Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Meditation - Mark 1: Jesus Heals Many People
29 As soon as Jesus left the meeting place with James and John, they went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 When they got there, Jesus was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. 31 Jesus went to her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she served them a meal.
32 That evening after sunset,[a] all who were sick or had demons in them were brought to Jesus. 33 In fact, the whole town gathered around the door of the house. 34 Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases and forced out a lot of demons. But the demons knew who he was, and he did not let them speak.
35 Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. 36 Simon and the others started looking for him. 37 And when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.” 39 Then Jesus went to Jewish meeting places everywhere in Galilee, where he preached and forced out demons.[Footnotes:
1.32 after sunset: The Sabbath was over, and a new day began at sunset.]
Mark 1:29-39
The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases. (Mark 1:33-34)
Can you imagine everyone in your town arriving at your doorstep? It would take a monumental event or person to bring such a crowd. This is exactly what happened to Jesus—and probably quite often. People came to him with all of their problems and needs, begging him for help. And as today’s Gospel reading tells us, he cured many, many people.
On one level, it’s true that all these people were healed because they sought the Lord on their own. It makes sense: word spread about him, and crowds began gathering around him. But it’s just as important to recognize that none of these blessings would have taken place if Jesus hadn’t come to earth in the first place. If he had not left his heavenly home and taken on our human flesh, there would be no one to run after!
Every now and then, it’s a good idea to step back from our pursuit of the Lord to get a big picture. Instead of thinking about what God wants of us, instead of questioning whether we are being faithful enough, instead of wondering if we’re missing out on something we should be doing—instead of all of these, let’s think about how relentlessly Jesus is pursuing us.
For instance, it wasn’t enough for him to remain in heaven and hope that we would turn back to him. It wasn’t enough for him to send us his word through the prophets. It wasn’t even enough for him to take on human flesh so that he could show us the way back to his Father. No, he pursued us to the very gates of hell. He rescued us from the clutches of the enemy—and it cost him his life!
This is your Savior. His love for you knows no bounds. He has already done so much in order to come to you. All he’s asking is that you take the final steps toward him. So don’t hesitate. Run to him, and you’ll find every grace and blessing you could ever need.
“Lord, thank you for loving me before I even knew you! Thank you for running after me with so much love. I turn to you now with a heart ready to receive your mercy and grace.” Amen!
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