Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
As part of the Discipleship training seminar at Immaculate Conception Parish, we are reading Pope Francis’ book about mercy. One of the chapters is entitled “Coming out of Ourselves.” I believe that Jesus in today’s gospel shows us how this is done. Pope Francis explains what this means when he says, “God does not wait for us to go to him, but it is he who moves toward us, without calculation, without quantification. That is what God is like. He always takes the first step; he comes toward us.” As disciples of Jesus we are called to do the same.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus calls forth a woman who has been crippled and heals her. This woman does not come to Jesus, but He goes to her- He takes the first step- and provides her healing and wholeness without her even asking. This woman was probably an outcast because of her infirmity and Jesus comes out of Himself to reach out to her and help her be brought back into community. Jesus is reprimanded by the synagogue leader for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus does not allow this criticism to deter him, and He responds that care and compassion for those in need is the more important part of living out His faith.
As Christians we are called to be like Jesus and “come out of ourselves.” Pope Francis describes how we can do this: “following Jesus, means learning to come out of ourselves in order to go to meet others, to go toward the outskirts of existence, to be the first to take a step toward our brother and sister, especially those who are the most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are the most in need of understanding, comfort, and help. There is such a great need to bring the living presence of Jesus, merciful and full of love!”
The challenge for us is how can we “come out of ourselves” for others in the midst of our ordinary days? Without God’s grace it is impossible, so we must begin by trying to know the “mind of Christ” through prayer, scripture and sacrament. Jesus acts in humble, selfless ways, putting the needs of others before His own. Living this in our daily life requires that we see others through the lens of compassion and mercy. When we see someone, we need to be able to see them as God sees them (with great love) and reach out to them.
For me, I think this simple (but challenging!) approach to discipleship makes the most sense: be who you are (as God created you to be), wherever you are, and love the person that is right in front of you! This means that we need to step forward in love in our homes, workplace, school, community and everywhere that God takes us. Like Jesus, there will be people that ridicule us because they believe that the people we are loving are not necessarily deserving of our love. But, if we love these people with the help of God’s grace, then like the woman in the gospel, they can be transformed and welcomed back into the community where they belong. I believe that this is one way that we can tangibly bring the kingdom of God to the world. As we step forward and come out of ourselves we know that “God takes our hands, our feet, our heart, and guides them and makes all our actions fruitful.” (Pope Francis)
As we go through our routine today, let us pray for the grace that we may see each individual as God does. Maybe we can find an opportunity to come out of ourselves and step forward in faith to share God’s love and compassion with one person who is in need. May the Spirit of God give us the wisdom to recognize the needs of others, and the courage to boldly go out and be Christ to those that we meet.
Heavenly Father, You sent Your Son Jesus so you could “come out of yourself”. Through His life, death and resurrection Jesus” comes out of Himself” for us, so we may know You and your love. As disciples, may we be filled with your Spirit and step forward in faith as we” come out of ourselves” to share Your love and mercy with others. Guide our lives so we can find those most in need and bring them your transforming love. May all that we think, do and say be signs of Christ’s presence on this earth and may we always give You all the glory and praise. We pray this through Christ our LORD. Amen.
- Marylynn Herchline