Sunday, June 24, 2012


SYNOPSIS OF O. T.  XIII  [B] (7/1/2012) I COR 8:7, 9, 13-15; MK 5: 21-43 (L)

Introduction: Today’s readings speak of the gift of life, both physical and spiritual, that God has given us. They urge and challenge us to be grateful for our health in body and soul and to use God’s gifts of life and health responsibly. Scripture lessons: The first reading from the Book of Wisdom tells us that God gave us life and health and it was the jealousy of the Satan that produced illness and death. The reading also suggests that the goal of our lives on earth is to know, to love and to serve God here with perfect health in body and soul, and to share God’s immortal life forever. In the second reading, St. Paul asks the Corinthian Christian community to show the kindness and compassion which Jesus expressed in his healing ministry to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem living in poverty and sickness, by raising a fund for them.  The generosity of Jesus is the central theme here also, because Paul describes Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as “the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Today’s gospel describes two of our Lord's miracles, the healing of a woman from her chronic bleeding disease and the revival of the dead daughter of Jairus to life.   These healings teach us that Jesus willed life, and willed full life for all God’s children.  The two healings also reveal Jesus as a generous, kind and compassionate God Who wills that men should live their wholesome lives fully. They also give us further proof of the divine power and the infinite mercy of our Savior. These miracles were worked by Jesus as reward for the trusting faith of a synagogue ruler and of a woman with a hemorrhage, although the faith of the ruler may have been defective and the woman’s faith may have been a bit superstitious. But Jesus amply rewarded their defective faith by granting them health and life. 

Life messages: # 1: We need to accept God’s call to health, wholeness and holiness.  Jesus accepts us as we are.  Hence, let us bring before him our bodily illnesses and spiritual wounds and ask for his healing touch.  As Christians, we believe that Jesus continues to heal us through his instruments in the medical profession like doctors, nurses and medical technicians. Hence, when we go to a doctor, we need to offer a prayer to Christ The Divine Healer that we may choose the right doctor, and that s/he will make the correct diagnosis, prescribe the correct treatment and give us the right medicine. Let us not forget the truth, that Christ still works wonders of healing.  Let us also thank God for the great gift of health and use it for helping those who are sick.

#2: We need to continue the healing mission of the Church: As members of the Church, we are not excused from our vocation to be healers.  We do our share of Christ’s healing mission by visiting the sick, by praying for their healing, and by boosting their morale with our loving presence, words of encouragement and inspiration. Thus, we may enable them to experience the compassion of Jesus.

O.T. XIII: WISDOM 1:13-15, 2:23-24; I COR 8:7, 9, 13-15; MARK 5:21--43

Anecdote # 1:  “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”Ann Jillian, a three-time Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress and singer, is an American actress born to Roman Catholic Lithuanian immigrant parents. Since 1985, she has added motivational speaking to her impressive list of credits, addressing business, medical, professional and women's groups with her own unique blend of humor and inspiration. Her prowess extends from the world’s concert halls, to feature film and the Broadway stage.  She has starred in over 25 TV movies, and made hundreds of other TV appearances. Her TV movie, The Ann Jillian Story, which recounts her victory over breast cancer, was the #1 film of that TV season, but, more important, it delivered Ann's message about the hopeful side of breast cancer to its millions of viewers.  In 1985, the then 35-year-old actress made headlines when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On her way to the hospital to check the nature of the growth which she had noticed, she stopped at St. Francis de Sales Church and read the inscription on the door. “The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” She went into the church and prayed for the strength to accept her ordeal.  The radiant trust in God and peace of mind she maintained before and after the surgery (double mastectomy), was big news in the media and a great inspiration for all cancer patients. She trusted in Jesus’ words given in today’s gospel, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Actually this phrase is repeated in the Bible 365 times in the Bible.

# 2: Widow of Dr. Martin Luther King:  The whole world was saddened when Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died in a medical clinic in Mexico. What was she doing in Mexico? It's simple. Doctors in the United States had told her they could do no more for her. The clinic in Mexico offered hope. That hope may have been an illusion, but who can blame her? We'll do anything for hope. Ask someone who has been in chronic pain and has discovered that even the finest medical professionals don't have a clue about how to stop their pain. Many of these sufferers will go to any lengths to find someone who can give them relief. Wouldn't you? This woman comes to Jesus. She has heard that this is the physician she has been looking for.



#3: "This is where I found Christ." Here is a beautiful old story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It tells how in later years, he rose early every morning and left his house. His wife, curious, followed him one morning. At the town well he filled a bucket... and he walked until he came to a sycamore tree. There, setting down the bucket, he began to clean away the stones, the branches, and the rubbish from around the base of the tree. Having done that, he poured water on the roots and stood there in silence, gently caressing the trunk with both of his hands. When his amazed wife came out of hiding and asked what he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply, "This is where I found Christ." I can just imagine that for the rest of their lives, that woman who touched the tassel of Jesus' robe that day on the street... and the daughter of Jairus who was raised up in that room in her home, continually brought people back to those sacred spots and said, "This is where I found Christ! This is where Christ loved me into life!" Do you have a sacred spot like that? This is the Good News of our Christian faith, isn't it? Love has the power to heal, to reconcile, and to redeem.

Introduction: Today’s readings speak of the gift of life, both physical and spiritual, that God has given us. They urge and challenge us to be grateful for our health in body and soul and to use God’s gifts of life and health responsibly. Scripture Lessons: The first reading, taken from the Book of Wisdom, tells us that God gave us life and health and it was the jealousy of the Satan that produced illness and death. The reading also suggests that the goal of our lives on earth is to know, to love and to serve God here with perfect health in body and soul, and to share God’s immortal life forever In the second reading, St. Paul asks the Corinthian Christian community to show the kindness and compassion which Jesus expressed in his healing ministry to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem living in poverty and sickness, by raising a fund for them.  The generosity of Jesus is the central theme here also, because Paul describes Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as “the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Today’s gospel describes two of our Lord's miracles, the healing of a woman who suffered from a chronic bleeding disease and the returning of the dead daughter of Jairus to life.   These healings teach us that Jesus wills life, and wills full life for all God’s children.  The two healings also reveal Jesus as a generous, kind and compassionate God who wills that men should live their wholesome lives fully. They also give us further proof of the divine power and the infinite mercy of our Savior. These miracles were worked by Jesus as reward for the trusting faith of a synagogue ruler and of a woman with a hemorrhage, although the faith of the ruler may have been defective, and the woman’s faith may have been a bit superstitious. But Jesus amply rewarded their defective faith by granting them health and life. 

