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A Trilogy of Healing and Hope
February 28, 2021
The Liturgy of the Word in our Sunday celebration of the Mass presents a trilogy: three readings closely related, each revealing a different facet of a story. Today’s readings for the Second Sunday in Lent give us an exquisite view of healing and hope as they focus on the ultimate sacrifice.
In the first reading from Genesis, Abraham is told by God to make an extreme sacrifice – that of Abraham’s only son whom he dearly loved. Abraham does not hesitate. He takes Isaac to the designated place on a high hill, and erects an altar upon which to carry out God’s will. Abraham’s raised hand, clutching the knife, is stopped only by the mandate delivered by God, “Do not do the least thing to him.” Abraham then sacrificed the ram he saw caught in a nearby bush. Abraham’s trepidation had to be replaced with great hope as he obeyed God’s command.
In the Gospel, six days after explaining to His apostles that He had to go to Jerusalem to suffer, die and then be raised up, Jesus led Peter, James and John up on a high mountain where He was transfigured before them. Jesus’ garments became dazzling white. Elijah and Moses appeared in conversation with Him. The apostles were terrified. God made sure there was no doubt Who this was. Just as we heard at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, a voice came from a cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” Immense healing of their fears as well as hope had to have overcome the three apostles who witnesses this transfiguration.
The transfiguration was a visualization of the meaning of the Paschal Mystery – Christ’s work of redemption accomplished principally by His Passion, death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension. The Liturgy of the Mass urges us to embrace a constant meditation and reflection on the Paschal Mystery because it is the fulfillment of Christ’s coming into our world.
In the second reading, St. Paul assures us of God’s complete and total commitment to us. God’s sacrifice of His own Son for our salvation is proof of His love and fidelity. “God ... did not spare His own Son, but handed Him over for us all.” (Romans 8). Can there be any greater display of healing and hope than this ultimate sacrifice!
How should we respond? In total healing and hope! The first time each of us experiences the Paschal Mystery is at our Baptism. We are a people who have been washed clean with the water of Baptism into the death of Christ, and we have been raised with Him to the newness of life. Baptism is a onetime experience, but this initial sacrament leads us to the Eucharistic celebration of the Paschal Mystery. When bread dies to become the Body of Christ, and when wine perishes to become the Blood of Christ, that is the Paschal Mystery.
Our sharing in the Paschal Mystery is our physical death, which brings us to enjoy the fruit of the Resurrection, sharing everlasting life with our Savior Jesus Christ. Each time we celebrate Mass together we are called to enter into the Paschal Mystery, to imitate Christ fully for Christ came to “first suffer and so come to the glory of the Resurrection.” Truly we are part of the ultimate sacrifice. We cherish our participation in this reenactment of healing and hope.Father Storey
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONEFebruary 21, 2021
On this First Sunday of Lent, we contemplate our dual themes of healing and hope. With the COVID-19 pandemic and now the mutations that are bombarding our nation, we observe an enormous need for physical healing. In parallel with that, we rejoice in hope in the increase in availability of existing vaccines and the introduction of new vaccines. With so much focus on the pandemic and other forms of the virus though, have we lost sight of the need for our spiritual healing and hope?
We know that our spiritual healing must begin with forgiveness, and we are drawn to reflect on that forgiveness. We know that we should seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, but for way too many of us, we just do not. We create our own roadblocks; we let our pride get in the way.
There are three ways to seek/receive forgiveness. The first two come to mind immediately: ask God to forgive us, and ask the forgiveness of others. The third might not be quite so obvious – we must be willing to forgive ourselves. Sometimes seeking forgiveness can be very difficult, but we must remember we are not alone. We must set aside our pride, and place our trust in God. Therein lies our hope.
Today’s Gospel (Mark 1:12-15) relates how the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus withstood three different temptations by the devil, and then angels of God came and ministered to Him. Jesus was not alone.
As we navigate the path of our personal Lenten journey into the desert, we can find ourselves fearful and anxious. One might ask, “How am I going to handle all these obstacles?” It’s OK to have fears, struggles and anxiety. Just remember you don’t have to face them alone. Recall the song of Rogers and Hammerstein featured in the musical “Carousel.”When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm is a golden sky…
Ask the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to accompany you and guide you on this journey.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Let Them lift your burdens and ease your anxiety and fears:
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone.
Yes, place your trust in God and you will never walk alone.Father Storey
February 14, 2021
Capital “H”Grammatically speaking, our current pre-Lent and Lenten theme, “Healing and Hope,” is incorrectly capitalized; but effectively, as illustrated in our Gospel today, the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, it should be all caps: HEALING AND HOPE. Mark 1:40-45 shows a loving and merciful Jesus bestowing healing and hope on a leper who initiated a conversation with Him in a town in Galilee.
The disease of leprosy has pretty much been eradicated from contemporary society, but in Jesus’ day it was the most dreaded of all illnesses. It gravely disfigured its victims, forced them to live in the desert apart from family and friends, and rendered them unfit for public worship.
When the leper approached Jesus to seek a cure, he really was out of line. He had no business leaving his place of exile to go where people gathered. He was an ostracized degenerate. Rather than asking for help from Jesus, he should have been crying out, “Unclean, unclean,” the mandated words of warning, so that no one would come near him.
The episode in today’s Gospel is altogether amazing. Jesus not only welcomed the man, He actually reached out and touched him. He was not repulsed by this poor disfigured person. According to the book of Leviticus, the law prescribed for the priests of the tribe of Levi, anyone who touched a leper was rendered unclean. This meant that he or she also was unfit for public worship. However, Jesus invoked an authority higher than that of the Levitical law. Jesus came to perfect the law, and by His actions He showed that charity is that perfection.
After Jesus cured the leper, He told the man to show himself to the priest of the temple so that the priest could declare him cleaned of his leprosy and admit him once again to public worship.
Jesus wanted to change the attitude towards lepers. He wants to change our attitude also, toward the outcasts of our society. We need to accept this challenge from Jesus, not regarding lepers whom we never see, but regarding those people who are held in contempt by our contemporaries.
It is rare to see a case of leprosy today, but rampant among us are the festering lesions of hatred, self-righteousness, and the rejection of fellow human beings. These modern day diseases are just as contagious and insidious as leprosy; they also require a cure.
Conscientious people must have no part of a spirit which is so foreign to that of Jesus Christ. Rather they must invoke the spirit of charity, exemplified by Christ Himself.
Emulating the leper in today’s Gospel, we might consider capitalizing our traits of Humility and Faith, and go to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, pleading: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”Father Storey
Walking the WalkFebruary 7, 2021
No doubt you have heard the saying that one must “walk the walk” not just “talk the talk.” St. Francis of Assisi put it this way: “Always preach the Gospel; use words if necessary.” Pope Francis is a living embodiment of this principle as well. His actions speak volumes, and his words underline what he has shown us by example.
Today’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39) is a perfect illustration of Jesus Christ doing this – walking the walk. Mark begins his Gospel with a strong emphasis on Christ’s deeds rather than words in Galilee. Mark’s enumeration of the activities that day in Capernaum gives us a powerful insight into what Christ’s ministry was all about – love and serving others. We see a multi-faceted focus on Christ’s loving healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the hope He gave her, followed by many more healings and exorcisms in the evening. Jesus prayed early the next morning, and when His disciples found Him, He told them He must leave Capernaum to preach in other villages. Here Christ is not just talking; He is doing. He is showing us how to love by serving others in multiple ways. Jesus explained His mission was to preach and to teach many, not just a few.
What can we do to follow the Lord’s loving example of service, healing, hope, prayer, teaching, spreading the good news? One way is to participate in the Archbishop’s Call to Share; here we have multiple opportunities to walk in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to serve the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized. Call to Share provides funds to nearly 50 different ministries and programs. It serves 181,000 Catholics in 107 parishes in 21 counties and 8 Pastoral Regions of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Call to Share focuses on multiple areas: evangelization, education, outreach, stewardship, and conversion.
This year’s Call to Share theme is a repeat of 2020’s: “First Fruits.” We are urged to give, not from our leftovers, rather from the best of what we have. We are asked to donate generously and freely, giving our best to the Lord, doing our part to promote healing and hope in these exceptionally difficult times.
In these past few weeks of Ordinary Time, we have witnessed Jesus calling His disciples, inviting them to follow Him, ultimately to spread His Good News to all the nations. In Christ’s life here on earth, He led the way by example. Not only did He teach His disciples, He showed them the way by His actions. Now is our turn to walk the walk. We, too, are called by Christ to follow Him, to love and serve others. We should actively participate in these ministries where we can, and support them financially to the extent we are able. We know fully that our acts of sharing with others will be blessed by God as we walk the walk.Father Storey
Healing and Hope
January 31, 2021As we progress through these Sundays of Ordinary time, we find a common thread carefully woven in the Gospel messages. The very fabric of these readings speaks of healing and hope, curing and cleansing. This theme will lead us into Lent and our preparation to celebrate the great Easter Mystery.
As we look around and within ourselves, we see a great need for healing and hope, beginning with ourselves and expanding to our families, our communities, states, nation, and to the entire world. We are surrounded by tensions, fears, civil unrest, worldwide pandemic, crises on all sides. But along with it all, there is hope. We must keep in mind that it has to begin with ourselves.
Biblical scholars have long been comparing and contrasting the works of the four evangelists. One of the theories that gained acceptance in the early 1900s is called the “messianic secret.” It contends that Mark’s Gospel portrays the disciples and those closest to Jesus as not understanding His true identity as God’s Son. Another characteristic of the theory is that demons are able to see who Jesus is. We observe both of these in today’s Gospel (Mark 1:21-28).
Early in His public ministry, Jesus was delivering a very powerful message in Galilee: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15) As He walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two fishermen. It was here that He called the first of His apostles. He recruited Simon, who would later be known as Peter, and his brother Andrew, sons of John, promising that they would become “fishers of men.” Then He invited James and John, sons of Zebedee. They, too, answered His call.
The beginning chapters of Mark’s Gospel tell of Jesus performing many miracles, especially healing and exorcisms. In today’s Gospel, we witness Jesus teaching in the synagogue in an authoritative manner. Suddenly, Jesus is confronted by a man possessed by an unclean spirit. Jesus launches into conversation with the demon, and demands that it leave the man. Much to the surprise of the people gathered there, the demon follows His orders.
Do we sometimes harbor demons? What form or shape do they take? Are we letting our own personal demons (sins and transgressions) keep us from entering into a deep relationship with God? We, too, hear Jesus Christ calling us to follow Him. Are we so consumed by our demons that we fail to answer Him? Jesus asks only that we repent and believe. He gave us the wonderful gift of Reconciliation. Let us put our hope and trust in Him. Let us ask for His forgiveness and healing. Let us forgive one another as He forgives us.
When we start the process of healing and growing in hope, we know it has to start with us. We can look for opportunities to volunteer, give one-on-one assistance to others. Look for an elderly person who would benefit from your giving of yourself. We can make donations to those in need. We can gain hope from events as they unfold around us. Sign up to get the Coronavirus vaccine as it becomes available to your age group and occupation. Never forget the wonderful power of prayer. HEALING AND HOPE BEGINS WITH ME.St. Francis of Assisi put it so beautifully: “Preach the Good News always. Use words if necessary.”
Father Storey
Answering God’s CallJanuary 24, 2021In these Sundays of Ordinary Time following the Christmas Season and preceding Lent, we get an introduction to the public life, events, miracles, and teachings of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The number of Sundays varies depending upon the related dates of Ash Wednesday and Easter. The remaining Sundays in Ordinary Time are adjusted following Pentecost and conclude with the last, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Today, the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, we find ourselves less than four weeks away from Ash Wednesday, February 17, the beginning of Lent. We are also nearing 11 months of this COVID-19 pandemic.
We find a common message throughout the readings of these Sundays. We are called not just to hear, but to really listen. In today’s First Reading, Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Jonah answers God’s call to go to Nineveh, a city so large that it would take three days to cross. Jonah proclaims God’s message to repent telling the townsfolks, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” After a single day of Jonah’s crossing Nineveh, God observed the repentant actions of the people, so He relented in His decision to destroy the city.
How we answer God’s call is important. Last week, we witnessed in 1 Samuel how the Lord called Samuel three times. After the third time, Eli told Samuel to go sleep, and if Samuel was called again, he was to reply, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is LISTENING.” Because Samuel listened to the Lord, the Word of God became effective and bore fruit. Samuel acted on God’s instruction and took on his role as judge and prophet. The message of the Old Testament gives us a glimpse of what is to come in the Gospel. In last week’s Gospel, John the Baptist tells his disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” an identification with many intricate meanings. John’s disciples follow Jesus to learn more about Him, to ask questions, and get to know Jesus. The evangelist John gives us a tutorial in vocabulary that will help in our understanding throughout the Gospels. Rabbi means Teacher; Messiah translates into Christ, and Cephas becomes Peter (rock). You may sense that Jesus seems to enjoy a play on words. In another Gospel segment, we read that Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.”
Now in the Gospel for today, the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, we find some more parallels: Jesus is calling His first disciples. As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, He sees Andrew and Simon fishing. Jesus invites them to follow Him, and in another play on words says, “I will make you fishers of men.” They listen and follow Jesus. Soon thereafter, Jesus sees James and his brother John, sons of Zebedee, mending their nets. James and John also respond to Jesus’ call and follow Him.
Like the people in both the Old and the New Testament, we are called to really LISTEN, then RESPOND and ACT. During this coming week, we will probably hear some really disturbing voices. We must listen for the voice of God. Do we listen, really listen? In these times of civil unrest, suffering, and pandemic, are we striving to do God’s will? Do we remember God’s greatest Commandment? Love the Lord, your God, above all things. Love your neighbor as yourself. Put God first in your response, and you cannot go wrong! We don’t want to be listening to the wrong voices. Find God; pray to Him. Heed His call.May our response always be, “HERE I AM, LORD; I COME TO DO YOUR WILL.”
Father Storey
Hear, Listen, Respond, Act!January 17, 2021
Lord, open my heart, my ears and my mind to hear your call.
Then, let me respond and act according to your will.Today’s readings, for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, are about listening to the Lord and heeding His call. In Old Testament times, most of the calling of prophets seemed to invoke a great drama, except for Samuel. For example in Genesis 12, we see a 75 year old Abraham leaving his homeland, Harran, with his elderly wife and all his valued possessions in response to God’s promise to make of him a great nation. In Exodus 3, we learn that the voice of God came from a burning bush, calling Moses to liberate the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. The Old Testament seems to suggest that God chose people who were hesitant to follow His command; but not Samuel.
Samuel was born to Hannah long after her normal childbearing years had ended, and he was placed in the care of the temple priests where he spent much time watching over the Ark of the Covenant. The young Samuel was eager to please, and when he heard his name called in the middle of the night, he raced to the high priest Eli saying, “Here I am, you called me.” Eli denied having called Samuel and told him to return to sleep. A second time an identical sequence of events occurred. The third time Samuel went to Eli, Eli realized who was the source of the voice and instructed Eli, if it happened again, to respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Eli’s enlightening response allows us to realize that something very important is about to happen to Samuel.
The next time that God called out to Samuel, the eager youth enthusiastically responded, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel discerned God’s call to him and became a selfless prophet who truly listened to the voice of God, and “the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.”
Similar to what Eli did in Reading I, John does in the Gospel. He exclaimed to his followers as he watched Jesus walk by, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” When Jesus asked John’s disciples what they were looking for, they responded “Rabbi” or teacher. In response to their inquiry as to where He was staying, Jesus’ answer was very simple and straight forward, “Come, and you will see.” We contemplate about the depth of meaning of the word “see.” Jesus, the Teacher, is educating His new companions through first-hand observation. Jesus offered His soon to be disciples the opportunity to hear – to really listen. Then they were able to discern and respond; finally to act. After staying the night with Christ, Andrew left to find his brother Simon and bring him back to Jesus. Andrew excitedly told Simon, “We have found the Messiah.” Jesus welcomed Simon to His then small group and gave him a new name.
What are we to do in these unprecedented times of pandemic illness, political turmoil and unrest? We must hear, but even more so, we must listen to the right voices. Let us heed God’s call. Let us open our hearts, our ears and our minds to listen carefully to discern what He is saying. May our response always be “Here I am Lord; I come to do your will.”Father Storey
A Promise RenewedJanuary 10, 2021
“Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! Come to me heedfully; listen, that you may have life.” I will renew with you the everlasting covenant. These words are from Isaiah 55:1-11, one of two selections approved for use as Reading I in the Liturgy for today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Come to the water! What a beautiful invitation we receive from Christ Himself; this time at His baptism by John in the Jordan. Water: that which cleanses us; that which sustains life.
In last week’s Pastor’s Notes, we explained that Christmas actually begins a fourfold manifestation of Jesus Christ with the announcement to the shepherds of the birth of the Infant Jesus. This is followed by the Epiphany celebrating the revelation of the Infant to the Wise Men and symbolically to the world.
Today’s feast of the Baptism of Jesus is the third of those four manifestations. All four of the Evangelists have a slightly different version of the Baptism of Jesus. The versions from Matthew, Mark and Luke are used in Liturgical Year Cycles A, B and C respectively. In years, when Christmas falls on a Sunday, we do not have a Sunday celebrating the feast, but we do have John’s account of the Baptism of the Lord as the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
As you know, Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy found in today’s first reading. In these extremely difficult times that we are experiencing during this worldwide pandemic, we can take a measure of hope and reassurance from the renewed promise of God.
We find John’s narrative in 1:29-34: John the Baptist, when he sees Jesus walking toward him, announces, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world... I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John tells us that Jesus will give us the saving waters: “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark, in the Gospel used in today’s Liturgy, tells us, “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matt. 3:16-17). We Christians find our Savior by entering the water of Baptism. Christ calls us to the water. He goes into the water before us to lead us, to guide us, to reveal the image of God His Father.
Today He is still with us. We continue our journey through Him. Christ leads us to the water; He renews us. We must remain focused on Christ and we will be rewarded.
All you who are thirsty, come to the water!... I will renew with you the everlasting covenant.
Father Storey
Follow the SpiritJanuary 3, 2021
In the great Solemnity of Christmas and the ensuing Christmas Season, we hear the good news that God is truly here among us. Through the Person of His beloved Son, He comes close to us. He has become part of our human family and entered the world which He entrusts to humanity. We celebrate in thanksgiving the God Who created us, Who loves us, the God Who is wanting to show His face. He reveals to us that He is truly the Messiah, the one coming to save.
The Evangelist Matthew was writing for a Jewish-Christian audience and weaves their Scriptures, symbols and allusions to their ancestors into his Gospel. He gives their Hebrew texts new meaning, showing fulfillment in unforeseen ways in light of Jesus the Messiah.
We celebrate a fourfold manifestation of Jesus Christ that begins with the announcement to the shepherds of the birth of the Infant Jesus, and continues with the Epiphany wherein God shows Himself to the world through the eyes of the Wise Men. The three Wise Men embarked on a Christian journey, totally on faith – their only guide, a star. They had to have days of doubt, of frustration, sickness. Days of just wanting to turn away from this journey to which they had been called. Especially when the star grew dim and disappeared from their sight. But they persevered, and they were rewarded.
We read in Matthew’s Gospel, “After their audience with the king (Herod) they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother” (Matt. 2:9-11). This overwhelming joy which embraced the Wise Men can be ours!
Like the Wise Men we must persevere in our pursuit of God, not become disheartened. The joy of the Gospel will fill the hearts and lives of all who truly encounter Jesus.
The Baptism of the Lord is the third part of the manifestation. In today’s Gospel, God again shows His face to us. Let’s imagine ourselves on the bank of the River Jordan with other followers who had come to John to be baptized. Out of the crowd gathered there, came a Man from Galilee who also sought to be baptized. John protested vigorously that he, John, should not be the one who was baptizing; rather their roles should be reversed. But Jesus prevailed, and John did as Jesus asked. Then it became evident to all around just who the newly baptized Person actually was.
Luke tells us in his Gospel how God made His presence known: “After…Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21-22). The fourth manifestation takes place at the celebration of the marriage at Cana. Jesus, through His miraculous changing of the water into wine, reveals that He truly is God.
The Spirit of the Lord is here among us guiding us on our journey back to the Father and eternal life. As we seek Him, do we have a plan, a star to follow? Has this worldwide pandemic and the ensuing difficulties caused our guiding star to dim? Have we paused to ask directions? On this beautiful feast day of the Epiphany, let us renew our search. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us!
Father Storey