THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Job 7: 1-4.6-7; I Corinthians 9: 16-19.22-23; Mark 1:
29-39)
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a novel
written by the Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It follows the activities
of a prisoner in a gulag, the Russian prison camp in Siberia. The story tells
of the pains of living in such a place such as the difficulty of laying bricks
with freezing temperatures. It includes a couple of small joys like finding a
piece of metal that could be shaped into a tool. We find something similar in
the gospels of last Sunday and today. Between the two the evangelist Mark
describes a day in the ministry of Jesus.
The story began with Jesus entering the synagogue at
Capernaum. There he cast out an unclean spirit, which could be called
ignorance, with his teachings. We are grateful to have faith in such a great
teacher like Jesus. His teachings bring hope
to our lives.
Today we appreciate him for his sympathy with people. He
first heals Simon's mother-in-law. After that, he does not fail to help many
other afflicted ones. In a way his healings extend his preaching on the
practical level. His message proclaims God's love for the people. Now he shows
this love by easing the burdens that men and women carry.
Interestingly, when others try to identify who Jesus is, he
does not allow it. When the unclean spirit calls him "the holy one of
God", he responds: "’Be quiet… ’" Further on in the gospel Peter
will name him "the Messiah." Jesus will respond by telling the twelve
that they should not tell this to anyone. Only when he dies on the cross can
his full identity be revealed. Seeing him suffer without cursing anyone, the
Roman centurion says, "Indeed, this man was the Son of God."
The gospel’s effort to cover up the identity of Jesus is sometimes
called the "messianic secret." It seems that the secret is kept so
that men do not misunderstand Jesus. If they knew that he is the Son of God,
they would try to crown him king. Worse still, they would form an army to drive
the Romans out of Israel. But the son of God did not come to be flattered as a
temporary king nor did he come to defeat foreign armies. No, his mission -- the
will of God his Father -- is to overcome sin. When they see him suffering on the
cross, dying and risen from the dead, they can understand his mission.
Today many who do not know the story of Jesus would have
another objective in having the son of God in their midst. They would blame him
for allowing Covid and all the other evils that afflict the people. For this
reason, many make fun of Christians for believing in a God who does not save
them from wars, pandemics, and other catastrophes.
How can we respond to these criticisms? First, we have to
affirm the goodness of God. He gives us life, family, and many other benefits
that are often taken for granted. Second, we have to realize the precariousness
of our situation precisely because of the gift of free will. Men can make a lot
of trouble on their own. However, they are not alone but are accompanied by dark
spiritual forces that multiply evil in the world. And finally, we know that
evil will not win. In the end, God, who has already conquered evil through the
work of Jesus, will make all things well.
In between time it is up to us to believe in Jesus and
follow his will. Paul says in the second reading today: "'Woe to me if I
don't preach the gospel!'" We want to echo Paul saying, "Woe to us if
we don't live the gospel!"
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