ABOUT MARK’S GOSPEL
The Gospel of Mark offers us a good insight into Jesus and his mission. The author of Mark, from the beginning of chapter one demonstrates Jesus as the suffering servant who like the leper he wished to heal finds himself now outside the town in a reversal of situations. As the suffering servant, He restores our relationship with the Father. By his stripes, we are healed.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Jesus desires healing for the leper, we read that he was moved with pity v. 41. The message for us today is the understanding of the word “pity” with which Jesus demonstrates, “I do will it. Be made clean. v.41. The word for pity has been described as womb or Rakhem in Hebrew. Jesus had this deep desire to bring healing to this leper in an almost maternal way. This is such a profound insight offered to us in the text. Jesus came to show us the Father’s love and right at the beginning of Jesus’ life, we are invited to come to know the love of the Father.
MUTUAL CONCERN
In his book, Gazing on His Face, Robin Ryan, C.P. offers “Real Friendship is grounded in mutual concern. (Ryan, 8)” Can we begin to understand that Jesus’ desire for us is mutual concern of friendship and healing? He desires our healing so much so that he is now on the outside.
NO FRIEND LIKE JESUS
It is often said that a real friend is one who walks in while the world walks out. Christ is the only one who is without sin but out of his love, he has redeemed us. Can anyone die for you like Jesus? Do you make sacrifices in your friendship for/with others? Is your friendship about selfish gain or selfless sacrifice?
A young mother who was asked, who is your cross and she right away replied: “It’s my irresponsible husband because he is always with his friends indulging in drinking celebration and whenever he arrives he subjects me to physical and emotional abuse.”
It is good in every thing to act with deliberation, and to consult with ourselves at least, and, in matters of moment, with our friends and families too, before we decide, but especially to ask counsel of God, and beg direction from him, and observe the guidance of this eye.
This is the way to have both our minds and our purposes established, and to succeed well in our affairs; whereas what is done hastily and with precipitation is repented of at leisure. 🤔
Take time, reflect, pray and you will have done the sooner
Deliberandum est diu, quod statuendum est semel – A final decision should be preceded by mature deliberation.✅
No one stays closer than Christ.
There is no friend more caring than Christ.
JESUS: OUR CROSS-BEARER
Each and everyone of us has our own cross that makes life difficult for us. Sometimes we may even say: why is it that the more that I go near Jesus the heavier the cross that I carry? The cross that we carry is a test of our faith, we would not be able to fully understand the presence of Jesus in our lives without silently carrying and enduring our own cross. What is important is whenever we carry our cross we invite Jesus to help us carry it and ask Him to journey with us with our cross. Let us not question why we have our cross because the cross that burdens us right now is nothing compared to the cross of Jesus.
JESUS: OUR ALL SUFFICIENT FRIEND
Has not Jesus proved himself all-sufficient? He appeals to you this morning—“Have I been a wilderness unto you?” When your soul has simply trusted Jesus, have you ever been confounded? Have you not up till now found your Lord to be a compassionate and generous friend to you, and has not simple faith in him given you all the peace your spirit could desire? Can you so much as dream of a better friend than he has been to you? Then change not the old and tried for new and false. As for the present, can that compel you to leave Christ? When we are hard beset with this world, or with the severer trials within the Church, we find it a most blessed thing to pillow our head upon the bosom of our Saviour.
JESUS: OUR JOY
This is the joy we have today that we are saved in him; and if this joy be satisfying, wherefore should we think of changing? Who barters gold for dross? We will not forswear the sun till we find a better light, nor leave our Lord until a brighter lover shall appear; and, since this can never be, we will hold him with a grasp immortal, and bind his name as a seal upon our arm. As for the future, can you suggest anything which can arise that shall render it necessary for you to mutiny, or desert the old flag to serve under another captain? We think not. If life be long—he changes not. If we are poor, what better than to have Christ who can make us rich? When we are sick, what more do we want than Jesus to make our bed in our sickness? When we die, is it not written that “neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”
JESUS: THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY
Recently in Advent, Pope Francis invited us to reflect on the humility of Jesus. Can we encounter a more example of humility? Absolutely! Read on through this Gospel.
Can we make this our aim for the New Year? To come to know Jesus as a loving, caring and, humble friend? Like our first reading, it is easy to get drawn into chaos and strife around us. Today, in the Gospel, Jesus invites us to look to his love, care, and healing. He wills us to be healed.
Lord to whom shall we go?
Come, Lord, Jesus and fill our hearts with your humility. May we have Peace on Earth in this New Year. Bless, the Lord, O my soul. Amen.
Osho
