The healing power

It happens so often in life. No matter how careful, or what preventive measures we take, we still get sick. And when we do, we look for the antidote, be it from a doctor or some kind of medicine.

Today’s Gospel is no different. The man born crippled, lay at the healing waters at the pool of Bethesda, but was unable to reach to waters for healing.

Jesus asks if he wants to be well and the man responds by saying how difficult it is to get to the pool.  Was that an excuse? Was he, after all these years, just giving up? Did he believe that he would die a cripple?

Many of us find ourselves in the same boat, making excuses for putting God first, even giving up and losing hope, allowing our surroundings and circumstances to be our master.  But God will always ask us “do you want to be well”

Of all the people at the pool that day, Jesus singles out this hopeless man. Where there was doubt, he awakens hope by asking the man a simple yet searching question "Do you want to be well?" It deserved a simple answer. But, the man, in his heart said yes, but the excuses poured out as to why he was not well. And Jesus, reading his heart, said "rise, take up your mat and walk!"

Like the crippled man, God knows our heart and will not force our hand against our will.  He reads our heart, not our excuses.
And on that day, that hopeless man was healed, and just like that man, of all the people in the world today, Jesus is speaking to you and to me, as if it were you and I alone. If we have but a spark of hope, if we say yes in our heart, Jesus will ignite that spark to a flame of love. He will heal our doubt and we will begin to “walk by faith and not by sight”.

It is through that faith that we truly see the world as it is. We become aware of the needs of those around us, especially in our present crisis. We realize we have gifts and resources we can share, to people losing hope. We become a people hearing and acting upon God’s charitable words, “Whatever you do for the least of my brethren, that you do unto me”.

Jesus never touched that crippled man at the pool that day, the man who lost hope. He just said, “rise, take up your mat and walk”. We, too, can through our charitable acts, be the one who is instrumental in helping another of God’s children walk away from hopelessness.

Saint Leo the Great once said, “If God is love, charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined”.

And our hearts will cry with love when we can say the same words that Jesus said to the man he healed after seeing him sometime later.  “Look you are well”. It is our faith and our love for God and neighbor that really has the healing power.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking

Have you ever noticed how beautiful and radiant young couples look when they are truly in love? It’s almost like you read their hearts just by looking at their faces. They radiate a love, a happiness that can, many times, be contagious to those around them.

And it is also true that our actions, our priorities, can reveal who we really are, what we believe in, and where our treasures lie.

Some people may be very quiet about their inner lives. Their sufferings, their heartaches, their concerns are hidden from the world but, yet, the love and peace of Christ still shines through for the whole world to see.

We have all heard the expression, “You are what you eat”. Yes, to be fit and healthy, we eat foods that will not just satisfy, but nourish and strengthen the body.

There is also another expression, “you become what you think about most”. And today, those thoughts can be downright depressing if we allow them to control our mind. Once a seed, negative or positive is planted in our mind, it can spread even unconsciously.  

 “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure”. Ps 16:18-19

God has made us so beautifully. He made us as a unified person with bodies to express what is in our heart. And he wants to be the center of our thoughts expressing that love in our hearts. He, wants to be what we think about most.

Don’t let this world and its allurements steer you away from inner peace. Sometime today, take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart with you, to go deep into your most inner thoughts to strengthen that bond between you and God. And it is that bond that will allow you to respond to others with a greater love in this, their time of need. Let our face radiate with the love of Jesus.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”. Ps 16:11

Moments of desperation

The nation even the world is, for the most part, in some form of isolation, a lockdown, quarantined from each other. The worlds businesses are closed, and, sadly, the Churches, too, have locked many of their doors. It is a time of desperation for some, and for others a solitude that cries with loneliness. Our homebound and residents in nursing homes experiencing a prison like environment, many confined to their room, a cell, with no visitors.

Our country has taken a hard hit, shattering our nose, our economy, our freedom of living and religious practices. For some, they were blindsided, for this hit came unexpectedly. For others, a mental depression overshadows faith and hope and trust.

One of the most famous and favorite Gospel passages for many people is the familiar John 3:16, We’ve seen it on banners, at football games, on roadside billboards, some even have it tattooed on their body, Jn 3:16.

And behind that beautiful verse of love are the words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”.

There comes a time in our life when we realize we have no other place to go, but to God. Today, is that time in our life. We need His help, we need His direction for we have failed finding that guidance, direction and compassion on our own. We were blinded by our own desires.

And it is in these moments, in desperation that many of us are somehow magnetically pulled towards our Lord. We were blind, but now we see.

The man born blind in today’s Gospel was healed, but interestingly enough was not able to just see, but was sent on a spiritual journey from simply saying, “I was healed”, to sometime later, referring to Jesus as a prophet, and finally saying and believing in those most beautiful words, “I do believe Lord”. His faith progressed step by step, and he worshipped our Lord.

