Question of the Week, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
In today’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39), Jesus states that the reason he came to Earth was to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News, to all people. Today we witness Jesus proclaiming the Good News by healing Simon’s mother-in-law and many others who come to him. In other Gospel accounts, Jesus proclaimed the Good News by healing the man born blind, raising Lazarus from the dead, and changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
What prepared him to do these things? His deep and abiding relationship with God the Father, listening with his heart attuned to the inspiration and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and persevering in prayer. We who are his disciples need to follow his example.
And, in a very practical way, we need to know the Good News we proclaim. What is our relationship with the Word of God? Do we allow it, day after day and week after week, to take root in our hearts and shape our behaviors and choices accordingly? Do we actively seek the wisdom and guidance it has to offer by taking time to read and ponder its riches? We cannot proclaim what we do not know, what is not an integral part of our lives.
In 2019, Pope Francis established “Sunday of the Word of God,” to be celebrated each year on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. At its first celebration (January 26, 2020), Pope Francis preached: “Each day, let us read a verse or two of the Bible. Let us begin with the Gospel,” he said: “let us keep it open on our table, carry it in our pocket, read it on our cell phones, and allow it to inspire us daily. We will discover that God is close to us, that he dispels our darkness and, with great love, leads our lives into deep waters.”
Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years’ experience as a Catholic educator and lay minister. She is a frequent workshop presenter on prayer, liturgy, spirituality, the Sacraments, and the RCIA. Also, Mary leads retreats and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their Catholic faith.