To save or to kill...to be good or appear good?

January 23, 2019

Wednesday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

Hebrews 7: 1-3,15-17; Mark 3: 1-6

The Word today speaks of two religious disciplines that mattered much to the Old Testament people of God: the practice of tithing and the observance of the Sabbath. Both of these taken in their legalistic sense, would be practices very sacred but of least significance. 

Imagine, a tenth of your possession given grudgingly, or as in the example of Ananias and Saphira (in Acts 5), trying to make it as minimally affecting as possible, but calculated to yield optimum returns... will bear no spiritual fruit. Keeping Sabbath, intended to be the day of the Lord, as a day of dead and insensitive inactivity instead of holy and active worship to God, will be of no spiritual value. 

The key to right understanding here is, not just giving of what we have, but it is giving of what we are; it is not remaining firm and insensitive to the need of the other when you are in every way, though in a position to reach out but setting aside a considerable time when you will think of God and the people of God, instead of getting stuck to thinking about yourself all the while! 

Today, there can be more than one reason for someone to do good- seeking popularity, establishing one's own name, looking for recognition from people and society, proving your point to those who see you do that good, wishing to create an image that is pleasing for the public, etc. But Jesus invites us to do good, precisely where no one knows you. No one understood who Jesus was; they did not really care to. They thought they knew from where Jesus came - but that was not true! They never knew or understood Jesus until Jesus had left them. However, Jesus did all the good that he could, he could not wait, the time was short! He invites us too - to do good precisely  where no one knows you, but might need you the most! 

Be good, do not just try to appear good! Not because you get a reward or a recognition and not because people would stand by you...but because you are convinced of doing that good, saving people, making people sense God close to them. Never grow tired of doing what is good.