Scripture

Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. He was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were ministering to him.

Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

(Mark 1:12–15 WEB)

Reflection

One of our most remembered saints, Francis Xavier, patron of the mission, used say that nothing could be worse than losing his trust in God. His final words were of a prayer he had learned as a child, ‘Lord in you I put my trust; do not let me be disappointed.’

In  his journey to faith and commitment, he had found support for this prayer; and also in his work among the very poor of India, he would find this conviction deepened, and his goal was to live from it.   The temptation would be to give up, to trust in his friends, comfort and a life lived in the ease of his own place or even in the first place he got to.  He was tempted like Jesus, like all of us.

All of us are tempted to selfishness – to use others for money, comfort,  reputation.  To trust in things other than love of God and others for  self-esteem.   To think that happiness comes through money, power and comfort.   We can be tempted to bully others at home, school, work, in a desire, often unconscious, to control everything.

Jesus had time in the desert to find his goals in his life.  We need the same, like St Francis Xavier, to define the goals of our life.   We need to hear the call to give quality time to marriage, use the things of creation well, avoid what’s detrimental to health and soul, treat everyone with the dignity that is their due in our business and sexual relationships, to respect the other in our friendships, to respect each other on the roads, and to care for the environment. All that is part of the goal of being a Christian.

The gospel ends with the care of God with the angels;  God wants our love, our hearts.  Angels are named images who care for us, protect us and keep us safe on our road to God.

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture

When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts?Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.”

He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

(Mark 2:1–12 WEB)

Reflection

We would all say that our faith and christian life has been helped or hindered by other people. The faith of one effects the faith of all, in the family and in the community and the neighbourhood.

Faith for the paralysed man opened a door to a living relationship with God in Jesus. Faith was the door opening to the forgiveness of sins, and then to the cure of the sick man. It was the faith of the others that brought him to Jesus. We have no evidence that he himself even wanted to go.

Faith of One – Faith of All

The faith of all helped the sick man – he was healed by ‘their’ faith. Our faithful time of prayer may help people we know or do not know. Our example of faith can influence people in our local circle even though we may be unaware of it.

Many people would like faith to be private. That it would have no effect or influence on politics, education, health care and many other issues of society. While faith does not wish to impose, it wishes to have some say in the ordinary issues of life.

The man who owned the house in the gospel incident today lost the roof of his house. Sometimes the faith and convictions of others will effect change in our lives. Faith asks for openness to the goodness and the issues of others. Sometimes we will be challenged in the community of faith, by someone’s life, by a homily or by a story of another’s faith.

In the best of christian community healing and new life happens as it happened for the paralysed man, and as it happened for those who brought him to Jesus.

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

(Mark 1:40–45 NRSV)

Reflection

To touch a leprosy-sufferer was unthinkable at the time of Jesus. A physical danger of contagion had become a religious taboo. Again Jesus cuts through religious taboo and harsh judgments on people with his own loving healing. What can be more personal than touch? Surely the ‘leper’ was cleansed from more than physical illness by this touch – he was assured of personal human dignity.

A person

It is wrong even to call him or her a ‘leper’! Labels define people and allow others not see the real humanity of everyone.  Is anyone an ‘addict’?  Is he or she not rather a person suffering from addiction.

Jesus always saw to the person within the suffering or the condition. Somehow he could risk his own reputation by relating fully to them. Many other people in the gospel over the year will highlight that.

Maybe we as a community and a church should apologise for how we used the name of Jesus and the gospel message to categorise people in the past and make life so difficult for the single mother, the family of someone who died by suicide, the unbaptised infant and others,. This is not the way of Jesus nor the way of the gospel.

Labels

We can ask how we might do this now – labelling people as  alcoholic, gay, foreigner, third world people, and other names we put onto people, failing then to see them as human beings with a lot of needs and a lot to offer.  Labels and titles connected with sin are never final with Jesus; his acceptance and forgiveness of people went together.

Donal Neary SJ 

Prayers of the Faithful for the 5th Sunday now available – click on the tab in the menu above.

Scripture

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

(Mark 1:29–39 NRSV)

Reflection

In this time of his life Jesus seems busy with many people – his disciples, their families and whole cities looking for him. Faith for him, as for us, always is in the midst of life, in the middle of the cares and concerns, the difficulties and joys of ordinary life and with all the people who are part of life. All this is part of his ministry.

