SUNDAY 11th
“b”
Mark 4, 26 – 34
"To the common crowds
he spoke only by way of parable, while he kept explaining things privately to
his disciples.” Jesus’ disciples were specially chosen and instructed for their
mission. We are baptised in Christ and have become the successors of the
disciples.
According to
Christian teaching, we are created in God’s image. Therefore, we are
co-creators with God in the continuing story of creation. Humans are
co-creators when they help transform the world and the human community into
what God intends these to be. We have been given the responsibility to help the
world and the human community along toward becoming more and more what God
envisions them to be. We should not make too much of our power to shape
ourselves and our world, but we should not minimise our potential as
co-creators either. Our aim should be to become God’s fellow-workers and
co-workers for his kingdom (1 Cor 3, 9; 1 Thes 3, 2; Col 4, 11) (CCC 307). That
is, the talents we have been given are to be used to carry on the
Master-Creator’s work.
We admire those who make beautiful music, who create stirring
portrayals in movies and plays, or who make us laugh with their creative
humour. The great composer, Beethoven, continued to compose beautiful music
even though he himself had become deaf!
The spirit of creativity asks: how can we create something beautiful
out of ourselves and our relationships? In other words, how can we be morally
creative with our thinking and feeling, our sexuality, our unique personality,
our family situation and community? In this endeavour, it is important to
remember: if you have been given lemons, make lemonade!
Instead of asking, “What is God doing for me,” we should ask, “what
might God do with me?”
When we rub shoulders with
friends and strangers, something of the Gospel of Jesus should rub off on them.
Just as the leaven works invisibly to transform the dough, so does the power of
God, working imperceptibly, transform the world. In a word, we must put divine
fragrance into other people’s lives.
Our ancestors in this
ancient faith zapped the culture about them for the better. You can look it up
in Acts 17, 6. When Christians reached Thessalonica in north-eastern Greece,
they turned the town on its ear. The pagan townspeople said, “These men have
caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city...” Talk about making
an impact. The Gospels, in the hands of our ancestors, changed the lives of
women. The pious Jew saluted God for making him neither a slave nor a Gentile
nor, worst of all, a woman. In the society of the time, a woman was a
non-person. If a family was on a journey, Mister would be riding on the donkey;
Mrs. would be on foot and probably more weighed down than the highly prized
donkey. Christians changed that scenario entirely, sometimes pointing out who
the prize donkey was. Talking about sick people. The followers of Christ gave the sick their
chance in the sun. Before that, if you were ill, you had it. Christians came
along and said, “That’s not how we do it.” The first home for the blind was
opened by a Christian monk. A Christian merchant opened the first free clinic
on record. Then the noble Fabiola became the Mother Teresa of her day and
unlocked the doors of the first hospital in Rome under the nose of the pagan
Emperor. A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a
hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror. The very elderly got their
first break from Christians. When you became old, you also became a nuisance.
You didn’t have to pull the plug yourself. Those around you would very happily
do that for you. The town dump was your final home. Jesus’ followers scrubbed all that. And kids finally got a break. Remember that
famous line of the Egyptian husband to his wife: “If you bear a child, and if
it is a boy, let it live. If it is a girl, throw it out. “Christ’s people
opened a fresh chapter in that area.
Yes, these people were
that famous leaven in the bread. So what
do I do to protect human life today, to change the atmosphere of hostility and
corruption into one Gospel peace and considerateness? You might want to reflect on the word of
Abraham Lincoln: “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of
men.” Will I stand up and be counted with
the Christians who preceded me and who battled enormous odds for the rights of
women, the sick, the aged, and the children? Or shall I cop out and whisper,
“The project is too big for me; count me out?”
Even if you read the
Gospels with one eye closed, you must realise your Christ was the leader of the
struggle from the beginning and still is.
We’ll stand and fight with him.
PRAYER (Martin Israel)
Let the healing grace of
your love, O Lord,
So transform me,
That I may play my part in
the transfiguration of the world,
From a place of suffering,
death and corruption
to a realm of infinite
light, joy and love.
Make me so obedient to
your Spirit
that my life may become a
living prayer
and a witness to your
unfailing presence.
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