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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