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5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 8, 2009 Year: B
Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39
EVERYONE IS SEARCHING FOR YOU
First Reading...
"Job spoke to his friends: 'Do not human beings have a
hard service on earth, and are not their days like the
days of a labourer? Like a slave who longs for the
shadow, and like labourers who look for their wages, so
I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery
are apportioned to me.
When I lie down I say, 'When shall I rise?' But the
night is long, and I am full of tossing until dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come to
their end without hope. Remember that my life is a
breath; my eye will never again see good.'" [Job 7:1-4,
6-7]
Second reading...
"If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for
boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me
if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my
own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I
am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward?
Just this: that is my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights
in the gospel.
For thought I am free with respect to all, I have made
myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.
To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak.
I have become all things to all people, that I might by
all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the
gospel, so that I may share in its blessings." [1 Cor.
9:16-9, 22-23]
Gospel Reading...
"As soon as Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue,
they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James
and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a
fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came
and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to Jesus all who
were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city
was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were
sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons;
and he would not permit the demons to speak, because
they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got
up and went out to a deserted place, and there he
prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him.
When they found him, they said to him, 'Everyone is
searching for you.
He answered, 'Let us go to the neighbouring towns, so
that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is
what I came out to do.' And Jesus went throughout
Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and
casting out demons."[Mk. 1:29-39]
Helpful Anecdote:
Novelist Russell Banks once wrote a short story called
"The Fish." In this fanciful tale we are told about a
giant fish that lived in a good-sized lake not far from
a small Chinese village. For reasons no one was ever
clear about, the authorities, led by a Colonel Tung,
decided that this giant fish was a menace that had to be
removed from the lake. But every time the colonel tried
to kill the fish, the creature somehow survived
unscathed. They fired automatic weapons at the fish, but
no bullet struck it. They placed mines throughout the
waters of the lake, and although the fish detonated the
mines, it swam on. They hid floatable grenades amidst
chunks of bread that were scattered on the water's
surface. And although the fish ate the grenades along
with the bread, it lived on.
Needless to say, each time Colonel Tung
failed to slay the beast, the reputation of the fish
grew. People delighted in astonishment that such a
creature existed. Tourists began to come to the lake's
shores to catch a glimpse of the fish, and soon people
in boats trolled the waters to see it, cameras at the
ready. But then one day someone began to circulate the
idea that it must be the waters of the lake itself that
contained the magic. Surely such special water had
healing properties, could be an elixir for long life.
Soon, everyone who came to see the fish
brought a mason jar, a bucket, or some other vessel with
which to cart home some of this magic water. This went
on for months. The authorities tried to control it, but
under the cover of darkness some were now siphoning
water out of the lake into tanker trucks. Before anyone
could do much about it, the lake level dropped
precipitously. A dry stretch of weather over the next
summer depleted the lake still more until finally the
terrible day came when there was no longer enough water
for the great fish to swim in. One morning, people found
the fish lying on its side, flapping its fins on a muddy
flat that had once been the lake. They began to bring
water back to the lake, dousing the fish as quickly as
they could. But by sunset that night, they buried the
fish.
I am by no means certain what all Mr.
Banks meant to convey via this story. Probably it means
lots of things, but among them is surely this idea:
there is nothing so wonderful in this life that we
humans cannot find a way to ruin as soon as we make our
own selves our sole reference point. As soon as
something becomes all about me, the moment I spy
something that I think I can turn to my private
advantage, my perspective becomes narrowed, my horizons
contract, and suddenly I discover that by trying to
horde something for my own private benefit, I have
killed that very thing.
Indeed, we human beings will go to
extraordinary efforts to free ourselves of chaos, yet
however the harder we try to destroy chaos, the worse
things become. In some ways we have some success.
Throughout the past two thousand years, Christians have
done much good for those who have suffered. It is said
that Christians learned the Muslim invention of the
hospital, later of course we brought healing across the
globe. We also created schools so that the poor could
rise out of their poverty. We created social programs,
did you know that it was Christians who brought about
Universal medical care in Canada. Jesus cared for the
sick, so we should too.
