Pray // Pray

Jesus Casts out a Demon from the Child

2012-02-09T01:10:00-05:00

From there Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, yet he could not escape notice. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Jesus said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.”

So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (Mk 7:24-30)

Reaching out to All

2012-02-09T01:05:00-05:00

Today’s gospel presents us with what seems to be a disturbing, even out-of-character exchange between Jesus and the Gentile mother. I clearly remember hearing this gospel reading as a child and wondering, “Why is Jesus being so mean?” If we examine and pray with two aspects of this reading, we may well find ourselves with a deeper, more intricate understanding.

Although Jesus’ manner of speaking with the Gentile woman seems to us stern, maybe even cruel, observing the whole of their exchange gives a more complete picture. In Jesus’ time, a woman would have had no business asking a favor of him. And yet she does so, and then even challenges his analogy, reminding him that the family dogs are beloved enough to receive what happens to fall from the table. Jesus immediately relents and tells her, “The demon has left your daughter.” Perhaps their exchange resembled a challenging banter more than Jesus’ rejection of a pleading mother.

Jesus came to fulfill the covenant God had made with the Jews through Abraham, the “children” of this reading. Throughout the Gospels he appears quite willing – even insistent – on welcoming Gentiles as followers as well. This gospel account lines up completely with each of the four gospels when Jesus, without regard to background or status, reaches out to heal, to calm, to welcome, to forgive, to soothe.

We might challenge ourselves to wrestle a bit with this reading. Do we return again and again to Jesus, overcoming our fears to speak to him honestly, to plead with him wholeheartedly? Do we, like Jesus, reach out across traditional boundaries that separate us, to offer our very selves to another, to bind up wounds or to soothe the sorrowing? May we both find – and offer – comfort through this wonderfully disconcerting moment in Mark’s gospel.

Katharine Barrett, Campus Ministry

Prayer - February 9

2012-02-09T01:00:00-05:00

Lord, many suffer about us. Direct us, that we may be instruments of Your love, a healing presence to all who travel with us. Amen. Rev. Robert Brennan, C.S.C.

It is What Comes out of a Person that Defiles

2012-02-08T01:10:00-05:00

Then Jesus called the crowd again and said to them, Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.

When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

And he said, It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. (Mk 7:14-23)

Listening with the Heart

2012-02-08T01:05:00-05:00

Jesus implores a crowd to listen to what he has to say. Listen, everyone. Listen, all you people, hear this.

It is comforting that Jesus’s disciples do not understand his message the first time around. They hear but don’t comprehend, so they ask that he explain it again. And Jesus does just that. He explains his teaching to them again, this time in greater detail.

Christ’s disciples certainly have reason to be confused. Is Jesus talking about what he seems to be? This is certainly one of Jesus’s more earthy parables. Food goes in the body and out—anything eaten soon leaves. There is, however, a cleverness underlying the rather icky comparison. Jesus urges us to place our hearts at the center of our attentions. Not the digestive systems, not really even the circulatory, but rather the heart—our human center, our souls. Take care, Christ urges, of what goes out into the world from your core self.

Food is transitory; it moves through us and is gone. Yet the heart remains from beginning to end, and truly, there is no ending. Our heart is constant, as is God’s presence in it. Our heart is our most human center, and yet strangely, it is where God abides.

The heart, though, is not God. Indeed, there is a list of evils Jesus names that may emit from the heart, and nothing that comes from God is evil. Yet the heart is where all may retreat to listen to the words of God and understand.

Listen to God with the heart and you will understand. If we do not understand what God is saying when we listen, Christ shows us here that God’s presence within us is permanent—like the heart—and God will explain it again and again until we understand.

Thomas Eggleston, 3rd Year M.Div. Student

Prayer - February 8

2012-02-08T01:00:00-05:00

Lord, we continue to search for You in our life. May the purity of our heart reveal Your presence as we make the decisions of daily life. Amen. Rev. Robert Brennan, C.S.C.

