Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent.
(Mark 3:4)
The Pharisees had no answer for you, my Jesus? What is my answer? How could I rest on the sabbath if the person next to me were suffering and in need? No rule is more important than the commandment to love you and one another. The Pharisees, who regarded you as a rebel and blasphemer were waiting for you to confirm their beliefs. They would not discuss; instead they plotted to kill you. You threatened their position and their way of life.
When I encounter you, Lord, you call me to change. To what happens and traditions am I clinging? Pope Francis challenges us to look at our complacency and see what we are missing. How can I free myself to follow wherever you lead me? I like routine, privacy, and quiet. I am impatient with interruptions and distractions. Yet, if I find you in all things, I will realize that you are in the interruptions. If I stop to accommodate another, I am still praying, for you are in that other. Please help me to flow from still water into the current, letting you carry me in service as well as in silence.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
He had cured many, and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.
(Mark 3:10)
My Jesus, we, too, long to touch you, for e are sick, whether physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. In your Divine Wisdom, you reach out to us. Today, in the most complete way possible in this life, I will touch your Body in the Host. I will take you in and you will take me in. In your Mystical Body, you will unite us all with you. How can I thank you? I will reach out to my brothers and sisters, for in them, too, I can touch you.
Friday, January 20, 2017
He went up to the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.
(Mark 3:13)
My Jesus, you want us all. Will we come when you summon us? Where will I hear your voice today? I will listen, to the silence, to my neighbors, to the advice of the physical therapist, and to whatever cries for help I might hear. Please make me attentive to your voice.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat When his relatives heard of this, they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
(Mark 3:20-21)
I wonder if your relatives wanted to save you, my Jesus. Your mother might be concerned for your safety, but at the beginning of your public life she had said simply, “Do whatever he tells you.” Perhaps the other relatives dragged her along, saying her Son was in danger. What were their intentions? Some of them probably wanted to rescue you. Other might have wanted to squelch you in order to save face. Either way, they showed no trust in you. What would I have done?
There are people in my life who have revealed mental illness. My reaction is sympathetic, I think, but at the same time wary. I fear what I don’t understand, and how could I have understood your zeal, your miracles, your total disregard of what we call “human respect,” your indifference to your own needs while caring for the needs of others?
By your grace, you give me faith to know you. I thank you for what faith I have and beg you to increase it, especially in these times of deep uncertainty and fear for our country and our world