Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B - 5/2/2012 - Gospel: Mk 1, 29-39
A day work
We all experience that not all our days are the same. Some days we live happier than others and we allow boredom to control our lives. Our entire life is the combination between good days that we enjoy and the not so good days we can't escape. Some people have more good days in their life time while others experience more difficulty. When we are happy we enjoy life more and believe that life has meaning and purpose. If we do some works then we will achieve good results. When we are happy we organize our daily schedule better and good organization of time always brings good results with satisfaction. When we are unhappy we prefer to be idled and don't want to do anything. When we don't want to work it is a sign telling us we are lacking something from inside that is the spirit of life.
Unhappiness often associates with lack of spirituality. When the spirit is absent in a person we don't want to do anything because the power that governs our life is not there. We are confused about the purpose of life and its meaning. We see life as a burden rather than the benefits of living and the enjoyment that life has to offer.
To improve our spiritual input we need to rely not so much on worldly power but power from on high. Power from below comes from the materials world. It often drags us down with more wants and demands. We eventually are being burnt out with more stress and pressure; while power from on high that comes from God and liberates and empowers us to be free to enjoy life.
Jesus gains power from on high, each day and every day, at dawn, he spends some quiet time talking to God. He goes to a lonely place by himself praying to God, asking to receive more of God's grace for the day. Empower yourself with God's grace for the day and works hard to show God's love for others. At the end of the day he may run out energy to work, feel tired and exhausted but not His spirit because it is strengthened by the power of God from on high.
His disciples learnt this lesson and they know where to look for him early in the morning? A lonely place is a place where Jesus chooses to pray to the Father. Never think that prayer is a waste of time. No, it is not. It is a time we enrich ourselves spiritually, strengthen us with power from on high and it gives us wisdom to organize our daily activities better. A better daily schedule brings better results and the purpose of life is clearer.
We the followers of Jesus need to set some time alone every day for a few minutes a day, talking to the Father, asking for God's grace for each day that helps us to live purposely and productively.
Unhappiness often associates with lack of spirituality. When the spirit is absent in a person we don't want to do anything because the power that governs our life is not there. We are confused about the purpose of life and its meaning. We see life as a burden rather than the benefits of living and the enjoyment that life has to offer.
To improve our spiritual input we need to rely not so much on worldly power but power from on high. Power from below comes from the materials world. It often drags us down with more wants and demands. We eventually are being burnt out with more stress and pressure; while power from on high that comes from God and liberates and empowers us to be free to enjoy life.
Jesus gains power from on high, each day and every day, at dawn, he spends some quiet time talking to God. He goes to a lonely place by himself praying to God, asking to receive more of God's grace for the day. Empower yourself with God's grace for the day and works hard to show God's love for others. At the end of the day he may run out energy to work, feel tired and exhausted but not His spirit because it is strengthened by the power of God from on high.
His disciples learnt this lesson and they know where to look for him early in the morning? A lonely place is a place where Jesus chooses to pray to the Father. Never think that prayer is a waste of time. No, it is not. It is a time we enrich ourselves spiritually, strengthen us with power from on high and it gives us wisdom to organize our daily activities better. A better daily schedule brings better results and the purpose of life is clearer.
We the followers of Jesus need to set some time alone every day for a few minutes a day, talking to the Father, asking for God's grace for each day that helps us to live purposely and productively.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia