Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?
Though this may seem like the status in someone’s wall
in Facebook or Twitter account, it does express one reality of the life that we
have on earth. As we enter into the readings this Sunday, the evident pessimism
in the book of Job would strike us as something quite actual. It is true that
life is beautiful and precious, but oftentimes this all the more seems to
accentuate the also the fact that not everything in life is rosy. Yes, life is
beautiful BUT…there’s always that “but” in everything that we could say about
life. This shows how the ancient author of the book of Job knew much about
life: the wisdom books of the Bible show us that the life we have here is not
perfect, nor can it ever be; the perfection that we can ever perceive and
contemplate in this plane of existence is finite, that is, limited and always
flawed.
In a society that is governed by laws that are
supposed to give to each his due, we have to accept the fact that full justice
could never be served. In a world wherein all of us have made a common cause to
fight against poverty and hunger, we have to be realistic enough that we could
never end with poverty in this life; we could only try as much. The human mind
can never be satisfied fully by the manifestations of beauty offered by the
arts, nor man’s hunger to know more ever be fulfilled here in this life.
This is the reality that Job in the First Reading
shows us. Contemplating this panorama is enough for us to wish for death, for
truly enough, the contemplation of the harsh reality of life is an invitation
to discouragement and despair.
But the liturgy, though wishing us to keep in mind
this reality, suddenly changes its mood as we come upon the Responsorial Psalm.
It seems to take us by the hand in order to direct our trustful gaze to the
Lord, a trust that finds it full expression in the psalmist’s song: Praise the Lord, who heals the broken
hearted! Broken hearted we may be for many reasons, not only because
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and we have no one to share it with (I’d
say most of the time being alone on that day could be better), but there is
never any reason that is good enough for the follower of Christ to be discouraged
or be found lacking in hope.
We find the reason for this in the Gospel. Last week
we have contemplated on how the words of Jesus affected people with its
authority and power. This Sunday we are invited to look at the power and the
grace that flowed not only through his words, but also through his touch. The Gospel
presents to us a panorama of a suffering humanity: people afflicted with
disease, possessed by unclean spirits, people burdened with their doubts, with
their problems, with despair. In the midst of this crowd, Jesus passes and
touches them. He takes Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand and heals her; people
bring him their sick, and they are made whole by his touch. By his very
presence the possessed are freed from their demons.
 |
Christ healing the mother of Simon Peter
by Bridges, John (fl.1818-1854)
|
In scriptural tradition these wonders are indicative
of God’s presence among his people: the
blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the poor have the good news
preached to them (cf. Is 35:5/ 61:1/ Lk. 7:22; Mt. 11:5). In Jesus Christ,
God touches man and makes him whole; God, who created the universe out of
nothing, and imprinting on it that goodness that comes from Him, restores a
broken creation to its original goodness.
This is virtually the Good News of our salvation: God
had touched us and we can touch God, in Jesus Christ, who is the perfect image of the invisible God
(Col 1:15); he is the EMMANUEL! God-with-us! Despite of its imperfection, there
is life and hope to had in the world; there is beauty, there is reason to be
glad and to be hopeful, no matter how ugly things may turn out to be, because
we have been embraced by God in Jesus, and in Jesus Christ, God’s face can be
caressed by human hands.
In our life, this presence of the Lord comes to us in
the sacraments, sacred signs through which the Lord enters into contact with us
in a way that actually affects us. That is why it is important for us
Christians to be constant in our reception of the sacraments, particularly the
Holy Eucharist and Confession. These sacred signs, these sacraments, usher into
our lives the very presence of Christ, source of all joy and peace, the firm
rock upon which we may stand as we continue to walk through life with its
storms and crises. Furthermore, of no lesser importance is the life of constant
union with the Lord that we must have, which is no other than prayer. In the
Gospel, Jesus teaches us how important it was for him to be always united with
His heavenly Father: Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted
place, where he prayed (Mk. 1:35)
Despite of the drudgery of life, God is with us! This
is the Good News to which the Apostles, and then the first Christians, and
through them, the Church—catholic and
apostolic—had entrusted their energies in preaching. In the Second Reading,
This is why one could just understand St. Paul when he exclaimed: Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!
(1 Cor 9:16). This news is too beautiful, too great to be kept personal. Paul—and
the Church with him, both then and now—understood the wonderful novelty that
this message presented, that it simply had to be shared.
This leads us therefore to reflect if we have
recognized this presence of Jesus Christ, and have invited Him into our lives.
Not only will his presence make us see things in a different light, but will
move us to share it with others, not necessarily through our words, but
importantly with our lives. “Preach the Gospel always” said St. Francis of
Assisi, “if necessary, use words”.
May the life of Jesus Christ, that flows into use
through prayer and in partaking of His own life through the sacraments, always
be our strength to go on through life, and take part in the new evangelization
of this world!
Amen.
5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Year B.
FIRST READING: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7
SECOND READING: 1 Cor 9: 16-19, 22-23
GOSPEL: Mk 1: 29-39
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