Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH Lk. 18: 35-43 “As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. He shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’”
- This could be my prayer, and perhaps your prayer, every day, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” For I am a poor sinner who does not know your ways well or follow them very closely. Teach me, Lord Jesus, through this meditation to know you more intimately, love you more ardently, and follow you more closely every day!
KNOWING, LOVING, AND FOLLOWING THE LORD JESUS! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
In the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the very heart of the Exercises is the contemplation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the 30-day Exercises Program, close to 12 days are dedicated to contemplating the Public Life of the Lord Jesus.
THE FRUIT. The fruit or grace that Ignatius insists that we beg for is “Intimate knowledge of Jesus that we love Him more ardently and follow Him more closely.” What a beautiful, inspiring and uplifting grace. In a word, the heart of the Spiritual Exercises and the very heart of the life of the Christian is the Person of Jesus Christ. However, we must beg and strive for a greater knowledge and love for the Lord Jesus and the logical consequence will be an ardent desire to follow Him fully, totally, and unreservedly!
PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS. The Public life of Jesus lasted approximately three short years, but these years would change the face of the earth, human history, and the world’s condition drastically and radically! Jesus’ Public life can be divided into three fundamental activities: Preaching, Performing Miracles, and Exorcisms—that is to say, casting out devils!
MIRACLES OF JESUS. To give further proof to His Divinity, Jesus performed abundant miracles. To the incredulous, Jesus stated clearly: “If you do not believe in my words, then at least believe in my actions.” (Jn. 10:38) That is to say, in His miracles! With great concision, Jesus’ miracles can be divided into two categories: miracles over nature and miracles of healing of human ailments or sicknesses. Jesus undeniably manifested His power over nature, as well as His great love, compassion, and mercy for suffering humanity in his physical healings. Out of love for the suffering, He would at times go beyond or transcend the natural laws that He Himself imposed as God and Creator of the universe and the laws that govern it.
KNOW, LOVE, AND FOLLOW JESUS THROUGH A SERIES OF MIRACLES. The following Biblical meditation/contemplation consists in presenting a series of Biblical Gospel contemplations taken from the life of Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Mary, the Divine Physician, and our Best Friend. The Biblical verse will be presented with the title of the Miracle and then a brief reflection. The ultimate end or purpose of this Spiritual Exercise is, as stated earlier, that we really get to know Jesus, love Him all the more ardently, and then consequently be ready and willing to follow Him. Let’s dive in!
1. THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA. (Jn. 2:1-12) Jesus performed His First Public miracle through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces. He turned water into wine. Jesus, through Mary’s prayers, can turn your water into wine. Meaning? Jesus and Mary can help you with your problems—either resolve them or help you to cope with them. Entrust yourself to the loving care of Jesus and Mary; they will never fail you!
2. THE HEALING OF THE PARALYTIC. (MT 9:1-8) Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. A word and a touch from Jesus can heal and strengthen damaged or even ruined limbs. As Jesus healed the paralytic so that He could walk, just the same, Jesus can heal and strengthen your limbs, sometimes physically, but always spiritually, such that you can jump and leap and praise the Lord in your mind, heart and soul! Beg the Lord Jesus to heal you and help you walk firmly on the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
3. HEALING OF THE TEN LEPERS. (Lk. 17:11-19) Lepers were considered the outcasts of society. Contagious as it was, incurable in the sight of all physicians, and marginalized by society, the lepers lived an almost hopeless, desperate, as well as precarious existence. People would flee from a leper like the plague! Jesus healed ten lepers at once by His mere Word! Sad to say, only one returned to render Jesus thanks; and he was a Samaritan. Leprosy symbolizes sin. Therefore, in a real sense we are all lepers. But Good News: there is a Doctor who is always available—Jesus, the Divine Physician. Bring your moral leprosy to Jesus and He will heal you in the great healing Sacrament of Confession!
4, HEALING OF THE CENTURION’S SERVANT. (Lk. 7:1-10) Jesus healed a servant who suffered intensely. However, the healing was performed chiefly through the love, concern, and compassion of His master, the Centurion. A healing of Intercession on behalf of another. The healing depended on the Intercessor’s deep faith imbued with profound humility. “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but your word alone will heal him”. Why not bring someone you know who needs healing to the Heart of Jesus today with these words of faith and humility, JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!
5. HEALING OF BARTIMEUS—THE BLIND BEGGAR. (Mk. 10:46-52) Bartimeus, the blind-beggar sitting on the road-side cried out to Jesus insistently, even though they tried to silence him. As a result of his insistence, Bartimeus was brought to Jesus and healed of his blindness. How true it is that all of us have certain BLIND-SPOTS in our spiritual life that impede our progress. However, Jesus is the Light of the world who came to cast out the darkness. Why not beg Jesus to remove the blinders from your spiritual vision so you can see clearly your sins, even venial sins, as well as near occasions of sin— people, places, things or circumstances that are likely to lead you into sin, and even the secret desires and intentions of your heart that may not be pleasing to God. In this way, you can contemplate the Face of Jesus in time and for all eternity. “Blessed are the pure of heart; they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
6. HEALING OF THE DEAF-MUTE. (Mk. 8:31-37) Not only do we suffer from a certain spiritual blindness, but also we suffer often from a certain spiritual deafness. As a consequence, this causes an impediment in our speech. In a word, we do not always say what we should say, when we should say it, as well as the proper tone of voice in expressing the words and ideas that emanate from our heart. As Jesus said: “From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Lk. 6:45) Why not beg Jesus for the grace of healing so that you can sincerely hear His Word and communicate it in love to others!