However, we need to tell the truth about
our Christian history too. There have been times when
clearly we have tried to destroy what we thought was
evil and in doing so unleashed hell on countless numbers
of people. During the crusades, we killed hundreds of
thousands of innocent Muslims who would not convert. And
of course we engaged in many wars in order to "rid the
world of evil". And yet, the vain promise of "a war to
end all wars" has brought instead a century of the worst
violence in human history. Wounds are still alive, and
hearts are restless.
More than ever we need to listen and
follow Jesus. Did you notice what he did in the text
after healing people and casting out the demons? After
Jesus, in his compassion, heals those with disease and
demons for a full day, he gets up in the early morning
to pray. While it was still dark and goes to a place
alone and prayed.
The text doesn't say what he prayed; I
wonder if he says nothing but just listens. An older
Christian once said that praying was more about
listening than asking from God. He said, "Most times
just sit in silence and listen for what God wants you to
know and do."
And so his companions find him praying
and begin to tell him what he must do. "Everyone is
searching for you." OK, Jesus, they are saying, it is
time for you to really show them your power and to
expand your popularity. That is what we want you to do,
be successful.
And yet, Jesus will not let the disciples
set the agenda. Did you notice that? He says, "Let's go
on to neighboring towns so that I may proclaim the
message there also; for that is what I came to do." And
he went through Galilee proclaiming the message in the
places of worship and casting out demons.
It is interesting that Jesus message
itself casts out the demons. You remember what Jesus was
preaching? "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of
God has come near; repent and believe the good news." It
is a simple message however as we shall see; all the
forces of Hell will set themselves against this one from
Nazareth. And still he will not respond to their chaotic
fury with a punch, or kick or slash of the sword or
dropping of a bomb, but rather he will speak the truth
to them and to us even to the point of death on a cross.
Where we expect him to crush evil and chaos with a
divine army, instead he speaks the truth, even to the
point of a death on the cross.
And to many, responding to evil in his
way is folly; to respond to power with truth is
insanity; and of course to die for one's enemies rather
than fighting them to the last breath seems nothing less
than absurd.
And yet, still we gather under the sign
of the cross; the throne of God's power. We who have
been called to proclaim the message of Christ's reign
are entrusted to proclaim to those around us that there
is a way which can cast out the demons that deceive us
and create chaos in the lives of humanity.
Proclaiming the Gospel starts in a simple
way. Do you know that you are beloved? That God has
welcomed you, just as you are, into a new way of life.
Do you know that Jesus, the Holy One has called us
friends, broken people like us, troubled people like us,
sinners like us; friends we who could not make it to God
by being rich enough, or smart enough, or popular enough
or good enough. The kingdom of God has come near, come
to us in Jesus Christ. If anyone, even yourself tells
you that you are unworthy of life, tell them, "Shut up!”
If someone says to another that they are unlovable tell
them, "Shut up!" And of course, there is more to the
story, and more to the Gospel, but at the core is God's
love for a chaotic and broken world.
His kind of power may not be what the
world expected but it is enough to claim us and make us
sons and daughters of the Most High God to call us to
share in God's mission as the very body of Christ. For
when all is said, we are called to proclaim with our
lives that the power and truth of God is at work setting
us free and the whole world free death and destruction.
To follow this Holy One who does not
destroy enemies, but rather gives his life for them, is
the most important mission of all. While the world may
not realize it and we may not yet realize it, but the
church is the most important thing that is happening in
the world. I sincerely believe that we have been called
to follow Jesus and witness to God's loving power at
work in the world. To be asked to share in the divine
power and mission of Jesus is the greatest news of all
and that is what we understand as LOVE mission.!
In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got
up and went out to a deserted place, and there he
prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him.
When they found him, they said to him, 'Everyone is
searching for you’
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