Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, Jesus dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the best days of my life was the day I was ordained a priest. 

I remember people taking hundreds of pictures with their iPhones. It was a special occasion everyone wanted to share. 

I felt like you may have felt on your wedding day, the day you held your first child, got into college, or landed your dream job.

When exciting things happen, it’s natural to want to share that experience with others. 

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That’s how the leper feels about Jesus in today’s Gospel.

It’s the best day of his life; Jesus has cured his leprosy – and by extension the terrible isolation that came along with it.

Although Jesus tells him not to say anything, this man can’t help but shout the name of Jesus from his rooftop!

He tells so many people that Jesus can’t enter another town without being bombarded by the sick, the lame, and the possessed.

Everyone wants to experience the joy that Jesus Christ can bring.

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Have I had an encounter like that with the Lord?

Maybe he answered a long-awaited prayer; maybe he’s put pep in my step; or, like this leper, maybe the Lord has changed my life entirely.

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These experiences lead to an undeniable Christian trait: joy.

How can we not be joyful once we’ve met Jesus?

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Joyful news must be shared. It’s only natural.

There’s no better news than this: we have a God who loves us, who heals us, who’s given himself for us, and who’s leading us to everlasting life.

How might I share that with others today?

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Gospel: Mark: 1: 21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, 
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” 
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet!  Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The synagogue was a holy place.

Why, then, is there a man with an unclean spirit present?

It seems he’s out of place.

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Or is he?

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Perhaps he was a conflicted man, both a believer and a sinner – a man who knew he was under the power of something stronger than himself and wanted to be set free.

Maybe he entered the synagogue that day praying for a cure. 

Jesus was exactly the person he needed to meet.

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At times we all need Jesus to cast something unclean out of us – a temptation, a particular sin, a grudge, or a habit.

While he doesn’t cast them out immediately, Jesus uproots these unholy things from our lives through prayer, and when possible, Eucharist. 

Slowly, he’s transforming us into the saints we’re destined to be.

As Saint Paul reminds us, “God, who has begun this good work within us, will bring it to fulfillment.”

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Gospel: Mark 1: 14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A few years ago, I spent the summer volunteering at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.

One morning I saw a blind priest shuffle in for Mass. He was old and frail, escorted in by a young man leading him to the altar.

“This will be interesting,” I thought. “How is this priest going to celebrate Mass? He can’t see the prayers!”

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But when he got to the altar, he kissed it, then grabbed an old tape player next to him. As he put the headphones on and started listening, I realized the prayers had been recorded. 

 “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he began.

That young man who ushered the priest in for Mass recorded the prayers for him each morning.

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It was the essence of friendship, a reminder that no one can make it through life alone. 

We all need someone who we can rely upon; someone to share our joys and shoulder our burdens.

It’s partly why Jesus chooses Peter, James, Andrew and John in today’s Gospel. 

He’s beginning his three-year ministry, but before he gets too far, even Jesus knows he’ll need a friend or two along the way.

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As it’s written in the Book of Sirach, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds it finds a treasure.”

It was true for Jesus. It was true for an old, blind priest. And it’s true for us.

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; they shoulder our burdens and lift our spirits. 

Who is such a friend for me? And how can I be that friend for others today?