Jesus addresses those who object to His followers not fasting unlike the practice of John’ s followers and the Pharisees (Mk 2:18-22).  Jesus likens His disciples to wedding guests and Himself as the bridegroom — they cannot fast when with Him but will do so when He is gone (see above).  He uses analogies of patching old clothes and wineskins with new materials to illustrate His point.  We know that the Lord has made good on His promise to be with us always, especially in the Eucharist.  Yet, based on the current state of society, it is not that Jesus has been “taken away” but that He has been driven away.  This should cause us then to reflect on our own relationship with God and neighbor: How might we be distancing ourselves from the Lord through sin and distraction and how does this contribute to the decline of society?  We can rightfully lament the paganization and immorality of the culture; but what have we done to contribute to it and what are we doing to convert it?  This conversion starts with us as we pray for the graces to overcome those things that inhibit our full acceptance of grace or separate us from grace entirely.  But an additional  very effective tool recommended by Scripture (Old and New Testaments) is what Jesus talks about in today’s gospel: fasting.  Jesus Himself prepared for the challenges of public ministry by conducting a forty day fast (Mt 4:2).   Should we not also make this part of our lives as we meet personal and societal challenges?  Let us fast and pray that Jesus is fully welcomed into our lives and the life of society.

We are again blessed to hear the telling of Jesus first public miracle at the Wedding of Cana (Jn 2:1-11).  Jesus, His disciples, and His mother are all guests.  When Mary learns that the wine has run out, she tells Jesus.  After a brief interchange, she tells the servants to do what Jesus asks.  Jesus tells them to fill six large jars with water and then take some to the headwaiter for tasting.  The latter tells the bridegroom that this wine is the best yet served (see the passage at top).  And the disciples begin to believe in Jesus.  The “good wine” saved until well into the wedding feast is, of course, Jesus, who comes well into the courtship of God and His people Israel.  With two thousand years of hindsight we often wonder how the people of Jesus’ day “missed” Him, not recognizing Him as the fulfillment of prophecy, in fact the greatest of prophets (but so much more).  One can argue that point.  But what is our excuse with two millenia of reflection?  How well does the world reflect the truth of the Lord’s life and teaching?  Where is the unity He prayed for (cf. Jn 17:21)?  We can lament the state of things and point to all sorts of reasons why the current state of affairs exists.  But it is better for us to reflect on the four fingers turned back on us.  Reform starts at home.  Getting serious about eradicating sin and vice from our own lives will provide the clarity (cf. Mt 7:1-5) and charity (cf. Mk 12:31) we need to be God’s instruments to advance the Kingdom and change the world.

Yesterday’s gospel (Mk 2:13-17) featured the calling of Levi (Matthew) the tax collector; he immediately follows Jesus.  Jesus later dines with him and his guests whose number are made up of many tax collectors and sinners.  The Pharisees make known their displeasure at the company Jesus keeps which causes Jesus to reply with the words above, followed by His explaining that He has come to call sinners.  The news flash for us is that we are included in the “sick” to whom Jesus has come to attend.  There are no “righteous” that Jesus can bypass.  Any who are self-righteous need the Lord’s healing power all the more.  Sin is the cancer of the soul.  The divine healer is ready to eradicate the disease without a trace if only we desire to let Him in.  And the only way we can do that properly is by praying and working to eliminate all that prevents us from being open to the fullness of God’s grace: sin and vice.  The good news for us is that no sin is too big or too small for Christ to heal.  No matter how long it takes for us to finally seek the cure, no matter how long evil has festered inside us, it can be cured.  God’s office hours are 24/7.  His services come free but were not cheaply purchased — it cost Him His life.  Beg for healing.  Take advantage of the graces that come through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (during regular hours or just about any time you can find a priest that has a few minutes of availability).  Monthly Confession is highly recommended as a “maintenance program.”  Serious sin should be confessed to a priest at the soonest possible opportunity.  Let us strive to never distance ourselves from the Lord or cut ourselves off completely from the divine life of grace for any sinful act — which offers only fleeting satisfaction.  But we always remember that if and when we do fall, sincere recourse to Jesus always provides the “patching up” we need.

