Gospel Reflection Luke 18:35-43

In today’s Gospel passage, we read about Jesus giving sight to a blind man. As the healer par excellence, Jesus fulfills what was said about Him by the prophet Isaiah. It hearkens to the time when Jesus says to the disciples of John the Baptist “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” (Luke 7:22)

This account has two notable polarities that we should not overlook. On the one side, we read about the crowd rebuking the blind man as he calls out for mercy. Imagine being in this group of people. Surely, you would take the high road and silence those seeking to shut down the blind man, right? Or, would you encourage the blind man, just like the friends of the paralytic who opened a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was? How strong is our faith? Our sensibilities and dignity may get the better of us. We worry too much about what other people think, thus we may not want to trouble the Good Teacher. Yet, in so doing, we would risk missing the very mission of the Teacher! 

On the other side, after the man is healed the crowd rejoices and rightly praises God. This is the proper response to any work of the Lord. Yet, in many cases, it is difficult to suppress our befuddlement. Why did God choose to heal him and not me? These are often reasonable questions that point to a deep mystery, allowing us to journey further into God. However, in other cases, our petty jealousies rear their ugly heads. When God heals someone or blesses them with a gift, like a promotion at work, we tend not to be genuinely happy for the other person. To share in the joy of others in Christ, to not be focused on ourselves and what we perceive not having, is a mark of growth in our faith. It is only possible by participating more deeply in the grace and love given to us by the Lord Jesus. We should rejoice openly whenever we see God at work, which will be more often the more attentive we are. 

Gospel Reflection Luke 17:26-37

In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues His discourse on the coming of the Kingdom of God. He identifies this Kingdom in important ways with the day of the Son of Man. This was Jesus' most frequent self-attribution, indicating a radical self-understanding of divinity. 

Reading ‘the signs of the times’ is a key theme in all these verses. Jesus exhorts His followers to not be preoccupied with the wrong things. The focus must always be on the things of God, being attuned to His Spirit, His Way, and His promptings.

Despite the prophetic warnings of Noah, and the very presence of the ark being a harbinger, his contemporaries were completely caught up in wickedness. Likewise, the city of Sodom was enraptured in rebellion. For both of these places, it was not too late until it was too late. The chains of sin are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken. When we orient ourselves in the wrong direction for too long, it starts to feel normal and right. So, we must be vigilant, taking every thought captive (2 Cor 10:5). 

The things of the world, most of them good in their proper order, are fleeting and transient. The right move is to leave these things behind for what is worth far more. The vultures gather at the carrion. Losing our life and forsaking all for the Kingdom is how we gain it. This is deeply counterintuitive, showing how far our thoughts and ways are from those of God. Following the Words of the Lord is the only way we will remain in the grace of God on the day of the Son of Man. 

Gospel Reflection - Luke 11:15-26

Today’s Gospel reading clarifies the reality of evil spiritual powers that dwell in the world. We must depend on the power of Christ that dwells within us to be victorious in the bloody trench warfare into which we are conscripted at Baptism.

Exorcism was one of the primary ministries of Jesus and was also done by Jewish spiritual leaders of the time. So, in the immediate context, there arises a sort of befuddled jealousy on behalf of the crowd. They are incredulous that, on His own authority, Jesus drives out demons. Just like His preaching, the Lord Jesus spoke and acted exousia - from Himself. He spoke and it was. The demons were immediately subject to Him as the very author of their existence. 

Think for a minute about what the Bible tells us about the demonic. These spiritual creatures are more intelligent and powerful than we can imagine. They are set in only one direction, and that is violent opposition to the Kingdom of Heaven. This means that evil spirits are not going to rest until they find a base from which to work. Taking up residence in complicit places, they make fortifications. Once set, they cannot be displaced unless something - or someone - stronger comes to remove them. Jesus is the One who does this. By the “finger of God,” He casts them out. 

The great inbreaking of the Kingdom of Christ makes a spectacle of the powers of evil and darkness. One by one, grace by grace, the strongholds of the scattering and dividing forces are put into place. 

