Tag: healing

“I came in the name of my Father.” | Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:31-47, today’s readings)

“But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.”

The religious leaders Jesus addresses fail to recognize that he is the Messiah. The testimony he gives is not mere witness to himself but comes from the Father’s testimony about him. Sent by the Father to perform his works and accomplish his mission, Jesus sees their refusal to come to him in true faith and understanding and its consequences for eternal life. As Moses intercedes to God for the Israelites after they worship self-made idols, Jesus intercedes to the Father for the salvation of all through his passion, death, and resurrection. He speaks to everyone when he says of Moses, “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” Even now as he intercedes for us, Jesus calls us to deeper faith in him as the One sent by the Father to do his will. Glory to God in the highest!

God, I hear Jesus say he does not accept human testimony and praise. Help me come to you, Lord, to praise you by doing your will and to seek only the praise that comes from you. This is too much for me to do on my own. Give me the grace today to listen out for you and do what you ask me to do. I know I will find you when I move in peace. In calling to mind the Gloria, teach me more and more to have the love of you within me. “For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” | Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. The Lord is gracious and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:17-30, today’s readings)

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

Jesus continues to be persecuted by some of the Jews. He responds to them by saying, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For saying this, John tells us that they try all the more to kill Jesus. Through the love of the Father, Jesus does the Father’s will and performs works to bring salvation “so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Jesus sets an example for all who follow him, revealing that he is the just judge—the Son of God who perfectly performs the Father’s will and has “possession of life in himself.” May all honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

God, strengthen my faith in your Son and help my unbelief: The One who is the resurrection and the life offers eternal life, saying, “whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” Lord, help me listen to Jesus and follow his example. He says he can do nothing on his own yet at the same time through you he has power to exercise judgment and “give life to whomever he wishes.” If Jesus does your will and can do nothing on his own, give me the grace to understand and accomplish your will for me. I know you hear me, Lord. As you say through Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Do you want to be well?” | Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:1-16, today’s readings)

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

In Jerusalem, there is a pool called Bethesda where many people come who have a number of illnesses. One man lies near there who has been ill for 38 years. When Jesus first encounters him, he hears how others get to the pool before he is able to. Healing him on the Sabbath, Jesus then slips away into the crowd. When Jewish authorities confront the healed man for carrying his mat on the sabbath, explaining that Jesus healed him, they look for Jesus to persecute him for performing this act on the sabbath. Jesus finds the man later in the temple area and warns him to sin no more. Just as the waters described in Ezekiel’s vision bring abundant physical life, through his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus brings new life to those who believe in him.

God, let me consider the words of Jesus throughout the day: “Do you want to be well?” Not a prompt for an automatic yes or for greater rational examination, the question is your constant invitation to go further and deeper, as Ezekiel went deeper into the river flowing from the temple. The angel draws Ezekiel from ankle-deep water to depths that eventually engulfed him in a river teeming with life. Give me the grace to recognize the areas in my life where choosing to be well means allowing you to overwhelm me. Do I want to be well? The voice of Christ says, “Take up your mat and walk.” Help me hear and obey him. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Your son will live.” | Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.” You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 4:43-54, today’s readings)

They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

The first sign John refers to is the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. During this time, the disciples come to believe in him as he reveals his glory to them. The second sign occurs when Jesus heals the dying son of a royal official in Capernaum. He heals him from a distance when he says these words: “You may go; your son will live.” Jesus heals those who are close to him, who come to him for divine assistance and healing, but he also heals those who remain at a distance. This is the same Lord who creates a new heaven and a new earth, as we hear in Isaiah, and who is present before us in the Eucharist. “Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.”

God, all thanks and praise to you! In sending Jesus Christ, your Son, you created a new heaven and a new earth. You said through Isaiah, “There shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create.” Regardless of whether doubt overtakes me or how I question how your will works throughout the day, you are with me always and are the giver of every good gift. The verse before the Gospel says, “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD will be with you.” Be with me, Lord, so that I see your lovingkindness and good will as it unfolds in my lifetime, given to me now so that I might have it as a foretaste in this life, one day rejoicing forever in your presence in the life of the world to come.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” | Fourth Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32, today’s readings)

“’Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.’” So he got up and went back to his father.”

The verse before the Gospel draws on the words of the prodigal son: I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. He has squandered all he has and finds himself exhausted in his attempt to take to himself all that he believes belongs to him. He said to his father, “Give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” Yet, having spent the whole share of his inheritance in self-indulgence, he hungers with a hunger that goes beyond physical starvation. With a contrite heart, he returns to his father, who runs off to meet him while he was still a long way off. Sharing this parable with the Pharisees who complain, Jesus invites everyone who hears it to return with contrite hearts to the Father’s merciful embrace.

