Our Lord is the Lord of Life, and he gives us the power and authority to be people of life. To assist us in becoming and being people of life, in the first reading, from the Book of Deuteronomy, God speaks to us of giving us prophets. God gives us teachers of faith, our Lord speaks to us through his Church. Our Lord wants us to be free from undue distress and anxiety, as St. Paul speaks about in the second reading, although anxieties do come to us, expected and unexpected. Today’s prayer over the offerings speaks to us of transformation: our gifts are transformed into the Sacrament of our redemption. In a mysterious way, in a way known only to God, the things we bring to the Lord - our joys, our sorrows, our successes, our failures – become part of a spiritual worship that we can offer. This is a great mystery.
In the Gospel, our Lord Jesus manifests his authority by casting out an unclean spirit. Christ casts out this demon in order to heal the poor, suffering individual, who had been in bondage probably for many years. Jesus is the Lord of Life, and He acts to protect that life at all its stages.
I thank you for praying for my father, who will be undergoing serious surgery on Monday. I thank all those who in these days of my absence, are taking care of St. Hedwig’s parish and are attending to the needs of St. Hedwig’s parishioners: Brother Grzegorz, Fr. Jerry, our deacons, the parish staff. Thank you for your assistance, prayers and intercession.
(Fr. Paweł Ratajczak, OMI, Jan. 28, 2024)