As Christians, we are called by Jesus to live lives of holiness, with the end goal of being saints. Saints are those who are about one thing. They know what God requires of them and they do it. We are invited to live a life of sanctity as well, no matter our age or our vocation. What we need to realize is that we cannot attain holiness on our own. For apart from Jesus we can do nothing, yet in participation with Jesus all things are possible. We also need to understand that Jesus is not “just an idea but a person” (Barron 6, 2016).

We receive a demanding challenge from this person in our Gospel reading from Luke today in an excerpt from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. This provides a nice opportunity for us to assess how we are doing in living our life as a Christian.

Let’s look at the first two. How many of us this week have been regularly loving our enemies or doing good to those who hate us? Let’s look at these two points a little more concretely, how did you react the last time you were cut off in traffic? Did you bless them with the sign of the cross or offer another gesture? What was your internal reaction the last time you perceived that someone was rude or impatient with you? Were you rude and impatient in return or understanding and patient?

How many people have you blessed this week that have cursed you and how many people did you pray for that mistreated you? I could go on, but I encourage you to read the entire account prayerfully and reflectively. Resist the temptation to slip into rationalizations and defensiveness or to throw your Bible or computer across the room.
Jesus is helping us to understand what love is. Love is not an emotion or about feeling good about yourself because you have done something nice for someone else. Love is not about giving to get something in return. Love is about willing the good of other as other and realizing that apart from placing ourselves in a position of receiving and experiencing the unconditional and merciful love of Jesus, we are not capable of loving others.

Jesus a little further on in his sermon shares that we are to: “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” We do not do forgiveness well. Thus, we do not experience forgiveness, and so remain stuck in a rut of unforgiveness which can grow into bitterness, division, polarization, and separation. I believe if we put more effort into consciously practicing forgiveness by asking Jesus first to forgive us, for what we have done and failed to do, we will experience his love and mercy more.

Lent is almost upon us. Lent is a good time to participate in the healing power of the sacrament of Reconciliation. By doing so we experience the love of being forgiven. Once we begin to experience forgiveness, we will be able to begin to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse and mistreat us. We will begin to offer the other cheek to the one who struck us, do to others what we would have them do to us, and be merciful because we have received the mercy of our Father in heaven.

Let us seek to be holy, to live as saints, to live as Jesus calls us to live in his Sermon on the plain, which is to be about one thing, opening our hearts and minds, applying our faith and reason, as we receive the love of Holy Spirit so to love God, ourselves and our neighbors as ourselves.

Photo accessed from: https://thepassionists.org/daily-reflections/the-lord-s-prayer-our-prayer-02-24-2015

Quote from Francis Cardinal George from the forward to: Barron, Robert. The Priority of Christ: Toward a Postliberal Catholicism. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, February 24, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022419.cfm

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them (Mk 9:2-3).

Peter, James and John experienced Jesus’ teachings with authority, his powerful signs and wonderous works, they also witnessed his healings, casting out of demons, and forgiveness of sins, all of which, helped them to experience the divine working through the flesh. Peter had just acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, yet he and Jesus’ inner circle were still working out what that meant. In the encounter of Jesus transfigured, Jesus revealed, not only a foretaste of what was to come in heaven, but a glimpse of his actual divinity.

Jesus is not 50% God and 50% human. Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is the Mystery of the Incarnation; the reality that the second Person of the Trinity took on flesh and became human. This is an important reality, because in this very act of Infinite Grace, Jesus, in the words of St. Irenaeus, opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed. The Son of God became one with us so that we can become one with him. Through our participation in the life of Jesus the Christ we can restore our relationship with his Father.

“By revealing himself God wishes to make [us] capable of responding to him, and of knowing him, and of loving him far beyond [our] own natural capacity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1997, 52). This reality of the invitation of communion with the Loving God and Father of all creation is for all, everyone, not just a select few. Our joy and fulfillment is achieved through saying yes to the invitation from the Holy Spirit and developing a relationship with the loving God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many may say they are happy and living a good life without having a relationship with Jesus or apart from God or his Church, and I would not disagree with them. I would only add that if we are honest with ourselves, there is more to life than the mere material and finite reality we see and experience with our senses. When we slow down enough, when we are actually still enough, we can sense a deeper yearning for more.

