healing

“A bright cloud cast a shadow over them…”

Our life can be an experience both of sadness and joy, desolation and consolation, doubt and hope. We can experience an ebb and flow where we suffer from trials and also celebrate triumphs. The key to living a life of faith is to seek God in either experiences. Jesus today provides an opportunity for Peter, James, and John, the inner circle of the Twelve, to experience an expression of his divinity for he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. (Mt 17:2). Jesus revealed his divine nature to his disciples in a powerful display to prepare them for the Passion that he was about to endure. The experience is also a foreshadowing of his Resurrection.

Jesus, in this living word proclaimed or read today, invites us to experience the Transfiguration, the Passion, and the Resurrection in our own lives. We can miss a transfigured moment when we assume a posture of pride, not acknowledging God’s leading by believing we achieved or arrived at our present station in life on our merits alone. We can experience moments of transfiguration when we acknowledge that God breaks into our lives at that moment when we need him most and recognize the assistance he has given us, and/or when he has revealed to us the path and direction we were to take. The natural response is to offer prayers of thanksgiving, recognizing that we don’t go it alone, that God and those he sends to help us are a tremendous support.

Jesus is also present in our desolations. Many of us run from our suffering, we are afraid of the Cross. But it is through the Cross that we come to experience the Resurrection. We may not be aware, but when we run away from our suffering, we are running away from Jesus who awaits us with arms wide open to embrace us; to comfort us, heal us, and transform us. To experience the embrace of Jesus, we need to be willing to face our suffering.

Jesus cares from the deep place of understanding in experiencing his own tremendous suffering. He in the Garden of Gethsemane sought another way than the Cross, he asked for the cup of his death to be taken away, but he chose his Father and his will. He obeyed and set his face firm and accepted the upcoming suffering and death. In doing so, he then was also to experience his Resurrection and Ascension. Jesus now in his glorified body can be there for all of us, to lead us through our sorrows and trials.

The older I get, the crucifix becomes more of a consolation. This icon of Jesus, his body broken, emptied out for us on the cross, represents how he entered the full range of our human condition. He assumed our sin, our anxiety, fear, and selfishness, and transformed the worst of our fallen nature through his love such that we are offered the opportunity to be forgiven and redeemed. The crucifix is not a sign of despair, but of hope and transfiguration, for it reminds us that no matter what we go through, what trial that we may be in the midst of at this very moment, Jesus understands and is present with us.

Looking and meditating upon Jesus on the Cross has provided me moments of transfiguration, granting me the courage that I did not have to face various conflicts, challenges, and trials, which has only increased in my first year and half as a priest. And in facing each challenge for myself as well as those I pray for, Jesus has been by my side. As he looks down from the cross he loves us despite our sins, our weaknesses, and failures and is willing to lead and accompany us through the ups and downs of life, so that we too may be renewed and transformed.

The transfiguration was for Peter, James, and John a preparation for the glory of Jesus’ crucifixion. Their experience strengthened them as they witnessed the horror of their teacher and friend’s death and the struggles they would face in their the ministry. May we spend some time mediating and praying with the words of today’s gospel, experience again the glory that Peter, James, and John did, and savor that gift. May we breathe in deep the radiant light of the Father shining through the clouds and experience the love of the Trinity so that we too may face with Jesus, what rises before us. All is grace, as long as we bring all we experience to Jesus, and follow his guidance.

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Photo: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, March 1, 2026

 

 

Our words matter, and often they begin with our thoughts.

Jesus calls us to be holy, each and every one of us. Our life is to be lived with the end goal being heaven, to be in union with our loving God and Father for all eternity, and to assist others to do the same. Jesus provides for us a concrete example of the heights to which we are called to reach: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna” (5:21-22). Jesus is building on the Torah, the Law or the Teachings, by helping us to realize that we cannot only kill with weapons but also inflict dehumanizing and debilitating damage with our words.

To resist this temptation of inflicting mortal wounds, we need to start participating in a deeper examination of interior life which gets to the roots of our own thoughts, words, and actions. If we are not able to discipline our thoughts, what will follow is undisciplined words, and then undisciplined actions. This slippery slope can lead to entertaining and embracing the deadly sin of wrath. Wrath is unbridled anger that leads someone away from the capacity to think or behave in a rational manner, such that this individual would no longer acknowledge the dignity of the person they would inflict their wrath upon.

