Today, Jesus encounters a father whose son is possessed (Mt 17:14-20).  The demon harms the boy severely and the dad is desperate.  The disciples could not take care of the matter when asked so the man comes to Jesus.  Jesus is annoyed with the “faithless and perverse” people.  He then immediately calls for the boy and drives the demon out instantly  When the disciples ask why they couldn’t exorcise the young man, Jesus says that is because of their lack of faith.  He closes with the line at top, telling them that with faith nothing is impossible.  Faith is such an important, nay indispensable, gift (and it is a completely freely given gift at that) (cf. Eph 2:8).  We must ever look to grow in our faith through prayer and through acceptance of God’s will in our lives.  As we seek to honor that will and conform ourselves ever closer to it, we will find times when we simply have to give all of ourselves: our feelings, our emotions, our pain, our suffering, our sadness, our doubts, to the Lord in faith, trusting that all that happens is for our greater good.  It is the times that our faith is tested that it is exercised, making us ever more spiritually fit.  Then even what seem to be mountain-sized obstacles will not be too much to overcome.  And our example of total faith and trust will be on display for others’ edification so that they too can move mountains (or become the mountains we will move).

Today’s Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, provides us the opportunity to read from John 12 (24-26).  Jesus talks to His disciples about the necessity of a grain of wheat dying in order to produce fruit.  Similarly, He says, we must hate our life here in order to gain eternal life.  Jesus closes by saying that those who serve Him must follow Him and then they will be honored by the Father.  Jesus presents an immense challenge to us in this passage.  We are called to “hate” this life.  No mincing of words here or softening of the message.  There is no earthly thing we are to cling to that would in any way obstruct our relationship with God.  Certainly sin and vice are out of the question.  But even good things, when overdone or overly indulged in, can draw us away from the Lord.  How much out of our comfort zone are we willing to go to follow Jesus and serve Him by serving others?  Are we willing to detach from everything we know and are used to if the Lord asks us to do this to more perfectly do His will?  Can we accept the possibility of persecution, suffering, or even death for the Name (cf. Acts 5:41) if this is what we are called to?  Consideration of life eternal can be set aside by our day to day challenges in this life or pushed aside by our desire to maintain certain sins and vices.  We are called to remember that our true place is with God and our permanent home is meant to be heaven.  Let us ever remain cognizant of this truth through frequent, ideally constant, union with God in our lives.

In today’s passage (Mt 16:13-23), Jesus famously asks His disciples: Who do people say that I am?  After receiving several different answers He asks them who they say He is.  Simon answers that He is the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus says that this correct answer came to Simon from the Father.  He then renames Simon Peter (“Rock”) and that His Church will be built upon him.  Hell will not prevail against it and the power of binding and loosing sins will be with it.  Finally, Jesus tells them to tell no one that He is the Messiah.  But from that point He does let them know what is in store for Him in Jerusalem.  When Peter rebukes Him for this kind of talk, Jesus calls him Satan for attempting to interfere with the work of God.  We are fortunate to have this interchange given to us in scripture.  Peter is entrusted with the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.  He gets to be the first leader of the visible church that Jesus unmistakeably establishes.  So Peter, being given the keys, must pass them to a successor, who passes them on, and so on.  Jesus promises us that He will be “with [us] always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).  This is ensured through the establishment of the Church, the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:27-28), which gives us the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.  Indefectibly holy as a divine institution, we should not be discouraged if the Church’s human caretakers do not always live up to the ideal.  Even the first vicar, Peter, was soon after this episode called Satan by Jesus.  The Lord is aware of the failings of humans — He died for them.  Yet He is always with us.  We must never denigrate the Church or its faithful, if fallen, bishops, priests, and members.  Rather, we are to work to build it up through prayer, example, and the sharing of our talents.

