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(Gospel passage: “Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.” Mark 7.24-30)

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Daily homily given on February 8, 2018:

There are a few scenes in the New Testament that seem strange, or hard to understand. For example, why would Jesus refer to a group of people as dogs? Is he being incredibly rude, or is he making a point, one that is often lost in a modern context?

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People living during Jesus’ time didn’t eat with forks, knives, and napkins; they ate with their hands. When their hands were dirty, they’d wipe them on a large piece of bread and throw the bread to their house pets, to their dogs.

Using this image, Jesus creates an analogy for his own ministry. He came to feed the Jews first; they were the chosen ones. But they have wiped their hands clean of the Gospel; they have rejected Jesus and his words and thrown them away, like bread tossed to a dog.

But notice how eagerly this woman consumes the words of Jesus. She is persistent and trusts that when he says her daughter is healed, she is.

And so in this woman we find the model for true discipleship. We do not need to be a Jew; rather, we must be like this foreigner, who approaches Jesus with absolute faith in his power to save.

How many of you have heard the song, Let It Go, from the hit movie Frozen? (Good! It’s been playing in my head all week!)

Let It Go topped the billboards for weeks in 2014 as millions of young people and their parents alike sang along to the catchy song … and millions still do!

Perhaps it’s such a big hit because there is something inside all of us that WE need to let go of.

As Queen Elsa sang from the mountaintops in Frozen:

“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the Queen…Don’t let them in, don’t let them see; conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know….

…Well now they know, let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore! Let it go!

On the surface, it seemed like Elsa had everything – beauty, a palace, and magical powers – but inside she was filled with sadness and fear. She needed to let these emotions go!

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In today’s Gospel there is a man who is a bit like Queen Elsa; there is something inside of him that he needs to let go of. It’s an evil spirit, a demon that keeps him from living a peaceful life.

The spirit controls him, making him act in strange ways. It even cries out from inside of him, saying:

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth! Have you come to destroy us?”

Surely everyone who saw this was terrified. This poor man needs to let this evil spirit go, but only Jesus can free him! …

And he does. Jesus reveals his power over evil by commanding the spirit, “Silence! Come out!”

Instantly, the man is free.

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Like Queen Elsa in Frozen, or this man in today’s Gospel, what do we need to let go of? Where do we need Jesus to say, “Silence! Come out!”

Is it an addiction to social media, our reliance upon the opinions of others, a grudge that we’ve nursed for too long, a sour relationship, the fear of being rejected, the fear of being alone, jealousy of others, our quest for perfection, or a pesky sin that never goes away?

What is it that we need to let go of?

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Sometimes these inner struggles can seem stronger than we are; they can take over our minds, keeping us from being at peace. But the Gospel teaches to give these burdens to Jesus. He has the power to heal us, to make us stronger, to set us free.

The key is to trust him. We have to believe that Jesus can say to those negative thoughts and feelings inside of us, “Silence! Come out!” … And they will leave us.

We may want that change to happen instantly like the man in today’s Gospel, but often such change takes time. Healing is a slow, gradual process that requires constant prayer and trust.

But Jesus will free us, if we let him.

In fact, Lent may be the perfect time for us to work on letting go of whatever is holding us back from being completely at peace. Identify the burden, give it to Jesus. Let him do the healing.

Then will we be able sing with Elsa, Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore!

 

I remember growing up asking my mom, “How will I know when I’m in love?” She’d always say, “My son, you’ll just know.”

I’m sure many of us have fallen in love. Can you remember that moment when you had butterflies in your stomach and you said to yourself, “She’s perfect!” Or, “He’s Mr. Right!” Or, “That’s the person I’m going to marry!”

A similar feeling happened when I realized God was inviting me to become a priest. It was like a moment frozen in time; I knew it was right.

And if you’re still married, or if you were married for many years, I’m sure you’d agree that saying “yes” is something that you must do repeatedly; remaining faithful in a marriage is a daily decision, much like living as a faithful priest, or as a disciple.

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 In today’s Gospel, Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave everything behind to follow Jesus. Maybe they didn’t have butterflies in their stomach, but they were converted on the spot.

So why were they able to drop their nets, leave their jobs and their families behind, and follow him? Were they in love? What was it about Jesus that moved them so deeply?

The simple answer is, “we don’t know.” But we can certainly speculate.

Jesus was a magnetic figure, filled with wisdom and power. His popularity spread quickly throughout the surrounding region as he performed miracles, instantly changing peoples’ lives.

Just as we “know” about celebrities, even if we’ve never met them, so these simple fishermen knew about Jesus before he set foot in their town.

Like many others, they admired Jesus from a distance, but they probably felt unworthy to approach him. Why would a man so powerful care about them – poor, uneducated, insignificant fishermen?

But they dreamed, they hoped, they might have even talked about Jesus together. Thus, when he issued the call, “Follow me,” they were READY.

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But as we travel with the Apostles through the Gospels, they’ll remind us that saying “yes” to Jesus was a daily decision. It doesn’t happen only once. And it never got easier. For example, what was the last thing Peter said about Jesus before Jesus was crucified? “I do not know him…”

Discipleship is always a challenge. But we are always invited by Jesus to say yes, just like the Apostles.

Perhaps we remember that moment when he first called us like the disciples in Galilee, or maybe we’ve always been blessed with faith. But we must always be open to his voice.

It’s not enough to know what Jesus said at the Sea of Galilee. We must also be ready to hear his voice in our own hearts…. and act on it.

Often God’s voice comes in subtle ways. Maybe he’ll speak to us through a conversation with friend or a priest. Maybe he’ll speak to us through a line in a book, a letter from a friend, or a scene from a movie.

These promptings can be just as much of a call from Jesus as the one he issued at the Sea of Galilee. Like the Apostles, we must be ready to act.

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Where is Jesus asking me to drop my nets and follow him? What is he asking me to leave behind? Is it a hurtful relationship, a stressful job, or a pesky sin?

Or is he asking me to start a new chapter in my life, one that requires an ever-deeper sense of faith?

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Jesus didn’t tell his disciples exactly what their future would bring, only that they would mysteriously fish for men. All that was clear to them was the call.

The same is true for us. We don’t know what the future holds, but the call from Jesus is clear. He says to us today, “Drop your nets and follow me.”

Are we ready to say yes?