Hem of his garment

So many people were coming to Jesus that he called the apostles and said "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat”. Even a moment of rest was denied them for as soon as they arrived they were met by a crowd of people for whom Jesus, as their Shepherd, was filled with compassion.

The people were coming to Jesus to heqar the Word of God and to be healed of their infirmities. Everywhere He went the people recognised him and immediately began bringing those in need of healing. The sick, those whom society regards as weak and feeble, were strong in their faith. They asked that they may be allowed to touch the fringe of his garment and everyone who touched him was healed and made whole.

Rest in the Lord

The Lord invited his apostles to go away with him "to a lonely place, and rest a while” and so they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

We all receive an invitation from the Lord, to take time to be more fully with in him. Not just a time of retreat or a special day of solitude but every day. The invitation can come through the liturgy or our spiritual reading, in a word, all that has to do with prayer and communion with the Lord is a response to that invitation. Each day the Lord says to us “Come to me all you who labour and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest”.

The effort to be attentive to the Lord is always rewarding, if we listen to his words “Set your troubled hearts at rest” we shall see our problems, doubts and anxieties in the right perspective. “See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life. Clothed then with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide”.

The Head of John the Baptist

When Herod heard about Jesus and his mighty works, to use his own words “the powers at work in him” his first reaction was to declare that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. This is a strange affirmation. A normal response to the information that he had received would have ben to investigate the claims that were being made. Herod’s reaction was that of a mind unbalanced by guilt. Nevertheless the Evangelist is very cautious in his language in speaking about this vile crime of Herod. His description of events is devoid of heated emotion or recrimination. The weakness of Herod is described in the words “And the king was very sorry” at the girl’s request. And almost in a phrase that seems to present extenuating circumstances the evangelist says “but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison”. Even the girl herself is included in this extenuating language for it is said that “ the girl, “had been prompted by her mother” Although the evangelist knew that Jesus had spoken of John as the “the greatest among those born of women” the account of the Baptist’s death is marked by moderation and restraint. There is a lesson here for our own times. There is a need for every Christian to render an account of his faith, as Saint tells us, but we must not do this in an aggressive or belligerent manner, especially when we are provoked by insults to the Church and our Lord and Saviour. In the presence of the evils of the times in which we live, let us not be a prophet of gloom, but rather like the Lord himself, weep for sinners and suffer for their salvation and pray for those who persecute us. As Saint Benedict says “By this we do not mean that evils should be allowed to grow” but that, prudence and charity should have a place as we confront evil and defend the Church.

Saint Blaise

Saint Ansgar

Saint Werburgh

Simeon and Anna

Simeon was righteous and devout, he looked beyond the limitations of his life, he had a vision, if he looked to the past it was in order to prophesy the future of the child who had been promised from ages past, the one who would be a sign and a light for all peoples. In the twilight of his life Simeon spoke of the rise of the sun of Justice. Anna too the prophetess in her old age gave witness to all of the Child.

Simeon revealed to Mary that she would suffer because she was the mother of the suffering servant, the Lamb of God who was to be sacrificed for the sins of the world.

All who follow the Lord must take up the Cross, the Blessed Virgin Mary was no exception, the mother of the one who was described by the prophet Isaiah as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” was told that she would have her part to play in the work of salvation, a sword will pierce your heart.

Today, the Church gives special attention to the religious life, religious should be like Simeon, watching for the Lord and like Anna constantly in the Temple “worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day” and by their lives giving witness to Christ. Just as Anna “gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” and just as a light shines and gives light, the faithful religious is called to witness to the love of God.

All of us by our baptism have been called to witness to the truth of the gospel and remembering that a light cannot be hidden, but must shine, let the light which we have carried in our hands now be carried in our hearts.

