Sunday, February 9, 2003

Sunday, February 9, 2003
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings:

Job 7: 1-4, 6-7 – I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.

Psalm 146: 1-6

1 Corinthians 9: 16-19. 22-23 – Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!

Mark 1: 29-39 – Everyone is looking for you

This Sunday’s first reading is from the book of Job, one of the most beautiful books of the First Testament, one of the most beautiful books of humanity. With the exception of the prologue and epilogue, it is written in an elegant poetic language; for some experts it is the highest peak of Biblical Hebrew poetry, and of the universe’s poetry (Jorge Luis Borges).

We are all familiar with the book’s story line: and rich nobleman is tested by God with ever more rigorous trials. A jealous devil has been the provocateur of the divine action, daring the Lord to test his faithful servant. Job receives all the tests with patience, but finally, before some friends who go to visit and duel with him, he begins to question himself and question even God. He is not conscious of having sinned: rigorously examining himself, he finds himself innocent before the Lord. The friends insist that the cause of the evil he is suffering could not be anything else than some hidden sin, hidden even from himself; but Job refuses to accept this possibility. The trial to which god submits him causes him to complain bitterly against life, to express the futility of all efforts and illusions, to desire death, including to regret having been born.

This is the story line of the fragments of Job that we read today. Life is compared to military service, to a struggle, to the tedious tasks of a day laborer. Furthermore there is the swiftness with which time passes, like a mere breath and we don’t have time to enjoy it. Perhaps we find these ideas pessimistic, but we should try to understand them within the context of the book and it’s story life that we synthesized. At any rate, it’s good for us from time to time to be reminded that life is passing us quickly by and that we had better make use it to do something good and positive for others.

In contrast, Saint Paul knows very well in what ways he should spend and use up his life, and he does it with enthusiasm: he has been consecrated to announce the Good News, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he knows that everything is bound up in doing it. “Woe to me if I do not evangelize!” the apostle exclaims in the passage of the First Letter to the Corinthians that we read today. And this urgent responsibility that he has been given, does not signify and reward other than the joy and satisfaction of accomplishing it; he does not receive any pay for his apostolate other than the satisfaction of seeing how the Gospel message is being accepted by the greatest possible number of persons. Paul even does everything he can to accomplish it, adapting himself to the changing circumstance of his different audiences, to the different groups that are hearing his sermons.

The Church in general, and in particular each one of those of the Church who have been called like Paul to the ministry of evangelization, know that this is the destiny and the mission of their existence: to announce to all human beings the Good News of the love, pardon and mercy of God. What is the pay for this work? To be oneself also a beneficiary of the Gospel, a recipient of its gifts. To be oneself taken into the love and tenderness of God.

* Today we read in the evangelist Mark a good part of the so-called “Capernaum Journal” , which would be similar in newspaper terms to those articles titled: “A Day in the Life of …” some important personality. “A Day in the Life of Jesus”: the evangelist has told us that he was in the synagogue with his disciples, teaching and healing, freeing a possessed man whom he found there by chance. We can suppose that this happened on a Saturday morning (1: 21-28) which passage would have been read last Sunday (Fourth in Ordinary Time) except that this year it was superceded by the celebration of the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord.

Today we read the recounting of the rest of the day: Jesus goes with some of his disciples to Peter’s home, and there heals Peter’s mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever. Once healed, she busies herself serving the guests. In the afternoon, the people of the village who had heard of the power and kindness of Jesus, began beating on the door of the house with their sick and possessed loved ones, and the Lord cures them all. The nightfall’s rest finally comes, and before daybreak Jesus goes out seeking a solitary place to pray. Then Peter and the others go looking for him, including the villagers who surely have more sick to be attended. But Jesus does not allow himself to be trapped in Capernaum, because the message of God’s Reign of love for the poor is meant for the whole world, and so he begins to travel all about Galilee speaking in the synagogues and expelling demons.

Preaching the Reign of God, and the healing and liberating miracles that are manifestations of the Reign, was Jesus’ mission. This was the Gospel, the good news that the Apostles later carried onward and for which, like Paul, they gave their lives.

