In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about glory and love, and what he says is the opposite of what people think. Most people think that glory means the esteem of others and people admire those who pursue the four Pernicious Ps: power, possessions, pleasure and prestige. But in our Gospel, we see that true glory is enjoyed only by those who embrace the cross, living lives of sacrificial love. 

Our passage begins with Judas going out to cut a deal with Jesus’ adversaries, so it is clear that all of Jesus’ words about glory are spoken in the shadow of the cross. “When Judas had left them, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified with him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself…'” 

So Jesus’ glory is the fruit of his sacrifice. But then he makes two further — unexpected — connections between glory and sacrifice, which is very appropriate for this Mass in which we install Joshua Osborn as an acolyte, the last ministry that our seminarians receive prior to ordination to the diaconate. 

1) Jesus’ cross glorifies his Father. Why? Because by embracing this cross as his Father’s will for him, he is obeying his Father and thus honors his Father. We experience this in our own families: when children obey their parents, they honor them, when they disobey them, they dishonor them. When we don’t do what God asks of us, we dishonor him. 

2) Jesus’ cross glorifies us. By sacrificing his son, God, whom we should honor, honors us. That is the most astounding thing about glory: even for God, glory is the fruit of sacrifice. In the incarnation, God humbles himself, taking on our broken human condition in order to set us free from the power of sin and death. 

But he doesn’t just want our appreciation: he wants our love! God’s glory is most clearly revealed in Jesus writhing in agony on the cross, having sacrificed everything out of love for us: powerless, no longer possessing even his clothing, thoroughly degraded. Love that we in no way deserve, love that offers us a share in his glory.

In the second half of our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that he is looking for the same love from us in return, which is where our greatest glory lies too. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” 

Jesus loved us without any thought of personal benefit for himself and since that’s how he has loved us, that’s how he commands us to love others — without any thought of personal benefit. Notice, this is not merely a recommendation! He says, “I give you a new commandment!” 

In this regard, I would like to point out something we often overlook regarding Jesus and regarding our own relationships, namely, that he loves us with understanding. Jesus knew in advance who would betray him, who would deny him and who would abandon him; .he accepted these men just as they were, defects and all and when the time came, he forgave them. 

He knows all the same things about us. If Jesus wanted to recruit 12 men with the finest human qualities, he had a lot of better options than the coarse men he chose for his inner circle. That’s how we are to love too. Without making distinction of persons and always ready to forgive because we know our own need for forgiveness too. 

This is especially true regarding forgiveness within families. As they say, you can pick your friends, but not your family, like it or not. And the love that is too proud to forgive or to seek forgiveness will wither and die. The people we hurt the most are often the people whom we love the most, and it is doubly tragic when our pride keeps us from humbling ourselves and seeking forgiveness from them. That was the real tragedy in Judas’ life; it was also Peter’s saving grace.

“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”   

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily May 18.

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued this statement June 2 in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and outrage, grief and anger expressed in Arkansas and across the country over the latest killing of an unarmed black man. The killing of the 46-year-old Floyd was recorded on a widely disseminated video showing a white police officer in Minneapolis pushing down on his neck with his knee May 25. Floyd was later pronounced dead.

Last Sunday we celebrated the great feast of Pentecost, the day when Jesus’ earliest followers were empowered by the Holy Spirit to go forth and proclaim to all the nations the Good News that in Jesus’ victory over the power of sin and death, the walls that separate people must now come down.

The diversity of languages that day gives witness to the fact that the Kingdom of God will include people of every race and tongue. Jesus proclaimed this vision of inclusion throughout his public ministry. What was the greatest commandment of the Law? We must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And what is the second commandment? That we love our neighbor as ourselves. These are commandments of God, not just recommendations. Loving our neighbor as ourselves leaves no room for anything that harms our neighbor. And in our country, no disease has inflicted more harm to our African American neighbors than that of racism. Both individual acts of hatefulness and systemic evils rooted in our nation’s history that continue to produce societal differences that especially disadvantage many African American children right from birth.

If the George Floyd murder had been just an isolated incident, we might be able to chalk it up to a single bad actor — accompanied by several bad actor “see-no-evil” companions, made worse by the fact that as police officers they were sworn to uphold the law, not turn a blind eye to murder. But coming in the wake of several other such occurrences, it is clear that acts of racial hatred are not just something in the past — nor are African Americans the only victims. Remember last year’s massacre in El Paso that targeted Hispanics, killing 23 persons and injuring 23 more. Most of us are not so malicious as to ever do anything directly intended to harm someone of another race, but our willingness to tolerate the systemic economic and social disparities that so disadvantage people of color right from birth is also very damaging to the entire fabric of our society.

