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Saints and miracles

With the start of November, the Church focuses on the end of the liturgical year and the fulfillment of a life lived in a relationship with God. A hallmark of “making” a saint is two confirmed miracles. But what are miracles and why are they so important?

In a secular world the prevailing attitude is that Church and State (or even the everyday public life) must remain completely separate; a miracle crashes right through that thinking. Merriam-Webster’s first definition for the word miracle is “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.“ While there will always be people who scoff and disbelieve in a miraculous event, insisting that there must be a plausible explanation for it, the Catholic Church does thoroughly investigate any miraculous claims, especially when they are being attributed to a particular person whose cause for canonization is underway. The easiest way to prove a miracle, at least in this age, is that of a medical nature. For example, the first miracle attributed to Blessed Carlos Acutis is that of a Brazilian boy who was born with a defect of the pancreas that would not allow him to eat solid foods and kept him vomiting most days. After touching a relic provided by the mother of Carlos Acutis, the boy was healed and able to not only eat the food, but also not vomit. The boy’s healing is so incredible because even the physiology of the problematic organ changed, mystifying the physicians who examined the boy afterwards.

Another example is the miracle attributed to then Sr. Faustina that led to her beatification. According to The Divine Mercy website, a woman suffering from lymphedema as evidenced by a swollen leg, which was due to be amputated, had it return to its normal size after visiting Sr. Faustina’s resting place. The woman was examined by five independent doctors who came to the conclusion that she was completely healed. They had no medical explanation for the sudden healing of this incurable disease. This evidence was examined in consultation by five doctors appointed by the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Having passed this test, it was examined by a team of theologians, and finally by a team of cardinals and bishops. The cure was accepted by all as a miracle brought about by Sr. Faustina’s intercession.

Do we need to pray through a saint in order to receive a miracle? No, we can pray directly to God Himself for a miracle, especially since He is the source of every miraculous event. For those uncomfortable or unsure if God hears our prayers, praying through the saints can feel like a much more realistic option, since they were people just like us. There may be aspects of their upbringing, their personality, or their livelihoods that we can find a connection— a common bond — that develops into a relationship. Having a relationship with a saint can feel like a person has an extended family member, who just so happens to be recognized as being in heaven.

Catholics (myself included!) can be rather sloppy in our language when we talk about the intercession of saints. We say that we are praying “to” a particular blessed or saint for “their” help. In reality, the prayer is asking that person to intercede for us with God and for God to grant the miracle. God is the creator of the universe and everything in it. If He wants to modify some small detail within it, He is the only one that has full ability to do so no matter how impossible it may seem. As the universe does not need to exist, one can look at all of creation, from the mightiest mountain to the smallest of insects, and from the power of the oceans to a singular heart beat, and see it is all a continuous miracle for us to enjoy. 

In a fallen world, our ability to appreciate all God gives us is often veiled by our short-sightedness. We turn away from God to see ourselves in control of our surroundings. Miracles, medical or otherwise, give us the opportunity to recognize God’s sovereignty and give us hope that we can turn away from being prideful in our work and seek to do God’s work.

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Community of faith

This past weekend my parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, celebrated its 80th anniversary. And this occasion reminded me of the importance of a faith community and participating within it. Each month this year we have been provided an opportunity to partly prepare for and partly to celebrate this magnificent achievement.  

The parish has sponsored monthly spiritual and social outreach options. Whether it was supporting the food pantry by bringing the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner for those less fortunate or consecrating ourselves to Eucharistic Adoration, each one focused our attention on the role the parish plays in the lives of both the parishioners as well as the surrounding community. 

Even though Adoration is usually offered weekly, by taking the time to study it and make a commitment to participating, it elevated it from just another item on the calendar to a joy-filled need. Adoration is a time of peace in a chaotic world. It’s a time when we can turn our troubles over to Jesus and be filled with His presence. It’s a time when the only thing required of me is just me — not what I can do for another, not my intellect, not my compassion — just the person God created me to be at that moment. It was weekly adoration that drew me to this parish, and one that continues to keep my faith grounded in the roller coaster of challenges that life tosses my way.