Jesus never settled for a minimalist approach to our faith. He consistently provides teaching, examples, and most importably the grace for us to see that we can be free of the temptation of wrath if we recognize the danger and destruction of unleashing words as weapons. Jesus the examples of calling someone, Raqa, meaning something along the lines of an air-head or an idiot, and calling someone a fool. These words directed at another have no other cause than to demean, degrade, belittle, and harm. This language, and worse, has no business coming out of the mouths of a disciple of Christ. If we are serious about being one of his followers, we need to make a decision regarding how we think, speak, and act.

I remember a moment in sixth or seventh grade letting loose a derogatory word or two toward a classmate. Even though they were tossed out in jest, I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. God convicted my heart in that graced moment and I felt contrition, actual sorrow for the negativity and poison I had unleashed. I remember making a commitment to myself not to speak that way toward another person again.

Our words have the power to wound or to heal. If we are serious about following Jesus, fasting from gossip and from words that belittle, divide, diminish, or dehumanize is a good practice to engage in this Lent. Jesus wants us to remove any and all obstacles that would prevent us from growing in his unconditional love for him and one another. Instead of hurtful, we can share words that empower, uplift, and comfort or at least listen more and speak less. Even when we disagree with another’s point of view, we can do so by still respecting the person and fostering dialogue.

We are to love, to will the good of each other, and pray for each other in all circumstances. In this way, our words will be kinder as we resist entertaining negative or dehumanizing thoughts. Our faces are good barometers. Even when we have defensive musings resulting from another’s disparaging tone, words, or actions, we need to resist entertaining them. When we are aware of and feel our own facial gestures, we can identify our mental reactions, and begin to breathe, pray to the Holy Spirit for understanding, pray for the person, and if necessary hold each other accountable with boundaries and respect. Just this shift in attitude can make a big difference.

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Photo: May God bless you with a peaceful mind and heart this day that you can share with others. If you need to clear your head from some anxiety or frustration, a nice walk may help!

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, March 27, 2026

Greater than Solomon and Jonah.

There is something greater here! Something greater than the wisdom of Solomon and something greater than the preaching of Jonah. Someone greater than the kings and the prophets who went before. Jesus.

We are called to live our faith out in Jesus daily. This is not a part-time vocation. We all have a unique gift in the dignity we have been conceived and born with. We have a unique way to express and live out our dignity as well. We have been created in the image of God, but through sin, we have lost our likeness to him. We are tempted, misdirected, distracted, and diverted from experiencing God’s love for us and plan for our lives and this can lead us away from God. The further away from God we are the more our likeness to him diminishes. Jesus calls us back to spend time with his and our Father so that we can be forgiven, healed. As we do so and grow in our relationship with him, our likeness is restored more and more.

As Jesus taught, often in his parables, the kingdom of Heaven on earth starts small, like a mustard seed, like yeast, and develops slowly when nurtured. Lent is a good time to slow down, step back, take a retreat even while in the midst of our everyday activities. We just need to insert some intentional and dedicated time to spend with God alone each day. In doing so, we will better come to know him, his word, and guidance.

One of the reasons we may feel a bit restless is that we are engaged in activities in our lives that miss the mark of who we were created for. We are missing the relationship with God that he is inviting us to participate in because we are allowing ourselves to be distracted and too busy to see where we have been led astray. The sign of Jonah that Jesus offers us is repentance. The whole of Nineveh repented even though Jonah was hoping that they would not. He hoped they would be punished by God! Jesus seeks our repentance, our willingness to turn back to see the open arms of our God and Father wide open ready to receive us, to lead us back to the truth of who we are as his beloved daughter or son.

If you are feeling a bit restless, on edge, or out of sync, I invite you to make some time to be still and breathe, this can be while in the shower, when you have some breakfast, a morning walk, or taking a sip of coffee or tea. During this time ask God for some guidance. We can ask him to help us see those areas that we need to repent from and let go of, those thoughts, words, and actions that keep us distracted, redirected, and off-kilter as to who God is calling us to be. We can then confess to him and receive his forgiveness and reconciliation.

