It's All in the Touch

 

Deacon David Previtali · It's in the Touch

Homily for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 27, 2021. Gospel: Mark 5:21-43. Theme: It’s All in the Touch 

Today’s gospel reminds us that there’s nothing that brings us more blatantly face-to-face with the stark reality of our limited human condition, than being truly powerless. Jairus can’t do a single thing on his own to save his 12-year-old daughter from death; and the woman with a severe hemorrhage is utterly worn out from having tried every human remedy possible. It often takes those kind of wake-up calls in our lives - a love that is not reciprocated, the diagnosis of a serious disease, the destructive chains of addiction, the darkness of depression or the panic of anxiety - to make us acknowledge that we are powerless and that it’s God alone who can rescue us. 

To be truly powerless means that the relief of our suffering, the solution to our predicament, the peace we seek amidst personal struggles, cannot be found from within ourselves. We stand in need a Power greater than ourselves, greater than any human solution, to lift us up and restore us to peace and serenity in the midst of chaos and struggle. We Christians have a Name for this Power-Greater-than-Ourselves: Jesus of Nazareth. But today’s gospel teaches us that to be powerless doesn’t mean to be hopeless or helpless. It shows us that confident trust is the way to experience the saving power of the One who is greater than sickness and mightier than death. 

We first encounter Jairus who falls at the feet of Jesus and pleads with him for the life of his daughter. He is utterly unable to change the situation on his own. He is completely powerless to rescue his little girl whom he loves more than himself. Yet even when the news of her death reaches him, he refuses to concede and continues to trust in that Greater Power called Jesus. Jairus teaches us to humbly throw ourselves upon our knees before Our Lord and to entrust to him whatever is plaguing us, whatever destructive behavior we cannot stop, or whatever the situation is that we cannot bear on our own. 

Along the way to Jairus’ house, we meet a woman with a hemorrhage who for 12 years has spent all of her time, all of her energy and all of her money on seeking a cure. She is worn out, physically exhausted and weak from the continual loss of blood. In addition -and we may not realize this unless we know the backstory - she is also emotionally wounded from being snubbed by her peers, who in ancient Jewish society were not permitted to socially interact with someone in her unclean condition. Yet despite all that she has been through, she too like Jairus, refuses to concede. This woman gives us an astounding example of trust in the midst of powerlessness. She summons up whatever strength she can and battles her way through the crowd, consciously striving to simply touch the clothing of that Greater Power called Jesus. 

This inspiring woman teaches us the importance of making direct, intentional, and personal contact with Jesus in faith, which means in trust. Think about it…Our Lord is in the midst of a crowd, he’s the celebrity center of attention because of his miraculous reputation and is being bumped and jostled by many as he makes his way to Jairus’ house. And yet Jesus knows, he feels from within himself, that he has a been touched in a way that is unlike any others in that crowd. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle Jesus was aware that power had gone out from him, so he stops in his tracks and asks, "Who touched my clothes?” 

You see, even when surrounded by hundreds of people, Jesus knows when an individual has touched Him with intention, with purpose, with trust. It’s a very different kind of touch, one that reaches the very heart of God. Jesus seeks her out because he wants a personal encounter with the one who has touched Him so personally. The woman didn’t need to speak a word, did she? Her action of trust said it all and God, who knows what’s in the heart, responded dramatically to her intentional touch. And he does the very same for us today, for anyone who seeks him out with intention, with purpose, with trust. 

And that’s the good news that Mark wants to deliver to us through this gospel story. We too, in our own struggles and powerlessness, can have the same kind of personal encounter with Jesus. Many, perhaps millions, offer prayers to the Lord every day but it is those what are offered in the spirit of humble and confident trust that touch his heart and grab his attention, just like the woman’s unique touch in the midst of that crowd. We have no need to envy Jairus or the woman, because we too are blessed to be in the very Presence of Christ every bit as much as they were. 

We can fall on our knees before Jesus just as Jairus did every time we come to the Eucharist. We can reach out and literally touch Jesus personally, intentionally, directly, in every Holy Communion! The Risen and Living Lord, who still rescues those in need and heals the sick, is placed into our very hands or upon our tongues and this so much better, so much more powerful, than simply touching his robe! 

So, let’s have this in mind this as we come forward to receive the Holy Eucharist.  Let’s strive to have the same kind of unstoppable trust as Jairus that saved his daughter from death and approach our Eucharistic Lord with the same intentional faith as the woman whose touch brought her new life.  Let’s have their hope in our hearts as we approach the Lord in Holy Communion, and present to him whatever it is that we need to be healed of or strengthened to endure.  Let’s stretch out our hands with this same confidence to touch that Greater-Power whom we call Jesus, the One who alone can heal us, who alone transform us, liberate us, and restore us to serenity and sanity.  All we have to do is ask. And in the asking, all we have to do is trust.

In the Boat of Life With Jesus

 

Deacon David Previtali · In the Boat of Life with Jesus

Homily for the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 20, 2021. Gospel of St. Mark 4:35-41. Theme: In the Boat of Life with Jesus 

You may or may not know this, but not everything Jesus said or did was recorded for us in each one of the four gospels. Matthew includes a lot and gives us the longest version, while Mark takes the short and simple way of story-telling. Luke likes to include left out people and parables, while John looks at Jesus in a way that is completely unlike the other three. The reason I bother to mention all this is because, whenever a story about Jesus ends up being retold in all four gospels, it’s a very good sign that the event and the words of our Lord held a deep meaning and significance to the first Christians. That’s the type of Gospel we have in today’s Story of the Storm at Sea. 

We can imagine the disciples panic as the water level kept rising in the boat. And we can probably understand their bewilderment that Jesus was sound asleep through it all! The backstory to this stormy event is that they had all just seen Jesus that very day free a possessed man from demons and cure the withered hand of another. So, they knew he could make things right and keep them safe, otherwise why would they have awakened him and ask why he didn’t seem to care? I suppose they just had to learn to trust in God even if he seemed silent. And aren’t we the same way in the storm of our lives, especially when God seems silent to us? Don’t we often want to cry out, “God, don’t you care what’s happening to me?” 

It seems to me that this Gospel teaches us that Christ is indeed with us in the storms and turmoil of life and he knows precisely what he will do to rescue us. And maybe like the disciples we will have to wait until the last minute when all seems lost. But the key is for us to keep trusting no matter how things seem because that’s precisely what faith means and it’s what Jesus asks of us when he says, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” 

This story’s universal appeal makes a lot of sense to me because no matter what century in history or what culture we live in, we all find ourselves in stormy turmoil now and then, both from within us and swirling around us. And through this story, Christians have been comforted and encouraged by the truth that Jesus is aware and concerned about us, no matter how bleak the circumstances may look. We are often like those disciples tossed about and made fearful by the various experiences and circumstances of life. And so, like them we too must look intently through the howling wind and splashing waves to see Jesus in the storm. We have to learn from him how to stand firm amidst the turmoil and refuse to give in to our fear. 

All four Gospel writers, by including this story in their writings, want us to know and remember that Jesus is with us, especially during the stormy times in our lives. We can turn to him anywhere and anytime. We can speak with him throughout our day no matter what we are doing, at home or at work. We can find encouragement and strength by reading and repeating to ourselves his words in the Gospels. And we are able to just come before him in peace and quiet to spend some extended time in his Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. He provides us with these - and other ways and means - to cast our cares upon him, to grow in knowing him better and then trusting him more, and in delivering us from whatever is causing our panic or fears. 

Through challenge after challenge, Christ can use these various storms of life to show us his love and provision, if we are open to receiving it.  On our part, we have to learn to hand over the care of our lives to God, acknowledging the reality that only he can restore serenity and sanity to our lives. And the only way we will learn that this is the way to go, is by doing it, by trusting, and then seeing in the outcome how well things turn out. This is how we grow in the practice of handing over the care of our lives to Christ and by so doing, deepening our faith. 

So, in the confidence of hope and the power of love, let’s surrender our lives to him and pray: Lord Jesus, I believe that you care for me, even in the midst of chaos and suffering; even when I cannot see or understand why certain things are happening in me and around me. Help me to hand over my life to you and to trust that you will make everything work out for my good and bring me safely to your Kingdom. Amen.

That Amazing Mustard-Seed Sized Faith!

 

Deacon David Previtali · That Amazing Mustard-Seed Sized Faith!

Homily for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 13, 2021. Gospel: Mark 4:26-34. Theme: That Amazing Mustard-Seed Sized Faith! 

Jesus says a couple of things in today’s gospel that I think need a little more looking into on our part. First, he keeps referring to something called the Kingdom of God. It actually will go on to become his #1 preaching and teaching theme. Second, he compares this Kingdom to something so small and ordinary as a seed. So, what in the world does he mean? 

The Kingdom of God doesn’t refer to a place but more so to an attitude, to an inner state of being. It’s a way of living and thinking and acting that originates in a heart where God is enthroned as King. Others can be drawn to this reign of God, this rule of God, this Lordship of God in each one of us by seeing our acts of love, peace, mercy, compassion and justice. The Kingdom has the power to change us from the inside out and transform even the most wrecked and devastated of lives into something beautiful for God. 

Jesus then goes on to compare the spreading of this Kingdom to the planting of seeds, with special attention to the tiniest of them all, the mustard seed. It reminds me of the saying: “good things come in small packages.” I think what Jesus is saying is that even just a little trust in God contains within it the power to do the impossible. This mustard-seed sized faith, watered and nourished by divine grace, can enable the Kingdom of God to emerge from within us, bringing peace of heart to others and confronting the evil and injustice we see in the world. We have proof of this in the lives of some heroic Christians who have gone before us. 

In 1948, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was just an ordinary nun like many others, teaching high school to wealthy girls in India. But every day she came face-to-face with the destitute poverty and desperate hunger among the poor outcasts in the streets. Her mustard-seed sized faith that God could somehow use her to do something about it moved her to leave her comfortable convent and live among the poor. It didn’t seem like much at first. It was a simply something she could do to try and get closer to the destitute and the dying to help them. Many years later, after she was world famous and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa was asked how it all started. She replied, “I never thought of doing anything big. One day, I just saw one poor abandoned dying man lying in the street and so I picked him up and brought him home.” Today, there are over 4,000 Missionaries of Charity Sisters and Brothers relieving the suffering of hundreds of thousands across the globe. All because the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that grows to become a large world-embracing bush. 

In 1964, Rosa Parks, a devout Christian black woman in Montgomery, AL, was on a segregated bus-ride home after a long day at work.  She was tired and at one of the stops, 4 black passengers were told to give up their seats for on-boarding white passengers. 3 of them got up but Rosa stayed put. The mustard-seed sized Kingdom of God within her was enough to inform her that she had dignity just as much as anyone else and so she remained seated. Rosa was arrested on the spot and also lost her job. Once the word about Rosa’s actions got out to the public, this Kingdom of God mustard tree began to spread its branches among the black population. They boycotted the local bus system for 381 consecutive days, bringing it to its financial knees. This ultimately resulted in the US Supreme Court ruling in favor of racial equality and jump-started the civil rights movement. All because the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that grows to become a large world-embracing bush. 

Their stories should make us ask ourselves: “What small mustard-seed is Jesus asking me to plant for the good of others?” That’s something that only we can know for ourselves through prayer and an open heart. And we must not dismiss this idea as foolish just because we have no great social influence to make a difference. That’s a worldly way of thinking, not Jesus’ way of thinking. We must never forget that Mother Teresa did not have the slightest clue that picking up one dying man would result in an international movement of service to the poorest of the poor. And Rosa Parks had absolutely no idea that her refusal to give up her seat on that segregated bus would become the catalyst for a worldwide racial equality movement. They were, each one of them, simply acting upon their mustard-seed sized faith and doing what little thing they thought they could do, at that time and in that place. 

And so, let’s each ask ourselves how Jesus might want to use us to sow mustard seeds of peace and unity in the midst of so much injustice and suffering around us today. Trust him if he puts an idea into your heart that seems challenging…be willing to step out of your comfort zone because…it’s absolutely amazing what God can do even just through one person who decides to plant a tiny mustard seed of the Kingdom of God in the soil of everyday life.

The two indeed meet: Mother St. Teresa & Rosa Parks

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.

Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing without a purpose. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, I will trust for He knows what He is about.”

 

Look Beyond

 

Deacon David Previtali · Look Beyond

Homily for Corpus Christi Sunday, June 6, 2021. Gospel of St. Mark 14:12-26. Theme: Look Beyond 

Today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or to give it it’s traditional Latin name, Corpus Christ, was established in the Church way back in the year 1264. Around that time, a priest named Fr. Peter, made a pilgrimage to Rome. On the way, he stopped in Bolsena, Italy, to celebrate Mass. At the time, he had been struggling with doubts about the Body and Blood of Christ being actually present in the Eucharist. But God in his great mercy came to Fr. Peter’s aid in an unforgettable way! When he recited the words of consecration at Mass that morning, drops of blood started dripping from the consecrated host in his hands and fell onto the altar cloths. And even more, they formed a rather rough but discernable image of the face of Jesus Christ. The pope at the time had the miracle investigated and as a result he instituted the Solemnity that we are celebrating today. 

