Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 1: 21-28

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus 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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When I think of a sacred space, I think of this church. This altar. This pulpit. The Saints and the Stations of the Cross that line our walls.

Sacred spaces are filled with holy things that point us to God.

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In today’s Gospel, there’s a man with an unclean spirit present in the synagogue. This was a holy place, so why is he there?

Surely, he doesn’t belong.  

Or does he?

Maybe he went to the synagogue that day praying for a cure.

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Have you ever wondered who or what possessed him?

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The Gospel only tells us it was an, “unclean spirit.”

In the ancient world, many diseases and conditions which people could neither understand nor control were lumped together into the category of “unclean spirits.”

While this man could’ve been haunted by a demon, he also could’ve suffered from epilepsy; migraines; dementia; or simply an uncontrollable temper. 

Perhaps he was a conflicted man, both a believer and a sinner; a man who knew he was under the influence of something stronger than himself.

Whatever it was, this “unclean spirit” tortured him, isolating him from others. 

That’s the real evil here.

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This is the first miracle Jesus performs in Mark’s Gospel. 

He inaugurates his ministry in the synagogue – in a holy place – casting the unclean spirit out of a tortured man.

Because that’s where the Kingdom of God always begins to grow, taking root within the hearts of people, who though imperfect, believe that God has the power to act in their lives.

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Sometimes unclean spirits take up residence within us, too.

Like this man, we carry them into sacred spaces – into church, into our marriage, into our families, into our friendships, and into our workplaces. 

They isolate us, rob us of our freedom, and damage our relationships with others. 

In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul cautions us against falling prey to some of these vices, such as: laziness, immorality, impurity, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, excessive drinking, and envy. 

Things that can easily take root in any human heart. 

Paul himself says, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but what I hate…So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”

Even Paul wrestled with unclean spirits.

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What are some of the unclean spirits lodged in our hearts? What might Jesus seek to cast out from our lives? From our community? From the world around us? 

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The last year has taken many down a road filled with heartbreak, suffering, and anxiety, leaving us in need of the Lord’s healing touch.

Consider the children who will need social and emotional healing after learning online for nearly a year. Or parents working from home, also staring at a screen, instead of engaging with their colleagues. 

Or the toll taken on frontline medical workers and those quarantined, denied the comfort of human touch.

Or the soul of our nation, which has been ripped apart politically.

Or the needs of our own community, which has been scattered by this virus. When the coast clears, we’ll have lots of work to do in bringing our community back together.

Then there’s the healing we also may need on a personal level.

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So, how can Jesus heal us today?

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There are a variety of ways, but consider three examples.

First, the Lord heals us in the Eucharist, which is the Promised Presence of Christ. As Pope Francis says, “the Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect.” 

It’s a healing balm for the soul. 

Secondly, the Lord heals us with his Word. As it’s written in the Letter to the Hebrews, “The Word of God is living and effective.” 

It’s powerful; it changes lives. It’s changed my life!

This is why Deacon McKenna and I are offering a six-week study of Mark’s Gospel starting on Ash Wednesday. Join us! Come and see how deeply the Lord’s Word can impact our lives.

Finally, the Lord heals us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, removing guilt and burdens we no longer need to carry. 

Lent is approaching – the healing grace of reconciliation is available. I’d encourage everyone to consider coming to our communal penance service on March 15^th.

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“If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart,” the Psalmist says today. 

Our hearts – and by extension, our lives – are sacred spaces. But like the man in the Gospel, sometimes “unclean spirits” take up residence within us. It’s part of our fallen nature.

But the Lord stands ready to drive those things out of us. “Behold, I stand and knock,” Jesus says. “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”

Then, come Lord Jesus.

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Gospel: Mark 4: 26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In April 2020, a ninety-nine-year-old British World War Two veteran, Captain Tom Moore, wanted to raise money to support people who became ill with COVID-19.

He promised to walk one-hundred laps around his garden with his walker before his 100^th birthday, only a few weeks away.

His goal was $1,250.

Then his story went viral.

In all, Captain Tom captivated the hearts of 1.5 million people, raising over $40 million!

What started as a humble effort to help a neighbor exploded into a global obsession.

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Captain Tom’s story reminds us that God works in mysterious ways, using simple ideas and ordinary people to change the world.

Jesus starts with twelve Apostles.

A 99-year-old man fundraises $40 million.

A tiny mustard seed, as we hear in the Gospel, becomes the largest of bushes.

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Imagine what the Lord can do in this parish – and in our own lives – if we say, “yes.” Together we can do extraordinary things, one seed, one step, one dollar at time. 

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Gospel: Mark 4: 21-15

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; 
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, 
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given; 
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a towering intellect who lived in 13^th century Italy.

Any person studying for priesthood or religious life has read his works – perhaps some of you have, too.

It’s been said that Thomas wrote so much it would take a person 25 years of writing day and night in order to copy all of his works.

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But his academic success didn’t come without cost. Some of his closest peers – other monks living in the monastery with him – became terribly jealous.

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One day while having lunch, for example, a group of monks approached him and said, “Look! There’s a horse and chariot flying in the sky!”

Immediately, Thomas rushed to the window, looking up.

Seeing nothing there, he turned around and saw his brothers pointing and laughing at him, as if he were fooled.

Taking a deep breath, Thomas sighed and said, “I’d rather believe a horse could fly than believe my own brothers would lie to me.”

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Words are powerful. They’re meant to teach, to inspire, and to heal. 

Not to hurt. Not to lie.

As Jesus says in the Gospel, “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

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I wonder, then, what will our conversations sound like today?

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May they be filled with words of positivity, praise, and peace.

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