In the synagogue

The people of Jesus’ home country were astonished at his teaching. They recognised that something extraordinary had taken place in the life of the young carpenter of Nazareth, “where did he get this wisdom and these mighty works”. In all the time during which he had lived among them there had been no sign or indication that this young man was in any way very special nor endowed with exceptional gifts. In the opinion of those who knew him he was like anyone else. In a different way they were affirming what Saint Paul was to declare to be a great mystery that he was “like us in all things but sin”. There is no doubt in their minds that “the carpenter’s son” had not received any special instruction, he had not attended the schools of the Rabbis. They knew his mother and the family as a whole, as a child he had played in their streets and as a young man had practised the trade which he learnt from his father. The people took offense at him, but their words are not offensive for us, they are an eloquent testimony to the mystery of the “hidden life” at Nazareth. A life not hidden from us but hidden for us, that we might learn that the will of God is accomplished by faithfully fulling the daily tasks which make up our duty.

The astonished people of Nazareth were, by their behaviour and their refusal to accept the teaching and mighty works of Jesus, fulfilling a prophetic saying "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.".

It was not for any lack of desire on his part that Jesus could not perform many mighty works there, but because of their unbelief.

This incident in the gospel has been cited many times by those who feel that their talents and gifts are not recognised and this is a wrongful use of this passage of the gospel, which is concerned with the mystery of our salvation and not merely a moral lesson. Those however who are avid for recognition and acclaim often end up by not doing any mighty works, so concerned are they about public opinion and approval. It is the mother of the carpenter, whose name is Mary, who tells us that it is the lowly who are exalted.

Conversion of Saint Paul

The words of the Lord to his disciples:"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” found a visible expression in the missionary work of Saint Paul. He himself declared to the Christians of Corinth “ Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”. There are passages in his letters in which his zeal is so evident and his words so vigorous that they leave one almost breathless. You can just imagine the scribe to whom he dictated his letters crying out in desperation, “slow down, I can’t keep up with you”. Paul was by nature zealous, but before his conversion he was fired by a misguided zeal, his opposition to the followers of Jesus knew no limits. At his conversion this zeal was purified and set at the service of the gospel. There are some who might describe Paul as a fanatic, perhaps he was referring to those who thought so, when he wrote “ For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God”. His zeal, however, was not just part of his character or a natural disposition, but rather, as he told the Corinthians “it is the love of Christ that impels us, urges us on, controls us”.

For Paul, Christ Jesus was the centre of his life, I am not alive, he declared, my life is Christ living in me. Paul’s zealous love for Christ our Lord is what we should aim to imitate. Total dedication to Christ does not come without its difficulties, for to follow Christ means to take up the Cross. "I have been crucified with Christ;" declared Saint Paul and then added “and because of this it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”.

Saint Paul, suffered many things for the Lord as he went about preaching the faith, at one moment of his life he felt so overwhelmed that he even prayed that the thorn in his side, as he expressed one of his trials might be taken away. He learnt, however, that in his weaknesses, the strength of God was manifested. Faith is a gift but it is given to us as a seed which has to grow and develop.

“Let us pray so that the Lord, who made Paul see his light and hear his word and touched his heart profoundly, make us and all our fellow Christians also see his light, so that our hearts will also be touched by his word and so that we too will be able to give today's world, which thirsts for it, the light of the Gospel and the truth of Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Jesus' preaching

For the members of his family and close friends, the fact that Jesus left his home and began to preach, must have given rise to some concern and anxiety. He was the carpenter’s son, he had not been trained in the Law nor was he a disciple of some great religious leader and teacher. Their concerns were natural. The success of his preaching only increased their anxiety. They had heard that he was so taken up by his preaching that he had hardly time to eat and so they felt that they had a duty to intervene. This short passage of the gospel reminds us that the first opposition that Jesus experienced to his ministry came not from the religious or civil authorities but as he himself expressed it from”the members of his own household”.

Crowds

We have seen over the past days how Jesus went about doing good and healing those who came to him. As in this morning’s gospel we see, as it were, the Lord trying to escape from the crowds that pressed around him. We shall even hear him say that the crowds sought him because they had seen a miracle and had their fill of the loaves and fishes. Jesus knew that the size of a following is not necessarily the measure of success. On one occasion when the crowd pressed around him, he asked, who touched me? Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.". The Lord wanted to show that it was faith that called forth healing. In this week of prayer for Christian unity we are not seeking numerical increase but the response of faith. Faith that the prayer of the Lord for the unity of his Church will come about so that there will be one Flock and one Shepherd.