God invites us to create times of silence to sit with our wounds and traumas. Many times we do not want to be still or quiet because there may be unresolved issues, hurts, and/or pain that we would rather not face. We may believe the lie that if we allow ourselves to feel what is deep down there, that we will be completely undone. God is present and waiting, inviting us to come to experience acceptance and love as we are, to feel safe, and honest. From this place of vulnerability, we begin with simple steps of trusting in Jesus and his healing.

Jesus said in today’s Gospel that, “There is something greater here.” Christianity is not a secret sect. We are called to share the joy, the forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation we experience from God with others, even with, as Jonah found out, our enemies. We are to look for opportunities to offer a smile, an encouraging word, to reach out to someone we have been meaning to connect with for a while, in person or far away, and/or someone that we may sense just needs a listening ear. We can also can ask for God’s patience so that we may react less and become more understanding and present. There may be places we are hurting and this is true for so many others.

Lent can be a joyful time when we enter into the season with the intent to deepen our walk with the One who is wiser than Solomon and preached repentance and reconciliation. With our hearts and minds turned back and open to God, Lent will not so much be a drudgery to endure, but a joyful embrace of the opportunity for experiencing a change of mind more open to dialogue, forgiveness, healing, sharing joy, reconciliation, and contributing to building up the kingdom of God one healing at a time! Hurt people can hurt people, and hurt people can also experience the healing of Jesus and become people who are healing and willing to help heal people.

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Photo: Who is greater than the One who is willing to give his life for us and seeks our healing and redemption? Quiet time of prayer in the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola after Bishop Manuel DeJesus Rodriguez’s ordination.

link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, March 25, 2026

“I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

Think about how good we feel after coming to be on the other side of healing from a bad cold or the flu, recovering from a twisted ankle, a broken collar bone, or other health conditions. If you have ever experienced an asthma attack or had the breath knocked out of you, it is such a relief to able to breathe fully again. We experience a feeling of wholeness that was missing during the midst of our suffering where we may have pondered a time or two whether or not we would ever get better.

The same can be said for estranged relationships. There is a distance of separation that can be agonizing, an inner gut-wrenching experience that gnaws away at us. We wonder if there can ever be a coming back together. When there is reconciliation, forgiveness, and mending of the brokenness, we can experience relief, lightness, and joy that we never imagined possible while in the midst of the conflict, the silence, and the separation.

Sin damages our relationship with God and one another. Unchecked and unbridled sin can rupture those relationships. The Pharisees and the scribes questioned why Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus replied: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5:32).

Jesus is a light in the darkness. For Levi and his friends, who were ambling in the darkness, Jesus shone gently and warmly. They realized there was a sage path to walk and they did. A great celebration of fellowship ensued in Levi’s home because these men and women, who had been outcasts, who were separated from the greater community were forgiven, welcomed, and embraced. They were loved by Jesus as they were. They did not have to change first for Jesus to call Levi and gather with them.

They were welcomed into the kingdom and reign of God. Their ticket to reconciliation and healing was accepting the invitation of Jesus, to receive and experience his love and welcome. Levi and the other sinners did not run from the light of Jesus, but were willing to recognize their need for healing, were willing to repent, to turn away from their prior ways of life, and so were reborn!

They were divinized because of their willingness to participate in the life of Jesus. Levi chose not to just be a repentant sinner, but continued to follow Jesus. He gave his whole life to him and allowed himself to be transformed. He chose to leave the path of darkness and to follow the Way. He continued to follow Jesus such that it was no longer he who lived, as Paul had experienced, but Christ who lived in him (cf. Galatians 2:20)!

Jesus invites us, as he invited Levi, to come and follow him. We are given the same invitation and opportunity for healing, discipleship, and transformation. Will we resist rationalizing and justifying our sinful thoughts, actions, and habits, welcome the light of Jesus that reveals our venial and mortal sins, and admit that we are in need of healing, repent, be forgiven, and be released from all the energy we have expended in protecting and hiding from ourselves and our God who loves us more than we can ever mess up?

