17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today the Lectionary takes a break from the Gospel of Mark, until the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, leaving space for chapter six of the Gospel of John. This is partly due to the brevity of the Markan Gospel; however, I think there is also a theological motivation. In previous weeks we have heard how Jesus summons, authorizes and sends out the Apostles. Subsequently, the Apostles return, debrief and are taken away for respite. What follows in Mark is the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Chapter six of John's Gospel similarly begins with the multiplication of food in Bethsaida then continues with the Bread of Life discourse in Capernaum. For Catholics all of this is profoundly eucharistic. Thus, it has direct relevance to the Mass we celebrate every Sunday. To put it briefly, the centrality of the Holy Eucharist is crucial to our understanding of our call as missionary disciples. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read: "The Eucharist is the 'the source and summit of the Christian life' 'The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesial ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, the Pasch.' " (CCC 1324) I invite parishioners to reflect on this mystery in the coming weeks as we reflect on these readings. We cannot separate our environmental, social justice and pastoral activity from the Holy Eucharist which gives shape and meaning to the whole of the mission.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 In recent years I have stressed in my homilies the imperative of Catholics responding to their call, given us by Vatican II and more precisely Pope Francis, to be missionary disciples. Last week's gospel was ideal for communicating this message and modelling how such disciples are to work. This week we have another lesson for missionary disciples, which was distilled by Saint Benedict in his motto: ora et labora - to pray and to work. We see the apostles, in this reading, returning from their mission and being instructed to: "rest a while" (Mk 6: 31) Missionary disciples are called to share the joy of the Gospel. They are not called to burn out on account of the expectations placed on them by others no matter how worthy. Not only that, but the disciple also remains a disciple who is obedient to the instructions of the Master - Jesus Christ. We are not saviours or messiahs. The Lord is risen. He alone is the Saviour and Messiah. The ultimate fulfilment of salvation is his work in which we are privileged to cooperate. Thus, Jesus lets his followers rest while he takes the burden of teaching the people on himself: "... because they were like sheep without a shepherd." (Mk 6: 34) Fittingly, the Good Shepherd demonstrates to his missionary disciples his compassion and love for all.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 This Gospel is excellent for reminding us of a key teaching regarding the missionary discipleship of all the baptized advocated by Pope Francis: “Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love." (EV 120) Certainly, the disciple is always open to deepening the insight of the Gospel and learning new ways of communicating it. This must not, however, inhibit us from sharing, in opportune moments, the joy of the Gospel and witnessing to the impact that faith in Jesus has had on our lives. Today's Gospel speaks of the urgency with which Jesus exhorts the Apostles as he sends them out. He also encourages them not to be thwarted by negative responses such that they are to: "... shake off the dust from their feet." (Mk 6: 11) Where does the desire to evangelize originate? It emerges from my own experience of receiving the Good News and the knowledge that Jesus died and rose for me:" For the love of Christ urges us on, "because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore, all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them." (2 Cor 5: 14-15) Let us all be open, therefore, to prioritizing evangelization as integral to our lives as Catholics called to love, serve and believe in the Church as sacrament of Christ in the world.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Often in the gospels the meaning of a passage can be understood in the context of what precedes and/or follows it. The rejection of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth (Mk 6: 1-6) is followed by the commissioning of the Twelve (Mk 6: 7-13). This is in turn followed by the death of John the Baptist (Mk 6: 14-29). If we take the gospel of Mark as being akin to a handbook for evangelizers, with an emphasis on the Passion of the Lord (approximately one third of the entire text), it strikes me that the Twelve need to be aware that they, like their Master, have to be prepared for rejection and even death. True: "They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them" (Mk 6: 13) yet we have just learnt in the previous verses that despite performing "deeds of power" the people of Nazareth "took offense at him (Jesus)" (Mk 6: 5) Likewise, Herod, knowing John the Baptist to be a "righteous and holy man (Mk 6: 20), ultimately consents to have him beheaded to save his blushes after making extravagant promises. It remains that we are all called to be missionary disciples and spread the joy of the Gospel. Aided by the Holy Spirit we can see the power of God in our own lives and those who are open to the Good News. Nevertheless, we need to be prepared for opposition and to know that the path of the disciple is never easy: "For many are called but few are chosen." (Mtt 22: 14)

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jesus says to the leader of the synagogue: " 'Do not fear, only believe.' " (Mk 5: 36) This begs the question of each one of us today - what am I afraid of in letting God into my life? Each of us needs healing according to our individual weaknesses and sins. Yet do I turn to God in our need? Do I need to wait until I am truly desperate to avail myself of Jesus' saving power? Why not turn to God now and ask our heavenly Father so that his will may be done in my life? After all he has promised: "Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks the door will be opened" (Lk 11: 9-10) and: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lk 11: 13) If we are afraid and struggle in faith, let us imitate the determination of the leader of the synagogue and the woman with the hemorrhage. Not deterred by the crowd or the laughter of the onlookers these two individuals place their trust on Jesus and strive to come close to him. This opportunity exists for us today in the sacrament we receive today - "Do not fear, only believe."

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 St Paul tells the Corinthians: "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view. Even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way." (2 Cor 5: 16) Everything we hear in the New Testament is told through the lens of the resurrection. Jesus was vindicated by the heavenly Father, as the Son of God. This informs all the oral traditions which informed the Gospels as well as the New Testament letters. These are all suffused by the knowledge that the subject of these documents, Jesus Christ, is who he said he was. Thus, the lowly son of the virgin from Nazareth is thus present to us as the one who has conquered sin and death: " 'Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades' " (Rev 1: 17-19) This power is manifested in our gospel today: " 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'" (Mk 4: 41) Jesus is primarily present to us not in human form but in the Gospel and the sacraments. It is there that we "know" him. Let us therefore not be confined in our thoughts to the historical Jesus, even though that is still relevant, but rather let us encounter Christ in his Church and in the Holy Eucharist above all.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The Gospel today speaks of the mysterious power of life in the seed. Even with modern science the ability of seeds to grow into beautiful plants and flowers is truly amazing. The power, indeed, is in the seed but the seed still needs to be sown and cultivated if it is to bear the optimal result. So too, our baptism sows the seed of faith in our infants or is planted and cultivated by those who are baptized as adults. Either way it takes effort and commitment. Nevertheless, the Gospel is brought to fruition by its own power. As we hear in the Gospel of Luke: "So you also when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, '' 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done.' " (Lk 17: 10) Since it is true that: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded" (Lk 12: 48) we need to be mindful of St Paul's words when he says: "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him (the Lord). For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Cor 5: 9-10)