Born in a small town in Madagascar, Marius Razafimandimby could not have imagined in his childhood that he would one day be living in Australia and completing his final studies towards becoming a Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) priest.Born in a small town in Madagascar, Marius Razafimandimby could not have imagined in his childhood that he would one day be living in Australia and completing his final studies towards becoming a Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) priest.

But, he says that coming across the world to complete his formation at the SVD formation house, Dorish Maru College in Melbourne has broadened his horizons.
“Missionary life is a widening of everyone’s horizon,” he says.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that our faith journey can sometimes experience some serious challenges.  Jesus had said things about Himself and about eating His body and drinking His blood that a number of his followers could not accept.

The movie “Alive” which came out in 1993, featuring John Malcovich and Ethan Hawke, is about the Uruguayan Rugby Team whose plane crashed on the side of the Andes and a lot of their team mates died, together with the pilots and the flight attendants.

As a way of honouring St Mary of the Cross this morning, would you mind if I respond to those words by sharing with you some reflections on the mystery of the Cross?

Maybe once in a while we have met some people who seemed to have everything in life; a good house, a flash car, a high-paying job, manage to travel around the world at a moment’s notice but somehow there’s something that is missing.

In today’s gospel the story of Jesus’ feeding of the thousands that came to hear him preach is a story of a very different kind of miracle.

We used to have a saying in the seminary, “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies those he called.” The first reading and the gospel for today tells us exactly that.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimeFourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year B
Readings: Ezekiel 2:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6.

For it is when I am weak that I am strong

St Paul in today’s second reading makes this extra ordinary statement which sounds a bit weird to the modern ear. When we look around in the advertising world, the communication media, in the regular telecasts, broadcast, etc., weakness is something ‘not good.’ We are constantly bombarded with the image of strength, ‘macho’ physic, ‘need for speed,’ muscle strength and the idea that all this is ‘cool’; St Paul does sound weird! How can he make such a statement? How can we say, ‘When I am weak that I am strong’? 

When we read the second reading, we come across the quote, “My power is at its best in weakness.” Lord’s power works best, when we are weak. That is something to ponder over. 

When do I feel I am weak? The Gospel of today may be able to help us understand this a bit more. Jesus is in his hometown and he goes and teaches in the synagogue on a Sabbath day. It seems the townsfolk know Jesus through and through! Their remarks are amazing! How this weakling, ‘son of carpenter,’ can preach like this? How is he performing these miracles? As the followers of Jesus, we know how he is doing all this. Jesus is filled with God’s power and, whatever may be the weakness people see in Jesus, God’s power is at its best in him. 

The first reading of today, from prophet Ezekiel, affirms this further. The Israelites have begun to believe in their own strength and have forsaken God. They have not recognised God’s prophet among them, for he is considered weak. But God strengthens the prophet by filling him with the Spirit and sending him to the Israelites. In his weakness, God has made him strong.

What about us? Have we ever felt weak against the rejection of the people? Have we been told that we need to be strong always and being weak is ‘not cool’? I feel is it the other way around; being weak is to depend on God’s strength. It is holding on to God’s spirit even when we feel rejected. It is forgiving even when we struggle to forget. It is walking that extra mile, even when we know we will not be appreciated. It is turning the other cheek even when we know we will be treated badly. And this ‘weakness’ is the ‘strength.’ This strength can only come from God. We see that in Jesus, in prophet Ezekiel, in St Paul, in Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero, Mary Mackillop and in countless others who were not ‘macho’ in the eyes of the world, but strong in the presence and with the help of God. 

Let us continue to remember that our strength is not just physical. Being strong in the understanding of media and communications is not everything there is. We need to experience the weakness, so we can depend on the power of God. God’s power is at its best in our weakness.

This morning’s powerful Gospel story of healing is meant to give hope and courage to each one of us, for in one way or another we are all wounded and in need of healing!

A group of 35 parishioners from St Mark’s Parish at Inala in Brisbane saw their faith come alive as they walked in the footsteps of Jesus during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land last month.

The group, led by Fr Stephen Pilly SVD, came from a range of different cultural backgrounds, including Vietnamese, Samoan, Filipino, African and Australian.