7. CALMING OF THE STORM (Mt. 8: 23-27) This is the only time recorded in the Gospels that Jesus was asleep in the boat in the midst of a violent storm—how ironic, but what a deep message! In the midst of this storm on the Lake, the terrified Apostles wake Jesus up. Jesus first rebukes them for their lack of faith, and then He rebukes the violent winds which immediately cease and the storm abates. We all have storms in our lives—some small, some moderate, and others very violent! Why not beg the Lord Jesus to calm these storms? He was omnipotent 2000 years ago and still is to this very day, to this very moment. Your prayer might be: “Lord, be with me in my storms and subdue the violent storms that threaten to capsize the boat of my soul.”
8. JESUS (AND PETER) WALK ON WATER. (Mt. 14:22-33) In the deep darkness of the night, in the midst of a stormy sea on Lake Galilee, the Apostles perceive a specter, what appears to be a ghost, walking towards them on the water. Terrified, they panic. Jesus tries to calm them down: “Get ahold of yourselves; it is I.” Peter responds: “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come!!!” Peter gets out of the boat and walks with Jesus on the water! But then he starts to sink and cries out: “Lord, save me!” Jesus stretches out His hand and grasps the hand of Peter, saving the Apostle from sinking and drowning! Perhaps we can all identify with Peter? Perhaps we have all been asked by the Lord to leave our comfort zone, to relinquish our security blanket, to walk in the dark on the cold waters? Peter’s problem was precisely this: Peter focused more on the problem then on the Problem-solver, the Lord Jesus! Why not bring your problems to Jesus, the problem-solver right now? Remember! Our chief problem is that we forget to bring our problems to Him who can solve all our problems—the Lord Jesus Christ!
9. THE MULTIPLICATION OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. (Mk. 8:1-10) The crowds were following Jesus the whole day and they had no food or provisions, nor means to acquire the necessary sustenance. Having been provided with a little bread and even less fish, though given with much love, Jesus performs an extraordinary miracle. He multiplies the loaves and the fishes in such quantity that not hundreds, but thousands eat their fill, and there are still many left-overs that are not to be wasted, but gathered into baskets. What love, tenderness (that of a Mother), and compassion flowed from the Heart of Jesus! Why not bring to the Heart of Jesus your own needs and He will fill you to your heart’s content!
10. HEALING AND EXORCISM OF THE MAN POSSESSED BY MANY DEMONS. (Mt. 9: 28-34) Gashing himself with stones, crying out like a lunatic or madman, living in the solitary loneliness of a grave-yard, Legion suffered from diabolical possession. But it was not just one devil, but a large number that had taken their abode in his soul. Jesus cast out all of the devils into some swine that were grazing on the hillside. The possessed man sat up totally healed— calm and in his right mind. He wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus told him to announce the good news to his relatives and friends. Why not talk to Jesus about the demons in your life and beg Jesus to cast them out. At the mere name of Jesus and Mary, the throng of devils quake with a dreaded fear!
11. THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW OF NAIM. (Lk. 7:11-17) Moved to the very depths of His heart, Jesus touches the bier where the dead body of a widow’s only son lays in the shadow of death. Immediately the young man rises and Jesus give him back to his mourning mother. Our Lady will be a widow and lose her only Son—Jesus crucified for our sins and for our salvation. Contemplate these powerful Biblical truths and then talk to Jesus and Mary about them! Thank Jesus and Mary for their sacrifice for love of you!
12. RAISING OF THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS. (Lk. 8:40-48) Entering into the room with the three Apostles—Peter, James and John, Jesus takes the 12-year-old dead girl by the hand and cries out: “Talitha-cum: young girl arise!” Upon the words of Jesus and the power of His words, the dead girl returns to life and is given back to her parents. How many of us have children—teens or young adults or even adults—who are dead in sin, who have willingly chosen to walk away from the loving embrace of God their Father and embrace some false-god. Why not turn to Jesus, who can bring the dead to life, and beg for the spiritual restoration of any of your sons or daughters who have drifted away from the only Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Mystical Body, the Church.
13. THE RASING OF LAZARUS. (Jn. 11:1-44) This is one of the most powerful miracles in the life of Jesus, who finds his friend Lazarus dead, buried, and laid in the tomb for four long days. Weeping copious and profuse tears, the sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary gently complain to Jesus that if He were present during Lazarus’ sickness, their brother would not have died. And Jesus wept! Going to the tomb, Jesus has the stone removed and cries out in a loud voice: LAZARUS, COME OUT!!! Wrapped in the burial bandages, the dead man rises and walks out of the tomb! Jesus transforms a terrible tragedy into a glorious victory! Why not go to the Sacrament of Confession and bring some other sinner with you, and as taught by Saint Augustine, you too will have a LAZARUS EXPERIENCE, passing from spiritual death to life in the spirit!
14. JESUS HEALS THE MOTHER-IN-LAW OF PETER. (Mt. 8:14-15) The fever of Peter’s Mother-in-law was intense. Jesus enters the house, takes her by the hand, and the fever leaves immediately and she gets up to wait on Him. May the Lord bless all the mothers-in-law of the world! One point: immediately upon receiving healing this woman, without losing a moment, starts to serve Jesus. Why not bring our sicknesses to Jesus and once healed serve the Lord Jesus all the more!
15. THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. (Lk. 24:13-35) He walked with the two forlorn, desolate, and disoriented disciples heading toward Emmaus. Jesus, the stranger, caught up to them, walked with them, listened to them, talked to them. Then once invited, He entered their home to sit down at table and break Bread with them. Their hearts were on fire in His Presence. Why not beg the Lord Jesus to take the blinders from your eyes and set your hearts on fire with love for Him, so that you can set the world on fire with the love of God and the desire for His Kingdom! “Your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in in heaven.” (The Our Father)
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
