GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 3RD FEBRUARY 2017
FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING: Hebrews 13:1-8
PSALM: Psalm 27:1,3,5,8-9
GOSPEL: Mark 6:14-29
THEME: HAUNTED
Memories have shadows that come alive in the presence of light. We can shut our eyes to reality and run away from many things but not from our memories for they live inside us and we carry them with us wherever we go.
Jesus had become the talk of the town and his fame spread widely. His activities at this point in time, per the flow of the narrative account of Mark, was centered primarily in the region of Galilee and surrounding areas. Herod Antipas was the one in charge of those areas and understandably would have been informed about what Jesus was doing. When he received news about Jesus, his memory ignited and said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised” (Mk. 6:16). The text then proceeds with a flashback of the gruesome murder of John the Baptist by Herod. The shadows of the memory of an evil act stared hauntingly at him.
Like Herod, we sometimes lock ourselves up in scary dungeons erected by our own memories. Wrong choices of the past often come back in the form of memories to haunt us in the present and put into our hands a future of fear and insecurity. There are some people who are haunted by the sight of certain places and persons. Others are haunted by particular sounds and smells. A simple harmless touch can upset a person and cause immense restlessness. Even the taste of certain foods and drinks can unleash an unpleasant memory and leave a person haunted.
Jesus holds the keys to save and set us free. Our past may have designed our present but we can choose to redesign the future and live our present in that new future. Yes, you can be set free if you turn to Jesus in faith.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, come quickly and save me. Heal me of the memories of the past and make my life flow peacefully like a gentle river. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).