Thank God for the second reading and the gospel reading at today’s mass. The first reading from Job was a real bummer. If that’s all we would have had to chew on for the rest of our day (Job’s tale of woe and drudgery that became his life) it wouldn’t give us much to be thankful for.
But putting all three readings in context, we realize how blessed we are for the freedom to be God’s slaves.
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, wrote that he took “recompense” for being a slave to the Gospel. And in today’s Gospel from Mark, Jesus didn’t even complain about the day he had, casting out demons and preaching to thousands. In fact he was ready to move on to the next town and do it some more.
If the Son of God could be a slave to the Gospel, what right do we have to complain about the petty drudgeries of our lives? In fact they seem ridiculously lame compared to the challenges Jesus’ disciples faced in taking over for Jesus in spreading his good news.
We are called to take recompense from choosing to be slaves for the gospel and sharing it with our families and everyone else in our lives. For in being slaves, we set our souls free.
Tom, your last line of “for in being slaves, we set our souls free” is so true but so misunderstood by so many. My favorite quote of Dante is “For in His will is our peace”. This single statement almost sums everything up. It took a long time in my life to figure that out and for a long time there was not peace. Fr. Robert Barron once gave the example of small children on the top of a mountain in a small area with sheer cliffs on all sides. They were free without constraints but huddled in the center in fear. Now the same situation but with a large sturdy wall built all around and the children ran and played freely without fear. I think similarly when we resist the will of God and we resist being the slave…we lose our freedom.
The one thing that stood out in from today’s mass for me was in the second reading, 1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” I think this fits into the mission of the Brother’s in Christ of “Meeting men where they are and leading them to where God calls them to be”. It inspires me and is a great reflection for how we follow our mission from Christ who said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” This inspires me with new thoughts on bringing others to Christ.
-Mark K
ob’s plight begs the question, what do we do with this hopeless mess in a “New” Testament world.
Jesus took it to prayer, and consecration, offering his own trials as a gift to the Father, ultimately giving ALL of himself…
If I remember correctly, I was quite confused by Paul’s words Sunday, that he takes no pay in order to somehow maintain his rights under the Gospel… …
Perhaps the only way to gain what we want (need) is to follow in Jesus and Mary’s footsteps, and offer everything entirely up, that we might have anything at all to give to others…
All for
Joe M