Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 07-01-12, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-01-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

July 1, 2012

 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1 Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Reading 2 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters:
As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,
knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality
your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,
so that their abundance may also supply your needs,
that there may be equality.
As it is written:
Whoever had much did not have more,
and whoever had little did not have less.

Gospel Mk 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to Jesus,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."

While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

or  Mk 5:21-24, 35b-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

THE HEALINGS OF JESUS

(A biblical refection on THE 13TH ORDINARY SUNDAY – July 1, 2012) 

First Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 

Psalms: Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13; Second Reading: 2Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Gospel Reading: Mk 5:21-43 

The Scripture Text

God did not make death, and He does not delight in the death of the living. For He created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is immortal.

… for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of His own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to His party experience it. (Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24 RSV) 

The possession of good health is so vital, that we hold in high esteem the medical profession and those with special talents for effecting cures.

The first reading taken from the Old Testament’s  “Book of Wisdom” tells us that God did not make death; He does not rejoice in the destruction of the living. For He fashioned all things that they might exist. He formed man to be imperishable. In the Gospel story by Mark we hear the report that Jairus’ daughter is dead. Undaunted by this report, Jesus goes and takes her hand and says: “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mk 5:41). She stand up immediately.

On the one hand, we note that these readings do not deny the destroying power of death. But on the other hand, they also declare that in the end death will be defeated by life.

Jesus spent many days of His ministry healing the sick, blind, deaf, crippled, etc. He did not practice medicine but did perform genuine healings. His reputation spread and people flocked to Him.

The man in today’s Gospel, Jairus, begs Jesus to come and “lay His hands” on his little daughter, “so that she may be made well, and live” (Mk 5:23). On the way a woman, sick for twelve years, pushes through the crowd to merely touch His cloak, convinced a cure will result. She is healed on the spot, because of her faith in His healing powers (see Mk 5:25-34).

When news arrives that the little girl has died, Jesus never breaks His stride but continues to the house and gives her a new lease on life. True religion and good medicine are joined in the person of Jesus. Today they continue to work together for the benefit of society.

Through the sacraments, the Church reaches out to heal. Reconciliation is meant to leave a person feeling better and stronger, ready to begin anew with a good outlook. The sacrament of the sick, approached with faith, consoles, strengthens and cures the recipient of many hurts and fears. It is an example of faith healing at its best.

In the Church we pray for the sick, interceding in behalf of others. Much depends not only on the disposition of the sick person but on the faith of the one asking. Jairus’ daughter did not ask Jesus for the healing; her father did. Possibly the little girl herself had no knowledge of Jesus, but her father believed and Jesus came and worked a miracle because of his faith.

We should not think that all religious healings happen on the center stage of a large auditorium or on television. Genuine healings are private and hidden. Notice in the Gospel, how no one knew the woman was cured except the woman herself. Before He blessed the little girl with new life, Jesus put out the crowd. He was not seeking public applause.

The healings of Jesus were neither magical nor automatic. They flowed directly from religious conviction. Therefore faith must be present before every prayer we pray, before every sacrament we receive, before every healing we seek.

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, why am I so weak in faith, so full of fear? Show me that I need not be afraid but simply surrender to Your healing touch. Amen.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

DEATH

(A biblical refection on THE 13TH ORDINARY SUNDAY – July 1, 2012) 

First Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; Psalms: Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13; Second Reading: 2Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Gospel Reading: Mk 5:21-43 

Before he died of cancer in 1974, Stewart Alsop wrote a book called Stay of Execution. In this book the one-time columnist for Newsweek revealed his thoughts and feelings about his impending death.

Stewart Alsop observed that there comes a time when “a dying man needs to die just as a sleepy man needs to fall asleep.” Because he was a man of faith and wisdom, he was able to anticipate his death as a deliverance from suffering, both for himself and for his family.

Steward Alsop’s attitude was not one of stoic fatalism but of Christian optimism. He understood that we will all come to a point in our lives when peaceful surrender to death makes more sense than stubbornly struggling on.

Today’s readings deal with the topic of death.

The Old Testament reading from Wisdom tells us: “God did not make death; He does not rejoice in the destruction of the living. For He fashioned all things that they might exist. He formed man to be imperishable.”

