A Few Words On "The Word"

July 16, 2006
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 6: 7-13

Hit the Road, Jack

One of the most annoying things about Jesus is that he expects us to do what he does. Feed the hungry. Shelter the homeless. Alrightalrightalright already! Maybe I can squeeze in a few hours volunteering at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Welcome the stranger? Translation: Sit with, get to know the ickiest kid in class. Um, OK. Maybe I can try a little. Heal the sick? Raise the dead? Stop the war in Iraq? End bullying at school? No can do. See, the difference between me and you, Jesus, is that you are God and I am not. I can't do those things.

Not only does Jesus ignore our protests, but he tells us to get going, get to work. And then the rules he makes seem like they'll only make things worse: Take nothing with you. No money. No tunes. No backpack. Nada. What's up with this?

Read the first line of this gospel again. Actually, when Jesus tells us to get going, to get to work, to have at it, he's already given us everything that we need. Faith in him and another believer to go along, "two by two." Know what? It's all we really need.

God never asks us to do something that we cannot do, in some way, shape or form. No, that's the physics teacher who assigns impossible homework. And as you no doubt have noticed by now, the physics teacher isn't God. (Your English teacher, maybe....naw. Just kidding.)

Remember what Jesus learned from the woman who was so sick that she spent all her money on doctors and nobody could help her? Maybe in that moment Jesus realized all that he was capable of doing, all that we, too, can do in his name and following his example. You see, we're right when we tell Jesus "You're God and we're not. You can do these things, we cannot." Alone, I can't. Alone, you can't. Even two by two, we can't. But with Christ, we can. ("Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name, there I am.") With Christ, we will. So come on. Get to it.

BTW and FYI:

Notice how it says that the twelve apostles "anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them"? To this day, we do the same thing. First, we are all anointed with the oil of catechumens (followers) before we are baptized, a kind of spiritual vaccination against all the spiritual germs and soul-diseases out there. Then, whenever we are seriously ill, we can be anointed with the oil of the sick. Think about that: Through the ministry of the priest and our family and friends together, Jesus himself reaches out and touches us when we're sick. And stuff-good stuff-always happens when Jesus touches somebody. When you or someone you love is seriously ill, have your parish priest come by and celebrate the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

Reflection Question

Think of one thing in Peacebuilders or in school that you thought you couldn't do but ended up doing well. How'd that happen?

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