Gospel Reflection Mark 11:27-33

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus (again) confounds the religious leaders of the day with a simple question. By asking them about the origin of John’s baptism, Jesus lays their souls bare: they do not care about the truth of God. They are more concerned with legalistic and political exercises under the pretense of piety than anything else. This is the markedly inward turn of sin manifest, huddled together looking at each other - ostensibly a mirror - instead of on their knees looking to God of heaven and earth. 

The chief priests, scribes, and elders are concerned with earthly authority, rank, and order. In this process, hard-baked over many years, they have become numb to ultimate Authority. The ancient Latin root of authority is ‘author’ or ‘originator’. Even more specifically, ‘’master’ or ‘leader’. Jesus spoke in the very person of God. Although shocking to many, there was no doubt He was claiming divine prerogative for Himself. The Lord knew full well that His interlocutors were numb and unable to hear anything outside their echo chamber. Seen in this light, the question Jesus asks is a merciful way of trying once again to show the religious leaders they are missing something profound. 

Gospel Reflection Luke 1:39-56

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After her great ‘yes’ to God, we read that Mary set out in haste to visit her older cousin Elizabeth in the hill country. We can feel the excitement of Our Lady as she travels to share what the Lord has chosen for her to do. As the two co-conspirators in the divine rescue plan meet, Elizabeth bursts forth in praise. The Lord Himself has come into her home! 

Elizabeth then says something very profound and instructive for us, a great summary of the Christian faith. “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” This is the very essence of what we believe, the entire basis of the confession we make every Sunday at Mass. We believe what the Lord tells us because it is the Lord who is telling us. This belief is not simply an intellectual assent, but an entire re-orientation of life around divinely revealed truth. The Blessed Virgin and St. Elizabeth show us the way. God speaks and they respond with humility and obedience. May it be so for us this great feast day and each day forward. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us!

St. Elizabeth, Pray for us! 

Gospel Reflection Mark 10:46-52

Today’s Gospel recounts the story of Bartimaeus. The idea of blindness has strong spiritual connotations. If we are blind, we cannot ‘see’ the pain and error of our sinful ways nor can we behold the truth of God. In another setting, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for being blind guides. They do not know where they are going yet confidently lead others. We are meant to see glimpses of ourselves in the Pharisees, and they should serve as an apt warning sign. Spiritual blindness is a grave danger.

We encounter Bartimaeus in a sorry state. Not only is he unable to see, but he is begging. He has put himself at the mercy of others. Lest we look down our noses at the beggar, we must remember ourselves in the same state. We are all beggars. Our sinfulness places us in the worst state imaginable. We cast about futility in many directions for sustenance. Nothing in this world can nourish. Bartimaeus realizes his state. He knows only the grace of the Son of David can help him. Even though people try to fervently deter him, Bartimaeus throws himself at the mercy of God with abandon.

What all of us sinners need, those of us who are ‘blind’, is to ‘see’ Jesus. Thus, it is instructive that at the end of the passage today, Jesus says, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Bartimaeus asks to receive sight, but he gets so much more than being able to see colors, shapes, and movement. My speculation is the first thing he sees with his eyes is the face of Jesus, while at the same time, his faith has brought him before the face of God in friendship. 

Daily Gospel Reflection Mark 10:32-45

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Christianity is profoundly paradoxical, and this is just one more example of that. Jesus raises paradox to the highest possible pitch.

Paradoxes have a long history, usually relegated to scholars of logic and mathematics. In the context of our faith, a paradox is a proposition or set of conjunctive propositions that seem contradictory but are simultaneously true. When we think about paradox, we have the notion of holding two competing notions in our minds at once. Returning to the reading today, Jesus’ claim of being the Son of Man, His most frequent self-attribution, is a claim to divinity. Yet, he also claims to be a servant. 

The tempting move here is to try and resolve the tension. The rationalist, Pythagorean instinct within us moves in this direction. I submit that we should refrain from trying to resolve the competing polarities. Instead, we should quiet our minds until they are taken up and deeper into the mystery of God. Throughout salvation history, God shows us in vivid colors what Hamlet tells the ever-pragmatic Horatio: there are more things in heaven and earth than we can dream of in our philosophy. 

Paradoxes make us uncomfortable because they illuminate the boundaries of our finitude. Yet, in approaching these limits we realize more who we are before God, and we are brought to true humility.