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Commentary on Isaiah 43:18-19,21-22,24-25; 2 Corinthians 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12

Read Sunday of week 7 of Ordinary Time (B) »

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Commentary on Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45 Read Sunday of Week 6 of Ordinary Time (Year B) »

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Commentary on Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23; Mark 1:29-39

There is a huge contrast between the First Reading and the Gospel in today’s Mass. The Book of Job was written a very long time ago, between 500 and 700 years before Christ, but today’s passage could have appeared in an agony column in one of our tabloid newspapers.

It is the voice of someone who is terribly depressed and can find no meaning whatever in life:

Do not human beings have a hard service on earth,
and are not their days like the days of a laborer?

How often have we heard people speak like that? Perhaps we have felt like that ourselves sometimes. Fed up with life, bored with our work.

Such a person is:

Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
and like laborers who look for their wages…

How many people do we know who get no enjoyment or satisfaction whatever out of their work? “I just do it for the money.” How sad! At the same time, in the modern industrial world, so much of the work really is tedious and repetitive; one is just a cog in a huge machine. Many years ago, this was so well described in Charlie Chaplin’s classic film “Modern Times”. Maybe we should be grateful that the computer is now taking over so much of this dreary production line work.

How slow evening comes!
Job goes on:

I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I rise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing until dawn.

Day after day, night after night drags on. The days crawl by. I become just a clock-watcher, waiting for the lunch break or the end of the day when I can escape to some place (like a pub) and forget about life. The nights are worse when sleep is broken by anxiety and tension.

What kind of a life is that? Where is it going? Where is the value? Where is the meaning? At the same time:

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
and come to their end without hope.

Individual days drag by but, before I realise it, my whole life has gone by. And what have I to show for it?

Before I know it, it is too late:

Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.

Is that a picture of my life? If not, do you know people who live(?) like that? My life can never be lived over again. I have just got one chance. Maybe today is the time for us to get our act together. As they say, “Today is the first day of the rest of my life.”

A day – and night – in the life of Jesus
Let us now look at the Gospel, where there is a very different picture altogether. It is a description of part of a typical day in the life of Jesus. The day had begun with Jesus going into the synagogue of Capernaum because it was a Sabbath day (this is not included in today’s passage). There he made a tremendous impression by his teaching, which had a unique air of authority missing from most teachers of the Law (recall we spoke about that last Sunday). While still in the synagogue, a possessed man burst in and made a great scene. Jesus overpowered the evil spirit and cured the man (and we also spoke about that last week).

Then Jesus left the synagogue (where today’s Gospel begins) and, because it was still the Sabbath, when work and travel were forbidden, Jesus and his disciples went to Simon Peter’s house, where Peter’s mother-in-law was confined to bed with a fever.

Jesus immediately healed her and lifted her to her feet. What did the good lady do? Did she slump into a chair and wait for sympathy to be poured out on her? No, she immediately began to serve the needs of those in the house with her. She did this not because that was the duty of a woman, but because it is the duty of every Christian to serve. The restoration of her health meant that she could once more take care, according to her gifts, of the community.

No moaning or groaning
Then, after sunset, when the Sabbath was over, the people brought along those who were sick and in the power of evil spirits (some of these may have been psychologically ill) and he healed them all.

What a difference here from the Book of Job! No moaning or groaning here. No feeling sorry for oneself. Jesus is totally occupied in putting himself at the service of people and bringing healing and wholeness back into their lives.

And this is what brings meaning, fulfilment, satisfaction and happiness into people’s lives – when I am making my unique contribution to the well-being of my society and of those around me. I am not watching the clock for the next chance to escape. I am not just thinking of the pay packet.

The life of Jesus is telling us that life is for service, for giving, for sharing. And, if we all did that, how enriched we all would be! The more we all give, the more we all get.

But we live in a very individualistic, me-me-me society. If we cannot grab things for ourselves, then we think we will be losers. It’s everyone for himself or herself. Some make it and some don’t. And if you can’t make it, don’t expect anyone to help you.

This is a pure recipe for us to end up like the man in the First Reading. And we see many doing so. Just walk around the streets of many cities and you can see for yourself. People who have fallen through the cracks. We pity them, perhaps despise them, but feel no responsibility for their being like that or for doing something to integrate them into an active mutually serving community (because that hardly exists?). It is their own fault, their own choice for being unemployed and unemployable, for being alcoholics, drug addicts, wastrels, a burden on the hard-working taxpayer.

Recharging batteries
And then at the end of the day, what does Jesus do? Put his feet up, slump in front of the TV with a beer in his hand? Go down to the pub for some craic? No, he goes off to a lonely place to pray. He needed this. He had given away so much of himself that day that he now needed to be by himself, to recharge his batteries and, above all, to get in touch with his Father, the source of all his energy, and to restore wholeness and peace. He will come away from this experience truly energised and ready to share and serve.

