Thursday, January 21, 2010


THIRD WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME::

Mon. Mrk.3:22-30...He forgot His own sense of loneliness at having been rejected. It was the denial of the power of God working in Him which caused the pain. His Father had given Him the Spirit in His human nature to show the wonders of the Kingdom. The Spirit led Him, empowered Him, gifted Him, and now they were saying it was not the Spirit of His Father but an evil spirit by which He does the things He does. Attributing to evil that which is good; saying that the power of God is the power of evil...what a blasphemy. They do not see the Spirit which leads people along the path of salvation, they think his work is evil. Sin encases them. The very Spirit through whom their sins are forgiven they say no to.....How can forgiveness come to such people when they deny the power which grants forgiveness.
His forgiving hand is always outstretched but it can not break through the walls which they have surrounded themselves with. His light is always there but they have chosen the darkness. He looked at them and thought that if they deny His gifts they have to deny their own. It is the same Spirit which blesses both He and them. If they can not see it in Him they can not see it in themselves. The works He does were threats . Their goodness had to be denied. He thought that the story of this blashempy is not over. As the Master endured it so shall the disciples.
The gifts which the Spirit gives will be looked at as threats. Why it is so difficult for people to accept the goodness in others? Why is evil such an easier more comfortable thing to say has power? This is not the way it is. It is the power of the Spirit working in the hearts of people which bring about good…when will they say yes to this.


Tues. Mrk.3:31-35...Did he mean His words to be as curt as they sounded? Was He denying the relationship with His mother? What was He saying …the words seem so cold?
He could not see His mother, she was standing outside. In His mind, though, she was there. She who brought Him into the world, who nourished Him, taught Him how to read, she who walked with Him in the deepest way, could not be dismissed . She could not be forgotten. The words which must have shocked those sitting around gave meaning to Her vocation and of all those who would be called disciple.
He looked and saw something beyond blood relationship. He saw that she brought Him into the world spiritually before she did it physically. He looked and saw her once again saying the “yes” to the messenger of God, and in that yes fulfilling the will of God and at that instant becoming “mother”. To be disciple is to say the “yes” and in saying it we all become truly mothers of the Master because through it He is once again brought into the world.
He is made visible by the life of those who have said the yes. As Mary carried Him for nine months, alive and growing within her , the yes brings Him to us. Just as Mary then physically gave birth, those who believe are not expected to just carry the Life within but to share it and let the world breathe this new life. In giving life to the same Master we are bound together through Him into a new family. Being Mother brings about being brother and sister to Him and to one another in the Body which we have through the power of the Spirit given birth to.

Wed. Mrk.4:1-20…listening is so difficult…it requires so much letting go of the voices and conversations which we constantly have within us and which we like to listen to….listening demands courage, to hear something which we may not like , which may challenge us in a new and unexpected direction in life…listening asks for silence, so difficult in this age when there is so much noise and the loss of the love of silence…listening is generous…it receives another knocks down so many barriers which exist between people….it is fruitful because it sows inside of us new seed …it is freeing, in letting go, in being generous, in being courageous, we are freed from the shackles of our selves

Thurs.Mrk.4:21-25...What is the key to unravel these words? Is it to believe? Faith is the two edged sword that at one and the same time is the light and the key to help us see the light. The bushel basket and bed under which the light is hidden, what are they? The light shines, but we can not see it. Is it possible that it is hidden within us? In that deepest part of who I am, there is a light, I am the light of the world. The bushel basket of selfishness, indifference and blindness cover the Light up. There is the yearning to be brought forth. To be placed on the lampstand of who we are. To let the Light shine on us, so that we can see.
The paradox comes in. We need the light to see it. This newness within us all goes beyond human nature because it is God. Therefore, only God can bring it forth..only God can do away with all the coverings which prevent the Light from shining. It will be uncovered. This Light shall not stand in the darkness, its rays shall not be hindered. Slowly the basked will be lifted. A ray now, one later...the darkness becomes a shadow and the shadow becomes bright. The life which was hidden for so long breaks through. To believe has lifted all those things which made seeing so difficult.
Not only to see but to hear. There are so many sounds resounding within us. So much static. The good sounds and the bad sounds are intermingled, sometimes it is difficult to tell which is which. The sounds become clearer. We can tell the difference. The more we hear the more we are expected to hear. We do not stop listening, A desire to hear more is born because once we stop searching the sounds we will not be able to hear at all. Once we stop searching the sounds will once again become a muddled noise, the static will be too much. Once we stop searching the sound the basket will return. The Light will be hidden.


Fri. Mrk.4:26-34...How best to explain the secret of the Kingdom? He thinks. This relationship with His Father that is called the kingdom, can any human words explain it? They know the earth, their fields. He speaks in the language they use everyday...about seeds, and crops, of growth and how they look at their fields trying in some way to gauge the almost imperceptible yet real growth of the crops. They know it does not happen overnight. They know they have to be patient. Take each day as it comes. He looks at them and knows that they will worry about the rain, is there enough or too much. He knows the joy they will feel when they bring their crops in.
He looks into the future. He sees a little girl crying. Her friend has just been killed by an automobile. She should have been with her, something held her back today so she did not go.
He looks at the little girl over whom He spread His care. Someday she will know. The seed has been planted. The years go. The little girl grows up but all the time in her heart she knows that someone is watching over her. It is just that she does not know His name. Who or what is it that protects her? The thought recurs and recurs throughout the years.
The seed breaks through the earth. She starts reading the Bible, and listening to the Word of God...her heart is joyful listening to the Good News. The question persists. One day she reads about the treasure in the field. Her eyes swell with tears. Now I know, she almost shouts. Now I know who it is who has watched me. It is God.
The crop has matured. The field has become verdant.

Sat. Mrk.4:35-41...He will not leave them orphans.. His mission must continue through the years,. the message has to be preached, the Sacrifice has to be offered...His presence must be witnessed....The Church, the new Chosen People, will continue to preach, to offer sacrifice. It will live in a world which often times is not friendly. Values will clash, what the message is and what the world wants are going to be different...the Light will always win, and is winning. It will appear that the message is loosing, that it is no longer relevant. Enemies will arise to do away with it...many times this will be done not with the sword but with the printed word. The winds of misunderstanding, the waves of hatred will buffet it...but it will continue going to the “other side”.
Those living in the Church will have to be strong. The winds which would like to blow them to another shore will be strong...the waves which crash against them may seem to high....they may even loose their way for a moment in the darkness...it will be a time of faith and hope for them. False teachers will arise preaching a strange message, but so easy to accept. The Master in the hearts of many will fall asleep. Many will awaken Him, they will be able to see that the Church is still heading to the “other side” , the shore of completeness.

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