Gospel Reflection for Monday, February 8th, 2021 — Mark 6:53-56
One of my frequent exclamations when reading scriptures, especially in the Gospel of Mark, is simply — “WOW.” It’s clear when reading this particular book that Jesus is on an urgent mission. Each story seems to flow from one to another in an exhausting cacophony of action.
Today’s reading is no different. Jesus has just finished up ministering to a huge crowd and simply wishes to take his closest followers across the lake for some seclusion and rest. No Rest for the weary. Seemingly as soon as they reach Gennesaret, Jesus and his disciples were besieged by masses of folks seeking the miraculous. Yet, despite the intense nature of these continuous demands, Jesus remains calm and compassionate. He simply gets down to the business at hand.
How many of us, after working to the point of exhaustion, would have simply gotten back in the boat and sailed to another location? Doesn’t that pretty much describe much of human nature? I’m finding that selfishness is much more common than altruism. But, Jesus is continually giving us a better example. As he told a group of evil Pharisees at one time, the greatest commandments given to us by God, is to Love God first and foremost, the love our neighbors as our selves. Jesus leads us here by compassionate service, despite his own physical exhaustion.
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GOSPEL — Mark 6:53-56
After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.
