Lenten Daily Reflection 2020-03-03
Lenten Reflection for Tuesday, March 3
Julia Gannon
Mark 1:14-28
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news* of God,* 15and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;* repent, and believe in the good news.’*
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.17And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ 26And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He* commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
These verses always put a smile on my face. A group of men abandoning the comforts and safety of the life they know, and leaving it all behind to follow Jesus “proclaiming the good news of God.” And oh boy, we could all use a bit of good news these days. It’s easy to fixate on all of the negative things in today’s world, but, with God’s help, I want to actively make the choice everyday to celebrate the good news. I want to always celebrate God’s gifts, and share it with those around me who’s eyes might be clouded by darkness. I had a friend once ask me where all of my peace and joy came from, and I simply said “my relationship God”. This gave way to a wonderful conversation about my spiritual journey and walk in Christianity. The act of being joyful and sharing my joy gave me the opportunity to share the good news of God. We can only be successful fishers of men if we carry God’s light, love, and joy. After all, fish love the glittery tackle with feathers and tinsel so I plan to make my spiritual net as bright as it can be.
The second passage is the prefect example of God’s power and mercy. God was able to expel an unclean spirit from a man who was living with a parasite of darkness. God offers us new mercies each and everyday, and that will always give me hope. When I fail or find myself with my own parasite of darkness, God will offer his mercies to help pull me from that place. He will never give up, or shy away from the challenge because we are all worthy of God’s efforts and love.