“Being inspired by Jesus, the ‘Lion’ to instil in us the urgency to take necessary good actions in our life!”

(Based on Heb 7:1-3, 15-17 and Mk 3:1-6 – Wednesday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A beautiful Turkish proverb goes thus:
“A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man!”

This quote is a beautiful reminder to every person to understand the inherent power and capability within every person!

It is this power that can help a person to face every situation of fear…
… FEAR, of course is nothing but, “False Evidence Appearing Real” (F.E.A.R.)

Jesus in His early ministry demonstrated His brave and bold presence by displaying Himself as the Powerful Lion of Judah.

Today the Lion, associated with Mark’s Gospel is set to “roar!”

Yes, Jesus, the Marcan Lion is out to “roar” in the Synagogue!

It’s another Sabbath day…
And Jesus is in the synagogue where there is a man who has a withered hand.

St Mark is particular to mention that the Pharisees were watching him keenly, to observe what Jesus, the healer would do (Mk 3:2)

They did not look, to praise God… they observed in order to pinpoint faults!
They did not seek, to glorify God’s name…they scrutinized in order to defame the Lord!

What a pity when religious leaders become only harsh law-enforcing personnel and fail to administer compassion and love!

What a pity when protectors of the law become too rigid and stubborn to keep the rules that they become perpetuators of a perpetual hypocrisy!

As the Pharisees keep watching what He is going to do, Jesus throws the ball in their court.

The Lord knows the secrets of human hearts!
The Lord gauges the depths of human hypocrisy!

And so Jesus, the Marcan Lion roars and asks, ” Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” ( Mk 3:4)

A basic and a fundamental question was staring on the faces of the Pharisees…

They were people…
… who were staunch to uphold the laws and the rules.
… who would strive to maintain faithfulness to the minutest regulations
… who would raise their voice at any violation of God’s commandments.

Was it love that drove them to do God’s commandments?
Was it pure motives that made them to be zealous for God’s law?
Was it a striving for God’s glory that impelled them to be strict keepers of the rules?

Here was a moment for them to express their intention behind all these things…

Here was a chance to tell the world what was their aim in doing all the obligations…

“But they remained silent” (Mk 3:4b)

What an anti-climax it turned out to be!

They gave the worst possible reply to the life-convicting question: Silence!
It was a deafening silence that was brutally wounding and viciously hurting!

It was a booming silence of their cruel disapproval of Jesus’ healing ministry!
It was a crashing silence exposing their wickedness of heart and duplicity of minds!

And so Jesus, the Lion roars…
“Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of hearts…” (Mk 3:5)

The inhuman silence of the Pharisees provokes Jesus, the Lion to anger!

The hypocritical hush of the Pharisees instigates Jesus, the Lion to fury!
The dreadful stillness of the Pharisees wounds Jesus, the Lion to grief!

How many of us are similar to this attitude of the Pharisees….?

We see people withered in misery and abjection…

And we assume a dignified silence of inaction and apathy!

We see others withered in sinful situations and evil circumstances…

And we take refuge in a silence of not doing anything to help them, come out of this condition!

We see families, societies and communities withering in disunity and discord…

And we maintain a “clean-image” of silence, instead of doing the unpleasant task of unifying!

We see ourselves withered in corrupt inclinations and errant behaviour…

And we uphold a silence of indifference and lethargy and avoid reformation and renewal!

But the Lord, the great Lion, roars in all such “unfair and debasing” moments of silence!
It angers Him…
It grieves Him…
It provokes Him…
It pains Him…

At the same time, we realise that Jesus – the Lion of Judah – Who “roars” fiercely…
… is also the Gentle Lamb who sacrificed His life for our transformation, renewal and reformation!

ROOARRR!!

The Lion of Judah is “roaring” for a positive and active response from us….
… for a change in our attitude and mentality!
… for a radical transformation in our misery of indifference!

Let the “roar” of Jesus, the Lion instil in us the urgency to take necessary good actions in our life.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK – CHRIST THE PHYSICIAN

Moved by so much suffering Christ not only allows Himself to be touched by the sick, but He makes their miseries His own: “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

But He did not heal all the sick.
His healings were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God.
They announced a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death through his Passover.
On the cross, Christ took upon Himself the whole weight of evil and took away the “sin of the world,” of which illness is only a consequence.

By His passion and death on the cross, Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to Him and unite us with His redemptive Passion. (CCC #1505)