Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 8, 2009 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19; 22-23; Mark 1:29-39]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! (1 Corinthians) Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." (Gospel of Mark)
The professional person, driven by the conviction of their value to their clients and having no time for anything else, is almost a commonplace figure in our Western social scene. What can be a great service and sharing of God-given talents can also become a compulsion and consuming force! Many a person like this will respond to a complaining spouse and children, "Hey, look, I'm making all this sacrifice for YOU!" Of course, the problem is that the professional does not want to sacrifice the profession but rather the family which is competing for his or her attention! Neither Jesus nor St. Paul had a spouse or children complaining about their absence, but it is clear from reading the gospels and Paul's letters (especially the two Corinthian letters) that the ministry threatened to consume them entirely. On a number of occasions, Jesus had to completely withdraw to keep from being totally overwhelmed. One wonders how Paul survived the list of hardships he gives from time to time. Maybe his original trade, tentmaking, was his recreation! When the consuming activity is church work, there is a terrible tension that can arise. How can anything be more important than doing "God's work?" Shouldn't everyone want to be a "martyr" to this cause? I don't think so. When I give retreats for priests and deacons and nuns or apostolic sisters, I have to remind them that one of the "stewardships" that God has given to us - in fact, the first stewardship - is the stewardship of our person. To be an effective disciple, we have to stay in good condition. Even St. Paul uses the image of a runner who must practice and keep the body in shape! Certain stewardships are fundamental to success in ministry. These include good emotional and physical and relational "hygiene." This may require the "consumed" minister or professional to take time off from "saving others" to save themselves, which may include allowing themselves to BE saved by others to whom they are closely related by family or friendship ties. Good prayer time, study, time with friends and family (community) have to be as much a part of the picture as the preaching, surgery, courtroom, classroom or whatever "valuable" service a person may be rendering to society. Otherwise it won't take long before we find ourselves speaking as Job does in the first scripture today: "Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?" The line spoken by Simon is a dangerous one" "Everyone is looking for you." It's a good thing they had to! AMEN
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