The first reading, Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24, complements the gospel theme by explaining the origins of evil and death in the world.  In today’s gospel, Jesus revives a dead girl and heals a chronically-sick woman. We ask the perennial question: "How can a good God permit evils like poverty, AIDS, holocausts, and terrorist attacks? Today’s passage from the Book of Wisdom defends the goodness of God, stating, “God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living."  Our God is a God of life, whose will for us is that we should have more abundant life.  The truth that man's real destiny is an unending life with God is stated for the first time in the Old Testament in the Book of Wisdom. “For righteousness is immortal.  God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of His own eternity.”  This means that the goal of our lives is to know, to love and to serve God here, and to share God’s life forever.

The second reading, (2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15), is addressed to the Christians in Corinth who were rich in the spiritual gifts (prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues, etc. See chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians).  While complimenting them on their material and spiritual prosperity, Saint Paul asked them to come to the financial aid of a destitute Christian congregation in Palestine.  Paul had already sent alms from Macedonia and Galatia to the poor in Jerusalem, and he took this occasion to ask the Gentile converts in Corinth, both to show their solidarity and union with their Jewish brethren, and to practice the virtue of charity as the Macedonians did.  Paul's first concern was with the welfare of those whom the church had taken as its responsibility.  He also appealed to the example of Jesus.  For Jesus, indescribably rich as Son of God, emptied himself when he assumed human life and accepted death, for our sake.  

Exegesis: The context: In today's gospel we have what is often called a "Markan sandwich". One story is encased or sandwiched between the beginning and end of another. Here, we have an unusual combination of two miracle stories, one contained within the other – a healing, and a restoration of life.  The story of the woman with the flow of blood interrupts and is sandwiched in between the two parts of the account of Jairus and his daughter.  These miracles were worked by Jesus as rewards for the trusting faith of a synagogue ruler and of a woman with a hemorrhage.  Though the ruler may have trusted Jesus out of desperation and the woman’s faith may have been a bit superstitious, even their perhaps defective faith was amply rewarded.

The parallels: The stories have several common features.  One woman is 12 years old, and the other has suffered for 12 years.  Both are called “daughter,” and both are in need of physical healing.  The girl’s father is encouraged to have faith, and the older woman is praised for her faith.  The two stories illustrate Jesus’ power over both chronic illness and death.  In each healing, Jesus shows his marvelous generosity by giving the recipients life and salvation in addition to physical healing.

The faith-experiences of Jairus and the sick woman: 1) Jairus: As the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus was a well-respected man in the local Jewish community.  He was the administrative head of the synagogue, the president of the board of elders and the one responsible for the conduct of the services.  He probably shared in the Pharisees’ prejudice that Jesus was a heretic and a wandering preacher to be avoided.  If so, the urgency of his need and the helplessness of the situation prompted him to forget his position, to swallow his pride and prejudice and to seek help from Jesus the wandering wonder worker.

2) The woman with a hemorrhage: The account tells of a woman who came to Jesus with expectant faith, as a last resort, after trying every other cure known in her day.  The Mosaic Law in Lev 15: 25-27 declared her unclean and shut her off from the worship of God and the fellowship of her friends.  That may be why she decided to try to touch the tassels of Jesus' garment secretly.  Jesus, like every other Jew, wore an outer robe with four tassels on it, one at each corner--the badge of a devout Jew as prescribed in Num.15:38-40. 

The faith that was rewarded: The woman’s boldness in touching Jesus' garment -- which, according to the law, made Jesus unclean -- could have angered him. Further, because her “chronic bleeding disease” rendered her ritually unclean, any contact she had with others in the crowd, made them also ritually unclean as well.  But her faith in the healing power of Jesus was so strong that she risked breaking all the social rules to seek what she believed He could do for her.  By affectionately calling her "daughter," Jesus established a relationship with her and gave her the assurance that she was healed:   “Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”  In addition, she gained a personal relationship to Jesus as a member of his family (3:35).  By trusting in the power of God and doing His will, she was not only physically cured but also fully restored to a normal religious and social life.  It was her deep faith in Jesus - symbolized by her touching the tassel of his garment - that was a major factor in her healing.

The faith that brought back life from death: As Jesus sent the woman to her house, Jairus received the shocking news of the death of his daughter.  But Jesus insisted on going to Jairus’ house and consoled the father saying, "Do not be afraid; only have faith."  The phrase, "Do not be afraid,” appears in the Bible 366 times.  Those who greeted Jairus at his home were professional mourners who wailed, beat their breasts, tore their hair, and rent their garments.  There were also flute players who played funeral dirges.  The crowd told Jairus: "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the teacher any further?" (35). But Jesus assured the crowd: "The child is not dead but sleeping," meaning that the girl's death was only temporary, and she would wake up at his call.  Jesus took the parents of the little girl with only Peter, James and John into the room, took the child by the hand and said to her, “'Talitha koum,' which means, 'Little girl, get up!’”  Those who had laughed Jesus to scorn must have been greatly amazed when they realized Jesus' power.

Life messages: # 1: We need to accept God’s call to health, wholeness and holiness.  Jesus accepts us as we are.  Hence, let us bring before him our bodily illnesses and spiritual wounds and ask for his healing touch.  We should pray for healing which will give us health in every aspect of our lives – not just in our bodies – so that we may function in perfect harmony with people around us and with the environment. As Christians, we believe that Jesus continues to heal us through his instruments in the medical profession, like doctors, nurses and medical technicians. Hence, when we go to a doctor, we need to offer a prayer to Christ The Divine Healer that we may choose the right doctor, and that s/he may make the correct diagnosis, prescribe the correct treatment and give us the right medicine. Let us not forget the truth that, over, above and beyond the ability and skill of the greatest human healer, Christ still works wonders of healing.  Let us also thank God for the great gift of health and use it for helping those who are sick.

#2: We need to continue the healing mission of the Church: As members of the Church, we are not excused from our vocation to be healers.  When a friend of ours is terminally ill, the skill of the doctors and their advanced medical tools often become powerless.  What the patient needs in such a situation is our care, concern and prayerful presence, enabling them to experience through us the love, compassion and mercy of Jesus. We do our share of Christ’s healing mission by visiting the sick, by praying for their healing and by boosting their morale through our loving presence, encouragement and inspiration.  