Jesus returns to Capernaum, His home base, to preach (Mk 2:1-12).  While teaching to a large contingent in His home, four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus, getting to Him by disassembling the roof above Him.  Their faith leads Jesus to tell the disabled man that his sins are forgiven.  Knowing that the scribes present object to His claiming the ability to wipe away sins, Jesus calls them out and then, in order to prove His authority, physically heals the man, astounding all onlookers who react by glorifying God. First Jesus preached and then He healed.  This passage should remind us of Mass.  In the Liturgy of the Word we hear God’s word from the Bible with an exposition and application of the day’s Revelation in the homily.  In the Liturgy of the Eucharist the Word is made flesh and dwells among us (seen through the eyes of faith) bringing healing to souls open to and desiring spiritual repair.  People of Jesus’ day flocked to Him to hear His preaching and be fed by it.  Let us pray and act to get more people, professed Christians or otherwise, excited about the Word of God and into church where truth and healing are available that the world cannot give.

Jesus, probably no longer in the synagogue, is approached by a leper (Mk 1:40-45).  The diseased man implores Jesus to heal him if He wishes.  Jesus touches the man, utters the words above, and then tells him to show himself to the priests, but otherwise not to tell anyone.  Instead, the cleansed man spreads the news freely causing Jesus to be unable to enter towns openly but rather forcing Him to stay in deserted places where people flocked to Him.  The unclean man in the gospel was extraordinarily bold.  Lepers were required by law to maintain their distance and warn passers-by of their condition.  But this man comes right up to Jesus with no warning, full of confidence that Jesus can heal him if He desires.  The Lord does not hesitate — he wants to make the man whole and does so by touching him and saying a few words.  Whereas Jews would have declared a person who touches a leper unclean, Jesus purity redounds to the sick man so, instead of Jesus becoming ritually impure, the man becomes pure.  As much as the Lord desired to make the leper clean, so does he wish to do the same for us.  No matter the gravity of our sins, no matter the level of impurity of our soul, a word, a touch from Jesus can take it all away.  But we must be willing to step forward boldly and ask for that forgiveness with a firm purpose of amendment to avoid sin in the future.  No matter our condition, we must never despair of receiving the mercy He so desires to pour out from His sacred heart.  Frequent recourse to prayer (the Rosary is particularly powerful considering the closing lines of the Our Father [Mt 6:12-13] and our request of Jesus’ Mother to “pray for us sinners”), Confession, and Eucharist will make us more receptive to the graces our good God so wants to impart to us.

Mk 1:29-39: Upon leaving the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus, along with the first four apostles, goes to Simon and Andrew’s house where Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law of fever after being told about her illness.  That evening many sick and possessed came to the door for help and many of them were made whole by Jesus.  Before dawn the next day Jesus was at prayer but was pursued by Simon and others who told Him that He was being sought out by the townspeople.  Rather than go back, Jesus told them that they were to go to other villages to preach the word.  This they did, accompanied by many miracles of healing and exorcisms.  Jesus provides us a wonderful example of the proper approach to ministry.  We often hear of Jesus at prayer, especially at times when the greatest challenges He will face are imminent (most prominently in the hour before His arrest [Mt 26:36-46]).  He could have easily attempted to justify continued teaching or healings.  Yet He realized that true power, strength, and consolation comes from conversation with the Father.  And after a long day of activity, no one would have blamed Jesus for sleeping in.  But He realized that only in God do we find the rest that really refreshes (cf. Ps 62:5).  We must never neglect prayer in our anxiety and worry over many things; rather we are to choose “the better part” (Lk 10:41-42)  We don’t shirk our duties and responsibilities to our neighbor, but we don’t forget to have quality time with the Lord, either.  The greatest and most prolific saints and holy men and women always made/make prayer time a mandatory and significant part of their day.  Yet, seemingly miraculously, they got/get as much, if not more done than had they neglected it.  God blesses our efforts and aids our good work when we show Him appropriate honor and deference.  Let us make (quality) time for the Lord each and every day.

