Faith

The tongue has become the instrument of satan – Saturday 2nd Week in ordinary time – Memorial of St Agnes – Mark 3:20-21

Do read also another reflection based on this Gospel text. Please click on the link https://www.pottypadre.com/outside-in/

A tremendous sadness sweeps over you as you read this text. Cheap talk has led people to think that Jesus has taken leave of his senses; “he has gone out of his mind.” Was this text from scripture just a loose way of speaking, a colloquial way of saying “what’s wrong with this man?”

To the world at his time, the choices that Jesus made were bizarre. Jesus was a man with a profession. He was a carpenter’s son. No matter what we may think of a carpenter as a job title today, at the time of Jesus, this was no menial job. There were more than two dozen trades prevalent in Biblical times and carpenters and stonemasons were ranked high in demand. Why would Jesus leave it all to become a wandering Rabbi? Surely this was a ‘crazy’ decision.

But if this raised eyebrows then the fact that Jesus was on the hit list of just about every religious group including his own cousins’ disciples seemed to be a justifiable reason to pack shop and go home. We know from Mark chapter 2 and from the texts that will follow, every religious group had knives drawn out against Jesus. Mark 3:6 declares emphatically that the Pharisees and the Herodians conspired against him, formulating a plan to destroy him. To carry on when every powerful agency is against you is nothing short of madness.

In our own nation, Fr Stan Swamy was that ‘mad man’ who must have been advised by many a well-meaning friend to ‘back off’ even a little bit. Fr Stan was the ‘mad man’ who was finally incarcerated in an Mumbai prison, deprived even of a sipper and finally died; a victim of the gross misuse of state machinery to silence the voices that speak up for the marginalized.

Sadly, Our Lord was not just considered mad by the masses but was misunderstood by his own family. We are told in verse 20 that he has come home. As a son of the soil there should have been ‘hoorah’ for this wonder working Rabbi, yet his actions were misunderstood. He was so busy in ministry that sitting down to a meal had become impossible. There is concern from his family for they see how tired he is but the gossip that could be heard from the paper-thin walls had not eluded them. He was being called mad and that would hurt the ego of the members of his family. To them it would be better to nip such talk in the bud by restraining Jesus.

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Then Jesus went home – Friday, 2nd Week in ordinary time – Mark 3:13-19

Do also read this article based on today’s Gospel text. Click on this link https://www.pottypadre.com/followers-or-disciples/

When Jesus chose his twelve, Jesus was at a critical point in his ministry. He had offended the traditions of the religious leadership, and they plotted his destruction. Responding to the opposition, He spent a whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12) and chose 12 disciples. Here is a point of reflection for us all; before we make any major decision in life, we need to spend some serious time talking to God about it. Seek His wisdom and His will about what you are going to do. Never be in a hurry when it comes to life changing decisions.

We are told that Jesus goes up a mountain. Mountains in the Scriptures are holy places associated with the presence of God. Sometimes named, at other times not named, “the mountain” is the location for events of great significance in salvation history, for example, the giving of the Law to Moses on Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Transfiguration on Tabor.

Jesus’ choice of twelve apostles places them in continuity with the twelve tribes of Israel. The apostles are to be the foundation stones of the Church, the New Israel. Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. He chose them for what they could become under his direction and power. Our problem with following Jesus is we are trying to be a better version of us rather than a more accurate reflection of Him.

While there is no call without a corresponding mission it is interesting to note that the initiative is wholly that of Jesus. He summoned “those whom he wanted”. They were “to be with him” as disciples and friends “to be sent out to proclaim the message” and to preach as Jesus himself did “with authority to cast out demons.”

Within this calling, the Lord’s sovereignty is written all over it. He is in control of their calling. Look carefully at the language Mark uses to describe their calling: Jesus “called out” these men, Jesus “appointed” these men, Jesus gives them the title of “apostles,” Jesus would “send” them out to preach, and Jesus would give them “authority to cast out demons.” You cannot ignore the strategic, intentional, and divine nature of this calling. The same is true of us. God has called us, equipped us, and is sending us to accomplish important missions for Him and His kingdom.

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Heartfelt or Hateful ? Thursday, 2nd week in ordinary time – Mark 3:7-12

Read also this article I wrote some time ago based on this Gospel text. you can do that by clicking this link https://www.pottypadre.com/speaking-truth-to-power/

Jesus was clearly not wanted and that was putting it mildly! The preceding verse tells us that the Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him; how to destroy him. There are way too many unnerving words strung up in one sentence; conspired, against and destroy. What if these words were used against us? What if two very influential groups of people were ‘conspiring’ against us? what if they were ‘against us’ and wish to ‘destroy’ us? How would that leave us feeling? What would be our response?

