Advent I Wednesday

Great crowds of people, described as “lame, blind, deformed, and mute,” came to Jesus in today’s gospel, seeking hope and healing. But if you think about it, can’t we count ourselves amongst their number? We may not face their physical challenges. Yet at this Mass we’ve all come seeking Jesus’ healing, because all of us are wounded and broken, to some degree or another.

We may come stressed by life’s demands, concerned about our relationships, under pressure to make ends meet, worried about our kids. We may face poor health, loneliness, frustrations at work. We regret past choices, carry baggage from our past, wrestle with compulsions and addictions. We’ve hurt others, others have hurt us, and we’ve hurt ourselves.

So we come to Jesus in our brokenness, and like the gospel crowd, we’re hungry for something only Jesus can give. And Jesus feeds us- not with loaves and fishes, but with the Eucharist, of which those loaves and fishes were a sign.

A priest I once knew often referred to the Eucharist as the “gift that heals,” because in this sacrament, Jesus fills us with strength, hope, forgiveness, renewed life in the Holy Spirit, and even physical health. That’s why we’re here; that’s why we’ve come: That the broken yet risen Jesus may take our brokenness, and make us whole once again.




(My book of daily meditations for Lent is now available from Ave Maria Press: https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-363-4/The-Living-Gospel-Daily-Devotions-for-Lent-2013/ It is available also at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Lent-Living-Gospel/dp/1594713634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335995419&sr=8-1 )