For the Lord

Conflict between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees over the observance of the Sabbath arose frequently in the gospels. The scribes and pharisees not only criticised Jesus behaviour on the Sabbath but also tried to find ways of accusing him of breaking God’s law.

The final sentence of today’s gospel sums up and reveals the intentions of their hearts “ The Pharisees discussed with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

The Lord’s Day is the day of rest, the commandment of the Lord is to keep the Sabbath holy. The Scribes and the Pharisees had laid down every detail as to how this should be done and so rather than freeing the individual for serving the Lord they bound them hand and foot.

Speaking of the observance of Sunday among Christians, Pope Benedict said, “Without the Lord and without the day that belongs to him, life does not flourish. Sunday has been transformed in our Western societies into the week-end, into leisure time. Leisure time is certainly something good and necessary, especially amid the mad rush of the modern world. Yet if leisure time lacks an inner focus, an overall sense of direction, then ultimately it becomes wasted time that neither strengthens nor builds us up”.Sunday is a privileged moment for “encountering the risen Christ in word and sacrament”.

Today’s gospel and the words of the Holy Father can help us to renew our love of Sunday as the day of the Lord. A day when we truly go apart with the Lord who alone can give the peace which the world cannot give and who alone can give rest to restless hearts.

Rest

At the time of our Lord the observance of the Sabbath had become what might be described as a full time occupation, it was work that had become for many a burden too heavy to carry. When the Lord began to teach that the Sabbath was for our well being he was criticised, and the complaints were not limited to trivial matters like plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath, he was also condemned for doing good on the Sabbath, for healing people of their infirmities.

The "Sabbath day” was meant to be the day set apart for the people of Israel to remember and celebrate God’s wonderful works in creation and redemption. It was a day to be free for God, for rest from daily work, its cares and anxieties.

We should not forget this especially since we live in a world in which so many complain of not having time, and people are in a constant rush.

Fasting

From the Lord’s reply to the question why “he and his disciples did not fast” we learn that to be with the Lord is like being at a festive banquet, such as accompanied a wedding celebration where the bridegroom laid out the best he could in food, wine and entertainment. In such circumstances to fast would be would be to stand aloof or even to express disapproval by not participating. There is a time for feasting and a time for fasting and so the Lord said “The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast”.

The fast will be much more than abstinence from food and drink, it will involve a complete change of life "new wine in new wineskins" in order to inherit the Kingdom and hear from the Lord the words: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. The fast that the Lord desires is not to do without but rather to give out. Not so much to go hungry but rather to deny self in order to feed the hungry.

Cana

Every year on the Solemnity of the Epiphany the Church commemorates three great manifestations of the Lord: his manifestation to the Magi, his baptism in the River Jordan and the miracle of the changing of water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana. The Church wants us to dwell upon each of these three great manifestations, so last week we celebrated the Lord’s Baptism and today we contemplate the miracle which was the first sign performed by Jesus and which showed his glory and marked the beginning of his manifestation to Israel in his public ministry.

As we listen to the account of the marriage Feast we recall that the Church is the Bride of Christ for whom the Lord has provided a banquet in the mystery of the Eucharist.

We reflect upon the role of the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She too was called to the following of Christ, she too had to play her part in the work of salvation. She continues in heaven the vocation which she exercised on earth, she intercedes for us now as she did for those at Cana in Galilee. The words of the Blessed Virgin Mary to servants “do whatever he commands you” echo down the ages to our own times and will continue to the end of time. Blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it. She whom all generations call Blessed, was the perfect hearer and doer of the word of God, and has as it were won the right to commands us. Tomorrow we begin the octave of prayer for Christian Unity. To pray and work for unity is to make the prayer of our Lord at the Last Supper our prayer and to co-operate with the Holy Spirit to bring his work to completion and bring us the fulness of peace.