A reading according to the holy Gospel of Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
REFLECTION:
Mark’s gospel describes the way many people looked at Jesus. Scribes thought Jesus was crazy and some others even said he was demon possessed. But why? I think because he was different and didn’t bow to any of their manmade rules and beliefs of that time.
In today’s society we find ourselves in a culture that says all views must be accepted except for the Christian view. Christians are often labeled intolerant, radical and of course, crazy. Even some of our close friends and family think our beliefs and practices are so far outside of the norm that we must hide them or just keep a low profile; It would be madness to do otherwise.
So, are you crazy enough to go against the world for Jesus?
Insane, for praying for priesthood vocations and praying for all the wonderful priests we know exist. Mad, for knowing that Jesus is present when we participate in the Eucharist. Foolish, for praying the rosary, knowing that the “Hail Mary” is a biblical prayer and that mysteries of each decade describe an event in Christ’s life. Absurd, for teaching our children that the sign of the cross is in honor to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and that our prayers to the Holy Trinity can be found in the Bible. Irrational, for believing in traditional marriage. Bananas, for being of the opinion that gender is binary. “Loco” (Spanish for crazy), for believing that life begins at conception.
If you said "YES", then you are crazy for Jesus!! And you are not alone.
