The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
This Sunday we continue to read from Mark’s gospel. In our gospel passage today, Jesus heals a deaf man who had an impediment. In this story we see the healing power of Jesus, and we find clues about our understanding of the importance of sacraments of the Church. Many of us will be struck by the physical means used to heal the man, the use of spittle and touch. In the Church we continue to celebrate the sacraments using physical means and elements. In the sacrament of Baptism, water and oil are used to show the power of the Holy Spirit. In the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, we are anointed with holy oil on the forehead and hands. In the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. We are a sacramental people who believe that God’s grace is given to us through these physical signs.
In this same passage we can see Jesus who goes out to the gentiles to proclaim the good news. The geographic references tell us that Jesus is moving through the gentile territory. He had visited this region before and healed a man who was possessed by a demon. That means Jesus was already known, this explains why the people brought the deaf man to him and asked him to cure him. The story that precedes our reading, today sets the stage. Jesus encounters a gentile, a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to cure her possessed daughter.
Jesus engages the woman in a dialogue about not feeding to dogs the food for children. Jesus is then shocked by the woman’s strong faith when she replies that even dogs eat the food that falls from children’s table. Because of her great faith, Jesus heals the woman’s daughter immediately. The faith of the gentile woman compelled Jesus to respond to her plea.
We are all in need for healing. Do you believe in Jesus’ healing power?
God bless you all. Fr. Henry
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero spoke recently at a UN forum in Geneva on the need to closely monitor the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), colloquially called “killer robots”.
Siân Thomas-Cullinan, Director of Caritas Diocese of Brentwood, writes:
We are swiftly approaching the month of September and the Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October).
Sr. Shalini Mulackal, a Professor at the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, shares her experience of teaching contextual theology, taking her students to the slums of the Indian city of Delhi so that they will commit themselves more deeply to promoting the cause of the poor.
