Thursday, February 5, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

(II Kings 2:4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

Today’s gospel serves as a guide for navigating the approaching season of Lent.  In less than two weeks our heads will be ashed, and we will pray for mercy.  Spiritual masters have recommended that the forty days be considered a journey from self-indulgence to self-giving.

Jesus sends out the Twelve “two by two.”  We are reminded that the Lenten journey need not be solitary.  Sharing our experience with a couple faithful friends may keep us on track when temptations to abandon our resolutions arise.  Taking “nothing on the journey” reminds us to sacrifice comforts and delights as a testimony of our love for God.  A walking stick and sandals are essential for travelling on a rough road in Biblical days.  They are represented by Scripture and the Sacraments for our Lenten journey.

The gospel passage ends saying the apostles drove out many demons.  We want the demons within us like pride, laziness, and lust to be likewise removed.  Following the Lord’s instructions suggested here, we will progress in prying these demons loose.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and companions, martyrs

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

An old Shaker hymn reminds us that it is a gift to be simple and free.  Today’s gospel points to the efficacy of such a lifestyle.

Jesus sends his apostles to preach the good news.  They are not to carry anything “just in case…”  Rather they are to cast themselves on God’s Providence.  Nothing is said either about teaching the truths of the faith or morality.  The apostles are simply to proclaim God’s love by word and deed.  Regarding deeds, they will anoint the people to strengthen their faith which facilitates healing.  The people will learn what a right relationship with the Lord is.  That is, they will recognize how God provides for those who care about others.

St. Paul Miki and companions were apostles to the people of Japan.  They announced God’s love by word and deed.  They did not turn away at the threat of suffering for giving testimony to their faith.  Rather, they knew that such faith would bring both their people and them to complete intimacy with God in eternal life.

Sunday, July 14, 2024

 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, July 14, 2024

(Amos 7:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:7-13)

Dear friends, today's Gospel presents a curious turn of events. It is expected that Jesus will send the apostles to preach the Kingdom of God, just as he has been doing. However, the passage does not mention the Kingdom. It says that the Twelve preached only repentance from sins. Furthermore, it specifies that they expelled demons and cured the sick. These three actions – repentance, the expulsion of demons, and healing the sick – serve the same purpose. They prepare the people to accept the message of the Kingdom that Jesus will deliver later.

We often think of expelling demons and healing the sick as extraordinary activities. But that is not the intention here. Instead, expelling demons and healing the sick are to be understood as references to our spiritual life. Together, they are requirements for living in peace with God and with others. Demons are the errors in our thinking that distort our judgment. Healings can be physical or spiritual, but they always lead us to thank God. Let me try to describe some of these demons and explain how to seek a cure.

In the early centuries of Christianity, monks spoke of the "noonday devil." This demon tried to convince the monk that he cannot win the struggle to live without sin, suggesting it would be better to give up trying. It was associated with noon because at that hour, the monk felt both hot and hungry.  He was inclined to despair of his vocation and to interfere in other people’s business. This noonday demon affects us when we become bored with our responsibilities, whether at work, with our family, or to God. It is expelled by recalling the benefits we have received and giving thanks to God. Also, a look at the crucifix reminds us that Christ suffered much more for us than we suffer for him.

Another demon that affects many could be called the "I don't matter" demon. This demon tries to convince us that neither we nor our actions matter much in the end. Therefore, according to the demon, we are free to do as we please. Influenced by this demon, young men, and even women now, look at pornography, telling themselves, "Pornography doesn't hurt anyone; therefore, it's not bad for me." Another example of this demon is a person who defends his or her speaking ill of another by saying everyone does it. However, these sins, like all sins, corrupt the souls of those who commit them. They make us more eager to dominate others and less inclined to care about their welfare. And who says these actions don't cause harm? There is even slavery in the sex trade, and many reputations are damaged by gossip.

The last kind of demon we will address is, in a sense, the opposite of the "I don't matter" demon. This demon tries to lift those who have it to new heights by telling them how wonderful they are. We can call this the "pretension demon." It urges us to think of ourselves as better than those around us. It inclines us to boast about our own accomplishments while ignoring the goodness of others. One of the best scientists working for NASA, the federal government agency for space exploration, in its early days was a black woman. When she left home to work in Houston, her father told her, "Remember, child, that you are no worse than anyone else, and no better either." This is the best way to defeat this demon: to recognize that everyone has their own talents so they can do things that we cannot.