That must be our spiritual journey. Today, no Church, but yet we pray. No, Eucharist, but yet spiritually fed by our desire to receive His Precious Body and Blood. God must come first in our lives.

Yes, we pray for all those helping our nation, working to help us survive. Yes, we pray, that many who have been blind to God will come to experience the true light of Christ. Prayer is, as many of us know, the only weapon to battle against adversity and the devil. We have never been through anything like this before.

Even though we are in this severe crisis, God has provided many of us with that window of opportunity to reflect, to take some time and think about  those words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”.

God is telling us to wake up. I want you to see!  It is in those precious moments, when we go deep into our hearts, when we tell Jesus, “I do believe”, then it is when we will hear those beautiful words from Jesus,

 “I love you”.

How much does God love us? St. Augustine tells us, “God loves each of us as if there was only one of us to love”

Our hope in a changing world

She is our hope in this rapidly changing world. She is the one who has the power to unite us, bringing us closer to her Son. Her faith is the pillar of strength that when we imitate her, becomes our strength as well. And that strength provides the stepping stones to receive all the other virtues of our Blessed Mother, that model of perfection.

Mary remains and forever will remain our Mother, and like a wonderful mother she listens to our pleas and brings us to Jesus in our prayers. One is so at ease when near one’s mother.  With her everything becomes easier, the weary, discouraged heart, disturbed by storms, finds new hope and strength and continues on with this life with new strength and courage.

Mary is our model, Mary is our guide, she is our support. And she comes to us when we call. She is love and our protection against the temptations and cruelties of this world.

St. Bernard tells us, “if the winds of temptation arise, if you run into the reefs of trials, look to the star, call upon Mary.  In danger, sorrow, or perplexity, think of Mary, call upon Mary”. Today is a good day to call upon Mary, the Mother of God, and our mother too. Say the rosary, the most powerful weapon against the evil one.

But, they're not dirty

Brings back memories from years ago, “Wash your hands before you eat!”  How many times as a child did you hear those words?  Or, as a parent, how many times did you shout them to your own children.  “Wash your hands before you eat”.  And of course, they would look and examine their hands and say, “why, they’re not dirty”.

To them, they probably didn’t look dirty on the outside, but we all know the germs, the hidden bacteria that makes a home on our hands. So, we wash our hands before you eat and constantly throughout the day, so we don’t get sick.

In Jesus’ time the washing of the hands was not so much in the interests of hygiene, but it was a ceremonial cleanliness that was at stake, hands washed and washed in a certain way.  The water for the washing was actually kept in a special jug, not just any water that they found in a nearby well.

This ceremony had to be so exact to the Jewish people that one time a rabbi who once omitted to the washing was buried in excommunication.

Jesus was trying to make a point, it’s not the ritual that makes us clean, but what’s in our hearts. Yes, clean and examine your hands before you eat, be careful what you touch, sanitize them to prevent a virus, but just as importantly examine your heart. It is your heart that will condemn you, not how clean your hands are. Look deep into your heart.

And one of the most difficult things to do is to figure out ourselves, to get deep into our own turmoil and confusion; our own interior pain and see the things that others don’t.

 Today, more than ever, we may have that free time, the window of opportunity to truly examine our conscience. To go deep into our heart to reveal our inner most thoughts and that does takes courage. But, knowing ourselves can be the radar needed to avoid the near temptations to sin, and bring us closer to God. In these troubled times, that is needed.

We are all sinners, and Jesus knows we are sinners, “You, who are without sin can cast the first stone”. The stones were dropped. So, we need to wash our souls to make them clean, rid them of any disease preventing us from having that relationship with God. St. James says it so well in his letter, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Wash your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." 

Yes, please, wash your hands frequently to stay healthy, take every precautionary measure to avoid this virus, but just as importantly, cleanse your heart with prayers every day. And it is prayer, especially Psalm 91 said often, that can keep us safe.  What a lent, what a cross

A good luck charm for many

Although we won’t be seeing too many athletic events for sometime, we can still think about the past.  Many baseball, football players, boxers, ball players in general, praying for a hit, a touch down or even a knockout do something unusual.  Watching a sporting event, we often see the good luck charms players seem to use. Players on both teams making the sign of the cross and praying for something good for themselves or their team.

Back in the late 1950’s I visited my Grandfather who was an avid Phillies fan.  God did come first in his life, but he lived and died with the Phillies. On this one particular day, he had his 6 transistor radio on and the Phillies were playing ST. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies were behind 3 to 2. It was the bottom of the ninth and the Phillies were batting with the bases loaded and two outs. Pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals was Vinegar Ben Mizel and at the plate, batting for the Phillies was Tony Taylor.

