Nine for the Law, One for the Heart

Jesus walks along with His followers. Ten leprous men call out to Him for healing. He calls back to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests." They respond to His request immediately. What more could Jesus want from them? They believe in Him. They obey Him. Is this not what He wants?

They all recognize the miracle that is taking place as they make their way to the priest. How pleased they are. How proud to be able to present themselves to the priest, as Jewish law requires. One among them is a Samaritan however, a half-breed, part Jew, part Assyrian. He knows Who has healed him; he is going to go back and show his appreciation.

Jesus asks , "Where are the other nine?" He is notably disappointed. "Were they not all healed?"

"Lord, they are on their way to the priest. I am sorry --I did not go...Oh my Lord and my God! ...I must worship You! I must Thank You!" This man throws himself down at Jesus' feet and is crying and laughing and is exuberant with joy. Some of the people in the crowd are a little worried to be around him and back away but the Blessed Mother approaches the man with a loving touch upon his arm. She seems familiar with him as she whispers something in his ear. She then turns and signals to Mary Magdelene to bring her a package. I can see that it is another work of love that the women have prepared for the poor and needy. They are sending him on his way with clean clothing.

What beautiful human love is shown here! Jesus shows us the way of love, the "good" Samaritan responds with an outburst of exaltation and praise from a human heart full of love. The Marys complete it all with their charitable acts, anticipated in advance.

It is so evident here that Jesus favors this man's spontaneous response to His healing, though the law required that he should have shown himself to the priest. Even though the nine were, in fact, obeying Jesus with their actions, Jesus clearly shows His delight in this one man's response.

I imagine that the nine were more concerned with following religious laws than they were in following the law of the heart.

Lost in Jesus

Today I want to share with you my contemplation after communing with my Lover at Mass. I was thinking about how far God goes to attract us to Himself. He is God, the great and almighty Creator and Perfect One. We are the created ones who have fallen so far from what He created us to be. He is crazy-in-love with us. How embarrassing to realize what He has done to make us love Him! We are distracted from Him in so many ways. We fall in love with beautiful people. We wrongly worship human beings. So what does he do? He becomes a human being that is ok to worship! A handsome and charismatic human being Who CAN be-- no!... MUST be worshipped! How satisfying it is to me to be able to WORSHIP A HUMAN BEING!!!! Thank you Father for giving me JESUS, Your Son!

God does not stop here. Oh no!!! People are not satisfied with merely worshiping human beings. We also must worship objects. So what does Jesus do? He becomes an object!--- An Object that can be--- no, MUST BE worshiped!!!!!! How satisfying it is to me to be able to WORSHIP AN OBJECT!!!! Thank You, Jesus, for making Yourself into the Host that I can see and must adore!

And we do not stop at just worshiping people and objects. We need to satisfy our appetites. We love food. We worship it even, making our whole day revolve around our meals, contemplating what we are

going to sink our teeth into today. Some of us plan our days around that "happy hour" we plan to spend at the bar later on. So what does God do? He becomes food for us to worship; wine for us to adore!!!!! Oh Jesus, my Jesus!!!! You think of everything!!!! How satisfying it is to me to be able to worship my Food and Drink!!!! Thank You, Jesus, Bread of Heaven, having all sweetness within It!

I do not expect that everyone will be able to understand or relate to what I am saying today but I do know that the Catholics among you know and experience what I am talking about.

We are physical beings and long for physical love. Jesus is there for us every day with His Holy Kiss at Mass. He makes love to us in an embrace which is closer than husband and wife in Holy Communion. How satisfying to have God come into me every day through the Holy Eucharist!!!! Thank You, Jesus, Lover of my soul!!!!

A Dinner Party (part two): The Guests of Honor

People are crowding into the home of Joseph of Arimathea. Many are milling around, trying to find a seat and hoping to get one at or near the head table which is set up festively and garnished with a sumptuous repast. The lawyers are beginning to seat their wives around this table before anyone else occupies it. Jesus, however, has taken a seat in an obscure corner of the great room with His apostles around Him, as well as His Mother and Mary and Martha. They are among the invited guests, who also include many pharisees and lawyers.

