Friday, August 8, 2008 St. Clement's Catholic Church
Saratoga Springs, NY
James 5: 13--16
Psalm 102: 2--3, 24--25, 19--21
Matthew 8: 14--17
It’s not until the Eighth Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus performs his first miracle. Right before the passage that was just proclaimed, Jesus heals a leper and then he cures the servant of a centurion. Prior to these first miracles Jesus had been praying, choosing his first disciples and proclaiming his Sermon on the Mount. As he comes down the Mount he springs into action, sending his healing spirit on those in need. And after his cure of the centurion’s servant he goes away with one of his new disciples for a break. I can imagine Jesus walking into Peter’s house, taking off his sandals and getting ready for an evening of R and R. Time to get the wine out, time to break some bread to nourish the famished body.
But when he enters Peter’s house he finds not the immediate rest he expected but that Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus knew what he was about – he had come to bring the Good News of a God who cares for his people. Part of that Good News involved curing those in need. Once more, Jesus springs into action and he takes the woman by the hand and his healing Spirit rests upon her. But his ministry does not even end that night with the curing of Peter’s mother-in-law, sharing God’s love pushes Jesus farther and we read in two simple verses: “When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases."
That’s our God for us. He never takes a break, he never says he is too busy, he never says take an aspirin and come back to see me in the morning. When his children are in need he is there for us but there might be just one little catch: we need to go to him. We need to ask, we need to seek, and we need to knock on the door. The healing power of the Spirit of the Lord is not just for some select few, you don’t need to win the lottery to obtain you just have to do one simple thing: ASK. Word of warning: sometimes the answer might not be the one we are hoping for but there is always an answer. God’s spirit will be given to us always. Sometimes it may bring the healing that we need, sometimes it will give us the strength we need to cope with the trial we are undergoing but the Spirit will always be given to those who ask.
About twelve years ago I went on a Redemptorist mission trip to the island of St. Lucia. We took about twenty five young adults from the United States to work with twenty five young people from the Caribbean. For two weeks we were all set to do God’ work. We actually smuggled in paint brushes, hammers and the like in order to help rebuild a parish center and to repaint one of the parish’s chapels. The first night we were there was the Fourth of July so we decided to have a celebration. As the night wore down one of the young ladies was sitting on the second floor deck of the Youth Center where we were staying and sat down on the floor. Around the second floor were wooden slates that served as the fencing. Well she went to lean back and without her realizing it the wooden slates at that section were broken and she fell off the deck. She fell roughly twelve feet and came to a harsh landing on her back. Needless to say the moment was tense.
At first we thought she might have just had the wind knocked out of her since she was conscious and able to understand us. The local parish priest then drove her to the nearby hospital just to make sure. With all due respect to my friends on the island of St. Lucia, the hospital there is not quite up to par with what we have here in the States. After her examination at the hospital, the parish priest asked if she might be able to return to the Youth Center that night. The doctor responded: “We are just hoping she makes it through the night.” She had serious internal damages. Word got back to the Youth Center and we did what you might expect us to do: we prayed.
Now try to imagine being in a room on a hot, muggy Caribbean night, filled with 50 plus young people from the Caribbean and the States who just met that afternoon, don’t even know each others’ names yet and yet joined one another in prayer. It was a deep, sincere, trusting prayer. We grasped each others’ hands, we allowed words that sometimes made sense or just came out as sobs to rise to the heavens. Out of those fifty only three other people had ever met this young girl before that day. That Fourth of July night on the island of St. Lucia we stormed heaven on her behalf.
The next day she was airlifted by private jet to a hospital in Miami. That afternoon we were at the beach after a morning of work and we watched as the plane flew over our heads. For the next few weeks she remained hospitalized and after months of surgeries and rest she finally returned home. Now she’s getting married within the year and we still talk about that night. “We just hope she makes it through the night.” The healing power of the Spirit of God was bestowed upon her. Throughout the night fifty young men and women knocked on heaven’s door and the Spirit was given.
