20230111 JOURNEYING WITH OUR PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY OF DARKNESS
11 January 2023 Wednesday, Week 1 in Ordinary Time
First reading | Hebrews 2:14-18 © |
He took to himself descent from Abraham
Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 © |
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
He remembers his covenant for ever,
his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Col3:16a,17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:29-39 © |
He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
JOURNEYING WITH OUR PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY OF DARKNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 2:14-18; PS 105:1-4,6-9; MK 1:29-39]
All creatures, especially human beings, are afraid of death and, most of all, pain in all its forms. All of us desire to live a long life and to live eternally. No one wants to die, especially when one is not in poor health. This is because life is connected to love as well. We want to live forever because we do not want our relationships with our loved ones to end. But with death everything comes to an end. This deep desire to live forever is implanted in our hearts. This is why we believe that man is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore desires to share in the immortal life of God.
But suffering and death is an inevitable outcome. No one can escape death. This fear of death makes us anxious, worried and defensive of our well-being. It is because of our fear of suffering and death that we begin to hoard, become greedy and steal because we are afraid we do not have enough. Also because life is short, we fear missing out and so must enjoy as much as we can in this life. We give free rein to the desires of our flesh for pleasure, sex and drinking. This is the mentality of the world today. Since there is no faith in God or in life beyond death, it does not matter whether we live an immoral life or otherwise.
It is for this reason that the author of Hebrews tells us that to overcome our fear of death, Jesus came to journey with us to show us the way. Because He “shares the same blood and flesh, by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.” By His death, Jesus conquered the last enemy of man. (cf 1 Cor 15:26) In His resurrection, Jesus assures us that death has been overcome and that death is not the last word. “As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” (1 Cor 15:22f)
Indeed, Jesus leads the way by identifying with us in our temptations, showing us the way to overcome them by conquering the fear of death as a human being. “For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.” Indeed, only when we know that life continues after death, do we take our sins seriously. As the Lord remarked, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28) The world has lost all sensibility to truth and goodness simply because of secularism and atheism telling us that there is no life beyond this life on earth. In our hopelessness, we seek to enjoy life to the fullest on earth for ourselves, as if the fullness of life can be found on this earth, rather than with God in heaven as we empty ourselves in His service and that of our brothers and sisters.
Jesus feels with us in our human needs and fears. In the gospel, Jesus went about preaching the gospel and healing the sick. Synagogue service was held in the morning and finished by the 6th hour, that is noon. After that it would be the Sabbath lunch and rest. But after a tiring morning preaching at the Synagogue, and upon leaving the place, Jesus “went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew.” This was because “Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straight away. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.” Jesus knew that He needed to show care and concern for His disciples by first attending to their natural concerns for their loved ones. Peter would have been anxious and worried. Indeed, the gospel that Jesus preached is not all words but actions. Jesus lived out the mercy of God in His life by healing the sick and providing support for His disciples.
Jesus too felt the sufferings and anxiety of the people. He did not delay in helping them. Then without any rest, “that evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.” They all came in the evening simply because Sabbath ended at sunset. Only then could they carry the sick to meet Jesus for healing. So many people needed healing from all kinds of sicknesses, and many needed to be delivered from the oppression of the evil one. Jesus cured them all and restored them to health. Jesus felt for them in their anxiety and suffering.
Indeed, Jesus, being one with us, knows that God’s love must be directed at the entire person, body and soul. The gospel is not just about God or life hereafter, but it is about saving our soul and body. Jesus came to heal the entire person, mind, body and spirit. It is never enough to provide spiritual doctrines and teachings to our people without at the same time providing them with concrete means to encounter Jesus. The danger today is that Christians tend to separate the gospel into spiritual and social dimensions, as if one can do without the other. The gospel of love must be translated into works of mercy. Conversely, providing works of mercy without helping them to find God would be short-changing them, as if their spiritual and emotional needs are not important. Saving our souls is of utmost importance.
Nevertheless, we must always be aware of the temptation to turn to the Lord only for material and temporal favours. We tend to make use of God like a dispensing machine. We turn to Him only when we need Him to answer our prayers for good health, success, jobs and our business. But when we are well, successful and without problems, most of us do not think of Him, much less pray to Him. When Simon and his companions told the Lord, “Everybody is looking for you” it was not because they loved Him but so that they could use Him to cater to their selfish needs.
In journeying with us, Jesus remained focused and was not tempted to find glory and popularity with the people, building a kingdom for Himself, which church leaders often fall into. He told His disciples, “‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.” Jesus refused to allow Himself to be used by people, or used others to boost His ego, popularity and security. His mission was to bring the gospel to as many people as possible. Healing and casting out devils were only signs of God’s entry into the world, and that He was reigning in their midst instead of the Devil who brought harm. We cannot expect to be cured of our illnesses forever. A time will come when we need to let go because “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.” (Phil 3:20f)
At the heart of Jesus’ ministry was His intimate relationship with the Father. “In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, he went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” If we do not want to lose our focus, especially for those of us in ministry, in journeying with our people at church or at home, we must root our service in prayer. We need to let the Lord accompany us before we accompany others. Jesus as a man needed to spend time with His Father to be recharged, for He knew that as a man He could not possibly continue to give and give without being refreshed by the love and wisdom of His Father. Jesus made time for prayer so that He could talk to His Father about the challenges He faced, the temptations placed on Him, the sufferings of those who came to Him. Only from the strength received from His Father, could He go out to serve. We must learn from Jesus that ministry and service cannot be just about using our strength and resources. We must wake up early in the morning to speak to our Lord in prayer, in intimacy, basking in His love and sharing our concerns, challenges and difficulties. Jesus is our compassionate High Priest, the bridge to God because He is in touch with humanity and our sufferings as a man, and in touch with God, bringing His love and mercy to us in words and deeds.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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