In the Gospel story by Mark we hear the report that Jairus’ daughter is dead. Undaunted by this report, Jesus goes and takes her hand and says: “Little girl, get up.” She stands up immediately.

On the one hand, we note that these readings do not deny  the destroying power of death. But on the other hand, they also declare that in the end death will be defeated by life.

Implicit in these readings is a hint of the day of our own resurrection, when we too will get up from our sleep of death and our imperishable nature will be fully revealed. Then will the saying of today’s Psalm 30 be true: “Our mourning will be changed into dancing and we will forever give thanks to the Lord.”

Nevertheless, the thought of death still arouses a lot of dread in us and depresses us. Otherwise why would we spend billions on such things as cancer research and cryogenics? Is it not perhaps because we dread the idea of being a victim of cancer ourselves? Or because we naively hope that some scientific technique will be discovered that will preserve us from the decay of death?

How do we deal with death personally? Perhaps some of us try to escape from death, at least for the moment. We delude ourselves into thinking that we can defeat death, at least temporarily, by distracting ourselves with drugs, sex or excitement.

Some, however, try to accept death philosophically. This is the method of serious thinkers like Dr. Rollo May. In his best-selling book Love and Will, he claims that death is not opposed to life, but is essential for its growth and maturity. The spectre of death can make us live with greater urgency and intensity.

Then there are some of us who are able to face death with faith in Jesus Christ. Ultimately it is our faith in the resurrection of the body that enables us to defeat death decisively.

Ours is the faith of the poet Francis Thompson when he wrote in “The Hound of Heaven” that God is our Father and death is only the shade of His hand outstretched caressingly.

Ours is a faith which allows us to read the Gospel story about Jairus’ daughter not as a mere remembrance of a past historical happening, but as a proclamation and promise of our own rising from the dead by the hand of Jesus.

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 1, 2012:

“(A)s a matter of equality your surplus at the present time should supply their needs.” (2 Cor 8:13-14) Considering your resources, find someone who has less today. Give them some of your surplus – money, time, or talent.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time  -  Cycles B

July 1, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Psalm: 30:2,4-6,11-13

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15

Gospel Reading: Mark 5:21-24,35b-43

• Last Sunday if we celebrated the 12^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (sometimes it’s supplanted by the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist), we heard about Jesus calming the sea. Immediately after that miracle, he spends some time on the eastern shore of the sea in the Gentile region of Gerasa, where he heals a demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). This Sunday’s Gospel reading picks up at verse 21, after he returns to the western (Carpernaum) side of the sea. For the sake of brevity, we will primarily be looking at the optional shorter reading, which concerns the synagogue ruler Jairus and his sick daughter.

• The synagogue ruler (or archisynagogist) was not a priest or rabbi, but one who’s function was to organize the meetings of the synagogue on Sabbaths and holy days, to lead the prayer and hymns, and to indicated who should explain Sacred Scripture (See Luke 4:16-21).

• As soon as Jesus disembarks from the boat, Jairus throws himself at his feet. He begs Jesus to lay his hands on the little girl. This was a common gesture of healers at the time. As it turns out, Jesus did not do so (verse 41).

• (The stories of Jairus and the sick woman do have interesting parallels: both involved females; both involve healing as a result of faith; both involve “12 years;” both involve Jesus’ touch.)

 

QUESTIONS:

• For all the people pressing for Jesus’ attention, two (Jairus and the sick woman in verses 25-34) get through to him in this passage. Why?

• How is Jairus’ situation similar to that of the sick woman? How is it different?

• What is Jesus’ reaction to the news that the child is dead? Jairus reaction? Why did Jesus say the child was asleep? Why was it not necessary for Jesus to lay his hands on the child to heal her? As Jairus, what would you say to the crowd outside your house after Jesus left?

• Mark tells us that Jairus “fell at Jesus’ feet” and begged him to heal his daughter. When was the last time you “fell at Jesus’ feet” and begged for help?

• What does Jesus “ignore” in verse 36? What does he tell Jairus? What might God advise you to ignore in order to exercise faith?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 547-549, 993-994, 2616

 

In times of spiritual cooling and laziness, imagine in your heart those past times when you were full of zeal and solicitude in all things, even the smallest; remember your past efforts and the energy with which you opposed those who wished to obstruct your progress. These recollections will reawaken your soul from its deep sleep, will invest it anew with the fire of zeal, will raise it, as it were, from the dead and will make it engage in an ardent struggle against the devil and sin, thus returning to its former rank.     -St. Isaak of Syria

[Salvation]

The Woman Who Touched Jesus

Pastor’s Column

13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 1, 2012

 

“If I but touch his clothes, I will be cured.”

