Fr. Bob's Corner

There is something very disconcerting for those of us in religious leadership positions when we read about John the Baptist that scrubby character who called the people not to the synagogues or temple, but out into the wilderness. John was certainly not a presentable figure in elite civil and religious circles, yet it was his honor to announce the Messiah and to baptize him. In some says Jesus is very much like him. Just before he begins his three year ministry he too goes to the wilderness, and when he returns he begins to denounce the hypocritical practices of many of the religious leaders, as he proclaims the Good News>

When I read the Gospel, I am often startled by Jesus’ bluntness and criticism of religious leaders, and of course, it causes a certain discomfort to me, and I suspect many others who are in church leadership. And when I try to dismiss my discomfort as over sensitivity, I am reminded  by church history that power often corrupts and makes mistakes. John Paul II knew this well, I think, and that is why he asked forgiveness on behalf of the church in the year 2000.

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Sister Infanta from the Religious Order founded by Mother Teresa ( The mission of the Sisters of Charity) celebrates the joy of life with the children she lives with at the Asha Daan House in Mumbai. The Orphanage was founded by Mother Teresa in 1976 to house physically and mentally disabled children:

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Any Catholic of my age had to be inspired by the priest nicknamed: Fr. Damián The Leper. I say my age, as his life and story were legendary during my years growing up.

The human spirit is always inspired by men and women who reach out in total commitment to the suffering, sick, and poor, and this is certainly true for the priest named, Father Damián de Veuster. Fr. Damián not only inspired Catholics, but I believe,  he inspired a generation of North Americans, Europeans, and populations around the world.

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This year the gospel we proclaim on Sunday is Mark’s Gospel. This sixth Sunday of Ordinary time we finish the first chapter – the last 6 verses (Mark 1:40-45). If you have a few minutes I encourage you to read the first Chapter in its entirety. In just 45 verses or sentences Mark moves from old testament prophecy, John the Baptist, The Baptism of Jesus, Jesus in the desert, the beginning of his ministry – speaking with authority, the choosing of his apostles, his ability to cure and perform miracles. (All this in the context that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who had come to save).

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This past little while hasn’t been very uplifting. Problems abound in politics, economics, religion, and everywhere one looks. Pretty upsetting, confusing, and even depressing, if one keeps focusing and listening to the gloom and doom.

This week’s gospel was the anecdote and reminder I needed to put things into perspective. Jesus is beginning his ministry with all kinds of cures, even the mother-in-law of Peter is healed. But this isn’t why he has come into our midst, and he tell them this. (These are only signs of the truth and veracity of his message.)

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