Continuing on in Matthew (15:21-28), Jesus now encounters a Canaanite woman pursuing and pleading with Jesus to exorcise her daughter.  He ignores her.  Then, when the disciples tell Him to send her away, Jesus replies that He was sent for the Israelites only.  Paying Him homage at His feet, she pleads with Jesus all the more to help her.  Addressing her by counting her among the dogs, she replies that even dogs accept scraps.  Jesus strongly commends her faith and tells her that what she wished for will come to pass.  The cry of the woman to Jesus (at top) should be our exclamation as well.  Knowing that God is the giver of all good things and that we yet fail regularly in living as we ought, should keep us in a constant state of humility.  This Canaanite woman likely had recourse to her gods before abandoning this false hope in favor of the only One who can truly heal.  Imitating her, we must also turn from anything that attains high status in our lives that is not of God or distracts us from Him or the work He has given us to do.  Who knows how many were converted by the exorcism and subsequent testimony of this woman upon her return home?  So, too, when we exorcise from our lives false gods and the sins that attend them, we too can bring many persons to the Lord through our words and example.

Back to Matthew (14:22-36), today we read of Jesus sending the disciples ahead of Him on a boat while He dismisses the crowd and goes off to spend time in prayer.  During the night a severe storm arises threatening the boat.  Jesus walks on the water toward the boat, frightening its complement.  Jesus tries to calm them with the words above.  Then Peter asks Jesus to have him also walk on water.  Peter gets out of the boat and does so but gets scared and starts to sink.  Jesus saves him, both get into the boat. and the storm ceases.  Docking at Gennesaret many come out to be healed and are healed.  Blessed John Paul II is famous for opening his pontificate with the words “Be not afraid!”  It seems that he was prescient in reminding us of those words for the rest of our lives.  When it comes to the most important thing, our immortal soul, we need not be afraid of losing Christ if we live for Christ.  “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).  In a time when we can be tempted to fear for our country, our freedoms, our society, our families, and ourselves, Jesus and the Church tell us we need not experience consternation..  “Do not be afraid; just have faith [also translated “trust])” (Mk 5:36).  Let us not cease praying for the increase of faith/trust in our lives so that we will “not let [our] hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1).  Then we can live our lives in hope and be instruments to transform others.

Yesterday’s Mass celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration using Mark’s rendition of the event (Mk 9:2-10).  Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain where they see Him transfigured while Elijah and Moses appear and speak with Jesus.  “Terrified,” Peter’s first words appear at top.  He also offers to build tents for each of the three men.  Then the voice of the Father is heard acknowledging His Son and commanding that He be listened to.  Then all returns to normal.  On the way down Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about this happening until after He has resurrected.  The three men question amongst themselves what this means.  We should always be able to say the words that Peter first said.  It is good that we were created.  It is good that we are Catholic.  It is good that we are in whatever situation we are in because we can give glory to God in it.  And, especially, it is good that we are here when we experience Christ in the Mass in word and sacrament.  We don’t need a time machine to encounter Christ — we can do so every day in Mass and/or adoration.  Let us remember what a privilege it is to be able to go to Christ in this special mode of presence and greet the Lord with these words.  Then you can know sincerely that He will say to us: “Yes, it is good that you are here with me.”

Sunday’s readings from John 6 (vv. 24-35) continue today.  The crowds, having just been miraculously fed, look for Jesus and find Him.  Jesus tells them that they pursue Him because He satisfied their physical hunger not because they are concerned about eternal life.  Then they ask the question above.  Jesus answers that they must believe in Him.  They retort by asking for a sign, pointing to the episode of the manna in the desert.  Jesus responds that He is the true bread from heaven and those who partake of Him will no longer thirst or hunger.  The initial question from the crowd is a good one for us to ask as well.  What is it that we, personally, are not only asked to do, but required to do (cf. Lk 17:10)?  The best place to start is to heed Jesus answer to the multitude: Believe in Him, who was sent by God.  But what does it mean to believe?  It is not a simple mental/intellectual, vocal, or emotional affirmation.  Belief entails embracing Christ’s teachings and living them out with increasing obedience and fervor every day.  If we believe that Jesus is God, our Lord and Savior, then we cling to His Word and want nothing more than to live it perfectly (cf. Mt 5:48).  Our greatest aid in doing this is the worthy reception of the sacraments, especially Holy Communion.  This is precisely what we are leading up to with these readings.  Today’s reading begins the Bread of Life Discourse which places as strong an importance on the Eucharist as anywhere in the Bible.  The power to accomplish the works of God comes through grace.  The sacraments are the ordinary means in which we receive these graces.  The more worthy we are in partaking of the sacraments, especially the sacrament par excellence, the Eucharist, the more capable we are of advancing the Kingdom.  We should receive the Lord in the Eucharist as often as possible, disposing ourselves properly for this gift through frequent prayer, mortification, and sacramental confession.  Then we will have the ability to best heed the closing words of Mass: Ite missa est: “the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily lives” (CCC 1332).