There is a need in all of us for rest, but rest that refreshes and rebuilds, as opposed to pure escapist or dissipating activity. We rest in order to come back to a life of service, not in order to get away from it.

On the other hand, while many are escapists, others are compulsive helpers; they need to be needed. What they do looks like service, but it is really satisfying an inner fear of being passed over unnoticed. Such people need to learn how to say ‘no’ without feeling guilty, as Jesus does in today’s Gospel. Otherwise they face burnout and breakdown. As in all things, balance is the secret, a balance between the needs of others and our own.

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Commentary on Mark 6:30-34

The Twelve came back from their mission full of excitement at all they had done and taught. Jesus now told them to withdraw for a while for reflection and rest. This is what Jesus himself used to do. Large crowds were still mobbing Jesus and perhaps some of the Apostles too, so much so that they did not even have time to eat. This could have been a real time of temptation as the Apostles began to glory in their new-found power and the resultant fame and popularity.

We also see here once more the balance in Jesus’ life. He was so available to all those in need, the poor, the sick, the outcasts, but there was a limit to his availability. He knew when he needed to get away, to renew contact with his Father and to recharge his batteries (see Mark 1:35-37).

Some people are too self-centred. They have a very poor awareness of other people’s needs and do not bother to meet them. On the other hand, there are those who need to be needed. Their need is to have people looking constantly for them, but the result can often be ‘burnout’ or breakdowns. There are times when we have to learn to be able to say ‘No’ without feeling guilty.

So Jesus and his disciples take off in a boat to a solitary place where they will be left to themselves. Rather, that is what they thought they did. But the people saw them leaving and had a good idea where they were headed. While Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake in a boat, the people hurried along the lake shore. When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he was again faced by a huge crowd.

Jesus quickly decides that this is a time for availability. He is deeply moved by the people’s need; they were like lost sheep in need of a shepherd’s guidance. The people’s persistence in coming out to a desert place echoes the people of Israel in their wanderings. Here, Jesus is the Shepherd of the New Israel. So he begins to teach them. Their first hunger was spiritual. They needed to understand what Jesus stood for and why he did the things he did. There is a Eucharistic connection here and in what follows (the multiplication of loaves), and the teaching corresponds to what we now call the Liturgy of the Word during the Eucharist.

The story illustrates well the balance in Jesus’ life. As he did himself, he urges his disciples to retire and reflect on the meaning of what they are doing. Otherwise they may become active for activity’s sake, or for other less worthy motives. At the same time, in this particular situation, Jesus sees that a response is called for. The day of reflection is abandoned, and the people in their great need are served.

Let us learn, through careful discernment, to do likewise—to do the right thing at the right time.

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Commentary on Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21

Today we conclude our reading of the Letter to the Hebrews. The first part of the reading gives some more instruction on how the Hebrew Christians ought to behave.

First, they are to offer God an unending sacrifice of praise, not now a sacrifice of animals, but a verbal offering of praise that is made every time they acknowledge God’s name. Second, they are to keep doing good works and sharing their resources, for instance, with other Christian communities in need of assistance and support.

Both of these “sacrifices are pleasing to God”. And, in fact, they are a good summary of what the Christian life should be—a combination of prayer and worship, together with a never-ending love and service of brothers and sisters.

Third, they are to obey the leaders of their Christian communities who are pastorally responsible for them, and have to give an account of how well they carry out their responsibilities. Here the author is speaking of their present leaders and not those ‘first leaders’ he mentioned earlier and who are already dead. Clearly, dictatorial leadership is not condoned by this command. Respect for authority, orderliness and discipline in the church are taught throughout the New Testament.

This obedience should be given willingly and joyfully and “not with sighing”. Their cooperation should make following the leadership a source of joy for them rather than something burdensome—in which case all are the losers. The purpose of obedience is not to dominate people, but to get all to work together in commitment to a common goal.

The letter ends with a really beautiful prayer and blessing:

Now may the God of peace,
who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
make you complete in everything good
so that you may do his will,
as he works among us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever.
Amen.

These verses constitute one of the most beautiful blessings in the New Testament. It is the only place in the Letter where the resurrection of Jesus is explicitly mentioned, although the author also speaks of the “exaltation” of Jesus and of his presence before the “heavenly one”.

It is a fitting end to this uplifting letter—a letter written to a community weighed down by discouragement and tempted to go back to their ancestral ways. Let us also find in it encouragement for the difficulties we face.

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Commentary on Mark 6:14-29

Jesus was now becoming well known over a wide area. There was much speculation as to who he was (a major theme of Mark’s Gospel). Some were suggesting that he was John the Baptist (who had by this time been executed) come to life again, or that he was the prophet Elijah, who was expected to return just before the coming of the Messiah, or that he was a prophet in his own right, “like one of the prophets of old”. We know, of course, that all those speculations were wrong. The true answer will emerge very soon.