The gospel today is a typical day  in the life of Jesus – healing people, having a meal, cast ing out evil, praying and preaching. It is a sort of summary of his ministry.

Our Christian faith will touch many aspects of ordinary life – work, family, difficulties, prayer, meals and leisure. God is part of it all.  A well-known prayer is called ‘the morning offering’, when we offer all to God. Maybe it is a good way to start the day.

Here is a sample:

Lord God, take this day which I now begin;

In thanks I offer you the first words of my day –

Praise for your creation

And thanks for the gift of yourself in all creation.

May this day be a good day for all I meet,

And may I live this day 

In kindness, peace and forgiveness,

I offer you the joys and sufferings of this day,

United with your cross and resurrection.

I join all this with  your kindness, peace, forgiveness and love,

And with the Eucharist celebrated in every part of the world. 

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture

They went as far as Capernaum, and at once on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.

And at once in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked it saying, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking one another what it all meant, saying, ‘Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation at once spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.

(Mark 1:21–28 NJB)

Reflection

There are no taboo topics with Jesus. God is bigger than any taboo.  What he brings is love and compassion, with the grace of healing.   Nothing you feel in any taboo area can be so dark that the light of Jesus cannot shine through.

We become more at ease with all of life when we are at ease with God. That’s what happened the man of the gospel today and everyone around him. When real healing happens it’s told to everyone.

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

(Mark 1:14–20 NRSV)

Reflection

The men and women who followed Jesus seemed to find something in him that spoke to the heart, and they needed that. They were called from their work to follow this man with the dream of goodness, love and brotherhood, to share in the vision of Jesus for the world.

Ag Críost an Síol

An Irish hymn Ag Críost an Síol sings – Let us rest in the nets of God. We are netted by God.  We are saved  from danger –as  the ocean is the depths of danger, darkness, evil.  The nets don’t just catch us like poor fish, but save us from immortal danger.   Also, we are netted, we are caught by God so that from the inside we know his love and his truth.  We are caught also in community.

One weakness of Irish catholicism has been its individualism, We need personal but not individualistic prayer. It can be strange at Mass to see people on their  own at Mass at the back of the church or praying at the shrines -  strong personal devotions but prayer in community.  It kept us going once, but will not now. We need now to share faith with each other and support each other in faith, called as the apostles were, in community.  This is now a community with people of many backgrounds.

Vision of Jesus

In Jesus we find something ‘big enough to live for, large enough to die for’; a meaning that will keep us going for all of life. Let’s hope we can move into the future and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, for there is always a future with Jesus.  That is why they left their nets, and their journey brought them to the ends of the earth in the same faith that gathers us here this week.

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture and Gospel Reflection for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 15th 2012)

Scripture

The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked towards him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi’—which means Teacher—‘where do you live?’ He replied, ‘Come and see’; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’—which means the Christ— and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’—which means Rock.

(John 1:35–42 NJB)

Reflection

Some people give a great welcome into their home. You feel they are glad to see you. In other times, it was the half door open, or the door on the latch. Jesus says to us – welcome, come and see.

The first step into the church is welcome. Baptism is the welcome of the child by name.  To the family and all concerned. This is the welcome of Jesus. His church is to be a welcoming church.

Welcomed?

Many people feel unwelcome in the church.  For many reasons. A person can make them feel unwelcome especially if that is a priest or a church worker. We have a long legacy in the church of being choosy.

For Jesus, nobody is rejected..  You may know people, young and old, who feel unwelcome for their sins, their lifestyle, their personality or their attitudes. So they come at funerals and are uneasy, or weddings. The first liturgical step is the step into everyone’s world with the welcome of Jesus.

The Doorkeeper

One of the ancient ministries of the church was the doorkeeper – the porter, the welcomer.  We have lost this sense at Mass of spending energy on the welcome.

When people  met Jesus they stayed a long time. People may find much fault with the church and the church gives many reasons – nobody seems to find fault with Jesus.

His invitation was and still is – come and see, come and listen, come and be loved by God in Jesus Christ, in his community of the church. Come and share this bread which endures forever.

Donal Neary SJ

Scripture

In the course of his preaching John the Baptist said, ‘After me is coming someone who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. And at once, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’”

(Mark 1:7–11 NJB)

Reflection

Somebody said once about their view of God: I  need a God with skin, not one who just looks after angels and lives in the skies. At his baptism Jesus is seen as  the pilgrim God from heaven who joins in  our pilgrim way to heaven.