Moving to chapter 14 of Matthew (vv. 1-12) yesterday, the author tells of the circumstances surrounding the death of John the Baptist.  First, Matthew relates that Jesus’ reputation made its way to the tetrarch Herod.  Herod believes Jesus might be the resurrected John.  This prompts the story of John’s death in which Herod’s wife (who is also his sister-in-law) plots the death of John, whom Herod had imprisoned for reprimanding his unlawful marriage, and sees an opportunity at Herod’s birthday party.  Getting her daughter to dance for Herod caused him such delight that he promised her whatever she wished.  Consulting with her mother she asked that John be beheaded and so it was done to avoid Herod breaking his oath.  John’s disciples carried his body away and buried it.  Then they told Jesus.  Telling Jesus of bad news, troubles, great sorrow, or anguish is a lesson we can take away from this terrible event.  Jesus already knows us better than we know ourselves.  But he wants to provide us a deeper knowledge and understanding of ourselves and Him.  By going to Him first for assistance in our most difficult times orients us to Him.  What is His will in the particular circumstance?  How can we best carry it out?  The Lord is generous with the Spirit for all who ask for it sincerely and with open hearts.  This is true all the more when we face our biggest challenges.  His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:19).  And all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, counsel, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord — see Is 11:2) will be necessary to see us through.  Finally, the Spirit is the Comforter when nothing on earth seems to be able to relieve us.

The gospel today finds Jesus back in Nazareth (Mt 13:54-58).  Teaching in the synagogue He elicits amazement, because of His wisdom and miracles, from those who think they know Him and His family well.  Because of this they took offense at Him.  Jesus responds by saying that a prophet has honor everywhere except in his native place.  The headline concludes the passage.  While God can do any good thing, He does not force Himself on us.  Required is our cooperation.  Faith is a gift that is freely given but one which we must accept.  The Catechism tells us that “by faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God” (#143).  We must be right thinkers and right actors.  By conforming ourselves to the truth and God’s plan for us, we indeed will do “mighty deeds” for the Kingdom.  This is an encouragement to us to grow in our faith.  When presented with a particularly difficult teaching, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith (Lk 17:6).  So too should we pray for ever increasing faith so that nothing, whether word or deed, ever derails our trust in the Lord, but that all things will make it stronger.

Today Jesus finishes up His Kingdom parables (Mt 13:47-53).  He likens the Kingdom to a dragnet that picks up all sorts of things, useful and useless, from the sea.  At the end of time, the good will be gathered up, the wicked will be discarded into the fiery furnace.  He asks His disciples if they understand, they answer in the affirmative, and He tells them they can now bring out the old and the new. Then He went away from that place.  The question of understanding is an important one, one that we should ask regularly when reading Scripture and studying Church teaching.  We are fortunate to have a church, founded by Christ and guaranteed the Holy Spirit, which is an utterly reliable source of the truth.  Have recourse to it through the Catechism, knowledgeable preachers and teachers, and approved books on theology.  Of course, underpinning this must be the Holy Spirit.  One of His seven gifts is that of understanding (Is 11:2).  Fr. Hardon writes that understanding is “intimate knowledge that penetrates to the essence of that which is known” (from his Modern Catholic Dictionary).  Let us pray that intimate knowledge of the Word penetrates to the core of our being so that our every thought, word, and deed conforms to Jesus.