Do Good, Avoid Crowds

Gospel: Luke 5: 12-16

Jesus goes about from town to town doing good to all he encounters.  He heals the sick and lame as in today's reading; he expels demons; he feeds and nourishes people at table.  Whenever he does good to another, he tells them not to tell anyone.  Instead, just give thanks to God and go to live a life of thanksgiving doing good to others.  And, since people do not follow that command, Jesus has to continually avoid the crowds who would make him king.  He goes to be alone with God.

It is odd that much of what passes for Christianity is the exact opposite of what Jesus commands and models in his behavior.  Instead of counseling others to live in gratitude and care for others, they are told to tell everyone and create a big crowd.  Instead of avoiding the crowds to be alone with God, people seek out the crowds and the push to be made king, to hold worldly power and influence.  We gain the world, but lose our soul...

Today is a day to reflect on what model we seek to follow in the way of religion.  We can follow the way of Jesus - the life of simple gratitude and service to others.  Or we can follow the road more often travelled - the way of the noisy crowd that is never satisfied, the way of worldly power and influence.  One way leads to an empty tomb and resurrection, the other to the rubble of a destroyed Jerusalem.