The count to Tony Taylor was full, three balls and two strikes. And the announcer, who may have been Byrum Saam, was excited. And he said, “They’re ready, Vinegar Ben is on the mound, he backs off the mound, blesses himself, walks back to the mound and his starring at the catcher, who blesses himself and gives the sign for what pitch to throw. Tony Taylor, awaits the pitch, calls time and backs out of the batter’s box. He blesses himself. He positions himself again in the batter’s box, waiting for the pitch, then calls timeout again, backs away from the plate takes a practice swing and then puts the sign of the cross on his bat.  Now he’s ready. 

Vinegar Ben, with the bases loaded is pitching from a full windup”.  I look at my grandfather, he looks at me.  He blesses himself.  I bless myself.  Byrum Saam says, “Here’s the pitch, and it’s a”.  And my grandfather turns off the radio.  My mouth was still open waiting for the result, and he turns off the radio.  He looks at his radio, but talking to me says, “I know God is a Cardinal fan, God will always hears the prayers of his cardinals – St. Louis Cardinals.”  He waits another minute before turning the radio back on and we hear the announcer say, “final score Cardinals 3 and the Phillies 2.

In many ways, the cross is our sign of identity as a Christian, a mark that we belong to Christ.  We trace this cross on ourselves, or bless ourselves, especially before prayer or during prayer.  Many of us have a crucifix hanging around our neck.  We see It hanging in our homes, offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, even some hospital rooms, although fewer places today than ever before. 

 Yes, we see it and yet, do we truly understand the true meaning of the cross of Jesus in our lives

But, as we seriously know, the cross or the sign of the cross, is not a good luck charm, and the cross cannot take sides with or against another good luck charm.

No, the Cross is a sign of victory. And that victory was so important that Jesus’ entire life moved him to Calvary, to hang on that Cross of victory over death.  It hangs around our neck for us to remember we were redeemed. It is a reminder that we must follow in his ways to be ever with him in heaven.

The Cross of Jesus was true humiliation. It was degrading. It was the sign of a criminal’s death. And, yet it was, not a sign of victory, it was the victory of our lives.

There is power in that Cross, and we are commanded by Jesus, to carry our own crosses, our own hardships with him, crossing over the finish line someday and into his loving arms. “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me” Mt 16:24

Every hardship, all our sorrows, our discomforts, our trials are crosses and

when accepted, as Jesus accepted his own Cross and, like Jesus, carried with love, provides the perseverance, the ability to walk with Jesus.  Every cross we carry, we carry with Jesus, as He tells us, “I am with you always, even to the end of time”.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a crises, something we have never experienced before. And we are full of uncertainties. It is a cross that we are all carrying, for it is affecting our lives and the lives of all those in the world.  

This cross can, at many times be bitter, and it could test of our faith.  But, when carried with the help of Jesus, this cross will strengthen us, even to the point of deny ourselves.  We place this cross in God’s hands with trustful abandonment, serving Jesus. With that abandonment and accepting that cross will provide the graces we need to love, help and pray for our brother and sister. In this current crisis, our cross, we will live those words of Jesus, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”

In the end, we will be accountable to Our Lord, on how well we carried our crosses, this one no different than any other.  How we helped our brother, sister, our neighbor, denying ourselves some of the luxuries of this moment, thinking twice about stock piling and leaving others without.    “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren that you do unto me”. 

 It is true, followers of Jesus do have their own crosses. Followers of Jesus must deny themselves and by denying themselves they begin to love as Jesus loved. That cross, and every cross sent our way, carried with love is our key that will open our door to heaven. No cross, no key, no key, no heaven. 

No one knows for sure why we are in the predicament we are in. Is it God, cleansing his Church, is it a warning for lost souls or for those whose eyes need to be opened? Is it a caution from God that we are a sinful people? God always gives us choices, and with the crosses sent our way we have a choice. Jesus’ cross is the symbol of love. Our cross depending on how we choose to accept it, can be love, or it can a selfish motive.

Reminds me of a verse in Luke, “Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

But you have to love Jesus’ response, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you”. Let this cross be love.

A prayer with power

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,

who abide in the shade of the Almighty,

Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,

my God in whom I trust.”

He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare,

from the destroying plague,

He will shelter you with his pinions,

and under his wings you may take refuge;

his faithfulness is a protecting shield.

You shall not fear the terror of the night

nor the arrow that flies by day,

Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,

nor the plague that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

near you it shall not come.

You need simply watch;

the punishment of the wicked you will see.

Because you have the Lord for your refuge

and have made the Most High your stronghold,

No evil shall befall you,

no affliction come near your tent.

For he commands his angels with regard to you,

to guard you wherever you go.

With their hands they shall support you,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You can tread upon the asp and the viper,

trample the lion and the dragon.

II

Because he clings to me I will deliver him;

because he knows my name I will set him on high.

 will call upon me and I will answer;

I will be with him in distress;

I will deliver him and give him honor.

With length of days I will satisfy him,

and fill him with my saving power.

Psalm 91 - say it often