today's readings are Hebrews 12: 1-4; Psalm 22 and Mk. 5: 21-43
At the start of today's 1st reading we read: "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses ..."
This cloud of witnesses that the author refers to is listed in chapter 11 - people Like Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham - and the author shows how they lived out their faith - with faith being defined by the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things we do not see" (Heb. 11:1)
Today the universal church celebrates another witness to the faith, St. John Bosco, who lived in the 19th century. St. John firmly believed in the dignity and potential of every single human being, no matter how challenging the circumstances one was born into and lived in. John fully understood that every person was made in the image and likeness of God, blessed with gifts and talents. John understood then that his work and the work of the religious order he would found, the Salesians, would be to provide oppotunities for young people to discover and nurture their God given gifts.
The Salesian order has continued this work amongst young people to this day. May God bless all Salesians on this day and the work of their community.
St. John Bosco, pray for us.