We say yes, by quietly spending time, especially each evening, and recalling our day. When we are willing, Jesus reveals to us those ways in which we have not lived according to his will. Jesus does not reveal our sins to condemn or shame us, he does so to convict us in the hope that we will identify, renounce, and confess them. Then he will forgive us. Even when uncovering deeply rooted and mortal sins, through the intimate encounter with Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we will be forgiven and freed.

Jesus loves us as we are. Yet holding on to our sin, keeps us at a distance from experiencing the greater breadth and depth of his love. We only need to be willing to be contrite, to embrace sorrow for the harm we have inflicted with our personal sins, and go to the Divine Physician in our time of prayer and/or Reconciliation. Once absolved, the heavy weight is lifted and we are healed and go forward into the light to engage in penance, atone for our sins, and are better able to forgive others as we have been forgiven, and to love as we have been loved!

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Photo: Jesus is the light that reveals the path to lead us out of darkness.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, February 21, 2026

Let us take up our cross and walk into the light of Jesus.

Jesus said to his disciples, all who could hear him, and his words have rippled out to his disciples in each successive generation up today: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). We can best take up our cross daily by putting into practice the three pillars of Lent offered yesterday, which are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. These disciplines aid us in resisting the temptations from those substitutes that we can place before God, seeking our fulfillment, stability, and security in power, pleasure, honor, and wealth apart from or instead of God. We can also allow ourselves to be tempted to stray from the guidance of the 10 Commandments as well as succumb to the root causes of all our sins found in the six capital or deadly sins: Avarice or greed, and some would include sorrow as another capital sin, envy, pride, wrath or anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

Giving ourselves some time to be still and to breathe deeply is a good, intentional action to begin Lent. It is important to make such a simple practice of recollection a daily routine. From this place of letting go and just stopping from everything else, of choosing to make time to spend with God alone, we can then pray about how we can put these pillars of Lent into practice for these next forty days. If forty days are too much, think about the next week, or even just how we can put one, two, or all three into practice today.

As we make steps to slow down and be still, we will also need to be aware of our own resistance. To be more aware of our sinful inclination to be indifferent or fearful of being present to those in need in our realm of influence is also helpful. Praying and seeking the help of God to give us the discernment and the eyes to see who among us are in need, the courage to act and to give of ourselves to others can also be a good start. This is how we will be moved to acts of almsgiving with our time, talent, and treasure.

Returning to prayer throughout the day will help to establish a habit of prayer. This often is accomplished best when we schedule set times to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate on the readings of Lent, to be still and rest in the Lord before the Eucharist in adoration or present in the tabernacle, pray the rosary, walk or sit among the beauty of God’s creation, and/or spend some quiet time reading a spiritual book, or the life of a saint. It is also good to just be silent and still. While at work, it can be as simple as stopping for a few moments at set times, say each hour, to stretch, take a breath, and repeat a verse or short prayer, such as, “God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me.” When we are feeling tired, instead of constantly saying, “Im so tired.”, ask God for strength to continue and the guidance to be sure to get the proper rest.

Each day it is helpful to evaluate what we consume, what time and energy we expend, and discern what we can fast from. We can identify what foods aren’t healthy for us, what activities that we can let go of so we can devote more time to practices that empower, encourage, and lift up others as well as ourselves. We can fast from thinking, speaking, or acting in any way that is judgmental, unkind, belittling, or demeaning.

When we put something in place that will help build a foundation for a closer walk with Jesus like reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, walking outside, taking a course online or in person, spending time in silence, we have to take something out of our lives. May we take something away that would lead us astray. Jesus guides us to take up his cross and follow him. Doing so helps us to discipline ourselves so that we will be transformed and freed from that which seeks to enslaves us.

We take up our cross when we make time to pray, to be still, and follow God’s lead. We take up our cross when we fast from any negative, demeaning, or derogatory thoughts, words, and actions and replace them with thinking, speaking, and acting in ways that bring hope, encouragement, and life. We take up our cross when we embrace opportunities to give of our time, talent, and treasure to build up and serve others in our realm of influence. Let us take up our cross today and each day during this season of Lent and repent, to turn away from sin and turn back to God, so to know better the One who died on the cross for us, the One who gave his life for us that we might restore our relationship with our God and Father and experience the love of the Holy Spirit!

