As a faith community we are invited to be available to those who are in genuine need.

 
Reading: Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38.
 
Good morning, happy Wednesday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
Today in this Gospel (Mark 1:29-39), Jesus is ministering to the sick. The Gospel opens with Jesus leaving the synagogue and going to Simon’s home accompanied by some of His disciples. When Jesus arrives at Simon’s house, He is approached and told that Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever. Jesus went to her, took her hand and helped her up. Immediately the fever left her!
 
As sunset was approaching, many people came to Jesus bringing their loved ones who were ill or possessed by demons. Mark writes that Jesus immediately healed those who were sick and He also drove out the demons. Very early the next morning, Jesus left and found a deserted place where He prayed. He must have needed some time to be quiet, to rest and to be alone in prayer.
 
The Gospel stories tell us that as well as healing, casting out demons, and preaching, Jesus was in the habit of going off to a quiet place to pray. He felt this need to be in touch with the fact that he was God’s beloved. He must have found the lack of human affirmation very wearing.
 
If Jesus came into our town, our city, would we approach Him and ask Him to heal us? What is the healing we would hope for? Would it be a physical illness, a spiritual need? Would we ask Jesus to heal and restore someone we love? Would we ask Jesus to heal our world and cleanse us of our need to control or hurt one another? Today I invite you to reflect on the healing that you desire for yourself and our world. God will hear our prayer! We may not get an immediate response but trust that God is at work.  God will respond! How patient will we be?
 
Also, this scene brings up the importance for us of availability. As a faith community we are invited to be available to those who are in genuine need. At the same time, there is what we might call the ‘poverty of availability’. We need to find a balance between people’s needs and our limited resources. We do not help people by working ourselves to the point of ‘burnout’.
 
Having ‘quality time’ with God, to pray, reflect and renew our energy is central. Jesus gives us an excellent example here by going away to a deserted place to pray. Let us remember to stay close to the source of all love.
 
When I feel powerless before outside events, and before wayward tendencies in my own heart – I ask Jesus, the strong one, to come to my side.
 
Blessings,
 
Luis+