{"id":1080,"date":"2009-02-07T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-07T09:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/02\/homily-for-february-8-2009-5th-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html"},"modified":"2009-02-07T09:44:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-07T09:44:00","slug":"homily-for-february-8-2009-5th-sunday-in-ordinary-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/02\/homily-for-february-8-2009-5th-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html","title":{"rendered":"Homily for February 8, 2009: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s gospel begins with just four brief words. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn leaving the synagogue\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n

It sounds so simple. It\u2019s almost a passing reference. You could hear those words go by and not give them a second thought. But with those four brief words, St. Mark does something radical and unexpected. <\/p>\n

He points the way to another kind of living. The Christian way. The way of Christ. <\/p>\n

And it begins when Christ leaves the synagogue. <\/p>\n

<\/a>The synagogue, of course, was the great center of Jewish teaching. <\/p>\n

But another kind of teaching, another lesson, is about to be imparted. And it will unfold in the unlikeliest places. <\/p>\n

It begins at Peter\u2019s house, where Christ cures Peter\u2019s mother-in-law. And then others are brought to Jesus. Jesus himself eventually has to go away, to a quiet place, to pray. But Peter finds him and says \u201cEveryone is looking for you.\u201d And Jesus replies that he needs to get up and go into other towns and villages. He explains it beautifully:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this purpose have I come.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

What strikes me about this is that Christ\u2019s work begins in a house of worship. And he clearly exercises his ministry there. <\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t stop there. <\/p>\n

It continues, and is carried out, and made real, in the world. <\/p>\n

His great purpose is fulfilled outside the synagogue walls \u2013 in places where the lepers and the lame, the sick and the possessed, can come to him. He goes out to meet them where they are \u2013 and they go to meet him where they can find him. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a significant detail. But what was true in Capernaum 2,000 years ago\u2026is still true, around the world, today. <\/p>\n

The great work of Christianity happens in homes, on street corners, in the marketplace. It unfolds on breadlines and in soup kitchens, in shelters and classrooms. It\u2019s made manifest around the dining room table, and in offices and stores and subway cars. <\/p>\n

What we do here, within these four walls, of course, is invaluable and supremely important. Here, we gather to become a community, to worship and to receive the Eucharist and to hear the gospel message proclaimed \u2013 yes. <\/p>\n

But this is only the beginning. <\/p>\n

Out there, out those doors, is where it lives, and grows, and spreads. <\/p>\n

The gospel doesn\u2019t do any of us any good if we simply treat it as a pretty story bound in leather and perched on the altar. It\u2019s meaningless if we leave it behind. It needs to be carried from here, in our hearts, and in our lives. <\/p>\n

It needs to be taken into the world, the way that Jesus did. <\/p>\n

There are still those who are sick and who are possessed who need to be healed. <\/p>\n

They may be sick of heart\u2026or possessed by loneliness. They may carry a leprosy that eats away at their self-worth. They may be shunned, or ignored. <\/p>\n

We can be Christ to them. <\/p>\n

We can help fulfill His purpose in the world. Or, as someone once said: \u201cThe only edition of the gospels most people are likely to see\u2026is you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Significantly, the synagogue is mentioned twice: at the beginning of this gospel passage, and at the end. We begin with Christ leaving the synagogue. But we conclude with him going into it, in other towns and villages, as he continues his work. <\/p>\n

Years ago, a colleague at work gave me a beautiful picture frame as a Christmas gift, with a note: \u201cWhat matters in life,\u201d she said, \u201cis how you frame it.\u201d <\/p>\n

I think Mark is telling us the same thing in this gospel. A life of prayer and worship gives guidance and direction to Christ\u2019s work, to the gospel message. It\u2019s the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. And so it should be for each of us. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the start and the finish. But what will we do in the middle? <\/p>\n

At the end of this mass, I\u2019ll say the familiar words: \u201cThe mass has ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.\u201d <\/p>\n

We hear it so often, every week, it may not register. And let\u2019s be honest: by that point in the mass, a lot of people are already out in the parking lot. <\/p>\n

But this time, stay and listen. And let\u2019s ask ourselves: what does that really mean?<\/p>\n

How<\/i> will I love and serve the Lord? How will I put those words into practice? <\/p>\n

How can I take what I hear and receive here, and carry it out those doors\u2026and into the world?<\/p>\n

That was Christ\u2019s challenge \u2013 and it\u2019s ours. <\/p>\n

Because for that purpose have WE<\/u> come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s gospel begins with just four brief words. \u201cOn leaving the synagogue\u2026\u201d It sounds so simple. It\u2019s almost a passing reference. You could hear those words go by and not give them a second thought. But with those four brief words, St. Mark does something radical and unexpected. He points the way to another kind…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\nHomily for February 8, 2009: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/02\/homily-for-february-8-2009-5th-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Homily for February 8, 2009: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today\u2019s gospel begins with just four brief words. \u201cOn leaving the synagogue\u2026\u201d It sounds so simple. 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