Surely all fair-minded people can see that this has got to change. Police officers as a group is not the problem — most of them are outstanding, self-sacrificing public servants tasked with a very demanding and dangerous job. Most of them deserve our compassion, respect and admiration. Moreover, there is no justification for violence, regardless of the righteous anger that many are feeling, nor the destruction of property, understandable though it may be. The problem is the structures of racism that are embedded throughout our economy and society, much of which is invisible to us who are not ourselves disadvantaged, but often glaringly evident to those who are — and so the frustration and grievances and pent up anger builds.

The bottom line is that we as a nation need to remove those things that continue to harm our neighbor. Racism will only end when everyone has — and feels like they have — equal protection under the law, a just wage, decent housing and true access to health care, among other basic human rights.

Here in the South, removing things that continue to harm our neighbor includes removing anything that serves to memorialize the Confederacy in a positive way. This is especially necessary when it comes to monuments to the so-called “Lost Cause,” most of which were erected not in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War but rather during the height of the Jim Crow era as a means of intimidation and assertion of white superiority. The use of the Confederate battle flag must be abandoned as well, indeed anything intended to put this horror in our national history in a false positive light. Even if some consider these to be symbols of our identity as white Southerners, they need to be set aside because much of the population finds them hateful — otherwise we are not loving our neighbor as ourselves. Is that too high a price to pay for helping to heal the deep racial wounds in our nation’s soul? Surely not.

You don’t have to be African American to see these symbols and recoil with disgust. If our white Southern identity needs a touchstone — for what purpose I cannot imagine — we need to find something inoffensive instead. As for the Confederacy, the numerous cemeteries we have are already enough to memorialize a time that is better dead and buried, once its bitter lessons have been learned. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963).

What is the greatest commandment of the Law? This is worth repeating!  We must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Racism and all its demeaning expressions must be eliminated, not only because they harm our neighbor, but because they violate how God has created us to be.

Final installment of a two-part series on dating and Catholic singles

In a fast-paced world of evolving technology and social media, the idea of love at first sight is often traded in for intrigue at first click.  

For adults savvy with a smart device or computer and committed to finding love, online dating has become a real prospect. According to a Pew Research Center study in 2015, 15 percent of adults have dated online through websites and apps.

The stigma and misconceptions about finding love online are changing and it has become a viable option for Catholics.

Friend request

When Pew Research conducted a survey to find out the online dating habits of U.S. citizens in 2005, it was considered a “subpar way” to meet someone.

Nick and Kristin Ables, youth ministers at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock, married in 2012 after meeting online two years earlier. It was the first time either had created an online dating profile on CatholicMatch.com.

“I think it goes back to not wanting to tell people first off you have an online (dating) account. When I was in college I thought that makes me look desperate and it’s kind of sketchy too,” Kristin said.

They met in person for the first time on New Year’s Day 2011, when Nick, from Little Rock, visited her at college in Tennessee.

“When we first went to dinner with her friends, she had this whole back story of how we met” rather than online, Nick laughed. “I think it was more about what we thought people would think as opposed to what they thought … nobody we’ve told has ever said anything about it other than ‘oh that’s cool.’”

Today, about half of people surveyed know someone who has dated online and just 23 percent believe online dating is “desperate,” compared to 29 percent in 2005. In 2015, 59 percent believe that online dating is a good way to meet someone, compared to just 44 percent 10 years ago.

The Ables, who welcomed daughter Siena Catherine Aug. 22, are part of just 5 percent of Americans who married or are in a committed relationship with someone they met online, pewresearch.org stated. 

Branson Shaffer, 24, a history and religion teacher at St. Edward School in Little Rock, found his girlfriend a year and a half ago online.

“It was, ‘Oh man, online dating is only for if you can’t find somebody.’ You were so bad at dating people you know, you had to go online. Which I think is a terrible way to look at it,” he said. “It just opens up so many options of people you never would meet but would be a perfect match for you.”

Wide World on the Web

From 2013 to 2015, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who used online dating almost tripled, from 10 percent to 27 percent. It has raised for those 35 to 44 years old to 21 percent and up to 12 percent for 55 to 64 year olds.

While Nick and Kristin, living in different states at the time, both admit they had to “weed out” people they met online, it was an opportunity to meet people not limited to their area, who shared the same values.

