Thursday in the 14th Week of Ordinary Time [386] Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5 Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21 Matthew 10:7-15

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

‘…Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons...’ 
What are the 21st century parallels of how each of us, as an apostle of Christ, practices these behaviors?  When I reflect on curing the sick, I think of the many ways that every person, in some way, has the opportunity to practice that.  For those of us in some type of healing ministry, the implication is obvious.  However, I see other parallels, i.e., I reflect on all the family members who give time, energy and nurturance to their family members who are ill and in need of healing.  I reflect on the daily encounters each of us has with a multitude of people; each of those encounters can be one of compassion or one of a negative character.  Such a positive –or negative - encounter affects another at the cellular level.  To me, curing the sick implies a spectrum of behavior on our parts.
               
With the same thinking pattern, one can think more broadly, i.e., who are the lepers of 2011? What are the demons?  What do I do to care for the marginalized in my environment (the lepers)?  What do I do about the demons—which can range from addictions to slavery to a multitude of other demons?

‘…Do not take gold or silver…’  Two nights ago I participated in a celebration event for a much loved parish priest who was forced to retire.  He tenaciously lived this message, ‘…Do not take gold or silver…’  i.e., he told friends he would not accept any gifts.  If he were to receive gifts, he would give them away.  He was well recognized for his frugal way of living and his energy of ministry with others.  In four short years, as a Caucasian priest ministering in the most ethnically diverse parish in this city of one half million people, he lived the messages of this Gospel.  The dominant African-American group of parishioners recognized well how he worked toward decreasing their marginalization in this city and how he diminished the demon of racism in an adjoining parish by growing a Hispanic church population from a few families to 100 parishioners.  He taught us well by his lived behaviors of what some messages of this Gospel means.