While the heart of any parish is the spiritual nurturing it provides, the soul of the parish is its ability to bring the light of Christ to all members of the community. Supporting others through the various organizations of the parish allows us to mirror the generosity of God’s blessings upon us. Blood drives, the food pantry, and the clothing closet are just a few ways that we help individuals with the basic necessities for life. From the beginning with the Apostles and throughout the two millennium the Church has been in existence, each family in each parish, in each diocese, contributes to the neighbors that surround them. The parable of the Good Samaritan is illustrated daily in many different ways in locations all over the world.

During the main celebration, this combination of spiritual and social was also key. A solemn Mass was not only the spiritual ingredient, but the reminder of why the parish started in the first place: to meet the needs of the then rural community that had sprung up in the outskirts of Richmond. After the Mass, the social reception included opportunities to walk down memory lane of various historic documents, and to reach out to the homebound parishioners by writing notecards to extend them into the celebration. Being relatively new to the parish, it reminded me of the various parishes that I participated in and how, in another 50 years, my picture in a parish directory may be viewed as the typical style of that decade. I didn’t know most of the people in the photos that I saw, but there was still a sense of family when I viewed them. Their participation in the parish at that moment allowed it to live and flourish so that I can be a member now. And my participation in both the spiritual and social events continues the parish’s, and the Church’s, mission to spread the Gospel, both in Word and worship.

If we love God and want a relationship with Him, then we must also love our neighbor and share the blessings God has given us to them. Each parish provides unique opportunities to work both within, as well as, outside of our comfort zone to strengthen our relationship with God and lend our hand to others in friendship and service. If we want to be a part of a strong and vibrant parish, it is up to us to participate and to seek God’s guidance in how we can best contribute to our spiritual family and the surrounding neighborhood family.

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The need for laws

Why do we need laws? It’s a simple question, but until recently, I never really gave a thought as to  why. Last week one of the daily Mass readings was from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The scripture that has stuck in my head is: “Against such there is no law.” (Gal 5:23)’

The thought as to what laws are needed can only be seen in contrast to what does not need a law. Paul’s comment regards the fruit of the Spirit. You don’t need to set a limit to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, or generosity. You can’t have too much faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control. If one’s perspective of law is a guideline, then something like “Love your neighbor” may sound like a law. However, you also may end up asking the same question as the law scholar in Luke’s Gospel who posed to Jesus this question, “Who is my neighbor?” (Lk 10:29) If we look to the law as defining what actions we can and cannot do, we will also look for ways to bend the restrictions to our benefit and desire. But if we appreciate that God loves us despite our flaws and generously loves all others in the same way, then there are no limits as to who we love and everyone is our neighbor — even the crankiest, grumpiest, angriest person who crosses our path.

Eighty percent of the Ten Commandments contain “you shall not…” in the English translation. This indicates that while we have the ability to do these things, we need to refrain from them, thus limiting our capabilities. This is what the law does, it identifies a limit or line that should not be crossed in word or action. While there are numerous laws to govern all different aspects of life, let’s focus on just the Ten Commandments, since they were the first given by God to man. 

A major theme of these commands is that they affect relationships: both with God as well as with other people. God imposes relationship limits, not because He is a narcissist, but because He wants us to have the most fruitful relationship with Him. By setting our sights on God as the only god, by being respectful of Him and His creation, and by giving Him proper worship, we not only receive blessings in this life, but will be able to spend eternity with Him. These laws were given when the Israelites could trace their lineage to one of Jaob’s sons. A neighbor was a fellow kinsman as well. However, if we take our Baptism seriously, we recognize that everyone is a child of God, created in His likeness and image. We are all family and everyone is a neighbor. The second portion of the commands, fourth through tenth identify how we should act within these familial ties. 

Another aspect of the commands is the understated damage the actions would cause if a person would break the law. Killing another would be to assume God’s power to end another’s life — the life given to the person by God. While stealing may not immediately end a person’s life, it could hinder their ability to live or make a living, depending on what was stolen. Coveting another’s goods is like mentally stealing from that person; while it may not physically injure the other, it disrupts the relationship you have with that person. Likewise to either commit adultery or to covet another’s spouse is to damage the relationship between all families involved, including all persons within the families.  

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Law is a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good.” (CCC 1951) God is very much a competent authority and He blessed us with the Ten Commandments that allows us to understand the consequences of our actions in the relationship we have with Him as well as others. If we live our lives by reflecting the example of God, not only will we reap the fruits of the Spirit, but we will not need to focus on the law, since the limits imposed will never be anything we could entertain. With God as our role model, our lives will naturally obey the Commandments, allowing us to enjoy our family and neighbors here on earth, and our heavenly family when we pass onwards. 

