Bible
Study: 1 Kings 8, 1 to 7 and 9 to 13.
Mark 6, 53 to 56.
Although God
is everywhere, our catechism makes us understand that God dwells in a special
way in the temple. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true believers would worship
not on this mountain nor on that mountain but in spirit and truth. Worshipping God
in spirit demands that we are spiritually conscious of God’s presence wherever
we go and that we show respect for places dedicated to him.
Hence,
Jesus would go to the temple to drive out the money changers saying: “My House
(that is, God’s dwelling place) shall be a house of prayer…” We know God dwells
in a temple because that is where the children of God gather to pray. Jesus
again tells us that “wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am with
you.” So because that is the place twos and threes gather, we know God is
there.
When Solomon
finished building the temple, he made such a great sacrifice that the number of
sheep and goats could not be numbered. There was a thick cloud in the temple, a
visible sign of God’s presence. Today, our churches do not contain signs but
the real presence of God in the Holy Eucharist. This is what Jesus has done for
us by his death and resurrection.
It takes
faith to recognise that God is present in the temple. It required faith of the
people to see in Jesus, somebody more than just an ordinary men like them. As we
read in today’s Gospel passage, the people RECOGNISED Jesus, they ran from all
over the neighbourhood bringing with them the sick and as many as those who
touched even the fringe of his garments were made well.
With this
same kind of faith, let us approach the Church today. And no matter what
troubles us, God alone is the solution.
Today we
remember a great woman, Josephine Bakhita. She was born in Sudan in 1869 and
died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947. Bakhita was not the name she received from her
parents at birth. The fright and the terrible experiences she went through made
her forget the name she was given by her parents. Bakhita, which means
“fortunate”, was the name given to her by her kidnappers. Sold and resold in
the slave markets of El Obeid and of Khartoum, she experienced the humiliations
and sufferings of slavery, both physical and moral. In the Capital of Sudan,
Bakhita was bought by an Italian Consul, Callisto Legnani. For the first time
since the day she was kidnapped, she realized with pleasant surprise, that no
one used the lash when giving her orders; instead, she was treated in a loving
and cordial way. Political situations forced the Consul to leave for Italy.
Bakhita asked and obtained permission to go with him. There Bakhita became a
babysitter and friend.
With time,
Bakhita came to know God through Canossian Sisters in Venice. After several
months in the catechumenate, Bakhita received the sacraments of Christian
initiation and was given the new name, Josephine. It was January 9, 1890. She
did not know how to express her joy that day. With each new day, she became
more aware of who this God was, whom she now knew and loved, who had led her to
Him through mysterious ways, holding her by the hand. Bakhita remained in the
catechumenate where she experienced the call to be a religious, and to give
herself to the Lord in the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa. On December
8, 1896 Josephine Bakhita was consecrated forever to God whom she called with
the sweet expression “the Master!”
For
another 50 years, this humble Daughter of Charity, a true witness of the love
of God, lived in the community in Schio, engaged in various services: cooking,
sewing, embroidery and attending to the door. Her humility, her simplicity and
her constant smile won the hearts of all the citizens. Her sisters in the
community esteemed her for her inalterable sweet nature, her exquisite goodness
and her deep desire to make the Lord known.
As she
grew older she experienced long, painful years of sickness. Mother Bakhita
breathed her last on February 8, 1947 at the Canossian Convent, Schio,
surrounded by the Sisters. A crowd quickly gathered at the Convent to have a
last look at their «Mother Moretta» and to ask for her protection from
heaven. The fame of her sanctity has
spread to all the continents and many are those who receive graces through her
intercession.
Let us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, help me to know you more and love you deeply. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is
well with you. Happy new week.
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