The Good Word

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St. John of God was born at the end of the 15th century, but he is very much a saint of today. His story reads like an adventure novel filled with visions, mental illness, incarcerations, rejections, and, ultimately, peace.John Duarte Cidade was born in Portugal. His parents had recently lost their wealth but held onto their faith. John mysteriously disappeared when he was only eight years old. He may have been kidnapped or seduced to leave home in another way. His mother, not knowing John’s fate, died from grief. His father, grieving the loss of his son and his wife, joined the Franciscans. Young John turned up begging for food on the streets of Spain, near Toledo. A kind man offered John a job at his farm, overseeing his sheep. He worked for the man for many years and proved so industrious and disciplined that the man offered John his daughter in marriage. John had other plans, however, and joined a traveling band of soldiers fighting for the Holy Roman Empire. In the course of his duties, he was asked to guard a treasury. Before he was relieved of his post, the treasury was looted. John came under suspicion and was condemned to death. A more tolerant officer came to his aid and was able to spare his life.John returned to the farm in Spain and worked for four more years. Impulsively, he joined another band of soldiers heading off to war and spent the next eighteen years serving throughout Europe. At the end of this time, he again returned to Spain and took up the life of a shepherd. During the long hours alone, he had time to examine his life. He decided he wanted to use his military background to help free enslaved Christians in Africa. Before he could embark on the final leg of this journey, it is said that he had a vision of the infant Jesus, who gave him the name, John of God, and directed him to go to Granada.It was around this time, in 1537, that Johannes Guttenburg invented the printing press. Soon many devotional books were being printed and John saw this as an opportunity to spread them around to as many people as possible. His religious conversion deepened after hearing a sermon preached by St. John of Avila, also known as St. John of the Cross. They began a spiritual friendship and John Cidade was encouraged to work directly with the poor. This, however, began a troubling time in John’s life. He began to publicly beat himself and beg people’s forgiveness for his past sins. He was institutionalized, and, with the unhelpful treatment of the day being more beatings and starvation, he was only helped by a visit from St. John of the Cross who, again, encouraged John to focus on others rather than himself. John regained his peace and left the hospital to work for the poor. John faced rejection and misunderstanding because of his mental breakdown, but he soon gained the trust of certain priests and physicians who helped John in tending to the sick. The bishop gave John a religious habit because John would automatically give away his cloak to someone in need. The bishop also said that John should be known as John of God. Soon he attracted a circle of disciples and they became Brothers Hospitallers of John of God. John died on this day, March 8th, from pneumonia after saving a man from drowning in a river. He was fifty-five years old. Today, the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God serve in over fifty countries and three hundred hospitals. They are even entrusted with the medical care of the pope. St. John of God, patron of the sick, pray for us.Blessings, Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

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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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