#3: We need to have trusting faith in the mercy and divine power of Jesus:  The primary condition for the effectiveness of our prayer is our faith in the goodness and mercy of God. Such a faith is possible only if we remain related to God through prayer, the sacraments, and a meditative study of the Bible.  Every day we should say a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of active faith.  Let us keep in mind this wise piece of advice given by St. Ignatius of Loyola: “We must work as if everything depends on us, but we must pray as if everything depends on God.” 

JOKES OF THE WEEK # 1: Healed by laughing:  "A cheerful heart is good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).  In the 1300's, surgeon Henri de Mondeville reportedly told jokes to his patients in the recovery room.  Laughter exercises the face, shoulders, diaphragm, and abdomen.  When the breathing deepens, the heart rate rises, and the blood takes up and transports more oxygen.  Endorphins are released, pain thresholds are raised, and some studies suggest that even our immune systems are boosted.  When we laugh, others laugh too.  Laughter is a contagious, highly effective, non-prescription medicine.  It has no side effects, and no one is allergic to it.  Have we had our dose of laughter today?  We can use the tool of humor to induce laughter for our health, healing and general sense of well-being.  We can even spend time in daily practicing our laughing out loud – maybe by smiling first, then leaning into a giggle, and then in outright belly laughs!  

# 2: A deaf man, a blind man and a disabled man heard a rumor that God had come down to a church in the village to heal the sick.  They all went to find out if it was true.  God signed to the deaf man, "Can I help you, son?"  The man signed back that he would be so happy if he could hear again.  God touched the man and suddenly he could hear.  God then touched the blind man and he was able to see.  The third man was sitting in his wheelchair with his mouth wide open in amazement.  God looked at the man and asked him what he wanted.
The man drew back and yelled, "Don't lay one finger on me! I'm on disability!"

# 3: A pastor joke:  One Sunday at Mass as the priest was giving his homily, a little baby in the front row suddenly started crying loudly.  The mother did her best to pacify the child but nothing worked.  So finally she got up and started to walk down the aisle to take the baby into the cry room.  The priest stopped his preaching, and very compassionately called out to the mother, "That's OK!  You don't have to leave.  The child isn't disturbing me."  The young woman turned around and said, "No, pardon me Father, but you're disturbing my child!"

 WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

1) Liturgy links: http://www.theology.ie/liturgy.htm 

2) Catholic Sites.Org: http://www.catholicsites.com


4) Fr. Pat’s place: http://www.frpat.com/ 

5) Chastity Talks to Teenagers: http://www.chastity.com/ 

  

(Scriptural Homilies” no. 137 by Fr. Tony akadavil@gmail.com) L/12



Additional anecdotes

1)"Aren't you glad I walk with the Lord, Earl?" Pat Kelly, a major league outfielder in the '70s, was a born-again Christian. One day Pat said to his manager, Earl Weaver, "Aren't you glad I walk with the Lord, Earl?" Weaver replied, "I'd rather you walked with the bases loaded." When one football coach was asked about his offensive team's execution he replied, "I'm all for it." Sports are popular because they are a metaphor for our life experience. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel like the champion of the world. Sometimes you just feel beaten up. "I'm sometimes up and I'm sometimes down," says the old spiritual, "sometimes I'm almost to the ground." And we've been there. And so have the people who trek across the pages of our Bible. Our lesson for today is about two people who felt beaten up. One was a righteous Jew named Jairus whose daughter was dying. The other heartsick person in our story is a woman who had been ill for twelve years with an issue of blood.



2) “The child is not dead but asleep." Martin College in Pulaski, Tennessee has one of the oldest cemeteries in the state in Pulaski, dated back to 1810-1850.   They have made a park of it placed all of the tombstones where they can be easily read. It is heart-wrenching to see that one out of three graves is that of a child, a stark reminder of the incredible infant mortality rate in those rugged days. But I noticed something else. On almost every tombstone of a child, there is chiseled on the bottom of the stone Jesus' words: "The child is not dead but asleep." It was then that I realized how many tens of thousands of parents throughout the last 2,000 years have taken so much comfort from these words. These are words of hope.



3) Physical touch made the difference: The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once had a fascinating experiment. They identified a group of crib babies who did not cry. Let me explain. It seems that babies cry because they instinctively know that that is the way to get attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies, however, had been in abusive situations. Their parents let them cry for hours on end and never responded. Do you know what happened? The babies eventually quit crying. It was almost as though they knew that it was not worth trying. So the Menninger Institute came in for an experiment. They got some people from retirement and even nursing homes, and every day these people held these babies and rocked them. The object was to get these children to start crying again. And you know, it worked. Physical touch had made the difference. Today’s gospel tells us how Jesus’ touch healed a woman and resuscitated a girl.



4) Each patient carries his own doctor inside himself. : The great missionary physician, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, said it simply and realistically, "Each patient carries his own doctor inside himself. They come to us [physicians] not knowing that truth. We are best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to work." Are you giving the "doctor who resides" within you the chance to work? Are you giving the "doctor who resides" within your spouse, your child, your significant other, the chance to work? Here is a little self-administered test from a study by Dr. Carl Simonton. Answer these questions, yes or no. Do you have a tendency to hold resentment? Yes or no. Would you rather carry a grudge than forgive? Yes or no. Would you rather cry in self-pity than invite a friend out for dinner? Yes or no. Do you have a problem developing and maintaining long-term relationships? Yes or no. Do you have a low self image? Yes or no. If you answer with more "yeses," by Dr. Simonton's test study, you are not giving the "doctor who resides within" you the best chance to work. A "yes" means you are most vulnerable to illness. (Adapted from Bruce Larson, There is a Lot More to Health Than Not Being Sick, pp. 138-139.)



5) Jesus Christ the healer: There was a television program hosted by Barbara Walters sometime back, on which she interviewed three celebrities: Johnny Carson, Johnny Cash, and Walter Cronkite. According to one viewer, Johnny Carson came across as the typical jaded playboy hedonist. Everything he said telegraphed the fact that he was living for pleasure, but, having tried everything and been everywhere he was fed up with the whole thing. Walter Cronkite was the suave humanist, the worldly philosopher. Now retired and wealthy, he was enjoying life as best he could. He was looking at life rather philosophically, but all he really was saying was, "That's the way it is!" Johnny Cash, on the other hand, admitted his background of alcoholism and drug addiction and the fact that he had virtually destroyed a marriage and wrecked his life. But he openly said he had found Jesus. There was peace in his eyes and contentment in his voice. He spoke of a hope for the future which neither of the others had. http://www.pbc.org/dp/stedman/john/3848.html). No doctor could have healed Johnny Cash. Only Christ could do that. Only Christ can heal a broken marriage. Only Christ can heal broken relationships within a family. Only Christ can give us hope when everyone else is telling us that there is no hope to be found. Only Christ can deliver us from sin.