“We couldn’t go on dates with each other and we were forced to talk more and get to know each other that way,” Kristin said. “We were able to know each other deeper before we got to be together.”

That built-up connection helped, considering the first time they met did not set off any sparks.

“I told him you’re going to make some girl very happy one day,” Kristin laughed. Nick added, “It was just so different being in person. But, I just kept texting her.”

At one point, the couple had 15,000 texts together in one month.

For Shaffer, a bad break-up pushed his friends to intervene for him. 

“They said, ‘No Branson, you need to get out there and at least meet people.’ They downloaded on my phone, of all things, Tinder,” Shaffer laughed. Tinder, a dating app, has become known more for casual dating, rather than finding a real relationship. “They wouldn’t stop hounding me about it. I said, ‘OK I’ll do it’ … Olivia was really the first person I talked to and we’ve been together ever since.”

Shaffer joined the Church in 2014, and met Olivia Collins, 21, soon after.

“She had in her bio all this cool stuff — she was into film, art and music and I thought this was someone I can get along with,” Shaffer said. “But the first thing she had on there was like ‘bride of Christ.’ I thought, ‘OK, I can actually relate.’ Unless this is a trick, she’s advertising she believes in God and follows him. I’ll chance this one.”

Collins said Shaffer “seemed very intelligent, that’s what kind of drew me to him.” Plus, his profile photo was on a rock plateau, which was Masada in Israel.

“Her first question was, ‘Where was your picture taken? That looks awesome’ and then she asked if it was a pilgrimage. Kind of our first talk was about religious beliefs, the first thing you’re not supposed to talk about,” Shaffer laughed.

Both students at UCA, the two were studying in different departments and likely never would have crossed paths. Collins, who was nondenominational, joined the Church this Easter and the couple plan on getting engaged.

“I think it just opens up the possibilities of finding somebody you’re actually compatible with; especially if you don’t want to date people in your friend base,” Collins said of online dating.

Finding a Catholic Match

While there are several reputable dating sites, CatholicMatch.com is committed to helping people find those that share Catholic values.

“We are a major tool in the lives of people looking for sacramental marriages,” said Robyn Lee, managing editor of CatholicMatch Institute. “We provide content and education for Catholics so they can better discern dating and marriages. It’s really evolved.”

CatholicMatch started as Saint Raphael.net in 1999 and grew into a dating website that counted its one millionth registered profile in 2013, with thousands of marriages reported each year.

“‘If you’re online you’re a freak and only ax murders are on there,’” Lee said of the old way of thinking. “There’s a total mentality change. The internet and social media have become a part of our daily lives.”

The company provides an online guide to using CatholicMatch for the best results, Lee said.

“Online dating isn’t this magic thing. If you buy a membership to a gym are you automatically going to be buff and thin? It’s the same concept with online dating,” Lee said. “It’s a tool; it’s not meant to completely fill your life. Relationships happen face to face. We encourage people to use this tool to meet people when they normally wouldn’t.”

It is free to join, but there are also paid subscriptions that provide more content, Lee said.

While a person does not have to be Catholic, several questions will be asked before a profile is posted, including: Do you accept Church teaching on the Eucharist, sanctity of life, premarital sex, the Immaculate Conception, etc.?

Lee said having “deal breakers” are healthy, but some take it too far.

“Are you excluding someone who is a Yankees fan because you’re a Red Sox fan?,” Lee said. “It’s very good and healthy to have those deal breakers about faith and raising children. But take a step back and think — are you making a list of a perfect spouse and does that person not exist?”

Instead of just being an online dating presence, CatholicMatch has kept close ties to the Church, officially launching CatholicMatch Institute (catholicmatch.com/institute), an online resource with information and blogs about Catholic teachings on marriage and dating for single people, couples, Church leaders and diocesan family life offices in 2013.

Though online dating may not be that love-at-first-sight story, it is still another way for God to be the supreme matchmaker. 

“I think through online dating it really allows God to work because he’s going to allow you to meet the person you’re meant to be with,” Nick Ables said.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Following is a series of quotes from Catholic leaders and observers reacting April 8 to the issuance of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation "'Amoris Laetitia" ("The Joy of Love"), on Love in the Family":

• "'Amoris Laetitia' is a joyful invitation for families to live the works of mercy and to receive the gift of God's healing where there is sin and brokenness. As he has done time and again, Pope Francis challenges us to approach the weak with compassion, to 'enter into the reality of other people's lives and to know the power of tenderness.'" — Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston.