There are some details of this Gospel that we can underline. In the first place is the house, a humble family residence, in a village of fishermen on the shore of the lake. God comes to us in the regular routine of our daily lives. Jesus enters our humble houses, our homes. One needs not go to the temple to find the divine mercy or to hear God’s Word. God reveals himself to us in the eagerness to serve, like Peter’s mother-in-law, which characterizes our relationships with one another.

Another important aspect of today’s Gospel reading: God wants us to live. This is God’s glory, as Saint Ireneus so beautifully expressed it. God wants us to live fully, starting right now and lasting for ever. This is why Christ cured the sick and freed the “possessed” (probably the mentally ill of that time). This is how God reigns: overwhelming us with the divine life, desiring our happiness.

And Jesus Christ is there, surrounded by his disciples, that is, the ones gathered, the assembly, the “ecclesía”, the Church. We Christians ought to take up the task of proclaiming every day the Reign of God, but especially do everything possible every day to build the Reign, struggling for the dignity, the rights, and the happiness of all human beings, especially through the struggle for justice, which will not tolerate that there are victims or poor just as God does not tolerate it. And of course we cannot carry out this task enclosed in our churches, but rather in our everyday reality: the street, our homes, the shopping centers, the workplace, in the media.

For Personal Consideration

Faced with a religious style that was based in pious practices and fulfilling rites and rituals and such, Jesus teaches us to live our faith in His way: “teaching in the synagogues and expelling demons”, “preaching and healing” but with “words and deeds” together. In our own faith, are the words accompanied by deeds? Can it be found, as Jesus taught us, in the effort to eliminate the world’s evil, struggling against the suffering, the injustice and whatever kind of “demon” that oppresses our brothers and sisters?

For the Group’s Consideration

- The Book of Job is above all a simplified presentation of the theme of pain and evil. For his part, Jesus does not “explain” the reason for human suffering, but rather passes through it himself, lives it, assumes it, and overcomes it in order to teach us that we also, even through we pass through suffering and death, are destined for joy and life. Is there any way to “explain” pain?

- I remember that my life is but a short breath … the fleeting nature of this life is a theme seldom if ever considered in modern society. Certainly there are those who become conscious of it in moments of loneliness, of reflection, especially as time passes and age increases, but it is not a matter of conversation, nor is it an object of social discourse. Why? To what can we attribute this situation, which is really ridiculous and senseless? Is it true when they say that we live in a society with its back turned on death that hides it and is afraid to confront it? Do we have facts or experiences to support this?

- Woe is me if I do not evangelize… In our market society, everything is for sale and is measurable, and all is judged by its monetary value. Often what is most expensive is the cost of human labor. Because of this every day there is less room for giving things away. One pays dearly for service. Paul shows us an example of what it means to give one’s life for a cause for its own sake, or, in this case, for the Gospel’s sake, freely, no strings attached, not expecting any payment or reward. If the Gospel’s consequences were measured commercially, they would be found worth-less. And when religion is offered with economic advantages, eventually all is lost. Comment.

- Read the entire passage of the “Capernaum Journal”, “a day in the Life of Jesus”, and comment the principal characteristics of this day.

For the Prayer of the Faithful

For those who suffer pain and sickness, that they may feel the nearness, the care and the love of family and friends, we pray to the Lord…

For those who live alone, without love, without the warmth of family and friends, that they may find persons with whom they can share life, can love and be loved, we pray to the Lord…

For those who are dedicated to proclaiming the Good News, that they do so with energy and dedication and especially with the witness of their lives, we pray to the Lord…

For we who call ourselves disciples of the Lord, that we are always conscious that God is not just for a privileged few, but rather the Father and Mother of all, especially the poor, we pray to the Lord…

For all of us, that we feel that we really are Jesus’ Church, giving witness to his message with joy and hope, we pray to the Lord…

Let us Pray

Oh God, who in Jesus have given us an example of a life dedicated to your Reign: help us to follow this example and also spend our lives for the good of our brothers and sisters – you who are the very essence of love and self giving, for ever and ever.

God, Father and Mother: bring about that we, and all women and men who believe in you, in all the religions of the world, fortified by the strength of your Spirit, will make the effort to show all people your love and welcoming, you who live and reign for ever and ever.

Taken from Diario Biblico (Servicios Koinonia) with permission.

