February 6, 2013

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Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Read more about St. Miki and companions.

Lectionary: 325

Reading 1 from St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews
Heb 12:4-7, 11-15

Brothers and sisters:
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

This is an admonition which could be held against us in the Catholic Church in the United States, as well.

You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.

This could also be held against us, as so many Catholics have fallen away from their faith that it could be said that the second largest faith group in this Country is that of fallen away Catholics.  Church going Catholics being the largest.  There are more Church going Catholics in this country than there are Baptists.  All together, there are more Protestants.  But if we go by faith group or "denomination",  there are more Catholics.

Surprised?  I was, for two reasons. 

1.  The US is a culturally Protestant nation.  Yet the US has the 4th largest Catholic population in the world.  Behind only Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.  All of which are culturally Catholic countries.  The US, therefore, has the largest Catholic population in a culturally Protestant country.

2.  In my own family, there are more fallen away Catholics than not.  In fact, I used to be in that number.  I assumed that our family was typical.  Thank God that it is not.

Can you imagine if we were to bring all those fallen away relatives back to the Church?  Wow!!!  We should pray for that grace daily.  Anyway, back to the reading.

Endure your trials as “discipline”;
God treats you as his sons.

This is what is so difficult to explain to fallen away Christians of every color.  Protestants and Catholics fall away because of the mystery of suffering.  Assuming that once they begin to believe in Christ, their suffering will go away.  But they have failed to understand the Gospel:

1 Peter 2:21

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

St. Paul Miki and his companions understood.

For what son” is there whom his father does not discipline?

If God the Father permitted even His Son, Jesus Christ, to be perfected in His suffering on the Cross.  Why would any person think that they were exempt?

At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.

When we suffer, at first we only feel pain.  But later, we begin to understand and become docile to the Will of our Father.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

So, straighten up and fly right.  Raise your head and look forward, not behind you:
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Strive for peace with everyone,
and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Be at peace with yourself and everyone.  Do righteous deeds and strive to be holy.  Because only the righteous will see the face of God.

See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God,
that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble,
through which many may become defiled.

And don't cause anyone to doubt the goodness of God by your actions or words.  And don't associate with those who would cause trouble as their words can be contagious:
Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a

R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

God's mercy is shed upon all who do His will, therefore be grateful and praise Him:
Exodus 20:6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,
For he knows how we are formed;
he remembers that we are dust.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

God treats the faithful as a father treats his children.  He made us and remembers that we need Him for all things and that without Him we are nothing.  Therefore He sheds His mercy upon us.

But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity
to eternity toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children’s children
among those who keep his covenant.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

God sheds His mercy upon those who obey His word:
Hebrews 5:9
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.  When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.

Jesus and His disciples came to Galilee where He was born and to Nazareth where He lived and taught in the synagogue there.  All who heard His Teachings were amazed.

They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!

And had seen His signs and miracles.

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.

But they were filled with a sort of envy.  Since they had seen Him grow up from childhood, they could not believe what they were seeing.  I believe the old saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" sort of applies here.

Generally, when one is becomes familiar with someone, they begin to see their defects.  That is not the case here.  In this case, the townspeople assumed that Jesus had the same defects as they possessed simply because He was raised amongst them. 

More fittingly, however, the adage, "you can't go home again."  The people in Jesus' home town remembered Jesus as a child, a pauper, with no influence.  Now He is back looking totally different than what they remember.  And they want to impose upon Him their memories and set aside the great man which they see.

 So Jesus responded:

Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”

Which essentially means, "I am telling you that I am sent by God.  But you refuse to see that which I am saying and doing."

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.

And therefore, He could not perform any signs before them.

Most people look at that and say that it is the faith of the people which empowers Christ to heal them.  But I don't.  What that verse says is that Jesus is not a circus animal who does tricks for the amusement of the people.

Faith is the coin of the realm.  Just as today, if one believes that God acts through the Sacraments, then God will do what He has promised He would do through the Sacraments.  Only those who have faith in Jesus and obey His Word, will be saved by Jesus.


Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.