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Photo: One way to take up our cross is to turn away from our phone, getting lost in anxious thoughts, or looking down at the ground, and instead look up to the glory happening above! Doing so yesterday morning on the way to 8:00 Mass! “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, February 19, 2026

May we guard ourselves against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.

Jesus convicted the Pharisees for demanding a sign and for their continued hardness of heart, their unwillingness to see and hear the work and presence of God right before them. He also saw the unsettling yeast of the Pharisees present in his own disciples. In today’s reading, Jesus seized on the opportunity of being together in the boat, Jesus seized on this teachable moment. He wanted to help the disciples of his inner circle to resist 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).

As has been their pattern, the disciples missed the point as they focused on the literal reality that they only had one loaf of bread among them. Jesus was not, as they thought, taking them to task for not thinking ahead to bring enough bread. He had twice now multiplied minimal amounts of bread to feed thousands. One loaf with them would not have been an issue. He was more concerned about them falling into the danger of pride, seeking honor, power, and fame which had lead many of the Pharisees and Herod astray. To be his followers, striving to place themselves first would be not only the undoing of each of them but also undermine the authenticity of the Gospel message they were to proclaim and affect those they would be charged to care for.

Unfortunately, too many have not heeded the lesson that Jesus offered in today’s Gospel to his disciples regarding being aware of the corrupting leaven of many of the Pharisees and Herod. Just as the effects of original sin has wounded humanity, so it has also affected those in the Church. Throughout the ages, clergy and laity alike have succumbed to the temptations of placing our needs before and focusing on ourselves instead of God and who he calls us to serve. The curving in upon ourselves and the hardening of our hearts, close us off to the love of God and the reality of the truth that we can be in relationship with him, this truth that Jesus came to bring.

Yet throughout the worst corruptions and abuses, the Church remains. God continues to work through many who are faithful, like Mary his mother, and say “yes” to his invitation and follow his will in simple ways, living lives of quiet prayer, worship, and giving of themselves in acts of service daily. It is unfortunate that there are those who leave because they see hypocrisy, injustice, abuse, and corruption. For it is those with eyes to see and ears to hear that need to stay and be faithful witnesses to the call of the one true Bread from Heaven.

We must remain persistent and lean on Jesus to give us the strength and clarity on how best to seek healing for ourselves and proceed to help to heal his wounded Body. We also need to be aware of the sinful leaven that would seek to undo each of us. It is easy to point fingers. We will be on stable footing when we seek forgiveness, healing, transformation, and guidance from Jesus and choose to place God primary before any self-serving pursuits. Doing so will help us to live simple and holy lives of loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves.

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Photo: Daily prayer and meditation, pondering the word of God, participating in the sacraments, and opening our hearts and minds to God’s guidance will help us to resist the spiritual leaven of hypocrisy, sin, and the hardening of our hearts.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, February 17, 2026

When we can hear God, we can experience healing at a deeper level.

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 were 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 bottle anymore as we used to do when we were kids! Still in the shadow of Covid and a new flu strain, this imagery can seem incomprehensible!

Yet, what Jesus is showing is the intimacy of communion that he offers us. He gave the very essence of his own being, his own saliva and mingled it with this man’s saliva. This physical teaching is 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, less the saliva!

This is also especially true because as with Jesus healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter yesterday, this man too is not a Jew but a Gentile. In each of the healings, the good news is that the good news is still being proclaimed to the Jewish people but also Jesus is moving beyond, and all people are given access to God through Jesus. The eyes and ears of all will be opened to the glory of God’s message and invitation to relationship.

We all suffer at some point from physical, emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual trials. What is worse is when we close ourselves of from or have not learned to hear God’s word, and become deaf and mute. Jesus, even if he does not provide a healing or an immediate solution, is present. We are invited to resist avoiding or denying our suffering, pain, and/or challenges and instead embrace them with Jesus. In doing so, we align our suffering with his on the Cross. When we 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 sometimes brings healing for ourselves, comfort, and even when the suffering continues, gives meaning. We do not endure what we are going through in vain. Better to face, head-on, that which challenges us open to the guidance of Jesus. Along with the advances in medicine, science, and psychology, engaging both our faith and reason, our discernment will be more balanced. Just masking struggles without dealing with the root cause(s) can prolong and possibly worsen the condition.

