A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 3:7-12
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. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known.
REFLECTION: “You are the Son of God.”
Crowds came from all over to see Jesus. Were they seeking Him because of the miracles He performed? Were they seeking Him because He was so charismatic that they dropped everything for the sake of being with Him? The crowd was drawn to Him because they were seeking more than the mundane. In Jesus they saw a prophet, a miracle worker and a saint.
God comes, in Jesus, to the sick and the fatigued. He wants to teach us as to who He is, how much He loves us and that His kingdom is near. He wants us to know about His forgiveness, His reconciliation, His searching our souls to forgive sins. He does heal from the consequences of sin but it is His love that He wants us to know. To know how He can cure sin itself.
However, He treats the evil spirits differently. He uses His power to shut them up. The spirits have already decided to never love God, and for eternity they will be without Him. They cannot receive His love. But Jesus, though demanding of us, will be with us every moment of our lives. He has promised us. He speaks to us with tenderness but expects us to follow the path He has laid out for us to be with Him for eternity.
Let us say, "You are the Son of God".
God Bless