Even with great achievement, mastery, honor, and accumulation, there is still a lingering question, “Is this all there is?” We experience, mostly unconsciously, a restlessness. We continually search to fill this unease, feeling satisfied for the moment, but eventually in short order, we are left empty, time and time again. This unease is our soul’s yearning, our transcendent nature longing for more, and that longing is for the infinite that the finite cannot provide. St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) articulated this desire and yearning well in the opening chapter of his autobiography, Confessions: “You move us to delight in praising You; for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an invitation, not to reject our humanity, but to embrace the fullness of what it means to be human, as the Son of God did through his willingness to be sent, to be one with us, while remaining fully divine. We are invited to embrace the fullness of our humanity; the reality that we are physical, emotional, intellectual, while at the same time, spiritual beings. Our fulfillment and joy comes from a balance of nurturing each aspect of who we are in participation with Jesus.

Peter, James and John, as well as Augustine and the saints, embraced the invitation of Jesus to build a relationship and that has made all the difference. The Holy Spirit, the love shared between the Father and the Son, invites us to experience the same wonder, to explore the full breadth, depth, and width of all that our reason and faith can open for us, and go even further, to embrace the deepest yearning of our soul, that we may draw ever deeper into the intimacy of a loving relationship with God, ourselves, and each other.
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Photo: Icon of the Transfiguration accessed on Pinterest

Mass Readings for Saturday, February 23, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022319.cfm

Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is” (Mt. 16:13)?

If you heard or read the Gospel from yesterday, you may be experiencing a bit of deja vu. Yesterday, we heard from Mark’s account of this incident, and since today is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter we are hearing the same account again, although this time from Matthew’s Gospel.

Peter answers Jesus by saying that Jesus is: “The Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Mt: 16:16). In other words, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.

When we dig a little deeper, another question that might overshadow the question of who Jesus is, especially since on the 14th of February we remembered the first anniversary of the deaths in Florida of the fourteen youth who died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS. Since that time about 1,200 more youth have died from gun violence. The presidents of all the world wide bishops conferences are in the midst of a four day summit with Pope Francis in Rome to address the abuse of children. Children have been separated from their families while seeking asylum, are still separated from their families and two, Jakelin, seven years old, and Felipe, eight died while is US custody. Governor Cuomo of New York within the last month signed a law updating their 1970 law so that now a woman has the right to carry her child to term or abort the life of her child at any stage of the pregnancy.

What does Peter’s response have to do with the above examples of the stripping of the dignity of our children? Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. This means Jesus is one with us. The infinite reality of God is present within each human being that exists, because Jesus became one with us so that we can be one with him. We have been created in God’s image and likeness and this is true from the moment of our conception through each stage of life until natural death.

This means that Jesus has experienced the death personally of the fourteen youth who died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and the 1,200 plus since that day, Jesus experienced being abused through the children abused inside and out of the church, Jesus suffers with those fleeing violence only to be then separated at our US border, and experienced the death of Jakelin and Felipe, and he experiences the death of each and every life that is aborted. For what you do to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it to me (cf. Mt 25:31-46).

A culture of death will continue as long as we refuse to see the dignity present in each and every life we encounter. Human beings are not: illegal, to be objectified, property to be used, to be abused or to be disposed of. As we pray and work to bring about a culture that supports life we also must remember that pain, injustice, suffering, and death do not have the last word. Jesus suffered and died and he conquered death.

Let us  place our trust in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, let us turn to him in prayer, with our anger, our doubt, our pain, and yearning for justice and protection for the most vulnerable among us. Let us respect, be present, and support those in our realm of influence and while we strive for change, may we find some comfort in the words of Fr. James Martin, S.J.: “Life is stronger than death. Love stronger than hatred. Hope is stronger than despair. Nothing is impossible with God.”

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Photo: Circle of Longing: Tacloban Slum, Philippines by hotpasta

Final quote, came from a talk given by Fr. James Martin, S.J. given on April 22, 2014 titled On Pilgrimage with James Martin, SJ, Fordham University.