Jesus surveys the party and addresses the situation saying, "My friends, when you go to a wedding feast, never look for the places of honor to sit. Someone else more important than you may come and displace you at the table. Sit in the lowly spots and be happy that you have been invited! Think how you would feel if your host should have to ask you to move. Would it not be better that you be invited to a place of greater honor that one of humiliation?"

Now as he is speaking, His own host, Joseph is busy directing the servants of his household to reset the tables. The table he had intended for Jesus and His family has been occupied by others. Bowls of fruit and platters of meat are being removed from the table and a cloth is being spread over the table Jesus has claimed. I am impressed with the grace and ease with which this transformation takes place. There is no sign of irritation are annoyance on Joseph's part, nor on the part of his servants.

It is a rather humorous sight to see the lawyers and pharisees in their fancy garb caught off guard by this affair as their grand buffet turns into a bare wooden board, while the corner table, which seats the most humble-looking guests in the room, becomes the focal point. Joseph and his daughter sit down with Jesus as the servants stand ready to assist the guests.

Jesus turns to Joseph, sitting beside Him, and warns him: "Don't invite your rich friends and relatives to your dinner parties, good Joseph. You see these guests here are most likely to invite you to their houses in return. The next time you must invite the poor, the lame, the unfortunate ones-- those who will never be able to repay you. In this way you will be blessed! You will certainly be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous."

Joseph listens intently to his young Master's instructions. What a curious spectacle! Here is this old and wise-looking prominent leader of the pharisees pensively looking into the face of Jesus with overwhelming respect almost like an adoring child looking into the eyes of his father. Yet Jesus' tone is in no way condescending but instead has the feel of a message being passed on from one beloved friend to another.

A Dinner Party (part one): The Sabbath Healing

Today at Mass we heard a passage from Luke 14.Here are my thoughts:

I imagine that the leader of the pharisees whose house Jesus came to visit was Joseph of Arimathea. At any rate, it had to be someone Jesus knew well enough to be invited over for dinner. And if He was invited, I imagine His family and close friends were also invited. (see my other entries about Joseph of Arimathea.) The pharisees and lawyers are watching Him closely, hoping to trip Him up over some issue, while Joseph is watching Him carefully that no harm come to Him or His family.

While still outside Joseph's house, a man spies Jesus and makes his way quickly to Him, hoping for a healing before He disappears into the house. Seeing this, the pharisees and lawyers whisper among themselves questions over whether it is lawful to work a healing today as it is the Sabbath. "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Jesus asks them in all sincerity, looking straight into their eyes. But they cannot hold His piercing glance and their eyes fall toward the ground. So Jesus turns His attention to the needy man, placing His healing hands upon him.

The man immediately feels the surge of health fill his body and takes a deep breath letting out a sigh of relief after such a long episode of "dropsy." Jesus hugs him and sends him happily on his way, then turns to address those lawyers who had refused to respond to His question before entering Joseph's home. "What man among you would refuse to pull a child, or even an ox out of a cistern if it had fallen in on the Sabbath?"
Now the leaders are clearing their throats and shifting uncomfortably around because in saying this, Jesus has addressed an incident that happened only this morning, as one of the pharisees, himself had needed help over a mishap of his own. His oxen had fallen into a cistern and in trying to lend his aid, his own son slipped in as well. All who helped in this rescue know well what Jesus is getting at and they are intimidated by the keenness of His insight. Now they quickly drop the accusation against Jesus, seeing that He has every right to bring one up against them. Pushing their way into the house, they are very anxious to avoid Jesus now.

The Story of Gad (part two): Returning Home

Gad is now coming out of the water and Jesus has taken the crowd down the road away from him. He is looking like a new man, and a very handsome one. His hair is clean and smoothed back and he grooms his beard now preparing for his homecoming. He dons his white robe just received from the holy women, adjusting the sash at his waist.

Now he arrives at the door of his home and nervously fusses with his appearance a bit before he lightly taps on the door. I hear whispering within but no one opens the door."Sarah?....Sarah?....I...please...Sarah,...please open the door." But no one stirs within. "Sarah, I'm not the man I was....I...I won't hurt you. Something has happened." I hear more whispering and rustling within and then the sound of a sliding board and the creak of hinges as the door slowly opens. Sarah peeps out but looks ready to slam the door shut if need be. Gad does not force his way in but stands calmly waiting to be invited. He stands brawny and powerful and yet somehow meek. "Something has happened, Sarah. Someone... someone touched me and healed me.....He..."