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Blessings in science

One of the biggest myths of the modern era is that religion is contrary to science. I, however, think that God has allowed man to peek inside the design of the universe in small snippets. This has resulted in gifts  that have become commonplace to the point that we take them for granted.

For those who believe in a God who created the universe, the study of the natural world is made possible by a good God who has brought order to chaos. A scientific theory is a proposal of an observed pattern within the natural world that can be measured with consistency and accuracy. Throughout the centuries there have been numerous people whose faith in God did not hinder their work in the sciences. My knowledge of the intersection of science and religion include such figures as: 

  • Copernicus, a Polish canon and astronomer, who was the first to propose the planets revolved around the sun.
  • Fr. Lemaître, a Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist, who formulated the modern big-bang theory.
  • Mendel, an Austrian monk whose study of plants became the basis of genes and the study of genetics.

While these three in particular had occupations within the Church, there are many others of the laity who have also participated in the various sciences. For the month of October, the Magnificat is featuring saints who were involved in the sciences and have included St. Anthony Zaccaria, St. Gianna Molla, St. Hildegard of Bingen, and St. Eligius, just to name a few. 

In almost a parallel way to spiritual truths, the study of the various sciences has slowly revealed the truth of the world we live in. The history of salvation began with creation itself, and while the fruition of our spiritual relationship with God was completed with Jesus’ work, we are still discovering aspects of His life and work that were not previously considered. While there was some basic understanding in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine in the ancient world, it was with the founding of the university system, often through the sponsorship of the church, that the sciences really made great strides in discoveries. Just like in the spiritual life, knowledge in the sciences can only be understood and furthered when you have solid building blocks in place. The first microscope that documented scientific findings was back in the early 1600s. However amazing those were to their time, they could never have imagined that the cells they were seeing were made up of even tinier, individual units that are known as atoms. And perhaps in another century or so, there will be a discovery of even tinier units that make up the parts of the atom. 

With the current negative buzz around processed food, plastics, and other manufacturing processes that could place the planet in jeopardy, it can be hard to appreciate the gifts that science has enabled in the world. Last week, however, I had the time to ponder the marvels of science and technological advancement as I sat in a chair with eyes tightly closed and started to pray Hail Marys to calm myself during the first of two root canals. Just mentioning the word root canal brings a shutter to most, even to those who have never experienced it! Perhaps I was lucky to get a good endodontist. Maybe it was the anatomy of that tooth. And maybe it was all just a blessing from God. The end result was a painless procedure that allows me to keep my tooth. And the technology of today allows the precise diagnosis of which teeth needed it. I went into the consultation thinking it was going to be a certain tooth; in reality I needed the ones on either side of that one! A century ago I probably would have had my teeth pulled, perhaps even all of them. Maybe I wouldn’t have survived as long as I have because of the various dental procedures I’ve had throughout my life. That sobering thought prompts me to put the results of the second one in the hands of God to be as equally successful as the first.

The various fields of science can save, extend, and enhance our lives when ethically pursued. While various names are credited with the discovery, it is ultimately God who deserves the praise and glory, as He created it all. And like in the spiritual realm, God enjoys working with the various scientists to bring His light to life.

Mary at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington DC

Rosary and repentance

October is the month dedicated to the Rosary. As I watched a recent video from Fr. Mike Schmitz on its biblical roots, he pointed out a common message in the Marian apparitions included the actions of repentance and of praying the rosary. 

I don’t think I ever considered the rosary as a tool towards repentance. I’ve always thought of it as a way to walk with Jesus and Mary through their life on earth. But as I began to ponder, even just the first set of joyful mysteries, there is so much in them that can both help us to identify how we can improve as a disciple of Jesus as well as accompany Him through the major events of His life. 

The joyful mysteries are all about the beginning of the Holy Family. They include both the joys of becoming a family with the nativity of Jesus, as well as the challenges of finding their Son in the Temple. With Jesus being a child, one might use it solely to instruct children about being mindful of their parents, however, I think the same can go for adults as well! As an adult, do we care for the elders in our family, be it a grandparent, parent, aunt/uncle, or even an older sibling? How can we bring the light of Christ to these relationships? The fourth commandment to honor your father and mother is one of the moral directives God gave the Israelites through Moses. Many of the other commandments that follow the fourth could also be used for reflection in terms of how they affect family life and our participation in it. 

