Given Faith, Given Joy

Given Faith, Given Joy  

January 15, 2012

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.  (Hebrews 2:10-11)

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”  Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.  (Mark 2:23-26)

Piety

I pray:  That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.  (January Intention of Pope Benedict XVI)

Study

Have you ever had a friend who plays the one-up game, relating a distressing story in exchange for any depiction of the tough day you are having?  Or a relative that always plays the victim claiming that ill-fate kept him from the good job or other people keep him down?  Or perhaps you know someone who delights in telling racist or ethnic jokes because “those people” should go home anyway.

In the Gospel, Jesus frees a man imprisoned within himself by an “unclean spirit.”  What an apt description for people who are imprisoned within themselves by self-pity, a sense of persecution, hate or the like.  God doesn’t want us to be miserable but God wants us to choose for ourselves how we will face life.  Jesus freed those who chose badly such as the adulteress or the prodigal.  Jesus also frees those who don’t choose but find their life is taken over by and constricted with difficulties such as mental illness. 

We can choose, each minute of every day to be a brother or a sister to Christ.  We can choose to deepen our knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully, recognizing as we do the consecrated nature of each other.   Conversion can be painful, as the unclean spirit convulsed the man in leaving him.  But the joy of God present remains.

Action

Is there an “unclean” obstacle within myself which obstructs me from recognizing the presence of Jesus?  Do I need to rid myself of a bias?  A judgment?  A stubbornness?  A self-pity?  A fear?  A disgust or even an abhorrence?  Reject myself or reject  Jesus’ brothers or sisters means reject Jesus.  How can I help myself heal?