                                                                      Mark 5:28

 

          The hemophiliac woman in our gospel this Sunday (Mark 5:21-41) was on a mission—to touch Jesus! “If only I can touch him I will be cured.” Jesus is surrounded by a large crowd as he presses forward. People are all around him. Many have heard him speak; others have seen him, or brushed up against him in this crowd. But only this particular woman receives a healing—only her touch gets Jesus’ attention--and she hears what she has longed for: “My daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.” What has she done to be singled out in this way? How can we gain Jesus’ attention?

 

          This gospel is a mirror image of our world. Jesus is passing right by us, all the time, and like so many in the crowd, we do not recognize who is speaking. We hear and see Jesus but do not connect with him. When the gospel is read at Mass, it is Jesus who speaks, and yet have our hearts been moved to conversion? When we receive communion, it is Jesus who passes into and through our body and soul; we touch him, and yet do we realize who we have received and the power he has to offer? This poor woman, who has been to every physician until her savings was depleted, comes at last to the Divine Physician. Did her desperation drive her to go to such lengths?  For she has touched him with her faith, and so she is the only one, out of an enormous crowd, that Jesus singles out to speak directly to her, to look her in the eye.

 

          This woman sneaks up on Jesus. Somehow she manages to get close to him, even in this crowd which presses around. She wishes to be anonymous—just another face in the crowd… just a touch is all she needs. And she does touch him. But Jesus immediately wheels around to confront her: “Who touched me?” 

 

          “You can see how many are pressing in around you” the disciples exclaim, “and yet you are asking ‘Who touched me?’”    In our world, so many people are searching for answers, for healing, for meaning in life. Meanwhile, Jesus continues to pass through the crowds, passing through each generation, if only we could recognize him. Faith is the key that unlocks the Scriptures, that unlocks the meaning of our lives. How do we get the attention of Jesus? By reaching out to him in faith. Faith is the key—it unlocks every hidden door. Christ cannot resist this approach.

 

          Faith is a gift. Jesus hides himself in many places, so that we might seek him in faith—especially in the Eucharist, but also in the people we encounter, the Scriptures, the Church, the daily circumstances of our lives. A simple act of faith, a simple prayer, and Jesus will be speaking and looking directly at you.

                                                                                       

                                                                                Father Gary

[Salvation]

13th Sunday: The Touch of Jesus

"Little girl, I say to you arise"

Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070112.cfm

Wisdom 1: 13-15;2: 23- 24

2 Cor 8: 7,9, 13-15

Mk 5: 21-43

                                                                                                  

Every now and then we run across a clinical study on the importance of human social interaction. As the maxim goes, “Man is not an island.” How true.  Although we have divided ourselves into extraverts and introverts most of us would admit that the experience of loneliness is not pleasant.  We want to belong. We need to be touched as babies and children in order that our social, emotional, and intellectual development is proper.  When we pray, we hope to have some answer, some experience or “touch” of God’s presence that will reassure us we have been heard in prayer.

One study offered 5 reasons on the benefit of human touch:

1.     Feel connected to others.  We are social beings and we need to have that sense of connection with others.

2.     Reduces anxiety. The simple and appropriate touch of another person can make us feel more secure and less anxious.

3.     Bonding. When people are in love or feel some admiration for another or want to offer sympathy, we touch the other person as a sign of affection or reassurance.

4.     Lowers your blood pressure. That’s an interesting one. Touch can slow the heart rate if it is done respectfully of course and has been shown to increase healing from illness.

5.     Improve your outlook. One might be hard pressed to feel pessimistic if they have a sense of connection to others.

In the end, let’s face it, we all need to know that we have value and that others who know us care about whether we live or die.

The readings this weekend offer us a Jesus who clearly was not beyond the value of human contact.  His full human nature would have experienced what we ourselves do in the same human need to be valued.  And in the Gospel, Jesus shows deep compassion for a young girl – he cares whether she lives or dies.

The first reading from Wisdom 1 and 2 remind us that death is not the intent of God.  God’s creation was interrupted by death for God only creates life, beauty and goodness.  Jesus’ coming into the world was to eliminate the final power of death over life and restore us to hope.  Although we all have and will experience death, our faith reassures us that it is not the end.  Christ has indeed conquered our greatest fear.

The tender Gospel passage from Mark 5 shows a Jesus who brought healing and a restored life. However, one was intended and the other apparently caught Jesus by surprise. 

A synagogue leader approaches Jesus with a compelling parental request: “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” (Mk 5: 23). In this cry of a distraught father I think every parent can see themselves.

Notice, he pleads, “. . . lay your hands on her . . .” Touch my daughter and she will get well.  In that simple phrase he asks that his daughter be restored not just to health but though Jesus’ physical touch, she be brought back in union with her family and with those around her. So, perhaps unknowingly, this desperate father hoped that his entire family would be touched by the presence of Jesus.

As Jesus makes his way, a much older woman approaches behind him in the crowd with a similar personal plea: “If I but touch his clothes I shall be cured.” (Mk 5: 28). Although Jesus does not see her, he stops in his tracks and asks, “Who touched me?” His response is not anger but compassion, “Daughter your faith has saved you . . .”  (Mk 5: 34).

In the time of Jesus there were folk healers who would serve primarily the poor with herbal medicines, various incantations, and all sorts of rituals.  Obviously Jarius , the father of the sick child, and this women who had exhausted all other sources, sought out Jesus as a folk healer who would offer some human contact and heal them. Touch my daughter and touch me! Isn’t that also our cry at times?

In the end, both of these healings confirm for us the power of faith.  The woman’s personal faith and trust in Christ brought her a new life.  The parents of the child and their trust in Jesus, however cultural that may have been, likewise brought not just a healed child but a total restoration into the community and a sharing in the banquet that creates that community, “. . . she should be given something to eat.” (Mk 5: 43). And, this entire family was surely celebrated by their extended family and others in the town. As always, God gives more than we ask.

However, we might miss the obvious spiritual themes if we are caught up too much in the “touchy feely” aspects of this very human healing story. The touch of Jesus may indeed foreshadow his own death and resurrection.  As Wisdom told us, “God did not make death . . .” (Ws 1: 13). 

Jesus conquers the power of death and shows us that God’s preferential option is for life, restoration, and community. The woman goes back to her family, her shame is taken away and we can probably assume that this was not the last she saw of Jesus.  Such an experience of his touch would compel her to have some form of further contact.  The same we may assume for Jarius and his family.

Death broke the continuing flow of life but God sent his Son among us to restore a broken and stained creation.  In these healings, in his word, and the gift of his own life on the Cross, we are touched over and over again by a God who calls us to faith and trust.

Our sacramental life is Christ’s continued touch with our broken world.  Through concrete signs that we can smell, feel, hear, and taste God reaches out in love. We are washed clean of sin in Baptism.  We are forgiven of personal sin through Reconciliation. We can be healed both physically and emotionally through the Anointing of the sick. We are touched by the Spirit of God in Confirmation.  We are joined to the larger community through Marriage and Holy Orders. And in the celebration of the Eucharist we are all given “something to eat” that is not a thing but this same person who offered life and hope to the same individuals we hear of in the Gospel this weekend. 

“Reach out and touch someone “was a famous slogan of a telephone company.  Today's world and our increasing challenge to religious liberty compels us to touch society around us with the power of truth and courage based in the Gospel we profess. The Church has called us to be sensory Christians and make our presence known for the common good. Maybe our readings this new month of July also invite us not only to touch but to allow ourselves to be touched by the divine healer – the great physician.

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

The response of God to the mysteries of evil and death

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, July 1, 2012, the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
• Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
• 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15
• Mk 5:21-43 or Mk 5:21-24, 35b-43

“If God did not create evil, why does it exist? If God did not make death, why do we die?”

These are difficult questions, the sort of questions sometimes asked by those who doubt, or even reject, the existence or goodness of God. Seeing a young child die of a rare illness, watching a loved one consumed by cancer, or reading of a stranger senselessly beaten and murdered—each of these can be a painful question mark inscribed deeply on our souls. Is there is a sensible response to such senseless pain and death?

To the question of evil, the Catechism states, “as pressing as it is unavoidable and as painful as it is mysterious, no quick answer will suffice” (par. 309). It further says the Christian faith, in its entirety, is an answer to this troubling question, beginning with the belief in the goodness of creation and culminating in the call to share in the blessed life, a call that is an invitation to creatures possessing and exercising free will. God is love, his creation is good, and his creatures have the freedom to love or to reject him. These are essential truths about the nature of things, and they start us on the road, however steep, to understanding.

“God did not make death,” insists the author of the Book of Wisdom in today’s first reading, nor rejoices in the death of the living. On the contrary, God created everything that exists simply so it could be. The author refers to the absence of a “destructive drug” among the “wholesome” creatures of the world. This drug is sin, which came into the world through the envy of the devil—the adversary or accuser who seeks to destroy God’s creatures and creation.

This “envy” is likely a reference to the temptation in the Garden of Eden. “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice,” notes the Catechism, “opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy” (par. 391). Envy might seem at first a small matter, but St. Augustine called it the diabolical sin, for from it come hatred, strife, and joy at the misfortune of others (CCC 2539). It is self-absorbed and thus sets itself against the love and honor due to God and the respect due to our fellow man. 

When Jesus brought the daughter of Jairus back from death, he demonstrated his supernatural power, his compassionate love, and the orientation of his perfect, selfless will. This miracle surely called to mind the astounding actions of the great prophets Elijah (1 Kgs. 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kgs. 4:27-38), both of whom brought children back to life. But whereas those men were spokesmen of God, Jesus was the Son of God who spoke of his coming death—and of his triumph over death by his glorious Resurrection (Mk. 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34).

The Evangelist Mark recorded three statements made by Jesus in the course of healing the young girl. The first is spoken to the father, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” The second is made the grieving crowd: “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And, finally, to the daughter, “Little girl, I say to you arise!”

These remarks, taken together, are the response of God to the mystery of death. First, we are not to fear death, but to have faith it has been conquered by the Passion, Cross, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Secondly, with the eyes of faith we are able to see there is hope beyond death, and that those who fall asleep in Christ are not dead or extinct, but are fully, really alive.

And, third, at the final judgment, God will reunite the righteous with their bodies, “For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53; CCC 366). God did not make death, but he has given us a sensible, supernatural response to it.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the June 28, 2009, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Yesterday's Antiphons

By

Father Mark

 on July 1, 2012 7:59 AM |

Yesterday, in the traditional calendar, was the Commemoration of Saint Paul, a way of giving the Doctor of the Gentiles equal honour with Saint Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. Whereas the antiphons of June 29th focused on Saint Peter, yesterday's antiphons focused on Saint Paul. I had great joy in singing them at Lauds. They give one an unshakeable hope in the all-sufficient grace of Christ.

Ant. I have planted, * Apollos watered, but God gave the increase, alleluia.

God gave Paul the seed that he planted: the living seed of the Word. "So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it." (Is 55:11). God gave Apollos the water by which he watered that seed. "You shall draw waters with joy out of the saviour's fountains" (Is 12:3). Finally, God gave the increase. So it is in all our undertakings. God works for us, in us, through us, and by us, as He works in all things turning them to the good of those who love Him. "We know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints" (Rom 8:28).

Ant. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory * in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

To glory in one's infirmities is to open them wide to the grace of Christ. Our Lord deploys His virtus -- HIs divine power -- in the arena of one's infirmities. Infirmities of body, mind, or spirit, are no obstacle to holiness, provided that one surrenders them to Christ. He enters them like a warrior to claim them for Himself. There is no infirmity -- no weakness, brokenness, or personal history -- in which the power of Christ cannot be unleashed to the greater joy of the Church and the greater glory of the Father.

Ant. The grace of God * which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but his grace abideth ever in me.

The grace of God is the source of all fecundity. Where the grace of God is welcomed there remains nothing sterile, nothing cold, nothing lifeless. "I am come," says the Lord, "that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly" (Jn 10:10). In Christ, Saint Paul was fully alive, and this to the point of spiritual generativity. He call the Galatians, "my little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you" (Gal 4:14). To the Corinthians he writes: "In Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you" (1 Cor 4:15).

Ant. In Damascus * the governor under Aretas the king was desirous to apprehend me ; by the brethren in a basket was I let down by the wall, and so escaped I his hands, in the Name of the Lord.

The fourth antiphon makes it clear that no one, not even the great Apostle of the Nations, can dispense with the help of the brethren. It was "the brethren" who planned and carried out Paul's escape from Damascus. The humble man will accept the care of the brethren. He will trust them to the point of allowing himself to be lowered over a wall in a basket! He who would minister alone, refusing the ministrations of others, remains a prisoner.

Ant. Thrice was I beated with rods, once was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, for the Name of Christ

Suffering is inherent to the Christian life. While some are called to endure great sufferings in the public eye, most of us are called to bear with little sufferings in the hiddenness of what Saint Thérèse called "the little way." Mingled into the Passion and Death of Christ as the drop of water is mingled into the wine of the chalice, the sufferings of ordinary folk, especially those sufferings that are hidden from the eyes of the world, become a participation in the Sacrifice of the Cross.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus

By

Father Mark

 on July 1, 2012 9:05 AM |

 

Like most chaplets or repetitive prayers, this Offering of the Precious Blood for Priests is meant to be prayed quietly and gently as a way of "turning into prayer" (oratio), the Word of God received (lectio), and meditated (meditatio). This sort of prayer can, by the grace of God, lead one to a simple abiding in adoration in the presence of God (contemplatio).

Offering of the Precious Blood for Priests

This chaplet of reparation and intercession is meant to be prayed on an ordinary five decade rosary.

Incline (+) unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Alleluia. (After Septuagesima: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.)

On the Our Father beads:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee
the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19)
in reparation for my sins
and for the sins of all Thy priests.

On the Hail Mary beads:

By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus, purify and sanctify Thy priests.

In place of the Glory be to the Father:

O Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named (Ephesians 3:14), have mercy on all Thy priests, and wash them in the Blood of the Lamb.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Touching the Lord

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Robert DeCesare, LC
Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to him, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ´Who touched me?´" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official´s house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child´s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, Talitha koum, which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

 Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you taught: “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7). You invite me to place my petition here before you. I believe Lord, that you will hear my prayer if I earnestly ask you with a sincere heart . I hope in your goodness and mercy, and I offer you my love even if it is paltry in comparison to yours , for you are the wellspring of love and goodness itself.

  Petition: Lord, help me to reach out to you with faith.

 1. “If I But Touch His Clothes ” Lord, at times you can seem so distant, so far from us. I believe that you are God, all-powerful and almighty. Yet, Lord, I believe that you want me to come to you. As great and as mighty as you are, you invite me to come to you as a little child. How seldom do I seek to reach out to you like the woman suffering a hemorrhage! What great faith she has. All she wants to do is have contact with you. She doesn’t seek much, just a brief moment. At times my life goes by so fast that I do not seek even that. I worry about my own things, and I get so caught up in my own problems that I do not think about bringing them to you as she does. It seems so right and so easy , yet how frequently do I hold the attitude she does?

 2. “Who Touched Me?” Lord, it must please you to recognize someone has reached out to you. Many times you marveled at our faith, even if it be just for a moment. You were amazed at the faith of the centurion when he said: “Only speak the word, and let my servant be healed” (Luke 7:7). You promised the “Good Thief” that he would be with you in Paradise. This woman believed that you could do something to make a difference in her life, and she sought you out. How often do we touch you? How often do we bring you to look for us, to seek us out because we seek you out?

 3. “Your Faith Has Saved You ” Faith in you, Lord, is what inspired the woman to touch your cloak. She believed that you would make her well. Reaching out to you was her prayer. She knows who she is: a creature whom the Father has made, a poor soul in need of help. She ha d tried to do it alone, seeking cures in medicine. They only worsened her condition. Now she asks for your help. Not only do you help her, Lord, but you save her. You are waiting to do the same for me if I simply come to you and make my petition. Lord, I believe that by making my petition known to you, I am being the person you made me to be. I am one who is totally dependent on you. I need you for everything. By myself I can do nothing, but with you I can do all things (Cf. Galatians 2: 20).

  Conversation with Christ: Lord, I recognize that you want me to touch you like the woman with a hemorrhage did. I believe, Lord, that you are waiting for me to come to you as she did. All I have to do is reach out and touch you. You will be there to answer my prayer.