Continuing in Mark (1:21-28), as we will be doing for months on weekdays, Jesus comes with His followers to Capernaum.  There He teaches with authority in the synagogue astonishing those present.  A possessed man in that place calls out Jesus as the “Holy One of God” at which Jesus rebukes the spirit to be silent and come out of the man.  The demon is expelled causing even more amazement from the witnesses regarding His authority over unclean spirits.  This last act evoked from the bystanders the words in the headline.  Might it not be good if we were able to bring out such comments from those who observe us as well?  Not that we should ever desire accolades for our good works, right actions, or truthful words.  We must remain humble and give the glory to the One whose graces make truly good actions possible.  But we must not be afraid to do or say the unexpected when it is required of us by God.  Idle gossip starting?  Walk away, say something nice about the person who is targeted, or change the conversation.  The Catholic Church or Christianity in general being attacked?  Know the Faith well enough to defend it.  A controversial hot button issue causing anger and division?  Be able to explain on a natural and supernatural level the proper understanding of the matter.  And so on.  We heard yesterday about the first men called to be apostles and how this calling (“to be sent”) is for us as well.  They were called to not be afraid (“Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God [Is 41:10]) in the midst of trials, tribulations, and adversity to spread the truth in love.  “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).  “Take courage; be stouthearted!”  (Ps 27:14).

Ordinary Time began again yesterday, as it does every year, with a passage from Mark 1 (vv. 14-20).  After John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus comes to Galilee preaching the presence of the Kingdom and a gospel of repentance.  We are told then of Jesus’ calling of two pairs of fisherman brothers, Simon and Andrew along with James and John, who immediately drop everything to follow Him.  Just as Jesus called these men to come after Him, He calls each and every person of all times to do the same.  These first followers of Christ we call apostles.  But are we not to be apostles too?  The Greek word apostolos means “one who is sent off.”  We are asked by the Lord to be His messengers to the world.  Some in a special way through ordained or religious life, others are to remain single, and most in a marriage covenant.  But, whatever our state in life, and whatever our specific work, we are called to emulate Christ by living and proclaiming the gospel (with the first step, and often a major part, of proclaiming it being living it as perfectly as possibly at all times, in all of our interactions).  We are to remain open to His truth, living according to His commandment so that we are His light to the world (cf. Mt 5:14).

This last day of the year gives us the same gospel passage as the Mass during Christmas Day: the prologue of the Gospel of John (Jn 1:1-18).  John introduces Jesus as the Word who exists from all eternity.  Through Him all things came to be and He Himself is the light of the world.  John the Baptist is shown to be the one who testified to the light so people might believe.  But Christ’s own people rejected Him anyway.  Those who did accept Him were able to become the children of God.  All life came through Jesus.  As we know from the first chapter of the Bible, it was through the Word being sent out (“God said…”) that all creation came to be.  Since “the beginning” (Gn 1:1) this life giving has continued to breathe souls into all living things, most importantly, human beings.  The great tragedy of artificial contraception in marriage is the refusal to allow Jesus into this part of a relationship.  The greater tragedy of abortion is that Jesus gives life and then men destroy it.  In euthanasia, we, not God, determine when life is no longer worthy of life.  We must return to a culture of life.  It is in the Word that we have life: the Word in Scripture and the Word in Sacrament.  These come together in the most beautiful and necessary aspect of the Catholic Faith: the Mass.  How are we to have life if we don’t devour the Word in word and Eucharist?  It is obligatory to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days but we should go more often if at all possible.  We should encourage family and friends to do so as well.  For fallen-away Catholics, let us reintroduce them to the life giving, life changing power of the Mass.  For non-Catholics, the Mass experience will let them absorb plenty of the Bible and hopefully will bring about in them the desire for union par excellence with Jesus in Holy Communion.  Yes, through the Word comes life — abundantly (cf. Jn 10:10).  Pray that the Lord use us to spread the message of the Word to convert the culture and the world from darkness to light (cf. v. 5).

The Mass during Christmas Day presents the opening of the Gospel of John (Jn 1:1-18).  John introduces Jesus as the Word who exists from all eternity.  Through Him all things came to be and He Himself is the light of the world.  John the Baptist is shown to be the one who testified to the light so people might believe.  But Christ’s own people rejected Him anyway.  Those who did accept Him were able to become the children of God.  Becoming incarnate, the Son of God brought grace and truth to the world as well as revelation of the Father.  Over two thousand years ago the Word, the Light of the World, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, was conceived in the womb of a humble Jewish girl.  Nine months later He was revealed to the world from a stable.  Ultimately rejected by the religious authorities He was tortured and killed.  But before this happened He gave to all generations His “flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51) so that He could not only dwell among us but dwell in us in a manner “par excellence.”  It is worth recalling this often when we have the privilege of receiving the Lord in Holy Communion.  Let Jesus never be rejected again by those who receive Him, and may many others, through our efforts of evangelization, invite Christ to dwell with them as well.  May the blessings and peace of Christmas transform the world beginning with ourselves.