Link for Mass readings for Friday, February 22, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022219.cfm

“Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Mk 8:33).

Peter received this rebuke from Jesus only moments after he recognized Jesus as the Christ. This was a significant insight inspired by God, but he was still seeing Jesus from the limited perspective of his preconceived notion of who the Messiah was to be. Peter was not alone in this presumption. For some five hundred years the chosen people were awaiting the promise and fulfillment of the Messiah. The greater majority sought a Messiah in the mold of a new King David. One who politically, and if is necessary militarily, would liberate the people from their Roman oppression.

The Messiah would set things right. The Messiah would restore proper order politically, but also spiritually. Many of the Jews were not happy with the alliance that the Sadducees, who held control over the Temple, had with Rome.

Peter got the first part right when he answered the question Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am” (Mk 8:27), but he saw not the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 but most likely some other view of the Messianic hope of Israel. When Jesus began to build on Peter’s first insight by sharing how he would suffer, be rejected, and killed, he probably did not even hear anything about rising on the third day. He pulled Jesus aside and began to rebuke him!

We can learn from Peter’s boldness. In both instances, Peter confidently shared what he believed. In the first insight, that Jesus is the Christ, he was on target. In the second, he was off the mark by not understanding the reality of Jesus’ impending suffering and death, and was corrected. Peter stated what he believed, sometimes insightful, sometimes shortsighted, yet through each experience he learned. Sometimes they were hard lessons, such as when he rejected Jesus three times. Yet Peter kept coming back to Jesus. We can state clearly that Peter was not lukewarm and/or indecisive.

I tend to be more cautious, reflective and often indecisive. I could use more of Peter’s boldness. What doesn’t work is being afraid of making mistakes. Jesus shared a key lesson with Peter that we need to fully appreciate, and that is, we need to understand things from God’s perspective. Our discernment in this area will only improve as we build our relationship with God, as did Peter’s.

Making mistakes, sinning, falling for temptations is not so much the problem as is trying to rationalize or justify them, and staying in a state of self justification when we become aware of them. We need to face them with contrition, seek forgiveness, and learn from them if we are to mature in our relationship with God and no longer be enslaved by our weaknesses. The good news is that we are not alone. Jesus walks with us each step of the way. Will he convict us and rebuke us as he did with Peter? Absolutely, because he loves us and seeks the best for us, but he will also provide the support and empowerment we need to get the most effective balance of boldness and humility.

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Painting: St Peter – Guido Reni, 1634

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, February 21, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/8:27

In today’s Gospel from Mark we are able to witness the healing of a blind man. Like the healing of the deaf man (cf. Mk 7:31-37), Jesus again uses his own saliva in the healing process showing the intimacy and closeness of each encounter. The difference this time is that this man does not receive a full and complete healing the first time. Jesus laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly (Mk 8:25).

Often with Jesus there are instant healings, as well as healing without touch. What might be happening here? Maybe it is because Jesus meets each person where they are at. He invites us into the process of healing and each person has a different response, even to the point of saying no to the invitation to heal. Remember how Jesus was only able to heal a few people while in his own home town of Nazareth?

Our reading of the two miraculous healings of the deaf and blind men also are to move us deeper than the literal physical healing. Each of us suffer from both spiritual deafness and blindness to some degree. We come to hear and see God’s will for us gradually. As I shared a few days ago, if we knew God’s intention for us early on, we might be crushed with the weight of our own doubt! If someone told me when I was in high school that I would be a teacher or that I would preach to a whole church assembly in English and in Spanish, I would have quietly turned away from them and camped in a stand of white birch across from the old oak tree in the field behind our house for a few days.

Yet, Jesus met me where I was at. Around the time I was a junior in high school, he invited me through an interim pastor to teach Sunday school classes to three boys and about a year later I gave a children’s sermon to the children and the congregation. During my sophomore year of college, I switched my major from psychology to elementary education, and through college I worked second shift as a nursing aid. After graduation, my first teaching position was with the Audubon Society, so I had the comfort of teaching in my natural element of the woods.

