Filled With Restlessness

February 5, 2012

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?" then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. Job 7:1-4

Brothers and sisters: If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:16-19

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. Mark 1:29-31

Piety

The Contemplative in Action is one whose piety includes work. What once might have been called drudgery and the work of hirelings becomes joy and acts of love. Work becomes prayer by our piety. We do what we do out of love. Wherever there is love God is there. What we do for others makes of our work the sacrifice of praise for God. The ordinary becomes the extraordinary as our work becomes an act of love. It is not what we do that makes a job worthwhile. It is with how much love we do what we do that gives work its significance. Each day comes to an end with the hope that we have made a difference in our world by what we have done this day.

Study

Study teaches us how love makes our world go around. The words of St. Francis take over in our heart. We preach always by the way we do things out of love for each other and occasionally we use words. Actions speak louder than words. God’s love is on our hearts and woe to us if we do not live his love. Love reveals to us the true meaning of work. We become a slave to all as we become all things to all to save at least some. Love rules the way we share our lives with each other. We study how to be true children of God that we may truly love each other in Christ. All this we do for the sake of the gospel that we might have a share in the joy of Christ.

Action

Our actions make us the helping hands of Christ. We reach out to our sick mankind and help each other to get up to feed the hungers that beset the human race. Even as Christ grasps the hand of Peter’s mother–in–law, we offer a helping hand to all that need us. We search out the deserted place to pray until the people who need us find us. We go through our day preaching the good news and driving out the modern day demons of secularism, materialism and individualism. We become the good news of Christ by the good we do for those who need the helping hand of Christ.