• "Personally, I was encouraged by what the pope has to say about preparing men and women for marriage and about our need to accompany couples, especially during those early years when they are just starting out on the path of their life together. I was also touched by our Holy Father's call for all of us in the church to reach out with compassion to wounded families and persons living in difficult situations." — Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles.

• "Amoris Laetitia" is a serious and extensive reflection on Christian marriage. While it changes no church teaching or discipline, it does stress the importance of pastoral sensitivity in dealing with the difficult situations many married couples today face. Pope Francis is skilled at analyzing the cultural forces that make Christian marriage a unique witness, and often a special challenge. His recognition of the importance of children and the value of adoption are great expressions of support for family life. Happily, the kind of pastoral discernment called for in Amoris Laetitia is already happening in many of our parish communities, and the Holy Father's encouragement, coming just months after the World Meeting of Families, is a great gift." — Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.

• "With 'Amoris Laetitia' ('The Joy of Love'), Pope Francis has provided the church with an in-depth reflection on Christian marriage, the intricacies of relationships, and the struggles that people face in modern society. … In the introduction of 'Amoris Laetitia,' Pope Francis advises everyone to carefully read through the document because of its length and sometimes complex passages on matters of great significance. While many commentators and pundits will make their interpretations known in the media in the coming days, the Holy Father's advice is sound. I will also follow this advice and will offer my own thoughts after careful reflection and consideration." — Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver.

• "This compassionate approach asks the church to walk with families, to help them navigate the many challenges they face in the world today with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the truth of Catholic teaching. Our priests, deacons and laity are accompanying these people, staying close to them and reaching out to them. While the journey toward ideal situations might seem slow in coming, God is working in their lives, and we should appreciate that fact. 'Amoris Laetitia' … is a joyful invitation to families to live the works of mercy and to receive the gift of God's healing where there is sin and brokenness." — Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio.

• "It is very important to note that Pope Francis is writing to us during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Everyone is to be an agent of mercy and closeness wherever family life lacks peace and joy. Strong, loving families strengthen the individuals within them and our communities as a whole. The church must provide pastoral support for families in good times and bad, empowering them to witness that marriage, children and life-long faithful commitment are a beautiful and fulfilling way to live." — Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh.

• "The Church feels the challenge of a changing culture and must reassess its efforts in helping those who, for example, are divorced and remarried to know that they are welcome. Sometimes what the church actually teaches and why it holds these teachings is not communicated as effectively as others' perceptions of who and what we are about. That is exactly why Pope Francis calls upon us to make a bold effort: so that all Catholics — indeed all people of good will — will see the effort that the church is making to be close to them, regardless of what their situation might be or how alienated from the church they may feel." — Bishop Peter A. Libasci of Manchester, New Hampshire.

• "There are no changes to canon law or church doctrine introduced in this document, as Pope Francis explains, 'If we consider the immense variety of concrete situations such as those I have mentioned, it is understandable that neither the Synod nor this exhortation could be expected to provide a new set of general rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases.' Rather, the Holy Father says, 'In order to avoid all misunderstanding, I would point out that in no way must the church desist from proposing the full ideal of marriage, God's plan in all its grandeur." — Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois.

• Pope Francis stresses the very different challenges families face around the world and calls on Catholics to "let us make this journey as families, let us keep walking together. Pope Francis clearly sees the challenges Catholic Relief Services faces in serving more than 100 countries around the world. He sees the single mother with her children fleeing violence in Syria, he sees the farmer realizing that his children will not have enough food for the next season. He also shows us the way ahead by calling us to walk together with these families. It is beautiful that he calls for us to act as one human family to strengthen families throughout our world." — Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services.

• "All of us at Priests for Life welcome the document issued today by Pope Francis called 'Amoris Laetitia,' which summarizes his teaching following the two worldwide synods of bishops held in the last two years on the topic of the family. We encourage all the clergy and laity to carefully read, study, discuss and apply this document, which repeats the church's teaching on life, marriage and family, and urges all of us to encourage one another with compassion and care as we strive to live that teaching." — Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.

• "Amoris Laetitia abounds with beautiful language that affirms the unique gift of Christian marriage. It reminds us marriage is an essential vessel for the discovery of the joy of the Gospel and the loving message of Jesus Christ who used the metaphor of marriage to describe his own relationship with the church. The Catholic Association looks forward to working through this gift from the Holy Father with prayerful patience with the guidance of our bishops and theologians." — Ashley McGuire, Senior fellow with the Catholic Association.