The Gospel of today begins by telling us Jesus’ reaction to such hate; he just moved on. He departs from the synagogue in Capernaum and moves to the harp shaped lake of Galilee. Ironically, the Gospels tell us that while the Pharisees had brick bats ready to throw, the ‘multitudes’ greeted him with bouquets. In three chapters that we have covered of the Gospel of Mark, it has become quite clear that Jesus had become more than just a Galilean sensation; he was now quite the national talk. Scripture tells us that multitudes from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, which is beyond the Jordan and people from the regions of Tyre and Sidon had all flocked to listen to him.

While a modern mind would simply attribute such popularity to the several sensational miracles that Jesus performed, the Gospel have been diligent to record from the get-go that it was his teaching with authority that drew people to him. The Gospel of Mark has not watered down for a minute the teaching ministry of Jesus (1:21, 1:38,1:39, 1:45, 2:2, 2:13). While healers may well have their ministry, it is the hunger for the word of God that sustains the faith of the believer. You may seek a flash in a pan but that’s all you will get!

The Gospel of today has a lesson for us to learn. In the face of such opposition from powerful forces and with hate words like conspiracy and destroy stacked up against us, many would feel compelled to give up the work or ministry we were involved in. Besides the many faith-learnings that Our Lord imparts, his life lessons are equally inspiring. He did not give up his ministry because he faced opposition. He simply moved from the village to the lake. Opposition to ministry is bound to come and while some powerful people may want us out of the way many would be grateful for what you bring to the table.

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Am I right or self- righteous? Wednesday, 2nd Week in ordinary time – Mark 3:1-6

Read also another article on this Gospel text by clicking this link https://www.pottypadre.com/withered-hands-hardened-hearts/

In Mark 1:21 Jesus entered the synagogue in Capernaum. Now, the scriptures mention that he has entered “the synagogue again.” Looking at the text in its sequence, it seems like a week has passed since the previous verse. In Mark 2:23-28, the preceding passage, we are told that it was the sabbath (Mark 2:23). At the end of that sabbath incident, Jesus asserted that “the sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the sabbath.” He also asserted that he is the “Lord of the Sabbath.” Now as if to reiterate a point, St Mark tells us of another narrative in the synagogue of Capernaum, one sabbath later. This time it is clear that the hostility has built up against Jesus for Mark emphatically tells us that “they watched him” (3:2) “so that they might accuse him.”

Our actions should never be brash or with the intent to deliberately cause scandal. However, if done with a clear conscience, then public opinion should not sway us nor influence the good that we would like to do even if it displeases many. In this case, Jesus had asserted his stance on the role of the Sabbath and now once again an act of kindness and mercy was required for a man with a withered hand who was in the synagogue. Once again Jesus appeals to common sense. “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath? To save life or to kill it?”

A heart that beats, does not need to be prompted to answer rightly. Sadly, those in the synagogue that day had become religious extremists if not liturgical terrorist. For them, the law surpassed love; rigidity took precedence over humanity! They knew that Jesus was right but they did not want to give up their right to hold a religious law that they held slavishly. This was their chance for slavish shackles to be broken but they chose the chains of religious rigidity. Scripture tells them they were silent to the question asked by Jesus when in fact applause should have been the response.

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No snacking – Tuesday, Memorial of St Anthony the Abbott – Mark 2:23-28

Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Mark begins with five controversy narratives. Our text of today highlights the fourth controversy, this time with the Pharisees. Earlier in 2:1-12 he had a run in with the scribes. In Mark 2:13-17 it was the scribes of the Pharisees who objected to Jesus’ dining with sinners and tax collectors. In 2: 18-22 it was the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees who got together to targets Jesus on the issue of fasting and now we have the Pharisees who take umbrage with Our Lord.

More than the miracles of Jesus, it was the statements that he uttered on those occasions that got the ears of the Pharisees all puckered up. To compound matters, Jesus then calls Levi, a tax collector to be a disciple and much to the horror of the Pharisees dines with him and his friends. At first, the Pharisees merely questioned the actions of this rabbi but then begin to get agitated. “Why does this fellow speak in this way?” (2:7) Finally, they take their ire and irritation to the door step of Jesus in order to chastise him for being a bad example to his disciples.

Who knew that a Sabbath snack would kick up such a ruckus? The Old Testament, especially the First five books of the Law, has just one thing to say about the Sabbath; keep it holy (Exodus 20: 8- 11). The Rabbis seemed unhappy with such a basic law and found it necessary to specify thirty nine actions as forbidden on the Sabbath; amongst them were reaping, winnowing, threshing and preparing a meal. But every law has an exception and this was no different. Humanitarian grounds exempted one from these actions on the Sabbath. Saving a life took precedence over keeping the law.

The disciples are hungry and walking through the grain fields now perform three actions which for the Pharisees constituted as work on the Sabbath; the plucked, they threshed or rubbed it in their hands and they ate (the entire process cumulatively seems like they baked some bread). The Pharisees now have their cause to pick to a fight with Jesus.

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