The sorrowful mysteries may be easier to correlate with repentance due to the suffering that Jesus endured. Walking through these events of Jesus’ life brings to mind the cost of our sins. Yet the secular world around us constantly expects us to always seek comfort and ease. While we don’t need to chase after suffering, do we allow it in our lives when it does come? Do we see it as a way to grow closer to God? God is generous in both His blessings and the challenges He allows, but neither should be handled just on our own. Do we look to share our blessings with others and seek support from God and neighbor when troubles arise? There are numerous accounts of saints who had some sort of medical issue, but yet had joyful exuberance. Do we seek their intercession when our tempers are short due to pain or misfortune?

The luminous mysteries, or more specifically, the third mystery is paired with repentance. Reflecting on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, it includes the call to conversion. In the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15) These mysteries underscore a life of faith. They remind us of the sacraments we’ve received and that we are to live our lives according to the grace given to us in these sacraments. How much do we look to our faith to guide us in making decisions? Do we practice our faith regularly and make time to pray and deepen our relationship with God?

The glorious mysteries seem to be farthest from repentance, yet it is these mysteries that give us a reason to repent. We are not stuck in our sins! Jesus has redeemed us and repaired our ability to have a relationship with God. He has given us a model of His life to follow. These mysteries are the hope we have that we can improve. The first step we must take is to acknowledge our sins. We take ownership of the wrongs we have committed, and with full sorrow, ask for God’s mercy and do our best to avoid these. It may take a lifetime of practice, but Jesus’ resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit, and even the assumption of Mary, focuses our attention on a world beyond what we see. If we want to participate fully in that world, we need to seek a relationship with God now. 

The rosary is a powerful weapon. Let us use this month to practice wielding the rosary to illuminate what separates us from God, to give us the grace to seek His mercy, and gratitude for all the blessings it brings.

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Reassessing treasure

While my location just outside of Richmond only received rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, the devastation to areas of Virginia, as well other states received, was hard to comprehend even while seeing the video footage. It’s a reminder to us all of what matters most.

Perhaps it was the fact that the children’s catechism class that I assist with had just reviewed the story of Noah the previous Sunday, because seeing the volume of water that covered buildings and washed away bridges had me wondering if this was similar to the flood recorded in Genesis. My heart goes out to those affected, especially in landlocked states like Tennessee and Kentucky who aren’t normally receiving the brunt of a hurricane. It’s a painful reminder that however much we think we can control things, we are not God; we cannot control the wind, the waves, or the rain.

To some it may seem coincidental that the Old Testament Mass reading for Monday was that of Job 1:6-22. It recounts how the messengers were the only survivors to the destruction of Job’s family and livestock and they arrive one after another to announce their grim news.  At the end of the passage is one of the most famous lines from Scripture, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” (Jb 1:21) With the minor issues that I face, even if I say something similar, it’s with a bit of a heavy heart. It all comes down to trusting the Lord. Logically it makes sense, as God is the creator of all. Even if He could explain to us why an unfortunate event happened, it would never bring us peace of mind or true understanding because we lack the depth of His infinite mind. 

To me coincidences are God’s way of showing up in our lives. With this most poignant reading so quickly after a natural disaster, I think it prompts  all of us to consider what is of most value to us. Not an object that we want to make sure we save, but rather the relationships we nurture and how we choose to spend the time God gives us. First and foremost is our relationship with God; do we take the time daily to pray and communicate with Him? Do we live our lives in conjunction with His precepts? Do we pursue a relationship with Him today so that when our life on earth ends we will want and be able to join Him? How do we treat those He has placed in our daily lives? Do we see Jesus in those we meet and respect them as being fellow children of God? These questions may be ones we think about during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, but they should not be far from our minds, nor should we only ponder them in those seasons. 

It is a tragedy that some people, even whole communities, lost their entire homes and businesses. Worse still are those who lost their lives either during the storm or as a result of it. Perhaps to God they had completed their time, but to their loved ones, I’m sure they felt the loss was way too soon and there was much more time they wanted to spend with them. While property damage can be calculated to a dollar amount, the life and impact of a person can never be measured adequately. The only number the media uses is the total count of lost lives but those lives will not be discussed by the media as much as the efforts to repair and rebuild will be covered.