• "He (Pope Francis) demonstrates exquisite sensitivity to the way that poverty, housing problems, violence, drugs, migration, arranged marriages, abandonment and persecution affect the family. Indeed, part of his rationale for pastoral sensitivity toward the divorced and remarried is his recognition that financial pressures often lead to remarriage. Francis' compassion runs out when it comes to the kinds of marital problems associated with the wealthy. No compassionate caveats are offered for those using contraception or reproductive technology. Surrogacy is denounced in scathing terms and contraception (is) tied to greed and consumerism." — Candida R. Moss, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame.

• "The Vatican offers seeds of hope for a church moving away from general and strict doctrinal rules to one of grace and growth. This challenging, and at times poetic document exhibits highs and lows, both championing pastoral discernment, the primacy of conscience, and even 'the women's movement,' but is riddled with an incomplete and painful understanding of feminism, reproductive health, gender, and sexual identity." — Women's Ordination Worldwide.

• "Voice of the Family wishes to express our serious concerns about certain elements of (the) apostolic exhortation 'Amoris Laetitia.' The laity have a grave duty, as laid out in canon law, to raise their concerns publicly for the good of the church. We consider that there are elements of 'Amoris Laetitia' that Catholics simply cannot accept. We make our criticisms with the greatest reverence for the papal office and out of a desire to assist the hierarchy in its proclamation of Catholic teaching on life, marriage and the family. As pro-life/pro-family, groups we have a duty to help protect families and their most vulnerable members." — Maria Madise, manager, Voice of the Family.

• "'Amoris Laetitia' offers a theologically compelling vision of marriage and family life for the church. … He deals with divorce and cohabitation pastorally, building the case for a scriptural and theological formation of conscience. It's a document that will have an influence upon the church's theology of and pastoral practice for marriage for the next generation." — Timothy O'Malley, director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy.

As a young associate pastor at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock in 1960, Msgr. John O’Donnell was considered a “troublemaker,” as were a few other priests in the diocese. It wasn’t for any disruptive behavior, but merely following Jesus’ call to love one another — black and white.

The now-retired Msgr. O’Don­nell, 87, recalled for Arkansas Catholic his memories of being a priest in Little Rock during the 1957 crisis at Central High as well as visiting Selma after the 1965 voting rights marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King, most recently depicted in the film “Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay.

“Myself and there were five other priests, we got involved peripherally and Bishop (Albert) Fletcher was not happy about that,” the Pennsylvania native told Arkansas Catholic. “He didn’t want priests getting their name or picture in the paper. So we were out of favor … No one wanted to be identified with troublemakers and law-breakers and do-gooders, all of which we and others were called, who were trying to establish a little peace and sanity and conversation.”

Even mixing with other people of faith was not welcomed at that time in Little Rock.

“We did the same thing with inter-religious conversations, working with Episcopalians; I’ll work with anybody on anything and so the diocesan office here named us the ‘Ecumanics’ because we were trying to be ecumenical, to be friends with everybody — the Protestants, the blacks, the do-gooders,” Msgr. O’Donnell said.

The priest said Bishop Fletcher did not want the Church to get involved with “political issues” like integration, but Msgr. O’Donnell always viewed it as a human rights issue.

“My viewpoint was that we ought to be at the forefront of peace and racial justice and common sense and respect,” Msgr. O’Donnell said. “Jesus said we’re supposed to love each other and this is supposed to be the land of the free, the home of the brave, the United States of America.”

Even as Msgr. O’Donnell, who was ordained in 1954, watched the National Guard, rifles in hand, take their place at Little Rock Central High School in 1957 to block nine black students from entering the all-white school, there was no response from the Catholic Church. 

“The Catholic Church in Arkansas took no public stand as a matter of fact. We had reporters here from all over the world at Central High School … there was a reporter here, Drew Pearson,” from New York who was well known for his columns and radio show, “he had an appointment with the superintendent of Catholic schools. He said what is the Catholic Church doing in this crisis? And the superintendent said, ‘It’s none of our business; we have our own schools,’” Msgr. O’Donnell said.

After however, Bishop Fletcher did write in The Guardian, predecessor to Arkansas Catholic, that it was wrong to stop peaceful integration.