"The Nazarene?" asked Sarah. "Was it Mary's Son who touched you, Gad?"

"Jesus! They said His name was Jesus!"

A quiet gasp is heard coming from the far corner of the room and the sound of a vase teetering and then crashing to the ground. This startles both Gad and Sarah and they turn to spy two little frightened girls with hands over mouths, wide-eyed and cowering in the darkness. "Oh girls!" cries Sarah. "Oh girls, never mind that. Your father is here! Your father is back!" The girls seem to be terrified but Sarah gently takes her husband's hand and re-initiates him into the family.

"Mariah! Ruthie!... My dear babies!" Gad begins but then, trembling with emotion and falling to his knees in repentance and remorse from bygone days, copious tears pour down his face. "I am so sorry! I am so, so sorry!... Oh forgive me my sweet ones! my babies!" Sarah remains faithfully at his side, her arm embracing him which causes the girls to understand that it is safe to approach.

"Daddy?" little Ruthie quietly breathes the words. "It's good to have you back." and the two girls come close and snuggle into his arms and lap.
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This might not sound like anything spectacular for a meditation, but as I continued to think about this family, I realized that had he followed Jesus as he was attracted to doing there would have been so much unfinished in his life. I imagined that the happy couple, remaining friends with Jesus and His family, were blessed with many more children after that, creating generation after generation of faith filled Christians coming down to this very day and age. Who's to say but maybe even I have descended from a family such as Gad's who had their roots among Jesus' followers. This makes me anxious to insure that my descendants carry on this great Faith.

The Story of Gad (part one)

Luke 8:26-39 tells the story of a "strong man" who was possessed by a legion of demons and kept breaking the chains with which people attempted to confine him. I have often felt tearful when thinking of how this man, cured of such a violent condition, wanted to follow Jesus but was instead directed to "go home and tell them all" what Jesus did for him. Jesus directed me a few weeks ago to meditate on this man's experience. Here is my contemplation on the passage:

This story begins right after Jesus, shown in the picture above, has cast out a legion of demons from this man. After such a dramatic exorcism, the man lies exhausted on the ground.

A beast of a man, he lies on his back, naked on the shore of the sea, arms outstretched and eyes closed, as if in a coma. Jesus rushes to him and touches his face. He is quietly calling his name, as if drawing him out of a long, far-away sleep. "Gad! Wake up! Your Healer is here!" As He speaks, Mother Mary and Salome quickly hasten to the side of the man, throwing a clean sheet over his body, tucking it in lovingly and kneeling opposite Jesus, ready to assist the "Great Physician" like two very lovely nurses. Jesus is still patting his face and gently calling to wake him from this stupor when he finally opens his eyes.

"What has happened?" he asks, disoriented and confused. The crowd is waiting in hushed anticipation to see what is next.

"Jesus has healed you, My dear!" says the Blessed Mother, Her lovely face radiant with a beaming smile.

The gruff-looking gorilla man pushes himself up to sitting position and modestly draws the sheet around himself as he surveys the crowd with amazement.

"I am your friend, Jesus."

"I don't know you......do I?" questions Gad.

Jesus smiles slyly and answers, "But I know you!"

"It's gone....I feel free!...Master! I will serve You! I will be Your slave where ever You go!... You... You have saved me from utter destruction! I... I couldn't help myself... I ruined everything ...destroyed everything I touched... my wife... my kids!... I..." Now he is weeping bitterly, head in hands.

"Gad, they are still there. Your family is still there. You must go back to them and tell them everything that has happened. I will come to you and visit you there."

Mary Magdalen brings a folded robe and presents it to the man and he accepts it shyly and gratefully. Jesus begins to motion the crowd away from Gad and the apostles help by ushering them along their way up the road. No sooner is their attention diverted away from Gad, then a loud splash draws it back. The "strong man" has plunged into the sea, laughing heartily and waving his hands above his head as he shouts out "Thank You, Jesus!!! Thank You!" He continues to laugh as he rubs himself clean and grooms his long hair and beard, preparing to make his reappearance into his family. The whole crowd waves back to him happily and I hear Jesus' beautiful laugh as He acknowledges His grateful patient's response.