Fr Kevin Kilgore

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A reading from the Letter of Saint James 5: 13-15:

“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.”

The Word of the Lord.

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(The above reading was selectively chosen for today’s Feast, the Feast of Saint André Bessette.)

Often when we think about the Saints, we honor their courage; their willingness to suffer; or the extraordinary lengths they’ve gone to in order to spread the Gospel.

Think of people Saint Paul, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

Today’s feast, honoring Saint André Bessette, challenges that notion of “greatness” a bit. We might place André in the category of the “little” Saints, those who did nothing extraordinary in the eyes of the world … but are extraordinary in the eyes of the Church.

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André was orphaned at age 12. He grew up in very poor health with almost no formal education. 

But by the age of 25, he discovered his purpose: God was calling him to religious life. After initially being rejected, André was admitted into the Society of Holy Cross Priests. 

He was never ordained a priest; rather, he became a religious brother, who spent his days as a doorman at Notre Dame College in Montreal. Aside from opening doors and greeting visitors, André prayed for those who were ill.

Miraculously, thousands were been healed through his intercession. He credited the healings to Saint Joseph, whom André always held a deep devotion to.

After saving up $200 by giving haircuts for 5 cents each (that’s 4,000 haircuts!), André opened a shrine to Saint Joseph on October 19, 1904. It became so popular that a basilica was later erected in its place, which you can still visit today!

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Brother André died at the age of 91 on January 6, 1937. During the week that his body lay in state, an estimated 1 million people braved the Canadian cold to pay their respects. 

His intercession is still sought by many today. 

If you are in need of any particular healing, take the time to say the prayer of intercession to Saint André below:

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Prayer to Saint André for Healing

Saint André,

I come to you in prayer for healing.

(state your intention)

You were no stranger to illness.

Plagued by stomach problems,

you knew suffering on a daily basis,

but you never lost faith in God.

Thousands of people have sought your healing touch

as I do today.

Pray that I might be restored to health

in body, soul and mind.

With St. Joseph as my loving Protector,

strengthen my faith and give me peace

that I might accept God’s will for me

no matter what the outcome.

Amen.

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Image credits: (1) Sam the Christian, Medium (2) The Catholic Register (3) holycrosscongregation.org

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Gospel: John 1: 43-51

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. 
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
But Nathanael said to him,
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” 
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure many of us could count on one hand the number of arguments we’ve won with words. 

Maybe none.

These days, there’s often an unwritten rule in social circles: do not speak about politics, religion, or even COVID, unless everyone present already agrees.

Arguments are rarely won with words.

What changes a person’s perspective is personal experience.

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In today’s Gospel, Philip tells his friend, Nathanael, that he’s found Jesus, the one whom all of the prophets have foretold!

Nathanael doesn’t believe him. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” he says skeptically, as if he’s picking a fight.

Instead of arguing with him, Philip simply says, “Come and see.”

Nathanael needs that personal experience with Jesus before he can change his mind and, ultimately, believe.

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I’m sure we all know someone like Nathanael, who’s lacking faith in God, faith in the Church, or both.

Lofty arguments are unlikely to persuade them; what we can do is invite them to, “Come and see.”

After all, it’s written into our parish vision statement! (“We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”)

We invite people here. Then, like Philip, we leave the rest to Jesus. 

I’ve seen it happen many times: the love that people experience in our community does, in fact, convert minds and hearts.

“Come and see!”

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Image credits: (1) Christ Church United Methodist (2) Matt’s Bible Blog, WordPress (3) Hampton Roads Church

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Gospel: John 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

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Whenever someone is given a name in the bible, it means that person has given a special mission by God.

The name, “Jesus,” for example, comes from the Hebrew name Yeshua, meaning, “to deliver or to rescue.” Thus, Jesus will “rescue” God’s people from death.

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In the sacrament of Confirmation, we are also given a new name. It’s meant to signify either our purpose in life, or to acknowledge someone who’s inspired us on our journey of faith.

For example, my confirmation name is Francis after Saint Francis De Sales, who, wrote a book called An Introduction to the Devout Life.

He wrote this book to a fictional person named Philothea, meaning, “Lover of God.” It’s why I chose the name, Francis.

All I want to be in life is a, “lover of God.”

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Do you have a confirmation name? Or a favorite Saint?

How does that person inspire you?

Maybe it’s Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of animals. Or Thérèse of Lisieux, the Patron Saint of missionaries and the sick.

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This Feast of the Holy Name reminds that we all have a “name,” and by extension, a calling in life.

Jesus came to save us from our sins.

I’m aspiring to be a “lover of God.”.

What about you?

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Image credits: (1) Reston Bible Church (2) CatholicArt, Pinterest (3) oneintheirhearts.com, WordPress