Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Healing

  • Name the Demons in Us

    January 31, 2021 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings and liturgy (https://adoseofgodtoday.com/sunday-liturgy/)

    What is your imagination of demon? If we would type the word “demon” on google and see the images of demons, you would see pictures of ugly creatures, with horns, and tails and ugly wings. Those are images of monsters. Some images actually also show the demons in Japanese animès. Moreover, even with our consciousness today, we also imagine a demon portrayed in those images with ugly faces.

    Nevertheless, how correct really are we in imagining and realizing those demons, and the demons around us and within us? Yes, demons do not only exist outside of us but demons also can be in us.

    Healing and freedom from the slavery of demons had been part of the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. That is why, bringing freedom to those who were possessed and oppressed by demons or evil spirits was a sign of God’s Kingdom made present on earth. With this reality, it would be good for us now to look closely at the Gospel story this Sunday and let us see how Jesus unfolds his invitation for us to be free and real.

    The Gospel of Mark which is believed to be the first Gospel ever written in the New Testament presents to us the first miracle of Jesus. This is revealed to us through the encounter of Jesus with a demon and his power over the demon. And because this passage is filled with images, it is important to explore the verses one by one.

    First, it has been established that Jesus taught in the Synagogue with “authority” unlike the scribes who seemed to be too academic and distant in their teaching. It means that the people could really understand what Jesus taught and they were able to see the realities in their life through the scriptures because of Jesus’ way of teaching.

    Our first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy reminds of this authority in Jesus. Remember, in that passage, Moses proclaimed to the people how the Lord God shall raise up a prophet to whom the people shall listen. Jesus is that prophet promised by the Lord God. Through the mouth of Jesus, God speaks. This means that the very words of Jesus, indeed, do not only carry authority but also God’s power.

    Second, inside the synagogue or a “Jewish House of Prayer” there was a man with an “unclean spirit.” In the New Testament, the description “unclean spirit” is basically understood in the context of demonic possession, of a spirit that is resistant to the holy presence of God.

    But wait, if this unclean spirit was in a house of prayer, does it mean that it can enter a holy place? Yes, this should not surprise us because a demon can pretend and appear righteous. Well, this tells us now that unclean spirits or demons can be everywhere and can even be with a person who seems to be so religious, good and pious.

    This was the case of that possessed man inside the synagogue. Remember, the unclean spirit was there among the people listening to the words of Jesus. Yet, it cannot stand for long at the holy presence of Jesus. This was the reason why, the man cried out. This shows us of the attitude of a demon towards the presence of the Lord. The demon became so insecure and frightened over the presence of Jesus.

    Third, because of the insecurity of the demon, it tried to take control Jesus by naming the Lord. The demon said, “you are the Holy One of God.” Remember again, in biblical times once you are able to give name to something, you gain control and power over that thing. This was what the demon did to Jesus. However, Jesus is much powerful than the unclean spirit.

    As a result, the demon was commanded by Jesus to keep quiet and come out from the man. And it did, the man was freed and was healed because that demon was dominated by a healing and forgiving presence of Jesus. Yes, any demon that will have an encounter with God will certainly be defeated because demons are always insecure, anxious and fearful before the holy presence of God.

    This helps us now to realize that demons, these unclean spirits are real. Though, we might also have some misconceptions about demons. For us to be able to recognize the demons or the unclean spirit, we need a proper understanding about them.

    Demons are not as exactly as we see in many literatures, movies and pictures on the internet. Demons appear to be ordinary and hide in those subtle forms in our society and even in our individual lives. This was the case of the man in the Gospel. That man with unclean spirit only came out later when he cannot endure anymore the presence of Jesus. Demons live with us and could even be in each of us, hiding in us and in our hearts.

    Today’s Gospel tells a reality in our human life that we too might be possessed even without our own knowledge. The people in the synagogue may not be fully aware of that unclean spirit because they were all in a House of Prayer. There is a need for us to recognize, be aware and to “name” our demon/s big or small. Demons lead us to believe that they do not exist so that we will not be able to name them, thus, will not be able to take control over them and cast them out.

    I want to invite you now to bring ourselves into a deeper reflection, first with our own lives, and then in our society.

    • First. The unclean spirit can be that “feeling of insecurity” that makes a person always jealous and suspicious to his/her partner to the point of controlling and manipulating the other. This could also be that insecurity that leads a person accumulate wealth at the expense of others through corruption and deceit in our work, business or profession.
    • Second. A demon can also be that attitude of anxiety and fear that paralyzes us to take risks in investing in our relationships because of our traumatic experiences. Or our complacency in life that makes us indifferent to those who are suffering and in need.
    • Third. An unclean spirit can also be our own arrogance believing that we are righteous enough before God and so we do not need the grace of forgiveness. Or of that arrogance believing that our opinions and viewpoints in life are perfect to the point that we refuse to listen to what God and others are saying to us.
    • Fourth. A demon can be our own addictions and destructive habits that we have developed in many years. This could also be those oppressive and abusive mentality and culture that promotes death, indifference and hatred in our society.
    • Fifth. An unclean spirit can also be that feeling of guilt, yes, those guilt feelings that we have that make us believe that our sins are too great to be forgiven by God. Such guilt could trap us into a habit of self-pity, self-disgust, and shame. The demon will make us incapable of either forgiving ourselves, forgiving others and in fully accepting God’s gift of forgiveness and healing to each of us.