Jesus joins fully his sinful people. Jesus does not expect a perfect people.  The queue he joined was like the queue for confession;  not that he is sinful,  but he is  letting us know he is really one of us.

The Adult Christ

The birth said that.  Now the baptism has him joining his people as an adult. He is a person of care and of love, and the source is his prayer.

He loved – the relationship with his mother and friends, apart from his universal sort of love, seems very real love. His heart reached out to people in need. His  love was always love in action.

Our baptism means something like that – we take on a way of life by it. At some stage we want to be partners with Jesus, as he was partner with us.

Community of prayer, love and care

The basics of the church are: we are a community of prayer, love and care, committed to the reign of justice. This is before any of our moral stances or our church structures.  Our present situation actually can challenge us to what it means to be a catholic in this day and age. We can find ourselves very turned off by the mismanagement and cover-ups of the church – but the daily life of prayer, love and care still deepens our friendship with Jesus.  The human in us joins the human in him; the divine in him joins the human in us.  Our Son of God has skin.

Donal Neary SJ

(Prayers of the Faithful for the Feast of the Epiphany now available under the tab above)

Scripture

1st Reading

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

(Isaiah 60:2–6 NRSV)

Gospel

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

(Matthew 2:1–12 NRSV)

Reflection

Gifts  say something about the person who gives the gift as well as the giver’s view of the person receiving. The Magi’s gifts say something about their faith, their trust and their knowledge of who Jesus would be.

Gifts for the Child

Gold was for a king;  frankincense for someone divine and  myrrh for the anointing at death. The gifts say a lot about Jesus  – God and man, and he would die and be entombed.

For us now, the only gift worth our giving is our love.  We bring love and ask God to accept the love of our lives – husband and wife, children, friends, neighbours: whoever are the loves of life we can bring to the crib today.

God’s gift

But there is another gift…The biggest gift of today is the child in the crib!  God’s gift to humanity.  He knows what we need.  And we need Jesus’ message in our country – to address the lack of respect for life, the violence of our streets, abuse of alcohol, our use of others for comfort, pleasure, wealth – there are many ways we harm each other. There is also a  lack of faith and meaning in life.

Deep down the gift of God today is of love for us; and the invitation to let this love flow into our lives and our society, so that we live as God asks us to live.

Can we go to the crib and just offer ourselves and our love this day?

We call today ‘little Christmas’.  Can we, with our love, make little Christmas a really big Christmas, and make each day of the year a gift of love to the Lord?

Christ-child, may your love fill the earth.

Donal Neary SJ

(Prayers of the Faithful for January 1st/ Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God now available under the tab above).

A Prayer for New Year (from the first reading)

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say this to Aaron and his sons. Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

(Numbers 6:22–27 NRSV)

Gospel

So the shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

(Luke 2:16–21 NRSV)

Reflection

One title of Mary might be ‘woman of peace’.  She was not on any peace commission nor on councils. She had no  great political influence but she brought her contribution to peace…the birth and education of the prince of peace,  a woman of gentle peace in her world, her family, her village. She brought together the family of Jesus and the followers of Jesus as a mother of peace.

Our roles in life are mostly small .  Most of us have little political clout, little influence in our church;  but in many ways we can be people of peace. All are Called to be peacemakers. The gospel is the peace scene of the crib.

Like the people in our country over the troubled years, and still recently,   who spoke well of Protestants and Catholics and didn’t add to the prejudice.  Putting into action the words of a Catholic bishop, Cardinal Daly, at the time of great violence  – words like ‘Protestant tears and Catholic tears are the same…you can’t bomb people into a united Ireland…you cannot force a million people into a united country they don’t want. We salute the people  who worked for peace in their locality.

Our peace is to be  based on justice.  When  we treat people justly and with respect we work for peace, as well as when we try to make up for past misunderstandings, we are working for peace.

While we can’t influence world events that much maybe we can be people of peace in words and in our willingness to work for peaceful relations in our small circle of the world.  That was Mary – and she brought the biggest influence for peace into our world  We can all be peace workers, peacemakers, doers of peace, speakers of peace. We call this feast her solemnity and one of her legacies is a deep simplicity that spread peace.

Donal Neary SJ