Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - September 15, 2024

In last week’s homily, I explained that, although the book of the prophet Isaiah was written about 800 years prior to Jesus’ ministry, the prophet was very clearly pointing to the anticipated Messiah. In the passage last week, Isaiah foretold of the work of the Messiah and his opening of ears and tongues. Today’s passage points to the Messiah as the obedient servant. Later in Isaiah, he describes the trials of the “suffering servant” which graphically predicts Jesus’ passion.

Today’s passage begins with the servant acknowledging that the Lord God has taught him to speak and enabled him to hear. Thus, the Lord both enables and is the source of this prophetic calling, the servant’s obedience to the Lord God initiates his speech and hearing. The servant says that he is obedient even to the point of suffering at the hands of his enemies: “I have given my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.”

The servant actively chooses to accept the conflict that arises through his proclamation of the truth. The abuse that the servant’s enemies inflict upon him foretells the abuse suffered by Jesus as He obediently endured His passion and death. The passage concludes with the servant acknowledging that, despite the harsh trials that he endures, the Lord God is his help. Thus, the prophet suggests that, obedience to God is an important objective and that, with God’s help, suffering can be endured.

Often suffering is a source of shame for individuals and communities. Yet, in this passage, the Lord God vindicates the honor of the servant. Because of God’s help, the servant will “not be put to shame” and his enemies will not be able to “contend” against him or declare him guilty. God’s help is the source of the servant’s confidence and hope in the midst of suffering. Some 800 years later, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Abuse and insults were heaped upon Him. His back was beaten, His face was hit, and He was spit upon. Yet, He was obedient to the Father unto death, and the Father vindicated Him by resurrecting Him. It is remarkable that the words that God presented through the Prophet Isaiah were so precisely reflected in the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - September 8, 2024

Last week, Jesus appeared to be a bit frustrated with the scribes and pharisees calling them “hypocrites” who acted holy, but who’s hearts were “far from Him.” We might think that, after this rather angry outburst, Jesus would quickly return to His loving, empathetic, and understanding self. However, in the very next passage of Mark’s Gospel, which the Lectionary skips, we read about an encounter between Jesus and a Greek woman who needs His help:

A woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said, “For saying this…The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

This Greek woman sought Him out and “fell at his feet” because she had faith in His greatness even though most of the “children” of Israel did not. Her faith is all the more remarkable because even His disciples have been a bit slow in recognizing and believing in Jesus.

This woman recognizes Him as having authority to wield power over evil. In response, He insults her by saying that she and her daughter had the same status as “dogs.” Instead of walking away muttering obscenities at Jesus (as some of us might have done), the woman is not deterred. She shows complete and total humility by accepting the status of a dog and by claiming that even the dog enjoys crumbs from the table. Because of her great humility, she was able to withstand the sharp remark and to persist in achieving her goal. Because of her great faith, she succeeded.

Jesus praises the faith in this woman’s heart. He is moved by her certainty that even a crumb from Him has power enough to save her daughter. The encounter with the Greek woman reminds us that God is constantly entering new territory and breaking boundaries. God is in the unsettling business of meeting outsiders and granting them not just a crumb, but a place at the table. He asks us to do the same.

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - September 1, 2024

As our son left the house each morning to go to high school, either my wife or I would say, “Make good choices today.” We wanted him to understand that he, and he alone, had the power to make choices about his behavior that day. No matter what his friends were saying or doing, only he controlled what he would say or do. If he made a bad choice, it would not help him to tell us that his friends also got into trouble.

In this weekend’s first reading, Joshua tells the Israelites, “Decide today whom you will serve…As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua knew that the decision to serve the Lord was not the easy choice. It involved commitment, sacrifice, and humility. Serving “other gods” would likely be easier. Joshua also knew that he could not force the Israelites to serve the Lord. It was their choice. At the end of this passage, we read that the Israelites did, in fact, choose to serve the Lord. However, over the ensuing years, their level of commitment varied from strong to non-existent.

We each make a personal choice to have faith in Jesus Christ. It is a difficult choice because it involves accepting more than one “hard saying.” Our choice involves opening our hearts and minds to the possibility that there is someone greater than ourselves who we cannot see or feel in the traditional sense. Our choice also involves accepting the fact that the Son of God came down from Heaven for our salvation, returned to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, and left us the gift of His flesh and blood in the Eucharist. Whatever we decide, we must recognize that we are making a conscious choice and that we alone have the power to make that choice. As with my son, it doesn’t matter what our friends say or do. It is a choice that defies logic, is counter-cultural, and is focused on the long term, not the immediate. It continues to be a choice that involves commitment, sacrifice, and humility. But if we choose wisely (and remain committed to our choice), we proudly get to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” God Bless!