    Thus, name demons in us both within ourselves and also in our society; this is the call for us this Sunday.

    But remember, we cannot defeat demons or those unclean spirits by ourselves alone. Seek the help of friends who can help us or professionals who can guide us as we face our personal demons. Join groups, communities and the Church too in confronting the evils and demons present in our society. However, let us not forget God’s tremendous power in giving us complete healing and reconciliation, freedom and life. In the presence of Jesus, demons will be frightened. So, let us also listen to Jesus’ teachings and build personal relationship with him through the Church. Hinaut pa.

  • GOD STRETCHING OUT TO US

    GOD STRETCHING OUT TO US

    January 14, 2021 – Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011421.cfm)

    “If you wish, you can make me clean.” This was the plead of the leper to Jesus. The leper had been discriminated, ignored and rejected by his own family and community. Perhaps, all he could remember in his heart were the bitter and hurtful treatment of people around him. No one would dare touch him or just be near him. Any other person, even a family member, would feel disgusted of his presence because he was sick.

    Yet, not Jesus. This leper who wanted to be healed and cleansed by God, begged Jesus. The leper who must have heard of the wonders did by Jesus in many places, came and wanted to also experience God’s grace. Nevertheless, what this leper did not expect was the way Jesus did the healing to him. In many instances, Jesus would just say the words, “be healed,” and sick people were healed. But not in this case. Jesus who was always moved with pity, his heart moved with loved and compassion, came and stretched out his hand to touch the leper.

    The man must have been surprised at that moment when Jesus stretched out his hand. It must have been the very first touch from another person since he got sick. And it must had been shocking and disgusting too for people around to see that Jesus touched a leper.

    Jesus was not supposed to touch the leper and he had to adhere what the people believed. Being there at that time, there must be others who murmured and complained for the daring action of Jesus.

    However, Jesus’s intention was to bring healing and to let this leper know that he was not after all abandoned and ignored. God looked at him lovingly and desired life for him. The touch of Jesus was also a powerful message to him and to all the people around. In God, no one is beyond God’s reach, no one is untouchable.

    This is the meaning of God stretching out to us. In many ways, Jesus would always stretch out his hand to bring healing and life into our troubled and wounded hearts. God desires to touch us because what God wants for all us is that we may have the fullness of life.

    The Letter to the Hebrews tells us too, “listen to his voice and harden not your hearts.” For God to touch us, allow our hearts to be open to God’s hand. A heart hardened by sin and indifference would prevent us to allow God to touch us.

    Let our sacraments and the scriptures open our hearts. Allow our friends, family members and the Church and yourself to become the very hand of God stretching out his grace and presence for us today. Hinaut pa.

  • Power that gives life and heals

    Power that gives life and heals

    January 13, 2021 – Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011321.cfm)

    How do we imagine a person having power? We usually understand that a person who has power over others exercises control and dominance. 

    In a community or society, people who have the power rule others into submission. People who are powerful are believed to have wealth which gives them influence, entitlements and high positions. Consequently, these powerful people may also tend to relate with those who are under them as their mere subordinates. Manipulation to advance the self-interest of the powerful and to stay in power is very tempting in this kind of relationship. When a powerful person submits to this temptation, then, most likely the powerful will use force, violence and incite fear towards others in order to preserve and even consolidate his or her power.

    Among couples, a husband who plays powerful may most probably relate with his wife in terms of control. It commonly happens in abusive relationships where a partner places the other into submission through manipulation, deceit, pretension and fear.

    However, all these forms of exercising power are filled with so much insecurity and evil. This kind of power destroys relationships and life of people. This is the power of death, of the devil that the Letter to the Hebrews was telling us about. This is also the power that Jesus destroyed in order to free us from fear and from slavery.

    Moreover, in today’s Gospel, Mark proclaimed to us the life-giving and healing power of Jesus. This power that Jesus showed us transforms life, heals the broken and frees the troubled. This was described to us in that scene when Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law. The power of Jesus was described to us three actions.

    The first action was when Jesus approached her. Jesus and his friends were received into the house of Simon and Andrew. By welcoming the Lord into their home, Jesus was also made aware of the sickness of Simon’s mother-in-law. With this awareness in Jesus, he approached the sick woman. This action of Jesus to approach the sick has the intention to manifest God’s presence.

    The second action was when Jesus grasped her hand. Jesus has manifested God’s presence, with this, Jesus also brought God’s touch to the sick woman. God touching her meant God’s compassion towards her. The touch of Jesus was God’s most abiding presence giving her the strength.

    And the third action was when Jesus helped her up. The strength from God was the gift of healing granted to the sick mother-in-law. Because she was lying down and her fever overpowers her, she needed help from another. This very action of Jesus helping her up tells us that God supplements and journeys with us towards our freedom and healing.

