Prayer & Service

Today's reflections are for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The scripture readings can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020815.cfm

Contemporary culture forces us to be busy. The more urbanized, the more you are likely to be busy. We keep inventing machines to save time, and yet we keep complaining that there is no time! Whether our time is spent productively or not, we are simply busy. We are busy checking emails. We are busy talking on the phone. We are busy twittering. When we are not busy, we are busy planning NOT to be busy. Are you a busy person? How do you feel about your busy-ness? Do you feel restless? Or, do you feel engaged?

Today's Gospel describes the busy schedule of Jesus as his public ministry gathers momentum. The story picks up from where we left him in the Gospel text of last Sunday - it was a sabbath and Jesus was in a synagogue where "he taught them as one having authority" and cured a man possessed by an unclean spirit. (Mark 1:25)

Today's gospel takes up where Jesus enters Simon Peter's house and cures his mother-in-law (Mark 1:31) (Yes, Peter, our first pope, was married!). After healing her, she serves Jesus and the others. Then Jesus continues to be busy curing the sick and driving out demons, and the whole town came to him.

Based on what we see in scripture, Jesus was just as busy as we are in this day and age, even without a computer, i-phone, emails, etc. He was busy doing what God the Father expected Him to do to bring the Love of God into the world. But Jesus knew that he also needed time to be alone with God. Scripture tells us that Jesus, "Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)

In the busy life of Jesus, he got up in the morning, long before dawn, and left the house to a lonely place and prayed there. Jesus spends time with God the father. He relives his Abba-experience.

We, too, need time alone with God, to re-charge our batteries. This time of prayer and silence is also a good time to appreciate and enjoy the fruits of our work. It's a time to go over our intentions, to purify these intentions. We need this time alone with God to remind ourselves why we do the things we do. Yes, we do things for family, for friends and those around us. But it is so much more than that.

In our second reading St. Paul tells us, "If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me." (1 Corinthians 9:16) Paul preaches for the benefit of others. He also hopes to share in the blessings of the gospel.

In all we do, whether at work or for family and friends, we should be doing it for the Glory of God. We need to allow the glory of God to flow in us! This is how we preach the gospel to others: by being a visible example of God presence in the world.

In today's gospel we see how Jesus served the heavenly Father in answering his divine commission to announce that the kingdom of God on earth was coming. Jesus performed many miracle. Once he cured Peter's mother-in-law, she got up and served Jesus and those who were present.

Once we encounter the love of God in our lives, we, too, like Peter's mother-in-law, are called to serve those people God has put in our lives. Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord!