Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
Have you ever had the experience where you saw or met a famous person-maybe a famous sports star, movie star or some important political figure? My niece who lives in NYC said that one time at a spinning class, Kelly Ripa was on the bike right next to her. When I think about these possible chance meetings, I wonder if I would actually recognize these famous personalities. The fact that I probably have seen their pictures on the TV, movie screen, magazines or newspaper makes it easier, and I probably may even recognize their voice from hearing them speak on one of the many mediums that news is shared. This idea was brought to mind when I read today’s gospel reading and was struck by the phrase the people “immediately recognized” Jesus. Without TV, internet, movies, books, newspapers or any other form of technology these people who never had seen Jesus before recognized Him. This reading helps me to reflect on the importance of “recognizing” Christ in my life. When I recognize Him, I can go to Him and experience His love and mercy. I can also bring others to Christ, so they too may know His healing presence.
In the gospel reading today, Jesus and his disciples go to the land of Gennesaret. When Jesus stepped off of the boat with his disciples, “people immediately recognized him.” (Mark 6: 54) What was it that made Jesus so easy to identify? Most of these people probably had never seen him before. It is unlikely that it was the way he dressed or how he looked that made him stand out, since there were most likely other Jewish young men who looked like him. I suspect what caught their attention was the way Jesus acted. I wonder if they saw His gentleness, His mercy and His love in the ways that He addressed the people He met. Maybe they had heard stories from others about Jesus, and they recognized this man as the person who others had described as one who has “authority” unlike no one else. There must have been something so striking about Jesus’ presence that the people who saw him knew who He was immediately. Once they recognized Him, “they scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring the sick on mats.” (Mark 6:55) They recognized Him, they sought after Him, and they believed in His mercy and ability to heal. They believed that only touching the tassel on his cloak would provide healing, “and as many as touched it were healed.” (Mark 6:56)
So would we recognize Christ when we saw Him? Do we recognize Christ when we see Him? In some ways, we are like the people in Gennesaret since we have heard stories about Jesus. Through the words in scripture, we have a good picture of how we might recognize Jesus because of His actions. We actually hear the words that Christ spoke, so we should in some way be able to recognize Him speak to us. So where will we find Christ? St. Ignatius of Loyola believed that we should seek and find God in all things. It is not hard to find God and His presence in the snow covered beauty hiking in the woods, but we should also seek and find God in the traffic jam on the highway. Finding Christ in a newborn baby is easy, but we can and should also find Him in the homeless man on the corner of the street. Christ is present with us in every minute of our day, if only we would take the time to recognize Him. One place in particular I believe Christ reveals Himself is through a personal encounter- through relationship. In prayer and reflection, we can recognize Christ and His presence in our lives. And this is where I think we can learn from the people in today’s gospel story. Once we recognize Him, we need to seek Him, believe in Him and go to Him for mercy and healing. As Christians, we are also called to be Christ for others, so they can also experience His love and mercy. When we recognize Christ within us, allow Him to transform us, we can then take His grace and bring His love to others. If we live our daily lives as Christ did-following Him in thought and word and deed- then those around us hopefully will be able to “immediately recognize” that we belong to Him. With that recognition, they can also seek Him and find healing in His touch, not only through our presence, but also through the personal encounter of Christ as they choose to walk with Him in their every day lives.
"Heavenly Father, You give us Jesus to bring us wholeness and healing. Help us to recognize Him in the people and world around us. May we come to know Him more deeply and through the power of Your Spirit, may we find healing and mercy in His touch. May our lives imitate His, so we too may bring you glory. We pray this through Christ our LORD. Amen."
- Marylynn Herchline