Index of Diario Biblico

Sunday, February 9, 2003 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings: Job 7: 1-4, 6-7 – I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. Psalm 146: 1-6 1 Corinthians 9: 16-19. 22-23 – Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! Mark 1: 29-39 – Everyone is looking for you This Sunday’s first reading is from the book of Job, one of the most beautiful books of the First Testament, one of the most beautiful books of humanity. With the exception of the prologue and epilogue, it is written in an elegant poetic language; for some experts it is the highest peak of Biblical Hebrew poetry, and of the universe’s poetry (Jorge Luis Borges). We are all familiar with the book’s story line: and rich nobleman is tested by God with ever more rigorous trials. A jealous devil has been the provocateur of the divine action, daring the Lord to test his faithful servant. Job receives all the tests with patience, but finally, before some friends who go to visit and duel with him, he begins to question himself and question even God. He is not conscious of having sinned: rigorously examining himself, he finds himself innocent before the Lord. The friends insist that the cause of the evil he is suffering could not be anything else than some hidden sin, hidden even from himself; but Job refuses to accept this possibility. The trial to which god submits him causes him to complain bitterly against life, to express the futility of all efforts and illusions, to desire death, including to regret having been born. This is the story line of the fragments of Job that we read today. Life is compared to military service, to a struggle, to the tedious tasks of a day laborer. Furthermore there is the swiftness with which time passes, like a mere breath and we don’t have time to enjoy it. Perhaps we find these ideas pessimistic, but we should try to understand them within the context of the book and it’s story life that we synthesized. At any rate, it’s good for us from time to time to be reminded that life is passing us quickly by and that we had better make use it to do something good and positive for others. In contrast, Saint Paul knows very well in what ways he should spend and use up his life, and he does it with enthusiasm: he has been consecrated to announce the Good News, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he knows that everything is bound up in doing it. “Woe to me if I do not evangelize!” the apostle exclaims in the passage of the First Letter to the Corinthians that we read today. And this urgent responsibility that he has been given, does not signify and reward other than the joy and satisfaction of accomplishing it; he does not receive any pay for his apostolate other than the satisfaction of seeing how the Gospel message is being accepted by the greatest possible number of persons. Paul even does everything he can to accomplish it, adapting himself to the changing circumstance of his different audiences, to the different groups that are hearing his sermons. The Church in general, and in particular each one of those of the Church who have been called like Paul to the ministry of evangelization, know that this is the destiny and the mission of their existence: to announce to all human beings the Good News of the love, pardon and mercy of God. What is the pay for this work? To be oneself also a beneficiary of the Gospel, a recipient of its gifts. To be oneself taken into the love and tenderness of God. * Today we read in the evangelist Mark a good part of the so-called “Capernaum Journal” , which would be similar in newspaper terms to those articles titled: “A Day in the Life of …” some important personality. “A Day in the Life of Jesus”: the evangelist has told us that he was in the synagogue with his disciples, teaching and healing, freeing a possessed man whom he found there by chance. We can suppose that this happened on a Saturday morning (1: 21-28) which passage would have been read last Sunday (Fourth in Ordinary Time) except that this year it was superceded by the celebration of the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord. Today we read the recounting of the rest of the day: Jesus goes with some of his disciples to Peter’s home, and there heals Peter’s mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever. Once healed, she busies herself serving the guests. In the afternoon, the people of the village who had heard of the power and kindness of Jesus, began beating on the door of the house with their sick and possessed loved ones, and the Lord cures them all. The nightfall’s rest finally comes, and before daybreak Jesus goes out seeking a solitary place to pray. Then Peter and the others go looking for him, including the villagers who surely have more sick to be attended. But Jesus does not allow himself to be trapped in Capernaum, because the message of God’s Reign of love for the poor is meant for the whole world, and so he begins to travel all about Galilee speaking in the synagogues and expelling demons. Preaching the Reign of God, and the healing and liberating miracles that are manifestations of the Reign, was Jesus’ mission. This was the Gospel, the good news that the Apostles later carried onward and for which, like Paul, they gave their lives. There are some details of this Gospel that we can underline. In the first place is