January 30, 2010
Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Nathan answered David: "The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed, the child born to you must surely die." 2 Samuel 12:13-14
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Mark 4:41
Piety
These I Wish
To live a life of cheer
To laugh when all seems dark
To shed a tender tear when beauty calls
To hark – to speak a work of hope, to love, to work, to pray – to bring a touch of joy to all I meet each day.
I would be glad and live with all my heart that when I come to heaven, I have left my part.
(By Monica Miller in the book Bedside Prayers.)
Study
Last week, when Jesus encountered demons while healing and exorcising his followers, these demons recognized the Lord in their struggle. Then, in the last few days, we have had readings where his family did not recognize Jesus. Today, those closest to Jesus once again do not seem to recognize who is walking among them.
Jesus can conquer demons. Jesus can conquer disease. Jesus can even conquer the natural forces of the earth like wind and storms and tides. As we saw earlier in the month when Jesus controlled the demons, he did so with just a few words (“Quiet! Come out of him!”) Today’s reading has Jesus rebuke the wind and subdue the sea the same way with just a few words (“Quiet! Be still!”). Yet those closest to Jesus can not put two and two together to conclude what the demons seem to know…that this special person is the Messiah.
Jesus calls on them to have a little faith. Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Mark 4:40
Even great faith is not enough unless proper action springs from that faith. We see in David a man of great faith who knows how to mete out justice among his people when he is faced with the dishonest shepherd. However, despite that faith, David continues to act selfishly and fulfill his own desires. He asks for forgiveness, however, he still has to pay a price for his misdeeds.
Action
http://standwithhaiti.org/haiti/news-entry/pih-co-founder-paul-farmer-testifies-at-senate-foreign-relations-committee/
(From the testimony of Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations January 29, 2010.)
“Sitting before you, I am at my core optimistic about the possibilities before us and the potential of our support to help rescue and transform our poorest neighbor. The response from citizens of the United States to the recent events in Haiti has been overwhelming and encouraging. There is the promise of solidarity by our leadership to make long-term commitments to the kinds of investments needed in Haiti—and to fulfilling them.
“For two centuries, the Haitian people have struggled for basic human and economic rights, the right to health care, the right to education, the right to work, the right to dignity and independence. These goals, which Haitians share with people all over the world, should direct our policies of aid and rebuilding.
“As I wrote with colleagues in a recent op-ed—which is available in my written testimony—as physicians working in Haiti, we know first-hand that Haiti itself will soon be the casualty if we do not help build back better in the way envisioned by Haitians themselves.”
Please research the groups working in Haiti on rescue and reconstruction and support those you conclude are doing the most effective work.
