|
4TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
February 1, 2009 Year: B
Deut. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:17, 32-35; Mk. 1:21-28
Jesus entered the
synagogue and taught
First Reading...
"Moses spoke to the people: he said: 'The Lord your God
will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your
own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what
you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day
of the assembly when you said: 'If I hear the voice of
the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great
fire, I shall die.''
Then the Lord replied to me: 'They are right in what
they have said, I will raise up for them a prophet like
you from among their own people: I will put my words in
the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them
everything that I command.
Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet
speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But
any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who
presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not
commanded the prophet to speak - that prophet shall
die.'" [Deut. 18:15-20]
Second Reading...
"Brothers and sisters, let each of you lead the life
that the Lord has assigned, to which God has called you.
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man
is anxious about the affairs of the lord, how to please
the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the
affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his
interests are divided.
The unmarried woman and the virgin are concerned about
the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in
body and spirit; but the married woman is concerned
about the affairs of the world, how to please her
husband.
I say this for your own benefit, not to put any
restraint upon you, but to promote good order and
unhindered devotion to the Lord." [1 Cor. 7:17, 32-5]
Gospel Reading...
"The disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath
came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were
astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean
spirit, and he cried out, 'What have you to do with us,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know
who you are, the Holy One of God.'
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out
of him!' And the unclean spirit, convulsing the man and
crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all
amazed, and they kept on asking one another, 'What is
this? A new teaching - with authority! He commands even
the unclean spirits, and they obey him.'"
At once Jesus' fame began to spread throughout the
surrounding region of Galilee.[Mk. 1:21-8]
JESUS THE TEACHER
Anecdote:
A group of trekkers who were exploring a
mountain chanced to come across a cave. They entered the
cave only to discover a loin-clad yogi sitting in the
serene silence. They shook him out of his deep
meditation and asked him: “do you not feel the heat in
summer and the cold in winter? Are you not troubled by
insects and mosquitoes? How do you sleep on the bare
floor without a mattress and a pillow and a sheet to
cover you? Do you not feel the pain of loneliness?
The yogi patiently listened. Then, he
said, “When you have travelled down to the depths and
have experienced the Self in the cave of your heart,
then there is no room for discomfort of any sort, no
loneliness, and no pain. You experience no want. For,
you have found lasting peace.
In today’s Gospel passage we are invited
to see Jesus as the teacher. Throughout his life he
taught. He taught to people and his very life was
teaching through living his life. Teaching is a divine
task. Teaching ensures future of humanity. Being a good
teacher is a task of transmitting wisdom of God himself.
Although the teaching ministry of Christ lasted only
three and a half years, during that time He showed that
He was the world's master teacher. He performed great
miracles and taught a new way of life. His teaching was
simple. He used words the common people could
understand, and took His illustrations from the things
with which His listeners were familiar. Many of His
principles were set forth in parables. A parable is a
true-to-life story with a special meaning. In this
chapter we examine a few of them.
The things Jesus taught are more
important than His methods. He gave us a complete way of
life, which He summed up in one sentence, "So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to
you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."[Mt
7.12]
God's Kingdom
One of the great themes of His teaching was God's
kingdom. His claim was, "The time has come. The Kingdom
of God is near. Repent and believe the good news."[Mk
1.14-15]
This is a reminder to all of us that the
world is not out of control. God is still in charge, but
He has given us free-will. We are not like machines
wound-up by God. Rather we are free, and yet ruled by a
King, and that is God. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom
of God it was to invite people to submit themselves to
it. Jesus told parables to illustrate what He meant by
God's kingdom.
The Parable of the Sower
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he
was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and
the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places,
where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good
soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or
thirty times what was sown."[Mt 13.3-8]
Obviously the resulting crop depended on
the kind of ground that the seed fell into. What Jesus
meant here is that if our hearts are hard, bitter, and
filled with pride and self sufficiency, then even if the
good seed comes to us, even if we hear and learn about
His kingdom, we won't accept it. However, if we accept
God's will in our lives, the Kingdom of God will be
within us.
A Hidden Treasure
On another occasion Jesus told of a treasure hidden in a
field. A merchant found it "... and then in his joy went
and sold all he had and bought the field."[Mt 13.44] It
is true that when we find the Kingdom of God, we receive
much joy, but there is a price to be paid. Our becoming
a member of the Kingdom of God, and following Jesus may
offend many people. Our honesty may well make some
people around us uncomfortable. We may lose friends,
brothers and sisters. Our families may well turn against
us. Joining this Kingdom of God may mean the loss of a
job, imprisonment, or even death. Jesus recognizes that
you may have to pay a high price to come into this
Kingdom but it is still well-worthwhile.
Once some of the Jewish leaders from the
sect of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of
God would come.[Lk 17.20-21] Jesus replied, "The Kingdom
of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, 'Here
it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is
in you." Many people who were listening to Jesus were
longing for a political revolution. They wanted Jesus to
be their Messiah in a political sense, to overthrow the
Roman rulers and release Palestine from its bondage.
Jesus refused such a demand because that was not the
real problem. Mankind’s fundamental problem is not
political. It is sin. Jesus came to deal with sin. [Jn
6.15] According to Him, God's kingdom was a universal
kingdom, not restricted to any particular people.
Therefore He taught them that this kingdom is within
men's hearts. It was not something that was going to be
established in the future, but something that was being
established there and then. One can become a member of
this kingdom by following Jesus and His commandments.
The Parable of the Lost Son
Jesus did not tell this parable just to entertain the
people who were around Him. He intended to show that God
receives even the wicked person who repents and turns to
Him, because He wants everyone to be saved and come to
him through Jesus. In this parable we see how one may
turn away from God to find his own way of adventure and
folly. However God in his mercy and kindness awaits and
leaves the door flung open for him expecting that one
day this child of Adam may see a shaft of light and
return to him.
Why Jesus?
Why should submission to Jesus be the only way to
inherit the Kingdom of God? It is because He is the
king of the kingdom. He did not act like worldly
teachers. He introduced a totally different concept of
leadership. He taught his disciples: "Whoever
wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
[Mk 10.43-45] He demonstrated this concept by washing
the feet of His disciples [Jn 13.4-17]. Later He gave
his life for them and for us. On the other hand He did
prove His authority and trustworthiness by the many
signs He provided, and by the many prophecies He
fulfilled particularly by getting out of the tomb [Rom
1.4; 10.9].
Jesus gave His followers assurance about
the future. At the day of Judgement He will say to those
who have chosen to follow His way, "Come, you who are
blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom
prepared for you since the creation of the world."[Mt.
25.34]
CONCLUSION
Have you ever wondered what makes a great
special education teacher? What separates a mediocre
teacher from a terrific teacher? It's not easy to
define, however, here's a list of qualities:
Ø You
love your role, you love being with your students and
you couldn't imagine doing anything else. You were meant
to teach special needs children; you know this in your
heart.
Ø You
have a great deal of patience and know that little steps
in learning go a long way.
Ø You
know your students well and they are comfortable and at
ease with you, they enjoy having you as their teacher
and look forward to going school each day.
Ø You
provide a non-threatening, welcoming environment that
nurtures each of the students you work with.
Ø You
understand your students, you know what motivates them
and you know how to scaffold activities to ensure that
maximum learning occurs.
Ø You
take each student from where they are and provide
experiences that will maximize success. You're always
discovering new things about your students.
Ø You
are very comfortable working with exceptional learners
and learners with diverse needs.
Ø You
thrive on challenge; can easily build relationships with
your students and your student's parents.
|