In addition to having our demons expelled, we want our illnesses to be cured. These cures happen, although they are seldom miraculous. The cures are like those treated in a film called "The Miracle Club" that premiered two years ago. It showed a group of pilgrims from Ireland destined for Lourdes. They all had a desire to be cured of a physical condition, although their parish priest warned them of this illusion. He said, "You don't go to Lourdes for a miracle but for the strength to carry on when there is no miracle." When they returned to Ireland, they were all in that way cured. They all felt more than ever the love of their families. They were all more convinced than ever that God's love will heal the wounds they carried from their and others’ sins.

It is fantasy to think that God will heal all our illnesses. We all have to die one day despite our prayers to continue living. However, the Lord offers us the courage to suffer pain and death for the good of others. In this way, we are prepared to participate in the Kingdom when Jesus comes. May we not have to wait for that much longer.

 

 

Thursday, February 3, 2022

 (Optional) Memorial of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

Today, the Memorial of St. Blase, people come to church to have their throats blessed.  It is an old custom meant to prevent or heal all kinds of ailments.  It is similar to the work for which the apostles are commissioned in today’s gospel.

Jesus has selected his twelve apostles from his numerous disciples.  Now he sends them to preach repentance.  They are to prepare the people for the coming of the Kingdom of God.  As a sign that the Kingdom is beginning to appear in the world, they have the power to heal.  The text says that they cure the people by anointing them with oil.

We believe that our prayers as well as the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick effect what they signify.  But we should be discreet about the claims that we make regarding prayer.  We have seen many people healed after prayer.  But we cannot say that those prayed over are likely to be healed with significantly greater frequency than others.  Nevertheless, they have been placed under God’s care.  He will strengthen them for the challenging journey to eternal life.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and companions, martyrs

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

An old Christian hymn reminds us that it is a gift to be simple and free.  Today’s gospel points to the efficacy of such a lifestyle.

Jesus sends his apostles to preach the good news.  They are not to carry anything “just in case…”  Rather they are to cast themselves on God’s Providence.  Nothing is said either about teaching the truths of the faith or morality.  The apostles are simply to proclaim God’s love by word and deed.  Regarding deeds, they will anoint the people to strengthen their faith which facilitates healing.  There will be a return to physical wholeness in many cases.  More importantly, the people will experience a right relationship with the Lord.  That is, they will recognize how God provides for them as they look out for God’s creation.

St. Paul Miki and companions were apostles to the people of Japan.  They announced God’s love by word and deed.  They did not flinch with the threat of suffering for God.  Rather they knew that death for God would strengthen their testimony.  It would also bring them complete intimacy with him in eternal life.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers as a response to a missionary necessity.  Many people, especially in southern France, were attracted to Catharism, a religion that taught the dualism of matter and spirit.  What is spiritual, the Catharists believed, is good and what is material is evil.  Food, drink, even sex between married partners were to be avoided.  Truth and goodness were to be embraced.  For idealistic people this kind of reform will have some appeal. 

Monks galloping on horses from well-endowed estates had little success in checking the Catharist distortion.  Their near betrayal of poverty seemed only to confirm what the dualists were teaching.  Dominic dreamed of a different tact.  He would form a group of men who would beg for the food they ate and go on foot – two by two -- to preach the truth to the people.  Actually much of Dominic’s program is based on today’s gospel.  Jesus sends his disciples out with the same scarcity of physical resources – “no food, no sack, no money in their belts.”  However, they go forth with spiritual power to cast out demons and to cure the sick.  They return, as shall be read in Saturday’s mass, with astounding success.

These stories should challenge us to re-examine our lives.  We should ask if our possessions might not give a counter-message concerning what we treasure most.  More than that, the stories should move us to seek spiritual values.  Truth, beauty, and goodness should take precedence over material goods and to in our lives.  Finally, we should especially prize telling others about God’s love.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers as a response to a missionary necessity.  Many people, especially in southern France, were attracted to Catharism, a sect that taught the dualism of matter and spirit.  What is spiritual, the Catharists believed, is necessarily good and what is material is evil.  Eating and drinking were a problem.  Even sex between married partners was to be avoided.  Truth and goodness were to be embraced.  For all the abuse that people make of material things we can see how Catharist ideas would have some common appeal. 

