Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 2:14-18; Mark 1:29-39)
In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke Jesus is revealed to the
world with the stories of his birth. The
Gospel of Mark has no infancy narrative.
It introduces Jesus with a flurry of activity on the first day of his
ministry. Today’s gospel recounts the events at the end of that first day and
the beginning of the second.
Jesus heals diseased people and drives out demons from the
possessed. But he is not on a medical
mission. Rather than stay in one place to
treat all who come to him, he goes off to preach to others. His mission is to announce the reign of God
and the need for listeners to change their ways so that they may benefit by it.
But established ways of thinking and acting are notoriously
difficult to alter. Try driving on the
left side of the road after driving on the right for ten years. Similarly, we are accustomed to seeking
pleasure and recognition in abundance. To
dominate these passions, we need to take time like Jesus to pray for God’s
help.
