Gospel: Mark 8: 22-26
In today's Gospel Jesus performs a remarkable deed. On the surface of things another healing seems like an everyday occurrence for Jesus, but the way in which this story unfolds is what is remarkable. First, a crowd brings a blind man for Jesus to heal. Jesus then takes the man away from the crowd and, alone with the man, performs the healing. He then instructs the man to tell no one and to not even go back into town.
Time and again we find Jesus commanding us to tell no one about our healing. We are not to make a spectacle of these things. We are not to have elaborate media empires or Super Bowl ads. The only response Jesus asks of us is to be a humble servant who is an extension of God's mercy to others in the world. We ourselves are to show mercy to others through our care and love of others.
If we follow the advice of Jesus, then real transformation and change take place within us and within the world. We are set free from the bonds of selfishness and vanity, and so are others. But if we choose the path of spectacle, crowds are created along with cults of personality. Ego and self-interest are perpetuated and no transformation at all occurs - just another spectacle to be exploited for gain. Let us choose the path of Jesus and heed his command to remain humble in life of mercy given as gratitude for mercy.
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