    From these three actions, Jesus showed us how our presence, our touch and our concrete action in helping another will manifest power that brings comfort, compassion, healing and even life.

    This is the very reason why after the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, people with various diseases and those who are ill or possessed by demons flocked towards Jesus. Because the power of Jesus is not of force and violence, people begin to recognize God’s power. In Jesus what we really see is God’s power who wills our joy and desires our healing and to experience the fullness of life.

    For us today, let these three actions of Jesus be our invitations in our relationships. But first, let us welcome the Lord to come to us, to welcome him in our hearts. Then, let us allow the Lord through his instruments to approach us, to hold us, and to help us. They may be our friends or family members or even strangers who have the intention to love us.

    With that, we may also become God’s instruments who will manifest his power in our homes, workplaces and communities by approaching, holding and helping those who are sick, weak and vulnerable.

    May God’s life-giving and healing power dispel every fear, insecurity, selfishness, illness and evil in our hearts, through the intercession of Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Hinaut pa.

  • Words that Uplift and Inspire, Free and Heal

    Words that Uplift and Inspire, Free and Heal

    January 12, 2021 – Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011221.cfm)

    The words in the Bible uplift, inspire and give life to us because they are filled with the Spirit of God. In the same way, when our words are also filled with love, sincerity and honesty, words also bring inspiration and even life.

    Powerful and life-giving words are what we have heard in today. The Gospel of Mark tells us of the experience of the people from Capernaum. Jesus who taught the people in the synagogue found him different from the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus spoke with authority not just with knowledge and familiarity of his teachings. Jesus spoke from the heart, from the wisdom of God that intends to give life to the people.

    Hence, the people found life in his teachings, in his words. This was more manifested when Jesus encountered a man with unclean spirit. Through the words of Jesus, that unclean spirit was silenced and was commanded to come out of the man. That unclean spirit oppressed the man by taking out the voice of the person. The person was made a slave by that unclean spirit. Yet, through his encounter with Jesus, the man was given a chance to be freed and to be healed. This is the effect when words give life and freedom.

    Through the words of Jesus, the unclean spirit came out of the man without doing any harm to the person. This tells us again how those words of Jesus truly brought life, freedom and healing because Jesus’ intention was of kindness and his words were out of generosity.

    Today, Jesus also calls us to find healing, life, and freedom in his words and presence in the scriptures and in our Sacraments. Hopefully, what we find and receive will also be transmitted into our life that we ourselves will become life-giving and instruments of freedom.

    It would be good then to examine our words and our encounters with people today.

    Let these be our points of reflection today.

    Are my words and presence, life-giving or condemning? Are my words uplifting, inspiring, freeing and healing? Or, are my words filled with hatred, anger and bitterness?

    If we find our words and presence more of condemnation and judgments, of hate and bitterness, allow Jesus to transform us. Allow the Lord to cast out the unclean spirit in us that oppresses us and oppresses others. Allow Jesus’ words to make us free and make us at peace so that we too shall learn in giving words to others that are filled with love, life and freedom. Hinaut pa.

  • Life is in Jesus

    Life is in Jesus

    January 8, 2021 – Friday after Epiphany

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010821.cfm)

    When many of us are confined at home because of the pandemic and restrictions in going outside our residence, the rise of the Plantitos and Plantitas (the popular name of those who develop the love of planting) also emerged. Our boredom at home wonderfully bore fruit by becoming more connected with the earth. When we learn how to plant, we also learn how to touch in order to nurture life.

    Touching with the motivation of caring brings wonder and joy in us. This is the reason why many of us find comfort and pleasure in nurturing the life of the plants. More than this, we too are called to nurture human life, to inspire life and heal life. This is what Jesus shows us today.

    Our readings today remind us of this. The first reading from the First Letter of John tells us that “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son, Jesus.” We find this life in Jesus, our Lord.

    John mentions two important and recurring words in today’s reading that tell us that life is indeed in Jesus. These words are testimony and possession.

    The word testimony refers to the witnessing of the Father in the life of Jesus. The testimony of the Father to His Son is the confidence of the Father. This also means that the confidence of God in us will be revealed in our life by having Jesus. This is not about giving testimony to God, but God giving testimony to us through the wonders that God can do for us.

    The word possession means our possession of Jesus, the Son of God in our life. Having Jesus is letting Jesus fulfill his promise to us. Having the Lord in our life is allowing the Lord to do what he desires to do in our life.

    Such testimony and possession of Jesus bring us into the Gospel story. A man full of leprosy fell prostrate and pleaded with Jesus. The man asked the Lord to reveal God’s testimony of bringing healing and fullness of life. The man asked, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He allowed the Lord to work wonders in him and to let God give testimony through the gift of healing.

    In this way, Jesus touched the man to heal him and bring him that fullness of life. Jesus’ touch surely brought healing and life because his touch was motivated by care and compassion, by love.

    Today, let us be conscious of this invitation to have Jesus in our life and to discover that eternal life or the fullness of life is in Jesus. As we touch people through and by our life, always bring healing and bring life not corruption of life and not violence to life. Allow also the Lord to give testimony to us by making ourselves always open to God’s plan for us. Hinaut pa.