King Herod, steeped in superstition and full of fear and guilt, was convinced that Jesus was a re-incarnation of John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded. Today’s Gospel now gives us the story as to how this happened.

Herod Antipas, also known as Herod the Tetrarch, was the son of Herod the Great, who was king when Jesus was born. When the older Herod died, his kingdom was divided among his three surviving sons. Archelaus received half of the territory, Herod Antipas became ruler of Galilee and Perea, while Philip (Herod Boethus) became the ruler of the northern territory on the east side of the Jordan. The title ‘Tetrarch’ indicates that he was ruler of one quarter of the whole territory.

It is clear that Herod had great respect for John, as he would also have for Jesus later on. The problem arose because John had denounced Herod’s taking the wife (Herodias) of his half-brother Herod Boethus. This was in clear violation of Jewish law. The historian Josephus also says that Herod feared that John, so popular with the people, might instigate a riot against him.

It was this woman, Herodias, who now wanted to be rid of John, but could not do so because of Herod Antipas’ respect for him. Herod had gone as far as arresting John, but even when John was in prison, Herod loved to listen to him, despite being puzzled by John’s preaching.

Herodias saw her opportunity when Herod threw a party for his court to celebrate his birthday. She knew her husband’s weaknesses. Herodias’s daughter was brought in to dance and utterly captivated Herod. Deep in his cups, he made a rash promise. He would give her anything, even half of the territory he governed. Under the prompting of the mother, the girl makes the gruesome request for John’s head on a dish.

Herod was aghast, but because of his oath in the presence of his guests, he dared not renege on his promise. John was beheaded, and the head given to the mother. Afterwards, John’s disciples came and took his body and gave him a decent burial.

We might notice some similarities between this story and the passion of Jesus. Both Herod and Pilate recognised in John and Jesus, respectively, people of obvious goodness of life, wisdom and integrity. The hatred of Herodias for John parallels the hatred of the Jewish leaders for Jesus—in both situations the ‘haters’ called for execution by the ruler (Herod in one case, Pilate in the other). After the deaths of John and Jesus, disciples asked and received permission for a decent burial.

John is the precursor of Jesus, not only in announcing the coming of Jesus, but also in giving his life for the integrity of his beliefs and in bringing God’s message to the people. We are called to do the same. Preparing the way for Jesus and his message must become an integral part of every Christian’s life. Without our cooperation, without our going ahead of Jesus, his message will not be heard.

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Commentary on Hebrews 13:1-8

As we come to the end of the Letter there are the usual pieces of practical advice, each one calling for personal reflection.

The Hebrew Christians are instructed to:

Love each other like brothers and sisters.
This is a central teaching of the New Testament. At the Last Supper Jesus gave his “new” commandment:

…love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
(John 13:34-35)

If our every word, action and relationship is based on this commandment, we cannot go far wrong. See also Paul’s famous hymn to love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, and chapters 3 and 4 of 1 John.

Welcome strangers.
The people may be entertaining an angel without knowing it. This happened to Abraham when he offered the hospitality of his home to three strangers. The same ‘angels’ were also received in the house of Lot, who lived in Sodom (Genesis chap 18-19). Similarly, Gideon (chap 6) and Manoah (chap 13-16) in the Book of Judges entertained people who were in fact God’s messengers. We, of course, are called on to recognise the presence of Christ in every person and most of all, in the needy stranger:

Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me. (Matt 25:40)

Remember those who are in prison and emphathise with their situation.
God loves them too, no matter what they may have done:

I was in prison and you visited me. (Matt 25:36)

The reason for the imprisonment is not mentioned; it seems not to be a relevant factor.

Remember those being abused or oppressed in any way.
Again, such people are to be treated in the way one would like to be treated if found in such a situation.

Respect the marriages of others and maintain the fidelity of their own.
Fornication and adultery will bring down God’s judgement; such behaviour is not for Christians.

Remove monetary greed from their lives and be content with what they have.
Jesus had said:

Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. (Luke 12:15)

Also, Paul said:

I have learned to be content with whatever I have. (Phil 4:11)

The reason is that God looks after his own. This is especially true when we belong to a good community; everyone will take care of everyone else. So the author of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 118 in support of what he is saying:

With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me? (Ps 118:6)

Respect those leaders who brought the Word of God to them.
They may be already dead but the memory of their lives provides models for them to follow.

The author sums up his teaching by reminding them that the Risen Jesus is still with them:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The Jesus they know in their present Christian life is exactly the same as the Jesus of “yesterday” who walked the roads of Galilee, preached his Gospel, died on the Cross and rose again. And he is the same Jesus whom they will meet in the life to come.