Tonight we come together to celebrate the great healing power of the Spirit of God. Whatever infirmity we have may not be taken away tonight but those who ask will receive his Spirit. We celebrate this healing in the midst of this Eucharist and afterwards in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Tonight as we continue with our celebration and with our time of Adoration, I invite you to picture the person of Jesus as he healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Picture one who could never say no; picture one who continued to find ways to share the love of His Father. The same Christ who spent the evening taking away the infirmities of the people is the same Christ you and I will receive tonight. It is the same Christ who will be placed on the altar for us to adore. It is the same Christ who wants to give us his Spirit, the Spirit of Comfort.
If you were hunger would you only ask for a morsel of food? If you were thirsty would you only ask for a thimble of water? If you need surgery would you only ask for a band aid? Seek, knock, ask!
May Our Loving Father extend his powerful hand over us. May Jesus who walked among those in need on the shores of Galilee, walk among us tonight. May the Spirit of the Living God breathe upon us and rest on us.
Amen. Amen. Let it be done unto us according to His Will.
About twelve years ago I went on a Redemptorist mission trip to the island of St. Lucia. We took about twenty five young adults from the United States to work with twenty five young people from the Caribbean. For two weeks we were all set to do God’ work. We actually smuggled in paint brushes, hammers and the like in order to help rebuild a parish center and to repaint one of the parish’s chapels. The first night we were there was the Fourth of July so we decided to have a celebration. As the night wore down one of the young ladies was sitting on the second floor deck of the Youth Center where we were staying and sat down on the floor. Around the second floor were wooden slates that served as the fencing. Well she went to lean back and without her realizing it the wooden slates at that section were broken and she fell off the deck. She fell roughly twelve feet and came to a harsh landing on her back. Needless to say the moment was tense.
At first we thought she might have just had the wind knocked out of her since she was conscious and able to understand us. The local parish priest then drove her to the nearby hospital just to make sure. With all due respect to my friends on the island of St. Lucia, the hospital there is not quite up to par with what we have here in the States. After her examination at the hospital, the parish priest asked if she might be able to return to the Youth Center that night. The doctor responded: “We are just hoping she makes it through the night.” She had serious internal damages. Word got back to the Youth Center and we did what you might expect us to do: we prayed.
Now try to imagine being in a room on a hot, muggy Caribbean night, filled with 50 plus young people from the Caribbean and the States who just met that afternoon, don’t even know each others’ names yet and yet joined one another in prayer. It was a deep, sincere, trusting prayer. We grasped each others’ hands, we allowed words that sometimes made sense or just came out as sobs to rise to the heavens. Out of those fifty only three other people had ever met this young girl before that day. That Fourth of July night on the island of St. Lucia we stormed heaven on her behalf.
The next day she was airlifted by private jet to a hospital in Miami. That afternoon we were at the beach after a morning of work and we watched as the plane flew over our heads. For the next few weeks she remained hospitalized and after months of surgeries and rest she finally returned home. Now she’s getting married within the year and we still talk about that night. “We just hope she makes it through the night.” The healing power of the Spirit of God was bestowed upon her. Throughout the night fifty young men and women knocked on heaven’s door and the Spirit was given.
Tonight we come together to celebrate the great healing power of the Spirit of God. Whatever infirmity we have may not be taken away tonight but those who ask will receive his Spirit. We celebrate this healing in the midst of this Eucharist and afterwards in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Tonight as we continue with our celebration and with our time of Adoration, I invite you to picture the person of Jesus as he healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Picture one who could never say no; picture one who continued to find ways to share the love of His Father. The same Christ who spent the evening taking away the infirmities of the people is the same Christ you and I will receive tonight. It is the same Christ who will be placed on the altar for us to adore. It is the same Christ who wants to give us his Spirit, the Spirit of Comfort.
If you were hunger would you only ask for a morsel of food? If you were thirsty would you only ask for a thimble of water? If you need surgery would you only ask for a band aid? Seek, knock, ask!
May Our Loving Father extend his powerful hand over us. May Jesus who walked among those in need on the shores of Galilee, walk among us tonight. May the Spirit of the Living God breathe upon us and rest on us.
Amen. Amen. Let it be done unto us according to His Will.
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