The Good Word

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Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time.Our reading today is from the holy gospel according to MarkAs Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”The gospel of the Lord.In today’s gospel, the apostles have to deal with failure. Jesus had sent them out with power to drive out demons and to heal; and they had done so, marveling at the power Jesus had given them. Now, while Jesus is up the mountain, revealing his glory as the obedient son of the God to Peter, James and John, the other apostles who remained behind are have difficulty curing a boy who today we would say had epilepsy. The boy’s father believed that his son was possessed by a destructive demon and, worse, he did not believe that the apostles could drive it out. The teachers of the law were also there, offering their two cents. We can just imagine the confusion. So, when Jesus finally returns to the group of disciples, the crowd quickly turns to Jesus to see what he will do. So, Jesus asks them what is happening, and the boy’s father lists the sufferings of his son and complains about the inadequacies of Jesus’ disciples. To which, Jesus responds: “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” When the child once again goes into convulsions, the father pleads with Jesus to do something, if he can. Jesus demands that the father have more faith; to which the father replies: “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Then, before the crowd can become involved, Jesus quickly drives out the demon and heals the boy.When they were finally alone with Jesus, the disciples asked him why they failed. Jesus did not berate them for their lack of faith, he simply replied: “This kind (of evil spirit) can only come out through prayer.” In the face of a critical father and an unbelieving crowd, they forgot the one from whom they drew their strength – God.Prayer leads to the source of wisdom – God. In the first reading, Sirach assures us that true wisdom only come from God who created all things and who bestows wisdom freely on those who are close to God.In the face of an unbelieving world and the criticism of others, even family member, we, too, can fall short in living our faith and accepting the challenge of doing more in the spirit of Jesus. The only way to faithfulness is to accept God’s gift of the Spirit of wisdom and draw closer to God through the practice of prayer.May God bless you.Rev. Karl E. Esker CSsROLPH Basilica – Brooklyn, NY

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Josephine Margaret Bakhita was declared a saint in 2000. She was the first Black woman to receive this honor in modern times. Josephine was born in Darfur, in western Sudan. The year was 1869 and her happy family of three brothers and three sisters and the parents who loved them was about to be impacted by the evil of slavery. Josephine’s sister was abducted in 1875. Josephine suffered a similar fate two years later. Josephine was made to walk 600 miles to another city in the Sudan where she was sold and forcibly converted to Islam. She was sold five more times, with her last “owner” holding the position of a General in the Turkish army. She writes of that time, “I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. When a wound from the whip began to heal, other blows would pour on me.”In addition to the beatings, Josephine was intentionally scarred and and tattooed. With her mistress watching with a whip in her hand, a dish of white flour, a dish of salt, and a razor were brought by other women. They drew patterns on Josephine’s skin with the white flour, then they cut deeply into her skin along the lines drawn. The wounds were filled with salt to prevent healing and ensure permanent scarring. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her breasts, stomach, and arm. Her second to the last owner was a Italian diplomat who did not beat her. When he returned to Italy in 1885, Josephine was allowed to go with him. Josephine was given to another family where she became a nanny for their one year old daughter. When her new owners left the country to travel back to Sudan, Josephine was left behind in a Catholic convent run by the Canossian religious sisters, founded by St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1828. This was Josephine’s first contact with the Christian faith. Through the sisters’ instruction, Josephine wrote, “Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who he was.”Josephine was allowed to stay in Italy. She was given her freedom and chose to stay with the sisters. She became well known in the area around Venice for her special charisma and for a reputation of sanctity. However, it was after the publication of her life story that Josephine’s popularity spread throughout Italy. People just wanted to be near her. They felt God’s presence and protection. While bombs fell throughout the town where she lived during World War II, there was not a single casualty.Even as her health faded, Josephine did not lose her cheerfulness. In extreme pain during her last hours, she would smile and say, “As the Master desires.” She died on a Saturday, February 8, 1947. Knowing it was a day that honored the Mother of God, her last audible words were, “Our Lady…our Lady.” St. Josephine Bakhita has been adopted by the people of Sudan as their patron. She is also the patron saint of human trafficking survivors. While human trafficking is still a threat in our world, everyone can benefit by Josephine’s intercession to overcome whatever is stifling our growth in God. Her story manifests the power of transformation through suffering. St. Josephine Bakhita, pray for us. Blessings,Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

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