For them now to compromise Jesus’ absolute supremacy by going back to the ways of the old dispensation, the old priesthood and rituals, is to turn their backs on something far more assuring—the redemptive life and work of Jesus, the Son of God. The instructions here are just as relevant for us today as they were for the Hebrews to whom this Letter was addressed.

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Commentary on Mark 6:7-13

We now reach a new stage in the formation of Jesus’ disciples. There was a calling of the first disciples to be “fishers of people”, then the choosing of twelve who would share in the very work of Jesus. Now the Twelve, the foundation of the future community, are being sent out to do exactly the same work that Jesus has been doing.

They have been given authority over unclean spirits, they preach repentance—that radical conversion (Greek, metanoia) to the vision of the Kingdom—and they anoint the sick with oil and heal them. Notice that these three activities cover the whole person: spiritual, mental and physical; healing and wholeness; health and holiness—to be holy is to be whole.

They are instructed to travel lightly, bringing only what they absolutely need—no food or money or even a change of clothes. They will not need these things because they will be taken care of by the people they serve. They are to stay in the first house that takes them in. Overall, they are to show total dependence on and trust in God.

This is freedom at its best. It is a model repeated by many saints and founders of religious congregations. Do we really need all the baggage we carry through life? Even the ancient Greeks said: “Those are really rich whose needs are the least”. That is what Jesus is teaching us. And, of course, he was a living example.

The disciples went off and did the three central works of Jesus:

• They proclaimed the Kingdom and called for a radical change of heart from people, so that they might see life in the way that Jesus, the Son of God, was proclaiming.
• They liberated many people from evil influences and compulsions. Freedom is the essence of Christian discipleship.
• They anointed the sick with soothing oil and brought them healing and wholeness.

They not only preached the Kingdom; they made it a reality in people’s lives. This is what we too are all called to do within the circumstances of our life. Even having little, we are to give much.

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Commentary on Hebrews 12:18-19,21-24

The reading gives a striking contrast between the appearance of God on Mount Sinai and the God that comes to us in Jesus Christ. It is another word of discouragement to the Hebrew Christians who want to go back to the old dispensation. They are being reminded of just what they want to go back to and what they want to leave.

According to the New American Bible:

“This remarkably beautiful passage contrasts two great assemblies of people: that of the Israelites gathered at Mt Sinai for the sealing of the old covenant and the promulgation of the Mosaic Law, and that of the followers of Jesus gathered at ‘Mt Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem’, the assembly of the ‘new covenant’. This latter scene, marked by the presence of ‘countless angels’ and of ‘Jesus’ with his ‘redeeming blood’ is reminiscent of the celestial liturgies of the Book of Revelation.”

The approach to God no longer occurs in an awe-inspiring theophany as on Sinai, but in a city built by God—for which the Old Testament saints yearned—the heavenly city. Together with the angels, they are assembled round the triumphant Mediator for all Christians, whom he has sanctified and made perfect.

In approaching God through Jesus, the Christians do not have to go through the experience that the Israelites had at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Law from Yahweh and where the covenant between Yahweh and his people was sealed. That was a truly awesome and frightening theophany. Some of its features were:

…a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.

But impatient with Moses’ delay in coming back, the Hebrews made the golden calf as an idol. And in a verse omitted from today’s reading, we are told:

…they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” (Heb 12:20)

In fact, so terrifying was the sight of this idolatrous image that even Moses, who had spoken face to face with Yahweh, admitted that he trembled with fear.

But the situation of Christ’s followers is completely different. The author tells the Hebrew Christians (using very traditional terms, but in a very different sense) that they:

…have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering…

The original Mount Zion was Jerusalem, the site of the Temple in whose sanctuary Yahweh dwelt. Here the author speaks of the “heavenly Jerusalem”.

They have come to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven. These are all those who have identified themselves with Jesus as his disciples and identify with the New Covenant.

They come to God, the Judge of all, and to:

…the spirits of the righteous made perfect…

This last phrase would appear to apply to the “righteous” in the Old Testament who are now given final deliverance and redemption through the saving death of Christ on the Cross (see Matt 27:52).

And, most of all, they have come:

…to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

When Abel was killed by his brother Cain, his blood cried out to God for vengeance (Gen 4:10). His was the first recorded murder in the Bible and, in addition, was the blood of a good and innocent man. But the innocent blood of Jesus, poured out on the Cross, is far more powerful. Abel’s blood cried out from the earth for vengeance, but the blood of Jesus has opened the way for everyone, providing cleansing and access to God. The blood of Jesus brings not vengeance, but forgiveness and reconciliation.

The awesomeness of Sinai was one that overpowered the senses. The awesomeness of our Christian faith is in the radical change it can bring about in our lives when we surrender ourselves totally to the Way to God that Jesus has shown. Our Saviour is “meek and humble of heart” and intimately accessible at all times. Some of his favourite words are: “Do not be afraid.”