that we’ve not been scandalized by preaching the Truth like Jesus did; rather, we’ve been scandalized by the fact that some of our leaders entrusted with Christ’s authority on earth have abused it.

We’ve all seen the news. It’s the painful pink elephant in the room.

Though the Church has done great good, and many Saints have arisen in our midst, the Church has also mismanaged evil for decades, allowing wolves in sheepskin to breathe and operate in our midst.

And now we’re left feeling betrayed, angry, hurt, and confused.

So the question Jesus asked his disciples rings hauntingly true and relevant in our own hearts today: “Do we also want to leave?” (John 6:66).

***

While I hope – and pray – that all of us will stay, we must be clear about why. What we are fighting for?

Jesus commanded us – his Church– to, “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This is our mission. This is why the Church exists.

We must remember that.

We have Good News to share with the world! Jesus died and was raised from the dead! And he promises to raise all of us up who have believed in him.

Even more, it is here – and only here – that we can receive his resurrected Body in the Eucharist.

We cannot allow the sins of others to distract us from this truth. Jesus even warned us about this.

In his own words, he says, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to that person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea” (Luke 17:1-2).

Jesus is aware that the weeds are growing with the wheat, even in his own Church. We who have been faithful, however, we who have hoped and believed in his message, will be saved.

But woe to those who’ve caused us scandal.

***

Remember what happened on Omaha beach – history was forever changed.

Tens of thousands of young soldiers fought together to bring an end to World War Two. But for those who survived those initial days in Normandy, there was still another year of fighting to go.

Hitler wasn’t going down easily.

But our brothers never gave up. They fought until they won.

Similarly, there’s a long way for us to go before our Church is rid entirely of scandal.

But we cannot give up; we must continue to pray and push for reform. In particular, we must ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom to know what practical changes are needed in order for us to be most effective, and for the courage to make those changes happen.

***

“Do you also want to leave?”

I hope and pray not. But if we choose to stay, then we must move forward together as a community of faith, united in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the words of Peter, whose own faith was challenged, “Lord, to whom shall we go; you have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:68).

 

 

Most, if not all of us, have been to Dunkin’ Donuts – after all, there’s one right across the street.

You know the smell. The air is almost damp, soaked in the smell of fresh coffee brewing, bagels toasting, and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich warming in the microwave.

And then there are the donuts.

On a stressful day, I’m sure many of us have been tempted to walk in, order a dozen Boston Crèmes, just sit in the corner and scarf them down as if no one is looking!

The good news is they taste delicious. The bad news? Stepping on the scale the next morning, only to see we’ve gained at least three pounds.

The truth is, those donuts don’t simply disappear; something of them remains in us. The scale tells us so!

***

Think of the Eucharist like a “Divine Donut.” Every time we receive it, something of Jesus remains in us.

The only difference is, we don’t gain weight; we gain eternal life.

***

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us plainly, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:51, 54).

Again, just as that Boston Crème donut remains in us long after we eat it, so Jesus remains in us forever. We cannot be separated from him.

And herein lies the promise of our own resurrection. Jesus was raised from the dead; therefore, everyone who eats his flesh in the Eucharist shall rise again, too.

Now that’s good news if I’ve ever heard it!

***

But the other side of the coin is this – just as Jesus nourishes us, so we must nourish one another. As Saint Paul says, “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1).

But how, concretely, do we do that? How can we nourish one another?

***

Let’s consider our first reading. 

***

Elijah is down in the dumps.

He fears for his life, so much so that he runs into the desert alone and cries out to God, “This is enough, O LORD, take my life!” (1 Kings 19:4).

That’s not the best thing to ask God for – to take your life– but at least Elijah prays in his distress!

And look at how God answers him. God sends him an angel to feed him and to comfort him. Strengthened by this angel’s presence, Elijah is able to get up and continue on his journey.

***

In the same way, God sends us to comfort those in need.

How many of us know someone who feels like Elijah, like the walls are closing in? Perhaps it’s someone who’s being bullied at school or at work, someone who’s enduring a painful divorce, financial stress, poor health, or an addiction.

Or maybe it’s someone who’s struggling with low self-esteem and just needs a friend.

Will we be that affirming voice, that listening ear, that needed hug to help them continue on their journeys?

Will we nourish them as Jesus nourishes us?

***

Remember those Boston Crème donuts – every time we eat one, something of that donut remains in us. The scale tells us so.

In the same way, every time we receive the Eucharist, something of Jesus remains in us. We cannot be separated from him.

But just as Jesus nourishes us in the Eucharist and strengthens us on our journeys, so he asks us to nourish one another with love and concern.

Who, then, might we care for this week?