Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 10, 2017 - Tuesday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 2:5-12 and Mark 1:21-28]TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017. TUESDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [Hebrews 2:5-12 and Mark 1:21-28] Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.......All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." [Mark] We are now in "ordinary time" and at the beginning of the ministry of the adult Jesus. He shows up in Capernaum, enters the synagogue, teaches and heals. His teaching is immediately compared to that of the "scribes" who were considered the experts in Jewish law and observance. The difference is that the scribes relied on the teachings of other authorities who were well-known. Jesus quoted no other authority than his own! This set him at odds with the scribes and Pharisees from the very beginning of his ministry. The Gospel of Mark will continually highlight this growing tension. The teaching and the healing will be constant themes in Jesus' ministry and continue to challenge us centuries later. What do we know of Jesus' teaching? Have we experienced any kind of healing from him? My own pastoral experience in parish missions tells me that the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick which I administer in the final service of the mission has a powerful impact. Many of us hear Jesus' teaching only on Sunday. Can we begin a practice of reading the gospels ourselves and hear the teaching daily? The sacraments are, indeed, an encounter with Jesus' ministry, but so are the scriptures. Jesus' teaching and healing are there for us to have if we but open our hearts and minds. AMEN
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