Religious Paralysis

Gospel: Mark 1: 14-21

As in today's passage, throughout the Gospels we find people in need of healing, liberation, and feeding in a religious house of worship.  Today it is a man possessed by a demon; in other places it is a person in need of healing, and in still others a poor widow in the Temple.  In each of these scenes the congregation is not surprised by the presence of those in need, nor are they able or willing to help the person in need.  In each case Jesus seeks to provide that need.

How often is it the case in houses of worship today! We see many people in these various needs right among us.  In many cases we have not equipped ourselves to help others as our focus is on other things.  In other cases we are just not willing to help.  We make excuses as to why we cannot or will not, or we merely ignore the presence of those in need.  But Jesus in these scenes reminds us that the primary role of religion is to heal, liberate, and feed - and that communal worship has no meaning if we do not do these things.

Today is a day for us to reflect on the needs we see in our communities and how we might come together to heal, liberate, and feed people in our midst.  It is a day for acknowledging that we are able and willing to help others who have these needs - that nothing else is more important than this work that Jesus himself undertook as his primary task in the world.