Each of these experiences of saying yes to the invitations of Jesus, were like Jesus sharing his saliva on the tongue of the man with the speech impediment and the eyes of the man born blind. Each opportunity, Jesus was inviting me out beyond my comfort zone. My default position today is still more often than not to be silent rather than to speak, but I have come to hear and see God’s will and direction a little clearer. Trust that he has done the same for you and that he is not done with either of us yet!

Photo: Returning to Rosarian Academy to share the commencement address a few years ago.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, February 20, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022019.cfm

Today’s account from the Gospel of Mark is a continuation from what we read yesterday when Jesus convicted the Pharisees for demanding a sign. He recognized their hardness of heart and hypocrisy and with the opportunity of being together in the boat, Jesus seized on this encounter as a teachable moment. He wanted to warn those of his inner circle to be aware not follow the same path of corruption when he enjoined them: “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mk 8:15).

The disciples missed the point as they focused on the literal reality that they only had one loaf of bread among them. Jesus was warning his followers about the danger of pride, seeking honor, power, and fame that has lead the Pharisees and Herod astray. To be his followers, striving to place self first would be not only the undoing of each of them, but have a dramatic effect on those who they would be charged to care for.

Unfortunately, too many have not heeded the teachable moment that Jesus offered to his disciples regarding being aware of the corrupting leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. One of the worst expressions and deepest degradations of this kind of destructive behavior has been witnessed by the vast world-wide cases of abuse of minors, women and at-risk adults within and without of the Church, documented and undocumented.

The reasons for such abuse are multilayered and complex, yet one thing is clear, those who seek to abuse will continue to search for opportunities to do so. Pope Francis has called for the leaders of the bishops conferences world wide to come together for a four day summit this Thursday. Let us pray that their efforts be led by the Holy Spirit so to build on those provisions already put in place since 2002, demand more transparency with past cases of abuse, put in place provisions to hold bishops accountable, provide greater access for those wishing to come forward to share their stories, to give voice to the voiceless, as well as allow greater access to healing resources.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna who has been a champion in fighting abuse, provides some hope. He was recently asked in a press conference about the upcoming summit regarding whether the code of silence has any place in the church today, and he said, “We have to break away from the code of silence; we must break away from any complicity to deny, only the truth will make us free.”

We too need to do our best to be aware of what Jesus shared. We too need to be aware of the sinful leaven that would seek to undo each of us. It is easy to point fingers. Let us choose God over our own self serving pursuits, seek to live simple and holy lives while seeking to be aware of the needs of others and working to serve, protect, and empower the dignity of those in our midst each day.

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Photo: Archbishop Charles Scicluna accessed from http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2015/03_04/2015_03_02_Matthew_Today_Scicluna_s.htm

Scicluna quote from Gerard O’Connell article: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/02/18/vatican-emphasizes-transparency-and-accountability-upcoming-sex-abuse-summit

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, February 19, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021919.cfm

“Give me a sign!”

Often, when we ask for a sign, we have a preconceived notion of what we are seeking and we want God’s stamp of approval on it. The impetus is coming from us, seeking to bend the will of God to our will. More often times than not this approach will end in frustration. The Pharisees in today’s account are asking for a sign. Jesus has already been preaching with authority, healing, casting out unclean spirits and demons, encountering the unclean and restoring them to the community and right worship, and this is not enough?

We can understand how: He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” (Mk 8:12). The Pharisees minds were set. Jesus knew there was nothing he could say or do to prove to them he was who he said he was; the kingdom of God at hand. If they had not eyes to see and ears to hear there was no argument, point, or sign that would have changed their minds. Jesus sighed from the depths of his spirit because their hearts were hardened such that they closed themselves off from the gift of the grace he sought to share. So he then got into the boat to go to the other shore, to share his message with others: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15).

The question for us today is, do we believe that this statement is still true, that Jesus is who he says he is; do we believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6)? Do we seek to bend God’s will to our own will or seek to align our will with his? The woman with the hemorrhage for twelve years, the woman whose daughter was possessed, the friends with the man with the withered hand, and the leper, did not ask for a sign, they asked for a healing. They trusted, believed, and risked getting closer to Jesus so to encounter him despite the barriers in place to prevent them. In each case Jesus recognized their faith and each received the healing they sought.