Then there was the nationwide footage of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., where black people were protesting for their right to vote with no restrictions. The march didn’t make it past the now infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge where people were viciously beaten by police on May 7, 1965, known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Dr. Martin Luther King released a public call for religious leaders and anyone who believed in civil rights throughout the nation to march and thousands followed, including a handful of priests from Arkansas.

An April 2, 1965, edition of The Guardian made reference to the march: “One hundred Catholic priests and religious brothers and 25 religious sisters, who ignored the custom of asking the local bishop’s permission to demonstrate in his diocese and took part in the recent Selma-to-Montgomery racial march, have been defended by two cardinals and upbraided by the Alabama state legislature.”

Msgr. O’Donnell took the trip to Selma with friends after the first wave of the march to show his support for the cause.

“We had been following it on the radio … about the beatings and the dogs and the fire hoses and the billy clubs and all that business; Kids from up north being killed,” Msgr. O’Donnell said. “We weren’t looking for trouble obviously; we just kind of walked around,” including over Edmund Pettus Bridge. “There wasn’t any great organization, just get out there and do something.”

The experience in Selma was brought back to Msgr. O’Donnell’s mind when he recently went to the theater to watch “Selma,” starring David Oyelowo as Dr. King.

“It’s gut-wrenching. And you just wonder how all that was possible,” Msgr. O’Donnell said. “You just wonder what it would have been like if we had supported the Civil Rights Act, integration.”

Though the scenes from the civil rights struggle are locked in the past, Msgr. O’Donnell said Catholics have more to do to break down racial barriers and live out the faith how God intended.

 “Practice what we preach and what we preach is the brotherhood of mankind. We’re all brothers and sisters under God and the Church always preaches justice and cooperation and reaching out to the disenfranchised, taking care of the poor people,” Msgr. O’Donnell said.

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily Feb. 1.

Every one of us has problems personally or in our families, and there are huge problems in our world. Physical problems, addictions to all kinds of things, including now gambling and pornography, marital difficulties, problems with the kids, immigration problems, unemployment, problems with the boss. And even more darkness in our larger world — terrorism in Paris, ISIS in Syria, Russians in Ukraine, millions of refugees and victims of human trafficking worldwide.

We all need a Savior to break the chains of sins we feel powerless to resist and set us free from the power of darkness and all the false gods of this world that promise happiness but end up enslaving us instead.

It was no different 2,000 years ago. In today’s Gospel Jesus casts out an unclean spirit. Jesus heals the possessed man, saves him and sets him free. Elsewhere he heals 10 lepers, a woman with a hemorrhage, a boy with epilepsy and a paralytic. He opened the eyes of a blind man, the ears and tongue of a deaf-mute and heals a cripple.

At first Jesus was famous mainly as a teacher and healer, and only later did people discover that he was also their Savior, something they realized gradually as they reflected on the meaning of his teaching and miracles, which we also see in today’s Gospel.

Mark writes, “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.’” Mark then adds, “His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.”

Have you experienced the power of Jesus to solve the problems in your life? If you will allow Jesus to do so, he will open your heart to the meaning of truths you had not previously understood. And not just your brain, also your heart because some truths can only be perceived by the heart. Truths that the world rejects but which are Good News for all who want to be healed, saved and set free. Starting with the dignity of the human person at all stages of existence, from conception to natural death and every point in between. Also truths regarding sexual morality and human rights.

In today’s Gospel Jesus frees a man who was tormented by an unclean spirit — in that case the devil — but there are other unclean spirits. Pride is an unclean spirit, so also is envy, lust and greed. Some are possessed by hatred which makes them feel miserable all the time.

Others are enslaved to compulsions and habits of sin that have taken possession of them almost as if they were possessed by a demon. Jesus can free us from all these unclean spirits as well, but only insofar as we commit ourselves to doing whatever is necessary to stay free once Jesus has done his part.

Unfortunately, many people don’t really want to be free. Alcoholics who say they want to quit but won’t go to their AA meetings. Habitual sinners who say they want to overcome their vices but are unwilling to avoid the near occasion of sin. For instance, men addicted to pornography who won’t ask a friend to install a filter on their computer and not tell them what the password is. They may say they want to quit, but their actions tell a very different story.

How about you? Jesus has come to heal you, save you and set you free.

As we saw in today’s Gospel, he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. Elsewhere he heals the sick and throughout the Gospels he shows us how to embrace our crosses with love and thereby make them redemptive. But we do have to respond and not just with words but also dedicating ourselves to doing whatever is necessary to stay free once Jesus has done his part.