Reflections by Fr. David October 2019
"...go to your friends and tell them...
What great things the Lord has done for you...."
Mark 5 v.19
St Mark the evangelist seems to be very direct in his reporting of his experience of being a disciple of Christ. There is always, as with the three other evangelists, a reassurance that God is with us even today. He is with us after all these centuries of crisis which the world experiences through the events of natural cause or caused by the the mis-quided humans as they waited for God's coming again. Even now, we wait and with hope gain a sense of faith. This faith is expressed in our persistence under the duress of our lives that faith is formed and made vigorous. He has created us and our ancestors as Sons and Daughters.
The vision St Mark has recorded for us helps us forge thankfulness based on the challenges we each face; and which our community must face as well. What St Mark suggests as he reported about Christ's refusal to include the Gaderene demoniac, though cured, in His company of twelve is pivotal for that man and an example for us!
Is it not true that being "tested" we at times have felt lost, alone, abandoned, and desolate because of our circumstance?
Nine- eleven comes to mind. Others of us remember December 7th or the atomic blast on August 6, 1945. Still more recently, we have suffered the shock of repeated mass shootings that have numbed us. It has made these last few months difficult to be able to see and experience” the great things the Lord has done for us." Yet when we sit and wait, become still, become quiet, we can become aware how God through Christ with the action of the Holy Spirit keeps us alive and able although under extreme discomfort.
As the Church, we remain strong, resilient and more caring! We have more empathy and sympathy for those who are sorely tried by their circumstances. Chronic illness, economic distress, personal tragedy (small and large), addictions of soul and body. Even so, these can and do become a witness of the heroic part of us as we, through faith, overcome our personal and our secret afflictions and activate our belief in our gift from God's Son our immortality.
The immortality given to us through Christ's humble obedience in fulfilling the sacrifice of himself at Golgotha.
We like the repentant thief can say,” Lord, remember me today in Thy Kingdom"
Let us remember and be aware that we are like the demoniac redeemed of our benighted behavior! We like the thief, repentant asking for deliverance instantly given!
Now is the time in this present moment to,” go tell our friends the great things that Lord has done for us” That our life IS the gift that a benevolent Creator has given us unworthy though we may appear to ourselves. He has shown us the Way. If only we accept the Comforter into our "woe being" as into or "well-being" We are to be formed finally, into His will and into His everlasting likeness.
For death has been overcome and Life in the Kingdom is our guarantee through our Faith in Him. Saying 'no' or 'yes' are our choices.. through our again found Faith YES is our necessary answer ...is it not?