Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 – My life is but a breath.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146(147):1-6 – Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 – I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 – He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease.

Humans are social animals. We evolved to need each other; to depend on each other for a lot of things. No person can truly survive without some degree of dependence on others. You depend on farmers to produce food that you eat; you depend on car manufacturers and car dealers to own and drive a car; you depend on bus and train drivers to ride on one; you depend on internet providers to be connected, etc. Even those who live as hermits depend on manufacturers of building materials for their hermitage, producers of food and cloths, for their basic nourishment and clothing, and printers of the Bible or other holy books for their daily spiritual readings and meditations, etc. In fact, we all have evolutionary dependence on others for our day to day survivals. Yet this mutual dependence does not mean flocking to people every time and getting lost in their midst. In as much as we need each other, we also take distance from each other. Sometimes, it is imperative that we limit the number of human contact we can have at a time in order to be more efficient in our various professions. Doctors, bankers, barbers, tailors, etc., don’t attend to every person demanding their attention at the same time. They space out their schedule in such a way that they can only attend to one person with maximum attention at a time. This is why appointments are booked. Very often, there are enormous pressures from people who want to be attended to. But a wise professional knows when to put a limit to the number he/she can handle at a time.

In matters of spirituality, a true measure of effectiveness does not lie in running to people or in assembling a huge crowd, but rather in the wisdom to know when to “go out from” the people. New generation preachers often confuse popularity with effectiveness; and that is why many of them sacrifice effectiveness on the altar of popularity. They think that the more people flock to them, the more effective they are. But this is quite the opposite. Even in the mundane world, real celebrities often travel in disguise to avoid detection if they must do their job effectively. Does it then surprise you that Jesus frequently had to take a leave from the people looking for him in order to go to a lonely place? He also had the habit of not allowing his identity to be revealed. And, to conceal his true identity, he often forbade evil spirits who recognized him to speak.

However, “going out” from the people does not mean “running away” from the people. You go out from the people in order to see the people clearer. Although this sounds ironical, but each time he wanted to talk to the people, Jesus literally would always keep a little distance from them either by going up the mountain or getting into a boat and sailing a little farther away from them. This is done in order to have a vantage point from where to easily communicate with the people. It is easier to see and observe a large crowd if one takes a little distance away from them. When you cluster together with them in a limited space, you may not even see them; you might just be looking at them without truly seeing them.

But beyond the need for a vantage point, Jesus never rushes to attend to the people in order to be seen as effective for them. On the contrary, when he was informed in the Gospel of today that people were looking for him, instead of rushing to attend to them, he rather told his disciples that they should go elsewhere and preach there too. The people wanted him to concentrate on the healing ministry alone. Remember, he had just healed Simon’s mother-in-law, as well as many other people beset by different ailments. The people were therefore looking for him to pressure him to continue in that line of ministry of healing to the exclusion of all other ministries. Although his ministry of healing addressed the immediate needs of the people, Jesus was aware that a more important ministry is that of preaching. That was why he told his companions that instead of exclusively concentrating on healing, they should go elsewhere so that he could preach there too, for that was why he came. St. Paul captured the import of preaching when he said in the second reading of today that preaching the gospel is a duty laid on him; and that he should be punished if he did not preach it. The whole idea of establishing the diaconate was to allow the apostles concentrate on their primary function of preaching the word of God, and not distract themselves with sharing food.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where crave for material comfort has taken over and dictates what takes priority and what should be relegated to the background. It is this compulsive pursuit of material comfort that has led to excessive and inordinate quest for miracles no matter its origins. The story of Job should act as a model for addressing the question of suffering in human life. Whether Job historically ever existed or not is irrelevant. The Book of Job is analogous to the parables of Jesus meant to convey moral teachings rather than explain historical events. Job wrestles with human sufferings, asks questions, reacts in human fashion, discusses, and seeks to understand. Yet, he maintains hope and never despaired. If only we could apply this model in our approach to sufferings and discomfort, there would be less need for our inordinate quests for miracles.

Secondly, it is precisely this obsession with the crowd that makes it difficult for us to take a step backwards and make some introspection. Brethren, don’t be afraid to leave the crowd and go to a lonely place. If you have not learnt how to be alone, then you have not learnt how to pray. We are so distracted by the pressure and demands of the people that we forget how to be alone with our God. Do you realize that you can do all the healing miracles in the world without making anybody a better Christian, and without making yourself a friend of God? Why know this and still continue in self-deception? And, if it is loneliness that you wish to cure, know that loneliness is not cured by contact with people but rather by contact with reality. Thomas à Kempis said: “As often as I go out among men, I come back less a man”. Brethren, let us strive to sometimes go out from the people if we want to be effective for and among the people. Furthermore, nobody likes suffering. We are allowed to ask questions as Job did. But we should also realize that there is limit beyond which our limited intellect cannot pierce. When we reach the limit of our rational explanation, it is how we dispose ourselves to know the difference between what we can change and what we cannot that makes the difference.