SERVICE OF THE TOUCHED

First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Second Reading: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel: Mk 1:29-39

We are in the fifth Sunday of ordinary Time. The Gospel of today is about the timetable of Jesus for a day; how Jesus spends a day or what all things happen in the day in the life of Jesus. After preaching in the synagogue – which we read in the last Sunday – today Jesus enters the home of Simon Peter where he finds the mother-in-law of Simon Peter sick. We do not know who approached Jesus to perform a healing miracle there; whether it was Peter or any other members of the family. However, Jesus heals her by raising her by the hand (Mk 1:31). This healing leads her to begin a service. She serves Jesus and all who are present there. This shows the philosophy behind Christian charity. In the Acts of the Apostles, we notice how first Christians shared their wealth. They sold all their property and laid it on the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:35). There was no one among them who lacked something (Acts 4:34). All shared their wealth and resources. The power behind this great selflessness is not a philanthropy, nor a motivation to gain popularity. Rather, the power of the Gospel. The Good News of Jesus that they had received, the Holy Spirit that knitted and united them together in universal brotherhood, the revelation of divine citizenship had moved them to enter into a life of service.

In the second part of the Gospel we see Jesus spending time alone with God the Father in prayer (Mk 1:35). When disciples call Him to come and meet people who are looking for Him, He replies that He had to go to other places as well (Mk 1:38). Jesus could very well go back to the house of Simon Peter and continue His mission whereupon increase His fame and popularity as some political or social figure, but He resists that temptation. This resistance is the result of His colloquy with God the Father. His constant connection with the divine places Him on a track. He rejects praise and fame that emerges from His service. This is the attitude of Christian charity. We do service to uplift the broken humanity. Any deviation that may arise to seek popularity and fame for one’s service could very well be resisted through constant touch with the divine. Many corporates who do service, many leaders of nations who implement welfare schemes get satisfied when they are honoured for their service and social commitment. Their joy consist in getting back something for what they have given. On the contrary, the service of Christian itself a satisfaction without expecting anything in return. Because, his or her service proceeds from his or her encounter with the divine. Christian service is one’s response and an expression of gratitude to God for the salvation that one is given through the blood of Christ.

St. Paul speaks about his commitment to preach the Gospel in the second reading. He was a relentless and restless preacher in the primitive Church. For him too, the power behind this relentlessness is His encounter with Christ on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-10). In the first reading Job laments about his miserable situation. He seems to speak without hope but shows some sign of trust in God. He tries to navigate God’s plan in his enigmatic situation. In the Old Testament, Job without the message of the Gospel tries to find meaning in suffering. In the New Testament, St. Paul with the good news of Jesus considers suffering as nothing (Rom 8:18). Yes, service or charity of wealthy is giving away something from surplus. On the other hand, service or charity of Christian is giving away something which may inflict pain and discomfort. The service of wealthy brings fame. The service of Christian makes him or her vulnerable. The service of wealthy proceeds from mercy. The service of Christian proceeds from divine touch. The offering of poor widow is great because of vulnerability she is exposed to due to that offering (Mk 12:41-44). St. Paul is like poor widow who counts nothing in giving. He becomes all to all (1 Cor 9:19). His service is about preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. We have two kinds of service in the Catholic Church: Material and Spiritual, caring and preaching. Both of these involves sacrifice. The root of this sacrifice is the touch of Jesus which Simon Peter’s mother-in-law receives, which St. Paul experienced on the way to Damascus. For Jesus it was the colloquy with God the Father which pushes Him beyond His human nature to offer Himself on the cross selflessly. May our service of caring and preaching be rooted in our colloquy with God.  

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