Become Partners of Christ

Become Partners of Christ

January 17, 2013

Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot

Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.  We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.  Hebrews 3:13-14

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him,  “I do will it. Be made clean.”  Mark 1:40-41

Piety

Father, lead us into lives that are marked with both times of reflection and times of action as shown to us in the life of your Son.  Jesus, through your life, may our hearts not harden and we always be ready no matter where "today" takes us or whom we meet along the path.  Holy Spirit, strengthen us with your gifts so that we will always be ready willing and able to carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Amen.

Study

Matthew tells this same story in chapter 8 of his Gospel.  Luke does so in chapter 4.  However, Mark gets right to the point and puts it -- and a whole lot more -- right there in chapter 1.  In doing so, he skips over the entire Christmas narrative and history that the others present.  Mark does not go through the exhaustive family tree.  There are none of the joyful episodes of Christ's birth and early life.

While the other synoptic Gospels have more of this, reading Mark is like starting to run without a warm-up.  Right there in chapter one we have the preaching of John, the baptism, the temptation in the desert, the beginning of the public ministry, the call of the first disciples and three miraculous cures. One cure is in the temple on the Sabbath that sets the stage for the eventual confrontation with authorities.  If Jesus was going to try to run a marathon, he starts out at full speed.  Mark makes sure we know that going in.  If we are to be partners with Christ, this is the mission into which we are signing up.  Moses may not have chiseled "Hit the ground running" into any stone tablet.  But be prepared.

There is no build up.  No testing the waters.  Jesus convenes no council in Trent or Nicaea to make recommendations.  He put no public opinion polls in the field.  He had one man -- his cousin -- do some advance work.  When Jesus was ready, he dove right in.

As Jesus dove right in, he was so overwhelmed with the reaction of the people, that he could not stay in his home town any longer.  After curing the man with the demons, he had to leave Capernaum because the crowds were so massive.  Then, after he cured the leper in today's reading, he tried to keep the miracle quiet.  But the leper was so overcome that he had to Go Tell It on the Mountain.

It is ironic that this is the focus of today's readings when we remember St. Anthony, the Father of Monks.  One could say that St. Anthony dove right out.  He "retired" to the desert at about the ripe old age of eighteen in order to live in perfect solitude while laying the foundation of monastic community life.

Action

Some follow Jesus by retreating outside the pressures of the modern world.  Others follow Jesus by diving in to the works of mercy.  In this whirlwind first chapter of Mark's Gospel, we see both aspects portrayed in Jesus.  He retreats to the desert where he was driven by the spirit.  St. Anthony and generations of monks have followed his footsteps into monastic life.  Then, after his period in the desert, Jesus returns to the city to be among the people preaching, healing and driving out demons.  

We are called to be partners with Christ on both paths.  Once again, we are not faced with an "either-or" choice.  We will have times in our lives when, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we have to be within the modern world and other times when we retreat from it to be strengthened.

Both aspects are represented in the Cursillo movement.  Our weekend experience allows time away from the world to be strengthened by the Spirit.  Our fourth day experience allows us to use the practical tools of piety, study and action to live out our mission in full partnership.