the house, a humble family residence, in a village of fishermen on the shore of the lake. God comes to us in the regular routine of our daily lives. Jesus enters our humble houses, our homes. One needs not go to the temple to find the divine mercy or to hear God’s Word. God reveals himself to us in the eagerness to serve, like Peter’s mother-in-law, which characterizes our relationships with one another. Another important aspect of today’s Gospel reading: God wants us to live. This is God’s glory, as Saint Ireneus so beautifully expressed it. God wants us to live fully, starting right now and lasting for ever. This is why Christ cured the sick and freed the “possessed” (probably the mentally ill of that time). This is how God reigns: overwhelming us with the divine life, desiring our happiness. And Jesus Christ is there, surrounded by his disciples, that is, the ones gathered, the assembly, the “ecclesía”, the Church. We Christians ought to take up the task of proclaiming every day the Reign of God, but especially do everything possible every day to build the Reign, struggling for the dignity, the rights, and the happiness of all human beings, especially through the struggle for justice, which will not tolerate that there are victims or poor just as God does not tolerate it. And of course we cannot carry out this task enclosed in our churches, but rather in our everyday reality: the street, our homes, the shopping centers, the workplace, in the media. For Personal Consideration Faced with a religious style that was based in pious practices and fulfilling rites and rituals and such, Jesus teaches us to live our faith in His way: “teaching in the synagogues and expelling demons”, “preaching and healing” but with “words and deeds” together. In our own faith, are the words accompanied by deeds? Can it be found, as Jesus taught us, in the effort to eliminate the world’s evil, struggling against the suffering, the injustice and whatever kind of “demon” that oppresses our brothers and sisters? For the Group’s Consideration - The Book of Job is above all a simplified presentation of the theme of pain and evil. For his part, Jesus does not “explain” the reason for human suffering, but rather passes through it himself, lives it, assumes it, and overcomes it in order to teach us that we also, even through we pass through suffering and death, are destined for joy and life. Is there any way to “explain” pain? - I remember that my life is but a short breath … the fleeting nature of this life is a theme seldom if ever considered in modern society. Certainly there are those who become conscious of it in moments of loneliness, of reflection, especially as time passes and age increases, but it is not a matter of conversation, nor is it an object of social discourse. Why? To what can we attribute this situation, which is really ridiculous and senseless? Is it true when they say that we live in a society with its back turned on death that hides it and is afraid to confront it? Do we have facts or experiences to support this? - Woe is me if I do not evangelize… In our market society, everything is for sale and is measurable, and all is judged by its monetary value. Often what is most expensive is the cost of human labor. Because of this every day there is less room for giving things away. One pays dearly for service. Paul shows us an example of what it means to give one’s life for a cause for its own sake, or, in this case, for the Gospel’s sake, freely, no strings attached, not expecting any payment or reward. If the Gospel’s consequences were measured commercially, they would be found worth-less. And when religion is offered with economic advantages, eventually all is lost. Comment. - Read the entire passage of the “Capernaum Journal”, “a day in the Life of Jesus”, and comment the principal characteristics of this day. For the Prayer of the Faithful For those who suffer pain and sickness, that they may feel the nearness, the care and the love of family and friends, we pray to the Lord… For those who live alone, without love, without the warmth of family and friends, that they may find persons with whom they can share life, can love and be loved, we pray to the Lord… For those who are dedicated to proclaiming the Good News, that they do so with energy and dedication and especially with the witness of their lives, we pray to the Lord… For we who call ourselves disciples of the Lord, that we are always conscious that God is not just for a privileged few, but rather the Father and Mother of all, especially the poor, we pray to the Lord… For all of us, that we feel that we really are Jesus’ Church, giving witness to his message with joy and hope, we pray to the Lord… Let us Pray Oh God, who in Jesus have given us an example of a life dedicated to your Reign: help us to follow this example and also spend our lives for the good of our brothers and sisters – you who are the very essence of love and self giving, for ever and ever. God, Father and Mother: bring about that we, and all women and men who believe in you, in all the religions of the world, fortified by the strength of your Spirit, will make the effort to show all people your love and welcoming, you who live and reign for ever and ever. Taken from Diario Biblico (Servicios Koinonia) with permission. Index of Diario Biblico
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