While a natural disaster does bring chaos and leaves turmoil in its wake, no matter if we are immediately affected by it or not, we can use this opportunity to grow closer to God, our family, and neighbors. Additionally it gives us the opportunity to bring the light of Christ to those who are suffering in whatever small ways we can participate to lessen the burden they face in rebuilding their lives. 

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Riding emotional waves

Our emotions are a wonderful gift God has bestowed on human beings. When considering others, our emotions can help us to support those who are struggling or participate in celebrating their milestones. I’ve noticed an increase in our society, either in social media or through traditional entertainment avenues, of frequently commenting on how a person feels, especially in what makes them happy. It seems like feelings and emotions are how people make decisions rather than using them as some of the inputs or considerations to make a decision. Given our fallen nature, our feelings can lead us astray when we use them in comparing ourselves to others.

The way we feel when we get up in the morning can be drastically different by the time we’re ready for our nightly slumber. We can jump joyfully out of bed to start our day and crawl back into it at night feeling frustrated and defeated. Or we can wake up in a melancholy mood to match a rainy day, only to be all smiles and contentment at night. Ignatian spirituality teaches a pendulum-type flow between consolation, that state of spiritual joy or happiness, and desolation, the spiritual state of sorrow or pain. It is important to discern what state one is in to avoid making rash judgments that will result in negative consequences. 

Emotions and feelings help human beings to bond with each other. In and of themselves, emotions are neither good nor bad, rather it is our actions when we are experiencing a particular emotion that would be judged as good or bad. In simple examples, smiling when someone waves hello to us, is a good reaction, but speaking condescendingly to another because we feel jealous of what they have is not a good reaction. In our modern culture of oversharing and following influencers on social media platforms, it’s almost impossible not to start to compare and evaluate our circumstances and situations against these carefully crafted micro moments. Modern technology greatly exploits our human weaknesses and is not solely to blame, but just a factor in exacerbating our inclination to set happiness as our goal in life instead of God. 

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Lk 9:23-24

Jesus’ secret to happiness is not looking for what makes us happy from a human perspective, but finding happiness in doing God’s will. There will be suffering and sacrifice, yet if we try our best to offer that up to God and persevere in believing that God can bring beauty and light to our darkest circumstances, we will find blessing and grace to aid us in our life’s journey. I think when Jesus remarked about denying ourselves, it’s about not being hyper focused on our feelings and emotions, but acknowledging them and using them as tools to support our relationships with others. It’s choosing to visit and hold the hand of a sick person rather than endlessly scrolling on a mobile device. It’s buying some extra cans of staple ingredients to donate to a food pantry rather than snacks and sweets for ourselves. It’s not saying we should never do the latter, but to keep a balance in our lives, especially spiritually. 

There have been times when I’m scheduled to present a topic to those converting to the Catholic faith through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, or the children’s version, which coincides with a rather stressful work day or week. More than once I’ve wished that I could take that time for myself. Yet those can be the times when you see a spark of wonder or excitement at learning more about the faith. While I may be the facilitator of the information, I know it’s not me they are reacting to, but rather they are excited about God. I am humbled to witness it and even if it is just one person’s reaction, that makes the sacrifice of time so very worthwhile.

Like most things in this world, our emotions and feelings can corrupt us when we try to use them for selfish gain. Let us recognize the tools and gifts they are from God and put them to use to bring a little bit of heaven to earth.

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Prepared enough

Can we ever be prepared enough? That depends on two things: first, what we are preparing for, and second, what is the timeframe. 

My trip to Japan is scheduled for the spring of 2025. I have a 450+ day streak going on Duolingo, a language learning app, in order to prepare me for seeing, hearing, and hopefully, understanding the language. The trip is a two-week cruise roundtrip from Tokyo and I plan to spend two nights in the city before boarding the ship. Because I know those first few days I’ll be on my own, being able to communicate the basics will be important. I’ve watched a number of YouTube videos that say just learning the very basics is sufficient since “most” people know English. But other videos that indicate Japanese people are not comfortable speaking English because they don’t use it on a daily basis and feel they don’t speak it well. Will learning the words for please and thank you be enough? 