In our discernment we need to be aware of our intent. There is a subtle distinction, but it is important. Are we seeking proof, a sign, or are we placing ourselves in a posture of believing but seeking to understand God’s will, as Mary did when she asked, “How can this be” (Lk 1:34)? Are we demanding proof, a three point plan from God before we follow his lead, or do we trust his invitation, and seek to understand how he wants us to act, knowing that he will reveal what we need to do each step of the way? Often times, if we knew the end result of his original request, our doubt would crush our spirit before we even started.

Let us embrace a posture of faith seeking understanding today, trust Jesus, and seek to align our will with God our Father. May we make time to be still and enter a place of prayer to open our heart and mind to the leading of the Holy Spirit. May we then come to a place of confidence, so to say in the words of Mary, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), then arise to grasp the hand of her Son, Jesus, and face head on that which is before us, to accomplish that which he calls us to do, knowing that with Jesus, we can overcome any obstacle that is placed before us.

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Photo: “Rostro de Christo” – Face of Christ – from cathopic.com

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, February 18, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021819.cfm

In today’s Gospel, Luke records Jesus sharing his sermon on the plain. Jesus is making a distinction: “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied” and “Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” Jesus is addressing that which truly satisfies and fulfills us as human beings.

Each of us ultimately want to be happy. If we follow the trail of any thought we entertain, decision or action we make, and that which we are willing to allow or bring into our presence, we can see at its root in each instance is seeking to be happy. The challenge is to discern and determine which are apparent goods and which are true goods. What will truly fulfill us not just in the moment, but will satisfy us for the long term, and in Jesus’ presentation, what will satisfy us for eternity.

If we are full such that our hunger is satisfied, we have little if any desire to seek to satisfy our hunger. If we are constantly satisfying our hunger with those foods, activities and expending of our time in apparent goods, we may not be aware that we are filling ourselves with those things that are not truly satisfying, and when we hunger again, we try to keep filling ourselves with those things. We can eat a whole bag of potato chips, a half gallon of your favorite ice cream, a whole pizza, and find satisfaction in the moment, be full for the moment, but in constantly filling ourselves with such as these, over time our health will suffer, “Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.” 

We can apply this to anything, our entertainment, occupation, how we spend our time, who we spend our time with, what we do with our time. At some point, we become aware that we are filling ourselves up with that which is not fulfilling, that will continue to leave us empty, because nothing in the material or finite realm will satisfy. We have been created for something more, to be in relationship with God and one another.

The good news is that all of us are hungry for God. Are we are aware that is who we are hungry for? Many times I am thirsty, but go to get something to eat instead. The food does not satisfy because I have discerned poorly that which I truly needed, which was water. We need to resist the temptations of material and finite allurements which may truly be good in and of themselves, but not so if we place them as foundational to our happiness and fulfillment.

We need to acknowledge out hunger for God, we need to trust in Jesus our Lord, and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and when we do so we will be, “like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).

Jesus is the wellspring that never dries up, and is the living eternal source that fulfills us. JoAnn and I are sorting through many of the material items that have been taking up space for years. I have just let go of items I have been carrying with me since I was a kid, comic collections, hockey cards, role playing games and the like. As we let go of our attachments, we are discerning what in our life is helping to bring us closer to God and each other. We are setting our roots deeper and reaching for the living water that will truly sustain us, Jesus the Christ.

Photo by Min An from Pexels

Link to the Gospel readings for Sunday, February 17, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021719.cfm

As Christians we are called to be disciples of Jesus, to learn his teachings and follow his ways. We are also called to be apostles in that we are to go out, proclaim and share who he is to others, that he is who he said he is. Often when we are reminded of this message though, we may feel inadequate, question what it is that we can even possibly offer in an effort to help build the kingdom of God. We may feel we have nothing to share, nothing to give, nothing to say, or that what the Lord asks of us, we do not know how to accomplish.

