Word to the Wise
Thursday, January 31, 2019 - Thursday in the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 10:19-25 and Mark 4:21-25]"Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear....." [Mark]
JANUARY 31 ST. JOHN BOSCO, sdb
The phrases about hearing are a repeated refrain in yesterday's gospel and today's. Our modern equivalent might be, "Listen up, people!" Jesus is announcing something very important. He is the lamp that cannot be hidden, a "secret" that cannot be kept secret. The response of the disciple must be wholehearted and not stingy.
The challenge for all of us as Christians is to find ways of hearing and speaking in a media-crazy age that cut through the information overload and reach the ears of those who need a sign of hope in the midst of shallow promises by false prophets. The intensity of current political dialogue and no one listening to anyone else is an example. Should a disciple shout louder, or is it better to stay calm and faithful and persistent? I'm inclined to the latter and I believe that approach will do more for others. The message of Jesus comes through much more loudly when it is manifested in the flesh and person of a kind and clear disciple. This was the approach of St. John Bosco who founded the Salesian order (SDB), and we could learn a lot from his example and that of St. Mary Mazzarello who founded the female side of the Salesians.
A generous measure of Jesus' message can feed a lot of hungry hearts. AMEN