Altered by the Grace of God

Mark 9: 2-10

Sunday Gospel Reflection 2.25.24

O’ Lord, You lead me by the hand to the foot of the mountain and I follow You with the trust of an innocent child.

Lord, I follow You by faith alone and begin the climb of Tabor like Saul of Tarsus before he was blinded.

Glory to the God of Direction!

O’ Lord, I trust no man fully as I do You, for the follies of men have only led me astray and away from thy Holy Mountain.

Lord, remove the shackles of sin from my feet so that I may climb to the summit of this hill and return converted from Saul to Paul.

Praise to the Divine Transformation!

O’ Spirit of Grace, You are the God of Adoption who affords me the courage and strength to navigate the steep crags and manage the summit.

Lord, You are the God of Wisdom and Love who guides me away from the messes of this tumultuous world of darkness.

Glory to the Divine Navigator!

O’ Mighty Hashem, You are the God of Compassion who protects and sustains me – You equip me with all I require for the righteous battle.

Adonai, You lead me down safely for the mountain altered Your grace and with new insight into what lies ahead.

Praise to the Threshold of all Goodness!

                                                                                      The Pilgrim

 

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

See this week's Gospel reading by clicking here. 

Jesus told us that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophecies. He told us often as He walked among us that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Elsewhere in Scripture it reads: "The Kingdom of God is upon you." Now, because of the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we live in an age of Mercy. The Lord's Mercy is poured out so that all may receive it. Truly, the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Take some time this week to meditate on that: The Kingdom of God is at hand.  It's not on it's way. It's not just around the corner. ~ It is at hand ~ What does that mean to you? How would you behave differently if you were fully aware that God and His Kingdom were present in your everyday comings and goings? Present. Not watching from afar, but here, now, upon you.........

Peace of Christ be to you, 

                                             + Theophilus

 

¿ Quiénes son los leprosos de hoy día?

 

  Esta mañana estuve en misa en la cárcel.

Hacía unos cuantos meses que no iba.  Serví allí como capellán por casi 20 años. Ahora voy de vez en cuando,  especialmente cuando me necesitan porque algún capellán está ausente.

     Hoy como tantas otras veces en el pasado, me impactó la devoción con que los confinados participan de la Liturgia de la Sagrada Eucatistia.

 

     ¿ Quiénes son los leprosos de hoy día?

 

En la narración del Santo Evangelio  este domingo, sexto del tiempo ordinario, San Marcos nos dice que un leproso se acercó a Jesús y le rogó que le curara de su lepra.

 

     ¿ Quienes eran los leprosos del tiempo de Jesús? 

 

Eran los intocables, los proscritos, los  rechazados por todos. El leproso tenía que mantenerse fuera de la comunidad. Cuando se acercaba a  alguien o a un grupo, tenía que anunciar mediante un grito, “ impuro“. Esta marginalización, este rechazo, esta vida fuera de la comunidad era más dolorosa, más deshumanizante que la propia enfermedad.

     Dice el texto que cuando el leproso pide ayuda a Jesús, el maestro se conmueve, siente por aquel hombre y siente lo que aquel. hombre cuyo nombre no sabemos.

¿ por qué permanece este leproso anónimo?

 

   Jesús rompe todas las convenciones sociales, todos los esquemas sociales, todas las reglas y leyes deshumanizantes y toca al enfermo. Lo sana de su terrible enfermedad. Y al hacerlo  no solamente no queda El “impuro” sino que más bien pone al descubierto un sistema, unos ritos, unas estructuras que son realmente impuros.

 

 Y luego manda al hombre a presentarse al sacerdote para que aquél sepa que  él tiene el poder de sanar y de hacer caso omiso de la ley cuando ésta ofenda la dignidad humana.

 

¿ Quiénes son los leprosos de hoy día?

 

Pues son”esos”, “esa gente”, todos los que excluimos del círculo de “ nosotros “. Ciertamente son los presos, los confinados, a veces víctima de un sistema de justicia más punitivo qué preocupado por la rehabilitación

 

Son los que tienen una orientación sexual diferente, los emigrantes recién llegados, y los que están en la frontera esperando una oportunidad para una mejor vida. Son todos los que se le niega una oportunidad de igualdad en la iglesia, en la escuela, en la sociedad.

 

“Todos, todos, todos”, este fue el grito del Santo padre Francisco durante la jornada mundial de la juventud en Portugal. Todos son bienvenidos en la iglesia, todos tienen un lugar en la casa de Dios.

 

¿ No es esto lo que nos dice Jesus por su Palabra y por sus obras?

 

El caballero de nuestra Señora.

God Always Wins

 It is interesting the things that we remember.  Some things stick with us.  I am now fifty-eight years of age, yet I recall a particular night when I was about six or seven years old.  I was in the back of my parents’ car driving from my grandparents’ home in Brooklyn to our home in Queens.  About six or seven blocks from our home traffic came to a sudden halt.  A head of us about fifty feet at the next intersection there had just been a nasty accident involving several cars.  What sticks with me is that suddenly a woman came racing towards our car.  Her face and arm were bloodied from an injury from the accident.  My father opened the car window, and the woman came close to him, begging him for help.  In doing so, her blood got on my father’s jacket.  My father did what he could to help her until the police and other emergency vehicles arrived.  I recall going home that night and my mother doing what she could to wash the blood out of my father’s jacket. 

This is simply the story of a car accident, but clearly coming close to suffering can stain our clothes, but also can stain our minds and hearts.  I remember this car accident some fifty years after it occurred.  I was not personally involved in it but witnessing it effects – on the woman and even on my father’s jacket - has stuck with me all these years.  Suffering effects not just those directly involved but even those indirectly involved.

This week, a community that I am connected with was affected by a terrible incident of gun violence.  The incident wound up taking the lives of the young man who was the assailant, his grandfather, an elderly priest, and the priest’s sister.  Evil has visited this place no doubt.  The affected are not just the four who are dead, but their families, the school communities of these families, the parish community of the deceased priest, and on and on.  We should not forget that every person even hearing of this tragedy has had their “jackets stained.” 

Evil is present in the world, no doubt.  It has the potential to stain us, to stick with us, or we can use the opportunity to reach out to the one who heals.  Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law.  He heals those who came to him who were ill or possessed by demons. He removes the stain of suffering of evil.  Ultimately, he would take on our punishment and conquer sin and death.

My friends, we need to pray.  Please pray for those mentioned in the story above and all who are involved in acts of evil.  May the dead rest in peace.  May all who are affected come to know that evil never has the final answer.  In the end, God always wins.  In fact, he has already won.  We should not have our jackets stained by the presence of evil, but rather cleaned by the victory of Christ.

-           - The Servant