6) “He is Jesus Christ : Lloyd Ogilvie, former pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church and a popular speaker and writer, once spoke at a large convention. The woman who introduced him began by saying, "We have a very unusual privilege tonight. In our midst is without a doubt the world's finest communicator. He is extremely sensitive, alert, compassionate and wise. He can sense a person's true needs immediately and speak just the right word to heal a hurt." Dr. Ogilvie later confessed that he felt both flattered and frightened. How could he live up to all that? He didn't have to. For as the woman came to the end, she said, "We are in for a tremendous experience tonight because this supreme lover of people is in our midst. Who is He? He is Jesus Christ. And now here is a man named Lloyd Ogilvie who will tell us about Him" (Rev. Dave Wilkinson).  Jesus is the supreme lover of people. "He can sense a person's true needs immediately and speak just the right word to heal a hurt."



7) The Sequoia trees of California tower as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these giants have unusually shallow root systems that reach out in all directions to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture. Seldom will you see a redwood standing alone, because high winds would quickly uproot it. That is why they grow in clusters. Their intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms. When WE gather together, we provide similar support. Pain and suffering and illness come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be supported in those difficult times by the knowledge that we have one another; we are not alone.



8) Healing touch: Studies at the University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center; Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kansas; and Scott and White Clinic, Temple, Texas, have shown that hugging communicates tenderness, gentleness, caring-ness all those characteristics that are essential for healing both body and soul. Hugging, they say, relieves many physical and emotional problems, helps people live longer, maintains health, relieves stress and promotes sleep. The studies also show that hemoglobin, the portion of blood that carries oxygen, increases significantly when people are touched. There's your answer for those who say the Peace Exchange is artificial! And it certainly gives husbands and wives, parents and children, and significant others good reason to hug and hug and hug! Jesus believed in the touch. Jesus practiced the sacrament of touching with his hands. He even says that when someone touched him, believing, he knew power and virtue went out of him. Let's remember that. It's a good reason to keep human touch on a high level. Keep in touch with Jesus by faith and you'll feel power and newness flowing into and through you. There is healing in the touch!

9) It was a good day for me”: There is a story about the fourth-century Greek “Cynic Philosopher,” Diogenes of Sinilope. On a voyage to Aegina, he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave in Crete. As he gazed at the bystanders who were bidding for him, he looked at a man and told the pirate chief, “Sell me to that man because he needs a master.” The man who bought him was a Corinthian by name Xeniades.  “What is your trade?” asked Xeniades.  “The only trade I know is that of governing men by teaching them the art of virtuous self-control,” replied Diogenes.  Xeniades was so impressed by his philosopher-slave that he promptly handed over to him the management of his household and the education of his children.  “It was a good day for me,” Xeniades used to tell his friends, “when Diogenes entered my household.”  Jairus, the father of the girl Jesus raised from death, as described in today’s gospel, must have given a better compliment to Jesus in expressing his commitment to Jesus and faith in his divinity.



10) "What is the healthiest hour of the week?" : Dr. Granger Westberg, the founder of Wholistic Medicine, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, asks this question when he talks to nurses, doctors, and pastors: "What is the healthiest hour of the week?" How would you answer that question? Dr. Westberg surprises many people by answering, "The hour of worship on Sunday morning." Why is that true? In order to answer that question we need to consider two other questions which Dr. Westberg often puts to his audiences: (1) What is the major factor in sickness? and (2) What is the major factor in health? How would you answer those questions? One medical study shows that the major cause of sickness is desiring revenge. Dr. Westberg quotes a survey of stroke patients most of whom admitted that there was someone against whom they felt a significant desire for revenge. In many cases, that desire for revenge is a repressed feeling, an attitude instead of an expressed action. That same medical study shows that the major factor in staying healthy is gratitude. The ancient psalmists had the right idea: "Praise is comely for the upright." Worship at its best offers the opportunity to resolve conflict through forgiveness and to express feelings of gratitude through praising God for his acts of grace and mercy. At its best, the church is a healing community. The church can only be at its best when the members center on and conform themselves to Jesus, the Healer as described in today’s healing stories.

11) Christians are called to be compassionate, “wounded healers.”
Perhaps Henri Nouwen, the Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as "wounded healers" who have compassion.  Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance. It is condescending. Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors. Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor. Compassion is born of God. It means entering into the other person's problems. It means taking on the burdens of the other. It means standing in the other person's shoes. It is the opposite of professionalism. It is the humanizing way to deal with people. "Just as bread without love can bring war instead of peace, professionalism without compassion will turn forgiveness into a gimmick."

12) Transformer of sufferings into a life with purpose: Once the people of Chile and Argentina argued over the boundary between their two countries. Later, they agreed to live at peace and erected a statue to remind them of that agreement. The Argentine sculptor melted down cannons from his country's army to form a statue of Christ. It stands today in the Andes Mountains on the border between the two countries. One hand of Christ holds a cross while the other is raised in a blessing. Hence, Christ is that agent of transforming power who changes hostilities into peace, injustices into brotherhood, and sufferings into a life with purpose. We can look forward to the continuation of that power in his world beyond our boundary, as well. Healing, knitting together fragile bits of our fractured bodies and souls, remains God's most basic on-going creative work in the cosmos. While God continues to intervene as divine physician, God has already provided us with a universal vaccine for our ills in the principle of love and the person of Jesus Christ.