Jesus seeks to heal us at the core root of our wounds as well by saying to us: “Ephphatha!” so that we too can hear and speak his word, experience a closer walk with Jesus, and be more present to and love one another. Jesus wants to heal others through us. With ears open to the voice of God, we will become more aware of those in need. One of the best gifts of healing we can offer is to be present, listen to and hear those speaking with us. We know the peace and joy that we experience when he have been heard and loved. As we have received, so let us give!

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Picture: Icon of Jesus healing the man deaf and mute – Artist unknown.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, February 13, 2026

As Jesus heals us, may we help others to receive his healing.

“Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed” (Mk 6:56).

The people of Jesus’ time were in need of healing, hungry to draw closer to God, often searching, wandering, and wounded. That some begged only to touch the tassel on his cloak is interesting. Had the story spread of the faith of the woman with the hemorrhage for twelve years who courageously reached out and touched the tassel of his cloak and was healed? Had the woman herself shared her story and inspired others who had all but lost hope to seek out Jesus?

Even though there was a lull in the momentum when Jesus’ healed only a few in his hometown, and Mark paused in his account to share the flashback of John the Baptist’s death, Jesus has not slowed and people continue to seek his healing. The apostles also have been sent to bring healing and with success. Though Jesus is not as visible to us as he was to those in the land of Gennesaret, he is just as present if not closer, especially in the sacraments, to us today. “Jesus is still the great Physician of our souls and bodies. In the power of the Holy Spirit he continues his work of healing and salvation through the Church, especially in the two sacraments of healing: Penance and the Anointing of the Sick” (Healy, 134).

Let us also not forget the gift of Jesus present in the Mass. After experiencing the word proclaimed at Mass as his disciples heard Jesus teach with authority, and then receiving his Body and Blood, we are not to go home as if nothing of any significance just happened. Jesus invites us to his banquet weekly, and daily, to encounter him so that in receiving his love and his presence, we may be transformed and go forth to bring Jesus who we have received to others. We are also to see Jesus present in others who are in need.

Pope Francis was asked in an interview by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., in 2013, “What does the church need most at this historic moment?” And Pope Francis answered, “that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle.” We need to be “near”, in the same “proximity”, to bear Christ to one another: “The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all.”

As in the time Jesus walked among the people of Galilee and they came to him seeking healing, we and so many are in need today. May we seek to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in God’s love, experience his healing, so that we may be then present, have compassion like Jesus and draw near to those who Jesus sends us. May we resist the temptation to keep others at a distance and refuse to be indifferent to the needs of those he brings to us in their time of need. May we too, in the words of Pope Francis, go out to “heal the wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful” by being willing to accompany others in their sorrows, anxiety, trials, and tribulations.

We may be hurting and people are hurting. We are not called to fix others or their problems but to be present, to listen, to hear, and to allow the Holy Spirit to speak and love through us at the appropriate time, so that, in the end, we do not prevent people from encountering Jesus, but provide a means for them to encounter the divine Physician. Maybe we can be the tassel on the cloak of Jesus to help others to experience his healing.

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Photo: May we be Jesus to others and assist in his healing!

Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

Spadaro, S.J., Antonio. “A Big Heart Open to God: An interview with Pope Francis”. America Magazine. September 30, 2013 Issue: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2013/09/30/big-heart-open-god-interview-pope-francis

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, February 9, 2025

We are to reflect the light of Jesus with every thought, word, and deed.

Our readings today embody the core of the Gospel message, in fact, the core of the written record of the Bible and our Tradition as Catholics. The Son of God became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity. Jesus is the incarnation of the Son of God, he is God made man so that through our participation in his life we can become like God, we can be restored to the likeness of God that we were originally created to be and that has been lost to us through our sin.

Ultimately, what is Jesus saying to his disciples then and to us his disciples today when he said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”? We are called by him to be holy, we are to be deified or divinized. Our likeness is meant to be like God’s likeness and so we need to be transformed, perfected in and by Christ and through the Holy Spirit. As we are, our likeness to and the glory of God will gradually be restored.

