Each of us can give and receive Jesus' comfort
by Sister Mary Kabat
As we hear the First Reading from the Book of Job (7:1-4, 6-7) we feel its heaviness: life is a drudgery, months of misery and troubled nights, days ending without hope. All of us who have lived life for some years can empathize with Job. We may know his pain from experience or hear it in another. We search for words that would give him hope and lighten his spirit.
In the Gospel (Mark 1:29-39) Jesus, Simon, Andrew, James and John enter Simon’s house to find Simon’s mother-in-law lying down sick. What did Jesus do? He grasped her hand and surely looked into her eyes filled with the misery of her fever. What time passed before He helped her up, we don’t know. Surely the strong hand of caring and the look of understanding and love accompanied the cure.
Do I need Jesus’ touch, comfort and look of love as this time in my life? Open your heart.
Can I give Jesus’ touch, comfort and look of love to someone in need? Open your heart.
"Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted." ~ Psalm 147:3 (responsorial psalm verse)
Fictional character that Job is, it would be very interesting and telling to see a movie based on this character. Added into the movie, could be the Mystical Presence of Christ, the Person of Jesus, just somehow showing up at different times, different places, and different scenes. Job would not know, of course, that this was the Christ. And maybe neither would we. Until the movie comes nearer and nearer to its end. What questions would we have? What feelings would have been evoked? In what ways would we relate to the story, to the character, Job, other characters, and to the Presence of the Mystical Christ in his life? Especially in his life of suffering? Yes, I'd really like to see such a film. Thank you, Mary, for sparking this idea in me.
And thank you, too, for asking each question:
* Do I need Jesus’ touch, comfort and look of love at this time in my life?
* Can I give Jesus’ touch, comfort and look of love to someone in need?
And for providing the same invitation-response to each one: "Open your heart."