In Vain do they Worship Me

2012-02-07T01:10:00-05:00

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles. )

So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

He said to them, Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.

Then he said to them, You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God )— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this. (Mk 7:1-13)

The Spirit of the Law

2012-02-07T01:05:00-05:00

“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

It can be easy to get caught up in the words Jesus uses in His teachings. When we place too much emphasis on the letter of the law, we can become judgmental of those who do not follow the laws as we see fit. For example, we may be quick to criticize a person who doesn’t make it to confession as often as he could, or who doesn’t always fast before receiving Holy Communion. In so doing, we run the risk of being too punitive and act without compassion or understanding.

Don’t get me wrong, God’ s commandments must remain the central and guiding force in our lives. However, Mark reminds us that God’s law is rooted in love and mercy, not in judgement. Too often, human tradition, human law replaces or undermines what God intends for us. To be obedient to God’s law is to act out of the same love that Jesus showed both his disciples and his enemies. It is the genuine love for God and for one another we have in our hearts that matters most.

The Gospel today encourages us to appreciate the love of God and to humbly share that love with others. In doing this we act out of sincere love for God and His laws, showing our appreciation for all that God has done and will continue to do for us.

May we continue to grow in our relationship, understanding and trust in God’s love for us and for all.

Clare Kearney, ND ‘12

Prayer - February 7

2012-02-07T01:00:00-05:00

Lord, having shared Your Word may we honor God’s presence in our word and in the actions of our lives. Amen. Rev. Robert Brennan, C.S.C.

Healed by Christ's Touch

2012-02-06T09:25:00-05:00

I am there, scurrying to reach Him, feeling His presence…holy and serene and transfiguring.

There is a boat making the crossing to the other side of the sea. The boat is Church, not the building, not the institution but the communion, the Mystical Body guiding me to the other side, the side where Jesus walks and reigns.

That they might touch only the tassel on his cloak… I feel this touch. It is powerful, like the first touch from a new love. Touch…the strongest sense…too absent in life, its absence amplifying the aloneness. Touching Jesus, and Jesus touching back…His intimate love healing pains and fears and revealing His compassion. Christ transfigured in the moment of the healing touch. I want this moment to stand still, for all seems as it should be.

Yet Jesus knows what I do not, that the touch is an invitation, not the finish but the start. Thus He moves on. There is more to do, the kingdom is not yet at hand, my becoming only beginning. For I accept His love but do not yet return it, do not surrender to Him. I want Him to remove me from the swirl…but He asks me to serve within it. I remain broken in spirit. I seek physical cure when He offers spiritual healing. I understand not. I remain unhealed, and I abandon Him when evil visits. Yes, He continues His journey…it leads to the cross, His most profound act of teaching and healing, removing me not from the snare of evil, instead showing the way to live and act while in its grasp, how amidst injustice and abandonment to deny it victory…and therein rise from death.

Christ, may I follow Thee to the end of the journey. Heal my spirit through the nourishment of Thy touch.

Stephen Hutchison, ND ’72

All who Touched His Cloak were Healed

2012-02-06T01:10:00-05:00

When Jesus and His disciples had crossed over to the other side of the sea, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. (Mk 6:53-56)

Prayer - February 6

2012-02-06T01:00:00-05:00

Lord, we experience the Living Word as disciples. May we continue to be instruments of the Word as we share our lives and gifts. Amen.
Rev. Robert Brennan, C.S.C.

His Name had Become Known

2012-02-03T01:10:00-05:00

King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him.

When Herod heard John, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”

She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”

She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.”

Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. (Mk 6:14-29)

Prayer - February 3

2012-02-03T01:00:00-05:00

Lord, you suffered the news of the death of your herald and companion John the Baptist. Yet you also discerned in his death the power of his faith, willing to give everything for his belief in God. Be close to us and those we love in all our trials. Help us to rely on the power of our faith in you, that our witness in times of trial may be a light for others. Amen. Rev. Louis Delfra, C.S.C.