13) "That's it!" "That's what, Leigh?" Tim Hansel tells about a special friend of his who suffers from severe cerebral palsy. She telephoned Tim one day and asked, "What does it mean for a horse to be handicapped!?" Tim answered, "Well, Leigh, they usually handicap the strongest horse by adding a little extra weight to make the race more fair." "Yeah, I know!" said Leigh. "Then what does it mean if you handicap a golfer?" Tim said, "The better the golfer, the larger the handicap." "Yeah, I know!" Leigh said again. "And what does it mean . . ." They explored a number of sports with the same conclusion. There was a long pause. Finally Leigh said, "That's it!" "That's what, Leigh?" Tim asked. "That's it!" Leigh said, "That's why God gave me such a big handicap . . . because I'm so special!" [Keep On Dancin', (Colorado Springs, CO.: Chariot Family Publishing, 1995), p. 110.] To a great extent life is a matter of chance willed by God. A certain number of people will be stricken with cerebral palsy. Leigh just happened to be among the unlucky. God does not choose people to suffer from problems like cerebral palsy.



14) "Your faith has made you well." The advent of genuinely science-based medicine at the dawn of the 20th-century had, we thought, reduced illness to a collection of bothersome bacteria and other microscopic marauders. Being sick was no longer anyone's "fault"; it was no longer a sign of weakness, sin or divine displeasure. Sickness was brought on by outside invaders that broke down our body's natural defenses. We had only to find the right "magic bullet," we thought, and all ills could be cured. Now, everything is our own fault again. Our inability to handle stress effectively clamps down our colon. A love affair with cream cheese and pepperoni pizza clogs our arteries. Curling up with a good book instead of hitting the stair-master has made our muscle tone horribly off-key and our cardiovascular system out of breath. Everything that operates at a less than perfect level is held up to us as evidence of yet another sin we have committed in our lives. When Jesus' healing power brought the miracle of health to the hemorrhaging woman in this week's gospel text, he immediately sought her out to speak with her about her experience. Impressed by the power of her faith, Jesus proclaims, "Your faith has made you well." Furthermore, Jesus adds a standard Jewish blessing "Go in peace."

15) She never realized the miracle of her life when she was living it. Thornton Wilder wrote a play titled Our Town. When Emily Webb comes back from the dead to the town of her childhood, she finds all her long-dead acquaintances alive and her mother and father, too. The town is still the same as she remembers it when she was a child. Except for one thing. The sheer beauty and wonder of everything she sees is overwhelming. Every sight and sound, every gesture of love, each tender grace between friends is almost too much for her to bear. She had never realized the miracle of her life when she was living it.       Faith is strengthened through the pleasure that comes from remembering the miracle stories. But not just that. When we choose faith over control, we have a much better chance of experiencing those miracles of God's grace all around us right now.

16) "I decided long ago that there are no strangers in my world: One of my favorite authors today is a professor at Loyola University in Chicago. His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and counselor. In his book, entitled, Through The Eyes of Faith, he tells about his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in the state penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him personally... the atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing... and charged with suspicion. However, on one occasion, Father Powell said he had an enlightening and inspiring experience in that stern and somber prison environment. An elderly woman was standing beside him as they moved through the visitor line. Together, they went through numerous security checkpoints. They were required to produce identification; they were required to pass through metal detectors; they were led by heavily armed guards through countless doors made of strong steel bars. And through it all, John Powell said he could not help but notice how this sweet, dear woman was smiling warmly toward everyone, waving tenderly to the guards and calling many of them by name, and greeting everyone in a kind and loving way. John Powell was fascinated with her. She was absolutely radiant. She was a ray of sunshine and a breath of fresh air in that sullen place. Suddenly, John Powell said to her, "Gee, I'll bet you bring a lot of love into this world with your smiling face and words." "Father," she replied, "I decided long ago that there are no strangers in my world. Only brothers and sisters. Some of them I haven't met yet." Reflecting on that experience, John Powell wrote this remarkable paragraph. Listen closely. He said: "That lady drew out of me a deep and warm reaction of love. And gradually I came to realize that people are not one thing, good or bad, but many things. In every human being there is warmth, love, affection, but there is also hurt, anger, weakness. We stimulate or draw out of them one or the other. It all depends upon our approach, and our approach depends upon our attitude." And then Father Powell writes these concluding words: "This was the genius of Jesus. He took people where they were and loved them into life. This is precisely what Jesus did for ... those whose lives He touched. He was a living portrait of love in action. And the caption under the portrait reads: Please love one another as I have loved you. Yes... this was the genius of Jesus. He took people where they were and loved them into life." [See John Powell, Through the Eyes of Faith (Allen, Texas: Tabor Publishing, 1992), pp. 60-61.] This is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5. He is loving needy and hurting people into life. This passage is a fascinating one because here we have a story within a story. (akadavil@gmail.com)


.Fortnight for freedom websites

1. Announcement for FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/

2. The Most Cherished of American Freedoms (http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/April-May-USCCB-Religious-Liberty-Bulletin-Insert-ENG.pdf)

3. Link to website: Please write your to congressmen and senators (http://nchla.org/actiondisplay.asp?ID=292)

4. Twelve Things Everyone Should Know About the “Contraceptive Mandate” (http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/Twelve-Things-Everyone-Should-Know-About-the-Contraceptive-Mandate.pdf)





Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24) L/12

Jer 1: 4-10; I Pet 1: 8-12; Lk 1: 5-17 (Vigil Mass)



Anecdotes: # 1: John’s birthday in Church history and tradition: This one of the oldest feasts on the Church calendar. In the early Church, as in medieval times, this was one of the biggest feasts of the year. As was done on Christmas, three masses were offered, one at midnight, and two in the morning. All over Europe, fires were lighted on mountains and hilltops on the eve of this feast. The people had parties and lit bonfires in honor of John because our Lord called him a “burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35). These fires, sometimes called St. John’s fire, were lit on St. John’s Eve and burned until at least midnight. These fires were also a sign of Christ the Light, and a reminder that we, too, are called to be a light for the world. In Catholic sections of Europe, people prayed together to Saint John for his intercession that the summer might be blessed in homes, fields, and country. Finally, they performed some of the traditional folk dances, usually accompanied by singing and music. In addition to celebrating around outdoor fires, other customs included decorating one’s home with flowers, making floral wreaths (which were sometimes sent down a river as a symbol of Jesus’ baptism), placing sprigs of St. Johnswort around the house much as we do Palm Sunday palms, and eating strawberries. This feast, placed three months after the feast of the Annunciation, and six months before Christmas, also served the useful purpose of supplanting the immoral pagan feasts of the Summer solstice. St. John the Baptist was highly honored throughout the whole Church from the beginning. Proof of this is, among other things, the fact that fifteen churches were dedicated to him in the ancient imperial city of Constantinople.