While I have traveled to other non-English speaking countries, this is the first that uses a character-based alphabet. Correction, three character-based alphabets; and yes, a single word can be written using more than just a single alphabet. Oddly enough, some of the initial words I learned are borrowed from English. While the pronunciation may be a bit more exaggerated, coffee, curry, and cake are relatively the same, just spelled with characters instead of letters. However, as I was learning the sound of the characters, two characters they put together sounded like taco, or at least that’s the way my brain interpreted it. Phonetically it would be more appropriate to represent the word as tako. Instead of those sounds representing the popular Spanish dish, rather it is the pronunciation for the Japanese word for octopus. While I don’t intend to order octopus while I’m there, being prepared will help me avoid thinking I’m ordering tacos and end up with a dish that is nothing like that. 

I’m less than 6 months away from my trip, and while I am looking forward to it, I’m also getting a bit fatigued with the daily language lessons. I’ve started to wonder if it will all be worth it? A work colleague of mine spent the New Year’s holiday there without any of this preparation and told me I’d be fine if I didn’t learn the language. Yet my personality won’t let me stop doing the lessons, even if I know I won’t be able to finish all of them. I’ll probably be waiting at the airport for my flight to Tokyo, using the app on my phone to do a few more Japanese language lessons. 

As I was pondering if I was wasting my time learning the language, I was struck with the thought that if I’m putting all this effort into preparing for a trip that will only last two weeks, how much effort am I putting into preparing for eternity? Yet that is precisely what life is all about: learning about God and His children so that we can spend forever with them in heaven. The Church, Mass, the Bible, and the Catechism are all there to support us in our life’s journey. We practice the language of Love while we are here on earth so that we can better understand heaven when we get there. Love is an action we take in recognition that each person is a reflection of God. In living our faith, actions of Love like the spiritual and corporal works of mercy are teaching us how to think and speak in this eternal language.

Unlike taking a planned trip, we don’t know how long our time on earth is. Even if we live 100 years, have we prepared enough for heaven? Can we prepare too much for heaven, or is that even possible? Perhaps it’s more my personality, but like learning Japanese, I don’t think I will ever be too prepared for heaven. If we get a bit fatigued with our daily preparations for what may be decades before our earthly life ends, we need to remember that our preparation is building a relationship with God. No matter how prepared we think we are, we will only be able to truly appreciate heaven once we get there. And it will be worth all the effort we put in because we will be there with God.   

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Necessary means

Last Sunday’s Gospel is a reminder to us that Jesus not only came to heal us, but He will go to whatever means necessary to do so. Each healing, like each person, is unique, since we all suffer differently.

The healing of the deaf man in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 7:31-37) has a number of curious details. I’ve read a few commentaries on it, but in reflecting on it this time, I was struck by how different this healing is. It’s not uncommon for friends to plead to Jesus to heal another. Way back in the beginning of Mark’s Gospel is the healing of the paralytic, whose friends cut through the roof to lower him down to be in Jesus’ presence. (Mk 2:1-12) There are no details indicating that Jesus touched the man or interacted with him in any way more than forgiving him of his sins. Yet for this deaf man, Jesus removes him from being among the crowd. Some say it illustrates that we need to be away from the noisy world to be able to hear God speaking, which is a valid point.

Perhaps leaving the crowd had a more practical purpose. If someone who has not experienced any noise suddenly hears a cacophony of sound, I would think that would be greatly overwhelming. Perhaps the person would respond by removing themselves from a situation that was too noisy. Take a moment and think about what a gentle, compassionate, and caring Savior we have! Jesus is going to take us to a place where our healing can be well received and appreciated. How would you react if you never heard a sound and Jesus says a few words to heal you and the first thing you ever hear is a multitude of people talking at once? Maybe some of your friends who brought you to Jesus whoop with delighted excitement at your healing. If you never heard that before in your life, you might not realize that noise is a good thing. You might actually prefer the silence of deafness because that’s all you know. 

In another healing account earlier in Mark (5:25-34), Jesus heals the woman suffering from a hemorrhage not because she asked Him to, but simply because she believed and touched a piece of His clothing. Jesus can heal, seemingly, without any effort at all. Yet in this account, Jesus not only touches the man, but “He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue.” Notice the text doesn’t say that Jesus merely touched his ears, but inserted His finger into them. I must admit when I hear this Gospel passage, I do recoil at the mention of Jesus’ holy spit. Yet Jesus found this step necessary to heal the man. How many of us would want healing if it meant being spit upon? 