We are a living, craving, hunger, and desire to be one with God and each other. This is true for the atheist as well as the mystic alike. God did not create us just to survive and merely exist, to take up space and then die. He created us to be fully alive, to be loved and to love, and to collaborate with him to bring about his reign on earth as it is in heaven. We are to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in the love of God, experience his consolation and joy, just as we are as his beloved daughters and sons. Yet, we all fall short of the glory of God when we sin and curve in upon ourselves.

Sometimes that happens because of the deep physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds that we have experienced. It also happens when we listen to the father of lies and demons that seek to distort, divert, and destroy the love of God and the good he has created. We are tempted to turn away from the love God offers and feed the anxieties and fears that arise as we feel isolated and alone. Jesus is the light that has come to reveal to us a path that leads to forgiveness, healing, and a clearer vision of the truth.

Jesus came to save us and he opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed. God loved us into existence out of the abundance of a trinitarian communion of love, and loves us so much he is willing to risk that we will reject him. He desires that we choose him freely. Jesus shines the light in our darkness to reveal to us those ways in which we have said no to God and invites us to repent, to turn away from our sin and to restore our relationship with our loving God and Father.

Our yes to God is not a one time yes for all time. We need to make a daily, moment by moment yes to God in every aspect of our life. God loves us more than our worst mistakes, our greatest sin, and more than we can ever mess up. He is just waiting for us to turn to him, so he can forgive us and release us from our bondage. God loves us so that we can receive his love, return to communion with him, and love others as he has loved us.

Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, to preserve that which is good and holy in God’s creation and to add the flavor of Christ to our human lives. Jesus calls us to be the light that shines in the darkness leading people to experience that which is good, true, and beautiful about being a human being fully alive. That means we need to be cleansed of our sin, healed from our wounds, and better discern the voices that we are listening to. Each thought, word, and action that we take will help us to be salt and light when we discern each through a prayerful pause. If we make the time to breathe and pray before entertaining any thought, speaking any word, and engaging in any action, we will make choices for God and our holiness.

On our own merits and efforts, this is impossible, but in union with Jesus all things are possible. We become holy by following the guidance of the psalmist. Our hearts are to be firm and steadfast as we trust in the Lord (cf Psalm 112: 8-9) and along with St. Paul we need to believe that we “rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (I Cor. 2:5). As we are more and more conformed to the life of Jesus, people no longer see us, but Jesus working in and through us. As we mature in our walk with Jesus we too will be able to say with Saint Paul that I have been crucified with Christ, yet it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (cf. Galatian 2:19-20).

We become the salt of the earth and a light to the world, we become holy, when we accept the reality that God is God and we are not. When we willingly and with firm intent say yes to the grace, the free gift, of the invitation of Jesus. When we read from and meditate and pray with the words of the Bible, and are willing to be led into contemplation by the Holy Spirit; when we slow down on a daily basis to hear the Word of God who speaks to us in the silence of our hearts; and when we allow the love of the Holy Spirit to purge and purify us from us all that is not of God, we experience forgiveness, healing, and freedom to be ourselves.

Our prayer and practice and transformation is not for us alone. Prayer, meditation, and contemplation are where we become aware of the invitation to experience God vertically, where he calls us through the love of the Holy Spirit and sends us out on mission. This outward action directed toward others is our relationship with God horizontally. The two directions, vertical and horizontal, intersect as the trinitarian love of the Cross.

When we become people of prayer, allow our eyes to see the needs of our neighbor, and allow our hearts to feel again compassion for one another, we will hear with the prophet Isaiah:  “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own” (Isaiah 58:7). We will also hear Jesus say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35-36).

These words may not be easy to hear nor to put into practice, but the Word of God is the kindling we need to ignite the embers of our soul. Our “light will shine before others” (Mt 5:16) when we ponder these words and are willing to allow the Fire of the Holy Spirit to burn the dross of our sin, pride, prejudice, and selfishness from within, and allow ourselves to be set ablaze by the Love of God. When we allow Jesus to live in and through us we will no longer be shaped by the world, but we will set the world on fire with his love.