# 2: The crippled Doctor who transformed tragedy into sacrificial service: Take the story of Mary Varghese. Mary Varghese was a brilliant young Indian surgeon. Crippled as a result of a car accident, she was able to feel and move only her arms and her head. But she believed God could still use her, and she became interested in lepers. In the words of John Lane, "She realized she could transform their wasted stumps into something like hands and feet. Mary Varghese underwent major surgery herself so that she could be made to sit upright in a wheelchair. In her operating room at Vellore, she reconstructed hands and feet and faces the type of surgery that can be performed from a wheelchair, a type of surgery she would never have done if she had not been deprived of her normal strength. What for many would be catastrophe, for Mary Varghese became opportunity." (John E. Lane, Expository Times 96 [Fifth Sunday in Lent, 19], 145-146). That is what the parents of John the Baptist Zachariah and Elizabeth did by transforming the painful memory of their childlessness into service in the Temple of God.

Introduction: Usually we reflect on two advents and two angelic messages during the Advent season, namely, the advent of John the Baptist and the advent of Jesus. This year the feast of the birth of John (which occurs June 24), falls on a Sunday and replaces the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. That is why we hear, again, the angelic message announcing the birth of Christ’s forerunner. The archangel Gabriel informed the childless Zechariah the priest that a son whom he was to name John would be born to him and his barren, aged wife. Today’s gospel describes how Zechariah got the divine message in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem while he was offering incense. Jeremiah’s call is cited in the first reading to connect it to the call and prenatal purification given to St. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets in today’s gospel: “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,  and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” In the second reading, Peter guarantees his people that whatever the Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets, including John the Baptist, about Christ the Saviour has been fulfilled. In today’s gospel, we hear again the angelic message about the birth of John the Baptist. The angel informed Zechariah the priest that a son whom he was to name John, would be born to him and his barren, aged wife. Today’s gospel describes how Zechariah got the divine message in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem while he was offering incense. But he doubted the words of the angel and hence, was rendered mute until the words of the angel had been fulfilled.

First reading: Jer 1: 4-10:  Jeremiah began his ministry in Jerusalem around 627 BC. He witnessed the final years of Jerusalem before it fell to Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. He came from a priestly family from the town of Anathoth, a few kilometers north of Jerusalem and formerly in the territory of Northern Israel. The length of his ministry covered a period of 40 years (627 BC - 587 BC). There are similarities and differences in the “Calls” of the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel). These “Calls” are initiated by God who tells the future prophet what he will be doing, often with some form of assurance that God will be with him.  In Jeremiah’s case, (Jer 1:4-10), God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you(Jeremiah 1: 5). The clear message from God is emphasized by the use of the strong and frequent verbs in v.5 - I formed you, I knew you, I set you apart, I appointed you. Jeremiah had the reassurance all through his ministry that he was called by God to be a prophet. Sometimes, the person called protests, as did Jeremiah: “Ah, Lord God!” I said, “I know not how to speak; I am too young” (Jeremiah 1: 6). The Lord God demolished this objection and spelled out for His prophet both His own aid and the prophet’s mission. The prophet experiences a compulsion and a drive to do what God asks, once he has surrendered his will to God and accepted His call. Jeremiah’s call is cited in the first reading to connect it to the call and prenatal purification given to St. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets in today’s gospel: “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit  even from his mother’s womb  and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”



Second reading: I Pet 1: 8-12: Peter had been in the company of Jesus for three years and he was now writing to people who, though they had never seen Jesus, still loved Him. To ‘believe in’ Jesus means to trust and obey him, although we cannot see him. It means more than believing facts about him. People who believe in Jesus have joy in their spirits. This joy comes from God. We understand “salvation” in three ways: in the past, in the present, and in the future. ·Salvation in the past, occurs when people first become Christians. Salvation in the present is the process of their learning to trust God each day and to receive the help He offers them.  Salvation in the future is their receiving of all of God’s promises in heaven. The prophets of God lived before the birth of Jesus Christ, and they brought messages from God to the people. They could not understand all the things that God told them. Nor did they know when these things would happen. But all that the prophets spoke about Jesus came true. Hence, Peter guarantees his people that whatever the Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets, including John the Baptist, about Christ the Saviour has been fulfilled.

Exegesis: Two exceptional birthday celebrations: Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, and hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, was, from the moment of her conception, free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast). John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. When Mary visited Elizabeth, John recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy (Luke 1:41). This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast.

The annunciation of John’s birth: Traditionally, the Birth of Jesus is celebrated on 25 December. That means that the Birth of John is celebrated six months earlier on 24 June. The appearance of Gabriel to Mary, being assumed to be nine months before the birth of Jesus, is celebrated on 25 March and called the Annunciation, and the appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah in the Temple is celebrated by the East Orthodox on 23 September. Zechariah was one of the 1800 priests serving the Temple of Jerusalem. They were divided into 24 groups of 75 each. Thirty priests of each group were to serve the Temple for worship services each day, and only one of them got the rare chance of offering incense inside the Holy of Holies. It was while performing this priestly function that Zechariah received the vision of the angel and was summarily, if temporarily, punished for his lack of faith in the angel’s message.

 John the Baptist in history and in the gospels: According to the Jewish historian Josephus (who wrote after 70 AD), John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher in the time of Pontius Pilate (26-36 AD). The gospels present John as a wild desert preacher dressed in leather-belted camel skin and eating locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and a coming judgment, and challenged people to accept baptism as a sign of their repentance for their sins. He took up Isaiah’s cry, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He called the multitudes who thronged to him a “brood of vipers,” demanding, “produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance” (Luke 3: 7-8). He warned them of God’s wrath and threatened with hellfire those who prided themselves on their religious heritage. “Exact no more than the appointed rate” he advised tax collectors. “No intimidation! No Extortion! Be content with your pay” (Luke 3:14), he exhorted the soldiers. He had the humility to reassure the people that he was not the messiah. Mark says all Jerusalem and Judea made their way to him, and as they were baptized in the Jordan, they confessed their sins (Mark 1:5). He baptized Jesus amid the attending crowds, yet recognized that he was uniquely sent by God. John is most remembered as the forerunner who prepared for the coming of Jesus. After Jesus’ baptism, once again John turned people’s attention to Jesus as he declared, “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30). John extended His mission of preparing for the Messiah by actually introducing His future disciples to Jesus as the promised Messiah:  “Look, there is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29). No wonder, Jesus later complimented John in the superlative saying, “among those born of women no one is greater than John (Luke 7:28).    John died a martyr’s death because, with the prophetic courage of his convictions, he criticized his immoral King, Herod Antipas, for that King’s double violation of the Mosaic Law: Herod had divorced his lawful wife and married his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, Herod’s own niece.

Life messages: 1) We should not take our small misfortunes as big tragedies. We should imitate Zechariah who remained optimistic, continuing in prayer and service. 2) We need to get rid of the barrenness of our heart, cleanse it daily, liberate it from evil attachments and prepare it for the rebirth of Jesus. 3) We need to be good parents and grandparents, offering incessant prayers for our children and grandchildren.

Joke of the week: 1) A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her the story of John the Baptist from the Children’s Bible Story Book.  From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?"
"Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago."
"Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?"
"Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago."
Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it, isn't He?"

2) Here is the story of two rival medieval French monasteries. Each claimed that it possessed the head of St. John the Baptist. The monks of the big monastery used to explain this uncomfortable fact to the critics saying that the big skull they had belonged to St. John as a man whereas the smaller skull kept by the other monastery belonged to St. John as a boy! (“Relic Worship” New York Times, January 16, 1861)



                                  



 

(Scriptural Homilies” no. 136 by Fr. Tony akadavil@gmail.com) L/12

Additional anecdotes: 1) Others listen, but they don't really hear:" Flannery O'Connor, the South Georgia novelist, was a semi-invalid. She was confined to her home and she raised peacocks. One day a repairman came to her farm and she invited him to stop his work to watch her peacocks in the barnyard. She was enthralled with their beauty and she wanted to share it. She described how "the bird turned slightly to the right and the little planets above him hung in bronze, then he turned to the left and they were hung in green." As the peacocks walked away, she asked the repairman, "Well, what did you think of that?", to which he responded, "Never saw such long ugly legs! I'll bet that rascal could outrun a bus!" Some people look and listen, but they don't really see. And that's the way it is with us, isn't it? Others, Jesus said, "listen, but they don't really hear." That is what happened to Zechariah when the angel spoke to him. Zechariah was startled -- surprised - that the angel would speak to him.



# 2:  God explains himself very well!" In his novel, The Clowns of God, Morris West has Jean-Marie, the Pope, say, "The biggest mistake we have made through the ages is to try to explain the ways of God to men. We shouldn't do that. We should just announce Him. He explains Himself very well!" Well, He does. God explains Himself in his action, and Zechariah knew that as we do. Zechariah knew about the mighty acts of God in the history of his people -- the deliverance from Egyptian captivity -- the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea -- the gift of God of the promised land -- and God's activity through judges , kings, prophets. Zechariah knew the story. He knew that God acted -- that God intervened and sometimes that intervention was dramatic -- sometimes very personal. Yet, here the Angel was speaking to him, and he was startled. It is no less true with us.

Synopsis of Birthday homily of St. John the Baptist (Vigil Mass)

Introduction: Usually, we reflect upon two advents and two angelic messages during the Advent season, namely, the advent of John the Baptist and the advent of Jesus. This year the feast of the birth of John (which occurs June 24), falls on a Sunday and replaces the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. That is why we hear, again, the angelic message announcing the birth of Christ’s forerunner. The archangel Gabriel informed the childless Zechariah the priest that a son whom he was to name John, would be born to him and his barren, aged wife. Today’s gospel describes how Zechariah got the divine message in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem while he was offering incense.

Scripture lessons: Jeremiah’s call is cited in the first reading to connect it to the call and prenatal purification given to St. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, in today’s gospel: “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” In the second reading, Peter guarantees his people that whatever the Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets, including John the Baptist, about Christ the Saviour has been fulfilled. In today’s gospel, we hear again the angelic message about the birth of John the Baptist. The angel informed Zechariah the priest that a son whom he was to name John, would be born to him and his barren, aged wife. The gospel describes how Zechariah got the divine message in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem while he was offering incense. But Zechariah doubted the words of the angel and, hence, was rendered mute until those words had been fulfilled.

Life messages:

1) We should not take our small misfortunes as big tragedies. We should imitate Zechariah who remained optimistic, continuing in prayer and service.

2) We need to get rid of the barrenness of our heart, cleanse it daily, liberate it from evil attachments and prepare it for the rebirth of Jesus.

3) We need to be good parents and grandparents offering incessant prayers for our children and grandchildren.





Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24) L/12

(Sunday Mass: Is 49: 1-6; Acts 13: 22-26; Lk 1: 57-66, 80)

Anecdote: Be the finger of John the Baptist: Karl Barth the great 20th century Calvinist theologian would wake up early in the morning, read the newspaper, and stare at a painting by Grunewald called Crucifixion. Jesus is hanging from the cross, apparently dead, while Mary and others mourn. John the Baptist, holding the Scriptures and leaning away from Christ, is pointing to Jesus on the Cross. Before he would teach theology or write in his famous work Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth would meditate on this painting, particularly on John the Baptist. He said that, as a Christian (whether a theologian, pastor, teacher, mother, doctor, storekeeper, etc.), our job is to be the finger (and only the finger), of John the Baptist. The only thing we should do – indeed, the only thing we can do – is simply point to Jesus on the cross. This scene painted by Grunewald is the sum of all history, from Creation in the past to eternity. And we are that finger, and within that finger rests the weight of salvation.

Introduction: We celebrate the feast of John the Baptist's birth this Sunday because of his prominent role in the history of salvation as the forerunner of the Messiah.  It was he who prepared Israel to receive their long awaited Messiah by preaching repentance. Since John was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for her Messiah, the “Servant” messianic prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. The passage expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and as a light to the nations who was named and sanctified from his mother’s womb. The second reading describes the mission of John the Baptist. It tells us how John the Baptist, in all humility, publicly acknowledged his role as only the Messiah’s herald, whose role was to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah by inviting the people to receive the baptism of repentance. Today’s gospel describes the birth of John the Baptist and his circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. In the presence of friends and relatives, Zechariah miraculously regains his power speech after declaring in writing, “John is his name.” The name John means “God is gracious The remaining part of the chapter 1 in St. Luke’s gospel describes records Zechariah’s prophecy of the role his son is to take in the history of salvation.

First reading: Is 49: 1-6: 49: 1:  Since John was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for her Messiah, the “Servant” prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. These verses come from the so-called "Servant Songs" of Second Isaiah. This passage was chosen most obviously for its reference to the servant having been named from his mother’s womb (see Luke 1:60). But the passage also expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and a light to the nations. At the same time his status as servant makes him subordinate to Jesus. The author wrote these verses during the final days of the Babylonian exile. Christians understand this as a Messianic prophecy where the Servant is Christ. God gives his Servant two commands: 1) gather the Diaspora and bring them back to the land of Israel, and 2) be a light to the nations. Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled this mission. He is the Servant, and faith in him gathers the faithful together making Jesus the light to the nations. As mentioned in the prophecy, Jesus' name and office were given to him before he was even born, first to his mother Mary (Luke 1:31-33) to his stepfather Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21. 49: 2: 49:2). Isaiah compares the Servant to a “sharpened sword” and a “polished arrow. This Servant Jesus will bring salvation to the Gentiles, too.

The second Reading: Acts 13: 22-26: The second reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, is part of a speech given by Paul in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. The passage, describing the mission of John the Baptist and telling of his pivotal role in salvation history, won a place in the Gospel proclamation of the early Christians. In the passage, John the Baptist in all humility publicly acknowledged that his role was only that of a herald for the Messiah. As such, he had the task of preparing Israel to receive the Messiah by inviting them to receive the baptism of repentance. "John heralded [Jesus'] coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel."  The reading also explains that Jesus of Nazareth was the Savior, descended from the family of Jesse as foretold by the prophets.

Exegesis: Parallels and contrast between John and Jesus in St. Luke’s infant narratives: Both births are miraculous. John was born of his aged parents and Jesus from a virgin. The births of both were announced by the angel: John’s in the Holy of Holies in the Temple and Jesus’ in a village house. The mission of John was to be the forerunner of the Messiah and the mission of Jesus was to be the saving Messiah. Luke highlights the greatness of Jesus and the subsidiary position of John as the precursor of the Messiah and the herald of God’s coming kingdom.

 John’s birth: Since the birth of a boy was an occasion of great joy among the Jews, Zechariah’ s neighbors and relatives and local musicians gathered at the courtyard to celebrate the occasion. At the announcement of John’s birth there was great rejoicing and the musicians broke into music and songs. In Elizabeth's house there was a double joy because at last she had a child in her old age and because that child was a son.

 Circumcision and naming ceremony: When friends and relatives had assembled for the naming ceremony, to their great surprise, Elizabeth said that her son must be called John. Zechariah, consulted by the relatives and friends,  concurred, writing “John is his name,”  on a tablet. At that moment, his muteness was miraculously healed, and he began to praise God. John is a shorter form of the name Jehohanan, which means "Jehovah's gift" or "God is gracious." It was the name which God had commanded the child be given, and it described the parents' gratitude for this unexpected joy. The miraculous birth of the child to the elderly parents, the miraculous healing received by Zechariah and his prophetic hymn about the mission of his son prompted the people gathered there to ask the question, "What will this child turn out to be?"

Life messages:  1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training they have given us and the love and affection they have lavished on us.  Let us ask God’s pardon if we are, or were, ungrateful to them, do/did not take proper care of them in their illness or old age or ever inflicted pain on them.

 2) We need to remember and pray for our godparents who, by baptism, made us children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of heaven and members of the Church. 

3) We need to have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we need to become heralds of Christ as John was, by our transparent Christian lives.

 Joke of the week (birthday jokes)

1)      Some employees bought their boss a gift for his birthday. Before opening the gift, the boss shook it slightly, and noticed that it was wet in the corner. Touching his finger to the wet spot and tasting it, he asked, "A bottle of wine?"
His employees replied, "No."
Again, he touched his finger to the box and tasted the liquid. "A bottle of scotch?"
"His employees replied again, "No."
Finally the boss asked, "I give up. What is it?"
His workers responded, "A puppy."

2)       It's a hot day, and there's a traveling salesman passing through a small town in Texas when he sees a little old man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of a house. So he stops and says to the little old man, "You look as if you don't have a care in the world! What's your formula for a long and happy life?" And the little old man says, "Well, I smoke six packs of cigarettes a day, I drink a quart of bourbon every four hours and six cases of beer a week. I never wash and I go out every night; I don't get to bed until four in the morning." And the guy says, "Wow, that's just great. How old are you?" And the little man says, "Twenty-two."

3)       A little boy was kneeling beside his bed with his mother and grandmother and softly saying his prayers, "Dear God, please bless Mummy and Daddy and all the family and please give me a good night's sleep." Suddenly he looked up and shouted, "And don't forget to give me a bicycle for my birthday!!" "There is no need to shout like that," said his mother. "God isn't deaf." "No," said the little boy, "but Grandma is."

(Scriptural Homilies” no. 136 by Fr. Tony akadavil@gmail.com) L/12

Fr. Anthony Kadavil, St. John the Baptist Church, POB 417, 12450 Hwy 188, Grand Bay, AL 36541

Synopsis: Birthday homily of St. John the Baptist (Sunday Mass)

Introduction: We celebrate the feast of John the Baptist's birth (June 24), in place of the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time today because of his prominent role in the history of salvation as the forerunner of the Messiah.  It was he who prepared Israel to receive their long-awaited Messiah by preaching repentance.

Scripture lessons: Since John was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for their Messiah, the “Servant” Messianic prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. The passage expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and a light to the nations who was named and sanctified from his mother’s womb. The second reading describes the mission of John the Baptist. It tells us how John the Baptist in all humility publicly acknowledged his role as being only the Messiah’s herald. His role was to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah by inviting the people to receive the baptism of repentance. Today’s gospel describes the birth of John the Baptist and his circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. In the presence of friends and relatives, Zechariah miraculously regained his power speech after declaring in writing, “John is his name.” The name John means “God is gracious.” The remaining part of the chapter 1 in St. Luke’s gospel describes records Zechariah’s prophecy of the role his son is to take in the history of salvation.

Life messages:  1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training they have given us and the love and affection they have lavished on us.  Let us ask God’s pardon if we are, or were, ungrateful to them, do/did not take proper care of them in their illness or old age or ever inflicted pain on them.

 2) We need to remember and pray for our godparents who, by baptism, brought us to the Church to be made children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of heaven and members of the Church. 

3) We need to have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we should become heralds of Christ as John was, by our transparent Christian lives.