Homily for Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Mk. 2:23-28) “Small People Have a Lot to Hide”
Homily for Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Mk. 2:23-28) “Small People Have a Lot to Hide”
Jesus never seemed to get along to well with “religious” people. By that I mean, people who were fascinated by religious rules and customs. We have a series of stories in the Gospel of Mark that show how the Pharisees were constantly watching to see how they might discredit Jesus in the eyes of his followers. Today, they attack him on a sabbath day for allowing his followers to pick a few seeds to eat as they walked along in a field.
Jesus seems more at home with people like the tax collector Matthew then with people like the Pharisees. Matthew was very aware of his imperfections. As Carl Jung would say, he was a ware of the shadow side of his nature. The Pharisees probably had just as many faults as Matthew, but they tried to keep those faults hidden. The best way to keep one’s imperfections hidden is to go on the attack, to tear someone else down. That is what weak people do.
We see that in the life of Martin Luther King, for example. J. Edgar Hoover wanted to discredit King because he was such a dynamic leader in the black community. He tried to do that, at first, by attempting to tie King to communism. When that failed, he then tried to expose King’s marital infidelity.
Martin Luther King was very aware of his own sinfulness. He relied heavily on the mercy of God. He was able to weather Hoover’s threats and move ahead with his Civil Rights mission.
Hoover had his own sexual issues which we now know about. He had other games that he played as an agent of law enforcement. He always tried to keep a file on all his enemies so that he could blackmail them whenever he chose. That was how he held on to power. He was a small petty man.
Jesus would not be intimidated by the games the Pharisees played. He knew that he had a larger purpose and he achieved it despite those who threatened him.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I have weaknesses that I do not want others to know about? What is my biggest insecurity?
- Does acknowledging my faults in front of others make life better or worse?
Dear Parishioners,
Soon we will move into February. Once again some of our religious customs will be impacted. One thing that will be happening soon is the Feast of St. Blaise (February 3rd). On St. Blaise’s feast we usually bless throats.
We were notified by the Chancery Office last week that we should not bless throats individually with candles this year, but that we should just have a general blessing for all the people at Mass.
The most important thing is that we pray for everyone’s health. St. Blaise is a powerful intercessor. We ask for his prayers during the present health crisis. The ritual may be simpler, but the intention is the same.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark