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Reflection for Sunday 02/05/12

Readings for Today:
Job 7:1– 4, 6 –7
Corinthians 9:16 –19, 22 – 23
Mark 1:29 – 39

Readings for Next Week:
Leviticus 13:1– 2, 44 – 46
Corinthians 10:31—11:1
Mark 1:40 – 45

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
His words are dismal, but Job never really despairs. Read the whole book and you see that, despite undergoing trials, our hero perseveres, trusting God, knowing he can’t question God’s ways. Many commen-tators on today’s readings focus on Paul. It is tempting, because his call to be all to all is attractive and easier to dissect than Job’s solemn dirge. But there’s a reason why the First Reading is paired with the Gospel. Despair gets us in its clutches when we lose hope, and hope is lost when we forget who we are. Circumstances change: we’re up one day and down the next. What helps us survive is remembering who we are when we fall. When we remember, despite the circum-stances, that we are children of God — unique, beloved, and irreplaceable — we can survive. Jesus’ mission in the Gospel reminds us of our identity. Yes, he heals, but even he can’t cure all the sick of Galilee. Jesus is really less about healing the infirm and more about proclaiming the Kingdom that offers us our identity as sons and daughters of God. That’s why Jesus came, not to remove all troubles, but to remind us that God’s love can and will sustain us through the vicissitudes of life.

“Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come” (Mark 1:38).

SHARING FAITH
Jesus often went off alone to a deserted place. Why do you think he had this need for solitude? Do you need it in your life? Do you make time for it?

LIVING THE LITURGY
You probably know someone who has lost hope and is in the grip of despair. Try to reach out to that person by reminding them of who they are, emphasizing their uniqueness and irreplaceability.

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