I think all of us can relate to Fr. Peter’s dilemma because what we see and touch in Holy Communion still looks and tastes like bread and wine. But don’t you think that makes a lot of sense on God’s part? How many of us would go to Holy Communion if the externals were also changed to look and taste like what they really are: the Flesh and Blood of Christ? But you know, God, has worked many more marvels throughout the centuries than just Fr. Peter’s miracle in Bolsena. We now have about 130 documented and scientifically examined Eucharistic miracles in Church history and I would like to say just a little bit about the very first one and also the most recent one. 

The first and most famous actually took place 500 years before Fr. Peter’s experience. It was the year 700 and a priest was celebrating Mass in the village of Lanciano, Ital.0y. He, too, was having some doubts about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. During the words of consecration, the host he was holding began to literally turn into flesh right in his hands! And as he spoke Jesus’s words from the Last Supper over the chalice, the newly consecrated wine was transformed into coagulated drops of blood! And astoundingly, they have remained flesh and blood throughout the past 1300 years! In 1971, Pope St. Paul VI permitted carefully guarded scientific studies to be carried out and it was discovered that the flesh was from the heart of a male and the content of the chalice was human blood type AB. Keep this in mind as we now jump ahead into the late 20th century. 

In Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1996, a host also turned into bloody flesh. The archbishop at that time, who is today Pope Francis, sent the sacred specimen under guard to a reputable lab in New York for testing. Those who examined it were not told what it was nor where it came from. The man in charge of the study was Dr. Frederic Zugibe, a world-famous cardiologist and forensic pathologist. His findings revealed the consecrated host to be part of a male’s heart muscle. The blood type was found to be type AB. It was a perfect match to the miracle of Lanciano!  But here’s another very interesting fact: the blood matched the very same blood type which is found on the famous Shroud of Turin. 

As if these findings weren’t amazing enough, the scientific testing came up with an even more astounding and inexplicable fact. When the host was put under a microscope, Dr. Zugibe saw that the cells were actually moving; they were pulsating, beating, as if he looking at a normal functioning human heart! The communion host that was originally simply a round disc of ordinary wheat bread had somehow become living flesh! Dr. Zugibe declared it to be a mystery beyond the capability of science to explain. 

This miracle reminds us that in Holy Communion we receive the body and blood of the living Risen Lord, not that of a dead and long-gone Savior. It also calls to mind the words of Jesus which we just recited today for our Alleluia Verse: “I am the living bread come down from heaven.” When people heard Christ say those words, not all were convinced and many left his company. And sadly, the same is true today. There are many who think that the Eucharist is nothing more than specially blessed bread and wine, and they scoff at the notion of a supernatural miracle taking place at every Mass. 

This tension that exists between what our human senses perceive and what our faith tells us is really nothing new in Christianity. After all, when Christ lived on planet Earth the reality of who he really was couldn’t be experienced by the human senses either. As a matter of fact, when people looked at Jesus of Nazareth what they saw and smelled and touched and heard was a young Jewish man, fit and strong from his work as a laborer, covered with the dust of the road and having the smell of many days on that road without a bath. What their senses could not tell them was that the Eternal Son of God the Father, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, was standing right there in front of them! And yet that reality of his divinity was always there. It was just hidden from them by the outward appearances of flesh and bone. Those disciples needed great trust in Jesus to look beyond what their eyes saw and call Him Lord; to look beyond what their hands touched and worship Him as God. 

And the same is true for us when we come before Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. The full reality of Who is actually before us is hidden by the outward appearances of bread and wine. And so, we must rely upon faith to look beyond what our senses tell us about Holy Communion. We must look beyond the appearance of the consecrated host and remember that Jesus said, “This is my body given for you…”. We must look beyond the chalice of consecrated wine and recall the words of Christ at the Last Supper: “This is my blood, poured out for you.”

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, 700 AD

The Eucharistic Miracle of Buenos Aires 1996 AD

The Eucharistic Miracles that the Church holds to be authentic are the ones which have been witnessed by others and were studied by science.   We have about 130 of these with the first documented one happening in the year 700.  If you are interested in more information on this topic go to the extensive catalog of such marvels at: http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/liste/list.html