The effort Jesus uses to heal the man doesn’t stop with these invasive actions. Jesus groans. Thinking of situations that I would groan would be either from a tremendous, physical effort, or something requiring complex, mental gymnastics to think through. Healing this man sounds like it took much effort from Jesus, the Son of God! Perhaps, here too the groaning had multiple objectives. It may have required much prayer from Jesus to the Father, but it also may have been a way Jesus could communicate with the deaf man as he was being healed. Since Jesus had His fingers in his ears, maybe the man could feel Jesus groaning until the point he could actually hear it as well. Every action that Jesus took to heal this man was unique to his condition.

Jesus knows what we need and how we need to be healed. He also knows when we’re ready to be healed. Let us continue to pray, not only for our own healing, but that of others as well. Let us be open to Jesus’ methods because they are truly for our specific needs.  

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Unclean hands

How often do you eat with unclean hands? What about receiving the Eucharist? Do you wash not only your hands but also your soul?

As the Gospel was being proclaimed last Sunday, I got the sense of the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament and that I just needed to ponder it more to see the bigger picture. When we consider the rituals that the Pharisees referred to, the washing of hands before eating as well as “purifying” or cleaning specific items, they are good hygiene practices to follow. The people of that time were not aware of the microscopic bacteria and germs that could cause them to become sick, but God knew. In requiring them to purify, or wash, their hands before eating, He was creating a habit for them that would reduce or even prevent disease. This physical habit should have also had a parallel for the spiritual health of a person. As they were “purifying” their hands, they should have thought about how well they kept the Commandments. Humans, however, have a tendency to be shortsighted and only look at what is being asked, relegating a healthy physical habit into a spiritual ritual instead of a spiritual reflection. In addition, one gets the sense that the Pharisees were scandalized to see that not all of Jesus’ followers adhered to this requirement.

As the Eucharist is a meal, how do we come to the table, which is the altar, with clean hands? Here again, the parallel is not literally having washed our hands (although that is always a good practice!), but rather preparing ourselves to receive in a worthy manner. In a sense we need to “wash” our souls before we receive Holy Communion. The most obvious way we can purify ourselves is through the sacrament of reconciliation. This is imperative if we are in a state of mortal sin, however, regularly receiving this sacrament can keep some of the lesser sins from growing into greater ones. Reconciliation is such an amazing sacrament! When we take the time to prepare for it by reviewing our thoughts, actions, and omissions, as well as truly being contrite for how these offenses have separated us from God, we can receive His mercy and be “washed” with grace. After a good confession, our souls are like the day we were baptized! 

If we aren’t in a state of mortal sin, there are probably plenty of venial sins that are causing our relationship with God to be strained. During Mass there are two ways that we can “wash” our souls. The first is the Penitential Act, when the priest asks us to call to mind the sins we have committed since our last Mass. As a congregation, we admit that we have sinned and ask God’s mercy through a general prayer. The priest gives a general absolution for these minor sins before we proceed with the Gloria. The other way we take ownership of our sins against others is at the sign of peace. This is the closest way the Church can encourage us to forgive others. It recalls Jesus’ teaching, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24). At the sign of peace, here again is a physical action that has spiritual parallel. It may be impossible for us to actively forgive someone who is many miles away at that moment, but we can recall the hurt and ask God to help us forgive that person or to help that person forgive us. If the person is near us, we can take the first step at healing the relationship by offering them the sign of peace, that is to say, “I forgive you,” or “I seek your forgiveness.” These two times in the Mass allow us to recognize the effect of our daily actions towards God and those we interact with, and seek God’s mercy and grace.

It’s not just an Old Testament ritual that instructs us to prepare to receive the Eucharist, but even Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians boldly warned them about not purifying themselves before receiving Holy Communion. “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor 11:27-29) What does unworthily mean? I believe the list of actions Jesus indicates from Sunday’s Gospel reading that defile a person are what makes a person unworthy to receive Holy Communion. (Mark 7:21-23)

We are a people of unclean hands, but God, through His Church, has provided us ways to wash ourselves and our souls clean. Let us use these opportunities to grow our relationship with God rather than just performing a spiritual ritual.