5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.

February 8, 2015
Have you ever felt like running away?
One of the most enduring reflections on suffering is found in the book of Job. When
you read Job you come across a model child of God, who although he has done
nothing wrong, faces extraordinary trials in life. His story recounts loss; loss of
family, loss of material goods and loss of the reputation of his good name.
Like many people today who are enduring sickness and pain, Job lamented, When I
lie down I say, When shall I rise? But the night is long and I am full of tossing until
dawn. Doesnt that sound familiar! Job was restless, he wanted to be well, but I
think he also wanted to run away from his illness and maybe from his earthly life as
well. What kind of a life is that? Where is it going? Where is the value? What is the
meaning? Individual days drag on and before we know it our life has gone by and
what do we have to show for it?
There was a time in my life when I had those feelings as well. I wasnt sick but I was
a slave to unjust employers who had no regard for life outside of their company.
Because I was working such long hours I became overwhelmed and felt trapped. I
had time for nothing else and was neglecting the most important things in my life,
my family and friends, my health and God. I wanted to run away, to drown my
sorrows but I was stuck in a hard place, I knew that I had to work to support my
family, and to pay my debts. When I finally couldnt handle it any more, I made
what was probably the biggest decision of my life. I put total trust in God; sold our
house, quit my job and we ran away. We ran away debt free but with no income or
home to move into. We ran away and began our new lives together and havent
looked back.
Our lives can never be lived over again, we only have one chance. Maybe today is
the day we get our act together. As they say; Today is the first day of the rest of
our lives.
Human suffering takes many forms not just illness. Our suffering can be mental,
physical and psychological. Saint Pope John Paul II recognized this and wrote an
apostolic letter, Salvifici Doloris, (The Christian Meaning of Suffering) which drew
attention to the saving dimension of suffering. The Pope underlined the Churchs
need to continually take care of the sick in imitation of Jesus. He also stressed the
need of the sick to unite their sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus on the cross.
God so loved the world that he sent his only son to endure brutal suffering and
death for us. Jesus laid down his life for us his friends. He offered his suffering for
all people and we can offer our suffering as well. We can use our pain, our grief and
our restlessness in a way that will bring peace. We all pray for things, things that
we most times really dont need. What if we offer our suffering in prayer? We can
give what ails us in prayer to God; we can quietly offer our pain for our children that
they may hear the call of God and remain or return to him in the Eucharist. We can
offer our sickness for our spouse that together we remain faithful to God and to
each other until we reach our eternal reward. We need to place our trust in God and
give our suffering to him just as Jesus did on the cross.
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Today once again, we see Jesus the healer at work. He comes upon St. Peters
mother in law who is sick with a fever that has confined her to her bed. He came
and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her. Saint Mark tells
us that after sundown when the Sabbath had ended, crowds gathered at the door
for Jesus to heal many who were sick, and he did just that. We saw the ruins of St.
Peters house when we were in Capernaum, it wasnt very big and I can just imagine
how exhausted Jesus and the disciples must have been when that night finally
ended.
At the end of that day, what did Jesus do? Did he go out and celebrate with his
friends? Actually in the quiet of the early morning he ran away, he needed to be
alone to pray. Jesus had to recharge his batteries in the midst of the busyness, and
as we read the scriptures we see that this is a pattern with him. I wonder what he
prayed about, maybe prayers of thanksgiving for the goodness and blessings of the
previous day; maybe prayers of concern for the people whom he met there; maybe
prayers for the courage and the energy to continue. Dont these prayers sound
familiar?
Above all he needed to get in touch with his Father, the source of all his energy, to
restore wholeness and peace and to come away from this experience energized and
ready to share and serve.
I know that I dont have days where the whole town is at my door, and Im sure you
probably dont either, but some days it certainly feels that way. When those days
happen we need to take his example and run away. Not from our duties and
obligations but from the noise and busyness of life.
We need the time to recharge our personal batteries, to be quiet and alone taking
the time to talk with God. We all have a need for rest; rest that refreshes and
rebuilds us so that we can come back to a life of service.
Perhaps it was there in the midst of his prayer that Jesus became clear about his
mission. Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the
message there also, for that is what I came out to do.
Perhaps it will be there in our quiet prayer that our mission will also become clear.
Jesus has always led me on the adventure of my life, whenever I take the time to
pray and quietly listen.
He will lead us all on our mission if we run away to be quiet with him and to be
open to what hes got in store for us.
Running away with Jesus and offering to him our troubles, our worries, and our
sicknesses, will bring healing, maybe not physically but spiritually. It will save us
from burning out and breaking down and it will bring a calming quietness to all of
the noise from the world around us.
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