A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.
Today's gospel describes a massive reaction to Jesus' ministry as thousands of people flock to him from every point of the compass. They seek healing from every kind of ailment. If we ignore Black Friday sales, Americans never see such desperation; we can hardly imagine the wretched condition of these men, women, and families.
After twelve years as a chaplain in the VA hospital, seeing the ravages of Big Pharma and the alcohol and tobacco industries, I have a better appreciation of our human, sheepish naivete. Children are especially gullible but, in a world of increasing complexity and confusion, anyone is apt to fall victim to wolves in sheep's clothing. Most of those who have died of heroin and fentanyl overdoses were not "bad people." They were ordinary citizens who accepted bad advice.
In many cases, but not all, they lacked a religious tradition that would steer them away from utter nonsense. Engagement and frequent conversation with other people, family, friends, and fellow members of a church, can give one a better intuition of what is suspiciously not right. When the medical industry echoed Big Pharma's sales reps saying, "No one should ever suffer pain!" they would have known that's not true. Our memories of Jesus born in poverty and dying on a cross tell us suffering is a normal part of human life. Catholics always have before their eyes, just above the altar, the crucifix. This tradition tells us, while the worse pain might be eased, it cannot be eliminated.
But how do we deal with suffering? Some people think their pain or, more often, the pain of distant strangers, proves there is no God. That's not helpful.
We ask the Lord to guide us, to send us that Holy Spirit which tells us which way to turn. As Isaiah the Prophet said,
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
And your ears shall hear a word behind you:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or the left.
Without the Spirit of God, which often seems to whisper in our ears, we have no knowledge of Jesus or his Father. That Spirit is not a vague memory of a glorious past; it is not a clinging to "tradition" for tradition's sake. Rather, it is the Lord's walking with us in the present moment, in good times and hard. God owes us no answers to all our questions but readily gives us the Spirit to guide us through this difficult moment.
The Spirit lives especially in our gatherings as we encourage one another in the faith. Isolated, I am lost, but we will never be lost, even as we walk through the valley of death. We may be miserable at times, distressed and confused, but the Spirit in our hearts still assures, "This is the way, walk in it."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.