Aflame with the fire of God’s love, we become “the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). This light does not come from ourselves. We are to reflect the light of Jesus in our homes, our places of worship, and in our communities. Let us not be afraid of this present age or each other. Let us allow the light of Christ to help us to see each other as brothers and sisters. Let us love one another, will each other’s good, as Jesus loves us.

Photo: Who better than Mary reflected the light of Jesus? Mary’s face is illuminated from the rising moon outside the stained glass window.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, February 8, 2026

“Daughter, your faith has saved you.”

“Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who has touched my clothes'” (Mk 5:30)? The woman could have slipped away, she could have stood still and said nothing, no one knew. His disciples were bewildered that Jesus asked such a question with so many pressing about him. But the woman approached with “fear and trembling” and told him the truth. Jesus did not admonish her for breaking a social taboo but publicly acknowledged her faith and so empowered her with a deeper healing than the merely physical one that she sought. She was not only healed from there physical state that had plagued her for twelve years, she was saved body and soul and made whole.

All the while as this scene transpired, Jairus must have been in agony. He knew how close his daughter was to death, and every second counted. Jesus took that limited, precious time and engaged with this woman. Just as they were about to resume their journey, and he began to breathe again, the terrible news came that his daughter had passed away.

What might have flashed through his mind in that moment? The time Jesus took to talk with the woman, could that have made the difference? He was a synagogue official and would have known the taboos she crossed to reach out and touch Jesus in public, he knew that in doing so she would make Jesus unclean, she was a woman considered the lowest of low. She was frail and pallid from her condition, at death’s door herself, yet she had mustered such courage and faith to touch him. She took such a risk. While these or any other thoughts were passing through his mind, Jesus assured him, “Do not be afraid, just have faith” (Mk 5:36).

Jairus had just witnessed such faith with the woman healed from the hemorrhage, probably someone until this very moment for whom he might have shown disdain for. Maybe just maybe, if he could muster the same faith as she… Jesus could bring his daughter back to life just as Jesus had brought this woman, who was death’s door back to life and wholeness. A light shone in the darkness of his despair and the darkness did not overcome it. Jairus would not be let down. Jesus indeed healed his daughter. He took her hand as he had done with Peter’s mother-in-law, and commanding her to rise and walk, she came back to life.

How many of us have ourselves or have ever known someone who has experienced such great needs as did Jairus, whose twelve-year old daughter died, or the woman who had been suffering for twelve years with hemorrhages, with no healing from doctors all this time? In both of these cases Jesus brought about miraculous healings. How many of us have experienced the opposite? No healing that we prayed for. We wondered where Jesus was or why he didn’t bother to help? The truth is that Jesus is present, though he may or may not have brought about the outcome we may have sought.

This is not an abstract point for me. My wife, JoAnn, died. She was not healed from the pancreatic cancer that ate away at her body, similar to the woman experiencing the hemorrhage. While I laid by her side and held her hand awaiting the funeral home to pick up her body, Jesus did not come to raise JoAnn from the dead, as he did for Jairus’ daughter. Does that mean Jesus does not heal anymore or that there is no relevance in the readings of the Gospels?

No. Quite the contrary. Entering into the daily rhythm of reading, praying with, and meditating upon these accounts helps us to know Jesus as a person, as did this woman, who reached out and touched him. When we also do so, we will encounter Jesus as our Lord and Savior, brother and friend. As we enter into each passage, slowly and prayerfully, we are invited to enter into his memory. We sit, eat, walk, and witness his life. In so doing, we grow in our relationship. As we trust him, he enters into our lives as he did with those we read about.

Read again prayerfully today’s account, experience and ponder the courage and faith of the woman with the hemorrhage. May we trust in Jesus even in our imperfections and need for healing. When we struggle, when the ground feels a bit shaky underneath, let us take to heart and believe in the words that Jesus spoke to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, just have faith (Mk 5:36). When we place our hope, faith, and trust in Jesus, we are not alone no matter what is coming. When we breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love, we will be filled with the fullness of God.

Photo: JoAnn received an even greater healing. Jesus did come that day. He took JoAnn by the hand, and she, unlike Jairus’ daughter, arose not to die again, but to be with him for all eternity.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, February 3, 2026