 Resolution: I shall make two acts of faith during the day so as to reach out to my Lord, who is waiting for me to come to him .

[Salvation]

Simplicity of Christian Love

• Homily of the Day
• July 1st, 2012
• Food For Thought

First Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Psalm:  30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

Second Reading:  2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Gospel:  Mk 5:21-43

Some people think that trusting God means to expect God to do everything for them in a dramatic way. They look for miraculous healings like those of paralytics suddenly throwing away their crutches and starting to walk after being prayed over, or of cancer suddenly disappearing after a healing session. God sometimes acts that way. But most often he uses ordinary means. He often heals by assisting the skills and of physicians and nurses in treating patients. Doctors treat and cure, but it is God who heals.

In today’s Gospel reading, the sick woman trusts that Jesus could heal her. But she did not just wait for Jesus to come to her. She worked her way to touch Jesus even if just the cloak.

Likewise, Jairus also trusts that Jesus can heal his sick daughter. But Jairus does not just sit and trust in Jesus. He travels a long way to ask Jesus to come and lay hands on his daughter. The two people in today’s Gospel do more than just trust in Jesus. They go a step farther. They do their part. They make use of the ordinary means God gave them to obtain the healing they needed.

This leads us to the question of our prayer life. How do we pray? Do we pray expecting God to do everything for us? Do we consider that doing our part is as important as praying? Our prayer should lead us to actions in response to the needs of others. And our actions should drive us to more intense prayer.

Jesus Christ is here, present among us. His living presence makes it possible for us to reach out to him, to touch him. If we do, he turns to us, looks for us, wanting us to know him more; he yearns to live in us. The faith we show in touching him begins to make us whole. This touch of Christ finds a physical reflection in our sacramental system. Here is a continuous touching that gives life, that heals, that makes two one.

The touch of Christ and the sacramental touch should be reflected in our human exchange, in the touch of this Christian body. We must love one another as Jesus loves us. This demands that we take the initiative in loving. It is our Christian responsibility, our Christian calling to reach out and touch another living person. The physical touch, a reaching out, a smile, a handshake, a hug should be expressive of something deeper, fuller, and richer: It is a symbol of self – I touch you not simply my hand. I am touching you – with my love, I am touching you – with the love of Christ.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Sunday, July 1, 2012 >>

13th Sunday Ordinary Time Saint of the Day

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
View Readings

Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Mark 5:21-43

FAITH OVER FEAR

 

"Fear is useless. What is needed is trust." —Mark 5:36

 

The dictionary defines 'fear' as "an emotional reaction to a perceived threat of evil to our well-being." Fear, then, is an emotional reaction. We can be afraid of things that are not actually evil, even though they might be perceived as such. That which we fear could actually help us grow in faith. For example, a severe downturn in the economy could compel us to turn to the Lord, walk more closely with Him, and trust Him more than ever before. However, there are some things we should fear. We teach children to fear things that can harm them, such as a hot burner on the stove. As adults, we should be especially afraid of things that can harm our soul.

To overcome fear, we need faith (Mk 5:36). The synagogue official and the woman with the chronic bleeding both broke through any fears to come to Jesus. The synagogue official risked ruining his reputation with his Jewish peers. The bleeding woman was 'unclean'; she would have been fearful of passing on her uncleanness to anyone who touched her (see Lv 13:45). Nonetheless, each stepped past that emotional reaction of fear and stepped out in faith.

Of what should you be afraid? Be afraid of not becoming all that Jesus wants you to be. Today at Mass, when you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, give over to the Lord that one powerful fear that keeps you from becoming the disciple God wants you to be. Surrender your fear today and let Jesus put it away forever.

 

Prayer: Father, give me perfect love to cast out all fear (1 Jn 4:18).

Promise: "It is your faith that has cured you." —Mk 5:34

Praise: Praise Jesus, risen, glorified, and worshipped by the angels and saints!

[Salvation]

Pray for an end to abortion and the conversion of America to a culture of life.

[Salvation]

Sunday, July 01, 2012
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15 Mark 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35-43 Unhappy is the soul enslaved by the love of anything that is mortal. -- St. Augustine

[Salvation]

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-07-01-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily