Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin & martyr
“When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, ‘he is out of his mind.’” (Mark 3:21) The response of the crowd in today’s Gospel with the tone of the first reading and the psalm could not be more different with the reaction of Jesus’ relatives. The first reading from Hebrews speaks of Jesus the High Priest entering into the heavenly sanctuary, through the perfect tabernacle not made by hands, and thus obtaining eternal redemption. This leads us to say in our responsorial Psalm, “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” But his relatives, well they seek to seize because they think, “he is out of his mind.”
Why is it that his relatives, who saw the same things as the crowds, have this very different reaction? I think at times when things and people become comfortable or too familiar, we begin to no longer see them, even though they are right before our very eyes. Grace is often times missed when it is revealed in small ways or if it is revealed by someone we see and communicate with every day. Are we able to see Christ revealed to us in the small whispers or in a kind word for someone we see every day? Or are we looking for something outside of what has become familiar us? We should pray as in the Gospel acclamation, “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections