Word to the Wise
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - Wednesday in the 22th Week in Ordinary Time
[Col 1:1-8 and Luke 4:38-44]At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sen
Jesus' reputation as a healer did not take long to get around. For his own good, he tries to get away for some rest and prayer, but crowds search for him. Their interest is in having him on a permanent basis, which would short-circuit his ministry from the very outset! His mission is more than healing. Healing is only one part of it. The mission is to proclaim "the Kingdom of God." Even that message will be misunderstood because "kingdom" would be taken in a political sense by a people longing to be freed from the Roman occupation. From the viewpoint of the Romans, there was only one kingdom, that of Caesar.
It is normal for a community to try and keep a good thing for itself. But Jesus cannot be domesticated to the extent that others are prevented from coming to him or that he is prevented from going to others. This is the essence of Pope Francis' ministry, outlined in his initial document, "The Joy of the Gospel." Every baptized person is commissioned to preach "the Kingdom of God." Jesus is not a personal possession but rather good news to be shared. Our cultural individualism can be dangerous to the gospel when we consider faith as merely a personal commitment. AMEN