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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Thursday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 19 January 2023 Hebrews 7:25-8:6 <'000>< + ><000'> + <'000>< + ><000'> Mark 3:7-12
Open our ears and our hearts, God our loving Father, to always hear your voice, to heed your calls in Jesus Christ so that like the people in the gospel we too may come to him.
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
Mark 3:7-8
In the fourth gospel, John tells us how Jesus invited Andrew and companion to "come and see" where he stayed; in a beautiful manner, Mark tells us today how people "heard and came" to Jesus! "Coming" to you, O Lord, is always accompanied either by seeing as a result of coming or by hearing that leads to coming.
How ironic, even ridiculous in our time with all the earphones and earplugs and pods stacked in our ears listening, hearing the cacophony of sounds and noise of the world and everyone peddling lies after lies but we would not even bother to hear nor listen to the gospel and stories of Jesus Christ! In fact, we are so busy listening to others and the world without ever hearing our true selves at all!
Teach us to listen, to hear and follow your voice and calls, dear Jesus for you alone is our perfect mediator, our perfect high priest "who is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercessions for them" (Heb. 7:25).
Refine our listening pleasures and abilities that touch our very core not just our senses, massaging our ego; may we have the courage to hear and listen to what is true and just, no matter how painful they may be for it is only in that way we can be healed of our many diseases and maladies. Amen.
