08 February 2009
First reading Job 7:1-4,6-7Job began to speak:
Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service,
his time no better than hired drudgery?
Like the slave, sighing for the shade,
or the workman with no thought but his wages,
months of delusion I have assigned to me,
nothing for my own but nights of grief.
Lying in bed I wonder, ‘When will it be day?’
Risen I think, ‘How slowly evening comes!’
Restlessly I fret till twilight falls.
Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle my days have passed,
and vanished, leaving no hope behind.
Remember that my life is but a breath,
and that my eyes will never again see joy.
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 146:1-6
Second reading 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me.
So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made myself weak. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
Reflection
By Anabelle Payod - Balla
Whether we like it or not, our body will take the rest it needed when it has used up all its stored energy. When we work so hard we couldn’t spare some time to do some good exercises anymore or eat the right meals at the right time. Then we get sick. Our body, in its own volition, takes us down and puts us in bed until it recuperates. Even if our mind wants to get up and go, our body won’t allow it. It will drag us back to bed, to rest. I learned this fact through first-hand experience. I believe this is the same for our soul. Our soul gets tired and hungry as well. And it will search for rest and food and until it is satisfied, we will continue to feel restlessness. We need to feed our souls. We need to renew our energy. We need to PRAY. Just like what Jesus always do every time, after His day’s work. Prayer is the surest way to renew both our spiritual and our physical energy. Prayer will sustain our spirits from all the difficulties we are facing in life. Prayer allows us to receive wisdom and grace from the Lord. With wisdom comes understanding and acceptance. And with understanding and acceptance comes inner strength and peace. No more worries, no more anxieties. With inner peace comes good health as the body runs its processes the way it should be, normally, relaxed. Do pray sincerely, bare your souls to God. Tell Him everything: fears, hopes, dreams, your darkest secrets, even your smallest worries. It will make you feel better. It made me feel lighter. It feels like I was freed up from such a heavy load of troubles I have been carrying inside. It feels like I have just been washed clean, refreshed again!
Renew spiritual energy daily. Pray everyday!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us what you feel...