Monks galloping on horses from well-endowed estates had little success in checking the Catharist distortion.  Their near betrayal of poverty seemed only to confirm what the dualists were teaching.  Dominic had a different tact in mind.  He would form a group of men who would beg for the food they ate.  They would go on foot – two by two -- to preach the gospel.  Actually much of Dominic’s program is based on today’s passage.  Jesus sends his disciples out with the same lack of resources – “no food, no sack, no money in their belts.”  However, they have spiritual power to cast out demons and to cure the sick.  Their effects, as we shall read in Saturday’s mass, are considerable. 

These stories challenge us to re-examine our lives.  They bid us to ask if our possessions might not send a counter-message to what we treasure most.  More than that, they urge us to reconsider our goals.  Do we just want to become wealthy?  Or do we find satisfaction in sharing the gospel?

Thursday, February 4, 2015

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(1 Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

A zealous young Franciscan wanted to live radical poverty.  He refused even to wear sandals.  Then he stepped on a sharp object which pierced his foot severely.  He was taken to an emergency room for treatment.  His community had to a bill hundreds of times more than the price of sandals.  Perhaps Jesus demands that his apostles wear sandals to avoid such incidents.

Jesus wants his apostles to rely on Divine Providence in a prudent way.  He tells them to take no provisions that people can provide – food, money or extra clothes.  But he does not want them to defy Providence by leaving behind a walking stick to forge rivers and, of course, sandals. 

Should contemporary preachers possess much more than the limits Jesus sets here?  They live much more complicated lives that entail the use of more things.  They need medical care, for example, which is no longer available from the village wise man.  They also use computers, not quills for writing.  However, they must not ignore the thrust of Jesus’ instructions.  They are to showcase trust in the divine by stripping down to the bare essentials for today.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and companions, martyrs

 (I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

 A famous theologian of the second century (Tertullian) wrote, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”  But perhaps it would be more poetically justified to say that the blood of martyrs waters the seed sown by missionaries who are sent forth as Jesus commissions his apostles in today’s gospel.  The preachers assure their hearers of what their hearts are afraid to believe: that the creator loves them so much that he has worked out a way for them to share his eternal life.  This message is then verified by martyrs like St. Paul Miki and his twenty-five companions in Japan at the end of the sixteenth century.  These saints testified to God’s love by choosing death at the hands of the shogun rather than recant their belief in so gracious a creator.  Japanese Christians could not publicly practice their faith in Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years as the country closed itself to the rest of the world.  But when Japan finally welcomed foreigners in the nineteenth century, Christians there numbered more than two hundred thousand! 

 We would be incorrect to think that the age of martyrdom is ended.  Hundreds if not thousands of Christian martyrdoms are documented every year.  These occur largely in Africa and the Middle East.  As always, the victims do not die in vain.  First, they experience eternal life.  Second, their stories germinate the faith in others to accept that same message of God’s efficacious love.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 2:1-4.10-12; Mark 6:7-13)

St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers as a response to a missionary necessity. Many people, especially in southern France, were attracted to Catharism, a religion that taught the dualism of matter and spirit. What is spiritual, the Catharists believed, is good and what is material is evil. Fine food, drink, even sex between married partners were eschewed. Truth and goodness were to be embraced. For all the abuse that people make of material things we can see how Catharist ideas would have appeal among simple people.

Monks galloping on horses from well-endowed estates had little success in checking the Catharist distortion. Their near betrayal of poverty seemed only to confirm what the dualists were teaching. Dominic dreamed of a different tact. He would form a group of men who would beg for the food they ate and go on foot – two by two -- to preach truth to the people. Actually much of Dominic’s program is based on today’s gospel. Jesus sends his disciples out with the same scarcity of physical resources – “no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” However, they go forth with spiritual power to cast out demons and to cure the sick. Their effect, as we shall read in Saturday’s mass, is considerable.

These stories challenge us to re-examine our lives. They make us ask if our possessions might not give a counter-message concerning what we treasure most. More than that, they urge us to seek spiritual values – truth, beauty, and goodness -- before material goods and to find satisfaction in doing the Lord’s work.