God, strengthen my assurance in your boundless love for me. Although I turn my back to you, you never do the same to me. Your mercy goes out to meet me where I am, from a long way off. Give me the humility to recognize that all good gifts come from you, and that I can do nothing without them. The son who returns to the father “comes to his senses.” Lord, let me be reconciled to you and glorify you through your Son; in Christ, make me of me a new creation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The one who humbles himself will be exalted.” | Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 18:9-14, today’s readings)

“But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus addresses a parable to people who believe themselves to be righteous and who despise others. They are the kind of people, Jesus says, who look at others as they pray, thinking: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” Jesus speaks concretely about those who are in actuality greedy, dishonest, and adulterous, but he also speaks to every one of us as sinners, who at one time or another say as we look on others, “Thank God I am not like them.” The tax collector in the parable is certain to have said and done the same. His contrite plea for mercy sets him apart from the Pharisee. Humbling himself before God, he receives mercy as Hosea describes: “He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.”

God, help me be thankful today for the gifts you give me and for the good gifts you give to every person you made in your image. Jesus speaks to the people “convinced of their own righteousness” and to ones who have “despised everyone else.” For the times when I have been that person, the psalmist offers this prayer: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” Give me the grace, Lord, to recognize a surge of righteousness and turn instead to you. From the Gospel acclamation: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“No other commandment greater than these.” | Friday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:28-34, today’s readings)

Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

There was nothing new in Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” In reciting part of the Shema, still a part of daily Jewish prayer, Jesus focuses on worship of the Lord alone and the command to love him. Alongside this, Jesus brings the love of the first commandment into the second: love of neighbor as oneself. The two go together, extending God’s love of his people and making it central as the foundation of all human relationships. Jesus makes clear that willing the good of the other comes through knowledge of the Father’s love for us—he loved us first—which allows us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

God, let me take in and live out the very same words Jesus spoke to the scribe. To love you with all my heart and soul and mind and strength seems an unattainable commandment, even more so to love others as I love myself. Yet, let me see the wisdom in the scribe’s response. You alone are the Lord, and to follow these two commandments “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”; that is, worth more—infinitely more—than any other thing or person or ideal that I might make into an idol. Lord, you say through Hosea, to say no more to the work of my hands, “Our god.” Give me the grace to receive your gift of love and give it away for the sake of your glory. “I have humbled him,” you say, “but I will prosper him.” Feed me, Lord, in my shortcomings; feed me with the best of your gifts, and fill me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Whoever is not with me is against me.” | Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:14-23, today’s readings)

“When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

God says to his people through Jeremiah: “They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.” If they were not listening to God, who are they listening to? This is the same God who said: “Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people.” Satan guards his palace, the scattered realm where evil holds power and people subject themselves or listen to a legion of voices. But when Jesus comes, he attacks and overcomes Satan and takes away his power so that once again God’s own people can see his face and hear his voice. “Whoever is not with me is against me,” says the Lord, “and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” O Most Holy Trinity, undivided unity, bring about your kingdom!

God, whatever I have in my possession that I allow Satan to guard, let Jesus come and take away. I want to hear your voice and turn to you to see your face. The psalmist sings, “Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.” For this, there is reason to joyfully sing hymns, to listen to you, Lord, and respond with joy to you who made me. Throughout the day, help me take to heart and sing in my soul this simple refrain: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” | Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:17-19, today’s readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.”

Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that to break the commandments is to step away from God’s love but to keep the commandments and teach others to keep them is to remain in his love. This same source of love came from God, when he gave the commandments to Moses for the sake of the Israelites “so that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. . . . to [teach] your children and to your children’s children.” Jesus, the Word of God, points to God’s commandments and is the giver of all that is just and good.

God, broaden my understanding of who Jesus is in relation to the law, to the commandments. He did not come to overturn or destroy but to bring them to fulfillment. The commandments are your gift given to humanity and at the same time spoken into the hearts of each person you call by name. Give me the grace, Lord, to know in my heart that Jesus is the ultimate Word spoken and that he calls us to everlasting life with you. The Gospel acclamation is “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” Jesus, living Word of God, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“May it be done to me according to your word.” | Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

From the responsorial psalm: ““In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38, today’s readings)

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

In the moments after God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, the salvation of all humanity hangs on Mary’s response. She asks how the Incarnation will take place, how God with us will come to be. Gabriel explains that “the power of the Most High will overshadow” and that his kingdom will have no end and that Elizabeth also will bear a child. Mary’s fiat echoes through the whole of salvation history. As Isaiah prophesied, Emmanuel takes the form of flesh, as Mary says yes to God’s will. No longer will the blood of bulls and goats be offered to take away sins but only the “offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all” through his obedience to the Father’s will. What takes place during the Annunciation is hard to grasp, but in pondering what it means, what it means for us today that Mary said yes, we offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

God, help me see Mary’s deep humility as she calls herself the handmaid of the Lord. I have a day ahead of me to offer an ear attentive to your will and a spirit to discern what you are asking me to do and how to do it. Give me the grace to recognize what you call me to—great or small—and strengthen my desire to hear you speak to me. “Here I am, Lord,” the psalmist sings, “I come to do your will.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.