The disciples express similar feelings today for the latter point. As the thousands who had just listened to him for three days are readying to depart, Jesus shows concern that they are hungry and some may collapse on their way home. The disciples look about bewildered as to how they could possibly feed the vast crowd. Then Jesus asked,  “How many loaves do you have” (Mk 8:5)? They responded that they had seven loaves and two fish. Jesus would go on to feed, not only the whole multitude gathered, but when all ate their fill, seven baskets of bread fragments were left over.

We indeed may not know how to take active steps to live our faith, we may not be aware of how to begin, or we may have actually been engaged in service, in our vocation, but start to coast, and need to continue to strive to mature as a disciple and apostle. Each day, a supportive way to start is to place ourselves in the presence of Jesus. If we have trouble visualizing him, we can look at a statue we may have, a picture, or an icon. Then take some deep breaths and meditate on our present life condition, and assess where there is need in our own life as well as those of others, so to be aware, as Jesus was, of those in need. Once we are able to identify a concern, listen to Jesus, “What do you have, what can you offer?”

You may not have an immediate answer. Stay with the question for a period of time, take it with you through the day if need be. Resist looking for the big response, the grand plan. Ask yourself what you can offer no matter how small. What you give to Jesus in service and participation with him, he can multiply and bring about amazing results. The disciples only gave him seven loaves and two fish, what seemed insignificant to feed the thousands, and yet, Jesus multiplied the meager amount to feed all present with seven baskets left over. Jesus provides, Jesus works through us. Let us trust and participate with him to spread the glory of his kingdom.

Photo: Statue of Jesus in the Chapel of St Anthony at St Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, February 16, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021619.cfm

Those who witnessed Jesus healing the man who was deaf with a speech impediment grasped something more than just the healing when they stated: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mk 7:37). With these words they are acknowledging the deliverance of Israel by the Lord, promised by the prophet Isaiah, when he mentioned how, “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared” (Isaiah 35:5).

The beauty of this healing may be missed by us in the modern age because of the graphic nature of the details used by Mark. Jesus places his fingers in the man’s ears, spits into his own hands and then touches the man’s tongue. Jesus is mixing his own saliva with this man in need of healing. We don’t even share drinks from the same container anymore like we used to when we were kids!

Jesus is showing the intimacy of communion that he offers us. He gave this man the very essence of his own being that it would be mingled with this man. This is a physical teaching, an image or icon, of how the Son of God, in no way diminishing the fullness of his divinity, entered into the very real corporality of our humanity. He became one with us so that we can become one with him. This was true then and it is still true for us today!

We all suffer with physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual trials. But we also suffer from not being able to hear God’s word, and so are mute in speaking his word. Jesus, even if he does not provide a healing or an immediate solution to a trial, though he may, is present in our lives. We are invited to consciously resist the temptation to avoid our suffering, pain, or challenges that face us and instead are invited to deal with and enter into them. We are not expected to do this alone, but to bring our need for healing to Jesus. In this way we are aligning our suffering with his on the Cross. While at the same time when we also choose to offer up our pain and suffering on behalf of another, we participate in redemptive suffering. Others can experience relief and healing from our sacrifice in participation with Jesus.

This act of the will gives meaning to our suffering such that we do not endure what we are going through in vain. May we embrace, head on, that which is presented before us, actualizing the guidance of Jesus as well as the advances of modern medicine, science, and psychology, embracing a posture that engages both faith and reason. Our approach will be best if we are more mindful and balanced with our discernment. Just masking struggles without dealing with the root cause will only prolong and possibly worsen the condition.

Jesus still heals today and does so most powerfully when we beg him to lay his hand on us like the deaf man in today’s Gospel account. In this way, we too can hear his word, speak his word, and love one another. Jesus also heals others through us. With ears open to the hear God, we become more open to hearing the needs of others. May we make the time to be present to one another and to listen and hear one another. What greater gift of healing, of love can we give to another than to acknowledge that we have heard them and they have experienced that they have been heard?

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Painting: Jesus heals the deaf man – by James Tissot

Link for the Mass reading for Friday, February 15, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021519.cfm