Jesus too Prayed

Today’s Gospel Text:  And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together about the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Every one is searching for you." 38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out." 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. Mark 1:29-39

Reflection: The demands of ministry and the work thereof and the great temptation flowing from ones zeal to labor and work in God’s vineyard often could lead a person wounded, weak and bruised.

This situation could be exacerbated with the many attacks from the evil one through human gossip, slander, maligning and sometimes even physical attack; the ones in authority often trying to subjugate a person. 

The devil is only filled with hurt and rage when one is in direct conflict with his work of deception and defrauding humans of the salvation which Jesus came to reveal.  

He works to deceive people with a humane concern, in the process even talking about love and reaching out, and proclaims a gospel often camouflaged with worldly values of liberation for the oppressed and marginalized or the other extreme of a prosperity gospel.

In the present world with the abundance of knowledge and the greed to accumulate it, closely assisted by ones self centered development through the many programmes and spirituality's available, one is often lost in the maze and similar can be the fate of the man in the ministry.

Jesus our model shows us the way out of it: “And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.” (vs. 35)

If the Lord himself, in human form, needed to pray how much more we who are mere humans sold to sin and evil.

This is also a clear indication that our outreach to humanity cannot be accomplished by pure good works or magnificent philanthropy only but by a life of prayer which first seeks the transformation of the self in his presence and Jesus teaches us whom to pray to and how. 

God’s presence and purely his holy presence is what cleanses us and purifies our hearts of everything that is not of his and we need to first enter this presence with thanksgiving for allowing us to enter it to the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Lord, teach us to enter into your holy presence with faith and compete confidence and thus be your instrument of salvation to the world.

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