Guided by the Spirit

2012-02-02T01:10:00-05:00

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Lk 2:22-32)

Longing in Hope

2012-02-02T01:05:00-05:00

I struggle with waiting, finding myself frustrated when my hopes are unfulfilled. Where do we turn? Simeon, perhaps, knows Psalm 27’s invitation to waiting in hope: “Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!”

At times, these words have comforted me as on the day that our oldest child was born. My pregnant wife awoke knowing something was amiss with the child in her womb. We called her doctor who said, “Go to the hospital.” Stunned, we went and they said, “You are going to have a baby today.” We said, “It is too early! Will the baby be ok?” Beyond the bargaining with God, my heart slowly began to trust these words of Psalm 27 which gave us hope as we longed and prayed for a healthy baby. And, she was born healthy! So we named her Grace as a gift of God’s creative, fulfilling love, the first child who opened the womb in our family and began to fulfill our generative longings.

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to consecrate him to the Lord, I doubt they foresaw meeting Simeon who pronounced the fulfillment of his longing by God: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word…”

Simeon’s longing for the Christ is fulfilled! He praises God for it, since he probably had a long wait.

There are times when we may want to give up the hopeful longing, for waiting is difficult and cynicism flows quickly. Yet, like Simeon, persevering in faithful obedience, in the face of no sign of hope, is a great act of surrender, of faith that puts its trust in what it cannot see, when we daily entrust the longings of our hearts to the hands of the Lord.

Jay Landry, ND ’87; M.Div. ’97

Prayer - February 2

2012-02-02T01:00:00-05:00

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Lord, on this day, you were presented in the temple as an infant child. The splendor of your divinity humble took the form of human life, at one of its most vulnerable stages. Help us always to recognize your presence in the vulnerable around us. Help us to know that in loving and honoring them, we are loving and honoring you. Amen. Rev. Louis DelFra, C.S.C.

Prophets are not Without Honor, Except in Their Hometown

2012-02-01T01:10:00-05:00

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded.

They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Then Jesus said to them, Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.

And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. (Mk 6:1-6)

Prophets in Their own Land

2012-02-01T01:05:00-05:00

Last week, a well-meaning fellow-writer ‘blew up’ at me in a writing group. The upset woman was not one of the incarcerated women I write-inside with weekly, but a professional woman from my community. This triggered person raged on about my work with prisoners, how naïve Christians like me are, how violent-offenders can never change, how these imprisoned writers are manipulating me, and on and on.

I handled the explosive interaction with as much grace as I could muster, but nursed my shock for days. What hurt most was that the feedback came from a writer, someone like me, the kind of person I think of as open-minded and inclusive, though not necessarily in agreement with. It was oddly comforting for me to hear her litany of fear in rapid-fire. No doubt, she articulated the unspoken thoughts others have had.

This experience reminds me of Jesus’ message in Mark’s Gospel today: “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” Every one of us is called to be prophetic in our daily lives—to stand for the human dignity of all people, particularly those who cannot advocate for themselves. However, sometimes it’s the folks we have the most in common with who reject our ideas, and us, outright. And how emotionally painful that can be!

Because Christ was human, I’m guessing He also struggled with ‘fallout’ from His message of love and transformation. Most likely, the acerbic reactions of family and friends sent him reeling, prompting thoughts such as: Am I being naïve? ..articulating my message effectively? ..too forceful with these naysayers? ..following the will of my Father? I can envision Him retreating to a quiet place, shedding a few tears, praying, listening, and resuming His mission with renewed faith and vigor.

Marybeth Christie Redmond ‘85 is a writer-journalist who co-directs writinginsideVT, a program that brings incarcerated women’s words from inside – out. Her blog is located at www.writinginsideVT.com.

Prayer - February 1

2012-02-01T01:00:00-05:00

Let us listen to the Good Shepherd, and pray that He will speak to our soul. Then, by means of us, He will speak to those we have been charged to teach and sanctify. Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C.