Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
Every year, the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents did not know it.They assumed that he was in their group of travelers, and, after walking the whole day, they looked for him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem, searching for him; and, on the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.

And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.His parents were very surprised when they saw him; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you.” Then he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer. Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be obedient to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in heart.And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor.

Lectio Divina
READ: Isaiah proclaims news of great joy: a child is born, whose name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Ever­ lasting Father, Prince of Peace. St. Paul adds another name for this child: he is Jesus the Christ, by whom and in whom we are all made adopted sons and daughters of the Father. Even as a child, Jesus himself acknowledges his true Father.
REFLECT: Loving parents watch out for and protect their children. But there comes a time when children must find their own way. As we grow up, we cling to what is safe and familiar. But at a certain time, we must let go, and heed what the Father is calling is to do and be. We must seek the teachers and guides who can answer our deepest questions. As we grow in wisdom and age, we must seek out the answers that will guide our way.
PRAY: Let us care for the Holy Child, trusting that He will guide us to the Father’s house.
ACT: Where do we find the Father’s house? What ques­tions do we have? What answers do we seek?

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Mark 2:13-17
When Jesus went out again, beside the lake, a crowd came to him, and he taught them. As he walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” And Levi got up and followed him. And it so happened that, when Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners sat with him and his disciples; there were a lot of them, and they used to follow Jesus. But Pharisees, men educated in the law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does your master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”Jesus heard them, and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Reflections
“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Christians often contrast them­ selves favorably with the “Phari­sees” —as if the very word were a synonym for “hypocrites.” Jesus does not vilify these good and “righteous” people. But he makes it clear that his mission is else­ where: to restore and heal what is lost and broken. The first object of his attention in this text is Levi, a tax collector. His job—which put him at the service of the Roman occupiers, and probably involved a certain amount of graft—would make him an object of derision. When the good people see that Jesus is dining in the home of Levi, along with a lot of other “sinners,” they are scandalized.We often assume that God’s priorities reflect our own scale of value, particularly when it comes to what causes “scandal” and what confers respectability. Respecta­ bility is a matter of appearances; what matters to Jesus is what is in the heart. As the author of He­ brews observes, “all creation is transparent” to God; our hearts our transparent to him. The ques­tion is not whether we are among those called sinners or among the righteous—but whether we are among those whose self­ righteousness effectively sets them beyond the reach of God’s mercy. The Savior comes only for those who know they need saving.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Mark 2:1-12
After some days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. As the news spread that he was in the house, so many people gathered, that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the word to them, some people brought to him a paralyzed man. The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.

”Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there, wondered within themselves, “How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?”At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking, and asked, “Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”And he said to the paralytic, “Stand up, take up your mat and go home.” The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God, saying, “Never have we seen anything like this!”

Reflections
“My son, your sins are forgiven.”
There are numerous protago­nists in this story. First: the friends of the paralytic, whose faith Jesus acknowledges. When there is no way to Jesus, they make a way, believing that in Jesus’ presence their friend will be healed. (Do we also carry our friends to Jesus in prayer?) Then there is the para­lyzed man, whom Jesus first for­gives, before healing him. Jesus sees the paralytic, addresses him with love, restores his spirit, and raises him to full humanity.Then there are the grumblers, those who want Jesus to operate according to rules they can con­trol and define: Heal if you must, but not forgive sins! They are scandalized that he proclaims a kingdom of mercy, rather than a kingdom of law and order. Are they sincerely furious that Jesus usurps God’s exclusive preroga­tive of forgiveness? Or are they furious over the scandal of for­ giveness itself? Pope Francis asks us to go to the margins, to the periphe­ries where people are alone and hurting: not just to the respecta­ble people inside the house, but to those who are of no account, those who are left outside. Jesus came for them. He saw them. He loved them. And so must we.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Mark 1:40-45
A leper came to Jesus and begged him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to; be clean.” The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean. As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly warned him, “Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest; and for the cleansing, bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way, you will give to them your testimony.” However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere.

Reflections
“Don’t tell anyone about this.”
The Gospel of Mark is famous for the secrecy in which Jesus cloaks his identity. Over and over again he performs some wondrous deed, but then enjoins the witness to keep quiet about what he or she has seen. Scholars have debated this run­ning theme. Perhaps he wants to avoid the exact outcome des­cribed here: “that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town.” Perhaps he does not want to be dismissed or embraced as merely a “wonder worker.” Perhaps it is premature to disclose his Messianic identity until his disci­ples are able truly to understand what it means to be the Messiah. This is not a Messiah who comes in glory, but one who is going to suffer and die.Today is the feast of St. Antho­ny, one of the earliest of the de­sert fathers. Though St. Anthony went to great lengths of self ­de­nial, what impressed others was the “soul’s joy” that shone from his features. More important than recognition is to be recognized for the right reason.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019