And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. Luke 6:17-19

Reflection:
When Jesus came down from the mountain after a night of prayer to the Father, he chose his twelve and named the apostles.

But he also took care of the sick and healed their diseases. Jesus had a power to cure those afflicted with unclean spirits. Where in all the earth do we have this today. To heal and remove demons. Back then these people wanted to just touch him and they were healed. We long for this today too.

We do have him in a way that we can be healed. We have him in the Eucharist, where he is present always. Where he can touch our lives with his body. How the power of his life emanates from such a simple, yet complex source. Today we have him in the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, where we can reach out to him, where we can let him heal us, be it spiritually, or physically. In faith he is there to touch us.

Then Jesus said to them,"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged. Luke 6:9-11

Reflection:
There's just no pleasing those Pharisee's. Whether Jesus did or did not they were after him for shaking up their comfortable world. Since in their eyes healing a person must mean work, then they were against it. Even more so since it is on the sabbath.

What was the point Jesus was trying to make, that it is preferable to good on the sabbath than to do evil. Rightly so; healing was doing good to another when we have it in our power to do so as Jesus did. To refuse to do good on the sabbath is like doing evil even though we do nothing. It would be like walking over a fallen person, rather than give a hand to help them up.

Today we remember a day when tragedy struck, when many stopped to help not matter what. They didn't think about themselves in those moments, but of rescuing another. Why does it take tragedies to bring people together to help others selflessly. Those moments are God at work with us all, showing us we can do it when we stop doing it for oursselves.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,"He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Mark 7:37

Reflection:
Jesus did a healing in a very unusual way in this reading. He took a person off to the side to poke his fingers in the ears and touch the tongue. Then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")

As I try to envision this scene, I put myself in this person's place and hope that my ears will be opened and my speech will be cleared, with Jesus' loving touch. All too often I do not hear, but even more so I also do not speak.

How often do we go about with our ears closed to God's word and our speech shut from proclaiming the Word of God. We go about our busy days, hardly hearing what others have to say; to not often listening to the voice that speaks in the silence around us. We hear what goes on, but sometimes we close off the noise without hearing them at all. We have many levels of deafness, that range in scale. Our biggest one is the one we do not hear God whisper to us everyday.

And then we too have many levels of being mute. Out of fear we will not speak of God, out of offending we stay silent. But if it is something that we are passionate about, our voices are heard. I too see myself in the many levels of deafness and muteness, where all too often I have not listened or have not been passionate in voicing God's Word.So today my dearest Jesus, poke your fingers into my ears so I may hear, and touch my tongue so I too may speak eloquently your Word.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8-10

Reflection:
Little did Peter know how true this was going to become. He followed Jesus, and in this act he ended up catching more than he bargained for.

Imagine if this was us way back then, would we have had this faith as Peter did? But what we read in today's Gospel is not just about the catch of many fish, but Peter's humility. "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." What honesty Peter spoke to Jesus, for the lack of trust and faith in him. Because if we put ourselves in Peter's place, our thoughts at the time may just be as his was. How is it possible for us to catch a net full of fish, when we have tried to catch them all day long, and here is this man saying for us to put the net back into the water and try again. Who does this man think he is anyway. Such thought, would bring about humbleness when the impossible happened. So very many fish to fill not one boat, but two.

To witness such a catch, gave Peter what he needed, to be humbled. He knew who Jesus was, but in his hard headedness, or hard heartedness or rather his stubbornness, refused to have complete trust. Was this then the turning point for Peter, I would say, yes.

Is this our turning point too. When out of the many encounters we have daily with our Lord, can we come to trust in him as well. Will this also be the time where we can say yes Lord I will come and follow you, as the apostles have done after realizing this is what they are to do.

Peter struggled with his belief in Jesus, but in the end Jesus won and Peter did too. Look where it got him and what he achieved. Quite amazing, isn't it.