Reflection for February 8, 2009

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – "Honest Prayer and Transforming Love"

In the first reading we hear the voice of human despair and misery. Job speaks honestly of his felt sense of life as drudgery. Truthful dialogue with God will lead Job to a transforming experience of the Mystery of God’s Love. Job does not allow others to moralize hope away and discovers that this gloom of his “is shade of God’s Hand outstretched caressingly.” The psalmist (147) also reminds us that God is close to the broken hearted, that very same God who numbers the stars and calls them each by name. In today’s epistle Paul, having been simultaneously dislodged from his horse and from his stance of persecuting others, expresses his desire to be all things to all people   

And then the gospel: Here we meet Jesus who incarnates this God who binds up wounds, heals and frees — a Jesus who goes apart to pray even as he moves with zeal throughout Galilee healing and freeing people from demons. Mark’s gospel begins with the image of Jesus entering a house. The disciples immediately tell him that a woman is in bed sick with a fever. A powerful and intimate encounter is simply described:

He approaches the woman, then reaches out, grasps her hand and helps her up.

The woman is not named; we are told she is Peter’s mother in law, sick with a fever.  “The fever left her and she waited on them.” Scripture scholar, Barbara Reid, O.P., writes that the verb usually translated as “waited on” is diekonei  and is used to refer to many ministries including ministries of the word and of the table as well as service that is apostolic, financial and/or administrative. Whatever her ministry, this woman’s willingness to take the hand Jesus reaches out to her, heals her and transforms her, and she readily engages her energies for and with others. Our faith encourages us to open our hearts to the transforming presence of this same Jesus now Risen, so that the charity of Christ might also impel and energize us to be for each other.

Reflection by Sister Vivienne Joyce, SC A